The Devniad Book 62 Un Zine De Bob Devney 25 Johnson Street, North Attleboro, MA 02760 U.S.A

Home , Hal Clement

Bookbits affect large numbers of their fellows. The Stickiness Factor means that there are If you are what you eat, I'm in big specific ways of making a contagious trouble. I'm much more comfortable with a message memorable and impactful. The formulation such as, you are what you read. Power of Context claims that the key in So even though myriad other fanzines help getting people to change their behavior keep us all up on how many books we sometimes lies with the smallest details of really should be getting to, every once in a their immediate situation. while I like to do some reviews regardless. This all sounds pretty dry. But in fact the Here goes. book is juicy with clear, really cool examples If you notice a persistent theme of sex, — including how AIDS caught fire; how sex, sex frolicking through many of the teenage Micronesian suicide became a fad; following selections, who're you going to how Peter Jennings' microsmiles maybe blame, little old me or all those perverse, made millions vote Republican; how the pandering panjandrums of publishing? producers stuck generations of kids on TV's Sesame Street; how the Gore-Tex people Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point: How rendered their company culture porous to Little Things Can Make a Big Difference ideas (hint: it turns out 150 people is the (2000 hardcover, Little, Brown and Company, effective upper limit for a cohesive social 279 pages, $24.95) group); why Paul Revere succeeded while Intelligent pop sociology that may fellow traveler William Dawes failed; how actually have a point. I have no idea if New York City's crime rate plummeted Gladwell, one of my favorites among the (murders down two-thirds, felonies cut in newer crop of writers for The New Yorker half) due to something called the Broken magazine, is a science fiction fan — but it Windows Theory and a campaign against certainly seems like it. You sense a real SF graffiti; and how to cure teen smoking. sensibility at work here in attitudes like: I'll single out two of my favorite bits. Let's question old assumptions. Step back Gladwell reports a number of those and look at the big picture. Cherish some horrifying psych/soc experiments that conclusions for their sheer neatness. prove such awful things about us as a The neatest ideas here (not necessarily species. Including one where they told Gladwell's own, but grounded in current students at Princeton Theological Seminary research by a number of social scientists) are to prepare an impromptu sermon on a given that social change behaves like an epidemic. theme as they walked through the alley to Also that such change is contagious; that the next building. But in that alley, the little causes can have big effects; and that researchers planted a supposedly change happens not gradually but at one unconscious man, coughing and groaning. dramatic moment: the Tipping Point itself. Turns out the context that tipped people Additionally, Gladwell teases out three into unhelpfulness was not their assigned principles. The Law of the Few says that in a sermon subject, but whether or not they given process or system a few special were told they were late. You can guess the people (Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen) rest. "On several occasions, a seminary start and accelerate the change that will student going to give his talk on the parable The Devniad, Book 62 Page 2 of 14

of the Good Samaritan literally stepped over audience along with stars like Stephen the victim as he hurried on his way." Ouch. Pinker, Stephen Jay Gould, David And for posterity, I'll reprint a lost Quammen, or dare I say Neal Stephenson? moment from SF history. Gladwell mentions But everyone reading this fanzine should it in illustrating the personality of a find much enjoyment and an equal serving Connector — that rare person who of information in The Tipping Point. And maintains many friends or acquaintances in more than that, perhaps all you Mavens will multiple strata of society, and links the rest find inspiration for action in its closing of us stay-at-home types together. He's words: "Look at the world around you. It talking about a particular Connector he may seem like an immovable, implacable found in Chicago named Lois Weisberg. place. It is not. With the slightest push — in "Once — and this would have been in just the right place — it can be tipped." the mid-1950s — Weisberg took the train to New York to attend, on a whim, the Science William Barton, When We Were Real (1999 Fiction Writers Convention, where she met a paperback, Aspect/Warner Books, 337 young writer by the name of Arthur C. pages, $6.99) Clarke. [Gladwell must be talking here Call it a picaresque novel of a rather sad about 1956's Newyorcon, the 14th World boy at "the other end of history" who grows Science Fiction Convention (for writers and to be a depressed though certainly sex- fans), where Clarke was guest of honor]. happy soldier and sometime rebel, gripped Clarke took a shine to Weisberg, and next in the jaws of his rearing (under a crushing time he was in Chicago he called her up. 'He matriarchy) and of powerful militaristic was at a pay phone,' Weisberg recalls. 'He corporations that soullessly rule a galaxy of said, is there anyone in Chicago I should potential immortals. Got all that? meet. I told him to come over to my house Barton writes like Joe Haldeman with a … I called Bob Hughes. Bob Hughes was hard-on. Or a frankly more accomplished, one of the people who wrote for my paper more serious Catherine Asaro on downers. [an underground weekly cleverly called The How about Iain Banks with a lot less ironic Paper].' Pause. 'I said, do you know anyone distance? Forget comparisons: He's a first- in Chicago interested in talking to Arthur class talent with his own voice, and When Clarke. He said, yeah, Isaac Asimov is in We Were Real was definitely one of the best town. And this guy, Robert, Robert — SF books written in 1999. Wish I'd seen it Robert Heinlein. So they all came over and before I picked my Hugo nominations. sat in my study.' Pause. 'Then they called There's not much sense in my going on over to me and they said, Lois … I can't and on about this one. You've got to read it remember the word they used … It was to appreciate its own strong, strange flavor. something about how I was the kind of Though I'll tell you one more thing: person who brings people together.'" There has never been another science I'll leave it to you to think about who in fiction novel so fascinated by vaginas. your circle is a Connector. Of course, it's obvious to me immediately that half the Peter Abrahams, A Perfect Crime (1999 members of NESFA are Mavens. As is, ex paperback, Ballantine Books, 367 pages, officio, just about any decent fanzine writer. $6.99) Malcolm Gladwell talks down to us a bit A smart, intense mystery about Francie too much from time to time throughout his Cullingwood — a smart, intense Boston art book, particularly in prefaces and appraiser suffering the pangs of the love conclusions. Some of the material seems a that dare not speak its name. No, not that degree too buffed up, repetitively love, another kind. presented, and simplified for my taste. I This guy Abrahams certainly knows how can't quite put him in the first rank of to write a sentence and pace a scene. Those science writers for an intelligent lay are no small gifts; doubt I find one new The Devniad, Book 62 Page 3 of 14

