Guests

Our guests have been chosen for their contribution to science fiction, as authors, publishers, fans and general all-round fun people. We hope that they help you enjoy Paragon2, and that you take the opportunity to listen to them, chat with them, and buy them a drink. There are brief articles about why we chose each guest, with further weblinks, below.

In the PRs, we will be publishing longer articles on each guest, and reproducing them here. PR2 featured Ken McLeod and Robert Rankin.


John and Eve Harvey
by Alice Lawson

Why choose John and Eve Harvey to be guests at Eastercon? What have they done?

An easier question would be what have they not done.

Between them they have run conventions of various sizes from relaxacon to Worldcon. If you do not remember Seacon79, you will certainly have heard of it. Most recently they were on the committee of Seacon03.

They have also produced fanzines and run excellent fanrooms. They have been a sounding board for many a new con runner, boosting confidence and encouraging, as well as lending a shoulder to cry on or an ear to shout in. These are some of the many reasons we chose John and Eve. Need I say more?


Ben Jeapes
by Nigel and Sabine Furlong

I think Ben Jeapes makes a perfect guest of honour because.well, because he is a lovely bloke! That's not good enough? Perhaps not, but it sure is a good start. Today Ben lives in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, but as his father was in the military, he has seen a bit of the world.

Ben's own science fiction publishing company, Big Engine, unfortunately folded in 2002 before the SF magazine 3rd could really take off. It would have been interesting to see where the magazine would have gone.

Ben's first novel His Majesty's Starship was very well received, however, with so many publishers still thinking of SF in terms of children's literature, the novel ended up in the young adult section. This fate seems to befall many author's novels that concentrate on a good yarn.

For his second novel Winged Chariot Ben chose a time travel scenario that was slightly more sophisticated in its plot but no less of a good read. Again, even more unjustified, it ended up in the young adult section in my book store. His third novel is a sequel to his first called The Xenocide Mission. Again, a book I highly enjoyed. With this work my book store also finally realised that Ben is better placed in the SF section.

Ben is a member of the Didcot SF Club and has shared his experience as a publisher at many conventions. It is time to honour his work as an author just the same.

More info at http://www.sff.net/people/ben-jeapes/


Ken MacLeod
by John Richards

Why did we ask Ken MacLeod to be a guest at Paragon2? Well, it could be because he is one of the very few openly political SF writer about these days and of them part of the tiny minority who hail from the European Left rather than the American Right.

It could be the fact that despite that leaning his has been nominated many times for the Prometheus Award for Libertarian SF and won it twice.

It could be because he is able to leaven his work with a sense of humour that emphasises rather than distracts from his meaning. It could even be that he is the current master of the kind of Science Fiction that Margaret Atwood definitely doesn't write with his "squids in space" trilogy Engines of Light.

It might be the fact that he got an article published in his school magazine whereas his school mate, one Iain Banks, didn't, but frankly that seems unlikely. I rather doubt that it has anything to do with the fact that he used to work for Ferranti in Edinburgh whilst I worked for them in Portsmouth.

It might have something to do with the fact that he bought me a beer in Dublin - but I think that we'd already asked him by then. On the whole I think it's because he writes bloody good books. If there's a better reason I can't think of it at the moment, can you?

More info at http://kenmacleod.blogspot.com/

Feature Article on Ken McLeod from PR2
by John Richards

If for nothing else Ken MacLeod can be remembered for devising the latest format for the style of science fiction that Margaret Atwood does not write. While "squids in space" is hardly a complete description of the Engines Of Light trilogy, from that definition it is difficult to identify another writer from whom she was attempting to distance her novel Oryx And Crake. Quite why Ms. Atwood should be so keen to be seen as "Not Ken MacLeod" is, of course, a matter of much speculation. After all Ken's works betray a ready wit, an interest in humanity and an ability to characterise that quite a few writers, Ms. Atwood among them, might do well to cultivate.

Described by Salon.com as "the greatest living Trotskyist libertarian cyberpunk science-fiction humorist" like many of us in the underworld of fandom Ken had been writing since he first discovered SF at the age of 13 and collecting the standard rejection slips.

"I got a rejection slip from New Worlds Quarterly for a story where the alien planet turns out to be Earth. Gosh! Too radical for New Worlds, obviously. Pity I didn't know about The Last Dangerous Visions and I could have sent it to that! Over my 20s and 30s I very, very slowly collected rejection slips from Interzone and then gave up trying to write short stories..."

