(1) COSTS OF BOOK/JOURNAL PIRACY. “New Government Report Cites Ongoing Concern Over Pirate Sites” — Publishers Weekly counts the losses.
Several international websites that publishers argue continue to actively pirate copyrighted material were included on the U.S. Trade Representative’s frighteningly named Notorious Markets List (NML). NML is the centerpiece of the USTR’s annualReview of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy, the goal of which is to “motivate appropriate action by the private sector and governments to reduce piracy and counterfeiting.”
The 2024 report features a list of sites that are violating the copyrights of companies across a wide range of industries. Rather than try to document that monetary loss to American companies caused by these websites (though the report does cite a study which found that digital piracy cost the U.S. economy $29.2 billion in 2019), NLM reviews what actions, if any, companies have taken to stop their sites from engaging in piracy.
The two companies that drew the most attention from the Association of American Publishers are Library Genesis, commonly known as Libgen, and Sci-Hub. As part of a series of actions against Libgen, in 2023,textbook publishers filed a copyright infringement lawsuitagainst the company. Libgen, which is believed to operate from Russia and has been used by Meta to train its AI efforts, hosts 80 million science magazine articles, 2.4 million nonfiction books, 2.2 million fiction books, and 2 million comic strips. According to the report, Libgen sites are “subject to court orders in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.”…
(2) FANTASTIC NEWS. Fantasy Magazinehas officially returned, with a new publisher.

Co-Editors-in-Chief Arley Sorg and Shingai Njeri Kagunda will curate a wonderful selection of short fiction, flash fiction, poetry, and more in quarterly issues for publisher Psychopomp (known for Psychopomp.com, Psychopomp novellas, and of course,The Deadlandsmagazine, edited by E. Catherine Tobler)!
Kagunda and Sorg both bring engaging visions and eclectic, sharp sensibilities to the field, as well as a history of positive involvement in the genre community. Kagunda’s writing has earned her Ignyte and British Fantasy Award nominations, and her work as co-editor atPodCastlemade her a two-time Hugo Award finalist. Sorg has received two community service awards, and his work as co-editor atFantasymade him a three-time Locus Award finalist and a two-time World Fantasy Award finalist.
The first issue ofFantasywith Psychopomp is scheduled for June 2025 publication.Fantasyplans to open to submissions February 1 – 7. Seesubmission guidelines at the link.
Subscribe toFantasy Magazinevia email for $5 per quarter. Use this link to subscribe. Psychopomp will publishFantasycontent on theFantasy Magazinewebsite after an exclusive to-subscribers period. Digital issues will also be available at their Grave Goods store and on WeightlessBooks.com.
For more information, see publisher Sean Markey’sblog post.
(3) THANKS FOR THE STAR WARS MEMORIES. Craig Miller will do a Q&A and signing in conjunction with a showing of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope at The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana on January 19 at 4:00 p.m. Address: 305 E. 4th St, STE 100, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Craig hears that a small number of droids will be present…

You’re invited to a special screening of the 1997 Special Edition ofStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hopewith special guest Craig Miller! Craig was director of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm from 1977-1980.He created and oversaw the official Star Wars Fan Club as well as having edited and written virtually all of the first two years of Bantha Tracks as well as being a producer for Lucasfilm Ltd.
Craig will be appearing for an on-stage discussion about his experiences at Lucasfilm and his time duringStar Wars! The discussion will be moderated by Scott Zilner.Craig will also be available to meet fans, and also be signing his bookStar Wars Memories.
(4) SFWA ADDITIONS. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (SFWA) has announced a new office assistant, and that two past presidents of the organization are taking on new volunteer service roles.
Office Team: Misha Grifka Wander (he/they)joined operations this week.
You might recognize Misha as our Nebula Awards Commissioner. He is stepping down from that position after participating in a competitive round of hiring. Thank you to all the candidates who applied.Misha is a game designer, writer, artist, and academic from the American Midwest. He obtained his PhD in English from Ohio State University and has worked in nonprofits and office management. Misha will be joining our Interim Executive Director Russell Davis in the virtual office from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM EST. Welcome, Misha!
Historian: Michael Capobianco will be stepping into the volunteer role of Historian. As Historian, Capobianco will be supporting the board and organization, providing historical perspective and guidance when needed.
Past President Advisor: Mary Robinette Kowal has been appointed Past President Advisor.
(5) STOP THAT TRAIN(ING)! [Item by Steven French.] “British novelists criticise government over AI ‘theft’” reports the Guardian.
