Announcing the 2013 Locus Award Winners! | Tor.com

Announcing the 2013 Locus Award Winners! | Tor.com: The winners of the 2013 Locus Awards were announced today at the annual Locus Awards Weekend in Seattle.

The Wertzone: RIVERS OF LONDON optioned for TV

The Wertzone: RIVERS OF LONDON optioned for TV: Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London books have been optioned for TV. Feel Films has picked up the rights, possibly with a view to producing in cooperation with one of the main British TV networks.

This would make a great TV series. Great characters and the supernatural aspects can be handled easily with practical effects (no CGI).

2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson

An interesting vision of future Earth and the solar system populated by genetically modified humans. Terraforming planets, moons, and asteroids and artificial intelligence are also explored in the book.

While the book has been lauded by the critics and won many awards, I found the plot sluggish. What conflict there was seemed unimportant to character development (if there was any).

There were a great many cool ideas but there was no adventure.

London Falling by Paul Cornell

I really enjoyed this new British urban fantasy offering. The gritty realism of the police protagonists is strongly reminiscent of the style of British police procedurals that began with the BBC classic The Sweeney.

The slow start to the story focused on world building and the introduction of the protagonists. They are flawed and do not exhibit any extraordinary talents. This sets the table for a gritty story more often found in the horror genre.

I like the banter among the team mates. It is often witty without sounding forced.

The West Ham football club details add verisimilitude, but I dislike English soccer because its so historically deep and jock heavy. Its NFL fanaticism to the nth power.

Decades ago, these characters were first created for a television series pitch overseen by the tremendous talents of Steven Moffat and Beryl and Sue Vertue. The story has changed out of all recognition since those days, but their support and encouragement remain, and I owe them many thanks.

Haha! I knew it.

‘Good. It is time that defines whether something is real or not. Time is what makes what people experience a tragedy or a love story or a triumph. Hell is where time has stopped, where there’s no more innovation. No horizon. No change. I sometimes think Hell would suit the British down to the ground, and that, given the chance, they’d vote for it. You’d better make sure they never get the chance, eh?’

A little bit of politics never hurts.