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Dislocations: Nine Stories of Speculation and Imagination
Nine tales of stunning imagination from nine masters of modern speculative fiction; nine stories that involve people in extraordinary situations, forced to operate outside of their comfort zones. An anthology that encompasses not only physical dislocation - exile, abductee, hostage, tourist etc - but also temporal, mental, emotional, social dislocation and beyond. A collection designed to entertain, to excite, to make you smile and to make you think.
136 pages, Paperback
First published July 30, 2007
11 people want to read
About the author
Ian Whates
122 books81 followersIan Whates lives in a comfortable home down a quiet cul-de-sac in an idyllic Cambridgeshire village, which he shares with his partner Helen and their pets – Honey the golden cocker spaniel, Calvin the tailless black cat and Inky the goldfish (sadly, Binky died a few years ago).
Ian’s earliest memories of science fiction are fragmented. He remembers loving Dr Who from an early age and other TV shows such as Lost in Space and Star Trek, but a defining moment came when he heard a radio adaptation of John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids. From that moment on he was hooked and became a frequent haunter of the local library, voraciously devouring the contents of their SF section.
This early love of science fiction manifested most tellingly during his school days, when he produced an SF murder mystery as homework after being set the essay title “The Language of Shakespeare”, much to the bemusement of his English teacher.
Ian’s first published stories appeared in the late 1980s in small press magazines such as Dream and New Moon Quarterly, after which he took a break from writing in order to research his chosen fields of science fiction and fantasy. In other words, he read copious amounts of both. Clearly the research was extensive, because he published nothing further for some seventeen years. In the early 2000s he made the decision to pursue writing seriously, joining the Northampton SF Writers Group in 2004 after being introduced to its chairman, Ian Watson.
In 2006 he started submitting stories again, and has subsequently been surprised at how many otherwise eminently sensible people have chosen to publish him. A couple have even appeared in the science journal Nature, and one, “The Gift of Joy”, even found its way onto the five-strong shortlist for best short story in the British Science Fiction Association Awards. And it didn’t come last! Ironically, the award was actually won by Ken MacLeod’s “Lighting Out”, a piece Ian had commissioned, edited and published in the NewCon Press anthology disLOCATIONS (2007).
In 2006 Ian launched independent publisher NewCon Press, quite by accident (buy him a pint sometime and he’ll tell you about it). Through NewCon he has been privileged to publish original stories from some of the biggest names in genre fiction, as well as provide debuts to some genuinely talented newcomers. The books, their covers and contents have racked up an impressive array of credits – four BSFA Awards, one BSF Award to date, inclusion in ‘Year’s Best’ anthologies and recommendations and honourable mentions from the likes of Gardner Dozios and Locus magazine.
In addition to his publishing and writing, Ian is currently a director of both the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) and the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA), editing Matrix, the online news and media reviews magazine, for the latter.
His first two completed novels are both due to appear in early 2010: City of Dreams and Nightmare via Harper Collins’ imprint Angry Robot, and The Noise Within from Rebellion imprint Solaris, with sequels to follow. When not pinching himself to make sure this is all really happening, Ian is currently beavering away at the sequels… honest!
Ian’s earliest memories of science fiction are fragmented. He remembers loving Dr Who from an early age and other TV shows such as Lost in Space and Star Trek, but a defining moment came when he heard a radio adaptation of John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids. From that moment on he was hooked and became a frequent haunter of the local library, voraciously devouring the contents of their SF section.
This early love of science fiction manifested most tellingly during his school days, when he produced an SF murder mystery as homework after being set the essay title “The Language of Shakespeare”, much to the bemusement of his English teacher.
Ian’s first published stories appeared in the late 1980s in small press magazines such as Dream and New Moon Quarterly, after which he took a break from writing in order to research his chosen fields of science fiction and fantasy. In other words, he read copious amounts of both. Clearly the research was extensive, because he published nothing further for some seventeen years. In the early 2000s he made the decision to pursue writing seriously, joining the Northampton SF Writers Group in 2004 after being introduced to its chairman, Ian Watson.
