BRUM GROUP

M a r c h I s s u e 1 9 9 2 NEWS 2 46

The monthly newsletter of the BIRMINGHAM GROUP (Honorary Presidents : Brian M Aldiss and Harry Harrison) 1992 Committee: Group Chairman - Tony Morton Secretary - Carol Morton Treasurer - Richard Standage Reviews Editor - Bernie Evans Publicity Officer - Al Johnston Ordinary Member - Mick Evans Novacon 22 Chairman - Helena Bowles Newsletter Editor - Martin Tudor

DAVID GEMMELL

w ill be addressing the BSFG on

F r i d a y 2 0 t h M a r c h 1 9 9 2

8 .OOpm -for-8 .15pm

Admittance: Members £1.75 Visitors £2,75

D a v id A Gemmell was born in on the 1st of August 1948, he attended Faraday Comprehensive School and went on to work for Pepsi Cola, London. Since then he has worked as reporter and editor for WESTMINSTER PRESS, and editor on both the OBSERVER an d t h e FOLKESTONE HERALD, before turning to full-tim e writing in 1986. He lives in Hastings with his wife, son and daughter.

Probably Britain's best-selling, living writer his work includes the acclaimed DRENAI fantasy series, comprising the novels THE KING BEYOND THE GATE, WAYLANDER, LEGEND an d QUEST FOR LOST HEROES and the short story collection DRENAI TALES. His other major fantasy series, the SIPSTRASSI, includes the novels WOLF I N SHADOW, GHOST KING an d LA S T SWORD OF POWER. Two of his recent works, LION OF MACEDON an d DARK PRINCE are set in Ancient Greece and feature rea l-life characters such as Philip of Macedon and Alexander the Great, along with Gemmell's usual mixture of fantasy and magic. (Reviews of these appear on pages 6-7). Most recently Legend have released MORNINGSTAR, which recreates the medieval world of his earlier work KNIGHTS OF DARK RENOWN.

The BSFG meets at 7.45pm on the third Friday of every month (unless otherwise notified) in the upstairs function room of the WHITE LION, corner of Thorp Street and Horsefair/Bristol Street in Birmingham city centre. The annual subscription rates (which include a copy of this monthly newsletter and reduced price entry to meetings) are nine pounds per person, or twelve pounds for two members at the same address. Cheques etc. payable to "The Birmingham Science Fiction Group", via the Treasurer RICHARD STANDAGE at meetings or by post c/o BERNIE EVANS (address below). Book reviews s h o u ld be sent to the Reviews Editor BERNIE EVANS at 121 Cape Hill, Smethwick, Warley, West M id la n d s , B66 4SH (tel: 021 558 0997). All other contributions and enquiries regarding the BRUM GROUP NEWS to MARTIN TUDOR, 845 Alum Rock Road, Ward End, Birmingham, B8 2AG (tel: 021 327 3 0 2 3 ). THE FAMOUS BLACK COUNTRY LETTERS BEER BUS TOUR

will take place on the STEVE 6REEN, evening of 33 Scott Road, 01 ton, Solihull, B92 7LQ, Saturday 16th May Vernon Brown's comments at the AGM Price £7.50 per person regarding the financial difficulties payment by 31st March to encountered by Twentycon (as reported In the MARTIN TUDOR minutes last Issue,) demand cautious (address on the cover) consideration by the incoming BSFG committee. Deduct your £1 deposit i f paid at the AGM. As Vernon pointed out, both the 1981 anniversary party and 1986's Fifteencon were - in conception, if not inception - social events, whereas Twentycon was always seen as FORTHCOMING EVENTS a fu lly -fle d g e d convention. As such, it was, of course, placed in direct competition with Novacon 21, not the w isest move even were the 21 MARCH 1992: w ill be signing fannish calender not already saturated with copies of his new novel MORNINGSTAR at such medium-sized, regional gatherings (many Andromeda bookshop from noon. might disagree with my grudging view of Novacon as a "region al" con, but h isto rica l 24 MARCH 1992: ANNE McCAFFREY w ill be signing precedent cannot be allowed to outweigh the copies o f her new book DAMIA, the sequel to wider reality). THE ROWAN, at Andromeda from noon. Call Considering the low percentage of the (021) 643 1999 for further details. BSFG actually prepared to work at such events, a knee jerk announcement now that Twentyfivecon 10th APRIL 1992: JOHN JARROLD ed itor o f would be run in p a ra llel with Novacon 26 Random Century's Legend imprint will be strikes me as premature, even foolhardy. A speaking to the Group. Please note that this sensible compromise might be to celebrate the is the regu lar meeting o f the Group which is group's silver anniversary at Novacon 26, being held A WEEK EARLY because the possibly by extending it over four days ? customary 3rd Friday would clash with the national sf convention. (Details regarding □□□□□ the are on the back cover). The contents of this issue are copyright 1992 the 6-8 NOV 1992: NOVACON 22 the Brum Group's BSFG, on behalf of the contributors, to whom all own s f con returns to the Royal Angus hotel rights revert on publication, Personal opinions in the c ity centre. Guest o f Honour Storm expressed in this publication do not necessarily Constantine. £18 u n til end o f Eastercon 1992, reflect those of the committee or the BSFG, All text £20 u n til one month before con a fte r which by Martin Tudor except where stated otherwise. This only on the door memberships available at p u b lic a tio n was p rin te d on the CRITICAL WAVE £25. D etails: Bernie Evans, 121 Cape H ill, photocopier, Smethwick, Warley, West Midlands, B66 4SH, tel: Thanks th is time to RICHARD STANDAGE, STEVE 021 558 0997. GREEN and SALLY-ANN MELIA fo r taking the tin e to contribute to the newsletter, BERNIE EVANS for VOLUNTEERS NEEDED editing the reviews and producing the labels, MICK EVANS for his work on the reviews, DAVE HARDY for the The Aston University Fantasy and Science J0PHAN and REVIEWS headings, a l l our book review ers, Fiction Society have challenged the BSFG to a TONY BERRY for putting up with the WAVE photocopier debate at a special meeting at Aston Uni, and with me using his office, Information regarding We choose the date they have proposed David Gemmell is courtesy of the third edition of the motion: "This house believes that it is man's TWENTIETH-CENTURY SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS, e d ite d by duty, as the most highly evolved living organism* on Noelie Watson and Paul E Schellinger (published in this planet, to pursue the goals of evolution to B rita in by St James Press, £75), The review o f th is th e ir maximum, " excellent volume has been delayed until next issue, I f you are interested in taking part in However, if you are currently a subscriber to this debate please tell TONY MORTON at this CRITICAL WAVE it is worth noting that the latest month's meeting. issue #25, offers a £15 discount to readers, "filthy pros", with a fiction sale to FAR POINT. She reports that editor Charlie Rigby b y is looking fo r s to rie s o f about 6,000 words with an s f or fantasy theme, but not horror Martin or supernatural fiction. Contact Charlie through Victoria Publications, P0 Box 47, Tudor Grantham, Lincs., NG31 8RJ.

