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Home , 1973 in science, Amalgamated Press, Edd Cartier, Evangeline Walton, Gahan Wilson, Gloriana (novel)

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1979 NUMBER 29 FICTION REVIEW $1.50 LEVEL By Interviews: JOHN BRUNNER HANK STINE

Orson Scott Card - Charles Platt - Darrell Schweitzer Elton Elliott - Bill Warren REVIEW Formerly THE ALIEN CRITIC RO. Bex 11408 COVER BY January, 1979 — Vol .8, No.l Based on a forthcoming novel, SIVA, Portland, OR WHOLE NUMBER 29 by Leigh Richmond 97211

ALIEN TOUTS...... 3 RICHARD E. GEIS, editor & piblisher SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION INTERVIEW WITH JOHN BRUWER...... 8 PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY CONDUCTED BY IAN COVELL PAGE 63 JAN., MARCH, MAY, JULY, SEPT., NOV.

NOISE LEVEL...... 15 SINGLE COPY ---- $1.50 A COLUMN BY JOHN BRUNNER REVIEWS------INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL MOORCOCK.. .18 PHOfC: (503) 282-0381 CONDUCTED BY IAN COVELL "seasoning" asimov's (sept-oct)...27 "swanilda 's song" analog (oct)....27 THE REVIEW OF SHORT FICTION...... 27 "LITTLE GOETHE F&SF (NOV)...... 28 BY ORSON SCOTT CARD MARCHERS OF VALHALLA...... 97 "the wind from a burning WOMAN ...28 SKULL-FACE...... 97 "hunter's moon" analog (nov).....28 SON OF THE WHITE WOLF...... 97 OCCASIONALLY TENTIONING "TUNNELS OF THE MINDS GALILEO 10.28 SWORDS OF SHAHRAZAR...... 97 SCIENCE FICTION...... 31 "the incredible living man BY DARRELL SCHWEITZER BLACK CANAAN...... 98 GALILEO 10...... 28 THE WATCH HOUSE...... 98 "brother hart f&sf (oct)...... 28 THE WOLFEN...... 98 LOYE THY PIBLISHER: THE ASIMOV "cassanera" f&sf (nov)...... 28 METHOD BY CHARLES PLATT...... 36 THE WIZARDS OF ZAO...... 99 "effigies f&sf (nov)...... 28 IMMORTAL...... 50 HE-Y, COME ON OU“T! F&SF (OCT)..28 THE VIVISECTOR...... 39 A RESEARCH GUIDE TO SCIENCE "project hi-rise f&sf (nov)...... 29 FICTION STUDIES...... 51 A COLUMN BY DARRELL SCHWEITZER "the adventure of the global ORON...... 51 TRAVELER ASIMOV'S (SEPT-OCT)...... 29 SLIPPING INTO DARKNESS...... 52 OTHER VOICES...... 92 ERRATA SLIP ASIMOV S (SEPT-OCT).29 COUNT DRACULA AND HIS VAMPIRE BOOK REVIEWS BY ORSON SCOTT CARD, "lost and found analog (oct)...... 29 BRIDE...... 53 MARK COFTA, SANDRA MIESEL, L. "ART T1HOU MATHEMATICS ANALOG ALIEN ZONE...... 53 CRAIG RICKMAN, MARK MANSELL, "VARIETIES'OF'TECHNOLOGICAL...... MESSAGE FROM SPACE...... 53 LARRY W. MITCHELL,PAUL MCGUIRE III, TARZOOM, SHAME OF THE JUNGLE...... 53 DEAN R. LAMBE, F. PAUL WILSON, experience" analog (oct)...... 29 MAGIC...... 59 GRETCHEN RIX, DAVID A. TRUESDALE, THE LIBERATION OF JESEPHINE THE WIZ...... 59 FREDERICK PATTEN, DON HERRON. F&SF (sept.)...... 29 ...... 55 "goldbrick f&sf (nov)...... 29 THE BEAST OF BEACHWOOD...... 52 "INDIAN SUMMER" UNEARTH (SUMMER)..29 THE ILLLMINO1DS...... 57 FILM REVIEWS AND NEWS "CAESAR, NOW BE STILL F&SF (SEP).29 THE WHOLE FORTY YEAR OLD HIPPIE BY BILL WARREN "time warp omni (oct)...... 29 CATALOG...... "found" omni (oct) ...... 29 STAR WEEVILS...... SMALL PRESS NOTES...... 57 "thirty love " asimov s (sep-oct)..29 DRAGONFLAME...... BY THE EDITOR "in alien flesh f&sf (sept)...... 29 algol /starship...... "banzai analog (sept)...... 29 TESSERACT SCIENCE FICTION...... THE HUMAN HOTLINE...... 58 OMNI...... 30 HEROES AND HORRORS...... S-F NEWS BY ELTON T. ELLIOTT destinies...... 30 RED SHADOWS...... THE FIVE JARS...... 39 INTERVIEW WITH HANK STINE...... 61 MILLENNIAL WOMEN...... 39 CONDUCTED BY ELTON T. ELLIOTT FANTASMS: A BIBLIO­ GRAPHY...... 90 who's who in science fiction...... 90 who's WHO IN HORROR & ...... 91 INTERIOR ART------THE SWORD SMITH...... 92 TIM KIRK---- 3, 15, 60 THE BOOK OF ELLISON...... 92 RICHARD BRUNING---- 9,60 THE FAR CALL...... 93 bill rotsler —7,32,37,99 ...... 93 RICK JANSEN---- 8 AND OTHER STORIES...... 93 ISSN: 0036-8377 v. kostrikin—9,26,30,57 A. GILLILAND---- 10,13,19,20, DANCERS IN THE AFTERGLOW...... 99 NIGHT WINDS...... 99 27,28,31,39,96,97,98,50,5b. THE ALIEN CRITIC DEATHBEAST...... 95 SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW JAMES MCQUADE— 03,00,05 THE INSTITUTE...... 95 Available in mjeroform from: MIKE GILBERT---- HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA...... 95 OXFORD MICROFORM PUBLICATIONS LTE STEPHEN FABIAN- Wheatsheaf Yard, Blue Boar Street IRSUD...... 96 Oxford OXI 4EY RANDY MOHR---- 30 FALSE DAWN...... 97 JAY KINNEY---- 00 STORIES NINE...... 97 KEN HAHN---- 02 Science Fiction Review is published CATHY HILL---- 52 at 1525 NE Ainsworth, Portland, OR WADE GILBREATH---- Copyright (c) 1979 by Richard 97211 50 NO ADVERTISING WILL BE ACCEPTED RUSTIN---- 55 E. Geis. All rights are hereby Second Class Postage Paid JACK GAUGHAN---- 56 assigned to the contributors. at Portland, OP 97208 orientation. Sf and fantasy might ALIEN THOUGHTS very quickly go out of fashion. On the other hand, we might see an even greater emphasis on sf and fantasy and occult in films 8 TV as people lower tier will consist of hard-core seek escape from grim reality [but genre sf as published now by the sf cannot afford mags and books]. magazines and DAW and Ballantine and others. A steady market which will be helped by the "upper" tier of big 11-7-78 Let me lay upon you all a best-seller sf novels and literary tale of modified woe. Spell it wo. sf. Whether or not there will be a I have published CANNED MEAT, a big, high-quality sf magazine like PG or R-Rated sf novel (depending on OMNI around for long is questionable. your sophistication and morals) but I think good sf stories can now ap­ the effort has been d-i-f-f-i-c-u-l-t pear in any big-circulation maga­ because of miscalculation and mis­ zine. take. OMMI I think will live or die on I planned on a wraparound cover its hyped circulation and its adver­ and three interior full-page illos tising. The first issue is said to by Bruce Conklin. He came through be a sell-out [as it should be if as beautifully. I planned on running reported $5 million was spent on ad­ off the text pages on my wonderful vertising it]. The test will come Gestetner 466, using 65# book paper. with the next four or five issues. The art would be all offset, of Unless the magazine holds its paid course. circulation at about 500,000, it Lady Companion had all the sten­ will fail, and despite the publish­ cils typed beautifully. BY THE EDITOR er's vow to pour millions into it I put the first stencil on the because he has faith in it, and machine, loaded the paper table with wait five years for it to estab­ a ream of 65# ivory colored vellum ID-21-78 I called Hank Stine, ed­ lish itself... Well, even PENTHOUSE paper... itor of GALAXY, a few days ago to can't stand that kind of long-term And found the paper picked up find out when my next review column drain. Watch the total of advertis­ too much offset (ink impressions was due—the end of this month, it ing pages in OMNI; if the total from the preceding sheet as each turned out—and to find out from drops in future issues by a large new sheet is printed), making it the source what the GALAXY payment number...if the auto and liquor and unconscionable to print both sides policy is for sure, since LOCUS had hi-fi ads disappear....it's the end. of the paper. printed a story saying payment was What is the short-term outlook So I bought another thirty reams shortly after publication and I had for sf? Bad, I think. It's now ob­ of paper. [High-class: a novel been told by Hank that payment was vious there will be a recession of with pages printed on only one side.] 72 hours after acceptance. unknown severity in 1979 now that But previously I had placed the Hank confirmed the 'after ac­ the U.S. government has finally de­ artwork with Print to be run ceptance' policy, and said that pos­ cided to "defend" the dollar and offand had provided them with a ream sibly Charlie Brown, publisher of take a recession in '79 so it can each of colored stock, including a LOCUS, had misunderstood him in the re-inflate and hype the economy in ream of 11 x 17 for the wrap-around din of the Huckster room where they time to make Carter's renomination cover. The clerk asked: "You you had talked. Whatever. and re-election possible in 1980. want the 11 x 17 trimmed?" There is a flood of sf in the Unthinkingly, I said, "Yes." So I ended up with three 8-1/2 # DAM.’! Something went crack in publishing pipeline now that will carry through probably to mid-1979. x 11 printed illustrations, and one the Scriptomatic addressing machine 10-1/4 x 16-1/4 printed cover... when I started to run off the envel­ Bad business in the first six months of the year will cause a retrenching So, if I wrapped that shortened opes for the SFR #28 mailing this cover around 65 pages of heavy paper morning, and so that chore will have and cutback in publishing plans and a stretch-out of lists. The last I'd get a hell of a wide trim on the to wait till possibly Monday after­ right side of the book, thereby cut­ noon or night, making the "deadline" half of 1979 and perhaps the first half of 1980 will be slow for sf. ting deeply into the three already- of a Friday, October 27 mailing printed and centered illustrations. rather chancey. There is a possibility that the recession will deepen into a depres­ I smote my head. I danced with If your copy of #28 was later disgust. The printing bill had been than usual by a few days, in Novemb­ sion because of the underlying weak­ horrendous as it was. Having it done er, now you know why. ness of the economy [we're extremely over was out of the question. And since there is a mail strike vulnerable to a terrible debt liquid­ Fortunately, I have a ream-capac­ on in Canada, those subscribers... ation— a tidal wave of bankruptcy-- ity paper cutter. I trimmed enough well, Ghod knows when they'll get due to unprecedented bad foreign off the bottom and left sides of the their copies. I've been told to loans by multinational banks, busi­ illustrations to save the right side hold the Canada sacks back. ness debt and staggering consumer debts]. If a deflation develops fairly well and preserve the integ­ people will watch TV and forego buy­ rity of the illustrations. ing magazines and books. And [thanks to the marvelous po­ If a depression or a long-term sitioning controls on the Gestetner] 11-1-78 What is the future of sci­ stagnation occurrs, all publishing I was able to print the text pages ence fiction? This topic has been will suffer. And sf might be espec­ very low and with the minimum space used and abused for generations in ially vulnerable if the mood of the on the left (to allow for that big fanzines. country changes to a much more now- right-side trim. Long-term, science fiction and oriented, non-fantasy, down-to-earth Then...I discovered that in fantasy have a steady future in a spite of all this, the trim would be two-tier publishing existence. The 3 too wide on the right if I insisted on wraparound. So, reluctantly, I option on this to do a technical of ONE IMMORTAL MAN -- complemented decided to cut the cover in two and screenplay adaptation in the hope by the columns and reviews -- all have separated front and back covers. he can find a producer to buy the add up to a superlative issue which My apologies to the purchasers of film rights from me; so maybe (with again demonstrates the infallible CANNED NEAT and to Bruce. a lot of "ifs" dong the way) there good taste of the Hugo voters. And NOW I discover the printer didn't may be a movie -- the anti-Emman- your own. manage to give me even 450 copies of uelle -- to take Cannes by storm in 'Yes, I know the Pope I refer­ all of the illustrations. So I'll 1980, 81.... It's a nice thought red to is dead, and has been replac­ end up with about fifty copies of to think; and why not indeed? Let ed by one who looks just a little the edition without illos and the it be. bit like R.A. Lafferty, which is covers. [But the title page with okay by me. But if this Pope dies a smaller version of the front cover 'I'm happy that you and Alter altercated yourselves into favour­ and we get one who looks like Har­ will do as a cover, and I can offer lan. .. those copies at a reduced price... able feelings about my JONAH KIT $3., say. with only a few major grunches. Pes­ 'Oh, well, no sense borrowing Now my worry is that the longest simist... well, I'm not actually. trouble. ' legged Swingline staple (1/2") won't Things almost work out right in my be long enough to properly bind the books; the possibility of success is there, the option of it. And ((How about a FOR POPE book. I suppose I should gather campaign? )) a complete copy, set up the stapler people can grasp it. It's just in the heavy-duty lever-assist I that, looking at the history of the have, and see what happens. world, and this century, and the [Pause.] sort of behaviour we're capable of Okaaay... I've assembled and trimmed ... You might say that I'm working towards the positive, by a negative the first copy. The staples are # LETTER FROM NEAL WILGUS long enough and everything looks route; because there is fool's , okay. I'll have to adjust the in- we know that real gold exists, as Sept. 1978 from-the-edge depth of the stapling, the Sufis say. Anyway, I'm happy but that's it. I breathe a sigh of to report that in my most recent 'I'm sure you'll get lots of relief. It looks pretty good. book, MIRACLE VISITORS, which Ace responses to Ronald Lambert's com­ But for STAR WHORES I'll have are doing in December, one guy does ment in SFR #27 that evolution vio­ a printer do the whole edition by make it through. The giant squids lates the second law of thermodyna­ offset. of the deeps... yes, they may be mics (entropy) and I'll leave it to CANNED MEAT, by the way, has the intelligences; but one can't put the experts to answer him definative- strong interest of a professional everything in a book, can one? Not ly, but by chance I was reading a editor in NY. We shall see. completely everything. The first book a few days ago which also In any case, I'll not run anoth­ essay I ever wrote at College got touched on this point -- Colin Wil­ er edition of CM from the stencils, the comment: It's a bit like a son's BEYOND THE OUTSIDER (1965), so this 450 copy edition is it for Christmas pudding -- there's some­ the final volume of his "Outsider" me and may become a collector’s it­ thing of everything in it. Some cycle on existential philosophy. In em of sorts. I'm told that my 19- people have said my books are a a footnote on page 129 of the Pan 60's porno books are now being col­ bit like that.' Books paperback edition (British) lected and are very hard to find. Wilson quotes from a letter to him ((Sometimes it's extremely difficult from the biologist Sir Julian Hux­ not to put in too much; there 's a ley, who says that the anti-entrop- fee ling of obligation to explain ev­ ic of evolution "does not erything and answer all possible contradict the second law of thermo­ # LETTER FROM IAN WATSON reader questions. Part of the art dynamics, since it depends on energy October, 1978 of fiction writing is knowing or received from the sun. It merely intuiting which questions to answer means that on this planet the sec­ 'I've been buried deep in a new and which to let hang. ond law of thermodynamics is now novel which is now, at last, nearly ((A U.S./Canada film company once not working..." In any case, I done and tied up; and I feel moral­ took an option on my BONGO BUM, but hope the Creationist debate contin­ ly obligated to finish by November nothing ever came of it. And I had ues awhile since I don't think the ("I have promises to keep, and miles tantalyzing partial reports from issues are going to be settled for to go before I sleep", as Robert friends of having seen a a long time to come. Frost put it) for, would you believe, clip about a movie made from one of 'I was skeptical when I read, I got awarded a Literature Bursary my books, and of seeing a credit at the end of Rene Anderson's let­ worth L1250 by the Southern Arts line 'From ______by Richard E. ter, that "there is no 'Hounds' Association of GB -- a regional Gets ' in a movie.. .but I_ never heard archtype (sic), as such," because branch of the Arts Council -- to about it legally or financially. So write it. This must be the first there you go. I'm perfectly willing time part of the Arts Council has to believe one of my publishers sold sponsored the writing of science film rights to one of my books and fiction. Things look up! didn't let me know of it. (There have been a few books sold on all­ 'You may recall that our co­ rights contracts...never again!))) publishers in Paris, Editions Champ Libre -- who did your DEFENSE DE COUCHER (RAW MEAT, isn't this, first version?) -- brought out an unpub­ # CARD FROM ROBERT A. BLOCH lished (in English) Essex House-type November, 1978 erotic SF satire by me, called THE WOMAN FACTORY and evocatively relab­ 'Beyond Genocide -- the C.J. elled ORGASMACHINE in French. A Cherryh interview -- and conclusion young French director called Gerard Sanas has just taken out a year's 4 I've always thought of archetypal to 's statements in #27 I will confine myself to the hist­ country as largely unexplored and about "Western Civilization suffer­ ory of science and . unknown -- but open to any imagina­ ing a fifteen-hundred year hiatus 'Did technical knowledge switch tive interpretation we will upon between Aristotle and the Renaiss­ off like a light with the death of it, unicorns, hounds, robots, what­ ance". I know my comments are late Aristotle? Hardly. There were peo ever. My dictionary, in fact, de­ but my honor as a trained medieval­ pie like Archimedes, Euclid, Apol­ fines archetype as the original ist compels me to say something. lonius, Eratosthenes, Hiero and the pattern or prototype from which all First of all, the interval between rest of the Alexandrians in Hellen­ things of the same species are cop­ Aristotle and Galileo is about 2000 istic times. Roman were ies, so it stands to that years, not 1500 but it's the his­ better than Greek but medieval ones there's an ideal Hound in there torical thinking I'm questioning, were far more efficient and innova­ somewhere if we'd only check. Well, not the arithmetic. By hiatus in tive than their ancient predeces­ I did check, falling asleep soon civilization I assume Bova means a sors. As the eminent historian of after reading Anderson's letter and gap in science and technology rath­ technology Lynn White wrote in last in the early hours of the next morn­ er than in the totality of civilized month's SMITHSONIAN, "While nothing ing my diver returned with this mes­ living -- unless he regards science of ancient Greek or Roman ­ sage: and technology as that totality. ing perished along the road, the at But surely he would not wish to 'I swam the Unconscious Col­ titudes, motivations, and most of slight the developments in the hu­ lective, but I never did see the basic skills of modern technol­ manities continuing during Hellen­ no Hound. ogy before the electronics revolu­ istic, Roman and medieval times, so Now I ask on the shores of Ob­ tion originated not in Mediterran­ jective -- Could it be that the poor doggy's drowned?' U.S. POSTAL. SERVICE STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION ______{Required by 39 U.S.C 3685j ______I.TITLK OF PUBLICATION______A- PUBLICATION NO. 2. DATE OF FILING ((I'm not a scientist and reading SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW ______I I I I I I 9-30-7S 3. FREQUENCY OF ISSUE A. NO. OF ISSUES PUBLISHED 8. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION science texts puts me to sleep. Es­ ANNUALLY PRICE sentially what I've been doing in BI-M3NTKY 6 ______$7.50 4. LOCATION OF known OFFICE OF PUBLICATION (Street. City. County. State and ZIP Coda) (Not printer*) this Creationist-Evolutionist fire­ 1515 N.E. AINSWORTH, PORTLAfO, OR 97211 fight is hold coats and get out of 5. LOCATION OF THE HEADQUARTERS OR GENERAL BUSINESS OFFICES OF THE PUBLISHERS (Not printer*) the way. My current belief is that 1525 N.E. AINSWORTH, PORTLAI®, OR 97211 6. NAMES AND COMPLETE ADDRESSES OF PUBLISHER, EDITOR. AND MANAGING EDITOR mankind is an evolved creature. We PUBLISHER (Name and Addrett) are too thoroughly linked to this RICHARD E. GEIS, 1515 N.E. AINSWORTH, PORTUVO, OR 97211 planet in a myriad of biological EDITOR (Name and Addrtul SAAE AS ABOVE ways to be an "insert" from another managing editor (Name and Addreu) planet. And I find it very diffi­ NONE cult to believe that a Creator con­ 7. OWNER (If owned by a corporation, it* name and addreit mu*f be itated and alto immediately thereunder the name* and oddretee* of *toch- halder* owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of itoch. If not owned by a corporation, the name* and addmue* of the individual cerned with the entire universe took owner* mart be given. If owned by a partnerthip or other unincorporated firm, itt'name and addm**. a* well a* that of each individual mutt the time and trouble inherent tn the be given.) Bible creation version in re us and NAME ADDRESS Earth; it smacks too much of ethno­ RICHARD t. GEIS 1525 N.E. AINSWORTH, PORTLAND, OR 97211 centrism, race egotism....))

KNOWN BONDHOLDERS. MORTGAGEES, AND OTHER SECURITY HOLDERS OWNING OR HOLDING 1 PERCENT OR MORE OF TOTAL AMOUNT OF BONDS. MORTGAGES OR OTHER SECURITIES (If them am none. to Hotel NAME ADDRESS # The yearly second class ownership and circulation statement required by the Postal Service is at the •. FOR COMPLETION BY NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AUTHORIZED TO MAIL AT SPECIAL RATES (Section 132.122. PSM) right. The paid circulation grew a The purpoaa. function, end nonprofit rtitui of tbl* organization and tha eaempt ttatut lor Fadaral inconw tai purpoBi (Chech one) few hundred copies. Cool. I do not

want a runaway success with a huge f-1 HAVE NOT CHANGED DURING 1 1 HAVE CHANGED DURING (If changed, publiiher miut eubmit explanation of change circulation. I've got all I can [_l PRECEDING 12 MONTH! 1 | PRECEDING 12 MONTHS with thi* Itatement.) AVERAGE NO COPIES EACH ACTUAL NO. COPIES OF SINGLE handle now. I make enough to live ■>. EXTENT AND NATURE OF CIRCULATION ISSUE DURING PRECEDING ISSUE PUBLISHED NEAREST TO 12 MONTHS FILING DATE on and see a few movies and eat out A. TOTAL NO. COPIES PRINTED (Net Pre** Run) once in a while. 4320 4300 B. PAID CIRCULATION 1. SALES THROUGH DCALCR8 AND CARRIERS. STREET The no advertising (except for VENDORS AND COUNTER SALES 1240 1400 my own publications, of course) 2. MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS holds firm. 1603 1632 C. TOTAL PAID CIRCULATION (Sum of IORI and 10B2) 2843 3032 # There is no "Alter-Ego Viewpoint" D. FREE DISTRIBUTION BY MAIL. CARRIER OR OTHER MEANS reviews this issue, I'm afraid. All SAMPLES. COMPLIMENTARY. AND OTHER FREE COPIES 193 280 Alter's reading time is spend reading E. TOTAL DISTRIBUTION (Sum of C and D) 303!, 3339 for the GALAXY column. Mine, too. F. COPIES NOT DISTRIBUTED 1. OFFICE USE, LEFT OVER. UNACCOUNTED. SPOILED I will continue to do the "Small AFTER PRINTING 1284 980

Press Notes" column. It's very pop­ 2. RETURNS FROM NEWS AGENTS 0 0 ular and valuable. G. TOTAL (Sum of E. Fl and 2~*hould equal net pmt* run ihown in A) <•320 4300 SIGNATURE AND TITLE~OF EDITOR, PUBLISHER, BUSINESS 11. I certify that the statements made by me above an correct and complete.

12. FOR COMPLETION BY PUBLISHERS MAILING AT THE REGULAR RATts (Section 132 121. Coital Service Manual) # LETTER FROM SANDRA MEISEL 39 U. S. C. 3B2B provide! In pertinent part: "No peraon who would have bean entitled to mall manor under forrrwr Mellon 4350 of thia title R’eil mall such matter al tha maa provided under th It tub Mellon unleM ha files annually with the Postal Service a written request for permlMlon November, 1978 to mall matter at aueh rates.'’ In accordance with the provisions of this statute, 1 hereby request permission to mell the publication named In Itwn 1 at the phaMd POftega rates presently authorised by 39 U. S. C. 3626 'Given the prevalence of histo­ SIGNATURE AND^TLE OF EDITOR, PUBLISHER. BUSINESS MANAGER. OR OWNER ry as a hobby among fans, I'm sur­ prised that no one raised objections 5 ean antiquity but during the 'bar­ ieval experience was a necessary lence? No matter, the way you put barian' Middle Ages". prelude to the rise of science. it out with illustrations is much better. I have to say though, that 'Medieval Christians, not anc­ 'On #28: Glad of the chance the end of the story was a shocker. ient pagans, held that the material to learn more about C.J. Cherryh. Who would have expected that? Are universe was good and worth study­ I must confess to a similar admira­ you going to continue the story or ing, that physical labor was honor­ tion for Vergil. While a senior in let it be? able (classical Greek thinkers nev­ high school I wrote a pageant ver­ er soiled their hands but Roger sion of the first half of the AEN- 'By the way, I also just receiv­ Bacon insisted that scientists must ID that was performed by a cast of ed CANNED MEAT. I enjoyed this one be able to make and use their own 200. I played Dido with rather too just as much. I hope you plan to apparatus), and that technical in­ much enthusiasm -- came the death write more. You have a unique style novations should be rewarded in mon­ scene, I stabbed myself right that I like, lots of sex and lots ey and status (for example, in Eng­ through the costume leaving a blood- of violence, plus a plot. You don't land Edward I's chief engineer had y scratch on my bosom. (Don't both­ see that too often, or at least I an annual income four times that er asking to see the scar.)' don't. of a knight). The Middle Ages made 'I was wondering, have you revolutionary technical advances in ((Your observation that the Church thought of printing other people's agricultural technology which were seems to be a 'favorite all-purpose stories in SFR? Or do you just want the foundation of all their other whipping ' in these pages caused to print your own?' achievements. For the first time my eyebrows to waggle. I deny the in history, society ran on the pow­ assertion. And shouldn’t that be ((I probably made a mistake in not er of animals, water, wind and tides 'whipping-person ’?)) -- not human slaves. I could give sending ONE IMMORTAL MAN to more many more specifics on how medieval than two publishers. At the moment Europeans expanded and improved an­ Larry Shaw, my agent now, has it at cient learning and prepared for the an editor. I think it’s a highly rise of modern science but perhaps 11-1h-7R Yes, I saw that reference commercial novel, but it is an adult readers would enjoy digging it out in the Buck Henry opening monolog sf novel, and adult in a different- for themselves from Lynn White's on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, Nov.11, to than-usual manner. And controvers­ MEDIEVAL TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL CHANGE STAR WHORES. ial. and Jean Gimpel's MEDIEVAL MACHINE: I'm sure they didn't "steal" it ((Thanks for the kind words. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION OF THE from me. That play on words is a ((No, I have no plans at all, MIDDLE AGES. natural and likely to occurr to many never, no, ever, of publishing other superior minds. peoples' sf in SFR. 'Now about Bova's allegation As to my prospective novel titl­ ((I might publish STAR WHORES in that the Catholic Church 'bhut down ed STAR WHORES: I'm going to replot SFR for one reason only---- to force the School of Athens in the second it to include another element I have myself to write it by the device of or third century AD" and so brought been toying with in the back of my obligation. As things stand I don't on the Dark Ages. I realize the mind—what if the whores are human see any time free in which to write Church is a favorite all-purpose minds in robot/plastic female bodies it in the foreseeable future. If I whipping girl in your pages but with exaggerated sexual forms? And publish the first section in SFR, this particular charge won't stick. what if these human minds/brains are however, I will have to finish it to The School of Athens was closed in placed in these artificial bodies meet the serialized deadlines of SFR. 529 by order of the Emperor Justin­ to serve as sex playthings for sex­ So don't be surprised if STAR WHORES ian. Far from being a puppet of the needing men on mining jobs on far does appear here in 197S sometime. Church, Justinian was a determined planets? And what if these jobs But that will be a last resort. (I Caesaro-Papist who made and unmade are by contract... or prison sent­ might add that part of the reason I Popes (and doctrine) at will. His ences? (Not sure yet.) And what serialized ONE IMMORTAL MAN in SFR goal was to deny teaching positions if the human brains/minds placed was to force myself to finish it. to pagans not to supress higher ed­ in these sex-purpose female bodies ((Thus I stagger through life.)) ucation which continued at Constan­ are not all female? What if one tinople and elsewhere. The seven of them was a male in a female banned professors emigrated to Per­ body? Would he make a better whore sia, found they liked State Zoroas­ or a worse one than a female mind? trianism even less than State Chris­ How would the customers react to # LETTER FROM DAVE TRUESDALE tianity and came back home. Was the articial females? To the idea October, 1978 the rise of modern science delayed of a human brain/personality embedd­ by this episode? Not in the slight­ ed in the body? To one of them be­ est. These professors were extreme 'To all those faneds who have ing male? How would the body func­ been so kindly sending me their fan­ Neo-Platonists, not Aristotelians. tion? This means they were mystics who zines over the past year (when TAN­ All very interesting questions GENT was not publishing) I thank despised the material world -- hard­ I'll have fim answering. ly a position favorable to scientif­ you most kindly. I would now ask ic discovery. The Byzantines kept your help in a project in which ev­ the works of Aristotle intact and eryone involved will benefit. I transmitted them to the Arabs and need each and every con report I Europeans who applied them much # LETTER FROM JOHN BOGGS can get my hands on (preferably from more usefully. the most well known or largest cons November, 1978 such as Westercon, Midwestcon, Bos- 'And by the way, it appears that kone, Worldcon, etc. etc. of 1978). 'I just finished ONE IMMORTAL a man named John Philoponus antic­ 'I also need to take a look at ipated Galileo's experiments during MAN and I consider it to be one of the better stories I've read this your fanzine for possible inclusion the reign of Justinian but nothing in THE SCIENCE FICTION YEARBOOK, came of this any more than came of year. Why couldn't you find anyone to publish it? Too much sex? Vio­ edited by , compiled having Aristotle's texts. The prag­ by yours truly, and published by matic, technically innovative med­ 6 Kerry O'Quinn. Tentative publica­ tion date is , 1979, so there's 'Just what the market needs, I the idea of UFOs-as-metaphysical- not much time. Please send me -- hear you say, another survey of manifestations...it's a mind-boggler if you haven't already -- your pub­ science fiction films. Ah, but of a book and makes a great antidote cations for 1978, as well as any and this one is different -- this is a to the simple mindedness of CLOSE all con reports you have published, bitchy survey. The first bitchy sur­ ENCOUNTERS.' IMMEDIATELY. I plan to use this in­ vey of SF films, in fact (it would formation in a section on Fandom have been a lot more bitchy if the and a section on Fanzines (Number, publisher hadn't cut a hell of a lot type, outstanding contributions in out on the grounds that I'd gone each category, etc.), so please do over-length by about 40,000 words). not delay. With your help THE SCI­ Apart from me the book also features ENCE FICTION YEARBOOK will finally interviews with directors Richard represent fandom and its works as Fleischer and Vai Guest, special no other publication has. effects man, Derek Meddings (THUND­ 'And remember, the YEARBOOK will ERBIRDS, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME) and be heavily visually oriented with such writers as Michael Moorcock many color photos and illustrations, (who puts the boot into the film so please send good copies of your version of ) Har­ publishing endeavors, for the year ry Harrison (who puts the boot into 1978 only. Again, I thank you and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS), John Baxter (who ask that you send all material to: puts the boot into me) and John THE SCIENCE FICTION YEARBOOK Brunner (who doesn't put the boot 7627 Bannister Road, into anyone, unfortunately, though Kansas City, MO 64134 he does have a few unkind words to say about ZARDOZ). Foreowrd is by Phone: (816) 761-0576 Harry Harrison and it should be ap­ pearing, courtesy of St. Martin's Press, some time in the New Year... 'Which leads me onto your com­ ments on CLOSE ENCOUNTERS... I ag­ # LETTER FROM STEPHEN GREGG ree completely. The film is a mess ETERNITY SF -- a lot of pretty- pictures obscur­ editors: henry l vdgel & ing the fact that its various parts STEPHEN GREGG don't add up to a cohesive whole. Its main flaw is that it really con­ PO Box 510, Clemson, SC 29631 sists of two different movies badly October 14, 1978 joined together. One movie is about "UFOs", bizarre phenomena whose ac­ 'Dick, tions have no rhyme or reason in # CARD FROM MIKE GLICKSOHN the material world; and the other 'Just a short note to let you movie is about these nice beings 1978 know that ETERNITY is being revived. from outer space who come down to Have found a partner, name above, tell us everything is going to be 'Just a postcard to thank you which solves the money and time all right. The mischievous, even for the steady stream of superior problems I encountered with ETERNITY sadistic behavior, of the UFOs in magazines you are kind enough to in its first incarnation. And hope­ the first half of the picture bears keep sending my way with only an oc­ fully this version will be consider­ no relation to those cute, friendly casional slim Xenium by way of res­ ed fully professional in both ap­ aliens who emerge from their flying ponse. I did want you to know that pearance and content. It will have Christmas tree at the end. I read through every issue and while full-color covers, typeset interiors I may skim over some of the reviews (our IBM Composer arrived yesterday), 'As usual, Hollywood is light and interviews I always read your a quarterly publishing schedule, etc. years behind current trends of own comments and most of the let­ thought: I don't think even the 'Rates for fiction will start ters . most devout UFOologist still be­ at l|/word for first NA rights, on lieves that the explanation behind '#26 is another fine issue, acceptance. We trust this will go the phenomena is connected with any­ the second installment of OIM being up after the first year or so. We thing as banal as visitors from out­ a highlight of the issue. And if are also looking for science artic­ er space. Even Ray Palmer had come your usual massive influence on the les and sf/fantasy oriented cartoons to the conclusion that flying sauc­ Hugo awards can be used to gain a and puzzles.' ers had more to do with inner space statue for Alexis Gilliland -- than outer, as he revealed in his whose work actually i1luminates THE STYMIE FACTOR. That was quite your magazine -- I know a lot of a remarkable piece...I read it in people who'd cheer rather loudly. # LETTER FROM JOHN BROSNAN an almost constant state of amaze­ 'One other thing: How did James 14 August, 1978 ment. At times I, disturbingly, McQuade, a fan I have never to my found myself nodding in agreement knowledge met, draw such an accura­ 'I know your letter writers ra­ with him and at other times I had te picture of me on page 9? Can I rely plug their own books in their to stop and go and have a drink of sue for defamation of character or letters but I'm afraid that's what water...One thing became obvious something? Once again, many thanks I'm doing here...I'm writing to by the end -- if anyone had a real for SFR; it's one hell of a fine announce a forthcoming publishing need to believe in UFOs, it was Ray magazine. event that almost nobody in the SF Palmer. world has been waiting for -- the 'Very best wishes.' appearance of my book FUTURE TENSE, 'Incidentally, Ian Watson's new which is a survey of science fiction novel, MIRACLE VISITORS, explores ALIEN THOUGHTS CONT. ON P. 16 films. 7 AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHN BRUNNER

