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************************************************************** * * * R E A D I N G F O R P L E A S U R E * * * * Issue #13 * * * * * * * * Editor: Cindy Bartorillo * * * * HAPPY HALLOWEEN * * * * Featured Author: Dan Simmons * * * ************************************************************** CONTACT US AT: Reading For Pleasure, c/o Cindy Bartorillo, 103 Baughman's Lane, Suite 303, Frederick, MD 21702; or on CompuServe leave a message to 74766,1206; or on GEnie leave mail to C.BARTORILLO; or call our BBS, the BAUDLINE II at 301-694-7108, 1200-9600 HST. NOTICE: Reading For Pleasure is not copyrighted. You may copy freely, but please give us credit if you extract portions to use somewhere else. Sample copies of our print edition are available upon request. We ask for a donation of $1.50 each to cover the printing and mailing costs. ************************ DISTRIBUTION DIRECTORY Here are a few bulletin boards where you should be able to pick up the latest issue of READING FOR PLEASURE. See masthead for where to send additions and corrections to this list. Accolade! BBS Round Rock,TX Jack Moore 512-388-1445 Ad Lib Monroeville,PA John Williams 412-327-9209 The Annex Dayton,OH John Cooper 513-274-0821 Beginnings BBS Levittown,NY Mike Coticchio 516-796-7296 S Billboard Bartlett,IL Gary Watson 708-289-9808 P Blcksbg Info Serv Blacksburg,VA Fred Drake 703-951-2920 Boot Strap OnLine Yuma, AZ Daryl Stogner 602-343-0878 S Byrd's Nest Arlington,VA Debbie&Alan Byrd 703-671-8923 P Checkpoint El Cajon,CA 619-442-3595 P Chevy Chase Board Chevy Chase,MD Larkins/Carlson 301-549-5574 P Computer Co-Op Voorhees,NJ Ted Hare 609-784-9404 Daily Planet Owosso,MI Jay Stark 517-723-4613 Death Star Oxon Hill,MD Lee Pollard 301-839-0705 P Del Ches Systems Exton,PA Peter Rucci 215-363-6625 Diversified Prog PacPalisadesCA Jean-Pierre Denis 213-459-6053 P Dorsai Diplomatic Mission NYC Jack Brooks 212-431-1944 P Farmington Valley Hartford,CT John Walko 203-676-8920 P Future Tech Boston,MA Napier & Moran 617-720-3600 P Futzer Avenue Issaquah,WA Stan Symms 206-391-2339 P Gentleman Loser Laurel,MD Robert West 301-776-0226 P HeavenSoft Dayton,OH John Wampler 513-836-4288 IBMNew CompuServe Library #0 Inn on the Park Scottsdale,AZ Jim Jusko 602-957-0631 P Invention Factory New York,NY Mike Sussell 212-431-1273 P Ivory Tower Manchester,CT Karl Hakmiller 203-649-5611 PS JForum CompuServe Library #8 KCSS BBS Seattle,WA Bob Neddo 206-296-5277 P Litforum CompuServe Library #12 Lost Paradise Washington,DC 202-370-7795 P Lynn-Western Newswires BBS 408-629-4337 P Magnetic Bottle Pennsylvania Bill Mertens 814-231-1345 Magpie HQ New York,NY Steve Manes 212-420-0527 P MoonDog BBS Brooklyn,NY Don Barba 718-692-2498 P MSU Library BBS St. Paul,MN Dana Noonan 612-722-9257 P Oak Lawn Oak Lawn,IL Vince & Chris 708-599-8089 P Poverty Rock PCB Mercer Is.,WA Rick Kunz 206-232-1763 PS Quantum Connec. PacPalisadesCA Richard W. Gross 213-459-6748 P Sabaline Don Saba 619-692-1961 P Science Fiction GEnie Library #3 SF & Fantasy CIS Hom-9 Library #5 Suburban Software Chicago,IL Chuck Valecek 312-636-6694 P Sunwise Sun City W.,AZ Keith Slater 602-584-7395 Technoids Anon. Chandler,AZ David Cantere 602-899-4876 P Writers Happy Hr Seattle,WA Walter Scott 206-364-2139 P Writers' RT GEnie Library #1 Xevious Framingham,MA Nels Anderson 508-875-3618 P Your Place Fairfax,VA Ken Goosens 703-978-6360 P RFP Home Board (all issues available all the time): Baudline II Frederick,MD the Bartorillo's 301-694-7108 (RFPs downloadable on first call; 9600 HST) Any board that participates in the RelayNet (tm) email system can request RFPs from BAUDLINE. P = PC Pursuit-able S = StarLink-able NOTE: Back issues on CompuServe may have been moved to a different library. ************************ TABLE OF CONTENTS Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 What's News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 THE BRAINS OF RATS by Michael Blumlein . . . . . . . . . . . 246 SELF-UNIVERSITY by Charles D. Hayes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 SAND CASTLES by Lucinda Wierenga with Walter McDonald . . . . 385 Genre Sections: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Frightful Fiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424 Loosen Your Grip On Reality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1227 Murder By The Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2068 The Laugh's On Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2670 ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Back Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2789 ************************ EDITORIAL Have you ever had a run of bad book luck? Like ten books in a row that turn out to be major disappointments? I recently went through a string of losers lately, only breaking out of it with Dan Simmons' HYPERION. Several people have since told me that they've been going through the same thing lately--one dreary book after another. Hope your summer reading has been more successful, but if it hasn't, maybe you can find something to change your luck in this issue. By the way, anyone with any book information to pass along is encouraged to send it to RFP. There are addresses atop each section where you can reach us---don't be a stranger. Also, if you are a Sysop who regularly offers RFPs for download, please let me know so I can add you to our Distribution Directory. My thanks to everyone who helped put this issue together, and to everyone who helps to pass this issue around. If you get a few good ideas for your reading list, all our work will have been worthwhile. Have a happy and safe Halloween, and we'll see you again in issue #14, due out December 1, 1990. ************************ NOTE: I've recently created an index (of sorts) of all the RFP issues, so that I can see at a glance what we've covered -- and I plan to keep it up to date as each successive issue comes out. Just in case anyone else would be interested in seeing the latest index, I've posted it on our home board, The Baudline II BBS, under the filename RFPINDEX.ZIP (it will always be the most recent version). It's more of a personal index than a professional one, but you're invited to call our BBS and download it if you're interested. ************************ WHAT'S NEWS * Movie news: Paramount has been so tickled with the boffo box office of THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER that they recently paid $2.5 million to buy the filming rights to two more Tom Clancy goodies, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER and PATRIOT GAMES. They've asked the author who did the screenplay for RED OCTOBER, Don Stewart, to do the same for PATRIOT GAMES, and they're talking to RED OCTOBER's director, John McTiernan. * More movie news: Universal has paid $1.5 million (plus a "substantial" percentage of the film's gross) for the filming rights to Michael Crichton's new novel, JURASSIC PARK (Knopf). The movie is slated to be a Steven Spielberg production. In case you haven't heard about it yet, JURASSIC PARK is about a theme park that's built around a dinosaur who has been recreated so perfectly he is actually alive. Crichton will also do the screenplay (for an additional $500,000). * If you're a Stephen King fan, you sure don't want to miss the December issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. For the first time in over a decade (since the 1977 Harlan Ellison issue, to be precise) they are devoting the majority of an issue to a single author. Included will be an original King story, "The Moving Finger", an excerpt from the upcoming third volume of the DARK TOWER series, a critical appreciation by Algis Budrys and a King bibliography. * Are you ready for SF ballet? According to a news item in a recent Locus magazine, the Huntsville AL Community Ballet and Youth Orchestra have announced plans to present the world premiere of a ballet, "The Soulpainter and the Shapeshifter", based on part of Robert Silverberg's "Majipoor Chronicles". It's scheduled for April 6, 1991, at the Werner Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville, and for further details you can write to: North Alabama SF Association, Attn: Jack Lundy, Box 4857, Huntsville AL 35815. * If that wasn't too much culture for you, be sure you don't miss the opera, staged by the New York City Opera, based on STAR TREK. If all goes well, it could show up sometime in 1991. * I hear that Susan Isaacs' novel, SHINING THROUGH, is being filmed as I type this (early September) for 20th Century-Fox starring Melanie Griffith and Michael Douglas. By the way, Isaacs' next novel, MAGIC HOUR, is coming in February 1991 and will be set in the Hamptons, and will be about a homicide detective who is in love with a suspect. * Independent producer Michael Filerman has optioned feature and TV rights to Evan Hunter's new comic thriller, DOWNTOWN. It's already available in England, and U.S. publication (by Morrow) is scheduled for early 1991. (Don't you just hate it when England gets books by OUR authors first? There should be rules about that.) ************************ AWARDS 1990 READERCON SMALL PRESS AWARDS The awards were given for work appearing in 1989, and were chosen by a panel of judges consisting of: Thomas M. Disch, John Shirley, Kathryn Cramer, Paul Chadwick, Jerry Kaufman, Greg Ketter, and Evelyn Leeper. Novel: no award Short Work: A DOZEN TOUGH JOBS by Howard Waldrop (Ziesing) Collection: RICHARD MATHESON: COLLECTED STORIES (Scream Press) Anthology: WHAT DID MISS DARLINGTON SEE?: An Anthology of Feminist Supernatural Fiction edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson (Feminist Press) Non-Fiction: THE DARK-HAIRED GIRL by Philip K. Dick (Ziesing) Reference/Bibliography: no award Reprint: THE ANUBIS GATES by Tim Powers (Ziesing) Jacket Illustration: THE ANUBIS GATES, J.K. Potter, illustrator Interior Illustration: S. PETERSON'S FIELD GUIDE TO CREATURES OF THE DREAMLANDS, Mark Ferrari and Tom Sullivan, illustrators (Chaosium) Value in Bookcraft: RICHARD MATHESON: COLLECTED STORIES (Scream/Press) Magazine--Fiction: Interzone edited by David Pringle Magazine--Criticism: Science Fiction Eye edited by Stephen P. Brown and Daniel J. Steffan Magazine--Design: Science Fiction Eye 1990 LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDS Lesbian Science Fiction/Fantasy: WHAT DID MISS DARLINGTON SEE? edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson (Feminist Press) Gay Men's Science Fiction/Fantasy: SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT by Jeffrey N. McMahan (Alyson) ************************ THE BRAINS OF RATS by Michael Blumlein (October, 1990; $25 ; Scream/Press) review by Cindy Just when it seemed like we would be buried under an avalanche of Stephen King and Dean Koontz imitators, we are rescued by someone new. Michael Blumlein is definitely NOT an imitation anything. Not only is he a lyrical writer, but he has a creative vision that is at once personal enough to be original, but not so personal that we can't follow him on his narrative journeys. THE BRAINS OF RATS is a collection of Blumlein's short stories, nine of which have appeared previously in magazines, three of which are new. I had only read one of them before, a story that was printed in Twilight Zone Magazine two years ago, and I recognized it instantly. Michael Blumlein's narratives are like that: you may be disturbed by them, but you'll never forget them. As a physician, it seems fit that Blumlein sees people responding to the stre/HARD2/LIB/PROG/RFP13.TXTdern life biologically. Mutilation is a recurrent theme in these pieces--as is gender differentiation. The title story is a fascinating wander along the path that separates men from women (it was a 1988 World Fantasy Award nominee). The story that follows it, "Tissue Ablation and Variant Regeneration: A Case Report", is nothing less than staggering, and truly indescribable. THE BRAINS OF RATS is highly recommended for the sophisticated reader who likes his fiction decidedly dark. It is NOT for children: the themes are adult and the symbology is disturbing--each copy could easily carry a warning label "Contents Dangerous to Psychological Comfort". There are also side effects to ordering this book that you should be aware of. You'll get a beautiful Scream/Press volume on acid-free paper (my Scream/Press books are some of the lovliest that I own--at $25, THE BRAINS OF RATS qualifies as a Best Buy), some delightfully atmospheric, Victorian woodcut-type art by Timothy Caldwell, and you just MIGHT get on the Scream/Press mailing list for a catalog (Scream/Press catalogs are almost as coveted as their books, and even harder to get). Give yourself a gift this Halloween and order THE BRAINS OF RATS. Tell Jeff Conner that Reading For Pleasure sent you. ************************ SELF-UNIVERSITY The price of tuition is the desire to learn. Your degree is a better life. by Charles D. Hayes (1989, Autodidactic Press, $24.95) review by Cindy "We may soon discover that all babies are born geniuses and only become degeniused by the erosive effects of unthinkingly maintained false assumptions of the grown-ups, with their conventional ways of 'bringing up' and educating their young. We know that schools are the least favorable environment for learning." --Buckminster Fuller (CRITICAL PATH) Charles Hayes, like too many children, was an unsuccessful student during his years of formal schooling. It wasn't until he became an autodidact (someone who teaches themselves) that he discovered that it was the schools that were wrong, not him, and he has enjoyed his education ever since. He wrote SELF-UNIVERSITY in order to reassure and encourage others that school isn't the only place to learn. If you've ever suspected that the formal education you received was mostly a waste of time (like me), you'll find a kindred spirit in Charles Hayes. "We spend hundreds of hours in school studying material of questionable utility, and virtually no time in attempting to understand the human needs, drives, motives, and emotions that we live with every day." "The mission of SELF-UNIVERSITY is simple: To empower YOU with the confidence, conviction and desire to create YOUR OWN Self-University." Don't assume, however, that SELF-UNIVERSITY is largely a long diatribe against the American school system. It isn't. Indeed, Mr. Hayes manages to be very understanding and lenient about our methods of formal education. Most of the book is spent conveying to the reader his lifelong love of learning and the thrill of intellectual inquiry. As he puts it: "Discovering how you learn best is the single greatest self-empowering principle that you can accomplish. It is a lot like learning to read maps: once you have achieved that, you can go anywhere." Charles Hayes also discusses the critical differences between "being taught", thoughtlessly taken to be a passive experience, and genuine "learning". "I came to an insightful conclusion on my own that freedom is PROCESS, rather than EXPERIENCE. If I had been told this by a teacher in a classroom, it would have probably passed by as just another fact with little significance, but to discover such a truth on my own was a significant learning experience." Hayes also has a number of helpful hints about managing your education. For instance, he writes at length about memory, a very important aspect of learning. What good will it do you to learn something today if you are doomed to forget about it tomorrow? For that matter, how many times have you thought of a subject that was "taught" to you in school, about which you can now remember nothing? Mr. Hayes gives some very good advice about how to best facilitate the retention of concepts and details, advice which I have already put to good use in my own studies. He also devotes considerable space to the issue of learning on the job, addressing the specific concerns related to employment. Finally, I think the major benefit of SELF-UNIVERSITY is way Mr. Hayes is able to convey the pure exhilaration of learning, a feeling common to home-grown intellectuals like me (and, I suspect, most of the people who read Reading For Pleasure). "John Naisbitt