Little, Brown, the Boston based subsidiary o f Time Warner, are to buy Macdonald publishing i n t o t o , dispelling The 49th Jophan Report fears that this major British publishing house would be broken up with the rest o f Robert THE FIRES WITHIN: VOLCANOES ON EARTH AND Maxwell's fast-disappearing empire. OTHER PLANETS by Birmingham's own Dave Hardy As th is n ew sletter went to press, the was published by Dragon's World at the end o f three-week period of "due diligence", during 1991. A ll illu s tra tio n s in the book are by which represen tatives o f L ittle , Brown have Dave, from double-spread o il paintings down to scrutinized the company, was ending. The cutaway diagrams of the Earth ; there are no Macdonald press o ffic e informed me that the photographs. final transfer was "imminent", adding that the Of special interest to space and sf fans sale included the whole of Macdonald's are the reconstructions of historic eruptions operation, with the exception of its leisure such as Krakatoa, Pompeii, Atlantis and the lin es Noddy and Queen Anne Press. I was also volcanoes on Mars, Venus, Io and the Triton told that although it seems likely that the geysers. The text is by leading vulcanologist Sphere and Futura lin es w ill merge and that Dr John Murray o f the Open University. Macdonald hardbacks w ill be renamed L ittle , Although there is no US edition as yet, a Brown, the company's s p e cia list s f and fantasy French tran slation e n title d LES VOLCANS is line, Orbit, w ill remain unchanged. available. Little, Brown has assured the staff at Macdonald that, as fa r as possible, it intends Andromeda Bookshop has refused to stock to preserve the in te g rity o f the company, and the second and third issues of the new UK it is hoped that there w ill be only minimal science fiction magazine FAR POINT because job losses. Unfortunately, this apparent both carry advertisem ents for such a c tiv itie s reprieve has come too late to save the 36 as spiritualism and palm reading. Rog Peyton people made redundant shortly a fte r the te lls me he has since received an apology in itia l period o f receivership began. Nor from editor Charlie Rigby, who had now does it help those who have lost their dismissed the booking agency responsible ; pensions, as the new owner is under no Andromeda w ill be stocking FAR POINT from o bligation to refund the monies previously issue four onwards. "borrowed" from the company's pension fund. Since September 1988, when it launched Following the contretemps last year over its UK subsidiary with a small staff, Little, Tony Todd's a lle ge d ly "Hardyesque" cover on Brown has been looking to build up a stronger FARPOINT #2, ( i f you're in terested compare publishing profile in the UK. Until now it the cover with that of either INTERZONE #31 has concentrated on publishing predominantly o r #39 - reports vary,) FARPOINT #3 featured upmarket t it le s in the fie ld s o f fictio n , a Dave Hardy cover. The o rigin a l o f the biography, illustrated books, arts, home & cover, "Discovery on Dione”, is currently being leisu re and children's books. Macdonald w ill exhibited, at the Hayden Planetarium of the add a more mass market flavour to this lis t, Museum of Natural History in New York, along as well as bringing Little, Brown UK an with the work o f other US and European space established paperback operation and providing arists. Meanwhile, Dave has been appointed a potential platform for Time Warner's US Art Director of FARPOINT, and w ill be mass market list to enter Britain. In responsible for allocating artists to the addition, it will offer the use of established stories for which their style is most suited. warehousing facilities through Paulton He has even had a short story accepted ! Distribution. "Melinda's Mission", subtitled "A Romance of the Space Age". These recent tribu lation s o f Macdonald Lynn Cochrane is the la test member o f have delayed the previously announced the Brum Group to join the ranks o f the publication of the revised ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF SCIENCE FICTION. It is now scheduled for merged with London Editions, which was owned publication Easter 1993. by Gutenberghus Press. The 50/50 sharing o f the newly named Fleetway Editions took effect Deborah Beale, form erly in charge o f from 1 January 1992. On the 16 January Random Century's Legend list, has taken over Gutenberghus took over the company. as publishing director of Orion's new sf and Speaking on behalf of the newly formed fantasy imprint Millenium. Charon Wood has Fleetway Editions Igor Goldkind told COMIC joined her as editor. COLLECTOR that the new company was now “a John Jarrold has replaced Deborah Beale fu lly comics-based company, publishing no at Legend, but as we went to press there is other consumer magazines, which is a major still no indication who will fill his position step, certainly for 2000AD and the other as editorial director of Macdonald's Orbit comics in the new group. With the merger imprint. (Jarrold will be addressing the with London Editions, Fleetway Editions now Group on Friday 10th A p ril.) represents 60 to 70 per cent of the comics market in this country," THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF VAMPIRES, featu ring He added that "p ro fits from the comics original stories by Graham Masterton, Steve are no longer being used to subsidise other Rasnic Tem and Kim Newman, w ill be published publications. 2000AD and its related by Robinson / C a rrroll & Graf in the summer. publications has always been a major money- Edited by Stephen Jones, the anthology w ill spinner, so it will be good to see the comics also feature reprinted tales from Clive keeping the money that Fleetway do make." Barker, , Ramsey Campbell and Goldkind concluded by saying that he thought Howard Waldrop amongst others. the main advantage o f Gutenberghus Press was Jones has also recen tly turned in THE that it opened up the very d iffic u lt European HELLRAISER CHRONICLES, to Titan Books. A market. He also c a te g o ric a lly denied rumours large-size photographic book covering all that the company was in any fin an cial three HELLRAISER movies, and includes an difficulty. introduction by C live Barker. It is scheduled for publication this spring. Beccon Publications has announced that Jones, with Kim Newman, has also THE DRABBLE PROJECT, its fund-raising delivered a revised and updated edition of anthology of 100-word stories, has now sold HORROR: 100 BEST BOOKS to New English Library. out ; editors David Wake and Rob Meades wish The Bram Stoker Award-winning book w ill be to thank a ll Brum Group members who published in trade paperback in the summer. supported the venture, which raised £1548 fo r Meanwhile, Jones and Clive Barker have the RNIB Talking Book Fund. A lim ited number contributed an original introduction and of the follow-up volume, DRABBLE II, is s t i l l afterword, respectively, to JAMES HERBERT: BY available from Andromeda.' HORROR HAUNTED, also edited by Jones, and David Wake is currently working with which w ill be published in hardcover by New David Howe on a third selection of "drabbles", English Library in the summer. all inspired by the tv series DR WHO ; they Dave Sutton and (guess who ?) Stephen have already contacted many former cast Jones (busy guy Jones, isn't he ? ) have turned members, s c rip t w rite rs and authors assoc­ in DARK VOICES 4: THE PAN BOOK OF HORROR. iated with the series, but would be pleased Scheduled for October release this latest to receive further submissions at 160 volume in the award-winning anthology series Beaumont Road, Bournville, Birmingham, B30 1NY. includes sto ries by John Brunner, Christopher Fowler, Stephen Gallagher, Peter James, Joe R The British Science Fiction Association Lansdale and Kim Newman. (BSFA) is currently looking for new editors for both its paperback review magazine, Fleetway, Britain's longest established PAPERBACK INFERNO, and its newsletter, MATRIX. comics' publisher (a direct descendant of the If you're interested in either of these company which published COMIC CUTS in 1890), unpaid posts, or would like further d etails, has now been wholly taken over by the Danish please contact Kev McVeigh, 37 Firs Road, company Gutenberghus Press, The takeover Milnthorpe, Cumbria, LA7 7QF (te l: 05395 includes such renowned t it le s as 2000AD, 62883). EAGLE and ROY OF THE ROVERS, as well as the The latest issue of MATRIX, the Disney franchise, interests in the DAN DARE tv newsletter of the British SF Association, project and the JUDGE DREDD movie. hints that the BSFA is facing a financial Towards the end o f last year, ten days d iffic u ltie s . The e d ito r ia l speaks o f a before the death of Robert Maxwell, Fleetway publications and urges people, members or TRUCKERS, the fir s t book in Terry otherwise, to attend the AGM at Illumination. Pratch ett's "Nomes" tr ilo g y , has been adapted The AGM o f the BSFA w ill be held in the into an animated children's s e ria l by Cosgrove Norbreck Hotel in Blackpool from 4pm on Hall, previously responsible for the popular Saturday 18 April. cartoons DANGERMOUSE and COUNT DUCKULA ; the 10-minute episodes are currently being In cidentally, I've been asked by the screened by ITV on Friday afternoons, with a Eastercon committee to reassure members of video compilation to follow on 13 April. this year's Eastercon, Illumination, that there are no problems with the con's hotel, the The 1992 race fo r the Get Under Fan Norbreck. Members are advised to disregard Fund (GUFF) has been won by Czech candidate recent reports in the press that the Norbreck Eva Hauser. Winning this fannish race means H otel's parent company, Principal Hotels, has that Eva will travel to the 1992 national gone into receivership. Australian sf convention held over the Easter According to the March edition o f Dave weekend this year in Sydney, Australia. Langford's ANSIBLE the reports are a garbled Of 84 votes cast, 51 went to Eva Hauser, version o f the truth, it was a ll "a business 27 went to the B ritish candidate Bridget. ploy - one day's voluntary liquidation while un­ Wilkinson and 6 voters had no preference or wanted property investments were flogged off." voted for miscellaneous write-in candidates.

