63rd World Science Fiction Convention
Encyclopedia
The 63rd World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon
) was called Interaction, and was held in Glasgow
, Scotland
4–8 August 2005. The event was also the Eurocon
. The Venue for the 63rd Worldcon was the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
(SECC) with the attached Clyde Auditorium
(often called "The Armadillo") and Moat House Hotel. Parties took place at the Hilton Hotel.
The total registered membership of the convention was 5202, of which 4115 physically attended. The members represented 35 different nationalities. By far the largest contingents were from the USA and the UK
. The organising committee was co-chaired by Colin Harris and Vincent Docherty.
site selection took place at the 2005 Worldcon. The site for the 2007 Worldcon
was decided at the 2004 Worldcon in Boston
under the old three year lead-time rule. The site selection for the 2008 Worldcon
, the first under the new two year lead-time rule, took place at the 2006 Worldcon in Los Angeles
.
s for achievement in science fiction during 2004:
33
", Battlestar Galactica
In addition to the guests of honour, notable participating science fiction and fantasy
writers and artists included:
Worldcon
Worldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention held each year since 1939 . It is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society...
) was called Interaction, and was held in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
4–8 August 2005. The event was also the Eurocon
Eurocon
Eurocon is an annual science fiction convention held in Europe. The organising committee of each Eurocon is selected by vote of the participants of the previous event. The procedure is coordinated by the European Science Fiction Society. The first Eurocon was held in Trieste, Italy, in 1972. Unlike...
. The Venue for the 63rd Worldcon was the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre , located on the north bank of the River Clyde, in Glasgow, is Scotland's largest exhibition centre....
(SECC) with the attached Clyde Auditorium
Clyde Auditorium
The Clyde Auditorium, familiarly known as "The Armadillo", is an iconic concert venue in Glasgow, Scotland. The building sits on the site of the now infilled Queen's Dock on the River Clyde, adjacent to the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre....
(often called "The Armadillo") and Moat House Hotel. Parties took place at the Hilton Hotel.
The total registered membership of the convention was 5202, of which 4115 physically attended. The members represented 35 different nationalities. By far the largest contingents were from the USA and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The organising committee was co-chaired by Colin Harris and Vincent Docherty.
Guests
- Guests of Honour:
- Greg PickersgillGreg PickersgillGreg Pickersgill, born in Haverfordwest, Wales in 1951, is an influential British science fiction fan. He lived in London between 1971 and 1992, then returned to Haverfordwest....
- Christopher PriestChristopher Priest (English novelist)Christopher Priest is an English novelist and science fiction writer. His works include Fugue for a Darkening Island, Inverted World, The Affirmation, The Glamour, The Prestige and The Separation.Priest has been strongly influenced by the science fiction of H. G...
- Robert SheckleyRobert SheckleyRobert Sheckley was a Hugo- and Nebula-nominated American author. First published in the science fiction magazines of the 1950s, his numerous quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist and broadly comical.Sheckley was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and...
- Lars-Olov Strandberg
- Jane YolenJane YolenJane Hyatt Yolen is an American author and editor of almost 300 books. These include folklore, fantasy, science fiction, and children's books...
- Greg Pickersgill
- Special guests
- Alan Lee
- Professor David Southwood.
Worldcon Site Selection
Due to the changes in the World Science Fiction Society rules, which reduced the lead-time from three to two years, no WorldconWorldcon
Worldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention held each year since 1939 . It is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society...
site selection took place at the 2005 Worldcon. The site for the 2007 Worldcon
65th World Science Fiction Convention
Nippon 2007, the 65th World Science Fiction Convention and the 46th Annual Nihon SF Taikai, was held in Yokohama, Japan from 30 August - 3 September 2007, at the Pacifico Yokohama Convention Center and adjoining hotels. The organising committee was chaired by Hiroaki Inoue...
was decided at the 2004 Worldcon in Boston
62nd World Science Fiction Convention
The 62nd World Science Fiction Convention was Noreascon 4, which was held in Boston, Massachusetts, from September 2–6, 2004. The venues for the 62nd Worldcon were Hynes Convention Center, Sheraton Boston Hotel and Boston Marriott Copley Place...
under the old three year lead-time rule. The site selection for the 2008 Worldcon
66th World Science Fiction Convention
The 66th World Science Fiction Convention , also known as Denvention 3, was hosted in Denver, Colorado, USA on 6–10 August 2008, at the Colorado Convention Center and . The organizing committee was chaired by Kent Bloom...
