News
New Tolkien book to be released in May
- Details
- Written by Thialfi
HarperCollins is to publish a new book by J. R. R. Tolkien. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, edited and introduced by Tolkien’s son Christopher, will be published in hardback in May 2009.
The previously unpublished work was written while Tolkien was professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University during the 1920s and '30s, before he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The publication will make available for the first time Tolkien’s extensive retelling in English narrative verse of the epic Norse tales of Sigurd the Völsung and the Fall of the Niflungs.
Further details about the contents of the book will be revealed closer to publication.
In Norse mytholgy, the warrior Sigurd is the mythical son of Sigmund and Hjordis, as depicted in the Volsung Saga. The Sigurd myth has influenced numerous modern stories. Richard Wagner's opera Siegfried is a retelling of the Sigurd myth. Tolkien used certain elements in his books, such as the sword reforged and the cursed ring, there are also numerous elements in The Children of Hurin.
The David Gemmell Legend Award
- Details
- Written by Seregil of Rhiminee
The DGLA will be presented for the very first time in 2009 for the best Fantasy novel of 2008. The award will be given to a work written in the 'spirit' of the late, great David Gemmell, a true Master of Heroic Fantasy.
Discuss this article in the forums (0 replies).Michael Crichton has died
- Details
- Written by Seregil of Rhiminee
Best-selling author Michael Crichton has died in Los Angeles aged 66 after a "courageous and private battle against cancer", his family has said.
He penned Jurassic Park, as well as books like Congo and Disclosure, all of which were adapted into films.
His books have sold more than 150m copies. He also created the long-running US hospital TV drama ER.
Source: BBC News
Discuss this article in the forums (0 replies).Majel Barrett Roddenberry has died
- Details
- Written by Seregil of Rhiminee
Actress Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, has died aged 76.
She died of leukaemia on Thursday at her home in Los Angeles, her family said in a statement.
The actress, who featured in nearly every Star Trek TV show and film, nurtured the legacy of the sci-fi series after her husband died in 1991.
She recently finished her role as the voice of the USS Enterprise computer in the new Star Trek film, due out in May.
Barrett Roddenberry was involved in the Star Trek universe for more than four decades.
Source: BBC News
Discuss this article in the forums (0 replies).World Fantasy Award Winners
- Details
- Written by Sini
World Fantasy Award Winners were announced on 2nd of November in the World Fantasy Convention in Calgary, Canada.
- Novel: Ysabel, Guy Gavriel Kay (Viking Canada/Penguin Roc)
- Novella: Illyria, Elizabeth Hand (PS Publishing)
- Short Story: “Singing of Mount Abora”, Theodora Goss (Logorrhea, Bantam Spectra)
- Anthology: Inferno: New Tales of Terror and the Supernatural, Ellen Datlow, Editor (Tor)
- Collection: Tiny Deaths, Robert Shearman (Comma Press)
- Artist: Edward Miller
- Special Award, Professional: Peter Crowther for PS Publishing
- Special Award, Non-Professional: Midori Snyder and Terri Windling for Endicott Studios Website