Fafnir – Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research, Volume 2, Issue 3, pages 5-6.
Jyrki Korpua, Hanna-Riikka Roine & Päivi Väätänen
Editorial 3/2015
We hope all of you (or at least those of you who live in the Northern Hemisphere) have had a delightful and relaxing summer! Autumn is coming, but do not despair – we, the editors and writers of Fafnir, have once again arrived to offer you an issue full of interesting and exciting science fiction and fantasy research.
This issue celebrates posthumously the lifework and accomplishments of two beloved writers of science fiction and fantasy: the great Sir Terence “Terry” Pratchett (1948‒2015), the author of Discworld series, and the renowned Michael Crichton (1942‒2008), best known for his work in science fiction, medical fiction and thriller genres. Both of them died before their time at the age of 66.
In our journal, Liisa Rantalaiho discusses the legacy of Terry Pratchett’s work in a special obituary, while in the sole research article of this issue, “Thank you so much for keeping all of us in the Emporium gainfully employed” Jakob Löfgren studies the relationship between fan and merchant in the Wincanton Hogswatch celebration. He discusses the notion of gift exchange, illustrating the mutual benefits for fans, merchants and the fandom culture.
Erik Stengler studies the significance and scope of Crichton’s too often neglected science fiction in his overview, “Beyond the Techno-thriller: Michael Crichton and Societal Issues in Science and Technology”. He suggests that Crichton’s fictional works can and should be considered under the deeper and wider perspective of his concern for societal issues regarding science and technology.
We are also proud to present in Finnish Juha Raipola’s lectio praecursoria “Kirjallisuus inhimillisen rajoilla” (“Literature on the Borders of the Human”). It is based on Raipola’s doctoral dissertation Ihmisen rajoilla: Epävarma tulevaisuus ja ei-inhimilliset toimijuudet Leena Krohnin Pereat munduksessa (On the Borders of the Human: The Uncertain Future and Non-Human Agencies in Leena Krohn’s Pereat mundus), which he defended on May 30, 2015 at the University of Tampere. Raipola focuses on representations of the future and future-oriented thinking in Finnish writer Leena Krohn’s work, drawing a connection between the theme of uncertainty and the portrayal of agentic force by non-human things, beings, and technologies.
In addition to the article, overview, lectio praecursoria, and obituary, this issue includes two literary reviews in Finnish. Leena Romu reviews Katja Kontturi’s dissertation Ankkalinna – portti kahden maailman välillä. Don Rosan Disney-sarjakuvat postmodernina fantasiana, which deals with the Disney comics by Don Rosa and analyses both their fantastic and postmodern features. Markku Soikkeli discusses Tapani Kilpeläinen’s Silmät ilman kasvoja – kauhu filosofiana which is the first book on the philosophy of horror genre in Finnish.
And finally, as many of you know, we newly received confirmation that the 75th World Science Fiction Convention Worldcon will be held at 9‒13 August 2017 in Helsinki, Finland. Congratulations to the convention committee! Fafnir the journal and our publisher Finfar ‒ The Finnish Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy Research will of course play an active part in the event as the organiser of the academic track
Read and enjoy the issue.