Third volume of the Chronosynclastic Infundibulum saga

1. Chronosynclastic Infundibulum 3 rd volume of the saga

2. 1. ‘Dawn’ is a novel by Dean McLaughlin with a scribe named Isak as the protagonist. a) The novel is a re-imagining of which famous work of science fiction? In McLaughlin’s words “without ______ there would be no Dawn.” (1 point) b) The original work had suns named Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. ‘Dawn’ replaces the first three with names that pay tribute to a famous 1948 paper called ‘The Origin of Chemical Elements.’ Delta is renamed after a well-known English scientist. Name these 4 suns. (0.5 apiece)

3. 2. It is common to find metal bands named after various things and places from the Tolkien universe. Norwegian black metal band ‘Keep of Kalessin’ bucked this trend by naming themselves after an island from which trilogy?

4. 3. ‘The Inheritors’ is a 1901 novel about a breed of cold materialists, calling themselves Fourth Dimensionists, whose task is to occupy the earth. Name the two authors who collaborated on this work. (0.5 apiece)

5. 4. As defined by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a X is a work of at least 17,500 words but under 40,000 words while a Y is a work of at least 7,500 words but under 17,500 words. Anything under 7,500 words is a short story, and anything over 40,000 words is a novel. X and Y? (0.5 apiece)

6. 5. In Greek mythology, King Minos of Crete won a war against the Athenians. He then demanded that, at nine-year intervals, seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls were to be sent to Crete to be devoured by the monster Minotaur. This inspired the premise of which bestselling trilogy of the 21 st century?

7. 6 a. Where would you find these posters? (1) 6 b. The one on top is from the Aug 1927 issue of Amazing Stories. What story is depicted? (1)

8. 7. Art from a 2003 graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Colleen Doran set in a world where NASA has abandoned spaceflight. a) Identify the work (1) b) To whose memory was the work dedicated? (1)

9. 8. John Anealio writes and sings songs about various things SFF. This is a song by him titled ‘__<authorname>___ is not your Bitch’. a) Who is it about? (1) b) The words are essentially from a blogpost written by another author. Who? (1)

10. 9. In the fourth book of the Chronicles of Amber, ‘The Hand of Oberon’, the protagonist Corwin meets a guard who is &quot;writing a philosophical romance shot through with elements of horror and morbidity.&quot; What is the name of the guard? (first name only)

11. 10 a) Identify the world depicted in this famous map. (1) 10 b) Identify the illustrator, who as a young girl grew up in Agra, and after having worked in the map-making department of UK’s Ministry of Defence, made her name drawing maps for works of JRR Tolkien among others. (1)

12. 11. Jo Walton’s ‘Tooth and Claw’ won the World Fantasy Award in 2004. What is the inspiration for the cover art done by artist Tristan Elwell?

13. 12. Stephen King’s novel ‘Cell’ is about a zombie apocalypse that spreads via cellphones. Who are the two people that the book is dedicated to? (0.5 apiece)

14. 13. Who is this a biography of?

15. 14. In the world of Futurama, by what name is New York known?

16. 15 a) This Boris Vallejo art adorned the cover of which 1987 novel, the author’s last? (1) 15 b) This artwork is a take on a famous 1486 painting. Which? (1) 15 c) Name the cat (it walks through walls  ) (1)

17. 16. In a 1928 novel by Hugh Lofting, who gets to the moon by riding a giant moth?

18. 17. “…it was followed by Evening. And by _______.”?

19. 18. SFWA’s award for YA (Young Adult) science fiction and fantasy is named after which prolific author of escapist adolescent adventure in space?

20. 19. John Scalzi in 2011 released ‘Fuzzy Nation’, a re-imagining of the 1962 classic, ‘Little Fuzzy’. Name the author of the original, who committed suicide in 1964 after a messy divorce, and whose first name was either Henry or Horace.

21. 20. As per the author, the book was an attempt to do for the classical fantasy universe what Blazing Saddles did for Westerns. Name the author and book. (0.5 apiece)

22. 21. Featuring Alex and her gang of grrrlz, this is a feminist re-interpretation of which classic? Also, name this book. (0.5 apiece)

23. 22. Why was The Grasshopper Lies Heavy , by Hawthorne Abendsen, banned in the US?