asserted in MEGATRENDS, 'It is truly an exciting time to be alive.' I believe that for people who have constructed their own Self-University it has always been and will always be an exciting time to be alive." The great thing that Charles Hayes does in SELF-UNIVERSITY is point you in the general direction, but without laying down a bunch of rules or imposing his own perspective on you. Your education is just that, yours. And SELF-UNIVERSITY is the first book I've ever encountered that not only acknowledges that, but revels in it. SELF-UNIVERSITY is more than a good book, it's an important book, probably the finest self-help book you could buy. Don't miss it. NOTE: If your local bookstore doesn't have SELF-UNIVERSITY, ask if they'll Special-Order it for you. If not, write to: Autodidactic Press, PO Box 872749, Wasilla, Alaska 99687. I'm sure if you sent them a check for $24.95, plus a couple of dollars for postage, they'd be happy to mail you a copy. ************************ SAND CASTLES: Step-by-Step by Lucinda Wierenga with Walter McDonald (Meadowbrook Press, 1990) review by Cindy Job been getting you down lately? Too many late nights, too many dinners out of a vending machine? Have you given your permanent tension headache a name? I've got the perfect prescription for the harried executive: a ticket to the nicest beach you can afford and a copy of SAND CASTLES. Building sand castles is the perfect relaxation for the 1990s--the authors call it S.A.N.D. Therapy because sand castling gives you Sociability, Activity, Nonsense, and Daylight. In the very beginning the secret Sons of the Beach Pledge is revealed: "I promise to have fun, help others have fun, and unlitter." "Unlittering", by the way, means to properly dispose of more garbage than you create, and is a nice thought for a nice pasttime. Looking at sand castling logically, you really couldn't find a better form of relaxation: it gets you outdoors, you'll get hours of mild exercise, you don't need to be wealthy to participate, you get to exercise whatever moderate amount of creative talent you might possess, and it's nondestructive to our environment. And if you were under the impression that building sand castles was just for children, you've got quite a surprise in store. Start by checking out the construction on the front cover--you too can build towers, arches, balconies, even spiral staircases. I think it would be fun to build settings for your favorite exotic stories and fairy tales. (The first thing I plan to try is King Arthur's castle, with plenty of space in the courtyard for jousting practice.) Why not have the whole family working on scenes from THE NEVERENDING STORY? SAND CASTLES is highly recommended for what ails you. Throw away your aspirin and antacid and start castling. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* * * * FRIGHTFUL FICTION * * * *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Editor: Annie Wilkes --------------------------------------------------------------------- Frightful Fiction is a division of Reading For Pleasure, published bimonthly. This material is NOT COPYRIGHTED and may be used freely by all. Catalogs, news releases, review copies, or donated reviews should be sent to: Reading For Pleasure, 103 Baughman's Lane, Suite 303, Frederick, MD 21702. --------------------------------------------------------------------- FEATURED AUTHOR: DAN SIMMONS "Sometimes dreams are all that separate us from the machines." --from THE FALL OF HYPERION "Among those of us who live by, and for, the word; for those of us to whom good writing is everything; for those of us who despise shallow and slovenly authors; to those of us for whom writing is a holy chore, the name Dan Simmons bears great weight. Not only is he one of the few truly to hear the music, his is a talent that scares us: if he's this good now, how much higher than the rest of us will he climb when he's been at it as long as the rest of us?" --Harlan Ellison "To me, the one saving grace of that benign era before you're first published is you can write whatever you damn please. I decided not to stop feeling that way when I started being published." --Dan Simmons A quick rundown of Dan Simmons' stories to date (see below) will show you that he has written in a variety of styles on a variety of subjects, and in at least several genres. It would seem that he is destined to be one of those authors (like perhaps Ray Bradbury or maybe Harlan Ellison) who forever resists the convenient pigeonhole. "I want to write the stories that I'm interested in telling, and so far none of them have been clearly in one genre or another except for the 'Hyperion' books--and even that has certain literary ambitions and is a little murky as to where it belongs." --Dan Simmons The problem with categorizing HYPERION is that while it superficially sounds like definite Science Fiction (28th Century, interstellar travel, exotic futuristic science, etc.), it won't stay within normal SF bounds. There's a lot of material in HYPERION and THE FALL OF HYPERION, and you'll be limited more by what you're prepared to get out of it than by what is there to be gotten. (There's obviously a better way to say that, but that's the best I can do.) Dan Simmons truly has "an imagination which can span space and time", to quote from THE FALL OF HYPERION. "As the numbers of Simmons titles increase, so does the cumulative effect. Dan Simmons is an amazingly Protean talent. As does Joe Lansdale, he seems to write any damn thing that fascinates him, then seeks out an audience. He finds it." --Ed Bryant Here's a shopping list for you--and if it were possible to GUARANTEE that a list of stories contained not one disappointment in the bunch it would be this list of stories. DAN SIMMONS: THE STORIES "The River Styx Runs Upstream" (Twilight Zone magazine; April, 1982) I believe this was Dan Simmons' first sale, and it won Twilight Zone Magazine's First Annual Short Story Contest. A nasty tale about the crucial distinction between life and death, you can find this story in the short story collection from Dark Harvest, PRAYERS TO BROKEN STONES (see below). SONG OF KALI (1985, Tor paperback) "The best first novel in the genre I can remember." --Dean Koontz "Some places are too evil to be allowed to exist." So begins Simmons' first novel and the winner of the 1986 World Fantasy Award. SONG OF KALI is the chilling story of an American man and his Indian wife who go to Calcutta, where their infant daughter is kidnapped by worshippers of the god Kali. If you know someone who thinks horror novels are all ghosts, rattling chains, and Things That Go Bump In The Night, give them SONG OF KALI, a truly disturbing novel. The protagonist of the story is Robert Luczak, but the central character is certainly the city of Calcutta. Dan Simmons had traveled around India on a Fulbright Fellowship tour, and he recreates the noise, overcrowding, poverty, and general chaos of the location with great verve. Reading SONG OF KALI, I could almost smell the fetid odors of the sinister city. NIGHT VISIONS 5 edited by Douglas E. Winter (1988, Dark Harvest) If you like good horror stories, I'm sure you know all about Dark Harvest's NIGHT VISIONS series. Each annual edition has all-original fiction by three different writers. While every volume has been good, #5 was extra-specially wonderful, with stories from Stephen King, Dan Simmons, and George R.R. Martin. As you might expect, it was a tough volume to get. (I pre-ordered my copy by return mail, as soon as Dark Harvest announced it. A friend ordered about a week later and had his money returned because they were sold out.) Dan Simmons had three stories included: "Metastasis" -- All I'm going to say about this story is that it's about cancer vampires and it's gross. "Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell" -- A little bit of religious philosophy and a whole lot of fun. "Iverson's Pits" -- The ten-year-old narrator learns about war from an old soldier. It's about war, and death, and the relationship between the dead and the living. CARRION COMFORT (1989, Dark Harvest hardcover; October, 1990, Warner paperback) "...absolutely astonishing. Unfailingly plotted and exquisitely written, Simmons has created a tour de force." --Ed Bryant "It was a novelette years before, in OMNI, but the images never really left me. I dabble in art, and this was the equivalent of about a two-acre blank primed canvas, and I'd done a little sketch down in one corner..." --Dan Simmons How many of our ethical standards arise from self-preservation rather than advanced cultural values? What if those fears for self were removed? Dan Simmons explores some tough moral questions in this epic horror novel. Melanie, Willi, and Nina have the Ability, which means they can take over another person's mind, seeing and feeling through their surrogate. The value of this Ability, of course, is that if there happen to be unfortunate consequences to their actions, the surrogate must suffer them instead. This is the perfect situation for a childlike personality: do anything you like with no worries about responsibility. Would it be too terribly feminist of me to point out that this is a typically male fear? Look at the ways in which the sexes traditionally manipulate the people around them: men use physical force, women use psychological force. Characters like Conan represent male power carried to an extreme, and characters like those in CARRION COMFORT represent female power carried to an extreme. There is evidence within the story to indicate that Dan Simmons was perfectly aware of the femaleness of his threat, but outlining my reasons here would spoil some wonderful surprises. As you might expect once you see the size of this novel, CARRION COMFORT covers a lot of ground. In addition to the horrors you'll get adventure, chase scenes, humor, and social commentary. An epic horror novel of remarkable control and cohesion. (CARRION COMFORT just won the 1990 Locus Award for Best Horror Novel, voted on by readers of Locus magazine. It also won the 1990 Bram Stoker Award for a Novel, given out by the Horror Writers of America.) Look for CARRION COMFORT as a Warner mass-market paperback in October, 1990. "Shave and a Haircut, Two Bites" This short story can be found in MASQUES III, edited by J.N. Williamson (1989, St. Martin's Press). "Carrion Comfort" The original novella-length version of Simmons' horror epic, which was first published in Omni magazine, was reprinted in the anthology, BLOOD IS NOT ENOUGH, edited by Ellen Datlow (1989, Morrow). PHASES OF GRAVITY by Dan Simmons (1989, Bantam Spectra paperback) "PHASES OF GRAVITY is certainly one of my favorites, a labor of love. ...It is a mainstream novel about an ex-Apollo astronaut having a sort of belated midlife crisis. He's 52, his wife's left him, his son's joined a cult in India. He goes on an epistemological quest to try and sort things out. On his quest he parallels Dante in the PARADISO. He's moving up through circles of philosophies, from the simply mystical to fundamentalist religion to rather sophisticated philosophy to the revelation that his life's been a rehearsal, even landing on the moon. You've looked forward and looked forward to it, and when it happens it's just like another simulation. It's not a bad metaphor to deal with that sort of disillusionment. I'm in my 40s, but I've crashed into it, and I imagine I'll be doing it again every few years." --Dan Simmons "The only science-fictional element, of course, is that he was an ex-astronaut, but that's not why the mainstream audience might have some trouble with it. It's because the character (and the writer) has some facility with technology. The man can fly airplanes, he manages to fly a helicopter, he knows the jargon of space flight, he deals with engineers, technicians, and test pilots, and there's something about that that we consider alien to serious literature today. The English majors and the people who write our literature and the people who edit the serious magazines and the little magazines make a conscious decision away from engineering, science. They didn't like it in college. They've avoided it through much of their lives. It's an alien land out there for them, so they allow the science fiction genre to handle it while they write the 'serious' literature of adultery and getting ahead in the corporate world, etc. Larger issues that have anything to do with the future of our race and how it applies to technology are something they don't want to deal with. To me it's an act of sheer stupidity for the people who are supposedly holding up the banner of imagination and literature to turn their back on the space program, on the whole area of how technology affects us, and to leave it just to science fiction to deal with it. Whatever the reason--the educational system or the Age of Aquarius or just the people--I think it's a shame." --Dan Simmons PHASES OF GRAVITY is a wonderful story that will make you laugh and make you think. Especially recommended for the over-30 crowd. I'm going to resist saying any more about this novel not because there isn't any more to say, but because a plot summary would never give you the sense of what the story is really ABOUT, and yet what it's really about is so personal that my own feelings would have little meaning to anyone else. Read it for yourself and you'll see what I mean. HYPERION (1989, Doubleday) "HYPERION sets up the plot for the second book. Part of the problem reviewers had with the first book, quite rightly, was: 'My God, there's a little bit of Asimov in here and it looks like this guy's playing Larry Niven to a certain extent, and oh lord here comes some cyberpunk.' That was true, and it was easy with the CANTERBURY TALES format. Every section had a different voice and a different theme and flavor. I don't blame the reviewers for seeing different books there, because obviously anything patterned after Chaucer and THE CANTERBURY TALES is going to have a disjointed quality to it. I wish I'd gone more into the political aspects of HYPERION. That's one of the things I look forward to doing, because I feel that real politics--as opposed to dredging up some medieval kingdom--are rarely dealt with any more in science fiction. I could only touch on the surface of what that future system was." --Dan Simmons I can recommend right off the bat that you don't start HYPERION until you have THE FALL OF HYPERION as well; because once you finish the first you're going to want the second one badly. All together it's about a thousand pages of peerless storytelling---an imaginative effort that fits somewhere between DUNE and THE LORD OF THE RINGS in scope and complexity. HYPERION begins with a group of pilgrims who have been chosen to meet with the Shrike, a knife-edged creature known only for causing gruesome deaths. The Shrike is to be found on the planet Hyperion, in and around the Time Tombs, a group of mysterious monuments that are apparently traveling backwards in time, possibly due to "open" in the near future. Because of the mysteries and dangers of their journey, the pilgrims decide to pass the time by telling their stories, just like the travelers in Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES. Those tales make up the major part of HYPERION, and each one stands alone as an absorbing story. One of them seemed to be an H. Rider Haggard pastiche; another had distinct William Gibson overtones. Each story was entirely different in tone, introducing and filling in each characterization until, at the end of the book, the reader has become one of the pilgrims. The characters have become the reader's friends, and the emotional impact of the events at the end of HYPERION (and throughout THE FALL OF HYPERION) is tremendous. (HYPERION just won the 1990 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, voted on by the readers of Locus magazine.) FALL OF HYPERION (1990, Doubleday) "The second novel sort of settles down a little more into my style, whatever that is, and I begin to work out some of the plot kinks, the untied strings that I left in the first one. I left more than I'd thought, actually! ... But I knew by the time I finished the