Sept '03 Offworld Report: Science Fiction & Fantasy
01/09/2003 . Source: Stephen Hunt 
Interviews with Dan Simmons, Larry Niven, Orson Scott Card and Stan Nicholls; the roots of space opera are explored, Robert Silverberg looks at the Cleve Cartmill Affair, and the great Farscape rescue gathers pace. September 2003's round-up of all that is worth mentioning offworld the 'Nest when it comes to matters science fiction and fantasy. INTERVIEWS The Caliban Factor
SF author Dan Simmons talks about his new novel and revisiting ‘The Iliad’, in ‘Ilium’.
 Dan Simmons
SF author Dan is interviewed – again - by good old Ernest Lilley.
Niven on Niven
Larry Niven, the author of ‘Scatterbrain’ & many others, is interviewed. My Johnson
Les Johnson, Manager of NASA's In-Space Propulsion technology projects, chats about how science fiction inspired his interest in the space sciences. Keen on Kearney
Author Paul Kearney interviewed. Stan the Man
Stan Nicholls, the author of Quicksilver Rising interviewed. Rosemary Kirstein Interview
The author of The Lost Steersman and The Steerswoman's Road is interviewed Roll out the Big Gunn
SFF writer James Gunn is interviewed. China’s Town
Fantasy author China Miéville is interviewed by Nick Gevers. The Mind of Mulhall
Technology Journalist Douglas Mulhall chats about his book, ‘Our Molecular Future’, which looks at the technological and ecological threats to humanity. What a Card
Orson Scott Card, author of Ender's Game et al, is interviewed.
Raising the Tomb Raider
Director Jan de Bont, producer Lloyd Levin, and the fabulous Angelina Jolie discuss their latest movie, ‘Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.’ Big Dave
SF writer David Brin on his life and times.
LITERATURE Bradbury’s No Stinking SF Author
According to Ray ‘The Martian Chronicles’ Bradbury, he isn’t a science fiction author. Brad at Eighty-Three
A look at the life of Ray Bradbury, screenwriter, poet, novelist and all-round nice guy.
Science Fiction: The Early Early Years
A look at the future as predicted by early SF writer named George Griffith in his 1894 book ‘The Angel Of The Revolution’. Did it come true? Rowlings Magic Fails
A web-based campaign to get JK Rowling a Nobel prize has failed to work its magic on Harry Potter fans. Gibson abandon’s SF
Kevin Wood ruminates on William Gibson's novel Pattern Recognition.
SFF Publishing for the Little People
RedPaper is an experimental online exchange that blends self-publishing with micropayments. Each science fiction author’s success depends on how popular his or her work is.
NEWS Blake Back?
Paul Darrow inks a deal to bring the classic Blake’s 7 TV show back to the small-screen more than twenty years after it finished. Kidz Rule
The movie Spy Kids crushes Lara Croft at the US box office. Jedi Lawsuit
C anadian teenager launches legal action against classmates who put a video of him pretending to be a Jedi Knight online, claiming that the joke has left him a mental wreck. Jefferies Beamed Up for Good
Walter "Matt" Jefferies, the art director on the original Trek series passes away. The Jefferies tube lives on though. Home for Hobbits
The underground house with a design heavily influenced by Bilbo Baggins' home in The Lord of the Rings comes on the market again in the UK. You’ll have to be a rich hobbit though … it costs £650,000! Rings Breaks DVD Sales Record
Pre-release sales of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’ breaks all records at Amazon.
ARTICLES The Opera of Space
Old hands David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer looks at ‘Space Opera: From Shit to Shinola’. The roots of space opera are explored in this fascinating essay, with a well-deserved nod towards Planet stories and the like. The Cleve Cartmill Affair
Robert Silverberg examines the anecdote of how Cleve Cartmill wrote a SF story in 1944 describing the workings of the atomic bomb for Astounding Science Fiction, which landed him in front of a rather suspicious FBI. The Three Laws
A look at the impact that Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics has had on the genre. The Roots of Star Wars
Looks at the many roots the Star Wars series of movies had in the science fiction and fantasy that preceded it. Clarion Caring
The editor-in-chief of Science Fiction Weekly, Scott Edelman, issues a plea on behalf of the now endangered Clarion SF writing workshop.
CONS AND AWARDS The Campbell Awards
Greg Beatty brings you the who, what and why behind the John W. Campbell Best New Writer Awards. SF Southern-Style
New Mexico's annual science fiction and fantasy convention, Bubonicon 35, returns for 2003.
FICTION The Siren of Ocean City
Tobias Seamon, sets a tale stomping through the sands at dusk, imagining he was Odysseus; not the clever hero at the gates of Troy, mind, but the wrecked Odysseus. The Boys Are Back in Town
A new short story from the pen of Douglas Smith. Router
Charles Stross’s story, currently a worthy nominee for the British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Short Fiction.
MEDIA Where is Lara’s Joy?
Lara Croft arrives in the new Tombraider sequel, but she simply fails to make her mark. My Secret Farscape Life
New save Farscape campaign hopes to revive the canceled TV show - and many think this one just might work Enterprise Anew
A look at the adrenaline boost that has been planned for the third season of Trek’s Enterprise. Galactica Revisited
Long interview with Ronald D. Moore, the creator of the new Galactica, in which he discusses the plot etc of the forthcoming Battlestar Galactica miniseries. Freddy hates Jason
The ultimate slasher flick tops the US charts with Freddy Vs Jason. How Far for Farscape?
A look at how committed Farscape fans are in getting their cancelled show back on the TV schedule. Alias gets an extra Superspy
Interview with actress Melissa George, aka the new British superspy ‘Lauren Reed’ who gets teamed up with Sydney in the new series of Alias. How Extraordinary
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen revives the fortunes of movie-based steampunk … or does it? Galactica to the Death
The fight by fans for a Battlestar Galactica miniseries that doesn’t attempt to update the original. T’Pol Gets a Hot New Look
Photos of everyone’s favorite Vulcan pin-up, the new-look T’Pol from the next Trek series, get posted online.
TRAILER TRASH Matrix Revolutions
New trailer for Matrix Revolutions hits the Warner site. Quicktime is required to view. 
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