THE SOBUE HOUSE: SEEING HE WORLD

Conducted By Ian Covell

John Kilian Houston Brunner was group--working under John F. Burke, BRUWER: I suppose I write science bom in Oxfordshire, , on the likewise the author of much note­ fiction for two major reasons. 24th of September, 1934. He was ed­ worthy SF--he continued to write in First, I got printed with it very ucated at Cheltenham College, where the evenings and at weekends and on early in life. When I was about six he specialized in modem languages making his first novel sale to the or seven I really got hung up on (in the summer before his seventeenth U.S. in November, 1958 (which ap­ science fiction and it was my favo­ birthday he took scholarship level peared as THRESHOLD OF ETERNITY rite entertainment reading until I papers in GCE in English, French from Ace in 1959) decided he could suppose the end of my teens, at and German). again trying his luck as a least. This may have something to freelance. do with the fact that I was growing His interest in the SF field had up during the war when our future begun at the age of six, with the Meantime he and his wife Marjor­ ie, ("My keenest and most astute seemed in some measure to depend on discovery of a copy of Wells' THE technological ingenuity: whether WAR OF THE WORLDS, though it was not critic") whom he married in the sum­ mer of 1958, had become closely in­ we could outdo the German airforce, until he was 13 that he collected for example. his first rejection slip. A couple volved in the Campaign for Nuclear of months after his seventeenth Disarmament, for which he wrote the song that has been described as "the SFR: H°w do you view the changes in birthday, he sold his first SF nov­ SF of the last few decades? el, of which he says, "Mercifully it national anthem of the British peace appeared under a pseudonym and sank movement", THE H-BOMBS' THUNDER. BRLWER: The emphasis has clearly without a trace". He left school In addition to his many books he shifted from the 'hard' shortly afterwards after informing which used to fuel it during the 30s the headmaster that school was be­ has contributed short stories and novelettes to all the leading SF and 40s to a greater concentration ginning to interfere with his edu­ on the sciences which touch on us cation. magazines in Britain and America. Translations of his work have ap­ as human beings--the so-called 'soft' Between leaving school and be­ peared in nine languages--though sciences (biology, medicine, ecolo­ ing drafted into the Royal Air Force that admittedly includes a solitary gy, ethology, ethnology and so he made his first sales to American article in Chinese. Two of his forth). I'm strongly in favor of magazines, starting with "Thou Good stories have appeared as TV adapta­ this because the raw material of all and Faithful" (under the pen-name tions, and he has also scripted a fiction is ultimately people and in "John Loxmith") in the March 1953 novel ("The Wailing the so-called "Golden Age" when one ASTOUNDING. Asteroid") for filming (as THE TER- looks back on it one feels that while the ideas were brilliant, the Following his National Service RORNAUTS). characterizations were often card­ he made a few more sales, and on the His novels have won various a- board. strength of them--as he puts it, wards. won the "under the mistaken impression that 1968 and the PRIX APOLLO SFR: Do you have favorite authors I was already a writer"--he moved as well as the British Science Fic­ or 'schools' of authors in SF? Out­ from his Berkshire home to London. tion Award. won side it? Which elements attract "I was living in a two-guinea-a- the British Science Fiction Award you? You introduced "The Best of week room on an income which averag­ the following year. THE SHEEP LOOK Philip K. Dick"--comment? ed L4 a week", he recalls. "I learn UP won the Italian prize, the COME- ed an awful lot of ways of cooking TA D'ARGENTO. THE SQUARES OF THE BRUNER: Do I have favorite auth­ potatoes". In the nick of time a CITY was shortlisted for the Hugo. ors? No, not really. Except inso­ job opening appeared and he went to far as because I'm chiefly a story­ work at the Industrial Diamond In­ teller (my strength is in narrative formation Bureau under science fic­ rather than in elegance of style or tion writer "John Christopher". SFR: Why has the majority of your whatever) I tend to go back and re­ Both in that post and for two fictional output been in the SF read people who are especially years subsequent when he was an ed­ genre? strong in this area. My idol, and itor with the Books for Pleasure 8 that of many other people in science fiction by the way, is Rudyard Kip­ speech in 1976 which 'proved' that don't settle down to work on any­ ling whom I regard as the most com­ the three basic plots were the only thing unless already I have the in­ pletely equipped writer ever to ones possible. Can you explain timation of action which will devel­ tackle the in the Eng­ that again? op from the idea and that means the lish language. characters have already started to BRUNNER: If you want my full think­ enact it. I'm also enormously impressed ing on the subject of plotting fic­ by anybody who can take me by sur­ tion then you should go to THE CRAFT SFR: Having reread those of your prise with a book or story. Some­ OF SCIENCE FICTION AND SCIENCE FAN­ body who can open my eyes to a whol­ books I possess, I think I can de­ TASY edited by Reginald Bretnor and tect that from an initial basis of ly different section of the world. published by Harper and Row. For example, while admiring the "People will set things right by skills of as a End of commercial break. But I doing something about them", it pro­ miniaturist, what I find lingers can summarize it by saying that, for gressed to "No one will do anything most in my mind after rereading his me, fiction does not become story and if this goes on...”. True? work (as I did just a couple of unless the characters acting it out weeks ago. I reread everything I are changed convincingly by what BRUNNER: I have become considerably have by Borges--about 6 or 7 books they experience. There are precise­ more cynical about our chances of altogether, I think) is the sense of ly three ways in which a person can survival as a species since I was in having been transported to a dif­ change/be changed: by emotional in­ my twenties. This is I think large­ ferent culture. This in some way volvement with someone else, by dis­ ly due to the fact that I've seen parallels the kick I get from Kip­ covering something within him/her­ so many people in the seats of power ling, who transports me to the van­ self that he/she was previously un­ fail to learn from experience and ished world of British India, which aware of, by force of uncontrollable make the same old mistakes again. was very real of course to him in circumstances. These are nicknamed Not only on the international scene his day. And this likewise paral­ "Boy Meets Girl", "The Little Tai­ but on the domestic scene. The at­ lels the appeal of science fiction. lor" and "Man Learns Better". titude of so many of our political I believe I once expressed this (in leaders seems to be, "It didn't work fact it was at the world convention SFR: Your own plots tend to be mys­ last time, but it should have done. in London in 1965) as conceiving teries or thrillers in which the So we'll do it again until it does' greatness in literature, in art, in last chapter or so reveals the rat­ work..." I'm afraid this is no rec­ terms of being made "more wise". ionale, an explique to the reader. ipe for the survival of our culture The little shiver that goes down Was this a conscious choice or some­ and civilization. It may not wind the back when you recognize you are thing you tended to find 'necessary' up with the extermination of our in the presence of true greatness when the book was nearly over? species but I am definitely gloomy is perhaps a miniaturized parallel about this version of human civili­ to enlightenment, satori or whatev­ BRUNF4ER: I don't consciously choose zation's prospects of getting out er. Not unnaturally, I suppose, I to make my plots mysteries or thril­ to the stars. I think it's going go looking for whatever in the light lers but I think I've already laid to take us another thousand or ten of past experience will give me this stress on the fact that basically I thousand years. Either that, or we am a narrator, a storyteller, and shall carry an extremely bad cons­ Philip Dick I admire tremend­ this is the easiest, most conven­ cience with us--leaving behind star­ ously. Chiefly because of his abil­ ient and often the most satisfying ving billions, whose ghosts I trust ity to create, with hallucinatory way of keeping up the tension of the will haunt the spacefarers forever. vividness, worlds from the inside of story for the reader. his own skull. His gift for making the absurd seem convincing while It's extremely rare for me to SFR: Another theme appears to be you're reading it is, I think, with­ start a book without knowing what "manipulation" and/or "possession". out parallel anywhere in the science the ending is. I may not know what (The two players of THE WANTON OF fiction field and possibly outside is going to happen between the start ARGUS, 1953, the weapon-combines of it. and the finish--in fact, very often THE JAGGED ORBIT, 1969, the vicar­ I don't, and that's the best part of ious emotion-vampires of PRODUCTIONS Otherwise I can't really say it--but definitely I know what dir­ OF TIME, 1967 and in the ultimate, that I go for particular authors or ection I'm going to head in. If I the direct chess game of THE SQUARES 'schools' of authors. I rather have don't then the argument will wander, OF THE CITY (I960).) This seems to dislikes than likes in this area: become diffuse, the characters will hint that you view mankind as con­ I dislike preciosity, I dislike over­ drift, and there won't be a story. trolled- -possibly as a rationale writing, I dislike people who try to veil shallowness of thought with ex­ SFR: do your plots tend to build travagant lushness of language. I from central themes with characters also have more time for people like, added, or vice versa? say, Milton--who was so brilliant a poet that he could write, in a poem, BRUNNER: I've a well-trained sub­ a line consisting of one syllable conscious now. Ideas pop up from it and still have a classical example occasionally which I simply scrib­ to quote to justify himself. In fact ble down on a sheet of paper and he wrote freer verse I think than shove in a file to get rid of them, anybody else achieved until about but those which turn into stories the...oh, about 1910, I suppose. or novels or, come to that, poems, I much prefer people like Milton to arrive in the form of a developed people like Pope, Dryden, anybody piece of reasoning, thinking. Not living in a strict or rigid age, just the general idea but an idea witty though such people may be-- fleshed out. So I can't say that in the eighteenth century sense of my plots built either from themes wit. with characters or vice versa. I SFR: I recall hearing your NOVACON 9 for his inaction, that it is not rest of the colony is not "murder­ treasure wisely or unwisely was a real humanity to blame, but a some­ ed". The other people are "poison­ matter between the sinner and God, how "higher" intelligence. Comment? ed", you might say "forcibly adapt­ not a question for debate in the ed" to Asgard, and what is of Earth village pub after working hours. BRUNER: I do not view mankind as in them is killed--but not themselv- Not until about Malthus's day were "controlled". "The fault, dear Bru­ es. Just as the six original ex­ mathematical and predictive tech­ tus, is not in our stars, it is in perimental volunteers make the ad­ niques powerful enough to allow us ourselves!" Are you sure this com­ justment by ingesting the hallucino­ to reason about this sort of prob­ ment is levelled at me? It sounds gen precursor which is a feature of lem. Those cultures, however, which more like something you could say to the Asgard vegetation so, after are sometimes nowadays offered as Eric Frank Russell after reading drinking water in which bruised examples of instinctive conservation SINISTER BARRIER--that's going back stems have been steeped, and being like the Amerinds, all too often turn a bit. No, very definitely I do deprived of the food of Earthly or­ out on close examination to have not view mankind as "controlled". igin on which they've been dependent been just as careless and greedy as The fault is entirely with ourselves the rest of the colony goes Asgard- we are--only not sufficiently num­ and we have only ourselves to trust sane. I should have thought that erous to cause permanent damage. to get us out of the mess we oursel­ followed fairly clearly, but if I ves have dumped us in. get the chance to revise this on a SFR: Your recent works seem to subsequent printing of the book I have concentrated on ecology, on SFR: Oftentimes in the early books, think I should because clearly a the political and social effects one man was the catalyst for action, lot of people have just read straight and causes. Other authors have cho­ a torch-bearer of sanity. In TO past that point. sen a more direct man-nature scenar­ CONQUER CHAOS the central point was That statement ("sanity con­ io; why have you chosen this ap­ that someone--the mechanical brain-- proach? was aware of a problem but uncom­ sists"...) was due to John Campbell. municative; when it did communicate, I got it from one of his editorials. In fact, I had some faint hopes BRUTOIER: Well, one of the defini­ the problem was "solved". AWARE­ tions of man is "the political ani­ NESS seems to be the rallying cry. that he might serialize the book, but he didn't. mal", and if one's going to talk about the interaction between human­ BRUWER: I can't really comment, ity and the biological environment because the central point of TO CON­ SFR: And "Polymath" finally points out that nostalgia is a destructive then it seems necessary in my view QUER CHAOS is rather that human be­ also to consider interaction between ings and not their machines have to influence, one can only live with what one has. Is mankind, in your groups. Politics, in other words. cope with problems. I don't think If other writers choose a different of the book in this sense at all. opinion, so very blind on this sub­ ject? approach then that's probably a I don't look at it from the sort of function of temperament. angle you seem to be indicating. BRUNhER: I don't quite see what SFR: Aside from the faddish eco­ Inasmuch as I can make sense of subject you mean. the statement about AWARENESS...(and logical notice of the last few I'm not sure that I do make sense of SFR: The need to live with one's years, has mankind's attitude alter­ it) well, I have a strong suspicion available resources. ed in any major way? (as I feel most people do) that you get on better in the world if you BRUNNER: Yes, I take the point. BRUNhER: This is open to debate. pay attention to what's happening I don't think one can give an answer We may see slight improvements in around you rather than shutting your yet. The very idea of being limited the worst areas (although the re­ eyes and rolling up in a ball in in respect of our natural resources cent conference on pollution in the the comer. is amazingly recent, you know. The Mediterranean, alas, closed down Christian tradition which shaped without any major decisions having SFR: Like the difference between the thinking of the rich western been taken) but the worst sort of "hearing" and "listening", many peo­ world was based on the notion that damage is being done elsewhere. ple (in my opinion) are not aware Adam was given dominion over the Places like Korea, Latin America. in an active sense... beasts of the field and the fishes Underdeveloped countries are just as of the sea and the rest of material bad as we are in the rich world at BRUI'JNER: Oh, that's a fair comment, creation, and whether we used our ruining the environment and they certainly. I think you may be driv­ ing at the sort of definition we owe to (if I remember rightly) Edmund Crispin, when he said that the chief attribute of a science fiction hero is that he's the guy who knows what is going on. And I have no quarrel with that. Indeed, I wish it could apply to me in real life.

SFR: In BEDLAM PLANET, 1968, one line was "sanity consists in doing what the planet you live on will accept", and in the same book those who will not adjust to this "sanity" are murdered...

BRUNNER: You seem to have misread my argument. You're not alone in this; I've had two or three other people make the same error. The 10 have far less incentive to develop first genuinely multi-racial society I served a year's term. For Family a conscience. on Earth. We have a tradition which Planning International, again before puts us in a position to do this, we left London, I used to do things SFR: Much of your work has concern­ and I see it being spoiled before it like revising publicity material-- ed racialism. You range from the is properly under way. And I'm polishing it, giving it more of a near-contemporary BLACK IS THE COL­ very much annoyed. point. OR and the Max Curfew thrillers, to It used to give me great delight "allegories" such as INTO THE SLAVE SFR: Do you use your fiction as to walk along Oxford Street and NEBULA/SLAVERS OF SPACE (Androids direct warnings against these types are human too!) and BORN UNDER MARS within the space of, let's say Sel­ fridges to Swears § Wells, hear a of problems, as adjunct to your non- (Martians are second-class citizens fictional output? to the mutated Earth- cul­ dozen languages being talked by the tures; this book also has the mes­ people who brushed past me, and know all the speakers were British. BRUNbER: No, I do not. One of the sage of a supposedly inferior being worst dangers that can befall a I used to like that. It was almost proved more useful and influential writer is to become didactic or the only excuse I could give myself than the "superior" races), culmin­ preachy, and I hope to goodness' I for going up to the center of town ating in the horrendous idea of THE have avoided that. The only safe when we lived in Hampstead. Other­ LONG RESULT where racialism has ex­ way to tackle a subject about which wise I detest big cities. But I see tended itself to mean "Mankind is you're seriously concerned is to that kind of fun fading under the the best race"... create believable characters in the inpact of meanness, short-sighted­ story who can credibly be concerned ness, time-serving local interest-- BRUNNER: THE LONG RESULT can not for their own sakes. It's fatal all the vices for which office-seek­ be said to "culminate" anything. I for characters in a book or story ers have been notorious since the first drafted that book when I was to be mere mouthpieces for the views beginning of recorded time. 21 and the published version dif­ of the author. This is in my view fers essentially only in that I re­ One of the few things that I what so often spoils books that wrote it in first person rather than miss, living in our little village might have been fascinating but third. So it goes right back to the in Somerset (I should say "large which were written by "amateur auth­ beginning of my career; it's not a village" now, I suppose) is our ors": Skinner's WALDEN TWO is a par­ culmination in any sense__ black friends. I miss them. Very ticularly bad case in point and much. Well, it is such fun to talk Robert Rimmer's THE HARRAD EXPERI­ SFR: I meant it rather in the to people whose assumptions since MENT is another "awful warning". sense of an ultimate idea of racial­ childhood are so radically differ­ ism, not an endpoint in your own ent from one's own. It's almost SFR: As a member of these organi­ work. like having science fiction happen zations, you would have had access to you in the real world. to statistics and other information BRUNNER: okay! As to BORN UNDER about proliferation and real facts MARS, well, there's no message in SFR: Speaking of racialism: Within about the problems; did this sort that, just one way of writing a days of the murder of Martin Luther of bombardment gradually make you story: To take somebody who turns King, you founded a "Martin Luther cynical, resigned, hopeless about up trumps at the end. This is known King Memorial Prize". Can you give mankind? as "The Little Tailor". In fact its aims and your involvement? that's a classic instance of it from BRUMER: My experience working with my work, I suppose. BRUNNER: I spent the earlier part CND in particular and to a lesser There are points in this ques­ of this afternoon, 20th January, extent the Countdown Campaign and tionnaire which indicate to me that 1978, packing up this year's submis­ other good causes like The National you've looked for something differ­ sions for the Martin Luther King Council for Civil Liberties, of which ent in my work from what I intended Prize to send off to my fellow ad­ I'm a member: Yes, indeed, this has to put into it. This question on judicators. Its aim is to award a made me much more cynical but see racialism for instance. Now, me, prize annually for literary work what I said earlier about the inab­ I have the firm conviction that what first published, or performed if ility of politicians to learn from has made Britain "Great" since about it's a script, in the United King­ experience. It looks as though the year 1066 or thereabouts, and dom during the calendar year preced­ people who are that greedy for power possibly quite a long time before, ing the date of the Award, which just leave their conmon sense behind is the fact that over and over we reflects the ideals to which Doctor on the way to high office. Or if have digested waves of immigrant King devoted his life. The last a- they're bom to high office they groups and we have somehow managed ward was made to Evan Jones for the never have a chance to acquire any to go on being a functioning nation­ scripts of the BBC series, THE FIGHT common sense. I am not, though, al unit. We've absorbed everybody AGAINST SLAVERY. I was very pleased hopeless about Mankind. I decline about that. My involvement is that to believe that this species I was from expatriate Jews through black ...well, I run the thing. body-servants brought back by smart bom into is due to be hung out to planters from the West Indies, to dry on a dead branch of the evolu­ Huguenot weavers who fled from French SFR: You are--were?--also involved tionary tree. Mark you, I do get repression of Protestants. You name very deeply in the Campaign for Nuc­ more worried with the passage of the population movement, we seem to lear Disarmament and "Countdown", the years. have got some of it. And we've the Family Planning International wound up being British. If we're Campaign... SFR: Your work tends to concentrate going to be a major power in the on mass social relationships: Polit­ 21st century, it seems to me neces­ BRUNNER: I went all the way through ics. The extreme personal subject sary that we should take advantage CND--of which I am still a member, of sex seems to be missing from your work... of what little good we did (not very by the way, although less active much of it, but some slight good we since we moved away from London-- did) going out and conquering the from local group level up to the BRUIflER: Do my works lack sex? I British Empire, and rescue from the National Executive Commitee on which have never thought so, certainly wreckage of the Commonwealth the my private life never has...I'm glad 11 to say. To be quite candid, I've ular relationship between specific like to script a "blue movie" with people, I turn away from SF (or near­ a million-dollar budget.) ly so--I'm thinking of QUICKSAND) and write a contemporary novel like SFR: Interpolated theology and sex­ THE CRUTCH OF MEMORY or THE DEVIL'S uality, I tend to miss things like WORK. Then it lays an enormous that. You have examined many dif­ egg, fails to earn out its advance fering political and social systems, and disappoints both me and its but I don't believe I ever saw you publishers, so I go back to where I examine the collision of religion know I can rely on paperback reprints with society or the relationship be­ and translations and so forth. For tween differing religions?... me, writing straight fiction has al­ ways been a luxury--a hobby, almost, BRUNNER: This is probably because to be fitted in when the bank ac­ religion qua religion plays no part count is flush enough to finance in my life. But as to the collision the three or six months I need to of religion with society, try the devote to the project. godhead sequences in THE STONE THAT NEVER CAME DOWN. SFR: Another seeming lack is reli­ gion. I do not advocate its use SFR: Religion does have the side­ had three goes at answering this particularly but I know of only a light of myth which is sometimes section and I'm afraid I've been few of your works that explore it present in your work. Planned? driven to the conclusion that you in any degree. haven't been reading the books I've BRUNNER: Oh, this is deliberate been writing. I can't see that this BRUISER: I'm afraid I react in ex­ of course, particularly in the case has any relevance to my writing. actly the same way. There is a of the Begi tales in STAND ON ZANZI­ There's nothing sexless about great deal about religion in my BAR. One of my great hobbies is Nickly Haflinger nor about Kate Lil- books. I have people practicing folk-lore. I'm by no means an ex­ leberg in . religions of an extremely wide pert on it but I am fascinated by There's nothing sexless about Hans range. For WEB OF EVERYWHERE I even the way in which something as triv­ Dykstro in WEB OF EVERYWHERE; he's invented a brand-new religion. In ial as a dirty joke can survive for had affairs with men as well as wo­ fact, I've done this more than once. centuries and perhaps millennia. men. There is a very considerable Even in such a relatively trivial amount of sex--some of it explicit work as THE MAN FROM THE BIG DARK SFR: THE SQUARES OF THE CITY was an and overt--in THE SHEEP LOOK UP. (which you'll find in INTERSTELLAR odd book to write. Why did you In STAND ON ZANZIBAR there's an ex­ EMPIRE) have you completely over­ write a "" work based on a tremely wide range of sexual activi­ looked the man who adheres to a rel­ chess game? It seems to have been ty up to and including an orgy! Are igion which requires the burial of a completed in 1960 but not published there not people enjoying sexual body intact for it to be resurrected until 1965; can you explain the de­ connections of assorted kinds, not and who in consequence is busy kil­ lay? A note at the end says the to mention fetishisms, in THE JAGG­ ling all the glob-fish he can reach? final moves were not made (not that ED ORBIT? In THE STONE THAT NEVER I have, in STAND ON ZANZIBAR, not I wish they were)--a hint, perhaps, CAME DOWN I recall a reviewer in, only existing varieties of Christian­ of a "need for reconciliation"? I think it must have been one of ity, but another one...no, two oth­ Ted White's magazines, commenting ers, come to think of it, The Divine BRUNNER: I do not see that it was approvingly on the fact that I'd put Daughters as well as the Right Cath­ an odd book to write. I wrote it a "gay" person into a science fic­ olics; I've got a new Muslim heresy, for a very good reason. I wanted tion novel without this causing any The Children of X. Religion turns to set myself the toughest challenge kind of special fuss...Is not Mus­ up in just about every one of my I possibly could. At the time I tapha Sharif in WEB OF EVERYWHERE? novels that I can call to mind off­ was turning out a lot of quick, (I'm concentrating on the recent hand. It may not be a major feature simple, underpaid work for Ace--I works, of course) an extremely sex­ of the argument... but, in MORE THINGS had to produce a lot of it to keep ual person? No, I'm always very IN HEAVEN, people's response is to my head above water and not go back concerned in my books to present hu­ turn to religion when monsters to an office job. Over a period of man beings as sexual creatures. start appearing in the sky. In THE about 18 months I put together the DREAMING EARTH, again there's an most difficult book I could conceive SFR: Why "of course"? invented religion, the Holmesites. of to write: Matching a novel move In AGE OF MIRACLES (formerly DAY OF for move with an International Grand BRUNNER: You mean "recent works of THE STAR CITIES) the solution to Master Class chess game without the course?" Oh, because they're fresKer the problem is to found a religion game showing through, without making in my mind as well as closer to my again. I cannot make much sense of the action of the book creak. I real-world thinking... and because your statement. At least I must say finished it in May 1960. The reason when I was writing the earlier works I don't advocate its use either, for the delay is simply that it was people weren't asking me this kind particularly. It's a habit-forming bounced by just about every publish­ of question, so I never bothered to drug rather worse than morphine. er you can think of. When eventual­ try and work out answers. ly Ballantine did take it on, I was It is true that if you come to about prepared to give up hope, but SFR: I meant perhaps: Few of your my books looking either for frank I'd gone on sending it out because scenes in the confessional or mas­ books seem to examine in detail a I was damn bloody sure it was the turbation , you'll go away relationship or relationships, more best book I had written up to that disappointed. I confined my "hard- often they are about mass relation­ point. And it was. I told you it pom" to "hard-pom" publishers and ships or the collision of cultures? was shortlisted for the Hugo. I'm they didn't pay me well enough. sorry it didn't come out the year BRUNNER: This is probably true of (One of these days I would dearly I finished it or the year after be­ SF in general, isn't it? When I cause it would have advanced my car­ feel inclined to deal with a partic­ 12 eer by several rungs of the ladder. And it's still in print. I forget opted the style because I'd been are not rats. Nonetheless, it seems how often it's been back...I think struggling for over two years to to be an inescapable concomitant of there have been six or seven edi­ find a way in which to present my urban life that the incidence of tions by now. central argument: What happens in violent crime goes up rapidly and a world so grossly overpopulated the incidence of mental breakdown The final moves of the game increases. Remember that everybody were not incorporated for the good that people have reluctantly accept­ who has ever been prescribed a tran­ and sufficient reason that if they ed eugenic legislation, if someone quilizer has been treated for a had been my protagonist would have comes along with a means of optim­ ising the embryo? During my attend­ mental illness and you'll begin to been dead. This has nothing to do ance at the Milford Science Fiction see the scale of the problem. with whatever you mean by "the need Writer's Conference (September,1966, for reconciliation". Does it? SFR: These destructive relation­ SFR: I meant that the book could ships seem to be increasing nowadays /M MOI /sKlNgV, have been third instead of first- If you still believe in the coming person which would not have changed YOU, 1*1 existence of this world, how long do you give us? the book much save to lead into the YOU V idea of an outside observer--the chessplayer--and could have hence BRUNNER:. Yes, I do feel that all killed off the protagonist as the these crises in personal relations real game had it... are exacerbated by increasing popul­ ation pressure. We have palliatives BRUNER: No, no, no--absolutely but we have no cure at the moment. not! The book couldn't have been Jonas Salk seems to believe that we written third-person! (In fact it can go into what he calls an "Epoch was from writing THE SQUARES OF THE B"--that is to say, achieve a stable CITY that I learned what was wrong optimum plateau of population. I with THE LONG RESULT.) On the one am doubtful. I think we are more hand the omniscient author would I think it must have been) in Mil­ likely a "population crash" species. have been able to tell the reader ford, Pennsylvania, it dawned on me How long do I give us? Well, I'm much more than the circumscribed that I didn't have to devise a way no better equipped to guess that awareness of Boyd Hakluyt could of presenting it. It had been done than anybody. It depends what does perceive, he being a single-minded for me. I could simply rob John it for us. If it's a nuclear war, and somewhat blinkered person; on Dos Passos wholesale. So I did. I'd say one thing. If it's a great the other, my intention would have And it worked. I recall when I had plague, I'd say another. So far as been undermined if the game had the typescript lying on the piano our species goes I think we're prob­ gone to its original conclusion and just prior to sending it off, Tom ably pretty tough and pretty durable the reader would have been left with Disch came to call. I asked him to but so far as our civilization goes the inpress ion that I wanted him/ leaf through a few pages and he I think we're very fragile and in­ did, and he looked up and said, her to believe we are pawns and creasingly fragile the more we beoane pieces. I wanted the contrary!* I "Marvellous, why hasn't anyone ad­ urbanized, and the more the pressure apted Dos Passos to science fiction of living cheek-by-jowl with our before?", which pleased me enormous­ stranger neighbors is going to wear *The chess-game in SQUARES was per- ly- away our tolerance and explode in fectly legal--of course--in its ori­ I spent about five months on the riots, violence, individual crime. ginal version. I interchanged a writing. My research was all done couple of pawn moves, making them I think before I started writing. irregular, to emphasize that people SFR: Later you wrote THE SHEEP LOOK I accumulated a pile of clippings aren't pawns. UP which is a virtual rewrite--less (about four, four and a half inches complex--of STAND ON ZANZIBAR. Why high by the time I'd finished) in a did you write it? Wasn't ZANZIBAR wanted a situation where only the polythene bag and I never touched enough? most devious expedients (like the it during the writing of the book. agreed irregular pawn-move which SFR: Can you explain the popularity BRUNER: Rewrite? Ouch! I strong­ takes place while Hakluyt is out of ly recommend that you go back and town, and someone throws paint over of the book? take another look at that one. the statue of the national hero BRUNER: This is due to the fact and machine-guns are set up in the SFR: I meant to ask why you wrote square outside the luxury hotel) that it is the best bloody book I a novel with such a similar theme, could maintain the illusion that have ever written. Apart from which a similar type of novel, to ZANZI­ it obviously touched a raw nerve in people are manipulable. I'm glad to BAR. In fact, quite a few of yOur the popular consciousness. say that right until now everybody later books have at least some sim­ I've talked to about the book has ilarity to it. seen this point without being SFR: The human relationships tend to the destructive or nightmarish: prompted. BRUNNER: I suspect you're being Rape, terror, incest, anger, murder, misled by a gradually developing SFR: STAND ON ZANZIBAR: Why did suicide, insanity... technique which I found applicable you write the book? Why did you to more than one version of our BRUNER: The relationships necess­ write it in such a style? How long possible future--there being degrees did it take you to write and how arily were alarming. Given that ov­ of probability which shift from year much research did you do? What were erpopulation, so far as we can judge to year as we find out more about the basic assumptions of the scen­ from species that we've studied in our predicament. Just to demonstr­ this fashion, tends to create a sit­ ario? ate one fundamental distinction from uation of stress, agitation and ev­ my point of view between SOZ and entually violence. The classic BRUNER: I wrote it because I want­ TSLU: The former takes place in studies have been done on rats. We ed to write it. There's no point in "dislocated time"--i.e. if you try asking for any other reason. I ad­ 13 to map on a calendar what happens to Norman and what happens to Donald too strongly that looking in a novel writer a second time after a lapse and to various subsidiary character^ for a message is nine times out of of several years are, basically, it can't be made to fit. There are ten (and I would hope ninety-nine dialogue, characterization, descrip­ three narrative time-scales running times out of a hundred in my output) tion and hitches in the narrative in story-harness which aren't chron­ pointless. flow, in that order. A perfect ex­ ologically reconcilable. By con­ This question of message is not ample is given by TIMES WITHOUT NUM­ trast, TSLU is narrationally one which you can honestly, serious­ BER. When I rewrote it I managed to strict; what is presented in the ly put to a novelist like myself... get around something that I simply context of this month falls within A message belongs in a sermon or a copped out of on the first draft: this month, story-time, and as near­ piece of advertising copy. It does How about time travel, the Pope, and ly as convenient succeeds what ap­ not belong in a work of fiction and the lifetime of Jesus? I think I peared on the preceding pages. I sedulously avoid this so far as covered my bets there very neatly. possible. Clearly if you look at a But in the first draft I'd simply SFR: Your work shows increasing wide cross-section of my work you chickened out of facing the questiai. hopelessness. Several of your later will see that, for instance, I have works have "downer" endings insert­ very great difficulty in portraying SFR: That's several times you've ed. Do these hint that the earlier an out-and-out villain. I find it used the word "argument" about your upbeat novels were disguised traged­ almost impossible to believe in books. How do you mean the word? ies, possibly dictated by market people who are fundamentally evil, cons ide rat ions ? even though I know, in the cerebral BRUNO: There are two senses, un­ sense of knowing, that such people BRUNNER: Hold it! I don't go ar­ fortunately: One is quasi-legal have been recorded in the course of (the lawyer presents his argument, ound inserting endings. If there history. I find it almost literal­ were upbeat endings in my earlier that's a well-argued case; he is ly impossible to write a villain arguably the laziest man in Somer­ work then that almost certainly re­ without giving some grounds for his flects the fact that the world was set, this is inarguably a stupid villainy. In the classic phrase of point of view) while the other is offering me more optimistic raw mat­ Mort Sahl, "Okay, we come from a erial to work with when I was in my more a logician's word, so to say: twenties and early thirties. It's The argument of an operatic libret­ been a very long while indeed since to, or as in my own case, of a story. I have had to tailor my books to I often use the latter term, rather market considerations. I did, some than saying plot, because the plot five or six years ago, find that I of a story concerns the interactions was writing so many novels with of the characters, whereas the argu­ downbeat endings that I must force ment concerns the principles under­ myself to write one with an upbeat lying the eventual resolution. In ending for of losing the abil­ one of Aesop's or La Fontaine's ity. Hence THE STONE THAT NEVER FABLES this could be summarized in­ CAME DOWN. That wasn't imposed on to the moral; in most modern works me by outside considerations. I mean of fiction, because we live in a it wasn't an order from an editor world which we regard as more pre­ or publisher which made me do it. carious and more equivocal, such a broken home! Now will you give us conclusion would be oversimplified It was just a decision that I took the money?" from looking over what I'd published and perhaps arbitrary. most recently. On the other hand, SFR: Of recent years, you have re­ THE SHOCKWAVE RIDER reflects some­ SFR: You have used several pseudo­ vised a few (about nine) of your nyms; any particular reason? The thing which I hold very deep con­ earlier novels. How did you choose victions about. We landed ourselves late John T. Phillifent used to which to revise and wb you did so, publish his "best" books under his in this mess! It's nobody else's which elements did yo ter, a fault! We could, if we put our own name and the others as by "John change in emphasis ps? Why did Rackham"... minds to it, get ourselves out of you revise them? it again. What's lacking is a de­ cision. BRUNO: The only reason I've used BRUNO: I chose the books to re­ pseudonyms is so as not to appear vise on the basis of the fact that SFR: Although ENIGMA FROM TANTALUS to be in competition with myself. they had a stronger plot or argument That is to say, apart from my very was noticeable for its ending in than I was equipped in my early days 1965, in 1971 came THE WRONG END OF very early da',e. The reason I pub­ to do justice to. The 'derations lished my fi story in ASTOUNDING TIME in which a main protagonist were largely a shift - phasis, kills himself because he cannot take under the name John Loxmith was be­ but not invariably. / ^imes I cause everybody--my schoolteachers, the chance he may one day be unable simply expanded. Foi —istance, the to avert a catastrophe he has for- my parents, everybody in a position book which appeared as EARTH IS BUT to tell me what to do--was saying seen, in 1974 WEB OF EVERYWHERE had •A STAR and as THE HUNDREDTH MILLEN­ a protagonist who killed himself be­ that I must eive up all thought of IUM grew up to be very much longer earning my i ing as a writer. So cause he was basically destructive in the CATCH A FALLING STAR version, and could not change. TOTAL ECLIPSE just in caL Jiey were right and I because I was able to luxuriate was wrong, I put a pen-name on that had an unexpected twist destroying more in the sheer variety of my im­ burgeoning hope. There is no com­ particular story. I gathered cour­ aginary future world. That revision age and strength after that, and my promise, no ambivalence in these almost wrote itself, retaining the endings, the message seems to be other pseudonyms, Keith Woodcott and original plot-line but adding col­ Trevor Staines, were wished on me by that there is no help, no relief-- or, detail, density. Is this correct? Have you changed Ted Carnell when he was editing SC­ of late?.... The chief shortcomings of my IENCE FANTASY to hide the fact that early work which I tried to rectify he was running two or three stories when I put a book through the type- by me in the same issue. Later on, BRUItER: I think you're looking for when I was publishing so many novels a message again. I cannot stress 14 with Ace that I was in competition with myself, I put the Woodcott name on a few of them. I think Mr. Wood­ cott wrote half a dozen books. But NOISE LEVEL there's no particular difference in quality between the Brunner books of that period and the Woodcott. a. colximn