24. 23. Fill in the blanks in this infamous Robert Silverberg quote with the name of an author – &quot;It has been suggested that ___ ____ is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about ___ _____'s writing. I don't think the novels of Jane Austen could have been written by a man nor the stories of Earnest Hemingway by a woman, and in the same way I believe the author of the ___ ____ stories is male.&quot;

25. 24. This is the setting for which 1942 book (published 11 years after the author’s death in 1931)?

26. 25. ‘Century City’ was a 2004 sci-fi series that aired on CBS. The show follows the template of legal shows like ‘Boston Legal’, ‘The Practice’, etc. but is set in 2030. The series was not much of a commercial or critical success, and is today remembered primarily because it portrayed someone as the first woman president of USA. Whom?

27. 26. The character of Ramblin’ John Hastur in John Hornor Jacobs’s ‘Southern Gods’ is based on which real-life person?

28. 27. In Ian McDonald’s India of 2047, clinics assisting in gender-transformation surgery are named after which God?

29. 28. A thesis titled ‘The effect of bleaching with oxides of nitrogen upon the baking quality and commercial value of wheat flour’ earned him his Ph.D., and his famous nickname. Who?

30. 29. According to Bruce Sterling, one of the pioneers of the genre, the three foundational touchstones of steampunk are giant airships, brass computers, and what else?

31. 30. With the tagline ‘Saving the world…one good book at a time’, identify this San Francisco based publishing house with a name from particle physics, that in the recent past has been publishing some of the best books on science fiction and fantasy.

32. 31. Who makes an appearance in this novel as a traveling actor, and playwright from New York who works as a substitute teacher in Kansas?

33. 32. This is Badlands in South Dakota. This was used to simulate the alien planet of Klendathu in a movie adaptation of which book?

34. 33. Which much-loved character of sci-fi did the 1999 R.A. Salvatore novel ‘Vector Prime’ kill?

35. 34. Identify the author.

36. “ I was fourteen, and had never seen any X. The reason for this is almost emblematic of the 1950s—the school library had a boys' section and a girls' section and all the X was in the boys' section. The girls got Y.” 35. Author Nancy Kress talking about a problem with school libraries of the ’50s. Solve for X and Y.

37. Limp, the body of Gorrister hung from the pink palette; unsupported—hanging high above us in the computer chamber; and it did not shiver in the chill, oily breeze that blew eternally through the main cavern. The body hung head down, attached to the underside of the palette by the sole of its right foot. It had been drained of blood through a precise incision made from ear to ear under the lantern jaw. There was no blood on the reflective surface of the metal floor. 36. …thus begins one of science-fiction’s most influential short stories. What is the last line of this story? (part points for author’s name)

38. 37. ‘In Memory Yet Green’, and ‘In Joy Still Felt’ were the first two. What was the third?

39. Anyway, Campbell said to me out of the clear blue sky, “Of course you don’t know it, you have no way of knowing it yet, but psychiatry--psychiatry as we know it--is dead.” And I said, “Oh, Mr. Campbell, surely you’re joking.” And he said, “Psychiatry as we know it is finished.” And I said, “If you mean the various Freudian schools and the quarreling that’s going on between them…” He looked at me and said, “No, what I mean is that psychiatry is finished. X has ended psychiatry.” I said, “ Really ?” “X is going to win the Nobel Peace Prize.” And I said, “Wait a minute. I’m sorry, Mr. Campbell, but you’ve lost me. You have to understand that I’m out of Madison Avenue. Outside of the normal networks I don’t know what the hell’s going on.” And I thought, Or in this tacky little office, in this tacky little room, and this guy is full of it. He said to me, “Would anybody who ended war with the Peace Prize?” I said, “Sure.” “X has ended war.” “Wait a minute, you’ve lost me. How?” “Y.” 38. Excerpt from an interview with Alfred Bester where he is talking about his only meeting with John Campbell. Identify X and Y.

40. 39. The workings of the Nobel committee remain a secret until 50 years after the award is made, when the archive for that year is opened in the Nobel library in Stockholm. So in 2011 when the 1961 archive was opened, it was revealed that JRR Tolkien was one of the nominees. Who had nominated him?

41. 40. First in the Newsflesh trilogy (the second novel was called Deadline, and released last year), what 4-lettered title does this critically acclaimed novel have?

