Lambda Sci-Fi DC Area Gaylaxians (202) 232-3141 – Issue # 356 – November 2019 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: www.lambdascifi.org The LSF Book LSF New Year's Eve What to Bring: Your favorite table game or two or three (cards, board, etc.). It’s a Discussion Group Gaming Party! potluck meal, so bring something to eat: appetizers (veggies, chips, etc.), main If you’re interested in lively course item (enough to serve at least 4-5 discussions of F&SF books (with an em- people), dessert, and/or non-alcoholic phasis on elements of interest to the LGBT drinks (both regular and diet). For the community), we invite you to join the LSF New Year’s toast, it’s OK to bring some Book Discussion Group. Each month, we sparkling wine or cider (champagne, if conduct fascinating round-table discus- you’re feeling generous). sions of works by significant F&SF au- thors. The hosts request that no one The LSF Book Discussion Group drink alcohol during the party other than usually meets on the 4th Thursday of every at midnight. month, starting at 7:00 PM, at Peter & Come join Lambda Sci-Fi as we Rob’s home: 1425 “S” St., NW – for ring out the old year and ring in the new For more information, send email to: directions or more details, call 202-483- year with an afternoon and evening of [email protected] 6369. The next book discussion will be gaming. or held on December 5th. [email protected] Here are the details for the next Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2019 three discussions: Directions and Parking Suggestions: Dec. 5 (combined Nov/Dec discussion) – Time: The doors will open at 3:00 PM. http://lambdascifi.org/club/PeterRob.html Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero (moder- We’ll all ring in and toast the New Year ator: Teresa). with champagne, sparkling wine, and/or Jan. 23, 2020 – The Power by Naomi Al- sparkling cider at midnight. derman (moderator: Teresa). Feb. 27, 2020 – Wonder Woman: The Where: Rob & Peter’s home: 1425 S St Golden Age, Vol. 2 (moderator: Claire). NW, Washington, DC 20009 < < < < < < November 2019 LSF Meeting > > > > > > What’s Inside? The next LSF meeting will be held on Sunday, November 10th, at Peter and Rob’s Page 2: Minutes of the Oct. LSF Meeting; home, 1425 “S” Street NW, Washington, DC. The meeting will begin at 1:30 PM. Spectrum “Best Novel” Awards for 2019 The “group watch” will begin about 3:00 PM. Hope to see you there! Announced. Page 3: Marshall Efron (obituary). Page 4: Information About LSF: DC Area Gaylaxians and Con Calendar. Minutes of the October LSF Spectrum “Best Novel” Meeting Awards for 2019 Announced taken by Scott info passed along by Carl Rob announced the date of the various concerns. Frozen II is coming out upcoming annual LSF gaming party: New soon. Year’s Eve (Tuesday, Dec. 31st). Other News: TV News: The final and long-awaited “Ele- Five episodes of Crisis on Infi- mental” novel by Laurie Marks, entitled nite Earths series includes Brandon Air Logic, has hit the bookstores. The Routh, Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Burt first three novels in the series were: Fire Ward and even the character Luci- Logic, Earth Logic, and Water Log- fer. Will we see Lynda Carter perhaps? ic. Peter was clearing out some of his T- The COIE episodes will be featured shirt collection and offered them to separately on Supergirl, Arrow, Flash, anyone interested in having them. Peter and Legends of Tomorrow. The SyFy and Rob reported on their recent trip up to The 2019 Gaylactic Spectrum Channel recently aired a horror-based Ba- Manhattan to see both Harry Potter and Award for “Best Novel” (for works re- nana Splits made-for-TV movie – really. the Cursed Child plays (Parts 1 and 2). leased in 2018) was announced on CBS All Access has begun showing the The two plays focused on the theme of October 19th at the Saturday night ban- Star Trek Discovery Short Treks – one of “sins of the father”, while the sons forged quet at this year’s Gaylaxicon (Minne- them features Spock’s first meeting with their own paths; and they tied directly into apolis). Number One when they get stuck in a the Harry Potter Canon. PlayBill conve- This year’s winner for “Best turbolift and have a chat. Carl says he has niently provided a summary of the seven Novel” and the associated Short List of enjoyed the very dark Prodigal Son ser- books. runners-up are as follows: ies, starring Tom Payne. Upcoming LSF Book discus- Winner: Point of Sighs by Me- sions: The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor lissa Scott (Lethe Press) Movie News: Lavalle and “The Horror at Red Hook” by Short list: There was lots of discussion H. P. Lovecraft (October); Meddling Kids • American Hippo