mystery author a year this good. I'm less Spain to what will be northern California, certain about the overall story here: dude. Francie's weird genius Boston Brahmin But Stirling has certainly read Jared husband is drawn a lot less convincingly Diamond and Peter Farb and William than she, and speaking of convincing how McNeill as well as John Keegan. Warfighting many coincidences can we be expected to aside, he also works in convincing sketches take? of current thinking about civilization- Still, there are interesting things said building, as well as plenty of fascinating here about sex, radio psychologists, killer details on farming on Long Island, carving tennis, the role of the PC in breaking up canoes in California, and building sewers in marriages, how short a time it's been since Babylon. nice girls eschewed tattoos, why brains are He even has one really memorable no substitute for personality or indeed character, Commodore Marian Alston- sense, outsider sculpture, and did I mention Kurlelo of the Coast Guard of the Republic sex? of Nantucket: a strong, katana-wielding, gay Smarmy little closing coming up: A African-American warrior woman. Marian is Perfect Crime may not be perfect, but missing the island's master strategist and La it would be a real crime. Suprema of its armed forces. And escaped from her commander's closet in the uptight S. M. Stirling, On the Oceans of Eternity late 20th century Coast Guard, here and (2000 paperback, Roc, 630 pages, $6.99) now she finds true love partnered with a When it comes to military SF, my adult bawdy blonde tribesbabe from ancient liberalism battles it out with my Sgt. Rock- British astronomer people. Same folks who ridden boyhood. With books like this, the threw together a little open-air observatory cool army stuff usually wins. It doesn't hurt called Stonehenge. that Steve Stirling is a strong writer with a Which points up an area where you'd killer narrative drive, plus he gives great think the series couldn't deliver one usual research. Oceans is third up in the series alternative-history pleasure: familiar faces. (first Island in the Sea of Time, then Against the You can't have any fun like with James Tide of Years) that poses a question you may Joyce, Vladimir Lenin, and Tristan Tzara all not have previously considered: What if the meeting when they lived in Zurich, for entire island of Nantucket plus a nearby example. (See Tom Stoppard's play Coast Guard training schooner were Travesties.) Thirty-five hundred years ago mysteriously transported back to the Bronze was a long time, and we just don't have Age and decided to jump-start world historical memory of particular individuals technocivilization a little early? of those long-ago days. Certainly not a lot of thought is given to With the exception here of one tough, an important counterquestion, If you had it resourceful tribal king from the Greek island to do over, would you do it again? There's a of Ithaka. Clever guy, strong fighter and basic assumption here that 1990s America's sailor, bit of a schemer, name of Odikweos? technological progress is the way to go. Stirling finds a way to tweak that And even if the heroes might have liked particular pleasure center of the history fan to think things through a little more, further anyway, though, with everything onrushing plot circumstances — notably the from portraits á clef (the geopolitical evil plots of a bunch of escaped island strategist Ian Arnstein looks an awful lot renegades — soon enmesh them in a series like SF alternative history writer Harry of globe-spanning wars and arms races. In Turtledove) to funny name games. other words, lots of exciting fight scenes. For instance, the chief villain so far, who Battlegrounds this time range from what tries to set up rival totalitarian empires in will be Troy to what will be Greece and first Britain then Greece, is a cruel renegade adventurer named William Walker. (As he The Devniad, Book 62 Page 4 of 14

proved with his Draka series, by the way, amazingly large size of the reconstructed Stirling has a gift for the dark side; Walker dinosaur skeleton, I want to say it was and his crew are quite satisfactory bad guys. reconstructed bones of a brontosaurus-like Although the Big W's got some changes animal, some kind of a giant Jurassic coming in this episode.) And you know herbivore, stretching to fill up a building the you're in for some impi-ish fun the minute size of a gymnasium. On this 1999 trip, there you see the major battle of an Asia Minor was really too much to see in the half day war shaping up at a place renamed we had set aside for the museum. And the O'Rourke's Ford. (Confused? Go rent fact that the new Rose Center had just Michael Caine's first movie, the fine 1964 opened, coupled with my teaching flick Zulu.) astronomy classes for the past year [Steve is Altogether the best work this writer has a physics/astronomy instructor at done, the series reads less like pure UMass/Dartmouth], made going back to the powerporn than his Draka books. And using museum quite attractive for this year's trip. the resort island of Nantucket as your central setting may well be one of the For our May 2000 trip, Janet had the cleverer ideas any author ever had … about foresight to call ahead for tickets to the Rose how to claim your summer vacation as a tax Center — which is recommended, since it is deduction. generally sold out a few weeks in advance. (Don't have their phone number handy, but see their Web site at www.amnh.org/rose/ spaceshowtickets.html.) Journey to the Center of the Solar System The bus trip I was somewhat cranky due to sleep by deprivation when we got on the bus at 5:30 Dr. Stephen Kennedy AM, and told Janet that I would kill any of Devniad Science Advisor her friends who tried to get me to play one of their anti-bus-boredom games. I was at Preface least civil when the self-appointed cruise Bob Devney asked that I write a review director started a bingo-like game; I smiled of a recent trip to New York City to see the politely, shoved my cards at Janet to play Rose Center for Earth and Space at the for me, and attempted to nap. American Museum of Natural History. I Which nap was cut short by the fact that, went on the trip at the request of my out of the cards of 40-plus people on the girlfriend Janet. Note: When they were bus, mine won. Collecting my valuable young, Janet’s brother Paul nicknamed her keychain prize, I thought that now I could “Janet from Another Planet.” I sometimes rest — until another game started up. Guess have to agree with his assessment. Be the Mileage to New York required that each warned. contestant put her or his guess on a piece of Before I talk about this year's trip, let me paper and put a dollar in the kitty, with the mention that last year, in May 1999, Janet’s jackpot to be divided between the club and club also chartered a bus to NYC. I had the lucky guesser. I did so, then hoped wanted to see the American Museum of again to snooze. Natural History, so I went along. After But no. The cruise director then passed doing a few tourist things like going to the out a trivia test. The person to get all the top of the Empire State Building, we visited answers right first, or, if not, the most the museum. answers right was to be the winner. It had long lines like other New York Suddenly I noted that one of the five attractions. The museum was impressive — other men on the bus (the attendees were the thing that sticks in my mind was the mostly Lady Lions) was cheating. The rules, The Devniad, Book 62 Page 5 of 14

