All posts by Cathy Palmer-Lister

Fanzines

Fanzine roundup

We have received quite a few fanzines to share. Enjoy!

FanAct202506 from the N3F (USA)

ObdurateEye52 from Garth Spencer (Canada)

CCJune2025-v01 From Leybl Botwinik (Israel)

De Profundis #610 – July 2025 From LASFS (USA)

PROBE 204X From SFFSA (South Africa) Fabulous cover, and a mention of MonSFFA.

N3FReview202506 from the N3F (USA)

TH 88r From Nic Farey (USA) “Do you love me enough that I may be weak with you? Everyone loves strength, but do you love me for my weakness? That is the real test.”

PurrMew94 from R-Laurraine Tutihasi (USA) Photos of critters we never see in our region, and her husband takes wonderful astrophotos.

AGentle1 From the N3F, a role playing APA

Now at https://efanzines.com are:

  • J.L. Farey’s JenZine #12
  • Alexiad #136 edited by Lisa & Joseph Major
  • Christopher J. Garcia’s Claims Department #86
  • Nic Farey’s This Here…#87
  • Andy Hooper’s CAPTAIN FLASHBACK #78
  • Opuntia #600, edited by Dale Speirs
  • Michael Dobson’s Again, Random Jottings #22
  • Two Chairs in Print #5 by Perry Middlemiss and David Grigg
  • Perry Middlemiss’s Perryscope #54
  • Rich Lynch’s My Back Pages #32
  • Bruce Gillespie’s SF Commentary #120
  • Garth Spencer’s The Obdurate Eye #52
  • Henry Grynnsten’s Wild Ideas #60
  • Heath Row’s The Stf Amateur, June 2025 (apazine bundle)
  • Octothorpe #136, a regular fannish podcast by John Coxon, Alison Scott and Liz Batty, is now on line
  • SideTrekked #67 & 68 the clubzine of Science Fiction London (Ontario)
  • New page for TurboCon 2, a mildly fanzine-related precursor convention the three days before the Seattle Worldcon, August 10th to 12th this year.
  • New page for Kelly Oates’ Oates #1 and #2
  • Leigh Edmonds’ Ornithopter Mk.Vc
  • Octothorpe #137, a regular fannish podcast by John Coxon, Alison Scott and Liz Batty, is now on line
  • Andy Hooper’s CAPTAIN FLASHBACK #79
  • Opuntia #601, edited by Dale Speirs
  • Ray Palm’s The Ray X X-rayer #184
Astronomy News

First celestial image unveiled from revolutionary telescope

Here’s finally some good news! Astronomers and sky enthusiasts have been waiting a long time for the Vera Rubin to come on line. The resolution of this camera is such that it can see a golf ball on the moon!  — CPL

First celestial image unveiled from revolutionary telescope

Ione Wells, South America correspondent
Georgina Rannard, Science correspondent

NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory The first image revealed by the Vera Rubin telescope shows the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae in stunning detail

A powerful new telescope in Chile has released its first images, showing off its unprecedented ability to peer into the dark depths of the universe.

In one picture, vast colourful gas and dust clouds swirl in a star-forming region 9,000 light years from Earth.

The Vera C Rubin observatory, home to the world’s most powerful digital camera, promises to transform our understanding of the universe.

If a ninth planet exists in our solar system, scientists say this telescope would find it in its first year.
RubinObs Three large white buildings stand on top of a dry mountain in a desert. One has a domed roof. In the background the sky is blue and looks dry. A yellow crane is in front of the three white buildings which are the Vera Rubin observatory. A dusty road leads up to the buildings.RubinObs
Rubin Observatory and the Rubin Auxiliary Telescope in Cerro Pachón in Chile

It should detect killer asteroids in striking distance of Earth and map the Milky Way. It will also answer crucial questions about dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up most of our universe.

In a press conference on Monday, the observatory revealed that in 10 hours, the telescope detected 2,104 new asteroids and 7 space objects close to Earth.

All other space and ground surveys combined usually find about 20,000 asteroids in a year.

This once-in-a-generation moment for astronomy is the start of a continuous 10-year filming of the southern night sky.

READ MORE

Space Travel / Exploration, Tributes

Marc Garneau has passed away

Marc Garneau has passed away, aged 76. He was Canada’s first astronaut. I had the pleasure of meeting him twice, first at the Canadian Space Agency in St Hubert, and again at an Earth Day celebration in Westmount. Tributes are pouring in. I heard Andrew Fazekas, the Night Sky Guy, this morning on CBC radio speak of how inspired he was by Marc.

