Pandemic Panic

47

I'm not really keen on celebrating my birthday, especially as I get older, but here are four photos from my fourth birthday, which took place 43 years ago in Thompson, Manitoba. 

Mashup Men

Harry Potter and the Mid-Life Crisis

Several years ago, Sylvia presented me with a boxed set of the Harry Potter books for my birthday. I was delighted, for friends whose opinions I trust raved about the books.

I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone almost immediately, and while I was impressed by J.K. Rowling's worldbuilding and the sophisticated (for the genre) twist ending, I was left a little underwhelmed. It certainly didn't feel like a book that deserved such phenomenal acclaim. Perhaps I was comparing Harry Potter unfavourably to Neil Gaiman's The Books of Magic, which had tread much of the same territory some years previously.

The next few titles left me feeling much the same way; I appreciated them, but I didn't adore them. In fact, I read the books at a very leisurely pace, cracking one open every couple of years.

It wasn't until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that I started to feel truly invested in the characters and the main story arc. Even midway through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I began to feel as though I was simply too old and set in my prejudices to embrace the books properly - just as I felt about the latest Star Wars film.

But, determined to finish, last night I came to bed and resolved to wrap up the series. And then, at about the point when Harry and his friends were finally starting to turn things around, the magic happened - so to speak. Suddenly I saw how carefully Rowling had constructed her fantasy world, how skillfully she developed her characters, their relationships, and the themes holding the story together. And when Harry learns the truth about everything, I had to keep myself from a little cry of exultation lest I wake up Sylvia.

I'm very grateful I managed to finish the series unspoiled, so I won't go into much detail lest I ruin the experience for others. In the end, the series is a triumph of children's and fantasy literature, and stands as a compelling, cohesive work. Not only that, it reminded me of how exquisitely felt are the emotions of adolescence and early adulthood. There's nothing quite as sweet as the pain and joy of young romance and the quest to discover yourself, and Rowling captured that experience masterfully. For a couple of hours last night, I felt young again.

Perhaps in a decade or two I'll read the series one more time, start to finish, with less jaded eyes. I think I owe Rowling that much. 

Reading the Campbells

Along with the Hugo and Nebula, the John W. Campbell Memorial Award is considered in some circles as one of the triumvirate of important SF awards. Since I'm tracking my Hugo and Nebula tallies, I figure I should add the Campbell to the list. Here, then, is the list of Campbell nominated works to date; the ones I've read are noted in bold.

1973
Beyond Apollo, Barry N. Malzberg
The Listeners, James E. Gunn
Darkening Island, Christopher Priest

1974 (two winners)
Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
Malevil, Robert Merle
The Embedding, Ian Watson
The Green Gene, Peter Dickinson

1975
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, Philip K. Dick
The Dispossesed, Ursula K. LeGuin

1976 (no winner; special award presented to The Year of the Quiet Sun, Wilson Tucker)
The Stochastic Man, Robert Silverberg
Orbitsville, Bob Shaw

1977
The Alteration, Kingsley Amis
Man Plus, Frederik Pohl
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, Katherine Wilhelm

1978
Gateway, Frederik Pohl
Roadside Picnic and Tale of the Troika, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
A Scanner Darkly, Philip K. Dick

1979
Goriana, Michael Moorcock
Altered States, Paddy Chayefsky
And Having Writ..., Donald R. Bensen

1980
On Wings of Song, Thomas M. Disch
Engine Summer, John Crowley
The Unlimited Dream Company, J. G. Ballard

1981
Timescape, Gregory Benford
The Dreaming Dragons, Damien Broderick
The Shadow of the Torturer, Gene Wolfe

1982
Riddley Walker, Russell Hoban

1983
Helliconia Spring, Brian W. Aldiss
No Enemy But Time, Michael Bishop

1984
The Citadel of the Autarch, Gene Wolfe
The Birth of the People's Republic of Antarctica, John Batchelor
Tik-Tok, John Thomas Sladek

1985
The Years of the City, Frederick Pohl
Green Eyes, Lucius Shepherd
Neuromancer, William Gibson

1986
The Postman, David Brin
Galapagos, Kurt Vonnegut
Blood Music, Greg Bear
Kiteworld, Keith Roberts

1987
A Door into Ocean, Joan Slonczewski
The is the Way the World Ends, James K. Morrow
Speaker for the Dead, Orson Scott Card