Kate Mosse andRichard Osmanhave hit back at Labour’s plan to give artificial intelligence companies broad freedoms to mine artistic works for data, saying it could destroy growth in creative fields and amount to theft.
The best-selling novellists spoke out after Keir Starmer a national drive to make the UK “one of the great AI superpowers” and endorsed a 50-pointaction planthat included changes to how technology firms can use copyrighted text and data to train their models….
(6) PERSONAL DEFINITIONS OF SPECPO. Seattle Worldcon 2025 poet laureate Brandon O’Brien has launched a department on the Worldcon’s website called “Con-Verse”. He picked a logical topic for his first post.
…What better place to start this blog, then, by trying to ask and answer the one question that comes up often from people outside the space: what is a “speculative” poem? But like most things in art, and poetry in particular, there are as many answers as there are poets and readers themselves. Hopefully, with enough of them we may notice some patterns of understanding, so I figured it was only right for you to hear from a multitude of expert voices on the matter. Here’s what some members of theScience Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association(SFPA) had to say…
Read the quotes he compiled from 16 poets at the link.
(7) NYT NOTES DISNEY SUPPORT FOR FIRE-AFFECTED EMPLOYEES. The New York Times explains how “Hollywood’s Filmmaking Continues Despite L.A. Wildfires”.
…With thousands of homes destroyed, many of them in neighborhoods favored by producers, executives, agents and stars, and roughly 300,000 people under evacuation orders or warnings, little work got done at studio headquarters. Some studios closed entirely, and others encouraged employees to work remotely.
Consider the impact of the fires on Disney alone. As of Monday, 64 Disney employees had lost their homes and hundreds more had been evacuated, including Robert A. Iger, the chief executive, and three members of his senior leadership team.
Mr. Iger has been overseeing Disney’s relief effort from a hotel, approving $15 million for community services and rebuilding efforts, arranging for Disney employees who have lost their homes to receive two months of free furnished housing and opening Disney’s studio wardrobe warehouses to employees who need clothes and shoes. He has also been calling Disney employees who lost their homes.
“I want them to know that people at the top of the company are looking after them, that we care,” Mr. Iger said by phone on Monday. “We’re going to go through some really tough times here, but we’ll get through it together.”
Meanwhile, Disney’s movie assembly lines — like the rest of Hollywood’s — have been almost completely unaffected.
Disney has seen some flurries of ash on its Burbank lot, but no flames. Pixar and Lucasfilm, both owned by Disney, are based in Northern California.
Sony Pictures is in Culver City, far from any of the fires. Paramount Pictures and Netflix are in Hollywood, the neighborhood, which is 40 minutes by car from the two biggest fires. The sprawling Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures lots in the San Fernando Valley have been untouched.
For the most part, live-action movies are no longer shot in the Los Angeles region. It’s too expensive. Instead, movie production has moved to states like Georgia, New York, New Jersey and New Mexico and countries like Britain and Australia — all of which offer generous tax incentives.
Only two movies from major studios were affected by the fires. Filming was halted on “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” a 20th Century Studios remake of the 1992 thriller. The third “Avatar” movie, also from 20th Century, which Disney owns, briefly paused production, too….
(8) TODAY’S DAY. [Item by Daniel Dern.] According to The Kitchn’s article “National Bagel Day Deals 2025: What You Need to Know”:
The holiday was originally celebrated on February 9, which coincided with National Pizza Day…
Some bagelries and we-also-sell-bagellers have bagel freebies/deals, lists online or ask wherever you get your bagels.
(9) TODAY’S BIRTHDAY.
[Written by Paul Weimer.]
Born January 15, 1935 — Robert Silverberg, 90.
Editor’s note: Robert Silverberg is ninety years old today!
By Paul Weimer: A legend of science fiction whose work I came to in an oblique way.
In a short story, “Half-Baked Publisher’s Delight”, in a collection of “great short short stories”, I first came across the name Robert Silverberg. It was a weird little story where Isaac Asimov (a name I knew well at that point) and someone named Robert Silverberg, competed to be the most prolific SF author. I had no idea who Silverberg was, but I was intrigued that the story had put him up against Asimov. Clearly, I needed to read his work.

My first Silverberg was, as it so happens, the science fantasyLord Valentine’s Castle. I thought it was a simple fantasy novel, but imagine my delight as, we follow the story of the titular Valentine and the troupe of entertainers he has joined with, that the narrative mixed science fiction elements, particularly the psionics, and the old Earth technology still on the planet. The novel is long and sprawling and concentrates heavily on the worldbuilding and the wandering across the landscape. Aside from the deceptively young Valentine, the other characters recede into the background somewhat to focus on the world presented. In other words, it was perfect for me as a teenaged reader.
