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Home , Byron Preiss, Dark Valley Destiny, Dean Ing, Harry Harrison (writer), Howard Chaykin, Immortals (anthology)

SPRING T)T7"\/|IjlTITNUMBER54 1985 XXEjVJ.JLVV$2.50

BRAD FOSTE: HANNAH SHAPERODARRELLSCHWEITZER ALEXIS GILLILANDDAMONKNIGHT GENEDEWEESE ELTONELLIOTT

interview L.NEILSMITH

GEIS RICHARD SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW (ISSN: 0036-8377) P.O. BOX 11408 PORTLAND, OR 97211 FEBRUARY, 1985 - VOL. 14, NO. 1 PHONE (503) 282-0381 WHOLE NUMBER 54

RICHARD E. GEIS—editor & publisher ALIEN THOUGHTS.A PAULETTE MINARE', ASSOCIATE EDITOR BY RICHARD E. GE1S ALIEN THOUGHTS.4 PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY RICHARD E, GEIS FEB., MAY, AUG., NOV.

interview: L. NEIL SMITH.8 SINGLE COPY - $2.50 CONDUCTED BY NEAL WILGUS THE VIVISECT0R.50 BY DARRELL SCHWEITZER NOISE LEVEL.16 A COLUMN BY JOUV BRUNNER NOT NECESSARILY REVIEWS.54 SUBSCRIPTIONS BY RICHARD E. GEIS SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW ONCE OVER LIGHTLY.18 P.O. BOX 11408 BOOK REVIEWS BY GENE DEWEESE LETTERS I NEVER ANSWERED.57 PORTLAND, OR 97211 BY LETTERS.20 FOR ONE YEAR AND FOR MAXIMUM 7-ISSUE FORREST J. ACKERMAN SUBSCRIPTIONS AT FOUR-ISSUES-PER- TEN YEARS AGO IN SF- YEAR SCHEDULE. FINAL ISSUE: IYOV■186. BUZZ DIXON WINTER, 1974.57 BUZ BUSBY BY ROBERT SABELLA : $9.00 One Year DARRELL SCHWEITZER $15.75 Seven Issues KERRY E. DAVIS SMALL PRESS NOTES.58 RONALD L, LAMBERT BY RICHARD E. GEIS ALL FOREIGN: US$9.50 One Year ALAN DEAN FOSTER US$15.75 Seven Issues PETER PINTO RAISING HACKLES.60 NEAL WILGUS BY ELTON T. ELLIOTT All foreign subscriptions must be ROBERT A.Wi LOWNDES paid in US$ cheques or money orders, except to designated agents below: UK: Wm. Dawson & Sons LEE DOROSCHENKO Cannon House DEAN R. LAMBE Folkestone, Kent, CT19 5EE JESS E. STEWARD AUSTRALIA: Space Age Books JOEL ROSENBURG 305-307 Swanston St. Melbourne, 3000 Vic. JANRAE FRANK RICHMAN G. LEWIN PLEASE MAKE ALL CHECKS, CHEQUES, OR MONEY ORDERS PAYABLE TO RICHARD E. RED-HAIRED HEROES, BROW-HAIRED GEIS. LOSERS.33 BY HANNAH M.G. SHAPERO IF YOU MOVE WE NEED YOUR FORMER ZIP- CODE AND YOUR NEW COMPLETE ADDRESS?" OTHER WICES.35 BOOK REVIEWS BY ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS, NEW AND OLD, ARE KARL EDD HONORED AND FULFILLED ON AN ISSUES ROBERT SABELLA NUMBER BASIS. STUART NAPIER PAUL MCGUIRE BILL WINANS Copyright (c) 1985 by Richard E. GLENN T. WILSON Geis. One-time rights only have PAULETTE MINARE' been acquired from signed or cred¬ MARK MANSELL ited contributors, and all other ALLEN VARNEY rights are hereby assigned to the JOHN DIPRETE contributors. ALMA JO WILLIAMS ED BURNS IAN COVELL SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW is published NEAL WILGUS at 1525 N.E. Ainsworth, Portland, NO ADVERTISING WILL BE ACCEPTED OR 97211 THE UNKNOWN REVIEWER POSTMASTER: Send address changes JANRAE FRANK Second Class Postage Paid to SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW RUSSELL ENGEBRETSON at Portland, OR 97208 W, RITCHIE BENEDICT POB 11408 DEAN R. LAMBE Portland, OR 97211 REVIEWS- ETERNITY.54 FIRE PATTERN.55 TOM PAINE MARU.15 THE TIDES OF TIPE.55 CALL PE SNAKE.18 FREE LIVE FREE....55 POHLSTARS.18 RICHARD AMAZING—MARCH, 1985.56 RED LIMIT FREEWAY.18 INTERZONE #9.56 SUN'S END.18 OWL TIPE.56 EMERGENCE. DRAGONROUGE...57 E. OMWl'S SCREEN FLIGHTS/SCREEN TFE KING OF SATAN S EYES.57 . tiger! tiger!.58 HELLSTAR. THE MAN WHO MADE MODELS AND ICEHENGE. OTHER STORIES.58 GEIS TFE PARADOX PEN. CONCORDANCE TO CORDWAINER THREADS. SMITH. 58 A PERSONAL JOURNAL cugel's saga. BATTLEFIELD EARTH 1985 THE YEAR'S BEST SF. SF CALENDAR.58 CLOUD WARRIOR. THE FABULOUS FURRY FREAK CITY OF SORCERY.56 BROS; IDIOTS ABROAD, P.1....58 I'm going to tiy to do some¬ DESTINATION MOON.36 NIVEN S LAWS...... 59 thing I've wanted to do for a ALIENS FROM ANALOG.37 REVIEW #74.59 long time—write a totally hon¬ EPERGENCE.37 THE CALENDAR OF THE TREES....59 est journal to myself, which I THE DUNGEON MASTER.37 THE WHITEHORN WOOD.59 will share with you. SLEEPLESS NIGHTS IN THE A HISTORY OF THE HUGO, PROCRUSTEAN BED.38 This means I'll have to grit NEBULA AND INTERNATIONAL my teeth a lot as I'm writing APERICAN FLAGG!.38 FANTASY AWARDS.59 THE ADVENTURES OF SAMURAI CAt39 this new REG, and it means you'll TFE HOUSE OF CTHULHU AND be somewhat aghast as you read THE TITHONION FACTOR.39 OTHER TALES OF THE PRIMAL what I'll be writing. ENCHANTMENT...39 LAND.59 STILL LIVING?.40 GUERRILLA CAPITALISM.59 Necessarily, there are a few CONSCIENCE PLACE.40 SURVIVAL.62 personal areas which will be off- STREET LETHAL.41 PAST TIMES....62 . But daimed few. SF AND FANTASY HANDBOOK.41 S WONDERFUL FUZZIES AND OTHER PEOPLE.41 Understand, I'm going to be WORLDS OF SF: #3 SUPERMEN..62 writing REG for the record, for THE TALISMAN.41 LIMITS.62 CHAOS IN LAGRANGIA.42 myself ten to fifteen years from TROJAN ORBIT.62 now, with personal notes of infor¬ THE RHYSLING ANTHOLOGY.42 TFE WORMS.62 THE DARWATH TRILOGY: mation, reminders, confessions, TIPESCOOP.62 guilts, joys, shames. THE TIPE OF THE DARK TRUE NAPES.63 TFE WALLS OF AIR THE OF TFE NIGHT.63 There will be constant predic¬ THE ARMIES OF DAYLIGHT.42 tions, as a constant test of my A ROSE FOR ARMAGEDDON.43 version of reality, and hopefully THE SEVEN TOWERS.44 some learning from these tests. THE LAND OF LAUGHS.44 GOLDEN WITCHBREED.44 INTERIOR ART- There will be prejudice, nak¬ WORLDS BEYOND: THE ART OF ed rage, lust... Worries, fears, TIM KIRK—2,4,58 CHESLEY BONESTELL.45 hopes. ON A PALE HORSE.45 I know very honest personal BEARING AN HOURGLASS.45 journals have been written before, THE NIGHT OF THE RIPPER.46 BILL ROTSLER- but none in this public way that MOON-FLASH.46 ;Lr^~6,8/"b,8-14, BRAD FOSTER- d,41,54,63 I know of. THE REENCHANTPENT OF THE 10,15, ^ BUZZ DIXON-- WORLD.46 If you'd like to read a few DINOSAUR TALES.47 -;20„„ issues, they will cost you $1.00 DEMONS OF THE DANCING GODS...47 mv^TRANSUE^--^l. 30?36,37,38,39,40, per issue. DESCENT FROM XANADU.48 42,43,46,48,49,55,56 See page S9 for further PALIMPSESTS.48 GEORGE KOCHELL-24 details. ARIEL.,.48 BOB BARGER-33 ANALOG: WRITER S CHOICE III. .49 ALLEN KOSZOWSKI-34 UNIVERSE 14.49 MIKE ARDEN-47 THE CLARION AWARDS.49 OLE PETTERSON-53 BELOVED EXILE.50 TFE JOIEJ W. CAMPBELL AWARDS, VOL. FIVE.51 TFE CON GLOME ROID COCKTAIL PARTY.51 STARS IN MY POCKETS LIKE GRAINS OF SAND.52 wonder's child.53 THE DARK BARBARIAN, THE WRITINGS OF ROBERT E. HOWARD.53 THE CREATURE FEATURES MOVIE GUIDE.53 STARS IN MY POCKET LIKE GRAINS OF SAND.54 TRAVELER #1: TO KILL A SHADOW.54 civil unrest or crisis. They were afraid of socialist revolution at that time, believe it or not. Last week a small group of acti¬ vists sat dovm in a road to prevent ouew a logging ccmpnay from cutting down sane special trees or from wreaking havoc in a primeval forest...some¬ thing like that. The Sheriff on the scene ordered two news media THOUGHTS photographers and another man who was present to help drag the pro¬ testors out of the way. The three men refused [one because of back trouble, the other two because they were newspeople on assignment. All did not believe the Sheriff had the I RICHARD E. GEISI authority to inpress than into his force. Now they have been indicted for refusal to obey the law, a law even the comity distict attorney hadn't TIE FUTIRE IS AS FUTURE DOES... Eight more issues (coixiting this one).... known existed. 11-1-84 Plans change. Expectations I see light at the end of the It will be appealed by the ACLU change..-but as of now these are the vagina_er..tunnel. [I'll be a and probably declared unconstitution¬ plans I have for SFR over the next bom-again anateur publisher!] al. It had never been used or test¬ two years. ed in court before. As of now, SFR #61 (November, Aren't legislatures wonderfull? 1986) will be the final issue of the magazine in its present incarnation. # And the Portland City Council, At that point I'll decide *beth- I DCN'T SB® CARDS... invincible in its "response" to a er to change its format, schedule, But I enjoy receiving few neighborhood crybabies who ob¬ size...or whether to change to a per- than. They are tokens of love and ject to prostitutes standing cm maj¬ sonalzine, or a half-and-half zine... respect and achni ration, I hope, or arterial streetcomers and men So renewals of subscriptions will and this year Paulette and I receiv¬ stopping to talk/pick-them-up (but be limited to [this issue] 7 issues. ed whole lot more than ever before say nary a word about drinks shout¬ And next issue, the maxi nun re¬ from friends in fandom and prodom, ing and fighting around the neigh¬ newal will be six issues...and so on from subscribers... And we say borhood taverns, and driving away uitil at issue #60, only a next-issue thank you for all these Christmas drink) has passed a clearly un¬ subscription will be available. cards and the good wishes in letters constitutional series of ordinances [There are, now, a few over-61 and cm subscription renewals. aimed at preventing "pickup" activ¬ subscriptions on the books, but that Each year I intend to wish ities. Thou shalt not now stop and problem—if it is a problem at #61- everyone a happy holiday season, and talk to people on the sidewalk, nor time—will not be nBjor. We'll work like as not I forget to add those circle the block, nor call out from something out. Most likely it will sentiments when I'm pasting up the your car. be an offer to use up the SFR subs November issue in early October. "Lhenforceable" says the public in my now-projected personal zine (or So, with the aid of your time defenders and private defense atom- on an issue-by-issue continued pub¬ machine, go back now and enjoy Christ¬ eys. ’Thconstitutional" says the lishing of SFR)] mas all over again and know that we Portland ACLU. wish you all the best that Santa and But the Council is mindful of Why the phasing out of SFR? I'm 1985 can bring. votes and to hell with civil rights basically tired of it. And I'm very and the costs of prosecution and tired of hassling with printers over lousy printing, lousy magazine hand¬ ling in the shop...and I'm getting HAS ANYWC EVER PIBLI9CD A exquisitely tired of the arcane and TITLED TFE RIM GREATER? I GOT DIBS intricate rules and regulations the ON IT FOR 1986-7. Thanks to Paulette post office bureaucracy has develop¬ for thinking of it. She's develop¬ ed and loosed on nailers over the ing a fine fannish mind. past fifty years, to the point that their book of rules and regulations I ALSO PEED THE NAME Al® ADDRESS OF is now thicker and more wordy than lit FAN WO PUBLISHED RECENTLY A the Bible, and infinitely more dif¬ LISTING OF ALL TIC AMATEUR PRESS ficult to read and understand. For ASSOCIATIONS CURRENTLY ALIVE IN TIE the post office, like the IRS, sim¬ SF, FANTASY, LIBERTARIAN, COUNTER¬ plicity is the enemy, the public is CULTURE AREAS OF INDIVIDUAL PUBLISH¬ the enemy and its small, non-comput- ING. THANCS. AH 'PRECIATE IT. erized mailers are the enemy. After SFR #61, anything I pub¬ lish will go first class, period. I will be through with sorting by state, by sectional sorting cen¬ # In 1921 of leg¬ islature passed a law giving police ter, by city, by section of city, officers the power to commmd citi¬ and with bundling and sack¬ zens to help them in a situation of ing and mailing statements and zones and stickers and this and that.... fighting these laws up the line to takes effect. A car, a new fridge, # The death of Jim Fixx, "Mr. the state Supreme Court, and perhaps stove, VCR_ Jogging", the author of the trend- into the federal systan. But what I find hilarious is the setting book THE 09VLEAT RUMER One Councilperson asked an at¬ extrane likelihood that with a de¬ (Or was it THE OOMPLEAT JOGGER?) torney what his solution to street pression closing its jaws cn this will I expect make some dedicated prostitution was and he suggested country--and the v»rld--the "take" joggers think twice. Here was a a "free enterprise" zone where the from a sales tax will be smaller man who had been running for ten girls would not be harrassed or than expected, and as property years or so, who ran at least ten arrested. values shrink, the property tax miles each day—who suddenly, at The Council refused to deal with totals will decline, throwing the age 52, dropped dead of a massive such a rational, sensible, workable government into another agony of heart attack. solution. You get better press "revenue shortfall." That is similar to Adelle Davis, the author of many bestselling vitamin fighting prostitution, not legaliz¬ As for the eccnomy at the moment therapy books [LET'S EAT RIOT TO ing it. —it's poised cn the brink of col¬ KEEP FIT] who disgracefully died in lapse. This will surprise everyme her late fifties or early sixties of but me—and you, if you believe me. liver cancer. She had written that I vn't bore you with the accuu- TIC ELECTION AM) ALL THAT JAZZ the right vitamins in the right lation of reasons I believe this; it 11-11-84 I toid to relax for a few amounts could prevent cancer, as is rooted in the fundamental fact weeks after an issue of SFR is mail¬ well as almost every other human that sooner or later a debt bubble ed out. 1 piddle and diddle and disease. will collapse, and the current incred¬ But Jim Fixx's father had died ■use to myself. I put things off ibly expanded and tremblingly weak mtil my batteries recharge. of a heart attack in his forties, and bubble has been losing air and cred¬ But I did get out and vote. there were other, similar, early ibility and stability for the past I looked upon the ballot in the heart attack problems in his geneo- year at ever-increasing speed. sacred booth, and in that canvas- logy, so one could say his genes and And we'll probably see a nation¬ enclosed privacy I could not stomach ENA got him, not jogging. al yearly deficit approaching 300 Reagan or ftmdale, liars and evaders And perhaps Adelle Davis inherit¬ billion dollars in 1986, chaos in ed a tendency to cancer. I don't both. I Buttered, "Time for a the markets, a paralyzed administra¬ change, America!" and carefully know about that. tion and congress, and bankruptcies printed in the name of a man idio But these exa^ules tend to prove by the hundreds of thousands. would be a nuch better president. my suspicion that biology roles us [And if there is a trillion dol¬ R-i-c-h-a-r-d E. G-e-i-s. Wotthe- and dictates to us even unto death lars being wiped off the asset side hell! far more than our rational minds. of the national ledgers because of Ne my propose, but our genes dispose Here in Oregon the voters in uncollectable loans and bankruptcies, (usually of us). their wisdom decided they wanted a and losses of jobs/incomes, a govern¬ And how and when our parents die ment deficit of 300 billion will not state lottery to help pay the bills. is probably more i^ortant to our That's fine with me: I think the overcome the net loss of money in prospects than our will to live by spectacle of the government urging this country, trfiich means deflation being in good shape and eating right. people to gamble, waggling a mil non¬ as fewer dollars command more buying But then there's the psychologi¬ dollar carrot before their noses, power. Welcome to The Second Great cal theory that we usually only have Depression, America.] is wonderful for two reasons—it "permission" to live as long as our demeans government and reduces it The social and cultural conse¬ parents, according to the Script to its true morality, and it gives quences will be staggering. What we've had impressed in us by our the people what they want—an op¬ will happen when the Yuppy genera¬ parents. portunity to act stupidly and to tion discovers its high-paying jobs Some Scripts can conmnd an ear¬ pay for their stupidity. disappearing and its mortgages un¬ ly death by drugs, alcohol, corpu¬ I'll happily avoid the lottery payable? The current bubble of lence, other self-irakilgence or guilt like the plague, having better ways enthusiasm for individuality, private trips and guilt puiislments. of wasting my money, and will be enterprise, less government regula¬ Sane people, aware of the Script¬ content to let others pay more than tion and contenpt for unions will ing process as described by Trans- their share of taxes as I pay less. melt away like ice cream in a stew Cki the other hand, the voters pot. The Yuppy self-reliance will UJE INSURANCE AQEMTC defeated a property-tax limitation turn out to be masquerading self- WORSHIP A VEhqSVL measure—by less that 16,000 votes interest, and that will scream like qo>... AfACrHlNfr AW/FVL out of over half a million, I be¬ a spoiled baby for succor from the THAT (SM‘r CovEf£tr |»4 Big Mama Government. lieve—and will now have to deal OUR TOMC1ES an with the result: the s triable-bun Big Mama will keep them alive, state legislature this new year will all right, but at a terrible cost to ACT OF v.Gc cobble together a sales tax and off¬ them in humiliation and shattered er it to the people in a special illusions. Ah, how awful to be rub¬ election. The measure will likely bing elbows with the old welfare be loaded with carrots to attract class in the foodstamp lines! support: dedication of a percentage And meanwhile, those who pru¬ to property-tax relief, renter-re¬ dently saved their money and put it lief, and a big chunk to school sup¬ into 121 certificates and bonds trill port. smile and live high, having seen all After fifty or sixty years of this coming. Because the interest defeating sales taxes, ah predict cm their savings, locked-in, will be the people this time will gulp down the equivalent of 301 interest rates the evil-tasting stuff and say yes. as the purchasing povnr of every Especially if food and medicine are dollar grows and grows...as prices exespted. go down and dots. How do you avoid paying much in Glory be to Qtod! I have seen the way of sales taxes? Buy [if you the future! can] big ticket items before the tax actional Analysis, can change their Script. So I think we have two major factors which determine our lives — built-in bodily/systemic flaws/ten¬ dencies which can put a physical limit on life and the emotional dictators we are given by parents and/or circumstances. A third factor is accidental death/injury—the out of control bus/plane/train/car, wars, psychos. I neglected to mention talents, which can determine how we live our lives, too. It gets complicated. But it's fun to examine oneself, others, and project lives into the future, estimate behaviors, calculate res¬ ponses to given events... Understanding is power. It al¬ lows anticipation, permits early- wamings, allows one to dodge in time... And, in some Understanders, below that price, the big oil com¬ a lot of projects on hold, further allows manipulation of others, sett¬ panies lose tax breaks, and the big paralyzing the economy. ing in place chains of events... oil producing countries—notably Congress and Reagan/Regan will And I suppose intelligence is and Nigeria—will be in be damned if they do and damned if the prerequisite of understanding. deep shit debt trouble, again. Thus they don't. Perhaps intelligence can be defined the oil companies and these debtor as the ability to understand and oil countries have a big vested in¬ manipulate one's surroundings (in¬ terest in putting a floor under the cluding the people therein]. INSULATION FROM THE IDIOTS IN CON¬ price at that level. TROL IS THE WAY TO GO... We'll see what happens this spring when the price of crude is It all comes down to lessening traditionally weakest. dependence on the wobbling national DUE TO ALMOST UNIVERSAL LOATHING, In the meanwhile the value of economy, the idiots in Congress and RECRIMINATIONS, THREATS AND DIRE the dollar keeps on going up in in the administration who are continu¬ LAMENTATIONS BY THE SUBSCRIBERS, the face of lower interest rates ing to mismanage the economy. [But WHO HATED T>£ ARCHIVES WITH A HATE supposedly engineered by the Fed¬ they're trapped in accumulating pro- NOT SEEN SINCE PERRY RHODAN WAS IN eral Reserve. [The dollar was lems created by short-term band-aid FULL FLOWER, I HAVE YIELDED TO THE supposed to be supported by high solutions. Now the country needs PRESSURE AND DO HEREBY DECLARE THE interest rates, by the way. Why major surgery, they know it, but ARCHIVES TO BE BANISHED TO THE OUT- it is continuing to rise in the may not have the guts to perform it.] LANDS, NEVER, EVER TO BE SEEN IN face of declining interest rates has My way... I had an experience THIS MAGAZINE AGAIN. THE SUBSCRIB¬ not been explained anywhere.] with the "budget" printer who prints ERS, IN THEIR WISDOM, WANTED MORE Commodity prices continue to SFR's envelopes for me. Last time REVIEWS AND MORE GEIS FOR THEIR decline, including the leading I took in 2000 envelopes to be BUCKS. I HEAR AND OBEY. indicator prices among the conmodi- printed they wanted to charge me a- ties [tallow, tin, burlap]. bout $143. for the job. I yelled, Steel production continues to kicked, screamed, howled, was out¬ decline. The Christmas sales figur¬ raged. .. [since it had been under $50 es are turning out to be not that before, before a change in ownership great after all [retailers lie a of the company] and the manager gen¬ lot during the selling season to erously gave me a "break" by only put up a good front, to convince charging me $65. [If I hadn't sup¬ people good times are still with plied the envelopes they'd have us, to encourage them to spend charged $277!]. more money on gifts] and new car I just went through that routine sales are beginning to go soft even again with them. Got the "break". as the car companies continue to Then Paulette asked if it was slyly raise the prices on new cars possible to rubber stamp the required and optional equipment. information on the envelopes—name The crucial question is: will and address, the ISSN number, the Congress have the guts to cut or second class mail indicia---and I diminish federal deficit spending kicked myself for not thinking about and/or increase taxes? If so, it that option myself. I just called STOP ME BEFORE I COMMENT ON THE will be taking a lot of billions of the post office mail classifications ECONOMY AGAIN. AAAARRRGGGHH. dollars out of an economy which has office to check—and the woman said TOO LATE. become used to (and needs!) a 200 it was okay. Verrry interesting comment by billion dollar federal deficit, Now, rubber-stamping 1500 envel¬ a New York financial analyst today. extraordinarily high consumer debt opes is a chore, make no mistake, He was interviewed on the Financial increases, and very high business but saving $65. is a lure I am un¬ News Network and he said that $25 borrowing. The threat/promise to able to resist. Hell, I can do the per barrel oil was a critical mark; overhaul the tax system will tend job over a few weeks at night while if the free-market (spot market) to freeze investment plans, putting watching TV—during cold remedy price of crude oil breaks downward 6 commercials. And don't be surprised if SFR a big chunk of the winter. Mostly THE BURNT LANDS-AN UPDATE is printed by a real budget printer what I see is kindling-type pieces, 1-12-8S Dan Zitin, editor of Fawc¬ on regular letter-sized paper, hand- but once in a while larger pieces ett Books, called and wanted a change gathered by me, and hand stapled by appear. There are places where of Prologues in the . me (if I can find a printer who will free wood in larger quantities is I'll be writing what is essen¬ do 2000 copies for $1,000 or less). available, and new construction tially a Synopsis of THE SWORD OF I'd seriously consider getting always has scrap wood for the tak¬ ALLAH for insertion ahead of the the 466 fixed up and running off ing. I'd soon discover where to go, main body of THE BURNT LANDS, thus SFR again on it, but the post office who to ask... No question, I could giving new readers an understanding has a rule that says mimeographed gather enough free wood to save a of What Has Occurred, and refreshing big part of the oil bill. Over half, magazines cannot be mailed at second the memories of those who have read I think. Maybe more. class rates. THE SWORD OF ALLAH but may not re¬ And then there is the paper and member it that clearly. cardboard, the food cartons, etc. But back to self-sufficency. (Ch¬ Deadline is February 1. No that we throw away. All wasted. at least reducing my dependence on problem. the money economy.) I created a fire¬ Pounds of paper every day! Junk place furnace some years ago. Not mail every day. Tons of paper Elton and I have two really good exactly a furnace—a blower, iron and food containers thrown away by ideas to develop for near-future pipes in the firplace which heated litterbugs on the streets and side¬ science fiction/intrigue/suspense in a fire and which blew heated air walks and lawn every day! . They'll be worked on in into the room, that kind of thing. A part of me sees all this and February and March. But [I admit] it didn't work too considers it a sin. Waste is a I have a disaster-thriller well. The pipes took too long to sin. Maybe [probably!] I have this novel partial to work on titled heat up and there wasn't enough lurking morality in my head from THE KILLER PLAGUE, stalled for area in the pipes to get the air having grown up in the Great Depres¬ six months while I worked out some hot enough. And the fireplace sion. I didn't realize it was a de¬ problems in it and as other work screen wasn't airtight enough. Too pression then. I was a kid. But I intruded. much heat went up the chimney— must have absorbed the waste-not, wasted! want-not philosophy during that period, from hearing my mother and I've been puzzling over how to I HAD TO DUMP "AND THEN I SAW.. father talk, from hearing my grand¬ improve the system. [$700 for a FROM THIS ISSUE., TO MAKE ROOM FOR parents and uncles talk... first-class fireplace insert seems MORE LETTERS, MORE REVIEWS, AND excessive. There has to be a sim¬ I think that if I can perfect elton's column which arrived at a fireplace blower/heater, and pler, inexpensive way...] And now THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT. BUT get free wood for it, and grow a I think I may have a solution, but that's called editing, it's a I am going to ask all you readers big part of the food in the backyard DIRTY JOB BUT SOMEBODY'S GOT TO ...then the part of me at work in for an opinion. DO IT. Why not use a cheap auto muffler this area of my life and thinking WHY AM I STILL IN ORATOR? for an air heating unit positioned will be happy, and content, and will sit back and say, "Hey, I've beaten Regarding editing. SFR is at the rear of the fireplace (or becoming too...too political. I even over the fire)? A muffler has the system!" and "Mom and dad, and uncle and aunt and grand-dad and find more letters responding to my baffles in it to guide the air political/social thoughts in SFR through it, and I understand the grandma...you'd be proud of me!" than to the reviews. A bad sign. cheap mufflers don't have a lining and "Now let all those damned wast¬ And I bitterly resent wasting all of whatever to possibly create ugly rels and profligates and lazy sons- those movie/TV reviews I wrote for gases when the unit is heated by a of-bitches, and welfare wimps go to this issue. Yet I know that by fire. The metal is galvanized sheet hell! Let the government fuck up rights those items--politics, econ¬ steel, thick enough to hold up for at the country all it wants! I'm se¬ omics, culture notes, sex notes, least a winter, and thin enough to cure! Let them all stew in their movie/TV reviews, non-sf book re¬ make for quick-heating of the air juices!" views...all these belong in a per¬ passing through. Yeah! sonal journal instead of SFR. Any problems anyone can think of for this idea? Sears has a $9.99 And, of course, the gardens, I would like to make SFR a real muffler in its new catalog. If I the greenhouse. More on those later battleground dealing with writing, could rig up two of those... in the year. publishing, reviewing of sf and fantasy. I am cutting back on my Financial News Network addiction I don't know why, but I'm becom¬ (The WALL STREET JOURNAL will have ing attuned to the oil-burning furn¬ to be enough) and find that reading ace in the basement. A little shud¬ der goes through me when I hear it kick on every few minutes. A part ALIEN THOUGHTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 59 of my mind sees 974 per gallon oil spraying into the burner...and a gauge in the back of my head reads 481 gallons in the tank in early December.. . 381) gallons in the tank in early January... Ivm it last til April? ^ And every morning on my bike, on the way to the post office, or to the store, I see scraps of wood in the streets, on parking strips, on the sidewalks. The thought comes to me: if I scavenged all this vood I see, every day, I'd have enough to feed the fireplace L NEjL S|vjiTH

