1999 - 02/1999 Meeting

Page Created: 09/25/10. Last Updated: 10/25/10. Last Google Group Page Update: 05/18/08.

SCOTT WESTERFELD

Books:

Evolution's Darling

Fine Prey

Midnighters: Blue Moon

Midnighters: The Secret Hour

Midnighters: Touching Darkness

Peeps

Polymorph

So Yesterday

Succession: The Risen Empire

Succession: The Killing of Worlds

Uglies: Extras

Uglies: Pretties

Uglies: Specials

Uglies: Uglies

The author's website is: http://www.scottwesterfeld.com/.

MEETING SUMMARY:

Meeting Date: February 13, 1999.

Meeting Site: Saddle River Valley Cultural Center, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Official Attendance: 22.

Meeting Program: Talk by Science Fiction Writer.

Notes:

ECONOMIES OF MEASURE (referred to below) was published as EVOLUTION'S DARLING.

Meeting Memories:

Newsletter Account:

Turnout was again disappointing for the February 13, 1999 meeting of the S F A B C. Those who did join us at the Saddle River Valley Cultural Center in Upper Saddle River were treated to a fine presentation by science fiction writer Scott Westerfeld.

Scott Westerfeld is a Texan whose family moved around quite a bit while he was growing up. He became interested in science fiction at an early age. He decided that it would be cool to live in New York and moved to the city a dozen years ago. He has written YA horror under "house names" and has written YA history books. His academic background is in Performance Studies, an interdisciplinary study which applies anthropological analysis to artistic and political forms.

Mr Westerfeld is the author of two published s f novels, POLYMORPH, a near-future cyberpunkish novel set in New York and featuring a young mutant shapechanger, and FINE PREY, set a hundred or so years from now in an Earth colonized by the alien Aya. He has also written an AI novel, ECONOMIES OF MEASURE, which has not yet seen print.

Both published books feature young women who are coming of age and striving to discover themselves. The classic angst and alienation felt by the young can be literalized in an sf setting. POLYMORPH's Lee tries on gender, race, and ethnic identities with the ease of someone trying on new clothes. Her life is changed with the discovery that she is not the only shapeshifter and that an evil shapeshifter is a very dangerous thing.

In FINE PREY, Spider must balance between sets of opposing worlds. She was born to wealth, but her father went bankrupt. She is human, but has been so immersed in the Ayan school system that she is largely ignorant of her human heritage. Her social world revolves aroung the sport of fine prey, but she abandons that to become involved with the declasse sport of claw prey. She also learns of a different approach to studying Ayan, her life's work.

ECONOMIES OF MEASURE will probably have a different title when it is published. The book was rejected by every science fiction publisher and will be issued by Four Walls Press. The book will be a trade paperback and may find a completely different audience. The theme of the book is what makes us human? The lead character is an Artificial Intelligence who is an art critic.

Our thanks to everyone who assisted in the set up, clean up, or operation of the meeting. Keith Randall donated about ten boxes of books to the club. As these are cover stripped paperbacks, we did not put them out for sale, but instead invited everyone to help themselves to as many as they wanted. Hopefully, some people will try new authors.