We focus on classifying books into series and themes, and we keep a close watch on upcoming releases. Input from writers and readers is a major source of fresh information for us, and our efforts are supported by the community we strive to serve. We hope you'll find what we do useful in your reading journey! (More about us + how to help us grow.)

In Six Words: Scifan Keeps Growing
These last six months have been quite busy for us. Among other things, we've moved from Portugal to Chile where we're now nicely settling down. Here's a treat you might enjoy: very short stories (33 writers. 5 designers. 6-word science fiction.)
5:57 AM (link)

Saturday, June 16, 2007

They Live!
When all but our most hardcore fans were probably giving up on us, we've finally fixed our new & forthcoming section. Thanks to the people who kept supporting us, you can now enjoy again our database in all its freshness (we kept the database up to date all along, it's just the presentation in the news section that didn't work anymore).

(Yes, we admit to being fans of John Carpenter's 1988 movie They Live - come on, it's fun!)
7:59 AM (link)

Friday, August 04, 2006

SciFan as of August, 2006
First, we're still alive and very much maintaining this site's database. However, I didn't make much progress with the site's always forthcoming new version. It's still stalled, but it's still going to happen eventually. I'm working on it here and there when my demanding start-up day job and family obligations allow. Technical help (see below) would still be appreciated, though the helper should be quite technically proficient and very cheap, so that's a lot to ask. The project is not very easy to hand over in its current state because of database structure changes.

Also, we've finally fixed our contact email link. Apologies to all the people whose emails bounced. We're now receiving emails again. Damn those spamming flooders.

Thanks for your continued support, and we hope SciFan still proves useful to you in its current, imperfect state.
11:38 AM (link)

Monday, May 16, 2005

So what's up with SciFan?
Yep, the forthcoming pages are still outdated, though again, the database itself and the rest of the site are up to date. Reports of SciFan's death have been greatly exaggerated! I had to take over development of the new version because our developer was never available to complete it for lack of time (the guy worked for us as a freelancer but had a day job). Since I'm very busy launching another venture right now, and I'm not a very good programmer myself, I've been able to make some progress with the code but I'm stuck with some vexing database issues that currently prevent me from completing the site.

So if you know ASP.NET and SQL Server and you're interested in giving me a hand, that would get us out of a bind. About 75% of the work is done and someone more proficient than myself could probably unlock the situation quickly. However I'm not able to pay anything but a very modest stipend which is why I've been reluctant to post such a call for help sooner. For those with the necessary skills, the nature of the problem is related to database changes linked to a more thorough and better normalized schema. The previous developer wrote a SQL script to massage the data from the current schema to the new one, but that's not complete and is a bit over my head. Solving that would go a long way towards resoluting the problem, though I could also use a hand to finish the VB.NET code.

The good news is, the new site will look great and will be easier to maintain and improve, whenever we're able to launch it. Anyone able and willing to help please contact my through the email link above, thanks!
9:33 AM (link)

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Don't worry, we keep updating the database
Several readers have written to inquire about the lower volume of releases listed in our New & Forthcoming section. We do keep adding more books to our database on an ongoing basis, but for technical reasons they are not listed in that part of the site (they're still listed everywhere else though, by writer, series, theme, etc.) We had to redesign our database to prepare for the next version of Scifan, which is taking longer than expected for various reasons (lately our developer was ill).

I'll try to update our New & Forthcoming page before the new site is ready, but I'm not sure I'll have time to do it. Thanks for bearing with us in the meantime, and rest assured that we're not giving up on the site!

7:13 AM (link)

Monday, November 29, 2004

Pendragon contest almost over
Hurry up, the contest (see below) will end tomorrow and we still have a few books to be won!

2:44 AM (link)