TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 1 INDEX to this issue Page 1 – Index. The Beatles; ‘Will you still need me when I’m 64?’ Pages 2 – Editorial

Pages 2 to 9 - Sydney City Skywatchers meetings of February and March 2015

Craig Anderson on Detecting Active Galaxies. Dr. Wayne Orchiston on Astronomy in NZ. A Celebration of 120 years of the BAA NSW Branch and the Sydney City Skywatchers.

Pages 9 to 22 – Sydney Science Fiction Discussion meetings, January to March.

Books discussed at Concord Library SF&F Book Group meetings; Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin The Bone Doll Twins by Kate Flewellan

Sydney Futurian Meetings, Jan. Feb. & Mar. Your Years Best and Worst SF&F of 2014 Lost Race, Cities and Hidden Civilization SF stories. SF&F Stories with strong Female Characters.

Pages 22 to 29 – Garry’s Book Reviews Page 22. ‘Brain Wave’ by Poul Anderson Page 23. ‘The Transit of Venus’, the life of Jeremiah Horrocks’, by Peter Aughton Page 24. ‘Wool’, by Hugh Howey Page 25. ‘Who Wrote the New Testament?’ by Burton L. Mack Page 26. ‘The Outcast’, An Anthology, Edited by Nicole R. Murphy Now available in Century Gothic! Page 27. ‘Africa’s Discovery of Europe, Produced by Garry Dalrymple as 1450-1850’, by David Northrup Page 28. ‘The Quantum Thief’, his contribution to mailing No. by Hannu Rajaniemi 285, of ANZAPA, the Aust. and NZ Page 29. ‘Schrodinger’s Cat III, The Amateur Press Association. Homing Pigeons’, by Robert Anton Wilson

Pages 29 to 32 – Political Life, Garry’s Postal Address: 1 Eulabah March 28 2015, NSW Election day report. Avenue, EARLWOOD NSW 2206 Pages 32 to 34 – Garry’s account his Niece Home phone number Janene’s 21 st. Birthday event

(Best after 7 pm) 02 9718-5827 Pages 34 to 36 – Vale Michael Duggan (by Email; [email protected] Doug Nicholson) Traveller’s Tales and Basenjis Tail Piece

1 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 2 of …?’ and received some ‘No’ responses and then extrapolated from this to conclude that there were not 500 members among the 550 names they had accepted. Not quite business like, currently subject to appeal. Garry

Welcome to TBS&E issue 64, a ‘Slow Glass’ perspective on some aspects of my life, from January to April 2015. I look forward to reading your mailing comments, over the next year or two. My life so far this year has been dominated by the March 28 NSW State election, where I stood as candidate number 12 for the Australian Democrats’ upper house ticket. This distraction resulted in a degree of distraction from my Notes from the February 2, 2015, usual routines, meetings missed, delays in Sydney Observatory, Sydney writing up from rough notes etc., but, catching up and assembling material for City Skywatchers meeting. TBS&E #64, as a January to April omnibus, I Guest Speaker, Craig Anderson was heading toward a 50 page issue, so of Sydney University. Topic; TBS&E #64 will cover Jan. to Mar. the rest shifts to a TBS&E #65. Observing Active Galaxies To lose one Ex-Prime Minister is unfortunate, Present were 25 ea Members and guests, to lose two … . The passing of Ex-PM 13 M & 12 F. Malcom Frazer was marked by a more measured re-assessment of his place in The technique of observing Radio emission Australian history, with. His government’s Polarisation from stellar sources is an old policies and the Whitlam government’s principal, but recently it has again policies now being seen to differ only on the become important as new instruments and dismissal? Or perhaps not. However, in techniques are aimed at Active Galaxies. the retrospective account of his career the Active Galaxies are a subset of all Galaxies sense of grass roots community outrage who are observed to be very much caused by the dismissal and its brighter in High Energy Non Thermal EMF consequence, with the formation of the emissions, i.e. A far greater output in Australian Democrats seemingly edited out Radio frequencies than in visible light. The of televised history. AND then the AEC Centaurus A Galaxy is an example, declared the Democrats to be dead, as a impressive in visible light but much larger in Federal registered political party. Passing Radio. These emissions may be seen to strange, as the AEC requires a Party to have be coming from the core of a Galaxy, 500 members, but in NSW alone, the usually a small star-like source and Australian Democrats have maintained frequently there are polar jets whose high State registration with 750 members, and it velocity particles light up larger volumes of also has enough members to be registered space than the visibly apparent parent in other States! Surely this is an Galaxy. Based on apparent geometry exaggeration of demise similar to that and energy output, active Galaxies can suffered by Mark Twain? What seems to be sorted into different categories. The have happened is that the AEC only most powerful Active Galaxies may be accepts 550 names and then contacts a continuously putting out the energy of 10 sample of these asking ‘Are you a member to the power of 12 of our own Sun, or the

2 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 3 equivalent of the mass of 10 million stars Plasma has passed through. Work on being converted to energy. In fact, Active this is conducted in the Northern Galaxies may be responsible for 20% of the Hemisphere through the Very Large Array total energy emissions of the Universe. The Radio Telescope, which has led to a map important thing to remember is that Active of the Northern Sky, revealing clumps, Galaxies are usually too far away to record which has led to a mapping of 3D any detail of structure or what is happening Galactic structure not previously possible. at their core, in visible light. Nuclear In the case of Active Galaxy Centaurus A, Fusion by itself cannot provide this much subtraction of the background Milky Way energy, leaving only gravity, as material (Galaxy) emissions revealed previously cascades down into a Black Hole resident swamped internal structure of lower at the centre of an Active Galaxy. energy sources. Very Long Base The What and the Why? – They pump Interferometer (VLBI) analysis resolved a massive amounts of energy into the Black Hole’s accretion disc coming and interstellar medium – they limit the growth of going across the sides of jets, so we are the size of Galaxies and their emissions now able to read out some structure as per stimulate Star formation. There is an M the theories / models, revealing that the Sigma relationship between the mass of very narrow Active Galaxies jets are Black Holes and a Galaxy’s Central Bulge, sheathed and constrained by gun barrel so it becomes apparent that through a like strong magnetic fields. negative feedback loop, Black Holes at the A step further – structure smaller than that centre of a Galaxy are self-limiting as they directly detectable by VLBI beam width is eject energy and mass out of Active detectable by observing the sum of two Galaxies. waves, so all sorts of motion and point The Universe is supposed to be 90% Dark source detection is possible with multiple Matter and Energy, 9% Plasma and only 1% component observations. ordinary matter / visible stars etc. The Next Generation Instruments Universe cools and condenses by emitting The West Australian section of the X-Rays, which may explain why less Big and Australian Square Kilometre Array Small Galaxies are seen as per existing Pioneer (ASKAP) Radio Telescope, Universe evolution models. working but still incomplete. Cosmic Polluters - Active Galaxies’ Possum – which will check the emissions act to seed the Interstellar polarization of 3 million radio sources and Medium with metals and Magnetic Fields at much broader wavebands than which make for a universe with variable previously. These Radio Telescope Arrays features. Active Galaxies are also useful as feature observing elements which are cosmic backlights, illuminating / energising randomly placed to avoid duplication of distant objects which are in our line of sight. distances between the elements making How Do They Work? – The active regions up the interferometry array. of an Active Galaxy are too small and The Future - The aim for the future is to distant to be resolved directly to see if their observe all of the estimated radio sources, operation conforms to theoretical models above and beyond the estimated 20 created to explain their emissions. million potential sources and to repeatedly However as Magnetic Fields and (ionized / monitor these sources with a view to charged) Plasma interact in predictable detecting changes over time to allow a ways some structure can be inferred, determination of how the source magnetic particularly when the degree of polarization and ionized structures evolve over time. of synchrotron radiation is recorded, as Instruments like ASKAP will lead to heaps of (Faraday effect, polarization angle) the data as it will be monitoring millions of degree of polarization is proportional to the objects. field strength of the magnetic fields that the

3 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 4 News and Association Business Dr. Orchiston’s visit to Australia had been th Our 120 anniversary will be celebrated in financially aided by a grant from the style. To avoid the Easter Monday public Donavan Trust. His talk started with some Holiday, the April meeting will move to April reminiscences of the BAA NSW Branch 13, and the same for the October AGM during his long association with it and meeting? Sydney. In his day, there was a back row Toner Stevenson discussed the Friday of ‘elders’ of the Association who provided lecture, The Unexpected Universe, at the some amusement / exasperation to Sydney University Law School. younger members. They would meet and Monty Leventhal gave his Solar activity have drinks before the BAA meeting, then report for December and January. fall asleep during the night’s talk, Nothing much happening at all, in spite of a occasionally snoring on until the end of the Solar Maximum being due about now. talk to awaken and then ask questions, Recent Solar Highlights include; questions that had been specifically Oct. 2 - Hedgerow prominences seen on answered during the talk they had slept the edge of the Sun. through! Oct. 15 – A Prominence seen to detach from the Sun’s surface. Tonight’s talk was about a period of time in Oct. 18 – A Large group of Sunspots seen, New Zealand when large telescopes and bad weather intervened, it was then next Observatories were set up by individuals. seen on Oct. 22 as a very big group. The talk was illustrated by images from a Oct. 24 - A type 4B X-Ray flare was seen recent book on New Zealand Astronomy Oct. 27 – A large group, type 6 X-Ray Flares by Wayne. This period coincided with the seen. early years of the BAA NSW, the Oct.31 – previous activity faded to … not predecessor of this current meeting. much. The evolution of large telescopes that Unable to observe during November. preceded this went through several stages Dec. 14 – A hedgerow prominence seen to subject to the limitations of lens making. blow off, bright Plage areas seen, precursors Aerial Telescopes, with an objective lens to Flares and Prominences. on a tower and an eyepiece on the Jan. 7 – Seven small groups seen, individual ground, permitted great magnification, but Sunspots few and small. Currently all were inaccurate. By 1770, due to the activity is taking place on the Sun’s Southern needs of maritime navigational astronomy, Hemisphere. portable refracting telescopes and Ross Mitchell – Offered the results of some sextants were the best that was available. simple Astrophotography, including an For fixed site observatories, Big Reflecting attempt to catch the recent close telescopes were possible, but their approaching Asteroid. ‘pointing’ was inaccurate, i.e. you could © Garry Dalrymple, March 4, 2015 see fainter things, but you could not accurately locate them on the sky. The limiting factor in these cases being the Notes from the Friday March 2, telescope’s mount. Wooden scaffolding 2015, Sydney Observatory that flexed as it moved or the weather Sydney City Skywatchers changed. meeting. Guest Speaker, Dr Mr Fletcher’s Telescope The first Iron mounted telescope was a 9 ½ Wayne Orchiston, from Thailand’s inch telescope by Fletcher, whose brother National Observatory at Chang ran a foundry specialising in railway Mai* on New Zealand Astronomy locomotives and the critical accuracy required for such work. The mount Present, 20 Members and guests, 13 M 7F. weighed 1500 kg and the wonder of it was

4 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 5 that the telescope once mounted was so was the most accurately known place in well balanced that it could be moved with the world, apart from Greenwich a finger. It was installed at Greysouthern, Observatory! Tarn Bank Observatory, a domed building, Captain Cook R.N. and F.R.A.S., wore with a transit instrument, to allow accurate two ‘hats’, Sailor / Navigator / Map maker time determination for his Astronomical and Astronomer, as he was a Fellow of the work, was built adjacent to his country Royal Astronomical Society (F.R.A.S.). house. At the time there were only about These observations were made from Tent a dozen larger Telescopes in the world, all Observatories, the tents being intended to British made and usually owned by protect the Clocks! They observed the professional observatories. This telescope positions and timings of the Sun, Moon and had been thought to have gone first to Mr Jovian satellites for comparison with Miller, then Mr Fletcher, but this assumption Greenwich based tables to determine is false, confusion being generated by their local position and time. physical proximity, similar first names and By the 1840s, as various NZ settlements and their collaborative work, as in 1849 one was roads were being laid out, Surveyors were made a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical needed in New Zealand to accurately Society (F.R.A.S.) and the other a Fellow of position these map features, and this was the Royal Society (F.R.S.). Also, they each done by Astronomical methods. had 4 inch Cooke Refractors for Double Star Wellington Observatory / Variable Star work, when estimation of In 1864 there was a Colonial Observatory Stellar parallax was a burning Astronomical on the harbour at Wellington, under issue. The opinion of the director of the Surveyor William Mein Smith. The Madras Observatory, Mr Jacobs, was that it activities of this Observatory, like at Sydney was of professional quality. A 1867 survey Observatory, included operating a Time of observatories recorded Tarn Bank and its Service for ships and a Time Ball. Smith, instrument as one of the best in the world. who acted as an activist for popularising In 1868 Fletcher becomes an MP, as the Astronomy, wrote many astronomy articles member for Cockermouth, but in 1879 he for local papers. This observatory was later commits suicide (at the age of 52) and the moved up the hill to Customs House. telescope was bought from the deceased Two decades of Great Astronomical estate by Mr Samuel Chatwood, a manufacturer of safes, who installed it at his Events Worsley Observatory, but no published In New Zealand, as in Australia, the 1870s Astronomy came of this move. In 1902 the to 1890s were wonder years for public telescope was sold to New Zealand. Astronomy, with newsworthy and very Astronomy in New Zealand public great naked eye Astronomical events occurring year after year. There NZ Astronomy commences with its were the two Transits of Venus (1874 and settlement by Maori people (what about 1882), Great Comets during 1874, 1880, the Moriori?) around 1200 AD. They used 1881, 182 (two) and 1887, as well as a 1885 their knowledge of the sky for Navigation Solar Eclipse – All hard to ignore events, (each known Island having a zenith star) including a Comet whose tail changed and for determining Hunting and Planting almost nightly, all of which galvanised seasons. Scientific Astronomy public interest Astronomy. commenced in NZ in 1769, with the The 1874 Transit of Venus produced varying Astronomers brought by Captain Cook on results, so the 1882 one was greatly aided his three voyages. The reliance on Queen by the availability of Photography and Charlotte Sound as a place of rendezvous Spectroscopy, allowed for much more and re-supply for their ships meant that accurate estimates of time and therefore during their six month of residence there Solar System dimensions and even were 26 astronomical determinations of its determinations of the composition of the location, so, for a long time afterwards it 5 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 6 Comets, Stars and Sun. The two 1882 become the Astronomer at the Cape of Comets included a naked eye one, one Good Hope and the Transvaal. that grazed the Sun, being brighter than The Wanganui / Ward Observatory (the Tebbutt’s Great Comet, resulting in its head terms are interchangeable) Fletcher being seen to split. Wells’ Comet in 1881, telescope was moved to Carter the 1885 Solar Eclipse which was visible Observatory, the New Zealand National across New Zealand’s major population Observatory, in 2001, where it is now a 9.75 centres and scientifically was significant for inch telescope and is now used for public the opportunity it offered for Spectroscopic outreach / public viewing use. The study of the Sun’s Corona (Iron Crown). Fletcher instrument was re-configured, Evangelical Public Astronomers after one of its three objective lenses Mr Proctor, (Decades later, his daughter deteriorated. A modern 20 inch telescope Mary was to be the voice of authority on is installed at Carter observatory. Ward Halley’s Comet in the New York Times wanted to promote observational newspaper) was a UK Astronomer who went Astronomy, so he built a series of large on a world tour of popular Astronomy talks. telescopes, for sale at cost, which are now Bickerton, was a first NZ University distributed all over New Zealand. Astronomer who was very busy in promoting Ronald McIntosh (1904-1977) worked on Astronomy to the public. There was so charting the Moon’s features, paying much amateur interest in Astronomy in NZ at particular attention to the changes of that time that a regional network of local appearance over time due to varying observers with decent sized telescopes was angles of illumination due to libration set up, including the arrival of the Fletcher effects, which slightly turn the Moon’s face telescope in Wanganui in 1902, a telescope to Earth, allowing us to see 59% of its similar in size to that of the big Sydney surface rather than just half. He also Observatory Refractor. observed Comets. A 1901 Comet was discovered by Joseph University Observatories – an T. Ward (1862-1927), a Violin Player, Book Observatory was established at Otago University, on New Zealand’s South Island. and furniture dealer. He organised a series of public lectures, which lead to a society Harry Williams (1911-2008) built 20.5 and and an observatory to cost 400 pounds 14.5 inch instruments. (equivalent to $250,000 today) in a Graham Loftus, (1924 to the present) the community of 6,000 people. The Frank Dobson of NZ, has built dozens of 16 Committee identified three suitable inch plus telescopes. telescopes for this observatory and they The Fletcher Telescope ordered a 20 inch Reflector, which failed to The Fletcher Telescope started life in the UK proceed, however the vendor offered the 9 as a visual telescope, on a Geman ½ inch Fletcher instrument for the same equatorial mount. It was owned by the price, about a third of what it was worth. So rather wealthy Mr Crossley, who mounted it was acquired and an observatory was it at his country home with a 36 inch built to house it. But, what to use it for? So reflector telescope and even employed a they approached John Tebbutt, of full time Astronomer to put them to work, Windsor N.S.W., who advised … Observe publishing scientific papers naming Double Stars, which was what Ward and Crossley as a co-contributor. In1996, Atkinson did for 20 years. In this they were Denis Taylor invented a photo-visual lens, aided by B.A.A. N.S.W. member R.T.A. which allowing for ideal use of an Innes (then a dealer in Wine and Spirits) objective for both visual and photographic work, consequently the lens of the Fletcher who had been converted from was re-made. This sort of lens is made up Mathematical Astronomy to Observational of three elements, sandwiched together. Astronomy. R.T.A. Innes was later to The telescope came to Wellington in 1924

