The author J. G. Ballard, famed for novels such as Crash and Empire of the Sun, has died aged 78 after a long illness.

His agent Margaret Hanbury said the author had been ill "for several years" and had died on Sunday morning.

Despite being referred to as a science fiction writer, Jim Ballard said his books were instead "picturing the psychology of the future".

His most acclaimed novel was Empire of the Sun, based on his childhood in a Japanese prison camp in China.

Source: BBC News.

Eldon Thompson is an American fantasy author. He has written The Legend of Asahiel trilogy and he's also involved in The Elfstones of Shannara film project.

Risingshadow.net has had the honour of interviewing Eldon Thompson about his fantasy trilogy and the film project:

AN INTERVIEW WITH ELDON THOMPSON

This year's Hugo awards nominees for best novel are:

Anathem by Neal Stephenson (Morrow; Atlantic UK)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury)
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Tor)
Saturn's Children by Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit)
Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi (Tor)

Anticipation site has links to home pages and other category nominees.

Johanna Sinisalo is a Finnish science fiction and fantasy writer. She was awarded the Finlandia Prize for literature in 2000 for her first novel Not Before Sundown (Troll: A Love Story) and now her novellette "Baby Doll" is a Nebula award nominee.

Risingshadow.net has had the honour of interviewing Johanna Sinisalo about the Nebula award nomination:

AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHANNA SINISALO

Philip José Farmer, a prolific and popular science fiction writer who shocked readers in the 1950s by depicting sex with aliens and challenged conventional pieties of the genre with caustic fables set on bizarre worlds of his own devising, died on Wednesday, February 25th. He was 91 and lived in Peoria, Illinois.

Source: The New York Times.