first book that everything would be tied up--though I had no idea how to get there at that point. I wanted to root the second book a little more firmly in science fiction rather than have any outstanding elements that might be considered too fantastic or unexplained. So the second one proceeds along somewhat more rigorously logical lines than the first." --Dan Simmons "I found the themes that Keats had been working on were pretty much the themes I wanted to deal with. One of them was the supplanting of a race of gods by another race of gods. Especially in THE FALL OF HYPERION, that's dealt with in terms of the empire of artificial intelligence that we create. In HYPERION, the humans [finally] become aware that they're part of a cybernetic machine that the AIs are using. Keats dealt with it in terms of classical mythology, and I dealt with it in terms of classical SF. What if the departing race of gods doesn't want to depart? Do we have any recourse, any court of higher appeal? It turns out in THE FALL OF HYPERION there is one. We do not go gently into that good night--we put up a fight." --Dan Simmons NOTE: Bantam Spectra will be publishing a mass-market paperback edition of THE FALL OF HYPERION in March, 1991. ENTROPY'S BED AT MIDNIGHT (1990, Lord John Press $50 35 page novelette) Only 400 copies printed. The title is a garbled Shakespeare quotation in which gravity has been confused with entropy. (The line is from KING HENRY IV, Part I and goes: "What doth gravity out of his bed at midnight?") In the story, Robert works for an insurance company where death is a regular part of his day. He and his wife broke up after the accidental death of their son, and now Robert is taking his 6-year-old daughter on a vacation in Colorado, where she wants to ride the Alpine Slide, a heart-stopping bobsled-like ride down the side of a mountain. His daughter's life depends on Robert being able to distinguish entropy from gravity. "In depicting this cerebral problem, Simmons makes it so completely visceral that his depiction of the Alpine Slide generates more suspense and dread than any six car-chase movies. ENTROPY'S BED AT MIDNIGHT is a piece of bravura writing that illustrates the ambitious heights that contemporary fiction can scale when a fine, honest writer explores the human heart with tools informed by a solid scientific grounding in the universe." --Ed Bryant PRAYERS TO BROKEN STONES (fall 1990, Dark Harvest) Short story collection. OBSESSIONS (fall 1990, Dark Harvest) This anthology will contain one Dan Simmons story. SUMMER OF NIGHT (January 1991, Putnam) "It's a horror novel that won't quite be a horror novel. ... The part that is a little scary to me is that the main characters are children, and there's been enough of that in the last few years that a lot of people who would otherwise give a book a try will say, 'God save us from demon-possessed children, blank-eyed children and all that.' But for me it's a descent into Ray Bradbury country. I hope this is a contender for fangs just as sharp as some of his. The entire book takes place during 10 weeks of summer for these kids. It truly is a Dante-like descent into hell through summer. For a lot of boys I knew, going back to school at the end of summer was awful. The closer you got to the end of August and the resumption of school, the sicker you felt at the base of your stomach when you thought about it. There's a certain element of that in the book. The end of summer is like the end of life." --Dan Simmons AFTER THAT? According to Dan Simmons: "There are plans for another Lord John Press limited edition, this one with original artwork by me as well as prose, but the title and other details are not nailed down as of this time." DAN SIMMONS TALKS TO RFP Dan Simmons was gracious enough to answer some of our questions, for which we thank him most sincerely. Here is what he had to say: RFP: How do you juggle the duties of writing books and promoting books? Do you attend conventions? Do you go on promotional tours? DS: The "juggling of duties" related to writing books and promoting books is as follows: 98% of my time is spent writing; 1% is spent promoting. (The other 1% allows me time for all the rest of life's joys and demands.) I attend very few conventions, although I try to make the occasional World Fantasy Convention and I'll be GoH at next year's ArmadilloCon. Given my writing schedule for the past few years, I simply haven't had the time for conventions. I have designed my own promotional tours, visiting a few favorite bookstores in various parts of the country -- especially in the L.A. and Orange County area, where readers have been enthusiastic since my first book was published. I usually combine signings at these stores with visits to old friends such as Harlan Ellison, Dean Koontz, and Herb Yellin (publisher of Lord John Press.) RFP: Why has it taken so long to get CARRION COMFORT into general release? DS: CARRION COMFORT was born into difficulties, being delivered to Bluejay Books in the fall of 1986 a week after that company went defunct. For almost two years it languished at its "adopted" publisher before I bought it back and brought it out from Dark Harvest in 1989. CARRION COMFORT has since been issued in hardcover and trade paperback from Headline in Great Britain and is on track for an October release in mass market paperback from Warner in this country. Given its size and the risk of publishing an "epic horror novel" of this scope, I'm more pleased with the details of current publication than bothered by delay. RFP: You've published relatively few books and yet you've managed to cover a lot of literary ground. Aren't you driving your publisher(s) nuts? DS: No, I'm not driving my publishers nuts. One of the reasons I have more than one publisher is the tremendous diversity of what I write. The books are doing very well for all of my publishers -- all editions have sold out, HYPERION has been on the Locus bestseller list for ten months, and THE FALL OF HYPERION has gone back to print three times in trade paperback. Publishers -- at least MY publishers -- are more interested in a quality product and strong sales than keeping an author "consistent" in the type of book he or she writes. RFP: A new novel, SUMMER OF NIGHT, is due in October from Putnam. Is it going to be marketed as Horror? DS: SUMMER OF NIGHT is listed for October but actually will be released from Putnam in January of '91. (This isn't due to delays, but was a mutual decision because of the heavy Simmons traffic in October, with PRAYERS TO BROKEN STONES coming out in hardcover and CARRION COMFORT in mass-market paperback.) SUMMER OF NIGHT, like Dean Koontz's books for Putnam, is being marketed as "fiction" rather than strictly horror, but the opening line in Putnam's catalog describes it as ". . . a disturbing tale of youthful terror and true fear." RFP: A collection of short stories, PRAYERS TO BROKEN STONES, is being released this fall from Dark Harvest. Are these stories original? DS: PRAYERS TO BROKEN STONES from Dark Harvest in October is a collection of the bulk of my short fiction -- including "The River Styx Runs Upstream," my first published story and winner of the 1982 First Annual Twilight Zone short story contest -- and will have reprints from several obscure sources as well as from such stalwart publications as Omni, Twilight Zone, and Asimov's SF. The collection will have original introductions (by me) for each of the stories and these should cast some light on the origin and background of each bit of fiction. Harlan Ellison is scheduled to provide a Forward to the book. Along with reprinted fiction, there will be approximately 20,000 words of original fiction, including an original novelette and the teleplay adaptation of my story "Metastasis." RFP: Are you going to write a sequel to the HYPERION books? DS: There will be a third book for Bantam-Doubleday set in the HYPERION universe. Titled ENDYMION, the tale will begin almost two centuries after the events in the two HYPERION novels, but thanks to the "time-debt" involved with interstellar travel, the daughter of Brawne Lamia and the John Keats cybrid from the HYPERION books will be a character. RFP: Have you ever published anything under a pseudonym? DS: No comment on the pseudonym. Only my future bibliographers will know for sure. RFP: Has there been any talk of filming any of your stories? Would you care to be involved in turning your own material into a script? DS: CARRION COMFORT is currently optioned by Laurel Films. Edward Bryant and I are collaborating on the treatment and may (stress MAY) do the screenplay. Currently there is interest in several of my other books for theatrical film adaptations, especially SONG OF KALI. I've adapted two of my stories, "Metastasis" and "Shave and a Haircut, Two Bites" for the Laurel syndicated series MONSTERS. "Shave and a Haircut . . ." has been produced and will be aired during the coming season. (It stars Will Wheaton as one of the teenagers investigating a "vampire barbershop.") I've enjoyed doing this modest bit of writing for television and look forward to doing some film work. RFP: What are you writing right now? DS: Currently I've just finished work on the film treatment for CARRION COMFORT and will be taking a few weeks off -- my first vacation in five years -- before starting work on a novel called THE HOLLOW MAN for Putnam. ========================= WHAT'S GOING ON * Finally!! Stephen King has delivered the third installment of his DARK TOWER opus (called THE DARK TOWER III: THE WASTE LANDS) to its publisher, Donald M. Grant. It will be released in both a signed limited edition and a regular trade edition, and will be illustrated by Ned Dameron. It is scheduled for a Spring 1991 release, and Mr. Grant has asked that no one order the book until he officially announces it in his brochure. To get on the mailing list, write to: Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. PO Box 187 Hampton Falls, NH 03844 * Forthcoming: A new horror anthology edited by Douglas E. Winter, this one called MILLENIUM; a new horror novel, THE WILD, by Whitley Strieber; BORDERLANDS 2, in the new anthology series edited by Thomas F. Monteleone; an anthology, METAHORROR, edited by Dennis Etchison; Richard Christian Matheson's first novel, CREATED BY. * Universal has purchased an option on John Saul's novel, CREATURE, about members of a football team who are forced to take steroids. Unfortunately, the steroids have a nasty side-effect: they turn the players into monsters. * J.N. Williamson's MASQUES III has sold to a British publisher, and American paperback rights are expected to sell soon. I haven't seen it, but I hear it includes a Dan Simmons story that, by the way, will also appear in 1990 YEAR'S BEST FANTASY & HORROR. ========================= I didn't always want to be a writer--in fact, there are plenty of days when I *still* don't. --Chet Williamson ========================= WEIRD BUT TRUE: Did you know that famous American playwright Tennessee Williams (A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, etc.) sold his first story to Weird Tales magazine? It appeared in the August, 1928, issue and he used his real name, Thomas Lanier Williams. ========================= MOVIE GUIDES: NIGHTMARE MOVIES by Kim Newman (1988, Harmony) This is a "Critical Guide to Contemporary Horror Films", as the subtitle says, and is more valuable to a seasoned horror fan than to the interested newcomer. There are two basic problems. One, the movies are discussed by category, but the categories are nebulous and overlapping. Sometimes movies are covered by director, sometimes by subject matter, sometimes by chronology, sometimes by trends. It's difficult to place the films you're reading about now in any kind of context with the films you read about half an hour ago. The second problem is that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of movies are mentioned in NIGHTMARE MOVIES, very few get so much as a paragraph to themselves. If you want to take a trip down memory lane, and see if you agree with Newman's two- or three-word summations, fine. But if you're looking for information and hints for future viewing, there's too much material here that will be of no use to you. That's not to say that the book is without value. Kim Newman has obviously seen more films that you or I would probably see in 5 lifetimes, and he's done his homework. His opinions are well-considered even if you don't agree with them all. And the photos spread throughout the volume are wonderful, and will bring back many great memories. For the confirmed horror buff, NIGHTMARE MOVIES will make an interesting addition. THE OFFICIAL SPLATTER MOVIE GUIDE: More Than 400 of the GORIEST, GROSSEST, Most OUTRAGEOUS Movies Ever Made by John McCarty (1989, St. Martin's Press) Here is a better choice when you're on your way to the videotape rental place and need some ideas. Loads of great (and not so great) movies are covered, and they are covered succinctly and are arranged conveniently. You'll get the "cult" gore-fest films, as promised in the title, but you also get a generous sampling of more "mainstream" horror films, so this book is definitely not just for the sickos. Easily the best all-around guide to the modern horror film. JOE BOB GOES BACK TO THE DRIVE-IN by Joe Bob Briggs Introduction by Wayne Newton (1990, Delacorte) Just when you thought it was safe to buy a movie review book again, Joe Bob does it one more time. In case you haven't been paying attention, Joe Bob is Numero Uno reviewer of drive-in movies, straight from Texas and not housebroken. Over the last few years Joe Bob has become famous for his "special" reviewing style (see below), and for insulting just about everyone. Some people even get upset (like we're told that the National Organization of Women isn't too keen on the way he refers to them as the National Organization of Bimbos). But enough of this indoor bullstuff, let's talk about Joe Bob's new book, which is another collection of his newspaper columns (for more, see the original JOE BOB GOES TO THE DRIVE-IN). Here's how the columns stack up: First you get a brief inspirational essay where Joe Bob discusses the great issues of our day, like terrorism, being a Baptist, and the ups and downs of Jerry Lewis' career. Like, frinstance: "Stephen King's been rootin around in his wastebasket again, dredging up old stories he can take over to Dino De Laurentiis and say, "Hey, Dino, how mucha-roonie?" And then Dino says, "Oh, yes, Stiffen, we meck in North Carolina." Dino does everything in North Carolina now, cause he built him a studio out in Wilmington where he only has to pay 400,000 lira an hour. In Americano money, that means a full buck 50." After warming up, Joe Bob dives right into the Main Feature Review, which is further divided into the Plot Summary, Itemizations, and the Judgement. Plot Summaries are often the best part of the review, and often the humor is as perceptive as it is funny. I particularly liked his review of THE BRIDE (a slow-paced remake of THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, starring Jennifer Beals as the bride and Sting as the good doctor). "While the midget and the monster are off doing a circus act, Sting is trying to teach Jennifer Beals how to eat, drink, ride a horse, talk, and flashdance without a stunt double. She keeps saying, "Who am I?" "What am I?" "Where am I?" and "Is my career starting yet?" And then, pretty soon it's time for the biggie--monster sex. But Jennifer can't handle it, cause Viktor, the monster she was made for, is off in Budapest learning about life from a midget and so she has to wait another hour or so till the plot can get him all the way back into the movie. By that time she's almost lost her virginity twice, the midget's been murdered, and Viktor wants to burn down the set again." After describing the intricacies of the plot, Joe Bob presents his famous Itemizations. Here's the rundown on the movie COMMANDO: "We're talking serious body count: 92. (Okay, okay, it's not INVASION U.S.A., but they're QUALITY agonizing deaths.) Two breasts. Two gallons blood. Three motor vehicle chases. Six car crashes, including