as explicitly stated, were that no one was to that we were going in the correct direction. start until all received their test. Janet still had the need to ask for directions. I was outraged. Regis would never She asked a police officer, “Is this the allow this! My competitive juices were now way to Central Park?” His flippant response flowing. to her: “I don’t know, I’m not from around I got my trivia test. I waited for the here.” She insisted. He repeated: “I don’t official start time. I tore through the know, I’m not from around here.” questions. Just as I was about to pass my With this crazy cop and all the winning test to the cruise director, The Cheater on the bus, the thought that we were in a passed his in first, edging me out at the parallel universe did cross my mind. But I tape. The cruise director went over The explained to Janet that the officer was just Cheater's test, and noted that he had joking with her and to follow me, this was multiple wrong answers out of the thirty the way to Central Park and the museum. questions. She then went through mine. I We got to Central Park. I saw Mickey had one wrong. [Steve later administered that Mantle’s Restaurant. I had a flashback to last one to Your Editor, who did just happen to year’s trip: We had eaten there. They had know that four, not three, Steve, American charged $50 for two burgers and two beers. presidents have been assassinated (so far): I didn’t want to go there again. Ever. Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Kennedy.] We crossed the street. We were on the Now she had to go through all the west side of Central Park, going toward the answers of the rest of our apparently trivia- museum. It was a perfect springtime challenged bus mates, who also didn't get Saturday in New York. Horse-drawn cabs, them all right. roller bladers, runners and bicyclists were I WIN AGAIN!!! all circling the park. We crossed the street By this time we had stopped at a again. A glint of recognition crossed Janet’s McDonald’s, where I had the first Egg eyes as she scanned the sidewalk ahead. McMuffin of my life, sans the piece of ham- “Who’s that?” she asked. Another trivia like food substance. It actually wasn’t as bad question. I looked, said, “That’s Imus … as I had imagined it being … We were you know, that guy on the radio.” ending our trip. One last chore. Who got Janet had found her famous person. closest in the Guess the Mileage contest? Don Imus is with a young woman — his I WIN AGAIN!!! current wife, I think? We saunter past them. I imagined the rest of the bus hating me, Oh no, Janet is stopping and turning ... with the (possible) exception of Janet, as I “IMUS!!!!” she shrieks. collected my eighteen wrinkled one-dollar I keep walking as if I don't know Janet. bills and stepped off into the Big Apple. As I look back at Janet and Imus from a safe distance, I notice that Imus has a pained New York, New York look on his face as he says something to The bus let us off near Times Square at Janet. I wait for Janet to catch up to me and 48th Street and 7th Avenue at around 9 AM. pray that we don't see any more famous The bus driver cautioned us about being people. back by 7 PM because he could only live- park for 3 minutes. The Museum My goal was the museum, which was We arrived at the American Museum of (and still is) on the west side of Central Park Natural History. (See www.amnh.org.) around 81st Street, about an hour's walk. Going in the front entrance, we saw the long Janet’s goal was to see someone famous. lines that were there last year. [Wow, guess We walked up to 49th Street. Since the those were long lines!] We asked for the Rose streets of New York are essentially a Center, and were instructed to go outside Cartesian coordinate system, it was obvious and around the corner. The Devniad, Book 62 Page 6 of 14

The first thing you notice upon seeing (www.amnh.org/ the Rose Center is a four-story-high opaque rose/cosmicpathway.html). It consists sphere enclosed by a cubical glass building. mostly of various images tracing the Upon closer inspection, the astronomically evolution of the known universe. This is aware individual realizes that there are somewhat interesting but no reason to make other, smaller spheres surrounding the large the trip to New York. one, and that the large sphere represents the Sun while the smaller spheres represent the I generally liked the Rose Center. I planets of our solar system. thought the exhibits were well done and of The sizes of the planets are to scale, but interest to the average museumgoer. My the interplanetary distances would require only major criticism was that too much hundreds of miles to maintain the scale, so square footage was given to Earth geology, this is not done. People actually don’t while very minimal solar system planetary realize how big the Sun is. If the Earth were information beyond the superficial was at the center of the Sun with the moon still presented. With spacecraft from Earth going orbiting it (impossible for quite a few to all the major large known bodies in the reasons but let's pretend for the sake of solar system, except Pluto and Charon, and demonstration), the Moon’s orbit — about landing on three extraterrestrial bodies and 200,000 miles — would reach less than imaging their surfaces (the Moon, Venus, halfway to the surface of the Sun, which is and Mars) — an emphasis on this, rather more than 400,000 miles from the center. than Earth geology, would make much more Janet's calling ahead for tickets worked sense. out fine. We got in a line with only one On the plus side, the space show person in front of us, picked up the tickets, seemed to make the strongest impact on and got into the museum right away. people. Even Janet thought it was cool.