by Sarah Gailey about Ad Astra, the new “thoughtful” sci- by Edgar Cantero (November/Decem- (Tor) fi movie starring Brad Pitt. Carl wanted ber); The Power by Naomi Alderman • Armistice by Lara Elena Donnelly to know whether the Dad on Neptune had (January 2020); and Wonder Woman: The (Tor) actually found extraterrestrial life. Final Golden Age, Vol. 2 (February 2020). • Balefire by Jordan L. Hawk (Cre- decision: worth watching once on the big Then we watched a series of ateSpace) screen. Teresa watched two crappy genre previews: BBC’s War of the Worlds (set • Finders by Melissa Scott (Candle- movies at the Sun Cinema located in during the Edwardian Era); His Dark Ma- mark & Gleam) Columbia Heights for only $10. The terials; Picard (one of the new Star Trek- • Five Planes: The Rule of Five, Sea- Joker is an extremely dark film, with related series); and Star Trek Discovery son 1 by Melissa Scott & Don Sakers some cinemas hiring extra security due to Short Treks. (Speed-of-C Productions) • Harkworth Hall / Leviathan by L.S. Johnson (TraversingZ) • Stone Mad by Elizabeth Bear (Tor) • A Study in Honor by Claire O’Dell (Harper Voyager) The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards are given by the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Foundation to honor works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror which include significant positive explorations of gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered characters themes, or issues. For more in- formation on the Foundation, as well as complete lists of all nominees, short lists, and winners (1998 – present), go to the following website: www.spectrumawards.org pearance of Chevy Chase.) Efron per- Efron’s multi-faceted career. He ap- formed short skits that taught, among peared as “fellow prisoner TWA” in other things: how to create your own George Lucas’s THX 1138 (1971). And famous last words; how to determine the then there’s all his voice work. He pro- appropriate category for different-sized vided voices for various animated films, olives; and how to create a lemon pie by including: Synonamess Botch (Twice only relying on the ingredients listed on Upon a Time, 1983); Lamp Post, Toilet the box. (“Factory fresh, factory ap- Bot, Bass Drum, and Microphone (Ro- proved. No lemons. No eggs. No cream. bots, 2005); Wickersham Guard #1 and Just pie.”) I’ve watched them recently The Wickersham Brothers (Horton Hears and really got a kick out of ‘em. a Who!, 2008); and Larry the Duck (Home Marshall Efron I first caught Efron in action in on the Range, 2004). He also provided 1938 – 2019 his quirky and oh-so-funny skits in various voices for the 1997 video game “Marshall Efron’s Illustrated, Simplified, The Space Bar. And he did voice work In a recent issue of The Wash- and Painless Sunday School”, which ran for a number of animated TV series: The ington Post, I was saddened to learn of the as part of the CBS Lamp Unto My Feet TV Smurfs (Sloppy Smurf); The Transfor- passing of Marshall Efron. His irreverent series on Sunday afternoons (1973-1977). mers (Hun-Gurr’s 2nd head); Time Squad wit and quirky sense of humor never The skits were low-budget, with Efron (The Earl of Sandwich); and various ceased to crack me up. He was an actor, a playing all the roles (including both David voices in Snorks and The 13 Ghosts of humorist, and a radio broadcaster; he was and Goliath in one episode); and (as I Scooby-Doo. a roly-poly guy with a walrus-like mus- said) these skits were funny. (“We’ve got Here are YouTube links to some tache. And, as I said, he never ceased to trouble, right here in Nineveh City.”) The of my favorite Marshall Efron short crack me up. series received an award from a Protestant videos: Efron graduated from UCLA and church council and resulted in a book “Better Living Through Chem- then got a master’s degree in English from entitled Bible Stories You Can’t Forget: istry” (lemon pie): UC Berkeley in 1964. He spent one year Even If You Try (1979), co-written by https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHL in law school before turning to acting. Efron and his long-time collaborator Alfa- Pm5XHDPw&t=9s I wasn’t familiar with his TV ca- Betty Olsen. (The book is a delight, too.) “Sizing Olives”: reer from the early 1970s, when he lam- But I can hear you asking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up- pooned American consumerism on “The “What’s his connection to F&SF?” If so, RvuljLmE Great American Dream Machine”, a series I guess you don’t consider his science- “Creative Playfoods Challenge”: featured on the newly-formed PBS net- based “Great American Dream Machine” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZb work.