6 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 7 and then to the Carter Observatory in 1941, Monty Leventhal’s Solar Report for where it was used by the City Council and February 2015 official staff. The after 60 years, the middle The Sun has been quieter than usual. The lens started to re-crystalize, restoration Northern Hemisphere of the Sun featuring proved to be impossible, so in 2001the front more activity than the South. The most lens of the telescope was again re- solar activity seen recently was at the end configured, resulting in a telescope with a of January, when six groups were seen. slightly larger effective aperture. This month there have been some Double and Variable Stars – The Prominences and Filaments, Filaments importance of the study of these objects being Prominences seen from ‘above’ over time was that recording changes in rather than at the Sun’s edge. Some of position and relative brightness allowed for these were a million kilometres long and the calculation of the relative orbits and persisted long enough for the Sun’s rotation masses of these objects, allowing the same to again present them to us. No flares insights to similarly coloured (from were seen this month, which defies the Spectrographic studies) of single stars or usual experience. stars that were too far away to make such studies. I.e. the study of Variable and *When questioned as to whether Double (and triple etc.) stars allowed Astronomy is possible in tropical Thailand, Astronomers to ‘bring into the lab’ a Wayne replied that apart from the substantial portion of the visible part of the Monsoonal wet season, the weather in Universe. Thailand is dry and readily permits cloud The observation of Double and variable free Astronomy. stars, by amateurs with modest instruments remains a valued contribution to Science by Garry’s Notes from the Sydney citizen Astronomers, who have the ability to Observatory Sydney City devote year after year of re-observing of objects, until something changes, something Skywatchers meeting of Friday that professional Astronomers with better March 13, 2015, to celebrate instruments do not have the time to do. the first 120 years of the BAA Additionally, current day amateurs can add to, and in effect become co-observers with NSW / Sydney City Skywatchers. great Astronomers of the past, i.e. Present were 50 or so Members and guests. observations of the Eta Carina variable Star and Nebula can add to the work done by It was a humid and cloudy night, with rain John Tebbutt et al. at one point but it cleared later, the rain News – Parts of the Sydney Astrograph serving to settle some dust from the air. were discovered when the Melbourne I.e. the characteristic Harbour Bridge Dust Astrograph (on display in the Sydney lanes were difficult to see. Bus to Bexley Observatory’s new ‘East’ Dome interpretive North and I exited the train Circular Quay, centre, built on the site of the old Sydney for the long walk up. Aided lost tourists, Astrograph dome), was being unpacked took photos. This time, having the time to after return from its Macquarie University explore and eschewing the quick route, exile. The telescope in the East Dome the steps near the Rocks Cut, and then up features an impressive piece of optical the subway which passes underneath the technology, an ‘elephant trunk’ like Harbour Bridge roadway, I went through eyepiece assembly, which allows a the Rocks Cut and approached the comfortable view through the telescope, Observatory from the North, up the irrespective of whether you are sitting in a roadway, a much longer but less arduous wheelchair or are standing 2 metres tall! route. Not really worth the extra time taken. On the way I encountered a park

7 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 8 bench, which was ‘decorated’ by five Rose Hiscock – spoke appreciatively on empty Austrian soda siphon bulb boxes the role of the BAA NSW / Sydney City (contents 10 each). This would be enough Skywatcher to the MAAS and the to make up 25 litres of whipped cream. Observatory BA, and the hopefully positive Evidence of unsuspected unrestrained (for the Observatory) implications of the extreme cakeage lifestyles in Sydney, or proposed re-location of the Powerhouse what other uses can you think of for Nitrous Museum to a site at Parramatta and the Oxide bulbs? But still, 50 of them in one staff’s hopes to do better at a new site session? than with the problematic (Pyrmont) Powerhouse site. I arrived at the Observatory / Marquee well Dr Malin’s talk addressed the meaning of before the advertised start time, and ‘Amateur’ as applied to Astronomy, present were; Michael Chapman, Elizabeth illustrating the meanings of the word by Cocking, Monty and Rosa Leventhal, Toner reference to his experiences, learning Latin Stevenson, the Band (doing sound checks) (Hide the Bullets under the carpet). He and the Wine steward, with whom I had a also offered advice to amateurs on a nice Family History conversation, to do with matter of great importance to him, that is; Maori War service and her German the care needed to photograph Stars, ancestors. Galaxies and Nebulae in correct colour,

As seen from the Marque, The ‘thing’ this rather than in the exaggerated tones that evening, in Observatory Park, apparently, some amateur astronomers are fond of was to photograph the North Sydney / Luna displaying. Park panorama, from next to the Boer War During the dinner, seeing a need, and with memorial gun monument. At one point a sense of occasion, I took the initiative of there were up to a dozen photographers, in sending three of the program leaflets a line stretching most of the way to the around the table to collect the signatures Band Rotunda (1915?). of all present. I believe I managed to collect them all. The evening officially started with Michael I also suggested a group photo to record Chapman and Toner Stevenson doing the event, outside the Marquee, to include introductions and explanations. the North Sydney / Luna Park panorama, The set-up of the dinner, at a single long but this was modified to being an in-the- table, was in homage to the 1896 dinner of marquee photo instead, standing between the conference that set out to photograph the orbits of Uranus and Neptune, as the the entire sky, a task that was to involve orbits of the planets of the Solar System are Sydney Observatory for a number of marked out on the pavement that was the Decades. Awarded a large slice of the floor of the Marquee. Southern Skies to photograph, this task was At one point, a Chronometer from the to be the major scientific work of the Powerhouse’s collection briefly emerged. Australian Observatories during the first half At first, seeing only the wooden box, I of the 20th century, and only concluded in thought it was just a display box for 1985, by Dr. Lomb. premium teas, but it proved to be an item from the Wunderlich Trust, the 1924 gift of The Guest Speaker was Dr David Malin. Ernest Wunderlich’s observatory (before he Guests of Honour included Rose Hiscock, retired to go fishing at Gunnamatta Bay) to Head of the Powerhouse Museum, Dr the BAA NSW via the Education Wayne Orchiston (visiting from Thailand), Dr Department (that’s o long story). This Nick Lomb (Melbourne Observatory) precious thing had to be returned, like Mood / Background Music by the Irregular Cinderella, before Midnight, to safe Orbits keeping at the Powerhouse Museum, the Michael Chapman was MC Observatory not being a secure enough location.

8 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 9 The Moon having set, Jupiter ruled the night I rode the 423 bus home, accompanied sky, at times being veiled by passing cloud by several boisterous and intoxicated bands but at other times being quite clear passengers, frequently and loudly and high in the sky. disclosing You Tube fodder details of their personal lives under the alcohol miasma Comment – the nature of the people fuelled presumption that no-one was attending this meeting was rather different listening or paying attention. to what I recall of the BAA NSW’s Centenary party twenty years ago. The ‘face’ of this year’s crowd was much more reflective of the complexity of contemporary Sydney society, as opposed to the mostly Anglo Male BAANSW of the previous occasion. Most Women present at this year were there as members, rather than as partners of members. I was however a bit disappointed at the absence of known to be still living Past Presidents and or representatives of NSW’s other Astronomy Associations, but I can understand how such objectives get lost in the planning.

After - I walked back down to Circular Quay, through the Subway and steps, arriving at the bus stop just after 11 pm, I was delayed by encountering a small but apparently well-fed dead rat on the footpath. Poisoned? Rattus Rattus (Black Rad) or Rattus Norwegicus (Roof Rat), I The Concord Public Library SF&F never can tell in the dark. Was the Discussion Group meeting of deceased a victim of a moderately successful baiting campaign which was Monday, February 2, 2015, 2 to succeeding in reducing the average age / 3.30 pm. size / lifespan of Circular Quay’s permanent Present were – 18 people, 9 M & 9 F. rat population? Having just missed the few minutes to the hour 423, I was set for a 20 Book discussed this meeting; ’Game minute wait at the bus stop. I was of Thrones’, by George R.R. Martin. entertained by the activities of the present Discussion of the book. day rats (Authentic First Fleet descendants?) The first book of the year, intended to be emerging from the plant beds / cigarette read over the Christmas / New Year sloth butt catchers, and their interaction with season was the ‘covers too far apart’ thick frequently oblivious pedestrians, too intent book and pop culture phenomenon on their hand held technology to notice the ‘Game of Thrones’. Inevitably much of rats at foot level. You may think this pre- the discussion about this book involved occupation with Circular Quay’s rats on this comparisons of the story in the book with occasion to be trivial, but in the life of the how the same material was treated in the early years of the BAA NSW, bigger than the TV series. Particularly emphasised by our Boer War, was the ‘Federation era’ Sydney readers of the book was that reading the Plague outbreak, caused by fleas on rats book rounded out the personality of the and centred on the Rocks area, just down characters seen in the TV series, as books the hill from the Observatory. have much more effective ‘air time’ for this than any TV series can permit. The book

9 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 10 also allows readers to know the thoughts of some things work, but not resorted to, to characters, which is a plus in trying to get out of each and every plot difficulty understanding the twists and turns of this that arises. There are also cuddly baby story. The characters and dialogue of dragons (fortunately no dolphins yet!). this, the first book in the series, are usually The Series - A general impression is that the spot on, but this quality tends to drift in later plotting pace over all the books of the episodes, this includes more good lines of series are uneven, due to publishing dialogue, when describing minor points / urgency leading to a lack of authorial issues in the story, not present in the pared reflection, and probably a growing issue as down TV series. The book’s structure is to the TV series has caught up with the books. follow the story of character after character, Also mentioned in discussion – Apparently rather than a formal Chapter structure, the actors in this series frequently receive resulting in a very diffuse story as you follow hate mail based on the behaviour of the what is going on at each different castle characters that they portray, praise of a battlefield. Volume 2 of this series continues sort for the actors and for their script in the same vein. The publishing writers? experience of this series has been that the Criticisms – A criticism of this book was that TV series has boosted the readership of the in spite of the ever present external threat books. When Game of Thrones was first to the kingdoms, is the complete lack of published it wasn’t that big a deal. The TV eve duplicitous cooperation or series brought many new book buyers / compromise in the face of the obvious readers seeking to read ahead of what they cost of continued conflict. This is in the had seen on TV, or to gain a deeper face of Real History, which frequently understanding of the complicated story. features jaw dropping instances of compromise and pragmatic collaboration. Good points - There is a Diversity lesson The story inhabited by the main characters thread of sorts running through the series of this series seem to require a through the deformed / dwarf character, psychopathic motivation. Family loyalty where the crippled and deformed are rules all, but such families? A downside assured of greater things, balanced / of the difference between the book and contrasted by a ‘Reverse Shape-ism the TV series was that the book featured Prejudice’ Tall Poppy syndrome. Lots of some Very long winded descriptions, which Characters are killed off, during the were scenes at a glance in the TV series. rampaging hedgehog of main character Some readers were disappointed that deaths, the only discernible rule seems to be there wasn’t much strategy / plotting that the likable characters are all DOOMED! revealed by the book. Some readers Readers might well ask if the Writer’s own experienced main character name physique (short and obese) has a bearing fatigue, some needing to refer to the on the shape of hero and villain characters. family tree to get the families and hangers Magic and Prophecy - Predictability / on straight, to comprehend the motivation Fantasy trope conformity? This book does of characters. feature the standard Fantasy trope of plot Conclusions – Game of Thrones is – like a developments heralded by ‘Prophecy and phenomena!. It is very hard to separate Portents’, but in this book, frequently the and evaluate feelings about the book from prophecies are a guide to the possible those about the TV series and the massive future rather than the inevitable, just enough and interactive pop culture experience to make it rational to pay attention to these, around it. Lots of people are also ‘into it’ but not enough to drive the story to through Comic books, which is significant inevitable situations, so points for that. Other as with these the author had much more readers commented on the minimalist use input into the final product than with the TV of Magic in the book (a book in the ‘Magic series, and so may be truer to the Authors Light’ genre?), i.e. just enough to make original vision for the story.

