SFSFS Shuttle 86
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CONTENTS 3 Meeting News 4 Editorials 5 Book Reviews - Beefy Peters 6 It Came in the Mail 7 Video Pirate - Captain J. Allyn 8 Conference Thanx 9 LOC’s 11 FANAC 12 Tropicon XI News 13 T-XI Flyer 14 Tucker Nomination Form 15 Membership Application Form 16 Birthdays Shuttle Crew Errata: Editors: Art on pages 9 & 10 of Shuttle #85 were by Don Cochran, Fran Mullen Sheryl Birkhead (Sorry, Sheryl, my mind Cuntribators: ..... has been mush lately. Fran). Beefy Peters, J. Allyn, Gerry Adair Cover: Correspondence should be addressed to: Sheryl Birkhead SFSFS Shuttle Editor Art: PO Box 70143 Sheryl Birkhead, Peggy Ranson, Teddy Fort Lauderdale, FL 33307-0143 Harvia, Phil Tortorici or E-Mailed to Fran Mullen via Shuttle Logo: CompuServe # 76137,3645 Phil Tortorici SFSFS Logo: COA’s should be sent Gail Bennett to the SFSFS Secretary • Work Crews at the above PO Box Bill Wilson, Cindy Warmuth Deadline for June Shuttle: Sunday, May 31,1992 The SFSFS SHUTTLE May 1992 #86 The South Florida Science Fiction Society is a Florida non-profit educational corporation recognized by the Internal Revenue Service under Section 501 (c) (3^. General membership is $15 per year for adults, $1 for children (see form at the back of this issue for current pro-rated dues). Subscribing membership is $1 per issue. The views, reviews, and opinions expressed in the SFSFS SHUTTLE are those of the authors and artists and not necessarily those of the publishers. And so it goes . SEMPER SURSUM May 1992 Issue #86 The Official SFSFS Newsletter In June, Arlene Garcia will present a MAY MEETING program on Fantasy for young folk. As we are all young at heart this should be of DATE: Sunday, May 31, 1992 interest to all of us! Date and location TIME: 2:00pm to 5:00pm PLACE: South Regional/BCC Library TBA. Room 208 (2nd floor) 7300 Pines Boulevard t-xi concomm Pembroke Pines, FL 33024 Gerry has called the next meeting for one (305) 963-8825 hour prior to the general meeting, May 31, 1:00pm in room 208 at the South Regional now to gii there: Library. He is still looking for some Take 1-95 to the Hollywood/Pines exit, then department heads. All are welcome to drive due west. The campus fronts the south attend and let their views be heard, as this is side of Pines Blvd about four miles west of a function of SFSFS. S.R 7 (441). If you are taking the Turnpike, take the Hollywood exit, and go west about three miles. There is HOT FLASH ample parking (if you reach University Check out the most recent issue of Starlog Drive, you have gone about two blocks too Magazine (June #179) for an interview of far) Florida’s own Rob MacGregor on page 59. Those of you who missed our February Call Francine at (305) 435-9572 if you need meeting can get the scuttlebutt on his next additional information. two novels, Indiana Jones and the Unicorn’s Legacy and Indiana Jones and PROGRAM: the Interior World (due out September and THE EXCITING LIFE OF A WRITER December). - or - DON’T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB... Our May meeting will feature Miami author Gary Alan Ruse (Death Hunt on a Dying COA: Planet, and Moria k: Quest of the Green Jeff Allen & Mary Barbot Allen Magician), who will be our next Travelling 415 Kern Street Fete GOH (which, due to extenuating West Palm Beach, FL 33415 circumstance and heavy Magicon responsibilities, has been rescheduled to The postal orifice informs me that Sarah July 1993). Clemens’ correct zip code is 33405. 3 F.M. Station DECla rations I finished the Shuttle last month in record Isaac Asimov, one of the great names in time, had it copied, stapled and stamped. science fiction, is dead. After his first story, Then I heard the fateful news about one of "Marooned off Vesta", was published in my favorite authors. Should I enclose an 1939, he created a unique place in the field. insert? No, everyone would have heard by No other' writer has written so much on so the time they received the Shuttle, and it many subjects. He is best known for his would not have been enough. So I made a positronic robots and the Foundation series. decision to wait till this ish. The psychohistory stories, collected in three Isaac Asimov 1920 -1992 books (Foundation, Fonndation And Mr. Asimov died Monday morning, April 6, Empire, and Second Foundation), were 1992, of heart and kidney failure at New voted as the best series of all time. A poll York University Hospital. His wife Janet picked his "Nightfall" as the best short story and daughter Robyn were at his side. ever. Caves of Steel, which introduced the I grew up reading his stories. My all-time human-appearing robot Daneel Olivaw, is favorite books are the