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************************************************************** * * * R E A D I N G F O R P L E A S U R E * * * * Issue #20 * * December 1991 / January 1992 * * * * * * Editor: Cindy Bartorillo * * * * Reviews by: Cindy & Drew Bartorillo, Dan Ellis, Howard * * Frye, Carl Ingram, Darryl Kenning, Janet Peters, * * Robert Pittman, Peter Quint, Carol Sheffert, Annie * * Wilkes * * * ************************************************************** CONTACT US AT: Reading For Pleasure, 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. This electronic edition is free, but print editions cost $2 each for printing and postage. ************************** ~ 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. Academia Pomono, NJ Ken Tompkins 609-652-4914 Accolade! BBS Round Rock,TX Jack Moore 512-388-1445 Ad Lib Monroeville,PA John Williams 412-327-9209 Alexandria Link Alexandria,VA Patrick Pluto 703-799-5650 The Annex Dayton,OH John Cooper 513-274-0821 The BBS News Dayton,OH Michael Hess 513-835-3106 Beginnings BBS Levittown,NY Mike Coticchio 516-796-7296 Boot Strap OnLine Yuma, AZ Daryl Stogner 602-343-0878 Burg Board System Amarillo,TX Tom Whittenburg 806-352-5784 Checkpoint El Cajon,CA 619-442-3595 Chevy Chase Board Alexandria,VA Larkins/Carlson 703-549-5574 City People BBS New York,NY Barry Weiser 212-255-6656 Computer Co-Op Voorhees,NJ Ted Hare 609-784-9404 CyberSpace BBS Seattle,WA Michael Brunk 206-248-7647 Daily Planet Owosso,MI Jay Stark 517-723-4613 Del Ches Systems Exton,PA Peter Rucci 215-363-6625 Diversified Prog PacPalisadesCA Jean-Pierre Denis 213-459-6053 Dorsai Diplomatic Mission NYC Jack Brooks 212-431-1944 Floating Pancreas Miami, FL Majestic Cockster 305-551-0311 Futzer Avenue Issaquah,WA Stan Symms 206-391-2339 GEnieUsers GEnie Library #8 The Godfather BBS Tampa,FL Sharrer & Webster 813-289-3314 HotTips BBS Glendale, CA Mike Callaghan 818-248-3088 Humanware BBS New York Jim Freund 212-980-3128 IBMNew CompuServe Library #0 INDY-PC BBS Indianapolis Mark Dutton 317-257-5882 Inn on the Park Scottsdale,AZ Jim Jusko 602-957-0631 Invention Factory New York,NY Mike Sussell 212-431-1273 Ivory Tower Manchester,CT Karl Hakmiller 203-649-5611 J.E.T.S. RBBS-PC Philadelphia,PA 215-955-7503 KCSS BBS Seattle,WA Bob Neddo 206-296-5277 ()Lensman() BBS Denver,CO Greg Bradt 303-979-8953 Lost Paradise Mike King 703-370-7795 Magnetic Bottle Pennsylvania Bill Mertens 814-231-1345 Magpie HQ New York,NY Steve Manes 212-420-0527 MCS BBS Centerville,OH Darryl Kenning 513-434-8355 The MOG-UR'S EMS GranadaHills,CA Tom Tcimpidis 818-366-6442 MSU Library BBS St. Paul,MN Dana Noonan 612-722-9257 Online! BBS Roanoke,VA Craig Slomczewski 703-774-0842 The Rib 'n' Rail Ontario,CANADA David Logan 519-264-2919 Round Table BBS Chicago,IL Kevin Keyser 312-777-9480 Sabaline Don Saba 619-692-1961 Science Fiction RT GEnie Library #3 SF & Fantasy CIS Hom-9 Library #5 SMOF-BBS Austin,TX Earl Cooley 512-467-7317 SoftServ Long Beach,CA J. Neil Schulman 213-957-1176 SunShine PCBoard PembrokePines,FL Michele Hamilton 305-432-2223 Sunwise Sun City W.,AZ Keith Slater 602-584-7395 Technoids Anon. Chandler,AZ David Cantere 602-899-4876 The Underground BBS Fort Wayne,IN Don McClain 219-456-6151 The Windows BBS John Champion 804-766-0553 Writers Happy Hr Seattle,WA Walter Scott 206-364-2139 Xevious Framingham,MA Nels Anderson 508-875-3618 Your Place Fairfax,VA Ken Goosens 703-978-6360 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) NOTE: Back issues on CompuServe may have been moved to a different library. ************************** Table of Contents Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Publishers Weekly All-Time First Fiction Bestsellers . . . . 161 The Phenomenon of SCARLETT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Mainstream Fiction Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 Murder By The Book (Mystery Reviews) . . . . . . . . . . . . 917 Loosen Your Grip On Reality (SF & Fantasy Reviews) . . . . . 1785 Frightful Fiction (Horror Reviews) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2851 Nonfiction Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3463 ************************** ~ EDITORIAL Here we are, back again with another huge issue full of reading material of all kinds. We try to include the best recent, and not so recent, books, and we give preferential treatment to books that you wouldn't be likely to hear about otherwise. In the pages/screens of RFP you'll find reviews, publisher's blurbs, and cover copy, of some of the most interesting material we've found over the past two months. Maybe a word about RFP's financial situation would be in order here. As mentioned before, RFP is a labor of love by readers and for readers. We keep our ear to the ground, haunt our local bookstores, and pour through the latest