Column SFF Bestiary Terror in the Deep Woods: The Ozark Howler We continue our exploration of regional cryptids in North America… By Judith Tarr | Published on August 12, 2024 Illustration by C.E. Swan (from The Wild Beasts of the World, 1909) Comment 0 Share New Share Illustration by C.E. Swan (from The Wild Beasts of the World, 1909) We continue our exploration of regional cryptids in North America, mammalian and mammal-adjacent, with one that may be as old as the Jersey Devil. According to legend, famous frontiersman Daniel Boone encountered the beast in what is now Missouri and possibly even shot it. That takes it back to the mid-eighteenth century, contemporary with the Jersey Devil but quite a bit farther west. There are a few similarities between the creatures (hairy, horned, and given to howling), though the Howler doesn’t seem to have been regarded as demonic. Whatever it is, it’s an earthly creature, if not quite like anything else in that part of the world. I say “is” because Boone’s sighting is the first of many from colonial times onward, right up to this century. People have seen and heard it in Missouri, Arkansas, and even Oklahoma and Texas. In 2015 a man named John Meyers claimed to have taken photos of it, but those were debunked as a hoax. The Howler in Meyers’ photos is a quadruped. It’s black with tan points, doglike in body shape, with a long, thin, catlike tail. The head looks like a dog’s, with a pointed muzzle and a set of deer-like antlers. It looks like a mashup of a chupacabra and a big cat, with jackalope horns. The newspaper article opines that it “looks less like a mutant horned black mountain lion and more like a German shepherd pup with a badly done Photoshop haircut.” The original Howler is more like a giant mountain lion with horns and long, shaggy, bearlike fur. It’s big—about the size of a bear—and it has a terrifying cry, though reports vary as to what it sounds like. Blood-curdling scream, elklike bugle, wolf’s howl. It’s been called the Black Howler and the Devil Cat. As to what it might be, other than a bear or a deer or elk moving quickly and confusingly through the woods, a likely candidate is a mountain lion. Supposedly there is no breeding population of these animals in the area, but big cats have big hunting ranges. My state of Arizona knows about that—there are jaguars in the mountains near the Mexican border, and all of the current individuals are males. The females so far have stayed in Mexico. There’s another possibility, too, as noted in Unlock the Ozarks. Many of the people who colonized the Ozarks came originally from the British Isles, and brought with them their lore and legends. One such is what the site calls the Cù-Sìth, the Hound of Death. This creature is “the size of a young bull with the appearance of a wolf. Its fur is shaggy, and usually cited as being dark green though sometimes white. Its tail is described as being long and either coiled up or plaited (braided). Its paws are described as being the width of a man’s hand.” Its howl is a harbinger of death—in fact it’s associated with another mythical creature, the Banshee. This legend may have combined with Native tales of sabertoothed cats that roamed those hills during the Ice Age. Native peoples arrived in North America well before these cats became extinct; it’s possible that humans caused that extinction, along with that of the native horse and the mammoth. Stories of the great cats may have survived long after the species had vanished. Then came the colonizers with their own tales, and encounters in the deep woods with animals half-seen and distantly heard. Unlock the Ozarks provides recordings of calls that might be taken for that of the Howler. They include the red fox (the shriek of a vixen will freeze your blood), the fisher cat, and fighting raccoons. I’d add the scream of a mountain lion. If you’re out in the woods at night, you’re most likely primed to be scared, and more so if you’ve been telling tales of a monster that hunts in the darkness. Catch a glimpse of a large animal, bear or elk or even a big cat, and your imagination may go into overdrive. A bear crowned with branches, a mountain lion looking for a mate—there’s your Howler. Or, as we often say, maybe there really is something else out there. It’s not impossible.[end-mark] The post Terror in the Deep Woods: The Ozark Howler appeared first on Reactor.