CONDUCTED BY NEAL WILGUS

SFR: First, let ids congratulate SMITH: I just heard Bemie say, Finally, I should mention Rob¬ you on winning the 1982 Prometheus "Leave my shorts outa this!" Ke ert LeFevre (whom readers probably Award -- the prize given by the will ignore him. Three stories ap¬ know best as Professor Bernardo de Libertarian Riturist Society for peared in Judy-Lynn del Rey's STEL¬ la Paz from Heinlein's THE KJON IS the best libertarian novel. Your LAR anthologies *5, 6 and 7: A HARS1 MISTRESS), H. Beam Piper, winning novel, THE PROBABILITY "Grinm's law," "Grandfather Clause" and Raymond Chandler. Rand taught BROACH, was your first book and and "Folger's Factor," the last be¬ me to think straight, but it cost seemed to catch right on. What ing where he met the Freenies. I me my sense of humor for a while. kind of apprenticeship did you go am negotiating over a fourth, "Em¬ LeFevre taught me to laugh again. through before writing a success¬ barrassment Box," with a small Lib¬ I believe Piper would be a Liber¬ ful book? ertarian publication, and have oth¬ tarian today, not the kind of thug- ers in the works. I think about conservative same of his heirs are. SMITH: Not nuch, as these things collections all the time and have Chandler is my constant standard go. In reverse chronology, BROACH plans for stories about others of for writing quality. was bought by the first publisher my characters (including a novel¬ who read it, though I did send a ette I'm currently doing about Ed SFR: While we're influence-tracing proposal to Avon to begin with; Bear during the lfar Against the and name-dropping here let me touch they said they liked it, but they Czar), but publishers are under¬ chi a subject dear to both of us — were only doing romances that year. standably reluctant: collections the importance of being Neal, or Before that, I did four or five non¬ don't sell well. in your case Neil. I'm used to fiction pieces, more political and being the only Neal around, but humorous than technical, for GUNS SFR; PROBABILITY BROACH was pret¬ all the sudden there are Neals all magazine in the early 70s, and ty obviously influenced by writers over the place, especially in an- wrote several short stories, none like Robert A. He iniein and Robert archo-libertarian circles — at of which sold until BROACH did. Anton Wilson -- were they the least four of us in the relatively Those were the Bemie Gruenblum strongest literary influences on small LFS, Neil Williams in Canadi¬ shorts, plus sane set in another you? an anarcho-fandom, who knows how imiverse, featuring a sharpshooter SMITH: Certainly, Heinlein. More many in the closet. Do you find female hero, Kimberly Bright, who than anyone else, he is responsible it a problem that you and J. Neil hasn't found a home in print yet. for what I am, the standards I Schulman have such similar looking She will in NICHT DCHAIN, a novel hold for myself and others. In names and both of you started writ¬ I'll probably do next year. this respect too, John Wayne -- ing libertarian SF at roughly the whom I see as a sort of graphic same time? Do readers tend to con¬ In '74 I started a non-fiction fuse the two of you? book on the roots of the authorit¬ representation of Heinlein's spir¬ arian personality which remains un¬ it -- occupies the same place in my finished, although I deal with the life. None of this would have been SMITH: Schulman and I are in fre¬ very orderly, however, if I hadn't theory in TOM PAINE MARK, my forth¬ quent contact. He's also used to read Ayn Rand, who is the third coming Confederacy novel. In '67 being the only Neil around; I have I started THE G0L1MAN PROJECT, equally-important influence in my trouble calling him by his first background. about an attempt by Libertarians name because of the same thing. to escape Earth, fundamentally in a Bob Wilson came later, although Not only do readers confuse us, backyard spaceship --a very soph¬ I'll tell you vhat I've told him: writers do. I have a novel signed isticated one, which would actually His books have cheered me up throi^i to "J. Neil Smith," also a letter work. GOIIMAN was never finished some mighty rough stretches. I from an inportant Libertarian tea¬ and probably never will be. never read anything by him without cher which had parts I'm sure were I did a newsletter, TANSTAAFL!, feeling a whole lot better. intended for Schulman. five thousand words every two months. Before that, college and highschool newspaper articles. I wrote my first "book," about a spaceship takeoff, heavily influenc¬ ed by Disney's Tomorrowland seg¬ ments, in third grade. Ten or twelve pages, hand illustrated by the author. Sure wish I still had it. SFR: Wait, let's get back to Bem¬ ie Gruenblun's shorts. I'm famil¬ iar with Gruenblun from THE NAGAS¬ AKI VECTOR, of course, but I didn't know about the earlier stories. •here did they first appear? Will they be in book form any time soon? When BROACH was published, I thing -- glorification of gore is sent Heinlein a copy. He admired a another. It might even promote joke I'd stolen from Sam Konkin, real-life violence, but I suppose and then asked: "L. Neil Smith; you'd dismiss that possibility J. Neil Schulman; F. Paul Wilson -- with contempt, right? is someone collecting Ambroses?" Incidentally, I see your initials on a question during this interview and have to blink -- "NW" is the SMITH: Think back to prime-time way a certain detective always network series of the last ten signs notes to his assistant, "AG." years: BARNABY JONES, THE FBI, CANNON, HAWAII 5-0. You knew at SFR: Most of the action in BROACH the beginning of the program who takes place in an alternative world the badguy was -- usually a wealthy idle re anarcho-libertarian values individual with guns and trophies have triumphed, ilow much of the hanging on his walls. When newsies Confederacy represents genuine lib¬ report a murder, they show a slide ertarian goals and speculation and of a gun, even if it's a beating how much is just horseplay, for the or a stabbing! There was never a fun of it? minority more persistently or in¬ SMITH: That's hard to answer un¬ SFR: And how about the gunplay? sidiously hounded than gun enthus¬ less I know more specifically what I've criticized BROACH and your iasts. The cant is that guns are you're referring to. BROACH is a other books in ny own reviews for evil, that anyone foolish enough to Libertarian , an attempt to indulging in too much pointless try protecting himself -- not re¬ concretize values so people (includ¬ gunplay. Is this your solution to lying on the State -- will come to ing the author) can see what it the old utopian travelog problem a bad end, and that violence in might be like living in a free so¬ of boredom? and of itself, is bad, while non¬ violence is good. This is a slave- ciety. is unique SMITH: Partially. I figured the ethic. The networks still run sub¬ among political theories in that problem with Edward Bellamy's LOOK¬ liminal propaganda against self- it is completely open-ended, how¬ ING BACKWARD and other socialist defense in "news" and "entertain¬ ever, so that, say, F. Paul Wilson's tracts is that they didn't have ment" programming. Until you've planet, Tolive, or J. Neil Schul- enough sex and violence to keep "seen the fnords," they affect inan's agorist colony Aurora, are readers interested in the commer¬ your judgment. They've affected just as valid visions as mine. I cials. Also I just plain like guns yours. wouldn't mind living in either of and enjoy writing about them. But them and I'll bet Paul and Neil I have a few other things in mind You seem to be mistaken in feel the same way about Greater as well. another respect: Victorian times Laporte. were scarcely characterized by sex¬ I make a point never to re¬ ual abstinence. The cant of those I do continue to refine de¬ spond to critics. I understand tails of the Confederacy in differ¬ times was repression, the result: them and appreciate that they are bizarre behavior on a cosmic scale. ent books. BROACH is about its valiantly attempting to work Most of today's kinky fetishes have history and geographical center. through a series of personal inad¬ THE VENUS BELT is about its fron¬ origins in those times. Similarly equacies. I do not take them ser¬ when any fundamental human capacity tier and aspirations. THE NAGASAKI iously. Neither does anybody else. VECTOR filled in social details. is repressed --in this case the TOM PAINE MARU is about neolmperial- As far as gunplay is concern¬ capacity to do violence --we see ism -- the manifest destiny of a ed, we are witnessing the rise of a yet another constellation of bizar¬ free people. In it, I state that prissy neoVictorianism -- the kind re activities arise on a similar government has no right to exist; of mind-set which prefers the word scale. Hence the gore on the anybody anywhere has a right to de¬ "limbs" to "legs" -- directed not screen and in the streets. Again, stroy it, and why. NIOIT DOMAIN at sexuality this time, but at the think back -- Charles Manson was will be a look at the "War Against human capacity for violence. This the product of an anti-violent the Czar" in the 1950s and how a pseudo-morality disarms good people philosophy. So was Jim Jones. free society conducts such an ef¬ making them helpless victims of What makes this possible is bad people. I intend to reverse fort. Later I'll be going back in widespread Judaeo-Christian confus¬ that process -- with a little help history to show the Whiskey Rebel¬ ion concerning the morality of vio¬ lion and how a rational and moral from John Wayne, Clint Eastwood lence. This serves the interests and Charles Bronson -- employing people would have tamed the West. of established authority. As I the Non-Aggression Principle as an say, most people will tell you ethical discriminator. It's Liber¬ that all violence is evil. In tarianism's chief contribution in SFR: I remember reading in PROM¬ fact, it's totally neutral, a hu¬ the history of human thought and ETHEUS, the LFS quarterly, that man capacity linked with survival, of greater fundamental significance there will be 30 books in the Con¬ just like sexuality. If you arbit¬ than the invention of Scientific federacy series. Do you really rarily discouraged people from Method. have it planned out that far in ad¬ walking or eating, you'd get anal¬ vance? Will Del Rey be likely to SFR: I'm afraid your charge of ogous bizarre results. keep it going that long? neoVictorianism escapes me. The The answer -- what I'm strug¬ evidence I see is that violence for SMITH: Del Rey or anybody who's gling with in my novels --. is to its own sake is almost a religion interested. They want me to branch face human violence freshly, just nowadays, not something people are out and I'm working on it. But I as Havelock Ellis did sex. Repres¬ refusing to see. Rather, they have synopses ranging from one sen¬ sive behavior is no help. I'm glory in it, at least in fiction. tence to a page for around thirty trying to create a new ethic based And while I wouldn't censor it, I novels. The scope is broad, espec¬ on the Non-Aggression Principle. must say it strikes me as basically ially since Voltaire Malaise accid¬ I'm determined to go wherever unhealthy. Self-defense is one entally started his Lost Colonies thoughtful analysis leads me. If in THE VENUS BELT. 9 this means in the end little child- ren carrying guns, so be it. It preferences vary from day to day; SFR: Wait a minute, wait a minute can't help create a better -- and I'm extremely fond of my Walther -- I didn't advocate gun control. less violent -- society than we PPK though it's only a .32; I'm I just asked if you really thought live in. As for the suggestion impressed as hell with the Detonics we'd be better off armed. "To the that media violence promotes real .45 automatic and own one of the eyebrows" was just a play on the life violence, sure it does -- early models. popular "to the teeth" platitude -- "the way flies cause garbage." but look at your (over)reaction. The "speculative" weapons in I'm opposed to gun control too, SFR; I know you're a gun enthus¬ my books are all technically feas¬ but I remain unarmed and non-vio¬ iast, but do you really think we'd ible, most of them could be built lent myself. See the pages of any be better off with everyone armed today with exceptions of the plasma newspaper and you'll see that you to the eyebrows as is the case in guns and Heller Effect grenades in are most likely to be killed by a the Confederacy? TOM PAINE MARU, but then that's friend, relative or spouse than by supposed to be 75 years from now a robber or rapist, and that's an SMITH: kook at the way you've in a culture already considerably issue of the general level of stu¬ asked the question; it's sympto¬ ahead of ours. pidity, hatefulness and drunkenness, matic: current technology requires not cool self-defense. Aren't you that a person carry a pistol and And no, I don't think that neoVictorianly ignoring that angle? spare magazine to be minimally de¬ ,41s and ,45s are "too much gun." fended. Who benefits from a phrase Based on empirical evidence, gath¬ SMITH: On the contrary. In re¬ like "armed to the eyebrows?" Cer¬ ered by Jeff Cooper and other ex¬ peating that nonsense about being tainly the State, and freelance perts from years of police and em¬ killed by someone close, you're criminals too. You're calling ergency-room records, .357 is just unwittingly spreading statist prop¬ "legs" by a euphemism again, serv¬ barely adequate (sometimes), and aganda. It isn't true; there are ing the cause of tyranny. people -- especially women -- ought no facts or figures to substantiate to carry the biggest most powerful it. Unfortunately, when someone I'm so bitterly opposed to machinery they can handle. makes up a story, there's no way gun control --of any kind -- that to call it back. Same reason we're it sometimes makes me inarticulate stuck with religion. Bill Ruger, with rage. I trust it's equally the gun manufacturer, once appear¬ obvious that I would fight any law ed on a talk show with some gun- requiring people to be armed -- control crazies offering the same that's a hell of a lot more choice story. He challenged them repeat¬ than the other side -- in the name edly to back it up. They couldn't. of humanitarianism -- would allow The show went on; every now and you. Always remember: anti-gun then he asked whether they'd re¬ laws, like any other law, are en¬ membered and they'd shy off. Like forced at gunpoint. Carl Bakal's self-admitted lie People must be free to decide that 80,000 people in America have for themselves -- and natural se¬ died by gunshot since 1900, they'd lection to take its course -- but simply made it up, then got caught you should know that places where at it by someone willing to make a guns are banned are the most dang¬ scene. A great thing, willingness erous places to be. Yet another to make a scene. Ne(i/a)l, Neal Knox, a gun editor The old saw about spouse mur¬ I know slightly, did a study demon¬ ders being the most frequent kind strating that during the "Wild (along with the intended conclusion West" period, cities like Boston that we are all potential murder¬ and New Bedford were vastly more ers) also melts under examination: violent than say, Abilene or Lead- something like 98% involve previ¬ ville, owing precisely to the ab¬ ous criminal records. Any cop sence of personal weapons. Recent- (and this is an ex-cop talking now) ly it was shown in Orlando that will tell you such a record implies the mere possibility that a rapist's dozens if not hundreds of unreport¬ victim might be able to defend her¬ ed incidents in any given family self virtually erased the crime of before it gets as far as meriting rape in that area. a write-up. So we are not all po¬ People never learn. They tential murderers. adopt an English attitude that pro¬ As to my (over)reacting, I'm viding you own security is just too sure George III thought the same of nasty to discuss. Too bad, be¬ Thomas Paine. You may recall in cause I've come to believe the one the 70s how a group of Libertarians task which cannot be efficiently or fellow-travelers, surveying the delegated to a division-of-labor is Minerva atoll with the possibility personal defense. See the pages of in mind of land-filling it to pro¬ any metropolitan newspaper for doc¬ duce the world’s first free count¬ umentation. The price of not dirt¬ ry, were run off -- hundreds of ying your hands is death. miles outside his territorial wat¬ Some of your readers will ers --by His Malodorous Obesity, want to know, so I'll anticipate the King of Tonga's "navy" consist¬ another question or two: I am per¬ ing of a single lousy WW II-surplus sonally more than familiar with PT boat. A determined individual all of the handguns I write about with a .30-06 could have settled which actually exist, from the tiny that issue -- PT boats are made of Bauer .25 in BELT to Bemie Gruen- plywood. This is a pivotal issue. A disarmed person is helpless. No blum's Gold Cup .45. My personal 10 one interested in life, liberty, fiiled Win Bear full of holes, ven¬ hood which can't agree on defini¬ property or the "purfuit of hap- tilated Ed's car on the fly and tion, diagnosis or treatment for pinefs" can afford to be reasonable. blew up Clarissa's house. Oscar schizophrenia. Burgess managed to miss Win only Moral cowardice, disintegrity and Academically, more interest compromise betrayed the Revolution narrowly in the duel, despite the has been shown in BELT than any of detective's anticipating his move¬ to the Federalists, they killed my other books, since it's concerned ments. Kleingunther and Bertram the , and they're with a unique concept of the fron¬ responsible for the conspicuous and were both hit dead-center. tier. BUCKETEERS, I'm afraid, has disgusting failures of the Liber¬ In VENUS BELT, Hamiltonians been dismissed as a Sherlock Holmes tarian Party. I think Barry Gold- zapped an armed security man and and not looked at very water's (actually Karl Hess's) killed Lucy, while managing a con- closely. It isn't -- there are words about moderation and extrem¬ spiracy-within-a-conspiracy, build¬ surprises and rewards for the care¬ ism apply fully here. ing a 230-ship interstellar fleet ful reader of Mav and Mymy, and One more thing and we'll let and kidnapping thousands of women. personally, it's my favorite so far. this go. I'm armed and that allows The only reason Win's assassins That's unfortunate, since sales me to be non-violent. It also al¬ didn't do better was that they were have been disheartening --my pub¬ lows me to objectively, historical¬ remotely controlled "organic rob¬ lishers think it's the cover (which ly consider "the general level of ots." I also like very much). I person¬ ally believe it may be the unneces¬ stupidity, hatefulness and drunken¬ There wasn't much shooting in ness" in society. I do not think sary introduction I didn't want to BUCKETEERS, but Mav walks with a write, or the slow start in the people in general are stupid, hate¬ limp because of a primitive's ar¬ first chapter for which I am sole¬ ful or drunken, nor are these par¬ row and Srafen is fairly seriously ly responsible. Also I'd intended ticularly stupid, hateful or drunk¬ dead, owing to a amateur's bomb. en times. You wanna see drunks, to supply a fat appendix -- I have check out the 18th Century, those In VECTOR two antiquarians reams of data on Sodde Lydfe, Great folks could really put it away! were killed. Win and Will Sanders Foddu and the lamviin -- but ran But it certainly serves the inter¬ both wounded, Bemie variously con¬ out of time. ests of the State for us to consid¬ tused and one of the Freenies crack¬ As to popular taste, every er one another stupid, hateful and ed, merely as an afterthought. day there are indications that drunken, doesn't it? It justifies The only thing that saved Bemie's there is no such entity -- and I all kinds of destructive laws, it life from Edna was that she was mean that in the most complimentary pits us against one another instead playing with him. manner possible: We live in a cul¬ of against the real enemy. ture which supports the efforts of To someone who knows little Beverly Sills, Joan Baez, Stevie about guns and gunfights, my good Nicks, Linda Ronstadt and Dolly There's a relationship here guys don't appear to be such ter¬ Parton -- all of whom I like. with Nathaniel Branden's "sense of rific shots either. The reason, What does that say about popular benevolence." (He's evidently a of course, is that shooting paper taste (or mine)? In my field there shootist, by the way; some years targets is one thing, shooting for is room for Robert Heinlein, Jerry ago I saw a letter from him in a your life against hostile acqjaint- Poumelle, Samuel R. Delaney, Anne gun magazine asking advice about ances quite another. The terminal McCaffrey, Zenna Henderson and his .45 Comnander.) Because I'm social intercourse in my books is countless non-identical others. a Libertarian, anarchist, atheist, based on what I know of real incid¬ What that chiefly says is that the Discordian, etc., because I recog¬ ents, and is authentic in flavor. only "superfluous men" are those nize no obligations I didn't ex¬ See the "Armed Citizen" page of who feel an urgency to tell others plicitly undertake, I don't suffer THE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN, get a cop what to dislike. that nagging feeling that I owe to share some war stories with you everything to everybody and that or better yet, get a gun and see at any moment they might suddenly for yourself. That remark about decide to collect. This (like be¬ philosophic error affecting one's SFR: Let's see if I've got this ing armed -- which banishes fear eyesight is a whole lot less silly right --if you write a book in while instilling prudence and im¬ than you thought when you wrote it: which you express your opinion and pressing on you who your real en¬ See the works of Robert Ardry, Des¬ criticize present-day society that emies are) changes the reality-tun¬ mond Morris, Jeff Cooper, Bill Jor¬ is the greatest thing since the nel you travel in, and allows you dan, Ayn Rand or Nathaniel Branden. Scientific Method. If I review to like your fellow-sapients. I'm your book and express my opinion repeatedly criticized for implying SFR: There seems to be general critical agreement that BROACH and and criticize the book. I'm a para¬ in my books that people in general site with personal inadequacies who are rational and benevolent. Once your third book, THEIR MAJESTIES' BUCKETEERS, are your best and that tells other people what to dislike. again, I'm right and the critics And when you express your opinion have their heads wedged. #2, THE VENUS BELT and #4, THE NAG¬ ASAKI VECTOR, are somewhat disap¬ about reviewers and criticize them SFR: Hmmm -- I question the valid¬ pointing. Yet I understand that that's just attacking neoVictorian- ity of your estimates too, but BELT and VECTOR are enjoying bet¬ ism. Okay, I think I've got it -- there seems to be no advantage to ter sales. What does this say heads you win/tails I lose. But are you really so excellent a writ¬ slogging deeper into that particul¬ about critical opinion -- and pop¬ ar quagmire. But let's get back ular taste? er you can't profit from a little to the gun fights in your fiction. feedback? SMITH: 1 don't know what you mean Why is it your Hamiltonian villains SMITH! Wow, I really zinged you are such poor shots? Does philos¬ by "general critical agreement." There seems to be about as much with that neoVictorianism thing -- ophical error affect their eye¬ I gotta remember to use it again. sight? Or are they so busy con¬ agreement among the parasites who eke out their minimal livelihood Let's not confuse a couple of spiring evilly that they just neg¬ things here: If somebody uses and self-esteem from the work of lect to practice enough? heroin or beats his dog, or cruci¬ other people, as there seems to be fies himself every Good Friday, SMITH: A peculiar question, con¬ among the psychotherapeutic priest? sidering that in BROACH they thro- I've no right to complain about it in a political context. That does oughly eighty-sixed Vaughn Meiss, 11 not mean I've no right to think it what he says are lapses of scient¬ in my mouth from such things as is stupid or say so. (The reason ific accuracy in things like your Murray Leinster's TIME TUNNEL we tend to confuse the two is that treatment of the great apes, fast books. On the other hand, I'd read living in a majoritarian society, moving dirigibles, heated streets Brian Daley's excellent Han Solo the latter usually automatically for melting snow, etc. Isn't this books. For about five nanoseconds implies the former. Only Libertar¬ kind of criticism, where valid, I thought: "Would Robert Heinlein ians as a rule distinguish between valuable as feedback? do this?" It also helped that I the two.) was broke at the time. In the end, though it was an exhausting effort I merely believe that (to SMITH: What's in a critic's mind (three books in nine weeks, thanks borrow a lovely phrase once again) is pretty self-evident after a to circumstances beyond my control the market needs critics the way a couple sentences. Every review is or my publisher's), I'm glad I did fish needs a bicycle. I've never a series of psychological confes¬ it. I think Lando books are a cut bought a book or refrained from sions. above the usual in this field. I buying one because of a review. Further, you can't start out got to say some things about people I've never learned anything from a buying a book like anyone else, (of all species and materials) and review of my own work I didn't al¬ for reasons Werner Heisenberg ex¬ I got to live in a world with trac¬ ready know (if it was true) and had plained better than I can, nor "re¬ tor-beams, death-rays and all the either done deliberately or was serve judment" any more than a jury traditional space-opera trappings, struggling to overcome. I've read can "ignore that remark" when fool¬ a wonderful vacation. I got to a lot of silly things, both compli¬ ishly instructed to do so. Hon¬ play with the MILLENIUM FALCON! mentary and otherwise, about my esty-wise, I'm willing to assume More, I got to be friends with Vuf- books and my intentions when I fi Raa, a 'droid of distinction. wrote them. SFR: I've been wondering about the Heinlein was criticized for A ~&ORBAUC^AT swiM5 MILLENIUM FALCON. I'm not a STAR political diatribes and yet they IM AW OCCAM cT PATER r WARS fanatic (though I did enjoy were the main reason I loved his a>e^maw. the ?Res[?>E>rr the movies) and at this point I stuff to start with. I'm getting AKJ> CONGEST ATE like haven't seen the third Lando Cal- the same crap and it will influence rissian book -- perhaps it's all the svu ani>the moon: IbEY' me to exactly the same extent it made clear somewhere. But how -- did him. There are people out Move that sea of FA Per and when -- did the FALCON change there expecting me to "get over" with the -but they hands from Calrissian to Han Solo? my convictions the way one does a HAVE VERT UITTi-E EFFECT cold. They wouldn't expect a Cath¬ on the bureaucrats swuMMiwq SMITH: Presumably Lando lost her olic writer to give up being Catho¬ IN THAT SEA- to Han sometime between the end of lic -- or writing about it. When the third book and the beginning of I think about it at all, I'm in¬ the first movie. Careless of him. sulted that they consider my be¬ I don't deal with that because I liefs to be that shallowly adopted. was contractually forbidden to To hell with them. mention any character from the Lu¬ cas corpus except Lando. I saw an interview recently with a popular singer -- wish I SFR: I've played around with the could remember who it was -- which Tarot cards enough to appreciate stated the case well: Critics are the game of sabacc in the Calris¬ irrelevant because they don't come sian books. How did you come up to a work honestly, whether a book, with the idea? Is 23 really a a movie, a play or a recording, the jackpot number? way a real customer does. Their SMITH: I'm afraid so. Sabbacc experience is invalid; they have no¬ was only a word in THE EMPIRE thing useful to report to individ¬ STRIKES BACK when I started. I uals who do come to it that way. thought it'd be nice to make Lando's I'm particularly hard on them right loss of the FALCON an exception to now because the majority of my re¬ his usual skill as a gambler. I'd views have been good --it places been thinking about a game to be thou knowest thyself -- but where me in a unique position to say called "Twenty-three," using Tarot do you get your information about things which need saying. Later, cards, because of my interest in the minds of other critics? the law of averages -- not to men¬ the works of Robert Anton Wilson. tion pissed-off reviewer-types -- As to Williams, I see no This seemed the place for it. will catch up with me, no doubt. reason to alter my policy of not If you take notes (or some¬ replying to criticism. His person¬ thing) while reading the Lando SFR; I wonder where you come by al problem is that he can't read. books, you'll accumulate a set of this knowledge about what's in a I'd suggest he begin with the dic¬ consistent rules. I made some er¬ critic's mind when he approaches a tionary. book -- are you that famous "omnis¬ ror owing to the haste with which cient author" I've heard about? I SFR: Let's move on to your STAR the books had to be written; these usually start out as a customer WARS spinoff -- the Lando Calris- were kindly rectified by a number myself --by buying a book like sian series. How did it come about of people at Del Rey who flattered anyone else. I try to reserve that you were picked to do the ser¬ me by being interested enough to judgment till I'm through reading, ies? Or did you volunteer the do it. idea? then I try to review the book as SFR: In spite of our petty dif¬ honestly as I can. And I think SMITH: M/ editor at Del Rey, Owen ferences I think we share a "liber¬ most reviewers and critics do the Lock, called up one day. I'd nev¬ tarian futurist" outlook, but let's same. But let's not quibble, let's er intended writing in anybody - go into that a little deeper. Per¬ get specific. In a very hostile else's corpus, and had a bad taste sonally I've little use for the review of your Confederacy books Libertarian Party and share the anarchist Neal Williams points to 12 view of people like Sam Konkin and Erwin Strauss that it's a contra¬ piece on "Charlie's Cloud" in THE however, of LFS nor as I said, ev¬ diction in terms. I usually use VENUS BELT, for example). en a member. I first informally porposed a substantial cash award the term "anarcho-libertarian" to Yes, I ran for office -- make it perfectly clear that I --in gold -- for Libertarian SF openly as an anarchist to demon¬ to Dave Nolan and John Hilberg at don't mean the Party and its poli¬ strate that by doing everything tics. But I understand you've the 1977 LP convention in San Fran¬ "wrong", i.e., by laying all my cisco. (The Sheraton Palace where served on the LP's national plat¬ cards on the table, showing my en¬ form committee and that you ran we met became the dirigible "San tire agenda, I could attract more Francisco Palace" in my first novel for the Colorado legislature on votes than the simpering jelly- the LP ticket. Are you still ac¬ which I was outlining at the time. spines the LP usually fields. It The liner "Bonaventura" in THE VE¬ tive in the Party (and do you worked, of course: On $44.00 I still beat your wife)? NUS BELT was the Bona- got 15% against the six-term Speak¬ venture where the next convention SMITH: We have fewer differences er of the House. And he wore a tie. met. LP10 in Denver came next; than you anticipate. Unlike say, Yes, I was on the platform like Liz Taylor, I may eventually the Voluntaryists, I'm not prepared comnittee, national and state, get around to Nicky Hilton.) to declare political action per se where I discovered that efforts to to be morally intolerable - - they Rand (re Spillane) to the explore the implications of Liber¬ contrary, SF is the literature of have yet to show that, against our tarian thought, especially the Non- enemy the state, it constitutes in¬ optimism and social change. Like Aggression principle, and areas every other field of endeavor, it itiation of force. On the other such as Children's Rights, Non-Hu- hand, when people ask whether has been too long dominated by en¬ man Intelligence and "little emies of liberty. Unlike them, there's room within Libertarianism things" like the abomination of for a Libertarian party, I usually however, it's eminently worth sal¬ Airport Security, were an embar¬ vaging. The idea, since there was answer "Yes, but not this Libertar¬ rassment. When I applied for a ian Party." (and is) no other money award in third stint on the national commit¬ the field, and since writers are tee, political maneuvering was em¬ notoriously broke, was to overwhelm The LP is full of perfectly ployed to keep me off. I never decent, principled people whom I the SF community with as big a went back. I didn't have to. I prize as possible, comparable to love dearly. That understood, I'll reach many more people now, more add that the party itself, a good the advance an author might receive deeply, than any LP candidate ever for his work in the first place. deal of its leadership, is author¬ dreamed of. Is it a greater test¬ itarian, hypocritical, reactionary I had five thousand dollars in imony to have your lever jerked in mind, a pittance, considering the and morally despicable. I've no a booth or have somebody shell out time for cocktail-party revolu¬ short-term gains and long-term lev¬ a couple of hard-earned dollars to erage it could achieve. tionaries. They're impervious to read your ideas? My experimental new ideas. They'll sell anything thinking is taken for granted by my The idea went over like for a vote, including principle, readers as being typical of Liber¬ screen doors in a submarine. Later the future of the movement, the tarianism, and my insistence on ad¬ at a smaller meeting in Las Vegas very reasons the party and the herence to principle above all else I brought it up in the presence of movement exist. What's worse, is the given, rather than the (un¬ "Space Cadets" whose consciousness their cowardly, closed-minded meth¬ welcome) exception. had been "raised" by the anti-fut¬ ods don't work! By trying to avoid urist biases of tinythinkers like alienating one marginal group of And, yes, I still beat my Murray Rothbard, Charlie Koch and voters (say, religionists or the wife. Ed Crane, chagrined at the possib¬ anti-nuclear movement) they alien¬ SFR: That brings up another inter¬ ility that space colonization, life ate everybody else. They charac¬ esting question. You were a found¬ extension and the like might be teristically spend -- make that er of the Prometheus Committee and linked with the LP. lose --a hundred dollars to bring then of the LFS which revived the in five. If I were the Establish¬ Parenthetically, I was stun¬ . Do you see any ned by this attitude: Rothbard, ment, and wanted to destroy the conflict of interest in your then concept of human liberty, I could going on about the silliness of winning the second Prometheus for property and liability conventions think of no better way than to sad¬ ? dle the movement with the current in space --in the year of the Moon LP, CATO and any number of indivi¬ SMITH! Let's make this as bad as Treaty, almost at the very moment duals it's unnecessary to name we can; if we don't someone else people were worried about Skylab since I've already taken shots at will. I wasn't a founder of the falling on their heads! I was ang¬ them in my books (see the little committee, but the founder. Not, ry because I had proposed, in plat¬ form and elsewhere, a national de¬ fense plan much like that the Rea¬ gan Administration is now develop¬ ing (with the added fillups of de¬ centralizing conventional defenses, distributing arms to the populace, ending the draft, denationalizing the militia and selling off high- capital items like battleships and artillery). Even Dave Nolan (a charter member of Prometheus) op¬ posed it. I'd visualized the LP as a realization of John Joseph Bon- forte's Expansionist Party in Hein- lein's DOUBLE STAR: humane, prog¬ ressive, oriented to free enter- rpise and technology. We could have seized the issue of non-nuc- lear strategic defense, with its SFR: All right, if you don't like numerous uniquely Libertarian qual¬ the way things are going in the ities, made it ours. We could have LFS -- or the Libertarian Party been ahead by that much! But we for that matter -- why not get in -- rather, they -- fucked up. and try to make things go the way Individuals who agreed with you think they should? Especially me in some of these areas, includ¬ in a tiny organization like the ing Hilberg, who backed the first LFS, you could have a lot of in¬ award financially, consituted the fluence . first Prometheus Committee. I said SMITH: That's the Democracy Trap. then, as founder and chairman, that In the case of the LP, I simply my own works were never to be con¬ withdrew my sanction. They're free sidered, specifically because of to pursue their own objectives conflict of interest, and because without being hassled by me; I have I didn't need any encouragement to a lot more time and energy and write Libertarian SF. Almost ev¬ sleep better at nights. And as the eryone disagreed with me about saying goes, if voting could change this, but I held firm. things, it would be illegal. I'm a terrible Leader of Men. Nor do I see any particular The struggle to establish myself virtue in getting anarcho-libertar¬ professionally, a couple of ill¬ ians (or left-handed redheads or nesses and a divorce reduced my practitioners of Sumo-yoga) togeth¬ handling of the award to shambles. er. Together is for termites, bees It was taken up later, with permis¬ and ants. sion, by Michael Grossberg and the LFS and they have labored, without SFR; Thank you, Mr. Smith. my interference, to bring it up to date and keep it going. As origin¬ ator of the concept, I've stayed FINAL INTERVIEWER'S NOTE: out of LFS's hair and intend to Ordinarily the interviewee continue doing so. Because of my has the last word (other than a lack of contact with the present thank you), but in this case I. administrators -- no connection, no feel a couple of things concerning conflict -- plus a bout of post¬ the Libertarian Futurist Society divorce poverty, I later accepted need clarification. First, the the award. There, I've said more than I amount of the Prometheus award, My present quarrel with the intended; if I hurt anybody's feel¬ which is a Hayek half-ounce gold way things are being run is that ings, sorry. It's bizarre how coin, may not be overwhelming, but tinythink is creeping in. The quickly Libertarians have become it's the best that can be done und¬ amount of the award's way down from ashamed of strongly-held convic¬ er the circumstances, with only what's necessary to create the de¬ tions. How easily they've forgot¬ about 40 members and no other sired effect. Books and authors ten that we're fighting a war, source of funding. literally to the death. We believe are being considered which stimul¬ Second, the two-level mem¬ ate my gag reflex. The two-level (with justification) that we're right and everybody else is wrong. bership Smith refers to involves a membership stinks of the elitist general membership at $10 a year manner the Party itself has adopted. If we lose, thousands of years of struggle and accomplishment will and an advisory membership at $50. If you want to change things, be reduced to misery, slavery and I objected to this myself and still never do it on the cheap. Are you extinction. The Prometheus Award do, but as a practical matter it listening, Michael? I like the de¬ was meant to be a weapon in that was the only way that even the Hay¬ cision to broaden the award to all war. A book by an altruist-col- ek coin could be financed. Obvious¬ genres --if only because it em¬ lectivist-mystic, no matter how ly, a couple hundred members at $10 phasizes the unique qualities of "artistic," is irrelevant and in¬ would do away with the two-level SF -- but if the frankly ideologic¬ ferior -- within the context as I_ situation and a couple thousand al basis of the award is lost in originally conceived it -- to~the would be a beginning toward Smith's the shuffle, then it will have purpose of preventing-that final original goal. served no purpose. disaster. For information about join¬ ing, write: MY MA

REVIEWED BY NEAL WILGUS In THE PROBABILITY BROAGI (1980) L. Neil Smith started a series of books dealing with the North American Confederacy --an anarcho-libertarian "nation" in a parallel universe which is visited by Win Bear, a cop from our own totalitarian future who quickly goes over to the other side. In THE VENUS BELT (1980) Bear and his buddies drive the Hamiltonian vil¬ lains out of the solar system, but not before the villains kidnap thousands of women as breeding stock for their totalitarian dys¬ topias out there somewhere. In THEIR MAJESTIES BUCKETEERS (1981) Smith introduced the planet Sodde Lydfe and its trilateral natives the Lamviin, and in THE NAGASAKI VECTOR (1983) he didn't introduce much new except a coyote character to join his assorted dolphins, chimps, gorillas and miscellaneous. Now in TOM PAINE MARU, Smith draws from all these earlier stor¬ ies and puts it all together -- sort of. This time Smith jumps much farther into the future to a time when the Confederacy starship fleets are out scouring the uni¬ verse for the spawn of the Hamil¬ tonians -- some of whom were dis¬ placed into the distant past so that the planets they settled have had time to degenerate into savag¬ ery and begin the long climb up again. Such a planet is Vespucci, from which canes the narrator of the story -- YD-038, also known as Whitey O'Thraight. Win Bear does not appear in MARU (the back cover blurb reads "No-win Situation," an apparently unintended pun), but two of his daughters get involved with Whitey after he is rescued from the sav¬ ages on Sea, a planet Vespucci had intended to conquer. Naturally, Whitey's co-survivor, Lt. Enson Sermander, is a thorough Hamilton¬ ian villain and when the two of them are taken along on the star- ship Tom Paine Maru, Whitey is con¬ verted to Confederacy while Sermander reveals his true worthlessness and gets it in the end. Meanwhile, the Confederacy goes about its business of top¬ pling tyranies and fomenting free¬ dom, right and left. ing on in the other half of the hotel, and that was when we acquir¬ ed cases of wine and bottles of the regional liqueurs and all sorts MOI6E LEVEL of other goodies, many of which we shared out at the convention in Nancy. It was a great weekend, high¬ lighted by the arrival of two film A COLUMN BY JOHN BRUNNER producers from Cinecitta in Rome (one of whom was actually Danish and won me over on sight by turn¬ ing up in a 1960 Alfa 2600 convert¬ That's right: parties. There ON GOING TO L FROM XLIX AND ible) to discuss the possibility of can't be all that many people who RELATED MATTERS making a film based on THE PRODUC¬ get five parties for a single birth¬ TIONS OF TIME. day. It wasn't quite what we in¬ I suppose you may be said in tended but that’s the way it turn¬ Then we went via Venice to the some sense to have "arrived" when ed out. Videlicet and to wit, as French National SF Con in Nancy, your customs officer recognizes follows. of which more anon; then to Paris you, though I confess I found it to see our friends the Avice and We stopped off in Milan to see a trifle off-putting when, as we my publisher Gerard Klein of Edi¬ my publisher GianFranco Viviani of came ashore from the Le Havre-South- tions Laffont ... and what had tw Editrice Nord and his family. hampton ferry, the guy on duty in done? What had he done? Organized a din¬ the green channel boomed, "Ah, Mr. ner with Milanese fandom, to mark That's right: laid on a big Brunner! It looks like Mr. Brun¬ dinner to mark my birthday. ner, anyway!" my birthday. Later we called on a certain And then we came home and on Fame at last ... Or maybe he Dr. Antonio Scacco in Bari, with the first Saturday of the month just remembered the car. After all, whom Marjorie had corresponded held our usual open house, and that we have been passing that way in at about the European peace movement turned into yet another birthday least once a year for ten years. long before we found out he's an party. A long one too, if not Still, it was an advantage not expert on juvenile SF. The local quite as long as the one at Casal¬ to have to explain the shifts we'd SF people held a gathering for us bordino. It started about half been put to in order to keep with¬ and took us to dinner to mark my past eight on Saturday and the last in our duty-free allowances. You birthday. guest left for home about quarter see, people had been showering us to nine on Sunday night. with highly taxable presents such Then we held my_ birthday party, Lots of people seem to have as wine and liqueurs and by the the one at Casalbordino Lido realized that -- like it or not -- time we set off for home after the which was announced in an earlier reaching the age of fifty and hav¬ last engagement of our trip the issue of SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW. ing to accept that more than half Stag looked more like a removal Colin Fine was there from Germany, one's 1ife must be behind one is a Tania van der Sande from Belgium, traumatic sort of experience, and Judy Blish Nikolaou from Athens, And felt like one, too. At I'm enormously obliged to everyone Dr. Cristina Vanucci from Somalia least I had the advantage, since I who made the transition so much via Florence (she works for WHO) -- was driving, of adequate room for more fun than I had dared to hope. not to mention the mayor of Casal¬ my feet and legs. Marjorie prac¬ My chief regret is that in Paris I bordino, the chief of police, the tically had to be shoehomed into was suffering from some kind of town's top lawyer, the local press her seat after every stop. horrible neuralgia, and couldn't ... We had an accordionist during do justice to the splendid company All this was because of my dinner and a band afterwards, bor¬ Gerard had assembled for us. fiftieth Birthday parties. rowed from a wedding that was go¬ Still, I put away a lot of his splendid wine and cognac!