SFR: Several years ago you founded BRUNNER FACT AND FICTION. Why did you do this? John bpunnep BRUNER: We founded this in 1966, basically because if anything hap­ pens to me the company doesn't die with me. From 1964 onwards I've been traveling fairly regularly to A GRAB-BAG OF WHAT YOU MIGHT the States. I try to get over there CALL INSIGHT INFORMATION once a year. I'd been doing increas­ ingly more traveling without my wife and it occurred to us to worry Over the past several years I Here, then -- and probably in about what would happen if I were have grown into a habit which I nev­ future Noise Level columns - - are killed in an aircrash, particularly. er used to find necessary, but some scraps culled from several I'm insured, but if something were which now is essential -- partly, years of trying to catch transient to happen to me and she were left no doubt, because of advancing age, insights and convert them into words to sort out the mess, an author's but in large measure I'm convinced * a * estate is notoriously difficult to because of the damage my year's probate because they impose arbit­ course of Aldomet did to my short­ First off, a point which I sup­ rary values on unsold copyrights, term memory. I write down ideas on pose must have struck me when I was that sort of thing. With the com­ scraps of paper and stick them in a adding to the new ideas file at a pany then Marjorie could go on cash­ file-cover, sometimes as often as particularly rapid rate. three or four times a day. ing my royalty checks without having We are not evolved for an age to wait for legal argy-bargy. In I don't mean to imply that in when an "anybody" like me can have some respects it's useful from the the old days ("Ah, I had genius insights or thoughts or inspirations tax point of view, and in some res­ then!" -- Ben Johnson, in NO BED FOR which in e.g. classical times would pects it's a drawback. Corporation BACON) I didn't write down ideas, or have been enough to sustain a high Tax is higher than Personal Income at least the ones I thought were priest for a lifetime! Tax; on the other hand by splitting going to prove useful. I certainly (I see on the same page I also my income two ways we escape the did. But in far more formal fash­ noted down: cf. Paul -- "Behold I highest brackets of Income Tax. Es­ ion, on 6 x 4 index cards which I reveal unto you a mystery." Yes, sentially the company exists to ad­ then carefully stored at the back he was one very high priest, that minister my copyrights and to sur­ of my sales-record drawer. The vive after my death, in case some­ front bit is classified SOLD; the guy...) thing ghastly happens to me before back bit -- no, not UNSOLD, but But I have insights of that or­ I'm willing and ready to go. PENDING. It sounds more optimistic. der twice a day! SFR: What work are you doing now-- But if I'd entered every last At least, according to the note are you staying with SF, restrict­ one of these ideas on a card, I'd I do. And there's a degree of truth ing your output...? have a stack of file-drawers by in it. For instance, over the years now. So I just make sure I put my I've been desultorily devising an BRUNNER: I think you already know scribbles where I can locate them imaginary religion, meant for a nov­ about my major historical novel, again. Reading them again, of el which I may well never write. which I'm working on, STEAMBOATS ON course, is a different matter... I am one hundred per cent certain that it is now self-consistent en­ THE RIVER. I'm not going to talk Yesterday, after hunting high ough for use --in the real world? about it, because a talking writer and low for the file (it turned out Why not? Ron Hubbard did it! is seldom a writing writer. I'd cleverly catalogued it under U Whether I'll come back to sci­ for UNEXPLOITED), I finally found On a slightly more serious lev­ ence fiction after this, I don't the time to check through this mass el: It is true that, thanks to med­ know. I think it's very likely. I of random notes. ia which make things old if they date back five, even three years, find science fiction so much easier Mich to my relief, a remarkably more people are being exposed to the to write than anything else I've high proportion of them made sense, notion that being a maker or creat­ ever tried. and some were genuine rediscoveries. or is a job like other jobs. Which­ For instance, I found the transcript ever way you turn, you find people SFR: Thank you, Mr. Brunner. of a dream I had on the way back who have been destroyed by this as­ ************************************ from a French SF convention, which sumption, whether by being burned obviously must have made a tremen­ up (Jimi Hendrix or Mama Cass or dous impression on my mind, for I Sandy Denny or...) or by excessively noted it down in detail. Yet, Mien early success which wiped out the I came across that piece of paper, impulse (I didn't hear anything from I literally could not remember hav­ Adam Diment lately), or simply by ing had such a dream, and still being reduced to the necessity of can't. The image, though, is a pe­ being inventive in order to survive, culiarly powerful one; I think it which above all can cancel out the may grow up to be a poem. pure joy of creation. 15 Perhaps this view of the creat­ ive person leads to a greater accep­ # LETTER FROM DR. DEAN R. LAPBE tance of the artist in society; he/ ALIEN THOUGHTS CONT. FROM P. 7 she is no longer grovelling for pat­ October, 1978 ronage but can stand up and speak # There has been a constant plea as a citizen. I don't know whether 'The following might be of some this situation is wholly new -- in from various and sundry to please include the addresses of letter interest for Elliott's "The Human ancient Rome when Nero proudly claim­ Hotline": ed to be the greatest artist of them writers whose letters are published all, one suspects the artist's stat­ in SFR. In fact, addresses are '"Dean R. Lambe has made his us was much enhanced (though the wanted for almost everyone whose first fiction sale to Ben Bova question arises: Was Nero any sort writing appears in SFR. at OMNI. The short story was of artist when he wasn't being em­ I'm willing to do that. But purchased for four figures. peror, or was it something he took I'm aware, too, that some writers Along with everyone else with up as a hobby after inheriting the do not want their addresses general­ any sense, Lambe renegotiated throne?). ly known, because they don't want to the OMNI contract -- a docu­ bother with a lot of extra mail... ment with which Faust would On the other hand, according to having to respond to fan mail and/or have been familiar." PUNCH a hundred years ago, it was unwanted queries about their work smart for a young man about town and etc. 'H'ninm, well so much for the (a "swell") to be mistaken for a So, beginning with the March- sage old advice on how to break in­ painter, if not for a poet. Even in April issue, I'll print the address­ to the penny-a-word, we'11-pay-you- a period which we tend to think of es of contributors unless they say some-year markets. Of course, I as exceptionally square, this trace me nay. might have started there, if the of respect (awe?) survived... READ THIS!! editors (?) of those failing zines ever answered their mail or return­ AFTER THIS ISSUE. THE ADDRESSES ed manuscripts in less than six OF CONTRIBUTORS WILL APPEAR IN THE months. Hated to see Scithers get But what I started out to con­ MAGAZINE. IF YOU ARE A WRITER. RE­ the Hugo this year, obviously few sider when I wrote myself that note VIEWER. ARTIST. INTERVIEWER. LET PE must, I imagine, have been a some­ of the Hugo voters submit manu­ KNOW IF YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR ADDRESS scripts; there's just nobody like what different aspect of the sub­ PRINTED. AND PLEASE LET PE KNOW ject. VERY SOON! Bova. J.H. Fremlin, who performed cal­ Thank you. 'Congrats on your own well-earn­ culations to show that the limit of ed Hugo, by the bye. Hope things human expansion (the point at which # DID YOU KNOW that a male spider's have changed enough at GALAXY for the earth re-radiates as much energy penis is at the end of one of its it to survive your book reviews as falls on it from the sun) will legs? (can't say that I'm sad to see Walk­ be reached when our entire planet, Now, will somebody please write er's reviews go). ' land and water, is covered by apart­ a s-f story incorporating that data? ((Congratulations to you on your ment blocks 2000 miles high, also There's this sentient alien arachnid, sale. The classic marketting ad­ said that life might not be so un­ see, and he is stuck on Earth for vice has always been to try the bearable "because at any given time fifty years... there will be four million Shakes­ best-paying markets first. peares and sixteen million Beatles ((I'm not sure how to take alive..." that crack about my book reviews. ff In answer to a query: no, I have Come to think, I'll take it badly. But this isn't and can't be no plans for any kind of yearly in­ *Snurffle... . sniff. ...*)) true. What makes an artist --in dex for SFR. Nor will I resume "The the broadest sense -- stand out is Archives" in SFR. I recommend a sub­ rarity. In a tribe of thirty to scription to LOCUS for those who fifty adults, the odds are definite­ need an accurate record of all sf ly against your community including and fantasy published. # LETTER FROM someone with creative genius. In LOCUS PUBLICATIONS, POB 3938, ROBERT ANTON WILSON San Francisco, CA 94119. $9. for a city of a million, precisely the November, 1978 reverse is true, and there may well 12 issues in USA. Write for other be several such people. rates. 'The letter from Dr. Bartucci I see the role of SFR as one of in your November-December issue is Is their impact conparable with reviewing and interviewing and news certainly a masterful piece of the appearance in your thirty-to- and opinion. From now on there will invective, but somehow it fails to fifty-strong tribe of a child prod­ be no fiction i SFR...(Unless I convince me. It seems, at least igy? No way, man. No way! change my mind sometime. That isn't from over here, that Dr. Bartucci I stand by my undated insight: likely.) got so carried away with denouncing We are not evolved for an age where Arne C. Eastman's "blissful, dead­ so much information abounds that ly ignorance", "Cocksure arrogance", ideas which would have been inpos- etc. that he missed the whole point sible even a generation ago are of why Eastman and millions of oth­ springing up in the minds of other­ ers are so hostile to orthodox med­ wise perfectly ordinary people. icine in this country today. Al­ though I expect that this will just And since frustration steins from lead to Dr. Bartucci insulting me thwarted creativity, I think we may as roundly as he has already done be due for a sort of civil war. to Eastman, I would like to state Perhaps (he added, thinking of the case as I see it. the New York subway and its decor­ 'The reasons for trying to ated trains) this war has already learn as much about medicine as pos­ broken out. sible, and act as your own physician ************************************ where possible, are based partly on anger and partly on sheer despera­ cured (or seemingly cured) by unor­ is given alt kinds of expensive, tion. But they are also based on thodox methods like acupuncture, useless tests and treatments to en­ cold calculation of the risks of yoga, herbal teas, faith-healing, rich the hospital and the doctors the situation. etc. etc. etc.; and everybody knows "needed" for opinions. Thus in a '1. American medicine is cru­ people who have died horribly in hectic hour $500 to $1,000. can be elly, excessively, unusually exploit­ the merciless "care" of the money- gleaned. ative. A major illness is inevitably hungry orthodox medicos. It seems ((Of course the anxious, grief- a major financial disaster, to the to me that whether we decide to try stricken relatives in waiting are average American family. This is alternatives or to resort to the unable to deny the patient these especially true of those who are A.M.A., we are taking a gamble; tests and services. "If there’s a self-employed and not covered by and the best we can do, under the chance, doctor... " group insurance, but it is also circumstances, is to be aware that ((So it goes. true, to an alarming degree, even we are gambling either way and to ((At the same time it must be ad­ of those who are covered by such try to judge each problem independ­ mitted that if that first doctor insurance. Blue Cross, Blue Shield ently. Blind faith in either the said to the relatives, "There ’s no etc. are notorious for leaving you establishment or in some pop-cult hope. He/she’ll be dead in an hour owing thousands of dollars when alternative is not the answer. Ul­ or so. There’s nothing we can do. " you thought you were "fully cover­ timately, we have to think, and de­ there’s a chance he and the hospital ed". Now, every institution in cap­ cide, for ourselves, and take the might be sued for mal-praetice... for italist society is "exploitative" responsibility. That is what Mr. not going through the motions. So in the general sense that they're Eastman is trying to do, and I wish the problem is partly with the pa­ all out to gouge as much as they him well in the effort, and hope de­ tients and relatives, too. Big mon­ can; but none are quite as vampiric voutly that Dr. Bartucci's dire pre­ ey costs and big money profits often as the medical profession. Every dictions about untimely death, etc. bring out the worst in doctors, pa­ poll shows that doctors are dislik­ will not be fulfilled. tients and lawyers. The medical structure of this country is not con­ ed and resented more than any other 'My own policy is to avoid the professional group, for precisely cerned primarily with curing and pre­ orthodox medicos as much as possible vention and repairing. It is firstly this reason; there is something in­ -- first, because I simply do not a profit-making machine for its own­ furiating about a group of people want those greedy bastards getting ers and its leeches.)) getting rich and fat out of the pain any richer off me than they already and suffering and agony of their have; second, because they are so fellow citizens. Nobody hates the bloody pompous and intolerant that other gougers such as plumbers, or I am sure they must be wrong at TV repairmen, or even bankers or least half the time; third, because # LETTER FROM CHARLES PLATT lawyers, quite as much as doctors I believe that the more responsib­ are hated -- because no other group ility I take for myself, the more I October, 1978 gouges so much, and gouges it out grow as a full human being, in the of us when we are in pain and fright­ sense of the Human Potential move­ 'Thanks for the latest SFR. The ened. ment. But I am not so angry and Bova interview was good, although, outraged as to be blind; I will re­ yet again, I often had the impres­ '2. American medicine is cold, sion that the interviewer was too inhuman, dehumanizing and general­ sort to the bastards when I have to. (However, if I ever develop a real­ dumb for the interviewee. There are ly treats the patient like a part so many Darrell Schweitzers in the ly major illness, I will migrate to on a Ford assembly-line. An Ameri­ world, under different names (in England, where there is a decent can hospital is virtually indis­ Britain, one such is Brian Stable- socialized medicine system, so that tinguishable from an American slau­ ford) . They are unstoppably prolif­ my prolonged hospitalization and/or ghterhouse in the way it treats the ic, disseminating their shallow death will not be accompanied by a poor animals that get processed thinking and college-educated plat­ crushing financial disaster for my through it. Everybody knows this, itudes through every available semi- wife and children.) and hates it, except the doctors. professional outlet, drowning us in The doctors are getting rich off 'Of course, this policy is a superficiality and dumbness. I wish it, so why should they notice that risky one. But I am walking today they would all go away and get jobs the victims are not machine-parts because I was treated, for polio, as computer programmers.' or sheep but suffering fellow-hum­ by the Sister Kenny method, at a ans? Films like THE HOSPITAL with time (the 1930s) when the orthodox ((Be it noted that Charles Platt George Scott or TELL ME WHERE IT medicos were denouncing that method is working on some sf interviews HURTS with Peter Sellers, and books as witchcraft and charlatanry. Those for publication in SFR. Then like IT'S CHEAPER TO DIE are ex­ who blindly trusted orthodox medic­ Schweitzer and Elton Elliott can pressions of the growing public ine, in that case, are mostly still take pot-shots at him!)) horror and outrage at the whole in­ crippled today, if alive at all. human system. Mr. Eastman's letter There are risks both ways, as I was another expression of that hor­ said. I think the biggest risk of ror and outrage. Dr. Bartucci all is to trust a profession so seems to think Eastman speaks only lacking in ethics, in open-minded­ # LETTER FROM DOUG BARBOUR for himself; he does not. He speaks ness and in simple human decency 8/31/78 for millions who are "mad as hell as the established medical profes­ and not going to put up with this sion in America today.' any more". 'Well, yas, much as I find some of your attitudes a great tribula­ '3. American medicine is nar­ (('les, rip-off artists they often tion, I was planning to renew; just row, dogmatic and increasingly re­ are...as when they get a major sorta forgot. If only you wouldn't sembles the medieval priestcraft, stroke patient and the admitting give so much space to Darrell Sch­ as Dr. Thomas Szasz has pointed out doctor can tell immediately the pa­ weitzer, he said, but that's such in numerous books. Evaluate the tient has no chance. But the pa­ about alternative systems tient goes into Intensive Care and ALIEN THOUGHTS CONT. ON P. 35 any way you wish, but the fact re­ mains that everybody knows somebody 17 AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL MOORCOCK

By Ian Covell

SFR: Could you start by giving an The last time I left Michael hot summer day -- there were eight­ autobiography? Hall, there was some confusion over een employees in a room not much dates and I arrived at the station more than 14 by 25 -- it was an ex­ MOORCOCK: I was bom in Mitcham, to find no one to meet me. My moth­ panding company, though it never ex­ Surrey (on the outskirts of London) er had moved in the meantime, so I panded its premises), I joined Har­ December 18th, 1939. My earliest didn't know where to go. I spent old Whitehead and Partners as an of­ memories are of air fights and the most of the night in the police sta­ fice junior. like (we were between Biggin Hill tion. I went next to a local (Nor­ and Croydon aerodromes) and my bury, London SW16) private school This was a management consult­ strongest nostalgic memories are of where all that I'd learned at Mich­ ants and everyone from the boss down bomb-sheIters, bomb-sites and shrap­ ael Hall (algebra, languages and was incredibly nice to me, encour­ nel. I doubt if I ever felt more so on) was dismissed. I wasn't very aging me to do even more fanzines on secure than during the war -- there happy there and played truant a lot. the firm's duplicator and to write. were so many basic affirmations of Failed my 11-plus. My main job was going to security, like shelters. This is Library twice a week to get two not cynicism. The first school I In desperation, my mother de­ books for the boss and one I thought went to was rotten and I didn't go cided to give me a "business" educa­ he (and I) might like. The people back because it was bombed. My tion and equip me for a journalist's there provided me with a more soph­ father left my mother (he hadn't career (since I'd by now started to isticated education, more encourage­ served in the war) around, I think, produce hand-done magazines like ment, more friendship than I'd ever 1945. After VE Day, I think, but OUTLAW'S OWN, using carbons for cop­ had before. They encouraged me to I'm not sure. My mother moved soon ies) by sending me to Pitman's Col­ take the job on TARZAN ADVENTURES after, but not very far. A couple lege. I learned typing but all the when it was offered. At 16 I'd of years of my childhood were spent other subjects were a mystery to me. started selling articles and stories in a fairly primitive corrugated as­ I left at 15 and became an office to the magazine. bestos cottage with an Aga stove as boy in a shipping company. By this its most modem convenience. It was time I had produced a fair number of By 17 I was full-time editor -- in the grounds of an old mansion fanzines and so on. One was an largely because nobody else would which had either fallen down or Edgar Rice Burroughs fanzine, but work for the low wages they were been bombed. A factory (where my most of them were fairly general, paying. I was unable to leave the mother worked) and a tyre dump also like Book Collector's News -- a kind magazine well alone and began to occupied part of the grounds. Op­ of polemical magazine for collectors add text, stories -- increasing the posite this collapsed estate -- of Old Boys Books and such things. fantasy and SF emphasis and decreas­ half-country, half-industrial -- My dog's name was Brandy and he ing the amount of comic strip. The was Mitcham Common and golf course, trained himself to climb trees so circulation climbed, I'm glad to which seemed endless to me. There that he could continue chasing cats say, but eventually (believe it or were also a few copses, woods and after they thought they were safe. not) the magazine was clobbered by so on nearby. I was sent to Michael I was writing stuff from an early distributors who had rival comics Hall school in Kent. It was a Rud­ age (I could read adult books be­ (Marvelman and so on) which were do­ olf Steiner school, for boarders. fore I went to school and this also ing badly. The publishers wished I don't think T. lasted more than made school very boring for me) and to reduce the budget by returning about a year (ages 7-8, probably) after I was fired from the shipping to more comic strips. I refused to before, having run away a few times company after a few months (for "in­ do this and shortly afterwards left. sulting" the lady who turned out to and got into other kinds of trouble, I'd already spent some time in be the manager's mistress, one very they asked my mother to take me aw­ Paris. I spent some more time ay. 18 there, mainly busking. I also be­ gan to run an import business for (this was the Toniny Steele and Skif­ money or busked (for rather more), Olympia Press books (primarily Hen­ fle era in pre-Beatles Britain) be­ I hitchhiked to Paris where I was ry Miller, who was then "banned” in cause of its commercialism. discovered literally starving and England), and was caught by the Spec­ fainting and sent home by the Brit­ ial Branch, eventually. I'd been writing non-generic fiction of one sort and another and ish Consulate. I'd already pawned my guitar. My first experience I got a job on Lib­ by 1958 had completed an allegorical of real mountains had come in Lap­ rary and began to work for Fleet- novel called TIE GOLDEN BARGE (which land, and I have never lost my love way (then Amalgamated Press). Sex­ Savoy Books of intend to ton Blake was at this time going for them, though I'm more careful publish next year). I'd written a through a lot of changes and (I'd than I was in Lapland where I was few SF and fantasy stories because got the job, I suppose, because I climbing without any sort of equip­ I had various contacts in that ment and hanging by my fingernails had defended the changes in one world -- the world of "fandom" , over glaciers while the mist came of my fanzines (for Sexton Blake which consisted of about fifty peop­ in all around me. Originally we enthusiasts, what else). I worked le, I suppose, in those days. But had only climbed so high to get a- on Sexton Blake Library (two 45,000 I had no particular ambitions in way from the mosquitoes in the low­ word thrillers a month were publish­ that direction, as I recall. I be­ er slopes. It's incredible what ed, I only ever wrote one and re­ gan writing long fantasy stories someone will do to avoid insect wrote several others) as well as largely because Ted Carnell asked bites. We were about the only bite- writing for comic books in the same me for some and by that time I was able wild-life (my friend, David department -- Thriller Picture Lib­ a professional journalist willing rary and Cowboy Picture Library, Harvey, and I -- he's now an econ­ to earn money in any way I could. omic geographer at Johns Hopkins) mainly. I worked on the last Robin Between 1960 and 1965 I earned most in hundreds of square miles, so we Hood annual, the last Billy the Kid of my money from writing features became very popular with the mos­ annual and various other annuals of and comic strips --an innumerable quitoes. that sort. So far I'd been in the number of stories for such markets folk-hero business since I began in as BIBLE STORY WEEKLY and DOGFISH Returning to England, I met Hi­ professional journalism -- Kit Car- DIXON, RFC. I began to specialize lary Bailey and in order to inpress son, Buck Jones, Robin Hood, Buffa­ in "educational" features for such her mother that I was a solid sort lo Bill, Three Musketeers, Tarzan, periodicals as , main­ and the right chap to marry her etc. ly because they were more interest­ daughter, I gave up freelancing (I Trouble came at Fleetway because ing to research. I learned, if no­ was also "blacklisted" by Fleetway of my "ideals". I refused to work thing else, an economy of technique because of my alleged political on WW II material and I refused to and the ability to plan my stories trouble-making, trying to get the work on a new project exploiting in terms of scenes -- running land­ union to protect the jobs of a cold war paranoia. As well, I was scape, narrative and dialogue to­ good many married men and women heavily involved in the National Un­ gether so that each contributes to whose incomes were affected by the ion of Journalists, even though the other. I wrote a comic strip, take-over by IPC -- the union fail­ they'd refused to make me a fully LIFE OF CHARLEMAGNE. A comic strip ed, of course -- there are many un­ qualified member under 21. It meant LIFE OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT and ano­ ions which do not succeed in hold­ that I couldn't sit on any commit­ ther of Constantine. I wrote a lot ing anyone to ransom...) and got a tees or fulfill any official jobs of the KARL, THE VIKING strips which job working for the Liberal Party (I did later serve on the NUJ com­ Don Laurence illustrated and I al­ Publications Department. At that mittee) but my work with the Union so wrote OLAC THE GLADIATOR. His­ time I thought there was some hope got me into trouble with the man­ tory and mythology was my special­ for the Liberal Party becoming a agement who thereafter devoted them­ ity, as well as a certain amount of genuinely radical "third force". selves to trying to squeeze me out science. Gradually I gave up mus­ It was made up of a rabble of ex­ (the Managing Editor thought I was ic pretty much altogether, apart treme rightists and -- well -- "Lib­ a Communist. I was only "saved" from playing for myself. I wrote erals" -- and I soon became disen­ because he thought Russia was go­ very much for generic "markets" chanted with it. Our policy docu­ ing to win WW III and he didn't during the period 1960-65 and al­ ments often consisted of my going want to get on the wrong side of though I learned a great deal I round to Transport House and the me...). A lot of hassles. In the think it had a bad effect on me in Conservative Central Office to get meantime, I was gigging in small some ways. You write too fast and their policy documents, picking out clubs -- doing mainly blues and let the genre dictate too much of the most "liberal" bits from both r 6 b, as well as some political the direction. songs (what came to be called "pro­ test") of a general libertarian na­ My first long SF story was the ture (I wasn't, as it happened, a two-parter in SF ADVENTURES -- "The Communist -- I tended to think they Sundered World/The Blood Red Game" were a bit old-fashioned and rather -- and I discovered there that it conservative). was impossible to do much individual work in a hardened genre form. Correspondence in those years From then on, I became a proselytis- was with Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger er for what came to be called "new and others (Guthrie was scarcely wave" SF and at that time hardly able to write, of course) and a num­ existed. In fanzines, at conven­ ber of people who were still suf­ tions, in guest editorials and book fering for their pleading of the reviews, I attacked low standards Fifth Amendment, were losing their and demanded more passion and care jobs and being sent to mental hos­ and integrity in the writing of SF. pitals in some cases (this was twent- y years ago in the USA). So I was I'd left Fleetway in 1960, as I a radical in politics and suppose recall, and after a time in Northern that I still am. If anything, I Europe in which I'd mainly perform­ have become more radical. I gave ed in nightclubs for very little up what became the Rock business 19 and putting them together to make trash I was handed) and was forced Anarchist) is such a continuing hero Liberal pronouncements. Jo Grimond to take on more s8s books in order of mine. He was sold out by Trotsky was likeable but as thick as shit to keep NW and myself funded, for and the Red Army after he'd served and Thorpe was merely foul. After there was no time for other kinds his turn and died of consumption in a row concerning my suggestion that of work. This was how I came to exile during the thirties. While the Grimond book I was copy-editing plan and do the Hawkmoon books. he was in business he was hot stuff. should never be published and that Each one of these was written in It's probably why I identified with it would set the cause back by three days. I had to do them in the "underground" papers when they years (it was naive and incoherent, three days because the magazine was began to appear in the mid-sixties, to say the least) I once again found taking up so much of my time! My about the same time as NW. I never myself out of work. At Christmas. journalistic training enabled me to liked OZ, but I did work for IT and meet self-imposed deadlines, but at FRENDZ and had a strong loyalty to A very bad winter followed -- considerable personal cost -- to my FRENDZ (for all its naivetes) while the first winter of my marriage -- family relationships and to my it lasted. We (Harrison, Gly Jones in which I wrote and rewrote stuff health. While NW stumbled along -- and I) did a special supplement to for Ted Carnell (he, by the way, being banned, having printing dif­ FRENDZ and wrote for it fairly reg­ gave me the "James Colvin" pseudo­ ficulties, staff difficulties and ularly. Its schedules were about as nym --he got the surname out of so on -- I wrote very rapidly. erratic as NW's during the bad per­ the Railway Guide) and others, hav­ iod of 1967/8. I refused to com­ ing the worst success of my career, Stories written during this per­ promise when W.H. Smiths (a power­ while the snow grew so heavy that iod included "The Final Programme" ful force in the magazine and book the roof literally collapsed under (written 1965), "" world since they control the whole­ its weight and Hilary discovered and "The Ice Schooner". These two salers as well as most of the re­ she was pregnant. Black days. latter were written because the tail outlets) and John Menzies first JC book had met with general By early 1964 it seemed that (who have the rest of the distribu­ incomprehension on the part of most NEW WORLDS and SCIENCE FANTASY were tion sewn up) tried to get me to readers and all publishers and I to fold forever. They had become take BUG JACK BARRON by Spinrad felt I ought to "go back" to more amongst my only markets (although out and described the magazine as conventional writing, because my by this time I had my first book, filthy, blasphemous and various enthusiastic and rather joyful at­ STEALER OF SOULS, 1963, out) -- at other things. We became the sub­ tempt at slightly "experimental" ject of a newspaper debate -- with two guineas a thousand words! I writing had failed to entertain any­ was desolate. Then Ted Carnell told the liberal press on our side and one. I was despondent for a while. the rightist press (who'd never seen me the titles had been sold and I like to write for readers and I he'd reconuiended me as his succes- a copy, of course) attacking us for felt I wasn't getting through to our disgusting goings-on. I don't or. Roberts and Vintner contacted them, then there must be something me and said that they'd already pro­ think any of us took it very ser­ wrong with me. It wasn't until iously. We never considered our­ mised Bonfiglioli one magazine -- 1968, I think, that I began the which would I like. I chose NEW selves "martyrs". We always tried next JC book -- after the first had to think of ourselves as a commer­ WORLDS because there was more scope been taken by Avon in the USA (where in the title for expansion. It was cial magazine trying to reach an it appeared, after all that, in a ordinary readership. Any other way the only period in which I was ac­ bowdlerised version) and the new tually paid (very badly!) to edit lies madness and paranoia. Not firm of Allison and Busby, who pub­ that we didn't have our share -- NW. That period lasted for a couple lished it in 1969. of years, while it remained in pa­ only it turned out most of the time perback format. When RfjV's distri­ I was still, by the way, involv­ we only thought we were paranoid - - butors went bust, they had to dump ed in various forms of radical pol­ people actually were getting at us... NW. One of the R(jV directors, im­ itics, though I never had any time pressed by Brain Aldiss's getting for authoritarian parties like the SFR: You mentioned a novel, THE of an Arts Council Grant to "save" Communist Party. It was the early GOLDEN BARGE; was this connected the magazine, decided to carry on days, I suppose, of the rise of the to the short story of the same tit­ as an independent publisher with New Left or whatever it was called. le, and, if so, was the novel some­ me. We did, I think, four issues Politically, you could call me an thing like Edmund Cooper's FIREBIRD under his imprint. While I was aw­ old-fashioned, non-violent follower -- an allegorical tale of a man's ay in America in 1967, he disappear­ of Plekhanov or Kropotkin. I hate life from birth to death as he pur­ ed to Scotland and I haven't seen Bolshevism and believe it destroyed sues the mythical Phoenix? him since. I was left holding the the Russian Revolution. It is why baby. A firm called Stonehart, and Nestor Makhno of the Ukraine (an MOORCOCK: Yes, the bit printed is well named, offered to take the mag­ azine over. They did, but they were con-men and they also tried to "commercialise" NW in silly ways. I refused to compromise and we parted company. By 1968 I was sole pub­ lisher. I never incorporated (i.e. formed a limited company) so was responsible for all the magazine's considerable debts. I had begun writing sword and sorcery in 1966 or even earlier (the "Kane" series was done for R$V/Cornpact Books in 1965, as were, I think, the two "Nick Allard" books -- one of which became -- these were originally meant to be rewrites, but it was easier to write an en­ tirely new book than tackle the a fragment --a chapter -- from the quite the same thing. We ignored the had a policy, as such. When we original novel. The Cooper story hard-core SF world altogether (unless tried to editorialise about one, we is probably quite similar, yes. it was to subject it to various pol­ became confused. What we tried to It's a pretty conventional theme, emical attacks!) and didn't think avoid, in the large-size issues and I think. it was worth worrying about. Our later, was to take notice of the readers were, coincidentally, often commercial SF world. We occasion­ SFR: You also mentioned the genesis the same readers who were buying ally knocked the writers with re­ of "The Chinese Agent". What were IT, FRENDZ and OZ. As such, we suf­ putations -- Blish, Heinlein, Stur­ those two "Nick Allard" books -- fered similar problems. Our inten­ geon and others -- but only because and was that the protagonist or the tion was to encourage writers to the critics discovered to their as­ pseudonym? write real fiction for the real tonishment that these people could world -- as it was and is. Other scarcely write on any level worth mORCOCK: THE LSD DOSSIER, by some­ than that the writers had little in reading. We came to these writers one who's name I forget, was a heavy common -- Ballard's "condensed nov­ late (I had a crash-course in SF in rewrite by me. It was the first els" had virtually nothing in com­ 1963 when I read a run of ASTOUND- "Nick Allard" book and not really mon with Disch's elegant and formal INGs of the "Golden Age" and was humorous. SOMEWHERE IN THE NICUT prose. While Ballard dismissed the horrified at how bad all these writ­ was the second -- I threw away the past as "irrelevant" and saw only a ers like Asimov, Del Rey and others book I had to rewrite and wrote a few surrealists as his masters, were), usually because we had only completely new one. PRINTER'S DEV­ Disch read Thomas Mann and his ambi­ a passing familiarity with SF. The IL was the other. I never repub­ tion was to emulate Mann and other potentiality of SF had sparked our lished it. The two later books "conventional" writers. We never imaginations. were done under my "Bill Barclay" suffered from the constraints of When we came to study the actual pseudonym. The first was by the commercialism found in even the best big names we were disappointed. Bes­ name of the original author -- Rog­ of the American markets. We didn't ter was my first introduction to er something, I think. give a shit about money, circula­ "real" SF. I remain a fan of his. tion or public opinion. We were I thought all SF was like that. SFR: New Worlds seemed to publish fundamentally idealistic and willing Harness was another writer I admir­ works and authors spearheading the (as was in DV, of ed. Most others seemed pretty tame change toward the "New Wave" --what course) to go all the way. We were, -- merely boring. I suspect that did you feel were the failings of perhaps, more consciously literary SF is written for people with very "traditional" SF? than the U.S. movement -- largely weak imaginations. I remain aston­ because SF was never quite the ished at how boring most SF still MOORCOCK: We published for the ghetto-taste it was for a long while is. I read maybe one book a year, first time a good many stories and in the U.S. There is much more in the hope that I'll find what I novels no other publisher would snobbery in the U.S. (particularly originally hoped to find. I admire touch. Also I worked hard to con­ in New York) than exists either in Leiber, but he hasn't really writ­ vince publishers to take on other England or France. Raymond Chand­ ten any SF, as such, of late. Ev­ books regarded as "doubtful" -- ler's talents (as Bester's, for that erything else seems to fall apart which I admired. I've been instru­ matter) were celebrated for their before it begins. Set backdrops, mental in getting a good few novels own sake in England long before they set dialogue, set characters (who published which never appeared in were treated seriously in the U.S. behave out of character at the drop NW and weren't always "imaginative". A number of our writers had hardly of a plot stitch). I read a Niven, I'm proud of the fact, for instance, read any conventional SF and when recently, because I thought I should. that I helped get THE HAND-REARED they did read it were astonished by I couldn't believe how bad it was. BOY by Aldiss published, that I pub­ its badness. We didn't so much de­ No plot worth the name. No origin­ lished Aldiss's Charteris series velop out of the SF world as along­ al ideas. Remarkable I (rewritten and expanded as BAREFOOT side it. We were a generation of IN THE HEAD) and that before then I writers who had no nostalgic love of In short, there was no conscious had published the whole of REPORT the pulp magazines, who had come to "New Wave" policy. We did what we ON PROBABILITY A in NW. I wouldn't SF as a possible alternative to main- felt was worth doing. And we tried just stop at publishing the stuff stream fiction and had taken SF ser­ to convince a few others it was worth in NW -- I'd then go on to try to iously. The reason for our anger, doing. get a publisher to take it. This our attacks, our idealism was because happened with BUG JACK BARRON which we genuinely did feel that a super­ couldn't find a publisher in the ior popular fiction could come out SFR: Did you ever try to lose the "New Worlds -- used to be SF -- must U.S. or U.K. until we'd done it. of SF. What united us, if anything, It happened with CAMP CONCENTRATION. was our alienation from the SF world still be SF' label which was then It happened with, for instance, THE as well as from the mainstream attracting the SF reader? BOAT OF FATE by Keith Roberts, world -- our enthusiasm for many which we hadn't published as was kinds of literature, from Jacobean IWRCOCK: . I wanted a general aud­ not, of course, suitable for NW. drama to Nabokov -- and we agreed ience, including SF readers. The We were the first people to push about nothing. We argued and fought sort of audience who could take im­ the newer American writers like Zel­ and despaired of one another. I, aginative fiction and other ideas azny, Delany and (though he wasn't for instance, never could read Na­ for granted. I felt that SF had left the ghetto -- that the kind of exactly new) Ellison here. We help­ bokov. ed get Philip K. Dick decently pub­ fiction we were printing was, in lished here. We also supported var­ We were trying to find a viable fact, mainstream to the generation ious non-SF writers such as William literature for our time. A litera­ who bought NW. In the main the Burroughs, Alan Bums, Boris Vian, ture which took account of science, big size NW stopped addressing the Borges and a good many other foreign of modern social trends and which traditional SF audience, making our writers who were not at that time was written not according to genre references general rather than re­ either well-known or understood in conventions but according to the lating to SF (by and large). It this country. What, a little later, personal requirements of the indiv­ depended, of course, on who was writ­ Judy Merril and Harlan Ellison be­ iduals who produced it. NW never ing what. We had, as I say, no hard gan to do in the States was not 21 and fast "policy". The mood was libertarian in nature. We were try­ a steady gaze on the whole picture, MOORCOCK: Fiction serves only one ing to supply a bit of hope to those I think. But this was what SF read­ purpose. To formalise and interpret who wanted unselfconscious imagina­ ers, with their preference for airy the experience of its readers. Any­ tive fiction. I could go on saying speculation and escapist "ideas" thing else it tries to do is extran­ different phrases like that forever. (moral conundrums scarcely related eous. That isn't to say one should We did what we thought was worth to any actual experience of life) make "moral investigations" -- but doing. We changed (not always for found distressing. they have to be on behalf of oneself the best) when it seemed a good id­ and one's readers. I'm not talking ea to change. SFR: Perhaps the essential differ­ here, of course, about escapist fic­ ence between "new wave" and "old tion which primarily sets out to SFR: Is modem fiction too tied to wave" is that the former is cons­ confirm prejudices already existing popular approval? ciously present-culture oriented in the society from which it springs. and the latter attempts to explore Most SF writers are escapist writ­ fCOROOCK: Most modem fiction is a totally alien reality? ers by that definition. crap. Worse than SF. More hide­ bound, even than SF. Modem soc­ MOORCOCK: Some of the best aliens SFR: "Literature gives us the in­ ial fiction has become a degenerate have appeared in so-called "new sight of memory without the wounds form in the hands of all but a few wave" SF -- Barry Bayley's in ALL of experience" -- Samuel R. Delany. writers. Self-consciousness has THE KING'S MEN", M. John Harrison's Agree? attacked enthusiasm. The same has in SETTLING THE WORLD, Benford's in happened, in iry view, in most mod­ IF THE STARS ARE GODS, all of which em American SF. College courses try to deal with the modern world MOORCOCK: Delany's aphorisms are produce crap. Writers like Delany always silly. I think he has become who have concentrated their atten­ one of the silliest people in science tions on such things have become fiction, in fact. Doubtless if blowsy and dull. Sf conventions you're trying to-avoid the "wounds and seminars produce rotten writers of experience" all the time, that's -- they turn good or potentially the sort of rubbish you write. good established writers rotten be­ Flaccid, high-sounding pseudo-struc- cause they find they have an easily uralist trash. That's what happens pleased audience. An easily-pleased when you spend your time lecturing audience is a bad audience for wri­ to captive audiences.. ters. Therefore, I avoid, in the main, such places. One can only SFR: You did much work in the fan­ "convince" a reader by entertaining tasy field, an escapist literature; him first. A writer must constantly in what manner did you bend the be making real demands on himself. rules of the genre to alter the re­ If he becomes an oral story-teller sult? (in essence) or, in other words, a performer, he is as good as lost. MOORCOCK: Most fantasy fiction is There is nothing easier in the world escapist and therefore misanthropic than to be able to get a crowd of in a fundamental sense. What I 20,000 on its feet, waving and cheer­ tried to do in my fantasy fiction ing, at a rock and roll gig. It's was turn the thing round and pro­ much, much harder to play very good duce simple, humanitarian fables. music without any frills and keep They celebrate human strengths and that audience's attention. weaknesses. That's all I've tried to do. Anything else would destroy I've tried both. One is achiev­ the framework and fuck up the read­ ed by cheap tricks. The other is er's expectations. If I'm using a achieved by hard work and slow (if popular form I won't fuck up those any) gains, but it lasts much longer expectations. That would be a con- and earns you respect rather than trick I'm not prepared (he said pom- adulation. A little respect is a ously) to employ. big help. Adulation makes you sil­ ly. SFR: If Bester typifies SF as you "wanted" it, can you detail what SFR: Did not the majority of "new in some form or other. For "alien" elements appeal? wave" writers use shocking or con­ in old SF read "phobia" and you get troversial elements to gain atten­ a lot of the stuff identified. MOORCOCK:. Bester's style is good, tion -- was this not a performance, For "alien" in some SF read "alien­ his humanity and his essential lib­ an act? ation" and you get some of what ertarianism is what I like. The the authors are about identified. ending of STARS where he has Foyle I'm actually shocked and horrified MOORCOCK: I don't think any of the give the people the power of life regular NW contributors set out de­ by what's tacit in so much old SF and death has always struck me as liberately to shock. They were just -- particularly an almost psychotic being one of the few SF conclusions dealing with factors of the world misogyny. You're inclined to weep which suggests that Man is to be as they saw them. They weren't sen­ for the terrors which must trouble trusted, warts and all. There are timental like Delany for instance Heinlein and Niven, for instance. very few SF stories which are not, -- they were angry. But they were Poor sods. Howard Hughes syndrome. it seems to me, at root misanthrop­ essentially laconic about the stuff ic. they saw around them. You have to SFR: Should speculative fiction look at the world and find humanity serve a purpose; if so, in which SFR: Near the start you said that in it somewhere -- but you do have areas? you felt you weren't getting through to look at the world first and not to the readers -- are you now? Are turn away. The best NW writers kept 22 they reading it "right"? MOORCOCK: New kinds of narrative from as many different viewpoints number I used to do) is sometimes do take time to catch on, as possible. That was why I invent­ "the veteran of a thousand psychic though it may seem unlikely that ed and why other wars". That's what ties him in FINAL PROGRAMME seemed far out in writers used him in order to join with the EC. 1965. Since then we have a much in the "debate" at one time. more sophisticated readership, I SFR: I was just going to ask about SFR: Erekose is a victim of his think. It's never mattered, I ag­ multiverse and Cornelius a victim ree, if the reader "gets" everything Cornelius. Is he a satirical char­ acter, and if so, what on? of his own failings. These are two as long as he enjoys the book. But examples that prove much of your few people were enjoying the stuff MOORCOCK: The Cornelius books are output is concerned -- from Jesus at that time! That's why I had to Christ (another J.C) in BEHOLD THE "go back", as it were, worried that not satire. They are ironies. I don't like satire, by and large. MAN to your finally publishing I'd lost touch. I can't write un­ MOORCOCK'S BOOK OF MARTYRS, which less I feel a reader's enjoying what There are, of course, satirical ele­ ments in a good many of my books -- firmly established The Eternal Cham­ I write -- even if it's only a few pion as a martyr. Why... Do you people at first. from the "Kane" stuff onwards -- but satire isn't my main concern. believe we are all martyrs? Certainly, one hopes, as a writer, SFR: Your major "hero" (in output) MOORCOCK: I don't think we are all is "The Eternal Champion" (aka Ere- to hold a mirror to one's world, martyrs. I am against the idea of kose, aka Corum, aka Dorian, etc.). but I wouldn't call myself a sat­ martyrs as I say in the introduc­ Where did the idea of the character irist in any real sense of the term. tion to BOOK OF MARTYRS. I believe originate? Are he and his milieu, that people become martyrs at the symbols, Erekose being symbolic of will of other people because other "Everyman"? people need martyrs as well as her­ 4 rETTY \ oes. I don't believe in either. I MOORCOCK: The Eternal Champion id­ believe in models --in examples. ea was one of the first I had. The MOUL-T> MYE I have personal models of people who idea of a reincarnated hero isn't the ^ePFTATtON OF I think live well. That's the best new, of course, and derives from FoRMictTiN