1988
Lincoln's Dreams, Connie Willis
The Sea and Summer, George Turner
The Unconquered Country, Geoff Ryman

1989
Islands in the Net, Bruce Sterling
The Gold Coast, Kim Stanley Robinson
Dragonsdawn, Anne McCaffrey

1990
The Child Garden, Geoff Ryman
Farewell Horizontal, K.W. Jeter
Good News from Outer Space, John Kessel

1991
Pacific Edge, Kim Stanley Robinson
Queen of Angels, Greg Bear
Only Begotten Daughter, James K. Morrow

1992
Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede, Bradley Denton
The Difference Engine, William Gibson and Bruce Sterling
The Silicon Man, Charles Platt
Stations of the Tide, Michael Swanwick

1993
Brother to Dragons, Charles Sheffield
Sideshow, Sherri S. Tepper
A Fire Upon the Deep, Vernor Vinge

1994 (no award)
Beggars in Spain, Nancy Kress
Moving Mars, Greg Bear

1995
Permutation City, Greg Egan
Brittle Innings, Michael Bishop

1996
The Time Ships, Stephen Baxter
The Diamond Age, Neal Stephenson
Chaga, Ian McDonald

1997
Fairyland, Paul J. McAuley
Blue Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson
The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell

1998
Forever Peace, Joe Haldeman
Slant, Greg Bear
Secret Passages, Paul Preuss

1999
Brute Orbits, George Zebrowski
Starfarers, Poul Anderson
Distraction, Bruce Sterling

2000
A Deepness in the Sky, Vernor Vinge
Darwin's Radio, Greg Bear
Greenhouse Summer, Norman Spinrad
The Silicon Dagger, Jack Williamson
Starfish, Peter Watts

2001
Genesis, Poul Anderson
Ash: A Secret History, Mary Gentle
Calculating God, Robert J. Sawyer
Infinity Beach, Jack McDevitt
The Fresco, Sherri S. Tepper

2002 (two winners)
The Chronoliths, Robert Charles Wilson
Terraforming Earth, Jack Williamson
Probability Sun, Nancy Kress
Dark Light, Ken MacLeod
Deepsix, Jack McDevitt
Fallen Dragon, Peter F. Hamilton
Hammerfall, C.J. Cherryh
The House of Dust, Paul Johnston
The Meek, Scott Mackay
Nekropolis, Maureen F. McHugh
Pashazade: The First Arabesk, Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Passage, Connie Willis

2003
Probability Space, Nancy Kress
Kiln People, David Brin
Hominids, Robert J. Sawyer
Bones of the Earth, Michael Swanwick
Dark Ararat, Brian Stableford
The Golden Age, John C. Wright
Lion's Blood, Steven Barnes
The Separation, Christopher Priest
The Visitor, Sherri S. Tepper
Vitals, Greg Bear

2004
Omega, Jack McDevitt
Natural History, Justina Robson
The X President, Philip Baruth
The Braided World, Kay Kenyon
The Changeling Plague, Syne Mitchell
The Companions, Sherri S. Tepper
Darwin's Children, Greg Bear
Jennifer Government, Max Barry
Memory, Linda Nagata
Red Thunder, John Varley
Sister Alice, Robert Reed
Star Dragon, Mike Brotherton
Storyteller, Amy Thomson
Untied Kingdom, James Lovegrove
The Wreck of the River of Stars, Michael F. Flynn

2005
Market Forces, Richard Morgan
Air, Geoff Ryman
The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
The Boy Who Would Live Forever, Frederick Pohl
The Child Goddess, Louise Marley
City of Pearl, Karen Traviss
Gaudeamus, John Barnes
Newton's Wake, Ken MacLeod
The Plot Against America, Philip Roth
The Rebel, Jack Dann
The Well of Stars, Robert Reed
White Devils, Paul J. McAuley

2006
Mindscan, Robert J. Sawyer
Spin, Robert Charles Wilson
The Summer Isles, Ian R. MacLeod
Accelerando, Charles Stross
Child of Earth, David Gerrold
Counting Heads, David Marusek
Learning the World, Ken MacLeod
The Meq, Steve Cash
Mind's Eye, Paul J. McAuley
Seeker, Jack McDevitt
Transcendent, Stephen Baxter
The World Before, Karen Traviss

