Lambda Sci-Fi DC Area Gaylaxians (202) 232-3141 – Issue # 376 – July 2021 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: www.lambdascifi.org You Can’t Make This The LSF Book Stuff Up! thing like: “Are you f—king serious?!”) Discussion Group info passed along by Carl Here’s a YouTube link to an ex- cerpt of this exchange: If you’re interested in lively dis- Just when I thought I’d heard it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsA cussions of F&SF books (with an em- all, something like this comes along! 72dLablY phasis on elements of interest to the LGBT During an on-line June 8th hear- And here’s a little background community), we invite you to join the LSF ing of the House Natural Resources Com- on Representative Gohmert. He’s a Book Discussion Group. Each month, we mittee, Rep. Louie Gohmert (Republican long-time climate change denier. In conduct fascinating round-table discussi- from Texas) seems to have suggested a 2015 he mocked Nancy Pelosi and Al ons of works by significant F&SF authors. most unusual solution to the climate Gore over their advocacy of the need to Before the COVID-19 shut-down change crisis. When questioning Jennifer address global warming. He said that orders, the LSF Book Discussion Group Eberlien (Associate Deputy Chief of the more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere usually met on the 4th Thursday of every National Forest Service), Gohmert said: “I is a good thing because it means “we’ll month, starting at 7:00 PM, at Peter & understand, from what’s been testified to have more plants.” (Definitely a WTF Rob’s home: 1425 “S” St., NW – for the Forest Service and the BLM [Bureau moment, says I.) And in 2016 he was directions or more details, call 202-483- of Land Management], you want very interviewed by Steve Bannon on 6369. Now, book discussions are held much to work on the issue of climate Breitbart News Radio on the issue of virtually (same “4th Thursday” schedule). change… I was informed by the imme- climate change. He said: “It seems like The next book discussion will be held on diate past director of NASA that they’ve when you hear somebody say over and July 22 (via Zoom). found that the moon’s orbit is changing over again that climate change is our Here are the details for the next slightly, and so is the Earth’s orbit around biggest problem, they don’t know that several discussions: the sun. We know there’s been signi- climate has been changing a lot worse all July 22 – The Alteration, by Kingsley ficant solar flare activities, and so, is over the millennia of mankind.” Amis (moderator: Carl). there anything that the National Forest It would seem to be an under- Aug. 26 – Cemetery Boys, by Aiden Tho- Service or BLM can do to change the statement to say that Gohmert’s grasp of mas (moderator: Jason). course of the moon’s orbit or the Earth’s scientific facts is… um… tenuous. Or orbit around the sun? Obviously, that perhaps he’s just really good at cherry- would have profound effects on our cli- picking his facts to support his denials of mate.” climate change? Yes, NASA says it’s Personally, I’ve got to admire true that the Moon’s orbit is changing Ms. Eberlien for keeping her cool. She slightly (a function of ocean tides on responded: “I would have to follow up Earth). And, yes, NASA says it’s true with you on that one, Mr. Gohmert.” (I’d that the Earth’s orbit around the sun is have had a hard time not saying some- (continued on page 3) << July 2021 LSF Meeting TO BE HELD VIRTUALLY >> What’s Inside? Due to Coronavirus, we plan to hold the July 11th LSF meeting virtually. Anyone who Page 2: Quirky Finds (book reviews). would like to participate can contact Rob for virtual meeting information at Page 3: Minutes of the June LSF meeting. [email protected] . Hope to “see” you there! Page 4: Information About LSF and Con Calendar. Quirky Finds of Faerun (often referred to as Forgotten characters in the game even today. In- The early D&D “Greyhawk” novels of Realms), which has been the most used deed, this history tour was one of the Gary Gygax (plus a bonus “Grey- world for packaged adventures since the engaging aspects of the series for a long- hawk” novel by Andre Norton) ‘90s. You may have heard of other set- time D&D player like me. Reviews by Rob tings too, such as: Krynn/Dragonlance; That’s not to say it was the only Saga of Old City; Artifact of Evil; Sea of Dark Sun; Eberron; and Planescape. engaging aspect. The