42. I’ve decided now, in my authorian splendor, to inform you of things you didn’t know about John Perry, the protagonist of Old Man’s War and The Last Colony . These are not in the text! But they’re true. Oh, yes. 1. He’s distantly related to Ike Eisenhower. 2. He once nearly lost a toe climbing over a fence. 3. He never shot a man in Reno just watch him die, but he did once spill a drink on someone in Atlanta just to get him to stop bothering someone else. 4. His favorite Gilbert & Sullivan show? The Mikado. 5. He has a mole on his neck. Well, had ; it didn’t carry over either to his CDF body or his new human body. 6. Over the course of his life on earth, owned six dogs, eight cats and a garter snake, which escaped into his lawn a week after he got him. 7. Can make his eyes jiggle back and forth in a truly disturbing fashion. 8. Always voted in presidential elections except for once when he was laid up by flu. The candidate he was going to vote for got creamed anyway, so he didn’t feel too bad about it. 9. Prefers Shakespeares’ comedies to his tragedies, but has a soft spot for Titus Andronicus, because it’s just so damn ridiculous. 10. Allergic to blueberries. 41. What prompted these declarations by John Scalzi?

43. 42. In the Doctor Who Christmas special episode telecast on Dec 25 th 2005, Jackie Tyler gives the Doctor a bathrobe and pajamas to wear. This leads the Doctor to remark that the dress makes him look like which fictional character?

44. 43. Which 1984 novel took inspiration for its title and themes from this 1919 work of fantasy?

45. 44. Identify this weapon, as depicted in a 2000 TV adaptation.

46. 45. ‘Agrippa’ was a 300-line poem released in 1992 which was stored on a floppy disk programmed to erase itself after a single reading, and accompanied by an artist’s book which was treated with photosensitive chemicals so that its text would fade as soon as it was exposed to light. Who wrote it?

47. 46. In David Nickle’s ‘Eutopia’, utopia is achieved through what means?

48. 47. Identify him.

49. 48. In Neal Asher’s novels that are set in the Polity universe, what is the source for the names of the technology that is depicted – examples include Runcibles which are interstellar teleporters, Pea-greens which are tachyons, Spoon – a 5 dimensional field that breaks into null space, etc.

50. 49. One’s a game designer whose debut novel was about a man’s quest to be the greatest supervillain ever. The other is a journalist whose most famous novel was described by NYT as “Harry Potter for adults”. Identify these twins. (shared surname will do)

51. 50 a) Identify the award 50 b) Identify the person depicted in the statuette

52. Here be Answers!

53. 1. ‘Dawn’ is a novel by Dean McLaughlin with a scribe named Isak as the protagonist. a) The novel is a re-imagining of which famous work of science fiction? In McLaughlin’s words “without ______ there would be no Dawn.” (1 point) b) The original work had suns named Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. ‘Dawn’ replaces the first three with names that pay tribute to a famous 1948 paper called ‘The Origin of Chemical Elements.’ Delta is renamed after a well-known English scientist. Name these 4 suns. (0.5 apiece)

55. 2. It is common to find metal bands named after various things and places from the Tolkien universe. Norwegian black metal band ‘Keep of Kalessin’ bucked this trend by naming themselves after an island from which trilogy?

57. 3. ‘The Inheritors’ is a 1901 novel about a breed of cold materialists, calling themselves Fourth Dimensionists, whose task is to occupy the earth. Name the two authors who collaborated on this work. (0.5 apiece)

59. 4. As defined by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a X is a work of at least 17,500 words but under 40,000 words while a Y is a work of at least 7,500 words but under 17,500 words. Anything under 7,500 words is a short story, and anything over 40,000 words is a novel. X and Y? (0.5 apiece)

61. 5. In Greek mythology, King Minos of Crete won a war against the Athenians. He then demanded that, at nine-year intervals, seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls were to be sent to Crete to be devoured by the monster Minotaur. This inspired the premise of which bestselling trilogy of the 21 st century?

63. 6 a. Where would you find these posters? (1) 6 b. The one on top is from the Aug 1927 issue of Amazing Stories. What story is depicted? (1)

65. 7. Art from a 2003 graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Colleen Doran set in a world where NASA has abandoned spaceflight. a) Identify the work (1) b) To whose memory was the work dedicated? (1)

67. 8. John Anealio writes and sings songs about various things SFF. This is a song by him titled ‘__<authorname>___ is not your Bitch’. a) Who is it about? (1) b) The words are essentially from a blogpost written by another author. Who? (1)

69. 9. In the fourth book of the Chronicles of Amber, ‘The Hand of Oberon’, the protagonist Corwin meets a guard who is &quot;writing a philosophical romance shot through with elements of horror and morbidity.&quot; What is the name of the guard? (first name only)

71. 10 a) Identify the world depicted in this famous map. (1) 10 b) Identify the illustrator, who as a young girl grew up in Agra, and after having worked in the map-making department of UK’s Ministry of Defence, made her name drawing maps for works of JRR Tolkien among others. (1)

73. 11. Jo Walton’s ‘Tooth and Claw’ won the World Fantasy Award in 2004. What is the inspiration for the cover art done by artist Tristan Elwell?