2007
Titan, Ben Bova
The Last Witchfinder, James K. Morrow
Blindsight, Peter Watts
Farthing, Jo Walton
Dry, Barbara Sapergia
Glasshouse, Charles Stross
Infoquake, David Louis Edelman
Living Next Door to the God of Love, Justina Robson
Nova Swing, M. John Harrison
Odyssey, Jack McDevitt
Rainbows End, Vernor Vinge
A Small and Remarkable Life, Nick DeChario
Sun of Suns, Karl Schroeder

2008
In War Times, Kathleen Ann Goonan
The Yiddish Policeman's Union, Michael Chabon
The Execution Channel, Ken MacLeod
Axis, Robert Charles Wilson
Bad Monkeys, Matt Ruff
Brasyl, Ian McDonald
Deadstock, Jeffrey Thomas
HARM, Brian W. Aldiss
Mainspring, Jay Lake
The Margarets, Sherri S. Tepper
The New Moon's Arms, Nalo Hopkinson
Rollback, Robert J. Sawyer
Time's Child, Rebecca Ore
Zig Zag, Jose Carlos Somoza

2009 (two winners)
Little Brother, Cory Doctorow
Song of Time, Ian R. MacLeod
The Philosopher's Apprentice, James K. Morrow
Anathem, Neal Stephenson
City at the End of Time, Greg Bear
Valley of Day-Glo, Nick DiChario

2010
The Windup girl, Paolo Bacigalupi
Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd Century America, Robert Charles Wilson
The City & the City, China Mieville
The Caryatids, Bruce Sterling
Galileo's Dream, Kim Stanley Robinson
Gardens of the Sun, Paul J. McAuley
Makers, Cory Doctorow
Steal Across the Sky, Nancy Kress
Transition, Ian M. Banks
Wake, Robert J. Sawyer
The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood
Yellow Blue Tibia, Adam Roberts

2011
The Dervish House, Ian McDonald
How to Live Safety in a Science Fictional Universe, Charles Yu
The Quantum Thief, Hannu Rajaniemi
Anthill, E.O. Wilson
Aurorarama, Jean-Chrisophe Valtat
Blackout/All Clear, Connie Willis
C, Tom McCarthy
Hull Zero Three, Greg Bear
New Model Army, Adam Roberts
Veteran, Gavin Smith
The Waters Rising, Sherri S. Tepper
Yarn, Jon Armstrong
Zero History, William Gibson

2012 (two winners)
The Islanders, Christopher Priest
The Highest Frontier, John Slonczewski
Embassytown, China Mieville
Osama, Lavie Tidhar
Ready Player One, Ernest Cline
This Shared Dream, Kathleen Ann Goonan
Soft Apocalypse, Will McIntosh
Dancing with Bears, Michael Swanwick
Robopocalypse, Daniel H. Wilson
Home Fires, Gene Wolfe
Seed, Rob Ziegler

2013
Jack Glass: The Story of a Murderer, Adam Roberts
The Hydrogen Sonata, Ian M. Banks
Any Day Now, Terry Bisson
Existence, David Brin
The Rapture of the Nerds, Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross
Empty Space, M. John Harrison
Intrusion, Ken MacLeod
Railsea, China Mieville
The Fractal Prince, Hannu Rajaniemi
Blue Remembered Earth, Alastair Reynolds
2312, Kim Stanley Robinson
Slow Apocalypse, John Varley
Alif the Unseen, G. Willow Wilson

2014
Strange Bodies, Marcel Theroux
Lexicon, Max Barry
Proxima, Stephen Baxter
The Circle, Dave Eggers
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler
Hild, Nicola Griffith
The Cusanus Game, Wolfgang Jeschke
Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie
The Disestablishment of Paradise, Phillip Mann
Evening's Empires, Paul J. McAuley
The Red: First Light, Linda Nagata
The Adjacent, Christopher Priest
On the Steel Breeze, Alastair Reynolds
Shaman, Kim Stanley Robinson
Neptune's Brood, Charles Stross

2015
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, Claire North
The Race, Nina Allan
A Darkling Sea, James L. Cambias
The Peripheral, William Gibson
Afterparty, Daryl Gregory
Europe in Autumn, Dave Hutchinson
Wolves, Simon Ings
The Three-Body Problem, Cixin Liu
Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel
Defenders, Will McIntosh
The Bees, Laline Paull
Bete, Adam Roberts
Lock In, John Scalzi
The Martian, Andy Weir
Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer
Echopraxia, Peter Watts

To date, I have read 82 of 261 Campbell winners and nominees. That amounts to about 32 percent of the list. 