As usual, half our trip was business. The other half gave us a chance to make our second tour of the Italian South. From Milan we headed for Taviano, in the moun¬ tains, because we'd had a fan let¬ ter from a young German called Jur¬ gen Rumpf who's attempting to bring back to life as a commune an aban¬ doned village not far from there. We had a strange but memorable night at Bellavalle as guests of one of his friends, a guy from Cat- anzaro, under house arrest after serving a nine-year sentence for his part in a jewel robbery. Or at least, so we were told. Then we tried to visit Siena ... That was a mistake. We turn¬ ed up on a Sunday and the town was full; we couldn't even find a place to park, let alone a place to stay. / used to MwTteize In the end, after struggling with A WOMAU 40 YEA,K5 Yovky^£R THAN k a labyrinth of dead ends and one¬ way streets, we drove into the ~Stt C^IKISY~r SUES uEAKiY 60t country again and wound up at a perfectly fascinating place: Bag- ni Vignoni, a small hillside town where hot springs bubble out of the ground. The main square is the nearest thing I've seen, out¬ side Pompeii, to a Roman forum as it must have been in classical times -- plus a huge tank of steam¬ ing water in the middle! On the coast south of Terracina we stayed at Sperlonga: Piled up on the top of a rocky promontory it has so many changes of level and direction that I had the sens¬ scheduled to take part in a panel ten minutes' walk in one direction ation of walking through an Escher in front of 280 local businessmen from the hotel, the Manufacture de drawing. We went on to visit Her¬ and students to discuss the future Tabacs was at least as far the op¬ culaneum, having been told it was of banking and the future of com¬ posite way, and we never managed more worth seeing than Pompeii, munications. My French is toler¬ to find a single one of the numer¬ but found we disagreed and spent able, but I had to write back and ous cinemas which during the Fes¬ the night at the latter place. say that in the time available I tival were supposed to be showing Our next target was Alberobello, in couldn't possibly mug up the nec¬ all-SF programmes. the land of the trulli, those un¬ essary technical jargon to cope Not that even as Guests of Hon¬ ique beehive-shaped stone buildings with such complex subjects. None¬ or, we could have got in without originally heaped up thanks to a theless they went ahead. We didn't paying full price. Before being law against creating permanent get anything like 280 people -- I structures. On our way to it we entitled to the cut rate for Fest¬ counted at the start and found 48 ival subscribers, people were ob¬ found the incredible city of Mat- though it must have gone up to six¬ liged to affix a passport photo to era, where since the Middle Ages ty-plus later on -- and the people their membership cards ... people have lived in caves cut from the Misee de La Villette who from the sides of a river gorge. were supposed to talk about com¬ Autres pays, autres moeurs, of I'm not sure how many of them are munications didn't show up. Thank courle"! But it did strike Marj orie still inhabited, but many are cer¬ goodness for the questioners from and me as a great shame that a tainly still in use. the floor who kept us going! bunch of enterprising and hard-work¬ ing folk should have conmitted all And on the Adriatic coast, we The rest of the proceedings over again the same sort of mis¬ discovered Portignano, where there took place in a huge 19th-Century takes we've seen so frequently at are other caves mentioned in the tobacco factory, a really surreal other science fiction gatherings. first of all encyclopaedias, Did¬ building. (I wandered all over it, erot's, due not to people but to and in a room under the eaves came There used to be a handbook for waves undercutting the headland on on a pile of sticks and a broken convention organizers issued by which it stands. We sat in our ho¬ mirror on the floor, like the re¬ the British SF Association, but I tel room playing Scrabble and mains of some interrupted black believe it's out of print and talk watching a magnificent thunderstorm magic ritual.) But it was far too of updating and republishing it far out at sea. big, and very expensive to rent, has led nowhere. (A pity; it in¬ After which, Bari, and then and security was impossible. Some¬ cluded rather a good article on Casalbordino Lido. one made off with a whole batch of "The Care and Feeding of a Guest irreplaceable ceramic sculptures of Honor" by guess who?) One of Later still, as I already men¬ from the art show. the projects which perhaps World SF or the Comnittee ought to tioned, we went on to the French What really depressed Marjorie consider is the preparation of SF con in Nancy, which unfortunate¬ and me was that the fan attendance something similar, adapted to non- ly wasn't just a convention, but -- well over 200, we were told -- English -speaking countries. If an attempt to launch a so-called could easily have been acconmodat- people in the States (Boskone, are Festival. I'm sure the organizers ed in a traditional brasserie op¬ meant well; unfortunately, despite you listening?) have such guides posite the Frantel where we were available, I'd like to receive cop¬ having a lot of support from the being put up. In fact, the Excel¬ ies, and will make certain they municipality, the Banque Nationale sior -- that was the name of the get passed on to the proper quar¬ de Paris, the PTT (post and tele¬ brasserie -- rapidly became the ters. phone service) and other sponsors, focal point of the con. Investig¬ they made a great many mistakes ating with my usual 'satiable cur¬ A possibly simpler alternative due to a combination of ambitious- iosity, I discovered that it had would be if their existence could ness and inexperience. public rooms on two floors, where be regularly announced in SHARDS In the city's Palais des Con- local clubs hold meetings and even OF BABEL, Roelof Goudriaan's admir¬ gres there were, for instance, ex¬ jazz concerts on such a scale that able international news-fanzine,un¬ hibitions of holograms and modem it alone, plus a couple of rooms der some such heading as SO YOU communications technology. When I in the basement of the hotel ac¬ PLAN TO ORGANIZE AN SF CON? SOB toured the former on Saturday morn¬ ross the road, could have harbored is published at $5/six issues from ing I was the only visitor. an entire convention. Instead of Postbus 1189, 8200 BD Lelystad, which, the Palais des Congres was The Netherlands. Three days before leaving Brit¬ ain I'd been informed that I was 17 ever many more volumes it takes for BOOK REVIEWS BY GENE DEWEESE Jake to find out who really built the Roadway, maybe even who created the universe. If the answers are anything like what has been hinted at so far, they'll be fresh and surprising and probably funny. CALL NE SNAKE Also, if you're lucky enough (The ending to this volume doesn't By Sols to have the original story avail¬ really answer very many questions, Berkley, Paperback, $3.95 able (it was reprinted in THE MAN but it's certainly funny in a shag¬ WHO ATE THE WORLD, a 1960 Pohl col¬ gy sort of way.) Snake may not be as funny as lection) , you can spend hours com¬ the snake in B.C. but he seems paring the two and seeing just how about on a par with Garfield late¬ much unintentional havoc transla¬ ly. And it's hard not to like any¬ tions can wreak. And realizing one who, when he answers the phone that, with such language problems and finds a house plant on the oth¬ always existing between nations, er end of the line, complains about it's little wonder that the world SUN'S END obscene fern calls. is in the shape it's in. By Richard Lupoff Berkley, $2.95

Eighty years after his near death in a space station construc¬ tion accident, Daniel Kitajima is POHLSTARS By revived in an artificial body that Ballantine/Del Rey, $2.95 can among other things, survive RED LIMIT FREEWAY without protection in both the vac¬ By John DeChancie uum of outer space and the liquid I can't say that I liked every Ace, Paperback, $2.75 story in this collection of a doz¬ nitrogen ocean of Titan. Not only that, he's one of the richest men en, but there are two items that In this sequel to STARRIGGER, by themselves are more than worth in the solar system because of the Jake McGraw and his evergrowing money that poured in as a result of the cover price. First, there's band of fugitive adventurers are "Second Coming", a biting and funny the publicity that surrounded the still on the "Roadway," a maze of accident. and probably accurate 500 words highways and dimensional portals about what might happen if the ali¬ that could well lead all the way Earth however, is not in as ens who kidnapped Jesus 2,000 years back to the birth of our universe. good a shape as Daniel. The green¬ ago ever brought him back. He's still driving the mammoth house effect is due to wipe every¬ And then there's "The Wizard- "truck" controlled by a smart aleck one out in another century, and it Masters of Peng-Shi Angle." Orig¬ supercomputer with his father's is eventually up to Daniel to fin¬ inally known as "The Wizards of personality imprinted on it and ance and lead an expedition to a Pung's Comers," it was first pub¬ he's still running from practically recently discovered tenth planet lished in GALAXY in 1959. Then it everyone he met in the first book. in hopes of getting some helpful was translated into Chinese for He's also still narrating their ad¬ hints from whoever or whatever is publication in China. Here the ventures in the same irreverent, responsible for the radio beacon Chinese version has been retrans¬ exciting and occasionally hilari¬ on the planet. lated into English by someone who ous style that every now and then With strong elements of SIX had never seen the original. In reminds me of the late H. Allen MILLION DOLLAR MAN, Neil R. Jones' addition, the translator (F. Gwyn- Smith, one of the very few humor¬ "Zorome" series, and 2001, not to plaine MacIntyre) has provided a ists who could make you laugh out mention PLANET STORIESTSUN'S END fascinating introduction and seven loud. For instance, after a par¬ keeps you reading and enjoying pages of notes explaining various ticularly mind-boggling period and wondering what's coming next. oddities of such translations. during which they've been helpless¬ The ending is a little too confus- ly shuttled from one alien world For instance, when proper to another, he comnents, "There is names are translated into Chinese, only so much wonderment the human they are represented phonetically mind can absorb before it just PUBLICITY DIRECTORS, EDITORS, by pictographs whose literal mean¬ takes a cab." PUBLISHERS, AUTHORS...ARE ings have no relationship to any¬ URGED TO SEND BOOKS FOR REVIEW thing. The pictographs represent¬ The only difficulty with RED TO GENE DEWEESE ing Coca Cola, for example, can be LIMIT FREEWAY is that it is not so 2718 N. Prospect literally translated as "Bite the much a sequel to the earlier book Milwaukee, MI 53211 wax tadpole." And Pohl's imagin¬ as it is a continuation, and ideal¬ He reviews sf and fantasy for ary breakfast cereal "Elixo-Wheets" ly the two should be read together, THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL as well ended up being represented by pic¬ not several months apart. But they as SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW and tographs meaning "The son has ap¬ very definitely should be read, and other magazines. proval to tie the Buddhist nun to I'm eagerly looking forward to how¬ the hermaphrodite." 18 ing for my taste, but that's a mi¬ In the 26 th century, A Stonehenge- nor complaint and doesn't detract like structure is found on Pluto, from the fun of the previous 275 possibly a monument left behind by pages. (And for those who are in¬ the expedition's crew. Or at least terested in that sort of thing, such is the desperate hope of arch¬ there are occasional bonuses tos¬ eologist/historian Hjalmar Neder¬ sed in by the astronomical illiter¬ land who discovered Emma's journal ate who apparently did the copy ed¬ in a Martian archeological dig and iting. For instance, it's explain¬ became obsessed with it and with ed at one point that one of Pluto's her. In the 27th century a des¬ moons is visible from far-away cendant of Nederland's, Edmond Earth only because of its extraor¬ Doya, finally ferrets out the truth. dinarily high "libido.") Like Robinson's earlier THE WILD SHORE, ICEHENGE is strong on character and style and is excel¬ lently written. The story itself EMERGENCE moves slowly, but that's okay. By David R. Palmer The worlds in which the three ep¬ Bantam, $2.95 isodes are set are so well and in¬ terestingly developed and there is Seen through the eyes of a such an all-pervading sense of mys- brilliant, witty and very likable IDixo/v 80 tepr throughout the second and eleven-year-old girl named Candy third episodes that the "atmospherd' Smith-Foster, EMERGENCE starts out alone might be enough to keep you as an excellent post-atomic novel reading, regardless of the story. with echoes of early Heinlein and In an odd sort of way it reminded it only gets better as it goes HELLSTAR me of an up-to-date version of along. She learns early on that By § Steve Perry 's memorable Mars there is a reason for her brilli¬ Berkely, $2.95 stories from PLANET and STARTLING, ance and that there are others only without the Martians or a lot like her who have survived, but On a generation ship headed of the pulp melodrama. finding them is only the first of for Alpha Centauri, the basic laws her problems. There are times of nature begin breaking down, near the end where developments starting at the particle level and may take a turn toward melodrama, working up. Instead of delineat¬ but the characters (particularly ing exactly what effects such Candy herself) are so interesting changes might have, however, the TIC PARADOX MEN and real and the writing so grip¬ authors have largely settled for By Charles L. Harness ping that it doesn't matter. All what they call "randomization." Crown, $8.95 that matters is that you find out That is, when the laws start to what happens on the next page. break down, no one knows what is Summarizing the plot of THE This is the one that gets my vote coming next -- an exploding comput¬ PARADOX MEN, besides being next to for a Nebula this year. er panel, sections of the floors impossible, wouldn't be all that and walls that turn rubbery and helpful. Suffice it to say, it in¬ glow, etc. volves time travel, a Gosseyn-like OMII'S SCREEN FLIGHTS/SCREEN On the positive side, the gen¬ superman, at least one ship capable FANTASIES Ed. by Danny Peary eration ship itself seems thorough¬ of circumnavigating the universe, $35 hardcover; $17.95 Paperback ly thought out, rather like a high a repressive 22nd Century dictator¬ tech small town. Also most of the ship, a sybaritic sadomasochist and In these 300 large pages, characters are interesting and en¬ a lot more. According to a recent there's a little something for ev¬ gaging and the adventure and sus¬ article by the author, he was pur¬ eryone. There are articles by SF pense keeps you turning pages to posely emulating A.E. van Vogt writers (Asimov, Ellison and Bloch, see what happens next. For a time when he wrote the original, short¬ among others) about SF movies. there's even a murder to be solved, er version of this novel, "Flight There are articles by directors with the head of security taking Into Yesterday," published in a such as Cornel Wilde's story of the role of a small-town sheriff 1949 STARTLING STORIES. And he did how he filmed John Christopher's quite well. a bang-up job. For me, at least, NO OF GRASS. There are in¬ the fast action and often porten¬ All in all HELLSTAR is an en¬ terviews with directors such as tous and philosophical dialogue, tertaining 300+ pages, but I can’t Ridley Scott of ALIEN and BLADE not to mention the introduction of help but hope that a really hard a new plot twist every few hundred RUNNER and George Miller of MAD science writer like Robert L. For- and ROAD WARRIOR. There's an words, was very reminiscent of van ward tackles the same subject one Vogt at his best, as in SLAN and article by Harry Harrison about of these years. how his MAKE ROOM! MAKE ROOM! was "Null A" novels. There's lots warped into . There's of pseudo-scientific gobbledygook, even an interview with Buster and there's at least one major un¬ Crabbe of , Buck Rog¬ explained logical lapse, but it ers and Tarzan fame/notoriety and By Kim Stanley Robinson still gave me a few hours of real one with the well-known movie fac¬ Ace, Paperback, $2.95 reading pleasure, not unlike the tory known as Roger Corman. At sort I got from the latest IXme ep¬ $17.95 for a trade paperback, the In the 23rd Century Emma Weil ic a few months ago. And now that price is a bit steep, but if you chronicles a Martian revolution I think about it, not unlike the have the money to spare or can lo¬ and a mutinous attempt to get an sort I got from reading "Flight cate a copy at the library, it's interstellar expedition under way. Into Yesterday" thirty-odd years sure to give you an interesting ago. few hours. 19

'I never thought the science chi. Walt Daugherty ... The list and more movie reviewers are picking fiction field would engage in its of absentees that come to mind is up on the class distinctions be¬ own 30-Years War but it's a battle seemingly endless. Bob Bloch, tween 'SF' and 'Sci-Fi'. I under¬ I won a long time ago, only like a bless him, did send a nice approp¬ stand your personal desire to de¬ dead dinosaur, the message still riate letter. Currently active in fend Sci-Fi, which you originated hasn't reached the reasoning cen¬ the club, Jerry Poumelle and Lar¬ 30-odd years ago, but I think you ters of some of "the loyal opposi¬ ry Niven probably had professional are losing the war, in the sense tion." I now propose that the op¬ commitments elsewhere. But pres¬ I discuss above. ponents of the term "Sci-fi" as an ent at the occasion was the sole ((Yes, you were slighted at the alternate for "SF" create an accep¬ surviving member from the first LASFS 50th Anniversary gathering, table term to categorize schlocky meeting, a Charter Member, an Hon¬ and tendrils should be lopped off! pseudoscience fic flicks. "Sci- orary Member, a former Director, I hope it was an unfortunate over¬ fi" doesn't do the trick, not when Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian, sight and not a deliberate slight.)) it's applied to DUNE, 1984, 2010 Editor, Publisher, Angel, Janitor and a major hit like NIGHT OF THE and a "Saint" of the Society, an COMET. I hereby offer ONE HUNDRED attendee of over 1500 meetings -- DOLLARS to the individual who can and I wasn't even introduced and coin the word to describe what invited to say a few words. "sci-fi" was never meant to be ... 'I wanted to remember the dead, to speak the names, at least, of 'SON OF OLD MAN HENDERSON lost pioneers -- Paul Freehafer, E. Everett Evans, Morojo, Ron Ellik, 'What I'm about to say won't Bob Olsen, Dr. Adolphe de Castro, mean much if you aren't familiar Joseph William Skidmore, E. Mayne with Kris Neville's minor master¬ Hull, , Arthur K. piece, "Old Man Henderson." Writ¬ # LETTER FROM BUZZ DIXON Barnes, Clare Winger Harris, Henry 8961 Yolanda ten before the first astronaut ac¬ Hasse, Lora Crozetti, Helen Finn, Northridge, CA 91324 tually set foot on the moon, it the late Bill Crawford, A1 Mussen September 13, 1984 tells the sad tale of the fictional (who lost his life on the Death first lunar lander who in his old March on Bataan), Henry Eichner, 'I assume you've heard all age has just become that crazy old Arthur Louis Joquel, Louise Leipiar, the accolades before but I'll heap coot down the street who bores the Alva Rogers, Lou Goldstone, David them on again: SCIENCE FICTION neighborhood kids with his never- McDaniels, Eddie Baker (murdered REVIEW is the best fanzine/semi- ending story of how he was the one midnight coming off the free¬ prozine/whatever in the field. first one Up There. What, they way, a few blocks from home, for Hell, 1^ voted for you twice; don't blame me if you didn't get anoth¬ deride with uncomprehending child¬ something like six bucks) ... It ish cruelty, is so great about was a sad, unsatisfactory occasion er well-deserved Hugo. that? -- their dads are pilots who for me, insofar as tradition was '(Seriously, the Hugos seem to regularly roundtrip it to Mars. My ignored. I thought back on the be divided between you, Andy Port¬ relation of the plot may not be 100th meeting in 1940 with the er and Charlie Brown. Comparing 100% accurate -- I haven't read great grout shop showing Doc Smith, the three zines is like comparing the story again for perhaps 20 Heinlein, Hamilton, Bradbury, Har- apples and oranges -- well, maybe years -- but that's the gist of it. ryhausen, Daugherty, Hodgkins, more like comparing an apple to a 'The Los Angeles Science Fan¬ Crawford, Yerke, Morojo, Squires, Valencia and a navel -- in that tasy Society recently celebrated myself and so many more (no offici¬ all are excellent but different. its 50th Anniversary. Seventy fans al shot was taken of the attendees You three ought to be ashamed of (mostly; several pros presentj met at the 50th Anniversary); even at yourselves, hogging the field (as for a banquet and an after-dinner the time of the 1000th meeting opposed to Hoguing it). Actually, speech. Speaker of the event was years later there was still some I'm well aware the whole "semi- , world's greatest sense of history. On the drive prozine" category evolved because entertainer since the demise of A1 home Wendayne tried to make me un¬ you and the others routinely blew Jolson, who was born about the derstand: "Modem fans just don't away all the traditional .) same time as LASFS. Admitting that give a damn, Forry, about what hap¬ pened before their time. The past 'It struck me while at LACON he had attended only four meetings II that there were far fewer fan¬ in 22 years and didn't know what he doesn't interest them, it doesn't even exist. The don't care about zines in evidence at this world was doing there, nevertheless he con than at the previous (Noreas- rose to the occasion and entertain¬ all the things you think important." Alas. Shed a tear for Old Man Ack¬ con I) I attended. Thir¬ ed all of us (including your humble teen years do make a difference, obedient servant) mightily -- so erman, 68, one of Methuselah's children who has lived too long and but I was disappointed to find so much so, in fact, that I phoned few old magazines, old books and become a stranger amongst a strange him the next day to congratulate old fanzines for sale. him. But sadly lacking were form¬ er Lasfasians who theoretically 'By "old" I mean something at could have been there. Russ Hodg¬ least ten years old and not cur¬ ((I have detected a subtle kins. Bruce Yerke . Charlie Homig. rently available in reprint. There switch in magazines and newspapers Jean Cox. A.E. van Vogt. Rick were and Lariy Niven to 'Science Fiction' and 'SF' (as Sneary. Bjo § John Trimble. first-editions all over the place, more and more people come to real¬ Alan and Mary Hershey. Jack Jard- but they're available in paperback ize what 'SF" stands for) from ine. Martin Varno. Jerry Bixby. "Sci-Fi", since "Sci-Fi" has come Roy Squires. Eph Konigsberg. Peg¬ to be associated with schlocky sf 'The few old magazines that gy Crawford. Ross Rocklynne. Pogo. and low-grade melds of sf, fantasy were available were prohibitively Dave Lesperance. Elmer Perdue. and horror. The better, big-budget expensive ($20 for a mid-forties Betty Perdue. Tigrina. Robert sf movies are being presented as ASTOUNDING!!!) or too current or Heinlein. Helen Urban. Hal Clark. 'Science Fiction' or 'SF', and more both. . Tom and Terri Pinck- ard. Lil Neville. Frank Quattroc- 21 'Most of the fanzines for sale in the huckster room (room? Hal Zeppelin hangar!) were Trek/D&D/ STAR WARS fanzines; nothing wrong with that, mind you, but that was virtually all the fanzines (though I did pick up two copies of your REG personalzine). 'In the Anaheim Hilton § Tow¬ ers more traditional fanzines were on sale, but again, far too current for what I was looking for. Next door was the fanzine display room; at least a thousand old fanzines were under clear plastic, includ¬ ing PSYCHOTICS, first-volume SFRs, REGs, and other famed fanzines sue. as LE ZOMBIE and TRUMPET and Lord knows how many others.