literary journals looking for hidden treasure. And, of course, we read. But all of this we would be doing anyway, and we try to keep the overhead administrative work to a minimum. In return, we give the electronic edition away freely, and charge $2 per issue for the print edition to help cover printing and mailing. We lose a few bucks on each issue, but not enough to really complain about. Thus, RFP is a not-for-profit concern. Or is the term nonprofit? Or how about profitless? Whatever you call it, more money goes out than comes in, and everyone here has donated their time and effort. All of this is a long-winded way of explaining why we appreciate a little financial consideration from RFP readers. If you'd like a mailed answer to a question, please include a stamped self-addressed envelope. And please don't ask for copies of RFP "on spec" or whatever. The money you send is what we give the post office for the mailing--if you don't send any money, the post office won't deliver anything. One more thing: We occasionally have technical difficulties with electronic mail. Like our software downloads it then trashes it without showing it to us first. Or sometimes the electronic service that holds our mail gets rid of it before we get it. Whatever. For that reason, I like to announce periodically that we are completely caught up on our correspondence here at RFP. If you've been waiting for a response to something, and you're still waiting, we probably didn't get your letter. Please try again. All of us here at RFP hope you and yours have a very happy and safe holidays. Don't forget that books make excellent gifts. And happy reading... ************************** ~ PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ALL-TIME FIRST FICTION BESTSELLERS (1945 to the Present) The following list represents the top-selling first fictional books, according to hardcover sales only. 1. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach (1970; Macmillan; 1,400,000) 2. Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor (1985; Viking; 1,386,000) 3. The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe (1987; Farrar, Straus & Giroux; 745,321) 4. Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow (1987; Farrar, Straus & Giroux; 712,490) 5. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (1977; Harper & Row; 675,513) 6. Contact by Carl Sagan (1985; Simon & Schuster; 475,000) 7. The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy (1985; Naval Institute Press; 438,159) 8. Love Story by Erich Segal (1970; Harper & Row; 432,532) 9. The Miracle of the Bells by Russell Janney (1946; Prentice-Hall; 400,000) 10. Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann (1966; Bernard Geis; 360,000) 11. Prime Time by Joan Collins (1988; Simon & Schuster; 327,000) 12. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (1983; Harcourt Brace Jovanovich; 305,749) 13. Watership Down by Richard Adams (1974; Macmillan; 305,000) 14. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (1989; Putnam; 277,365) 15. Peyton Place by Grace Metalious (1956; Messner; 250,000) 16. From Here to Eternity by James Jones (1951; Scribners; 240,000) 17. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel (1980; Crown; 230,000) 18. Two from Galilee by Marjorie Holmes (1972; Revell; 225,000) 19. Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman (1965; Prentice-Hall; 223,000) 20. Jaws by Peter Benchley (1974; Doubleday; 222,000) ************************** ~ THE PHENOMENON OF "SCARLETT" SCARLETT, Alexandra Ripley's sequel to Margaret Mitchell's GONE WITH THE WIND, is a monster hit. Its publisher, Warner Books, estimates that 500,000 copies were sold in the U.S. in just the first week. The new #1 fiction bestseller has even revived interest in the original: GONE WITH THE WIND is back on the Publishers Weekly bestseller list (#12 as I write this) for the first time in over 50 years. Now we hear that CBS and a consortium of American and European investors has paid nearly $10 million for the film rights. Before this, the highest price paid for screen rights was about $2.5 million, which went to THY NEIGHBOR'S WIFE by Gay Talese, which was, by the way, never filmed. The SCARLETT deal covers American television rights and TV and film rights abroad (also videocassette and video disk rights). Author Ripley will also receive a percentage of the profits of the 8-hour-minimum CBS miniseries, though she is NOT writing the screenplay. The miniseries may be released as a feature film abroad. SCARLETT will also be appearing (abridged) in your local bookstores in audio cassette form, just in time for Christmas. Simon & Schuster paid $150,000 for the audio rights. Warner Books will probably be releasing SCARLETT in a paperback edition in 1992, and don't be surprised if they also put out another TV tie-in edition in 1993 