four crash-and-burns. Fifteen exploding buildings. Two exploding jeeps. Exploding boat. Five gratuitous farm-implement deaths. Knives thrown into 17 different body parts. Arm rolls. Kung fu. Cadillac fu. Shopping mall fu. Bulldozer fu. Coffee table fu. Drive-In Academy Award nominations for Arnold the Barbarian, for the scene where he picks up a phone booth, gives the occupant some directory assistance, chases him up a mountain, dangles him over a cliff by one leg, and goes "Whoops!"; Rae Dawn Chong, as the gratuitous stewardess; Vernon Wells, as a gay-leather-bar Marine; and Mark Lester, Mr. CLASS OF 1984 himself, for directing this sucker." Joe Bob's final Judgement of COMMANDO: "Four stars. Joe Bob says check it out." Sprinkled among Joe Bob's commentary are bits and pieces from "Joe Bob's Mailbag" and occasional "Communist Alerts". Here's an example of the rewarding and informative letters Joe Bob gets: "DEAR JOE BOB: We been wonderin' how you tally breasts: F'r instance do two breasts attached to the same bimbo shown at the same time count as one or two? And how would you count the behemoth boob in Woody Allen's EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX? (We know you don't review films from foreign countries like New York.) Also, would the aforementioned (look it up) scene from SEX count as "breast-foo"? These are important questions since we want to be sure to get our money's worth. Best wishes, CHERYL & MARK "DEAR CHERYL & MARK: Every single hooter, but only once per scene. Stunt breasts are a separate category." I'm glad we got THAT straightened out. If you want biting satire, if you want and American version of Monty Python, if you want reviews of movies that will never even get MENTIONED in the New York Times---you want JOE BOB GOES BACK TO THE DRIVE-IN. Four stars. Cindy says check it out. ========================= 1990 BRAM STOKER AWARDS The Bram Stoker Awards are given out by the Horror Writers of America. This year's winner are: Novel: CARRION COMFORT by Dan Simmons First Novel: SUNGLASSES AFTER DARK by Nancy Collins Novella/Novelette: "On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert With Dead Folks" by Joe R. Lansdale Short Story: "Eat Me" by Robert R. McCammon Collection: RICHARD MATHESON: COLLECTED STORIES (Scream Press) Nonfiction: (tie) HARLAN ELLISON'S WATCHING by Harlan Ellison, and HORROR: THE 100 BEST BOOKS edited by Stephen Jones & Kim Newman ========================= LAWRENCE WATT-EVANS The Very Proper, Very English Origins of a Nightmare Science fiction author Lawrence Watt-Evans began his first horror novel, THE NIGHTMARE PEOPLE (Onyx, July 1990) when he was 8 years old. "My mother had a lot of old books, and among them were these ancient hardcover volumes called CHATTERBOX ANNUALS. They ran from about 1880 up until the beginning of World War II. Each volume was made up of a year, or twelve issues, of "The Chatterbox", an English monthly boys' magazine. It was a little like "Boys' Life"--articles, stories, puzzles, that sort of thing." The CHATTERBOX ANNUAL for 1925 contained a story that made a deep impression on the young Watt-Evans. "There was a story called 'The Woodenheads' by a writer named C.L. Hales. It was what you might call a young adult horror story with a couple of schoolboy heroes. The idea is that these mysterious creatures called the Woodenheads do something--I forget just what--to make everybody in London disappear. Only one family is left: the parents, the two boys, the maid. "The Woodenheads look like animated bowling pins with hats. They have surrounded the city with a dense fog, so that no one can get in or out. "The plot is about how this family tries to avoid the monsters and survive. The stories were illustrated with line drawings and the whole thing ran through several issues and made up a 15 to 20,000 word novella. "The really fascinating thing to me was that the Woodenheads were totally alien and unfamiliar creatures. They weren't like the usual horror fare, vampires or werewolves or ghosts, where you know what they want and how to stop them. "The story has stuck in my subconscious all these years, since I read it when I was eight. I didn't see it for years. Then I saw a copy of the 1925 CHATTERBOX ANNUAL at an antique show, and I had to have it. I decided it was worth trying to recreate and pass on the terror I felt by placing the idea in a modern setting. "Instead of a house in London I made it an apartment complex in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Like the Woodenheads, the "Nightmare People" are totally unknown--and totally evil. "They have these rows of gleaming metal teeth. In fact, the look of the Nightmare People was suggested to me by a Michael Whelan painting, 'Smiler With a Knife'. "They get people when they're asleep, and my protagonist only survives the first night because his air conditioner is broken--it's a hot August night--and he can't sleep. "He thinks he's having a nightmare. But the next day all his neighbors have disappeared and he's the only human around. "Anyway, that's the setup. Of course it's my own story but it was definitely inspired by this wonderful English boys' tale that I read years ago and never forgot. I have tried to find out more about Hales--who he was and if he wrote anything else. No luck so far, though. I've checked the biographical dictionaries, and even posted messages on computer bulletin boards. I guess the next step is to start making inquiries among fantasy fans and writers in England." THE NIGHTMARE PEOPLE was the Onyx horror special for July 1990. Sweet dreams, everyone. <-*->:<-*->:<-*->:<-*->:<-*->:<-*-> < > < LOOSEN YOUR GRIP ON REALITY > < > <-*->:<-*->:<-*->:<-*->:<-*->:<-*-> << Editor: Darryl Kenning >> --------------------------------------------------------------------- Loosen Your Grip On Reality is a division of Reading For Pleasure, published bimonthly. This material is NOT COPYRIGHTED and may be used freely by all. Contributions of information, reviews, etc. should be sent to: Darryl Kenning CompuServe: 76337,740 6331 Marshall Rd. or GEnie: D.Kenning Centerville, Ohio 45459 HeavenSoft BBS 513-836-4288 The Annex BBS 513-274-0821 --------------------------------------------------------------------- RANDOM ACCESS One of the things that has long fascinated me is the makeup of those of us who read and enjoy Science Fiction. I suppose that's because I started reading it when I was 15 and SF and paperbacks in general had a somewhat unsavoury reputation (had to buy 'em in drugstores you know). For a lot of years I really didn't share my love of the genre with anyone and avoided fandom like the black plague. One of the joys in comming out of the closet, so to speak, has been getting plugged into the whole world of Fanzines and some of the magazines that deal with the more arcane bits of Science Fiction writing and publishing, like the magazine LOCUS. (As an aside, I really recommend this magazine which is now available on newstands if you are seriously into Science Fiction). In the September issue they ran the results of their annual poll of readers. The caveat is that they got a 15% return (statisticlly significant) which means 815 folks responded, enough I feel to give a good cross sectional representation of the readers of LOCUS and by extension the more serious of the "FANS". Over the past 11 years the percenatge of women who read SF has risen to 25% (and that alone would be a good subject for some serious study), over half of us are married, the over-40's age group keeps increasing, home ownership is at 55%, and 96% attended college with 37% having advanced degrees. Respondents averaged 4 paperbacks purchased a month, 89% started reading SF before the age of 15 and the first book author most remembered (20%) was Robert Heinlien with Isaac Asimov number 2 at 7% followed closely by H.G. Wells. Now I'll let you draw your own conclusions, but I'm still convinced that we SF readers are the cream of the crop--and frankly I suspect that it has to do more with enjoying reading and having rich imaginations than anything else. dk As always, your comments, questions, or observations about RANDOM ACCESS or anything else in LYGOR are welcome, get them to me at any of the addressses listed on the masthead. -------------------------- 1990 LOCUS AWARDS Voted on by the readers of Locus magazine, this year's winners are: Best Science Fiction Novel: HYPERION by Dan Simmons Best Fantasy Novel: PRENTICE ALVIN by Orson Scott Card Best Horror Novel: CARRION COMFORT by Dan Simmons Best First Novel: ORBITAL DECAY by Allen Steele Best Novella: THE FATHER OF STONES by Lucius Shepard Best Novelette: "Dogwalker" by Orson Scott Card Best Short Story: "Lost Boys" by Orson Scott Card Best Nonfiction: GRUMBLES FROM THE GRAVE by Robert A. Heinlein Best Collection: PATTERNS by Pat Cadigan Best Anthology: THE YEAR'S BEST SF: SIXTH ANNUAL COLLECTION edited by Gardner Dozois Best Magazine: Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Best Editor: Gardner Dozois Best Artist: Michael Whelan Best Publisher: Tor/St. Martin's -------------------------- THE PAPERBACK BOOKSHELF N SPACE by Larry Niven (TOR, September, 1990, 0-312-85089-3) review by Darryl Kenning Every once in a while I stumble across a book that is really special. In this case I was in Naples Florida at a favorite bookseller when I spotted a copy of N SPACE. I was hooked as soon as I saw it, but when I started looking through it the hook was truly set. This is a series of short stories, excerpts from stories and novels, commentaries by Niven and opening remarks from folks as diverse as Tom Clancy and David Brin. There are also a number of quotes from a variety of Niven sources scattered throughout the book. Now I've read most of these over the years but it was intriguing to see the stories side by side so that I could spot the differences in ones I liked and ones I didn't like. The commentary was fun too. It provided some good insights into the SF writing community and into Niven himself. My bias on this one is that I do like most of the things Larry Niven has written over the years. I do think though that even if you are not a died in the wool Niven fan you will enjoy the stories. If you are hopelessly addicted to Science Fiction as I am, then this book moves up from a good book of stories to a "must have". In short - keep your eye open for this one and grab it . Score: 5 (0 to 5, 0 = don't 5 = must get) WOLF MOON by Charles de Lint review by Joan Panichella WOLF MOON is an entertaining and amusing little fantasy. It's not overly ornate or complex. The book is about a rather unusual werewolf and a quite ordinary inn. The setting is a world and time X when things were simpler and magic works. For a change this werewolf, named Kevin, can control his form. But whether he can convince his new friends at the Inn of the Yellow Tinker he means them no ill is yet to be seen. A rather sinister harper is doing his best to pin several murders on Kevin as "the ravaging beast". Kevin is quite an engaging and attractive character. The typical inn folk are not outstanding but nicely done. If there were no real surprises in this book there were no flaws either. I liken it to good home cooking - maybe not overly spiced but hearty and nourishing. I'd recommend this book to anyone who'd like a little rest from stark reality. TOMORROW'S CRIMES by Donald E. Westlake (Mysterious, 1989) review by Cindy Bartorillo "The Girl of My Dreams" -- Ronald is happier at night than he is during the day, and Delia is the reason. The ending asks an age-old question about faithless lovers. "Nackles" -- A modern Christmas story. Harlan Ellison once wrote a teleplay of "Nackles" that was intended for the Christmas episode of The Twilight Zone (the post-Serling TZ). The network bought his script, then refused to film it, saying, as I recall, that it was "inappropriate". Was it? You decide. Incidentally, you can read Ellison's script in this year's Gauntlet magazine or an old issue of the now-defunct Twilight Zone magazine (sorry, I don't remember which issue). "The Ultimate Caper: The Purloined Letter" -- A three-page pun-riden farce. Reminds me of Asimov's stories when he's in one of those moods. "The Spy in the Elevator" -- An Ellison-type story about man's inherent relationship with Truth. "The Risk Profession" -- A neat little mystery story that takes place in the asteroid belt. Jafe McCann dies right after coming into a lot of money. Business partner Ab Karpin is ready to inherit, but insurance investigator Ged has suspicions. "The Winner" -- As a prison administrator, Wordman strives to control behavior, but he fails to recognize the invincibility of the human spirit. "Dream a Dream" -- Archaeologist Nora Helm must deal with the dilemma of modern society's sexual double standard. "In At The Death" -- Ed Thornburn has problems: he's sterile and his wife is having an affair. He doesn't know it yet, but suicide is only going to make things worse. "Hydra" -- Brief ironical tale of the American attitude toward the environment. Makes a good, if grisly, Earth Day story. ANARCHAOS -- This short novel takes up more than half of the volume. Family black sheep Rolf Malone, currently serving time for manslaughter in an Earth prison, is due to join up with his successful brother Gar on the planet Anarchaos (start to say "anarchy", then midway switch to "chaos") when he gets out. But on his release he hears that Gar has been killed, the most common fate on Anarchaos since there are no laws--the whole planet is a Chuck Norris movie. Rolf decides that he can take care of himself pretty well, and he can take care of the person who killed his brother even better. What follows is a tale of survival (physical and spiritual) and of personal evolution. It's a fascinating and unusual story. THE VOR GAMES by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen, September, 1990 - 0-671-72014-7) review by Darryl Kenning With THE VOR GAMES, Lois McMaster Bujold continues her stories of the now infamous Miles Vorkosigan. Using a story that was originally seen in ANALOG as THE WEATHERMAN, she has crafted the next epsiode in her ingenious universe, continuing to give depth to characters introduced in previous novels. Since I had already read the opening (twice), I had a bit of a hard time getting into this story; but while I was being surprised by that, suddenly the old Bujpold magic had me happily entranced and deeply engrossed in the story. I do like the way she has created the universe--it hangs together pretty well, and her characters continue to have depth and balance. It's clear why she has won a number of awards, and I for one am looking forward to more stories in this universe, particularily with Miles V. Score: 5 -------------------------- BOX SCORES ..................................... /: : : : THE FAR STARS WAR, B Fawcett ed.3 : : : THE GALACTIC SILVER STAR,........ : : : Kevin Randle........3 : : : TOTAL RECAL, Piers Anthony......2 : : : TEKWAR, William Shatner.........2 : : : DIVISION OF SPOILS, R Green.....3 : : : STARSTRIKE, W. M. Gear..........3 : : : BLOOD MUSIC, Greg Bear..........3 : : : CATHOUSE, Dean Ing..............4 : : : THE FOLK OF THE FRINGE, : : : Orson Scott Card......3 : : : : : : by darryl kenning : : :...................................: :..................................../ 0 = ugh! to 5 worth rereading! -------------------------- * Watch out for a huge 3-volume overview of SF, fantasy, and horror called ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA by Lydia C. Marano & Michael Kurland, to be published by Prentice-Hall. Each volume will have 250,000 words of cross-referenced information. * How long will George R.R. Martin's WILD CARDS series continue? At least through #10, which has just been bought by Bantam. -------------------------- FROM THE ARCHIVES My idea here is that I'm going to pull something off the shelf that I haven't looked at in a long time but that I think is worth reading again and report on it for you. Most of this stuff will probably be out of print but should still be findable as you browse your used bookstore or maybe even through your library. ALAS, BABYLON by Pat Frank I really don't remember when I got this book, but I know it was in the mid to early 60's. When I pulled it off the shelf I found that it was originally printed in March, 1959 and my copy was essentially part of the 20th printing! I also know that there was at least one revised printing made five or more years ago that was "updated". All this means that you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a copy somewhere. For a time I collected, as a sub group of SF, "doomsday" novels. I finally gave it up during this last round of popularity but I have over a hundred of them at this point. ALAS, BABYLON is a biblical quote from Revelation of St John, and its use signals the beginning of THE war. This however is much more that a WW III novel. It is really the story of the endurance of the human spirit and survival in an isolated community in Florida. In one sense it is almost a how-to-do-it book, but it shows the potential triumph of the qualities that make us human---and the day-to-day struggles to cope with the loss of a lot of things we take so much for granted in our society. I'm not sure if this book would be popular today; part of the joy of rereading it is the rememberance that it was written in the late 50's and thus it provides some interesting insights. Of all the books of this kind that I have or have read, this continues to be the VERY BEST in my opinion. When you see it, grab it. darryl -------------------------- QUOTES 'N' STUFF --> In San Francisco, Holloween is redundent - Will Hurst --> Schizophrenics always have someone to talk to.. --> The future is much like the present, only longer.. --> Nice guys finnish last but we do get to sleep in.. --> One hundred thousand lemmings can't be wrong.. --> Cute rots the intellect.. --> If there is another way to skin a cat, I don't want to know about it.. -----> Darryl's 13th law: REAL frustration is not having anyone to blame but yourself! -------------------------- ASK UNCLE HAL 9001 Test the enormous RAM database of UNCLE HAL, the new and improved model 9001. Q. Whats a "FILK"? A. Filk Songs are the folk songs of fantasy and science fiction. They range from contemporary (The Challanger Disaster), to past real or imaginary events, and of course to the future. I have heard at least 3 versions of how the name "filk" got its start, and noe of those stories sound remotely plausable. Filking is done by Filkers mostly at SF CONs but there are several CONs devoted to Filking exclusivly. Q. I heard that a Science Fiction writer was partially responsible for the screenplay of THE BIG SLEEP. C'mon now - really? A. Leigh Brackett (1915-1978) was the wife of Edmond Hamilton and while she usually wrote adventure SF she did collaberate with William Falkner on the screenplay you mentioned. She also did them for RIO BRAVO and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. -------------------------- ELECTRONIC BOOKS Several years ago I stumbled across what seemed at the time a radical new adventure in publishing, - paperless books! J Neil Schulman, whom many of you will remember as a fine Science Fiction author, has translated this idea into reality - SoftServ. The following summary was graciously provided by Neil. In addition I will be reviewing a potpourri of selections avialable in this format beginning in the next issue. Due to space limitations we will be including partial lists of the books available in from SoftServ. Neil, what a GREAT idea! SoftServ began development of the paperless book concept in December, 1987. In December, 1989, we began a test of it in the SoftServ RoundTable on GEnie. This test is scheduled to end on September 25th, when the SoftServ RT will close. Beginning September 15th, SoftServ will begin several new methods of marketing. First, instead of marketing our paperless books only in one RT on GEnie, we will be uploading our paperless books into several RT's, particularly the Writers RT. The books will be uploaded as ZIP archives containing an open SoftServ Sampler of a book, which anyone can read, and a locked file with the entire book, which requires buying a password from SoftServ. We will be selling the "passwords" for each book for under $5. Also beginning September 15th, SoftServ begins operation of The SoftServ Paperless Bookstore, our own 24-hour bbs, which can be reached at (213) 957-1176 or (213) 957-0874. The SoftServ Paperless Bookstore will be a two-line bbs, each one with a US Robotics Courier HST Dual Standard modem, for modems speeds up to 9600 baud in V.32 (Hayes compatible) mode, and up to 19,200 bps in HST mode!!! The SoftServ Paperless Bookstore will have unlocked versions of the books for member of the SoftServ Paperless Book Club to download and pay for after the download, and versions with the open sampler & locked book file for non members. Membership in the SoftServ Paperless Book Club will cost $19.95, and will include a one-year subscription to SoftServ's two on-line magazines, DisContents (reader- written reviews) and Pistols at Dawn! (critic-author debates). THE SOFTSERV CATALOG VERSION 3.06 - June 21, 1990 The numbers on the left are both the File # of the free Sampler in Library 10 of the SoftServ RoundTable on GEnie, and the SoftServ Catalog number if you wish to order the book. If you wish to order any of these books on either IBM/MS-DOS (5-1/4" or 3-1/2"), Macintosh (3-1/2"), or CP/M (5-1/4") diskettes, send your check for the catalog price plus $3.00 per title shipping & handling to: SOFTSERV ORDERS P.O. Box 94 Long Beach, CA 90801-0094 Members of the SoftServ Paperless Book Club should include their membership number. Non-members wishing to order need to include their full name, home address and verifiable telephone, and Social Security Number for a free, no-obligation membership in the club. Members may also download paperless books by requesting delivery to their GEnie Mail address, or from the SoftServ Paperless Bookstore's 24-hour bbs. PARTIAL SOFTSERV CATALOG Number: 12 Sampler Name: DRAINSMP.ARC TITLE: THE DEVIL'S DRAINPIPE, a novel by Keith Kirts. SoftServ Original Synapse Books. (c) 1989 by Keith Kirts. This is a comedy about nuclear waste, among other things. Is Keith Kirts the new Vonnegut? Or Tom Robbins 5.0? Or just a guy who likes to write in coffee shops at four in the morning? The author of SPACE SEX or TRICKS FOR GOLDFISH returns with this unique novel, establishing Kirts as a blazing talent. Additional description in SoftServ Bulletin Board Category 16, Topic 2. $2.50. 275K ARCed; 164K STOMPed. Number: 16 Sampler Name: DEUCESMP.ARC TITLE: DEUCE OF A TIME, a novel by Paul Levinson. SoftServ Original, Connected Editions. (c) 1989 by Paul Levinson. Levinson, a professional philosopher, media expert, and online educator, departs into speculative fiction, a time travel adventure spanning from the 21st century back to the Kennedy assassination. A fascinating first novel. Additional description in SoftServ Bulletin Board Category 16, Topic 4. $2.50. 208K ARCed; 134K STOMPed. Number: 18 Sampler Name: WORLDSMP.ARC TITLE: THE WORLD IN A HURRY AGAIN, a novel by Robert St. Onge Rodi. SoftServ Original, Robert Rodi, Publisher. (c) 1989 by Robert Rodi. In 1965, two notorious "red" writers return from McCarthy-era Parisian exile to a suburban town in middle America--a town whose teenagers are just discovering The Beatles "Revolver" album with its "secret" lyrics about "doing drugs," and Vietnam War protesting. They're not quite Dash and Lillian but their invasion guarantees that the backyard barbecues will never be the same again. $2.50. 307K ARCed; 189K STOMPed. Number: 19 Sampler Name: TRYSTSMP.ARC TITLE: TRYSTS, a novel by William T.R. Mellon. SoftServ Original, Synapse Books. (c) 1989 by William T.R. Mellon The mysterious William T.R. Mellon, who disappeared at sea several years ago and is presumed dead, penned this fictional (?) erotic memoir before his fateful trip. Additional description in SoftServ Bulletin Board, Category 16, Topic 2. $1.95. 112K ARCed; 73K STOMPed. Number: 20 Sampler Name: BEASTSMP.ARC TITLE: THE BEAST THAT SHOUTED LOVE AT THE HEART OF THE WORLD, a collection of short fiction by Harlan Ellison. The Kilimanjaro Corporation. (c) 1969 by Harlan Elllison A collection of fabulous short fiction by the master of the modern fable. Ellison, a multiple Hugo and Nebla award winner, has broken out far beyond any genre conventions. His fiction is modern symbolism in the tradition of Poe and Dostoevski. Ellison's television writing for "Twilight Zone" and "Star Trek" has also won him Writers Guild of America achievement awards. $2.50. 297K ARCed; 186K STOMPed. Number: 22 Sampler Name: CAPRISMP.ARC TITLE: CAPRICORN GAMES, a collection of short fiction by Robert Silverberg. SoftServ Exclusive, Agberg, Ltd. (c) 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 by Robert Silverberg Nine short stories which make unconventional use of the traditional subject matters of science fiction, by one of the most accomplished writers in this or any genre. Silverberg is a multiple winner of both the Hugo and Nebula awards. "The John Updike of science fiction" -- The New York Times Book Review. $2.50. 213K ARCed; 133K STOMPed. Number: 23 Sampler Name: FELLOSMP.ARC TITLE: FELLOW TRAVELLERS: A Novella and 12 stories by Sharon Lerch. SoftServ Original, Connected Editions. (c) 1989 by Sharon Lerch. A collection of award-winning short fiction by a bright new light on the literary scene. Sharon Lerch's turf is the world and her characters are all trying to find their way in it. In these thirteen wide-ranging tales, people travel to Budapest, to Istanbul, to Ghana, or merely across town. Sharon Lerch's work has appeared in a wide variety of publications including _The New York Times_. Additional description in SoftServ Bulletin Board Category 16, Topic 4. $2.50. 171K ARCed; 109K STOMPed. Number: 24 Sampler Name: CYBERSMP.ARC TITLE: ESSAYS ON CYBERSPACE AND ELECTRONIC EDUCATION by Paul Levinson. SoftServ Original, Connected Editions. (c) 1989 by Paul Levinson. This collection of thoughtful essays explores the evolution of media and their expression of human needs, and the creation of an electronically connected scholarly community that exists in and via some of these media. Additional description in SoftServ Bulletin Board Category 16: New From Connected Editions. $2.50. 218K ARCed; 131K STOMPed. Number: 25 Sampler Name: SPACESMP.ARC TITLE: SPACE SEX or TRICKS FOR GOLDFISH, a novel by Keith Kirts. SoftServ Original, Synapse Books. (c) 1989 by Keith Kirts. Emmett Suckerfield is a screenwriter who just can't seem to get a break. His wife's left him, his agent is nuts, and his next-door neighbor is an alien marooned on Earth. Then his life gets *complicated*. Additional description in SoftServ Bulletin Board, Category 16, Topic 2. $2.50. 288K ARCed; 186K STOMPed. Number: 26 Sampler Name: HAWK1SMP.ARC TITLE: HAWK'S LAST CASE, a novel by Red Greene. Book 1 of the "Hawk" trilogy. SoftServ Original, Synapse Books. (c) 1989 by Red Greene. Cable P. Hawkins is an L.A.-based-detective who, quite frankly, is more interested in his love life than he is in detective work, in the first book of a trilogy. "Applies fresh twists and a sense of newness to a genre that, itself, has been worked over like a rummy, backstreet stiff."--Ampersand Magazine. Additional description in SoftServ Bulletin Board Category 16, Topic 2. $2.50. 208K ARCed; 134K STOMPed. Number: 52 Sampler Name: FLESHSMP.ARC TITLE: NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, Book One of the HARBINGER Trilogy by J.H. Kent Lyons. Harbinger Electronic Writers' Workshop. (c) 1989 by J.H. Kent Lyons. The epic saga of John Harbinger, a former Washington attorney whose journeys suggest to him the Biblical accounts of "great tribulation." In Book 1, John becomes involved with a beautiful red-headed witch, and finds himself drawn into a Satanic cult. Further description of the trilogy in the SoftServ Bulletin Board, Category 16, Topic 5. $2.50. 141K ARCed; 88K STOMPed. Number: 53 Sampler Name: JESUSAMP.ARC TITLE: THE JESUS CASE, a novel by J. H. Kent Lyons. Harbinger Electronic Writers' Workshop. Copyright (c) 1989 by J. H. Kent Lyons An account of the public ministry of Jesus, told in fictional form from the point of view of his *persecutors*--the scribes and Pharisees to whom the man Jesus was a troublesome "case" on their docket. $2.50. 180K ARCed; 113K STOMPed Number: 54 Sampler Name: SECURSMP.ARC TITLE: SECURITY, a novel by Sharon Lerch. SoftServ Original, Connected Editions. (c) 1989 by Sharon Lerch. After her mother's boyfriend comes on to her, Abby, going on seventeen, sees no choice but to leave Security, Colorado. She heads north on the back of a run-down motorcycle ... then a fellow in a muddy Mustang pulls up ... and changes everybody's course. Lerch's writing has appeared in publications ranging from The New York Times to Chicago Magazine. Among her writing awards are a fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts, and a resident fellowship at Yaddo. $2.50. 159K ARCed; 103K STOMPed. Number: 55 Sampler Name: LOOMSAMP.ARC TITLE: THE LOOM AND THE KEYBOARD, nonfiction, by Gail S. Thomas. SoftServ Original, Connected Editions. (c) 1989 by Gail S. Thomas. This study looks at two groups of mostly women working in factory-like conditions, and contrasts the job routines of mid-19th-century textile mill workers with computer operators now. Gail S. Thomas earned the first MA degree in Media Studies entirely by computer conferencing, via Connected Education and the New School for Social Research. Her book reviews appear in the Netweaver online journal. $2.50. 89K ARCed; 59K STOMPed. Number: 64 Sampler Name: RAINSAMP.ARC TITLE: THE RAINBOW CADENZA, a novel by J. Neil Schulman. SoftServ exclusive, Cadenza Communications. (c) 1983 by J. Neil Schulman Award-winning fiction by the founder of SoftServ. Praised for its artistic vision and satiric bite, damned for its portrayal of perverse sexuality--you will either love this novel or hate it. It's the story of a young 22nd Century woman pitting her artistic skill and courage against the society that wants her as its sex slave. Full description in Category 16, Topic 8. "Engrossingly suspenseful ... wickedly funny and chilling at the same time." --Publishers Weekly. $2.50. 286K STOMPED; or 480 K in 2 ARCs. Number: 67 Sampler Name: ONLINSMP.ARC TITLE: ONLINES: CHRONICLES OF ELECTRONIC DAYS, nonfiction, by Paul Levinson. SoftServ Original, Connected Editions. (c) 1989 by Paul Levinson. A series of weekly electronic essays from 1985 onward, originally published online by the Western Behavioral Sciences Institute, now exclusively on the Connected Education online campus. Themes range from computer conferencing to Chernobyl, the Ronnette's version of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" to his "Easter Theory of Technology." Dr. Levinson is one of the most entertaining professional philosophers writing today. Replaces Catalog # 61. $2.50. 186K ARCed; 115K STOMPed. Number: 93 Sampler Name: BIRDSAMP.ARC TITLE: THE BIRDHOUSE CATHEDRAL, poetry, by William Dubie. SoftServ Original, Connected Editions. (c) 1989 by William Dubie. A collection of poems that deal with the journeys of an artistic heart through the technological landscape. WILLIAM DUBIE is editor of the online journal Synapse. His poems have appeared in many literary and university publications, including Yankee and Gramercy Review, and in 1981 Wings Press published is chapbook, Closing the Moviehouse. A former English teacher and university lecturer, he is currently an editor at Digital Equipment Corporation. $1.95. 22K ARCed or STOMPed Number: 94 Sampler Name: DECISAMP.ARC TITLE: DECISIONS: COMPUTERS AND THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS, nonfiction, by Donald B. Straus. SoftServ Original, Connected Editions. (c) 1989 by Donald B. Straus. Human ingenuity this century has resulted in quantum leaps in our ability to move faster, see further, hear better, stay alive longer, but failed to contribute the wisdom needed to use these awesome new powers. Straus proposes solutions, including a fictional projection of how collaborative decision making might be instituted through 21st century computer usage. Further info in Category 16, Topic 4. $2.50. 