Underneath the sphere was the Cullman The food court was of good quality with Hall of the Universe, the main exhibit area. reasonable prices (for New York). I paid for (See www.amnh.org/rose/universe.html.) It lunch with my $18 winnings. contained a number of demonstrations that After the thrills at the Rose, we toured basically presented the information of an the main museum for a little while, but had introductory astronomy course. to leave to make our schedule. We returned At first it appears that the giant sphere is through Central Park, ate at the Stage deli, a big waste of space, but there are two and caught the bus back to our part of the theaters inside the sphere. In the lower level galaxy. is a black hole exhibit with narration by Jodie Foster. In the upper sphere is a space show narrated by Tom Hanks. This latter is an Omni theater-type Quote of the Month screen which recreates the night sky with computers and real data. The viewer is “The future is here already. It’s just taken on a trip to the planets, then to the unevenly distributed.” Orion nebula and star-forming regions, then — William Gibson, in an advertisement for out of our Milky Way galaxy, then out of the Anderson Consulting local group of galaxies, then out of the Virgo supercluster of galaxies … to so far out that superclusters just look like faint lights. Some trip. Let’s Watch That Personal Just outside the large sphere is the Grooming, Gramps Heibrum Cosmic Pathway The Devniad, Book 62 Page 7 of 14

“An 82-year-old great-grandfather with I'm a drooling toe scuffin 'Aw shucks, hey snow-white hair and hearing aids in both there's Harlan Ellison!' kind of guy." ears shuffles down the steps of the shooting [Harlan Ellison? Where?!!] range.” — Lead sentence of a story on leadership [While from Cambridge, MA, fan Charley lessons at a counterterrorist school, in the Sumner sends fond wishes on my Hugo biz mag Fast Company, June 2000 nomination:] "Congrats on the nom. Will you be going to Chicago? Marsy and I are planning on attending and will try to rock the vote … Ego Scanners "I'm not usually one to push websites on (Shall Not) Live in Vain people, but I thought that you and The Devniad readers might be interested in checking out www.yourdictionary.com. [From Detroit, genre jumping genius Your Dictionary is an excellent portal to Patrick O'Leary says I've got the wrong guy language reference sites on the web. It camera left, back row, hiding his Manson lamps features a wide variety of links for guides to behind dark glasses at the International over 200 different languages (yes, including Conference of the Fantastic in the Arts class artificial ones like Klingon) as well as a photo on the cover of the May Locus:] multitude of specialty dictionaries (e.g. law, "No that wasn't me poolside at the medicine, slang, dance, history, and 13 ICFA. I missed [that photo party] again. different on-line cooking dictionaries), Maybe next year. Or maybe I haven't thesauri and other tools. It also has a learned the secret password/handshake that collection of pages devoted to linguistic gets me invited. oddities like the history of the riddle about "I have no shit to sling about what was a the third English word ending in "gry" and delightful weekend. I almost got up the an article on the world's longest city name, courage to tell Octavia E. Butler how much I which may not be in Wales as long love her work. Almost. I read some poems suspected. and a short story that went over well. "While I'm on this topic, I also wanted to "Heard some real kickass readings. Kelly point out one of my favorite new words, Link read a motherfucker of a story. Sean 'retronym' (recently featured in a Jeopardy Stewart read an excerpt from Galveston — he Tournament of Champions question). A is a superb reader. And Candas Jane Dorsey retronym is used when an old term needs to read something original and mind-blowing be better defined because of a new thing as she always does." that supersedes it. For example, the term [Patrick also displays a charming modesty 'acoustic guitar' did not come into being for a guy with two great novels pubbed and one until after electric guitars grew popular in the publishing oven:] enough to necessitate a way to differentiate "I said hi to Neil Gaiman! I said hi to which kind of instrument you meant when Neil Gaiman! you referred to a guitar ('manual typewriter' "I bought John Clute a drink! and 'whole milk' are two other examples)." "I sat next to Liz Hand! [Charley, doesn't look like I'll make it to "I was telling Gene Wolfe the other day Chicago. Sob. — I was telling Gene Wolfe the other day!! — I've long loved and used Your Dictionary how I always feel like a fan at conventions. site under its previous name, A Web of Online 'Yabbada yabbada yabbada' whenever I'm Dictionaries. Where else are you going to go for close to writers I admire. 'You're well bon mots in Manx, Maori, and Mapudungun? beyond a fan, Patrick,' he said. Why? (Although be warned that, dammit, the last is Because people like my stuff? No, I'm not. translated only into Spanish, not English, which The Devniad, Book 62 Page 8 of 14

can really cramp your style anent that engine rattle-trap inspired a brilliant Gaelic- monolingual vacation in southern Chile.) logical end run around the aviation Not to keep our readers in suspense, Your authorities. Upon arrival in Dublin, he Dictionary points out Guinness allows the blamed his compass, and claimed to be longest name may be Krungthepmahanakhon surprised — as if seeing water below him amornrattanakosinmahintarayudthaya for 28 hours wouldn't have been kind of a mahadilokpohpnoparatajathanebureerom big clue. I dearly hope that before his 1995 udomrajniwesmahasatarnamornpimarn departure from this plane of existence, avaltarnsatitsakatattiyavisanukramprasit, the 'Wrong-Way' remembered to file an official burg known to those in a bit more hurry as flight-plan to the infernal regions." Bangkok. I like their comment too: "The [Thank you, Ding-Dong Dryfoos.] translation here is pretty much the unabridged history of the city rather than a word." [First Harlan Ellison is calling me, now "Retronym" also came up in Devniad 44, another giant of late 20th century fantastic wherein Leah Smith explained the concept at literature, Michael Swanwick, is practically Ditto ditto.] calling his lawyers on me in re my adumbration of a brouhaha at Bucconeer:] [From the Yellowhammer State, writer/fan "Sir: This is yellow journalism at its Brett Cox taps out a message about Happiness:] shoddiest. It is not true that at the 1998 "I would disagree … with Dan Kimmel's Worldcon, John Kessel and I 'practically got evaluation of Happiness. It is not a loathsome into a wrestling match over definitions.' film — it's a film about loathsome people. There was another panelist in between us. The actor who played the child molester did Rather, we practically started slamming a brilliant job of portraying a character who each other over the head with folding chairs may be loathsome, but is not a monster. over definitions. Get your facts right, man! He's just the guy next door. And that's the Cordially …" scary part …" [Michael, I can visualize how folding chairs [While MIT fan Gary Dryfoos says he's can go over heads, but how can folding chairs go "playing with meta-levels of the comment-zine over definitions? Please clarify. Bewilderedly …] universe," all I have to do is put my comments in brackets and let all of his run free, nyaah [Canadian fan Lloyd Penney has comments nyaah; so here goes, this is all the G Man no on everything from giant rodents to British food, matter how cruelly he tries to deceive you:] if that's not a tautology:] Here's me, doing you, quoting me: "I've seen the capybaras at the Toronto (Can't wait to see how you'll sort this out!) Zoo. You wouldn't think that something the While copping a mea culpa on one of my size of a German shepherd would be as ever-so-rare errors, I quoted a famous jittery as a gerbil, but they are. If their brains aviator: "In the immortal words of Wrong- are the size of lemons, then those lemons Way Corrigan: 'Ooops.'" must have been well-squeezed … Is there nothing my readers don't know? "A shame that the world is wild enough Correspondent and bon vivant Gary to make a fantasy writer like Madeleine Dryfoos writes to point out that Wrong-Way L'Engle despair. To me, that is why fantasy Corrigan wasn't as confused about his and science fiction are vital in this crazy destination as popular history would have world. The answer lies not in escaping it: reality, but taking a vacation from it from "'Ooops' my apse. Douglas Corrigan time to time … The constant battering of a knew perfectly well from the moment he harsh reality blunts the mind, and a good took off in Brooklyn in July of 1938 that he book or story sharpens it again, and allows was headed to Ireland, not back to you to better handle that reality. California. Official refusal of his plans for a "… I think most Canadians are avoiding trans-Atlantic flight in a ten-year-old single- the sub movie U-571. What happened in this The Devniad, Book 62 Page 9 of 14

