~A·I·n·l·xl AugustSeptember 1986 65 Acknowledgements: EDITORIAL - Maureen Porter John and Eve Harvey for advice, sympathy, and being a hard act to follow KEKBERS' NOTICEBOARD Paul Kincaid for proof-reading and THE BSFA COLUXN paste-up, plUS use of the word-processor (without which, etc). Remaining typos BEWS - compiled by Dave Hodson are mine (and others) The rest of the commi ttee for more CONSPIRACY - THE FAM ROOM 10 sympathy, advice and encouragement - by Linda Pickersglll I have work in hand from Philip Collins, AN APPEAL - Dov Rigal 11 Kark Gittins, Andy Sawyer, Pam 'Wells and Steve Higgins, Mark Gittins, J3ernard CONVENTION LISTINGS 12 Smi th, David )lorton, )lic Rogers. ALBACON REPORT - Nicholas Mahoney 15 DBADLIWE FOR JlATRII 06 - September 14th XEDIA REVIEWS - Stephen R Ealey 10 USEFUL ADDRBSSBS - Terry Broome - Colin Bird FOCUS BDITORS: THE COMICS PAGE - Dave Hodson 10 Paul Grunwell Liz Holliday 108 Twyford HOUGe COKPETITION CORNER - Liz Sourbut 19 218 Rainsford Road CbellEford Chisley Road London WRITE BACK 19 ....... Cll1 2PD 015 (0245 350889) (01-809 1406) SOAPBOX - Ken Lake 20 PAPERBACK UPER»'D VBCTOR EDITOR: BDITOR: ARTYORK Andy Sawyer David V Barrett Cover Ian M Brooks 1 The F1aIYard 23 Oakfield Road Yoodfall Lane Croydon p.3 Jim &rker L1 ttle BestoD Surrey South Yirral eRO 2UD p.10 Arthur (ATom) Thomson L64 4BT (051 336 3355) (01-688-6081> p.14 Arthur (ATom) Thomson Copyright: ClBSFA Ltd 1986. Individual p.15 Arthur (ATom) ThOJllSon copyrights are the property of the authors and editors. p.19 Richard McLaren ISSM: 0307 3335 Editor: Maureen Por-ter Printed by: PDC Copyprint 114 Guildhall Street 11 Jeffries Passage Folkestone, Gu1ldford Kent Surrey CT20 IES GUI 4AF (0303 52939) BSFAXBXBBRSHIP News Editor: Dave Hodson 104 DeMen ThIs costs 1.7 per anDU. and Is available Gloucester Road fro.: Tottenham Sandy Brown London N17 SSPA Ke.JJership Secretary Reviews Edi tor: Mark Greener 18 Gordon Terrace Blantyre 2 Whi te Hart Close Lan.armh.1re Buntingford G72 9IA Herts Keabersh1p renewals to: Clubs Liaison: Ron Gel rams 11 79 Mansfield Close Keith FreeJM.D Birchwood 269 Wykehaa Road Yarrington Reading Cheshire Berlr:shire 'WA3 ORN RG6 IPL REDSHIFf The Editorial Today I started thinking about the number of active BSFA IDliullbers, you know, how many people are actually seen to be doing anything for BoSFA and came to the conclusion that at present 1 t· 5 probably about 75 people, including the Committee, the reviewers and the people wbo write in. And wbat I really want to know 1s what the other 725-odd people are dOing? Are they even reading this? What do they want from the 8SFA? Are they satisfied wl th what they are getting from us? And if they weren't, would they actually bother to write 1n and tell us why, and say what it was they did want. And you know sOlllethlng else? It just !lint good enough. A society 1n which the all start making an effort to turn up bulk of the membership are passive now and again -I know I ought to). consumers 1s at best boring, at worse what's left? JlIOre or less dead. A small group of people work steadily on, fanning the Well, there are these four magazines, flame of enthusiasll, trying to make a see. Vector which handles all the show, whilst the apathetiC masses critical writing about SF, and the drainthat Vitality and throw aside the hardback book reviews, PlJperbacE Inferno drained carcase of that committee and which covers all the paperback reviews, wait for the next set of idealistic Focus which has deal t with all aspects enthusiasts to feed them. of the craft of writing and getting your stuff published , and there is KlJtrix, Okay, so what are we going to do to the one in your hand, the one which rel:Oedy this? covers news, reviews, information and anything else that's left over, along Yes, WE! 'I1e are all in this together. with all sorts of interesting articles, you know. You want a thriving BSFA - at and the letters column. least, the small handful who've bothered to make any comment seem to want this 'What you could do, and I hope this august body to keep going - but at the doesn't sound too revolutionary, is moment I get the impression that people contribute to these magazines. For imagine it is solely the Committee's job anything up to 90% of you these to run this SOCiety. 