'The frustration was that you could only look at the covers, you couldn't pick them up and read them. I can understand why -- an interesting sentence if you held 'What she does in novels is these are old and delicate and a gun to his genitals, and second, what writers are forced to do in valuable fanzines -- but still, Lucas didn't do well in his film television: Write a detailed out¬ oh, how my fingers itched to open classes because he "broke all the line then not deviate from it. I them up. rules" (Pollock's term, implying mean, it works, you get a finished 'I had a good time at the con; he found new and original ways of product at the end, but adhering lots of events overlapped one an¬ doing things instead of the old, to a formula (sex scene here, vio¬ other so I wasn't able to do all conservative way.) but because he lence there, etc.) seems to sap I wanted to do. I was awakened sandbagged his classmates. For much-needed vitality and spontan¬ at 2:00 a.m. Sunday to the sounds instance, if the class assignment eity from the work. of a pair of mundanes trying to was to shoot a short scene in 'I speak from my own meager beat a fan to death by flailing black-and-white to demonstrate experience, of course. I seem to him about the head and shoulders one's skill at sound editing, Lu¬ be an intuitive type of writer; I with a courtesy phone they ripped cas would use color, titles, the rarely take notes, make a beat out¬ off the wall. I never got the full whole schmeer to impress his pro- line, draw up character sketches, story on what happened but I gath¬ etc. What I do is to read and ered the fan said something to the think and read and think and then mjndanes that the mundanes took 'True, this isn't "cheating," when it' s ready to. come out, I exception to. Hotel security rush¬ but it is taking unfair advantage let it come out. While obviously, ed to the scene and quelled the of one's classmates who follow in¬ for longer pieces I do make a few disturbance; con security was structions. USC (Lucas's alma ma¬ notes just to keep track of things, right on their heels. Surprising¬ ter) is notorious for allowing I prefer to let things grow in my ly, hotel security took the fan's wealthier students to "buy" their intellect instead of on paper. side! I say surprisingly because way out of trouble by producing I've attended cons where the fans ten, fifteen, twenty-thousand dol¬ 'But like I said, whatever were looked down upon and threat¬ lar student . UCLA insists works for ya ... ened with expulsion from the hotel all students use university equip¬ 'Re Chet Twarog: It is called at the least infraction. I guess ment and facilities, thus giving a sunrise because that is what the having a couple of thousand fans slightly fairer shake. sun appears to be doing in rela¬ renting rooms and spending hund¬ '(Getting back to LACON II, tion to the viewer. Similarly, reds of dollars in the hotel chang¬ while there I saw the original they're called movies because the ed management's heart (via way of short that based THX images appear to movie (when we their pocketbook) and so they were 1138 on; the film that created all all know they're just a series of determined to let the fans have a the hoopla that lead to him becom¬ still photos flickering by). ing a feature film maker. Lucas' 'Speaking of hotel security, short may have been hot stuff when 'Re your comments to F. Paul it was evident from their ubiqui¬ it was made in the early seventies Wilson and Robert Bloch: "The on¬ tous presence that yes, indeed, but it has dated badly. Overall, ly alternative is to become power¬ this was 1984. You couldn't cross the current crop of UCLA/USC film ful enough to be like George Lucas the lobby without tripping over a makers do much better work.) and control everything in your films and make sure boneheads half-dozen uniformed (and armed!) 'Pollock is a bad writer, but don't screw up your words and vis¬ security guards; there were almost there's still a lot of interesting ion." The only problem is main¬ as many in the convention center "between the lines" reading in taining perspective and self-crit¬ across the street. SKYWALKING. ical faculties when one has this 'Well, so much for the con re¬ 'I read the Julian May inter¬ power. It's too easy to let syco¬ port; let's get on to more urgent view, even though the only work of phants and yes-persons dilute per¬ and interesting things, such as hers that I've read is "Dune Rol¬ sonal vision into self-indulgence. SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #52. ler." I can't say I approve (if 'Re Darrell Schweitzer and the that's the word) her approach to Bill Winan left out a couple lady who couldn't tell her asteroid plotting, but what the hey, if it of important details in his review from a black hole in the ground: works for her and her fans .. . of Dale Pollock's SKYWALKING. A lot of people get their views of First, Dale Pollock couldn't write 22 science from ... science fiction. The reason people flock across the ((But people were flocking to But gradually I seem to have work¬ border to try quack cancer cures "quack" cures before science fiction ed loose from that mess; I don't in Mexico is because in SF films existed, before , in their know how, unless you count effort. and TV Dr. McCoy always comes up desperate need for hope and in their But it wasn't the bit you cite, of with the miracle solution just in terrible fear of death. I'd go to status-striving vs_ relaxing and en¬ time. They buy gyppo "energy sav¬ Lourdes, too, if that was my only joying life. At no time did I ev¬ ing devices" because nobody in SF option. I'd take Laetrile, mega¬ er give the status thing much films worries about such mundane vitamins, whatever. Why not? I'd standing room; right after War 2 things as fuel. They assume the even try comedy as a cure. Laugh I decided I'd never get rich so "Star Wars" defense will protect your way to health! As it is I eat might as well enjoy. I guess I them (when in actuality all it an apple a day. That keeps the doc¬ write because I want to; certainly does is allow enough of our mis¬ tor away, all right! (Never mind I don't have to. Sure, there are siles to survive to strike back) that doctors don't make house calls all the usual work-avoidance mechan¬ because it worked in the movie. anymore.) isms, but when I get hot I will work my ass off, simply because it 'A few years ago somebody was gets to be fun then. claiming we really didn't go to the moon at all because you never 'Another nice thing about writ¬ saw any stars in the sky in the ing is that if you can learn to lunar photographs and everybody deal in some parts of that league, knows you see stars in the sky it's a real education. Sort of when you're on the moon. The prob¬ post-grad to being in the army, lem in explaining this nut's case where one is shat upon by experts. away is that it involves what ap¬ I mean, would you believe that 2-3 pears to the layman to be very months ago a lousy bank thought to U LETTER FROM KERRY E. DAVIS complicated terms: F-stop, depth Volt Energy Management Services have me accept liability for its of field, exposure reading, etc. 4700 SW MacAdam Ave, Suite 200 own error? Not'hardly; I'd seen This makes the layman's head hurt Portland, OR 97201 worse in book contracts (though not and he decides to accept the (de¬ November 27, 1984 in recent times), and enjoyed kick¬ ceptively) simpler solution: The ing the bank squarely in its fid¬ moon flights were faked.' 'As I mentioned when last I uciaries, whatever those may be saw you, I am still interested in but it sounds reasonably dirty.' (('accolades' sounds like a new hunting up a copy of your REG News¬ soft drink. But I never tire of letter (from a few years ago), #10. being praised. Thank you. I don't So far no.luck, so I would like to often print compliments, but in your extend the search to other readers case I make an exception. of SFR. I am willing to pay a fair ((The Hugo used to be divided quantity of dollars for an original in good condition. If no one is between SFR and LOCUS, Andy's pub¬ # LETTER FROM DARRELL SCHWEITZER lications won only once—a tie year willing to part with a master, I 113 Deepaale Road with SFR. For the past five or six can part with a substantially re¬ Strafford, PA 19087 years LOCUS has won the fanzine Hugo duced amount in return for a photo¬ Nov 3, 1984 copy, I suppose. Also persons un¬ and now the semi-pro Hugo. So it 'Janet Fox correctly points out goes. known holding earlier issues of SFR, PSYCHOTIC, ALIEN CRITIC, etc. that professional fantasy markets ((I was taught to write by Jack are welcome to write for offers on have not exactly blown away the Woodford, and Jack Woodford says... single issues or partial or com¬ semi-professional magazine. This (Why is everybody listening?) to plete collections.' merely shows the perils of playing make a chapter by chapter outline, prophet. Yet another part of the make notes as things occur to you interview with me was obsolete (in for other chapters, and attach those ((Kerry wants me to be the mid¬ a news sense) before the interview notes in appropriate chapters. Of dle man in large-amount transactions. was published. When it was conduct¬ course as I write a novel, plot/out¬ So if a big deal is involved, and a ed, it seemed that IMAGO was going line adjustments have to be made as purchase is agreed upon, I will re¬ to have a major on the field characters develop and scenes happen ceive the magazines, let Kerry examine and that AMAZING would recover fast¬ which demand changes down the line them, and will transmit his payment er than it has, and presumably go or up the 1 ine. to the seller. But send your initial monthly. Since AMAZING pays 6* a letters to him!)) word and publishes around three ((The advantages of a detailed fantasy stories per issue, that outline are that you don't forget would be a major market for fantasy. vital items/actions/relationships (It is still as these things go, a and you present to the editor proof major market, but like say, WHIS¬ that you know what you're doing, PERS, it can't absorb a large vol¬ and give him a clear, detailed # LETTER FROM BUZ BUSBY ume of material.) picture of what the novel will be 2852 14th Ave West when you've finished it. Thus our Seattle, WA 98119 'You mention that there should outline for THE BURNT LANDS sold Nov 3, 1984 be a small but loyal market for an on the basis of the outline alone, "amateur" fiction magazine. By 'I don't know whether depres¬ with no opening chapters written. this I believe we both mean a mag¬ However, it was a 29-page outline, sion gloms onto writers more than azine published on an amateur lev¬ onto other people, but I've exper¬ and was buttressed by THE SWORD OF el, but containing professional ALLAH of which it was a sequel. ienced it -- to the point that a quality fiction. But you're en¬ ((I can see using the 'instinc¬ few years ago I'd wake up totally gaging in prophecy-by-retrospect. tive' approach to a , depressed and have to fight my way There has been a loyal readership but a novel_ I'd be afraid up out of it, nearly every morning, for such magazines since about of wasting too much time redoing in order to function at all. No 1968. The major titles today are whole sections, writing myself into obvious reason; it just happened. WEIRDBOOK, WHISPERS, FANTASY BOOK, a black hole, etc.)) 23 FANTASY TALES and perhaps one or two others. There is a new Canad¬ it was such a viable product that ian semi-professional (or pro-qual¬ it took several years of sustained ity/ amateur-published) magazine, abuse to kill it. Had BORDERLAND, which will be a major been supported by a competent pub¬ title if it sticks around. Of the lisher, he could still be editing above-mentioned four, only FANTASY GALAXY to this day. VERTEX, again, BOOK has been around less than was misconceived. It was glossy five years. (WEIRDBOOK started and therefore appeared among the 1968; WHISPERS 1973; FANTASY TALES general science magazines. For 1977.) this audience, the magazine con¬ tained too much fiction. The VER¬ ((One issue, Darrel), you will TEX folks almost invented OMNI be¬ send a short loc and I will fall fore Guccione did. But failure of into shock and be forced to eat a C the magazine had very little to do full gallon of pistaschio-nut ice with what stories the editor bought. cream in order to recover. Marvel's HAUNT OF HORROR was very ((I know I could publish a well edited and designed, but died successful semi-pro science fiction because the publisher chickened out magazine, or series of anthologies, and killed it before the returns if I wanted to. But it would not came in. (It turned out it has be fantasy. It would be science- sold well.) The death of NEW fiction. And it would be titled WORLDS was clearly caused by edit¬ BOLD SCIENCE FICTION and it would orial decisions, but that is the be open only to professional writers only recent example I can think of who wanted an outlet for those sto¬ and for much of the period in ques¬ ries too extreme, too controversial tion, it was more of a semi-prozine for the existing prozines or maga- than a professional magazine on books which those authors felt a fantasy market consists of two the scale of GALAXY or VERTEX. need to write and see published. specialized magazines, F(jSF and 'So, yes, publishing is actual¬ There are still taboos and you- TWILIGHT ZONE and more generally, ly the hard part. As you can see can't-say-thats in sf, and there of various anthologies (usually from the Scithers AMAZING, it was should be an outlet. But I'd have published by Ace) which appear to give up SFR, probably stop my possible to totally rehabilitate once or twice a year, AMAZING, THE the magazine editorially with a own professional writing... And DRAGON (which uses one story an is¬ I don't really feel that strongly single issue. (November 1982.) sue) , and on a more marginal level, When George was able to pay top dol¬ about it anymore. Publishing a other gaming magazines. Paul Col¬ lar, he had stories by , fiction magazine or series of lins' anthologies publish a little Gene Wolfe, Alan Dean Foster and anthologies is very time consuming.)) fantasy and there are other stray Jack Williamson, and a Michael niches for a story or two. But as Whelan cover. (He bought all the a practical matter, the fantasy 'At the same time, it is clear contents of his first issue. In¬ writer who produces more than two to me that the time is right for a herited inventory stories did not or three stories a year must deal strong, professional fantasy mag¬ appear until later.) Had those with semi-prozines or go unpublish¬ azine. Perhaps now, for the first stories gone into an issue of ed, no matter how good he or she time ever, such a magazine could ISAAC ASIMOV'S with that Whelan is. This is why FANTASY BOOK has succeed in a big way. Fantasy is cover, I'm sure it would have sold become the basic workaday magazine now the dominant form of popular 100,000 copies, like any other is¬ in the field, occupying a role com¬ fiction in its various forms. I am sue of a Davis magazine. But AMAZ¬ parable to that of say IF and GAL¬ sure that if IMAGO had actually ING had been mis-published since AXY in science fiction in the mid- been published and published comp¬ the early 19S0s. It is much harder 1960s. etently, it would have succeeded. to overcome that than put good And let us not forget TWILIGHT ZONE 'I am aware, of course, that stories beneath a good cover. which i£ a successful, fully-pro- publishing a book or magazine is a fessional fantasy magazine, albeit far more difficult job than editing 'One point Elton misses is a specialized one. TZ has the it. If you will look at the var¬ that while newsstand exposure is highest circulation of any fantasy ious defunct magazines Elton El¬ necessary to keep a magazine going, magazine in history. It should liott lists, you'll see they all you don't do your serious launching not be dismissed as a media maga¬ died of publishing failures, not of a prozine on the newsstand. The zine. It contains about 30,000 editorial ones. COSMOS was dragged way to promote a magazine is to go words of fiction an issue, from my under by other failures within Bar¬ to the various subscription agenc¬ count of a couple issues. onet. It lost some sales because ies, sell a bunch of subscriptions the format was wrong and it tended and then have a good enough product 'If one or more professional to get placed with the comic books to make those subscribers renew. fantasy magazines of a more gener¬ on the newsstand, but it was, I un¬ Subscription agency discount sub¬ al sort cto succeed, then naturally derstand, holding its own until scriptions are usually breakeven at they will draw off material which BIJOU lost big bucks. ASIMOV'S best. The profits are made on the would otherwise appear in semi- ADVENTURE actually was designed to full-rate renewals. If they don't prozines. In my own experience, survive in the 8 1/2 X 11" racks renew, you're dead. Elton is right stories move between the categories next to the comic books, but the that magazine publishing is capital- quite freely. The bane of a writ¬ perceived audience proved illusory. intensive. You use that capital to er's existence is the sale that be¬ (Also for some completely insane keep the magazine going until the comes "unsold" when the magazine reason, the publisher refused to renewals come in. folds. I have had professional sell subscriptions. Again, a pub¬ 'The circulation figures of stories come unsold and then get lishing decision, not an editorial the prozines are a matter of pub¬ resold to semi-prozines, and the one.) GALAXY was, bluntly, bled to lic record. If you look at the reverse happens nearly as often. death by its publisher, but even so statements in the magazines, you will discover that the Davis mag- 'Right now the professional 24 azines (ASIMOV'S and ANALOG) sell these thoughts have been occurring together ethics. Waiting for a roughly 20,000 copies on the news¬ in my mind for years...decades!... non-existent super cockroach to solve stand and have 100,000 subscribers. and still AMAZING continues. Truly our problems is absurd, and it always F5SF sells roughly 15,000 on the amazing.)) has been. It's a cop-out. newsstand and has 40,000 subscrib¬ ((But the above is an idealistic ers. (I am rounding off. I have statement; we will not accept our¬ not actually looked them up as I selves as we really are because it write this, but I did see a chart would be too sobering, terrifying, of all of them recently.) AMAZING humiliating, ego-crushing to do so sells 10,000 on the newsstand and # LETTER FROM RONALD L LAMBERT for too many of us. What was, what 2350 Virginia has about 1800 subscribers, less is, will be.)) Troy, MI 48083 than LOCUS and probably less than Nov 12, 1984 SFR. But you can see that, with 'I see that now Damon Knight print runs only a third the size 'The questions you asked about has called me a frog. What he evil are difficult to answer, of of those of the other magazines, meant by that I am not sure. I am course. As a society, we give the newsstand sales aren't really not French. It is true that when tentative, provisional answers to bad. I was in college I sung in a men's most of them because we must. We glee club directed by a man named 'It seems to be the popular have to decide whether a youthful Norman Krogstad, and we were fond wisdom now that AMAZING is doomed. offender should be tried as a ju¬ of calling ourselves "Krog's Actually, this isn't so. It can venile or as an adult, we have to Frogs," but Knight surely could still be saved with a subscription decide whether someone like John W. not have known about that. Well, push. And the Spielberg TV show Hinckley was capable of knowing whatever he meant by calling his will of course help. But the mag¬ right from wrong when he committed critics frogs, I appear to be in azine isn't on its last legs, con¬ his crime and whether he is mental¬ good company. trary to rumor. We're putting to¬ ly competent to stand trial, we gether the mid-1985 issues about have to make distinctions between now. But as for the future viabil¬ first and second degree murder ((Maybe he simply wants you to ity of AMAZING, consider this: (premeditated and crime-of-passiorj) croak?)) Steven Spielberg isn't paying for and a further distinction involv¬ the use of that title for his TV ing accidental loss of life be¬ show with peanuts. He has a guar¬ cause someone was criminally neg¬ anteed 44 episodes from the network ligent (manslaughter) — etc. But 'I wonder if Knight is as com¬ (which, if I recall correctly, is we do not really know what we are fortable knowing that his opposi¬ NBC). You can be quite sure that doing. It is a fifty-gallon bar¬ tion to what he terms "the L-5 TSR isn't exactly going to fold rel of worms, and unfortunately moondoggle" has placed him in the AMAZING while this money is coming we are stuck in the barrel with the company of such luminaries as Lyn- in, and they might even give the worms. All we can do is do the den LaRouche and Senator William magazine the big subscription pro¬ best we can and take heart from Proxmire. If Knight is going to motion it needs. The magazine has the fact that civilization has refer to the far-sighted dream of always been viable. It's just been been advancing in recent ages. the L-5 Society as a "moondoggle," sitting in idle all this time. 'Liberals try to cope with ev¬ then I am going to call Knight a 'On a similar note: We would il by tacitly denying that it ex¬ "proxmire-monger." appreciate it if you didn't make ists. Conservative fundamentalists public statements that AMAZING is take the opposite course of con¬ 'As for the debate with Greg¬ not going to be around much longer. demning as evil everything that ory Benford, I have to say that I This can only help make that the makes them nervous. Neither alter¬ can see Knight's point. Concluding case by destroying subscriber con¬ native is viable. We have to wade that hard SF is the core of the fidence. Now, someone like Charles around in the barrel, contending genre is the result of reasoning Platt is doing it (as in the new with the worms, because that is from a false analogy. Science SF CHRONICLE) out of his usual mal¬ where we are. Only God can get us fiction is not a peach, with a ice (you ask why does everyone out of the barrel -- which is a hard pit in the middle; it is a hate Charles Platt -- because he good reason for believing in God. strawberry with a lot of little has worked long and hard to be God is needed to judge evil in all seeds sprinkled on the outside. hated), but we know that you mean its complexity. When evil is jud¬ Hard SF cannot be the core of SF no harm. The magazine is still in ged, then we can be freed of it. because the genre did not grow delicate condition, certainly. It that way. hasn't been promoted seriously since Howard Browne's time. And (('Only God can get us out of 'Perhaps it would be useful to magazines don't just take off all the barrel -- which is a good reas¬ term SF epistemological fiction. by themselves. You can be sure on for believing in God.' I can't What we know about the nature of that ASIMOV'S was promoted vigor¬ believe you wrote that. How about, reality provides the ideas that we ously through direct mail, discount 'Only a super, intelligent cockroach play with in SF. Science fiction subscription houses and the whole can get us out of our moral and soc¬ that heavily emphasizes its close works. ial difficulties, which is a good conformity to conventional, "ap¬ reason to believe in a super, intel¬ proved " knowledge about the nature ligent cockroach.' of reality is "hard" SF. Some SF ((It is my personal belief does this in such great detail that ((What I don't understand (and it that when we finally accept our- only people with doctorates in phys¬ must be what triggers others' pre¬ selves.aswe are and not as what we ics can write it. That of course dictions of doom for AMAZING) is 'should' be, we'll be able to judge is all right. There is a place why the distributors bother with ourselves and make rules and laws for even "superhard" SF -- but it the magazine. I assume that at more realistic and workable than at is at the periphery of the genre, some point a major (or the ) dis¬ present. We are still too wrapped not the core. The first writers of tributor will say to helT~with car¬ up in illusions about ourselves to SF were not physicists. For the rying this low-volume, low profit do a really decent job of living- most part, the physicists did not magi and AMAZING will be gone. But come along until the present gen- 25 eration. It takes real effrontery # LETTER FROM ALAN DEAN FOSTER 'Most cats will try to go out¬ for them to presume they are the THRANX, INC. side, as yours did, or of the genre. 4001 Pleasant, Valley Dr. least find a dark place. This is 'Do not get me wrong -- I am Prescott, AZ 86301 because they possess an innate dig¬ glad the physicists have come. I Nov 12, 1984 nity denied most humans. Cats think, I believe, that dying is a personally prefer hard SF. But I 'Yo ho ho and a barrel of Big private matter best left to them¬ object to the notion that hard SF Brothers. The USIA plans to es¬ selves. They dislike inflicting should define the field in any tablish a kind of visual Voice of pain and suffering on their friends sense. Science fiction is litera¬ America to be carried by anywhere ture that plays with ideas about and so when the time comes, they from four to six satellites scat¬ try to slip away so that their ac¬ the nature of reality, and the mod¬ tered around the world. Each sat¬ em philosophy of science is only tual passing will not be an imposi¬ ellite would broadcast to a speci¬ tion on anyone they know, whether one philosophy among many, none of fied region. There'll be one for humans or other cats. Admirable. which have been proven or disprov¬ Africa, one for the Middle East, es How "kosher" the ideas we play and so forth. Hie complete system with in writing SF may seem to will be called WORLDNET. This is ((Thank you and all the dozen or physicists does not have any rel¬ going to be fun, especially if the so others who wrote to express sym¬ evance to whether a story is sci¬ satellite signals are strong enough pathy at Kookie's death, and to tell ence fiction. Physicists are not to qualify as DBS quality. That similar stories of the passing of a the final authority. Physics is means anyone with a cheap receiver cat or cats they knew and loved. But not Truth. The modem physical and a one-meter dish will be able it doesn't help a bit; it just dredg¬ paradigm has weaknesses -- even to pick them up. Going to drive es up memories of her and that in areas of glaring contradiction certain governments crackers. turn brings a sting of tears to my with observed phenomena relating nose. But, still, thanks.)) to such basic things as the essen¬ 'Satellite broadcasting is al¬ tial nature of matter. So if some¬ ready changing the way much of the one wants to bring in angels and world receives its information. 'The 1988 Republican president¬ devils, psi and witchcraft, ghosts The magazine I subscribe to is full ial nominee will be Senator Robert and astral bodies, there is room of letters from dish owners in Dole of Kansas. The vice-president¬ for it -- in^ science fiction! We places like Caracas and Barbados ial nominee will be his wife. Sec¬ can all think of examples where asking how to refine their recep¬ retary Elizabeth Dole. You read such elements have been incorporat¬ tion of HBO and, particularly, SIN it here first. (the U.S. Spanish-language net). ed into good SF stories. Very few 'You said none of the Democrat¬ Dish owners with proper equipment people would have the gall to sug¬ ic presidential candidates had any on the East Coast had a fine time gest that Philip K. Dick's novel guts. One did, but he wasn't a earlier this year watching the VALIS was not science fiction. serious candidate this year. Con¬ Friendship Games in Moscow (their gressman (just won re-election with 'The difference between fantasy consolation Olympics for East Bloc over 80% of the votes cast) from and science fiction is this: In athletes), even though no U.S. net¬ Arizona named Morris Udall. Even work or independent stations car¬ fantasy the writer says, "I know the Republicans admit he'd make a ried the broadcasts. The dish own¬ this is not, could not ever, pos¬ good president. So why doesn't he ers picked up the signal off the sibly be true, but let's pretend." run again? He's had Parkinson's Soviet G0R0Z0NT satellite. In science fiction the writer says, Disease for years and it doesn't "This might somehow, sometime, pos¬ look good on TV. Sad. Just like sibly be true." Whether physicists ((Currently, here in Oregon, Terry-Thomas, the wonderful English think it could possibly be true is the movie companies are suing some comic actor. It's a disease that irrelevant. They do not really motels who get HBO, SHOWTIME, etc. just makes people drop out of know, and even if they did, and "free" via dishes. Copyright in¬ sight. were omniscient, they still did fringement or something is the bas¬ 'You're right about the crud not invent the genre, and certain¬ is for the suits. The defense is, ly no one is going to let them on network TV, but if you're not I suppose, that if the movie compan¬ watching Rumpole of the Bailey on rule it. (The Secret Masters of ies don't want their movies receiv¬ SF-dom would object.)' PBS on Friday nights you're missing ed by anyone with a dish, they a treat. should prevail upon the leasors of 'You also ought to subscribe to ((It's all in the names of the satellite transponders involved to scramble their signals, so that THE ECONOMIST, the world's best things: telepathy can b a science news magazine.' fiction element or story theme, and only cable companies could unscramble if you make telepathy possible by a the signals. headset full of electronics, that's ((There must be a reason why HBO, Showtime, etc. do not do this already. even better. But if you make tele¬ ((I should subscribe to a lot of Technical problems? Costs? Would it pathy possible by means of a magic magazines, and newspapers, but I be too easy to buy descramblers? )) ring or sword or an enchantment or can't afford them in the first spell...ah, that's fantasy.)) place, and haven't the time to read them in the second place. That's 'Odd, but the day SFR came in the major frustration of my life: the mail, one of our cats passed not enough time to learn enough to away. This paragon of feline vir¬ know what's really the truth in sev¬ tue was named Dusty, age fifteen. eral areas. The more you know, and Been with my wife all her adult learn, the more you need to know... life. Dusty had been slimming Maybe living happily in this time of down for years, but retained her incredibly available knowledge is appetite right up until the last achieved by knowing when to stop day. Then she just stretched out learning...or how best to ration on her favorite rug and went away. one's time. Or knowing what not Never even closed her eyes. to investigate... I don't know! So much interests me!)) 26 # LETTER FROM PETER PINTO nation, she is apparently undecid¬ IF ARq-EMTiWA 80 Eastham St, Lancaster ed. Taking all precaution, the WERE a BASE3AU- IRA has accordingly served warning LAI 3AY United Kingdom TEAM, WE'K BE Dec. 1984 that they will be a dangerous ene¬ my to take on by blowing up the 0WME> "BY <^EOP.qE '"Alien Thoughts" is almost Tory party conference . . . unfor¬ STE IMBR.EMN1ER.. the only absorbing writing in SCI¬ tunately, they missed!). Police ENCE FICTION REVIEW -- interviews powers are being increased, and and soap-box articles aside -- most the vestiges of civilian control of the middling-sized reviews not of the police abolished. displaying much character (?nasti- ness?), but impersonal pseudo ob¬ 'Elisbeth Lindner at Methuen jectivity. Or maybe not. How do (11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P- you see the change(s) in your org¬ 4EE) has been expanding the Meth¬ an over the years? Could it be uen Paperback SF/Fantasy list just that your guestreviewers feel slowly but steadily -- with advice, inhibited from burbling with en¬ suggestions and interference by immediately. The original Prome¬ thusiasm/manic attacks with the yours truly. I think she'll soon theus Committee was started in 1978, scalpel? (Not necessarily a plea need to start planning to origin¬ lapsed into limbo for awhile, and to bring back Alter.) You've ate SF — she remains unconvinced was resurrected in 1982 as the LFS doubtless been following the con¬ -- Methuen looks for authors to to honor and promote the best lib¬ tinuing misadventures of the U.S. build into names recognized in ertarian fiction each year. In overseas, the search for Reagan's Britain, or to re-build: Accord¬ theory it's not limited to SF, but brain, etc., but have you wondered ingly, a reasonable body of work/ in practice every winner so far what -- or who -- may now be oc¬ evidence of the ability to produce (and most of the works nominated) cupying the caverns behind the entertaining fiction worth keeping are SF. The winners to date: face of a certain ex-B movie act¬ in print for the ideas (and their WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS by F. Paul or? Have you noted the tendency treatment) underlying the story Wilson in 1978, THE PROBABILITY of this worthy to find fluent, col¬ are looked for. Major names on BROACH by L. Neil Smith in 1982, loquial and grammatical English, the list are: C.J. Cherryh (from by James P. not to mention negotiating the DAW), Ben Bova, Peter Tremayne § Hogan in 1983 and THE RAINBOW CAD¬ real world, just a little too tax¬ Gillian Bradshaw and, in the re¬ ENZA by J. Neil Schulman in 1984. ing? As though unfamiliar with establishing slot: Philip K. Dick his body? Shudder... Alter is 8 Clifford Simak. If anyone can 'The LFS also started a Hall safer in print. advise on the whereabouts of Thom¬ of Fame award for libertarian clas¬ as J. Bassler or his agent, it sics in 1983. The winners for 1983 'As to economics -- your posi¬ will be appreciated: We recently were Rand's ATLAS SHRUGGED and Hein- tion is no doubt excellent to com¬ reissued THE GODWHALE and publish¬ lein's THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS ment on the internal effects of ed the first ukpb of HALF PAST HU¬ and the 1984 winners were Orwell's Reaganomics (which seem to bear as MAN and I know only of the upd IF- 1984 and Bradbury's FAHRENHEIT 451. little resemblance to Reaganspeuk published stories else, by him. Personally, I voted for 1984 and as have Thatcher's policies to mon¬ From 198S we'll be looking to re¬ Le Guin's THE DISPOSSESSED, which etarism) , but the effect on the build 's list in the seemed a more balanced selection outside world isn't just disas¬ UK (we share him with Sphere, who but you can't have everything. trous -- it's catastrophic. The have the Amber series plus EYE OF paranoid urge to control every 'Your readers may also be in¬ CAT) and finally doing our own pap¬ terested to know that I've nomin¬ last detail of everyone's actions erbacks of Mervyn Peake's Gormen- no matter how far away is expensive ated THE SWORD OF ALLAH by "Rich¬ ghast trilogy, the pb rights hav¬ ard Elliott" for the 1985 Prome¬ when indulged in uncontrolled: It ing finally reverted to us. soaks up available cash at in¬ theus. It's an excellent novel creasingly high interest rates, 'Trust your campaign to reduce with at least a tangental libertar¬ driving first the third world and your printrun back down to official ian slant and I'm looking forward latterly the majority of developed fanzine status level isn't intend¬ to the sequel which I hope will be economies into recession and then ed to work through Product Degrad¬ even libertarianer.' depression, destabilizes popular ation -- basically, more Geis is governments (I hesitate to use the probably what's wanted -- less ((Well, we thank you for the empty adjective, "democratic") and filmviews unless interesting.' nomination. There is a storyline abandons the role of economic lo¬ in ALLAH which invoTves survival - comotive to world capitalism that ists and the libertarian philosophy. the system requires to counteract But the sequel, while exciting and its built-in tendency to deflation gripping and marvelously well- and depression. # LETTER FROM NEAL WILGUS written, does not have a direct lib¬ Box #25771 ertarian storyline or message. 'Over here things are not too Albuquerque, NM 87125 ((As a matter of fact, THE BURNT bad -- the dalek that thinks it's September, 1984 LANDS may not even be a sequel to divine has been promising that 'Somewhere along the line you THE SWORD OF ALLAH; it all depends things'll get worse for all but mentioned (in a letter) that there on how well ALLAH sold, and we won't the very richest, that all remain¬ are too many awards being given in know that until February. The editor ing industry will be destroyed the SF/Fantasy field. I agree, but of Fawcett will then decide whether (she has destroyed more of Brit¬ everybody has their favorite so to publish THE BURNT LANDS as a se¬ ain's industry than Hitler and here's a plug for mine. quel, or to ask for some minor re¬ Goering, financed by Morgan, were writing and editing to divorce the able to), and that, if necessary 'The Prometheus Award is given novel from ALLAH and publish it as to ensure her re-re-election, ano¬ by the Libertarian Futurist Society an independent after-a-disaster ther war will be fought (whether (c/o Victoria Varga, 121 McKinley novel in the near-future. In any against the miners, Tory party St., Rochester, NY 14609) and I case the publication date for THE "wets" -- traditionalists, civil think all SFR readers should join BURNT LANDS is (as of now) October, servants, gays or a handy, small 27 1985.)) # LETTER FROM ROBERT A.W. LOWNDES 'I didn't see the particular # CARD FROM GENE WOLFE 717 Willow Avenue William "Stage" Boyd film that Box #69, Barrington, IL 60010 Hoboken, NJ 07030 might have involved zombies, but Nov 14, 1984 Nov 13, 1984 I still remember the Bela Lugosi 'Gene DeWeese mentions a book 'To : You are WHITE ZOMBIE, which did indeed. Again, a weird film with just en¬ he calls HOW TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS 100% correct about Richard Dix in ough explicit to give one a shud¬ FROM WOMBATS on page 17 of SFR #53. TRANSATLANTIC TUNNEL, which I saw der, but full of things for your I think he's confusing two Cuppy probably before Damon Knight start¬ imagination to fill out. titles: HOW TO ATTRACT THE WOMBAT ed seeing science fiction movies. and HOW TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS FROM There was indeed that door-closing 'Hmm, you can get a mint jul¬ THE APES. Both are excellent books scene you refer to; what I remember ep in Milford? I go there several and much easier to find than my better is that there were cameo times a year, but at none of the own favorite, HOW TO BE A HERMIT. scenes for George Arliss (as prime restaurants Virginia Kidd frequents I believe WOMBAT is still in print minister of Britain, of course), can they provide one.* Actually, from Dover. APES has been publish¬ and Walter Huston, as President of I think I've had a mint julep once ed with HOW TO BECOME EXTINCT under the United States. The scene in in my life and recall more or less the omnibus title THE GREAT BUSTARD METROPOLIS, which I first saw in liking it. I'd like to try it AND OTHER PEOPLE, but I don't know 1927 (and which scared me then) again, but keep wondering if I 'll whether it's still available out¬ was somewhat similar, but not en¬ care for it now. (I must confess, side the used book stores.' ough to justify confusing the two. I never think of it at restaurants 'I also remember William here in the NY-NJ area. Which "Stage" Boyd, as differentiated must go to show that it really is from the William Boyd who later be¬ not all that important to me.)' came Hopalong Cassidy. I recall # CARD FROM UEE DOROSCHENKO the first as the murderer in the * No fresh mint on hand, they say. 45 Johnson Rd William Powell version of THE BEN¬ West Orange, NJ 07052 SON MURDER CASE, and the latter in Nov 13, 1984 a film (title forgotten) wherein he is a playboy whose family has TAKE- ME To YOUfZ. LEAPEK EARTH Uk^-. 'Re: SFR #53, page 49, column shoved him into the Army; after TAKE: ME TP YOUK LEATEFT eATTHUKiGt. 3: various mishaps, he Proves Himself TAKE ME TD YouK UEAPER,, EAPTHUNKy. 'In his otherwise incisive "We and gets a commission as an offic- Can Remember It For You Wholesale: The Phil Dick Problem: The Phil Dick 'The title of the film Damon Solution," Barry Malzberg writes, disliked so much, based on THE ISLE "...one thinks of WillyLoman on OF DOCTOR MOREAU, with Charles his deathbed clutching Jack Burden's Laughton as Moreau, is THE ISLE OF hand in ALL THE KING'S MEN..." LOST SOULS. That too I saw when it As every highschooler knows, Willy first came out, circa 1933, and en¬ Loman was the title character of joyed it heartily. A few years ago, Arthur Miller's DEATH OF A SALESMAN; when the Burt Lancaster version of Willie Stark was the protagonist of THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU came out. ALL THE KING'S MEN.' Cinema Village in New York was in¬ spired to run both films on the Atr® same program. I was interested and hied myself there, to walk in on the middle of the color new vers¬ # CARD FROM RCBERT BLOCH # LETTER FROM DEAN R. LAMBE ion. I considered it a mess. Then 2111 Sunset Crest Drive 8 Northlake Drive, Route #1 on -the screen came the old black- Los Angeles, CA 90046 Box 218-S, Vincent, OH 45784 and-white Laughton film, in soft- Nov 8, 1984 Nov 9, 1984 focus, also with Bela Lugosi as the Sayer of the Law — and I was en¬ ' I know how you feel about 'Congratulations, you managed chanted all over again. I walked Kookie. The death of three dogs to raise my blood pressure at sev¬ out at the end of that one, not in 20 years caused my wife to avoid eral points in SFR #53, something wanting to see any more hard-color a repetition of trauma by getting that SFR hasn't done to me in quite version of the remake -- which, a Himalayan cat instead; soon it a while. But first, a comment on from what I saw of the last half was joined by a Singapura -- and your comments about topless/ tottom- was no closer to Wells's novel now the two little guys are running less joints (still very much absent (which I've reread with pleasure the house as well as helping me from this part of the Muddle West, within the last few years) than type, hiding in my file-cabinets, I assure you). Some time ago, Don the Laughton version. The old film and forming a menage-au-quatorze Kingsbury told me about the painful did not show you too much explicit¬ by sharing our bed. You can't win. transitions in Montreal as a result ly, but it set up a mood and your They are as innocent and lovable of the Quebecois take-over, wherein imagination filled it out. The re¬ as neofans. Incidentally, tell French -- and only French — sud¬ make left nothing to the imagina¬ those film neofans Knight and David¬ denly became the only language for tion at all! That is one of the son that I recently shared a panel everything. As a result, a lot of various reasons why I refuse to go with Curt Siodmak, creator of flesh parlors of various sorts and to current science fiction or fan¬ TRANSATLANTIC TUNNEL, and that MAD levels of raunchiness opened, and tasy films. LOVE (1935) dealt with hands trans¬ became the only oppor¬ planted or grafted from a knife- tunities for middle-class, English- speaking young women, who might 'And I do indeed remember, and thrower, not a strangler, and that the METROPOLIS EPISODE involved otherwise have gone into more trad¬ would gladly see again the old itional occupations as secretaries, THINGS TO COME, and the delightful Joh Frederson and his son Freder: Rotwang was the villain.' nurses, teachers, etc. Now, run Roland Young version of THE MAN that forward a bit, with society WHO COULD WORK MIRACLES. 28 in general more computerized, more robotized, more and more low-level, "service industry" jobs as the on¬ ly jobs. Means more flesh palaces, right, for what else is that sur¬ plus labor force to do? De-crimin- alized prostitution in 20 years? Wanna bet?

((You may be right. If low-pay service industry jobs predominate, that means a shrinkage of the middle- class, an increase in the lower class... Legalized prostitutes would have to sell most of their services to lower class males... in what environment?--brothels, from the street or from bars/taverns, or by means of advertising for per¬ sonal visits? much doubt), what is so wrong with I'm an unreconstructed isolationist ((The most beautiful, most intel¬ frequent reminders of the Holo¬ at heart: I think the US should be ligent, most skilled girls would go caust to our current a-historical neutral and not attempt to build or for the upper and middle-class trade crop of youth? Your totally un¬ maintain an empire. I think we (except that middle-class prostitutes necessary comment is the sort of should be so strong militarily that would have a lock of that trade, one thing one might expect for a Lynd¬ we could not be defeated or attack¬ would think. on Larouche, but I'm most disap¬ ed with any success. We should ((But 20 years probably will not pointed to see it falling from your keep the dollar at a reliable, steady see legalization of prostitution on fingers. After all, millions of value, be the Switzerland of the a federal level. Maybe individual non-Jews were included in that ter¬ world, trade with anybody, never counties or states or cities would rible toll, including not a few of take sides. try it.)) the "unfit handicapped," and I ((But that is an "old-fashioned" hardly think that historical dram¬ attitude and not liked by the pres¬ as on the tube constitute a con¬ sure groups and industries who feed 'Onward to the bitches: While spiracy. Even if an "Internation¬ on this country and who have a vest¬ I have great respect for Algis al Zionist Conspiracy" exists, it ed interest in interventionism and Budrys, I thought you gave entirely would seem less questionable than "protecting American interests" too much space to his typical the "International Irish Conspir¬ (their interests) overseas.)) "look, ma, no paper" response to acy" that continues to supply weap¬ computerization. A hell of a lot ons to that tragic island. Would of us have been through that now, you perhaps care to re-think those 'Finally got a copy of THE and it's really only interesting lines, or at least explain who, if SWORD OF ALLAH. Little heavy on the first three times you read not the Israelis, you would have the rocky-fellow conspiracy, but someone else's version. Besides, the U.S. subsidize in that region? very nice in the technical gimmicks. Budrys advocates a very idiosyncrat¬ As I'm sure you know, the real ic el-cheapo system, and I would hidey-hole for the fedgov fatcats dismiss his advice to the young ((Of course we shouldn't forget is in the wilds of West Virginia, out of hand, were it not that one the Nazi era and its sins, but there not Oregon (and I'm not sure that of our best, C.J. Cherryh, chums is a pattern of constant media re¬ Oregon survivorists would have giv¬ out her prodigious copy on a simil¬ minders of the Holocaust which raise en up that easily). ar primitive system. Each to his my hackles because of the manipula¬ 'Speaking of Rockefellers, I own goo, as they say in Montreal. tion it implies. There is a strong think you'd worry less about that Budrys did make a terrible mistake Zionist/Jewish influence in the TV family if you'd seen close-hand, in his choice of printer, however. industry and it does virtually the clown act of John Jay the IV NOTE TO NEW WRITERS: Never leave dictate that every few months there in West Virginia. By dint of $7 the shop with a printer that you will be presented to the American million of his own and about $3 haven't seen, with your very own people a film or documentary about million of other peoples', Jay optic sensors, underlining text the Nazis and their program of Rockefeller is now the junior Sen¬ when hooked up to your very own genocide against the Jews. I would ator from that, land of impoverish¬ computer. resent equally a constant, calculat¬ ed force-feeding of reminders of ment. The race was close, despite 'Elton Elliott's raised hack¬ the slaughters and genocide of his Republican competition's total les missed a couple of recent the indians by the whites in this lack of political experience, be¬ deaths: FTL MAGAZINE and 'S country. cause of the Ray Gun Zap, and be¬ CHILD. Sigh. ((We are reminded of the Holo¬ cause of the recognition by West caust so often because the Israeli Virginians that he really hadn't 'Speaking of hackles, though, government is in constant need of done much for them in his two terms you really blew my circuits with as Governor, that he really wasn't your mini-review of THE BLOOD OF subsidies from the American govern¬ ment, and these reminders are to a "good ol' boy" after all. Natur¬ OTHERS. Ah, c'mon, Dick! "But it ally, he was replaced as Governor does its job of helping to keep keep the taxpayers in line with guilt and sympathy. by a prior occupant of that seat, the story of the persecution of a true local talent who was indict¬ the Jews alive and well in America. ((I note that HBO (if I rememb¬ er correctly) has yet another Nazy/ ed for extortion the last time that The Zionists have the dictum ...." he was in office. Jay Rockefeller Holely hemorrhoids, that's totally Holocaust film on its schedule, to be shown soon. in any event, is now a harmless gratuitous bigotry, and you damn member of the country club, and his well know it. Even if the intent ((Who else would I have the US subsidize in the near-east? Nobody. further aspirations are silly, for of that meager made-for-HBO movie Americans will never elect anyone was as you suggest (which I very 29 by that name to the presidency.' # LETTER FROM JESS E. STEWART was tired of hearing about air pow¬ # LETTER FROM JOEL R0SENBURG POB #55085, Seattle, WA 98155 er and would do nothing for making 1477 Chapel Apt. B-4 November 4, 1984 an air force since' after all our New Haven, CT 06511 first line of defense is the bat¬ December, 1984 'Appalled by what Budrys (don't tleship ... Thus when the war start¬ let him get away with it!) wrote on ed we had no air force. (Besides, 'While I enjoyed the interview page 27, Winter Edition of SFR: with Algis Budrys, methinks his all military advisors to FDR felt article on how to buy a wordproces- "...as bad as any Jack Wood¬ the same way.) If FDR had listen¬ sor is more of a symptom of a com¬ ford novel ever written...” ed to Billy, scrapped plans for carriers, started building all mon psychological failing than any¬ 'There are several ways of thing else. Despite the scattering kinds of long-range planes that looking at that. didn't need a naval deck to land of factual inaccuracies, I think the main problem with the article 'What, if any JW novel has Bud¬ on ... the long-range Mustang, for comes from the natural tendency we rys ever read? Let him look at example, we wouldn't have lost some all have to rationalize a major de¬ the publisher. The only untinker- 30,000 planes over Germany and cision as the right one. I'm not ed-with, unadulterated novels ever 170,000 men. The P-51 wiped the sure what Budrys' system costs, done by JW were those Godwin hard¬ German fighters out of the skies but I've seen decent wordprocessing bound books of the thirties plus a over but they came only in packages based on Kaypro computers few Panurge Press books. The Wood¬ 1944. FDR never understood air and daisy-wheel printers for less ford Press, the Avon reprints and power and that was his great crime. than $2000, including software; and all other paperback publishers of But it was also the great crime of the Kaypro is a good system, not a his novels had half the contents all the military then. And it toy. (And no, it's not what I use excised by Communist assholes who further is the great crime of the -- I have Xerox 820-11, which I'm took out his political philosophies present administration which has renting for a ridiculously small and polemics. These Godwin and no understanding of air power. amount of money. Special circum¬ Panurge books have been rarely if Naval lobbyists in Washington D.C. stances.) ever found in bookstores today and have convinced that dummy in the therefore a reader not familiar Whitehouse that 10-billion-dollar 'For those interested in getting with Jack Woodford’s fiction cannot aircraft carriers do something for into wordprocessing, I'd recommend and will not be able to satisfy us militarily. They wereobsolete Poumelle's USER'S GUIDE or his himself that Woodford can't write in WW II and thdy are obsolete now. BYTE columns. fiction ...he must take the word What is needed is the global air¬ 'Speaking of Poumelle, I find of a so-called authority. plane that needs no place to land ... can fly faster than anything myself having to agree with him 'Fine: else in space and can deliver the about Edd, Kaplan and Kahn. Un¬ comfortable; I'm a yellow-dog Dem¬ 'IF BUDRYS IS AN AUTHORITY ON weapons on target anywhere, any¬ ocrat. JACK WOODFORD FICTION LET HIM LIST time, any place. THE NOVELS OF JACK WOODFORD THAT 'No navy man would give up his 'Karl Edd should understand HE HAS READ, WHERE HE GOT THEM, navy to get us into war. But a that there's a difference between WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THEM, HOW THEY man with no military vision might a thought experiment and a sneaky CAN BE USED AS A COMPARISON OF ANY¬ get us into a hell of a lot of form of advocacy. Unless I've hor¬ THING GREAT SF WRITER R.A. HEIN- trouble because he didn't know that ribly misunderstood Kahn -- which LEIN HAS WRITTEN. IF BUDRYS HAS air power is all ... ALL. Think of I haven't -- his Doomsday Machine HAD NO EXPERIENCE READING JW FIC¬ that lowbrow in the Whitehouse who notion was a reductio ad absurdum TION . .. GEIS, FOR CRISESAKES TELL says schools don't need libraries, attack on an early version of Mu- HIM TO SHUT THE FUCK UP! because his never had any and look tual Assured Destruction, not an advocacy of building a doomsday 'I say this with all humility where he climbed, and him turning bomb. Saying, "If you were to car¬ because after a man has been hound¬ out 10-billion-dollar aircraft car¬ ry MAD to its logical conclusion ed virtually to his death national¬ riers. you would build and then announce ly by all kinds of political fuck- 'Take another look at JW's fic¬ that you had built one stationary, ingassholes he ought to be left in tion. His great power in fiction relatively-cheap worldvrrecker bomb his grave peacefully. Republican is his . One short story of instead of many and varied and ex¬ dirty tricks kind of thing is al¬ his which would go over big now due pensive bombs and missiles" is not ways to pick on someone who can't to FOULWELL, is "Evangelical Cock¬ the same thing as saying "Gee, defend himself, especially one who roach" which is hysterically funny. folks, let's build a great big is dead. Maybe Jack Woodford never came up 'Recall lately, the last few for a Nobel prize but the thing 'If Edd was fooled simply be¬ years, a great documented account about him was he WAS A REAL WRITER! cause Kaplan blurred the distinc¬ of THE DAY OF INFAMY by Toland. (Again, no college boy read his tion in WIZARDS OF ARMAGEDDON (if Here he proves that FDR deliberate¬ novels -- gals read them -- "me and he did; I haven't read Kaplan's ly let us fall into the clutches my old bags" was his usual remark.)' book), then Edd's too easily taken of the Japanese to make us go to in to be a responsible reviewer. war by sacrificing our navy. ((You manage to recreate Jack's If on the other hand, Edd is too style and manner of attack very stubborn to see the difference, 'One po’int never covered in well. And your defense of Jack that's his right; if he's not able that book was that FDR had once is well-taken; most of his novels to, perhaps you should consider served as Assistant Secretary of were ripped and raped after the replacing him as a reviewer. the Navy under Wilson, I think. thirties.)) Billy Mitchell went to see FDR in 'On to Janet Fox's letter ... the late thirties to try to talk I've got to admit that it gave me him out of navy appropriations a chuckle to see Darrell Schweitzer into making a giant air force. accused of being a computerphile. Bill saw on FDR's desk all kinds of Now, I know Darrell -- matter of miniature ships, naval weapons, fact, we're collaborating on WRIT¬ maritime items ... but no miniature ING FANTASY FICTION, which we've airplanes ... FDR told Billy he 30 just sold to NAL (advt.) -- and I know that he prides himself on get¬ example, an undelete key and even ting decent copy out of the cruddi- an automatic save, so that nothing est, cheapest old manual typewrit¬ is lost if the power goes off. ers that there are. A window feature makes it easy to move text from one file to another, But he's also sensible enough something that took a whole series to acknowledge that wordprocessors of complex steps with Scripsit. are important tools and to realize I enjoy it more all the time. -- unlike all too many weirdies out there -- that for a writer to 'As Algis says, no computer use a typewriter or pen and paper system is ever perfect, but I think or quill pen doesn't confer virtue. any word processor is so much bet¬ ter than a typewriter that compar¬ ing them is almost pointless. It's ((I'm often bemused by the costs also true that every year or so imposed by progress. Take this Sel- you can buy twice the power for no ectric, for instance: it cost $875 more money. Waiting for next year, new eight or nine years ago, and has I might have made a far better deal, required over one hundred dollars per bought for a fraction of that. but I'm happy now with what I have year every year for a service con¬ The memory held only 48 K, but -- and still looking for simple tract. The advantages are type selec¬ that was enough to hold the Scrip- software I can use with it to keep tion, and the correction feature. sit system and 5,000 words of copy, business records. Saves a lot of time. an average short story or a chap¬ But. A good Olympia manual cost¬ 'I'm not into games. Writing ter of a novel. It served well for ing hundreds less, using less expen¬ a new novel is always fun enough, four years, turning out several sive ribbons, not requiring a service and the computer makes it a lot books and a lot of correspondence. contract, could have served me just more fun. The best feature is the as well. And I would be maybe two 'I even wrote BASIC programs ease of revision. Though the first thousand dollars richer now. to do a few astronomical computa¬ few years, I sent most copy out in ((I tend to think that all that tions -- for the surface gravities first-draft. I didn't, in fact, is really important in communication of asteroids, orbital periods of know how to revise. Now, however, is ease of understanding/reading, and satellites, flight times between rewriting has now become a habit a good pica typewriter (manual) is planets at uniform accelerations, that can cripple production. The as good as a fancy electronic machine etc. Word processing doesn't re¬ word processor saves retyping the for anyone but a snob and anyone who quire you to know BASIC, or in fact same paragraph again and again in doesn't sell everything he writes. much of anything about computers, experiments to see if a few chang¬ ((I think SFR, for instance, typed but the basics of BASIC are easy ed words will make it better. to learn and the results can be on stencils, mimeographed, would have 'I always enjoy SFR. Keep it had the same success as SFR offset fascinating as well as sometimes going!' and professionally printed. Maybe useful. more success. It would have involved 'This summer I changed systems, a lot more work for me, but I've buying a Tandy 2000 with 256 K of noticed that 'labor-saving' machines memory. Not because of any trouble and services only allow me to be less with the old one. Having no moving selective in my leisure time—i.e, I parts, the electronic guts of a # LETTER FROM JANRAE FRANK watch more junk and crap, and read computer don't wear out. I wanted 8033 Sunset Blvd., #320 more junk and crap. I save more a more readable monitor, and I'd Los Angeles, CA 90046 time and waste more time. And it been bewitched by all the reviews Nov 13, 1984 costs more money to save that wasted of wonderful new machines and pow¬ 'About Donning: Hank's line time. Marvelous what progress has erful new software. It cost nearly at Donning was one of the only ones done for me. I can't afford to buy S3,000, for more capacity and speed making money. The real problem a computer and word processing equip¬ than I'll probably ever need. It there was that Bob Friedman is a ment—-it would result in mindrot and does work beautifully, however, and well-meaning person not well ground¬ utter sloth beyond my wildest fears.)) it's also a fascinating toy. ed in publishing reality. He edit¬ ■Instead of the Scripsit, I ed a line of metaphysical books, now have FinalWord. A far more none of which sold well at all powerful and sophisticated system, (several titles only sold six books a good bit better, I think, than apiece!.'.' --which drained the pro¬ # LETTER FROM JACK WILLIAMSON the better-known Wordstar. Like fits from the other divisions). Box #761, Portales, NM 88130 They ran into problems with their Nov 12, 1984 Wordstar, it has all sorts of fea¬ tures I don't need. For instance, printer who put them on a budget. 'I was glad to read Algis Bud- it can do footnotes. That would be Which was fairly close to what hap¬ rys on the delights of word proces¬ great for a dissertation, but I pened with Leisure Books. Hank sing. I would agree heartily that hope never to do another disserta- was the highest-paid of their three nearly any system is far better editors, so when the crunch came than a typewriter. If you think they saw that Kay Reynolds, who your readers are interested, I 'I haven't learned all about worked for less, might be fairly might add a comment out of my own it yet, and sometimes it annoys me. interchangeable with Hank, both experience. When I wanted to print a letter being SF/F people. And you know with Scripsit, I hit "P" and the where it went from there. In ad¬ 'I brought a TRS-80 Model I printer started. FinalWord buzzes dition to letting Hank go as furth¬ back in 1980, modified for lower and repeats stupid questions for er belt-tightening, they cancelled case and double density. With two several seconds before it consents the metaphysical line entirely — disk drives and an NEC 5530 print¬ to print anything. but apparently it was far too late er, the system cost around $5,000 - to save the book divisions. They more than half of it for the NEC 'Yet it does have features are currently phasing out the en¬ 5530 Spinwriter printer, which that make it vastly better. For tire publicity department and have turns out Selectric-quality copy 31 released the marketing director whose position is being eliminated. The first sentence--"It's hard to a hundred years later. To furth¬ As far as I know Donning/Starblaze understand why microfiche doesn't er conplicate matters, it has intends to go on publishing books, catch on"—seems valid on the sur¬ only been recently that the gener¬ but on a severely limited basis.' face but is not true. More correct al public has accepted the concept would be the question of why has of "small" as having value. (Many microfiche taken so long to catch factors contribute to this "new" attitude from the dawning of the Space Age to costs of gasoline.) 'In a day and age when people ((The letter following is typed on buy computers and VCR's, does it 'You see, in the light of the Delegate instead of the usual small¬ make sense that the cost of a above, microfiche has only recently er Adjutant, because the Adjutant reasonable microfiche reader ($140) become practical and is just-Beginn¬ element's spring sprung--sproing! stops people from using it? I ing to "catch on". Eventually it And getting a new one will be a few don't think so. There are actually will become the "new paperback" of days away and I want to get this several reasons, if not events, that the publishing industry, because of last letter typed and ready for have kept microfiche from being more space, weight and cost savings. paste-up. Have I over-explained generally accepted by the public. 'The day is here. Millions of this?)) In fact the history of micro publish¬ microfiche publications are avail¬ ing almost reads like a science fic¬ able, including some science fiction. tion story. Consider this: # RICHMAN G, LEWIN, PRESIDENT Readers even exist that allow you to MICRO INFORMATIQM CONCEPTS 'Micro photography was invented lie in bed and project pages of a P.0. Box 2163 between 1839 to 1859 in Great book on the ceiling. And costs?-- Dallas, TX 75221 Britain but was considered a Microfiche itself is so inexpensive 'I could not help but pay at¬ novelty until the 1920's. Easy that the savings from buying twenty tention to the Small Press Note a- to use, inexpensive, high quality books in microfiche instead of paper, bout Libertarian Microfiche, publish¬ readers were not developed un¬ make a microfiche reader "free". ed in your Winter, 1984 issue (p.29). til the early 1970's---more than Quality?--Today microfiche can be produced better than the original. And enjoyment?--Not only is it fun GEIS MESSAGE: THE ADVERTISEMENT RIGHT TO PUT OTHER SF AND FANTASY to use, but it becomes addicting.' BELOW IS LEGITIMATE, SINCERE, MAGAZINES-COMPLETE RUNS-ON HONEST. I AM ACTING AS AGENT FICHE. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN FOR THE COMPANY WHO IS OFFERING ACCUMULATING INEXPENSIVELY A RUN astounding/analog ON MICROFICHE. OF ASTOUNDING/ANALOG, PLEASE FILL THEY ARE NEGOTIATING FOR THE IN THE COUPON AND SEND IT TO ME. THREADS (WTBS-TV) Written by Barry Hines This 1984 movie, starring Reece Dinsdale and Karen Meagh¬ er, follows two families in Sheffield, England, as a con¬ flict developes between Russia and the USA in Iran. Push comes to shove and inevitably a nuclear war starts. England takes many, many hits, and one of them is an air base 17 miles from Sheffield. This film is devastating, chilling, terrifying, sobering, agonizing. It does two things: it tells you there is nowhere to hide if you are near (within 30 miles) a nuclear strike—you might as well forget living very long---and it tells you to locate yourself somewhere far away from any nuclear bomb target if you want to survive. With those bas¬ ic lessons are others: accept your fate if you choose to live in a large city, or be a survival- ist if you choose to survive. Forget about being an anti¬ nuke activist and/or voting to change policy. That's a fool's game. An idealist's game. You'll be proven correct—but you'll be dead. Keep a low profile and get away, or shrug and enjoy life icrofiche while you can. You might be and a FREE copy of lucky. Astounding Science ---Richard E. Geis Red-Haired Heroes, Brown-Haired Losers