News Hugo Awards Here Are the Winners of the 2024 Hugo Awards By Molly Templeton | Published on August 12, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share Yesterday, the winners of the Hugo Awards, the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and the Astounding Award for Best New Writer were announced at the 82nd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, Scotland. The awards are voted on by the members of the 2023 and 2024 World Science Fiction Conventions. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists! The full list is below. Best Novel WINNER: Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh (Tordotcom, Orbit UK) The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager UK) The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom) Starter Villain by John Scalzi (Tor Books, Tor UK) Translation State by Ann Leckie (Orbit US, Orbit UK) Witch King by Martha Wells (Tordotcom) 1420 ballots cast for 576 nominees. Finalists range 91-172. Best Novella WINNER: Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (Tor Books, Titan UK)  “Life Does Not Allow Us to Meet,” He Xi / 人生不相见, 何夕, translated by Alex Woodend (Adventures in Space: New Short Stories by Chinese & English Science Fiction Writers) Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo (Tordotcom) The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older (Tordotcom)  Rose/House by Arkady Martine (Subterranean)  “Seeds of Mercury,” Wang Jinkang / 水星播种, 王晋康, translated by Alex Woodend (Adventures in Space: New Short Stories by Chinese & English Science Fiction Writers) 962 ballots cast for 187 nominees. Finalists range 106-186. Best Novelette WINNER: “The Year Without Sunshine” by Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny Magazine, November-December 2023)  I AM AI by Ai Jiang (Shortwave)  “Introduction to 2181 Overture, Second Edition,” Gu Shi /〈2181序曲〉再版导言, 顾适 translated by Emily Jen (Clarkesworld, February 2023) “Ivy, Angelica, Bay” by C.L. Polk (Tor.com 8 December 2023)  “On the Fox Roads” by Nghi Vo (Tor.com 31 October 2023)  “One Man’s Treasure” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, January-February 2023)  755 ballots cast for 212 nominees. Finalists range 40-117. Best Short Story WINNER: “Better Living Through Algorithms” by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld May 2023)  “Answerless Journey,” Han Song / 没有答案的航程, 韩松, translated by Alex Woodend (Adventures in Space: New Short Stories by Chinese & English Science Fiction Writers) “How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub” by P. Djèlí Clark (Uncanny Magazine, January-February 2023)  “The Mausoleum’s Children” by Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny Magazine, May-June 2023) “The Sound of Children Screaming” by Rachael K. Jones (Nightmare Magazine, October 2023)  美食三品 (“Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times”), 宝树 / Baoshu (银河边缘013：黑域密室 / Galaxy’s Edge Vol. 13: Secret Room in the Black Domain)  720 ballots cast for 612 nominees. Finalists range 27-69. Best Series WINNER: Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie (Orbit US, Orbit UK) The Final Architecture by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Orbit US, Tor UK) The Last Binding by Freya Marske (Tordotcom, Tor UK) The Laundry Files by Charles Stross (Tordotcom, Orbit UK) October Daye by Seanan McGuire (DAW) The Universe of Xuya by Aliette de Bodard (Gollancz; JABberwocky Literary Agency; Subterranean Press; Uncanny Magazine; et al.) 677 ballots cast for 228 nominees. Finalists range 79-117. Best Graphic Story or Comic WINNER: Saga, Vol. 11 written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Fiona Staples (Image Comics) Bea Wolf, written by Zach Weinersmith, art by Boulet (First Second) Shubeik Lubeik, Deena Mohamed (Pantheon); as Your Wish Is My Command (Granta) 三体漫画：第一部 / The Three Body Problem, Part One, adapted from the novels by 刘慈欣 (Liu Cixin), written by 蔡劲 (Cai Jin),戈闻頔 (Ge Wendi), and 薄暮 (Bo Mu), art by 草祭九日东 (Caojijiuridong) (Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House)  The Witches of World War II written by Paul Cornell, art by Valeria Burzo (TKO Studios LLC) Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, art by Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha and Nicola Scott (DC Comics) 457 ballots cast for 256 nominees. Finalists range 25-151. Best Related Work WINNER: A City on Mars by Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith (Penguin Press; Particular Books) All These Worlds: Reviews & Essays by Niall Harrison (Briardene Books) 中国科幻口述史, 第二卷, 第三卷，(Chinese Science Fiction: An Oral History, Vols 2 and 3) ed. 杨枫 / Yang Feng (8-Light Minutes Culture & Chengdu Time Press) The Culture: The Drawings, by Iain M. Banks (Orbit) 雨果X访谈 (Discover X), presented by 王雅婷 (Tina Wong) A Traveller in Time: The Critical Practice of Maureen Kincaid Speller, by Maureen Kincaid Speller, edited by Nina Allan (Luna Press Publishing) 775 ballots cast for 246 nominees. Finalists range 36-343. Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form WINNER: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, screenplay by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein and Michael Gilio, directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Paramount Pictures) Barbie, screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, directed by Greta Gerwig (Warner Bros. Studios) Nimona, screenplay by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor, directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (Annapurna Animations)  Poor Things, screenplay by Tony McNamara, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Element Pictures) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Dave Callaham, directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson (Columbia Pictures / Marvel Entertainment / Avi Arad Productions / Lord Miller / Pascal Pictures / Sony Pictures Animation) 流浪地球2 / The Wandering Earth II, based on the novel by 刘慈欣 Liu Cixin, screenplay by 杨治学 Yang Zhixue, 郭帆 / Frant Gwo, 龚格尔 Gong Geer, and 叶濡畅 Ye Ruchang, script consultant 王红卫 Wang Hongwei, directed by 郭帆 / Frant Gwo (中影创意（北京）电影有限公司 / CFC Pictures Ltd, 郭帆（北京）影业有限公司 / G!Film (Beijing) Studio Co. Ltd, 北京登峰国际文化传播有限公司 / Beijing Dengfeng International Culture Communication Co, Ltd, 中国电影股份有限公司 / China Film Co. Ltd) 763 ballots cast for 189 nominees. Finalists range 69-212. Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form WINNER: The Last of Us: “Long, Long Time,” written by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, directed by Peter Hoar (Naughty Dog / Sony Pictures) Doctor Who: “The Giggle,” written by Russell T. Davies, directed by Chanya Button (Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for The BBC and Disney Branded Television) Loki: “Glorious Purpose,” screenplay by Eric Martin, Michael Waldron and Katharyn Blair, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Marvel / Disney+) Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “Those Old Scientists,” written by Kathryn Lyn and Bill Wolkoff, directed by Jonathan Frakes (CBS / Paramount+) Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “Subspace Rhapsody,” written by Dana Horgan and Bill Wolkoff, directed by Dermott Downs (CBS / Paramount+) Doctor Who: “Wild Blue Yonder,” written by Russell T. Davies, directed by Tom Kingsley (Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for The BBC and Disney Branded Television) 490 ballots cast for 318 nominees. Finalists range 46-115. Best Game or Interactive Work WINNER: Baldur’s Gate 3, produced by Larian Studios Alan Wake 2, developed by Remedy Entertainment, published by Epic Games  Chants of Sennaar, developed by Rundisc, published by Focus Entertainment DREDGE, developed by Black Salt Games, published by Team17 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, produced by Nintendo Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, developed by Respawn Entertainment, published by Electronic Arts 334 ballots cast for 