The Black Lodge, Birmingham's inform al Bruno Ogorelec wishes to remind people gathering of horror and dark fantasy fans, that "Yugoslavia" no longer exists. All mail meets on the second Thursday of each month to him should now be addressed to "Croatia", at the Australian Bar, Hurst S treet ; or it will inevitably be "thrown into the meetings will shift temporarily to the waste basket" in Belgrade. neighbouring Old Fox pub when the current venue is redecorated this summer. Are you a lucid dreamer ? Are you aware while you dream that you are dreaming ? Ken Lake is tryin g to locate poems, Can you sometimes con trol what happens in artwork, etc. by his son Aron Lake, who your dreams ? It is suspected, and there have tr a g ic a lly committed suicide last November been tests on the subject, that people can aged 27. Ken's aim is to compile a book to share lucid dreams. So this year Britain will be published as a tribute to a wasted life. host the first ever lucid dreamers' Photocopies or inform ation are welcomed and convent ion. will be acknowledged. He is also trying to Everyone, anywhere in the world, can get. track down a copy of CRIMES AGAINST THE together, through th eir dreams, on Tuesday, 5 STATE, (a small, privately published May 1992 (the anniversary of the publication c o lle c tio n ,) as w e ll as personal le tte rs and/or o f DREAMSIDE) for Dreamcon, Guest o f Honour photographs

