Hub Magazine Issue 81 - Editorial & Fiction Contents (29TH MAR 2009)

Sep 21, 2026

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Issue 81 of Hub Magazine dated 29TH MAR 2009 presents a science fiction, horror, and fantasy lineup. It includes fiction “Gifted” by Philip Palmer and a review section covering Doctor Who: Orbis and “Path of Revenge.” The editorial by Lee Harris reflects on conventions and networking across genre circles, while additional features highlight collecting Campbell by Mark Morris. The issue also lists publishers and staff credits and contains a full-length narrative excerpt from “Gifted.”

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Editorial

by Lee Harris

Fiction

Gifted (Philip Palmer)

Review

Doctor Who: Orbis

Path of Revenge

Feature

Collecting Campbell (Mark Morris)

H SCIENCE FICTION HORROR FANTASY PUBLISHER Lee Harris Managing Editor Alasdair Stuart Commissioning Editor Ellen J Allen design/layout Phil Lunt issue 81 . 29TH MAR 2009 CONTENTS: FICTION: Gifted by Philip Palmer REVIEW: Doctor Who: Orbis Path of Revenge FEATURE: Collecting Campbell by Mark Morris Hub Magazine is Sponsored by Harper Collins EDITORIAL: by lee harris It’s a glamorous life, this publishing business. Every year we get to traverse the globe to attend conventions, where we get to network with the best authors in the world, and (perhaps just as importantly), consume beer throughout the day, and curry after the panels have packed away for the night. My first convention was a one-day event in Derby three years ago, called alt.fiction, but it was with FantasyCon that same year that my interest in conventions really came to the fore. My wife isn’t a genre fan, and the idea of her husband attending a convention was supremely embarrassing to her. For weeks before the event she was desperately trying to think of a reason for me being away, should anyone ask. I think she settled on “He’s in prison for exposing himself in the park”, which was far less embarrassing to her than “He’s at a science fiction and fantasy convention”. If you’ve never been to a convention you’re missing out. I’ve only been to UK-based cons so far (though I’m off to Montreal in August for WorldCon) and they’re marvellous affairs. You quickly make friends, and subsequent cons are as much an opportunity to catch up with old friends, as they are for attending panels, networking etc, and you don’t have to stay the full weekend – you can buy a day pass for any day of the con – but you should try to stay if you can, as the best part of the con is often the after-hours networking, chatting and general carousing. I’ll be at EasterCon in 2 weeks time in Bradford, West Yorkshire (not the most glamourous of locations, but it’s the perfect place for a curry fan), and I’m looking forward to it immensely. If you’re there, look me up. I’m the one near the bar, and mine’s a lager, by the way. For more details on EasterCon (April 10 – 13), head on over [to](to www.lx2009.com)[ www.lx2009.com](to www.lx2009.com) 1 Hub Magazine is Sponsored by Harper Collins FICTION Gifted by philip palmer I was a gifted child. At eight, I had an IQ of 300. At nine I’d mastered calculus and could do sumsin binary notation and I’d read Newton’s Principia from cover to cover, and I’d even annotated it with a green felt tip pen. At ten I decided to learn Latin and by the time I was eleven I spoke nothing but Latin and Greek in the playground and had no friends at all. My father despised my precocity. He was a lorry driver, he was away a lot, and whenever he came back he’d quiz me about my pals at school and what mischief I was getting up to and how I often I went to the park to play football. In fact, I had no friends at school, and I never got up to mischief, and I couldn’t play football. I was very happy with my life and my range of interests, but my father thought I was a“fucking freak” and said so, often. But I didn’t care what he thought. Why should I have cared? What did he know about life? He was just a stupid lorry driver. When I was twelve years old I ►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►►► This is me. I am forty-two years old. I am prematurely bald, almost totally bald in fact, apart from little tufty triangles of hair in front of my ears, which are grey. My skin is leathery and unpleasant to touch and I have dark shadows under my eyes. I am very skinny and very pale. I look cadaverous. The last thirty years have not been good to me. I have no education, no O Levels, no A Levels, no degree, no vocational qualifications. I never learned to drive. I cannot type, or use a computer. I am unemployed, I have no money. All I have are the clothes on my back, which I do not remember buying. I was a gifted child; and I a

FAQs

What is included in Hub Magazine Issue 81?

The issue features fiction “Gifted” by Philip Palmer, reviews including Doctor Who: Orbis and “Path of Revenge,” a feature on collecting Campbell by Mark Morris, and an editorial by Lee Harris.

Who wrote the editorial in this issue?

The editorial is written by Lee Harris.

What is the story “Gifted” about based on the excerpt?

The excerpt describes a gifted child who later presents as a forty-two-year-old man, recounting his intelligence, lack of formal education, and subsequent struggle to rebuild his life and learn independently.

Sep 21, 2026

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