By Orson Scott Card

OKI - DESTINIES 'S SCIENCE FICTION MAG­ AZINE ANALOG - GALILEO FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION GALAXY - UNEARTH - AMAZING

Make a quick count. My calcul­ story is good if it moves me emotion­ made by a race of aliens long be­ ator and I have deduced that there ally, inpresses me intellectually fore man was a twinkle in australop- are nine regular science fiction or artistically, or just plain de­ ithecus's eye and accidentally de­ magazines churning out stories every lights me. A story is important if posited on earth -- there ain't any month or quarter or whatever. That it is good or if it is by somebody more where Beedee came from. And is a lot of short fiction. who has a long history of writing so when Faivonen, whose wife died wonderful stories (a big name) or on a previous expedition with the So much, in fact, that there if it does something unusual, even diamond, sets out with Beedee on his just isn't any way to review every if it does it badly. arm to explore an anomalous valley, issue of every magazine and both do he is keenly aware of the need to With those wholly arbitrary justice to all the stories and fit protect the bright and thoughtful standards of judgment firmly but them into one issue of SFR with room creature. It soon becomes all too flexibly implanted, let us dive in: left over for anything else. The clear who needs protection -- and result? Reviews of short fiction from whom. are hard to find. The idea of the story is good And I don't know about you, but (which is much of the battle), but I have found that terribly frustrat­ The first of the stories set on what pleased me most was the very ing especially when my first few Medea, the world created at Harlan careful and unobtrusive way that stories had just appeared and so Ellison's request by Hal Clement, Clement set 151 a story that depends far as I knew only three people had , and Fred­ utterly on science without making read them: my mother, Ben Bova (who erick Pohl, have appeared in print, it, even for a moment, feel cold or bought them), and a fan from Nebras­ and if those stories are a good inhuman. I cared about Faivonen ka who wrote in to correct my punc­ guide, the whole collection is go­ and liked Beedee, and at the end tuation. Short fiction needs the ing to be one of the best we've ev­ felt that good old thrill of having same treatment novels get; after er seen. So far two of the stories been fairly beaten by a skillful all, some of the finest work in have appeared in ANALOG -- "SwaniId­ writer. I didn't guess what was go­ science fiction is done in the short­ a's Song" by Frederick Pohl (Oct) ing on -- but I could have, if only er forms, and yet it never, or almost and "Hunter's Moon" by Poul Ander­ I'd been just that much smarter. never, gets reviewed unless it's in son (Nov). A third story, "Season­ And yet it isn't a puzzle story -- an anthology (particularly a best- ing" by Hal Clement, appeared in it's a human story with a lot of of-the-year anthology) or a collec­ IA'sSFM (Sept-Oct). good old-fashioned emotion. tion. The stories are set in the same I loved it. This column is going to try to milieu, peopled by the same mix of alleviate the problem. human beings, three-segmented fuxes, I also really liked "Swanilda's and balloon-like ouranids, and bound But I'm not crazy, and neither Song", but I confess a weakness. by the same natural laws that apply is Richard E. Geis. We still can't Mich as I enjoy satirical writing, to good old . All three review every issue of every maga­ I find it hard to get deeply in­ stories can be considered hard sf, zine. What we can do, however, is volved with characters in such stor­ too. But there the similarity ends. have some poor sucker (me) go through ies . Pohl is an excellent writer every story in every issue of every The strongest of the three, who has long been able to craft fine stories and in the last few years damn magazine and decide which sto­ "Seasoning", is also earliest in has also been writing prose that ries are good enough or inportant Medea's history. Human explorers brings out the ugly jealousy in my enough in that poor sucker's opin­ have not yet discovered that the ion that review space ought to be two dominant species on Medea are nature. "Swanilda's Song" is not his most important work -- but it's devoted to them. And even then, intelligent. But the alien presence funny without seeming to try to be each review is going to be pitiful­ is still there, in the form of a funny, and Pohl has accomplished ly short. But when you see that a sentient diamond called Beedee. the feat of making me, a confirmed particular story is reviewed here Able to absorb and store as much in­ cigarette-hater, glad that a chara­ at all, you know that in at least formation as 200 million human cter smoked incessantly. Add to one (perhaps) intelligent reader's brains, only faster, Beedee has be­ that a megalomaniacal balloon and opinion that story is worth reading. come indispensible to the humans on hallucinogenic semen, and you have Medea. Unfortunately, Beedee was Worth reading? So you needn't a story that, in lesser hands, would continue in ignorance, here are the have been laughed out of the editor's standards I use for judging. A 27 office -- but that in Pohl's hands is a delight to read. less violence and savage attacks on who agrees to be a temporary host the institutions most likely to keep for a dead man's soul and then tries "Hunter's Moon" is also a fine to hold onto the dead man's wife story. Occasionally flawed by too- us on the road to civilization. So and fortune even after he has gone obvious exposition and too much ex­ I did not welcome 's story again. planation from the author, the "The Wind from a Burning Woman". counterpoint of three separate themes Another piece glorifying protest as (GALILEO 10 also tried the ex­ in one completely unified story can an end in itself? I put off reading periment of having three writers do still serve as a model of craftsman­ it for more than a month. And then, stories based on the same cover il­ ship. A married couple find their because I had to have read every­ lustration. While none of the sto­ marriage in trouble, primarily be­ thing in order to write this column, ries is really remarkable, it's cause of their specializations -- I forced myself to read it. interesting to see the wholly dif­ Hugh is working to establish rudi­ It isn't just another story ferent ideas the writers came up mentary telepathic contact with a about a protestor. Or if it is, with to explain the art. Sort of a dromid, while Jannika is trying to it's done without idolatry but, in­ smaller version of the Medea exper­ do the same with an ouranid -- and stead, with understanding. The use­ iment .) the strong difference between the lessness of Giani Turco's protest species pulls them apart. At the is balanced nicely with the right­ same time, the ouranids, because of eousness of it, and even as it be­ It is ironic that some of the human interference, are beginning comes clear to her that she has on­ to migrate away from their homeland, finest work (and, I think, some of ly hurt, not helped her cause, a the most likely to endure) in our and the dromids, in religious fer­ good and heroic young man who sym­ vor, are killing as many of them as field comes under the heading of pathized with her dies trying to fantasy which "doesn't sell". Of possible to keep them from upset­ stop her. Which gesture meant more? ting things by not dying and decom­ the major magazines, only FANTASY A puzzling question, especially when AND SCIENCE FICTION regularly pub­ posing where they ought. The tele­ coupled with the fact that justice, pathic contact also causes Jannika's lishes any at all.- But perhaps the whatever that is, was all on her very sparsity of good short fantasy ouranid and Hugh's dromid to try to side. Sometimes Bear seems to be kill each other. in the magazines makes the occasion­ saying, it isn't enough to be right. al taste of it all the better. The And, incredibly enough, Anderson The story appeared in the October October and November issues of FfjSF is able to resolve all three con­ ANALOG, and for all that the future had four haunting fantasies that flicts in a single climactic inci­ history it depends on is inplausible, won't leave me alone. dent that makes it clear that it's the story itself works beautifully. inpossible to make a move on a world 's "Brother Hart" is without affecting everybody -- and a fairy tale, and a good one. That everything -- else on it. should be enough of a recommenda­ Some stories are worth reading tion -- fairy tale is the hardest All three stories are so strong just for the ideas they develop. genre to do well, I think, having that I can't wait to get my hands I didn't think anything new could be failed at it several times. Equal­ on the forthcoming book, MEDEA: HAR­ done with telepathy -- but in "Tun­ ly brief, but with a modem setting, LAN'S WORLD. The Old Masters are nels of the Minds" by Kevin O'Don- is "He-y, Come on Ou-t!" by Shinichi doing some of their best work for nel, Jr. (GALILEO 10) I discovered Hoshi, translated by Stanleigh Jones. this project. I was wrong. In fact, O'Donne1 has Imagine finding a bottomless hole, in which you could drop all the re­ made family ties more inportant by fuse and detritus and sewage and far because of telepathy than they radioactive waste of the world! If I had to choose a favorite are to us now -- and by linking sex Then imagine where it all comes out out of my September-October-Novem­ with a penetration of the mind has ber reading, however, it would have reversed sexual roles: it is the to be a masterful novelette called man who must be penetrated by a fe­ "Cassandra", by C.J. Cherryh, "Little Goethe" (F^SF, Nov). M. male before a marriage can be cons­ puts the Homeric prophetess in a Mendelsohn, the author, is an Eng­ idered consumnated. And in "The near-future setting --a woman who lish university professor and this Incredible Living Man" in the same can see everyone's death but her is his first story. I gnash my issue of GALILEO, puts own, and yet is utterly unheeded teeth at him. I bite my thumb at a new twist on the old resurrection despite her many warnings, her many him. Because he set himself the theme, creating an unforgettable attempts to save even one person. task of a first-person narrative by character in the process --a man And 's "Effigies" has a genius, a child prodigy who never grows old enough for puberty, and so is adopted by family after fam­ ily in order to stay alive and sat­ isfy his lust for learning. I've tried first-person narrative. It's hard. And to write "Little Goethe" on his first time out --we need a writer's union strong enough to keep people like him from publish­ ing and making it hard on the rest of us. It moved me deeply and I admired his writing. I have had enough of stories about protestors. I guess I was too young in the sixties, but I have no memories of noble young people chang­ ing the world with their rage. In­ stead, I have memories of meaning­ his by-now-expectable fine literary Why is it that science fiction whether he had a climax at all. Al­ style mixed with a deep understand­ writers like to think up clever ways most. ing of human -- and inhuman -- nat­ of punishing people? In "The Lib­ ure. I can't get his image of wiz­ eration of Josephine" (F^SF Sep), ened old men growing up from the Charles Runyon has discovered that ground like com out of my head. life here on Earth has another pur­ And 's "Time pose -- this is a prison planet for Warp" (OMNI Oct) is a marvelous par­ another world. And those catatonic ody of Doc Smith's Lensmen told from the point of view of the mysterious, Humorous science fiction rarely people in hospitals are just the folks who finished their punishment omnipotent being from the invisible gets into the best-of-the-year planet who has the damnedest time anthologies, and even more rarely early and can go home now. A well- done treatment of a good idea. saving the human race because the into the Hugo and Nebula finals. stout-hearted human can't quit be­ But that doesn't mean I can't love Occasionally some fine writers ing heroic. The only problem was to read stories that try to achieve put some excellent work into a sto­ that Sturgeon chose to write the nothing more than my amusement. ry that, for various reasons, just story through the mouth of Althair, ISAAC ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION MAGA­ doesn't quite come off. That does the storyteller (and protagonist) ZINE seems to be trying to comer not mean the story isn't worth read­ -- and so the language is insuffer­ the market in one-joke stories; and ing. It just means that the reader ably condescending as the narrator ANALOG seems to be putting its will probably feel a little dissat­ talks down to his audience of Zado tongue in its cheek more and more. isfied at the end, despite having children. It was extremely annoying, But the story I found funniest in enjoyed most of the story. Such a especially at first, and took a lot the last few months is "Project Hi- tale is Edward Wellen's "Goldbrick" of the snap out of the humor. Rise" by Robert F. Young, which (F(jSF Nov), a novella in which a appeared in the November F§SF. Now most delightful ripoff of the U.S. A new Asimov story is, by defin­ we know that the Tower of Babel was Army succeeds all too well. Unfor­ ition, an Event, and for those who stopped, not by the confusion of tunately, a highly implausible war­ love everything the Great Man has tongues, but because God was just game between the U.S. and Russia is written (which includes me) the clever enough to send them a skil­ the linchpin of an otherwise plaus­ story "Found" in the premiere CMNI led labor negotiator to help "smooth ible story; and Wellen's penchant is not a disappointment. Over the things out". It makes you want to for bizarre names strains credulity. /ears Asimov keeps getting better look for the non-union label. In fact, I think what happened here and better at writing believable dialogue and turning one-idea sto­ Other stories just for fun: is that Wellen, who is very good at ries into really enjoyable reading. "The Adventure of the Global Trav­ humor, thought he was writing a pure Here the one idea is a species of eler" by Anne Lear puts Shakespeare humor story -- and the depth of his interstellar viruses that attack and Sherlock Holmes together through protagonist and the fine quality of orbiting computers the way our more the good offices of Moriarty, who his writing rather took him by sur­ familiar viruses attack human body also diddlies H.G. Wells. Incredi­ prise. Try as I might, I can't read cells. Not Asimov's most signifi­ bly enough, that combination worked the thing as pure humor -- and as a straight, if often funny, story cant story -- but then, who has to (lA's FM Sep-Oct). "Errata Slip" be significant every time? by Edward Wellen, in the same is­ the thing almost (almost!) comes off. I was very glad I read it, sue of IA'sFM, "corrects" some er­ rors that appeared in the ENCYCLOP­ despite the frustrations. EDIA GALACTICA. I am pushing the limits the Ed­ itor set for me, and I still have Another almost-there story is three stories that, while they are "Lost and Found" "Indian Summer" by Neil Olonoff by Phllis Eisenstein (ANALOG, Oct) not earthshakers, I still want to (UNEARTH Sunnier), which only fails mention. "Thirty Love" by Jack C. suggests that if things keep disap­ because the climax of a well-set- pearing around your house, you Haldeman II (IA'sFM Sep-Oct) is a up horror story just doesn't match lovely little story about a man who, should be flattered --it means you what came before --or rather, mat­ are going to amount to something, though he has spent his life in a ches it too well and so doesn't hor­ competitive game, eschews competi­ . The same issue of ANALOG rify. Anyway, it was great to read contains "Art Thou Mathematics" by tion at the last moment in order to a story in which somebody used Por­ give another guy a break. I like it Charles Mobbs, in which it is pain­ tuguese (my other language) correct­ fully proved that mathematics does better the more I think of it and ly and for something other than reread it. not discover natural law -- it makes guidebook phrases. it. Barry Malzberg's "Varieties of "In Alien Flesh" by Technological Experience" (ANALOG A failed climax (FEjSF Sep) is a fine Oct) is funny --if you can laugh is what also spoiled Charles L. story in which the human dilemna with a knife in your gut. Instead Grant's "Caesar, Now Be Still" (F^SF ends up, unfortunately, as an anti­ of crushing rocks, your life impris­ Sep) for me -- but for the opposite climax to the marvelous alien Ben­ onment for a political crime could reason. Where Olonoff led up to ford has created. Why can't they be spent trying to square the circ­ his climax so clearly that it wasn't give a Hugo for Best New Alien of le or devise a perpetual motion ma­ a shock, Grant didn't prepare enough, the Year? chine or discover antigravity. so that I ended up thinking, "Where'd Fritz, assigned to invent the uni­ that come from?" Yet there are some And Dean Ing's "Banzai" versal solvent, actually succeeds images that are startlingly original (ANALOG Sep) comes perilously close in his impossible task -- and uses (like people who sink into the earth, to being just another of those ship­ his discovery to play a practical struggling to write a note as they wrecked on a hostile planet stor­ joke on his captors. are swallowed up), and Grant's writ­ ies -- and then gets a lot better ing is so good I almost didn't care with the introduction of Shigeo, a Japanese holdout -- but not from 29 World War II. ONNI is a slick magazine. The entirely different audience. With science is at the reading level of beautifully designed pages and ex­ PSYCHOLOGY TODAY -- available to cellent sf art, it is an attractive Pant. Pant. That's twenty-six the layman but not insulting to the paperback book -- and it will un­ stories that I liked enough to write trained reader. More than two- doubtedly succeed as it reaches about. Which isn't to say that the thirds of the editorial content of those thousands of readers who avid­ ones I didn't mention were clunkers. the magazine is science reporting ly search the paperback racks for As proof of that I modestly mention or science-related art. Less than science fiction. But since these that two of my own stories were among one-third is fiction. What does are already dedicated sf readers, those appearing in issues of ANALOG that mean? Fiction editor Ben Bova Jim Baen is not bound as Ben Bova that I covered here. Humility for­ has bluntly stated that in-group sf is. He can pull out all the stops bids me to say more than if I didn't writing is out. This magazine is and do an sf magazine as it ought think they were wonderful, I would reaching readers (one million on to be done: with a budget and with­ not have mailed them off the maga­ the first issue, and that ain't out taboos. Everything that made zine. . .. just the folks who've been buying Baen's GALAXY wonderful without a PS: In case you're wondering, ANALOG) who have not read science budget is now in DESTINIES. And the list of magazines at the begin­ fiction since they stopped reading with a budget, Baen can actually ning of this column is in a definite ASTOUNDING in college. They do not pay money (more than any other mag­ order. Not alphabetical. Not even, want and cannot handle stories that azine except OMNI) for, not OMNI's necessarily, in order of quality. take them conpletely out of the en­ four stories a month, but rather a They are in order of money. The mon­ vironment they are used to. There dozen stories per issue. must be many handles they can easily. ey they pay writers. Which (with In short, any sf writer who grasp. exceptions) is what separates the doesn't submit first to OMNI or sheep from the goats. DESTINIES is crazy and doesn't like PPS: I'm a story reviewer, not to eat (or writes too damn much for an art reviewer. But I want to make any one magazine to buy it all). a complaint and sing some praises. And that means that we'll see exact­ The complaint (and some of the ly how good an editor Jim Baen real­ praise) goes to OMNI, which is print­ ly is. I_ think he's so good that ing absolutely beautiful illustra­ DESTINIES will immediately become tions for the stories -- which have the leading publication within the less than nothing to do with what sf conmunity. the story is about. The rest of the I have no bias here, folks: OM­ praise goes to Janet Aulisio, whose NI and DESTINIES have both bought black-and-white illustrations in exactly two stories from me so far ANALOG the past year are some of the and have paid tidy sums for them, finest work I've seen. Not just be­ but I'm just as happy to have my cause her illustrations have often work appear in other magazines. I appeared with my stories -- I'm per­ don't think either magazine will fectly capable of hating an illus­ drive any of their competition out tration of my work. She does things of business. Why not? Because just with black and white that should, by as ISAAC ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION rights, only be possible with color. MAGAZINE tapped a juvenile market And her illustrations enhance the f|'Heh,heh,lTeh...you Vuandsome that none of the other magazines was story, complement it, and often il­ reaching, OMNI and DESTINIES are al­ DEVIL,you ... heh jhek, heh " luminate aspects that only the most so creating their own audiences. careful reader would catch. In Instead of hurting ANALOG, lA'SFM, short, Aulisio reads before she F$SF, GALILEO, GALAXY and Ted White's draws. A blessing on her head. That means that some things will magaines, OMNI and DESTINIES will be explained that regular sf readers get people reading short sf who have don't normally need to have explain­ never done so before on a regular ed. It also means that, in time, basis. If they like it (and I be­ the literary standards will be dif­ lieve they will), they'll look for ferent (not necessarily higher) from more. those used by every other magazine. And another point: There have In a way, then, Ben Bova as a been excellent editors in the sci­ fiction editor will be every bit as ence fiction field before, but it's restricted as he was at ANALOG, hard to think of a time when there ONI and DESTINIES though the restrictions are complete­ were more than two at the most who ly different. Yet, given those lim­ were really great at the same time. By Orson Scott Card itations, OMNI can be expected to I'm of the opinion that right now produce some of the finest stories we have more than two, all producing OMNI and DESTINIES both pay in the genre. Look for stories by work they can be proud of. When was higher than the other magazines; Vonnegut and Bradbury and others the golden age of magazine sf? With they are both reaching many readers whom the pulps could never afford no offense to the Old Masters, I that the older magazines have never to buy from today. But don't look think it's day after tomorrow. reached; they are both exciting new for Ben Bova to win any more edit­ concepts in science fiction publish­ ing Hugoes -- because he's no longer ft*********************************** ing. Yet they are going such dif­ editing sf for the fans. He's edit­ "EVERY EFFECTIVE NOVEL HAS A MESSAGE ferent directions that I think it's ing for the big bad world, and doing AND A MORAL. IT IS IMPOOSIBLE FOR A inportant for us who read science an excellent job of it, judging from NOVEL TO BE EFFECTIVE WITHOUT BOTH. fiction avidly to recognize what his first issue (November 1978). A NOVEL IS. A FESSAGE, A LONG ONE. they are attenpting before we try A PERSON WITHOUT MORALS CAN T WRITE to judge how well they are succeed­ DESTINIES is reaching for an 0NE' —KURT VONNEGUT, JR. (1969) ing. 30 OCCASIONALLY MENTIONING SCIENCE FICTION

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Points, AND ENTER------\ TOISE’S is op Vi.T I must confess I never expected to be asked to write an article ab­ hotel pool there had been some skin- out Fandom for a publication which MvsT HAVE. ■BEEN THfe nydipping earlier, with a certain has collected so many fanzine Hugos, T’Restt>&NT''5 not-quite Adonis-like science fic- and which, when I first started wri­ To tion writer later bragging "I was ting for it, was mimeographed and looked like any other leading gen­ the only pro nude there". zine. (If you don't know what a No one blinked, except at the genzine is, you prove the point we blurry print in some of the slop­ are about to make.) But it has come pier fanzines. "Wow*," said Moshe, to our Noble Editor's attention "there's a lot of history in these". that SFR is sold in enough bookshops Since Napoleon, Stalin, Chairman and the GALAXY ads have netted enough L Mao, and that crowd were never known "outside" customers that a large to contribute to fanzines, obviously percentage of you, Dear Readers, are Z5 he was talking about fan history. not Trufans, or even aware of what The history of fandom. fandom is, beyond the vague sense of the term. Therefore, it is my task 3) An Irish saint, patron of to enlighten you, and I take it on harpists. Also an elder ghod, along Which brings us to fanzines a- with great humility (a penny a word, with Bloch, Nyarlathotep, Tucker and gain. A fanzine in the traditional right, Dick?), and some urgency too. Robert Whitaker.*** sense is not what you're reading We got a notice from the Fannish right now. If SFR, LOCUS, ALGOL, By Fandom, I mean a curious WHISPERS, and perhaps THRUST are the Inquisition* this morning that all Catch-22 situation where you really these non-Trufan undesirables must only "fanzines" you have ever seen, aren't a fan unless you know what then you have never seen a fanzine. be Ruthlessly Rooted Out. (The fandom means. First, to clear the Ghrand Inquisitor, Ruth, is sick Those are "semi-professional" pub­ ground: I don't mean the organized lications, which behave like regu­ this week with Twonk's Disease, so comics hucksterdom which calls it­ the program will be Ruthless.) How­ lar professional magazines in all self "fandom" out of ignorance of ways but distribution. They're a ever, we have also been given the the real thing. I don't mean Star option to Convert the Masses first, new phenomenon in science fiction, Trek-ism, which strikes me as the via this article. although in general literature they beginnings of a new religion****. have existed for years under the First, the True Fandom Test. I also don't mean "fan" merely in name of "little magazines". Fan­ If you know the answers to the fol­ the sense of enthusiast. You can't zines are amateur publications, lowing questions, you are among the be a fan merely by reading science privately printed and circulated, Faithful, and may skip this essay, fiction. There's more to it than rarely seen by more than a few hun­ pass go, collect $200 and Alter's that. dred people. There are literally collection of Peggy Swenson books, thousands of them going right now, but make sure you don't get kippled** I remember a couplethree years ago at a convention in Washington and all attempts to keep track of in the process. He's picked up bad D.C. sitting up just before dawn in them inevitably fail. Some only habits over the years. a hotel room with Moshe Feder, for­ last an'issue, then vanish utterly The questions: mer assistant editor of AMAZING and along with everyone involved.** Others, like YANDRO or AMRA may con­ 1) Who was Hoy Ping Pong? publisher of PLACEBO, Linda Bush­ yager, publisher of K the (soon to tinue for twenty years and more. 2) Who sawed Courtney's boat? fold, alas) fannish newszine KARASS, People within the inner circles*** and one or two other people, paging of the science fiction community 3) Who is Walter A. Willis? through boxes of mimeographed maga­ may receive as many as two or three I know fans and potential fans zines with titles like FOOP, MOTA, a day, usually in exchange for writ­ have short attention spans (another FOCAL POINT, CANTICLES FROM LABO- ten material (fanzines don't pay) way to spot the genuine article), so WITZ and INTERPLANETARY CORNCHIPS. he re are the answers: Linda's husband Ron, who didn't *Note he didn't say "Goshwow", seem to share our enthusiasm, snored which would have made him a 1) A major blunder in Chinese away on one of the beds. In the neofan, about which, more lat­ diplomacy which precipitated the room adjoining ours an all-night er. I think I'll go back to Great Staple War. party was going on. Outside in the one asterisk for the feetnotes 2) Courtney's boat was sawed by if you don't mind. a man with a saw, but not enough ***Another obscure reference. This is **If a geographic study were people sawed him do it to secure a getting out of hand. done, and an unusual number of conviction. cases were found to have occur­ ““Sort of a cross between millenial- red in, say, Bloomington, Illi­ ism, 7th Day Adventists, and a car­ *You will be expecting them. Please nois, we might be able to pin­ go cult. The world will end in pardon any delays. They'll get point a fannish Bermuda Trian­ there eventually. 2000, but there really is a Federa­ gle. But I leave that to the tion out there, and at the last min fannish raythographers. “An obscure reference, without which ute the faithful will be beamed ab- no fannish article is complete. Al- oard the Enterprise, the women right *A marvelously paranoid con­ so vaguely obscene, Don't you just into the arms of Mr. Spock. cept with a long and venerable detest vagueness? history in fandom.