10 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 11 Is it Great Fantasy or Great Writing? I’m not meetings, when her book is discussed. in a position to say other than to observe Garry Dalrymple advised that he is going that it is very popular at the moment, like to try to start an Earlwood based SF&F Harry Potter, but with the attraction of book discussion group, hopefully offering frequent and gratuitous nudity for those both daylight and after work meetings (2 - eyes glazed over by the nastiness of the 4 pm. and 6 - 8 pm.), i.e. two meetings characters and their actions? ‘Uneven’ is each month. These meetings will discuss also a verdict. the participant’s recent reading, Sci-Fi Other books Discussed – George R. R. viewing and any SF&F news they have to Martin’s ‘Wild Card’ series. Was his earlier share. These meetings are partly to build big hit, the story being that a plague was support for a repeat of last year’s Earlwood released which killed most who were Freecon, due for the weekend of infected, deformed and impaired most September 12 and 13, 2015. survivors, but a rare few ‘Wild Card’ survivors Garry is also standing for the Australian ended up with unpredictable ‘Super’ Democrats at the March 28 NSW State powers. The series dealt with the new election, being number 13 on the Upper world order that had to live with this new House ticket (vote 1 for Garry and his mate minority and their powers. George R. R. Rendall Wagner!). Martin set up the Universe, and invited other writers to write their own stories using this Book discussed this meeting; ’The world, and many significant SF and Fantasy Bone Doll Twins’, by Kate Flewellen . writers did. After the discussion - The March 2 meeting Discussion of the book. will feature the Fantasy book, ‘The Bone Doll As soon as discussion of this book started Twins’ by Lynn Flewellin. The April 13 there were (entirely favourable) meeting, will discuss a Science Fiction book, comparisons of this book to J.R.R. Martin’s ‘Wool’ by Hugh Howley. ‘Game of Thrones’. First off, with a very © Garry P. Dalrymple March 3, 2015. much lower Main Character Mortality rate, the author had time to allow for greater The Concord Public Library SF&F character development, depth and even Discussion Group meeting of change of personality. This is a point that several readers commented on Monday, Mar. 2, 2015, 2 to 3 pm. independently and successively. Also, Present were – 16 people, 8 M and 8 F. while the characters in this book do have

to struggle with difficult circumstances / News before the meeting challenges, the atmosphere of the book is Lim Goodarzi – our host – will be addressing nowhere near as bleak as in Game of a convention of 200 or so Librarians at the Thrones. Characters in this book do have NSW State library in a few weeks. His talk small victories and they learn from their will be a feature of a day of discussions mistakes / change their outlook. about ‘Science and Science Fiction’ in What’s the book about? Well, there is this libraries. His talk will be about this group, its kingdom / World where Women have origin, development and successes. ruled for a long time, and ruled well. At The ‘Back to Medtrek’ convention took the time of the story, however, the place in the Blue Mountains, attracting 60 or kingdom is ruled by a King, and he would so participants. It was organised as a like it to stay that way. ‘thank you’ to the original Medtrek The King ordered the death of the Royal organisers. Good to see so many old time heir, if she proved to be a girl, so when Sydney fans together again. Lim met twins were born, the rightful heir’s Brother Australian Author Traci Harding at a Galaxy was killed instead and by Magic, the girl bookshop event and he reports that she is was given male appearance, including willing to participate by skype in these ‘Magical Male Parts’. The dead brother is

11 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 12 still around as a spirit who appears in the These awards cover SF stories which story (coz he drew breath before being involve characters and themes of non- killed he has a soul) and he’s not a very traditional gender roles etc. happy ghost at all. So, this Prince / Princess has a range of difficulties to look forward to Criticisms – This book is the first in a series of due to her magically ordered Trans-gender three, consequently a great deal of situation, particularly as she grows up / background laid out, resulting in a slow reached puberty etc. In addition to this, reveal of the plot. There is a lack of there are still some powerful and detail about politics and economics of the authoritative Women around, relics of the world of the book, the author leaves previous establishment, so in this story there spaces assuming that the reader is familiar is a much more equal gender mix between with English Medieval History and social men and women when it comes to doing forms? things. Conclusions – Some readers were Given the nature of the Prince / Princess dismayed by the book’s slow beginning, and her magic maintained physical form, but significantly no readers gave up for her, as a point of view character Magic reading part way through. Most readers is normalised and not out of the ordinary, on expressed a strong intention to read the the other hand, the King is dead set against second and third books in this series, which magic, killing off its practitioners as part of is a very high recommendation indeed! an effort to eliminate the old way of doing Comment on less than great Fantasy – things. (From a Robert Jordan fan), the Red Dwarf Some readers were confronted by the Betty and Wilma scenario, I.e. while you’d coldness of the major female characters, ‘do’ Wilma Flintstone, you’d still be thinking finding it challenge to credibility. The story about Betty Rubble. features detailed descriptions of animal Other books Discussed – sacrifice, the accuracy of which is aided by Robert Jordan’s ‘The Wheel of Time’ series. the author’s professional experiences in J. R. R. Martin’s ‘Game of Thrones’, was dealing with dead animal and human mentioned frequently. bodies, as a Taxidermist and Mortician. As Richard Morgan’s ‘The Steel Remains’ and a saga / characterisations this book was ‘The Cold Command’, both involve gay considered to be superior to Robert Jordan’s main characters in a Sci-Fi / Fantasy story. ‘The Wheel of Time’ series. Osiris by E. J. Swift, set in a post apocalypse Although on reader much preferred the / post human existence in a domed World of this book to that of Cold Magic, habitat. And ‘Cold Magic’ by Kate Elliott. where any plot difficulty is immediately After the discussion - resolved by convenient Ad Hoc magical The April meeting, to discuss a Science solutions. Fiction book, ‘Wool’ by Hugh Howley, will The treatment of the ‘Otherness’ of take place on the 13th, the second characters in this book was favourably Monday of the month. This is to avoid the mentioned, when dealing with characters Easter Monday public holiday. The May who are Good, Mad or Bad. They were book choice / discussion topic will be a more rounded than the usual Fairytale / collection of the SF stories of Rudyard Fantasy story character archetypes. Kipling. Also Mentioned in discussion – Some reader After the meeting discussion included the dissatisfaction with the writing about the relative merits of 3D printing Vs Laser cut transgender nature of the main character fabrication methods for building the world was much discussed. It was suggested of our future. It was stated during the that readers interested in exploring this meeting that there are no right or wrong ‘Other’ in Science Fiction should look up the book choices or comments during this (Aust.) Katherine Hemming and (US) meeting, a brave opinion from anyone Lambda awards for book and story titles.

12 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 13 who doesn’t write up the meeting’s notes? Fannish and SF&F News © Garry P. Dalrymple March 3, 2015. Brian has discovered a new SF friendly second hand bookshop, Last Books, it Notes from the Sydney Futurian inhabits a Twilight zone, between St. Peter’s SF&F Discussion meeting of Friday and Newtown, inner city hipness and post- industrial decay. He has been out of work January 16, 2015. Topic, Your recently, due to health issues, but he has Best and worst SF&F Books, seen a Sherlock Holmes Play that was Events, Movies and TV of 2014 performed at Newcastle, NSW, as an away mission for the Conan Doyle / Sherlock Holmes loving Sydney Passengers group. William Gibson’s ‘Peripheral’ involves Time Travel, an interesting but overly complex story. Science and Astronomy News Among the many new extra-solar planets that have been detected (Kepler Observatory) a dozen have been found Present were – Stephen Bingle, Garry within their star’s ‘Goldilocks Zone’, i.e. Dalrymple, Ann Rankins, Brian Walls and liquid water and therefore life being Dean Wheatley possible. A later comment on this subject, quoting the ‘Australian Financial Review’, Recent Reading; said that most planets found in the SB - is currently reading the book of ‘Goldilocks Zone’ are likely to be bathed in ’Battlestar Galactica’, by Glen Larsen, the sterilising Gamma Rays, adding to the original tie-in book for the first TV series. argument that life on Earth might be GD - Currently Reading a non-Fiction book, unique. ‘Who Wrote the New Testament?’ which Three Dee Molecular printers, for human explains what it was that the unknown New spare parts, were in the news, one lives in Testament writers thought to be really Melbourne, biological material fed in etc. important. Have just finished reading, Latest findings suggests that Jupiter’s ‘Black Man’ by Richard Morgan (UK), which current orbit isn’t where it started, and that is about a transgenic ‘peace keeper, planets in fixed orbits can be ejected out paroled from Mars to round up other of Solar Systems by gravitational interaction Transgenic improved humans. A high UN with the Hot Jupiters currently being found official is assassinated and he is hired to do by the Kepler Observatory. the investigation, as the plot seems to The Opportunity Mars Rover is getting involve Mars and Transgenic humans. Alzheimers, in that it’s memory storage AR - is currently Reading ‘Rescue Mode,’ by ability is fading, its companion, Spirit, is long Ben Bova and Les Johnson which about a since dead. Its autonomous travels over manned mission to Mars that runs into Mars, 40 km to date, has set a new extra- problems, i. e it collides with an Asteroid, so terrestrial distance record, surpassing the it becomes a crippled spacecraft rescue 39 km that the remotely controlled story (like ‘Apollo 13’?). Lunakhod (1973) achieved on the Moon. BW - is currently reading a number of Spy An Ammonia leak alert resulted in the and Techno thriller stories rather than partial evacuation of the International Science Fiction, one, ’The Lazarus Space Station, into the Russian section. Vendetta’, is an Audio Book. Google has withdrawn their privacy issue DW - is currently reading ’Danubia’, by plagued ‘Google Glasses’ from sale, or so Simon Winder, which focusses on the history they say (look out for Google contact of the Austrian / Spanish Hapsburg dynasty. lenses real soon?). It features humour and in-breeding.

13 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 14 Sony has been hacked, by North Korea The Caramel toned Diabetic Comet (how humiliating) over a regime critical chick?), just wanted it to END, boring and a movie release (about two US losers sent to rip-off of other stories elsewhere. assassinate Kim Jong Un), while the pseudo- Worst SF TV – Were the batteries put in the islamic ISIS has hacked US Military tweets. right way? The slow Swedish series ‘Real ISIS is to Islam like the Khmer Rouge was to Humans’, the Androids finding their Socialism? humanity / Freedom, the humans lose The ‘Jurassic Park 4’ movie (they found the theirs in a re-told slavery story. It was as DNA of this movie in Amber?) will again fail fast moving as an Atheist old lady bowler to represent Dinosaurs with feathers, driving her vintage Volvo to church on contradicting latest best scientific opinion. Sundays. It would have been greatly A documentary series on the Space Race improved by including more Bridges or was recently on TV, watched by several Dragon Tattoos. TV like this is as present. Other Late night viewing included compelling as the plot in porn movies! the (based on a true story?) NZ Carnivorous Sheep movie. SBS TV is offering a Sci-Fi BW - ‘Interstellar’ was the most hyped SF&F movie Schlock fest season, this is in addition Movie of the year. to the traditional TVS Barnard’s Star Saturday Best Movies - ‘All you need is Kill’ / ‘Edge of Tomorrow’. Night offering. Weirdest - ‘The Congress’, by Robyn Wright Discussion of the Topic, Our Bests where a washed up 40 year old Actress and Worst SF&F for 2014. gets CGI scanned and sells the rights to her SB - Best SF&F Board Games – ‘Dr Who’ and image. ‘Avatar’, is a based on Stalislaus ‘Assassins Creed’ Monopoly sets, with better Lem’s (Polish) book. Really enjoyed a film toys included with the ‘Assassins Creed’ about the making of Joderuski’s unmade Monopoly set. ‘Dune’ movie, which involved the making ‘Revolution’ was crap, a western with Alien- of 1,000 movie scene story boards! The TV Albino-Goths and Americans attempting to series ‘Extant’ disappointed. co-exist on Earth, after a half done Alien Best Book read, the ‘In Other Worlds’ by Terraforming / Colonisation attempt. Margaret Attwood (Can.) (A case of SF ‘Falling Sky’ – where the Earthlings get the Short stories from the SF Non-Short Story American Indian treatment. The set-up is writer?) medieval Alien Lords and Human serfs etc. Best Non SF and allegedly Non-Fiction - The oppressed Earthlings resist, the minions ‘Strange Angel’, which is about L. Ron of the aliens join in – Rather good, but really Hubbard and a Rocket Scientist, a Mr Fantasy rather than SF? Parsons, who attempt to start an Aliester

