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Ian McDonald (author)
Ian McDonald (born 1960) is a British science fiction novelist, living in Belfast. His themes include nanotechnology, postcyberpunk settings, and the impact of rapid social and technological change on non-Western societies. Early life Ian McDonald was born in 1960, in Manchester, to a Scottish father and Irish mother. He moved to Belfast when he was five and has lived there ever since. He lived through the whole of the 'Troubles' (1968–1999), and his sensibility has been permanently shaped by coming to understand Northern Ireland as a post-colonial society imposed on an older culture. Career McDonald sold his first story to a local Belfast magazine when he was 22, and in 1987 became a full-time writer. He has also worked in TV consultancy within Northern Ireland, contributing scripts to the Northern Irish Sesame Workshop production of ''Sesame Tree''. McDonald's debut novel was '' Desolation Road'' (1988), which takes place on a far future Mars in a town that develops arou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SFeraKon
SFeraKon is a science fiction convention that takes place in Zagreb, Croatia every year at the end of April. Organised by SFera, it is the largest and the longest running science fiction convention in southeastern Europe. The first SFeraKon under that name was held in 1983, continuing the tradition of "''science fiction days in Zagreb''" after Yukon, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav national science fiction convention, started taking place in other towns, the first few having taken place in Zagreb. Since 1994 it is being held on the grounds of University of Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing. In 1986 SFeraKon hosted a Eurocon, the European Science fiction convention, with Sam Lundwall as a guest of honour. It was nicknamed Ballcon. The 1998 SFeraKon was called a "Euroconference" but was not officially a Eurocon. SFeraKon hosted its second Eurocon in Zagreb in 2012 and two conventions went u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kirinya
List of works by or about the British author Ian McDonald. Novels ''Desolation Road'' series * ''Desolation Road'' (1988) * ''The Luncheonette of Lost Dreams'' (1992) (short story) * ''Ares Express'' (2001) ''Chaga'' saga * "Toward Kilimanjaro" (1990) (short story) * ''Chaga'' (1995, US: ''Evolution's Shore'') * ''Kirinya'' (1997) * "Tendeléo's Story" (2000) (short story) ''India in 2047'' * ''River of Gods'' (2004) * ''The Djinn's Wife'' (2006) in ''Asimov's Science Fiction'' – Hugo Award for Best Novelette winner ''Everness'' series * ''Planesrunner'' (2011) * ''Be My Enemy'' (2012) * '' Empress of the Sun'' (2014) ''Luna'' series * ''New Moon'' (2015) - BSFA award nominee, winner of the Gaylactic Spectrum Award * ''Wolf Moon'' (2017) * ''Moon Rising'' (2019) Standalone novels * '' Out on Blue Six'' (1989) * ''King of Morning, Queen of Day'' (1991) * ''Hearts, Hands and Voices'' (1992, US: ''The Broken Land'') * ''Necroville'' (1994, US: ''Terminal Café'') * ''Scissors ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Planesrunner
''Planesrunner'' is a 2011 young adult science fiction novel by British author Ian McDonald, and the first installment of the ''Everness'' series. The book follows British teenager Everett Singh as he travels between alternate universes in search of his missing theoretical physicist father. Plot British teenager Everett Singh witnesses the kidnapping of his father, theoretical physicist Dr. Tejendra Singh, and begins to suspect a conspiracy when he receives from his father an automated software download called the Infundibulum. Tejendra's colleague, the offbeat research fellow Colette Harte, gives Everett video evidence that Tejendra's theoretical research into the existence of multiple universes is no longer theoretical. Using Heisenberg Gate technology, Tejendra and his team have discovered and contacted nine alternate universes so far. An alliance called the Plenitude of Known Worlds is already in place among the government leaders from these parallel universes—termed plan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Young Adult Fiction
Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate with the age and experience of the protagonist. The genres available in YA are expansive and include most of those found in adult fiction. Common themes related to YA include friendship, first love, relationships, and identity. Stories that focus on the specific challenges of youth are sometimes referred to as problem novels or coming-of-age novels. Young adult fiction was developed to soften the transition between children's novels and adult literature. History Beginning The history of young adult literature is tied to the history of how childhood and young adulthood has been perceived. One early writer to recognize young adults as a distinct age group was Sarah Trimmer, who, in 1802, described "young adulthood" as lasting from ages ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warwick Prize For Writing
The Warwick Prize for Writing was an international literary prize, worth £25,000, that was given biennially for writing excellence in the English language, in any genre or form, on a theme that changes with every award. It was launched by the University of Warwick in July 2008. Past nominations included scientific research, novels, poems, e-books and plays."Comparing apples and pears, a new writing prize is the first to accept entries across all genres, from novels to scientific research", ''New Scientist'', 21 March 2009, p. 45. Article quote: "Complexity was the theme of the first Warwick prize for writing, the only cross-disciplinary writing competition in any format." Works were open to be nominated by staff, students and alumni of Warwick University, and since 2014, the publishing industry. The Prize Management Group The Prize Management Group of the Warwick Prize for Writing was made up of senior professors and administrative staff drawn from across the faculties and inclu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lusophone
