Monthly Archives: June 2025

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

MonSFFA Website

MonSFFA’s 2025 Field Trip Tomorrow!

2025 Club Field Trip – Tomorrow, Saturday, June 14

We remind club members that, as our 2025 club field trip, MonSFFA will be visiting the new exhibition on knights at Old Montreal’s Pointe-à-Callière museum. Mark tomorrow, Saturday, June 14 in your calendars!

This exhibition recently opened at “Montréal’s Archaeology and History Complex” (the Pointe-à-Callière museum). The standard adult admission charge is $29, with various discounts available for seniors, students, etc.

Getting to the Museum

The nearest Metro station is Place-d’Armes; from there, it’s a 10 minute walk to the museum via rue Saint-Francois-Xavier. Also, the 50 bus, running along rue de-la-Commune, stops at the museum. Paid parking is available in the area, primarily in the Old Port.

Note: for those travelling by bus and Metro, a transit strike is expected to begin this week, however, regular service is promised by the striking union over the weekend of the 14th-15th. As such, buses and the Metro will be running, as usual.

MonFFen to Meet-Up at Museum

Our plan is to meet tomorrow, Saturday, June 14, in the museum’s main entrance lobby at 1:00PM (don’t be late!). We will then enter together at about 1:30PM. As always, each individual is responsible for their own entrance fee and any other expenses incurred, such as lunch or gift shop purchases. For any interested, we will make our way to a nearby restaurant after our visit to enjoy a post-field trip dinner.

Information on the Exhibition

Reads the museum’s promotional text, “Delve into the heart of history with ‘Knights,’ a fascinating exhibition that stirs up the spirit of chivalry. From the battlefield to the royal court, this exhibition explores the various aspects of the life of knights.” The world of knights is fully explored, including “their training, their place in society, and their code of honour.” Exquisite examples of European weaponry and armour, sourced from Italy’s prestigious Museo Stibbert, are among the over 250 pieces on display, showcasing the skill of the period’s craftsmen.

Note that there are also other exhibits of interest at Pointe-à-Callière, including studies of Montreal’s founding and past, the history of the iconic Dow Brewery, and an immersive and interactive family exhibition on pirates and privateers.

Pointe-à-Callière museum, Old Montreal

Museum’s Address and Contact Information

Address: 350 Place Royale, Old Montreal, QC, H2Y 3Y5

Phone number: 514 872-9150

Web site: https://pacmusee.qc.ca/en/

We’ll See You All Tomorrow at the Museum!

MonSFFA Website

CLUB FIELD TRIP THIS SATURDAY, JUNE 14!

2025 Club Field Trip – This Saturday, June 14

As our 2025 club field trip, MonSFFA will be visiting the new exhibition on knights at Old Montreal’s Pointe-à-Callière museum. Mark this Saturday, June 14 in your calendars!

This exhibition recently opened at “Montréal’s Archaeology and History Complex” (the Pointe-à-Callière museum). The standard adult admission charge is $29, with various discounts available for seniors, students, etc.

Getting to the Museum

The nearest Metro station is Place-d’Armes; from there, it’s a 10 minute walk to the museum via rue Saint-Francois-Xavier. Also, the 50 bus, running along rue de-la-Commune, stops at the museum. Paid parking is available in the area, primarily in the Old Port.

Note: for those travelling by bus and Metro, a transit strike is expected to begin this week, however, regular service is promised by the striking union over the weekend of the 14th-15th. As such, buses and the Metro will be running, as usual.

MonFFen to Meet-Up at Museum

Our plan is to meet, on Saturday, June 14, in the museum’s main entrance lobby at 1:00PM (don’t be late!), then enter together at about 1:30PM. As always, each individual is responsible for their own entrance fee and any other expenses incurred, such as lunch or gift shop purchases. For any interested, we will make our way to a nearby restaurant after our visit to enjoy a post-field trip dinner.

Information on the Exhibition

Reads the museum’s promotional text, “Delve into the heart of history with ‘Knights,’ a fascinating exhibition that stirs up the spirit of chivalry. From the battlefield to the royal court, this exhibition explores the various aspects of the life of knights.” The world of knights is fully explored, including “their training, their place in society, and their code of honour.” Exquisite examples of European weaponry and armour, sourced from Italy’s prestigious Museo Stibbert, are among the over 250 pieces on display, showcasing the skill of the period’s craftsmen.

Note that there are also other exhibits of interest at Pointe-à-Callière, including studies of Montreal’s founding and past, the history of the iconic  Dow Brewery, and an immersive and interactive family exhibition on pirates and privateers.

Pointe-à-Callière museum, Old Montreal

Museum’s Address and Contact Information

Address: 350 Place Royale, Old Montreal, QC, H2Y 3Y5

Phone number: 514 872-9150

Web site: https://pacmusee.qc.ca/en/

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)