Through the urging of old school mate Iain Banks and the efforts of agent Mic Cheetham he burst upon the public scene with The Star Fraction in 1995; the first in a series that I find myself somewhat surprised to learn is called The Fall Revolution. The Star Fraction was runner up for the 1996 Arthur C Clarke award and, despite having a communist hero, winner of the 1996 Prometheus Award for Libertarian SF.

His second book The Stone Canal (1996) won the 1998 Prometheus Award. For me it was here that Ken really became someone to watch out for. Like an Iain Banks novel with the pseudonymous middle initial flashing on and off like a faulty neon sign The Stone Canal alternates between a cinematically drawn far future and contemporary Scotland with the ideas that crop up in late night political arguments in Student Union bars being given flesh. At once achingly familiar and breathtaking in its scope and with Ken's sense of politics and sense of humour in top gear.

The Cassini Division (1998) broke Ken, by now a full time author, into the US. Despite a personal liking for the previous books Patrick Neilson Hayden of Tor books had considered them, with their European style of politics, not suitable for American publication. Once again Ken threw caution to the wind and came up with a lead character who has been described as "the most evil protagonist in the universe.'" Unrepentant, in an interview for Locus Ken commented:

"I certainly don't think she's evil from a human point of view, and I don't believe there's an extra human point of view that matters to us. Ellen's belief is mine, that fundamentally human beings are their own moral arbiters, our little moral centre. So there is no "good'"external to the question of what is good for us. But without some form of religious belief, there's literally nothing else to go on, to drive us. I don't think morality has any meaning whatsoever once it moves beyond the human."

Despite this attack on the morality of Star Trek, The Cassini Division was nominated for The Nebula Award, The BSFA Award, The Arthur C Clarke Award and The Prometheus Award.

In 1999 Ken won the BSFA award with The Sky Road, the fourth and last in The Fall Revolution series. Set in the time between The Star Fraction and The Stone Canal it deals with a minor incident in history and shows how things could turn out differently. Once more split between events in one time and their consequence in another this is a quieter book than its predecessors, considering the nature of history and extrapolation.

Which brings us on to the Engines of Light trilogy and squids in space.

In an interview with Duncan Lawie in The Zone Ken said.

"I don't believe in the UFO mythology but I find it fascinating. Episodically, I find it fascinating. I did quite a bit of research on the web about Area 51 and read an interesting and entertaining book called The Dreamland Chronicles by David Darlington, which is about the whole subculture that's grown up around it. There's an interesting webzine, which is no longer active, called The Groom Lake Desert Rat. It was a newsletter about and for all the people who made attempts to penetrate Groom Lake and were turned back by the famous camo dudes. It's intriguing stuff because obviously the place exists and they do use it to develop very advanced aircraft and the mind just boggles. It's surrounded by this huge cloud of disinformation of which I think the UFO mythology may well be a part."

Unlike The Fall Revolution, Engines of Light has continuing characters and a chronological sequence, although Cosmonaut Keep does use Ken's favourite two timelines style. It has the victims of alien abductions and kidnapped spacemen, who for once happen to be Russians and intelligent dinosaurs. It also has squids who can navigate between stars. As by now seemed inevitable Cosmonaut Keep (2000) was nominated for the Hugo, The Arthur C Clarke Award and The Prometheus Award while Dark Light was nominated for the John W Campbell Award and on the short list for the James Tiptree Award. Engine City (2003) completed the series. "Heavy weaponry, alien symbiosis, a programme of "guerrilla ontology" featuring literal Men in Black and devastating intervention by one of the gods ... A highly enjoyable conclusion to a fizzy, fast-moving but persistently intelligent trilogy." (David Langford)

Newton's Wake (2004) is out in hardback in the UK and will soon be available in the USA. This is a stand alone novel, as the cover blurb insists on telling us twice, but retains several familiar MacLeod tropes - post human intelligences and a story which spans centuries - as well as the glorious occupation of Combat Archaeologist.

In addition to the above, Ken's novella The Human Front (nominated for the Sidewise Award this time) is available in a Gollancz 'binary' edition and Cydonia is available in Web 2028 or in a stand alone edition from Orion's Children.

As for the standard biographical details...

Ken MacLeod was born in Stornoway, on Isle of Lewis, Scotland, on August 2nd, 1954. He went to school with Iain Banks and was published in the school magazine while Banks wasn't. He graduated in Zoology from Glasgow University in 1976 and did an M.Phil in biomechanics at Brunel where he joined The International Marxist Group. He worked as a computer programmer before becoming a full time writer in 1997. He's been married to his wife Carol since 1981, and has two children, Sharon and Michael. His favourite film is Blade Runner and he admits to liking the film of Starship Troopers.