Lusophones ( pt, Lusófonos) are ethnic group, peoples that speak Portuguese language, Portuguese as a native language, native or as common second language and nations where Portuguese features prominently in society. Comprising an estimated 270 million people spread across 10 sovereign countries and territories, thus called ''Lusofonia'' or the Lusophone world ( pt, Mundo Lusófono), is the community of Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) world; these include Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Macau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor, Uruguay, Kochi, Cochin, Azores, Madeira, Goa, Daman and Diu, Singapore and Malacca to various degrees. The history of the Lusophone world is intrinsically linked with the history of the Portuguese Empire, although the Portuguese diaspora, the Brazilian diaspora and the Cape Verdean diaspora communities have also played a role in spreading the Portuguese language and Lusophone c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brasyl
''Brasyl'' is a 2007 novel by British author Ian McDonald. It was nominated for the 2008 Hugo Awards in the best novel category. In 2008 it was nominated for, and made the longlist of, the £50,000 Warwick Prize for Writing. It was also nominated for the Locus Award and John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Novel, and in 2009, it was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel. It won the British Science Fiction Award for best novel in 2008. Plot summary Brasyl is a story presented in three distinct strands of time. The main action concerns Marcelina Hoffman; a coked-up, ambitious reality TV producer in contemporary Brazil, a striving amateur capoeirista who transcends the cliches of luvvy television phony and becomes a full-fledged, truly likable person as we watch her embark upon a mad new project. Marcelina is going to find the disgraced goalie who lost Brazil a momentous World Cup half a century before and trick him into appearing on television for a mock trial in whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur C
Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more widely believed, is that the name is derived from the Roman clan '' Artorius'' who lived in Roman Britain for centuries. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Italian it is Arturo. Etymology The earliest datable attestation of the name Arthur is in the early 9th century Welsh-Latin text ''Historia Brittonum'', where it refers to a circa 5th to 6th-century Briton general who fought against the invading Saxons, and who later gave rise to the famous King Arthur of medieval legend and literature. A possible earlier mention of the same man is to be found in the epic Welsh poem ''Y Gododdin'' by Aneirin, which some scholars assign to the late 6th century, though this is still a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hugo Award
The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier award in science fiction. The award is administered by the World Science Fiction Society. It is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine ''Amazing Stories''. Hugos were first given in 1953, at the 11th World Science Fiction Convention, and have been awarded every year since 1955. The awards were originally given in seven categories. These categories have changed over the years, and the award is currently conferred in seventeen categories of written and dramatic works. The winners receive a trophy consisting of a stylized rocket ship on a base; the design of the trophy changes each year, though the rocket itself has been standardized since 1984. The Hugo Awards are considered "the premier award in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BSFA Award
The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) to honour works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members. More recently, members of the Eastercon convention have also been eligible to vote. BSFA Award categories The award originally included only a category for novels. Categories for short works and artists were added in 1980. The category for younger readers was added in 2021. The artists category became artwork in 1986 and a category for related non-fiction was added in 2002. A media category was awarded from 1979 to 1992. The ceremonies are named after the year that the eligible works were published, despite the awards being given out in the next year. The current standard award categories are: * BSFA Award for Best Novel * BSFA Award for Best Short Fiction * BSFA Award for Best Non-Fiction * BSFA Award for Best Artwork * BSFA Award for Best Fiction fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
River Of Gods
''River of Gods'' is a 2004 science fiction novel by British writer Ian McDonald. It depicts a futuristic India in 2047, a century after its independence from Britain, characterized both by ancient traditions and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligences, robots and nanotechnology. The novel won the British Science Fiction Award in 2004 and was nominated for a Hugo. It was followed by a short story collection called '' Cyberabad Days'' in 2009. Plot introduction The novel follows a number of different characters' viewpoints on and around the date of 15 August 2047, the centenary of India's partition and independence from the colonial British Raj. This future India has become balkanized into a number of smaller competing states, such as Awadh, Bharat, and Bangla. The global information network is now inhabited by artificial intelligences, phonetically called ''aeais'' in the novel, of varying levels of intelligence. Aeais higher than level 2.5 (able to pass the T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Wrath Of Khan
''Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'' is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Nicholas Meyer and based on the television series ''Star Trek''. It is the second film in the ''Star Trek'' film series following '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' (1979), and is a sequel to the original series episode "Space Seed" (1967). The plot features Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the starship USS ''Enterprise'' facing off against the genetically engineered tyrant Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán). When Khan escapes from a 15-year exile to exact revenge on Kirk, the crew of the ''Enterprise'' must stop him from acquiring a powerful terraforming device named Genesis. The film is the beginning of a three-film story arc that continues with the film '' Star Trek III: The Search for Spock'' (1984) and concludes with the film '' Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'' (1986). After the lackluster critical response to the first film, series creator Gene Roddenberry w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