Robot novels and the the best science fiction mystery ever written. short stories on the evolution of the After Sputnik he turned to writing science positronic brain. His laws of robotics set books for the layperson. These contributed the standard for all subsequent stories greatly to the technological awakening of the concerning robots. He shared his life with USA. However, I sometimes wonder about me in The Early Asimov, and Before the the stories that might have been written. He Golden Age, making the sf giant more was a witty and entertaining speaker, often human for one who dreamed his dreams. shocking his audience for effect Here’s to His Foundation "trilogy" and other SF "Good Doctor A". novels gave me long hours of reading pleasure. I never personally met him, but I Here’s the second half of my favorite list, iievei wit the need. Somehow I already evem more subjective than the last. These knew him. And I mourn the loss. are my favorite books for each letter: - Pebble in the Sky (Asimov), The Stars My Destination (Bester), The City and the Stars (Clarke), Lest Darkness Fall (deCamp), Alien Minds (Evans), The SFSFS vs DINOSAURS Maker of Universes (Farmer), The 20 Members of SFSFS attended the Weirdstone of Brisingamen (Garner), The meeting at the Miami Museum of Science (it Door into Summer (Heinlein), no I, rained at exactly 1:00pm!). There was a Renaissance (Jones), Fury (Kuttner), A short meeting, a group photo was taken, Wizard of Earthsea (Le Guin), then we all trouped in to see the Dino-Wars Dragonflight (McCaffrey), Star Man’s Son show. Members spread all over the museum (Norton), The Winds of Time (Oliver), learning about dinosaurs and did a bit of Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen (Piper), no Q, hands-on at the various science exhibits, Sentinels of Space (Russell), The Witches learning scientific principles and the of Karres (Schmitz), The Lord of the Rings limitations on the human body. Afterwards, (Tolkien), no U, The Weapon Shops of a bunch of us visited the Grove Antiquarian Isher (van Vogt), Star Bridge (Williamson), and found a nice collection of SF. I believe no X or Y, Nine Princes in Amber we left a bit of the green stuff there, also. (Zelazny). At the meeting, the members voted to re-instate Blaine Ashby and Cindy Warmuth as General Members. Eligible for upgrade from General to During the month of May, art lovers will Regular members are: Christine Kittier, find a most interesting display of Space Art Frederick Bragdon, Cliff Dunbar, Arlene at Becky Peters’ Riverland Branch Library. Garcia, Bert Garcia, Deanna Lyman, Dave The address is 2710 W. Davie Blvd. Phone Lyman, Alex Lyman and Ahava Drazin. (305)791-1085 for info. PHULE’S PARADISE, Robert Asprin Ace, cl992, ISBN 0-441-66253-6, $4.99 THE GENOCIDAL HEALER, James White Although this shows the same off-the-wall Ballantine, c!991, ISBN 0-345-37109-7, humor and brings back the majority of the $4.99 characters that enlivened PHULE’S COMPANY, it does not stand as well on its This was the title taken on my recent own. I enjoyed it, read it in one sitting but hospital jaunt - but not a one of the bustling have to confess to some disappointment that "care"-takers who bounced in and out our hero lets himself be out-thought and noticed the title...a perfectly good opening out- maneuvered. Perhaps this will be set to gambit wasted! Needless to say the book is rights in volume three....which I will get if a good read and showcases White’s philosophical bent quite nicely. (Fair only to see if Maxine gets hoisted with her warning - I generally recommend anything own petard! by this author!). I have always enjoyed the Sector General GIFTS OF BLOOD, Susan Petrey novels. White’s aliens are always well BAEN, cl 992, ISBN 0-671-72107-0, $4.50 developed, complete with background, mores and understandable (even if not This is a collection of all of the- author’s always likeable) personalities. It is always known stories, compiled as a memorial. My interesting to see how previous characters immediate response was "what a waste!" - (O’Mara, Prilicla, Conway, etc.) have her talent and different mind-set wpuld have . i<mtured aud how the^Urreat pTvblcms are enhanced the field. Although the sfdries ' delineated and resolved. The current one is would benefit by not being read together in a doozy: do good intentions outweigh on sitting, the unusual setting and ignorance when an act of healing leads to considerable background are fascinating. the death of an entire planetary population? She used her background in Russian and Surgeon-Captain Lioren, of the planet Tarla, Turkish to create a tribe of healers, the can not accept lack of punishment, and his Varkela.