I would only later find out that it was slightly atypical, and that the interior life of Silverberg’s characters, his concentration on their inner lives and problems, and depth of their plights, is really the more typical Silverberg. I admire and enjoy both sides of Silverberg’s writing. (Kingdoms of the Wall is much more like Majipoor in this regard, for instance, too, than his character-orientednovels and stories.)
I’ve read a lot of Silverberg, as you might tell, including novels, now and again, since. I enjoyed his work in theHeroes in Hellseries. I enthused to his historical fiction turn in Gilgamesh. His variety of time travel stories, fromUp the Lineto the heartbreakingSailing to Byzantium, have always enthralled me.Nightwings, taking place on a far future Earth, I first encountered in an incomplete graphic novel edition that inspired me to go and find the original and complete story. I meant to, but never found the Mouth of Truth in Rome, which features in the story.
I have a lot of favorite Silverberg stories. If I had to go with one story, it is going to be a story I’ve mentioned before.“Enter a Soldier, Later, Enter Another”. It’s the story that starts hisTimegate sequence of historical personages brought back as artificial intelligences, and it has the programmers have Francisco Pizarro encounter Socrates, to memorable and sometimes very funny results. The story shows Silverberg’s skill at dialogue, at character, and using history.
If I had to go with one longer work, I am going to cheat again and not name one of his novels, and instead go with hisRoma Eternasequence. A series of short stories set in a world where the Roman Empire wound up in a dynastic cycle of rises and falls but never complete collapses, the stories in the collection explore a variety of themes of empire, of renewal and destruction, and lenses of looking at our own history by showing a funhouse version of it in his alternate historical path.
I’ve seen Mr. Silverberg at a couple of Worldcons…but have not actually exchanged any words with him.
(10) TODAY’S BIRTHDAY, TOO.
[Written by Paul Weimer.]
Born January 15, 1944 — Christopher Stasheff. (Died 2018.)
By Paul Weimer: Back in the 1990’s, Christopher Stasheff seemed to be everywhere in my fantasy and my science fantasy reading. I kept encountering his work again and again, and in a variety of contexts. Trying to remember what was actually first is a murk of memory, because I seem to recall being bombarded with several different early Stasheff’s that I read.
Her Majesty’s Wizardstarts off as a portal fantasy. Matthew Mantrell, graduate student, finds a strange piece of paper in a copy of the sagas. He translates it, and it translates him to an alternative magical medieval Europe. He falls in love with the Princess he rescues, teams up with an unlikely set of companions, and has to face the dark lord Malingo. Matt might know Shakespeare for his poetry based magic, but it might not be enough.

The Enchanter RebornandThe Exotic Enchanterwere compilations edited by Stasheff of additional stories of L Sprague De Camp’s Harold Shea, aka The Incompleat Enchanter. Stasheff not only was the co editor of the two volumes, but he also contributed stories to each volume. The quality of the stories vary according to the author but Stasheff’s entries “Sir Harold and the Hindu King” and “Sir Harold and the Monkey King” help expend Harold’s adventures beyond the usual Western Canon.
Stasheff contributed to one of my favorite shared world verses, theTime Gatestories created by Robert Silverberg. In an age here and now where LLMs are being labeled as AI, talking about true AI is a bit tricky. But in this verse of the shared world, in the 22nd century, real sentient AI recreations of historical personages are created (Silverberg’s “Enter a Soldier, Later, Enter another” with Pizarro and Socrates, kicks that all off). So, Stasheff writes a story where a couple of the AIs decide to create one of their very own.
Stasheff also did a shared world of his own, called “The Gods of War”. The Gods of War supposes that Gods of conflict and battle fight throughout history, and sometimes they are created from the minds of men, tulpa style.Tek, the God of technological battle, is the newest God of War. Needless to say, this young and energetic God gets the ire and the attention of much older Gods of War and strife.
What I remember was definitely not first, but I read a little later, was Stasheff’s turn into science fantasy,The Warlock in Spite of Himself. Rod Gallowglass works for an interstellar agency in a polity looking for lost and forgotten colony planets. He might be a cynic and a grump, but even Rod is a bit stumped when he finds the planet of Gramarye. Rod doesn’t believe in magic, magic can’t possibly exist, his mindset is completely and utterly scientific and rational. And yet he is confronted with witches, warlocks, elves and monsters. There has to be a rational explanation for all of it…doesn’t there? I read a few of these, but there are well over a dozen of novels in this setting.
A very fun writer.