'I1ell, we will give magazines are your only contact with the some genuinely efficient administration BSFA .0 this;; i. your chance to be part but we might as well whistle if you of what's going on. How about writing don't take advantage of what's on offer something? and actively support us. Now, I realise that not everyone finds So, how do you do that? Let us accept it easy to write long critical articles, that we can't all be in a position to and not everyone enjoys reviewing, so take an active part in helping run the why not write something for X~trlx, and show. However, that doesn't eliminate enjoy participation Without tears. everyone. Turning up at the AGX at Eastercon would have helped, and I'd The major function of XJJtrix, as I seem take a bet that rather !DOre than about to have been saying ever since I got ten BSFA members were actually at this Job, is to act as a clearing house Albacon this year. How about redeeming tor information and as a forum for the yourselves by turning up for the EGX at exchange of views and opinions. It's the Hovacon? This is your chance to have a bulletin board of the BSFA if you like. say in the running of your society, And like a computer, if you want rather than griping afterwards about something out, you have to put sOIOething what should have been done and wasn't. in first. Omnipotent the Corami ttee migbt like to be but it is not telepathic. And this is HOW you're going partiCipate! Okay, so you can't get to the AGM, the BGM, the collating weekends (and I I am absolutely convinced that every really do think it's about time we did last one of you could supply llIe with at MATRIX 65 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER ~gBe least one useful piece of information, Locus? There are hundreds of groups, if you were so minded. All it takes is a societies and individuals producing letter and a stamp. I'll even let you magaZines that I know absolutely nothing send it second class, but send it you about. I want to find those magaZines so must, and send it you will. I've a good that I can let people know what's line in continual nagging. available. I also want to receive copies of those magaZines for inclusion in the Book shops, comics shops, games shops ­ magaZine review column. I want to know ideally, I want to locate all tbe shops its title, price or availability (ie for in the country which specialise to some trade, locs, stamps etc), its subject degree in SF and fantasy. comics or matter, the editor's name, where to get gaming equipment, and anything else I the zine, production method, average may have forgotten. I need is you lot page count, frequency of appearence. to write in and tell me about your local shops. I want news., News is anything that someone might not have heard about. I I need the shop's name and its address. want national news, local news, anything Opening times would also be useful, and of interest to SF fans. I want to hear it would be helpful to know if the shop about signing sessions, media or runs a mail-order service and whether it theatrical events speaker meetings, produces catalogues. anything which might be of interest. Tell me beforehand and I'll advertise If you want to be a little more the event, or else write me a report of sophisticated tell me about its stock, what happened. whether it's biased towards new or second-hand, the proportion of SF to I also want news of conventions, and fantasy, anything you think might be that includes general media cons, Star useful. Does it stock comics as well? Or Trek cons, gaming weekends, comics games? conventions . Tell me about them and they can go in the convention listing. And how about clubs? Do you belong to a Take the entries there as an example of local group, or to a university society. the sort of information I need. Or do you belong to a fan club or appreCiation society of some sort, a Afterwards, tell about the media group perhaps, or a gaming group? convention. What was it like, did you If so, all you have to do is tell Ron enjoy it, why was it successful, why Gemmell. Ron GelllllBII is the new Clubs didn't it work, what did you like Liaison Officer, and he is even now most/hate most. What happened, were any waiting to hear from you. good films shown? What we want to know is this. 'What is You can also wri te articles and reviews your club/group called? Who is the for Natrix. Contrary to popUlar belief secretary, or the person to contact. you don't have to be JG Ballard or What does your group do - does it have William Gibson to get something into regular meetings, formal or informal, do print.