The Campbell lists seem a little more eclectic to me than the Hugos or the Nebulas, and while there is some overlap with the other major awards, on the whole the Campbells have a more cosmopolitan flavour, with what seems to me a good balance between popular, literate and weird choices - not that any of those are mutually exclusive. Perhaps that's because the Campbells are judged by a select group of jurors, rather than by fan vote (the Hugos) or the wider membership of the Science Fiction Writers of America (the Nebulas). 

Aside from recognizing good work, the chief benefit of literary awards is their ability to provide curious readers with lists of new books to read. Certainly in putting together this list I find myself curious about a number of writers that are new to me. These lists are also handy for carrying with you at used bookstores! 

My Favourite Games (Arcade Edition)

Over the years I've played a lot of games, and they've brought me a lot of joy. It only just occurred to me that I've never chronicled my appreciation for those games, so over the next few days I'll share some memories of my favourites.


Whenever I visited my cousin Darwin Jones in Devon, we'd head downtown to play Space War. I loved this game for its complexity; you could choose all kinds of variables, including inertia, gravity, how the edges of the screen behaved and so on. It didn't hurt that one of the ships looked like the Enterprise, and the other like its symbol.


Pac-Man seems pretty old hat now, but when Keith Gylander and I first encountered it at a fish and chips restaurant in Leduc one summer in the very early 1980s, we were hooked. Gameplay is simple but challenging, with the pace growing more frenetic with every level.


At the height of the video arcade craze, Leduc had at least three or four dedicated arcades, plus other machines scattered throughout the city (the roller rink, the used book store, the convenience store, etc.). I played Wild Western pretty obsessively in the arcade closest to Leduc Junior High school; it was nestled on the first floor of an apartment complex. I liked Wild Western for the music and its relatively complex gameplay; not only could you ride and shoot in all directions, you could jump atop the train and gunfight the desperadoes from on high.


I played Berzerk at the 7-11 on 50th street in Leduc. I was amazed by the robot voices, and fighting my way through the mazes gave me the feeling of being on a real adventure, though of course there was no way to truly escape the robots; eventually, you were doomed, as was the way of things in most arcade games.


I loved the movie Tron, and when the game came out I leaped at the chance to enter its world, user-like. Four games in one! You couldn't beat that in 1982. The lightcycle chase was my favourite, even though I wasn't very good at it.


Defender was probably the most challenging game I attempted back in the day; its multiple controls and relentless enemies ate up my three ships with astonishing speed. But having a noble mission - rescuing the spacemen trapped on the planet - provided excellent motivation for me to keep on pumping quarters into the machine. I played Defender in the arcade that used to exist on the top floor of the then-new theatre on 50th street, not far from the 7-11 where I played Berzerk.


Galaga had great audio effects and a really neat feature that kept me coming back: the bad guys could capture your ship, but if you managed to set it free with another ship, it would join with your second ship for double the firepower (and double the exposure to enemy fire, of course).


Star Castle wasn't as popular as a lot of other games, but I enjoyed its clean vector graphics and free-flowing gameplay.


Discs of Tron was played in a neon-lit wraparound cabinet that really drew you into the game. The immersive experience was helped by smooth controls and simple but challenging gameplay; just knock your opponent off his perch with your flying discs, while preventing him from doing the same thing to you.


If I had room for one arcade game in my home it would be the Star Trek Strategic Operations Simulator; specifically, I'd want the sit-down version with the controls on the armrests. Star Trek has a hit-and-miss history when it comes to game adaptations, but this is a great-looking, great-sounding space shooter, with authentic effects and great voiceovers from Spock and Scotty. "Entering sector 1.6..."


Atari's Star Wars simulation was another excellent adaptation, this time giving players the chance to assault the Death Star itself, complete with emulated John William's music and character voices. The cabinet featured a very solid two-handed flight control stick that made you really feel like you were flying an X-Wing.

Of course I played dozens of other arcade games during those golden years of the 1980s, but these are the ones that stand out in my memory. I shudder to imagine how many quarters slipped through my fingers during those years, but they led to many hours of great entertainment.