75. 12. Stephen King’s novel ‘Cell’ is about a zombie apocalypse that spreads via cellphones. Who are the two people that the book is dedicated to? (0.5 apiece)

77. 13. Who is this a biography of?

79. 14. In the world of Futurama, by what name is New York known?

81. 15 a) This Boris Vallejo art adorned the cover of which 1987 novel, the author’s last? (1) 15 b) This artwork is a take on a famous 1486 painting. Which? (1) 15 c) Name the cat (it walks through walls  ) (1)

83. 16. In a 1928 novel by Hugh Lofting, who gets to the moon by riding a giant moth?

85. 17. “…it was followed by Evening. And by _______.”?

87. 18. SFWA’s award for YA (Young Adult) science fiction and fantasy is named after which prolific author of escapist adolescent adventure in space?

89. 19. John Scalzi in 2011 released ‘Fuzzy Nation’, a re-imagining of the 1962 classic, ‘Little Fuzzy’. Name the author of the original, who committed suicide in 1964 after a messy divorce, and whose first name was either Henry or Horace.

91. 20. As per the author, the book was an attempt to do for the classical fantasy universe what Blazing Saddles did for Westerns. Name the author and book. (0.5 apiece)

93. 21. Featuring Alex and her gang of grrrlz, this is a feminist re-interpretation of which classic? Also, name this book. (0.5 apiece)

95. 22. Why was The Grasshopper Lies Heavy , by Hawthorne Abendsen, banned in the US?

97. 23. Fill in the blanks in this infamous Robert Silverberg quote with the name of an author – &quot;It has been suggested that ___ ____ is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about ___ _____'s writing. I don't think the novels of Jane Austen could have been written by a man nor the stories of Earnest Hemingway by a woman, and in the same way I believe the author of the ___ ____ stories is male.&quot;

99. 24. This is the setting for which 1942 book (published 11 years after the author’s death in 1931)?

101. 25. ‘Century City’ was a 2004 sci-fi series that aired on CBS. The show follows the template of legal shows like ‘Boston Legal’, ‘The Practice’, etc. but is set in 2030. The series was not much of a commercial or critical success, and is today remembered primarily because it portrayed someone as the first woman president of USA. Whom?

103. 26. The character of Ramblin’ John Hastur in John Hornor Jacobs’s ‘Southern Gods’ is based on which real-life person?

105. 27. In Ian McDonald’s India of 2047, clinics assisting in gender-transformation surgery are named after which God?

107. 28. A thesis titled ‘The effect of bleaching with oxides of nitrogen upon the baking quality and commercial value of wheat flour’ earned him his Ph.D., and his famous nickname. Who?

109. 29. According to Bruce Sterling, one of the pioneers of the genre, the three foundational touchstones of steampunk are giant airships, brass computers, and what else?

111. 30. With the tagline ‘Saving the world…one good book at a time’, identify this San Francisco based publishing house with a name from particle physics, that in the recent past has been publishing some of the best books on science fiction and fantasy.

113. 31. Who makes an appearance in this novel as a traveling actor, and playwright from New York who works as a substitute teacher in Kansas?

115. 32. This is Badlands in South Dakota. This was used to simulate the alien planet of Klendathu in a movie adaptation of which book?

117. 33. Which much-loved character of sci-fi did the 1999 R.A. Salvatore novel ‘Vector Prime’ kill?

119. 34. Identify the author.

121. “ I was fourteen, and had never seen any X. The reason for this is almost emblematic of the 1950s—the school library had a boys' section and a girls' section and all the X was in the boys' section. The girls got Y.” 35. Author Nancy Kress talking about a problem with school libraries of the ’50s. Solve for X and Y.