By Darrell Schweitzer 31 such as articles, reviews, parodies, est sense), no generally used.se­ in the lettercolumns of the early poems, stories,**** or letters of cret handshakes. But still umpteen magazines, AMAZING, WONDER and AS­ comment, these latter known among thousand fanzines, and conventions TOUNDING. fans as "LoCs". (Pronounced "locks0 in almost every major city in the In those days, you'll recall, and the source of innumerable puns. country, plus much of Western Eur­ The lettercol in my fanzine, PRO­ ope, Japan, Australia and occasion­ science fiction was laughed at, if CRASTINATION, is called "The Rape ally South America. At last report it didn't draw simple blank stares. of the LoC.) fans had been discovered in some 30 It was "pulp fiction" in the eyes of the literary critics just like countries. Wherever there is sci­ The batch of fanzines at the DOC SAVAGE, THE SHADOW and all that. ence fiction, and a government which Washington convention (Disclave) The orthodox academic view was it allows some degree of free and pri­ formerly belonged to a science fic­ was illiterate trash unworthy of vate publication, there will be fan­ tion professional who, no doubt find­ any notice. Of course, the readers dom. Inevitably. ing them taking up too much space, knew better, but that didn't help. sold them to Moshe at $3 a foot It is a curious thing which has So the reader, scorned and getting (i.e. thickness of the stack) and grown out of science fiction. No paranoid, sought out others who much money had been spent, so you other literature has anything com­ shared this special knowledge. Be­ can imagine how many of them there parable. Fandom is not a formal fore long people whose letters ap­ were. Even these couldn't have rep­ writers' group, nor even a bunch of peared in the prozine lettercolumns resented a majority of the fanzines people who come to hear favorite were writing to each other. Cor­ published during the period in authors deliver speeches (although respondence clubs sprang up and it which they were received. I don't that is done, of course), but a gen­ wasn't much of a leap from there to think anyone in fandom, even Harry uine, viable, sub-culture with a small, privately printed newsletters Warner***** gets everything being good sense of history and tradition. and magazines circulated among these published. How do you define a fan? I'd say a correspondents, telling what was go­ In fandom. Not a place. Not an fan is someone with a sense of ing on behind the scenes in the organization in the strict sense of this continuity. Fandom is clearly field, reviewing current works the word, since there is no presi­ not a passing fad, as something like (i.e. this issue's AMAZING. There dent, no board of directors, nobody Star Trekdom must inevitably be (un­ were no books). These were the collecting dues (except at local fan less it turns into a religion). It first fanzines, the first of which clubs, which are formal organiza­ has been going strong for about fif­ appeared in 1930, unless you want tions, and at which some percentage ty years. to count that 1927 RECLUSE, which many consider to be part of regular of people will be fans in the strict- The dim beginnings center around amateur journalism with which Love­ Hugo Gemsback, who founded AMAZING craft was heavily involved. Then STORIES in 1926, and about whom I the writers of letters and publishers Aren't you glad I went back to one*. have little good to say in a recent of fanzines began to meet and form Otherwise we'd be up to eight by ALGOL. He was not a good editor, clubs, hold small get-togethers and now. Anyway, two kinds of stories pretty definitely a crook, and the the social fabric of fandom was bom appear in fanzines. "Fan fiction", magazine tended to be terrible, but is amateur at science fiction, as a Throughout the 1930s it grew stead­ in the absence of anything else he ily, until by 1939 fans could hold rule inept. Otherwise it would sell identified the genre. His magazines what they ambitiously called the professionally. "Faan fiction", or led the field only until something First World Science Fiction Conven­ stories about fans and fannish sit­ else was available, but that was uations, usually in the form of broad tion in New York. It drew about enough, and the spark had touched two hundred people, and a TIME re­ humor, is a different kettle of the conpetition too. There are pro­ blog entirely. The amateur fiction porter who treated it as a joke. totypes of fans and fan activity be­ Those were the days fans went around does serve a purpose in providing fore Gemsback, notably the Love­ muttering the now venerable old say­ a training ground for would-be writ­ craft circle, which later fused with ers, some of whom later make it, ing, "It's a proud and lonely thing general fandom (a good case could to be a fan". but it is seldom read by anyone ex­ be made for the 1927 issue of THE cept the very patient, friends of RECLUSE, containing HPL's "The Su­ Today it may still be proud, the author, people the author is pernatural Horror in Literature" but fandom isn't particularly lonely blackmailing, and other would-be plus material by , any more, now that a world conven­ writers. To add to the confusion , etc. being the first tion can draw 4000, almost every nowadays there are many semi-profes­ fanzine), but virtually all fannish major book publisher publishes sci­ sional fiction magazines, usually historians agree that fandom began ence fiction and there are more uni­ in fantasy field where versities and highschools teaching there is no stable professional SF than not--the very idea was sure­ outlet. WHISPERS, WEIRDBOOK, CHA- ly inconceivable in 1939. SF has CAL, etc. are not fan fiction mag­ become respectable, so there's no azines. They pay as well as the need to hide away with other True newstand magazines, and the fiction Believers. is generally of the same quality. To add even more confusion, some fanfic zines pay token rates (like a fifth of a cent a word) and pre­ tend to be semi-professional. To read them is to know the difference., * **★ If you don't know who Harry Warner is, you are definitely not a fan. Any zine which does not receive a Harry Warner LoC by its third issue should quietly fold its tent and slip away into the night. Shouldn't fandom have withered and crazies. Additionally, some of Most special interest groups do away, then? No, because by this time these people, especially the ones this eventually, but fans have done fandom had become semi-independent in the third category, began to it often deliberately and always of science fiction, and aware of take on mythic dimensions themselves with special delight, until such itself as more than just a group of For example, there was Claude Deg- words get into general circulation enthusiasts. In fact, there are ler, a decidedly eccentric (even by in fandom, and the various books many fans who read little science fannish standards) fan of the 1940s about the fannish phenomenon, such fiction, and fanzines which only who wandered about the country like as Warner's ALL OUR YESTERDAYS, find occasionally mention it. (Another some sort of messiah, proclaiming it necessary to preface everything Trufan test: If you can't see the that fans were superior to the rest with glossaries. When I first con­ point of a fanzine article which is of the human race** and they should tacted fandom in the 1960s, the Nat­ not about science fiction, you're hurry up and breed lots of little ional Fantasy Fan Federation (N3F, still a reader, not a fan.) Some­ supermen at his Ozark "love camp". sort of a clearing house for new where along the line personalities Degler also founded many chapters fans) sent me a little dictionary. began to dominate the fanzines, of the largely imaginary Cosmic Cir­ Here are some examples of what cle, while freeloading off people professional lettercolumns, and con­ you pick up, from context in fandom. ventions, and these people were not until he was laughed down by saner The word fanzine is derived obvious­ necessarily professional writers. fans who knew in what way madness ly from "fan" and the "zine" of The aforementioned Willis, for ex- lies. It was later discovered that "magazine". The suffix "zine" gets ample, co-author of the fannish Degler had been in a mental instit­ stuck on all sorts of special terms. classic THE ENCHANTED DUPLICATOR ution for a while. He left fan Or it can stand alone as a word. (faan fiction allegory about Jophan's circles shortly after being chased It is pronounced "zeen", by the way, quest for the Enchanted Duplicator up a tree in the Everglades by a not rhyming with "brine" as one with which to publish the perfect Cosmic Sian disguised as an alliga­ sometimes hears from neofans. The fanzine, with apologies to Bunyan's tor, but he's still remembered and older form of the word fanzine is PILGRIM'S PROGRESS). frequently referred to in fannish fan-mag, but this has been out of writings and jokes. He's just one The other author is Bob Shaw, use for about 20 years, right along bit of lore the newcomer eventually now a famous science fiction writer, with scientifiction (or STF) which picks up. but respected as a fan writer for is what Gernsback called the field entirely different reasons. Some If you were to wander into a originally. One does not make mon­ other professionals, Wilson Tucker science fiction convention and pay ey publishing a fanzine, but you (who usually signs his fanzine work close attention to the conversations, do get egoboo, the boosting of the Bob Tucker (j is otherwise known for probably the thing you'd find most ego, when your effor.ts have been having invented the curious alcohol­ amazing*** would not be a fan's en­ appreciated. A fanzine for general ic regurgitation "Smmmmooothl"), cyclopedic knowledge of the field circulation in fandom is called a Lee Hoffman, Ted White, Terry Carr, (which is something many fans don't genzine (general interest fanzine), Robert Bloch, etc. are also impor­ have, especially those who no longer as opposed to one for an amateur tant in the fanzine world for their read the stuff), or the generally press association (apa) which is contributions thereto. These peo­ high level of education (most col­ called an apazine. A fanzine of ex­ ple are called Big Name Fans, or lege educated, and many Ph.D.s) or ceptionally low quality and/or il­ BNFs. You can be a BNF and a Pro the diversity of age groups (8 to legible repro(duction) is a crud­ at the same time, but one doesn't 80, literally), or even the fanzines zine , frequently put out by neofans necessitate or preclude the other. you might see passed about, but the (new fans) who don't know any bet- language used very casually by one ter, and end up short-changed in the Fandom gradually became more fan (the plural is fen, by the way) egoboo department. They might even interested in itself and the doings talking to another. There would be get discouraged and gafiate, or get of other fans. The assorted wits, a lot of unfamiliar words, like away from rt all (gafia--the state sages and crazies of fandom began to fout, egoboo, apa, neo, repro, fil- of being gafiated, an alternate take over the stage from the pros, lo, and the like. You see, fandom version of this dread condition, and traditions began to develop. has developed its own jargon, which when you're forced away by non-fan­ Among these were the fannish "myths" I've laid on extra thick in this nish --mundane--considerations is which nobody who knew what they were article to make you aware of it. fafia.) The term has changed mean­ about took seriously at all, such ing over the years. Originally it as the spurious deities, Ghu, Foofoo, meant get away from it all into fan­ and Roscoe*, every one of them the overhead and causes mimeographs to dom, i.e. join. Now it means leave creations of the slightly twisted malfunction. I'm not sure how he fandom. Another word which has minds of the selfsame wits, sages can be exorcised. changed meaning is sercon (serious constructive) which used to be a *Ghu was the original, as far as I term of derision, meaning some pom­ know, and the most widely known. **This was just after A.E. Van Vogt's pous fugghead (need I define that?) We honor him by inserting an extra persecuted superman novel, SLAN, ap­ who tries to Clean Up Fandom or "h" which looks like a typo but peared in ASTOUNDING. Fans found it otherwise make a long-winded nuis­ isn't in words like "bheer" and very easy to identify with the hero ance out of himself. Now it means "ghod". Ghu was reported to be a and»have since, mostly in jest, anyone who is seriously interested beetle monster dwelling on the sun­ used the expression "fans are slans.' ' in SF (the traditions and concern ny side of which made its Dwellings cohabited by many fans, with fandom having caused there to wishes known through its zombie, really the first communes, were be a need for such a distinction) Donald Wollheim. Vulcan was an al­ called slanshacks. Before SLAN and it means literally what it says. leged planet inside the orbit of many fans took H.G. Wells' 1937 Serious, constructive. Sercon writ­ , which turned out to be an novel THE STAR BEGOTTEN to heart ing means criticism, analysis, and astronomical mistake. It doesn't Wells had no contact with fandom other things directly concerned with exist. No relation to the home of that I know of. science fiction. Mr. Spock, about which some Trekkies are not sure. Foofoo was a vile ri­ ‘“Or thrilling wonder. And so on. You won't find very val cult, a heresy. Roscoe is a much of this at a worldcon or a beaver-like creature which flies 33 large regional because only a frac- There were puns of every shape practitioners come from the in­ and kind. group. The writers read science There were unicorns and rocket­ fiction all their lives before writ­ ships on every sheet ing it. Quite frequently they were Illustrators, illustrators all active in fanzines before"turning along the way pro", and as we've already seen with Book reviews and people knews Bloch, Tucker, Shaw, Hoffman and and LoCs from fans others, many continue as fans after Every fan having his big fat doing so. Easily half the active say. fans who aren't want to be writers, There were fifty famous artists and some of them make it. Some who on each ToC have include Isaac Asimov, Arthur Illustrating, illustrating, Clarke, , Harlan Elli­ finer than before son, , Damon Knight, Editors of every kind and C.M. Kornbluth, and Feghoots with a groan in mind . If I go on And each groan was louder than any further (and I could) it would before. sound like a Horatio Alger story. It's inpossible to annotate all Also on the serious side, fan­ that without losing the sense of it zines provide outlets for all sorts all. There was a lady sitting be­ of genuinely worthwhile secondary hind me who wondered aloud, "What's material about science fiction. Be­ a genzine?" Hopelessly confused. fore the semi-professional magazines Obviously a new, or else not a fan appeared and commercial publishers in this sense at all. became interested in books about What is the purpose of fandom? Sf, they were virtually the only tion of the attendees are hardcore Basically, it exists for itself. place such material could be pub­ lished, except for occasional art­ fans. They just read about the Occasionally someone makes noises convention somewhere and came to about "furthering the cause of sci­ icles in the prozines themselves. Some fans at least are discriminat­ hear Harlan or Isaac quietly discuss ence fiction", but in general fans ing about their SF and won't read science fiction. Later, when the are looking for friendship and a just anything. They like serious parties open up, and the big names, good time. It is possible for vir­ criticism and SF criticism, includ­ along with everybody else, dig into tually all your friends to be fans, ing such classics as Knight's IN the booze (provided free by the con­ your wife or husband to be fans SEARCH OF WONDER and Blish's THE vention) the unwary wander-in gets and your children to be fans, along ISSUE AT HANE) evolved out of the hooked, in the pleasantest way pos­ with all your business associates. fanzines rather than academic sources, sible. He gets to know people, (Which means either you're a book­ it tends to be better written, with­ make friends, encounter fanzines seller or a writer, publisher, ed­ and the whole bit. Soon he is cor­ itor, artist.) You go to conven­ out tediously bad writing you find responding, and one day he notices tions to meet people you don't see in regular critical journals. (Of how naive and unknowledgable the otherwise, and maybe correspond course, now there are academic SF journals too, almost as bad, but neos seem, and he's a hardcore fan. with. After a while, programming It's too late. It happens to the and guests of honor become secondary seldom read by anyone but other ac­ best of us. considerations. In an interview I ademics .) The Disclave I mentioned earlier did with him, Gordon R. Dickson Are you interested in fandom? had more hardcore fans there than described it this way: If so, all you have to do is make most. The Truefans were separated "It just happens that science contact. Everything else will fol­ low. Send away for a few of the from the chaff Sunday night by a fiction, which used to be something musical event. It was a parody of everybody giggled about, has turned better fanzines. Pay for a single issue, not a subscription, then THE MUSIC MAN called THE MIMEO MAN out to be something fairly respect­ and it was written by fans Eli Cohen able, and it has developed by ac­ write a LoC to each. If you're at all literate and have anything to and Debbie Notkin. It was about cident and by the situations of the fans and situations unique to fan­ field into a condition in which most say, some of these will be printed. You'll get the issue in which your dom, and was loaded with ingroup of the in-group are like a small, letter appears for free, as is the references and peculiar fannish hu­ warm community." mor. (Later it was published in custom. Other faneds (fanzine ed­ fanzine format, now out of print, Isn't there a danger, I asked, itors) will see your letters and no doubt.) Outside reporters, if that this cozy little community perhaps send you their zines in there were any, were certainly puz­ might be so pleased with itself hope you'll write them letters too. zled by lyrics like this: that it becomes conservative and Do so. resistant to change? The answer Seventy-six genzines led the was an emphatic no. "We renew twice Two publications are recommended Locus poll a decade", said Dickson, and in a highly: With one hundred and ten one- way he's right. There is a constant THE NEO-FAN'S GUIDE TO SCIENCE shots close at hand. influx of new fans and new writers, FICTION FANDOM, Editor Bob Tucker, They were followed by rows and and the people who were creating a rows of the finest offset published by Linda Bushyager, 1614 illos, stir five years ago are not the ones Evans Avenue, Prospect Park, PA, The dream of every bigname fan. who are doing it now, either in fan 19076. 754- Profits for this go Seventy-six genzines caught or strictly professional circles. to fannish charities, Down Under Fan Fund, Trans Atlantic Fan Fund (these the morning mail Fandom is a thread of continuity With one hundred and ten one- two are funds to bring noted con­ through all the constant change. ventions to and from Australia and shots close behind. The curious thing about science fic­ Europe to attend major conventions), There were more than a thousand tion is that almost all its leading schemes and the FAAn Awards. (Fanzine Ac­ To exploit each theme 34 tivity Awards. Peer group awards for best fan work, based on the as­ FUTURIANS, (John Day), about the umns to editor Hank Stine in re­ sumption that the fanzine Hugos are club of that name, to which many sponse to his telephone requests. now meaningless due to over domina­ soon-to-be major SF names belonged. And the latest call several weeks tion by large circulation semi-pro­ It along with the Warner book pro­ ago was to ask for a change in the zines.) The GUIDE will tell you vide an interesting counterbalance format of the column [more about far more about fandom than this to the Moskowitz. A second "volume" that aspect below]. During that article can. of the Warner history, covering the call he mentioned a stretch-out of 1950s, has been published as three FANTHOLOGY 76, edited and pub­ 6-weeks between columns, and then mimeographed pamphlets. Presently lished by Victoria Vayne, P.O. Box said he'd call when he needed a they're hard to obtain. I queried 156, Station D, Toronto, Ontario, column. the publisher and got no reply. If M6P 3J8, Canada. $3.00. An anth­ any dealer has a stock of them, let I remember that J.J. Pierce had ology of best fanzine writing in me know. I want a copy. A fannish put together two or three complete the year 1976. Both humorous and newszine (as yet unseen by me) issues before resigning as editor. serious (sercon). Major fanwriters which sounds promising is Mike Gly- Those issues have not appeared. are present, including Hoffman, er's FILE 770, 504 from 14974 Osce­ Tucker, Shaw, Warner, Mae Strelkov ola Street, Sylmar, CA, 91342. But the most likely reason for and Don D'Ammassa. the delayed GALAXYs is that the pub­ *********************************** There are two major fan histor­ lisher is waiting for distributors to pay him for previous issues, so ies published as books, quite dif­ ALIEN THOUGHTS CONT. FROM P. 17 ferent from one another. You'll he can use that money to pay type­ recall the Monty Python routine* setters and printers for a new is­ about the election between the Sens­ an old argument § not worth going sue. That is hand-to-mouth publish­ ible Party and the Silly Party. into here, even when he is right in ing, and says there is no reserve, Well, the Sensible book on fandom dismissing the Effinger book but no operating capital... and very lit­ is Harry Warner's ALL OUR YESTER­ for all the wrong reasons (i.e., he tle hope. DAYS (Advent) which is an enormously thinks the type of book is poor We shall see what happens. readable, objective, fact-filled rather than realizing that it's simp­ The format change Hank wanted account of fan doings from the dim ly Effinger's inability to write was...was...*choke* a return of Alt­ pre-history to the end of the 1940s. up to the demands of his form). er-Ego. Yes, Alter is to be my part­ This is probably the best book yet 'But I think the real point of ner in reviewing science fiction and published on the subject. my continuing battles with him 6 fantasy for GALAXY. The Silly version is Sam Mosko­ you has to do with the still too "I was listening, Geis, and I witz's THE INWORTAL STORM, (Hyper­ often unacknowledged fact that sf want to take this opportunity to say ion) , which seems archetypically is so huge a category (6 I hate that how great an editor Hank Stine is. sercon in the old, bad sense of the word & what it connotes) now that He saw how dynamic and perceptive I word. If the pompous title isn't it contains many audiences all of am in print, and saw how dull and enough, Warner sunned it up nicely which enjoy their sf even if they bland you are in print and did the when he said that if read imnediate- don't see much in others' -- £ you only logical thing." ly after a history of World War II, did publish Brunner's column to make Alter, I'm pissed enough as it THE IMMORTAL STORM does not seem up. is. Don't rub salt in my wounds or like an anti-climax. The style is I'll quit writing the column alto­ 'In re the letter from George gether and let you go pound sand also curious, quite different from Warren, a friend of mine attended the recent Moskowitz whose articles, somewhere. a scholarly gathering on film in "Huh! You need me, Geis. I'm for example those on William Hope Los Angeles 6 one of the speakers, Hodgson in the revived WERID TALES, your bread and butter. I'm the ex­ a producer, told the gathered peo­ citement in SFR, the fizz in GALAXY, have been excellent. The writing ple this: The 3 questions asked of the—" is ponderous, pretentious and fre­ a movie, in order, are: (1) Is it Bane of my existence! Why did I quently (and inadvertantly) scream­ good? (2) Did it come in on sched­ ever create you??? ingly funny. But there are facts ule? (3) Did it come in on budget? in it, and it is of considerable in­ "You were just lucky. Now, let terest simply because it is a doc­ 'A TV show has a fixed budget, me tell you what books I think we ument from that period of fan hist­ so if you as director go over you should read next. I think—" ory. (Written in the late 40s and don't eat for a few months. Ergo OUT! LEAVE ME ALONE! GET BACK early 50s and first published as a the questions are reversed, 6 go: DOWN INTO YOUR DUNGEON! series of articles in a fanzine, and (1) Did it come in on budget? "Listen—" covering roughly the same timespan (2) Did it come in on schedule? AWAY! BEGONE! [What was that as the Warner book.) But fans were­ § finally G very much later, (3) Is ritual spell I used to use?] n't as narrow-minded and fanatic as it any good? He added, is it any "Okay, okay... I'll join you Moskowitz depicts them. Recently wonder that TV shows are so bad? later when we sit down here to write ISAAC ASIMOV'S SF magazine got a Ladies § gentlemen of the jury .... the reviews." submission (promptly rejected) of money sure talks funny sometimes, *Sigh.... * an article about fandom by an anth­ don't it? Well, now, I'll be able ropology professor who seemed to to get angry at you 6 times a year. have derived all his background But that's fun too. Peace.' from Moskowitz. Incredible distor­ # FOUNDATION #14 'The Review of tions. Sheer fantasy for the most Science Fiction', an academic-style part. (But I was interested in the British journal, edited by Malcolm religious statistic: 5% "pagan".) Edwards, has an article titled "Es­ Also of note is Damon Knight's THE 11-22-7R I'm more and more concern­ sex House: The Rise and Fall of Spec­ ed that an issue of GALAXY has not ulative Erotica" by Maxim Jakubowski which seems to me to praise the edi- *Monty Python references are very appeared since the September-dated fannish. Before that it was Fire­ issue. sign Theatre, before that (mostly I have sent two book review col- ALIEN THOUGHTS CONT, ON P. 37 in Britain) the Goon Show. 35 "How do you handle the negotiation er I didn't write, it took me the I write a hundred I'm going to put of book contracts?" devil's own time to argue with them, them together in a book. They had "I don't negotiate. I just sign first to take back the advance, no great desire to do books of lim­ the contracts and send them back." which they absolutely refused to do, ericks, but because 1^ had the desire --Isaac Asimov and second to let me write a dif­ they eventually put out three vol­ ferent book on the same contract so umes of my limericks. Then, when Last week an editor at one of that that same advance would go to I walked into Doubleday and said, the richest New York paperback pub­ the new book; and this they agreed do you mind if I do an annotated lishers proudly boasted to me how to both times with the greatest version of DON JUAN, they didn't little she had managed to pay for a reluctance. mind. Not only that, of their own simply wonderful new novel, whose accord and over my protests, they author had been too naive to ask for "Now, on my autobiography (due made a big gift book of it. They more money. Business as usual, I in 1979 in two volumes) I've been did it only because I_ wanted to do thought to myself. You read in the given, over my protests, by Double­ it; in fact I remember when they newspaper that paperback rights of day, three-and-a-third times my ord­ discussed it in their editorial meet­ some piece of hot property have just inary advance, which still leaves ings one editor scribbled something it a fairly small advance, you und­ sold for a couple of million dol­ on a piece of paper which, through erstand, but now I have to worry. lars; but most of the time, editors a series of mistakes, I happened to Those two volumes are probably go­ are scrounging around trying to see. It said, Oh, let Isaac have find bargains for a couple of thous­ ing to be $19 apiece. My fans his fun. And then when I did my and. That's why a writer needs an are the most loyal fans in the world autobiography, I came in with they're also not the richest...." aggressive literary agent working 640,000 words. Any other writer on his behalf, to argue and rant would have been told, cut it in and rave and finagle a reasonable Some sinple arithmetic: I may half. I mean Kissinger wouldn't price out of these tightfisted mis­ write a 640,000-word autobiography. ers who spend publishing money as be wrong, but I have reason to be­ lieve the advance on the autobio­ My editor took it right up to the meanly as if it came from their own president and said to him, what do pockets. graphy was $10,000. If the price of each two-volume set is to be $38 we do? He said, put it out in two That's what I always believed, and the royalty rate is 15%, Asimov volumes. And you know, I would rath­ anyway. Then I talked to Isaac Asi­ will earn $5.70 royalties for each er have that than enormous advances mov. He uses no literary agent. pair of volumes sold. Therefore and constant arguments over whether He trusts editors to be nice to the publisher must sell 1,755 two- I could do a book because it might him. He says it works: If anything volume sets before the royalties not sell well."

LOVE THY PUBLISHER: THE ASIMOV METHOD the terms they offer him are more By Charles Platt I asked if he had ever argued generous; over, for instance, royalty rates. "Publishers have actually rais­ ed my royalty rates of their own ac­ earned equal the advance money al­ "No. Never." cord. For instance, Doubleday now ready paid. Even if Doubleday some­ And had he ever been taken ad­ lets me have a straight 15 percent how managed to sell less than 1,755 vantage of by a publisher? on all my books. They did it, not copies (by some incredible fluke or through my suggestions at all. I amazing mismanagement), they would "Not in my opinion. Frequently still get small advances, but that's surely still make money out of the publishers have increased the amount because that's all I want. If you book -- especially when paperback I am paid, over my protests. AMER­ get a large advance there's too much rights are sold. And Isaac Asimov ICAN WAY magazine, I've been writ­ risk you won't be able to make it is worrying about this? It sounds ing a monthly column for them for back." crazy, but: four years. They've just voluntar­ ily raised my pay rate. I never (In other words, a risk that the "There's a certain amount of asked for any. I've been writing royalties earned by the book will method in my madness. In the first for FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION for add up to a smaller sum than the ad­ place, at every publisher I deal with twenty years. They raised my rate vance money that has already been I'm considered a member of the fam­ once in the past over my protests paid to the author, thus theoretic­ ily. I can walk in freely without and recently when they announced ally leaving the author indebted to being announced. I can kid around a general word-rate raise I had to the publisher. In practice such with all the secretaries, I can write them a special letter to tell debts are seldom, if ever, called kiss 'em and hug 'em and make a lot them I wouldn't accept a raise for due, or even applied to subsequent of noise and nobody throws me out, my part. So you know my constant author-publisher deals. Every au­ and that's valuable to me. It's not struggle is to keep them from giving thor I know regards it as a risk money in my pocket but it makes hap­ me more money." that the publisher should take. Ev­ piness, it creates a feeling that Of course, you can argue that ery author except Isaac Asimov.) writing is fun. And then secondly publishers don't argue with me. I Isaac Asimov is a special case, and "It's standard with me to ex­ say I want to write such-and-such publishers have every reason to want plain to the publisher that, if I a book, and they come 14) with a to promote goodwill with such a don't make back my advance, I'll contract. I decided I wanted to do well-known author. And if Double­ return what hasn't been made back. a book of lecherous limericks. I day, for instance, is apparently gen­ But no publisher has ever picked me said to Walker and Company, here erous, we must remember that they up on that. And on two occasions are sixteen limericks. As soon as can afford to be: They have made when they gave me an advance for a a lot more money out of Asimov than book which for one reason or anoth- 36 Asimov has ever made out of them. But the point about being free If Mr. Luros could have arranged # LETTER FROM ALAN DEAN FOSTER to write whatever you like, without a few hundred quality bookstore out­ November, 1978 hassles, without restrictions -- lets, Essex House and Brian Kirby isn't that what all of us writers might be famous—and his authors 'In eleven years of writing pro­ are supposed to want above all else? famous----- by now. fessionally, this is the first time Loving thy publisher may make you Subscription rates for FOUNDA­ I've felt it necessary to comment not-quite-as-rich, but it obviously TION are $7.50 for three issues on a negative review of my work has its advantages. for USA and Canada. Address: (though certainly not the first op­ FOUNDATION, The Science Fiction portunity to do so). (Isaac Asimov's quotes were ex­ Foundation, North East London Poly­ 'As a once-upon-a-time would-be cerpted from a long interview that technic, Longbridge Road, Dagenham, critic I remember how easy it is I conducted for ARIEL magazine, on Essex RM8 2AS, . to slip into the trap of substitut­ topics of more-general interest. ing vitriol for insight, sarcasm The interview will appear in. the for analysis and the chance to be next issue of ARIEL.) # LETTER FROM GEORGE WARREN smarmy for some honest observation. November, 1978 Ms. Wilma Wright's feelings about ************************************ SPLINTER OF THE MIND'S EYE are not 'Here is a little scoop for you the reason for this reply. The ALIEN THOUGHTS CONT. FROM P. 35 from the LOS ANGELES TIMES (don't book's taken better shots, and she know the date as a friend clipped is entitled to take aim as readily it sans date and sent it to me), as anyone else. verbatim: torial policy of Brian Kirby for aim­ 'But when you start talking a- ing at a kind of literary/specula- "'FIRST RELIGIOUS JOURNAL FOR bout a writer's "predictable hab­ tive content for his books...which NEWSSTANDS FORCED TO FOLD its", you damn well better be accur­ in fact resulted in the death of the '"Last fall, former science fic­ ate and employ some specific examples line because of poor sales. tion writer ((sic)) Roger P. Elwood to buttress your arguments. Accur­ acy I will comment on. As to spec­ Brian thought there was enough attempted something never done be­ of a market for high-quality quasi­ fore in U.S. religious circles: ed­ ifics, Ms. Wright utilizes none porno science fiction and fantasy it and publish a financially suc­ whatsoever. and surrealistic fiction. cessful Christian magazine that did 'She refers to the books MID­ There probably is such an audi­ not sell subscriptions but relied WORLD, THE END OF THE MATTER and the ence, but not in the porno shops, only on mass media rack and news­ novelette SNAKE EYES, in addition to smoke shops, liquor stores, etc. stand sales. SPLINTER. She says, "In these stor­ where Mr. Luros' output was placed. ies you will find cute striped furry '"Nine months later, his INSP­ It may be Brian was ten years aliens, jewels with bizarre powers, IRATION periodical, published by before his time. jungle worlds all supplied with the Petersen Publications in Hollywood, But these novels were essential­ same Ancient Temple a la H. Rider has been discontinued with October's ly packaged as porno—sex for sex' Haggard...." sake—and they didn't deliver what issue. 'In MIDWORLD there is a very the buyers were led to expect. '"Personnel and financial prob­ large furry alien. In SNAKE EYES The buyers wanted one-handed lems are blamed for the demise, and there is a moderately cute one. sex books [high porno content intend­ Elwood and his staff have departed, In THE END OF THE MATTER there is ed to arouse and assist in the in­ though Petersen Publications is a striped one. The implication in tensification of pleasure from mas- still very much in business. turbation-with-the-free-hand]. When Ms. Wright's words is that each of tfiey didn't get that kind of high- '"The company sells ISO million the three tales contains a "cute erotic-level in the Essex House line copies a year of specialty publica­ striped furry alien". I suggest (with the exception of my RAVISHED tions such as HOT ROD, SKINDIVER, she keep her aliens as well as the and RAW MEAT), they avoided the books MOTOR TREND, TEEN, GUNS FOR HOME books separate. Oh yes, there are afterwards. DEFENSE and scores of other slick furry aliens in SPLINTER. They are I've always felt that a true sex "magabooks" and periodicals related not striped and not very cute. I novel had to deliver. I always tried to hobbies and sports. suppose if they didn't have fur Ms. Wright would say I'm prone to cute to write sex scenes that would make me '"INSPIRATION was Petersen's striped bald aliens. want to jack off, and (if jacking off) first religious venture. The maga­ would make my pleasure more intense. zine's name, concept and contact '"Jewels with bizarre powers". I think that is an honorable and eth­ lists are up for sale." They exist in SNAKE EYES. They ex­ ical position, and I'd be writing sex ** ** ist in SPLINTER (or rather, it does) novels today if there was a decent­ because George Lucas wanted it paying market for them. 'Ho ho ho.' there. They are absent from MID­ If I were a porno film producer WORLD and END OF THE MATTER. that would be my thinking. [Porno films, of course, killed '"Jungle worlds all supplied off the porno novel market.] with the same Ancient Temple a la Most of the Essex House books H. Rider Haggard". There are no temples in either SNAKE EYES or MID­ had a high sex-content ratio, but it WORLD (I'm beginning to think Ms. was "enpty" non-erotic sex. Even Wright read SPLINTER four times and turn-off sex. Their intent was to explore sex, make it bizarre, weird, looked at the blurbs on the other works mentioned). The worlds of shocking, to make it serve the master SNAKE EYES and THE END OF THE MAT­ of intellectual interest, satire, etc. TER are not jungle worlds. That's fine, but, again, Brian Kirby's problem was distribution. Essex 'As to this business of all my House never made it, to my knowledge, female characters coming in three into legitimate books stores. basic types, I've already indicated Ms. Wright's delightful ability to created I'm sure I would've heard with the type of SF they sometimes reduce things to their basics by plenty about it years ago, from publish. eliminating everything that doesn't ladies of far more ability and per­ 'The only really disconcerting fit her assertions and altering in­ ception than she. factor in the novel was the fact convenient facts. That's rather 'Sorry to waste so much paper that, although it appeared to be set like preparing twelve different with this, Dick, but I'm a stickler many hundreds, even thousands of dishes and calling the result soup for accuracy in my work and I like years in the future of Earth, con­ because you're a rotten cook. to see it in any reviews of same. temporary place-names survived. That I can ignore such negativity in per­ might have worked in the modern Am­ 'To continue: She classifies sonalzines, and respect it when well erican reader's mind for nations them as Screaming Secretaries, Cold that have existed for longer than Bitches, and Old Hags: thought out by such reviewers as yourself or, say, Spider Robinson. anyone alive can remember, but it '1) Screaming Secretaries: But when someone tries to pass off works less well when the surviving "This sort can be found in the back­ such narcissistic dyspeptic twaddle names are those of half-baked newly- ground, yelling fervently and/or as a review in something I respect emerged nations which will have fainting. They are sometimes young as much as SFR, it's time to com­ their next revolution in a year (at and beautiful and always unable to ment. most) and never be called again by handle adventure of any sort". their current names. On the other '(Addendum: I'm usually a very hand, I can't suggest anything bet­ 'I've examined the four works in quiet sort, Dick. But in this case ter. question and darned if I can find a I invite Ms. Wright's rejoinder. single character (including Let her show me any examples from 'I always wondered what Conan Leia in SPLINTER) who fits this cat­ the books she mentions to support would have been like if he thought egory. her position, and I'll be glad to with his brain instead of (or in ad­ '2) Cold Bitches: "Women of comment further. In SFR if you dition to) his groin. Vik seems a little like that and he comes ac­ this type can be found as villains wish, or in private correspondence throughout his novels (emphasis with her. Personally, I think SFR ross very well. I don't know, of mine). They are mostly young and has better uses for its space. I course, how a female reader might perceive this immortal man of yours. beautiful, always competent and wonder if she read the last part of Damon's "Beyond Genocide" speech?)' ready to castrate Foster's major hu­ 'As for the ending, I was utter­ man male character, The Young Hero". ly floored — not so much by the un­ expected (but entirely in character) 'I don't know what oily cavity ((Sorry, Alan, through a series of shocking cannibalism, but by your of Ms. Wright's psyche the castra­ forgets and missed opportunities, boldness in conceiving such a thing. tion business emerged from, and I Wilma hasn't yet seen a copy of your We are, most of us, so unsettled by find it distasteful to pursue. If letter. She will when she gets her the very idea of death that we can she's referring to a physical act, copy of this issue, of course, and do little more than make nervous it exists only in her imagination I imagine her response will be prompt black-humor jokes about it (I just and not in any of the mentioned to you or to SFR for publication in heard my first Reverend Jim Jones works. If she's using it as a met­ #30. joke today -- something about using aphor for female domination, I can ((As for my opinion: even if a his picture in Kool-Ade ads). Can­ only think of one character who given author does have a tendency to nibalism as a rational alternative might fit, and she's not in one of use certain types of characters over the listed books. Though with fresh and over (and many, many do!), or seems logical in the context of the story, but is such a powerful idea insight at hand, I might consider certain scenes or certain plots...so that it left me entirely stunned -- creating such a personality now. what? The question is how well they are used. And, with some writers, I had to read the last page again '3) Old Hags: "Members of practice makes perfect. )) to make sure I'd really seen that.' this final..." Oh, shit, I'm get­ ting sick of this garbage. I pre­ sume Ms. Wright is referring to the ((You have a point about place character of Halla in SPLINTER, who # LETTER FROM WAYNE KEYSER names, but for reader orientation is old but hardly a hag. As to I decided to stick with what is. December, 1978 Mother Mastiff in SNAKE EYES (and ((I suspect that the manuscript other related books), she is a con­ was rejected out of hand by one pub­ 'I really had to write to tell tinuing character in a series. No lisher because the first reader was you how much I liked ONE IMMORTAL doubt Ms. Wright would prefer I a young liberated female person who MAN. Considering some of the garb­ change her each book, thus giving saw untrammeled sexism and etc. on age that sells well these days, I'm the boy Flinx a different mother every page. The mss was sent to shocked that you couldn't have sold each time around. Intriguing, but the editor of the sf line, but it it. Of course, it doesn't seem like not consistent. Nor do I regard didn't get to him. Maybe, now that the sort of thing that would have older women as "hags" or describe he 's moved to another publisher, been bought ten or even five years them as such. That derogatory term it will have a fair reception. I ago by any major publisher, but did is Ms. Wright's, not mine. think ONE IMMORTAL MAN is a highly you by any chance consider PLAYBOY? commercial novel, but finding the 'I could also mention the fe­ The book has a certain daring (even right publisher is a matter of time. male characters in BLOODHYPE, DREAM -- in a sense -- ruthlessness) ab­ So it goes.)) GONE GREEN, YE WHO WOULD SING and out it that might have fit in well others, but why waste time on some­ one who mixes words in her brain # LETTER FROM JEFF JOHNSTON □M NoTTUCr/lNO like silly putty. The professionals August, 1978 I'm most closely involved with in­ MWCX&EK, 'I wanted to finally take the clude my two agents, Virginia Kidd CUT orlt . and Ilse Lahn, and an editor, Judy- iMMprrAL-GiAb1?! time to write and give you my com- Lynn del Rey. If my female charac­ ters fell even slightly into the ALIEN THOUGHTS CONT. ON P. 56 sick slots Ms. Wright so casually 38 IWFE Ms All THE 3RIMSWE <^>me THE VIVISECTOR LO/jCf- 77ME FA-^ssiM WHP-RE. HAS All THE WMSTowE <^om£ to TTXiTE?' cA^ERQKoLDi)

THE FIVE JARS By M.R. James Amo, 1976, 172 pp., $10.00

This is M.R. James' only novel, their jobs" and slowly shrink into convicts from Earth, plus a large published originally as a juvenile nothingness. batch of The People of Peace, ideo­ in 1922. Like most fantasies of logical pacifists whom the Earth An interesting book, but not a this sort, it is quite readable by authorities found a nuisance. The great one. adults, and, with declining liter­ environment is very Earth-like, but acy in our schools what it is, prob­ the local flora and fauna are not ably of more interest to the James merely familiar species with new collector than the children's lib­ names. Le Guin shows more imagina­ rarian. MILLENNIAL WOMEN tion than most writers in this re­ gard, and thus creates a stronger How do we define a juvenile in Ed. Virginia Kidd Delacorte Press, 1978, 305 pp., $8.95 sense of a real place than is usual­ any case? I would use two criter­ ly found in contemporary SF. ia: vocabulary and emotional tone. THE FIVE JARS is certainly not writ­ Of course the major attraction The novel is quite satisfying ten in sinplistic prose -- it is of this book is the new Ursula Le within its limits. We could wish clear, precise, very sedate but not Guin Novel it contains, THE EYE OF that the characters were more devel­ kiddified -- but the content does THE HERON, which takes up 178 pages, oped, but at least what we are given strike me as a bit cute and watered over half the text. In one sense, rings true. The story is about: down. There is a certain lack of MILLENNIAL WOMEN is simply a new 1) a pacifist society facing a ser­ intensity, as if James were afraid Le Guin novel with frills attached. ious external threat 2) a woman that if he went too far he'd scare As an anthology it is partially a breaking free of restrictive tradi­ his readers overnuch. (Remember, marketing giimick (Gosh! Women tional roles (i.e. girls obey their he was one of the masters of the are writing science fiction! As if fathers, then marry who they're told ghost story.) Menaces aren't that they haven't been since Mary Shel­ to and obey their husbands) and menacing, and tend to be overcome ley. Remember the back cover blurb 3) a genuinely talented leader com­ easily. on THE SIGN OF THE LABRYS?) and ing to grips with the temptations partially a collection of stories of power. The problem arises when The plot concerns a gentleman of on the theme of women's roles in the folk of the City (descendants leisure who is led by a remarkably various future societies. of the convicts, and self-appointed articulate babbling brook, and later government) decide to enforce their a pool, to unearth a box containing THE EYE OF THE HERON is medium­ authority on the Town (pacifists) five jars of magic potions, which range Le Guin. It doesn't preach with the ultimate intent of reduc­ enable him to see and converse with shrilly like THE WORD FOR WORLD IS ing the population to serfdom. Pas­ supernatural creatures, shrink to FOREST, but on the other hand, it sive resistance ensues, then a small tiny size, etc. He rapidly befriends isn't as complex as THE DISPOSSESS­ amount of violence, which is the a comnunity of hitherto invisible ED, or as powerful as THE LEFT HAND crux of the whole matter. You'll little people living on his lawn, OF DARKNESS. Like THE DISPOSSESSED, recall what happened to the society and with their help wards off the it is a detailed examination of an of pacifists in Sprague de Canp's attempts of various evil beings to imaginary society and it works as a THE TRITONIAN RING when faced to the steal the jars. The problem is that novel rather than a tract. This equivalent of Atilla the Hun. Slaugh­ very little is explained: where is no small feat in itself, some­ tered to the last individual. I the jars came from and why the brook thing which has eluded generations think Le Guin (and her characters) babbled just then, why the little of utopian writers, not to mention would be honest enough to admit that people must scauper away when a bell quite a few contributors to the against conpletely unrestrained vio­ rings at a certain hour, who and early science fiction magazines. Un­ lence, passive resistance, non-vio­ what the adversaries are and why like THE DISPOSSESSED, this one has lence, protest, etc. are useless. You they didn't go after the jars when an interplanetary locale which real­ can only die free. Ghandi, after they were buried and why the "bat ly convinces. We don't have to swal- all, was well aware that his tech­ ball" brought on at the end may be low a society which, although tak­ niques wouldn't work against the Jap­ repelled with ordinary water. Things en from the same biological stock anese, and all the while Hitler, tend to just happen. as Earth people, evolved entirely on in his various rantings, just could its own, yet somehow became amazing­ On the positive side, James is not understand why the British did ly similar to 20th Century Earth, frequently quite inventive and some not be sensible and shoot Ghandi. complete with three superpowers, one of his images are startling. I don't Fortunately for Le Guin's pacifists, of which is authoritarian and run by think you'll forget the strange old the City people are basically a de­ a "presidium". HERON is set on an woman hanging from the clothesline cent lot, so things remain on a lev­ extra-solar planet colonized by and flapping merrily in the wind or el where such things work. Both the little people who fail to "do 39 sides are sufficiently shocked by the bloodshed that they come to One might argue, though, that the der's first novel, THE LUCK OF BRIN'S terms. Some of the Town people who prospector's amnesia is either an un­ FIVE, is quite good. If so, this is find this an unacceptable compromise necessary contrivance, or something hardly a proper sample of her work. of their ideals slip out into the which needs to be explored in more Finally, Cynthia Felice's "No One wilderness to found their own set­ detail. When he finds out who he Said Forever" is about a woman who tlement. Among them is one Luz Fal­ is and what will happen if the area has to choose between her marriage co, the daughter of the City's boss, is opened to development (i.e. ex­ and her career, since she's being who has left her own people for the ploitation of the local wetbacks), transferred where her husband can't freedom of the Town, and won't set­ he reamins where he is, with Amanda, go. One of my best friends is in tle for second best. After quite a never returning to civilization. that situation right now, and for a bit of shifting around, the focus of What were the thoughts and emotions year or so will live 1000 miles aw­ the narrative settles on her, so that went into his decision? ay from his wife. You guessed it, that her transformation is seen from the story isn't really science fic­ the inside, step by step, as person­ None of the short stories are tion, and setting it in a skinpily al growth. The other major charac­ as distinguished. Elizabeth Lynn's developed future doesn't make it so. ters, her father, and Lev, a young "Jubilee's Story" is probably the leader of the pacifists, are not as most interesting, but it reads like By all means get this book for well developed. a fragment of a longer work. With­ the Le Guin and Vinge items which out some development of background make up three quarters of it. This Joan D. Vinge's novelet, PHOE­ and preparation for what actually is the edition to get too, despite NIX IN THE ASHES is also about a wo­ goes on in the story, things are the horrendously bad dustjacket (by man caught in a repressive society, very sketchy indeed, and none of the one Enrich, who either belongs in that of isolated Nfexican peasants characters more than one-dimensional ANOMALIES 5 CURIOSITIES OF MEDICINE a good while after everything north personifications of attitudes, or else has no powers of observation of the border has been blasted into (i.e. strong woman, weak woman, good in matters anatomical), because un­ a plain of glass via nuclear war. man, evil man, occasionally strong like most contemporary hardcovers, Civilization is centered in Brazil but usually apathetic man.) Diana it's more than a paperback between and a Brazilian prospector (after Paxson's "The Song of N'Sardi-El" boards. Delacorte may be one of the the fossil fuels and recoverable is a conpetent story of alien con­ last publishers in the country to metals) barely survives a helicopter tact and misunderstanding which I use good paper, sewn signatures and crash in a remote village. The loc­ didn't find very memorable. While cloth bindings. Which means the als won't aid him at all, convinced we're talking about memorable... book won't fall apart after one or that he is a sorcerer, struck down there's "Mab Gallen Recalled" by two readings. by God, However, he finds himself Cherry Wilder. I should have taken living with Amanda, who is an out­ notes about it. Here I am writing cast for having defied her father this review two days after reading and refused to marry the man he chose the thing, and I can recall just FANTASMS: A JACK VANCE BIBLIOGRAPHY (Whereupon he disowned her, with­ about nothing of the content. Let's By Daniel J.H. Levack 5 Tim Under­ drawing her dowry, making marriage see, a quick page-through reminds me wood impossible.) The story is about how that it had something to do with Underwood-Miller (239 N 4th Street, the two of them become reconciled an emergency situation on a space­ (Columbia, PA 17512) with such conditions, and each oth­ ship and a woman's demanding to be Hardcover $10.95, paper $6.95 er. In the hands of an inept writ­ able to decide if she can risk her er, this might be quite comball, life for someone else. There was Just what the Vance completist also a woman priest involved. The but Joan Vinge is not inept. Like always wanted. This is a thoroughly pilot was black. It seems to be Le Guin she gives a very convincing researched, coherently organized more an exercise in showing the sense of place. Amanda and her soc­ bibliography, which tells you where right people in important roles iety are so real on the level of everything appeared, what got incor­ than a story. I understand Ms. Wil­ day-to-day life that the story works. porated into what, and how many ed­ itions there were. All English language appearances, and some trans­ lations are listed. The book is well printed and bound, and illus­ trated with numerous reproductions of Vance covers. Without intending to sound too cryptic, the verdict is: If this is just what you need, this is just what you need.