154K ARCed; 95K STOMPed. Number: 95 Sampler Name: HAWK2SMP.ARC TITLE: HAWK GOES HOLLYWOOD, a novel by Red Greene. Book 2 of the "Hawk" trilogy. SoftServ Original, Synapse Books. (c) 1988 by Red Greene. In Book 2, Hawk is briefly married to Marsha, love interest from Book 1, HAWK'S LAST CASE, then divorced. Struggling with alimony and living in his office, he lands himself a job protecting a movie mogul against a ring of equipment thieves. Then there's the extortion, danger, an affair with a beautiful, rich, and married woman ... Typical of Greene's lightning pace, HAWK GOES HOLLYWOOD is a rollercoaster ride through Hollywood life. $2.50. 185K ARCed; 117K STOMPed. Number: 97 Sampler Name: HARB2SMP.ARC TITLE: WHAT SHALL BE THE SIGN?, a novel by J. H. Kent Lyons. Book 2 of the "Harbinger" trilogy. Harbinger Electronic Writers' Workshop. (c) 1988 by J. H. Kent Lyons In this follow up to NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, John Harbinger becomes involved wih the College of the Messiah, who are building a Temple of Solomon in a California valley. John's journey takes him to the edge of Biblical prophesies, healers who are either the Messiah returned or the Anti-Christ, pre-Incan gods, a hidden underground city, and an apparent UFO base ... $2.50. 181K ARCed; 109K STOMPed. Number: 98 Sampler Name: HARB3SMP.ARC TITLE: THE TIME OF THE END, a novel by J. H. Kent Lyons. Book 3 of the "Harbinger" trilogy. Harbinger Electronic Writers Workshop. Copyright (c) 1988 by J.H. Kent Lyons In this apocalyptic finale to the Harbinger trilogy, John Harbinger is called to the White House to handle a dire, absolutely secret emergency. Unmistakeably, the end of the Book of Revelation is coming to pass, with the invasion of Earth by Satan's minions, followed by tribulations, and a last battle for control of Earth ... and Heaven? $2.50. 159K ARCed; 97K STOMPed. Number: 102 Sampler Name: HAWK3SMP.ARC TITLE: HAWK GETS LIBERATED, a novel by Red Greene. Book 3 of the "Hawk" trilogy. SoftServ Original, Synapse Books. (c) 1988 by Red Greene. Is this novel the most male chauvinistic claptrap ever written? Or something more subtle and wonderful? Cable P. Hawkins is fed up with being a P.I., but agrees to do a final job for a famous TV used-car salesman: find a famous abstract painting stolen from the Women's Liberation Art Auction ... which puts Hawk smack in the middle of artists and feminists, neither of which he cares a tinker's damn for. Oh, well, it's his *last* job. Well, isn't it? Replaces Cat #96. $2.50. 150K ARCed; 96K STOMPed. Number: 120 Sampler Name: NATSAMP.ARC TITLE: NATURAL LAW or DON'T PUT A RUBBER ON YOUR WILLY, nonfiction, by Robert Anton Wilson. Loompanics Unlimited. Copyright (c) 1987 by Loompanics Unlimited. Robert Anton Wilson is a novelist, poet, playright, lecturer, standup comic, Futurist, and psychologist. Best known as co- author of the Prometheus Hall-of-Fame winning ILLUMINATUS! trilogy, he is also author of the SCHROEDINGER'S CAT trilogy, THE EARTH WILL SHAKE historical trilogy, THE COSMIC TRIGGER, and much more. NATURAL LAW is his half of a debate -- entertaining as always. $1.95. 159K ARCed; 97K STOMPed. Number: 158 Sampler Name: YHVHSAMP.ARC TITLE: THE JEHOVAH CONTRACT, a novel by Victor Koman. KoPubCo. Copyright (c) 1984, 1987, 1990 by Victor Koman. This Prometheus- Award-winning "theological suspense novel" tracks professional assassin Dell Ammo, dying of cancer, as he is given one last assignment and one last chance for survival. The job? Find God Almighty and destroy Him. The payment? Eternal life. With the aid of a beautiful lady gambler, an ancient Hollywood witch, and a 12 year old telepathic hooker, Dell Ammo breaches the gates of Heaven and Hell to pull the Cosmic Trigger. "A fascinating concept, imaginatively delivered."--Ray Bradbury $2.50 280 ARC; 235 ZIP; 184 STOMP Number: 162 Sampler Name: SOLOSAMP.ARC TITLE: Solomon's Knife, a novel by Victor Koman. KoPubCo. Copyright (c) 1989, 1990 by Victor Koman. A medical thriller and courtroom drama. Dr. Evelyn Fletcher is a surgeon caught in a maelstrom of controversy. She has secretly devised a surgical procedure that could alter the lives of millions. When Valerie Dalton enters her office for a routine abortion, the doctor has found her experimental subject. When baby Renata is born to Karen and David Chandler and falls deathly ill, only one person can save her--a woman who does not even know her daughter exists. Solomon's Knife fuses every facet of the most violent debate of our age. The reality is perhaps only months away. $2.50 270 ARC; 223 ZIP; 171 STOMP Number: 201 Sampler Name: VOICESMP.ARC TITLE: THE VOICE OF DAY, a novel by James David Audlin. A SoftServ Original, Distant Eagle Publishing. Volume 1 of Seven Novels of the Last Days. Copyright (c) 1989 by James David Audlin. Within a huge, impassable Wall there is a land. But a boy, Adam, has dreamed of peeping over the Wall, despite warnings that outside there is only a Chaos that will destroy him. When he is forced to be crowned king, to rule under the Regent, a beautiful woman who is probably a witch, he runs away, toward the inevitable Wall. As the Regent Queen seeks him out, he deals with the reality of death and coming of age. "Audlin is one of SoftServ's greatest discoveries."--J. Neil Schulman $2.50 82K stomped/ 130K ARCed Number: 221 Sampler Name: WINGSAMP.ARC TITLE: THE WINGS OF THE MORNING, fiction, by James David Audlin, Distant Eagle Publishing Co., (c) 1989 by James David Audlin. Adam seeks a new home, but every new place is ever more alien. He is forced to save the city of Gimel. In Ur, he witnesses the last battle of science vs. magic, and the plot of Nimrod--the mad God-King--to build a Tower to the Gates of Heaven. Chased by assassins in Suoche, he escapes to the desert, visits Shambhala, learns the esoteric arts of Lamaist monks, and finally comes to Xanadu, the city of dreams made real. "Audlin is SoftServ's hottest new discovery!"--J. Neil Schulman $2.50 437K ARC 259K STOMP Number: 223 Sampler Name: HEINSAMP.ARC TITLE: THE ROBERT HEINLEIN INTERVIEW AND OTHER HEINLEINIANA, nonfiction, by J. Neil Schulman. A SoftServ Original, published by Cadenza Communications, Inc. Copyright (c) 1990 by J. Neil Schulman. In 1973, J. Neil Schulman wangled an assignment from the New York Daily News to interview Robert A. Heinlein. The resulting interview came to 25,000 words -- the longest interview Heinlein ever granted, and the only one in which he talked freely and extensively about his personal philosophy and ideology. If you want Heinlein on UFO's, life after death, epistemology, or libertarianism, this interview is virtually the only source available. It's available for the first time since 1974. Also included articles, reviews, and letters by Schulman. $2.50 124K ARC, 98K ZIP, 82K STOMP Number: 224 Sampler Name: ODYSSAMP.ARC TITLE: THE ODYSSEUS SOLUTION, fiction, by Michael A. Banks and Dean R. Lambe, first published in 1985, Copyright (c) 1985 by Michael A. Banks and Dean R. Lambe. A SoftServ Exclusive edition of the complete, unexpurgated, authors' version! Alien invaders have presented the people of Earth with a terrible gift: the matter duplicator. Mankind shortly goes soft in this post-scarcity paradise, opening the door for conquest. One man--a rebel and outsider--races against time to find the hidden pre-invasion labs where he might find a weapon powerful enough to restore the freedom and dignity of the human race. $2.50 349K ARC, 205K STOMP. Number: 227 Sampler Name: NLMSAMP.ARC TITLE: NEW LIBERTARIAN MANIFESTO, non-fiction, by Samuel Edward Konkin III, published by KoPubCo, all rights reserved by Samuel Edward Konkin III, 1980. This insightful, insightful book is the purest of purist libertarian philosophy--the theory of agorism and counter-economics. It offers the first complete and concise explanation of restitution theory with application for the *real* world. If you are looking for a hard-hitting blueprint for getting from *here* to *there*, this is the book! $1.95 62K ARCed 44K STOMPed Publisher also sells paperbound copies. Number: 247 Sampler Name: PRODSAMP.ARC TITLE: THE PRODUCTIONS OF TIME by James David Audlin, Volume III of the heptalogy SEVEN NOVELS OF THE LAST DAYS, fiction, published by Distant Eagle Publishing Co., (c) 1990 by James David Audlin. Albion LeMat returns from war to find his city and friends empty and drifting. An actress deemed dangerous by the state is missing, but an "animal"--the result of state experiments on humans--reminds Albion of her. He seeks to restore her and the "animal" disappears; a new creature, The Sphinx, calls the downtrodden to revolution in a cataclysm that changes the world. $2.50 133K STOMPed 207K ARCed Number: 255 Sampler Name: SHORESMP.ARC TITLE: THE SHORES OF TOMORROW, short stories, by Robert Silverberg, published by Agberg, Ltd., (c) 1976 by Robert Silverberg. Embark on eight wild journeys through the imagination of Robert Silverberg. Meet an alien planet unconquerable by earthmen. Travel with a spaceship on a collision course with New York City. Meet three of the strangest alien invaders ever to approach Earth. Listen to Mr. Brewster--a man with a daring plan to redirect human evolution. Prime stories from the writer called "Science-Fiction's John Updike." $2.50 145K ZIP Number: 256 Sampler Name: PARSAMP.ARC TITLE: PARSECS AND PARABLES, short stories, by Robert Silverberg, published by Agberg, Ltd., (c) 1970 by Robert Silverberg. Ten stories of science-fiction that probe the limits of human understanding. Meet a dolphin in love with a human. Encounter a man who remembers EVERYTHING he has ever seen, heard, or done. Journey to a planet where trees feast on human flesh. Meet a broken-down actor given one last chance for stardom. A SoftServ Exclusive edition of a long out-of-print collection. $2.50 131K STOMP 202K ARC THIS SAMPLER SUPERSEDES AND REPLACES SAMPLER #237 Number: 257 Sampler Name: CANADSMP.ARC TITLE: CANADIANA by J. H. Kent Lyons. Published by Harbinger Electronic Writers Workshop. Copyright (c) 1990 by J.H. Kent Lyons Part One, "Guns Canadian," is Kent's hilarious account of World War Two gun production in Canada (how we won the war?). In Part Two, "Go to Now, Ye Rich Men," Kent looks back over his three-quarters of a century on Planet Earth, reviews the decade of the eighties, and makes prognostications for the Nineties ... and beyond? Perhaps. $2.50 Number: 259 Sampler Name: BIBLESMP.ARC TITLE: THE SHORT-FORM BIBLE, non-fiction, by J.H. Kent Lyons, published by H.E.W.W., (c) 1990 by J.H. Kent Lyons. Three Volume Edition: Book One--The Law and The Prophets; Book Two--Jesus The Christ; Book Three-- The Apostles and Revelation Presents the Biblical scenario in condensed form so that the reader will know the general framework and essential message of the Bible. This book isn't meant to be a substitute for the King James Bible. It uses selected portions of this Bible to establish the framework and highlight key points. Knowledge of the contents of this book will help the reader to understand the essentials of the Bible story. Three volume set, $7.50 341K ZIP 432K in 2 ARCs 269K STOMP Number: 271 Sampler Name: AGESMP.ARC TITLE: THE AGE OF CHOICE: Commentaries on Public and International Affairs, 1987-1990, by Harlan Cleveland. Published by Connected Editions. Copyright (c) 1990 by Harlan Cleveland. Former US ambassador Harlan Cleveland's thoughts on international politics, much of it from an insider's perspective. For easy access, there are two tables of contents -- one by chronology, one by topic. Sampler is Harlan Cleveland's essay on his personal participation in the Cuban Missile Crisis, but most essays deal with more recent crises. Paperless Textbook: $14.95 257K ZIP 315K ARC Number: 280 Sampler Name: TEATSAMP.ARC TITLE: THE GLASS TEAT: Essays of opinion on the subject of television, by Harlan Ellison, (c) 1983 and published by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. The book Spiro Agnew tried to kill! Fifty-two incisive and insightful essays from Ellison's LA Free Press column from 1968-70. Most are still valid today, with just a change to TV show titles or politicians' names. Some are outright chilling in a two decade retrospect. "THE GLASS TEAT can be called nothing less than a remarkable book..." --Walter Cronkite A SoftServ Exclusive. $2.50 209K STOMPed 270K ZIPped 322K ARCed Number: 277 Sampler Name: PAINSAMP.ARC TITLE: PAINGOD AND OTHER DELUSIONS, short stories by Harlan Ellison, (c) 1983 and published by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. Passion is the keynote as you encounter: the Harlequin and his nemesis, the dreaded Ticktockman, in one of the most reprinted and widely taught stories in the English language; a psychotic who creates fire merely by willing it; the last surgeon in a world of robot physicians; a spaceship filled with hideous mutants rejected by the world that gave them birth. "This book is raw corn liquor..." --Robert A. Heinlein A SoftServ Exclusive. $2.50 138K STOMPed 174K ZIPped 210K ARCed NOTE: Be sure to check with SoftServ before ordering anything. Their catalog, and prices, will certainly change over time. #:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:# # MURDER BY THE BOOK # #:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:# editor: Cindy Bartorillo --------------------------------------------------------------------- Murder By The Book is a division of Reading For Pleasure, published bimonthly. This material is NOT COPYRIGHTED and may be used freely by all. Catalogs, news releases, review copies, or donated reviews should be sent to: Reading For Pleasure, 103 Baughman's Lane, Suite 303, Frederick, MD 21702. --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE SHAPE OF DREAD by Marcia Muller (1989, Mysterious Press) review by Cindy Sharon McCone has another tough job. She must find new evidence to help the appeal of convicted murderer Bobby Foster, who supposedly killed up-and-coming stand-up comic Tracy Kostakos two years previously, and was convicted despite the lack of a body. McCone finds that several people close to Tracy really believe that the comedienne is still alive. Is she? And what was she really like? Was she the paragon of daughterly virtues that her mother describes? Or was she the tough, ambitious performer that her colleagues knew? The most fascinating part of THE SHAPE OF DREAD is the slowly-revealed character of Tracy Kostakos and the reflection of her in the people left behind. Her mother is mentally unravelling while waiting for her daughter to return, and her father turns out to be a nice person whom McCone starts seeing romantically. Several people benefit by Tracy's death/disappearance: Her roommate, Amy Barbour, gets sole occupancy of an apartment she could never afford on her own. Her chubby boyfriend, Marc Emmons, replaces her as headliner at Cafe Comedie. Cafe Comedie owner, Jay Larkey, had been linked with Tracy romantically and might have gotten rid of her to save his wounded pride. Larkey's partner, Rob Soriano, is a mysterious figure in dark glasses, with a wife who is obviously much-taken with Jay. And there's Lisa McIntyre, lesbian waitress at the Cafe whose private life showed up in one of Tracy's last comedy routines, and who disappeared at exactly the same time as Tracy. And let's not forget Bobby Foster, parking attendant at the Cafe, whose fingerprints (along with Tracy's) were in a car stolen the night Tracy disappeared, and which was later found with blood on the front seat. Much of the tension in THE SHAPE OF DREAD comes from the uncertainty about Tracy. Is she dead? If she's not dead, where is she? And why would she not come forward when her friend Bobby Foster is convicted of her murder? It's always interesting to have a story closely centered around a character who's not there--remember LAURA? This story is similar in many ways. If I had to make one small complaint, it would be the number of twists at the end. There are about 2 or 3 too many for me--I thought they muddied the story and were difficult to follow closely. But that's a very minor quibble with what is otherwise a first-rate mystery, and an