DREAM PARK: THE VOODOO GAME by & Steven Barnes Pan, 344 pp, £8.99, "C“ format Reviewed by Carol Morton.

Cowles Industries, owners o f Dream Park, have taken over an earthquake damaged building (bearing more than a passing resemblance to Todos Santos the archology in Niven and Pourne l l e ’s OATH OF FEALTY) with the aim of total renovation. But before the contractors move in the Dream Park personnel are going to run a game inside the building, called C aliforn ia Voodoo. This game w ill be notable fo r s e v e r a l reasons. The master o f games masters, Richard Lopez, is dying, it will be his last game. Several players from the South Seas treasure game w ill be re-united, Holly Frost, Mary-em and more s ig n ific a n tly Acacia Garcia will be taking part. A ll seems to be moving along smoothly until a Cowles Industry security officer. Sharon Crayne, is killed . Someone bets a vast amount o f money on one o f the teams taking part and somehow data about either the building, its security system or the game it s e lf is planned to be stolen. Alex G riffin head, o f Dream Park security, has to enter the game as a guide to discover just what is DARK PRINCE by David Gemmell, Legend, £8.99. going on, just who the thief is and what he/she/they intend to steal. In Gemmell's Greece Aristotle is an DREAM PARK was good, THE BARSOOM immortal wizard o f great power who uses the PROJECT faltered because it moved, at times, stones of the Sipstrassi to travel between too far away from the Dream Park scenario, but THE VOODOO GAME has hit a happy medium the worlds ; Alexander the Great is possessed with the excellent - and at times horrific - by the Chaos S p irit and figh ts a continuing game and the behind the scenes d etective work inner battle to subdue its malevolent to find out why Acacia Garcia has taken up influence ; Parmenion, the s t r a t e g o s , one with the master manipulator Nigel Bishop, what of the greatest generals of the age is also, is he after and why ? Excellent. secretly, Alexander's father. A large, central section of the book DARKER THAN THE STORM by Freda Warrington takes place on an a ltern a tive Earth where NEL, 304 pp, £4.99, p/b centaurs, harpies, enchanted forests, the Reviewed by Pauline Morgan. Minotaur, the Gorgon and other m ythological creatures still exist - fighting a last ditch After an excellent diversion (in THE RAINBOW battle against the Chaos S pirit. But far from GATE) Freda has returned to the universe of detracting from the main plot of Parmenion, her "Blackbird" fantasy series, though not to Philip and Alexander and their conquest of the the world it was set on. Timewise, it is placed between the two pairs o f books, shatters what was his w rist to escape and is Silvren and Ashurek are settled on Ikonus, the found by Cogline - one time associate of world of sorcery where Silvren received her Allanon. training. She now teaches sorcery while The King o f the S ilv e r River, seeing Ashurek retrains badly behaved horses. But Walker's plight, creates an elemental, calls Ashurek is re stles s . The High Master o f her Quickening and adopts her as his daughter. Ikonus, Gregardreos, has been w aiting fo r an He gives her the task of aiding Walker. She excuse to dispose o f Ashurek, p artly from cures him at the cost of his arm, and he jealousy, p artly due to d istru st and when follow s her and her companions Pe Ell, Morgan Ashurek opens a Way between worlds to and the old tracker Homer Dees to Eldwist Jhensit, Gregardreos seizes his opportunity. where they must confront the Stone King. He Ashurek is to travel to this world and has the E lfstone but to get to him they must observe it or be permanently exiled. evade the horrors that populate his city. Jhensit is a world in trouble. Not only The novel starts off quite well and is it divided in itself, but it is gradually moves along qu ite n icely u n til the being eroded by the Maelstrom, a phenomenon protagonists reach Eldwist, but then the story which is gradually dissolving the land and becomes protracted and slow and sp o ils the casting it into a realm of chaos. In the high flow o f what is a nice yarn, I do have to towers of Niankan-Siol the ruling class fears say though that Brooks has produced some nice anything associated with the ground ; characterisation in th is novel. Walker Boh's worshipping the sky god Eyos and admiring reluctance for and final conversion to his fly in g things. Below, on the ground, in task, the confusion of Pe Ell, the assassin Niankan-Pel the population despise the who must kill Quickening, are excellently follow ers o f Eyos and worship Flaim, and are written. A pity about the overlong search of persecuted by those who live in the stilt- Eldwist, otherwise a good tale. supported city above them. Shai Fea Is a Siol. Her husband dies inexplicably, the PACIFIC EDGE by Kim Stanley Robinson latest in a s e rie s o f strange murders. Her Grafton, 280 pp, £3.99, p/b brother, the Hyalon (Niankan-Siol's ruler), Reviewed by Mick Evans. accuses her of the deed and she flees to the lower city. There, she encounters Ashurek. This is another of Robinson's speculations on This book is satisfying in many respects. a future Orange County (2065) and is in sharp The plot has a number o f strands to it, not contrast to his previous work THE GOLD COAST a ll o f which are apparent at the sta rt but which was very pessim istic. This by contrast are gradually revealed as the situation is is about as near to a utopia as one could unravelled. Some parts are predictable but re a lis tic a lly hope for, a world in which others provide unexpected twists. There are scientific progress is harnessed