Read about Marc Garneau here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/marc-garneau-passes-away-1.7552640

 

Books

Locus List of Forthcoming Books

JUNE 2025

  • ELIZABETH BEAR • The Folded Sky • Simon & Schus­ter/Saga Press, Jun 2025 (tp, eb)
  • ELIZABETH BEAR • The Folded Sky • Orion UK/Gollancz, Jun 2025 (tp, eb)
  • V. CASTRO • Maria the Wanted • Titan Books UK, Jun 2025 (h, tp, eb)
  • KATE ELLIOTT • The Witch Roads • Tor, Jun 2025 (hc, eb)
  • AUSTON HABERSHAW • If Wishes Were Retail • Tachyon Publications, Jun 2025 (tp, eb)
  • K. IBURA • Tempest • HarperCollins/Quill Tree, Jun 2025 (ya, hc, eb)
  • ALLAN KASTER, ED. • The Year’s Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 9 • AudioText/Infinivox, Jun 2025 (an, tp, eb)
  • MERCEDES LACKEY & LARRY DIXON • Gryphon’s Valor • Titan Books UK, Jun 2025 (hc, eb)
  • MERCEDES LACKEY & LARRY DIXON • Gryphon’s Valor • Astra House/DAW, Jun 2025 (hc, eb)
  • JOHN LANGAN • Lost in the Dark and Other Ex­cursions • Word Horde, Jun 2025 (c, tp, eb)
  • HELEN MARSHALL • The Lady • the Tiger, and the Girl Who Loved Death, Titan Books UK, Jun 2025 (pb, eb)
  • PREMEE MOHAMED • The First Thousand Trees • ECW Press, Jun 2025 (na, tp, eb)
  • MALKA OLDER • The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses • Tor, Jun 2025 (hc, eb)
  • H.G. PARRY • A Far Better Thing • Tor, Jun 2025 (hc, eb)
  • V.E. SCHWAB • Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil • Tor, Jun 2025 (hc, eb)
  • V.E. SCHWAB • Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil • Macmillan/Tor UK, Jun 2025 (hc, eb)
  • ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY • Bee Speaker • Bloomsbury UK/Head of Zeus/Ad Astra, Jun 2025 (hc, eb)
  • ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY • Shroud • Orbit US, Jun 2025 (1st US, tp, eb)
  • CONNIE WILLIS • The Spanner in the Works • Orion UK/Gollancz, Jun 2025 (tp, eb)
  • JOHN WISWELL • Wearing the Lion • Astra House/DAW, Jun 2025 (v, hc, eb)
Astronomy News

SEVERE GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH

SEVERE GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: A CME is heading straight for Earth–see below. NASA and NOAA models agree that it will strike Earth on June 1st. The impact could spark a severe (G4-class) geomagnetic storm with auroras visible across Europe and many US states. This won’t be as big as the famous May 2024 storm, but it could be one of the bigger events of Solar Cycle 25 if a severe storm materializes. CME impact alerts: SMS Text

MAJOR SOLAR FLARE AND HALO CME: Big old sunspot 4100 finally exploded–and it was a doozy. On May 31st at 00:05 UTC, Earth-orbiting satellites detected an M8.2-class solar flare. The explosion lasted more than 3 hours:


A long-duration M8.2-class solar flare recorded by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

Although the flare was not technically X-class, it was close. Moreover, it was a slow explosion with lots of power “under the curve.” The blast was able to lift a massive CME out of the sun’s atmosphere.

Indeed, shortly after the flare, SOHO coronagraphs recorded a bright halo CME heading directly for our planet:

This is a very fast-moving CME. Type II radio emissions from shock waves within the cloud suggest it is traveling 1,938 km/s or 4.3 million mph. When it strikes Earth, the CME could spark severe geomagnetic storms with auroras at mid- to low latitudes. Stay tuned! CME impact alerts: SMS Text

Fanzines

Fanzine Roundup

Lots of zine to share!

I fell behind a bit ! Spring has sprung and all that.

From the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society: De Profundis

From Israel:

From the N3F, whose editors never sleep!