Crowley cult. GD - Best TV – the dramatized documentary Best Comic book / illustrated novel – about the making and early years of ‘Dr ‘Lazarus’ which is about a future dystopia. Who’, and the similar treatment of ‘Monty Python’? I preferred the Documentary to DW – Best Novel – The Martian’, by Andy the annual ‘Dr Who’ Xmas special. Also Weers, which started life as a Questions very fond of ‘Community’ which I watched and Answers website, on how to overcome when it could be caught / taped for difficulties during an attempt to colonise playback. Mars. Its ‘Chapters’ are a list of Best SF&F Event – The 2015 Sydney Freecon, foreseeable accidents dramatized, rather a success, just, after a very difficult gestation similar in conception to Ron Ward’s ‘A and delivery. Commissioning in Ammonia’ series. It AR – Best Book, ‘2312’ by K.S. Robinson, No features, amongst other things, a potato Worsts, coz she doesn’t finish reading powered Mars excursion vehicle. Matt unenjoyable books (reasonable point of Damon is likely to be the star of the movie view). version Worst TV – ‘Extent’, with Halley Berry (Wot? 14 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 15 Best TV series – ‘Community’ the story about the revisionist ‘Iron Sky’. the frequently Sci-Fi adventures and GD – Is currently reading ’The Quantum experiences of a group at a US community Thief’ by Hannu Rajaniemi, which is college (Like an Australian TAFE?). convoluted to say the least, a battle for Worst TV series? - Didn’t like the Peter virtual reality on a future Mars. Also Capaldi ‘Dr Who’ series. reading ‘The Outcast’ a CSFG collection of SF / Speculative Fiction, edited by Nicole R. January’s New ‘Science Fiction’ books at Murphy. Some are good SF, others a the Library of the Sydney Mechanics School valuable insight into current Australian of Arts, level 2, 280 Pitt Street Sydney ($15 for Speculative Fiction. full membership, $10 for a reader’s ticket) AR – Is currently reading a 700 page are; collection of Frank Herbert’s Short Stories ‘Bowl of Heaven’ by Gregory Benford – SF and also ‘Ultima’, by Stephen Baxter, a ‘Born of Silence’ by Sherrilyn Kenyon – sequel to ‘Proxima’. Fantasy / Paranormal Romance? BW – May or may not be reading any SF at ‘Alien Diplomacy’ by Gini Koch – SF? the moment, but has been very active ‘Half Share’ by Nathan Lowell – SF Fantasy? doing other things. ‘Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier – Fantasy? DW – Is currently reading the Non-SF ‘Angel Seeker by Sharon Shinn – SF Fantasy? Biographical ‘Danubia’ by Simon Winder, Urban Fantasy which focusses on the history of the ‘Reader and raelynx by Sharon Shinn – SF Austrian / Spanish Hapsburg dynasty. Fantasy? Urban Fantasy Fortune and Fatel by Sharon Shinn – SF Fannish News - There is a new series of Fantasy? Urban Fantasy Sci-Fi Collectibles events, separate from ‘Half a Crownl by Jo Walton – Fantasy? the Parramatta Town Hall ones. The new ‘The War of the Graill by Geoffrey Walton – one meets at Blouza Hall, Granville (near Fantasy? © Garry Dalrymple, April 23, 2015 where Brian lives). Brian bought a Bobba

Fett and a STNG hand held game. He Notes from the Sydney Futurian also disclosed that he was playing with his SF&F Discussion meeting of Friday (collectible action figure) dolls. Having February 20, 2015. Topic, SF&F visited Potsdam, where the original Robot Maria from the ‘Metropolis’ movie lives, he Stories involving Lost and Hidden also bought a copy of the 1963 Cities / Civilisations. ‘Metropolis’ book. Surprisingly, well known old Sydney SF fan, Mike McGann Present were – Stephen Bingle, Garry was absent from this event, but his work Dalrymple, Ann Rankins, Brian Walls and was represented by an offsider. Red Eye Dean Wheatley, with apologies from the Records has available a number of spoken Foxes, who are currently at large in word Dr Who DVDs in its Audio Book America. section. The movie ‘Extant’ is now out on DVD. Recent Reading; NSW Author James Bradley is out and SB – Isn’t currently reading any SF, but did about promoting his new book ‘Clade’, a manage to watch, on the net, the pilot for a futuristic (and dare we say Science TV series based on Philip K. Dick’s Alternate Fictional) story / series. History SF story ‘The Man in the High Castle’. Garry is entertaining plans to try to start up The setting is America, divided East/West some sort of Earlwood Futurians / SF&F between the victors of WW2, the Japanese discussion group to build on the 2014 and the Germans, at a time when Hitler is Sydney Freecon turn out. Possibly an dying, and a Nuclear war of racial Afternoon and an evening meeting, extermination seems the likely outcome of possibly at Campsie Library and or the the succession struggle. Not as cheerful as Earlwood Caring complex, or failing these,

15 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 16 the lounge room at 1 Eulabah Avenue. ‘Shang-ri-la’ and the other place in the Himalayas where the 1950s / 60s ‘The Movie and TV News - Brian has seen Champions’ picked up their powers for the movie ‘Jupiter Ascending’ a fairy tale Good and Justice. This idea was at the Space Opera, full of special effects where basis of Himmler’s 1938 Tibet expedition in the laws of physics as we know them are search of Aryan Supermen / Theosophical ‘bent’. It involves an Ex-Machina boy- Ancient Masters (they weren’t in when the meets-girl ‘Pygmalion’ type story with Nazis called) to aid their fantasies of Good technology. The trailers for it are selling the and Justice. Science Fiction side of it, but the movie Progress in Geological understanding needs drugs to make sense. through the theory of continental drift, lead The ‘Torchwood’ program (fatally wounded to the re-emergence of Lemuria, from the by its American experience?) is likely to Pacific ocean and the depths of time, from come back as a series of Radio Plays. a time before Atlantis, origins of man, CBS is planning a new (reviled / revival?) amazing technologies in advance of 20th series of (Superman prequel) ‘Smallville’, century understanding etc., lingering long starting with a pilot episode. The Japanese enough to be fused with UFO lore etc. Anime series ‘Ghost in the Machine’ is being Edgar Caycee, the sleeping psychic seer / re-made, featuring Scarlet Johanson. prophet was said to be in touch with the Lemurians. Science News - Clouds have been seen Sir Arthur Connan Doyle’s ‘Hollow Earth, on Mars, per ScienceDaily.com, there might Pellucidar’ series, with a hollow Earth, also be Martian Aurora, but Mars has only a internal Sun and access to this weak magnetic field (actually ‘visible’ in UV anachronistic world through the North and frequencies). Plumes of gas, reaching to South Polar regions, was an early 20th 250 km have been detected, previously only century revival of the mid19th century up to 100 km. A NASA probe to sniff for geological theory / fantasy of Symes Holes, such gasses is due for launch shortly. with access to the underworld via the All pervasive Dark Matter and Dark Energy vicinity of New Zealand (any coincidence has / will be mapped. It is known to be the there Sir Peter Jackson?). greater part of ‘everything’ in the Universe, An absolute first would have to be that of with ‘real’ visible matter and energy Plato’s story of Atlantis, an ancient surrounded by it. The lost and battery vanished civilisation that predated the expired Beagle Mars Rover has been found, Egyptians, who seemed ancient to what but re-starting it is unlikely. we know as the Ancient Greeks. This myth at some attenuated distance, gave Discussion of the Topic; rise to ‘Star Gate Atlantis’ and its sequels, Lost Races, Cities and hidden providing long term meaningful Civilisations SF Stories. employment for Amanda Tapping / Helen Well, it starts with Bulwer Lytton’s ‘The Magnus and her ‘Sanctuary’ series with Coming Race, Vril’ (the inspiration for Bovri!), appearances by paranormal creatures of about an underground race of perfected all sorts and underground cities / humans, which fed into some pre-Nazi civilisations as well. fantasies about Supermen and Ancient An early Lost Civilisation story, of the Racial Archetypes etc. Jules Verne’s modern era, in English could have been ’20,000 Leagues under the Sea,’ featured a ‘The New Atlantis’ by Francis Bacon, which trip through the undersea and volcano lit was a satire aimed at the already quaint ruins of Atlantis at the bottom of the Atlantic. ways of the Royal Society (1660 to the The kingdom (King Solomon’s Mines’?) ruled present). Or, you could John Wyndham, by ‘She’ of Rider Haggard’s imagination was when not ending the world, was writing mysterious, ancient and hidden. As was several hidden society stories, one involving Airmen stranded in the Sahara

16 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 17 desert stumbling across a well hidden Also defying what we understand of ancient subterranean kingdom. chronological continuity is the Babylon 4 The Lost Roman Legion in China. The story episode of the ‘Babylon 5’ story arc, where goes that Crassus (to whom the English the mysterious loss without trace of a whole language owes the term ‘crass’) marched huge space station, Babylon 4, is 40,000 Romans into battle on the borders of explained. It was flipped back in time to Mesopotamia. They lost. 10,000 of the give the Minbari a fighting chance of survivors surrendered and were offered a survival, some hundreds of years before the choice of a life of slavery or military service present day of Babylon 5. on the border at the other, Eastern, side of Star Trek’s DS9 has an episode where we their conqueror’s empire. They chose to are told that Archaeologists have found serve. Their conqueror’s empire was remains of an ancient advanced defeated and the 4,000 survivors were civilisation on Bajor. again transported East, to China. Hints of ‘Forbidden Planet’, is set on a city of the Roman style architecture and European ancient vanished of the Krell, the movie characteristics among populations are cited explains how and why they vanished, their as evidence of their settling in. In a similar version of online NAPLAN testing. vein, Rudyard Kipling’s long-ish short story, Prophetic Fictions, wisdom of the past, ‘The Man Who would be King’ (also a Sean predicting the future, warnings inscribed on Connery / Michael Caine Movie) features the walls of tombs. two adventurers who pass beyond the Philip K. Dick’s ‘We can remember it for frontiers of British India, into remote you, Wholesale’, features an Ancient Kaffiristan, where they plan to carve out a Martian atmosphere generating artefact kingdom of their own, using their knowledge and a massive conspiracy to keep it secret, of British military practices and a few mules so as to continue the monopoly on power worth of Enfield 303 rifles and ammunition. of the people running a Mars without a They encounter an ancient city where they breathable atmosphere. are saved by the persistent local memory of ‘Battle Star Galactica’, both series, involve Alexander and some Masonic traditions, a galactic search for refuge with the lost which for a time keeps them in the driving tribe, who made it to Earth. Earth is the seat. home and the quest of the lost in space In the 1970s, Eric Van Danicaan unleashed and cyborg Cyclan pursued Earl tide of ‘Ancient Astronaut‘ type books, with Dumeresque, the main character in E.C. ‘The Chariots of the Gods’, inferring that Tubb’s long running series. explained that the rise of all ancient human civilisations was the result of extra-terrestrial Australian Erle Cox’s ‘Out of the Silence’ intervention (a better story than ‘probing’ features a survivor of an Ancient Earth, with visits at least). her own malevolent agenda, re-emerging The ‘Book of Mormon’ (which is the literal into Edwardian (pre-WW1) Australia. word of the Ghod of the prophet Joseph ‘At Earth’s Core’, ‘Warlords of Atlantis’ and Smith) has news of the Hebrew’s and Jesus’ ‘The Land that Time Forgot’, are all about less well known adventures in the Americas, past civilisations that have managed to visiting now hidden / lost cities of the survive into the present, by being in Lammanites etc. It is not generally realised isolated / overlooked locations, until that it was to be Mormon informed modern day adventurers chance upon scholarship that sent explorers into the them. jungles of Central and South America, Who was it that built the great King Kong leading to the discovery of Manchu Pichu and Dinosaur proof walls on Kong island, and Chichen Itza, coz their improved Bibles certainly not the ‘natives’ depicted in the told them that there were cities out there, movie ‘King Kong’. somewhere. They are still out there looking The ‘Planet of the Apes’, from Pierre I guess. Boule’s original French language SF story,

17 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 18 ‘Monkey Planet’ shifts the story into our far Malcolm Fraser was announced. A future, with the fall of man, the rise of the former Australian Prime Minister, no known monkeys, who are not at all relaxed at the Science Fictional connections, but prospect of species equality / that the deserving of mention. On the topic of the humans built the great ruins that feature Death of Spock, I have to record my their world. surprise at the ease by which Newspaper Lost Island stories exist, where teenage or Reporters can find people prepared to be child castaways build their own societies. photographed in Star Trek Uniforms, Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’ has a backstory, Presidents of local clubs etc. when I have which takes the feuding families back in extraordinary difficulties in finding such Earth history to the days of fabled Troy? people in connection with Freecons. Cecil B. Demille’s faux ancient Egypt, with Have been enjoying the current run of the lost and forgotten monumental 70 year ‘Vikings’. Relieved to see that my Old old movie sets re-emerging from the sands English is better than my Old Norse, as of the studio backlot! captioned dialogue appears in this series (Oh to be able to recite and understand Sydney Mechanics School of Arts Beowulf anew). Immobilised and The new ‘Science Fiction’ books for February distracted by matters at home. Mother 2015 at the Library of the SMSA, level 2, 280 continues to deteriorate towards Pitt Street Sydney ($15 for full membership, institutional care. Distractions and $10 for a reader’s ticket) are; obligations on being twelfth man on the ‘Jason’ by Laurell K. Mamilton – Paranormal NSW Democrats Upper House ticket (and Romance? Stephen Bingle is at number 10). Plans ‘Born of Fury’ by Sherrilyn Kenyon – Fantasy proceed (slowly) for an Earlwood / / Paranormal Romance? Campsie SF&F meeting program. ‘Full Share’ by Nathan Lowell – SF Fantasy? DF – The Foxes are back! Their US trip was ‘The Hive Construct’ by Alexander Maskill – mostly on a bus, as part of a scheduled SF Fantasy? tour group which didn’t allowed ‘Heritage of Cyador’ by L.E. Modestitt – SF spontaneous interaction with US fans or US Fantasy? SF events. They are attending their first ‘The Blood Red City’ by Justin Richards – SF 2015 Sydney Futurian meeting after Fantasy? returning from the US trip and some ‘Firefall’ by Peter Watts – SF Fantasy? illnesses. ‘Dead but not forgotten: Stories from the JF – Discussing the legacy of Terry world of Sookie Stackhouse’ by Various Pratchett, John and Brian talked about the Writers – Paranormal Romance? Discworld plays mounted by a number of © Garry Dalrymple April 23, 2015 groups of amateur players, including at the

Foxes ‘local’ Blue Mountains theatre. Notes from the Sydney Futurian AR – Has attended the Hobbit movie, The SF&F Discussion meeting of Friday Battle of the Five Armies (quibbles - Not in March 20, 2014. the Book, Much more than Five Armies involved, how many roles for Women?). Topic; SF&F Stories with Strong Plans to see Jupiter Ascending, which is still Female Characters. popular and playing after some weeks. BW – Announced the details of the 2015 Present were – Garry Dalrymple, Diane Natcon, Perth’s Swancon 40. He Fox, John Fox, Ann Rankins, Brian Walls and expressed his regrets that lack of money Dean Wheatley – Stephen Bingle sent his prevents his attending and asked if anyone apologies, detained by other duties. present was intending to vote for the Ditmars (No.). Sir Terry Pratchett, SF and general News Alzheimers’ survivor Hero and Discworld GD – This morning the death of John Author has died in his sleep, the