By Hannah M. G. Shapero In the course of my job I read a lot of fantasy and science fic¬ tion. As an illustrator, I have a different attitude toward reading least noble blood. The Sweet Girl an unbeatable character than the usual reader. I don't look that our Hero marries at the end of RED hair, BLUE or GREEN eyes: The for plot, characterization, neat i- the story, after he has gone through less moral green eyes accentuates deas, or any of those other nones¬ all his tasks to win her, is invar¬ the somewhat roguish nature of red sentials; I read only for descrip¬ iably Blonde. Blue-eyed Blondes, hair. In both men and woman, they tions of what things look like. I however, are not necessarily intel¬ signify hot sexuality. Red hair in want to see visaul details of peo¬ ligent or talented, just nice. general is a much more erotic color ple, scenes, costumes, props, and BLONDE hair, GREY eyes: Grey eyes than blonde. special effects—because that's always mean a character of intelli¬ what I use in my work. RED hair, BROWN or BLACK eyes: This gence, complexity, and deep thought. combination signifies a demonic, Along the way I've noticed some¬ Added to the intrinsic goodness of amoral, but highly gifted character, thing important about the characters Blonde hair they make a noble but one the reader cannot help admiring. in fantasy and science fiction books. more complex figure, for instance Julian May created such a character None of them look like me. They Duke Alaric Morgan from Katherine in her Pliocene Exile's Aiken Drum. don't look like any of my friends Kurtz" Deryni books. A Blonde, Whatever a redhead takes up, he or or relatives, either. I find a huge Grey-eyed character will have more she does well. Competent in every¬ disproportion in the coloration of adventures and be in more danger thing, the red-haired character will the main characters. Most of them than a Blonde and Blue-eyed charact¬ hold center stage, tackle adventures are either red-headed or blonde! er. Blonde anf Grey almost always with gusto, and win out in the end. Dark-haired people like me and every¬ has royal or noble blood but is more They win wars, get the best mates one I know are relegated to the likely to be a king in exile or in and lovers, find the treasures, gain realm of supporting characters, hiding, unlike the open royalty of the kingdoms, etc. They are obvious¬ serfs, and shleps. The only dark Blue eyes. ly superior people. hair you can have and still be a BLONDE hair, GREEN eyes: Green eyes hero is pure black, and even then are ambiguous” They may signify ev¬ only if you have grey eyes. il traits or jealousy. When paired A NOTE ON VIOLET AND GOLDEN EYES: In fact, I can tell what is go¬ with the noble blonde hair they may mean personality faults or a hered¬ Liz Tatlor aside, violet eyes in ing to happen in the plot just by both sexes mean incredible desira¬ itary cuse for our main character to knowing the color of the characters' bility and unusual gifts. People overcome. hair and eyes. Since virtually ev¬ with violet eyes are unique, myster¬ eryone in these books is white, BLONDE hair, BROWN or DARK eyes: A ious, strange—perhaps not quite there are the only distinguishing blonde character is very rarely evil. human. Magic or psionic powers will features to go by. I have finally One exception may be if the charact¬ be part of this character. Violet decided to compile a chart of my er has dark eyes. This combination eyes are never stupid or evil, and findings so that you, too, can plot signifies the demonic underlying the are never wasted on a secondary by color. innocent. It is used to great ad¬ character. Most fantasy authors vantage by Julian May in her Pliocene eventually include at least one vio¬ Exile series, describing the awful let-eyed character. Brown eyes may IF A CHARACTER HAS: character of Felice. belong to a good main character, but WHITE hair, GREY eyes: Apart from the connotations of old age, White hair signifies divinity (a White- IF A CHARACTER HAS: haired character represents God in RED hair, GREY eyes: Red hair is the Bible's books of Daniel and Rev¬ the most popular main character col¬ elations) or at least awesome spir¬ or. Countless protagonists or their itual or magical power. Characters heroic and beautiful main companions with White hair include Elves, Cos¬ have red hair. While blondes are mic Wanderers, Sorcerers and Sorcer¬ sweet and noble, reds are charismat¬ esses, and other more-than-human ic and gifted and brilliant, though characters. not always of royal or even noble WHITE hair, PINK or RED eyes are ancestry. Red hair signifies a spec¬ albino characteristics and of ial gift: magic, psionic talent, sup¬ course mean weirdness and magic er intelligence, super strength. wherever found. The prime example Redheads are winners, oustanding of the Weird Albino is Michael Moor¬ heroes and heroines, who are great cock's Elric of Malnibone. by competence rather than the blonde's inheritance. Marion Zininer Bradley has combined the two traditions in her Darkover series by making red IF A CHARACTER HAS: hair the badge both of nobility and BLONDE hair, BLUE eyes: To be Blonde of special gifts. Morally, reds are is to be blameless and good-hearted not the angelic blondes, but they in both the male and female charact¬ are not inclined to Evil as a com¬ ers. Blonde hair means innocence, mitted way of life. Combined with desirability, and good breeding. A the grey eyes of intelligence and Blonde is probably or royal or at complexity., red hair grey eyes make only if they are light enough for tion. Tolkien, Kurtz, and Springer, the author to describe as "amber," to name just a few authors, all "tawny," or "golden." feature black haired grey-eyed kings and . Even if these colors are editor's note: not royal, they will signify divine IF A CHARACTER HAS: HANNAH SHAPERO. election or divine gifts. BROWN hair, any color eyes: Brown HAS INNOCENTLY, OR SLIGHTLY is the color of faithful, good, sec¬ MALICIOUSLY, EXPOSED A DIRTY BLACK hair, GREEN or BLUE eyes: The ondary, supporting characters. The LITTLE SECRET OF THE FICTION character with these colors is the color of earth, it describes earthy WORLD. IS THIS PRACTICE GOOD unsuccessful contender for the characters: peasants, serfs, crafts¬ OR BAD? A SIMPLE RESPONSE throne. He may be a cadet son or men, soldiers, servants, tavernkeep- TO MARKET FORCES, OR PREJU¬ even illegitimate. Eric and Corwin ers, wenches, laborers, squires, etc. DICE? of Amber, with their black hair and Brown hair loves and cares for our green or blue eyes, are examples of bright-haired main character but may this tradition. Black hair green or not always be loved in return. He blue eyes will be a very good war¬ or she will often die to save the rior, swordsman, stateman, or lover, main character. Brown hair is not but he will never get to rule. be in distress. Active and aggres¬ usually seriously evil but may op¬ sive women are likely to be red-hair¬ WHITE STREAK in BLACK hair: Magic erate outside the law, such as a ed. In feminist-influenced authors, is less uiportant with a black-hair¬ Good Thief, sorcerer's apprentice, the color rules for men apply to ed light-eyed character; it tends to procurer, smuggler, wharf , spy women as well. be used as a means (to kingship) on your side, etc. Brown-haired rather than an end. However, a white people are expendable. Brown hair streak in black hair means major is the security guard who buys the magic use. farm, the soldier who takes the ar¬ YET ANOTHER NOTE: row in the first charge, the kind METALLIC COLORS: The more metallic, BLACK hair, DARK eyes: Darkness and peasant girl who hides the hunted the more heroic (unless your char¬ dark coloration signify a quintes- blonde hero and then is killed by acter is a robot). If the author sentially evil character. Black his pursuers. Brown hair is brave describes coloration as gold, silv¬ hair dark eyes includes wicked kings but not too bright. Authors have er, copper bronze, iron, or steel, and queens, bad wizards and witches, tried to jazz up brown hair by adding the author is describing a hero. , werewolves, evil lovers extra colors such as red or gold Metallic colors imply unusual and seductresses, ghouls, enemy streaks, or by calling brown auurn, strength in a character: for example, spies, and traitors. They are crim¬ chestnut, or bronze. The more of Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze, or inals who have chosen evil as a the noble colors that are streaked , the barbarian with his bronz¬ permanent way of life; sneaky cut¬ or highlighted into brown hair, the ed skin and steel-blue eyes. The throats and thieves. They are im¬ more noble the character is. Hair¬ only ill-omened metallic color com¬ moral and perverse, often sexually dressers pay attention! monly used is lead: leaden robes or twisted. They are not characters eyes bode no good. of the light. However in rare cases, though their dark coloration means they dabble in evil magic or do evil ANOTHER NOTE: things, they may be redeemed at the DARK man, BLONDE woman: The usual IF A CHARACTER HAS: end of the story---by the love of a pattern for fantasy is that men are BLACK hair, GREY eyes: This is the blonde character. dark, and women are blonde. Think standard royal coloration, even more BLACK and ASIAN people do not usual- of Prince Valiant and his Lady Aleta. than blonde hair. A black-haired ly appear in fantasy unless the A dark-haired man has more adventures king or queen will have more courage author is Consciously Ethnic. In to go through, more personal faults and brains than the weaker but nicer these ethnic fantasies color stereo¬ to overcome, more temptations to blonde. Often the brother in a roy¬ typing is mercifully put aside, and evil—more character in general al family will have this coloration, we read of Persia, Africa, India, than the blonde and blameless woman, while his sister will have the lady¬ Japan, and China, with nary a blonde who need not do anything but sit and like blonde hair blue eves combina¬ or redhead in sight. What a relief!

Now you are going to scream that you have read a lot of books with dark-haired heroes or blonde villains. Of course! So have I. I rejoice in those authors who go against these color patterns and come up with original heroes and heroines. My Plot-by-Color goes only by statist¬ ics. It can't cover everything and there are innumerable exceptions. What I have tried to do here is make readers and authors aware of color stereotype patterns. Many of these traditions are thousands of years old and are so ingrained in us that sometimes authors don't even realize that the stereotypes are there. But let's be thankful that color stereotyping doesn't work in real life...or does it? / lo TEH •RE'/lEWS. A VOICES

cugel's saga card game Skax and discuss the By game Rampolio. Such byplay may at Timescape, 334 pp., $14.50 first glance seem of no value to REVIEWED BY KARL EDD plot movement but a closer examin¬ ation shows that the episode serves In the 1950s Jack Vance's DY¬ to delineate character. Trufans ING EARTH caught our fancy and was will read through such episodes; followed in the 1960s with the se¬ others may skip-read. quel, THE EYES OF THE OVERWORLD. As for style: "Sleep? When Lovers of monsters, wizards and you are dead, then you shall sleep magicians -- the spiritual descen¬ long and sound. Until that mourn¬ dants of those who devoured A CON¬ ful event, guard each iota of NECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S awareness; it is the only treasure COURT -- awaited the next capers of worthy of the name. Who knows Cugel the Clever. when fire will leave the sun?..." We glow. Cugel is back. Iu- There is much fire and sparkle counu (French, inconnu, the un¬ in this fantasy-saga that draws us known?) , the Laughing Magician, along by a series of majestic and has marooned Cugel far from the sonorous passages that touch you land of Almery (the Welfare State?). in such a magic 4/ay that you will book was George R.R. Martin's "The Cugel feels he must somehow make no longer be innocent of the sec¬ his way back from the towers of Monkey Treatment." While not an ret of the scales or the songs important story by any means, it is Flutic, ultimately being drawn ac¬ that are keystones of the heart -- ross the Ocean of Sighs by the that rarity, a genuinely funny all of which will be clear at the science fiction story. It is the many-colored sea worms that Chief end of the book -- and at some Worminger (Warmonger?) Drofo (0- final word on all the crazy diets time during your reading you may currently sweeping the nation. At Ford, backwards?) teaches him to quietly say to yourself, "I am control. times I laughed aloud, while I Cugel." hardly ever stopped chuckling. If Middle Earth and fans Or, "Where did the reading you can ignore *cosmic meaning* and will automatically enjoy this story time go so swiftly?" *relevance* temporarily, this is a but it should have wider appeal as topnotch story. AND THE GOLDEN FLEECE fan¬ *********************************** tasies are buried deep within the Almost as good is Robert Silv- collective unconscious of the hu¬ erberg's "Multiples." It is good man race. Our own New World was THE YEAR'S BEST SCIENCE FICTION to know that while his recent nov¬ settled by the unsettled of the Edited by els have been relatively simplis¬ Old World, and we are not so far Bluejay Bks, 570 pp., $9.95 tic adventures (particularly the two Valentine novels), his short removed from them and their impa¬ REVIEWED BY ROBERT SABELLA tient genes. --Kevin Eugene John¬ fiction retains the strength and son's cover painting is superb. vitality of what he was writing in Bluejay Books has been adver¬ the early-to-mid Seventies. This Bits of humor and wordplay tising this book as the biggest of story concerns a woman with a sing¬ the Best-of-the-Year anthologies. are verbal sequins that glitter le personality trying desperately throughout the book. Jocularity is At 570 pages containing 25 stories, to join the segment of society of teamed with subtlety and the match¬ that claim is undisputable. The people with multiple personalities. ed pair runs well. Classic Aris¬ more important question is whether As is typical of Silverberg, this totelian unity of time, place, such length is desirable; after is both a personality study as theme is not found in the book, all, were there 25 science fiction well as an examination of the so¬ naturally, as it falls into the stories published in 1983 worthy ciety itself. picaresque category. This is of of the title Best of the Year? Another worthy story is Kim little inport as the artificial Unfortunately, no. Perhaps a structure that Aristotle tried to Stanley Robinson's "Black Air." dozen stories in this collection His writing reminds me of C.J. impose is a structure demanded by live up to the title claim. But for¬ an uncertain society or a nervous Cherryh's in many ways. His prose tunately, Gardner Dozois is a good is straight-forward without any ruling class that seeks to hide enough editor that the rest of the from life's raw, untidy pattern of flourishes, his pacing slow and collection is more than mere fil¬ very careful. He tells about ord¬ coincidence, random chance and ler. Most of the stories are raggedness. If you demand a tight¬ inary people in situations without good, ranging from clever little any of the flash and sense of won¬ ly woven plot structure, you may pieces to well-written stories feel uncomfortable with this book der that are usually science fic¬ weak on plot to worthy experiments tion's lifeblood. Yet his stories that is heavy with interesting in¬ that failed. Only two stories can are unusually meaty. It doesn't cidents. All other readers will be considered outright clinkers. enjoy most or all of it. matter if he's describing life in So which were the best stories Venice or on a spacecraft or on of the year? My favorite in the the ill-fated Spanish Armada (the There is, for example, time setting of the story), he is grip¬ out while the characters play the 35 ping while also entertaining and always makes you want to read more. life-styles of the two groups of pro tive, a former Terran intelligence Robinson is perhaps the most prom¬ tagonist; both of whom are locked in agent and current Amazon with psi- ising of all the newer writers in a centuries-old war of supremacy of onic power. Jaelle is a Darkovan science fiction. the "blue-sky world". The story Amazon with psionics who is Magda's revolves around captured Federation legal freemate. Camilla is Darko¬ Ian Watson's "Slow Birds" is wingman Steve Brickman and his strug¬ van Amazon, ex-mercenary who was one notch below the abovementioned gle to reconcile what he has been psychologically scarred when very stories. It concerns a future taught of the Mutes with what he young and now denies she has psion- Britain slowly being glassed over learns from living among them. Brick- ic ability of any kind. Rafaella, and made uninhabitable by the slow man's growing friendship with Clear¬ also a Darkovan Amazon, was once birds of the title. Watson is not water and Cadillac, two Mutes with Jaelle's lover and partner and be¬ concerned with the mysterious birds psychic powers provides the intern¬ lieves it was Magda who came be¬ as much as by the people menaced al conflict as he plots to escape tween the two of them. Lexie is a by them. What would it take to while beginning to question the Terran agent who strongly resents live a "normal" life under such a motivation of the larger struggle. and dislikes Magda whose legend threat? He is convincing without has cowed her and overshadowed her ever being boring. Overall, this is a solid novel career. Cholayna is the head of with depth and the promise of plenty The other good stories are by Terran Intelligence and perhaps too of plot twist to unwind in further a variety of relatively new writ¬ old and over-the-hill to be along. novels as the Federation and the ers: Pat Murphy, John Kessel, Greg Vanessa is a Terran outside of the Mutes either destroy each other or Bear, Rand Lee, , spaceport city for the first time. learn to live together. Jack McDevitt. Perhaps the best The catmen and other inhuman ************************************ description of this collection is monsters the party were warned of, that it provides as good an over¬ all seem to have something better view of the science fiction short to do than bother them. Bandits story in 1983 as a single anthology CITY OF SORCERY are encountered, but most of the could. Perhaps it does not live up By period on the journey which makes to its title claim, but that's a DAW, 423 pp., cover art by James up the center half of the novel, marketing necessity. After all, Gurney, $3.50 are perils of mountain climbing. who would buy a book entitled REVIEWED BY PAUL MCGUIRE Since Darkover's mountains make Good Science Fiction of the Year? our Himalayas seem like foothills, *********************************** CITY OF SORCERY is a sequel to that still provides plenty of to THENDARA HOUSE which is a se¬ thrills. (Not to mention the Evil quel to both THE SHATTERED CHAIN Sisterhood.) CLOUD WARRIOR and THE FORBIDDEN TOWER, the latter There is more more metaphysics By Patrick Tilley a sequel to THE SPELL SWORD and than the supernatural in this nov¬ MacMillan, New York, 280 p., $14.95 prequel to THE BLOODY SUN which is el. The journey across the moun¬ a sequel ... DO NOT ! If tains is paralleled by a quest in¬ REVIEWED BY STUART NAPIER you have never read a Darkover nov¬ to themselves. To confront inner el, you can read this one (or any As the first in a series to be truth may be as dangerous as any other) without confusion. Darkover called The Talisman Prophesy, this external threat. Learn and grow sf novel is satisfying enough to is a series, not a serial. In or repress and die. fact, for those making their first stand on its own. Tilley's previous visit to Darkover, it may seem MZB's special realm is a harsh, two novels included FADE OUT (1975), that there is a bit too much re¬ cold, mystical planet called Dark- a fascinating hard sf story involv¬ hash and fill-in, although for the over. CITY OF SORCERY is the 18th ing an alien colonization of Earth rest of us it is great to get all volume about it (although there and MISSION (1981), a whimsical, the latest gossip about old are two versions of two of the nov¬ theologically overdone fantasy about els, giving completists 20 books), the return of Christ. friends. Rest assured, before too many pages are turned, MZB will and each new work of this excel¬ CLOUD WARRIOR is the author's have focused on an epic quest. lent series is a major literary most ambitious novel yet, using for (She acknowledges Talbot Mundy's event. Little science fiction or its setting a post-nuclear war Amer¬ THE DEVIL'S GUARD as having inspir¬ fantasy this time, but there is ica a thousand years in the future. ed her present work.) unusually strong characterization and human interaction. This premise is not new---in fact in Highly strange events lead a recent years we have witnessed a re¬ Terran agent and a Darkovan Amazon WARNING: Not only are Ms. surgence of this theme (THE ARMAGED¬ to believe that a city exists in a Bradley's books addictive, but they DON RAG and WARDAY)- --but the plot region of the planet believed to may be hazardous to your complac¬ gives us an interesting story des¬ be unexplored, uninhabited and in¬ ency. cribing the clash of two cultures; accessible. Further, this city *********************************** the Trackers of the Federation and could be the fabled home of the their elite wingmen, the Cloud War¬ ancient Wise Sisterhood, a place riors, who live underground totally of vast wealth and total knowledge. dependant on technology and the Mut¬ They journey to it and five others es, primitive tribes of survivors soon follow. Can they all main¬ DESTINATION MOON who live on the surface where their By Robert Heinlein tain their sisterhood long enough summoners practice a form of magic Ed. by David G. Hartwell to find The Sisterhood? that allows them to manipulate the 8 L.W. Currey natural elements. This technology Magda is a Terran bom on Dark- Gregg Press, 126 pp., $15.00 versus magic is reminiscent of Steph¬ over and long before this gone na- en King's THE STAND; the differences REVIEWED BY BILL WINANS being the time period and the absence This is a collection of four of a mystical good against evil found pieces related to the 1950 movie in King's novel. DESTINATION MOON, which Heinlein THe novel is fast paced with good inspired and co-wrote. The book characterization to contrast the 36 contains an introduction by editor