From Garth Spencer: 

From Bill Burns:

Catching up after our three-week Corflu and Eastercon trip to the UK, I’ve added twelve new issues at https://efanzines.com

  • Sandra Bond’s TAFF newsletter, Taffluorescence #8
  • Andy Hooper’s CAPTAIN FLASHBACK #77
  • Michael Dobson’s The Compleat Random Jottings #22
  • Perry Middlemiss’s Perryscope #53
  • Heath Row’s The Stf Amateur, May 2025 (apazine bundle)
  • Opuntia #597, edited by Dale Speirs
  • Ray Palm’s The Ray X X-rayer #183
  • New page for Two Chairs in Print by Perry Middlemiss and David Grigg
  • Leybl Botwinik’s CyberCozen – April 2025
  • Octothorpe #133, a regular fannish podcast by John Coxon,
  • lison Scott and Liz Batty, is now on line
  • Garth Spencer’s The Obdurate Eye #51
  • Nic Farey’s This Here…#86

New today at https://efanzines.com are:

  • Leybl Botwinik’s CyberCozen – May 2025
  • Octothorpe #134, a regular fannish podcast by John Coxon, Alison Scott and Liz Batty, is now on line
  • Journey Planet #90, edited by James Bacon, Chris Garcia, et al
  • Opuntia #599, edited by Dale Speirs

 

Dinosaurs and Company

What did dinosaurs sound like?

Interesting article found on the BBC.–CPL

What did dinosaurs sound like?

Alamy Artist's impression of Parasaurolophus (Credit: Alamy)

We tend to associate dinosaurs with ground-shaking roars, but the latest research shows that this is probably mistaken.

You’d feel it more than hear it – a deep, visceral throb, emerging from somewhere beyond the thick foliage. Like the rumble of a foghorn, it would thrum in your ribcage and bristle the hairs on your neck. In the dense forests of the Cretaceous period, it would have been terrifying.

We have few clues for what noises dinosaurs might have made while they ruled the Earth before being killed off 66 million years ago. The remarkable stony remains uncovered by palaeontologists offer evidence of the physical prowess of these creatures, but not a great deal about how they interacted and communicated. Sound doesn’t fossilise, of course.

From what we know about animal behaviour, however, dinosaurs were almost certainly not silent.

Now with the help of new, rare fossils and advanced analysis techniques, scientists are starting to piece together some of the clues about how dinosaurs might have sounded.

Tom Williamson Even without a larynx or voice box, P. tubicen may have still been able to produce sounds using its distinctive headcrest (Credit: Tom Williamson)
Even without a larynx or voice box, P. tubicen may have still been able to produce sounds using its distinctive headcrest (Credit: Tom Williamson)

Click here to read the full article , and also hear what various dinos might have sounded like.

Collecting

Sale of Collectibles

Hi, I received a notice from Sandra Phillips concerning a sale of collectibles. A few of the items might interest MonSFFA members and friends. They will be sold at the  citywide DDO Yard sale next weekend, May 24 &25.–Cathy

This is Sandra Phillips from Smart Shopping Montreal. I had your contact for collectibles and thought that perhaps I should reach out to you.. I have a large collection which I am ready to part with.

Many vintage (1970’s with wooden people) Fisher Price Toys (boat, airport, town, school, school bus, musical instruments in case, etc ) and a few collectible toys from 70′ & 80’s or $50’s ones.
Three vintage kids’ record players. Do you know of anyone in town that might want to buy them?
ebay prices:
– Vintage Jaymar Upright Miniature Piano  Pat 2641135 – $124
– – Merrythought from England Walking/Push toy plush dog   by Milestone Auctions  was $200 sold for $100
– Happy Toy finger magic 7.99 $22 in original round container box
– 50’s Richmond spelling board letters numbers circa 1950’s in fair shape $20-$36
Disney
Walt Disney World Good neighbor hotel sign  (hotel never built hotel but sign was ordered)  pin is $24.95  sign”?
Minnie Mouse bank $19.99 for both her and Mickey
Hat:: Walt Disney World Mickey Mouse around 1971 felt kid size  about $10
Posters
home alone poster $20
darth vader signed poster $150 or more plus ship
etc.
Pins (over 100) :
lots of political ones
like Nixon gold pin $11.98
Beatles $35
Michael Jackson before he fixed his face
Postcards going back to 1940’s – over 100
Star Trek books (about 20) , ebay at least $10= $75 each, Dungeons and Dragons one $35
Fast food giveaway toys from McDonald’s etc (one says $99 on ebay)
Few untouched beanie babies,
ETC
If you are not interested,  do you have any idea of who I should send this to? Getting ready to sell all at  the citywide DDO Yard sale next weekend, May 24 &25.
Happy Shopping,
Sandra Phillips
Gaming