when the CBS miniseries is scheduled. Those involved will certainly be trying to turn the casting of the SCARLETT miniseries into a media circus comparable to that which preceded the making of GONE WITH THE WIND. We have heard that they are looking for an unknown actress to play Scarlett and an established actor to play Rhett Butler. ************************** "Editors are now as obsolete as the hand-crank telephone. Almost all the people with experience in editing have had to go freelance. They've been replaced by people with the title of editor whose real skills and experience were gained in sales, marketing or promotion. Books have become products, like cereal or perfume or deodorant." ---Alexandra Ripley (author of SCARLETT) ************************** ~MAINSTREAM FICTION: ^ GLASS MOUNTAIN by Cynthia Voigt (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991, $19.95, ISBN 0-15-135825-7) review by Carol Sheffert When it's springtime in New York, the upper class comes out to play. There's the exceedingly wealthy Theo, juggling his parents, social engagements, and a vast array of beautiful women. And Gregor, Theo's manservant, unusually intelligent and well-read (he reacts to crisis and depression by reading through Dickens, from PICKWICK PAPERS to THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD), whose carefully chosen words form the backbone of this delightful comedy of manners. And let's not forget the women of GLASS MOUNTAIN: Sarah, Theo's sister, whose heart leads her astray; Prune, the wealthy woman chosen to be Theo's wife; and the very rich mystery woman being ever-so-carefully wooed by Gregor. GLASS MOUNTAIN is a literate, sophisticated comedy, a modern version of a Noel Coward play. The sparkling dialogue, the intricate love lives of the characters, the suspense--it all adds up to a delightful read that, even at 288 pages, is over far too soon. Will Theo actually marry Prune? Will Gregor win the mystery woman? When will the mystery woman discover that Gregor is not the wealthy man of leisure he seems to be? Will Sarah ever be happy? GLASS MOUNTAIN is irresistible, a rare and sophisticated comedy from Cynthia Voigt, who has previously been known for her young-adult fiction. ************************** ^ RAY BRADBURY ON STAGE: A Chrestomathy of His Plays by Ray Bradbury (Primus, November 1991, $12.95, ISBN 1-55611-305-6) review by Howard Frye Ray Bradbury, one of America's most treasured authors, has written novels and short stories, as well as dramas for television, radio, theater, and film. Eleven of his best-known plays, out of print for more than a decade, are brought together in RAY BRADBURY ON STAGE. Originally published in three separate volumes: THE ANTHEM SPRINTERS AND OTHER ANTICS is from the time he was living in Ireland and writing the screenplay for MOBY DICK, while THE WONDERFUL ICE CREAM SUIT AND OTHER PLAYS--as well as PILLAR OF FIRE AND OTHER PLAYS--are more recent, and the plays tend toward his more futuristic fiction. Three of the plays were produced on USA Network's RAY BRADBURY THEATRE. The plays include: Pillar of Fire, Kaleidoscope, The Fog Horn, The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, The Veldt, To the Chicago Abyss, The Anthem Sprinters, The Great Collision of Monday Last, The First Night of Lent, A Clear View of an Irish Mist, The Queen's Own Evaders. RAY BRADBURY ON STAGE is an important, and enjoyable, addition to your Bradbury shelf. ************************** ^ PLUM'S PEACHES by P.G. Wodehouse, edited by D.R. Bensen (International Polygonics, 1991, $21.95, ISBN 1-55882-100-7) commentary from the publisher Think of Wodehouse and you think of Jeeves and Bertie Wooster, of Lord Emsworth, of Psmith, of Ukridge, of Mr. Mulliner, true enough. But, when you come down to it, what motivates these worthies (and unworthies)? Running after them, running from them, wooing them, placating them, rescuing them, being rescued by them--whenever a Wodehouse male goes into high gear, it's almost always something to do with a woman, and probably one too good for him at that. Pelhem Grenville (Plum) Wodehouse's work displays both a high respect and keen relish for women--from demure damsels to frenzied flappers, his female characters are usually saner than his men (which isn't saying much). Here is an orchard of Wodehouse peaches (and a lemon or two): fourteen short stories featuring the outrageous Bobbie Wickham, the three ex-wives of millionaire Vincent Jopp, the extortionate Vera Prebble, the near-lethal Celia Tennant, the abundantly ripe Maudie Wilberforce, Cleapatra herself reincarnate in Cora McGuffy Spottsworth, and a basketful more. For those for whom romance is not enough, the stories provide useful instruction on how to avoid dealing with fiery dragons, the consequences of multiple concurrent engagements, weight-loss and