, the first under the new two year lead-time rule, took place at the 2006 Worldcon in Los Angeles
64th World Science Fiction Convention
The 64th World Science Fiction Convention , styled L.A.con IV, was held in Anaheim, California, United States, from 23 to 27 August 2006. The Venue for the 64th Worldcon was the Anaheim Convention Center and the nearby Hilton and Marriott hotels. The organizing committee was chaired by Christian B...
.
Awards
Hugo Awards
The 2005 Hugo AwardHugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
s for achievement in science fiction during 2004:
- Best Novel: Jonathan Strange & Mr NorrellJonathan Strange & Mr NorrellJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is the 2004 first novel by British writer Susanna Clarke. An alternative history set in 19th-century England around the time of the Napoleonic Wars, it is based on the premise that magic once existed in England and has returned with two men: Gilbert Norrell and...
by Susanna ClarkeSusanna ClarkeSusanna Mary Clarke is a British author best known for her debut novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell , a Hugo Award-winning alternate history. Clarke began Jonathan Strange in 1993 and worked on it during her spare time... - Best Novella: The Concrete Jungle by Charles StrossCharles StrossCharles David George "Charlie" Stross is a British writer of science fiction, Lovecraftian horror and fantasy. He was born in Leeds.Stross specialises in hard science fiction and space opera...
- Best Novelette: The Faery HandbagThe Faery Handbag"The Faery Handbag" is a fantasy novelette published in 2004 by Kelly Link. It was the winner of the 2005 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, the 2006 Nebula Award for Best Novelette and the 2005 Locus Award.-Plot summary:...
by Kelly LinkKelly LinkKelly Link is an American editor and author of short stories. While some of her fiction falls more clearly within genre categories, many of her stories might be described as slipstream or magic realism: a combination of science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, and realism... - Best Short Story: Travels with My CatsTravels with My Cats"Travels with My Cats" is a fantasy/magic realism short story by Mike Resnick. It won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 2005, was nominated for the Nebula Award in 2004.-Plot summary:...
by Mike ResnickMike ResnickMichael Diamond Resnick , better known by his published name Mike Resnick, is an American science fiction author. He was executive editor of Jim Baen's Universe.-Biography:... - Best Related Book: The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction, edited by Edward JamesEdward James (historian)Edward James is Professor of Medieval History at University College, Dublin. He received a BA 1968; DPhil in 1975. He was a Lecturer, then College Lecturer, at the Department of Medieval History, University College Dublin from 1970-1978...
and Farah MendlesohnFarah MendlesohnFarah Mendlesohn is a Hugo Award-winning British academic and writer on science fiction. In 2005 she won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book for The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction, which she edited with Edward James.... - Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: The IncrediblesThe IncrediblesThe Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
, written & directed by Brad BirdBrad BirdPhillip Bradley "Brad" Bird is an Academy Award-winning American director, voice actor, animator and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles and Ratatouille . He also adapted and directed the critically acclaimed 2D animated 1999 Warner Brothers... - Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: "
33
33 (Battlestar Galactica)
"33" is the first episode of the reimagined military science fiction television program Battlestar Galactica, immediately following the events of the 2003 miniseries. It was written by series creator Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Michael Rymer...
", Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
- Best Professional Editor: Ellen DatlowEllen DatlowEllen Datlow is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist.-Biography:Datlow was the fiction editor of Omni magazine and Omni Online from 1981 through 1998, and edited the ten associated Omni anthologies...
- Best Professional Artist: Jim BurnsJim BurnsJim Burns is a Welsh artist born in Cardiff, Wales.In 1966 he joined the Royal Air Force, but soon thereafter he left and signed up at the Newport School of Art for a year's foundation course....
- Best Semiprozine: AnsibleAnsibleAn ansible is a hypothetical machine capable of instantaneous or superluminal communication. Ansibles occur as plot devices in science fiction literature.- Origin :The word ansible was coined by Ursula K. Le Guin in her 1966 novel, Rocannon's World...