to the some dramatic sequences, the best o f which common good, the big corporations have been are very vivid, while others could have been seen off and everything seems to be small and enhanced to the b en efit o f the book. It is an beautiful. Ecology rules. The aesthetic easy read but lacks the depth of Freda's beauty of the old sailing ships is now previous book, THE RAINBOW GATE.. harnessed to modern technology so if need be the captain can use computers to plot his THE DRUID OF SHANNARA by Terry Brooks course and call on the weather satellites to Orbit, 423 pp, £13.95, h/b t e ll him i f a storm is approaching. Cars seem Reviewed by Carol Morton. at a minimum, though s t i l l used when needed. The storylin e revolves around Kevin The Shade o f Allanon gave Walker Boh a task, Claiborne, newly elected local council member, to find the Lost Druids' keep of Paranor, to who finds skulduggery afoot when plans arise return it to the world and to revive the to develop Rattlesnake Hill, one of the last Druidic order so that they could join in the pieces of wilderness in the area, by the figh t against the Shadowen and the mayor Alfredo. To antagonise things more Foundation. The only problem is that Walker Kevin and Alfredo are both in love with the Boh does not b elieve in Druids or Allanon and same woman (A lfredo's w ife Ramona). Robinson only reluctantly agrees to do this. However comes up with fine characters, none more so his quest seems doomed from the sta rt when, than the council's lawyer Oscar, a vastly whilst he his searching for the black elfstone overweight, outwardly comical man whose hobby rumoured to be able to absorb and d eflec t is doubling as a professional wrestler. magic, he his b itten by an Asphinx whose I found this book u p liftin g and it would poison slowly turns its victim to stone. He be nice to think things might turn out this good, but there is an alternate thread running just a prophet. And it seems that women are through the book as the scene occasionally the bosses. "Night They Missed The Horror switches to a young w rite r in an internment Show" is about people in the southern camp in Virginia watching the world slide to backwaters o f America. As in "Duck Hunt" global disaster. Whether this is an alternate most o f the other s to rie s are based in and universe or a reminder o f what w ill more around the same area. likely be I'm not quite sure. An excellent sf "On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert" novel from an intelligent and skilful writer. is an award winning novella which re a lly makes the book worth gettin g. It shows a CARNACKI THE GHOST-FINDER by William Hope Hodgson very dark view of the future. A virus has Grafton, 270 pp, £3.50, p/b been released into the atmosphere which makes Reviewed by Steve Jones. it impossible for people to die properly unless their brains are destroyed. "The Dead This book of supernatural stories is reprinted People" however wander around like zombies from 1910. Carnacki is a gentleman psychic until they are killed or rot away to nothing. in vestiga tor, and comes somewhat cheaper than The story is described as “A story about the the Ghostbusters. Some of the paraphernalia bad guys and the bad guys." sounds rather quaint now, such as the I would not recommend this book to weak ubiquitous “Electric Pentacle", which sets up stomached people but it is worth reading if a barrier in the ether no supernatural being you are not e a s ily offended. can cross. It is interesting that about half the THE WORLD AT THE END OF TIME by stories are about how easy it is to fake the Grafton, 408 pp, £4.99, p/b supernatural, and even how an experienced Reviewed by David T Cooper. psychic investigator can fool himself. However, the atmosphere and tension in every This is a story of the survival of two beings story is very well handled, and even now the which ranges from the near future to the end stories retain considerable charm. of the universe. One of the beings is Wan- There is a 23 page afterw ord by Ian To, a h y p er-in tellig e n t energy being, whose S in clair, in which he pours cold water on the preferred residence is a G-type star. whole book. Nevertheless not a book to read Unfortunately he is at war with his children. alone. One of his ploys accelerates close to light speed a group of stars, one of which is the BY BIZARRE HANDS by Joe R Lansdale sun of Newmanhome. This planet is the first New English Library, 242 pp, £4.99, p/b colony of Earth and is the home of Viktor Reviewed by C live Brookes. Sorricaine, the second being. We meet Viktor first on the colony ship, New Mayflower, after BY BIZARRE HANDS is a collection of, mostly, his having been awakened from the "freezer" horror short stories. The introduction to the on his way to Newmanhome. Through the book starts out with "Joe Lansdale scares the course of the novel Viktor is frozen twice liv in g shit out of some people" th is is more, and we discover the s o c ie tie s that perhaps true but I found it more disturbing Newmanhome develops into over the centuries. than scary. The stories are mostly about Their stories are told in alternate maniacs, killers and seriously disturbed chapters, Wan-To then Viktor. The idea is people. To say that the stories are violent ambitious but does not qu ite g e ll. It is hard would be an understatement. Nearly all the to unite the stories of two beings who are so stories contain very vivid descriptions of different. However, the story is told with violence to say the least. So if you have a Pohl's usual humour and is, on the whole, strong stomach and aren't easily offended enjoyable. Not one o f his