excellent all-around novel. *************************** A FEW HALLOWEEN MYSTERIES Bruce, Leo Death on Allhallowe'en Christie, Agatha Hallowe'en Party Crane, Caroline Trick or Treat Disney, Doris Miles Trick or Treat Esteven, John The Door of Death Hart, Frances Noyes Hide in the Dark Thayer, Lee Hallowe'en Homicide *************************** You say you're tired of the same old thing? One more body in the library, one more obese/one-armed/blind/deaf/homosexual detective and you're going to scream? I hear that what you need is DEADLY SAFARI by first-time author Karin McQuillan. The reviews have been great (Robert B. Parker called it "Brilliant"), and you'll be getting in on the first of a new series character: Jazz Jasper, independent American tour guide in Africa. Best of all, everyone is saying that DEADLY SAFARI is *different*, that McQuillan's ability to evoke her unusual location (she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Africa) is extraordinary. *************************** LISTENING WOMAN by Tony Hillerman (1990, Harper paperback, $4.95) review by Darryl Kenning By my count, this is Tony Hillerman's 11th fiction book. It is another of his beautifully crafted mysteries that skillfully blends the tradition of the Navajo and the classic mystery novel. I think what I like most about Hillerman's work is the way I come away feeling like I have learned something valuable from a national heritage perspective, while being entertained by a master. When you try to figure out the story line, and I admit I don't do very well with this series, you soon realize that your own lack of cultural understanding has gotten in the way. Interestingly enough, I do not resent the author for "fooling" with me like that. At any rate, This is certainly worth getting and reading, whether or not you are normally a mystery buff, this is definitely worth the time and money. THE KENNING RATING..............4 *************************** VOODOO VOLUMES Barrett, Monte Murder at Belle Camille Carr, A.H.Z. Finding Maubee Dickinson, Peter Walking Dead Esteven, John Voodoo Hjortsberg, William Falling Angel Reed, Ishmael Mumbo-Jumbo *************************** DEAD MEN DON'T MARRY by Dorothy Sucher (St. Martin's, 1989) review by Cindy Victor Newman returns home after a 6-week absence to find that a neighbor, a widow who had been a second mother to him, has married while he was gone. Several hours later he learns that she not only got married, but two weeks later died in a freak accident--her car was hit by a train. All signs point to the new husband, who soon disappears. Vic, who, as luck would have it, is a private detective, finds a trail of new brides killed when their car is hit by a train, but the husband proves more difficult to trace. I don't know how this sounds to you, but I thought the plot was terrific. Unfortunately, there were some other elements that I wasn't so thrilled with. The pace was slow, which didn't bother me too much, but the lack of mystery did. There was never any doubt about whodunit or howdunit, and the whydunit wasn't much of a surprise either. Not a bad story, but most people would probably appreciate a bit more mystery in their mystery. Another problem I had was the sex and violence. Hold on before you jump to conclusions: in DEAD MEN DON'T MARRY the problem is not graphic quantities but tone and literary motivation. The sex content was mostly embarrassing and the violence, while offstage, was extremely brutal and rehashed by the lead characters. And none of this was necessary to the plot. S&V is always a matter of personal taste, but don't be surprised if you wince occasionally over this mystery. Dorothy Sucher is definitely an author to watch. She's got a nice handle on plot and as soon as she can incorporate some mystery, and maybe a few red herrings, her books could be special. For you old fogies out there: Sucher's Victor Newman and PI boss Sabina Swift are faintly reminiscent of Donald Lam and Bertha Cool from the books by A.A. Fair (pseudonym of Erle Stanley Gardner). A NICE CLASS OF CORPSE by Simon Brett (Scribner's, 1986) review by Cindy This is the first appearance of Melita Pargeter (MRS, PRESUMED DEAD; RFP #9), a new detecting character by the author of the Charles Paris mysteries. The dust jacket copy says: "Melita's late husband of happy memory and dubious occupation has left her generously supplied with money, jewels, and a mink coat. He's also left her his skeleton keys, a revolver, and an irrepressible curiosity." The story begins as Melita arrives at the Devereux Hotel, a seaside home for those elderly but still active. The Brett humor is evident as the snooty manageress worries whether Melita is the "nice class of person" that she requires. Her worries increase when the day after Melita's arrival one of the other residents dies in a suspicious tumble down the stairs, reaching a climax when the dead woman's jewels turn up missing. After all, it MUST be the stranger amongst them who is guilty. Certainly none of *them* is a thief? Melita manages to deal with these suspicions with wit and humor, but her interest in the situation is aroused, particularly when a second death follows the first. Brett has an eye for quick and (seemingly) effortless characterization, and you'll find several wonderful "types" in A NICE CLASS OF CORPSE. If the mystery isn't one of his best, the characters are so entertaining you won't mind at all. *************************** One of the pleasures of writing detective stories is that there are so many types to choose from: the light-hearted thriller, which is particularly pleasant to do; the intricate detective story with an involved plot which is technically interesting and requires a great deal of work, but is always rewarding; and then what I can only describe as the detective story that has a kind of passion behind it--that passion being to help save innocence. Because it is INNOCENCE that matters, not GUILT. --Agatha Christie *************************** THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY by Kingsley Amis (Mysterious, 1990) review by Cindy This story was printed in a London newspaper (in 1975, I believe) in installments, and readers were asked to submit their own solutions by writing a final installment. All installments are included in this volume from Mysterious Press, along with two endings: the winning entry and Kingsley Amis'. This book is a major example of the theory (or can I say fact?) that authors write specifically for the manner in which the work is to be read--and thus a mystery written to be read in newspaper installments shouldn't be read (or treated) like a novel to be read alone in one sitting. For a regular mystery novel, THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY is skeletal. Characters are set up like chess pieces, clues are presented with great melodrama, and everywhere is the attitude, "There! What can you make of that?" OK, it doesn't stand up as a great novel. But, taken for what it was intended to be, it is a fine mystery novelty. I found it almost painful to not be able to discuss the case with other people--every installment cried out to be chewed over at great length with a group. So my recommendation for THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY comes with this proviso: Do try to read it with someone else. Half the fun will be arguing over the clues. TRIAL BY FURY by E.X. Ferrars (Doubleday, 1989) review by Cindy This novel really surprised me. I was expecting another Cozy mystery (my favorite kind), and indeed, TRIAL BY FURY started out normally. Constance Lawley is a widow living in England. Her son is in New Zealand and her daughter Irene is living (and chanting) with religious oddballs in London. She keeps herself busy by working as a temporary housekeeper, sent to new assignments by Bracklington Helpers. The story begins as Constance accepts a job with Colonel and Mrs. Barrows, who need a housekeeper for a week since Mrs. Barrows, who is 80 years old, is just getting out of the hospital after an appendectomy. They also care for their odd grandson Colin, who is 15 years old but seems much younger. Colin's parents, it is explained, were killed in a car crash when he was a baby. Colin is a difficult child, but he dotes on Conrad Greer, a neighbor and antiques dealer who comes to play chess with him. Now that the stage has been set, the doorbell rings and (guess who?) it's Margot, the Barrows daughter and Colin's mother who (surprise!) wasn't killed in a car crash after all. You see, her baby was Conrad Greer's, but she wanted to marry Kenneth Pauling, so she dumped Colin with her parents and ran off with Pauling. Now, 15 years later, she's changed her mind and run away from him back to her parents, followed closely by the deserted husband who's trying to talk sense to her. This proves to be too much for poor "difficult" Colin, who threatens to kill everyone and runs out. Sound like a typical domestic drama, doesn't it? Just the kind of thing you get so often in Cozy British-drawing-room type mysteries. Imagine my surprise when Constance (remember her, the housekeeper we started with?) returns from shopping to find the drawing room wall-to- wall gore. There's Colonel Barrows, Mrs. Barrows, Margot, and Colin; all shot to death, blood everywhere. The scene is nowhere near as gruesome as many such scenes in modern books and movies, but its appearance here is startling and very effective. TRIAL BY FURY is a very interesting variant on the classic Cozy mystery. *************************** SAY IT WITH WITCHCRAFT Anderson, Paul Murder in Black Letter Bell, Josephine The Upfold Witch Burton, Miles The Secret of High Eldersham Carr, Glyn The Youth Hostel Murders Carvic, Heron Witch Miss Seeton Chesbro, George C. An Affair of Sorcerers Christie, Agatha The Pale Horse Curtis, Peter The Devil's Own Davies, L.P. The Land of Leys Fitzgerald, Nigel Suffer a Witch Hillerman, Tony The Blessing Way Innes, Michael The Daffodil Affair Johnston, Velda The Crystal Cat Murray, Max The Neat Little Corpse Tey, Josephine The Franchise Affair Tourney, Leonard Familiar Spirits Upfield, Arthur W. The Bone is Pointed Watson, Colin Kissing Covens Wetering, Janwillem van de Tumbleweed Woods, Sara They Love Not Poison *************************** HANG THE CONSEQUENCES by M.R.D. Meek (Scribner, 1985) review by Cindy It would seem that the last refuge of the medieval knight's code of honor is the modern private detective. Where else, outside of comedy, do you find a character who will risk life, limb, and career to right a wrong? In HANG THE CONSEQUENCES we meet another brave knight called Lennox Kemp, once a gifted attorney but now reduced to working in McCready's Detective Agency, one of the more seedy examples of the breed. Kemp's former wife, you see, had a gambling problem and, purely to save her reputation, you understand, Kemp raised the cash to pay her debts by stealing from his law firm. Predictably, he was booted out, and is now reduced to working as a private detective. But Kemp's overactive, somewhat illogical, and faintly self-satisfied sense of ethics are as strong as ever, and now he must find the wandering husband of Frances Jessica Moss. An attractive young woman called for him one evening while he was at home with his wife, he went, and he hasn't been seen or heard from since. This is a ordinary beginning to a detective story, but unfortunately the novel quickly becomes a hash of idiocies. Jessica's not telling the entire truth, you see, to save husband Malcolm's sensitivities. Malcolm, of course, isn't telling the truth in order to protect Jessica's innocence. And Kemp must risk his job (tacky though it is) to save the Moss marriage, despite the extraordinary stupidity of the two principals, because, don't you know, Kemp has developed a huge crush on Jessica. HANG THE CONSEQUENCES is an adequate mystery, but the characters are very tiresome. VANE PURSUIT by Charlotte MacLeod (Mysterious Press, 1989) review by Cindy Perhaps I should begin by saying that Charlotte MacLeod deserves her own classification. Her novels are mysteries, yes, but different. You could say they're in the "cozy" sub-category, but that doesn't quite get the distinctive flavor either. How about Mystery Fantasies? Fantastical Mysteries? The point is, you've got to unpack your sense of whimsey and get it all shined up and ready to go or you're not going to get in the MacLeod spirit of things at all. Let's start with Peter Shandy. He's a botany professor at Balaclava College in New England. He's married to Helen, the librarian at the college, who seems to be very tiny and always wear pink. Right now she's working on a research project, compiling information and photographs of the now-antique weathervanes crafted by Praxiteles Lumpkin. The problems begin when she photographs the weathervane on top of the Lumpkin Soap Factory, and within hours someone has torched it. And as soon as the smoke clears it's discovered that the weathervane has vanished! OK, so the fate of the western world isn't hanging in the balance. The attraction of a MacLeod mystery rests with the characters, and with the very unusual element of the fantastical. In VANE PURSUIT, for instance, there is an old woman who lives underground and spends her days reading classical literature sitting in a tree 80 feet off the ground. There's also the whale who rescues the good guys and shipwrecks the bad guys. You really never know exactly WHAT is going to happen in a MacLeod mystery, but that's just the way her fans like it. She is definitely one of a kind. *************************** SATAN WANTS YOU Carr, John Dickson Below Suspicion Christie, Agatha East to Kill Greeley, Andrew M. Happy Are the Meek Hjortsberg, William Falling Angel Mason, A.E.W. The Prisoner in the Opal Perry, Anne Paragon Walk Rendell, Ruth The Killing Doll *************************** THE MOTHER SHADOW by Melodie Johnson Howe (1989, Viking) review by Cindy I usually find that most mysteries today are very well told, the major distinctions being in the area of plot. THE MOTHER SHADOW is an exception, because I enjoyed the mystery very much, but the characterization left me cold. Maggie Hill is a 35-year-old maybe-writer who is currently working as a secretary with computer skills for a temporary employment agency. Her job of the moment is putting Ellis Kenilworth's coin collection into a computer database. Her job, that is, until Ellis changes his will (entrusting the only copy to Maggie), then shoots himself. The new will leaves his $4 million coin collection to a female detective he's never met, Claire Conrad. After Ellis' death, Maggie joins forces with Claire (and Boulton, her butler/chauffeur/bodyguard) to find the new will (now missing) and discover why Ellis killed himself. The first problem for me was that the psychology of the characters was unfortunate. Early in the novel, Maggie enters her employment agency and sees a Mexican woman with a child vainly attempting to get a job. Our heroine immediately assumes the woman is desperate for a job and wonders if the woman has never heard of abortion. That thought cost the character a lot of sympathy throughout the rest of the novel. And later on, as the sexual tension is reaching a feverish pitch between Maggie and Boulton, he responds to a sexual overture from her by assaulting her, scaring her enough that she aims a gun at him, all in the name of teaching her a lesson. Throughout the story Maggie compromises her dignity and her principles, usually with the words, "Oh, hell". And Claire obviously has intelligence confused with rudeness, and her barrage of insults are tiresome. The last problem that I had with THE MOTHER SHADOW was the resolution of the plot. What began so well turns into an unbelievable mush. Just as an example, the solution to the mystery hinges on the assumption that incest is more respectible than having a retarded family member. Readers who don't agree will have difficulty following the complicated twists in the mystery. PAPERBACK THRILLER by Lynn Meyer (1975) review by Cindy The start of this book couldn't be better. Sarah Chayse, M.D., psychiatrist and lead character, is returning home from a conference