Tähtifantasia Award 2013

The Helsinki Science Fiction Society announced the seventh Tähtifantasia Award at this year’s Finncon last weekend. The award for best fantasy book translated into Finnish last year went to Uusi maailma (The Modern World)  by Steph Swainston. The novel was translated by J. Pekka Mäkelä and published by Like.

The jury commends the complex main character of the novel, and also the world building that is detailed but also questions the prevailing society. Swainston’s writing evokes powerful feelings and does not the reader off easily. The themes of the novel are responsibility, letting go of things, and the difficulty of love; Swainston ponders on the motivation and effects of the things we do and asks questions about the world, and the meaning of religions and power structures.

The jury of the award consisted of critic Jukka Halme, critic Aleksi Kuutio, writer and editor Anne Leinonen, and Risingshadow representative Osmo Määttä.

Awards at Finncon

Several awards were presented yesterday and today at Finncon.

The first prize in the short story competition organised by Finncon and Elisa Kirja went to Jenni Kauppinen for her story Jalokivihovi (“Jewel Court”). On second place was Neko Koski with Nuru-nu-kang and the third place was a tie between Mikko Arjanmaa’s Tapaus Jii (“Case Jay”) and Stina Maria Saari’s Pedot (“Beasts”).

The first prize in the Nova short story competition went to Anna Malinen for Siihen kaarna kasvakohon (“Let There Grow Bark”). On second place was Katri-Maija Karvonen with Salaperäinen kauppa (“A Mysterious Deal”) and on third Irina Seppänen with Odotussali (“Waiting Room”).

The Atorox Award for best Finnish sf short story published last year was given by the Turku Science Fiction Society. The winner is Anni Nupponen for her short story Joka ratasta pyörittää (“She Who Turns the Cog”), published in the anthology Steampunk! Koneita ja korsetteja. On second place was Wilhelmus Lyypekkiläisen kuolema (“The Death of Wilhelm of Lübeck”) by Jussi Katajala, and Kirjallinen liite kannevakuuskorvausanomukseen (“A written Addendum to the Request for Liability Insurance Compensation”) by Tero Niemi & Anne Salminen came third. Atorox is a popular award, voted by members of the Finnish fandom.

Tähtivaeltaja Short Story Competition 2013

The results of the Tähtivaeltaja short story competition were announced at Finncon today. The theme of the competition was “Tähtivaeltaja” (“Star Rover”), and the first price (400 €) went to Miikka Pörsti for his short story Raportti. Mikä johti operaatio Tähtivaeltajan epäonnistumiseen (“Report. What lead to the failure of Project Tähtivaeltaja”).

The jury commended the story, written in form of a report about an encounter with little green aliens that have arrived on Earth, on the format that is refreshingly different from a conventional short story. The tale of the destiny of an alien race on Earth contains humour but also works as an allegory without being too obvious about it.

In addition to the winner, the jury awarded two honorary mentions to Samuli Antila for his story Pelastaja (“Saviour”), and Jenni Kauppinen for Kemina Standing.

There were 83 submissions in total. The competition was organised by the Tähtivaeltaja zine and the Helsinki Science Fiction Society. In the preliminary jury were researcher Irma Hirsjärvi and writer Anne Leinonen, and in the jury editor Toni Jerrman, editor Jukka Halme, and writer Tiina Raevaara.

Iron Sky Sequel Crowdfunding

You remember Iron Sky, right? The guys are back, and like the first time, they have a crowdfunding campaign set up to help with the funding of the movie. This time the goal is to get the whole movie funded independently, with shooting planned to start in 2015.

There are several levels of perks for supporters (for example, an exclusive t-shirt for this campaign), so if you're a fan of the movie, go check out the campaign site and help Iron Sky 2 become reality!

Dissertation on 50s Sf Movies

Tomorrow at the University of Turku, Kimmo Ahonen defends his dissertation called “Cold War Anxieties and Fantasies—Alien Invasion in American Science Fiction Films of the 1950s”. For those interested, the thesis is available on Doria (it's in Finnish, but there's an English summary starting on page 466).

Pub Meeting Today

Yes, it's Friday. The Turku pub meetings were moved to the first Friday of the month, starting this month. As it's now officially summer, the gathering is in the traditional place, Brewery Restaurant Koulu's terrace. See you there today at six!

Seminar in Turku with Sterling, Torssonen, etc.

Aboagora is an annual seminar in Turku, organized during the Turku Music Festival, with aim of promoting dialogue between arts, humanities, and sciences. The event consists of public keynote lectures and dialogues, smaller roundtable workshops as well as artistic programmes.

This year’s keynote speakers include Bruce Sterling, who needs no introduction, and among the participants is also eg. Samuli Torssonen, the man behind Star Wreck, and the Iron Sky special effects. Topics include such things as The Disappearing Human-Machine Divide, Robot Desires, and Internet communities.

There's still time to sign up for this year's event (held in August), registration is open until the end of the month. Attendance is 45 € which includes participation in all public lectures and panel discussions, plus lunch & coffee on three days.