best but not one then you can perhaps read the book. of his worst either. Past all the violence and sick characters what have we got ? Well actu ally qu ite a few INDIGO VOL 6: AVATAR by Louise Cooper good short stories. "Letter from the South, Grafton, 299 pp, £3.99, p/b Two Moons West o f Nacogdoches" is a le t t e r Reviewed by Carol Morton. from an Indian in a world where different major paths have happened from ours. The Amer­ Indigo is on the trail of the fifth demon ican Indians are the main race in the world. which leads her to the Dark Isle, which is John the Baptist is the person who Christians covered with a tropical rainforest, where she b elieve is the Son o f God, as Jesus was becomes very ill with a tropical fever. But knocked over by a cart and k illed and so is for her immortality she would die. Priest­ esses of The Ancestral Lady discover Indigo Even Haplo's dog seems to know more about and cure her, but not through charity, they what's going on than Haplo himself. believe her to be the new Avatar or Oracle of Nevertheless there is much about this the Lady. Indigo goes along with them as book that is effective: the the Tytans are they seem to be tra v e llin g in the general terrifying, the inability of the different direction of the demon. But once at the races to co-operate in the face of destruc­ temple in the middle of the jungle Indigo tion, and Haplo never seems to qu ite under­ discovers that the demon is Fear, and it has stand how he came to be organizing the rescue suborned the Ancestral Lady, and has perverted mission. As in the fir s t book, the key to the her religion until it is one of terror by whole puzzle lies in the peculiar nature of revenge and torture. Indigo must confront the World o f Fire. Next Haplo is o f f to the the the demon and destroy it before the rite World o f Earth, and I w ill be in terested in o f in itia tio n , when the demon w ill be become what he finds there. too powerful to stop. To do this she must face the Ancestral Lady or, as she is better THE ANTIPOPE by Robert Rankin known, Queen of the Underworld, in her Kingdom Corgi, 283 pp, £3.99, p/b of the Dead where the living cannot go. Reviewed by Sally-Ann Melia. The two year gap between volumes four (NOCTURNE) and fiv e (TRIOKA) seems to have All right, all right, I'll admit it ! I don't revived this series, maybe the change of really understand Terry Pratchett novels ! publisher helped as well, but this sixth These words w ill be blasphemy, I'm sure, to volume is excellent. I especially like the many o f you out there, but there's worse to way that Grimya the w o lf is becoming more of come. The truth is I don't even "get" Douglas a character in her own right not just an Adams's jokes. Hum. So what did I think o f adjunct to Indigo. In addition, Indigo's dis­ Robert Rankin’s comic fantasy, set in covery of the nature of Nemesis and how to cotemporary Brentford ? defeat it, and the final acceptance of her Well, forced to read it for this illus­ lot, are wonderfully and movingly told. trious magazine, and given the aforementioned character defect, you'll be as surprised as I ELVEN STAR by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman was that I liked it. I probably won't re­ Bantam, 387 pp, £4.99, p/b mortgage the semi* to rent a six metre square Reviewed by Steve Jones. neon sign in P icca d illy saying "Read it " ; but I w ill recommend it to you. This is the Death Gate Cycle Volume I I , so The plot is good, something like ; What read the truly excellent DRAGON WING fir s t. i f the Devil came to Brentford ? Would the In this book Haplo the Patryn v is its Pryan, drinking population of the Flying Swan be able the World of Fire, with the mission of to muster enough sobriety and purpose to do fomenting chaos so the Lord o f the Nexus can anything about it ? Does anyone care ? It a ll take over more easily. He finds himself starts with a red-eyed tramp with slimy fin­ playing a very different role, as the only man gers, scaring Neville the part-time barman. who can save civilisation from the Tytans, Then Archroy's w ife swapped his tru sty Morris renegade giants with pow erful magic. Minor for fiv e magic beans... I could say This fantasy series is unusual in that more, but I won't, y o u 'll have to read THE so far the lines o f 'good guys' and 'bad guys' ANTIPOPE for yourself, and see. remain undefined. Certainly Haplo thinks of To summarise, even fo r those o f you who him self as the v illa in , but has a noble side I don't normally enjoy comic fantasy, take it fe e l w ill develop. The Lord o f the Nexus, from me this is a good book, read it ! however, is a genuinely nasty piece o f work. Given the serious side of the story (the "WAS. . . by G eoff Ryman complete destruction of the lands of the Harper Collins, 356 pp, £14.99, h/b elves, dwarves and humans,) the humorous Reviewed by A1 Johnston. elements jar. A recurrent flaw in all Weiss and Hickman's work is the apparently omni­ Welcome to the wonderful land o f Was, cradled potent guide, who points the characters in the in the arms of Now. This realist fantasy is direction of the plot. They also provide the a fine example o f Ryman's work, in every way comic element, sometimes successfully. In the the equal of THE CHILD GARDEN. In this "Dragonlance" books it was Fizban, while in presentation of an alternative America the the "Darksword" books it was Simkin. In this realism is very much to the fore. For much book it is the old wizard Zifnab (anagram of its length "WAS. . . fe e ls more lik e a puzzlers take note) and his servile dragon. mainstream novel about the genre than a genre novel p e r s e , much to its credit I must say. him as all good supporting characters should. As you gather quickly from the title and Ian though is a p retty lousy choice o f enemy, cover photograph “WAS. . . is about, and built fo r he manages to get w ell and tru ly wedged around, L Frank Baum's THE WONDERFUL WIZARD up the nose of the strongest telepath in the OF OZ. This doesn't mean you need to have community (Drove Gardner). This means g e ttin g read Baum, having seen the film once (or even his head smashed in at a hundred paces. His having heard of it will do). In this version mum (the powerful empath) unfortunately is Dorothy Gael is an abused, misunderstood not as powerful as the evil, nasty Drove child, shunted off to her Aunty Em when Gardner who of course, being the villain, diphtheria strikes her parents. Baum appears plans to kill Ian. Ian's only course of escape as the substitute teacher who does is to travel through time, back to before the understand, but is ignored. As the novel hops plagues destroyed the world, where the odious through time Dorothy's life is paralleled in Mr Gardner cannot reach him. The sto ry that o f Judy Garland, who plays her in the continues as you would expect it to. film. It is the film that links the rest of The story is predictable, the characters the characters together, marking turning shallow, the ideas are weird. Mind you, if points in their lives. Each character is a you're into new age stuff (sad people) like thread running through the network of the finding yourself, meditating and talking to book, coming togeth er to where it began in your spirit guides, you might enjoy it, but I Manhattan Kansas. doubt it. I found it took a re a l e ffo r t to After the story Ryman provides a reality finish this book, I suggest you go and read check, in which he is modest about his one a book by Starbuck's husband, Raymond E research. He needn't be, this novel has a Feist, instead. strong sense o f h istory and I highly recommend it. TEK LORDS by William Shatner Corgi, 255 pp, £3.99, p/b TIME IN MIND by Kathryn S Starbuck Reviewed by Clive Brookes. Grafton, 319 pp, £3.99, p/b Reviewed by Paul Z. TEK LORDS is the sequel to TEK WAR, the book which surprised most people by being qu ite The main part o f th is story is set in a readable. William Shatner's style of writing future where people have gone back to the is easy to read and so far his stories have “old ways" (you know, getting closer to nature been quite good. Not especially earth-shaking and all that manure) after civilisation has; but better than a lot of science fiction and been destroyed by incurable diseases like the fantasy which somehow gets published. common cold. The people, over time, have In TEK LORDS Jake Cardigan once again developed powers of the mind through gets involved with the ille g a l Tek Drugs. meditation and talking to their higher souls, "TekM is the name given to computer neural to replace the need for technology, powers connections which provide the user with an such as telepathy, empathy and o f course induced feeling of bliss,- ie. a drug. Tek telekinesis. Different people have different unfortunately leaves the user with many after talen ts, but some are born Deaf-Mute, the e ffe c ts such as psychosis and other mental name given to those who cannot speak in other disorders and so it is outlawed. Jake is a minds or hear the voices o f others in th eir former policeman who got framed for being a minds, and so they are looked down upon as Tek runner in the f ir s t book and although he being inferior. is now cleared everybody still holds it One such is Ian, the hero o f the book. against him. The history of the keep in which Ian lives is The story follows Jake's actions as a passed down by word o f mouth from the elders private investigator researching into the to the children. The tales have of course death of Kurt Winterguild, and thus uncovering been corrupted over the time they have been a plot by the Tek Lords (drug barons) to hold re -to ld and Ian, being a d iffic u lt i f bright the world to ransom by releasin g a deadly lad, despite his lack of powers, questions the virus into major cities. Only they have the authenticity of these histories. This doesn't antidote. go down well Drove Gardner, the evil, no good, Although a lot of the ideas about neural low-down, sheep molesting Elder, in this tale drugs and massive corporations and space of one boy's quest to find the truth (gag, platforms have been done before by William choke, vomit). Of course Ian is not without Gibson the book is qu ite readable and a good help. His mother, who just happens to be a sequel. Don't however expect a m asterpiece o f powerful empath, supports him and encourages science fiction literature. Best o ffe r over £30 secures. Call Peter Weston on 021 354 6059.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ZENITH / ZENITH SPECULATION FOR SALE. Peter Weston's seminal critical review of sf. FOR SALE ... STAR TREK: Video tapes and books. Contributors include Aldiss, Brunner, Harrison, 40 video tapes in perfect condition (most Leiber, Moorcock, Niven, O ffu tt, Pohl, P riest, only watched a few tim es) and 32 STAR TREK Silverberg, Stableford and many others. I have novels (all in good condition). Also 14 DOCTOR in good condition, issues 8-32 (1965-1973), a WHO video tapes and 2 DOCTOR WHO novels, again useful historical collection: £25 including all in excellent condition. Everything in postage. Contact David Sutton, 021 444 6188. excellent condition. Price new £642.00, ONLY ASKING £250.00 or near o ffe r . Call Dave on ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ (021) 558 3857.