movie, the theft of a German U-boat, started my annual mad race to read all the actually did happen in WWII, but it was a fiction on the Hugo ballot. (I'm most of the Canadian crew that did it 2 years before the way through Darwin's Radio. Four more to US entered the war. However, the American go.) movie machine is not going to make a flick "P.S. Is your wife really down on your about heroic Canadians, and a good story fannish activity, or is that just a running line is a good story line, and yet another joke?" part of Canadian history is co-opted … [Tom, more like a running sore. When she's "Coming from a family with a Scottish sore, I'm running! Oh, I could go on like this all mother, I got to enjoy some foods you might night. There's a lot of love in this room … call British grub ... sausage rolls, square Actually, it all has a serious basis. Queen sausages (a cube of minced, seasoned beef Maureen puts up with a certain amount of with a hard-boiled egg in the middle), fannishness from me, but has no trace of such Scotch meat pies, Ayrshire bacon, Melton interest herself. "Love me, love my perzine" only Mowbray pies … gets a guy so far … and obviously, I can't make "On May 25, Yvonne and I fly out to as many cons as if I were married to, say, Janice Vancouver to be Fan GoHs at VCon 25. Gelb or Liz Hand or Evelyn Leeper or Kathe Koja We'll be sharing the jet with Robert J. or Sydney Sowers Duncan or Barbara Chepaitis Sawyer and his wife Carolyn Clink, and or Brenda Clough — hey, this is kind of a fun we're sharing the GoH slate with Rob and exercise! Can't you see a calendar emerging from Carolyn, and Spider and Jeanne Robinson. this: The Babes of Science Fiction? Closely Vancouver fandom is still recovering followed by my agonizing public execution … financially a disastrous Westercon some years ago, but it does seem to be on the rebound ... The chairman of this VCon, Graeme Cameron, tells me that pre- FlimFan registration is at close to 200, nearly double that of the VCon of just a couple of years EXCELLENT: ago … The Sunday of the con is also our Joe Gould's Secret — If you're a crank, 17th wedding anniversary ... And then, on misfit, has-been, might've-been, would-be, the second of June … I turn a decrepit 41. never-will, or God-knows-what, have I got a Time is a harsh mistress, so don't tell my movie for you! It's the true story of a gifted wife ..." journalist — Joseph Mitchell of The New [Lloyd, telling wives about dominatrix Yorker — and a gifted loon. (Make that sea mistresses is not an office for a friend.] gull.) Joseph Ferdinand Gould was a doctor's son from Norwood, Massachusetts, [I still owe writer/fan Rick Heller apologies and a 1911 Harvard graduate. But when for slightly overestimating his wordage yardage] Mitchell found him among Greenwich "The count on my story 'Loyal Puppies' Village’s plentiful cranks, misfits, etc. and is 7800 pages — I mean, words. If you didn't profiled him in 1942, “Professor Sea Gull” happen to catch it in printed form, it's had long been one of the Village's most available on my web site: prominent bohemians: a homeless drunk www.neurosf.com." who "looked like a bum and lived like a [Rick, I'll catch it, doggone it.] bum," often flapped his rags and shrieked like a gull — and labored incessantly on a [Like many SF fans and serious Hugo voters, rumored 9-million-word literary Southern fan Tom Jackson is working to see masterpiece, his Oral History of Our Times, how the reading he has stacked up stacks up:] with the respect and support of such "I have read neither the Stephenson opus luminaries as Ezra Pound, William Saroyan, nor the Vinge, so I can't take sides over who and E. E. Cummings. (I also like one of should win, but I will read them soon — I've The Devniad, Book 62 Page 10 of 14