The 2003 Prometheus Award was won by Terry Pratchett's Nightwatch. When I remarked to Ken, at P-Con in Dublin, that this seemed to indicate that Libertarian SF was in a bad way Ken replied "there are only two good Libertarian SF writers and they are both at this table". I leave it as an exercise for the reader to guess who the other one is. A clue might be available in the dedication to Newton's Wake.

Richard Morgan
by Fran Dowd

When we were first thinking about Paragon2 I asked around among a few people who are good at spotting this sort of thing. The sort of people who are always standing next to you in the dealers' room saying "Buy That, Go To Your Room and Read It Now This Instant". And you do. "Who's going to be big in 2005?", I said. "Who's new and exciting?"

As you can imagine there were lots of answers, but one name surfaced again and again on all the lists. I went away and read Richard's first book, Altered Carbon, and got in touch with his agent straight away. (If you haven't read it, think Dashiell Hammett scripted by John Woo.)

My cadre of trusted advisors weren't the only people to think highly of Richard's work, as Altered Carbon was sold almost instantly to producer Joel Silver (Matrix, Die Hard). The money gave Richard the chance to escape teaching and take up writing full time. The sequel, Broken Angels, was published earlier this year and a third book, the thriller Market Forces, is due out in the spring of 2004. (There's an advance review of Market Forces at http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/marketforces.htm )

Richard is fairly new to conventions, but we believe he'll fit in well. And hope that his first Guest of Honour experience doesn't include breaking the jacuzzi. Robert, are you listening?


Robert Rankin
by James Bacon

I thought Robert Rankin would at least be an entertaining guest.

He is a writer obviously, and a funny one at that, but as an artist he has not only illustrated books, but has created the covers of for twenty of his twenty-five books.

He is knowledgeable about stuff of an esoteric nature, Victoriana, Classic Erotic Literature, and a collector of taxidermy. He is a poet, and his poetry has amused large crowds, and he is the lead singer in two rock bands, The Rock Gods and Ghandi's Flip Flop.

He can tell decent anecdotes and jokes and keep a good crowd entertained. He may not be so good on the politics of Fred Pohl's novels though, sorry about that.

More info on his books and the man on http://www.sproutlore.com

Feature Article on Robert Rankin from PR2
by Michael Carroll

In his early days in Victorian London, Robert Rankin performed street magic alongside such greats as Bernard the Man-Cabbage and The Amazing Fabuloso of Penge. Robert's act often grabbed the attention of hundreds - sometimes even dozens - of passers-by.

His most popular trick was most probably "sawing a plank in half", a feat of such incredible prestidigitation that no magician since has dared to perform it in public.

Blessed with the power to heal the sick using only a hospital, and the power to return sight to the bland, Robert Rankin's reputation grew and grew. He gathered about himself a band of followers, men and women who gladly abandoned their professions and former lives to spread the word about him.

They shouted his name from the rooftops, they circulated his name on Ye Internette, they posted posters in the post office, and by the turn of the century almost everyone in London had heard of this man who, they said, could perform miracles.

Unfortunately, at the peak of his career Robert Rankin was cruelly struck down by a runaway offal cart - the first of many signs of his apotheosis, according to followers of The First Church of Rankin - and wasn't heard from again until his reincarnation in 1949 - the first of many signs of his deification, according to the followers of The Second Church of Rankin.

The Book of Jeffrey, Chapters 12-14, states: "There shall be a sacrifice of the fatted calf and thigh, and, lo, verily even, shall come again a man who will work miracles, and if within a week you can find the same miracles cheaper anywhere else, he will refund double the difference."
In accordance with the prophesy, Honest Bob's Miracle Warehouse was established in 1978, and offered solutions to many world problems, including all seven of the armageddon scenarios (plague, famine, ecological disaster, comet smashing into earth, punk rock, alien invasion, single European currency). It should have signalled the start of a new Aquarian Age, but sadly after a mere three weeks the business was forced to close due to the number of complaints lodged with the advertising standards association. The building, it turned out, was not a warehouse but a converted storage shed.

Unperturbed by this, Robert Rankin formed the Brentford Poets and Paramilitary Association. This is where he learned that his word could be spread more widespread if the word was written down, along with some other words, and published in hefty religious tracts, or "books."