FANZINE COLLECTORS: 1970s B ritish fanzine checklist now available, also the original Peter Robert's checklists for '30s to '50, '51 to '60 and '61 to '70, a ll at 80p each or £3 the HELLO SF WRITERS, lo t, post-paid from Vince Clarke, 16 Wendover WHOEVER YOU ARE Way, Welling, Kent, DA 16 2BN. by Sally—Ann Melia,

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FOR SALE: RONEO 750 ELECTRIC DUPLICATOR in I have been asked to run a w rite r's working order (but can be fussy on paper workshop at th is year's Eastercon. The idea feeding). Complete with spare drum, ink, is simple, a writer's workshop by SF writers instructions and cabinet (holds spare drum and for SF writers. I'm looking for enthusiastic drawers), buyer must collect from Bristol. support from Brum Group members. F irst o ffe r around £70 w ill be accepted, but Eastercon, as most o f you w ill know, is any reasonable offer will be considered. All the annual convention o f the BSFA. This year proceeds to TAFF (the Trans-Atlantic Fan it is calling itself Illumination, - "Because Fund). Contact PAM WELLS, 24A Beech Road, disparate times require disparate measures..." Bowes Park, London, N il 2DA (081 889 0401), - and is to be held in Blackpool over the weekend 17th-20th o f April. By the way, due ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ to the recession and all that, this looks like being the only major s f & f convention to be BSFG 20th ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR BOOKS: held before Novacon 22. A rtic le s by , HARRY HARRISON and As for the w rite r's workshop, w e ll I've ANNE GAY. Only £1.95 (postpaid), cheques tried to speak to as many of you as possible, payable to "THE BIRMINGHAM SCIENCE FICTION but having only little legs, I just can't get GROUP", to MARTIN TUDOR, 845 Alum Rock Road, around that fast ! It 's very simple rea lly, Birmingham, B8 2AG. samples of work, novels, short stories, poetry, and plays, up to 1000 words, will be collected on the Friday night, photocopied and redistributed, fo r discussion on Sunday. BEYOND THE enchanted DUPLICATOR ... TO THE What it really needs is some interesting ENCHANTED CONVENTION by Walt W illis and James pieces of work to discuss and some not too White, sequel to the *54 allegorical fan shy people to come along and discuss them. classic, US edition now available at £3 So dig out that short story INTERZONE and postpaid or £8 collectors autographed edition, ten others rejected ! Dust off that poem your from Vince Clarke, 16 Wendover Way, Welling, girlfriend didn't like ! Make a date for Kent DA 16 2BN. Blackpool on the Easter weekend, there's always the bar afterwards ! ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Illumination, 17-20 April, Norbreck Castle Hotel, Blackpool, for further infor­ GALAXY MAGAZINE: A selection of 75 issues mation w rite to Illum ination, 379 Mytle Road, from the years 1953-65, in good condition. Sheffield, S2 3 HQ. For details of the An excellent way to start a collection and Illumination W riter's Workshop c a ll me on enjoy some of the best sf of those years. 05646 2054 (evenings).