18 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 19 newsworthy point in this being speculation GD – Just finished reading about whether his death was / wasn’t ‘Schrodinger’s Cat III, The Homing Pigeons’ assisted. Otherwise, his death was by Robert Anton Wilson, just started reading generously covered. N.B. the SMSA Library a Biography of ‘Jeremiah Horrocks, the has available to borrow practically a whole Father of Astronomy’ by Peter Aughton. Pratchett shelf, pretty much the full set of DF – Currently reading a book called ‘The Discworld books. Teleportation Accident’, which is not SF, its Spock is Dead! – The Death of Leonard actually about a theatrical stage special Nimoy was discussed briefly, being last effect and a conman’s adventures across week’s news. Spock is Gay! – Due to this Europe dealing in a ‘Monkey Glands’ type month’s Mardi Gras Rainbow Festival etc. rejuvenation process for older Women. the ‘news’ that American actor Zachary JF – Currently reading two non-fiction Quinto is ‘out’ as being a gay man was books, one on a Handy Recorder and the briefly re-cycled – but only once every other a Textbook of English for Writers. Seven years (a Pon Far reference). AR – Currently reading a non-SF&F book DW – provided most of the Movie and TV called ‘The Vanishing Witch’ by Karen News listed below. Maitland. This story is set during the reign of Science – Aurora Australis have recently King Richard the 2 nd, Cour De Leon etc. been seen as far North as Goulburn. A BW – Currently reading an unexpurgated Solar Maximum is due, but Sunspot activity edition of Robert Heinlein’s ‘Stranger in a (see Sydney City Skywatchers meeting Strange Land’ and also a Techno Thriller by notes) is very quiet at the moment, and only US SF writer Ben Bova ‘Able One. a single spot / group was visible on eclipse DW – Currently reading a Non-SF book coverage. A (very) Northern Hemisphere called ‘The Painter’ by Peter Heller, which Solar Eclipse will take place. The Apple is, disappointingly, a book without pictures, Watch has been released, its purpose and even though each chapter is about a particular painting. It is the story of a value is unknown. Jackson Pollock like painter. New SF&F Movies News – Some sort of between the canonical 1 to 10 movies Discussion of the night’s topic, Star Wars movies will be made / released in 2018, set ‘offstage’ of the adventures in the SF Stories with Strong Female existing Movies, rather than being sequels. Characters. There will be another Terminator Movie (the Comic Books – Lots of examples fourth, ‘Terminator Genesis’), which will emerged, from the Universe of Comic feature a recent Dr Who in a Cameo role books, where the Main Character is (Smith). There will be another Aliens frequently a well formed, tight uniformed movie, a canon breaching sequel that will Female character. I leave it to the simply ignore what happened in Aliens reader’s imagination why characters like movies 3 and 4. these clearly appeal to the customer New / Current SF&F TV - Dead Set is a demographic of Comic book buyers. It is TV program about a Zombie besieged hardly empowering is it? I decline to list ‘Reality TV’ program. Community series 4 them all, as the back catalogue of Female and 5 seen on TV and online. The Walking Cartoon Characters is almost inexhaustible, Dead, have staggered back onto TV. Red being not that much shorter than for Male Dwarf is screening on several ABC channels, Cartoon Characters? If you do have a at all hours, several series running at the need to know, apparently the website / same time? Frequently deals with Science book ‘Sex and Spandex’ lists ALL female Fictional themes, humourously. There is also cartoon characters. an ABC cartoon series about an Alien However, what can be said of most Strong- Entomologist, as children’s ish Comic Book Women, before moving on Our Recent Reading; (to SF and Anime Characters) is that they 19 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 20 can be categorised. Most will fall into one mentioned, but there would be many of three categories, Firstly the Female other examples, ahead of ‘The Dirty Pair’ equivalent of the Male Character, Bat Girl and ‘Sailor Moon’. to Batman, Super Girl to Superman, Judge Movies and TV - The original series of Anderson, a judicial equivalent of Judge ‘The Bionic Woman’, a cross gender sling Dredd and (stretching it a bit?) the patriotic off of ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ , which War time pair, Wonder Woman to Captain didn’t really cover much new ground, America. changes greatly in outlook on its second Secondly the Female Sidekick or Hero’s love incarnation, owing much to the darkness of interest. Lois Lane to Superman? The ‘Dark Angel’, another program with a significant point about these is that over made to be stronger, GM, transgenic time they have evolved, like Dr Who strong female character, where in an era Companions, as ‘dependents’ to be of Bionic ears (Tm Cochlear Ltd.) being protected and rescued, to their modern ‘normal’, a futuristic bodily augmentation incarnations as strong, resourceful and even requires nannite cell level intervention, as independent characters. in Seven of Nine from Star Trek Voyager. Thirdly, there are the, usually Bad, female In each of these series, different from the characters, and their badness / powers / earlier ones, the main character is resisting motivations have evolved over time and tell or critically co-existing with ‘The Man’ in us a bit about the mores and the gender the form of the agency responsible for their role assumptions of their times, and not augmentation. The motivations of Patricia much to do with SF I think. Savage, the Daughter of Doc Savage, who A ‘none of the above’ Comic Book wants to join in the fun of Doc Savage’s character is The Black Widow, a Master Spy, gang of seven impressive men (Fortress of who has no physical super powers, instead, Silence, Man Cave or Sausage fest?), her ‘power’ consists of feminine wiles bears examination. (apparently). Dynamite Comics has a list / - Over Time and under catalogue of Comics featuring female Star Trek characters. different directorships the role of Women in the Star Trek Universe has changed / If any ‘Problem’ with Comic Book Strong evolved from some fairly low set in the Female Main Characters (SFMCs) is driven 1960s levels to futuristic (without showing as by market expectation, then the ‘Problem’ much as a bare breast!). The initial Star of SFMCs in SF Stories has more to do with Trek pilot featured Pike / Kirk’s number two Supply. That is, most that SF writers write as a woman, a woman without emotions, what they know, and as most SF writers are but this was too futuristic for the future, so male, consequently much of the story Spock got the gig. The appearance of territory potential available to SFMCs will be Uhura on the command deck made inhabited only by briefly sketched incidental waves, imagine _a coloured girl_ as a characters. starship’s receptionist! However, this role Japanese Anime - Japanese Anime, grew, in the series and in the subsequent combines the creative forces of Comic movies, to the point where there was no books and the most contemporary / surprise at the captain of Voyager being a futuristic mores (as well as some insulation woman etc. from lingering ‘English Speaking World / Unmatched Women? - What we White Bread’ traditions) presents numerous are really after, in exploring this topic are strong characters who just happen to be some powerful or Strong Female Main female, who largely get on with the job of Characters (SFMCs) who are not matched saving the World / Fighting futuristic Crime, to a male equivalent / precursor, or who without the need to dwell upon their gender are independently powerful / strong issues. The Series ‘Ghost in the Machine’ include; and ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ were Movies and TV - The Bride, in ‘Kill Bill’, 20 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 21 Lazarus, a Kick Ass assassin Cartoon a female ‘Horatio’, rather than an character, Babylon 5’s DeLenn, on whom entirely original character, compare and the end of the Human / Minbarri war contrast with some of the female depends, Servalan of Blakes Seven, characters encountered in Lois McMaster Supreme Commander of the Known Bujold’s Barrayar / Miles Vorkosigan series, Universe no less, Helen Magnus, of Marriene de Pierres, Paris Du Plessis series, ‘Sanctuary’, empowered by a vial of vinyl and silicon chip clad crime and Ancient Vampire Blood, the only woman of mystery in the futuristic Gold Coast. a Scooby Gang of 19th century worthies Elizabeth Moon, able to deliver a Military SF (Jack the Ripper, Dr Watson, Adam and / Space Opera with authentic female Nickoli Tesla etc.). She Ra of the Children’s characters and Military attributes. cartoon series, Dianna Rigg / Emma Peel of ‘The Avengers’ , Felicity Smoke, ‘Arrow’s Apparently, it’s very hard for (some?) male Martial Arts skilled sidekick, Aeon Flux, from writers to get into writing Strong Female the re-incarnating movie incarnation, or Main Characters (SFMC) and there is no from the short animated episodes, particular incentive for Female SF Writers to Barbarella, the eurostyle Jane Fondaesque write SFMCs, unless the book buying nemesis of Duran Duran through the movie customers particularly demand it, or through the original French comic series, however, there are writers who by chance Cat Woman – no Cat Man around, but or compulsion write SF that mostly is about notice the evolved ‘empowering’ back SFMCs, hold onto your Y Chromosomes, we story of the recent version, Joan of Arc – real are about to enter the parallel universe of origins and history sufficiently embroidered Feminist and Lesbian SF! by fancy to be included, the Ripley If it Character in the Aliens movie franchise, But Feminist and Lesbian SF - we flunked Edgar Rice Burrough’s principal doesn’t invert the familiar, then it’s not female character, Deja Thoris, Princess of Science Fiction is it? Science Fiction is Barsoom, in the book version as being not written (and published) for all manner of powerful enough, but we Okayed her niche markets (I’m looking at you Mormon Hypatia of Alexandria like revival avatar in SF!), so its hardly surprising that Feminist and the movie. Lesbian SF delivers SFMCs, whether they write as a considered reply to mail Books - Alia and all the other dominated SF, or simply as a form of fiction telepathically linked Bene Gesserrit where male characters may be present, Sisterhood found in Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’ but they are not of much concern to the series. Main characters or the narrative. Not Two Robert Heinlein characters, the enough space here to review the entire Adolescent Podkayne of Mars and Friday. field, enough to say that there is some Babylon 5’s DeLenn , on whom the Human / Great SF out there with a message and Minbarri peace depends. SFMCs and there is some Message SF out Servalan of Blakes Seven, Dictator of the there that isn’t as rewarding to the general Known Universe no less. reader. We choose not to read John ‘Venus Prime’, by Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Rider Norman’s ‘message’ ‘Gor’ SF so …. Haggard’s ‘She’. A dangerous and villainous woman with a The paradox of H. G. Wells, came up, he past can be found in Erle Cox’s 1913 ‘Out Of did write strong / progressive female The Silence’, where a survivor of the pre-ice characters in his frequently polemical Antarctic civilisation, and her racial purist works, but not in his Science Fictional ones. attitudes are revived to imperil the modern An advocate for ‘Free Love’ in his time, but world of Edwardian Australia. D offering no prospect of sex in his Science avid Weber’s Honor Harrington series, Fiction? definitely a strong Woman, but … the story is a re-telling of Hornblower in space, but with The New ‘Science Fiction’ books at the 21 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 22 Library of the Sydney Mechanics School of The premise is Cosmologically Dodgy, Arts, level 2, 280 Pitt Street Sydney ($15 for but it is consistently worked through, as one full membership, $10 for a reader’s ticket) of the first signs of the change is that are; ‘High Crime Area’ by Joyce Carol Computers (1950s Room Sized ones) go on Oates & ‘Firefight’, by Brandon Sanderson. the blink, and scientific instruments give false readings, a result of minor changes, such as the value of the charge of an electron etc. So this results in a quickening of messages passing between neurones, causing genetically un-altered people to get smarter. Down on the farm, in the laboratory or on the circus trail, the animals get smarter as well, and they don’t much like being treated as they have in the past, as beasts of burden or protein banks. Among ‘normal’ people these changes are socially and economically disruptive, Index, A to Z by Author with society (as seen in the 1950s) breaks ‘Brain Wave’ by Poul Anderson (US Dec’d) down to the point of anarchy, as most ‘The Transit of Venus’, the brief brilliant life of people, working in mundane or dead end Jeremiah Horrocks, Father of British jobs have their minds opened to nearly Astronomy, by Peter Aughton (UK) infinite possibilities. Why work got ‘The ‘Wool’, by Hugh Howey (US), Man’ when you can study? Other ‘Who Wrote the New Testament?’ people, previously satisfied with their lot in by Burton L. Mack life encounter the existential maladies that ‘The Outcast’, An Anthology of Strangers previously affected the deep thinking and Exiles (a CSFG collection), Edited by philosophical classes, such as the Nicole R. Murphy (Aust) realization that it’s a really really big ‘Africa’s Discovery of Europe, 1450-1850’, by Universe and people are only a very very David Northrup (US) small part of it all. A new Anti-Science / ‘The Quantum Thief’, Anti the change Religion flourishes, until by Hannu Rajaniemi (Fin / UK) people think it through and abandon it. In ‘Schrodinger’s Cat 3, The Homing Pigeons’, other parts of the world, other social orders by Robert Anton Wilson (US Dec’d) break down completely, such as in Communist Empire countries, when the Brain Wave by Poul Anderson (US masses are finally intellectually Dec’d), © 1954, 166 pages, 12 mm. empowered and able to discern the Read Mar 29 to Apr 2, 2015. ‘contradictions’ of the Communist World If not the first, this would have to be one of order and its separation from the Marxist Poul Anderson’s earliest novels. Economic theory. Ironically, during the Imagine a world where everyone got collapse of US State / Federal power, smarter, Flowers for Algernon on steroids, as something very much like a consensual not only people get smarter. And how is form of Socialist production / distribution this done? Well, it seems that the Earth has emerges out of informed altruism amongst fallen out of a ray field emanating from the some of the newly enlightened, but core of the Galaxy, which re-writes some of unsurprisingly not much is made of this, this the fine print of the rules of physics, i.e. the being a 1950s set in New York SF story. ‘fixed values’ of some constants have been Down on the Farm, as it were, the changed by this ray. This ray, once Earth is intellectually subnormal are left behind removed from it’s presence results in and some animals cooperate. The everything with a brain getting smarter. Future is a divided human race, with