, edited by David LangfordDavid LangfordDavid Rowland Langford is a British author, editor and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter Ansible.-Personal background:... - Best Fanzine: PloktaPloktaPlokta is a British science fiction fanzine, first published in 1996, which has won two Hugo Awards.Subtitled "The journal of superfluous technology" the magazine includes articles , photographs, illustrations and cartoons...
, edited by Alison Scott, Steve Davies and Mike Scott - Best Fan Writer: David LangfordDavid LangfordDavid Rowland Langford is a British author, editor and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter Ansible.-Personal background:...
- Best Fan Artist: Sue MasonSue MasonSue Mason is a British illustrator of science fiction fanzines and other works. She has won two Hugo Awards.- Background :Mason claims to have been thrown out of Sunday School at the age of 12 for wanting to be The Morrigan when she grew up...
- Best Web Site: SciFiction (SciFiction), edited by Ellen Datlow. Craig Engler, general manager
Other awards
- John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer: Elizabeth BearElizabeth BearSarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky is an American author. Writing under the name Elizabeth Bear, she works primarily in the genre of speculative fiction, and was a winner of the 2005 John W...
- Special Interaction Committee Award: David PringleDavid PringleDavid Pringle is a Scottish science fiction editor.Pringle served as the editor of Foundation, an academic journal, from 1980 through 1986, during which time he became one of the prime movers of the collective which founded Interzone in 1982...
List of participating writers and artists
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
writers and artists included:
- Brian AldissBrian AldissBrian Wilson Aldiss, OBE is an English author of both general fiction and science fiction. His byline reads either Brian W. Aldiss or simply Brian Aldiss. Greatly influenced by science fiction pioneer H. G. Wells, Aldiss is a vice-president of the international H. G. Wells Society...
- Iain M. Banks
- Stephen BaxterStephen BaxterStephen Baxter is a prolific British hard science fiction author. He has degrees in mathematics and engineering.- Writing style :...
- Terry BrooksTerry BrooksTerence Dean "Terry" Brooks is an American writer of fantasy fiction. He writes mainly epic fantasy, and has also written two movie novelizations. He has written 23 New York Times bestsellers during his writing career, and has over 21 million copies of his books in print...
- Jim BurnsJim BurnsJim Burns is a Welsh artist born in Cardiff, Wales.In 1966 he joined the Royal Air Force, but soon thereafter he left and signed up at the Newport School of Art for a year's foundation course....
- Susanna ClarkeSusanna ClarkeSusanna Mary Clarke is a British author best known for her debut novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell , a Hugo Award-winning alternate history. Clarke began Jonathan Strange in 1993 and worked on it during her spare time...
- Jonathan ClementsJonathan ClementsJonathan Clements is a British author and scriptwriter. His non-fiction works include biographies of Confucius, Koxinga and Qin Shihuangdi , as well as monthly opinion columns for Neo magazine...
- John CluteJohn CluteJohn Frederick Clute is a Canadian born author and critic who has lived in Britain since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part of science fiction's history."...
- Cory DoctorowCory DoctorowCory Efram Doctorow is a Canadian-British blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who serves as co-editor of the blog Boing Boing. He is an activist in favour of liberalising copyright laws and a proponent of the Creative Commons organization, using some of their licences for his books...
- Greer GilmanGreer GilmanGreer Ilene Gilman is an American author of fantasy stories.Her stories are noted for their dense prose style, which is strongly focused on native English roots, sometimes reminiscent of Gerard Manley Hopkins...
- Simon Green
- Joe HaldemanJoe HaldemanJoe William Haldeman is an American science fiction author.-Life :Haldeman was born June 9, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His family traveled and he lived in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Maryland and Anchorage, Alaska as a child. Haldeman married Mary Gay Potter, known...
- Peter F. HamiltonPeter F. HamiltonPeter F. Hamilton is a British author. He is best known for writing space opera. As of the publication of his tenth novel in 2004, his works had sold over two million copies worldwide.- Biography :...
- Harry HarrisonHarry HarrisonHarry Harrison is an American science fiction author best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat and the novel Make Room! Make Room! , the basis for the film Soylent Green...
- Robin HobbRobin HobbRobin Hobb is the second pen name of novelist Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden who produces primarily fantasy fiction, although she has published some science fiction....
- P. C. HodgellP. C. HodgellPatricia "Pat" Christine Hodgell is an American fantasy writer, artist and professor.Dr. Hodgell holds a master's in English literature and a doctorate in 19th-century English literature, both of which were earned from the University of Minnesota...