beauty tips, how to brain a fiance, the perils of ambience, a sure-fire method for establishing a film career and detailed instructions on imitating a hen laying an egg (a personal fowl). Who could ask for more--if indeed as much? ************************** ^ MAMISTA by Len Deighton (HarperCollins, 1991) review by Robert Pittman MAMISTA is the acronym for Movimiento de Accion Marxista, a revolutionary group, competing with two other Marxist groups against the established dictatorship for the control of Spanish Guiana in South America. It is a four-way den of thieves fighting with each other, and around them, a muddled and befuddled mass of population trying to subsist and function in this society of conflict. Also present is the U.S. Government and a special interest group from England, both trying to advance their own agendas through opportunities provided in the turmoil and confusion of the moment. Len Deighton, like many other writers of stories that concentrate on spying and espionage, has found the drug trade to be the theme which provides the thrills and chills that more recently arose from actions situated around East/West cold war subjects. The new setting is still populated with the usual cast of characters. There is a despotic and brutal government ruling over the citizens of Spanish Guiana. There is a clever, crude, amoral revolutionary leader. There is a beautiful, young woman, idealistic and dedicated to the revolutionary cause. There is an embittered young man with a privileged background from the U.S. who has joined the rebels as a statement of protest. There is an Australian adventurer and our old friends from the CIA and the White House. The plot concentrates on one of the rebel groups as it seeks to restore its supplies and to find aid and other support that will sustain its fight for dominance and control. A particularly graphic episode in the adventure is a journey through the Guianaian jungle in which the rebels are hampered and beset by almost every imaginable adverse circumstance that Mother Nature has to offer. The entire story vividly demonstrates the brutality and ineptness that goes hand in hand with revolution and the ultimate futility of empty causes. This is not one of Len Deighton's best books, but it is worth reading and does have a fine, surprise ending. ************************** ^ TO LOVE AGAIN by Evelyn Kennedy (Naiad, 1991, $9.95, ISBN 0-941483-85-1) cover copy Author Evelyn Kennedy returns to us...in a new story with all the passion and eroticism of her all-time bestseller, CHERISHED LOVE. Karen Wainwright, married and the mother of two teenagers, reenters the nursing profession by taking a job at a women's clinic. Her first day on the job is unusual, to say the least. Caught in a cross-fire created by anti-abortion forces, she is arrested, along with clinic director Dr. Joanna Jordon, and taken to jail. To the horror of friends and family, Karen's arrest is recorded by television cameras. Quit immediately, orders husband Phillip. But Karen refuses. And so begins her relationship with Joanna... Joanna is undergoing her own conflicts with long-term partner Vicki, who has lost patience with Joanna's pro-choice activism and its perilous presence in their lives. Friendship between Karen and Joanna becomes passionate attraction. But both women have carefully constructed worlds to lose: Joanna her long-term relationship with Vicki, and Karen her home and children. Will Karen and Joanna find the courage TO LOVE AGAIN? If your local bookstore doesn't have TO LOVE AGAIN, you can order it directly from the publisher by sending the list price, plus 15% for shipping and handling to: The Naiad Press Inc., PO Box 10543, Tallahassee, FL 32302. Or get your credit card and call 1-800-533-1973. ************************** ^ THE NEMESIS MISSION by Dean Ing (Tor, November 1991, $19.95, ISBN 0-312-85105-7) commentary from the publisher Unorthodox archeologist Harry Rex Brown (a Mormon with an "Indiana Jones" complex), posing as an anthropologist while illegally collecting samples of Mayan artifacts, is chased by guerillas and buzzed by a strange plane, certainly not a craft belonging to the Mexican Air Force. So begins Dean Ing's new high-tension novel, THE NEMESIS MISSION, which stars an intriguing cast of characters, including the plane itself--an ultra-light, solar-powered, cutting-edge two-person spyplane that can stay aloft for weeks, fly or glide at any altitude, and conduct continuous surveillance undetected. The Nemesis mission is to avert the plan of Colombian druglord Simon Torres (who has moved his operation to Mexico) to smuggle one billion dollars in cash and a planeful of hostages from Las Vegas to Mexico. Unfortunately, the Nemesis crashes in the Mexican jungle and the pilots, Wes Hardin and Colleen Morrison, find themselves caught between a CIA rescue