the flood waters when they reach just managed to get the "laughing Know Me, I Don't Know You" that maturity? A dopey, dogmatic mis¬ disease"). I believe those worm Ellison uses to express his dis¬ sionary jumps to the wrong conclus¬ experiments have since been dis¬ gust with the fawning and parochial ions, with unfortunate (but inter¬ credited, since no one else was element of science fiction fandom. esting) results. able to replicate the experiment. Oh, well, another brilliant idea But this collection also shows As in some other stories of bites the dust, just like those a side of Ellison quite different this kind, the missionaries, an¬ old Venusian jungles and heechee from the often abrasive facade thropologists, and xenologists are tunnels, now covered over with 800- people see at his speeches. His given the "foil" role of arguing in degree heat and clouds of hot con¬ eulogy to his mother was thought¬ favor of bone-headed explanations, centrated sulfuric acid. ful and touching, an effort to de¬ thus giving the reader the fun of fine a complex mother-son relation¬ trying to figure out the correct Anyway Steigler goes far be¬ ship. "Face Down in Gloria Swan¬ conclusion on his own. yond the basic idea, in his study son's Swuiming Pool" is a heart¬ of its ramifications and implica¬ "Big Sword" (Paul Ash, 1958, felt tribute to Los Angeles that tions when an Earth ally decides A+) has the same theme of humans is a literary version of Randy New¬ the Rosarian fast-livers would make contacting aliens with a weird life man's "I Love L.A." "Voe Doe Dee excellent development engineers cycle. Would you believe, intel¬ Oh Doe" is a salute to Robert Sil- for a high-priority space project. ligent creatures a few inches tall verberg and he and Ellison's long who hatch from tree pods? Yes, but Ml in all, a truly excellent friendship, written with wit and why would evolution ever produce collection. Buy it! humor. intelligence in such a species? *********************************** SLEEPLESS NIGHTS IN THE PRO¬ CRUSTEAN BED will make some people "Now Inhale" (Eric Frank Rus¬ angry as hell and others will say sell, A-) is one of those "trick" "Right on!" But everyone will stories. If your alien captors in¬ find it an excellent exercise of sist they will put you to death for the essayist's art. spying, but allow you to play a *********************************** game first, with your aim to string out play for as long as possible, what game do you pick? Edited by Marty Clark Borgo Press "...And Comfort to the Enemy" AMERICAN FLAGG! By (Stanley Schmidt himself, 1969, REVIEWED BY MARK MANSELL , 32 pp. (monthly) A-) deals with conflict between Harlan Ellison has been known Published since June 1983, $1.25 two alien groups, one of which has as one of the most opinionated a totally unorthodox method of people in speculative fiction, and REVIEWED BY ALLEN VARNEY warfare. deservedly so. His introductions If you promise not to throw "Wings of Victory" (Poul And¬ and story notes are often as inter¬ this magazine across the room, I ersen, 1972, A) has another Earth esting as the fiction itself, and will say that we have here a res¬ exploration party, who discover a combine to give Ellison's collec¬ pectable, original work of science civilization of giant eagle-like tions a character like no others fiction, worthy of serious consid¬ creatures, the Ythrians. As in in the field. His speeches are eration, presented in -- dare I some other stories, there's a dog¬ unequalled for the interest and say it? -- form. Now, matic exploration party member who controversy they elicit and his wait, keep reading: this is not doggedly misinterprets all the ev¬ essays are among the most vivid in comic-book "science fiction," that idence and gets the group into big that literary form. depressing and utterly mindless trouble. What this is leading up to is superheroic . AMERICAN FLAGG is the real stuff, intelli¬ "Green-Eyed Lady" (Allison the fact that SLEEPLESS NIGHTS IN gent near-future extrapolation Tellure, 1981, A) is about an ex¬ THE PROCRUSTEAN BED is one of the presented with Besterian verve. traordinarily different civiliza¬ most fascinating and throught-pro- tion of crab-like creatures who voking volumes to come into my It is 2033, several decades communicate by flashing colors and hands in a long time. This col¬ after a general collapse of society worship a giant intelligent whale- lection of twenty essays covers a so drastic that the American gov¬ like creature as their God. gamut of subjects from television ernment has relocated to Gargaring- to video games to the Coirmon Man rad. Mars. America is degenerat¬ Last but not least, "Petals to True Love itself. On every one ing slowly; the people are jaded, of Rose" (Mark Steigler, 1981, A+) of these subjects Ellison uses his decadent and violent. Upper clas¬ is a really excellent story about scalpel-edged typewriter to evis¬ ses in the major cities have with¬ contact with aliens who live life cerate the assumptions people drawn into "plexmalls" (arcologies) at an extraordinarily fast pace, blindly hold, and hold them up to leaving the downtown areas prey to packing a human adult existence in¬ critical examination. Not every¬ perpetual gang warfare -- which is to only 36 hours. They pass on one will agree with Ellison on nationally televised and gamers learning and cultural norms by hav¬ each of the opinions put forth in high ratings. ing just-mature species members this book, but he meets the most consume the brain-blood of their important requirements of an essay¬ Reuben Flagg, former TV star, dead predecessors. This, like ist that he makes the reader think. bom on Mars of American (Jewish) quite a number of other stories, parents, is sent to Chicago's plex- is based on that fascinating warm Many of these essays will be mall by a political purge and experiment where the worms alleged¬ well-known to readers, such as "Re¬ there becomes deputy "plexus rang¬ ly learned by eating the DNA from vealed at Last! What Killed the er." Soon he is embroiled in a ground-up brains of other worms, Dinosaurs and You Don't Look So variety of plots involving a boot¬ a procedure that opened up all Terrific Yourself which is the leg TV station (which he ends up kinds of interesting vistas of stu¬ culmination of years of warnings controlling), black market basket¬ dents learning by eating puree of about the dangers of television ball, an attempt by Fourth World professor (it never seemed to do to the human psyche, and "You Don't Industries of Brazil to buy the New Guinea natives any good; they 38 state of Illinois and numerous sexual encounters with an astonish¬ a storyline, and Chaykin isn't es¬ Barbarian against the nefarious ing number of women. Flagg finds pecially good at recapping plot necromancer Thpageti-Thoth, and that the American ideal he grew up and characters. raise the flag at the saving of loving has been betrayed -- "by Assgard from Ragnarok. Lottsa The comics industry, for de¬ the banks ... by big business ... good clean gory fun!! The illos cades a stifling assembly-line by slimy fat cats who use patriot¬ are well worth the price alone. operation structured much like net¬ ism like a tart uses cheap perfume. work television, has recently been Betrayed by the piex." Reuben re¬ changing rapidly. New publishers solves to do what he can to stop and a new distribution system have America's decline -- and his ap¬ encouraged experimentation and proach is not all the kind of thing TFE TITHONIAN FACTOR fresh approaches to tired material. By Richard Cowper you'd expect. Occasionally even new material Victor Gollancz, London, 1984 You can tell this isn't ex¬ shows up; that's what we have here. 150 pp., $14.95 actly SPIDER MAN. There's plenty I don't say AMERICAN FLAGG will of gunfire and leaping around but set the SF world on fire, but for REVIEWED BY STUART NAPIER the tone here is witty, admirably the first time in living memory This collection of short stor¬ sophisticated in its futurism and the comic medium has produced an ies by the author of THE ROAD TO -- incidentally -- very media-cons¬ SF story that deserves considera¬ CORLAY contains six tales about cious in the manner of Norman Spin- tion --by any standard. No mat¬ coming of age, either biologically rad which gives a convincing McLu- ter how high your brow, investig¬ or intellectually. Cowper's prose hanesque slickness to the present¬ ate AMERICAN FLAGG. is crisp and his characters are ation. well defined but he has a tendency (Late news flash: Chaykin to lose the thread of the plot in The creator, Howard Chaykin, has taken a leave of absence on the short form and at times this is best known in SF circles for the art chores for issues #13 and produces stories, that are interest¬ illustrating Delany's EMPIRE and 14 of FLAGG, giving things over to ing yet end weakly. For me, this Bester's a far inferior team. However, he was the case with the first four has returned to full duty, both (which Chaykin acknowledges as an stories, including "The Tithonian influence on FLAGG) and perhaps writing and drawing with #15 ... Factor" that dealt with the problem and things look fine for now.) for Marvel's comic-book adaptation of near-immortality. of STAR WARS. Suffice it to say *********************************** that his artwork has gotten a lot The final two SF stories, how¬ better since these unfortunate ef- ever, make this book worth a read. forts. His expressive faces add "The Scent of Silverdill," a Brad- to the emotional resonance of the buryesque story of a boy's yearn¬ characters; his page layouts, ing to learn what it was like on though often confusing at first Mars before the colonist there re¬ look, nicely accent the aforemen¬ volted and closed off travel to tioned high-power narration. Words and from Earth, was impressive. and pictures in FLAGG don't so The story had a quiet beauty as much complement one another as the old star traveler told of the stampede over each other in a raz¬ silverdill "that covers the ground zle-dazzle barrage on the reader's like silver smoke ... rippling senses. The effect is, for me, like water all along the bottoms exhilerating. of the gullies." "A Message to the King of Brobdingnag" is a ter¬ The chief drawback to AMERICAN rific thriller concerning a biolog¬ FLAGG is an uncharacteristically ical experiment that wreaks havoc imnature fascination with cheese¬ as a result of what one of the cake. Voluptuous women, usually characters describes as "the wrong scantily-clad, strut through every action for the right reason." issue throwing themselves at Flagg By Mark E. Rogers *********************************** -- who never hesitates to catch Tom Doherty Assoc, $8.95 them either. It's an amusing Lottsa neat illustrations in color! touch of characterization that REVIEWED BY ALMA JO WILLIAMS ENCHANTMENT Flagg, a likable and otherwise in¬ Stories by Doris Vallejo telligent hunk, is often led by At last, Mark Rogers has chron¬ Illustrated by his libido -- but the sexism here icled the daring exploits of that Ballantine, 1984, 107 pp. might turn away those readers who great samurai warrior, Miaowara $14.95 (U.S.); $20.25 (Canada) get militant about such things. Tomokatl, known as the furball (In Chaykin's defense, all the wo¬ from hell. Here we see some of REVIEWED BY J0H4 DIPRETE men are strongly and individually his greatest triumphs which were characterized, and the prevailing copied and litera(i)ly exploited Boris Vallejo has teamed up spirit is one of sheer fun.) by the likes of J.R.R. Tolkein, with his wife, Doris, to create a H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. How¬ short story collection highlighted The other main drawback to by vivid fantasy art. Measuring FLAGG is that inevitable crap-shoot ard, just to name a few, who then inserted their own pallid creations 9" X 12" this Ballantine softcover attendant on periodical publica¬ features fifteen full-color, full- tion: Can Chaykin sustain the to pass for heros in place of this gallant intrepid cat! Cheer at page paintings with twice as many quality? As I write, Chaykin has black-and-white drawings (in less reached issue #12. So far it's his valiant battle against the dread demon B'aalhop at the Bridge detailed form) dispersed throughout still impressive, though of course the volume. the novelty is gone. I can vouch of Catzad-Dum. Quiver in horror for the first year's quality; how at the confrontation with Wilbur Story-wise, Doris Vallejo's good this ongoing narrative will Wartley and the Real Old die, the sensual weird fiction reveals a be when you encounter it is any¬ Great k'Chu. Marvel at his high deft prose style, insight into the one's guess. Fair warning -- you adventure with Mighty Con-Ed, the human psyche, and a flare for the erotic. However, her stories will be coming in on the middle of 39 somehow lack the human touch; her ly ignoring evidence questioning and instead concentrates all its characters do not elicit warmth or the existence of the homonids or efforts on developing the full po¬ reader involvement, leaving the evidence challenging the validity tential of the individual, each tales' recipient out in the cold¬ of the positive evidence. contributing whatever skills he est nethers. Since we don't real¬ possesses to the collective good On the whole though, this is a ly care what happens to the pro¬ of the People. tagonists, the stories too often rational study of an oft sensa¬ tionalized subject and deserves The opening portion of this resemble mood pieces, spiced up considerable attention. Recom¬ novel unfolds without the author's with graphic sexual description. explaining the true nature of the Some readers may even come away mended . Place; all references to the out¬ with the feeling that she has writ¬ *********************************** side world are disguised in inten¬ ten each one around her husband's tionally vague terms (the inhabi¬ artistic themes, rendered in his tants have no knowledge of the out¬ paintings. In this sense, her side except what Brother Alice has stories illustrate, in verbal form, told them). The result is that the central art and tend to stand the reader, like the People who less-than-complete and wholly sat¬ reside in the Place, must struggle isfying in themselves. with trying to understand what is Pictorially, Boris Vallejo's going on in the larger world in powerful erotic art ensconces the mich the same way Plato's charac¬ nude female upon a sensuously-elec¬ ters in the "Allegory of the Cave" trified throne for the human eye. attempted to understand their out¬ Imagine Michelangelo's David, and side world through interpretation you can visualize Boris Vallejo's of the shadows on the cave wall. own view of Creation, seen here in Joyce Thompson's characteriza¬ terms of the sexually-luminous, tions are adroit; the reader comes voluptuous female. The texture and to know and feel for her characters quality of each bold fantasy scen¬ without being burdened with exces¬ ario radiate an eye-riveting aura sive or maudlin details. She deft¬ of deeply-felt magnetic realism. CONSCIENCE PLACE ly switches points of view between By Joyce Thompson Erotic dream stuff. (The luscious the two primary characters: There , 1984, 225 pp., $13.95 fibers of late-night REM sleep!) is Brother Alice, the Administrator ***********************A*********** REVIEWED BY SHJART NAPIER who loves the People and disguises herself as a silver-scaled mutant comes in many in order to be accepted and Barth¬ forms, as diverse as ethereal olomew, a legless hermaphrodite, spirits that dwell in an abandon¬ still Living? yeti, sasquatch and who performs the role of informal ed house on a windswept hill and THE NEANDERTHAL ENIGMA historian by recording major ev¬ By Myra Shackley the unspeakable evil that lurks in ents of the community on televis¬ Thames fj Hudson Books, 1983 wait for us in the dark of the ion videotape. The author's 192 pp., 60 illustrations night. Possibly more haunting excellent command of the technical than the parade of creatures that REVIEWED BY BILL WINANS aspects of television filming and populate many horror novels today editing are used to good advantage is, to borrow a phrase from Har¬ Unlike other books on this top¬ in portraying her appreciation for lan Ellison, the "dangerous vis¬ ic, this is a serious, down-to- life in its varied forms and the ion" of a government that hides earth study. The author is an gentle beauty of the Place. anthropologist who has done consid¬ away its accidents of birth under Thompson's views regarding the erable research on homonids, in¬ the guise of humanitarian concerns. cluding travel to Asia to study If you are horrified by the pos¬ morality of a government "cover- up" of this magnitude can be found areas of homonid sightings. sibility of human genetic muta¬ tions -- caused by exposures to just below the surface of the The book begins with a study high levels of radiation -- then story and yet she never resorts to of feral children, humans apparent¬ Joyce Thompson's CONSCIENCE PLACE strident preaching, preferring in¬ ly raised by animals, and moves on is indeed horror filled if not a stead to let the plot deliver her to the Yeti and Sasquatch and then horror novel. message. Beginning slowly as the to other possible homonids, the background and mood must be absorb¬ The "Place” in CONSCIENCE Almas, seen from Mongolia through ed, the pace quickens once Brother PLACE is an experimental coranunity to the Caucasus mountains and the Alice leams that the Place's very for the multiply-handicapped under Chuchunaa, reported in Siberia. existence is threatened. the leadership of Dr. Alice Halli¬ The author reports sightings, con¬ burton, a sociologist known in the The final resolution of CONS¬ tact with people and other evidence Place only as Brother Alice. Here CIENCE PLACE was somewhat unsatis¬ including footprints and hair sam¬ fying for me -- but entirely plaus¬ ples. sex is a non-issue; in fact, no gender distinctions are recognized ible -- while at the same time the The author suggests possible or understood. Everyone is refer¬ author is successful in raising evolutionary paths, in which the red to as "he" and sexual stirrings thought-provoking issues along the Yeti and Sasquatch may be descend¬ are called the Excitement and con¬ way to the novel's conclusion. ants of Gigantopithecus and the Al¬ sidered a normal sign of physical Against a backdrop of horrible mas a descendant of the Neanderth¬ maturity and nothing more. The deformities Joyce Thompson has al or Homo Habilis. population grows whenever the Fath¬ told a unique story of the inner ers (the outside government) send On the negative side the study beauty of humanity and the strug¬ new "nestlings" to the Place. Due of the fossil record is too shal¬ gle to preserve each individual's to a highly secret funding (no U.S. low; it does not consider the com¬ dignity. This is a different sort President since John Kennedy has plexity of the evolutionary devel¬ of novel: the prose is at points even known of its existence) the opment of man and homonid. The poetic and the inpact of the imag¬ Place has no need for an econony author also places too much emph¬ es it creates will likely linger asis on positive evidence, virtual¬ 40 long after you have finished the book. As a change of pace from FUZZIES AND OTHER PEOPLE Old friends and new move the more standard horror fiction By H. Beam Piper through its pages, but one line I recommend this book. Ace Original, Aug 1984 halfway through shows the true *********************************** 216 pp., $2.95 center of the book: "No more Lit¬ tle Fuzzy." REVIEWED BY IAN OOVELL Readers, begin here: When H. STREETLETHAL Beam Piper died in 1964, there was By Steve Barnes a rumor that a third Fuzzy novel Ace SF, Aug 1983, $2.95 to follow LITTLE FUZZY and THE THE TALISMAN OTHER HUMAN RACE existed in manu¬ REVIEWED BY ED BURNS By Stephen King 6 script. The script didn't appear, Viking, 1984, 644 pp, $18.95 "Naked and transparent, the the rumors faded. Several years woman's smooth white body undulat¬ ago, impelled by the popularity of REVIEWED BY STUART NAPIER ed slowly, beckoning to the empty the series, Ace engaged William A horror novel THE TALISMAN is streets." We are in the Los Angel¬ Tuning to construct a final Fuzzy not: What collaborators Stephen es of 2022. Aubry Knight, enforc¬ novel using his knowledge of Pip¬ King and Peter Straub have created es, is set up to take a fall by er's work plus (I presume) aid from is a "media event" surrounding the his girl. She is acting on the the executors of the estate. Tun¬ publication of a fantasy novel orders of their criminal boss Luis ing's FUZZY BONES appeared in 1981. with supernatural-horror overtones. Ortega. Aubry is sentenced to Astonishingly, the real third Fuz¬ Death Valley Maximum Security Pen¬ zy novel manuscript was discovered The push behind the joint ef¬ itentiary where his recognition of among a pile of old H. Beam Piper fort is almost as interesting as betrayal and alienation tum him papers in early 1983. Eighteen the novel. After all, we have into a revenge-seeking automaton. months later this lost and eagerly been hearing about this upcoming He escapes seeking satisfaction awaited novel is published as an novel for over three years now; against the Ortega family. original mass-market paperback. it's being launched with an unpre¬ cedented 600,000-copy first print¬ Surrounding Knight's quest the (The trilogy thus has two final ing; over half a million is budget¬ sex/drug, human potential, and volumes; Piper would be amused to ed for promotion; and Steven Spiel¬ misfits vs. society elements realize that one of his books now berg has bought the film rights. emerge. There is plenty of action exists in a parallel-universe ed¬ combined with interesting charact¬ ition.) It would be unfair to the It looks like Viking knows a er development and plot twists. late William Tuning and Piper to commercial success when they see Perceptive readers should have fun compare the two except to say there one; the question, however, is with this novel. On newsreel ap¬ are no secret spaceships in FUZZIES does the novel add or detract to pears a Welles-Mistapaha fight and AND OTHER PEOPLE. the body of work already produced the warden of D.V.M.S.P. is named by the individual authors? Says Charteris. The reference to mys¬ King, in a press release, it is tery is appropriate as Knight seeks "a stronger novel as a work of art to discover his own human identity than I expected to write in col¬ while solving the puzzles surround¬ laboration with anybody else." ing the ruthless Ortega clan. I'm not so sure; there are wonder¬ This is a fast-paced enjoyable ful sections where King's broad, action yam. It also has some in¬ sweeping prose blends seamlessly teresting things to say concerning with Straub's penchant for attend¬ human relationships/drugs. It is ing to every detail. At other way above average in overall per¬ The title shows Piper's concen¬ times, the differing voices -- formance . Try it. tration still on the ethical aspect stylistically speaking -- are ap¬ *********************************** of the Fuzzy race as they try to parent as one author completes a secure full legal rights. The section and the other takes up the tale begins soon after the court next. In its favor, I will say decision. Piper shows the ruling that for two such well-known auth¬ has created more problems than it ors of distinctive styles, this is THE SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY has solved and that the humans' easily the most successful collab¬ FILM HANDBOOK involvement with the child-like By Alan Frank oration I '.ve read. fuzzies is just as problematic be¬ Barnes 8 Noble, 192 pp, 233 illos The risk of any collaboration cause it would be too easy for the is that through the mutual blend¬ fuzzies to become dependent on su¬ REVIEWED BY BILL WINANS ing of strengths, somehow, that perior human technology. On the "magic" that each author had on his This book has entries on over other hand, the fuzzies must ac¬ own will not surface; this is es¬ 400 films, each giving the cast quire some basic human attributes sentially my problem with the nov¬ and credits, running time, descrip¬ to secure their claim on their own el. Technically, it's a tour-de- tion of the film and at least one planet. They have to lie. review of the film. Often the ed¬ force of epic fantasy proportions Told in parallel plots that itor has included reviews with while emotionally I'm never drawn gradually merge into a coincident¬ as deeply into the story as a nov¬ sharply different points of view. al but well-justified final encoun¬ There are also brief bios of some el by King or Straub. It's the re¬ ter, Piper's novel, emphasizing of the major directors, actors, verse of why , when the fuzzy side of things, is worth writers, producers, special ef¬ John Lennon was still alive, nev¬ its twenty-year wait. Often humor¬ fects wizards and composers, a er held a reunion concert after ous, even more often thoughtful and section about the major themes of their breakup. Instinctively, affecting, with a wolvish ending genre films and a useful index. they knew expectations were just and a final ending that is a mix¬ too high and it would have been an This is an informative and ture of triumph, joy and underly¬ impossibility to have the same im¬ useful book, also enjoyable to ing pathos, the whole is unforget¬ pact the group collectively enjoy¬ browse through. Reconmended. table . ed in the past. And for the same *********************************** 41 reason that concert would never reach the level the Beatles prev¬ and you have traveled perhaps ten to take over the fizzled utopia. iously attained, THE TALISMAN has times as far. Without any attempt Rex Bader and friends save the day not achieved the authors' individ¬ at an explanation, this troubled by exposing the plot and develop ual levels. me until I just gave up and went a plan to rebuild the shattered with the flow, despite its puzzling economy by building a starship, The story itself is a tried continuing man's dreams of the and true fantasy theme: An inno¬ aspects. stars and providing jobs for the cent youth's rites-of-passage quest If it were not for the high ex¬ residents of Lagrangia. for a magical object that will pectations that the two authors serve the purposes of good and raise by merely announcing a col¬ This is an unsatisfying novel vanquish evil. The protagonist laboration (WOW!, a book with as by a writer who has done much bet¬ this time is twelve-year-old Jack many plot twists and turns as ter work. Sawyer, and the story opens with GHOST STORY and as chilling and *********************************** Jack biding his time in a New provocative as PET SEMATARY), this Hampshire resort hotel where his book might have been received dif¬ mother, a retired B-movie queen, ferently. However, you can't sep¬ THE RHYSLING ANTHOLOGY has come to die of cancer. Both arate the book from the hype and Available from Science Fiction authors are particularly adept at the authors' reputations. I en¬ Poetry Association, 8350 Poole Ave, using the juvenile lead device joyed it: it created some truly Sun Valley, CA 91352; Paperback, (Straub most effectively in SHAD- fascinating characters and scenes 28 pp., $2.00 OWLAND; King in FIRESTARTER), and although for the most part the ten¬ Jack Sawyer becomes a thoroughly dency was towards overkill in the REVIEWED BY l€AL WILGUS realized character, if slightly chills department and this result¬ limited emotionally. Fear and ed unfailingly in the opposite ef¬ Ten finalists for the 1984 gritty determination are his stock fect. Fantasy horror without emo¬ Rhysling Awards are included. An and trade. Susceptible to sugges¬ tional involvement was the offer¬ anthology of science fiction poet¬ tion in his time of grief and des¬ ing and I didn't lose a night's ry with little rhyme or reason. peration -- yes, the authors tell sleep through the 644 pages. ************************************ us, twelve-year-olds can be desper¬ ate -- Jack meets Speedy Parker, Arguably, all horror is fan¬ an elderly black man who warks at tasy; the trick is to not let the a nearby amusement park and is reader in on it tqo soon. We knew quickly introduced to the Territor¬ within the first 50 pages that ies, an alternate reality existing this book was not going to suggest next to ours. Over there. Speedy that Jack Sawyer was experiencing hints. Jack must seek the myster¬ some unspeakable evil that could ious talisman that can cure his be waiting for us just beyond the mother and protect them from enem¬ flickering glow of the street lamp ies that threaten to destroy them on the next comer. And thus, the both. shivers were never there as strong as they should have been, given The idea of a parallel world the skills of the two authors. is fairly traditional; the twist here is the approach: Contempor¬ King and Straub have proved ary American landscapes inter¬ they can collaborate well; THE spersed with "flips" into the Ter¬ TALISMAN is a dilly of a fantasy ritories where "the air is so sweet tale. Now, let's get on with it and clear a man can smell a radish and produce the long-awaited King A CERTAIN SENSE OF WONDER: A being pulled from the ground a and Straub thriller. BRIEF LOOK AT BARBARA HAMBLY S TFE mile away," a world where "they *********************************** DARWATH TRILOGY have magic like we have physics." Despite the colorful metaphors the BY CHARLES DE LINT Territories offer nothing new for the fantasy reader, having been CHAOS IN LAGRANGIA built solidly on the assumption By that any alternate reality is con¬ TOR, Mar 1984, 256 pp., $2.95 It is with great delight that vincing if its culture and pace is I bring to your attention the Dar- REVIEWED BY BILL WINANS neo-medieval (or in this case med¬ wath trilogy by Barbara Hambly. From the cover of the first book, ieval j . It's the old let's sub¬ This is a sequel to THE LA- stitute bows and arrows for guns, THE TIME OF THE DARK (Del Rey, GRANGISTS, set 30 years or so into 1982) -- depicting a wizard com¬ horse-drawn carriages for cars, the future. It features several and get on with it. Why must this plete with staff and sworol sitting of the same characters (including in some suburban kitchen quaffing always be the case? I expected Rex Bader, the last private eye) more from these men. Anything a cold one, a bag of potato chips and has the same strengths and at his feet and the table behind would have done, just to have a weaknesses as the earlier novel. little variety. And, for some un¬ him piled with dirty dishes -- I Its characters lack depth and the knew I was in for something at explained reason, the Territories situations are sometimes hard to -- just one "flip" away from the least a little different. This accept, while the story is easy to volume was followed in 1983 by THE good old U.S. of A. and roughly read, moves along quickly, and con¬ conforming geographically to North WALLS OF AIR and THE ARMIES OF DAY¬ tains much introductory material LIGHT -- both published by Del Rey America --is somehow shorter, more on the L-5 concept. compact. You flip over at point A, and each better than the previous walk a few miles and flip back. The Lagrange nation is stag¬ book. nant, has a 954+ unemployment rate, The reason for my delight with immigration from Earth has stopped, Hambly's trilogy is that the fan¬ and the Comnunists and the right tasy genre has been subjected to a wing Sons of Liberty are bidding great deal of adverse criticism of 42 late -- nuch of it, unfortunately. well deserved. An endless parade old motif as though it were an en¬ of interchangable novels has been tirely new concept. Our protagon¬ appearing on the shelves of book¬ ists are not hailed as saviors who stores with increasing regularity, must embark on some obligatory all bearing the trappings of fan¬ quest for two-and-a-half volumes tasy and promising wonder, but de¬ or so before all's put right. livering only third-rate goods. Rather, their appearance in Dar¬ The elements that made certain wath is entirely a matter of the past classics the classics that vagaries of chance and under Hamb¬ they are, are being served up in ly's expert guidance, they are por¬ this new flood of fantasies with trayed as real people caught up in The great body of fantasies all the originality of a TV sitcom a bizarre situation where they that proliferate the market may be idea-man's mentality. The few simply have to make the best of it floundering --in critical terms, good books that will always exist as they try to fit into Darwath so¬ if not in sales, more's the pity are being swamped under this pro¬ ciety and take up the threads of -- but thanks to Hambly and the liferation of endless series books, their new life. And like real very few other writers like her, a sequels and the constant babble of people, they have successes and diligent reader can still acquire "more of the same." failures in doing so. from time to time a certain sense of wonder. It's almost come to the point To complete the scenario, we *********************************** where it's embarrassing to be have a mock-medieval setting, but caught just looking at the covers, once more Hambly has taken the little say admitting you read the time to rationalize its existence stuff. (A quick aside here: Art¬ and present it as a real and com¬ ist David B. Mattingly has done a plete society. The background is A ROSE FOR ARMAGEDDON commendable job of depicting not as much a part of the story as the By Hilbert Schenck only -- gasp! -- actual scenes characters, enriching the major Timescape, 1982, 175 pp., $2.50 from the Darwath books, but he plots with beautifully conceived Allison/Busby, 1984, 190 pp, L7.95 managed to leave the clothes on subplots that, as the story un¬ BY THE UNKNOWN REVIEWER the women and the muscles off his folds, prove to be inseparable men, a trend I can only hope will from the whole. This is the third book by continue.) Hilbert Schenck, a Hugo/Nebula- Now, while an initial glance Indeed, the entire trilogy nominated writer in short fiction. at the blurbs on Hambly's books hangs together with a singular vis¬ His first two books were WAVE RID¬ might give the impression that ion. From the intricacies of ER, a collection of stories and the this is, indeed, "more of the same," courtly intrigues between the Re¬ novel, AT THE EYE OF THE OCEAN. in this case appearances are de¬ gent Alwir and the Church of the This book also expresses the auth¬ ceiving. And while she still Straight Faith, to the more polit¬ or's love for the sea. The Alli¬ deals with many traditional fan¬ ical machinations between the be¬ son 8 Busby edition from England tasy motifs, she has deftly imbued leaguered northern kingdoms and is his first hardcover. ROSE has them with her own sense of prop¬ the southern empire, from the anti¬ a power of evocation of inner emo¬ riety. pathy of the Church to those who tion that dissolves the line be¬ are wizards through the turbulance tween imagination and reality. It We have a wizard as a central that touches the many personal re¬ is a charming work for all those character who is neither a Gandalf lationships, not a scene is wasted. who believe that love can indeed clone nor a cute and/or crotchety It is to Hambly's credit that for be a pover in first changing the worker of spells. Ingold Inglorian all the wealth of her many varied individual and then changing the (fabulous name!) is a dark brood¬ characters and the complexities of world. ing, but thoroughly individual her plotting, the reader is never left out in the cold. There's no In the novel's first section character who can stand as an eq¬ we are placed in the mind of Dr. ual in the company of LeGuin's Ged turning back a few pages trying to Elsa Adams, an unmarried professor or McKillip's Riddle-master. His figure out "Who was that again?" And the final resolution of all of analytic zoology near retire¬ magics are convincing and laid out ment age. The time is the near fu¬ before the reader as simple Zen those 870-some pages is so perfect¬ ly conceived that when I turned ture. She awakes from her terrible truths, rather than requiring par¬ dream of conflagration. The dream agraphs of wordy exposition. the final page I could only sit back, nodding my head with a pleas¬ is connected with Hawkins Island For a supernatural menace, we ed look of satisfaction on my face. where she and Jake Stinson once have a rising of the Dark, but made love when she was 17. Now these antagonists do not wear The Darwath trilogy deserves the island is undergoing a multi¬ Darth Vader helmets (literally or an in-depth study -- especially by discipline archeological study run figuratively) nor do they spout novice fantasists (though even by her and Jake. A giant univer¬ endless rhetoric. In fact, if I some established ones could do sity computer, Archmorph, proces¬ were to compare them to any past well to take note of what its auth¬ ses land-use data from the past master's vision of evil, I would or has accomplished here). I'm and present of Hawkins Island. have to cite Lovecraft's unspeak¬ hoping that Barbara Hambly will re¬ Jake is now a joint professor of able horrors -- though unlike Love- ceive the recognition she deserves computer science and archeology. craft, Hambly's creatures are de¬ for this major work -- without, His marriage deteriorates in di¬ tailed with startling clarity in please God, the adulation that has rect relation to the spreading some of the most chilling scenes served to undermine other major conflict and violence in the world. I've read in recent years. works in the past. She is a shin¬ ing example of what can be done Part of this work's beauty Next on the agenda are our in¬ with the motifs and wonders that rests in the rich presentation of trepid heroes -- in this case, Gil endear this genre to those of us characterization. Jake and Elsa Patterson, a scholar, and ex-biker who still seek a touch of magic in each have their own section where Rudy Solis, transported from south¬ our reading. we have access to their thoughts, ern into the land of memories and desires. Their af¬ Darwath. Again Hambly treats an fair on Hawkins Island constitutes an emergent unity of prime import¬ THE SEVEN TOWERS fantasy done in a contemporary set¬ ance for the world's survival. By Patricia Wrede ting and has nothing in comnon with Elsa is shown as a harridan in her Ace, 264 pp, $2.50 the current glut of sword-and-sorc¬ professional life. She describes ery novels -- nary a dragon in herself as coming to the university REVIEWED BY JANRAE FRANK sight. The main character, Thomas "already as an old bull The King's sister might be Abbey, is not a sorcerer, but an ready to do battle." Jake, in modeled on Margery Main. The sor¬ English teacher. Abbey's goal is contrast, is shown as an idea man ceress Amberglas sounds like a to write a biography of the late who sells proposals for funding to magical Grade Allen. Princess Marshall France, a brilliant auth¬ foundations and the government. Crystalom could out-hayley Hayley or of children's books who shunned He lacks Elsa's fire and drive and Mills in her Disney imp days. Mix all publicity. The weirdness be¬ is more sociable and easygoing. well and you have one of the most gins when Thomas Abbey and his Unlike Elsa he has no recollection enjoyable fantasies of the year. lover, Saxony Gardner, travel to of their affair. France's last residence, the small There are several plots in¬ town of Galen, Missouri. The analysis of Hawkins Is¬ tertwining in mysterious ways. King Mareth of Sevaim is busily It would be difficult to sum¬ land studies land-use patterns trying to marry his son, Eltiron, marize the action without giving from the time of the island's off to a princess he's never met. away much of the plot and a capsul- namesake, Jonas Hawkins, onward. The Hoven-Thaler nomads are mig¬ ization would not do the story jus¬ Jonas was a slave who bought his rating north to escape the Mathol- tice. Rest assured, however, that freedom, became a sea captain, there are plenty of plot twists married the daughter of his former ych which eats magic -- and every and interesting characters. Sax¬ owner, purchased the island and living thing in its path -- and will soon overrun the Seven King¬ ony Gardner in particular is a leased land to white tenant farm¬ doms. The Kingdoms are faced with well-drawn female protagonist. ers. He is depicted so vividly a case of "if the nomads don't get She is strong yet sweet, idiosyn¬ that he appears to step into real¬ us, the Matholych will." Mean¬ cratic without being a caricature. ity from the book's pages. The while the wizard-king of Tar-Alem subplot that involves him and Mer¬ THE LAND OF LAUGHS is humor¬ has a plan to stop both the Mathol¬ cy, his wife, supplies an addition¬ ous at the start, but there is an ych and the nomads ... but that is al dimension of characterization undercurrent of darkness that be¬ not all he's doing as the plot through human struggle. His depic¬ comes pronounced as the story un¬ thickens and all the various dec¬ tion also expresses the author's folds. The climax is sudden and fascination for the sea and those eptions, intrigues and counter¬ explosive and very disquieting. plots converge and emerge to re¬ who struggle with her. This one lingered in my memory veal the true motives of all con¬ long after I finished the last Under Jonas the island was "a cerned. page. working, day-to-day interracial I read it twice in as many operation." If Elsa and Jake can *********************************** days. Some scenes simply must be find the structure for the coexis¬ savored: The first appearance of tence through Archmorph, they hope the sorceress Amberglas; the scene to defuse the pattern-determined where King Mareth, not satisfied conflict that is spreading world¬ with marrying off just his son, GOLDEN WITCHBREED wide. To solve the secret of Haw¬ By Mary Gentle tries to force a match between kins Island they have to find the William Morrow 6 Company, 1984 his ascerbic sister, Vandaris, "roses at the end of the world" 452 pp, $16.95 and a power-hungry courtier; and, and consummate their relationship. of course, the final exchange be¬ REVIEWED BY STUART NAPIER I feel that ROSE furnishes a tween Prince Eltiron and Princess fulfillment that is many-petaled. Crystalom. One of the best pleasures of The richness of the rose image *********************************** reading a great deal in any parti¬ will unfold to the reader long af¬ cular category of fiction is the ter the book's leaves are closed. thrill of coming across a first¬ The inner beauty that it reveals time novelist who bursts on the will produce a spectrum of warm THE LAND OF LAUGHS scene with the power and skill of feeling. If you enjoyed TEA WITH By Jonathon Carroll an established writer. Mary Gen¬ THE BLACK DRAGON you should enjoy Ace, Oct 1983, 241 pp, $2.50 tle's first science fiction novel, this work as it depicts the warmth GOLDEN WITCHBREED had just that REVIEWED BY RUSSELL ENGEBRETSON of love in human relationships as impact on me. a transcendent force. THE LAND OF LAUGHS is not an easy novel to categorize. It is a A stunning first effort. Gentle *********************************** writes with the depth and believ- ability associated with Frank Her¬ 23-SK'bcoJ bert's classic DUNE (1965) and has a lyrical prose style reminiscent of 's bestseller LORD VALENTINE'S CASTLE (1979). Set on the planet Orthe, the plot is a complex combination of political intrigue and science mystery involving a wonderfully varied cast of characters and lo¬ cations. The main character Lynne Christie, Earth's envoy and an em- path, has just arrived as the sto¬ ry opens. She has been sent there to make diplomatic contact between the two cultures and reconmend for¬ mal relations. Granted the oppor- tunity to travel and get to know paintings from films, landscapes, years down the line. There is ev¬ the Orthean people -- and they her seascapes and historical art. en speculation that Luna's father -- she begins what turns into an This is a book for fans of Chesley was behind the incident that re¬ epic journey. Confronted with the Bonestell and for those who have sulted in Zane getting the job in alien race's reluctance to accept not yet discovered him. the first place. Will Death go on strangers, Christie's problems I rarely recomnend purchasing strike so that he won't have to take Luna, his love? soon include assassination at¬ such an expensive paperback, but tempts, imprisonment, escape and this one is a must-have. These and other incidents are pursuit when she is charged by the *********************************** covered in detail in Piers Anth¬ Church as a surviving member of ony's ON A PALE HORSE (a paperback the feared and hated alien found¬ bestseller), the first of a five- ing race, the Golden Witchbreed. volume series, the second of which The resulting efforts to both BEARING AN HOURGLASS, has already clear her name while understanding ON A PALE HORSE By Piers Anthony been published. Other volumes in this seemingly pre-technological Ballantine/Del Rey, Hardcover the series will be WITH A TANGLED world's outward aversion to tech¬ 249 pp., $12.95; Paperbk 336 pp., SKEIN, WIELDING A RED SWORD and nology and her discovery of the $2.95 BEING A GREEN MOTHER. Stay tuned still operational reimants of a for further developments. thousands-of-years-old scientific REVIEWED BY NEAL WILGUS heritage makes GOLDEN WITCHBREED a major novel that should be enjoy¬ ed by science fiction and main¬ Death Valley (LEAK) -- a new stream readers alike. BEARING AN HOURGLASS man has taken over the job of By Piers Anthony As is the mark of any well-ex¬ Death. Zane assumed the duties Ballantine/Del Rey, Hardcover ecuted work of fiction, you hate recently when during a suicide at¬ 1984, 292 pp., $13.95 to see those final pages turning; tempt, he noticed the old Death with GOLDEN WITCHBREED you've been coming for him and instinctively REVIEWED BY NEAL WILGUS to Orthe and are reluctant to turned his gun on the Grim Reaper. leave so soon. By the rules of the game, anyone Greenwich, England (LEAK) -- *********************************** who kills Death must take over the the good news is that Chronos, the job himself, which is what Zane Incarnation of Time, has or will did. or might defeat Satan, the Incarn¬ Zane, who has taken to wearing ation of Evil. The bad news is Death's clothing and jewelry and that it will or has or could take WORLDS BEYOND: THE ART OF him so long to do it. Maybe. OESLEY BONESTELL driving/riding Death's car/horse, By Ron Miller § Frederick C. has quickly learned that his job The uncertainty here involves Durant, III is to take only those souls that the nature of Time and the office Donning Starblaze, 1983, 133 pp. are balanced midway between heaven of Chronos, according to Norton, 8 1/2 X 11", $14.95 and hell -- as he was himself when the man who recently took over Death came for him. Zane has also that position. Norton who was for¬ REVIEWED BY BILL WINANS made the acquaintance of the other merly an unemployed wilderness- Immortal Incarnations -- Fate, seeker, reports that Time is one of A beautiful book on the life Time, War and Nature. Despite and work of Chesley Bonestell, who the most powerful of the Incarna¬ some initial personality conflicts tions of Immortality, but that the will turn 97 on January 1, 1985 it seems likely that Zane will (he survived the San Francisco limitations and complications to work well with his co-Incarnations, which it is subject make things earthquake at age 18), covers his but there are already indications very difficult for the office hold¬ career as illustrator, architect that he will come into conflict er. and special effects artist to his with Satan, that wily old devil position as the Dean of space who would subvert Zane' s purposes Norton reports that he has met artists. if he could. with the other Incarnations (Death, Fate, War and Nature) and with Sat¬ Bonestell became interested Rumor has it that Zane has fal¬ an and that he has already learned in astronomy at age 17, and paint¬ len in love with Luna, a magician's ed Saturn as he saw it through the a great deal in his short time in daughter whom Satan is attempting office. He has learned to use the 12-inch telescope at Lick Observa¬ to take ahead of schedule so that hourglass that is the symbol of his tory. He followed astronomy as she won't foul up his plans twenty position to travel in time/space an avocation then in 1944 sold a series of paintings to LIFE which were published in the issue of May 29. His illustrations have since appeared in many books (including the classic THE CONQUEST OF SPACE by ) and in LOOK, ASTOUND¬ ING, SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, COLLIER’S and other magazines. Today his paintings and nurals appear in planetariums and in the Air and of the Smithsonian. WORLDS BEYOND contains over 200 Bonestell paintings, 100 in color. Many SF greats, including Robert Heinlein, and Vincent Di Fate have penned trib¬ utes to Mr. Bonestell. Beyond the astronomical art, there are matte and perform his duties, but he's a network of old and almost inde¬ nuch the reader has brought of her also learned that he is doomed to pendent station houses connected or himself to the book. live backward in time, as each of only by telegraph and message run¬ NOON-FLASH is a short novel, his predecessors will. ners. Bloch cleverly blends into but it has a resonance to sustain his fictitious account other well- it that many longer works lack. Although he enjoys his work, known personages from London of Norton fondly remembers his life It is like a haiku in its simple the period including playwright purity and hides its wisdoms in before he became Time -- back George Bernard Shaw, novelists Os¬ the meat of its nuts like the fab¬ when he was a wanderer who became car Wilde and Conan Doyle and John led acom or hazlenut. A casual involved with a ghost's wife and Merrick, better known as "The Ele¬ acquired Sning, a snake ring that scrutiny reveals a coming-of-age phant Man." answers his questions with a story for young adults and on that squeeze. Norton also enjoys double In an earlier short story, level MDON-FLASH is a lovely work. dating with Clotho, an aspect of "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" But there is more to be found -- Fate, together with Zane, who is (1943), Bloch first touched on the and not necessarily through schol¬ Death incarnate and Luna, the mag¬ subject; now, forty years later, arly study of analogies and meta¬ ician's daughter who has/will be¬ he expands this theme into a full- phor --in the flow of its language come a senator and thwart Satan's length novel filled with the depth as it speaks on many levels, in plans. and detail of early London. Using the depths of its characters and the device of an American as the their true growth as the narrative There are some critics who com¬ main character he is able to offer progresses, in the careful layer¬ plain that the account of Norton's interesting and informative con¬ ing of what is with what must be adventures told in Piers Anthony's trast between England and the Un¬ and what was hoped for. BEARING AN HOURGLASS is unnecessar¬ ited States during this time. His ily burdened by the scenes in There are no simple answers to writing style is purely chronolog¬ the mysteries of the world -- which Norton battles the Bems and ical with one-scene chapters that the Eviler Sorceress and that the neither the great ones, nor the move the story through the horrible reversal-of-time scenario was too small ones -- and few signposts to days -- and frightening nights -- drawn out. Nevertheless, the An¬ point the way beyond one's having when the Ripper had all of London thony book is a fine piece of a questioning mind and a willing¬ looking over their shoulders. writing, the second volume of the ness to brave the unknown. McKil- Incarnations of Imnortality series Bloch very skillfully brings lip's work is one of those rare which will run to five incarna¬ the story to a satisfying -- and I signposts and MDON-FLASH is a beau¬ tions. More to come. should add historically consistent tiful example of what can be done -- ending that is both surprising within the framework of fiction, and logical. THE NIGHT OF THE RIP¬ proving that a strong storyline PER is not the kind of novel that need not be sacrificed for depth. makes your scalp crawl; rather, Highly reconmended. THE NIGHT OF THE RIPPER the author has created a refresh¬ *********************************** By Robert Bloch ing re-telling of well-covered oc- Doubleday, 227 pp, 1984, $14.95 curances that should be enjoyed by horror and mystery readers alike. REVIEWED BY STUART NAPIER it********************************** TIC REENCHANTMENT OF THE WORLD The thick fog swirled around By Morris Berman the lamppost in London's lcvrer East Bantam, 304 pp +52 pp notes 8 glos¬ Side; darkened doorways yawned out sary; cover art Diane Dillion, at passersby like gaping mouths; $4.95 shadowy figures darted down the REVIEWED BY PAUL MCGUIRE cobblestone streets, ever watchful for the dark-cloaked man wearing This book is a serious text the deerstalker cap and carrying questioning the basis of modem the small parcel or bag in his man's whole epistemology. It pre¬ right hand. It was London, England sents not a new philosophy, idea in 1888 and the night belonged to MOON-FLASH or system, but rather a different the Ripper. By Patricia A. McKillip way of forming philosophies, ideas and systems. Robert Bloch, author of PSYCHO Argo, Sept 1984, 150 pp., $10.95 and many other horror novels has REVIEWED BY CHARLES DE LINT Mr. Berman believes a division fashioned a fascinating tale of occurred in the 16th Century in terror around the known facts of The protagonists of Patricia meaning, a split between the fact the crimes attributed to Jack the McKillip's books are questioners, or thing and the value of the fact Ripper. Told from the P.O.V. of seekers, riddlers. From Morgan in or thing. With very high acad¬ Mark Robinson, an American doctor THE RIDDLE-MASTER OF HED and Fran¬ emic and intellectual levels, this studying in England, the story ces Stuart in STEPPING FROM THE book does an impressive job of weaves together a taut mystery SHADOWS to the young Kyreol of convincing the reader as to how that examines the motivations and McKillip's newest novel MDON-FLASH, and why this split occurred, what impacts of one of history's most the great and small mysteries of it was and what the effects have celebrated unsolved "serial murd¬ the world drive her characters to been. And he believes those ef¬ ers" (as modern-day criminologists search and question, to stretch fects have been overwhelmingly refer to them). the known and explore the unknown. drastic. The London of the late nine¬ The answers that they find are in¬ Prior to the political triumph teenth century is a teeming city of tensely personal, but contain uni¬ of the Cartesian paradigm as the seven million on the brink of versal truths and insights that metaphysical world view and method change: A modem Scotland Yard echo with as much depth for McKil¬ of thinking, Mr. Berman states organization linked by telephone lip 's readers as they do her char¬ that mankind had a "participating is soon to be implemented; for now, acters. And the depth of those consciousness.” He was always part however, the police must grapple echoes is directly related to how of every phenomenon of which he with this despicable crime through 46 was aware. Modem non-participat- ing consciousness supplanted the DEMONS OF THE DANCING GODS former mode. It held that phenom¬ By Jack Chalker ena should be broken down and anal¬ Ballantine, 1984, 257 pp, $3.75 yzed in parts from a completely de¬ tached view. What could not be REVIEWED BY W. RITCHIE BENEDICT empirically proved was unimportant As a writer, I usually prefer or did not exist. Rational thought shoot down the Tyrant Lizard and books by Jack L. Chalker when he became biased on a separation of other beasties. Of course, the is in a light mood. When he is in consciousness from the universe, primeval jungle has been time-sur¬ a deadly serious mood, some of his with objective analysis the ideal veyed to determine which monster works are just that -- deadly. should be destroyed; only fore¬ even in intimate person-to-person Fortunately, with this seoond book doomed and clearly-marked (in red interaction. in a promising fantasy series, he paint-bomb!) prey serve as Time is in fine fettle. Mr. Berman continues, due to Safari, Inc. target creatures. the artificiality of Man's cons¬ (The future is very careful about I have not read the first book truct of perception and thought, preserving the pristine sanctity RIVER OF THE DANCING GODS, but the he has paid a high price, perhaps of Father Time -- lest alternate plot revolves around two charac¬ the breakdown of the human spirit time streams bubble and froth un- ters, a truck driver named Joe and and in an unreasonable backlash, supposedly.) a waitress called Marge who are the coming abandonment of science spirited away into a magic world and technology. Mr. Berman does A metallic Path floating six just minutes before they are des¬ not advocate a return to animism inches above the mud and grasses tined to die on a Texas highway. or occult world views. Although prevents the time travelers from The master magician who abducts straying off into the flora and he finds that participating cons¬ them is one Throckmorton P. Ruddy- ciousness is greatly superior to fauna of this steamy, tropical gore (Chalker must be either a W.C. modem paradigms, he does not fail Dark Age. The theory behind such Fields or Gilbert and Sullivan fan to recognize great achievements red tape goes thusly: if you were to come up with a name like that). which could only have come via the to accidentally step on a bug or He brought them to the world of latter. Using the work and career something somewhere in the dirt, Husaquahr to engage in a battle of Gregory Bateson as a main source, you may wind up inprinting your with the Dark Baron and a Demon he proposes a joining of the two "history stamp" on millenia-to- Prince. Joe undergoes a transform¬ forms of consciousness into a come. Wha --a simple bug, you ation into a Conanesque barbarian third epistemology, one of holistic say? Yep! 'Cause that plain, while Marge starts to turn into a mental comfort, where humans par¬ dumb ol' bug could -- in the fairy woman (shape-shifting is a ticipate fully in life with no scheme of things -- make mashed po¬ standard theme for a Chalker novel). clear distinction between mental, tatoes of Destiny. Didja ever con¬ sider the bug's future progeny? As the sequel opens, the Baron emotional and physical realms; and and his demonic pal are down but yet effortlessly may use the anal¬ 'Twould be wiped out, 'cause you destroyed their sole, would-be an¬ not out. Marge decides to seek out ytical mode of thought as a tool the rest of her new people -- the for specific functions. cestor. Not only that, how 'bout the creatures that would have liv¬ Kauri --in order to finish her Up to this point, (about 901 of ed on that one bug's great-great- conversion into whatever-it-is-she- the book), Mr. Berman had been great-etc. grandchildren? Never- is-turning-into. Meanwhile Ruddy- fascinating, thought-provoking to-be, 'cause your foot got 'em. gore, who has an ability to travel and (for the most part) convincing. And so on. Time-wise, no man (viz, between worlds, plans to attend a In the final section, where he bug) is an island. big convention of sorcerers and magicians. The Dark Baron plans moves into purely personal specula¬ In any case, the author has tion as to the complete paradise to turn up, but because he will be set up a fine thesis, and the story which would instantly appear if disguised as one of the partici¬ takes off when a son-of-a-bitch people adopted this new epistem¬ pants, no one will know who he hunter goes off, half-cocked into ology, he loses credibility. Yet really is until it is too late. the tundra -- against orders. The that is a minor discordant note events which follow sew up an ex¬ Neither Marge nor Joe partic¬ intended as a crescendo after a cellent time yam, in the grandest ularly trust Ruddygore completely, brilliant symphony of ideas. of time-quirk tradition. suspecting as they do that he may Rarely obtuse or dry, Mr. Berman have some imperial ambitions to deals with difficult concepts in The rest of the stories in rule Husaquahr himelf. However, a style which uses words extremely this collection offer additional they really have no alternative well to present his challenging good, dinosaur-related reading. but to trust him at least until outlook. Being a book, the one of the six suspects on the *******************AftA************* stories are rather heavily illus¬ Council of Thirteen is unmasked. trated by artists like William Joe meets Tiana who is thirsting Stout (no dinosaur volume could for revenge against her father's not include him), Moebius (of Hea¬ usurper, a magician by the name of DINOSAUR TALES vy Metal fame), (Lord, Kaladon. Tiana has spent some time By Ray Bardbury talk about variety of styles!), on Earth Prime --in Switzerland Bantam, 144 pp, 1984, $2.50 Steranko (Yes, Steranko), Kenneth to be exact, so the two expatriates Smith and others. have a good deal in conmon. REVIEWED BY J0H4 DIPRETC A recommended story and art During his career, Ray Brad¬ collection for Bradbury and/or din- The big Convention bears a bury has turned out a number of certain suspicious resemblance to memorable short stories in some those well-known science fiction way related to dinosaurs and/or conventions well beloved by fan¬ the prehistoric era. Probably the dom -- but of course we know there most notable, included here in is no comparison, don't we? Kala¬ DINOSAUR TALES, concerns a time¬ don appears to be too obvious a traveling expedition exploring the ****** suspect, the Dark Baron may be fe¬ tundra of the Mesozoic Era to 47 male this time -- the witch Esmer- ada perhaps or even an obvious cities built (one underground next seen in FINNEGANS WAKE, until the white magician such as Count Esmil- to a volcano deep in the Amazon snake bites its own tail and the io Boquillas. Somewhere there is jungle), while the hero (who could cube is back on its home square in a connection with Earth Prime -- have bought and sold ) the great cosmic chess game. the kobolds have been absorbing searches for immortality. Despite the ideas of Lenin. all that, this book is really fan¬ Pity the usual denizen of SF tasy, Mr. Robbins' ultra-rich as cons, for a working knowledge of Meanwhile, Joe has run into an demi-gods wet dream running amok. five languages, and a handful of unsuspected problem --he has been So ludicrous is it all, that this Master's degrees will enhance ap¬ bitten by a were-Pekingese and be¬ work could have been good-bad preciation of this twisted novel. cause of his unique background, trashy fun if not sooooo bloody It's not, in fact, until about stands to turn into whatever he is awfully written, and also that we page 140 that SF elements even en¬ in close proximity to! Luckily, seem to be expected to take the ter, and then they are quickly this only happens during the full nonsense and the prose seriously. lost in metaphysics. Again, Terry moon, but that is enough. There Carr has presented a "Science Fic¬ is a duel of sorcerers and a tour *********************************** tion Special" and the reader must of the less savory aspects of our ask whether all that son et lumi- Earth's history, as well as much ere was worth the candle. Like much more. This is not the end Albert Camus' Stranger, I'm not either -- there is a promise of a By Carter Scholz § Glenn Harcourt sure when it died. C.J. Cherryh's third book still to come. Ace, 1984, $2.95 WAVE WITHOUT A SHORE had a lot more fun with this philosophy. If one of his characters was REVIEWED BY DEAN R. LAM5E infected by a were-virus, I suspect Nice try, guys. that Mr. Chalker must have been When writers speak of geolog¬ *********************************** bitten by a were-Piers Anthony. ical features "rhyming" with met¬ This book is close in tone and eorological aspects, the reader with its sense of humor to some¬ must be prepared for extraordinary thing that Anthony might have writ¬ prose --or sheer pretension. ten. It also bears a nodding re¬ Scholz $ Harcourt give us both, By Jack M. Bickham semblance to the earlier Chalker with layer upon layer of meaning St. Martin's, 1984, 316 pp, $15.95 book AND THE DEVIL WILL DRAG YOU as one might expect from the title. UNDER. REVIEWED BY STUART NAPIER The plot, if there is one, is She was witty, clever -- geni¬ Normally, I prefer hard science very simple. Hans Camus, failed us level, undoubtedly -- and she fiction to fantasy, but the light grad student on three continents, performed her job with speed and mood of this novel is very infec¬ and perhaps the bastard grandson accuracy; yet nobody was really tious. It quite literally casts a of the Camus, labors cynically at friends with her. Until late that spell that you will find hard to a paleontological dig in Germany's night when Ariel called Rusty on resist. Although the ingredients Neander Valley. Professor Warner, the telephone no one had even given are familiar it makes for fun read¬ "the Carl Sagan of anthropology" in a thought to what might interest ing. Jack Chalker has a definite 1991, seems to have set his stu¬ her outside of Drum Laboratories. winner in this one. There is no dents to a fruitless task, for And this would cause quite a stir sag as is often the case with the Homo S. neanderthalensis hadn't once others found out. After all. middle book in a trilogy. been a "new man" in that valley Rusty was the company President's *********************************** for decades. Also, Warner is 13-year-old son. And Ariel was a shacked up with Camus' sometime computer. love, Winifred Waste. But an amaz¬ ingly complete skeleton is found, ARIEL, a novel by Jack M. Bick¬ alongside an impossible metal cube, ham, is a fascinating glimpse into a cube precisely 2 cm on a side, the near future when mankind may heavier than platinum, and of well have to reassess what constit¬ technologically unfathomable alloys utes their humanity as a genera¬ tion of super computers come "on Could that cube have been bur¬ line." Computers so smart they ied for 80,000 years or is it more possess an intelligence indisting¬ grist for Warner's infamous THE uishable from man, with the excep¬ BOOK OF FAKES? One scientist sui¬ tion that the machine intelligence cides, Camus feels time is out of will likely be far superior. It joint and he and Waste return home all depends on your definition. to Cleveland. Enter the heavies, a pair of erudite agents at some Bickham has fashioned a fast- educational distance from Central paced story around one of the most Casting. Canus and Waste are pur¬ exciting areas of work in comput¬ sued on a mad drive to Seattle, ers: the threshold of true arti¬ DESCENT FROM XANADU with stops to visit California ficial intelligence (AI). The By Harold Robbins search for AI is portrayed as a Simon/Schuster, 310 pp., $15.95 glacier sculptors, and the game continues: Cube, cube, who's got quest; the nation that obtains it REVIEWED BY PAUL MCGUIRE the cube. Action shifts by slow first will surely make a quantum boat to Alaska, where all charac¬ leap into the future comparable to The popularity of /TAR WAR/, ters are reunited as Camus descends the harnessing of atomic energy. CE3K and their offsrping has had existentially, through Dante's The country that controls AI -- a cosmetic effect on mainstream seven circles (the ice is on top if indeed "control" is the correct fiction. For example: Mr. Rob¬ this time, and the circles are word -- will have a power capable bins' latest novel of the racy seven-sided). Numerous scientif¬ of solving the problems that have rich has pseudo-science bandied ic disciplines are thrashed with a plagued human progress: weather, about, experiments (one of which prosaic (meaning 2.) flair last disease, energy, space travel. gives the protagonist a permanent Anything may be possible when the erection), and two super-science 48 awesome computational power of a super computer, able to process from the Golden Age of science fic¬ mer program, began in 1968 at the vast wealth of stored know¬ tion into the present. Under the Clarion College in Pennsylvania ledge in nanoseconds and make in¬ tutelage of one of its most famous and is now situated at Michigan tuitive decisions, is focused on editors, John W. Campbell, many of State University. Each year the a particular problem. the members of today's SF Parthen¬ workshop has provided twenty hand¬ picked and highly motivated stu¬ As a craftsman, Bickham has on got their start here. dents an opportunity to attend and infused his story of the quest WRITERS' CHOICE approaches an put themselves in the pressure with a believably complicated plot anthology in a unique manner: The cooker for six weeks. And, they involving industrial espionage, writers choose their favorite story do this voluntarily! THE CLARION murder, chicanery and romance that appeared in ASTOUNDING/ANALOG AWARDS is a collection of fourteen through which he deftly weaves his and explain why they picked it in stories by Clarion graduates be¬ finely-etched characters. The a foreword. Editor Stanley Sch¬ tween 1976 and 1982 who had not main character, John Harrington, midt's (current editor of ANALOG, yet been published as of the date head of Drum Labs, is a man whose as if you didn't know) task was of the announcement (the previous dream of developing AI is threaten¬ to select from the many writers years were covered in CLARION, ed by the difficulties of a fail¬ who have appeared in this magazine 1977, edited by Kate Wilhelm). ing company. The Lab has suffered over the years. Not an easy job! recent setbacks in the highly com¬ This second volume contains petitive computer market complicat¬ stories by present editor Schmidt ed by the huge amounts of cash he and former editor Ben Bove (both has poured into his pet project. regular contributors before becom¬ ing editors) as well as an excel¬ Rusty, his son, is a precocious lent selection from such authors ^Jein-PMJL young man who would rather tap in¬ as Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, RlHIUJM to Dad's mainframe computer late , Robert Heinlein and at night than play baseball in six others. Damon Knight, editor of this the daytime. Harrington has been anthology and the successful ORBIT frantically working on his project The book gives the reader a series has a keen eye for new tal¬ against a bankruptcy deadline, microscopic look at SF through the ent and presents us with an inter¬ yet Rusty learns of his success pages of one of its leading maga¬ esting and diverse collection. first. zines (stories from 1934 to 1983) Some of the stories are powerful, and is a real treat. Perhaps as ARIEL is a compelling novel straight-ahead SF (Gary Shockley's interesting to the die-hard fan "The Coming of the Goonga") while that takes the reader to the cut¬ as the stories themselves will be ting edge of high-tech and human others are more subtle, psycholog¬ the authors' forewords where they drama, a story that raises some ical studies (Shepard's "The Ether- tell why they selected that story questions we may all be faced with ic Transmitter"). Several are and how it has affected their before we are ready to answer them. neither SF nor fantasy to shew the careers. The style is purely chronological: range of work done at Clarion. Once you have started you won't In UNIVERSE 14, Terry Carr All of these stories may not stop until you have reached the please you equally; perhaps no suspenseful conclusion. This is once again proves why he has been one of the most successful editors collection could. However, they a book for mainstream and science are all filled with the energy and fiction taste alike: Bickham is of original anthologies in recent years by presenting ten carefully enthusiasm for writing that is the an excellent writer who has told mark of an amateur who will not a warm and human tale about the chosen stories that should satisfy the wide range of SF taste. likely remain an unknown for too ultimate machine. long. *********************************** Despite the recent commercial success of several SF novelists lately, the short form remains a ANALOG: WRITERS' CHOICE, VOL II mainstay of the genre. It's not Edited ty Stanley Schmidt an easy length: Characters and Dial Press, 1984, $12.95 plot must be deftly blended into a lean prose style that carries the UNIVERSE Vi reader along to their conclusion Edited by Terry Carr with few, if any, lulls or pauses Doubleday, 1984, $11.95 allowed. THE CLARION AWARDS Carr has assembled an inter¬ Edited by Damon Knight esting mix this time out from the Doubleday, 1984, $11.95 established names such as Silver- REVIEWED BY STUART NAPIER berg and Knight to some newcomers such as Pat Murphy and Mary Gloss, If you haven't had a chance to among others. There are no clink¬ read every issue of ANALOG for the ers here but for a unique treat¬ past forty-nine years (ANALOG: ment of the well-explored future- WRITERS’ CHOICE), if you want to war theme I found Pat Murphy's take a quick survey of potential "Art in the War Zone" left a last¬ 1984 Hugos (UNIVERSE 14), or if ing impression. A pacifist en¬ you would like to see what the clave of artists locked in a strug¬ newest talent on the SF scene has gle with real soldiers. Here sym¬ to offer (THE CLARION AWARDS), bolism and psychology is matched three new anthologies out this against bullets and brute force summer are sure to please. and the outcome changes both sides. ANALOG magazine (previously The Clarion Science Fiction called ASTOUNDING) has been one of Writer's Workshop, an intense sum- the major showcases for "hard" SF 49 THE UMSECTOR BY DARRELL SCHWEITZER