Gould’s poems, a short ditty he recites spoken. Although it's all pretty obvious in onscreen, entitled "My Religion.” “In winter retrospect. Particularly when — well, let me I'm a Buddhist, / And in summer I'm a say I have a shameful affection for a story nudist!") In the movie, Stanley Tucci plays that waits to deliver a surprise ending only the reporter as a quiet, reserved Southern in the footnotes afterwards. In its minor gentleman, while Ian Holm gives one of the psychological/literary way, this one’s a greatest and certainly showiest doozy. performances of his career as the nutty NOTE: This fine flick is based upon two professor. They meet; Mitchell expresses memorable articles in The New Yorker interest in doing a short piece on Gould; and magazine: "Professor Sea Gull" (1942) and the prof soon has him in what I’ll call a "Joe Gould's Secret" (1964). Along with lots Reverse Heisenberg hold (you know, where of Mitchell's other first-class prose, they're the observed has an effect on the observer?), both collected in Up in the Old Hotel and continually introducing the hapless Other Stories, a 1993 Vintage trade journalist as "my biographer.” Holm is paperback you should run out and hunt brilliant. As reading Mitchell confirms, the down right now. real guy was considerably more emaciated. Balder. Dirtier. Toothless. But Holm seems GOOD: to catch the man’s true-to-life spirit: the Time Code — When I say this is an tantrums, slyness, and self-importance; the experimental film, please don’t reach for manic highs and paranoid lows; but also the your gun. It’s actually kind of fun. And it’s knowing humor, the deep-down dignity, got some notable talent behind it. Such as and a brand of honesty that can scorch all director Mike Figgis (Stormy Monday, we middle-class types sitting comfortably in Leaving Las Vegas), who employs not one but the theater. When a waitress scolds him for two seldom-seen techniques. First, he splits emptying a bottle of ketchup over his the screen into four quadrants, shot with charity meal, Gould shouts, "When I'm four cameras. This takes time getting used hungry, I don't have any self-respect!" … to: you’re always seeing four images in the Visually, Tucci’s movie perfectly captures square, and as you watch the action in one the 1940s. His camera loves the city, its your gaze often flicks to check one or more facades and its faces … Although the focus of the others. (Tip: try to get enough sleep is on the colorful Gould, we gradually the night before.) But Figgis helps greatly realize that Mitchell is a pretty interesting with one big hint: the quadrant where he character himself. He’s an acknowledged wants your attention has its soundtrack prose master with an important job; always brought up, with sound from the other three meticulously dressed; husband to a ramped down. For me, though, the daring beautiful, intelligent wife, the photographer move is his second departure from the Therese Mitchell (played luminously here by norm: those four handheld digital cameras Hope Davis in a way that makes us wish we each runs for 93 minutes, with no cuts. So saw more of her); father of two smart, lively the whole movie is one or I guess four little girls … Why is he so drawn to Gould continuous takes. Cameras move from cars and other outcasts? Tucci plays a to streets to offices to bedrooms, actors withdrawn, tasteful, somehow sad man, and come in and out talking and gesturing and he’s that kind of director too. All three of his behaving badly, all in effect “live.” The movies have probed the personality of the logistics must have been UNbelievable. artist: the wonderful Big Night, less Inevitably, there’s a loose, improvisatory successful The Imposters, and now this very quality to the acting (some good, some bad: fine film about not one but two beset artistic Holly Hunter was pretty disappointing, for souls. There's a hidden theme here that, instance) and few really great, beautiful while present in the movie's first words, shots, because you can’t stop to light emerges gradually, subtly, is never quite anything or to retake. The story? Actually a The Devniad, Book 62 Page 11 of 14

fairly amusing self-satire on what I’ll call the Gladiator — "Joey, do you like movies cell phonies of Hollywood (hey, that’s not about gladiators?" Even if you do, you bad; remember, you heard it here first — might let this one live with only a mild oops, just went to the net and got hits on thumbs-up. Because it's not what you think. that phrase from last year; OK, you heard it Granted, there are some exciting-enough here eighth). Most of the plot revolves arena combat scenes, with swords and around the actors, directors, executives, and chariots, trapdoors and tigers, dust and other drinking, drugging, adulterous, and leather and gore — I had heard the self-involved types parading in and out of a expression “a mist of blood in the air,” but small Sunset Boulevard film production never actually seen it before — but not as company named Red Mullet. (Also the many as you might think. And the action in name of the actual company that produced what fights there are, with lots of digital this film, har-har.) The firm is currently effects piled on, is more impressionistic than considering such sleazy/arty properties as clear-cut. (Although the cool opening — a Bitch From Louisiana and what sounds like a winter battle against the German barbarians ripoff of Being John Malkovich called Time — has the added thrill of being unexpected. Toilet (don’t ask). I like Stellan Skarsgard Until now.) The real struggle preoccupying very much as the bad-boy head of the moviemaker Ridley Scott rages in the heart company. Particularly in his late scene of the Roman general Maximus (Russell offering the usual devil’s bargain to a young Crowe), who as the story begins in 180 A.D. director: “I’m sorry. This is the most is raised high by one emperor, then brought pretentious crap I’ve ever heard … We’ll do low by another. He becomes (surprise your crap, and then you’ll do our crap. And surprise) a gladiator, but fights to hold onto that will be the deal.” Also effective is his his honor and serve Rome though all seems tightly wound, bearded partner (Xander lost. It's like a movie where Senator John Berkeley), and the smiling, coke-dealing McCain becomes a professional wrestler but security guard (Danny Huston) who makes mostly keeps brooding about the people's sure during earthquakes or other disasters need for campaign finance reform. Crowe to comfort the prettiest women first. does a nice job playing down, depressed, Including of course Salma Hayek, who’s but determined throughout the movie. He's great as a two-timing actress. Jeanne got enough presence to make us believe he Tripplehorn as her jealous lover must do too can butcher guys three times his size just much screaming early on, but she holds our with speed, discipline, and dirty tricks he eye when she quiets down and lets us see learned campaigning. Joaquin Phoenix is how deep betrayal can cut … And Golden properly self-tortured as Commodus, a Brooks is also a scream as a young African- second-rate Caligula who, historically, American vp-in-charge-of-sistahood, Onyx actually did enjoy playing gladiator in the Richardson, who bristles with lines like Coliseum. Although speaking of “You only think blacks are commercial when professional wrestling, you’d think his they’re shooting each others’ brains out” … crowds would notice the fix was in. My A tag line on the film’s Web site claims that favorite character is probably Proxima — it’s “a story that could only be told in four Oliver Reed has the right battered old face dimensions.” Well, no. Ultimately, I’m and brutal manner to run his own gladiator afraid, we might very well enjoy this little school. He died during the filming, but goes tale a little more without the distractions. out with some good lines, reminiscing about But there could be a story like that someday, golden times in the arena: “The silence and Time Code takes a worthy shot at before you strike. And the noise showing the way. afterwards.” Director Scott joined my personal pantheon with his immortal Blade DECENT: Runner, so we know he can make dark The Devniad, Book 62 Page 12 of 14