22 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 23 communes and reservations for those left of the next pair of Venus Transits behind and the Universe for the 300 plus IQ followed on from Horrock’s work. What is ‘normal people.’ And so it goes. There’s a more important than this is that his papers subplot about space trips to other inhabited document a systematic approach to Planets, none space going, a hint of a ‘300 observing, organised collaborative plus IQ man’s burden’ (Kipling should be research and attempts to have his results credited here!) and even a group of published, this in the decades before the atavists, disconcerted at all these changes Royal Society and Established Science. who use their new ‘smarts’ to plan a satellite For example, his interest and work started based world smothering ‘Dumb it back when the only people involved with Down’ ray. They are thwarted. Science and Astronomy at Universities Comment and Conclusions – A rather a were clergymen, whose practical interest good read, 60 years after the event. In this rarely reached beyond a sufficient book it is possible to see a response to the knowledge of the natural world to results of post WW2 GI Bill type increase in calculate a correct date for Easter, taking access to education and its consequences into account observable Lunar and Solar for America, that the lot of people in life is phenomena. not fixed, and concerns about what shape This book presents an interesting and of society would result if the poor, the Black thought provoking view of what was and the immigrant classes of America had essentially a medieval view of Astronomy, the same opportunities as well off prior to the great leap of Newtonian Americans. Physics and Edmund Halley’s prediction of the return of the comet now bearing his The Transit of Venus, The brief brilliant life name, which established in the educated of Jeremiah Horrocks, Father of British mind the evidence that the Universe was Astronomy, by Peter Aughton (UK), ruled by Science and Mathematics, rather © 2004, 242 pages, 18 mm, read Mar 21 to than by Supernatural or Mythological 26, 2015. circumstances. Comment and Conclusions – A rather a This book promises to be a biography of good effort to describe the pre-history of Jeremiah Horrocks, who is said to be a organised Scientific Astronomy in Britain Father of British Astronomy. It details what and by extension the world. As a is known of his life, which is rather patchy, Biography it is very thin on detail, he i.e. we know that he died but do not know doesn’t really come alive in this account, the exact date or the cause other than the given the paucity of detail available to presumption that it was illness rather than interpret about his life, however it really accident. What is known is mostly derived does a good job of explaining ‘Astronomy’ from that part of his papers which survived as it was then known, when telescopes his death. He had the misfortune to die were only decades old and our very young, and it was only twenty years knowledge of the Universe consequently after his death, and all the disruption of the myopic. English Civil War / Stuart restoration, with the creation of the Royal Society, that anyone Wool, by Hugh Howey (US), © 2013, realized the scientific value of his work, from 563 pages, 38 mm. Read Mar 4 to 8, 2015. a chance re-publication overseas! What we do know, and which is rather important Well, What’s this book about then? Rural to this Australian reader, is that he was the Dynasty porn, New Zealand biographical? first to attempt a systematic observation of No, the ‘wool’ occurs only in a brief inner the Transit of Venus (incomplete) as viewed monologue of a soon discarded major from England in 1639, having previously character, who muses that we are all just observed a transit of Mercury. Captain strands of wool in the hand knitted jumper Cook’s journey to the Pacific to observe one of material existence, liable to be

23 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 24 unpicked and re-used, and this is American triumphant return of the hero to her cotton wool rather than anything off a lover and so on. sheep’s back. For the benefit of readers with short attention spans then, this book is What’s wrong with this book – any number about the adventures of a group of people of jaw dropping technical improbabilities, living in an underground post-apocalyptic i.e. external cameras that have worked for survival ‘silo’ community, and a quest to ‘hundreds of years’ without maintenance. understand the nature of the reality / society The undefined dimensions of the silos, 150 that they inhabit. If you like this sort of levels deep, How many kilometres deep is thing, please feel free to skip to the end of that?, allowing 3 m or 10 m per level? this review for some better reading ‘Innovations’ of Geology, where the suggestions than this book, which seems to deeper you go, the rock and groundwater borrow much from better predecessors. get COLDER, Deep Sea diving in a suit that In an early chapter of this book several inflates / becomes buoyant AFTER the air is good Science Fictional possibilities are cut off, Survival suits that don’t seem to discarded, that silo life is just an online need air tanks, yet sustain breathing for dream, that the screened image of the half an hour, Hundreds of feet of electric outside world is a ‘hacked’ misrepresent- cable carrying voltage down to a ation of the real outer world etc. submerged pump, a 24 volt pump, This is resolved as we discover that the capable of emptying a couple of hundred condemned are sent out in designed-to-fail feet of water, the implausibly self-sustained survival suits, with hacked helmet visors that nature of the silos, sealed at the top, no give a Disney version of the awful truth, that gasses / liquids in or out from the the outside is indeed a horrible place. A surrounding environment. respectable enough SF short story? And so it goes. The book is about the adventures of the Comment and Conclusions – Science people of one generation, living in an Fiction is – the story of the plausible enclosed society in a silo, entirely shielded consequences for people of a technical or from the outside world which is believed to social innovation. It’s the consequences be still Radioactive or otherwise poisoned. that matter, not a ‘Who dunnit’ as to what The only contact these Citizens of this silo the innovation might have been. community have with the outside is a big Consequently, as a Science Fiction story I screen a view of the devastated outside can only give this a C plus, as a general world, which raises the question ‘is it real’? novel / techno-thriller I would rate it a bit How the world was devastated we are not higher, a B minus, only because of its told, we just have to accept this, while a borrowed SF raven feathers. Ultimately succession of main characters try to deal this book is a ‘fail / pass conceded for me, with the politics and the subterfuges an Attwood* rather than a good illustration necessary to sustain this society. Going of what Science Fiction can deliver, for outside is used as a form of capital instance, at the end of this book, as an punishment and an escape valve for afterword, we are finally told what should malcontents or those who question the have been announced at the beginning. system. A train of thought emerging *As in Margaret Attwood’s ‘The Hand through the lives of the main characters is to Maiden’s Tale’, where the explanation of doubt the status quo, and eventually one the Society of the book is explained in the individual manages to get out, in a form of a faux Scientific paper. survivable survival suit and make it to Much Better Reading – The Amtrak Wars another, apparently abandoned silo. The (series) by Patrick Tilley, an underground news of her survival, during a civil war in the post-apocalyptic survivalist society, whose silo, results in an unexpected coup as some real nature is hidden from its inhabitants, people realise that the reality at the centre of their sense of ‘order’ is an illusion, and the

24 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 25 with a threatening radioactive upper world. Biblical believers or non-believers this Brian Aldiss’, ‘Non Stop’, a quest to find the book is still very worth reading, as it delivers truth about life on a ‘world’, on a space ship an analysis of what it was that X (or usually of many levels and societies. ‘Andra’ by the posthumous followers in the tradition of Mitchell, the story of the struggles of an X) considered to be REALLY important individual within an underground society about then contemporary Church that survives on a post-apocalyptic (frozen) practices and the correct personal Earth, trying for an escape to a new planet. relationship to the deity. Harlan Elison’s ‘A Boy and his Dog’, a short story of post-apocalyptic survival above Comment and Conclusions – It has been a ground, while a better life continues rather long time since I believed underground, or perhaps not. ‘Mutant’ by uncritically that The Bible was something not known, a short story about an personally dictated by Ghod as an un- underground post-apocalyptic survival prescient post Garden of Eden, ‘all you society, where status is reflected by need to know’ universal and perpetual closeness to the surface and a view of the guide to human conduct. outside, a high radioactivity tolerant mutant I became well acquainted with canonical seduces the lonely wife of an underground contradictions such as the two gospel executive with false stories of an above explanations of ‘What did Jesus ride into ground Eden. All the late 1950s stories of Jerusalem on for Easter?’ A. in triumph on going underground for survival / continuing the Liberator’s Colt, or B. on the humble the Nuke war, and the consequences and penitent pilgrim’s Donkey?, and that generations later. Any number of stories reasoned interpretation was needed, where Society or Reality is greatly different indications that we are dealing with a text from ‘normal’ perceptions, Orwell’s produced by Human interpreters, and that ‘Nineteen Eighty Four’, Ira Levin’s ‘This these interpretations driven by writers with Perfect Day’. Stories where ‘reality’ is just a different points of view as to the ‘truth’ or computer manipulated dream, ‘Tron’ to the Party Line. ‘The Matrix’? In essence, this book gives an unparalleled view of the evolution and progressive © Garry Dalrymple April 13, 2015 stages of the development of what we ‘Who Wrote the New Testament?’, by currently see as the Christian faith, post- Jesus, with ‘fossilised’ in the text of the Burton L. Mack (US), © 1995, 326 pages, various books of the New Testament details 22 mm. Read Jan. 16 to Feb 6, 2015. you can detect what was of concern to A fairer title for this book would be ‘We really the numerous very different Christian DO NOT know who wrote the New Churches as they progressed from AD Testament’ but I doubt that such a title Palestine to dominant Roman State would sell very well, to the Bible interested Religion status. You might think this ‘dead and would only serve to confirm the and buried’ old time religious trivia, but prejudices of the Bible dis-interested. This these same ideas and concerns keep book starts with the honest clarification that occurring to new generations and new we simply do not know who’s pen wrote the congregations, as soon as the previous words, and an introduction as to the circular orthodoxy grows stale. This book deserves argument of attribution, I.e. we attribute a longer treatment in TBS&E, there is so these writings to X because they are much detail about the early church and its consistent with the other writings attributed controversies to be found, that a Chapter to X at time Z, because they are ‘on by Chapter review could be justified, but message’ with what we usually attribute to X this will have to do for now. or his/her point of view, than through any © Garry Dalrymple April 13, 2015 external proof that X was in fact writing in or near Z. Sounds a bit ridiculous, but for

25 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 26 ‘The Outcast’, An Anthology of ‘Twisted Beliefs’, by Cory Daniells, the Strangers and Exiles (a CSFG collection), twisted and deadly politics of becoming the next High Priest, illustration a man and Edited by Nicole R. Murphy (Aust.), a woman in conflict, on a giant Turtle. Cover Art by Les Petersen (Aust., ‘Blue Stars for All Saviours day’, by Cat © 2006, 213 pages, 12 mm, Sparks, the difficulties of living inside, when Read February 14 to 20, 2015. outside is an apocalyptic ruin, illustration a group of figures, but one wants out! This collection, stories based on the theme ‘$ave G@1axy F@$t’, by Steven Cavanagh of the ‘outcast’, selected from an open – An improbable hero arrives just in the nick submission process, explores the topic from of time, to save a world from invasion via numerous angles and through different SPAM, a poacher turned game keeper. genres within Speculative Fiction, with a A caper story. Illustration, A disreputable brief introduction to the writer at the figure seized at gun point by peace conclusion of each story. Brian Smith’s officers. Black and White line drawing illustration ‘Holding out for a Hero’, by Tansy Rayner accompanies each story; Roberts, A mysterious stranger arrives at a ‘The Future Gun’, by Shane M Brown, an cliché Fantasy Western town, illustration, a unusual man finds communication with foreground figure cooly drinking with aliens easier than other people, illustration riotous Fantasy action in the background. model Baby and rocket kit. ‘Watcher’, by Ross Hamilton, Those born ‘Things of Beauty’, by Susan Wardle (NSW) different are hunted and sacrificed as Adventures of a gang of misfits, illustration, babies, in search of divine favour, it must two figures going over a wall. be stop, illustration, an unhappy ape man ‘Sacrifice for the Nation’, by Monica Carroll, squatting on a stout tree branch. An abandoned child, GM inspired wool ‘An offer too good to be true’, by Andrew gathering? Illustration, a figure carrying a Sullivan, Not everyone is within earshot of a baled burden. Rapture-like offer when it is made, ‘Women Train’, by Kaaron Warren, A train on illustration a chopper riding figure with an a perpetual circle of exile, in search of or a enormous spherical Afro. destination for woman power, illustration, a ‘The Mudfish Goddess’, by A. M. Muffaz, skull-like express train. Period pain and breeding time for the ‘Bakemono’, by Maxine McArthur, The toads? Illustration, Toad on a Toad search for a monster, or to save face for a goddess? community, illustration, two peasants ‘The Rubbish Witch’, by Lily Chrywenstrom, tracking footprints. a junk based, found reality amid ‘The Fallen’, by Mik Bennett, The last day conformity and consumerism, illustration, a and death struggle of a succubus, whose found items Corvid. genitalia is indeed a doorway to hell, ‘The little Wooden Flute’, by Robert Hoge tracked down at last, illustration, Bloke with The magic of a simple wooden flute in a a sword of fire and a female Zombie / life where music is banned, illustration, Demon. Asian figure with flute in deep winter gear ‘The Returned Soldier’, by Siobhan Bailey, ‘On the Way to Habassan’, by Richard Virtual Soldiers, casualties of a past was, live Harland, a cruelly treated child, on as fading ghosts? Illustration, street scene stigmatised by its community, whose of Police encountering a dero. deformities can only be cured by another ‘Awakening the Spirit’, by Kylie Seluka, A taking on their burden, for a, illustration, a post-apocalyptic girl who’s life skill / ability is crippled claw like hand. to attract / detect snakes, finds it difficult to ‘Lead us out of the Wilderness’, by David L. make friends, illustration, a face looking up Kok , a figure in exile is offered ‘revenge’ at a sock snake under a clouded Full Moon. and a return to power by a dissident

26 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 27 faction, illustration, an Un-wanted poster trade, was a compelling factor in portrait. building relationships that were seen by ‘Mine’, by Martin Livings, a struggle with an some rulers of now forgotten African States inner demon, illustration, naked bleeding / Empires that were seen to be more equal figure, holding a shard of glass. than just the slave trade, which in any Conclusion and Comments – This collection, case, was an extension of pre-existing one of a series of themed collections, commerce, with Islamic North Africa, apparently thrown together by the rather than a purely European demand connections of the Canberra Speculative driven initiative. The presence of Fiction Guild is of value as a view of the Missionaries, as a source of instruction in Zeitgeist in contemporary Australian European Technology and languages Speculative Fiction as much as for the were frequently sought after and individual worth of the stories it contains. encouraged, with pragmatic religious Some are ‘Science Fiction as we knew it’, a conversions. Frequently warring African progression of the consequences from a tribes / states generated captives, the social or technological innovation or availability of European firearms and inversion of the familiar, but some like the mercenaries enhanced these conflicts, new narrative form, seem to start part way thus a cycle of social instability, initiated by into the story, in an scarcely explained Africans and fuelled by trade with the ‘world’ and end before any particular Europeans afflicted the African economy. conclusion or denoument is reached. The more formal colonial establishment of Some are by names well known to me by European possession of African Territory, their other (Book) published works, some are after the official end of the Trans-Atlantic entirely new to me, but may be rising slave trade is also discussed at length, the talents. establishment of Sierra Leone and Liberia, for repatriated UK and US freed slaves, ‘Africa’s Discovery of Europe, includes some positive aspects, as freed 1450 -1850’, by David Northrup (US), slaves by choice adopted many European © 2002, 200 pages, 11 mm, practices, although in part this was a Read February 2 to 13, 2015. consequence of the disconnection of slaves from their original communities and The popular image of Africa’s experience of no longer being able to assimilate with European contact has been huddled their previous homelands or tribal groups. natives in fear of the brutality of white I.e. a shipload of freed slaves, settled Slavers, and then the appearance of together, previously members of different Missionaries and then the 9th century tribes / language groups, would only have colonial carve up of the continent until the English as a common tongue and trade post-colonial period. skills more suited to European trades than This book produces an account of the early African subsistence Agriculture. At times European and African interaction and the the African and European interaction was picture is much more complicated. For mutually profitable, an entre to the markets example, there is a now forgotten history of of Europe and the Americas and took on African diplomacy to Europe, with the aspects of Technological Transfer! intention of encouraging trade and at times Comment and Conclusion – Some of this to enlist European aid, including formal information I was already aware of through military alliances, in settling their own some knowledge of the A plan, an African internal conflicts. It is very worth noting ‘Sister Colony’ to the B plan of settling that Africa sent ‘Explorers’ to Europe, who Botany in 1788. I’m referring to Sierra were just as courageous, or driven by self- Leone, whose purchase had been interest, as those more well-known planned as an African ‘Thief Colony’, Europeans passing the other way. Trade whose location (and neighbours) was with Europeans, above and just the slave intended to ‘scare straight’ the criminals of