stories move Death; Night Arrant; City of Hawks; They’re all actually connected in some quickly, with a very heavy focus on Come Endless Darkness; Dance of weird cosmology... but that’s just way too action and movement and a much lesser Demons – by Gary Gygax much to think about as today we’re really focus on the emotional growth of char- focused on the world of Greyhawk. acters. Gygax, while not exactly an as- Quag Keep – by Andre Norton tounding writer, was capable of writing Perhaps it’s how my social-dis- exciting scenes of conflict and surface tancing-madness has chosen to express level character banter. He manages to itself... perhaps I’m just weird.... but weave in tremendous amounts of lore, recently I’ve taken it upon myself to do and some solid – if occasionally cheesy – some quirky “historical” reading. No, dialogue. Even for its time, this would I’m not talking about reading Regency definitely be considered light reading; romances (though I won’t lie – Netflix’s and it’s clear who Gygax thought his Bridgerton was delightful and might audience was. (He is on record as entice me to do so). I’m talking about strongly believing that D&D would never understanding some of the history of one appeal to “girls.”) While there is a of my favorite pastimes, Dungeons and spattering of heroic female characters – Dragons. I’ve been a D&D player and including some combat-oriented ones – DM since before some of you were born, they are even more shallowly written than back before AD&D was even a thing; but the male characters and seem to exist for I’d never really delved into the lore of the the opportunity to be pretty or for male early campaign world of Greyhawk or the characters to express sexual interest wealth of novels (well over 400!) written toward (or to definitively talk about why in the various D&D worlds over the they don’t feel any interest toward a years. So, I decided to start at the very particular female). And yes, there are a beginning... with the “Greyhawk” novels couple of homophobic moments, but only written by one of the creators of (and the casually so. man considered the “father” of) D&D: I’ll admit to the fact that I found Gary Gygax. the scenes involving some of the villains Gygax’s “Greyhawk” novels – interacting with each other the most the first of which was released in 1985 – enjoyable. That may be because of the are primarily tied to the adventures of a unintentional campiness of their dialogue character named Gord, a young street and exchanges. They definitely were urchin/orphan who grows up on the streets chewing the scenery, and that was fairly of the city of Greyhawk and develops delightful to read. skills as a rogue and adventurer. The One intriguing aspect to the “Gord the Rogue” books explore how he books is that while the first couple of became the person he is, how he discovers “Gord” books were published by TSR; the secrets of his own semi-divine ances- the latter ones were published elsewhere, Greyhawk was the central city try, and more importantly some key ad- after Gygax had been pushed out of TSR. in the earliest of the shared campaign ventures in his life. And as any good D&D His distaste for what had occurred and the settings in which packaged D&D adven- player can tell you, the scale and scope of direction the company was going with the tures were set. Indeed, the world itself – the adventures grow to earth-shaking (or world he had created is clear from the fact actually called Oerth (clever, eh?) – is Oerth-shaking) proportions. These “save that he destroys Oerth and Greyhawk as often just referred to as Greyhawk by the world” adventures bring Gord into part of the multiversal cataclysm that D&D aficionados of a certain age. It was contact with a cavalcade of allies and Gord is up against in the final stages of the world in which the games Gygax enemies – including many with names that the epic. himself ran for his own players existed. will be familiar to anyone who has played Along with the Gygax novels, I Though it was the first of the shared/ D&D. Many of these early major powers also felt it important to read what is massive campaign settings that TSR (la- in the world of Greyhawk – the wizards widely considered the first role-playing- ter Wizards of the Coast) created, it’s Mordenkainen, Bigby, and Melf, for game-based novel: Andre Norton’s Quag actually by no means the most prominent. instance – have had standard spells named Keep.