team and the murderous guerillas. Ing also introduces us to bewildered vacationers (who thought they were visiting Mexico to look at condos), FBI agents disguised in double-knit and drag, and mystical Mayans, still honoring their cultural past. RFP NOTE: This one looks like a terrific fast-paced read. ************************** ~BOOKS ON TAPE: ^ LILA: An Inquiry Into Morals by Robert M. Pirsig, read by Will Patton 340 minute abridgment (Bantam Audio, November 1991, $22.50, ISBN 0-553-47021-3 review by Cindy Bartorillo "It's not the nice guys who bring about real social change. Nice guys look nice because they're conforming. It's the bad guys, who only look nice a hundred years later that are the real dynamic force in social evolution." LILA is Robert M. Pirsig's first book since the classic ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE (1974), and is an extension of the earlier book. LILA tells the story of the philosopher/narrator Phaedrus' experiences with a troubled woman named Lila, but this is only a backdrop for his philosophical wanderings. In the course of LILA Phaedrus lays the groundwork for an entire philosophic superstructure that he calls the Metaphysics of Quality, wherein everything is divided into four groups: inorganic, biological, social, and intellectual. Along the way he considers Victorian society, mysticism, anthropology, William James, insanity, religious experience, and above all, Native American culture. LILA is not a breezy read, nor is it an easy listening experience; this is a tape that requires your attention at all times. The ideas, though, are provocative, invigorating, and exciting--LILA is well worth the effort. The reader Will Patton (from the movie NO WAY OUT, and others) has one of my favorite voices, bringing an intensity and enthusiasm to LILA that enhances comprehension. This is an enjoyable and challenging book and tape. -------------------------- ^ THE BIG GARAGE ON CLEAR SHOT written and read by Tom Bodett music by Johnny B. 120 minute unabridged (Bantam Audio, November 1991, $15.99, ISBN 0-553-47014-0) review by Janet Peters Tom Bodett's fictional Alaskan town is called The End of the Road, and The Big Garage is a gathering place for the cast of characters that reside there. This collection of stories considers such subjects as junkyards, fighting, secret fishing holes, romance, and even Ruby McClay's Video Round-up. The author's calm, dry delivery suits the material, and the piano music of Johnny B. sets the tone perfectly. THE BIG GARAGE ON CLEAR SHOT would be particularly of interest to fans of television's NORTHERN EXPOSURE. It has the same dry wit, and the same warm, human quality. -------------------------- ^ THE BURDEN OF PROOF by Scott Turow, read by Grover Gardner (Books On Tape, Inc.) review by Robert Pittman This is a novel of suspense that delves into suicide and deception and the resulting emotional battering and puzzling complexities that descend into the life of Sandy Stern, a skilled, polished, controlled and respected member of the bar. Stern returns home from a short business trip, opens his garage door and finds his wife slumped behind the steering wheel of her car, dead from breathing carbon monoxide. He calls the emergency service, contacts his two daughters and his son and then begins to cope with the shock, grief and guilt that accompanies this suicidal death. In this setting the author begins the creation of his principal character on two levels. The first is Stern as a substantial father figure and prominent lawyer who is authoritative, responsible and knowledgeable. The second is Stern as a man whose comfortable, predictable life has fallen asunder, leaving him confused, apprehensive and tentative almost to the point of inaction in his relationships and the conduct of his daily affairs. He outwardly projects the first personality but inwardly lives as the second. Skillfully using occasional flashbacks as the story unfolds, Scott Turow builds well-developed backgrounds for the principal characters. We learn that Sandy Stern was a young immigrant from Argentina who has won his current prominence in law circles through hard work, dedication and exceptional ability. His wife, Clara, is the offspring of a family long established in the community and socially preeminent. She is well educated, understands her societal and family responsibilities and is confident of her ability to respond to them. At the family gathering in preparation for Clara's funeral, two men from the office of the district attorney visit the home in an attempt to serve a subpoena on Stern's brother-in-law, Dixon Hartnell. Stern has somewhat reluctantly served as Dixon's lawyer for many years and while loyal to his client, is less than enamored with his business ethics and his personal standards of conduct. Dixon owns a large and successful