WHO'S WHO IN SCIENCE FICTION By Brian Ash Taplinger, paper, 1978, 220 pp. $4.95

An alphabetically arranged, semi-biographical encyclopedia of the field. The criterion for judg­ ing such a work is accuracy, and I'm pleased to say I don't find gross and wholesale errors, so this book will certainly be of some value to researchers. Mr. Ash's knowledge of the field is broad, as might be 40 expected, if a little superficial. He is more up on what is going on Rice. Not mentioned. Perhaps this now than what was going on a while is unfair, because I've recently de­ back. Thus he tells you about cur­ veloped an interest in her work, rent revisionist evaluations of Hugo but I was disappointed to find noth­ RICHARD Gemsback, but he is dead wrong ing about her here when far more ob­ when he comes to the meaning and scure people have full entries. E. origin of the term "space opera". (All I know about Ms. Rice is that "Akin to 'soap opera' if it were she was a regular contributor to GEIS taking place on Earth", says he, UNKNOWN, and also appeared in F(jSF which will come as a bit of a shock three times. A superb stylist, A PERSONAL JOURNAL to millions of STAR WARS trekkies. sometimes limited in idea content, (By the way, Tucker coined it.) she is slightly remembered for "Id­ # A constant litany of doom­ ol of the Flies" and "The Refugee".) saying More seriously, often a good # A jaundiced eye to current deal of bias shows through. It is The only outright error I found events all right not to like H.P. Lovecraft, was the statement that Charles Wil­ ftlnside/outside/underground Mr. Ash, but calling "Herbert West: liams' WITCHCRAFT is a "thriller". information and speculation Reanimator" one of his "better SF Actually, it's non-fiction, about ^Comment on the latest medi­ stories" is simply preposterous, es­ sorcery through the ages, written cal, sociological, psycholog­ pecially when "The Shadow out of from Christian viewpoint. I find ical and economic develop­ Time" is not mentioned! Also, con­ it a bit odd that Cabell's SMIRE is ments. sidering Lovecraft's international called a "straight weird novel" and #A Libertarian viewpoint reputation, I would say HPL's own that we're not told it's the third #Personal counter-culture work is of more lasting importance volume of a trilogy, THE NIGHTMARE living notes. than his influence on Kuttner, Bloch, HAS TRIPLETS. (Actually it's a etc. Those people only became im­ dream novel, "an attempt to extend What REG is mostly about, cur­ portant when they stopped writing the naturalism of Lewis Carrol", the rently, is my fascination with in the style of Lovecraft. author claimed.) Tolkein fans might the signs of the coming depres­ flinch at the recommendation of sion and the squirming and There are a few curious omis­ wriggling and jumping of poli­ sions and distortions. A. Merritt 's A LOOK BEHIND THE LORD OF THE RINGS. ticians and others as they is said to have been a "regular con­ jockey for position to avoid tributor" to WEIRD TALES, when in However, this is overall a very blame, claim credit, get re­ fact he only appeared there once, satisfactory effort. Ashley (un­ elected. when ARGOSY rejected "The Woman of like Ash) is even detailed and ac­ the Wood". James White's THE WATCH curate on the subject of magazines, We live in a period of BELOW may not be accurately summed and he is even aware of some of the acute national and interna­ up as "humans engage in underwater major semi-professional ones, which tional crises which are being conflict with aquatic aliens". Any­ are more important in this field masked and hidden from the thing about Edgar Pangbom which than they are in science fiction. public. fails to mention DAW is, to say the (One point: FANTASY § TERROR is no least, inadequate. And since the longer with us.) $3. for five issues. book is up to date enough to include $6. for ten issues. ************************************ a mention of Pangbom's death in REG #1 and #2 are sold out. 1976, I think it would have been a Eighteen copies left of #3. good idea to remove the claim that REG #7 is the current issue. LAST was publish­ ed that year. As all fans know, it This RICHARD E. GEIS is published will be published Real Soon Now. Publication.... approximately monthly. Mailed There are also numerous errors in first class. the magazine listings. Ted White 'never edited . Send siiscriptions to: This magazine is not the same as Richard E. Geis FANTASTIC, and actually co-existed P.O. Box 11408 with it for a while. Sam Merwin Portland, OR 97211 did not edit BEYOND. White was an assistant at F§SF, never the edit­ or. Mary Gnaedinger was editor of FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES. Daniel Keyes was an associate editor of CANNED MEA T MARVEL. R.O. Erisman was in charge. A SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL An acceptable reference work, BY RICHARD E. GEIS but hardly definitive. is Available in Life in a computer-run domed MICROFORM city and the failing civiliza­ tion of which it is a part. For Complete Information WHO'S WHO IN HORROR § FANTASY FICTION Roi and Eelia, two young citi­ WRITE : By Mike Ashley University zens of the dome, two children Taplinger, 1978, 240 pp. $10.95 Microfilms of Great Mother Computer, meet and experiment with forbidden International Far more detailed than the pre­ sex. ceding, this one should become the Depi. F.A. Dept. F.A. 300 North Zeeb Road 10 Bedford Row Covers and interior illustra­ standard reference work in its field Ann Arbor. Ml 48106 London. WC1R 4EJ tions by Bruce Conklin There is a vast amount of informa­ U.S.A. England tion here about many pre-modem writ­ $5. Order from address above. ers, plus virtually all the modems. The only omission I noted was Jane 41 \ OTHER VOICES, OTHER VOICES, OTHER VOICES, OTHER

THE SWORD SMITH THE BOOK OF ELLISON By Eleanor Arnason Edited by Andrew Porter Condor, 1978 Algol Press, $5.95 paper, $15.00 hardcover Reviewed by Orson Scott Card Reviewed by Mark Cofta

The book is impossible. Sorcery For those who jump, wiggle, gig­ is referred to, as are gods, but ex­ gle insanely, wag tongue, roll eyes cept for dragons' doors and dragons' and otherwise react: Algol Press gardens (and dragons, for that mat­ has released a book by Harlan Elli­ ter) there's nothing in the book son. Well, by and about, which is that couldn't come out of third cen­ almost as good. tury China. Everything is desuper­ naturalized. There's no attempt THE BOOK OF ELLISON is not sen­ at high-flown language; dragons do sational, but is insightful and a not breathe fire and are dying out; noble tribute to a fine author. The trolls are Homo erectus and are dy­ first part of the book -- about a ing out; and the hero isn't on a third -- is a salute to Ellison, a marvelous quest, he's just trying collection of reminiscences that, to quit his job and his boss won't thankfully, don't drag us through accept his resignation. drooling drivel. By Isaac Asimov, Lee Hoffman, Ted White, Robert Sil­ The book is not only out-of­ verberg and David Gerrold, all writ­ genre, it's even,pointless, which ceptionally good swordsmith, a fair ten from the heart with no fake pats- is the kiss of death as far as I'm swordfighter, and one hell of a on-the-back. (usually) concerned. The hero, Lim- bad planner, but he muddles through, per, doesn't particularly know where An extra bonus in this section and by the end I was glad he intend­ is Joseph Patrouch's perceptive ev­ he's going -- he's just going away. ed to go on muddling. His life, The dragon, Nargri, thinks Limper's aluation of Harlan's story technique, and the book, were pointless and got "Harlan Ellison and the Formula St­ a bit dumb (except he's a good smith) nowhere, but the getting there made but occasionally she bites people ory", one of the most intelligent me like him, perhaps because of his and coherent pieces of criticism when it will help -- she's a baby, very commonness. He doesn't stand and she's just along for the ride. I've read in a long time. Ellison head and shoulders above other men. closes this "Book About Ellison" And no two incidents in the book He stands even with most and lower are connected. Limper just keeps section with a dry biographical than some (as I do); he does some statement that, though dated, an­ getting captured either by people things well and falls flat on his who want to take him back to his swers curiosity and lays out the face the rest of the time (as I do); facts well. boss, the King of Eshgorin, or by he keeps sleeping with the wrong wo­ people who want to kill him and per­ men and not sleeping with the right "The Book By Ellison" is a ser­ form assorted rude acts on his cor­ ones (I beg off the personal analogy ies of little-known essays on SF pse. here); he is everyman smack-dab in from diverse and obscure sources, a So why did I keep reading with the middle of a heroic fantasy mil­ gold mine of Ellison non-fiction so much interest? ieu. Conan could come charging over nearly inpossible to find elsewhere. the hill with gore dripping from I can't single out the most inter­ I guess it's partly because Am- his sword, and Limper would just esting or best piece; all lend in­ ason writes so cleanly. There's melt into the underbrush and mutter sight into Ellison and are invigor­ something about somebody who can about how glad he is not to have to ating reading. "The Whore With a tell a story interestingly without tangle with a monster like that. Heart of Iron Pyrites, or Where Does any stylistic frufra that I have One Go to Find a Maggie?" shines a to admire. I can only admire -- I THE SWORD SMITH doesn't have the bit more than the rest; it's a com­ haven't yet learned how to imitate epic grandeur or the nobility of panion to "Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes", it. And though her characters are purpose of LOTR. It doesn't have written for Robin Scott Wilson's relentlessly witty, the wit is gen­ the depth of detail and the intrigu­ THOSE WHO CAN and an interesting uine enough, not forced. I got more ing characterization of . look at Harlan the writer. than a few pleasant chuckles. It doesn't have the magic of Earth­ sea or Hed. It doesn't even have Stuck discretely at the end of Arnason also seems to throw aw­ the sheer excitement of Conan. the book are two short stories from ay story elements that could have 1955 which clearly show the later, been epic, had she wanted to treat But despite all the doesn'ts, it more mature Ellison style peeking them that way. When Enrin, a noble- does have one thing: my recommend­ through: "Hardcover" and "A Walk hearted hero from Eshgorin, dies in ation. I liked it. I liked it very Around the Block". Also included the snow from the dragons' crossbow much. And if you can figure out is a checklist of his non-fiction bolt, I realized that I had just why, explain it to me. by Leslie Kay Swigart, a companion read a story of immense mythic pow­ ************************************ to her fiction checklist in the El­ er. Yet in this book it's almost a Reviews in hand for next issue: lison issue of F£SF (7/77). common event -- regrettable, but IVAN EFREMOV'S THEORY OF SOVIET certainly something one doesn't get The checklist shows how much SCIENCE FICTION, NIGHT SHIFT, THE too excited about. most of us will probably never be BEST OF , THROUGH able to locate, but Andrew Porter Limper just goes on, you see, THE EYE OF A NEEDLE, THE AMERICAN has given us a sample and a touch­ and by the end it's clear that's all MONOMYTH, THE FOUNTAINS OF PARADISE, ing, revealing look at a very spec­ he ever plans to do. And to my sur­ GORDON R. DICKSON'S SF BEST, SIGHT ial man. prise, that's enough. He's an ex­ OF PROTEUS, THE DRAGON BOOK and more. **************J 42 ***************** THE FAR CALL his research make his book glow with with this volume, and, although the By Gordon R. Dickson conviction. The emotional and tech­ other three books were better, it Quantum SF, New York: Dial Press/ nical problems of the space program rather nipped my growing fondness James Wade, 1978, 414 pp. have never been more vividly pre­ for the series. Reviewed by Sandra Miesel sented than here. If you like Moorcock, and like Finally, a positive, optimistic fantasy-adventure read this one and THE FAR CALL is Dickson's most novel is__ well...a novelty these the entire series. Otherwise, for­ ambitious and most satisfying single days. There is something gratify­ get it. novel to date. (If you read a ser­ ing -- besides novel -- about watch­ ************************************ ial of the same title in ANALOG a ing people react decently under few years back, forget it. This stress, suffer for a worthwhile version is roughly three times as cause, and pair off happily with the long and totally rewritten.) Here right lovers. THE FAR CALL offers THE BICENTENNIAL MAN AND OTHER Dickson uses the first manned exped­ no supermen, no flashy daring-do, STORIES ition to Mars as his stage for a set no mystical pyrotechnics -- just By Isaac Asimov of interlaced dramas about human de­ sheer excellence. Fawcett Crest, $1.75 velopment. He asks: "Who will ************************************ Reviewed by Mark Mansell heed the far call to progress? Who can even hear it?" His answer is Isaac Asimov's previous collec­ that dreamers are wise enough to tion, BUY !, was largely a listen and move forward but clever selection of Asimovian trivia, out­ people are too busy protecting their THE RUNESTAFF rageous puns and shaggy dog stories. power to notice what is happening. By Michael Moorcock Daw, Sept, 1977, 158 pp. $1.25 THE BICENTENNIAL MAN, however, shows Dickson weaves a host of multip­ him to be once more the master of le viewpoints together with smooth, Reviewed by L. Craig Rickman science fiction.that has written the ungimmicked touch and deploys a Foundation trilogy and "Nightfall". large cast of believable characters Grim. Downbeat. Depressing. This collection has a Hugo winner, ranging from the President of the I've heard those three adjec­ a Hugo nominee, and a story that to petty criminals. tives used in reviews of Michael was included in one of Donald Wol- Starring roles go to two couples: Moorcock's fiction so many times lenheim's YEAR'S BEST anthologies. the U.S. Undersecretary for Space that it is no longer necessary to Four of the stories are of his and his career journalist girl fr­ read the review; they all tend to famed positronic . One iend (man the thinker) and the U.S. say much the same thing. Not only of these, "", ev­ marsnaut and his homemaking wife that, but the use of those three en has Asimov's favorite character, (man the doer). Members of each words often shapes the character of . The others are: pair conplement both their partners the review itself. "That Thou Art Mindful of Him", and the members of the other pair. which was a Hugo nominee, and is a- The plot focuses on their tragedies, Daw has, over the past couple of years, been reissuing Moorcock's bout the final solution to the rob­ triumphs and mutual adjustments ot problem; "The Tercentenary Inci­ which in turn affect the entwined old Lancer titles -- in particular dent" is similar to his other posi­ lives of the sipporting players. the chronicles of Elric and Hawk­ moon. I'm not sure how they've been tronic robot story "Evidence" in This novel marks a significant selling, but I know of few fantasy that both deal with suspicions that advance in Dickson's handling of buffs who've not added the Daw edi­ an important public figure is in female characters. They are strong­ tions to their library. fact a robot; and finally, "The Bi­ er and more synpathetic here than centennial Man", which won the Hugo ever before in his fiction. (Fem­ THE RUNESTAFF is the concluding award in 1977 as best novelette. inists will cheer at the sight of a volume in the series, colorfully It is among the best things Asimov downtrodden barmaid defending her entitled, THE HIGH HISTORY OF THE has ever written, being a tale of dignity with a paring knife.) Not RUNESTAFF. Unfortunately, the book freedom and humanity as told through only do the women act as conserva­ does not quite live up to the title. the eyes of a robot who wanted to tors to play off against the prog­ It is not really very colorful, nor be free and to become human. It is ressivism of the men, by the end of is the climax quite what one comes a touching story, definitely a Hugo the story they have integrated both to expect from Michael Moorcock. winner. attitudes within themselves. Their Not that it's a bad book --or even Another pair of excellent sto­ relationships with men are also mark­ a mediocre one. It's simply not ries are the two longest in the ed with more warmth and humor than Moorcock at his best. Lupoff des­ formerly --no previous Dickson cribed many of Burrough's insignif­ hero proposed marriage while up to icant, if entertaining works as "Pot­ his elbows in soapsuds from washing boilers", and I think that adjective dishes. sums this one up pretty well. THE FAR CALL shows a complete The book concerns the petty in­ panorama of people touched by space trigues of the court of Granbretan, exploration: marsnauts, engineers, and how Hawkmoon, Count Brass and ground personnel, politicians, bu­ the other good guys use these inner reaucrats, businessmen, security turmoils to again return the world guards and media representatives as to the sanity that the beast-masked well as the locals who serve them warriors of the Dark Empire had all. The Kennedy Space Center at­ ousted. It all comes out a little mosphere is totally authentic al­ too pat, and the features of the though one might quibble that the series (especially the Runestaff) that are the most intriguing in the surrounding towns do not look sleazy enough to match reality. The auth­ beginning, come off as the most bor­ or's many trips to the Cape as a ing. I was definitely dissatisfied journalist and the thoroughness of 43 book: "Waterclap" and "Stranger ERS IN THE AFTERGLOW. Humankind's in Paradise". The former was orig­ Combine is in a stalemated war with inally written to be the basis of a the Machist culture until the enemy movie, but was turned down. It de­ takes a seemingly worthless human scribes how a fanatical supporter world called Ondine. As in the past, of a lunar colony tries to destroy no one knows what the Machists look a deep-sea colony which he feels is like or the fate of the people on taking money which could be used on Machist-occupied worlds. the lunar one. The second story A single man goes to Ondine to concerns two brothers who must work unravel the enemy's essence, and to together to develop a robot which organize resistance to them. A man will be able to explore Mercury, in essence only, Daniel is a human although Earth is going through a nervous system/computer interface period when brothers born of the encapsulated in a small spaceship. same mother and father are regarded He can control 22 robotic "selves" as shameful. Another excellent sto­ called synibs, simultaneously. Much ry is "The Winnowing", which is ab­ of the story revolves around his in­ out a biochemist who is forced to ner agonies of being no longer hu­ turn over virus-like material to man, but remembering vividly that government officials who plan to use he was. it to kill off 70% of the human race so the remainder won't face famine. Machists capture most of Ondine's There are excellent reasonings on population, but a small number es­ NIGHT WINDS is Wagner's second both sides of the question, and the cape into the wilderness. They be­ collection of Kane short fiction, ending is a shocker. come Daniel's ragged guerrilla band, the now out-of-print DEATH ANGEL'S and the least interesting part of SHADCW being the first. In these Besides his appearances in var­ the story. stories, Wagner continues the saga ious science fiction magazines, As­ of his deathless, doomed swordsman, imov has also had stories in sever­ It was with increasing trepida­ Kane, who is patterned after the al places where you wouldn't expect tion, however, that I read what hap­ Biblical Cain. Kane slew his broth­ to see a science fiction story. pens to the majority of the popula­ er as an act of rebellion against Some of these are included in this tion. First, the cities empty out the mad god which created mankind collection. They are: "The Life into the countryside -- a la Cambod­ as a plaything, and was punished and Times of Multivac", which ap­ ia. With depressing success, Chalk­ for his acts by being cursed with a peared in THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGA­ er then develops the complete con­ life which would last until he was ZINE; "Marching In", which was in version of the human culture to some­ slain by the same violence he brought HIGH FIDELITY; and "Old Fashioned" thing alien. It's detailed and it into the world, and his eyes gleam which was printed in BELL TELEPHONE sounds like it just might work. with the mad fires of a bom killer, MAGAZINE. There are plenty of mystery ele­ the Mark of Kane. He roams in a Rounding out the collection are ments in DANCERS that make it a tight world of barbaric kingdoms and an­ two small items. "Birth of a Not­ story throughout. You'll probably cient magic and races. Throughout ion" was written for AMAZING STOR­ buy the book because of the Michael his ages-long life, he has been a IES' 50th Anniversary, and describes Herring cover. It literally glows bandit, a king, a wizard, an assass­ how a time-traveller managed to get on the book racks. in, and a leader of armies. Hugo Gemsback not to call his mag­ By the way, all the chapter "Undertow" is the first story azine SCIENTIFICTION. The other headings are musical terms. I could in the book, and is reprinted from item is "The Prime of Life", a poem not find any connection between the the award-winning horror magazine which seeks to disprove for all time headings and the story line, but WHISPERS. In the story, Kane is that Isaac Asimov is over a hund­ there seems to be a correspondence a wizard in the city of Carsultyal, red, several people, or a science between the musical definition and greatest of mankind's cities in the fiction-writing conp liter. the style or pace of the chapter's dawn of civilization. Kane holds Besides the excellent stories, action. "Music of the Spheres",any­ on to the girl Dessylyn who once there are Asmimov's notes to each st­ one? loved him by use of necromancy, but ory, telling how they came to be *** AA*********A*A* A AAAA*A*AAA*AAAAAA he must contend with others who al­ written, and interesting facts ab­ so love Dessylyn. The story ends out them. This running dialogue with Dessylyn finally escaping with has come to be a trademark in Asi­ one of her lovers, and the strange mov's collections, and some people NICUT WINDS twist of fate which follows. enjoy them as much as the stories By Karl Edward Wagner "Two Suns Setting" takes place themselves. This collection is not Warner Books, $1.95 some years later, after the city of to be missed by anyone who enjoys Reviewed by Mark Mansell Carsultyal has fallen because of science fiction, or who just likes Kane's delvings into magic. Kane good storytelling. Karl Edward Wagner has won an comes across one of the race of gi­ ************************************ enviable esteem in the sword and ants which ruled much of earth be­ sorcery genre in recent years. Al­ fore the coming of man. Together, though he has only written five they seek to recover the crown be­ books so far concerning his charac­ longing to the greatest of the an­ DANCERS IN THE AFTERGLOW ter Kane, he has achieved such a cient giant kings. By Jack L. Chalker following that he has been invited Ballantine/Del Rey Books, $1.75 "The Dark Muse" once again has to write novels with Robert E. How­ Kane dabbling in the black arts. Reviewed by Larry W. Mitchell ard's characters Bran Mak Mom and He is persuaded by a poet friend, Conan for Zebra and Bantam, respec­ Opyros, to invoke a spell which Mankind has been bunping up tively. will allow Opyros to journey brief­ against aliens forever in the pages ly into the realms of dream, guided of SF, and they do so again in DANC­ 44 by the Dark Muse, in search of the ultimate inspiration for his poet­ ever since I could read, I would arette ad in the middle: Close ry. Despite difficulties due to a have become aware of David Gerrold Cover Before Striking! If a plot wizard's apprentice who tries to re­ even if he had not started by writ­ exists, it concerns Alex Commoner, cover an occult statuette from Kane ing two non-fiction books for STAR a dull, young bank teller who works which is used in the invokation, Kane TREK fans. I have read everything in a future Washington, DC. Alex sends Opyros into the realms of dream, he has written since then because I suffers unrequited love for Ann but the inspiration yields a most found that even at his worst David Marie, wife of Alex's best friend, unusual poem. is competent enough to be entertain­ Richard Shatz. But Richard has ing on some level, and at his best been kidnapped by the dictatorial "Raven's Eyrie" takes place when he is superb. Institute for Scientific and Tech­ Kane is once more a bandit chief­ nological Advancement, because the For over a year David has been tain. He and the survivors of his Institute's staff must understand writing a column in STARLOG, a mag­ band are fleeing from an ambush, everything -- including why Richard azine about films and TV shows re­ and they take shelter in an inn has no shadow. Alex, Ann Marie, and lated to SF8F, horror and Sci-fi. which is run by a woman who was rap­ a host of vacuous people, aren't In the issue that came out a month ed by Kane seven years before. Un­ bothered by Richard's transparency before DEATHBEAST he used his col­ known to Kane, the woman has made to sunlight, and plot to spring umn to publish the first chapter a pact with the Demon Lord to sac­ their friend. They also want to of the book, hoping to increase rifice the child bom from Kane's save the world from the evil scient­ sales by once again getting non-SF rape in return for the Demon Lord ists who have merely solved all the readers to buy. Hope he makes lots hunting down Kane with a hound from world's problems. hell. The story moves in an eerie of money. Hope many of them become and suspenseful fashion to a truly fans and other authors benefit too. The astute might wonder why frightening ending. But, to get back to DEATHBEAST, is Alex worries about finding a park­ it worth the money and time of peo­ ing space for his "solar car" when "Lynortis Reprise" is a melan­ ple who have read an SF novel or two the Institute has developed anti­ choly tale of a search through a before this one? gravity. Or what references to war-ruined city by Kane and the teen-aged Alex's ability to tele­ How many fictional folks have king whose army destroyed the city. port have to do with anything? hunted dinosaurs since SF became a The maimed survivors of both armies And why does 24-year-old Alex have genre? Well, add another batch. remain to defend the city, since flashbacks to memories of Seattle There are nine characters. Ethab they were scorned by their families that would be appropriate to a fut­ -- super determined hunter. Leader and friends from the outside world. ure 60-year-old? Most won't bother of the group. More like Clint East­ Kane aids the daughter of the last to get that far -- THE INSTITUTE is wood or Charles Bronson than Richard princess of the city, who everyone not so much a novel as it is an ex­ Boone. Karlen -- Ethab's good right believes knows where the hidden room ercise in collective illiteracy. of gold is located. arm, and a poor man's version of him. Nusa -- Ethab's former lover. ftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftft The final story in the volume Raquel or Farrah would play her is "Sing a Last Song of Valdese". part. Loevil and Megan -- man and Kane plays only a minor part in the wife, which must be like they don't HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA story, and his identity is only re­ like each other much. Professional vealed near the end. The story tells By time guides. "Great white hunters" St. Martin's, 1978 of the unfolding of a dread curse by with gadgets. Dorik -- A dork. a sorcerer whose love was raped and Dumpy. Goofy. Bumbling. In fact, Reviewed by F. Paul Wilson slain many years before against the Seven Dwarfs in one body. Tril those who killed her and tortured and Eese -- very much in love. This one's a shocker, a mutant him and left him for dead. Deathbeast -- nine tons of Tyran­ dressed in a coat of many colors. Karl Edward Wagner is an acknow­ nosaurus Rex. SUPER-JAWS!!! (Well, It's by a rising young author who ledged leader in the field of fan­ why not? If a measly little shark has already made a bit of a name tasy. "Two Suns Setting" was a can turn printer's ink into gold -- for herself. It's an alternate se­ nominee for the 1976 World Fantasy well, are SF fans really any smarter lection of the Literary Guild and Awards, and was reprinted in YEAR'S than those little fish in the main­ the Science Fiction Book Club. Yet BEST FANTASY #3, edited by Lin Car­ stream?) the only place I've ever seen it mentioned is in the club circulars. ter. "Sing a Last Song of Valdese" DEATHBEAST is blood and guts ad­ and "Undertow" have been reprinted venture of the "get to know them as The reason is obvious upon read­ in YEAR'S BEST HORROR #5 and #6, re­ you watch them die" type. Good sus­ ing the book: Nobody at St. Mar­ spectively. It is likely that more pense, lots of grisly action, ster­ tin's knew what to do with the damn of Wagner's material will be chosen eotype characters presented as if thing. I can picture the marketing for Year's Best anthologies and a- they were marvelously complex, and and publicity people agonizing over ward nominations in the years to a high voltage finish. Yeah, JAWS: come. NIGHT WINDS is a volume that ONE MILLION YEARS B.C., but as I no lover of sword and sorcery, hor­ said, Gerrold knows all the tricks ror, or just good story-telling of the trade. He is always enter­ ought to miss. Adding to an excel­ taining. lent package is a lovely Frank Fraz- etta cover. ftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftft ************************************ THE INSTITUTE By Robert Petyo DEATHBEAST Manor Books, 1978, 219 pp., $1.50 By David Gerrold Reviewed by Dean R. Lambe Popular Library, 255 pp. $1.75 Reviewed by Paul McGuire III The only function served by THE INSTITUTE is as wrapper for the cig­ Since I have been a reader of SF 45 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA... "Let's mark­ character, but apparently she felt the first two "Diadem" novels the et it as a gothic"... "No, no! It she had to scrape the floor of a only fault of IRSUD, Clayton's fame will offend gothic readers!"... chamal house to give him a suitably would continue to grow. But IRSUD "Well, a historical, then. Histor- evil foe. is so seriously flawed, that she icals are big now"... "But histor- would do well to discontinue the The setting is lovingly render­ icals don't have vampires running series. ed. Yarbro is either a student of around. I mean, real vampires!" mid-Eighteenth Century Parisian Like Stableford's Star-pilot "Then sell it as a horror story!" high society, or she's a great fak­ Grainger, and Clement's NEEDLE, "But it's really a love story"... er. Either way, she made me be­ Aleytys carries a symbiotic "Rider" "Arrrgggh!" lieve. And then there are the let­ in her head --a gift of the ancient So they dumped it on the market ters -- chapters are opened and/or Diadem she picked up in the first and somehow it found its way into closed with letters from one char­ book. In IRSUD, this "Rider" is two book clubs. And yes, the nov­ acter to another. They not only en­ revealed to be three distinct per­ el is all of those things mentioned hance the ambiance by being perfect­ sonalities: a scholar, a poet and above. But not in a calculating ly couched in the style of the times, a warrior. The skills of all three way. I believe Yarbro had a story but fill in background with a mini­ "Riders", plus the time-stopping to tell and she told it as it had mum of ado. gift of the Diadem, are available to Aleytys, as are her own extensive to be told, unmindful of the market­ All in all, a tight, well-craft­ paranormal powers. Flaw #1, of ing people. HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA may ed novel. I have only one gripe. course, is the "Stupid Superman" be a historical/gothic/horror/love The last third of the book is a pro­ syndrome. Those wonderful powers story, but not because the author longed excursion into the blackest and skills seem to be inconveniently wanted to try to cash in on multip­ depths of human depravity. (I used forgotten in a pinch. And I -- and le markets. All the elements fit. to write cover copy, folks). The Women's Lib -- would be a lot hap­ Briefly, the plot revolves ar­ climax is something that might have pier if this wonder woman didn't appeared in an old shudder pulp with ound Madelaine de Montalia, a young lapse into a "fit of giggles" at all the stops pulled out. Not at country cousin who comes to Paris crucial times. to live with her aunt and uncle and all for the squeamish. I'm as hard be introduced into Parisian societ- as hell to rattle, but I was frank­ A second flaw involves a persis­ y. She catches the eye of all the ly quite shaken by the time I fin­ tent space/time dislocation of met­ heterosexual men about, especially ished the book. Who'd have thought aphor (anachronism and anthropomor­ two: the mysterious le Comte de that gentle woman with the short phism won't do, SF needs a special Saint-Germain, and the fearsome le red hair I met at the 1976 SFWA term). If there are "mimosoid" Baron Clotaire de Saint Sebastien editor-author reception had this in plants on Irsud, why also bamboo? who is whispered to belong to a Sa­ her. And if Aleyty's love bug is pictur­ tanist cult. Saint Sebastien wants ed with eyes "the size of teacups", Get a copy. Read it. The SF why is tea (and cups) introduced to Madelaine for the next rites -- Book Club edition is about half the only Madelaine. Why he is so the planet for the first time by price of the Literary Guild edition specific is part of the mystery. traders who arrive at the end? which is almost half the price of Madelaine is a feisty young woman, the trade edition. The most serious flaw, however, but no match for Saint Sebastien concerns Clayton's creation of al­ HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA. A nice and his followers. Only the black­ ien languages -- she didn't create place to visit, but you wouldn't clad Saint Germaine, who is drawn them, and they're not alien. The want to live there. to her unique mixture of innocence small, three-fingered hiiri speak and audacity, stands between the Finnish! Granted, others (e.g., evil Saint Sebastien and his desire. Emil Pataja and Poul Anderson) have Sounds tired? Sounds thin? used the language and legends of Wait...Saint Germaine is a vampire. Finland, and the De Camps's HANDBOOK IRSUD Aha! even reconuiends use of a human ton­ By Jo Clayton gue as a model. But those writers Daw Books, 1978, $1.75 That's all I'll say about the have played fair, have provided a plot... I tried to diagram it out Reviewed by Dean R. Lambe logical basis for the language us­ and got a headache. The behind-the- ed. Clayton has cheated, and done scenes machinations are enthralling. In the third novel of the "Dia­ so poorly. Even one as little fam­ The characters are real and believ­ dem" series, Clayton continues the iliar with the language of his fore­ able, with the possible exception "Dumarest"-like quest of the young fathers as I must balk at the hiiri of Saint Sebastien. There are vil­ barbarian Aleytys, and her search slave-girl's statement that "huti- lains and there are villains, but for both her mother's world, and kuu" is a "month in the fall", when this guy is a real sicko. Yarbro her own lately-kidnapped child. On Finnish Huhtikuu means April! And, did some fancy footwork to turn her Irsud, Aleytys is sold into slavery it's doubly ironic that Clayton has vampire hero into a sympathetic and is made parasitic host for the chosen one of the most non-sexist egg of the dead Nayid queen. Aley­ languages of man for her extremely tys has a year of life before the male chauvinistic hiiri (but then, genetic time-bomb will destroy her a hiisi is a demon). in giving birth to the new-old queen Anyone care to lei odds that of this insectoid-reptilian race. Clayton has Old Hawaiian in mind for The heroine's plans for escape are "le-any” Aleytys to encounter next? thwarted by the Nayid power strug­ gles of the ruling Kipu, and conp- ************************************ licated by Aleytys's love for a nay­ id male (bug-eyes, and all), and the plight of the enslaved humanoids, THE ONLY LESSON TO BE LEARNED FROM the hiiri. Were a lack of the ad­ HISTORY IS THAN MANKIND DOES NOT LEARN FROM HISTORY. SHIP LOlTH venture and pace characteristic of ZUPP&l) 3>ISO- 46 FALSE DAWN NEBULA AWARD STORIES NINE has gotten dozens of his By Chelsea Quinn Yarbro Edited by Kate Wilhelm stories into print in numerous pro­ Doubleday, 1978, 208 pp., $7.95 Bantam Books for July, 1978 fessional and semi-professional mar­ Cover art by Gary Friedman 257 pp., $1.95 kets. Recently, a great number of these stories have been collected in­ Reviewed by Gretchen Rix Reviewed by David A. Truesdale to paperbacks. Howard's fiction is earning more each year 40 years af­ Originally published in hard­ ter his death than it ever did dur­ FALSE DAWN is a Chelsea Quinn cover by Harper § Row back in Janu­ ing Howard's entire lifetime. Yarbro adventure novel expanded ary of 1975, this paperback release from her 1973 story in STRANGE BED­ of eight superlative stories, two This is the third publication FELLOWS, edited by Thomas N. Scor- cogent and intersting essays and a of MARCHERS OF VALHALLA, the first tia. In it Yarbro details a young creditable sumnation of the year two being Grant Books hardbacks. mutant woman struggling for surviv­ 1973 in science fiction is now, be­ The thing seems to grow with each al in a brutally ugly future world.' latedly, available to the general publication, from two to three, now Thea is that woman. public. eight tales. 