27 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 28 the United Kingdom. The reasons why this Mars, where the deal is, a ‘life’ as an proved impractical are outlines as part of active in a human body, and then a one chapter of this book. Very much worth period of servitude in a Mars Terraforming reading by anyone interested in Africa, and machine or civic infrastructure, as a ‘quiet’ its current problems, and in these days, the downloaded as a semi sentient consequences of Africa’s problems are only intelligence, then re-birth into a human a few hours flight away from any world body and so on. Within this society the capital? © Garry Dalrymple, April 27, 2015. currency is ‘time’, that is your time as an active is a tradable and possibly a ‘The Quantum Thief’, by Hannu stealable commodity. So an attempt is Rajaniemi (Fin / UK), © 2010, 330 pages, made to verify whether there is tampering 22 mm, read Feb 22 to 27, 2015. with reality, via a theft and return of ‘time’. I turns out that someone / thing is indeed I received this book from Brian Walls, who editing the reality experienced by the passed it on muttering ‘If you can finish it, characters of this story and furthermore it please tell me what it’s about?’, as he had emerges that the entire Martian set up is / found its imbedded shells or reality to was / still is a prison, a Botany bay type confusing to enjoy reading. So, what IS it deal, were imprisoned ‘souls’ do the grunt about? Well it is set in a future, possibly not work terraforming Mars. The ‘God’ who that far away, where humanity has spread commissioned this investigation is probably out into the solar system and developed only a subroutine / or artificial personality different cultures. Discrimination between with delusions of omnipotence in the Artificial Intelligence and Human scheme of things, and there is a ‘higher’ intelligence has been lost in a blur, as has reality to this Life on Mars, the minds of the any distinction between Virtual and Physical original programmers might be the ‘real’ reality. The Human Universe now has Gods, reality, or just another of a series of onion Gods of software and lines of programming, shell? possibly the identities of the original Comments and Conclusions – Interesting programmers who set up this new ‘hyper- and mind bending, best enjoyed net’ as reality. There is a Borg like malware understood if you can set your mind free of identity / empire in conflict with the ‘side’ of worries, because otherwise your mind reality inhabited by the main characters in might get a bit bent by reading this. It is this story. Sounds confusing? The hero of interesting to compare and contrast this the piece is a thief, who for crimes against book with Robert Anton Wilson’s efforts software is imprisoned and killed every day, during the 1980s, his Illuminatus stories have or rather a downloaded version of his the same complexity of nested realities / identity is so imprisoned / punished. The alternate realities, where the only certainty location / existence of the flesh and blood is that things are not what they appear to person of this identity is neither here nor be, but his convolutions and mental there. So there is a raid on this virtual prison gymnastics are generated by ‘mundane’ and one of the 8,000 copies of the thief is human conspiracies rather than software liberated, by the minion of one of the as in the 2010 era of The Quantum Thief. ‘Gods’ of the piece. This God is Makes you wonder how this sort of effect in concerned about what is happening on a story will be achieved in 30 tears time? Mars, someone seems to be editing ‘reality’. So it’s a trip to Mars, a planet being ‘Schrodinger’s Cat III, The terraformed, where the thief needs to make Homing Pigeons’, by Robert contact with avatars of his past self to re- (US Dec’d), © 1981, 207 gather the memories and abilities that will Anton Wilson allow him to investigate, the task he has pages, 15 mm, read Mar 12 to 20, 2015. been sprung from prison to achieve. Much faffing around among the walking city on

28 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 29 This book, with its convoluted title is intended as the conclusion of the series, as much as a series about never ending reversals of appearance can have an ending. It includes as a foreword that this book and others of the Illuminatus Trilogy may be picked up and read in any (discordant) order, as a cycle that need not stop, but it Better Dead than Fred? would say that wouldn’t it? It sort of Garry’s Polling Booth election-day suggests that the driver behind everything that has preceded this book wraps up and report for Clemton Park P.S., flies off home to its alien place of residence, Canterbury (NSW) & Barton/Watson but this is like all the other revelations in the (Fed.) A Report from the front line of previous books, just a matter of ‘more of the Democracy / the Manufacture of same’. The unstated co-author of this book Mandate, on March 28, 2015 and the series are those who were the In previous years, most of the Freecons that Authors of the American System / confusion, I have organised, Free Entry SF&F where post-Watergate et al. the public Weekends, have been followed by a stress began to become aware that the cold. On this occasion, Tuesday night to accepted reality is merely a façade, a Friday I was in bed and my hopes for façade that THEY want you to believe Saturday had contracted to being able to because it is in THEIR interests for you to get myself and Mother to the local School behave as if you believe in this façade. A to vote, without falling over on the way. I word that this book is looking for is ‘meme’. was sick. How sick you ask? Sick as two It’s task is to plant a self-replicating / dogs, and I hear that one of them wanted sustaining consciousness that things are to vote for Pauline Hanson (Tea Party for NEVER what they appear to be, if human our American readers). So, I gathered up agency is involved. my 500 HTVs and went, with Mother across Comments and Conclusions – The message to the school at about 9.30 am. of this book is ‘All is vanity’ or perhaps, ‘All is I justify this tardiness as being a a great big Manichaen / Machiavellian compromise between ‘Mother-time’ and Mind Fuck’, where even the Principals in the avoiding the long queues of the ‘angry at drama may be deluded about what is and having to vote’ five past eight rush. And I isn’t in their own best interests. This book is saw – a line of people about sixty people, the runt of its litter, eminently put-downable half an hour’s wait to vote? So I left the mental ping pong of the revelation of mother to join the queue and I started out double agents and their illusions about their to work the line, offering Democrat HTVs to real agendas is merely tiring, rather than all who wanted them. It was only much mentally refreshing. This meme is way past later in the day that I took the opportunity its novelty value, or as rewarding as the to vote, voting for me of course on the when the original ‘Illuminatus’ books, as we Upper House ballot! Considering the field live now in a world where ‘Conspiracy’ is on offer, and the funding implications of entrenched as the the new internet porn, voting for a choice between Yogsothoth being amateur, universally available and and Chthulu, with something like a dollar ultimately unable to sustain arousal. of electoral funding heading towards Whatever event happens in the world whoever you marked as a ‘vote one’. On today, conjecture about the ‘real truth’ is this occasion, and with a very great deal never more than a mouse click away? of reluctance, I resolved that the only

ethical path available was to vote tactically – recording an informal vote, with comments recording a deep opposition to Government Privatisation 29 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 30 policies and intending this ‘non-vote’ to be They had a young chap working the an abstention vote in the process of the line outside the school hall. The revelation inevitable re-election of sitting member of the day is that Fred has gone ethnic, Linda Burney. styling himself as a latter-day Ian Paisley, Canterbury Candidates? offering protection to Middle Eastern Canterbury is a strong, Labor voting ‘safe’ Christians against the rise of Islamic seat. Other parties to contest this seat were Australia, or some such nonsense. The the CDP / Fred Nile, The Greens, Liberals CDP was to do particularly well against and No Land Tax. ‘Islamic’ ALP candidates in some nearby Their onsite representation reflecting that a seats, i.e. Lakemba and Bankstown. The Labor victory was certain, they probably young chap was confronting people in the sent their local troops elsewhere, to line with ‘Vote for the Christian Party’ and marginal seats and in the case of the ‘A vote for the CDP is just like a vote for the Greens, to Balmain, Summer hill etc., Liberals’, I note however that he did not Our Brothers in Christ – Rival parties people. make this offer to the occasional young (For are we all not Brothers in Christ?) On the ladies with headscarves. Such an offer is day only two gates were open, Bexley Road difficult to understand, in such a strong and Miller Street, inconveniencing some Labor voting area (Liberals get less than voters as these were at the South ends of 25% of the vote) and where Islamic people the school site, requiring a fair walk up to are an uncontroversial part of the urban and then across the site for those entering fabric. I. e. there are Islamic families from Bexley Road. There were Democrats across the park and across my backyard (me!), CDP/ Fred Nile (3?), Greens (2), Labor fence! (2) Liberal ((1), No Land Tax (2) Shooters (1). I pointed out that The Democrats hold No sign at all of the Unity or Family First Christian and Humanistic values, and he parties. started to go on about us being baby killers Working the Line - Myself, the Liberal and and such like. He did say that he was the Shooter worked the line, as did a CDP Frightened by Greens Candidates (I’ve person, who frequently crossed the line and heard the urban myth that Vegans do had to be asked to step back. occasionally suddenly turn into Comments – At any time there was only one cannibalistic carnivores), which was about liberal working the line, an English bloke and the nicest thing I’ve heard said about the an Italian gentlemen (Italians are Liberals in Greens in a long while. In all, he was a this seat, because Greeks are Labor etc.) rather irritating oik, well-schooled in the None at the two gates! It was in fact rather current evangelical practice of difficult for me to collect a Liberal HTV to confrontational ‘witnessing’, as in trying to complete my election-day set of HTVs. The pick a fight / conversation about abortion Shooter was there part of the day (morning), with people lined up intending to vote. I working the line. The Greens and Labor expect that Satan is greatly cheered on had one person each at all times at each hearing that such people declare gate (much reduced from their usual themselves to be on the side of the scrums?). The No Land Tax women, Angels? wearing ill-fitting Tabards rather than party T Local Species on Display – shirts, were both at the Miller street gate, on There has been a great increase in the shaded, but less busy entrance. They were number of spontaneous mobile phone not that active / enthusiastic for their users on approaching where the party promised to be paid day in the sun, hard to workers are offering HTVs, an implied see how their ‘wages’ could be made up statement of ‘don’t bother me I’m on a from the votes they encouraged on the call’. This presents a problem when there day. The CDP / Fred Nile people were at is a queue to get in, as most people in the both gates, an infinite supply of cousins, and queue, not wanting to listen in to a real or their candidate for the seat was present. imaginary private conversation, give the

30 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 31 person with the phone about five people’s Why is it that our gays, for whom I have width in the queue, i.e. pushing the people the greatest respect for their contributions at the end out into the sun. to the Party, are a problem for electors, as Lots of Nonnas and Nannas, that is to say, opposed to the gay candidates of any of Middle aged to elderly Greek and Italian the other political parties? grandparents. Score – I handed out HTVs from 9.30 to A few pram wielders, P&C supporters all, 12.30, had a rest and was back out there rather fewer of the aged and frail (due to from 1 to 4 pm. I ended up with about 50 pre-poll and postal voting?) Asian HTVs left. From 3 pm onwards it was walk Homeowners (Korean or Chinese?) were straight in, no queue at the door. While I occasional visitors and eager students of the was present all of my neighbours came to HTVs on offer. vote, so I’m confident that the greater Gay, Lesbian and Aboriginal voters were to majority of the 2500 who voted at Clemton be seen occasionally, with no complaints Park P.S. would have had the opportunity from them about our past Senators, but they to ask for a HTV if they had wanted one. still vote Green don’t they? Observation for the future – The Surly Youth, of the ‘Don’t give me your Given the current Democrat vote at filthy piece of Paper, I have no opinions’, Clemton Park PS it is a not a priority booth, demographic seems to be aging, now in spite of its size. In past years it has served towards their thirties, oh the waisted youth of as a joint (NSW) booth for Canterbury and the tattooed and gym addicted? How Lakemba, it’s the local polling booth for long to their Middle Age slump and their about 3,000 people, less pre-polls. On this merely delayed metamorphosis to their occasion, the Lakemba border had parent’s gene determined body shape? moved West, BUT, the place where people The No Land tax HTV featured a bipartisan voted has become the new School Hall / ‘Wall of Shame’ a photographic roll call of Gymnasium, on the Miller Street side of the the ethically challenged and unseated of School site AND the people running the recent State Governments. I suggested to election have drawn the line in the sand the No Land Tax employees that these Six metres from the door of this building. images could / should have been used for I.e. a single person may work the line of cigarette boxes, i.e. ‘Corruption, the taste of intending voters, irrespective of which (of bad government’, ‘Corruption, the fags that six?) school gate they have come in truly suck’ etc. It amused them. I thought through. Does it matter when you it was rather brave to feature Mr Tripodi on receive a HTV? Does it really make a the HTV, in a negative sense, given his links difference that yours is the first / last that to the party or front company or whatever. they see before voting, is the process of Oh and one young voter, a recent St. handing out HTVs an opportunity to collect George Girl’s High School graduate, an ‘at least they showed up’ sympathy greeted me thus ‘Oh you must be Janene’s vote. Grand Father!’ (OK, so I am at the Finally – I stood – I voted – I handed out moment a white haired and bearded HTVs. I’m under no illusions that my efforts Father Christmas look alike. I did correct on the day will make that much her, I’m actually Janene’s UNCLE. But difference, I fully expect that the thank you for caring to mention it. consequences of my emails to contacts Comments about us – and family will outweigh the slight bump in ‘Are you still around?’ neutral. ‘Can’t vote Democrat votes that my day spent at for you, it’s your Leaders’ – negative. Clemton Park P.S. Will produce. ‘Can’t vote for you, you had a gay Senate Next time, I really should do a pre-poll candidate’ – highly negative. ‘I used to residency somewhere ‘out there’ where vote Democrat’ – neutral? ‘I like to vote for minor parties are rarely seen, a sympathy policies, what are your party’s policies?’ – vote still being a vote? neutral.