(11) COMICS SECTION.
- Bizarro continues variations on vampire names.
- Bliss introduces a strange new breed.
- Dinosaur Comics is skeptical about the Vader reaction.
- Eek! is about a different Vader reaction.
- Rubes knows there no place like this home.
- Strange Brew is the problem.
(12) TODAY’S THING TO WORRY ABOUT. “World Monuments Fund Puts Moon on List of At-Risk Sites” reports the New York Times. (Story behind a paywall.)
…With a growing number of wealthy people going to space and more governments pursuing human spaceflight, the group warns that more than 90 important sites on the moon could be harmed. In particular, some researchers are worried about Tranquillity Base, the Apollo 11 landing site where the astronaut Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the moon’s surface.
Protections for cultural heritage are typically decided by individual countries, which makes the task of taking care of important international sites like the moon more difficult.
Since 2020, the United States and 51 other countries have signed theArtemis Accords, a nonbinding agreement that outlined the norms expected in outer space. The rules included a call to preserve space heritage including “robotic landing sites, artifacts, spacecraft and other evidence of activity on celestial bodies.” A separate binding United Nations agreement provided for the protection of lunar sites, but there has been little progress in getting key countries to sign it.
“The moon doesn’t belong to anybody,” de Montlaur said. “It is a symbol of hope and the future.”
For almost 30 years, the World Monuments Fund has receivednominations for its watch list of endangered sitesfrom heritage experts around the world. The list is an educational and promotional tool serving thenonprofit’s other effortsto preserve cultural heritage.
A division of theInternational Council on Monuments and Sitesdevoted to aerospace heritage nominated the moon for the nonprofit watch list. Gai Jorayev, president of that division, said that members wanted to see sustainable management because of the “sheer number of human artifacts on its surface.”
Beyond the lunar orbiters and rangers scattered across the moon’s surface that express scientific achievements, there are also artifacts of human culture. Apollo 11 astronauts left a golden olive branch to symbolize peace, while a SpaceX rocket lifted a lander that carried125 miniature sculpturesby the artist Jeff Koons to the moon’s surface last year….
(13) THAT NUMBER SOUNDS FAMILIAR. Indianapolis station WTHR reports “FEMA isn’t giving California wildfire victims just $770”.
… Multipleviralpostsimply that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is giving the victimsjust $770 in federal assistance. Some of the posts also compare the disaster relief spending to the government’s spending on foreign aid….
…Fact checking dispels the rumor that FEMA is giving Los Angeles wildfire victims just $770. Where did that number come from? President Joe Biden announced that people will receive a “one-time payment of $770 so they can quickly purchase things like water, baby formula and prescriptions” under the Serious Needs Assistance program. But that is not the only disaster relief available. People can apply for additional assistance.
If you are affected by the Los Angeles wildfires and in need of assistance, please contact FEMA at https://www.disasterassistance.gov.
(14) MUPPET APPEARANCE. “Kermit the Frog Sings for Hoda Kotb on Her Final ‘Today’ Show” on January 10 reports ToughPigs.
As journalist and television personality Hoda Kotb said goodbye toToday, the show she’s been part of since 2007, she got a visit from a very special guest: Kermit the Frog.
Kermit’s appearance had a special significance, as Hoda brought on her daughters, Hope and Haley. During the broadcast, it was revealed that Hoda sings one of Kermit’s signature songs to her children [Hope and Haley] every night… “Rainbow Connection.” And if you thought that was a perfect excuse for Kermit to sing “Rainbow Connection,” you must be psychic, because that’s exactly what he did!
View Kermit’s performance at the Today website: “See Kermit the Frog sing ‘Rainbow Connection’ for Hoda Kotb”.
(15) SF2 CONCATENATION SPRING EDITION. [Item by SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie.] SF² Concatenationnow has its spring (northern hemisphere academic year spring) up. It has the usual large, seasonal news page together with articles and convention reports, plus some 40 standalone book reviews. Table of contents…
v35(1) 2025.1.15 —New Columns & Articles for the Spring 2025
- Newscast for the Spring 2025. This includes within it many key sections. See also themaster newscast link indexthat connects toallits SF/F genre and science news sub-sections. In the mix are itsFilm News;Television News;Publishing News;General Science News andForthcoming SF Booksfrom major British Isles SF imprints for the season, among much else.