when she picks up a suitably lurid-looking PAPERBACK THRILLER to read on the plane. Imagine her astonishment as she reads of a psychiatrist's office being broken into, and the detailed description of the office is definitely, no doubt about it, her office! She assumes that her office actually was broken into, and discovers the Truth over the course of 155 pages. Unfortunately, no part of the book satisfies as well as the first few pages--the psychiatric insights of the lead character cause her to vacillate over every small act until the reader no longer cares. Would it be obsessive to make this phone call? Was she overly defensive with her boyfriend? Would it be normal to consider this endless inner dialogue boring? Make the sane choice and go elsewhere for your mystery thrills. A SERIES OF MURDERS by Simon Brett (1989, Scribner's) review by Cindy As A SERIES OF MURDERS opens, we get to contemplate the unusual sight of series regular Charles Paris not only being employed, but having a cushy, well-paid TV role for all six episodes of a new West End Television series called STANISLAS BRAID. For those of you new to the Charles Paris series, he's a middle-aged alcoholic actor who seldom works and is still married to, but doesn't live with, the much-more-mature Frances. Charles drinks much more than he should, makes lots of promises he can't keep, and somehow manages to stumble across murders (and murderers) on a regular basis (which he always solves). The new TV series is based on mystery novels written by W.T. Wintergreen in the 1930s and 1940s. She is still alive, and haunts the set of STANISLAS BRAID with her sister, getting in the way and complaining about every change made in her old books. The cast consists of: Russell Bentley, an aging second-rate actor who plays the master detective, Stanislas Braid; Charles Paris playing the ever-bewildered Sergeant Clump; Jimmy Sheet, former singing sensation, playing the helpful chauffeur, Blodd; and Sippy Stokes, a terrible actress, playing Braid's loving daughter, Christina. Everyone agrees that Sippy Stokes is not only a truly awful, wooden actress, but that she is physically wrong for the part. Christina was written as a blonde, blue-eyed confection, and Sippy is a swarthy, gypsy type. In any case, everyone but the experienced mystery reader is surprised when Sippy turns up dead, apparently killed by falling props. Was it a mercy killing by one of the other actors? Could it have been Tony Rees, the assistant stage manager, who was lurking outside the prop room right before Sippy was found? Or is stage manager Mort Verdon not as congenial as he seems? And why did director Rick Landor cast Sippy in such an inappropriate role? And why did producer Ben Docherty go along with it? And isn't TV writer Will Parton at least partly autobiographical for TV writer/mystery author Simon Brett? As usual, this is more of a Charles Paris novel than a standard mystery. Character creation and interaction is Simon Brett's specialty, and A SERIES OF MURDERS is another enjoyable romp with the slightly sleazy Charles. The psychological motivation of the crimes (yes, Sippy isn't the only casualty) is fascinating, but unfortunately that is completely relegated to the last few pages, during the Ellery Queen-style "explanation" at the tail end. MURDER AT THE CAT SHOW by Marian Babson (1972, St. Martin's Press) review by Cindy Doug Perkins works for the Public Relations firm Perkins & Tate Ltd. and his current assignment is to handle the PR for the "Cats Through the Ages Exhibition". Mrs. Rose Chesne-Malvern is the organizer, and she explains the various exhibitors that will be in the show, the showiest of which will be a life-size statue of Dick Whittington's cat cast in gold (but hollow) by Hugo Verrier. Then there's the largest exhibits, Pyramus and Thisbe, a pair of Sumatran tigers. Among the more normal sized cats there are: Lady Purr-fect, the Perfection Hosiery cat; Mother Brown, whose kittens are in great demand everywhere; Pearlie King, whose biography is selling very well, thank you; Precious Black Jade, the manx with which Marcus Opal hopes to start a cattery; Silver Fur, the star of movies and television; and, Mrs. Chesne-Malvern's own much-neglected Siamese, Pandora. As all of the characters are introduced, animal and human, one thing becomes clear--no one likes Mrs. Chesne-Malvern. So it comes as no real surprise when Pyramus and Thisbe are found munching on her remains one day. But who would go that far to get rid of an irritating woman? Her disenchanted husband Roger? Or possibly Mother Brown's owner, Helena Keswick, who is greatly interested in the disenchanted Roger? It's all great fun, as usual in a Marian Babson mystery, with the whodunit element taking a backseat to the parade of characters, and the backdrop subject. If you've ever lived with a cat, you don't want to miss MURDER AT THE CAT SHOW. TOURISTS ARE FOR TRAPPING by Marian Babson (1989, St. Martin's Press) review by Cindy This is another in Ms. Babson's series of Perkins & Tate mysteries, with Douglas Perkins (and his companion Pandora, acquired in MURDER AT THE CAT SHOW), Gerry Tate, and faithful secretary, Penny. Their Public Relations work for a new tour company, Larkin's Luxury Tours, is facing a crisis. It seems that Tour 79 had one of its members commit suicide while they were in Europe, now the tour is in England and is in pretty sorry shape. Half of the remaining members want to call off the rest of the tour, with 2 weeks left, and get a refund for their unused portion (a refund the newly started tour company can ill afford). Trouble is, the touring Americans are so dismal that Douglas Perkins decides he wants to see them leave, even if it means that Larkin's Luxury Tours won't be paying his bill. Before Douglas can get Tour 79 sent home, he is told that the suicide's death wasn't suicide at all---it was murder. And on top of that, still another member of the tour is now missing. TOURISTS ARE FOR TRAPPING is another fast read from Marian Babson, this time with a slightly disconcerting thud at the end. It's not that the solution is insufficiently explained, or is unsatisfying. It's just that I'm used to a bit of debriefing at the end---a short conversation rehashing the clues, a flippant joke, etc. In this volume, our discovery of the murderer is followed by a period and a lot of blank space. Even so, it's an enjoyable, fast-paced mystery (and we discover that in England cats are allowed to accompany people into pubs and onto public buses). A MOUTHFUL OF SAND by M.R.D. Meek (1989, Scribner's) review by Cindy As A MOUTHFUL OF SAND begins, series star Lennox Kemp, lawyer and sometimes sleuth, is approached by wealthy stockbroker Vincent Snape and asked to prepare a comprehensive report on current matrimonial law. Not for himself, you understand. But marriages affect a man's business, you know, and he needs to understand the important legal points in order to be a sharper stockbroker. Yeah, I didn't buy that explanation either. But the money was good, and the job was easy, so Kemp wrote the report, then went on holiday with girlfriend Penelope Marsden. Coincidentally, they went to Rocksea, where it so happens that Snape's wife, Mirabel, is recovering from some vague nervous disorder. Kemp is soon bewitched by the alluring and mysterious Mirabel, and his girlfriend Penelope is soon sleeping in the second bed. A MOUTHFUL OF SAND is more melodrama than mystery, and the tightly-packed gothic elements would be more enjoyable if they had a firmer foundation. We get alcoholism, adultery, a bodyless head (and, not surprisingly, a headless body), lots of dark-and-stormy nights, and even a fatal boating accident. The lethargic pacing slows the story to a crawl, though, and Wilkie Collins really covered this ground much better in THE WOMAN IN WHITE. HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa a H H THE LAUGH'S ON US a a H HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa Editor: Name Withheld By Request --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Laugh's On Us is a division of Reading For Pleasure, published bimonthly. This material is NOT COPYRIGHTED and may be used freely by all. Catalogs, news releases, review copies, or donated reviews should be sent to: Reading For Pleasure, 103 Baughman's Lane, Suite 303, Frederick, MD 21702. --------------------------------------------------------------------- EXCERPTS FROM: MODERN MANNERS: An Etiquette Book for Rude People by P.J. O'Rourke (Atlantic Monthly, 1989) The world is going to hell. All we can do is look good on the trip. How much better history would have turned out if the Nazis had been socially correct instead of true to their hideous theories. They never would have shipped all those people to concentration camps in boxcars. They would have sent limousines to pick them up. The one thing that can be safely said about the great majority of people is that we don't want them around. Having children is impolite. It imposes on the peace and quiet of others and leaves you with less time for that key component of courtesy, being nice to yourself. But rude things do happen. In fact they're happening at a horrific rate because the generation that refused to grow up has finally spawned, resulting in BABY BOOM II-- THE TERROR CONTINUES. Suddenly there are millions of children all over the place, all of them named Jason and Rachel. Men have children to prove they aren't impotent, or at least that some of their friends aren't. And women have children because no modern woman should reach the age of forty-five without an excuse for failing in her career. ANGUISHED ENGLISH by Richard Lederer (1987) This book is a few years old, but it's a classic and is still being reprinted, so you shouldn't have much trouble finding it. There's a Dell paperback of it for $5.95 in my bookstore right now. The entire volume is dedicated to the principle that when Americans try to speak their native language, the result can be pretty funny. For instance, teachers have preserved some of the more memorable excerpts from their students' papers, like: "The Gorgons had long snakes in their hair. They looked like women, only more horrible." "Last year many lives were caused by accidents." There are examples of the notes students have brought to school from their parents, as in: "Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very loose vowels." And pieces of court transcripts: "Q. Mrs. Smith, you do believe that you are emotionally unstable? A. I used to be. Q. How many times have you committed suicide? A. Four times." "Q. Mrs. Jones, is your appearance this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney? A. No. This is how I dress when I go to work." And the notes that people write on accident reports: "I had been learning to drive with power steering. I turned the wheel to what I thought was enough and found myself in a different direction going the opposite way." Here are a few of my favorite examples of classified ads: "Tired of cleaning yourself? Let me do it." "Used Cars: Why go elsewhere to be cheated? Come here first!" "Dog for sale: eats anything and is fond of children." There are funny signs: "(In the offices of a loan company): Ask about our plans for owning your home." "(In a Pennsylvania cemetery): Persons are prohibited from picking flowers from any but their own graves." And funny headlines: IKE SAYS NIXON CAN'T STAND PAT WAR DIMS HOPE FOR PEACE 20-YEAR FRIENDSHIP ENDS AT ALTAR Well, you get the idea. RFP rates ANGUISHED ENGLISH required reading. Keep it handy for life's grimmer moments (like right after watching THIRTYSOMETHING). =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= BACK ISSUES ELECTRONIC EDITION: Check the BBSs in the Distribution Directory first. If what you want isn't available, you can get any (or all) issues directly from RFP. Disks you get from us will be formatted using PC/MS-DOS (for IBM clones). Specify 3-1/2" or 5-1/4" floppy, high or low density. Send $5 for one disk's worth (4 issues in low density, all issues in high density), and add $2.50 for each additional disk. PRINT EDITION: We have print copies of all issues except #1 and #2. Send $1.50 for each issue. Checks: Make checks payable to Cindy Bartorillo. Address: Reading For Pleasure, 103 Baughman's Lane, Suite 303, Frederick, MD 21702. On CompuServe leave a message to 74766,1206. On GEnie leave a message to C.BARTORILLO. Best of all, call our BBS, The Baudline II at 301-694-7108 (1200-9600 baud HST) where all RFPs are available for downloading on your first call. ISSUES AVAILABLE: #1: Premier issue: 1988 World Fantasy Awards; Books I'm Supposed to Like, But Don't; Pronunciation Guide to Author's Names; Christie Characters on Film; Featured Author: Richard Matheson; Baseball & Cricket Mysteries; Stephen King Checklist; Time Travel Books #2: Summer Reading Issue: Award Winners & Nominees; Beach Bag Books; Featured Author: Stanley Ellin; Splatterpunk; Murderous Vacations; The Psychology of Everyday Things; The Shining; SF Fan-Lingo; Pseudonyms #3: Books About Books Issue: Two-Bit Culture; Christopher Morley; 84 Charing Cross Road; Assorted References; Bibliomysteries; Deep Quarry; Featured Author: Harlan Ellison #4: Hollywood Issue: Recent Awards; About Hollywood; Silver Scream; Death of a Salesman; Joe Bob Briggs; The Hollywood Mystery; Featured Author: Fredric Brown; The Dark Fantastic; Darryl Kenning Reviews #5: Halloween Issue: Hugo Awards; Year's Best Horror Stories XVII; Tracy Kidder; Supernatural Mysteries; Thomas Harris; Falling Angel Heart; Ray Garton; New From Underwood-Miller; Featured Author: Robert R. McCammon; The Modern Halloween Shelf; Darryl Kenning Reviews; The Ultimate Stephen King Character Quiz #6: Computers & Robots Issue: 1989 World Fantasy Award Nominations; Donald M. Grant, Publisher; Cyberpunk & Neuromancer; Computer Books; Digital Delights; Nightmare On Elm Street, The Comic; Banned Books; Featured Author: Josephine Tey; Mystery Terminology; Darryl Kenning Reviews; Books On A Chip; New From Carroll & Graf; Computer Cowboy Reading; and the usual #7: Happy Holidays Issue: New From Carroll & Graf; Featured Author: Charles Dickens; A Christmas Carol; Religious Reading; An Incomplete Education; Great Endings; New From Simon & Schuster; New From Underwood-Miller; Christmas Mysteries and Other Yuletide Reading; On Line With Steve Gerber; The Last Christmas Trivia Quiz; and the usual #8: True Crime Issue: New Age Books; Amazing Stories; True Crim in Paperback; Steve Gerber; Bluffers Guides; The Onion Field; Mysterious Press; Lizzie Borden; John E. Stith; Darryl Kenning; Bestselling Children's Books; Awards; Carroll & Graf; and more #9: Time Travel Issue: Bestsellers of the Christmas Season; Obscenity Ruling Reversed; The Turner Tomorrow Awards; Roc Books; Carroll & Graf; Meadowbrook; Time Passes For Baby Boomers; Darryl Kenning; Time Travel Reading List; Simon & Schuster; Featured Author: Jack Finney; Reviews; and all the usual #10: Earth Day Issue: Environmental Reading; Featured Author: Thomas Berger; reviews by Darryl Kenning, Robert A. Pittman, Fred L. Drake, Jr., Ollie McKagen; Book lists: The Civil War, India, The Middle Ages; Sharing The Wealth; My Favorite Books of 1989; and the usual. Supplemental Issue #1: Baseball Books of Spring 1990. Distributed along with #10. #11: Magazines: Special Coverage of Magazines; Featured Author: Dean R. Koontz; reviews by Darryl Kenning, Fred L. Drake, Jr., Cherie Jung; Rotten Rejections; Bram Stoker Awards Nominations; Recent Releases. #12: Featured Authors: George Alec Effinger and Evan Hunter (aka Ed McBain), with bibliographies; reviews by Cherie Jung, Sue Feder, Robert A. Pittman. This is our first mini-mag issue, with separate sections devoted to Science Fiction, Mystery, Horror, and Humor. #13: Halloween 1990 Issue: Featured Author: Dan Simmons (including bibliography and interview); The Brains of Rats; SoftServ Books on Disk; Sand Castles: Step-by-Step; Self-University; Mysteries for Halloween; Loosen Your Grip on Reality (our SF&F section); and lots of news and reviews. #14: Christmas 1990 Issue: Coming December 1, 1990. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=