I Can't Stress Stross Enough

Charles Stross (Boskone 48 guest of honor) burst onto the SF scene in 2003, when Ace published Singularity Sky and the folks at Hugo gave it a nod. He has yet to leave center stage.

The novella Concrete Jungle took a Hugo in 2005, Accelerando brought home a Locus in 2006 and Stross walked with Boskone’s Skylark Award in 2008. Let us not forget the Bob Howard series, The Jennifer Morgue being the best-known entry, that seems to be making Stross some money. Howard is metaphysical James Bond for the IT set, among other things, and his continued adventures make for an approachable but nicely challenging read.

That’s a pretty amazing six years, no matter that Stross got his first short story published in Interzone in the mid ’80s and started out writing RPG articles for White Dwarf in the late 1970s.

The secret to Stross’ success is simple: He’s a good writer, who respects the intelligence of his readers and brings new ideas to the table. Whether you’re diving into Singularity and pondering the motives of an alien race who instantaneously relocated vast swathes of the human race, wondering how a bank could be robbed through a MMORPG, or perusing the hapless (but not helpless) Bob Howard’s adventures in The Atrocity Archives, there’s nearly always a sense of “I haven’t read this before, and I like it.”

Stross is a Boskone veteran and his panels are well-attended and lively. He’s a class act all around, and well worth a look see and a listen. And a read.

Rob Greene is a writer and English teacher in southern New Hampshire.

Boskone 48 is Coming: February 18-20, 2011

Boskone 48 is less than two months away, but you still have time to receive the special pre-registration rates. Receiving your special rate is easy. All you have to do is visit the Boskone 48 website and register by January 18, 2011.

The pre-registration rates available include:

• Adult memberships – $49
• College student memberships – $35
• K-12 student memberships – $25

Although more detailed information is coming soon, here’s a quick peek at what we have in store for Boskone 48. As usual the guests this year are absolutely wonderful. More information on them is on its way. So, keep an eye on the blog and on the website for more updates. This years’ guests include:

• Guest of Honor: Charles Stross burst on the SF scene less than ten years ago as an extraordinarily inventive storyteller equally at home with hard SF, and Lovecraftian fantasy.
• Official Artist: Gregory Manchess is a painter’s painter with a repertoire ranging from SF to fantasy to pirates, adventure, and even postage stamps. Watch Manchess’s video on painting Above the Timberline.
• Special Guest: Charlaine Harris is the acclaimed author of the “True Blood” paranormal series, as well as many other mysteries. She is neither a vampire nor a telepath.
• Featured Filker: Erica Neely is known for both her powerful voice and (usually) serious songs: those who do not die are made to suffer tragically and mercilessly.

NESFA Guests

• NESFA Press Guest: Karen Anderson is a longtime filker and a founder of the SCA who’s been in fandom for over sixty years. Several collections of her late husband’s work have been published by NESFA Press.
• Hal Clement Science Speaker: Joan Slonczewski is a biologist and a science fiction writer, whose novel A Door into Ocean won the John Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.

Boskone’s hotel is the Westin Boston Waterfront, which has easy access by car or by local public transportation. The Westin Boston Waterfront is located at 425 Summer St., Boston, MA 02210 and is currently offering special pre-registration room rates (plus tax). Be sure to book your room soon.

For more information on the hotel and how to get there, please check the Boskone website.

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