's inter­ esting introduction (also new in Raped early in the novel, The stories include the Nebula this edition) does what an introduc­ Thea's cross country trek for a Award-winning "The Death of Doctor tion is supposed to do: make the re­ sanctuary from the horror the world Island" by , "Of Mist, and ader want to read the stories. Of has become serves two purposes: Grass, and Sand" by Vonda N. McIn­ these stories (only two published she survives, and she learns to love tyre, and "Love is the Plan the Plan during Howard's lifetime), the best and trust a dangerous man who has is Death" by Alice Sheldon writing is easily the lead tale, "The Grey thrown himself on her mercy. The as James Tiptree, Jr. God Passes". Based on an actual man is Evan Montague. The other runners-up include Ed battle between Irish Gaels (whom Before the novel begins Montague Bryant's "Shark", "With Morning Howard claimed descent from) and is a Pirate leader. In FALSE DAWN Comes Mistfall" by George R.R. Mar­ Vikings, it is told in Howard's Pirates make the Hell's Angels look tin, Harlan Ellison's highly imagin­ hard-hitting action-filled prose like...well, angels. War and pol­ ative "", the whimsical which keeps the reader interested by lution have poisoned the Earth. and ironic "A Thing of Beauty" by not letting the suspense or action Ruthless and frightening in his Norman Spinrad and 's flag. thoroughness, Montague leads his "The Childhood of the Human Hero". SKULL-FACE contains four tales marauders in bloody raids that make All stories are worthy of attention which are part of what editing auth­ him legend. He says, however, that and deserving of their place in this or Richard Lupoff terms "the Kathu- his aim is to unite surviving mut­ solid Nebula collection, which is los mythos". They all at least per­ ant people with surviving "Normals". rendered even more so by Kate Wil­ ipherally deal with a surviving At­ helm's perceptive introduction where­ lantean sorcerer named Kathulos-- After Montague gets tossed out in she demonstrates the close link­ the "Skull-Face" of the title. Done of his gang and left for dead, the age of the philosophical Idea to in imitation Fu Manchu tradition, Pirates go on a rampage of murder the treatment and role of the Idea these tales (especially the second and rape. When Montague's contin­ in science fiction and how this and third, done as detective stor- ued existence is verified, he and bonding will be ever with us, and ies--a genre Howard disliked) are Thea, the mutant woman who has shel­ Ben Bova's thought-provoking science relatively minor Howard. The title tered him, become their primary tar­ essay "The Future of Science: Prom­ story is the best of them, and has gets. FALSE DAWN is the story of etheus, Apollo, Athena", which tries a goodly dollop of Howardian action their run. to show us once again that Science and suspense. The final tale, "Tav- is not in itself a Good or an Evil eral Manor" is a posthumous colla­ but it is how Man uses it that will Anything and everything they boration with Richard Lupoff; it was shape our future, or destruction. meet turns on the pair --an old previously published as "Return of woman who turns out to be a cannib­ At least in its short fiction, Skull-Face". al, straight-laced monks in the this volume will have us remember SON OF THE WHITE WOLF and SWORDS throes of their own personal Inquis­ that 1973 was a good year for science OF SHAHRAZAR are in no way, shape or ition, the comnunity of mutants fiction, and Kate Wilhelm has given form anything resembling horror fan­ that takes them in. Indeed, this us a well-rounded collection to tasy. They are wholly desert adven­ reliance on gimmicky villains is prove it. tures of the Lawrence of Arabia sort one distracting flaw in the novel. ************************************ SON OF THE WHITE WOLF has Francis If their adversaries had been less Xavier Gordon--also known as "El outrageous, more superficially be­ Borak"--as the hero. This volume is nign they might have been more hor­ MARCHERS OF VALHALLA a continuation of El Borak's ad­ rifying in the long run. ventures which have been printed in SKULL-FACE Montague and Thea have to depend SON OF THE WHITE WOLF LOST VALLEY OF ISKANDER and THREE- on each other or die. In their tra­ SWORDS OF SHAHRAZAR BLADED DOOM, published by Zebra vail Thea grows to trust her compan­ BLACK CANAAN Books. SOWRDS OF SHAHRAZAR has Kir­ ion. She changes just enough to by O'Donnell as hero, but besides take in that trait. Montague, on By Robert E. Howard that, there seems to be little else the other hand, does his changing Berkeley Books, $1.95 different from the El Borak stories. before the book even begins. What Reviewed by Mark Mansell might have been a novel of charac­ terization, two people growing be­ I wonder who holds the record cause of mutual dependence and the for most stories published posthum­ horror of the time, is not. It is, ously. Personally, I suspect the however, a graphic, fast, violent prime candidate for the honor is and tragic look at a futile journey. Robert E. Howard. Since his death The grim adventure story that is 40 years ago, his literary executor FALSE DAWN has a good ending. 47 BLACK CANAAN is the latest How­ rescue brigade, to save lives from ard collection to be released and ships wrecked upon the offshore has an introduction by . rocks during storms. Modern power­ It has quite a bit of Lovecraftian- ed shipping has made the Watch House type fiction. These are straight obsolete and it has decayed into a horror tales, rather than heroic shabby maritime museum. Anne, sul­ fantasy. The title story and the len and shaken by her parents' mari­ concluding tale--"Moon of Zambebwei" tal split, takes some time to adjust --have a large portion of racial to the rural atmosphere and to prejudice towards blacks in them, make acquaintances among the local which is distasteful, but knowing youth. (The reader will later real­ Howard to be a 1930s Texan, it's ize that Westall is imperceptably surprising that most of his stories laying the groundwork for the action are prejudice-free. that finally comes.) scenes of horror and tension with Each of these Berkeley Howard Once the story begins to move, interludes of relaxation and humor, books have a similar cover format, it is developed as a finely crafted of varying lengths so that you can­ with the words "by the Creator of mystery. Small incidents begin to not guess when or how the ghost will CONAN" featured prominently. Each happen; are they natural or not? If next strike. THE WATCH HOUSE is an cover is by K.W. Kelly in the Fraz- not, are they caused by a human or a excellent supernatural thriller etta-Jones-Vallejo tradition, and supernatural agent? Is "the Old Fel­ that transcends its "young adult" is reproduced in a fold-out included ler", the spirit of the life Brig­ packaging. Highly recomnended. with the book without the cover let­ ade's founder, a real ghost or just ************************************ tering. None of these books is a comic tradition invented by its Howard at his best, but all are en­ later members? If he is real, why joyable. are the manifestations alternately benevolent and destructive? Is THE WOLFEN With all these new Howard col­ there more than one ghost? Anne's By Whitley Strieber lections, I wonder if there's any new friends, Pat and Timmo, point New York, William Morrow, 1978 truth to the rumor that Howard is out that poltergeist activity is returned from the dead and that Glenn caused by emotionally disturbed ad­ 252 pp., $8.95 Lord visits his grave each fullmoon olescents; is she subconsciously Order from: William Morrow 8 Co,Inc. 105 Madison Avenue, NY, NY, 10016 to pick up more stories. causing the manifestations herself? ISBN: 0-688-03347-4 ************************************ The clues accumulate, and are exam­ ined and rearranged like pieces in Reviewed by Frederick Patten a jigsaw puzzle by the three teen­ agers . Considering the number of com­ THE WATCH HOUSE plete bores that are posing as chil­ Tiimo insists upon playing ama­ By Robert Westall ling horror novels these days, it's New York, Greenwillow, 1978, 217 pp. teur psychic detective, despite a pleasure to find one that is well Anne's misgivings that they are tak­ $6.95 Order from: Greenwillow worth reading. THE WOLFEN has some ing on more than they can handle. Books, 105 Madison Ave, New York, serious flaws, but it also has en­ As they learn more and more about NY, 10016. ISBN: 0-688-80149-8 ough imagination and genuinely sus­ the Watch House's ominous history, penseful setups to keep your atten­ Reviewed by Frederick Patten Timmo becomes increasingly deter­ tion hooked. mined to combat the force head-on. This novel is blurbed as "This The last third of the book is an Two young policemen are killed powerful ghost story ... a tense and all-out battle between the three and eaten in a deserted auto dump. terrifying struggle for vengeance", youths and the deadly psychic power As the reader knows from the cover which is how I like them. So I be­ that has grown out of control. Both blurbs, the killers are werewolves. gan it in pleasant anticipation. Anne, Pat, and Timmo and the menace The protagonists are the two detec­ The writing was good, but after are equally the hunters and the tives assigned to the case, George about the first forty pages I began hunted, and it is a race as to wheth­ Wilson and Becky Neff. Circumstan­ to wonder where any element of the er the supernatural force can des­ tial evidence indicates the killers supernatural was at all, much less troy those who flushed it before were large dogs, but Wilson and a "powerful ghost story"? Then they can exorcise it -- with dis­ Neff dig deeper and begin to get slowly the eeriness began to build, sention among the heroes, as Anne hints of the truth. Because of de­ and halfway through the novel, WHAM! wants to call upon religious assis­ partmental politics, and because it hit with full force and didn't let tance while Tinuio insists upon tak­ their theory is so incredible, they up until the last page. So fans of ing a scientific metaphysical ap­ decide to keep quiet until they have supernatural fiction may begin THE proach . undeniable proof. In the meantime WATCH HOUSE without any qualms that the Wolfen have realized that they they will get their full money's Westall makes his novel seem are discovered, and that they must worth by the end of the book, even real through the weight of convinc­ kill their trackers before their if it does get off to a slow start. ing detail. The North Sea town of existence is revealed. The novel Garmouth is vividly depicted (the becomes a hunt between the two, with Anne, an English girl just en­ Northumberland dialect occasional­ the detectives forced increasingly tering her teens, is dumped by her ly gets a bit strong). Anne, Tim­ onto the defensive. mother on the mother's old nanny to mo, and Pat are realistic teen-ag­ spend the summer, while her parents ers , clowning and wisecracking one The story's strong points are undergo a messy separation. Old minute and attempting to put on a the characterization of the Wolfen Prudie and her brother Arthur live mature front the next. Consider­ pack, and the personal relationship in a small coastal town where they ing how veddy British the atmosphere between Wilson and Neff. The anim­ are the custodians of the Watch is, I was both surprised and delight­ als are a lupus sapiens, an unknown House on the cliff overlooking the ed when Pat makes an offhand refer­ species, not literally able to change ocean. The Watch House had been ence to Sturgeon's "Killdozer". from man to wolf but a type of sup­ built during the previous century The novel skillfully alternates er-wolf with almost human intelli­ as the headquarters of a volunteer 48 gence and incredible wariness. Glimpses of them over the centuries partly out of choice and partly be­ This was one of the times that I gave rise to the werewolf legends. cause few women would tolerate his tossed the book against the farthest Strieber does a fine job of depict­ arrogance and his sloppy indiffer­ wall! ing the thought processes, personal­ ence to even the most fundamental Lin Carter is well known for his ities, and habits of an intelligent social graces, like taking the meat "rules" of fantasy writing. In WIZ­ non-human species, and turns them out of a hamburger and eating it sep­ ARDS, Mr. Carter manages to break into quite sympathetic creatures. arately, which was one of his nicer nearly everyone of those rules, while table manners". Similarly, the relationship be­ dangling his mistake right in front That's both a single paragraph tween the protagonists is intelli­ of your nose, inquiring the while and a single sentence. Its matter- gently handled --at least, in com­ if you noticed his ineptness, making of-factness does make some of the parison with 90% of mainstream nov­ you feel the Fool if you didn't! And horror scenes more convincingly els, where "relationship" only he dares to do this again and again, chilling, however. means getting them into bed togeth­ page after page, until the reader er as often as possible. Wilson is THE WOLFEN certainly isn't the can hardly remember the story Carter old enough to be Neff's father, and werewolf novel in the sense that has to tell (And there is one in WIZ­ is a sharp-tongued male chauvinist DRACULA is the vampire novel. But ARDS, believe it or not --a pretty who's irascible partly because he's it's good for an evening's enter­ good one, at that!). The first ten honest enough to recognize Neff's tainment, which makes it above aver­ pages I was puzzled, then amazed competence. Neff is a liberated age in today's horror-fiction mar­ over the next twenty or so, becoming woman who hates what Wilson repre­ ket. inpatient and angry through the sents, as well as many of his per­ ******************** ****** middle of the book, and then -- well, sonal habits (he's a slob and proud I think I began to enjoy THE WIZARDS of it), but grudgingly respects his OF ZAO! efforts to rise above his prejudices THE WIZARDS OF ZAO She's also uncomfortably aware that, By Lin Carter Carter's imagination, despite in his bluntness, he's often more Daw, June, 1978, 176 pp., $1.76 his stereotyping and cliches, is practical and realistic than her wild; his prose is interesting. In Reviewed by L. Craig Rickman nice but sometimes ineffectual hus­ many of his books, however, there band. Strieber creates a convinc­ exists a certain affinity between Lin Carter has a startling -- ingly confused love-hate relation­ book and writer. Such is the case perhaps marvelous -- capacity for ship between the two, keeping the with WIZARD. The reader finds that audacity. reader guessing how it will develop. he is unable to totally escape be­ THE WIZARD OF ZAO proves this cause the guy whose name is on the But, while the Wolfen are fas­ conclusively. cover keeps popping into the pages, cinatingly real as individuals, parading about in footnotes, fore­ Strieber's history of them is ridi­ In earlier Burroughisian and words, introductions, afterwords, culous. It's not believable for a Howard Pastiches, Carter has hinted etc. -- making damn sure you know moment that the Wolfen could have at a tremendous ego, an enormous who wrote what you're reading. lived undetected among mankind for quantity of pride in his works. This is, to say the least, annoy­ at least ten thousand years. They For the record, I must say that ing --so annoying that I began to are supposed to live in the slums this swagger is not totally unfound­ admire the originality, the fresh­ of big cities, preying upon dere­ ed. Lin Carter's contributions to ness of WIZARDS. Sound insane? So licts whose disappearance would not fantasy are to his credit. is this book. be noticed. This might be credible for a period of a few years, but But this book ... Several things can be said about for all of recorded history? Strie­ On more than one occasion while THE WIZARDS OF ZAO: First, I think ber makes it clear that while they reading WIZARDS, I, in a fit of disbe­ that I enjoyed WIZARDS. Secondly, I are superior to mankind in many re­ lief, tossed the book across the reconuiend Carter's latest to all spects, they are not more intelli­ room. How could any writer subject with hot tempers. (But buy a couple gent; in some respects they're less his readers to 176 pages of such of copies; paperbacks wear ill under so. By all reasonable odds, the sheer audacity! harsh handling!) mishap that brings them to public Allow me to quote an example: And thirdly, I know who wrote attention here should happen every the goddamned book: Lin Carter ... couple of years. Also, some of "It had rather an odd face ... LIN CARTER! Strieber's claims don't hold up. He and a long, fat nose ... re­ implies that locking oneself in an sembled an elephant's trunk." ************************************ automobile with the windows rolled ‘(Italics mine) up is no protection against the Wolf­ And, referencing the indicated en. Okay, that's scary, but how do footnote to the bottom of the page, they get victims out of cars -- without leaving any evidence of any­ I found: thing wrong? The one time this is *A minor example of the writ­ done in the novel, the car's a gory er's thoughtfulness to the mess. I would've found the Wolfen reader ... would have thought a lot more convincing if Strieber the organ in question resemb­ had postulated that they were some led the proboscis of an en- kind of new species, just getting feld ... so I have modified started, instead of trying to stick the term for my reader's ben­ such an unbelievable history onto efit . The skills involved in them. this kind of work require con­ siderable forethought. I just Further, the writing style is wanted to point this out in about as graceful as George Wilson's case you thought I was getting personal habits: careless! (Italics again "The idea of Wilson messing a- mine, as is the exclamation round with anybody was ridiculous anyway; he had remained a bachelor Point) 4q INMORTAL: SHORT NOVELS OF THE light at the sound. And are quite a plan all along. TRANSHUMAN FUTURE sorry when the story stops. A clever piece of hardwear trick­ Edited by The other really good piece here ery highlights this otherwise stark Introduction by R.C.W. Ettinger is Pamela Sargent's "The Renewal". story about Alvard and life in a Harper § Row, 1978, 225 pp., $9.95 future prison. Though I won't mess Cover art by Ron Walotsky Again we have imnortal human up by saying just what that trick­ beings on a future Earth. A small Reviewed by Gretchen Rix ery is, the mood of the story is group of immortals, all of whom considerably lightened by it in re­ survived the Transition, a period It is subheaded SHORT NOVELS OF trospect. "The Doctor of Death Is­ of violence brought on by their THE TRANSHUMAN FUTURE. It sounds land" remains interesting. change, are drawn together for a boring. The parenthetical title genetic experiment. They are asked The final story in INMORTAL is brings to mind a textbook smell and to bear and parent children design­ George Zebrowski's "Transfigured unimaginative writing and lectur­ ed to be a step up on the evolution­ Night", about a future in which ing and having to keep your eyelids ary scale. death is no longer necessary for propped open to even see the page. personality renewal. In this story Not many people are having And transhuman? I didn't want to the body continues but its memories children any more, but these child­ read it at all and kept moving it are negated. Immortal beings have to the bottom of my stack of books ren will be different. They will all of their past lives wiped out, to do. Which was unfortunate. Be­ resemble their parents except in thus condemning themselves to end­ some not so subtle respects. They cause it is not boring. Not at all less repetition. They could care will be hermaphrodites and lack hu­ is it boring. less. man hormonal responses. They will INMORTAL: SHORT NOVELS OF THE be logical, not emotional. They In this future all experience TRANSHUMAN FUTURE is a good collec­ will move differently; they will can be manufactured for participa­ tion of four stories. Two of the think differently. They will be tory pleasure without any of the novellas or novelettes or whatever transhuman. risks inherent in actually living they are here are fantastically them out. And this is what Thrush­ good and rate whole novels unto "The Renewal" is Josepha Ryba's cross does. I think. That is un­ themselves. I think one will even­ story. A loner, a lonely woman who til one alien being butts in and tually have at it. The other two decides to have a child and is talk­ offers him a new choice. stories are okay, and the introduc­ ed into letting it be one of the tion, about immortalism by R.C.W. redesigned ones, she forms a rela­ "Transfigured Night" conprises Ettinger, is quite interesting and tionship with another troubled sur­ Thrushcross's dreams and the past amusing. But two of the stories vivor, the man Chahe Maggio. They lives he is forced to remember herein are really outstanding. live together but remain aloof and through this alien's interference. grow more and more unhappy as their It is the story of his chance for "Chanson Perpetuelle", from a new children emerge as enigmas in change and makes much more sense on work in progress by Thomas M. Disch, their isolated village. These chil­ its second reading. It was inter­ is one of these. It is used to dren are different. They seem to esting. lead off this transhuman future an­ tolerate the emotional attachments thology; a bit of a mistake since INMORTAL is highlighted by its their parents have for them, but you hate for this tale to end. inclusion of the Disch excerpt and they do not understand. They mock. the Sargent story. The Zebrowski In a quiet, moody and totally And they learn and grow. Eventual­ and Wolfe stories are also of in­ realized piece of writing Disch ly they are attacked from the out­ terest, and the addition of the in­ has created a future in which mor­ side. troduction, a reading list of books tals are a small but genetically In "The Renewal" Pamela Sar­ about immortality and a brief bio­ dominant minority of the humans on gent posits a new human being com­ graphy of the authors makes this Earth. They grow old and die while ing into conflict with the norm. collection well worth reading. their immortal friends, lovers and The story of Josepha Ryba, an im­ fellow strangers watch them pass and ************************************ mortal learning to need someone, forget. They cope. is skillfully meshed with a tale of Enina Rosetti is the heroine of transhumans being molded into new the story, a mortal woman of 2098. patterns. It, too, was too short She climbs mountains. She spends a story. her time carefully polishing res­ In "The Doctor of Death Island" tored silver pieces destined for Gene Wolfe has written about anoth­ the vat; it is her job. She lives er facet of immortality. His main with an old man whom she loves. character is Alan Alvard. Alvard And she leaves him, later, to ini­ is imnortal; he is also serving a tiate a liason with one of them. life sentence for murder. "Chanson Perpetuelle" is the story of Emma's time. Inprisoned for killing his bus­ iness partner, Alvard, the man who Her world includes the Ferlas invented talking books, was dying Mor of Ben MacDhui. It takes in of cancer when frozen cryogenical­ the "Whump!" of the extinct rhino- ly. When he is revivified he is cerous, visits to the zoo, strangers immortal; still in prison but al­ on the train and chance meetings. ive and immortal. With no way out. All of it is quiet and real But there's something about and described in the kind of minute those talking books he created detail that makes you live the sto­ that no one else knows. Something ry, not just read it. It's not the about Charles Dickens. And about plot that makes "Chanson Perpetuelld' some of Dickens's characters, Little outstanding, at least not here, but Nell in particular. Alvard has had its music. You savor the words. You try them in your head and de­ SO A RESEARCH GUIDE TO SCIENCE FICTION indices at the back of the GUIDE, laboration with Richard Tierney, STUDIES: An annotated Checklist of it's a moot point. The annotations have preceded it into print. This Primary and Secondary Sources for are all brief and intelligent. novel chronicles the rise of the Fantasy and Science Fiction warrior-conquerer Oron to military It's interesting to flip through Compiled and edited by Marshall B. supremacy of the ancient island-con­ the section on "Author Studies and Tymn, Roger C. Schlobin and L.W. Bibliographies" and see which auth­ tinent Attluma, and his destined Currey struggle to halt the resurgence of ors seem to attract scholarly stud­ New York, Garland, 1977, 165 pp. Kossuth, an arch-daemon who appears ies the most readily. There are 3 $21.00 to work evil on earth every thous­ works on Asimov, 1 on Bloch, 3 on Order from: Garland Pub, Inc., 545 Bradbury, 6 on ERB, 1 on Canpbell, and years. Madison Ave., NY,NY 10022 2 on Ellison, 4 on Heinlein, 5 on Because it is about the sweeping ISBN: 0-8240-9886-2 Howard, 16 on Lovecraft... victories of an Alexander the Great­ Reviewed by Frederick Patten It's also interesting to note like conqueror, ORON necessarily in the section on "Doctoral Disser­ treats of war -- too much so for my This specialized title, by its tations in Science Fiction and Fan­ taste, in fact. The first of the nature and its price, is obviously novel's three sections is concerned tasy" that most of the older dis- aimed at research libraries and sim­ almost totally with Oron's rise in ertations are on individual authors, ilar institutional purchasers rath­ ranks, with battle on a large scale. and the more respectable British er than the individual who pays for The numerous military sequences are mainstream fantasists, at that: books out of his or her own cash. too repetitious, the writing too Meredith, Morris, Wells, Huxley, Still, it's nice that such a biblio­ full of blood and guts, screaming Forester, Orwell, Lewis, etc. Most graphy does exist. Possibly you can and drooling. My interest lagged of the newer theses are on s-f as in these meat-grinding clashes of talk your local university library a subject, such as "Modem Science army against army. Unless you read into ordering a copy which you can Fiction" and "Science and Fiction S(jS just for that sort of scenery, then use. in the Science Fiction Novel", as the battlefield gets tedious fast. "...this bibliography confronts though no individuals had yet emerg­ The tighter plotting and cleaner the problem of where to locate the ed from the shadows of the notor­ writing Smith used in his Black Vul- ious s-f ghetto. scholarly materials that have appear­ mea book THE WITCH OF THE INDIES, ed since World War II. The volume In addition to listings of all a fine light adventure novel pub­ contains over 500 entries covering these monographs, there are also lished earlier by Zebra, is not ev­ both general and specialized sources sections on "Periodicals" (ALGOL, ident in the opening chapters of that span the entire range of sci­ LOCUS, LUNA, SF COMMENTARY, etc.) ORON. ence fiction schdarship, including and on "Special Issues" (individual general surveys, histories, genre By the second section, though, issues devoted to s-f or non-sf the sub-plots get moving. Oron studies,. author studies, bibliogra­ scholarly magazines). A section consolidates his position as con­ phies and indices, articles and book titled "Sources for Acquisition" queror, marries, becomes aware of reviews. Each title is carefully lists the addresses of several of the presence of Kossuth, but refus­ categorized and fully annotated. the better-known s-f specialty book­ es to acknowledge his obligation Also included are special appendices shops, as well as some directories to halt the metastasizing forces of of Ph.D. dissertations on science of second-hand and antiquarian evil. Still there are too many fiction, teacher's resource mater­ bookdealers throughout the English- battle scenes, though noticeably ials, and library collections. speaking world. This bibliography is a practical less than in preceding chapters. If you are a literary academ­ guide to scholarly materials for Section three is a grim and very anyone with an interest in science ician, and if you have a book bud­ well done conclusion; it weaves the get to work with, A RESEARCH GUIDE fiction research." threads of fate and sub-plots to­ TO SCIENCE FICTION STUDIES is cer­ gether and delivers on the promise A RESEARCH GUIDE seems very tainly a title that you should re­ Smith has shown as a novelist. The comprehensive. I can't think of quest for your campus library. If gloomy atmosphere, the surprises, any worthwhile title that isn't you happen to be a student doing and the epic confrontation of the listed here, with the possible ex­ research, call your instructor's sword of Oron against the sorcery ception of a few understandably ob­ attention to this volume. And also of Hell makes the third section the scure studies in fanzines. (They to any of the works listed inside best part of the book and makes didn't include my Master's biblio­ it which look interesting. Help reading through all those battle graphy on , but since to make your campus a better place scenes seem somewhat easier in re­ UCLA doesn't index or even keep its for the s-f scholar. M.L.S. bibliographies, the editors trospect . can be excused for not knowing such A*** **^**A*i%*A**A**** *************** The third section heading, "The a work ever existed.) The section Na-Kha", meaning the World-Hero, is on s-f films does leave out most of missing in this edition; it should the cheaply-produced sci-fi/horror- appear over chapter 17. A goodly movie picture histories, but the ORON number of typos plague the text titles that are included cover the By David C. Smith too, a common problem in new books genre thoroughly. Zebra Books, June 1978, 395 pp. from Zebra. Otherwise the novel has The book is well arranged so Illustrated, $1.95 lavish production, with cover paint­ that material can be easily found. Reviewed by Don Herron ing and many interior illustrations I might quibble about a few of the by Clyde Caldwell. The typeface is classifications -- for instance, I'd David Smith wrote ORON in 1973 large, which makes reading easier, have put Franson/DeVore, A HISTORY and revised it recently for this and even considering the size of OF THE HUGO, NEBULA AND INTERNA­ first edition publication. It is the typeface, ORON is a big book. TIONAL FANTASY AWARDS in "Subject the second novel he finished; a It gives you some substance for the Bibliographies" rather than "Gener­ couple of more recent Robert E. How­ money and some good scenes as well. al Bibliographies" -- but since all ard pastiches, one written in col- Many tiny books now cost $1.95 and titles are readily locateable any­ don't do as much. way through the author and title 51 ************************************ BEACHWOW