In 2006 he started submitting stories again, and has subsequently been surprised at how many otherwise eminently sensible people have chosen to publish him. A couple have even appeared in the science journal Nature, and one, “The Gift of Joy”, even found its way onto the five-strong shortlist for best short story in the British Science Fiction Association Awards. And it didn’t come last! Ironically, the award was actually won by Ken MacLeod’s “Lighting Out”, a piece Ian had commissioned, edited and published in the NewCon Press anthology disLOCATIONS (2007).
In 2006 Ian launched independent publisher NewCon Press, quite by accident (buy him a pint sometime and he’ll tell you about it). Through NewCon he has been privileged to publish original stories from some of the biggest names in genre fiction, as well as provide debuts to some genuinely talented newcomers. The books, their covers and contents have racked up an impressive array of credits – four BSFA Awards, one BSF Award to date, inclusion in ‘Year’s Best’ anthologies and recommendations and honourable mentions from the likes of Gardner Dozios and Locus magazine.
In addition to his publishing and writing, Ian is currently a director of both the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) and the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA), editing Matrix, the online news and media reviews magazine, for the latter.
His first two completed novels are both due to appear in early 2010: City of Dreams and Nightmare via Harper Collins’ imprint Angry Robot, and The Noise Within from Rebellion imprint Solaris, with sequels to follow. When not pinching himself to make sure this is all really happening, Ian is currently beavering away at the sequels… honest!
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 24, 2022
Short stories from brilliant writers
June 6, 2013
I’m a big fan of science fiction writer Pat Cadigan, a first and a halfth generation cyberpunk author. In novels like Synners and Mindplayers and the short story collection Tea from an Empty Cup, Cadigan displayed a fantastic imagination as she explored the ramifications of new technologies on the minds and relationships of people in the near future.
Then, she kind of vanished. I would periodically look for cyberpunk books in bookstores and, although I could usually find something by Bruce Sterling or Rudy Rucker, new Pat Cadigan books were few and far between. :-(
At Eastercon, I met a British science fiction author and editor named Ian Whates. Among the offerings on his table (for his imprint, Newcom Press) in the dealer’s room were three collections of short stories that included new Pat Cadigan tales. Yay! Needless to say, I quickly snatched them up.
The first was called disLocations. The theme is “people outside their comfort zone, removed from their normal environment. First up was Cadigan’s first entry into her series “Tales of the Big Dark:” “Among Strangers.” The story is something of a departure for her, taking place off Earth in the far future and featuring aliens. It has her signature intelligence and humour, though, and was a lot of fun to read. This story was easily worth the price of the volume. The fact that the other stories were just as good was a bonus.
Hal Duncan’s “The Drifter Myth,” for example, was told in a delightful voice. “Remorse” by Adam Roberts features an interesting idea and another engaging voice. A fascinating clash of alien races is the central event of Andy West’s “Impasse.”
I really enjoyed disLocations.
Then, she kind of vanished. I would periodically look for cyberpunk books in bookstores and, although I could usually find something by Bruce Sterling or Rudy Rucker, new Pat Cadigan books were few and far between. :-(
At Eastercon, I met a British science fiction author and editor named Ian Whates. Among the offerings on his table (for his imprint, Newcom Press) in the dealer’s room were three collections of short stories that included new Pat Cadigan tales. Yay! Needless to say, I quickly snatched them up.
The first was called disLocations. The theme is “people outside their comfort zone, removed from their normal environment. First up was Cadigan’s first entry into her series “Tales of the Big Dark:” “Among Strangers.” The story is something of a departure for her, taking place off Earth in the far future and featuring aliens. It has her signature intelligence and humour, though, and was a lot of fun to read. This story was easily worth the price of the volume. The fact that the other stories were just as good was a bonus.
Hal Duncan’s “The Drifter Myth,” for example, was told in a delightful voice. “Remorse” by Adam Roberts features an interesting idea and another engaging voice. A fascinating clash of alien races is the central event of Andy West’s “Impasse.”
I really enjoyed disLocations.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews