SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW 19 $1.25 SFR INTERVIEWS Philip K. Dick • keiiy fi*eas ALIEN THOUGHTS SFR-type zine is a special interest item with inherently limited sales BY THE EDITOR potential (except in the growing number of science fiction and fantasy bookstores who sell quite a few). Sometimes I think I should have The following 'diary' format for started a zine called EROTIC VIEW¬ SFR is a change I've been tinkering POINTS: pics, letters, opinion, fic¬ with in the back of my head (far away tion. I'd be rich. from Alter's lair) for about a year. A combination of the usual "Alien • Thoughts" elements in dated form, in 8-3-76 Boxed and Jiffy-bagged all extensia and extremis. How much of the bookstore orders and got them it can the readers want? IMs seems off. Took two days. Every issue I to be the ultimate domination of the pick up two or three new bookstores, zine by the editor and will probably and drop two or three. quiet those who continually cry for 'more Geis'. ************************************ The advantages are obvious: I THE HADONIST don't have to buy as much outside FLIGHT TO OPAR material and I can indulge myself By Philip Jose Farmer shamelessly. Hie disadvantages are 7-30-76 Made my Friday self-impos¬ DAW UW1238, $1.50 the rigors of reading and reviewing ed deadline and got the subscription- a great deal more, and the danger complimentary- trade copies to the Reviewed by REG and the likelihood of making a damn post office in labeled sacks, all in Book two in the saga of Hadon of fool of myself---more exposure, more order, nice, nice, for the second Opar, the hero of the savage, Olympic risk. But I hereby stipulate to the class mailing. All that zip sorting -type games of the twin inland seas court of public opinion that I am and packaging and sacking and label¬ of central africa—12,000 years ago. now and always have been a member of ing drives me up the wall, and each He should have been made king of the Damn Fool party, so I am there¬ time I get halfWay through the pro¬ the Khokarsan empire but was cheated fore freed to be a damn fool when cess I interupt the labor to desper¬ by a usurper King and escaped impris¬ the inevitable impulse takes me and ately figure simpler alternatives onment and death during a vast earth¬ my better judgement is off somewhere (Second Class Transient...even First quake. weeding the garden. Class...Book Rate) but I always con¬ He has heeded the oracle's pre¬ Let the fun begin. clude the savings in postage---on the diction that his lovely wife will order of $150. per mailing---is worth give birth to a famous person if the mind-scrambling detail. But, oh, bom in Opar. In flight with his • those damned weird zones, those zip- small coterie he has adventures on code oddities, those sacking require¬ the inland seas and in the strange, 7-19-76 My birthday. Don't ask. ments- w cities that live on the coasts. Times Litho delivered SFR 18 this 47- There is intrigue, death and convinc¬ morning, surprisingly quick service Jimmy Carter, our next President, ing realism and utterly believable even for them. Less than a week. is coming on as one smart, tough, detail and background in this series. I had 5800 copies printed, up from relentless, admirable Liberal. His The vast struggle between the fol¬ 5500, to keep abreast of new subs choice of advisors in foreign affairs lowers of mighty goddess Kho and the and the slow increase in bookstore and economics signals his coming sol¬ userper male god Resu is fascinat¬ sales. I retain about 2300 copies utions—"solutions"—to national ing as it warps every life and is in reserve for back issue sales in problems. He probably fancies him¬ the crucible of history. I love it. future years. self a new Roosevelt. Farmer is so convincing that I Carter speaks with forked smile. I just had #9 reprinted--3000 really believe there was water cov¬ copies---and soon will have to have The economy is slowing down now, ering what are now the Chad and Congo #10 and #14 reprinted, too. All the and the upcoming July unemployment basins and that this was the cradle mimeographed issues will follow in figures ought to be interesting. Any of the world's first great civiliza¬ the next six months or so, as they kind of uptick will go a long way to tion. are exhausted. I can see the SFR sinking Ford. He's been taking the The first book was HADON OF AN¬ bank account melting away.... credit for the improving economy and CIENT OPAR, DAW UW1241, $1.50. that has been the backbone of his con¬ News that the postal unions, to tention that he is electable in Nov¬ protest the deficit-imposed cut-back ember. With the economy faltering he 8-4-76 Linda Bushyager's new KAR- in postal services and schedules, will be seen as very much un-elect¬ RASS arrived and as usual I read it are going to stop the mails soon. able, and this may give Reagan the first off---an excellent fan-news and That has got to be grotesque: that's talking point he needs to get the fan-opinion zine. like "We had to destroy the village She reports that John Miesel will in order to save it." Classic line. probably be introducing a motion at I fell instantly in love with the business meeting of the Mid-Amer¬ the new look of SFR 18---the appear¬ 7-31-76 \ Went through my accounts ican Con (the World SF convention ance of this IBM Delegate typeface receivable for the bookstores this this year, at Kansas City) to abolish at 12 spaces per inch. The other morning and found about twenty stores the fan Hugo awards (Best Fan Writer, typefaces worked beautifully in the way behind in paying. Pulled those Best Fan Artist, Best Amateur Maga¬ SFR format and functions. I will who were still owing for SFR 14-15- zine) as no longer viable awards. reduce the print just a bit more in 16 and send them a nicely phrased This is spoil-sport behavior if #19, I think. To a 36 space line in form letter saying in effect you-got- it comes off; these faans are pissed these columns, from a 34 space line ta-pay-before-I-send-the-latest-is- off that SFR, ALGOL and LOCUS have in #18. This will add maybe 100 sue. won the Best Amateur Magazine award more words per page...maybe 5000 I suspect most of them will for the last six or seven years. words per issue. I suppose Alter shrug, throw the letter away and for¬ They think large circulations make will claim them. get to pay the past due invoices. for winners, and that the small cir¬ "Damn right, Geis! I could use Sad but true that not more than culation "truly amateur" zine has no ten pages all for myself. I could--' a small percentage of bookstores are chance to win. All right! STAY in your pages, willing to carry a small-press zine. They conveniently ignore the Too much trouble. And of course an keep your goddamned voice out of my fact that no.more than four or five new diary pages. hundred votes are ever cast for the COVER BY TIM KIRK SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW ALIEN THOUGHTS.2 Formerly THE ALIEH CRITIC 07911 °’ UK AN INTERVIEW WITH PHILIP K. DICK Conducted by Daniel DePrez.6 AUGUST 1976 REVIEWS IS THERE SCIENCE FICTION BEYOND FLIGHT TO OPAR VOLUME FIVE, NUMBER THREE THE BORDER? Reviewed by REG.2 WHOLE NUMBER EIGHTEEN By Bruce Robbins.16 HEALER Richard E. Geis THE NOTEBOOKS OF MACK SIKES Reviewed by REG.4 FDITOR ft PIIBI ISHFR By Larry Niven.21 THE MAKING OF KING KONG Reviewed by Buzz Dixon.6 PUBLISHED QUARTERLY CELEBRATING THE WILD BLACK YONDER February, May, August, November By Wayne N. Keyser.27 DEUS IRAE Reviewed by REG.19 Single Copy-$1.25 THE VIVISECTOR LEGACY A Column By Darrell Schweitzer.28 SPACE TRAP SUBSCRIPTIONS BIRTH OF FIRE UNITED STATES: $4.00 One Year PROZINE NOTES.37 Reviewed by Lynne Holdom.22 $7.00 Two Years THE SHATTERED CHAIN ANGEL FEAR: A Sort-of Review Column CANADA*: US$4.50 One Year of SF Art CHANGE THE HORDE US$8.00 Two Years By Freff.38 * Canadians may pay with personal Reviewed by Lynne Holdom... -.23 cheques if the chequing acct. AN INTERVIEW WITH FRANK KELLY FREAS MINDBRIDGE number on their cheques is printed Conducted by Freff.42 Reviewed by REG.24 in computer numerals. (Thus we FOR TEXAS AND ZED become slaves to the needs of the SMALL PRESS NOTES.46 Machine.) Reviewed by REG.25 UNITED KINGDOM: SF NEWSLETTER FROM ITALY THE CRAFT OF SCIENCE FICTION By Gianni Montanari.53 UNIVERSE 6 Due to constant de¬ terioration of the English pound, no THE FURUOLOGICAL CONGRESS THE ALTER-EGO VIEWPOINT FUTURE POWER current subscription rates can be set. Please query Wm. Dawsons 8 Sons, ad¬ By Alter 8 Geis.53 MERVYN PEAKE WRITINGS 8 DRAWINGS dress below. Reviewed by Darrell Schweitzer.... 28 ALIEN CONCLUSIONS.55 BACK ISSUES of TAC 8 SFR are WHAT DOES WOMAN WANT? available from: FANTAST (MEDWAY) LTD., Reviewed by Robert Anton Wilson...36 39 West St., Wisbech, Cambs., PE13 2LX THE HAB THEORY Reviewed by Ronald R.