BEUDVED EXILE of comforting brain-massage known ing and the sort of intensely sig¬ By Parke Godwin technically as the "elfy-welfy nificant and emotionally awesome Bantam, 1984, 422 pp., $6.95 story") are in for a shock. And events which turn into . what remains of the historical You will not forget this book It used to be, back when there fiction audience won't find it at or be readily able to lay it aside. was no fantasy category to speak all. Godwin's Guenevere, who narrates of that fantasies had to be market¬ the story, is a superbly-realized ed as something else in order to The historical elements are character, and she and her world get published. The Arthurian admittedly speculative, but then come totally alive. Rich of the they always are in a novel set in stories (T.H. White's, or those of meaning of the book depends on the the now forgotten Dorothy James a poorly-chronicled period. This differing textures of two societ¬ Roberts, or many others) were pas¬ one is about the adventures of ies, those of the post-Roman Brit¬ sed off as historicals. Other fan¬ Guenevere after the death of Arth¬ ons and of the Saxons, and it takes ur. The historical basis is rough¬ tasies were labeled science fic¬ a very sure authorial hand to make tion or children's fiction or even ly as follows: The Saxons over¬ all this work. If the character¬ ran Britain, but about A.D. 500 "fables." (The "fable" being, in ization were a little less good, the hands of a publishing copywrit¬ the Britons must have won a great or Godwin a little less imaginative victory. Otherwise the Saxons er, the most useful of vague terms in the best sense of the word, his viould have prevailed all the soon¬ by which works of imagination can Britons and Saxons would just be be displayed in public with some er. There is no reason to disbe¬ ciphers in costumes, and the book pretense of utilitarian, moral val¬ lieve that this victory occurred would be one long capture/escape/ ue so as to not offend the Ameri¬ at a place called Badon Hill, or bondage extravaganza. But instead that the leader who briefly united can Protestant Work Ethic of Lit¬ we have a Guenevere who is very erature .) the squabbling Celtic kinglets much a part of the dying society might have been named Arthur or But times have changed. Now she is trying to hold together, Artorius, or something like that. fantasy is a strong category, and set upon by vicious nobles who There are scraps of historical, the market for serious fiction is hardly give Arthur's corpse a literary and archeological evidence vanishingly small. There are a lot chance to cool and eventually tak¬ about life in this period, but not of books published today as fan¬ en into slavery among the Saxons. much is known. So the author has tasy which would have been "histor¬ It is the Saxon sequence which is to make up a lot, even as he would icals" in the 1950s: Evangeline a real revelation, both to Guene¬ when writing about the political Walton's THE SWORD IS FORGED is vere and to the reader. The view¬ scene in Ur of the Chaldees, or in the best example, but the same is point shift is total. Previously, pre-Columbian . This, true of Elizabeth Lynn's THE WATCH- the Saxons were seen as cruel, in¬ to my mind, is not enough to make TOWER and sequels, for all they vading barbarians, but from within a novel fantasy. are set in imaginary lands. Leslie their own society they come off Barringer's GERFALCON, JORIS OF Actually, the shock the elfy- rather like American pioneers, THE ROCK, etc. have vaguely un-his- welfy story readers are going to brave, stolid, hardworking people torical medieval settings and only get from this might do them good. who are determined to carve a new the barest trace of supernatural- They'll be introduced to medieval life for themselves and their child¬ ism. They were published as his¬ realism in all its grubby partic- ren out of the wilderness. Like toricals in the 1920s and not sub¬ ulars, not to mention superb writ¬ the American pioneers, their backs sumed into the fantasy field until Newcastle reprinted them as fantasy in the 1970s. Today you can be quite sure, if Mary Renault were submitting her Theseus books for the first time, they wuld be pub¬ lished as fantasy. And now we have an example of a leading science fiction and fan¬ tasy line giving a heavy promotion to a Big Book, clearly aimed at the fantasy market and a probable contender for fantasy awards, for all that it is not a fantasy at all. Of course, these categories mean nothing in the long run and good writing will survive market¬ ing considerations, but in the short run it means people who buy BELOVED EXILE looking for a fan¬ tasy (or even more, for the sort are to the sea. There is nowhere THE JOHN W, CAMPBELL AWARDS, awful everything is. The "catas¬ to go but forward. They transcend VOLUME to trophe machine" of the title is mere desperation and achieve heroic Edited by George R.R. Martin ultimately life itself. It is a stature (including even especially Bluejay Books, 1984, 244 pp, $7.95 tribute to Scholz's ability that a cranky old Saxon grandmother who he manages to make his characters tries to be the real power behind This is quite a disappointing believable. His observations about her son the chief), the tragedy book, and I think its fault may the often very subtle shifts in being that, like the American pio¬ be in the initial conception. their lives seem very true. But neers regarding the Indians, they Each Campbell memorial volume is the story is little more than a can't afford to stop and consider supposed to consist of original superior Malzberg pastiche. Bar¬ that the Britons may be anything stories by all the award nominees ry has written this story dozens more than particularly smart pred¬ for a single year. This present of times. So have other people. ators, just another danger to be one features the 1977 nominees. Scholz, for all his obvious abil¬ overcome. Seeing it from both That means there are only four or ity and sensitivity, is caught in sides, Guenevere comes to under¬ five potential contributors per the very late New Wave era, endles¬ stand the humanity of the Saxons, volume. Martin himself has men¬ sly rewriting the stories of ten and even to admire them. She sees tioned that the novelists have ta¬ years ago. He still hasn't found that their laws are more democrat¬ ken over the John Campbell Memorial his own voice. ic, and that this means that every Award. Fans read so few magazines Finally, we have C.J. Cherryh's man has a stake in society, where¬ that a short story writer seldom "Companions" which reads like the as among the Britons there are on¬ has the exposure required. So we dismembered trunk of a novel. It's ly treacherous, increasingly shab¬ have a book drawn from four or five an other-planetary ROBINSON CRUSOE by nobles trying to live off the people who don't write short fic¬ with a robot Friday, and a large desperately poor peasantry. tion regularly. The editor is at their mercy. dollop of the nature mysticism com¬ I don't want to make the book mon to such stories. (Marooned sound like a lecture or abstrac¬ Jack Chalker puts in a compet¬ Earthman subtly comes into trans¬ tion. All of this is illustrated ent neo-pulpish performance with cendent contact with the ineffable. in vivid, intensely dramatic scenes "In The Dowaii Chambers." A group Is he mad? Are they really there with more feeling than I have en¬ of broadly-characterized adventur¬ at all?) Frankly, Cherryh writes countered in a novel of any sort ers find a mysterious alien maze in well but the story never finds its in a long time. All the character¬ the desert. It is a kind of mem¬ focus and Algernon Blackwood did it izations, even the very minor ones, ory recorder, which causes the peo¬ all better (minus the robot) in are very good. Godwin has the es¬ ple trapped inside to relive past "The Willows" over fifty years ago. sential storyteller's ability: lives. There are suitable surpris¬ The only first-rate story in the knack of grabbing the reader es and revelations. I'd give the the book is another one by Cherryh, by the throat and dragging him story a B. It is at least far su¬ "The Dark King," an elegant fable along. He makes you care. After perior' to M.A. Foster's "Dreams," of ancient Greece. It is a reprint. that, everything else falls into which is a total muddle, of seeming¬ place: the intelligence of his ly endless descriptions of a fut¬ historical speculations, his sense uristic highway system and sex of detail, his lucid and powerful scenes. I haven't read Foster's THE CONGUOMEROID COCKTAIL PARTY By Robert Silverberg prose. novels, but it hardly makes me Arbor House, 1984, 284 pp, $14.95 want to seek them out. Che hopes I don't like the ending. In they are considerably better and Silverberg is coasting. This the end, just as the evil King Con¬ that the problem is merely that is the most salient characteristic stantine is about to have Guenevere the editor of this series is stuck executed, two sets of cavalry come with the productions of four or of the third phase of his career. From the beginning until 1962 or to the rescue, not merely her Brit¬ five people, unless he wants to so, he was the ultimate pulp writ¬ ish followers, but the band of publish blank pages. Saxons with whom she lived for er, who could be totally relied up¬ ten years. This is contrived. The only short story writer on to turn out that novelet by It reminds me of those movies (us¬ represented is Carter Scholz whose Thesday and make it, while not ex¬ ually historical epics or Westerns) novelet length "The Catastrophe actly great, certainly publishable. in which all the contending parties Machine" may be the longest solo He has probably written more sci¬ come together, practically in a piece he has written. (His first ence fiction than anyone else, the parade, and stand around while the novel, PALIMPSESTS, is a collabora¬ only serious contenders for the main characters resolve everything tion with Glenn Harcourt.) It is a honor being Henry Kuttner and Ed¬ into a nice, neat, symbolic pack¬ quite well-written, moody charac¬ mond Hamilton. And he did most of age. ter study, not science fiction at it during that first phase. Then all, but a story which makes use after a pause, during which he Everything is resolved, but of scientific concepts and imagery produced some excellent popular the author's hand is too obvious, for metaphorical reasons. Very science books mostly on archeolog¬ where previously the action of the dense, synoptic, with what little ical subjects, he returned still book had a life of its own. Then, dialogue there is punctuated in prolific, to turn out some of the in an epilogue, the story is alive the French manner (initial dashes finest work the field has ever seen, again, very movingly, as Guenevere, rather than quotation marks) to all in an amazing decade, roughly now past ninety and nearly blind, make it seem more avant-garde. 1965-75. There followed another returns to Britain for the last But there is something very con¬ pause, his "retirement," which end¬ servative about Scholz's avant- ed with LORD VALENTINE'S CASTLE. gardism, in both style and subject This is a wonderful book. For matter-. This story is basically The present book collects all the categorization may be de¬ one long whine about the unfulfil¬ most of his post-retirement short ceptive, it is hard to fault the led life of a young genius. In stories. They have been published editor Who bought it (presumably the end he and his father come to in OMNI, PLAYBOY, PENTHOUSE and Lou Aronica) for refusing to pass some sort of conclusion about how some of the science fiction maga¬ it up on the grounds that it did zines (IASFM and AMAZING). I am not quite "fit" into his line. 51 sure that he got more for some of them than he did initially for or misinformation turns out to ing the imagined literature of the many of his best novels. But alas, be harmless must bloom, when future and its use of metaphors it seems that Phase Three Silver- surrounded by the workings of derived from not-yet-extant technol¬ berg is only a mixture of Phases desire and terror, into the of¬ ogy. But the writing is appalling, One and Two. The stories are very fered sign all about it, making and the book is not worth struggling slick, very polished, and often and marking all about it innocent through, except perhaps for writers deal with substantial matters, but by contamination. (p.86) who might want to mine it. There at the same time they are perfunc¬ That is actually a microcosm are ideas and ruins of ideas here tory. Not one of them shows a of the entire novel. Delany (the which, in the hands of a fiction trace of the intensity of "Bom new Delany, not the writer) has writer, could be turned into in¬ With the Dead" or "Nightwings" or become so obsessed with the little triguing stories. "Schwartz Between the Galaxies." nuances of the words in that sen¬ once conmented We have lots of time travel stor¬ tence that the thought is lost. He ies, ranging from gimmicks to sub¬ disparagingly that "Delany is a pulp has become so obsessed with the writer." I only wish this were true. tle metaphors. There is mysticism little nuances of detail in the and religion (including the well- No pulp writer could be this bad. book that the novel is lost. Every He has gotten to the point where he received "The Pope of the Chimps") paragraph seems clogged with dead and even a quite interesting non-SF could take lessons in style and matter, usually half a dozen opaque structure from Homer Eon Flint. story about an empty man desperate¬ lines toward the end. This forces ly seeking a spiritual experience Were this not such a melancholy oc¬ the reader to skim (How far did I_ casion (easily the worst alleged among a Middle Eastern mushroom get? 115 pages. Few people I know cult ("One Thousand Paces Along the novel ever published by a major got beyond the prologue. When I writer in our field) it would be the Via Dolarosa"), but again, while found I couldn't read more than two the writing can't be faulted, the subject for jokes. When DHALGREN pages a day, I stopped.), but skim¬ came out, "Far far did you get?" story is seriously lacking in pas¬ ming is no help. There is nothing sion and conviction. was all the rage as a fannish parlor there, only a great mound of detail. game. Now: "How bad is it? It's so One gets the impression of a Delany has been working on this book bad it makes Heinlein's I WILL FEAR very skilled writing giving the for something like ten years, occas¬ NO EVIL look like...like an early editors what they've paid for and ionally publishing excerpts from Delany novel." And I was hoping nothing more. the work-in-progress (some of which against hope that this one, at last, aren't in the book), so we may assume would be more like Delany's FRIDAY, that the discontinued vestiges of a if not up to his old standard, at least a partial return to form. But no, that is not going to happen. STARS IN MY POCKETS LIKE GRAINS OF The only thing that could cause SAND By Samuel R. Del any his career as a novelist to resume Bantam, 1984, 368 pp., $16.95 would be for an editor to be in a atrong enough position to say no, Okay, I give up. This will THIS IS A<=TUAL-L-Y MY to not merely reject the book,~But probably be the last Delany fiction DOCTORAL THESIS oH turn it over to a staff of five or book I will read or review. I have LITERARY TjECOWSTRUCTION six other editors, have all of them come to the conclusion that the IMPURSATEL WITH EN°t*rH go over it with several miles of red magical writer from the '60s of ink, crossing out opaque and unneces¬ that name, the author of BABEL-17, sary sections, demanding explanations THE EINSTEIN INTERSECTION, and NOVA for every vague phrasing (Did they was, as much as Richard Brautigan cause the classic past to exist in was, completely a product of that order to achieve cultural stability? era. He no longer exists. He has Or did the planet "never exist in been replaced by a word-processing order to achieve cultural stabili¬ program that rewrites and rewrites, ty"? That is, was it set up for until, like in an overdone computer some special purpose? What does graphic, nothing is left but a all this mean anyway?), and perhaps solid screen. discovering a focus, deciding which The old Delany had many wonJ character is the protagonist, from derful characteristics, all of which which viewpoint Idle story should be have no disappeared. Remember when written, etc. Maybe if they forced he was regarded as a great stylist? him to rewrite it on that scale, so Nowadays, this is his idea of a sen¬ ST4RS MY DESTINATION-derivative plot that virtually none of the present, hideously garbled text survived, tence : are a holdover from the period in which the old Delany's career came Delany might rediscover something Perhaps because, with the Fam¬ of what a novel is, and how it is to an end. ily trying to establish the dream constructed. But yo- know that is¬ of a classic past as pictured on To be fair, some of the old n't going to happen, dice an author a world that may never have ex¬ intelligence remains. There is a has passed a certain threshold, no isted in order to achieve cultural lot of good science fictional think¬ editor has that kind of* power over stability, and with the Sygn com¬ ing present. It is put to no use, him. mitted to the living interaction but there are interesting ramifica¬ So we must fondly remember and difference between each woman tions of a vast increase in the a- and each world from which the mount of information available to Samuel Delany, the science fiction writer, whose career lasted a bare right stability and play may flow¬ an individual (the characters here seven years, 1962-69. er, in a universe where both in¬ are as far beyond a modem computer formation and misinformation are user as the computer user is beyond constantly suspect, reviewed and a caveman), and there is even a (Richard Geis Note: See rny review drifting as they must be (con¬ fascinating page-and-a-half treat- of the new Delany novel in my col¬ stantly) by and between the two, umn, "Not Necessarily Reviews" else¬ a moment when either information 52 where in this issue.) HON-FICTIQN: biography; and now this. where, as George Knight tells us in a quite startling piece, "Rob¬ wonder's child THE DARK BARBARIAN is, quite ert E. Howard: Hard-Boiled Fant¬ By Jack Williamson simply, the finest critical anthol¬ asist." Knight points out simil¬ Bluejay Bks, 1984, 276 pp, $15.95 ogy I have ever read. It has none arities between Howard and the of the academic fustiness usually hard-boiled and "proletarian" writ¬ Jack Williamson is science fic¬ associated with such volumes. All ers of his day. Howard had far tion's leading survivor. When you the articles are well written and more in common with Jack London stop and consider that he is a more important, all of them are and Dashiell Hammett (for all he contemporary of Ed Earl Repp, Dav¬ genuinely insightful, even arrest¬ disliked detective fiction) than id H. Keller, Stanton Coblentz, Ed¬ ing in their insights. This is or , win K. Sloat, A. Hyatt Verrill, and not production for the Ph. D. mill. with whom he is frequently classed. countless other faded names of the These people have something to say. pulp era, and he is still publish¬ Even the appendices are sub¬ ing respectable SF today, it is The best of the lot is Herron's stantial. One is a list of the apparent that there is something own "The Dark Barbarian" which an¬ books Howard is known to have own¬ quite unusual about the man and alyses Howard's creation of a ¬ ed. This backs up Knight's conten¬ his career. There are other Gems- ic figure, his cultural impact and tion that Howard read little fan¬ back era writers who are still al¬ the growing differences between the tasy. Another appendix places How¬ ive, but how many are still viable original conceptions and what now ard's suicide in the context of in the marketplace? passes as Conan, et al. Fritz Lei- other romantic/literary suicides ber gives a sound overview of How¬ of the time. There were quite a Some of the secret may simply ard's fantasy. Ben Indick covers lot of them. I've never seen the be that Williamson never stopped the westerns with the charm and matter discussed like this before. learning. His very charming and incisiveness typical of him. He We always hear about Howard and unassuming autobiography is full of puts Howard's fiction into his mother. But'there was more to learning experiences. In the 1930s the larger context of his work it than that. Like many others, he underwent psycho-analysis be¬ more capably than anyone has ever Howard wrote with conviction about cause he was unsatisfied with his done before. Steve Eng contributes blackness and despair, and finally life and wanted to do something a major article on Howard's poetry. carried out what he wrote. about it. (One thought that comes While the de Camps made ground¬ to mind is that his background was breaking use of the poetry as a This book is worthy of a World even more narrow and isolated than biographical tool, this is the Fantasy Award in the Special Pro¬ Robert E. Howard's and similar in first really thorough examination fessional category. It is also many ways, but Williamson was wil¬ of the whole body of Howard's worthy of a larger audience than ling to open himself up and discov¬ verse. Dennis Rickard concludes the few libraries Greenwood seems er the world where Howard rejected that Howard's use of supernatural- to intend it for. There should be it.) In the 1950s he finished his ism wras actually derivative and a paperback reprint, so it can education and took up the academic often unsuccessful. Indeed, How¬ reach thousands of fans for whom life, learning a new profession. ard's main inclinations were else- the thirty-dollar price tag will Later, he went to one of the Mil¬ be too much. ford Conferences because, as he casually puts it, he felt his skills needed sharpening. This THE CREATURE FEATURES MOVIE GUIDE from a man who was even then one By John Stanley of the senior talents in the field. Warner Bks, 1984, 304 pp, $7.95

