The 23rd annual World Fantasy Convention took place over Halloween weekend at the International Hotel in Docklands.
Although not a particularly convention-al kind of guy, this professionally oriented gathering of writers, editors, agents and fans seemed too good to pass up. I'm pleased to report that the weekend more than delivered on all its promises.
Genre conventions are basically schmooze-fests; opportunities to catch up with old friends, avoid/jeer at ancient enemies, and mostly drink yourself silly. Though I held my booze-intake within "giddy" levels, there were publishers parties galore -- barely an hour passed without someone sticking a free glass of wine in your hand and hawking a book.
The intoxicating hosts included such major publishers as Gollancz, Hodder Headline, Titan, SFX and Robinson, as well as smaller presses like Fedogan & Bremer and Tanjen. Especially encouraging was the launch of two new kids on the block, small press publisher Pumpkin Books, and ODYSSEY, a new SF/fantasy/horror magazine. The Pumpkin debut is especially welcome -- there has been a crying need for a professional-quality small press horror publisher in the UK -- if only because their launch anthology, DARK OF THE NIGHT, features one of my own short stories.
The convention offered the usual assortment of author/editor panels, saying the usual assortment of things. Panels can be entertaining, but frankly they are largely interchangeable from con to con, and best serve those who are not already familiar with the field. I moderated one and participated in another, but haven't a clue what I said either time. There were a slew of author readings, which always offer the risk/frisson of serious embarrassment, and a mass, chaotic signing on Friday night featuring literally scores of authors. Among the highlights of the weekend were Nick Royle's interview with guest of honour Iain Sinclair, and the Christopher Lee interview, presided over by horror scholar (and writer/editor) Doug Winter.
Sunday was dominated by the awards banquet, with presentation of both the World Fantasy and British Fantasy Awards. The lunch was fairly standard rubber chicken issue (with dessert off an airline tray), but the company was delightful. The awards ceremony, emceed by Rob Holdstock, moved at a blessedly brisk pace with only one cringe-inducing acceptance speech by a spiteful British writer. (He knows who he is.) I can't say that I agree with many of the choices -- the World Fantasy Awards are selected by judges, the British by popular vote -- but then I wasn't even nominated, so who the hell am I to call anyone else spiteful? The full list of award-winners follows below.
In the end, I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed the weekend. The atmosphere was amazingly friendly and good-humoured, and generally speaking even the biggest names in the field are entirely approachable. Usually when writers get together they bitch and moan about how awful their lives are and how even more awful their publishers are. But for all the worries about the state of publishing -- and science fiction and horror publishing, in particular -- I came away from the weekend with a refreshing and welcome optimism. There are still plenty of good books and stories being written, and good folks who are writing them. Now if we can just get those good readers to buy the damn things we'll all be in fat city.
1997 World Fantasy Award Winners
Best Novel: GODMOTHER NIGHT by Rachel Pollack (St. Martin's Press)
Best Novella: "A City in Winter" by Mark Helprin (Viking Ariel)
Best Short Fiction: "Thirteen Phantasms" by James P. Blaylock (OMNI ONLINE)
Best Anthology: STARLIGHT 1 edited by Patrick Nielsen Hayden (Tor Books)
Best Collection: THE WALL OF THE SKY, THE WALL OF THE EYE by Jonathan Lethem (Harcourt Brace)
Best Artist: Moebius (Jean Giraud)
Special Award, Professional: Michael J. Weldon for THE PSYCHOTRONIC VIDEO GUIDE (St. Martin's Press)
Special Award, Non-Professional: Barbara and Christopher Roden for Ash-Tree Press
Lifetime Achievment Award: Madeleine L'Engle
Special Committee Award: Hugh B. Cave
1997 British Fantasy Award Winners
Best Novel: THE TOOTH FAIRY by Graham Joyce (Signet)
Best Short Story: "Dancing About Architecture" by Martin Simpson (THE THIRD ALTERNATIVE)
Best Anthology/Collection: THE NIGHTMARE FACTORY by Thomas Ligotti (Raven Books)
Best Artist: Jim Burns
Best Small Press: H.P. LOVECRAFT: A LIFE by S.T. Joshi (Necronomicon Press)
Special Award (Karl Edward Wagner Award): Jo Fletcher