165 nominees. Finalists range 26-157. Best Editor Short Form WINNER: Neil Clarke Scott H. Andrews 刘维佳 (Liu Weijia) Jonathan Strahan  Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas 杨枫 (Yang Feng) 530 ballots cast for 179 nominees. Finalists range 40-146. Best Editor Long Form WINNER: Ruoxi Chen Lindsey Hall Lee Harris Kelly Lonesome David Thomas Moore 姚海军 (Yao Haijun) 254 ballots cast for 103 nominees. Finalists range 16-81. Best Professional Artist WINNER: Rovina Cai Micaela Alcaino Galen Dara Dan Dos Santos Tristan Elwell Alyssa Winans 270 ballots cast for 219 nominees. Finalists range 17-66. Best Semiprozine WINNER: Strange Horizons, by the Strange Horizons Editorial Collective  Escape Pod, editors Mur Lafferty and Valerie Valdes; assistant editors Benjamin C. Kinney, Premee Mohamed and Kevin Wabaunsee; hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart; producers Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht; and the entire Escape Pod team  FIYAH Literary Magazine, publisher and executive editor DaVaun Sanders, poetry editor B. Sharise Moore, special projects manager L. D. Lewis, art director Christian Ivey, acquiring editors Rebecca McGee, Kerine Wint, Joshua Morley, Emmalia Harrington, Genine Tyson, Tonya R. Moore, sponsor coordinator Nelson Rolon GigaNotoSaurus, editor LaShawn M. Wanak, associate editors Mia Tsai and Edgard Wentz, along with the GNS Slushreaders Team khōréō, produced by Aleksandra Hill, Zhui Ning Chang, Kanika Agrawal, Isabella Kestermann, Rowan Morrison, Sachiko Ragosta, Lian Xia Rose, Jenelle DeCosta, Melissa Ren, Elaine Ho, Lilivette Domínguez, Jei D. Marcade, Jeané Ridges, Isaree Thatchaichawalit, Danai Christopoulou, M. L. Krishnan, Ysabella Maglanque, Aaron Voigt, Adil Mian, Alexandra Millatmal, E. Broderick, K. S. Walker, Katarzyna Nowacka, Katie McIvor, Kelsea Yu, Marie Croke, Osahon Ize-Iyamu, Phoebe Low, S. R. Westvik, Sara S. Messenger Uncanny Magazine, publishers and editors-in-chief: Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas; managing editor Monte Lin; nonfiction editor Meg Elison; podcast producers Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky 338 ballots cast for 82 nominees. Finalists range 32-159. Best Fanzine WINNER: Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together, editors Roseanna Pendlebury, Arturo Serrano, Paul Weimer; senior editors Joe Sherry, Adri Joy, G. Brown, Vance Kotrla Black Nerd Problems, editors Omar Holmon and William Evans  The Full Lid, written by Alasdair Stuart and edited by Marguerite Kenner Idea, editor Geri Sullivan Journey Planet, edited by Michael Carroll, Vincent Docherty, Sara Felix, Ann Gry, Sarah Gulde, Allison Hartman Adams, Arthur Liu, Jean Martin, Helena Nash, Pádraig Ó Méalóid, Yen Ooi, Chuck Serface, Alan Stewart, Regina Kanyu Wang, James Bacon and Christopher J. Garcia  Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, editors Olav Rokne and Amanda Wakaruk 286 ballots cast for 80 nominees. Finalists range 20-70. Best Fancast WINNER: Octothorpe, by John Coxon, Alison Scott, and Liz Batty  The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe Hugos There, presented by Seth Heasley Publishing Rodeo, presented by Sunyi Dean and Scott Drakeford 科幻Fans布玛 (Science Fiction Fans Buma), production team 布玛（Buma)，刘路（Liu Lu)，刘倡（Liu Chang) Worldbuilding for Masochists, presented by Marshall Ryan Maresca, Rowenna Miller, Cass Morris and Natania Barron 693 ballots cast for 230 nominees. Finalists range 28-104. Best Fan Writer WINNER: Paul Weimer Bitter Karella James Davis Nicoll Jason Sanford Alasdair Stuart Örjan Westin 363 ballots cast for 134 nominees. Finalists range 27-134. Best Fan Artist WINNER: Laya Rose ​​Iain J. Clark Sara Felix Dante Luiz Alison Scott España Sheriff 180 ballots cast for 96 nominees. Finalists range 16-43. Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book WINNER: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose (Del Rey) Abeni’s Song by P. Djèlí Clark (Starscape) Liberty’s Daughter by Naomi Kritzer (Fairwood Press) Promises Stronger than Darkness by Charlie Jane Anders (Tor Teen) The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix (Katherine Tegen Books, Gollancz and Allen & Unwin) Unraveller by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan Children’s Books; eligible due to 2023 U.S. publication by Amulet) 345 ballots cast for 178 nominees. Finalists range 33-56. Astounding Award for Best New Writer (sponsored by Dell Magazines) WINNER: Xiran Jay Zhao (eligibility extended at request of Dell Magazines) Moniquill Blackgoose (1st year of eligibility) Sunyi Dean (2nd year of eligibility) Ai Jiang (2nd year of eligibility) Hannah Kaner (1st year of eligibility) Em X. Liu (1st year of eligibility) 349 ballots cast for 167 nominees. Finalists range 35-50. The following nominees received enough votes to qualify for the final ballot, but declined nomination: Best Novel – System Collapse, by Martha Wells Best Novelette – 极北之地 (“The Far North”) by 海漄 (Hai Ya) Best Related Work: Bigolas Dickolas Wolfwood’s promotional tweets for This Is How You Lose the Time War Best Editor, Long Form: Natasha Bardon Best Fan Writer: Camestros Felapton The following nominees received enough votes to qualify for the final ballot, but were not eligible for specific reasons: Best Novel – 天帆 (Cosmo Wings) by 江波 (Jiang Bo) – publication in 2024 Best Fancast (1) – 雨果X访谈 （Discover X）interviews by 王雅婷 Tina Wong – professional production; also qualified in the Best Related Work category Best Fancast (2) – 铥铥科幻电波 (Diu Diu Sci Fi Radio) – also a professional production You can see all the voting details, and the administrators’ report, at the Hugo Awards website.[end-mark] The post Here Are the Winners of the 2024 Hugo Awards appeared first on Reactor.

ATLANTA—For too long, Republicans have caused the things they campaign against, like big government spending, Rep. Chip Roy said Saturday. “Republicans give lip service to wanting to … shrink the size of government,” the Texas Republican said at Erick Erickson’s The Gathering conference in Atlanta, “and they won’t do it.” Many Republican members of the House of Representatives voted against spending cut amendments in the federal budget in March, Roy noted. “Until Republicans are willing to do what Democrats are always willing to do, which is risk your election certificates to change the country and change the trajectory of the country, it’ll never change,” Roy said. In his famous 1964 speech, “A Time for Choosing,” Ronald Reagan presented Americans with the choice between freedom under limited government, and big government intervention. According to Roy, America chose wrong. “We didn’t choose the right path,” Roy said. “With all due respect, we didn’t choose it.” Roy said there is a way to restrain spending without touching Medicare benefits and Social Security. Republicans too often side with Democrats on spending, Roy said. Too many of Roy’s colleagues in the House were unwilling to cut the Inflation Reduction Act, which Roy has said gives “handouts to Democrats’ corporate cronies.” “What good is it to just be the slightly less bad version of Democrats?” the congressman asked. Defense spending should be limited to securing the United States of America, Roy argued. Under the Biden-Harris administration, America is not secure, due to the open border and “woke” military policies. “We need the strongest military in the world, and it needs to be sparingly used,” he said. American tax dollars should not go toward the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “I am sick and tired of politicians and frankly, activists and pundits, going on and talking about what we we need do or not do in Ukraine,” Roy said. We should not send $175 billion to “fund Zelensky’s war, no matter how righteous you think it is or not.” The post ‘Slightly Less Bad Version of Democrats’: Chip Roy Rips House Republicans for Enabling Big Government Spending appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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