action movies. By all the gods, I'm decadent horse!” … Coupla days up from enough to have mildly enjoyed this one. cavemanitude, where they considered a lighted log a wondrous gift from the gods, DRECK: these dudes are deploying tactical and Battlefield Earth — Not far into this nuclear explosives with lines like, “Yeah, miserable clusterhump, we’re ready to let’s blow the dome!” … Never believed I surrender if it means the battle (the movie) would find myself saying this, but L. Ron will be over quicker. Look, instead of my Hubbard’s book’s gotta be better than this. usual thoughtful review, I’ll just spew. You know, like these movie guys did? … SPOILER ALERT: This whole movie isn't just spoiled, it's carrion! … OK, it’s the year Backchat 3000 and Earthguys are primitive slaves and on APA:NESFA #359, April 2000 fugitives (not enough food but they have big fat horses? in the mountains?) getting To Leslie Turek stomped by nasty alien Psychlos. Huge, Much enjoyed your Vienna trip report, cruel beings from a civilization advanced far especially the stuff on the Spanish Riding beyond our own except for dentistry … School. My sister Liz feels that one of the Hero Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, the bravest, most unforgivable horrors of World War II smartest, luckiest man who ever lived, is was that it might have caused those horses abysmally played by Barry Pepper. Looks to miss a meal … familiar. Ah, the sniper in Saving Private Remember reading Mary Stewart’s Airs Ryan — knew as soon as I zeroed in on his Above the Ground when I was a kid, but had face. John Travolta stares up at us from the forgotten that it was the name of a class of bottom of this toilet as the alien security dressage maneuvers. Wonder when boss. His performance as Terl makes “Levade, Courbette, and Capriole” will Travolta’s Barbarino look like Olivier’s show up as questions on Who Wants to Be a Hamlet. Anvil shoe lifts, eighty pounds of Millionaire? makeup, fake shoulders like boulders — all it does is underline what a high, light little To Elisabeth Carey voice Travolta really has … Hurl invents So don’t be coy: regarding your new diabolical ploys like, I promise I won’t kill duplex in Lawrence (congrats, by the way), you. I said I wouldn’t kill you. I didn’t say what’s wrong with the mysterious “tenant in he wouldn’t kill you! Ha ha ha! Whatever. side A”? Just somebody kill me now … Did enjoy the I too have suffered from The Great UPS aliens’ language, though: like bulldogs Runaround. You’re right, getting them to throwing up … Interesting SFX approach divert the package to your office is the best here for a wannabe SF action blockbuster: solution. Hey, if everything’s real dark, we can spend Or you could just hire a butler. shit on the effects budget! … Hurl’s equally clever plan: To teach this stupid human a To Joe Ross lesson, let’s give him our language and all Thanks for one of the most bizarre our technology and then dump him in a factoids in world history: Hedy Lamarr remote place with a bunch of his rebellious invented the spread-spectrum concept now cohorts pretty much unsupervised … used in cordless phones. Top that, Howard Leading to the inevitable human battlecry: Waldrop! Hey, we’ve got 7 days to save the planet! I miss Dan Quayle. Not since Yogi Berra Hey, lucky we found these 1000-year-old has there been such a master of the Harrier hoverjets lying around, ready to malaprop, as you remind us with one from start at the touch of a button. Hey, learning Dan’s good old days: “Republicans combat flying is a snap: “It’s like breaking a The Devniad, Book 62 Page 13 of 14

understand the important of bondage At MiniCon, why do you think the between a mother and child.” Gordon Dickson talk was so poorly And that’s a classic Woody Allen quote attended? He’s certainly known to all older you’ve captured, too, about wanting to fans, and still on the shelves in Borders with achieve immortality through not dying. For material that isn’t too challenging, such as me, though, it’s hard to top his explanation the Hoka stories, for younger fans. I know of how he cheated on his metaphysics exam: he’s a local author there — do people feel “I looked into the soul of the boy next to they’ve been there, done that? Certainly at me.” Boskone, Hal Clement still gets much respect and a decent attendance, right? To Mark Olson Per the priceless Internet Movie Data Thanks very much for your encyclopedic Base (www.imdb.com), your newfound answer re the number of reflections between fourth cousin, James Mangold, directed the two parallel mirrors. Once again, your prose movies Heavy (1995), Cop Land (1997), and was a model of apparently effortless clarity. Girl, Interrupted (1999). He also got writing I almost got about half of it. credits on them, as well as on Oliver and Thanks sincerely for the Hugo nom note, Company (1988). So writing talent runs deep too, Mark. So you think I’m too self-effacing in your family — but was Mangold ever about actually trying to win the fanwriter nominated for a co-author Hugo like his prize. Guilty, with an explanation. Sure, I’d talented Cousin Tony? If you’re interested, like to win, and hope that all reading this there’s a decent photo of him in the archive vote for me because they think I was the at http://us.imdb.com/Gallery?0172493;;2. best fanwriter of 1999. The trouble with Bearded and intense, what a surprise. politicking is that I always think I’m Anyway, Mangold has the rep of a encouraging people to concentrate on the talented, serious-enough director, but not of first half of that sentence at the expense of the first rank. At least yet. I’ve only seen Cop the second. If I win that way, what good is Land, which was OK but could have been it? … Unless you just meant that I should better, considering contributors like De get going, do more distribution, go to more Niro, Keitel, Liotta, Garofalo, even a brief cons, get the stuff up on my fossilzed Web appearance by Edie Falco (today's Mrs. site, and so on. In which case, instead of Anthony Soprano), and oh yes, Sylvester high-minded moral anguish, I fall back upon Stallone. Last thought: Cousin Jim my tried-and-true laziness defense. apparently took down a salary of $1.5 Re the Brian Greene book on string million for Girl, Interrupted, so if you ever theory and your comment, “I don’t know meet for a meal I wouldn’t fight to get the what strings are made of.” Strings are made check. of twisted plant fiber. To Paul Giguere To Ann Hillier So you may miss Boskone next year Thanks for the astronomy bits, as usual. because of school scheduling — how about Not sure about that Mars movie chronology Readercon this July? you copied, though: several of them seem to Nice to see a young (slim, too) guy like have nothing to do with Mars. I can see The you including so many movies older than Martian Chronicles, Mars Attacks, My Favorite you are among the great DVDs/movies. Martian, etc. But my memory says the Blade Runner, Chinatown, and Casablanca extraterrestrial settings and/or creatures of would certainly appear near the top of my Alien, My Stepmom Is an Alien, Independence faves too. Day, Contact, and Men in Black, for instance, One minor cavil: you say 1949’s The are not only not Martian but not even of this Third Man was the admirable Joseph solar system. Cotten’s “swan song.” Not sure if you really To Tony Lewis mean that, in which case you’re being pretty The Devniad, Book 62 Page 14 of 14

harsh on the rest of the guy’s career. Josh: See? Technically, the phrase alludes to the song Donna: But my $700 is helping employ the sung by a dying swan, and so to one’s last people who manufacture and sell DVD creative work. Of course, as Brewer’s players. Not to mention the people who reminds us: about to croak or not, swans manufacture and sell DVDs. It's the natural don’t sing. Unless you count the whistling evolution of a market economy. swan, which rejoices in the tag Cygnus Josh: The problem is, the DVD player you musicus. (With a flourish of apostrophes, I buy might be made in Japan. say whistlin’ ain’t singin’.) Donna: I'll buy an American one. Anyway, Cotten acted in movies and TV Josh: We don't trust you. into the early 1980s, and didn’t actually Donna: Why not? leave the pond until 1994 … Josh: We're Democrats. Donna: I want my money back! To Art Henderson Josh: You shouldn't have voted for us. What a wonderful paean to classical music and to your particular favorites! I And, a little later in the episode: knew a little of it, but you’re way beyond Josh: Donna? me, maestro. Thanks for classing up the Donna: Yes. joint. Josh: How much were the sandwiches? Agree on most of your TV show choices. Donna: Twelve ninety-five. Especially West Wing, wherein I echo Josh: I gave you a twenty. everything you say, fellow Wingnut. Donna: Yes. As it turns out you actually Delightfully liberal, isn’t it? But confident gave me more money than I needed to buy enough to sometimes slam its own point of what you asked for. However, knowing you view … As in the wonderfully concise as I do, I'm afraid I can't trust you to spend debate between breezy White House the change wisely. I've decided to invest it Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley for you. Whitford) and his ditzily attractive aide Josh: That was nice. That was a little Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) about tax relief parable. for a budget surplus. Which debate I’ve Donna: I want my money back. stolen off a great fan Website called An Unofficial Tribute to the West Wing To Lisa Hertel (http://homepages.infoseek. Great line last time: “Mark is into com/~thewestwing) and reprint below for ‘spares,’ which is why I knew we’d never posterity’s sake. It’s the kind of cut-thrust- stop at one child.” Just as long as he doesn’t jape dialog that we fans love most about the extend that philosophy to women … or start show; perhaps it will lure a few more cannibalizing for parts. people to see it. But please, no tired political When you say Liana “was born during rejoinders … Caroline in the City” — what’d you have her on, the TV tray? Donna: What's wrong with me getting my Thanks for mentioning my third-time money back? Hugo nominee status. Some things I never Josh: You won't spend it right. get tired of hearing about … Donna: What do you mean? Josh: Let's say your cut of the surplus is To Tom Endrey $700. I want to take your money and Glad you missed me at Lunacon. I combine it with everybody else's money and mean, sorry I didn’t get to see you there, or use it to pay down the debt and further to go at all (maybe someday), but I’m glad endow social security. What do you want to that — well, you know what I mean. do with it? Agree with many of your complaints Donna: Buy a DVD player. about stupid plot points etc. in Mission to The Devniad, Book 62 Page 15 of 14

Mars. But I still ended up liking its affirmative sensawunda spirit more than you. Think the difference, Tom, is that it gored your oxen about ancient astronauts, Velikovsky, the Mars Face, etc., while I’m not as invested in alternative theories of solar system history. (Mildly interested sometimes, and mindful of the strong interest they arouse in people I respect, including you, my brother Michael, my friend Steve, and another scientist or two — but not invested.) Admit I did find the movie’s handling of that last item needlessly confusing. Why bother to put a giant Face on the planet Mars — but it’s not the Mars Face, and you never even acknowledge the controversy? Incidentally, just bought Richard Belzer’s JFK, UFOs, and Elvis on your recommendation, Tom. Looks great. See you on the Art Bell show any day now … Interesting that you singled out Gary Sinese for his performance in the 1994 TV miniseries of The Stand. Absolutely. That’s one of the early roles I always think of when I think about him; would see that one again. I liked the Zenna Henderson stories a whole lot more than you, too, Tom. Even if I’m not "one of the girls." I don’t remember Henderson’s bringing any new SF ideas to the table. But in an era when most of what I was reading was hard/adventure SF, I cherished her stories for their style, their humanity, and their utter differentness in dealing with one of the strangest worlds of all: our own. American small-town culture in the 50s and 60s. No galactic conquerors, no zap guns, no melodrama. Just the high true drama of schoolkids and teachers and housewives and other ordinary folk who weren’t so ordinary after all inside, but had to hide that from their neighbors. Henderson’s stuff made SF real in a way that most other books didn’t.