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September 1999

Marion Zimmer Bradley, 1930 - 1999

Author Marion Zimmer Bradley suffered a major heart attack last week and died at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, California, on Saturday, September 25th.

Bradley began publishing professionally in 1953. Her first novel, expanded from a 1957 magazine story, was The Door through Space (1961). In 1962 came the first of Bradley's enormously popular ''Darkover'' series of novels, Sword of Aldones, a Hugo nominee in 1963. Among the many Darkover novels, collections, and anthologies that followed were Nebula nominee The Heritage of Hastur (1975) and Hugo nominee The Forbidden Tower (1977). The latest, Traitor's Sun, was published this year by DAW.

The Mists of Avalon (1983), a retelling of the Arthurian legends, was Bradley's single most popular work, achieving bestseller status. It won the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1984. The book's trade paperback edition has ranked among the top 5 trade paperbacks on Locus's monthly bestseller lists for almost 4 years. She wrote two sequels, The Forest House (1994) and The Lady of Avalon (1997).

Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine, founded in 1988, and anthologies such as the Sword and Sorceress series and various collections of Darkover fiction, helped launch or nurture the careers of numerous younger authors.

Funeral arrangements are pending and will be posted here when final. Memorial donations may be sent to her church: Saint Mark's Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94704.

HarperCollins Restructures, Cuts Jobs

HarperCollins Publishers, which acquired William Morrow and Avon Books from The Hearst Corporation in July, announced layoffs this past week as part of its corporate restructuring. Among the 74 people let go on September 21st were Avon publisher Lou Aronica, HarperCollins editor John Douglas, and John Silbersack, creator of the HarperPrism science fiction imprint.

The new HarperCollins structure includes a General Books Group and a Children's Book Group, the former with four divisions: HarperTrade, Morrow/Avon, HarperInformation, and HarperSanFrancisco. Avon's science fiction imprint, Eos, is one of five imprints in the new Morrow/Avon division. Jennifer Hershey, appointed Vice President, Associate Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, will have editorial oversight of the Eos and HarperEntertainment imprints. Discontinued Avon imprints include Spike and Bard.

Further information: HarperCollins' Press Release; SFWA news.

British Fantasy Awards

The British Fantasy Awards were announced at Fantasycon 23, on Sunday September 19th.

Karl Edward Wagner Award (British Fantasy Special Award)
Diana Wynne Jones

August Derleth Fantasy Award for Best Novel
Bag of Bones, Stephen King (Hodder & Stoughton)

Best Anthology
Dark Terrors 4, Stephen Jones and David Suttons, eds. (Gollancz)

Best Collection
Ghosts and Grisly Things, Ramsey Campbell (Pumpkin Books)

Best Short Fiction
''The Song My Sister Sang'', Stephen Laws (Scaremongers 2: Redbrick Eden, Steve Saville, ed.; Tanjen)

Best Artist
Bob Covington

Best Small Press
The Third Alternative, Andy Cox, ed.

David Karp, 1922 - 1999

Novelist and television writer David Karp died September 11 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, at the age of 77. Karp is known in SF for his 1953 novel One, about a totalitarian society that eliminates individuality through brainwashing, that was well-received in its day. Karp gained prominence as a television writer in the late 1950s, with scripts for series including The Untouchables, The Defenders, and Studio One. His television play ''One'', based on his novel, was produced twice, in 1955 and 1957.

(Mon 27 Sep 1999)