- Best Science Fiction of 2024: books and films–SF² Concatenationteam
Each Christmas,the teamputs forward their suggestions as to the best SF of the year and we list the most suggested. – It is just a bit of fun but scroll down and you’ll see, with past years’ performance, that it has form. - What makes a Hugo-worthy novel? – The Worldcon survey– Rebecca Montgomery
Those that attended the 2024 Glasgow Worldcon were asked what determines their Hugo nominations. - Detecting warp drives– Jonathan Cowie
Do we have the technology to detect a starship’s warp drive and how far away would it work? - Eurocon 2024 – Rotterdam, Netherlands– Leadie Flowers
Around 600 attended the five programme streamed Erasmuscon Eurocon. - Glasgow – The 2024 SF Virtual Worldcon– Mark Yon
6% of the Worldcon attended online. What did they get for their registration fee? (Not the con publications.) - Sci-Fi London Film Fest 2024– Jonathan Cowie
The 2024 Fest nearly never happened… But it did! - 2024 SF Film Top Ten ChartandOther Worthies
(All past annual film charts are archive indexed here) - SF Convention Listing & Film Diarywith links to con sites and film trailers
The list of the major, fan run, national and international level, SF cons and British Isles general release film diary. - Ten years ago exactly. One from the archives:
- Eurocon 2014 – Dublin, Ireland (2nd review)– Peter Tyers
Interesting programme and lots of friendly people. - Twenty years ago exactly. One from the archives:
Eurocon 2004 – Bulgaria– Jim Walker
The first Eurocon to be opened by a Head of State… and there was an astronaut in the mix too.
v35(1) 2025.1.15 — Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Reviews
- Lord of the Empty Isles– Jules Arbeaux
- Bookshops & Bonedust– Travis Baldree
- Januaries– Olivie Blake
- The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands(2nd review) – Sarah Brooks
- The Incubations– Ramsey Campbell
- Spirits Abroad– Zen Cho
- Sword Catcher– Cassandra Clare
- Elusive– Genevieve Cogman
- Doctor Who: Ruby Red– Georgia Cook
- Eruption– Michael Crichton & James Patterson
- Beyond & Within: Discontinue if Death Ensues – Tales from the tipping point– Carol Gyzander
- Doctor Who: 73 Yards– Scott Hancock
- Doctor Who: Rogue– Kate Herron and Briony Redman
- William Hope Hodgson: Horror Stories– William Hope Hodgson
- Cursed Under London– Gabby Hutchinson
- Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road(2nd review) – Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson
- Beyond & Within: Folk Horror– Paul Kane & Marie O’Regan
- Doctor Who: Death in the Stars– Bonnie Langford
- Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction– Ann Leckie
- Daughter of Calamity(2nd review) – Rosalie M. Lin
- The Sky on Fire– Jenn Lyons
- Arthur Machen Horror Stories– Arthur Machen
- Doctor Who: Caged– Una McCormack
- They Stalk The Night– Brian Moreland
- Darkness Beckons– Mark Morris
- Chinese Ghost Stories– Xueting C. Ni
- The Last Song of Penelope– Claire North
- Tempered Glass– Beth Overmyer
- The First King– Shameez Patel Papathanasiou
- He Who Drowned the World– Shelley Parker-Chan
- The Book of Elsewhere– Keanu Reeves & China Miéville
- Lake of Darkness– Adam Roberts
- When the Night Falls– Glenn Rolfe
- Doctor Who: Space Babies– Alison Rumfitt
- Service Model(4th review) – Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea– Rebecca Thorne
- A Pirate’s Life for Tea– Rebecca Thorne
- Classic Ghost Stories– Lisa Tuttle
- Solarpunk– Francesco Verso
- Spiral– Cameron Ward
v35(1) 2025.9.15 — Non-Fiction SF & Science Fact Book Reviews
- After the Flying Saucers Came: A Global History of the UFO Phenomenon– Greg Eghigian
- Einstein’s Entanglement– W. M. Stuckely, Michael Silberstein & Timothy McDevitt
(16) GRRM FILM ADAPTATION ARRIVING IN MARCH. A trailer has been released forIn the Lost Lands, based on the George R.R. Martin short story.Entertainment Weeklyreported that the project, starring Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista, is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and will premiere March 7.
A queen, desperate to find happiness in love, takes a daring step: she sends the powerful and feared witch Gray Alys to the “Lost Lands” to give her the magical gift of turning into a werewolf. With the mysterious hunter Boyce, who supports her in the fight against dark creatures and merciless enemies, Gray Alys roams an eerie and dangerous world. And only she knows that every wish she grants has unimaginable consequences.
[Thanks to John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Daniel Dern, Tom Becker, Steven French, Kathy Sullivan, Teddy Harvia, Mike Kennedy, and Andrew Porter for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Daniel Dern.]
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