123. Limp, the body of Gorrister hung from the pink palette; unsupported—hanging high above us in the computer chamber; and it did not shiver in the chill, oily breeze that blew eternally through the main cavern. The body hung head down, attached to the underside of the palette by the sole of its right foot. It had been drained of blood through a precise incision made from ear to ear under the lantern jaw. There was no blood on the reflective surface of the metal floor. 36. …thus begins one of science-fiction’s most influential short stories. What is the last line of this story? (part points for author’s name)

125. 37. ‘In Memory Yet Green’, and ‘In Joy Still Felt’ were the first two. What was the third?

127. Anyway, Campbell said to me out of the clear blue sky, “Of course you don’t know it, you have no way of knowing it yet, but psychiatry--psychiatry as we know it--is dead.” And I said, “Oh, Mr. Campbell, surely you’re joking.” And he said, “Psychiatry as we know it is finished.” And I said, “If you mean the various Freudian schools and the quarreling that’s going on between them…” He looked at me and said, “No, what I mean is that psychiatry is finished. X has ended psychiatry.” I said, “ Really ?” “X is going to win the Nobel Peace Prize.” And I said, “Wait a minute. I’m sorry, Mr. Campbell, but you’ve lost me. You have to understand that I’m out of Madison Avenue. Outside of the normal networks I don’t know what the hell’s going on.” And I thought, Or in this tacky little office, in this tacky little room, and this guy is full of it. He said to me, “Would anybody who ended war with the Peace Prize?” I said, “Sure.” “X has ended war.” “Wait a minute, you’ve lost me. How?” “Y.” 38. Excerpt from an interview with Alfred Bester where he is talking about his only meeting with John Campbell. Identify X and Y.

129. 39. The workings of the Nobel committee remain a secret until 50 years after the award is made, when the archive for that year is opened in the Nobel library in Stockholm. So in 2011 when the 1961 archive was opened, it was revealed that JRR Tolkien was one of the nominees. Who had nominated him?

131. 40. First in the Newsflesh trilogy (the second novel was called Deadline, and released last year), what 4-lettered title does this critically acclaimed novel have?

133. I’ve decided now, in my authorian splendor, to inform you of things you didn’t know about John Perry, the protagonist of Old Man’s War and The Last Colony . These are not in the text! But they’re true. Oh, yes. 1. He’s distantly related to Ike Eisenhower. 2. He once nearly lost a toe climbing over a fence. 3. He never shot a man in Reno just watch him die, but he did once spill a drink on someone in Atlanta just to get him to stop bothering someone else. 4. His favorite Gilbert & Sullivan show? The Mikado. 5. He has a mole on his neck. Well, had ; it didn’t carry over either to his CDF body or his new human body. 6. Over the course of his life on earth, owned six dogs, eight cats and a garter snake, which escaped into his lawn a week after he got him. 7. Can make his eyes jiggle back and forth in a truly disturbing fashion. 8. Always voted in presidential elections except for once when he was laid up by flu. The candidate he was going to vote for got creamed anyway, so he didn’t feel too bad about it. 9. Prefers Shakespeares’ comedies to his tragedies, but has a soft spot for Titus Andronicus, because it’s just so damn ridiculous. 10. Allergic to blueberries. 41. What prompted these declarations by John Scalzi?

135. 42. In the Doctor Who Christmas special episode telecast on Dec 25 th 2005, Jackie Tyler gives the Doctor a bathrobe and pajamas to wear. This leads the Doctor to remark that the dress makes him look like which fictional character?

137. 43. Which 1984 novel took inspiration for its title and themes from this 1919 work of fantasy?

139. 44. Identify this weapon, as depicted in a 2000 TV adaptation.

141. 45. ‘Agrippa’ was a 300-line poem released in 1992 which was stored on a floppy disk programmed to erase itself after a single reading, and accompanied by an artist’s book which was treated with photosensitive chemicals so that its text would fade as soon as it was exposed to light. Who wrote it?

143. 46. In David Nickle’s ‘Eutopia’, utopia is achieved through what means?

145. 47. Identify him.

147. 48. In Neal Asher’s novels that are set in the Polity universe, what is the source for the names of the technology that is depicted – examples include Runcibles which are interstellar teleporters, Pea-greens which are tachyons, Spoon – a 5 dimensional field that breaks into null space, etc.

149. 49. One’s a game designer whose debut novel was about a man’s quest to be the greatest supervillain ever. The other is a journalist whose most famous novel was described by NYT as “Harry Potter for adults”. Identify these twins. (shared surname will do)

151. 50 a) Identify the award 50 b) Identify the person depicted in the statuette