His autobiography spans whole Poor John Stanley, who is a TV technological eras, literally from host, has had to endure thousands covered wagons to spaceships and upon thousands of awful movies tells something, though not every¬ like ASTRO ZOMBIES. Fortunately, thing, about a rich and varied he has come through the experience life. Williamson's manner is al¬ sane or at least mad in the right ternately introspective and reserv¬ way. His guide is witty and thor¬ ed, but he has many insights and ough. He generally shows good interesting details which make the taste, praising the films that de¬ book a valuable document, both for serve it, dismissing the grade-Z the understanding of his own work, flicks wittily (to merely say that and as literary and social history. ROBOT MONSTER is a bad film, after all, is redundant) and saving his vituperation for slasher films and THE DARK BARBARIAN, such things as THE EXORCIST II. THE WRITINGS OF ROBERT E. HOWARD The one place where I find we ser¬ Edited by Don Herron iously part company is JABBERWOCKY Greenwood Press, 1984, 242 pp, which he finds great stuff. I $29.95 found it so vile I felt like I While there will never be a needed my brain scrubbed out after¬ vast, creeping glacier of books wards. about Robert E. Howard, the way Lots of little pictures, as us¬ there is about Lovecraft, there are ual, both stills and drawings. The three volumes which are essential cover painting, by James Warhola, to the understanding of the man and is charming. I saw the original at his work: GlemLord's THE LAST the and CELT, which contains useful auto¬ noted that quite a few clever de¬ biographical material by Howard, tails had been obliterated by tit¬ and the standard Howard bibliography les and blurbs. DARK VALLEY DESTINY by de Camp, de- Camp and Griffin, the definitive 53 HOT NECESSARILY REVIEWS

I READ BOOKS AND THEN DON'T But this family is also involv¬ TRAVELER #1:T0 KILL A SHADOW REVIEW THEM, SOPETIPES, UNTIL ed in the complicated, Byzantine By D.B. DRUMM MONTHS LATER. A SAD, SORRY STATE conspiracies and power plays requir¬ Dell, $2.25 OF AFFAIRS. ed to compete for the ruling of the Drumm is a pseudonym for a man-controlled thousands of coloniz¬ SO THIS COUUW IS THE RESIDUE fairly well-known sf writer, and a AND DETRITUS OF MY THOUGHTS ON THE ed planets of the galaxy. friend. And this new after-the- BOOKS IN QUSTION. NOT NECESSARILY Key factor: Marq Dyeth is also bomb survival series is fast-paced REVIEWS. a homosexual, and Rat Korga is his and low-credibility sf which will absolute perfect sex partner. appeal to those who will believe Rat Korga is brought to Dyeth's genetic engineering can produce STARS IN MY POCKET LIKE GRAINS OF planet as a celebrity, the only known creatures from human DNA which are SAND survivor of the mysterious fire-death- mostly organic machines on wheels By Samuel R. Del any ed planet, and they meet, and the bulk which use animals and humans as Bantam (hardcover) $16.95 of the "novel" is spent detailing Dy¬ fuel to make methane gases to This is Delany’s first novel eth' s life and times and culture on keep their engines running. his home planet, and in simply hav¬ in 9 years, and he is badly served The hero is a loner who is by Bantam here. The publisher is ing Rat Korga and he spend enough time together to fall in love. seeking revenge, and who has a kind pleased to call this volume the of battle van he travels in. It first in a diptych of novels. What Kind of a bore, if you're not gay. Though the arcane and exotic uses regular gasoline, and that that means is that Delany wrote a stuff is rare in this post-nuclear monster novel which the publisher culture is interesting, and the alien/human family is also intrigu¬ war United States. could not see publishing in one Lotsa shooting, killing and volume ["My God, it'll run 700 pag¬ ing. The first volume of this spec¬ little real sex; the priorities es! We'd have to price it over are emerging now: guns and killing $25! Nobody would buy it!"], and ious diptych ends as a rival power group sends Rat Korga away and begins and fighting are more important and so, probably with Delany's grumpy more commercial than sex, now that a coup of sorts to take over the agreement, they decided to cut the porno is almost universally availa¬ mother in half and present the un¬ galactic government. A cliff-hanger. ble and has lost its magic. Per¬ wary Delany-lover with an expensive haps it comes down to boredom: problem—buy the first "novel" and A cheat! But aside from that, a few there are a lot more ways to kill realize to late the dirty trick and maim, with a lot more different pulled, and be forced to buy the thoughts on this and some other re¬ cent sf: we are entering an era of weapons, than there are ways to second half "novel", later, in order have sex. to see how the story came out...or incredibly intricate and complicated, multi-level science fiction novels I enjoyed TRAVELER, but I go sourly without while harboring boggled at the magic science, and evil thoughts about Bantam and/or which take years to write and are too much for the casual reader to it would turn me off reading furth¬ Delany. er novels in this series. The second half of this in¬ comprehend. We are seeing sf so well done it is accessible only to Understand, this is pure quill complete novel is titled THE SPLEN¬ pulp writing, purple in all its DOR AND MISERY OF BODIES, OF CITIES. high-intellect people who have a taste for it. To really understand glory. But with basic suspense and This first half begins marvel¬ tension in place. Gut-level fiction. ously with the story of Rat Korga, this stuff you have to know sociology, a man---apparently a homosexual--- psychology, anthopology... Etc. who is given a voluntary Radical Etc. ETERNITY Anxiety Termination operation (a I admire the effort and above By Mack Reynolds, with Dean Ing kind of lobotomy) which makes of him all the writing skills required to , $2.95 a slave. get all this amazing and detailed And in his society of radical alien culture/future culture into This is an intriguing immortal¬ heterosexuality, on his home plan¬ a work of fiction without resorting ity novel, obviously the first of a et, that is a reasonable choice. to endless lectures and asides, but series. A group of immortals, or Switch away from Rat Korga the goal of creating and presenting near-immortals, is in hiding in a when his planet is wiped clean by future civilizations in as believ¬ small Mexican town when first a too- nuclear fire by (apparently) an able manner as possible is self- curious reporter invades, and then alien race inscrutible and at war defeating- --it can be done but it murders begin to happen---to the (more or less) with mankind in this requires a high-IQ audience immortals. part of the galaxy. Korga surviv¬ willing to read it. Surprises, revelations, plot es by freak of location and alert¬ And that means an elitist sf turns occurr...and the identities ness of a rescue party. and an elitist readership. A very of some of the immortals will star¬ Switch to rich man Marq Dyeth, narrow audience. tle you. an industrial diplomat, part of an But okay, okay, let them as The conspiracy against the im¬ interwoven alien/mankind family of wants write this labyrinthian sf, mortals is deadly and powerful, enormous wealth and power on a far and them as wants read it. But I and their very survival is in ques- planet. These are good aliens. wonder if there's any money in it for a publisher. RICHARD E. GEIS They (mostly) scatter from their long-time secret enclave as the novel ends, but their murder¬ ous pursuers are hot on their trail. But the main question is: how well has Dean Ing finished this first-draft Reynolds ms.? [Remember that Mack Reynolds died leaving ten or more novels incom¬ plete or unsold.] The answer is very well! This novel reads like a Reynolds novel, and has probably been enhanced by Ing's knowledge of weaponry and . I would like to see this im¬ mortality series continued for a long while---probably beyond the supply of Reynolds' first drafts and/or plot notes.

THE TIDES OF TIME FREE LIVE FREE By John Brunner By Gene Wolfe Del Rey, $2.95 Mark V. Ziesing FIRE PATTERN P.0. Box 806, By Bob Shaw A disappointing, confusing, Willimantic, CT 06226 Victor Gollancz, $14.95 experimental, seemingly pretentious Limited 750 copy edition, Bob has used the rare phenomen¬ A man and a woman are escap¬ quality hardcover, dj illustration on of spontaneous human combustian ing an experimental scientific by Carl Lundgren, full-page inter¬ as the core of this novel. program in the future---they have ior illustrations by Rick DeMarco, And he begins the story with a programmable, sentient boat which individual chapter illustrations great skill and tension: a middle- can create food to order but which by Rich Schindler, bookplate by Joe aged man bursts into an incredibly is low on fuel—and they seek re¬ Shea. intense self-consuming flame which fuge on an island... Each copy signed by all of the reduced him to fine ash in a matter On the island they apparently above, including, of course, Gene of a few moments, leaving only a shift through time to various per¬ Wolfe. Which explains, partly the small burned hole in the floor, a iods of history, each time they $45. per-copy selling price. limited radius of heat damage---and live the same roles/lives on the two unconsumed hands. Aside from being a collectors island, and learn lessons from their A local reporter is assigned item,instantly, you want to know how encounters with the people and from to the story. Ray Jerome is a sci¬ good is this big, thick (496 page) various intruders. ence reporter and has severe emot¬ The chapter headings are in- novel, don't you? ional problems. His job is in jeo¬ It's excellent. This is the scrutible, like: pardy. finest writing by Gene I've ever He is not prepared to accept read. This novel grabbed me with the truth of spontaneous human com¬ UUMAAF humor, human interest, flawed, hum¬ bustion. 12 an, interesting characters, a mystery But as he investigates and The Exhibit and a conflict of interests.. .and checks on eye-witness accounts — is small and weak and ignorant and carried me onward to the very end and after he himself actually wit¬ helpless...but alive. It's you, and with a feeling of not wanting the nesses an s.h.c. event, a sicken¬ me, and everyone as we once were story to end. Gene could have ing, shattering experience, Ray The Month written this to a million words, and is a believer. He discovers a is any month I'd still be putting everything aside common denominator in all the re¬ The Name to read on and on, willingly, eagerly, cent s.h.c. deaths—a box of pills is its mother's, and your mother's, entranced and delighted. given to each victim by a local doc¬ and mine too Well, yeah, it's a good read. tor. It's about an old man named So far great. Benjamin Free who is struggling, But then Bob catapults the nov¬ So it goes. This is John's with the help of a few free roomers el into an interplantery intrigue, second attempt to strike out in a in his condemned house, to prevent an invasion of human aliens from new direction recently, and I admire the city from demolishing it to make Mercury, adds the psi element of him for willing to take risks and room for a freeway or something. focused thought power causing the try different story structures. The mystery is that Ben Free incidents (through history) of But I think the obscurity and is someone and something other than spontaneous human combustion, and repetitiveness of this story is a what he seems at first, and his interchanged minds from Mercury to strike against it, even though, roomers are united first in helping Earth... In order to explain the inexplicably, I found myself will¬ him battle the city and then, when phenomenon and bring in a hard sf ing to read on and on out of cur¬ he disappears after the city wins, aspect to the novel. iosity and puzzlement. in finding him and/or finding the But to me the jarring mind- hinted at treasure or key to riches interchanges and alien invasion or power or something he had said elements are too much, too incred¬ was hidden in the walls of his house. ible, and leave me feeling cheated. The joy and delight of this I wanted the story to stay on Earth novel, however, is primarily in the with Ray Jerome and his emotional wonderful characterization of the problems and the mystery of the fat, good-hearted hooker, the some¬ spontaneous human combustion deaths. SS times employed private investigator who loves her, the failed, baffled INTERZDNE #9, $2.50 OWL TIME toy salesman, the gypsy witch who Edited by , Alan Dorey, By M.A. Foster may or may not have strange powers. Colin Greenland, Simon Ounsley and Daw, $2.95, 1985. And a host of secondary characters-- David Pringle. Daw is changing, I suspect. In cops, neighbors, salesman, hotel An English prozine. USA subscrip¬ the past we would never have seen workers... tions are $10 seamail, $13 airmail a four-story collection of "literary" The novel is a pure delight. from Scott Bradfield, 145 East 18th The only grunch I have is that Street, #5, Costa Mesa, CA 92627. influenced and aped fictions which the science fictional ending is con¬ the author is pleased to call 'short The lineup for this issue per¬ fusing and seems to me out of synch novels'. [Actually there are two suaded me to read the stories...or with the previous 951 of the book. short stories, a short novelette, at least read them until I was bored The ending jarred me. So sue me. and a real short novel.] or turned off. Buy the book; it is really worth it! Of the contents, "The Man Who J.G. Ballard's "THe Object of Loved Owls," is 'intended to suggest the Attack" grabbed and wouldn't J.G. Ballard.' It didn't to me. I let me go. Assassinations/assass¬ thought it murky and dumb. ins always do. And Ballard writes "Leanne" is intended to be writ¬ well. Very well. ten in the manner of Ray Bradbury AMAZING March, 1985, $1.75 But Brain Aldiss' "The Gods in —or Harlan Ellison. Take your Edited by George Scithers, four¬ Flight put me to sleep; he does what pick.' None of the above. Foster time winner. he wants with his fiction,- I just hasn't the talent. This short sto¬ cannot understand what it is, and ry about a boy and his father (I Reviewed by Richard E. Geis, when I can I usually find it isn't think it was his father; this story thirteen-time Hugo award winner. worth the trouble. Bit maybe this remained with me for two hours at Heh-heh. allegorical fantasy is beyond my most) who are seduced/taken into Fine, vivid, detailed action appreciation. Yes, that must be another, alternate Earth by way of cover by Larry Elmore who is the it; he's writing over my head. increasingly realistic dream trips, equal of Freas and Boris, and no Thomas Disch's "Canned Goods" until they are finally unwilling or mistake. The cover illustrates seems a good story that could have unable to return to our world. A the lead fiction, "Hellflower," sold to an American prozine; rather stunning new idea, right? by Eluki bes Shahar, which I obvious cynical little story of a I'm reading the third story, found too cluttered with far- desperate time in the future when "The Conversation," now, and it is future slang to be worth the formerly priceless pieces of art about a writer who is writing a sto¬ trouble to wade through. It had sell for a few cans of food. The ry about a character who is taking also a routine formula opening, cute ending has the buyer paying a on a life of her own. It's inter¬ which didn't promise anything. can of soup for Andy Warhol's can- esting, and I'm curious to see how You get me with the first of-soup painting. Was it by War¬ it comes out, but Foster is never few paragraphs, or you don't get me hol? Whoever. concerned with pace and dallies too at all. "The Luck in the Head" by M. long here, and there, inserting de¬ John Harrison, is a Viriconium tail and ruminations which cause me The other stories, a mish¬ story, we are told, which means to skip and skim in boredom. Fost¬ mash of earnest fantasy, mostly, very little to me, since I can't er writes a "literary," slow, meand¬ didn't tempt me to finish any of figure this one out--ambiguous and ering fiction here, and he/she is them. And I found the poems esoteric and metaphorical as it is ughish. not enough of a stylist or talented and must be, very colorful and sen¬ enough to make this stuff inherent¬ I even object to Robert Si 1v- suous and significant. ly interesting. erberg's "Opinion" piece about I'm being nasty. how we're fools to feel nuclear Gary Kilworth's "Spiral Winds," power is a failed technology and on the other hand, is hypnotic and too dangerous to let live. entrancing and puzzling at the end He ignores the cost factor: as time and identity do loop-the- all those nuclear power plants were loops. I may not ever forget this built when all 111 the projections haunting story of a very strange showed the cost of oil and coal to kind of happiness. be going out of sight, and before "The Outer Zone" is reviews, cost overruns went through the sky. very good ones. Now the prices of oil and coal are And the letter column is bit¬ falling below the cost of nuke power, ing and intelligent, very good. and the nuclear plants are becoming The cover merits a note: a uneconomic white elephants for the b/w collage showing an opened human sucker utilities who own them. skull and brain hanging over a trudg¬ And no one mentions the astro¬ ing circle of men in a brick court¬ nomical costs of decommissioning yard. nuclear power plants. So more and more nuclear power plants will be shut down and written off in the next twenty years. Until a really cheap new nuclear power sup¬ ply system is developed, that avenue of power supply is doomed. OPEC is breaking up and oil will be so cheap (and natural gas and hydro power will have to compete!) that nuke power will be priced out of existence. I liked the book reviews, but the letter column is too full of those cute, funny Carol Deppe let¬ ters. 56 DRAGONROUGE—An Adult Fantasy By OW, $2.50, Dec. 1984. Letters / Never Answered How adult is it? It's so adult there isn't any sex, no violence, no tension, no nothing except a couple By Damon Knight of knights with no visible intelli¬ gence acconpanied most of the tine by their ladies--one 'mclothed' and one anply endowed. Danxm: Dear Mr. Knight, Nothing is made of this nude You're the only old-time sci- Da you use an outline? I had Scythian princess—Kesrick is not ence fiction writer I've never a teacher in the 11th grade who apparently interested in sex, and read. Why? It's your rep that told me that in order to be a suc- no one seems to note her lack of tums me off. You're known as a cessful writer I would have to use clothing. hack who writes strictly for money, outlines. Well, I didn't agree Kesrick's sidekick is a Tartar without pride, without feeling. We with that! Many people I have knight named Mandricardo who speaks know what you have against other written to that are tops in their a blithering-idiot British-accented people's writing. What have you field have never used outlines! I dialog. got against putting a little qual¬ think that the only thing that mat¬ They have incredible adventures ity into your own?? ters is what works best for THE which no one in his right mind could Yours truly, WRITER. (In this case, hopefully, believe, in a magic-infested world Marty Liss me.) called Terra Magica. I look forward to hearing from There's no real danger at any you. It's always special to "know" time to any of them, and after sev¬ an Oregon! author. eral tepid "wondrous" adventures Sincerely, they return home placid and happy as Jim Greaves dams. TEN YEARS AGO IN SF - WINTER, 197R Since 'An Adult Fantasy' is in enbossed red letters directly below BY ROBERT SABELLA the enbossed red letters of the title I'm inclined to label this novel an The science fiction world took adventure in misrepresentation. 'A a collective sigh of relief then Dear Damon Knight; Comic Fantasy' would have been no re announced he would no longer edit original science fic¬ I am writing an article about appropriate. There are some chuckles success and am asking a few well- in the book. tion anthologies. For the previous few years he had edited dozens of known writers if they will answer a I am beginning to think DAW is anthologies, saturating the market few questions for me. If you have in the process of losing its reader- with so nuch average-to-mediocre the time and don't mind particip¬ ship with books like DRAGONRGUGE and science fiction that he spearhead¬ ating, here are the questions; OWL TIFE. The line was built on ed the decline of the original an¬ 1. What is your definition of good, fast-paced action-adventure thology market. success? science fiction and fantasy. It could be depended on to provide that Avon Books announced it would 2. Are you a success? to its readership. If that reader¬ no longer publish NEW WORLDS. This was the latest stop for a tit¬ 3. If not, what would it take ship discovers that a large percent¬ for you to achieve success? age of its novels are not to be trust le that had seen its share of ed to deliver the expected product, troubles. It was an important sci¬ 4. What do you think is the DAW will be in trouble. ence fiction magazine in the Six¬ biggest misconception about success ties but almost folded a few years and achieving it? later before being picked up by TIC KING OF SATAN'S EYES Avon Books as an original anthology. Thank you very nuch. I know By Geoffrey Marsh that you are a very busy man. I Richard E. Geis changed the Doubleday, $11.95, 1984. look forward to your reply. title of his popular fanzine from This is a Lincoln Blackthome THE ALIEN CRITIC to SCIENCE FICTION Again, thank you. adventure. It begins intriguing- REVIEW under threat of a lawsuit Truly, ly as a tailor in a snail New by THE CRITIC whose publishers Orris tina Kiplinger Jersey town is revealed to be a claimed they had exclusive rights P.S. If you do not wish to highly-conpetent agent-of-fortune to the title and vdio had the re¬ participate in this, please disre¬ and his local friends undercover sources to back their claim in gard this letter.. helpers. court. This was the sixth title His task this time: find and change for Geis in his twenty-one- bring back a jeweled talisman year career as a faneditor. His of high occult power. titles evolved from PSYOOTIC to There are deadly rivals and SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW back tc PSY¬ Dear Mr. Knight: opponents_ CHOTIC then to SCIENCE FICTION RE¬ Ckie is reminded of Indiana VIEW then to RICHARD E. CEIS to I beg you Mr. Knight, to please Jones. THE ALIEN CRITIC to SCIENCE FICTION consider these two panphlets. I am And I didn't finish this com¬ REVIEW. afraid to write anything else, (al¬ though I have nuch chi my heart), petently-written adventure novel. Deaths in the science fiction I got one third through... Per¬ for fear I might inadvertently field included writer Miriam Allen haps it was just a bit too non- harden your attitude towards God's de Ford, editor Hans Stefan Santes- serious, a touch tongue-in-cheek. precious truths. son and editor/publisher Joseph I lost interest and went on to In Christ's Service, Ferman. other books. Jack A. Joinings 57 price for this letter-size, 90- page stapled volume. Write to the above address if interested. [Damn few, I bet!]

SCIFANT-the magazine of amateur sciencefiction/fantasy and art To be published by Paul Doerr, 225 E. Utah, Fairfield, CA 94533. Paul Doerr currently publish¬ es LIVING FREE--A Personal Journal of Self Liberation. $1.25. If you're interested in con¬ tributing to SCIFANT, write Paul for his two-page what's-it-all- about.

THE WORLD HAS COME TO AN END...OR The 'short novel'comes in two editions: one regular at $2.25 BATTLEFIELD EARTH 198b SCIENCE I HAVE DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN, FICTION CALENDAR postage paid, and one signed and HOW ELSE TO EXPLAIN THE COVER ON TWELVE SCENES BY SCIENCE FICTION numbered, limited 126-copy edition HOLIER THAN THOU #20? ARTISTS - INCLUDING THE BIRTHDATES with a heavy cream cover. [Easy on I MEAN, PEOPLE USED TO BE OF FAMOUS SCIENCE FICTION PERSON¬ the sugar!] THROWN IN JAIL FOR THE REST OF ALITIES $6.95 THEIR UNNATURAL LIVES FOR LESS AND: THE MAN WHO MADE MODELS and The artists who contributed THAN THIS. Other Stories to this glossy, heavy stock, full- I ALMOST WAS. By R.A. Laferty color calendar are: Charles Wild- IS THERE NO JUSTICE? Also a numbered and signed bank, John N. Stewart, Gerry Grace, ALAS, THERE ARE NO SUBSCRIP¬ edition at $6.00. Regular at Corey Wolf, Josh Kirby , Paul TIONS AVAILABLE TO HOLIER THAN $2.50. Stinson, and Joe Spencer. THOU, SINCE MARTY AND ROBBY CANTOR Odd note here: three of the Naturally, I looked to July PUBLISH HTT AS A PURE-BRED SIMON five stories in this collection 19...no Richard Geis in the blank PURE FANZINE AND DON'T WANT THE are retitled from previous titles. date! How bitter the wormwood BOOKKEEPING, SO DON'T THY. This will drive bibliographers taste of not being a famous science BUT YOU COULD ASK. CRAZY! fiction personality. THEIR ADDRESS? If you like Lafferty's weird, DON T ASK. off-the-wall, idiocyncratic fiction, NEVERTHELESS, ALL HAIL TO BRAD you'll like these, of course. FOSTER FOR ARTISTING THE COVER, THE FABULOUS FURRY FREAK BROTHERS The man does not think in our "first contact with an alien race- IN 'IDIOTS ABROAD', PART I alternate Earth! His mind lives AND THE CANTORS FOR PUBLISH¬ Freak Bros. #8, By 2842" in #579...or maybe even in #15773. ING IT. and Paul Mavrides. $2. How else to explain... COMMENT: BUT BRAD, HOW COME Rip Off Press, POB 14158, THEIR TENDRILS WEREN'T USED SEXUAL¬ By the way. Chris, I still San Francisco, CA 94114. LY? EVERYTHING ELSE WAS. don't like your small 4% x 7 book¬ In full color this time. More let format, and I never will! comedies of errors as the Freaks head for South America and get sep¬ arated and sidetracked, to say the least. The malicious satire is CONCORDANCE TO CORDWAINER SMITH as good as ever, and the dionysian By Anthony R. Lewis CHRIS DRUMM, PUBLISHING MIDGET, HAS philosophy: "Anything for dope!" New England SF Association, STRUCK AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. is as pervasive as ever. What else POB G, MIT Branch, What we have here is: is there to live for—waiting for TIGER! TIGER! by James Gunn Cambridge, MA 02139 Reagan to voluntarily cut the de¬ Chris Drumn, POB 445, Polk City, IA Lewis has attempted to bring fense budget? 50226. together all the people, places, Chris has resorted to hyper¬ things, concepts in the science bole in publishing this novelette fiction works of Cordwainer Smith, as 'a short novel'. What is it, together with 'exegetical' conments 20-25,000 words long? The length (some highly speculative). for a short novel is 40,000 words, [Never, ever read anything minimum. Don't be fooled. And written by a man who will use a Gunn wrote and sold this novelette word like 'exegetical'! He should in 1952. He writes an interesting roast in hell. Whatsa matter with introduction about his life and sf 'explanation 5 interpretation'?] times in that era and the story's By the way, I seem to have editorial and publishing history. lost/misplaced anything giving the

RICHARD E. GEIS NIVEN'S laws ALIEN THOUGHTS CONTINUED- THEY AFqYt £EAL ^ By Larry Niven Published for The Science SF and even fantasy—at least read¬ Fiction Society by the Owlswick Press, ing enough of the books to have an Box 8243, Philadelphia, PA 19101-8243. opinion of sorts, unfair as it may be when I cannot finish some of them No price information; Larry sent —has its rewards and creates re¬ me this copy as an autographed gift. newed zest to say something about Write to Owlswick, I guess, if inter¬ them (I've given up trying to be ested. fair-minded, beyond a certain This is a pleasant hardbound book point) ... containing 10 of Larry's Draco Tavem Speaking of making SFR a battle¬ stories, and 10 Laws and Essays---an ground---more of a battleground--- interesting mixed bag of Observations, I just received page proofs of WRIT¬ Speeches, Convention Notes, Wisdoms. ERS OF THE FUTURE, a presentation And there is an intriguing Intro¬ of L. RON HUBBARD, edited by Algis duction by Jerry Poumelle. Budrys, no less. New writing talent in this 350+ NOT MUCH SPACE LEFT, I SENSE, SO page book, and further contests are FANTASY REVIEW #74 $2.75 BRIEFLY MENTIONED-MAYBE TO BE RE¬ planned. There is a page devoted Edited by Robert A. Gollins VIEWED NEXT ISSUE-ARE: to Contest Rules. Published monthly by Florida Atlan¬ This first anthology will be tic University, 500 NW 20th St., Two Triskell Press limited edition published in February, 1985. Boca Raton, FL 33431. chapbooks: THE CALENDAR OF THE TREES Judges of the fiction accepted Interesting editorial in which by Charles De Lint and Donna Gordon for this volume were Robert Silver- Collins, enraged at Reagan's re- (poems with illustrations) $3.95; berg, , Jack Wil¬ election, froths at what he con¬ and THE WHITEHORN WOOD And Other liamson and Roger Zelazny. siders the electorate's selfishness, Magicks by (stories and So I'll be reviewing this book, since it signifies to him that the poems) with interior artwork by and judging the fiction, too, (and Reagan policies will continue. He Donna Gordon, $3.95. judging the judges, come to think) identifies those policies as: with no holds barred. Fang and 1. Screw the poor A HISTORY OF THE HUGO, NEBULA AND claw, red blood sluicing into the 2. Screw the blacks INTERNATIONAL FANTASY AWARDS gutters! 3. Screw the elderly By Donald Franson and Howard DeVore That's what SFR should be about. 4. Screw the next generation From Howard DeVore, 4705 Weddel St., As one correspondent noted recently, 5. Screw the feminists Dearborn. MI 48125. SFR has become too tame. Robert Collins is a Liberal, of $6.00 postpaid. course, who perhaps fears that the The history, rules, and complete SO WHERE WILL GO MY MDVIE/TV RE¬ money which subsidizes his FANTASY listings for the major awards in the VIEWS, MY SOCIAlVCULTURAL NOTES ON REVIEW will also suffer from govern¬ science fiction field, 1951-1984. SEX AND SADISM? MY COUNTER-CULTURE ment budget cuts to the education A reference book every serious THOUGHTS ON LIFE-STYLES AND MONEY establishment. Outrageous! sf fan should have. This is like MATTERS? Ah, we must all suffer, and even exhaustive and detailed! I can't wait two years! the welfare press must take a hit, I'll give up watching PM MAGA¬ soon. How terrible to have to "make ZINE (great sacrifice—I watch it it" on what FANTASY REVIEW earns in THE HOUSE OF CTHULHU and other tales mostly out of sloth, content to kill the marketplace, in conpetition with of the primal land By time till a movie comes on at eight non-subsidized magazines. How fright¬ Published and edited by W. Payl Gan- or nine...) and high myself to the ful the prospect of doing without ley, POB 149, Amherst Branch, typer for the thoughts brought on tax dollars. Buffalo, NY 14226 in the above areas...in fact, all Interesting also is the Harlan Eleven stories, including two areas not sf and fantasy writing Ellison interview by Debra L. McBride "Tarra Khash" novelets, illustrated oriented. who quotes Harlan as saying the reas¬ by Jim Pitts. I'm talking personal journal, on he hasn't conpleted his long- Two editions: the softcover, with folks. I'm talking RICHARD E. GEIS awaited, long contracted-for novel, handsome orange cover (with Pitt draw¬ again. ing) is perfect-bound and costs $7.50. BLOOD'S A ROVER, is: "I haven't But I'm not going to publish finished it because I enjoy writing The hardcover edition is $20. this pj on a regular schedule. Not it, and I figure I'll just keep it Add $1. for postage and handling with all this other work on the pot. to myself for a while. Someday I'll for either book. RICHARD E. GEIS will be irregular. finish it and let them publish it." These are horror/fantasy tales It will appear whenever 8 pages are The revelations continue in S. set on Earth at least 20 million filled, will be mailed in a #10 en- P. Somtow's column, "A Certain Slant years ago, in primal Theem'hdra, an elope, first class, and will cost of 'I'" in which he dazzles us with hitherto unknown, unguessed Age of $1.00 per issue. US$1.60 overseas. his ego and stuns us with his re¬ Man.... I'm going to bring down from the counting of U.S. Imnigration bureau¬ attic storage room my old Olympia cratic razzle-dazzle. Just as it is GIJERRILLA CAPITALISM By Adam Cash with the 18-characters-per-inch type, impossible to do anything substantive Loompanics Unlimited, POB 1197, and will use that to get about 1200 in the bureaucracy without a lawyer Port Townsend, WA 98368. words per page. Approximately 8000 (as it is impossible to get Social This new release from Loompanics words per issue with headings. REG Security disability without a lawy¬ contains 28 chapters on how to join will probably be mimeographed. er) it does not occur to him that the underground economy in whole or And you can subscribe to as many the bureaucrats and the lawyers have in part. Valuable tips, cautions, ahead as you like (though I'd advise "an agreement." and bewares. Many references for a ten dollar limit). Also lots of publication notes reading in this area. I enclose a return envelope and and reviews. Take away three full- $12.95 plus $2. shipping and subscription form with this issue of page ads and you are left with 32 handling. SFR. pages. Not too nuch for $2.75. May Ghod have mercy on my soul, 59 and yours. TIC SCIENCE fiction year: the Uhited States was seeing the speech clause in the Oregon Gons- 1384: beginning of a revolution which titutiai. Their spokesperson, Peg¬ If ever there was a date that might change the face of this coun¬ gy Ault, a woman who clips out the conjured up not only visions of try radically. It will affect not underwear ads in the newspaper be¬ science fiction but a goiuine oily what you hear on political fore her family looks at it, said sense of the future, then 1984 was caapaigns, but what books you read, the intent of the group is to ban it. Now, 1984 is over. It seemed what irovies you see, how you be¬ all pornographic naterials "from nuch like 1983 and 1982. No Big have (especially if you're a min¬ PLAYBOY on down." She also says Brother appeared. Reagan received ority — or a pregnant woman), and the group plans to ban theatrical more popular and electoral votes finally whether you live in a world no vie releases, 90$ of which she than any other presidential candi¬ of peace or die in a nuclear holo¬ finds objectionable, and says one date in history, but the Democrats caust. of her first targets would be IN¬ still controlled the House and mov¬ DIANA JONES AND THE TB*>LE OF DOCK ed closer to taking control of the By the aid of 1984 the forces which she termed "vile" and "Satan¬ Senate. So in the United States, of intolerance and hatred were ic." Folks, people like her trould at least on the surface, things raging in America. Neo-Nazis were be laughable if they weren't so are pretty such as they have been battling it out with the FBI in a dangerous. Her group has already since OPEC made gasoline expensive Portland motel and on an island forced through an ordinance in and ushered in the 55-MPH speed in Washington state's Puget Souid, Clackamas County, bordering Port¬ limit in 1973. (We've suffered while in Salem the leader of anoth¬ land, which bans all adult book¬ several recessions since then and er Nazi splinter group was recruit¬ stores and any printed material several Presidents, nothing earth- ing members openly, even going so "deemed obscene and offensive." shaking apparently.) For a large far as to put up posters in a rec¬ (All I can say is RBG had better portion of the rest of the war Id ord store that caters to punk rock¬ stop running nudes or the cover 1984 was spent under Big Brother, ers. Abortion and ^Planned Parent¬ of SFR.) vhether it was the out-and-out to¬ hood offices and clinics were be¬ talitarianism of the USSR, China ing boobed in increasing frequoicy Finally, as I predicted in a and their vassel states, the petty all across America. And the per¬ dictatorships of nany "Third petrators of fascian and terrorism column in SFR some tine ago, they have taken straight aim at the World" coin tries, the religious are not a bunch of disgruntled old field of Science Fiction and Fan¬ persecution of many countries in folks: The ages of the Nazis ar¬ tasy. (bee again in Oregon, that the Middle East and the Indian rested for armored car robberies great "state of enlightenment," sub-continent, or the smothering, and shootouts with the FBI were be¬ fantasy role-playing games and babysitter-socialism of Sweden tween the ages of 22 and 36; those Dtxigeons and Dragons in particular and many "enlightened" Western arrested for a series of abortion European cmmtries. But not in clinic bombings in the Pensacola, have been attacked as "teaching witchcraft" and "despoiling the good old America, the land of the Florida area were betweoi 18 and minds of young students." A group free and the hone of the brave ... 21. aaybe not. But, that again, may¬ of extremist "Christian" fundamen¬ be so. Let's take a closer look, The intolerance doesn't stop talists has beat going through rur¬ and for those of you getting im¬ there, it goes on into the troub¬ al public schools in Oregon and patient, yes. I'll show how this ling, dark and ever-present area elsewhere in western states and affects Science Fiction in a most of censorship. And this time the Bible Belt region of the U.S., perfidious and profound way. ban-everything-we-don't-like craz¬ slamning all fantasy role-playing (There, I accomplished one New ies are taking direct aim at the games. School officials have let Year's resolution Sneak "perfid¬ freedom of speech guarantee in the them hold assemblies, which stud¬ ious" at least once into each col- U.S. Constitution and the free ents are required to attend, where idi in SFR in 1985.) speech clauses in various state they delaim against the evils of constitutions. In Oregon a group DGD and teach the yoixigsters to In 1984 it became clearer than called Citizens in Action for De¬ burn copies of the game "at every ever that the cooitry was becoming cency has started a petition drive opportunity." They have condemned more coiservative than ever before. to put a measure before the voters the entire field of Fantasy by While