Draconis contest

Draconis contest

Calling all artists! The Draconis festival is again looking for a person to create a drawing or an image representing this year’s festival for our social media, publicity and merchandise. You think you have the necessary talent and you want to contribute to the festival’s success? This is your chance! Our budget is $350, so prepare your submissions accordingly.
We are open to pretty much any concept; all we are asking is that it must represent the idea of the festival or of role playing games in general (and not one particular game); and it must include the word “Draconis” and the year 2025..
If you’d like to participate, you can send us a sketch of your idea at info@festivaldraconis.ca with the subject “Draconis concours d’image”. You have until Sunday June 1 to do so. We will announce the winner during the following week, and then you’ll have one month to complete your drawing. No submission using AI will be accepted.
For reference, the final image must be 14” x 14” (35 cm x 35 cm), with a 300 dpi resolution.
Festival Draconis
Community
Appel à tous les artistes! Le festival Draconis est de nouveau à la recherche d’une personne pour créer un dessin ou une image représentant l’édition 2025 du festival sur nos médias sociaux, notre publicité et notre marchandise. Vous croyez avoir le talent, et vous voulez participer au succès du festival? C’est l’occasion de le faire! Notre budget est de $350, alors préparez vos soumissions en conséquence.
Nos contraintes sont peu nombreuses: votre image doit représenter le concept du festival ou du jeu de rôle en général (et non un jeu en particulier), et doit inclure le mot “Draconis” et l’année 2025.
Si vous êtes intéressé à participer, vous avez jusqu’au dimanche 1er juin pour nous envoyer un croquis de votre idée par courriel au info@festivaldraconis.ca, avec le sujet “Draconis concours d’image”. Nous annoncerons le ou la gagnant.e la semaine suivante, et à partir de ce moment, vous aurez un mois pour finaliser votre dessin. Aucune soumission utilisant l’IA ne sera acceptée.
Pour référence, l’image finale devra être de 14”x14” (35 cm x 35 cm) et d’une résolution de 300 dpi.
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Books

Locus List of Forthcoming Books

MAY 2025

  • JOE ABERCROMBIE • The Devils • Orion UK/Gollancz, May 2025 (hc, eb)
  • JOE ABERCROMBIE • The Devils • Tor, May 2025 (hc, eb)
  • GENEVIEVE COGMAN • Damned • Macmillan/Tor UK, May 2025 (hc, eb)
  • CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN • The Night Birds • St. Martin’s, May 2025 (1st UK, h, pb, eb)
  • MIRA GRANT • Overgrowth • Tor/Nightfire, May 2025 (h, hc, eb)
  • GUY GAVRIEL KAY • Written on the Dark • Penguin Random House/Berkley, May 2025 (hc, eb)
  • DEAN KOONTZ • Going Home in the Dark • Ama­zon/Thomas & Mercer, May 2025 (h, hc, eb)
  • PAT MURPHY • The Adventures of Mary Dar­ling • Tachyon Publications, May 2025 (tp, eb)
  • EMMA NEWMAN • The Vengeance • Rebellion/Solaris UK, May 2025 (tp, eb)
  • JODY LYNN NYE, ED. • L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 41 • Galaxy, May 2025 (oa, tp, eb)
  • TOCHI ONYEBUCHI • Harmattan Season • Tor, May 2025 (hc, eb)
  • ADAM OYEBANJI • Esperance • Quercus UK/Arcadia, May 2025 (tp, eb)
  • ADAM OYEBANJI • Esperance • Astra House/DAW, May 2025 (hc, eb)
  • ALASTAIR REYNOLDS • The Revelation Space Collection • Volume 1, Orion UK/Gollancz, May 2025 (c, hc, eb)
  • ALASTAIR REYNOLDS • The Revelation Space Collection • Volume 2, Orion UK/Gollancz, May 2025 (c, hc, eb)
  • VIVIAN SHAW • Strange New World • Orbit UK, May 2025 (tp, eb)
  • VIVIAN SHAW • Strange New World • Orbit US, May 2025 (tp, eb)
  • CAITLIN STARLING • The Starving Saints • Harper Voy­ager US, May 2025 (hc, eb)
  • NEON YANG • Brighter than Scale • Swifter than Flame, Tordotcom, May 2025 (tp)