- James P. HoganJames P. Hogan (writer)James Patrick Hogan was a British science fiction author.-Biography:Hogan was born in London, England. He was raised in the Portobello Road area on the west side of London...
- Tanya HuffTanya HuffTanya Sue Huff is a Canadian fantasy author. Her stories have been published since the late 1980s, including five fantasy series and one science-fiction series. One of these, her Blood Books series, featuring detective Vicki Nelson, was adapted for television under the title Blood...
- Ellen KushnerEllen KushnerEllen Kushner is an American writer of fantasy novels, who for many years was the host of the radio program Sound & Spirit, produced by WGBH in Boston and distributed by Public Radio International.- Background and personal life :...
- Alan Lee
- Anne McCaffreyAnne McCaffreyAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
- Ian McDonaldIan McDonald (author)Ian McDonald 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.- Biography :...
- Ken MacLeodKen MacLeodKen MacLeod , is a Scottish science fiction writer.MacLeod was born in Stornoway. He graduated from Glasgow University with a degree in zoology and has worked as a computer programmer and written a masters thesis on biomechanics....
- George R. R. MartinGeorge R. R. MartinGeorge Raymond Richard Martin , sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for A Song of Ice and Fire, his bestselling series of epic fantasy novels that HBO adapted for their dramatic pay-cable series Game of...
- China MiévilleChina MiévilleChina Tom Miéville is an award-winning English fantasy fiction writer. He is fond of describing his work as "weird fiction" , and belongs to a loose group of writers sometimes called New Weird. He is also active in left-wing politics as a member of the Socialist Workers Party...
- Elizabeth MoonElizabeth MoonElizabeth Moon is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Her novel The Speed of Dark won the 2003 Nebula Award.-Biography:...
- Richard Morgan
- John PicacioJohn PicacioJohn Picacio is an award-winning American artist specializing in science fiction, fantasy and horror illustration.-Biography:...
- Terry PratchettTerry PratchettSir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
- Robert RankinRobert RankinRobert Fleming Rankin is a prolific British humorous novelist. Born in Parsons Green, London, he started writing in the late 1970s, and first entered the bestsellers lists with Snuff Fiction in 1999, by which time his previous eighteen books had sold around one million copies...
- Alastair ReynoldsAlastair ReynoldsAlastair Preston Reynolds is a British science fiction author. He specialises in dark hard science fiction and space opera. He spent his early years in Cornwall, moved back to Wales before going to Newcastle, where he read physics and astronomy. Afterwards, he earned a PhD from St Andrews, Scotland...
- Justina RobsonJustina RobsonJustina Robson is a science fiction author from Leeds, England.- Biography and publishing history :Justina Robson was born in Leeds , and studied philosophy and linguistics at the University of York...
- Kim Stanley RobinsonKim Stanley RobinsonKim Stanley Robinson is an American science fiction writer known for his award-winning Mars trilogy. His work delves into ecological and sociological themes regularly, and many of his novels appear to be the direct result of his own scientific fascinations, such as the fifteen years of research...
- Delia ShermanDelia ShermanCordelia Caroline Sherman , known professionally as Delia Sherman, is a fantasy writer and editor. Her novel The Porcelain Dove won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award...
- Robert SilverbergRobert SilverbergRobert Silverberg is an American author, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple nominee of the Hugo Award and a winner of the Nebula Award.-Early years:...
- Michael SwanwickMichael SwanwickMichael Swanwick is an American science fiction author. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he began publishing in the early 1980s.-Biography:...
- Harry TurtledoveHarry TurtledoveHarry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
- Connie WillisConnie WillisConstance Elaine Trimmer Willis is an American science fiction writer. She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards. Willis most recently won a Hugo Award for Blackout/All Clear...
- Frank WuFrank WuFrank Wu is a science fiction and fantasy artist living in Arlington, MA. He won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009; he was previously nominated in 2002 and 2003. He also won the Grand Prize in the Illustrators of the Future contest in 2000. In 2008 he was nominated...
See also
- Hugo AwardHugo AwardThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
- List of Worldcons
- Science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
- World Science Fiction Society
- WorldconWorldconWorldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention held each year since 1939 . It is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society...