31 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 32 alcohol free, the piper picks the tune I guess. Most of the set up was done by the numerous Deaseys, Janene’s Mother’s people, but I did try to be as helpful and decorative as I could manage. Who was there? Well there were lots of Deasey’s, the extended clan, there were Janene’s Twenty first Birthday people from Janene and Ruth’s Church circle, there were tables of her St. George party, Sunday, February 1, 2015, Girls Sorority and there was a fair at The Castle, Oatley Park contingent from her University of Western Janene’s 21st (has it really been that long?) Sydney, Medical Studies colleagues. birthday event was conducted at ‘The Lots of people, perhaps a hundred, their Castle’ in Oatley Park. The event was gathering a vivid reminder that in the advertised as being a ‘High Tea’, on some opinion of many, beyond an even an rather ornate but hard to read invitation and uncle’s naturally biased point of view, that RSVP cards, which lead me to expect Janene Dalrymple is a Class Act and a something like a silver service and starched credit to her parents (Oh, my Brother, if napkins type do. However, the castle only you could have been there to see it turned out to be depression era make-work my Brother …). folly, set above the beach at Oatley Park, a There was a Cake, there were Photos and west facing peninsular surrounded on three there were Speeches. Expecting a more sides by the Georges River. If you care to formal event I had trimmed my cloth to go on a hike through the five km of roads suit, timed for a three minute delivery within the park you can see are a number of window, then, after hearing what other depression era monumental works everyone else was saying, I had to seize through the park, which functions as the the territorial imperative and revise it a few extra back yard to ‘locals’ living as far away more elements to cover the St George Girls as the Hurstville high rise apartment blocks, and Medical Studies component of the judging by the people using the picnic audience, without ever mentioning the benches and electric Barbeques with a word ‘engagement’ (which killed my John sense of ‘weekly booking’ entitlement. It is Luc Picard / Wesley Crusher bit). a pleasant little cove, on the sea washed What did the other people say, we were side of the peninsula, one of Sydney’s local treated to scenes from Janene’s life of as secrets I guess. The beach, the cove and seen by her cousins, fellow St Georgians, the Castle (and Janene), all featured in a family and Medical students. The usual video made as a church project, a mixture of surprising / embarrassing dramatization of a story by a member of moments, testaments to her kind and their church, a battle for the soul in allegory loving nature, the sort of gentle ribbing or something like that. I think it may have between confidants. In effect, Janene had some storyline DNA in common with has been a good companion, friendly and some of ; the US Tax revolt era classic, helpful to all, a compassionate friend, ‘Jonathan Light Tremain’ or the US Civil War living up to many of the highest ideals we era, ‘The Red Badge of Courage.’ prize as virtues, beyond those considered Instead of being a formal indoor ‘do’, as I to be ‘Christian’ virtues, without being a had expected by the ‘high’ in High Tea, the ‘Goody two shoes’. For example, we event turned out to be more informal. Ruth were told that she has an interest in cars, had hired the use of the Castle and particularly their ‘Red line’, maximum surrounds, hired tables and chairs. It was speed! self-decoration and set up mostly, with a (Oh, my Brother, if only you could have lunch supplied by a movie shoot catering been there to see it …). It is a bit of a truck, providing a self-collect meal. It was shame that no-one was recording these

32 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 33 speeches, but in our Ipad-culture, who has I would like to take this opportunity to a sense of public memory these days. wish her all the best in the years to come, as I’m sure everyone here would like to do This however, this is what I believe that also. Janene’s God Mother* (she went to pre- *Mrs Jones and Ruth have been close school with Janene’s Mother), Mrs Jones friends since they were in the same class in had to say; pre-school., aged three or four. Janene as we can all see, has matured into a delightful young lady. Her support Garry’s speech and devotion to Ruth has been a pleasure The following is not quite what I actually to watch as she has grown and developed. said, it is a reconstruction based on what I Janene, Ruth’s Daughter, and my God- had intended to say and some additional daughter has been very special to us all, as I points scrawled on the back of this piece was blessed with three sons, Ruth’s three of paper, which I did mention. What was God-sons. delivered probably did not come out in this Her first Violin concert at age 3 was the order, probably I started with the ‘If’ part’s beginning of many years of scholastic introduction first. It went down fairly well I achievement, through her hard work, believe. perfectionism and devotion to her studies. Start - I’m very pleased to see you all here, There was one small problem tables of Janene’s friends from Church, encountered during her school years. We Family, School and University, the people could not hear her when talking to her as who will be a part of Janene’s life for a her voice was so quiet. While at the end of very long time, as each generation builds year presentation (when she was) in year 5 it’s own world and its own ‘Normal’ as a (at Peakhurst West Public School), it was mosaic from the shattered pieces of their announced that she would be a sports grand-parents world, so I can be assured captain in year 6. Her Dad immediately that Janene’s future will be bright, suggested he’d get a megaphone for her. harmonious and beautiful, the best of all One other occasion we have vivid past, glittering with hope and promise. memories of was when Janene was 13 or 14 Seeing many of you here, tables of years old and they (Ruth and Janene) were Janene’s friends, reminds me of something visiting us at our farm. We have a golf you may have forgotten. My first buggy which we use for transport around experience of Hogwarts, err, I’, sure I to say the farm. Janene and a friend’s daughter meant St George Girls High School, was the were on the buggy. Janene was driving occasion when you were all formally carefully around the driveway. I heard welcomed to St George, at the beginning Ruth scream, then the other mum – they of 2006, year 7. You all looked a bit both ran from our house. Janene and Sally different then, but your being here today, had driven through the photina bushes – the for Janene’s twenty First bears out the truth two front wheels of the buggy dangling over of what the Principal, Ms. Knott said that a retaining wall – the buggy suspended but day, that you should all look carefully at fortunately balancing until the girls and the the girls to around you, because some of buggy could be rescued. these will probably be among your dearest I’m happy to say I’ve more recently been friends for the rest of your life, sharing your in vehicles driven by Janene. Her driving successes and adversities. That you are skills have improved significantly since her here today proves this. first driving experiences. Janene’s Christian life has continued to Good afternoon to you all, Janene’s grow. Her achievements at University are a Friends and Family, my name is Garry, I’m credit to her with her devotion to her studies Janene’s Uncle and I’d like to share a few and all that she attempts to do. words with you this afternoon.

33 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 34 We no longer mark with great and public These words are of from Rudyard ceremonies many of the milestones that Kipling’s 1895 poem “If”, and are said to be people used to. In fact the name for a father’s advice to his son Jack who was today, a ‘coming of age’, a celebration of Killed In Action (KIA) on the Western Front Janene turning 21, and reaching adulthood, during WW1, in 1915, Jack not living to see sounds a little dusty and old fashioned. his 21 st. birthday. (Duration three minutes)

Robert and Ruth couldn’t clearly see Janene’s future on her birthday, partly because Robert broke Ruth’s glasses while Janene was being delivered. Speaking on behalf of my Brother and my Father, Janene’s Father and Grandfather, I can only guess how proud they would be to see how Janene has turned out today. Janene is a great credit to Robert and Ruth in all she has become, all that she will be, which I’m sure David and Cheryl would Vale Michael Duggan, Early Sydney agree with. Science Fiction fan. The thoughts of Doug Nicholson to As an Uncle, I don’t get to give Fatherly Michael’s son Andrew, on hearing of the advice, but borrowing a Father’s words, I death of Michael Duggan; feel that the following words are right for today, as we launch Janene on her Adult Dear Andrew, life. These words are advice suitable for a Thoughts of your father have crossed my life of great success or great adversity. mind a few times since I last had any They are; contact with him a great number of years If you can keep your head when all about you ago. He was younger than me, and I had Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, hoped he might be in good health. He If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, was very keen to write science fiction and I But make allowance for their doubting too; tried to give him a bit of help and encouragement. I, aged 24, had had a If you can dream—and not make dreams your bit of work recently published at the time, master; so enjoyed a bit of status, but this soon If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; evaporated as I didn't follow it up, but If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster settled for a more hum-drum existence than that of a writer. I remember him And treat those two impostors just the same; showing me a manuscript that I thought If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken was promisingly good, and I remember I Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, suggested a shorter and simpler opening Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, sentence. "Ease them in gently," I think I And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools: said. How did he go with writing? I would be really pleased if he succeeded. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or did he go into technology (as I did), or Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, science or perhaps philosophy, which If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, often followed an early interest in science If all men count with you, but none too much; fiction. I remember thinking of him as a If you can fill the unforgiving minute very bright and personable young man With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, and hope his life was a fulfilling one.

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, All my best to yourself and your father's And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son. memory --- Doug Nicholson (Now 85!)

34 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 35 February to April, Mouse Guests! – fear of the non-dog owning neighbours During February to April it’s been Open taking the easy way out resulting in a House (or open Mouse) at 1 Eulabah ‘baiting‘ incident. This whole situation Avenue, we have had numerous House or may in fact have been caused by baiting Mouse Guests, usually for very short stays! taking out the resident Kookaburras? Over the past few weeks we have been Mother - Has made no effective use of plagued by mice, most deaths and other Xmas presents, her Tatting books, always encounters mostly took place in or near the has a reason why not – It’s all my fault, kitchen area with occasional ‘sorties’ in the every time. back room and Sun room. Mother’s Medication – there is a new Record of attendance; anti-raving maniac pill in her daily Feb. 18, Three dead mice, found in the medication, its effectiveness is testified by Kitchen, at 3 pm, 6 pm & 9 pm, First to third. its absence I.e. it is administered at ~5 pm, th Feb. 17, dead mouse, 6 pm, 4 . almost every day there is a tantrum Mar. 6, mouse seen back room, after the immediately after her post lunch sleep, i.e. dog food stored there. 22 to 25 hours after previous tablet. The th Mar. 7, dead mouse this AM, Back room, 5 . downside of this is that the half of the day th Mar. 8, dead mouse 11 pm, back room, 6 . featuring mother’s best behaviour / th Mar. 12, dead mouse this morning, 7 . medication (6 pm to 6 am) she mostly Mar. 20, Mouse encounter in kitchen, it tried spends in bed (9 pm to 6 am) and to make off with a whole slice of Cheese! reserving her worst half of the day, least Traps set again. (A week off for me, being medicated (6 am to 6 pm) for me to unwell) interact with. Mar. 26, Mice found to be chewing the Mother’s idea of a ‘Good Idea’ - Ruth corner off a bag of Dog food brought home took off half of her Saturday (and $100) to that afternoon! ensure that Mother was available for family Apr. 7, dead mouse this AM, 8th. pictures on Sunday with her hair washed Apr. 11, dead mouse this AM, 9th. and permed for Janene’s 21st , but she Apr. 12, saw a large mouse FOUR times this washed her hair that night, AFTER having a evening. perm intended to make her look less like a Apr. 14, dead mouse (small) at 9 am, 10th. bag lady. Apr. 17, dead mouse this AM (Big), 11th. Mother is no longer going to church, Apr. 18, dead mouse at 4.48 am, trap going manufactures a reason each Saturday off woke me up, 12th. night to avoid getting up and being driven Apr. 19, dead mouse this AM, 13th. to church by the next door neighbours – Apr. 28, dead mouse after 8.30 PM, 14th. then complains loudly and frequently that Why so many? Why so brazen? she has no-one to talk to! (All My Fault Kookaburras not seen around, and a nearby again). A significant consequence of this house and garden was being very noisily is even less attention to personal hygiene. demolished / cleared to bare dirt, i.e. these were Sydney housing climate change refugees. Usually, cold or wet weather will bring more visitations, from neighbouring Amber and Rusty’s New Year? gardens etc. Damned shame that the By February they are looking their best, basenjis are too well fed or too proud to both sleek and shiny in their summer coat. pounce on these vermin. Only drawback being the accentuation of These mice are keenest on peanut butter their lumps being visible AND Chocolate. From trial and error, the Best bait for traps is any fibrous food (stringy Rusty chases a suicidal cat out of his meat) that requires the mouse to physically backyard drag it off the trap trigger. No poisoning is From my office out in the garage, and a allowable, with the two Basenjis, and I live in very limited field of view, I saw a blurr of

35 TBS&E Number 64, January to April 2015 36 black and white and Basenjis, followed by unseen surround sound, of Basenjis rage and vigorous pursuit crashing around the sides of the garage as the local feral cat made a hasty exit. I presume that Rusty was out of sight, taking the sun / shade, which encouraged the fence walking cat to come down and explore. Considering putting up LP sized fence blockers (like anti-rat cones on ship hawser lines). Basenjis in your Drawers! Rusty (I guess) has discovered how to open Mother’s top bedside drawer and rip up paper tissues. Continued from the Page 2 Editorial. ‘During a life dogged by many difficulties, All finished. Now time for bed and large and small, it is an error of the first dreams of friendly mailing comments? magnitude to, when feeling a spreading sense of warmth, to presume it to be the glow of achievement, when inspection may prove that it is just the dogs of adversity pausing in their attacks, to pee on your leg.’ (Taken from page 9 of ‘The Collected Wisdom of the Rev. Dr Ben Basenjis’, Pub. Basenjis Press, 1994.)

Book Reviews Index, A to Z by Author, starting on page 22. P. 22. ‘Brain Wave’ by P. Anderson P. 23. ‘The Transit of Venus’, the life of Jeremiah Horrocks’, by P. Aughton P. 24. ‘Wool’, by Hugh Howey P. 25. ‘Who Wrote the New Testament?’ by Burton L. Mack P. 26. ‘The Outcast’, An Anthology, Edited by Nicole R. Murphy P. 27. ‘Africa’s Discovery of Europe, 1450-1850’, by David Northrup P. 28. ‘The Quantum Thief’, by Hannu Rajaniemi P. 29. ‘Schrodinger’s Cat III, The Homing Pigeons’, by Robert A. Wilson

This has been TBS&E #64, an ANZAPA newsletter written and edited by Garry P. Dalrymple, © May 2015. You may now safely return your reality settings back to ‘Mundane’. I bet you yawned when you saw the puppy, didn’t you?

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