Robert Rankin's first book was, is, and ever shall be The Antipope. It was quickly followed by two more, then a little pause, and then a fourth. These books, plus a more recent one, have become known in many circles as The Blessed Trilogy - the miracle of five books in three. The books tell of the exploits of Jim Pooley and John Omally, two reluctant heroes who continually save the world from such diverse enemies as a resurrected Pope, an alien invasion fleet, and Hugo Rune. They are aided in their struggle by their old friend Professor Slocombe, a man of great mystery and power, who, according to James Bacon, the leader of the Fifth Church of Robert Rankin, will eventually be seen to be none other than Mister Rankin himself.

Robert's next series of books was the Armageddon Trilogy, which deal with the struggle of humanity against a meddling alien race. The hero of these books is one Rex Mundi, aided by Elvis Presley, who in turn is aided by a sapient, time-travelling sprout called Barry. These books are probably the most complex that Mister Rankin has written to date, and on re-reading they offer up much in the way of fresh nuggets for the observant reader: they're not so much a trilogy as an investment.

Subsequent books include the Hugo Rune Trilogy, in which the young heroes Cornelius and Tuppe are faced with finding that ancient master of the mystical arts, Hugo Rune, and his book The Book of Ultimate Truths. Indeed, so popular was this series that fans of Robert Rankin tend to find themselves on their own quest for The Book of Ultimate Truths.

Thus, art becomes life... Was it prediction, or mere chance? Both of the followers of the Twelfth Church of Robert Rankin believe it to be the former. "Most Holy - that's Robert, by the way - knows what has gone before and what is to come," said the Church's founder James Bacon.

There are also a number of stand-alone novels, such as A Dog Called Demolition and The Garden of Unearthly Delights. Like most of his other novels, both of them present a complex parable, which the layman (you, in other words) must interpret as best as possible. Interestingly, the followers of the Zeroth Church of Robert Rankin believe that the true path is not the reading and understanding of the books, but the purchasing of the books.

The Zeroth Church is the most recent of the many churches, their name chosen by their leader James Bacon in the belief that they'd be listed first in the phone book. They subsequently discovered that the entries in the phone book are listed alphabetically, not numerically, so they're last instead.

Robert Rankin has also written about his own life, though many believe those books to be allegorical, or, in their terminology, "fabricated from lies and half-truths." However, among his followers those criticism of those books is regarded as tantamount to blasphemy, punishable by sneering.

The belief of The Fort Chruch of Roburt Ranken that he is the Davine Savier is particularly strong, as expressed in their mannyphesto, written by the Chruch's leader, James Bacon*: "Roburt is probly the best ever savier that weve ever had. When offficer Joans reads the book's to me I go all cam and sadated."

For the less fanatical, there is another group of people who frequently gather to pay homage to the great man. Calling themselves "Sproutlore", they publish a fan magazine four times a year and provide news about forthcoming events. It is with this group of fine bodies that I, your humble servant, am affiliated. It has been predicted that one day every person on Earth will be a member of a Robert Rankin Appreciation Society, so I strongly urge you all to join the One True Society, Sproutlore, before you are indoctrinated into any of the other, lesser, groups.

For those of you who are still unsure, I urge you to read - and re-read - as many of the Great One's books as you can find. Please bear in mind that each copy of his books can only be properly read once: as soon as the words have been absorbed into your brain, the books lose their power. For this reason, you should only buy new copies, and to re-read them, you must buy additional copies.

In the unlikely event that you ever get to meet Mister Rankin, the correct way to greet him is as follows: Respectfully grasp the left side of your collar in your right hand, bow your head slightly in supplication, and mutter the sacred words, "He's right in front of me, all units close in."

You should then proffer at least three shiny new Robert Rankin books for signing. It is not necessary to have three different books, as long as they are all new. Note: you may be asked by one of his Apostles to show proof of purchase.

Once this is done, you should close the ceremony by making a token sacrifice of a twenty-pound note, an ancient tradition whose origin has long since been lost, but without which you could very well bring bad luck upon yourself.

You should also be wary of the many Robert Rankin impersonators who attempt to cash in on Most Holy's success. Most of them can be easily spotted, for they are not tall and dashing and handsome, and do not carry about them an air of divinity, but there are others who are masters of disguise. These charlatans should be approached with caution. Remember, only the true Robert Rankin knows the answer to this question: "Where do you get your ideas from?"
Should you suspect the Robert Rankin you meet to be a fake, simply ask the question. If the answer fails to satisfy you, then that Robert Rankin is most likely false. You should then remove your clothes and stand naked in front of him, as a sign of protest, but only if you are female.

* Note: perhaps I should make it clear at this point that "James Bacon" is the honorary title bestowed upon the leaders of all Robert Rankin societies.

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