film Reviews arp News 0/ 5/U WA«Rt«

Australian films have begun to ard Clement, and Peter Sellers is SPACEPORT has been announced, but be extremely interesting; for years, going to play Chandu. He's also the this is probably not Curt Siodmak's nothing much came out from Down Und­ co-producer. novel-screenplay. er except SMILEY and Chips Rafferty. TV cartoons of THE RETURN OF THE 1941 is being directed by Steven A few U.S. and British films were KING, FRODO THE HOBBIT AND THE , Spielberg from a script by John Mil- shot down there, but except for THE THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE are in ius, who is acting as executive SUNDOWNERS, they were mostly trans­ production. The TV movie SALVAGE, producer. The film, according to planted star vehicles. starring Andy Griffith, is about an sources who've read the script, is a The last thing 1^ would have ex­ enterprising junkman who decides to fantasy of sorts. The peculiar cast pected, given the apparently joking retrieve space hardware. This does so far includes John Belushi, Christ­ and frontierish image that the Aus­ not seem to be cost-effective to opher Lee, Warren Oates, Robert tralians seem to enjoy presenting me. It's expected to be the first Stack, Dan Ackroyd and Toshiro Mi­ to the world, is that the Aussie of several films about the character. fune. movies would be deeply intelligent Jeannot Szwarc is to direct And now on to reviews. and subtle. Some, in fact, are mas­ ALPHA, from a script by Claire Noto, terpieces. who until recently was co-writing Few of the Australian films have the "Red Sonja" comic book with Roy ALFRED, WHAT HAST THOU WROUGHT? been fantasies, and few have played Thomas. in the U.S. I'm not entirely cer­ George C. Scott and his wife, If I were to describe the plot tain why. Some are art house fare, Trish Van Devere, are to star in of the film as follows, what would that's true -- but others seem en­ THE CHANGELING, another EXORCIST you say it is? A young woman leaves tirely commercial. I understand imitation (apparently), which is be­ her lover and heads for another town; that the Australian-made rock vers­ ing advertised as a "true story". she stops at a peculiar rooms-for- ion of THE WIZARD OF OZ has played Suuuuuuure it is, and Oi'm the Queen rent place and meets a strange young in some parts of the country (it o' Sheba. I suppose it's like THE man who works there. An old lady was called OZ in Australia; I don't AMITYVILLE HORROR, currently filming also there, never leaves her rooms. know what it's called here). PAT­ The young man watches the newcomer RICK, apparently a very powerful I'm sure you will be delighted through the wall, and after a while, psychic thriller, is intended for to know that PHANTASM, completed the young woman dies in the bathroom. release in the states, as are Peter and ready for release, stars Angus The young man covers up the crime. Weir's films. An Australian company Scrimm as The Tall Man. Since I asked that question above, is filming Ian Barry's SPARKS, which WEATHER WAR is the latest sci­ you must know this isn't PSYCHO. is science fiction. Also, a feat­ ence fiction film that the producers It's SLIPPING INTO DARKNESS. ure-length cartoon featuring the are cautiously describing as "sci­ talents of Rolf Harris -- who, to Once again, someone has thought the ence fact", a meaningless term if best way to honor Hitchcock is to the despair of Australians I know, there ever was one. The script is is my favorite performer in the whole imitate him; sometimes this results by Stirling Silliphant, one of those in good films, like CHARADE or TAR­ wide world -- will soon begin pro­ people you wonder about - - how did duction. The title is THE LITTLE GETS, but that's only when the film­ he ever get a reputation as a good maker understands he has obligations CONVICT. writer? to his audience. The writer-direc­ Other films recently announced THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME, tor (Richard Cassidy) of SLIPPING IN­ include Paddy Chayefsky's ALTERED which will not be much like Wells, TO DARKNESS has designed his effects STATES. This was to have been dir­ is shooting in Canada with Jack Pal­ to please himself only, where any ected by Arthur (BONNIE § CLYDE) ance, John Ireland and a funny rob­ sort of intent can be detected. The Penn, but he recently backed out. ot. Release will be through Allied film is extremely boring and self- The film is based on Chayefsky's Artists next summer. indulgent ; the characters are so first novel, and is about the phys­ badly developed as to seem almost ical regression of a scientist. THE ISLAND, Huxley's novel, has arbitrary in behavior. In fact, I John Dykstra has been signed to do been optioned again for filming. couldn't see anything good about it. the effects. And CHILDHOOD'S END is once again In addition to being otherwise poor, on someone's production slate, but A new version of CHANDU THE MAG­ it's also repellent. The girl is I doubt that it will be finished. diabetic, and goes into insulin ICIAN has been announced. The shock while taking a bath, and she script is by Ian La Frenais and Rich­ 52 drowns. The young man takes the to be inproving. It's too bad that The ships look very similar, body into his room and keeps it ar­ Hamner is essentially out of the there's an even more frighteningly ound for purposes of sex. The crip­ film business. energetic princess (plus a stately, pled old lady who owns the house more Japanesy one), stalwart young drags herself upstairs to find the heroes, a funny robot, swordplay source of the nauseating odor, and COFFIN DROPS and a cloaked, wise general (Vic finds the deconposing body, dressed Morrow, no less). The plot is a in a wedding gown. At last, Oklahoma has its own film industry! At least, that's bizarre hodgepodge of elements from The young actor playing the what's claimed in the end credits STAR WARS and Japanese-style mater­ weirdo provides no motivation for for ALIEN ZONE, a film made entire­ ial (interstellar walnuts sent out his character's behavior. He's so ly in Oklahoma. It's not an auspic­ by an ancient wise man find heroes). erratic in his acting that I could­ ious debut for that state. The pic­ The special effects are pretty bad; n't tell at first that he was sip- ture's a lame, dull and familiar they are, as usual for Japanese films, posed to be slightly retarded; he anthology of terror tales (the or­ quite imaginative -- a clipper ship was so busy trying to act like Brand- iginal title was FIVE FACES OF FEAR). sails through space -- and not done o that he lost track of what he was An adulterous husband takes shelter at all the way those in STAR WARS doing. I doubt that this film will from the rain with a mysterious mor­ were. Here, the ships are almost be released, which is just fine with tician, who tells him a tale about all live-action miniatures, with a me. each of four stiffs laid out in bizarre inclusion of television-gen­ their coffins in the other room. erated shots every now and then. The first story is an absurdity I yield to few in my enjoyment DRACULA IS DEAD AND WELL AND LIVING about a teacher who hates children; of many Japanese fantastic films; IN LONDON she's apparently tom apart by lit­ Godzilla always amuses me, and the tle kid ghouls. Her offense seemed other monster films have their charms -- was the shooting title of a way less severe than the punishment. as well. But MESSAGE FROM SPACE falls picture that later became THE SATAN­ The second story features Burr De pretty flat in all departments; it's IC RITES OF DRACULA, and was pur-, Benning (you loved him in THE INCRED­ not guileless enough to be laughed chased by Warner Brothers the year IBLE MELTING MAN) as an insane photo­ at, and it's certainly not funny en­ it was completed, 1973. Along with grapher, who takes movies of his ough to be laughed with (the monster THE WICKER MAN and SEVEN GOLDEN VAM­ murders of women; except for a few films are generally both). The pac­ PIRES, this went on the shelf, and shots, the film is rather imaginative­ ing is slow and the plot structure for a while it seemed as though it ly told from the point of view of creates endless waits. The film is might never be released in this his movie camera. It seems to be almost over before the walnuts find country. stolen from Michael Powell's remark­ the last hero (the funny robot). But Max Rosenberg, the lesser able PEEPING TOM. The third story MESSAGE FROM SPACE does feature half of the team that once formed is the best, and is about a couple unusual elements like an entire zoom­ Amicus Productions, bought the film of detectives, played by Bernard ing from the Andromeda nebula to from Warners, gave it the utterly Fox and Charles Aidman, who are Earth orbit in a day or two, and a pointless title of COUNT DRACULA AND battling for the position of the general who resigns when he's refus­ HIS VAMPIRE BRIDE, and it's now in World's Greatest Sleuth. The fourth ed permission to bury an obsolete general release. It's certainly bet­ features Rick Gates as a harmless if robot buddy in orbit, and the usual ter than the film to which it's a a little unfeeling businessman who Japanese con-man figure, in a loud sequel, DRACULA A.D. 72, and even is mysteriously transformed into a blazer and a straw hat (made of alum­ though the plot is rather peculiar, wino. Again, the punishment hardly inum) . It's a lot more cynically at least it's not a vanpire-at-large- fits the crime. The frame story, motivated than most Japanese pic­ in-a-modern-city rehash. Dracula starring John Ericson, concludes in tures and the slavish imitation of here plays a shadowy, Howard Hughes- the expected way. many of STAR WARS' elements except type, who is trying to take over the I don't recall the director of that film's swift pace makes MESSAGE world by means of indoctrinating the film but she doesn't seem promis­ FROM SPACE hard to sit through. world leaders into a satanic cult. ing. It's stiff, unimaginative and His end goal: the destruction of very dull. It's professional in ap­ human life, which would seem counter- pearance unlike most other low-bud­ survival for a vampire. But Dracula, get features, but the stories are as psychoanalyzed by Van Heising so familiar and the treatment is so ERB-DUW (from a distance), has gone insane. pedestrian that I don't think it They have a very nice confrontation has many commercial possibilities. Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. has scene, very low-key and eerie, set prevented the use of the title TAR­ in a modern office. ZOOM, SHAME OF THE JUNGLE. I sup­ pose the film will now just be cal­ , playing Dracula led (blotch) SHAME OF THE JUNGLE. for what he claims is the last time, (Instead of rephotographing the tit­ is convincing but less energetic STALL WALLS le card, they blobbed out the name; than previously. Van Heising is on the soundtrack, the name "Tarzoom" Peter Cushing. It's such a pleasure The first full-fledged imitation of STAR WARS has been released. Un­ was electronically reversed.) This for me to see these two actors to­ is a French-Belgian cartoon parody gether again. Apart from comedy ited Artists is distributing MESSAGE FROM SPACE, a Japanese movie that of Tarzan, which is mostly crude and teams and studio series casts, I gross. There's plenty of sexual suspect they've made more movies to­ was filmed in such a hurry that it opened in Japan before STAR WARS (de­ jokes -- the villainess' mass-prod­ gether than any other two leading uced henchmen are giant penises and actors. They just finished another layed about a year). Toei, the com­ pany that produced MESSAGE FROM SPACE, balls, which bound around comically one, AN ARABIAN ADVENTURE, and I hope -- but not much else. they make many more. sent its crews to the U.S. so that they could see WARS again and again, The storyline isn't worth men­ COUNT DRACULA AND HIS VAMPIRE in an effort to duplicate the ef­ tioning, because it's obvious and BRIDE was, like its predecessor, di­ fects. clumsily handled. One sequence seems rected by Alan Gibson, and he seems 53 to have been redone over here, be­ cause John Belushi is credited with (carved to look like Hopkins) is is there any fright in the film, the creation of a midwestem guru; the dunnty. and that's drained very fast. he also did the voice. The film is An intellectual horror film may also extremely gruesome and violent; Corky returns to his home town be a contradiction in terms. Horror there are disembowelings of dozens to visit the girl he'd unrequitedly films do not appeal to our intellect, of creatures --a herd of natives loved while in high school; he dis­ so to approach making them as if devours everything in their path -- covers Peggy Ann Snow (wherever you they need to be thought out as drama the ape-man's penis keeps getting follow I will go) still lives at is a real error. Sure, they have stretched. You know, that sortof her family's Catskills resort, but to be carefully planned, but to ap­ stuff. The film is occasionally now she's married and her parents peal to the audience's emotions, not funny but it's mostly just obvious. are dead. Corky almost persuades their intellects. That approach has However, the music is very good; Peggy to leave with him, but his a- never worked, as far as I know. Ev­ it's bouncy and off-rhythm in a con­ gent shows up, realizes Corky needs en in the horror scene he included stantly amusing way. I don't know psychiatric help. So Fats convinces in THE MAGICIAN, Ingmar Bergman why ERB, Inc. bothers to slap down Corky to kill the agent. Peggy's went right for the gut, not the things like this. The film is harm­ husband shows up. Need I go on? mind. HALLOWEEN, reviewed last is­ less and when released, will soon Though familiar, the story could sue, has a dumb script, but it's a be forgotten except for caucuses have been done well if the director scary film -- because you think and revival houses. The treatment hadn't been apparently afraid of try­ something's gonna getcha. You can­ of Tarzan and Jane is strictly on a ing to make a horror film. not be above gut-level material dull underground comic level. The film is well-made in the us­ while making a horror movie -- be­ ual ways -- good photography, sets, cause the audience isn't. SLOWER THAN FEETS TIE EYE music, locations (northern Californ­ There's one thing about MAGIC ia standing in for the Catskills), that's excellent, however, and that's Every now and then, a pretentious but it isn't involving or interest­ Ann-Margret as Peggy Ann Snow. She writer decides that he can handle ing. (DEAD OF NIGHT had a similar, gives what I feel is an almost per­ subject matter usually treated by much better, story.) The script fect performance, perhaps because hacks much better than they can. Un­ presents Corky ready-made with all Peggy Ann Snow is something like the his problems and screwiness, and person Ann-Margret herself might Hopkins' mannered performance doesn't have been had she not become famous. allow us to care about him. It's Along with Dyan Cannon and Ellen Bur­ one of those films in which we're styn in anything, this is the best supposed to be fond of the leading female performance I've seen this character simply because he is the year. leading character. Hopkins is overwrought, a com­ None of the leading characters mon failing of intense British ac­ are novel, and their relationships tors (like Attenborough himself). are tedious. It's hard to believe He's an insane twit at the begin­ that Peggy Ann Snow would marry a ning and the difference between him clod like her husband is presented then and at the end is so slight that as being, despite assurances that the outcome doesn't seem surprising he was different in high school. or tragic, just inevitable. Ed It's also hard to believe that all Lauter, as the husband, is required these years she had an unrequited to give a one-note performance; love for Corky. They hop into the there's never any sign of the man sack as soon as they reunite, and I Peggy married. This is too bad, be­ fortunately, this is almost inevit­ didn't believe it. If you can't be­ ably incorrect. Hacks know the cause Lauter's a good, little-known lieve the characters in a story like actor whose first big break this rules; they know how to create cer­ this, there had better be plenty of tain reactions in their usual aud­ was. As the agent, Burgess Meredith suspense, shock or horror to back does an iqpression of real-life a- iences ; they know what's been done up this lack, but there's damned lit­ before. The slumming intellectual gent Swifty Lazar and of George Bums; tle of any of those in MAGIC. As I does not, and keeps re-inventing the he's less cutesy-wutesy than usual, said, Attenborough seems afraid to horror movie wheel. The most recent which is all to the good. make a horror movie, as if being example of this is William Goldman scary would demolish the story. MAGIC isn't terrible. It's just and MAGIC. ordinary. The novel was so bland and un­ The scene in which Corky kills exciting that I was startled to the agent is drained of any shock realize it had been a best seller. value by confusing editing. A scene THE WIZ THAT IZ which follows could have been sus­ What was it that made it sell? Not I have never quite understood sex; there wasn't any, to speak of. penseful, but Attenborough --a fine actor himself -- backs off, and we're the goal of the play "The Wiz". I confess that I haven't the foggiest This transplanting of "The Wizard idea. The storyline was certainly left with nothing. When Corky tries to hide the old agent's body in a of Oz" into a black milieu seemed nothing new. It's the old one about even more limited than the original; the ventriloquist with the split per­ lake, the victim comes to; this could have been scary, but it isn't. at least, the old movie was in a sonality; he himself is shy, kind generalized, if all-white, American and weak-willed, while the dummy is The ending has no suspense because it seems pre-ordained. Hasn't At­ culture. It was accessible to (if cruel, sardonic and forceful. (Why somewhat removed from) children of isn't it ever the other way around?) tenborough seen any scary movies? Doesn't he know which camera angles all races. Turning it into an all­ The ending is always tragic; the black experience almost automatical­ two cannot live together, and they to use, how to pace the editing, the performances, the music, to max­ ly turned it into an experience certainly can't live separately. In limited to blacks. The play, how­ MAGIC, directed by Richard Attenbor­ imize shock? Only once, when Fats seems suddenly to move on his own, ever, was still somewhat generaliz­ ough, Anthony Hopkins is Corky the ed, and kids liked it. While I ventriloquist-magician, and Fats 54 have nothing against making ethnic versions of classic stories, to make Lumet was just-the wrong man credits of THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES a Big Production of it seems con­ for the job. He's certainly versa­ AGAIN? There's a shot of the anim­ trary to the original intent. tile in his choice of subject mat­ ated Panther in which the camera Now it's been filmed by Sidney ter -- his last two films were EQUUS swings all the way around him nuch Lumet as the most expensive musical and NETWORK -- but that's because more rapidly and smoothly than ever made. The basis of the play, he tends to do everything in more would ever be possible in live ac­ which was a mere altering of the or less the same way. He's too soph­ tion. That's the sort of thing storyline into black instead of isticated, and the last thing the that's missing from RINGS, though I white stereotypes, has been changed Wizard of Oz needs is sophistication suspect most viewers will not not­ for the film. Dorothy is not a lit­ of Lumet's Manhattan-sophisticate ice it specifically. They will no­ tle girl, as she was in the play, type. It's an innocent story, and tice the lack of liveliness, but but a 24-year-old schoolteacher (Di­ should be treated with a great deal won't know what to attribute it to. ana Ross) living in Harlem. She's of innocence. Street-smart can be Furthermore, in being shot as a never been below 125th street, and innocent, but here it's not. It's live-action film, there are far has no idea how the other half of a fair movie. Ten years from now, more closeups that are held longer the world lives. The Oz fantasy she while THE WIZARD OF OZ is still de­ than in ordinary cartoon films. Un­ experiences is designed to somehow lighting people, THE WIZ will merely fortunately, the rendering on the introduce her to the world. I'm be a footnote. I'm not sure it faces isn't detailed enough to make damned if I can figure out how it could ever have been anything else. the screen look like much more than does that. Lumet was careful to a very flat drawing of a face. And keep the geography correct, so that there are those things called "held Dorothy's journey through Oz, here cels" (if that's the term). To av­ rendered as a fabulous version of oid redrawing the same figure over New York, is really a journey down FAIR TO MIDDLING EARTH and over, animators generally simply Manhattan Island. But it's turned Ralph Bakshi's $8 million pro­ into such fantasy that it has no duction of THE LORD OF THE RINGS basis in reality. How can she learn has been released and seems to be to accept New York as anything like doing quite well. I think that reality if she sees it as Oz? The once the film gets out of the big end result seems to me to be the reverse of the intended effect. cities, the grosses will decline (as they will with THE WIZ, also). Dorothy would want even more to stay away from the Real World, if it Tolkien fans are probably forming the largest share of the audience can't be like Oz. Lumet discusses his motivations at length in FILM and they will soon be all used up. COM4ENT, but he didn't convince me. What can I say about this film The film isn't bad; it's reason­ that you haven't heard already? ably entertaining, and Ted Ross as Maybe something technical? Almost all reviews point out that rotoscop- the Lion and Nipsey Russell as the ing was not the process to use. Tin Man are excellent, especially (For those who don't know: roto- Russell. Diana Ross as Dorothy is scoping is an animation technique acceptable, oddly enough; she's the whereby live movie images are traced one element I expected to fail the by animators, duplicating the live- most obviously, but she's so child­ action motions in cartoon form.) like it isn't unbelievable. (What And Bakshi used it for the entire is, is to think of her as a teacher.) film; he shot a full-length live- use the same drawing for each suc­ Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow is, action version of RINGS first, on cessive frame, animating only that unfortunately, insipid. He's almost sound stages here and on the plains portion of it which will move in like a hole in the screen, though that shot. In an ordinarily anim­ he's trying hard. He's androgynous of Spain, then had his staff of artists trace the entire film, frame- ated film, this is generally not to begin with, and he is clearly noticeable (unless the color balance trying to be endearing, but it just by-frame. Or so he says. It doesn't look like they traced more than every is off); in a film that's all roto- doesn't work. I blame Lumet for scoped, where there's more movement this. other frame in many scenes, and some­ times the same shots are used over to begin with, a sudden halting of The songs are extremely forget­ again. movement in any portion of the frame table, except for "Ease on Down the pulls the eye to it at once. This Road" (and then the lyrics don't mat­ He claimed that this would give happens repeatedly throughout RINGS, ter), and the wonderful "No Bad News" the animation shape and solidity and gives the film a jumbled, jumpy which the too-little-used Wicked that's not often seen in animated look that's most distracting at Witch sings in her Sweat Shop. The features. It also enabled him, he first, until the eye becomes accus­ other songs are mostly slow-paced said, to use many more characters tomed to it. (The hair on the hob­ ballads, and the lyrics are not in a single shot than would ordinar­ bits' feet crawls around like a mass conpellingly listenable. They all ily be possible. Both these seem of ants; this results from poor in- sound alike and bring the film to a indeed to be true, but the drawbacks betweening, and it's astounding halt when they come on. are far more limiting than the ad­ that Bakshi let it out of the stud­ vantages are liberating. For one io that way.) The film's pace is slow but thing, by shooting it in live action, steady. It's never boring, but it's you're limited to what can be shot The main drawback, however, and never very engrossing, either. It's with a movie camera, in terms of one that infuriates many people, is way overproduced and somewhat glum; angles, motion, length of take and that not all the characters are rot- there's no joy, and the real wizard so forth. A straight animated film oscoped. Some are merely live ac­ (Richard Pryor) is not a charming would not have these limitations tion footage treated slightly in the humbug, but a weasely little rat. and they tend to look more free and optical printer to look like car­ The climax isn't uplifting and ful­ loose. Anyone remember the opening toons. You'll see a drawn-looking filling; it's perfunctory, charmless figure standing beside a moving and over with a bang. 55 or add to the script. But after that, the story becomes muddled (as ALIEN THOUGHTS CONT. FROM P. 38 it did for me in the original books); Frodo and Sam go off alone, and whenever the film returns to them, pliments for the last few issues. so does the interest. But the other The latest inclusion that I thought surviving members of the Fellowship, was particularly interesting is Bill except for Merry and Pippin (last Warren's column, "Sprocket to Me!!!" seen in the hands of a foolishly- I am not a big media fan and it is designed Treebeard) become involved nice to be able to get a running with the Battle of Helms' Deep, list of the stuff that has been which is a side issue. put out and is in the planning stag­ The importance and implications es. It's helpful as well that he of this battle and its relevance to doesn't spend too much space on what else is going on are extremely most of the listings. The column nebulous in the film, and also con­ has had a fairly good pacing. Keep photograph of a real person, and fused me in the book. The history it up. the clash is disconcerting. The inn is all created by Tolkien anyway, 'I am concerned however -- in scene near the beginning seems to so fidelity to it seems somewhat the back of my mind -- about the be full of real people and cartoon moot. You don't know what's at stake possibilities that the media is hobbits, and the long, pointless -- if they lose the battle, what hap­ having upon fandom. Bill's column Battle of Helms' Deep flicks back pens? The outcome of a battle de­ aptly points out the heavy numbers and forth from cartoon to live ac­ pends on the viewer knowing what's of films and television shows made tion in a style that confuses an going on, why the battle is taking for the genre, and I can't help but already confusing sequence. place. Unless you know these things, wonder if there is an entire gener­ The rest of the film is profes­ no matter how well it's staged, a ation of fans growing up who are sional. The somewhat overbearing battle simply cannot be very inter­ solely media-minded. Until the six­ score by Leonard Rosenman, which is esting. Also, the movements of the ties most of fandom revolved around overused, is basically good. The various factors is somewhat confused the literature, but now there are vocal cast, including John Hurt, media fandoms like Star Trek (and Anthony Daniels and Andre Morell, is I understand these battle scenes probably there will be a Star Wars generally excellent, and as far as have been cut somewhat since I saw fandom before long). And then last I could tell, all British. The phys­ the film at the press preview, and week, CBS ran a special on the in­ ical-model cast, from which the that can only be good. The film creasing rate of illiteracy in the drawings were taken, shows some awk­ is too damned long for a cartoon; nation's schools -- around 13-15% wardness as actors, but whoever mod­ Bakshi should have compressed more of the graduating 17 year-olds are eled Gandalf and Frodo were very or only done one of the three vol­ "functioning illiterates". Of good. (I suspect Billy Curtis was umes at a time. He's reverently course CBS skimmed over the one Frodo, and Billy Barty was Sam.) As faithful to the book, by and large, theory that TV has played a role a live-action director, for it's and so the story is very long. He's in bad reading skills, but it was easy to judge him that way on this, stuck with wrapping up everything obvious from the interviews that Bakshi has certain drawbacks, but in film two, if it ever gets made. it is one cause. I have even heard he can handle physical action quite You realize, of course, that a fol­ one opinion that the current gener­ well and shows promise of being able low-up will necessarily be cheaper ation will be the last literate to handle a real live-action film -- and that much worse. generation in the United States, in the future. The stunt work, not A word should be said for the and that from here on we'll have an often a credit for cartoons, is backgrounds. Though the style var­ increasing number of high school good. The Balrog, though, is all ies, they are generally excellent. graduates who can't even read or too obviously a rotoscoped man in a The film isn't great; it could have write. suit. It looks very awkward. been, I suppose -- but it's a reas­ 'This has interesting repercus­ As an adaptation, the film is onably good try. I just hope this sions on fandom which prides itself generally successful. Until the spells the end of rotoscoping used on having so many people with high breakup of the Fellowship of the this extensively. I.Q.'s and college degrees. If this Ring, there's little I would change ************************************ is the last literate generation, will mainstream fandom end up as an elite little group composed of those few people who can read and write? I do remember a scene from one Star Trek/Science Fiction convention of a sizable number of people who just came to watch episodes of TV science fiction series, and who were total­ ly at a loss in the dealer's room whenever they looked over a fanzine. I wasn't even sure if some of them could read the titles. One fan said, "Oh, I don't buy fanzines, I'm just looking". Gad, will SF fandom soon consist of a lot of gad­ flies who flock to the conventions to see the pretty pictures? I'd

ALIEN THOUGHTS CONT. ON P. 63 56 SMALL PRESS NOTES

BY TFE EDITOR

# Neal Wilgus, a frequent contribu­ tor to SFR, has written a book that will be dear to the hearts of para­ noids and less-intense (but very suspicious!) conspiracy-thinkers. It is THE ILLUMINOIDS--Secret Soci­ eties 6 Political Paranoia. Introduction by Robert Anton Wilson. Quality large-size paper­ back. $6.50. Published by Sun # Rip-Off Press sends me s-f and ful scene...it is stopped cold by Books of Albuquerque, but you can fantasy-oriented comic books to re­ McGregor's compulsion to explain and order direct from Neal Wilgus: view. I usually do because I some­ examine and speculate and explore Box 25771, Albuquerque, NM 87125. times enjoy them and because it motives and he does this all the time In tracing the foundations of doesn't take much time to read 8 re­ and he is revealed as a bloody intel­ the Illuminati through the early view. lectual—or pseudo-intellectual— years, and in tracing secret soci­ Two new ones are THE WHOLE FORTY whose stories are riddled, raddled eties and conspiracies through his­ YEAR OLD HIPPIE CATALOG, $1., writ­ and infested with that dreaded writ­ tory, Neal is on very soft ground, ten and drawn by Ted Richards. It er's disease,introspection. He can­ and he knows it. Too much of his isn't a catalog, of course, it's not trust his story as action and linkage is speculation and supposi­ your usual series of comic book sto­ dialogue to convey his point. Per­ tion and maybe... But there is an ries about a central character. haps in rebellion against his years unexpected bonus — two of them! — The forty-year-old hippie is a with Marvel Comics he is now letting in this book, for the reader. In die-hard counter-culturist from the loose all the bottled up thoughts he pursuing secret control of the sixties—and he looks like an old couldn't get into the comicbooks. nation/world Wilgus read one hell bearded, grey-haired bum. Maybe to And one last gripe: he should of a lot of history, and in the the mind of a twenty-year-old 40 never have included that story of process of giving a rundown of seems like ancient, but... the male seeking and finally mat­ possible undercover meniierships in Well, the old geezer thinks he's ing with a lovely 'woman' just before this or that, who was friends with really from another planet... their all-powerful god, Ezeriah, sends whom who in turn... In that pro­ In another he tries to save down a killing gas. The viewpoint cess he gives a remarkably good whales and ends up in one like Jonah, character turns out to be a Japanese look at the life and times of the and... beetle in mating season and the god famous men he has followed, and I look upon these comics as col­ turns out to be a gardener spraying gives a keen insight into the his­ lectors' items. Rip-Off probably his fruit tree, for Christ's sake! tory of the periods. has a small print run for each, and The beetle, of course, is full of Another bonus is that the back in thirty, forty-fifty years.... thoughts about life, love, death and section of the book has a section The other comic is STAR WEEVILS, the Meaning Of It All. called "Sources of Illumination." $1., written and drawn by J. Michael McGregor, full of himself, It is a bibliography and a source Leonard. Alien insects (weevils) thinks he has a lot to say. He comes of publishers (with addresses!) have a base on the dark side of the across like a college sophomore. whose publications (named) which moon. They decide to attack! A DRAGONFLAME is available only Neal has used and read in preparing saucer-like ship sneaks up on Earth from Fictioneer Books, Ltd., Road's his book. He has provided a wealth from 'behind'.... End, Lakemont, GA 30552. Cost is $5. of underground and small-press sourc­ This is the segmented story of plus 65< postage and handling charge. es for "unfit to print" facts, rela­ the star weevils' adventures on tionships and opinion of the con­ this planet—among the smaller # I note that Andy Porter is having spiracy kind. creatures of the land. The aliens good success with ALGOL/STARSHIP. (As themselves are maybe one-half inch issues go by ALGOL will fade away and tall. Call it a tiny s-f adventure the new name, STARSHIP, will become you couldn't take seriously. the name...as ASTOUNDING metamorphosed The ordering address is P.O. Box on the covers into ANALOG.) 14158, San FRancisco, CA 94114. 30

And what of PULSAR? In the September 1978 LOCUS in an article We than talked about some speci­ Everything in the Pocket line through on Ben Bova's comments re ONNI at fic observations about (Mil and how July was purchased by previous edi­ Worldcon, Miriam Rodstein an editor­ the failure of (Mil would encourage tors. His first titles will start ial part-time assistant at LOCUS re­ in some ways rather than discourage appearing in August, with most of ported that "there is a rumor that companies like PLAYBOY when it came the older material out by September. PLAYBOY is planning a competitor to starting a large-budget SF maga­ # Ted White has resigned as edi­ called PULSAR". zine, in the sense that it would tor of AMAZING and FANTASTIC, on 11/ I called up the PLAYBOY editor­ give them some parameters to opera­ 9/78. I will try to have more de­ ial offices in Chicago, was referred te from. Mr. Perski also commented tails for the next issue. As of to their New York offices, where I that he felt OMNI's "visual feel in press time I had been unable to get spoke with Mr. Mort Persky, the new terms of artwork" is inappropriate. in touch with Mr. White. publications editor at PLAYBOY. Mr. And what of PULSAR, and what of Persky handles requests for new mag­ PULSAR? # PLAYBOY has bought the reprint azines, which the presenters hope rights to several Essex House SF and PLAYBOY will buy. He said he looks non-SF titles. Of special note are at about 1000 such presentations in # Dave Hartwell has left Berkley- the two Philip Jose Farmer books. a year, of which maybe a half dozen Putnam to go to Pocket Books. At # Calling it "an exciting Ameri­ are proposals for SF magazines. Ev­ Pocket Books Dave Hartwell and John can art form", Frank Mankowitz, pres­ idently I was the first person to Douglas (the assistant editor of the ident of National Public Radio, an­ ask him whether PLAYBOY was in fact SF line) are planning to expand the nounced that a science fiction drama considering such a title. SF program from its present 2 titles series is being prepared for the pub­ His answer was no. He said PENT­ per month, to 3 in bfey and to 4 as lic airwaves. No starting time was HOUSE bought out a similar notion soon as they have enough material. mentioned. His father wrote many to what has been presented to PLAY­ In January 1980, they will add one of the scripts for Orson Welles' BOY. Although he did enphasize that hardcover a month, through Simon and Mercury Broadcast of the Air. at no time was the word PULSAR con­ Schuster. The mass market edition nected with any of the queries they of the hardcovers will be released ft Jerry E. Pournelle will be do­ received. He was, however, "amused around a year after the hardcover ing a short science column for ANA­ to discover" that the rumored maga­ release. They are essentially look­ LOG. He will still be doing a col- zine was not only in a specific area ing for novels. . umn for DESTINIES. He explains that "but also a title, although it is a John Douglas, to whom I talked, there is no conflict involved. The great title". And while saying mentioned that Ron Busch, the new ANALOG column is much shorter than that the idea of PLAYBOY bringing president at Pocket Books, was the the DESTINIES one, and Jim Baen, ed­ out a science fiction magazine was prime mover behind Pocket's decision itor of DESTINIES, sees no conflict. "not unthinkable" and that "we've to hire Hartwell and the attendant His last column for GALAXY is toyed with it before", there are still enphasis on SF. Mr. Busch's prev­ still unpaid for, as well as being "dozens of other considerations ious job was at Ballantine where the unprinted. A state of affairs that which will never see the light" and phenomenal success of the Del Rey Dr. Pournelle, needless to say, is that there are always a lot of rum­ inprint has gained industry-wide not exactly thrilled about. The ors; this was the first rumor which renown. worst thing is the column is about came "ready-equipped with a title". John Douglas has been involved fast-breaking developments in the He also mentioned displeasure with in fandom since he attended the computer field and is about six the way LOCUS dealt with this rumor, Spring, 1969, Lunacon. months out of date. calling it "foolish". Dave Hartwell has worked at NAL Dr. Pournelle also mentioned Toward the end of our conversa­ and Berkley before Pocket. His work that his next novel collaboration tion he volunteered the fact that at Berkley turned what had been a with Larry Niven, OATH OF FEALTY, is "publishing companies are always con­ moribund program into one of the almost done. Of their earlier col­ sidering" new ideas for magazines. strongest in the SF publishing field laborations, LUCIFER'S HANMER will I then asked him if ONNI was a finan­ At Pocket he will have a large bud­ probably make the New York Times cial success, how would that affect get, the firm support of Ron Busch, yearly best-seller list; MCTE IN PLAYBOY'S interest in bringing out cover control and contract negotia­ GOD'S EYE, their first novel, con­ a science fiction magazine. He re­ tions. The old Pocket contract will tinues to sell several hundred cop­ plied, "That's an interesting ques­ not be in use any more. Mr. Hart­ ies a month, as does INFERNO. tion. It is also a hard question well has recently been involved at to answer". He felt a more interest­ the Pocket Book sales conference Remember the address for this ing question would be what if ONNI showing their sales representatives column is: Elton T. Elliott, SFR, fails. He said he would be "much how to best market science fiction. 1899 Wiessner Dr. N.E., Salem, OR, more intrigued by failure" of (Mil 97303. Phone: (503) 393-6389 than its success. 58 # Isaac Asimov's autobiography, is setting things up so that the SFWA February: IN MEMORY YET GREEN, will be pub­ could be the co-sponsor at some AAS Philip Jose Farmer------DARE lished in two volumes by Doubleday meetings. He also is writing a nov­ Frederik Turner ----- A DOUBLE SHADOW in February. This information court­ el for Ace entitled THE WEB BETWEEN Robert Silverburg—DOWNWARD TO THE esy Jim Wilson, Drake University. THE WORLDS. Plus he will have a EARTH short story collection from Ace. I - - - SHORES OF SPACE # As an addendum to my mini-inter­ will have a mini-interview with Dr. Jack L. Chalker--THE IDENTITY MATRIX view with Forrest J. Ackerman, the Sheffield in an upcoming issue. (This is a hardcover) Perry Rhodan series is back. Issues #119 through #124 were printed in Oct­ # is working on a March ober by Master Publications, Van Nuys, new novel which is the first part of Joanna Russ ------PICNIC ON PARADISE California. For information on the a projected trilogy. The tentative Philip Jose Fanner---INSIDE, OUTSIDE series and to get the books, write: title is WORLDS. Robert Silverberg-THE BOOK OF SKULLS Master Publications, 13735 Victory Gerald Bailey-SWORD OF THE NURLINGAS ACE news: Blvd, Suite 1, Van Nuys, CA 91401. February: # Doubleday has picked up the Reginald Bretnor - THE SCHINMELHORN DAW news: hardcover rights to F. Paul Wilson's FILE February AN ENEMY OF THE STATE, which will (A collection of related stories) ------DEATH'S MASTER detail the revolution that led to Bob Shaw ------VERTIGO Jack Vance------ the founding of the LaNague Federa­ (The novel sequel to his 1974 GALAXY (The 3rd novel in the Demon Prince tion. Dell has picked up softcover short story "A Little Night Flying') series.) rights to WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS. Fred Saberhagen--THE MASK OF THE SUN Michael Moorcock-LORD OF THE SPIEERS Jack L. Chalker------A WAR OF SHADOWS ft Maxim Jakubowski, consulting A. Betram Chandler--THE FAR TRAVELER (An ANALOG book) editor for London's Allison 5 Busby (A Commadore Grimes tale) James H. Schmitz — THE DEM9N BREED publishers SF line, is editing a A.E. Van Vogt------SUPERMIND (This is the first of several Schmitz massive anthology entitled TWENTY titles, too long out of print, that March HOUSES OF THE ZODIAC. More on this Ace will be reissuing.) John Norman------EXPLORERS OF GOR anthology and some other information Poul Anderson ------ENSIGN FLANDRY (So far the only thing explored in on Mr. Jakubowski provided next is­ (The first of the Flandry series. this ostensible fantasy series, is sue. Also long overdue.) the sick side of the human psyche) ft OMNI magazine is reporting a Edgar Rice Burroughs-THE MONSTER MEN Michael Moorcock--MASTERS OF THE PIT million copy 100% sale of their first Edgar Rice Burroughs------THE MAD KING --- HELLO, LEMJRIA HELLO issue. They upped that by 300,000 Hugh Walker -- MESSENGER OF DARKNESS for the second issue. For the third March Isaac Asimov 5 Martin Greenberg ----- issue the print run had jumped to an Donald R. Benson--AND HAVING WRIT... (Editors)----- ISAAC ASIMOV PRESENTS THE GREAT SF: #1 astonishing 2 million copies. By the (The editor of the Quantam SF ser­ third issue we began to see the first ies' first novel) DELL NEWS: of Ben Bova's selections. Both the Ben Bova------THE BEST OF ANALOG February Benford piece and Orson Scott Card's (An Analog book. This one has a Diane Duane ------THE DOOR INTO FIRE story were purchased by Mr. Bova. beautiful Schomburg cover.) (First of a fantasy series) —THE KAR-CHEE REIGN/ Jim Frenkel (Editor)--BINARY STAR #2 # Roger Elwood has been fired by ROGUE DRAGON Consists of--- "The Twilight River" Peterson's Publications, where he Marion Zimmer Bradley----- THE FALCONS By edited the religious magazine, INS­ OF NARABEDLA PIRATIONS. Let's hope he doesn't try "The Tery" Lawrence Janifer------KNAVE IN HAND By Dr. F. Paul Wilson to come back to SF. The anthology (Sequel to SURVIVOR) March field is just beginning to recover. A. Bertram Chandler------INTO THE Fletcher Pratt § L. Sprague de Camp- ALTERNATE UNIVERSE/CONTRABAND ft William Rotsler has sold a se------LAND OF UNREASON FROM OTHERSPACE (Featuring the original interior il­ -quel to ZANDRA, to Doubleday. Robert Sheckley---UNTOUCHED BY HUMAN lustrations by .) # F.M. Busby has sold a 3rd book HANDS Bob Shaw ------NKHTWALK in the CAGE A MAN THE PROUD ENEMY Andre Norton------YEAR OF THE UNICORN # We will feature some comments series. He also has sold a sequel Andre Norton------HIGH SORCERY by Dell SF editor Jim Frenkel on to RISSA KERGUELEN, which will be a Virginia Kidd's anthology MILLENIAL lot shorter. Both books sold to BANTAM NEWS! February WOMEN, which Dell will publish in Berkley-Putnam. Joe Haldeman------WORLD WITHOUT END softcover in May. ft Terry Carr is at work on a nov­ (His last Star Trek novel) el for Dell. L. Sprague de Camp § Lin Carter ----- CONAN THE LIBERATOR ft The publishers of STARLOG are March publishing an anthology edited by Robert E. Howard----- HILL OF THE DEAD David Truesdale and David Gerrold. Frederik Brown ------NIGHTMARES AND The title is SF YEARBOOK. GEEZENSTACKS # Kate Wilhelm has a new novel Phyllis Gottlieb---O' MASTER CALIBAN out called JUNIPER TIME. It will be BERKLEY NEWS: published this spring. # They held a party at Berkeley, # Frederik Pohl is currently on California to introduce their SF wri­ a new movie entitled, COOL WAR, which ters on the West Coast to their new should be out by the end of 1979. editorial staff, which consists of John Silbershack and Victoria Stoch- # , president et, formerly of ANALOG, and to head of the American Astrqnautical Society, off any exodus from Berkley Books and vice president of special pro­ now that Dave Hartwell has left then. jects for the Earth Satellite Corp., 59 DEL REY NEWS: # About the SF boom: "I think it April. Also a novel, it, like CAP­ February is going to last. Because SF gives ITOL, is an ANALOG book and will Piers Anthony —THE SOURCE OF MAGIC more elbow room to work in, it al­ later come out in paperback from Ace Brian Daley -- THE STAR FOLLOWERS OF lows a broader stroke. I believe CORAMONDE it's going to take over." (Sequel to his earlier novel, # He is about ready to start on CONCLUDING WORDS: THE DOOMFARERS OF CORAMONDE) DUNE 4. Well, I can't vouch for anybody Robert Bloch - SUCH STUFF AS DREAMS # For the next several months, else but I've been paid for my first ARE MADE OF however, he is busy writing for Hol­ two columns at GALAX)'. Let's see, at (A new collection) lywood. Next issue I will present l

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SAVE A HASSLE AND EXTRA EXPENSE IF YOU MOVE WE NEED YOUR FORMER ZIPCODE AND YOUR NEW COMPLETE ADDRESS. 63 SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #17 In­ BACK ISSUES terview with George R. R. Martin; Interview with Robert Anton Wilson; THE ALIEN CRITIC "Philip K. Dick: A Parallax View" SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW by Terrence M. Green; "Microcos­ W OTHER BACK ISSUES ARE mos" by R. Faraday Nelson. AVAILABLE SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #18 In- $1.25 per- copy terview with Lester del Rey; Inter­ EACH ISSUE CONTAINS MANY REVIEWS. view with Alan Burt Akers; "Noise EACH ISSUE CONTAINS LETTERS FROM Level" by John Brunner; "A Short WELL-KNOWN SF § FANTASY WRITERS, One for the Boys in the Back Room" SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #28 Inter­ EDITORS, PUBLISHERS AND FANS. by Barry Malzberg. view with C.J. Cherryh; "Beyond Genocide" by Damon Knight; ONE IM­ THE FOLLOWING LISTINGS ARE OF SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #19 In- MORTAL MAN—Conclusion; SF News; FEATURED CONTRIBUTIONS terview with Philip K. Dick; Inter­ SF film news 8 reviews. view with Frank Kelly Freas; "The THE ALIEN CRITIC US Interview Notebooks of Mack Sikes" by Larry with Fritz Leiber; "The Literary Niven; "Angel Fear" by Freff; "The Dreamers" by James Blish; "Irvin Vivisector" by Darrell Schweitzer. Binkin Meets H.P. Lovecraft" by Jack Chalker. SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #20 In­ terviews with Theodore Sturgeon THE ALIEN CRITIC #6 Interview and Joe Haldeman; "Noise Level" by with R.A. Lafferrty; "The Trench­ John Brunner; "The Vivisector" by ant Bludgeon" by Ted White; "Trans­ Darrell Schweitzer; 'The Gimlet lations from the Editorial" by Eye" by Jolin Gustafson. Marion Z. Bradley. SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #21 In- THE ALIEN CRITIC #8 'Tomorrow's terviews with Leigh Brackett 8 Ed­ Libido: Sex and Science Fiction" mond Hamilton, and with Tim Kirk; by Richard Delap; 'The Trenchh- "The Dream Quarter" by Barry Malz­ ant Bludgeon" by Ted White; "Ban­ berg' "Noise Level" by John Brunner. quet Speech" by Robert Bloch; "Noise Level" by John Brunner. SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #22 In­ terview with John Varley; "S-F and ------BACK ISSUE ORDER FORM------THE ALIEN CRITIC #9 "Reading S-E-X" by Sam Merwin, Jr.; "After­ Heinlein Subjectively" by Alexei thoughts on Logan's Run" by Will­ $1.25 EACH and Cory Panshin; "Written to a iam F. Nolan; "An Evolution of Con­ Pulp!" by Sam Merwin, Jr.; "Noise sciousness" by Marion Zimmer Brad­ Dear REG: I enclose $ Level" by John Brunner; "The ley." Please send back issue(s) #5 #6 Shaver Papers" by Richard S. Shav­ #8 #9 #10 #11 #14 #15 #16 er. SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #23 In- #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22 #23 terviews with A. E. Van Vogt, #24 #25 #26 THE ALIEN CRITIC #10 An Inter­ Jack Vance, and Piers Anthony; [Circle #'s desired] view with Stanislaw Lem; "A Nest "The Silverberg That Was" by Rob­ of Strange and Wonderful Birds" ert Silverberg. Science Fiction Review by Sam Merwin, Jr.; Robert Bloch's SUBSCRIPTION COUPON Guest Of Honor speech; The Hein­ SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #24 In­ lein Reaction. terviews with Bob Shaw, David G. All you have to do is fill it in Hartwell and Algis Budrys; "On Be­ with your name and address (or THE ALIEN CRITIC #11 Interview ing a Bit of a Legend" by Algis that of someone you wish to de­ with Avram Davidson; "The Founda­ Budrys. stroy), enclose money, and your tion On Sands" by John J. Aider- life (or that of the other vic­ son; "Footnotes To Fan History" SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #25 In­ tim) will never be the same. by Larry Shaw. terviews with George Scithers, One 'fix ' of SCIENCE FICTION RE­ Poul Anderson and Ursula K. Le VIEW and you will be hooked. SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #14 In­ Guin; "Flying Saucers and the Sty­ How else can you become so pleas­ terview with Philip Jose Farmer; mie Factor" by Ray Palmer; ONE antly addicted as inexpensively? "Thoughts On Logan's Run" by Will­ INMORTAL MAN--Part One. iam F. Nolan; "The Gimlet Eye" by Dear REG: Start my subscription John Gustafson. SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #26 In­ with issue # terviews with Gordon R. Dickson SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #15 In­ and Larry Niven; "Noise Level" by $7.50 ONE YEAR / $15.00 TWO YEARS terview with L. Sprague de Camp; John Brunner; "Fee-dom Road" by "Spec-Fic and the Perry Rhodan Richard Henry Klump; (ME INNORTAL Name...... Ghetto" by Donald C. Thompson; MAN--Part Two. Address...... "Uffish Thots" by Ted White. SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #27 Inter­ SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW #16 In­ views with Ben Bova and Stephen City...... terview with Jerry Poumelle; "The Fabian; "Should Writers Be Serfs., True and Terrible History of Sci­ r Slaves?"; SF News; SF film news; State...... Zip...... ence Fiction" by Barry Malzberg; The Ackerman Interview; ONE IM­ "Noise Level" by John Brunner; MORTAL MAN---Part Three. SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW 'The Literary Masochist" by Rich­ P.O. Box 11408 ard Lupoff. Portland, OR 97211