commodity brokerage firm and is frequently in conflict with tax authorities and with the regulatory agencies that deal with this area of business. Two mysteries run simultaneously throughout this novel. One centers on Clara's suicide and the other on the investigation of Dixon's business. At the outset, they are very separate subjects, but as the story moves forward, they become intertwined in curious and surprising ways. As Stern begins looking into the activities of his wife just prior to her death he finds some unusual and unexpected things. She has unpaid and unidentified medical charges of which he was not aware and he finds that her large personal holdings have been reduced by a withdrawal of over $850,000 in the form of a cashier's check: recipient unknown! These discoveries trigger Stern's pilgrimage into the details of her recent past and thus into a morass of activities and relationships that brutally upset his previously held notions and totally unbalance and restrict his usual ability to rationally examine a problem. As he deals with the pain and the puzzle of his wife's demise, he is also attempting to cope with the investigation of Dixon's business. Dixon is a self-serving individual, full of deceit and one who sustains an uncooperative, almost hostile relationship with Stern. Stern's allegiance to Dixon is rooted in professional standards and familial ties, but he has always had difficulty and some aversion to dealing with the man. Dixon is a master of evasion in responding to Stern's attempts to understand the nature of the justice department investigation. He lies, hides information and professes to know of no reason for an investigation of his business. Thus, to Stern falls the task of laboriously extracting the ugly details of Dixon's business affairs. Throughout the story uncertainty plagues Stern. He realizes that the fear of knowing is hampering his ability to ask the right questions and take decisive actions. He fumbles so often in his opportunities to solve his problems that the listener feels a sharp urge to reach in and help him. In the end, though, Stern pulls himself together, resolves the multiple mysteries and learns several good lessons about himself and his family. This is a good story made even better by the excellent reading of Grover Gardner. Mr. Gardner is an experienced reader--one of my catalogs credits him with 69 different titles! He is easy to understand and is skilled at projecting a variety of distinctive characters with just slight changes of tone and accent. THE BURDEN OF PROOF is recorded on 12 one and one-half hour cassettes and is well worth eighteen hours of listening time. -------------------------- ^ THE DECEIVER by Frederick Forsyth, performed by Charles Keating 240-minute abridgment (Bantam Audio, October 1991, $19.99, ISBN 0-553-07319-2) review by Drew Bartorillo For years Sam McCready has served with distinction in Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Now, a top-level decision has been made to eliminate some of the SIS's old-style operatives and McCready has been targeted for "early retirement." As is the SIS's policy, an appeal of the decision is allowed and one of McCready's most determined foes, (and long-time friend) Timothy Edwards, presents McCready's top four cases as evidence that he should not be forced into retirement. One-by-one we hear these four cases as they are presented to the appeal board. These are classic cases, dazzling evidence of McCready's value--or are they damning proof that he, in fact, should be put aside? I was more than a little leery of listening to a cassette version of what is obviously a top-notch spy thriller. Normally these type stories have labyrinthine plots and dozens and dozens of characters. I found, though, that THE DECEIVER was very easy to listen to and very easy to follow. The four McCready cases that are presented in the book are very, very interesting, and I think the first one, about a Russian defector, who McCready believes might actually be double agent, is the best of the lot and extremely well done. My second favorite was about a supposedly "washed up" operative who McCready chooses to take possession of a Russian defense department document. Charles Keating (recently seen in AWAKENINGS) does a masterful job with all the different voices and accents, which made THE DECEIVER more of a performance than a reading. This is a good tape set for long trips or commuter travel. I personally used the tapes to improve one week's commuting to and from work. ************************** ~CHRISTMAS CHEER: ^ MISS READ'S CHRISTMAS by Miss Read (Academy Chicago, October 1991, $18.95, ISBN 0-89733-352-7) review by Janet Peters Dora Jessie Saint has been writing timeless tales of English country village life under the name Miss Read for over 35 years. Her stories are full of old-fashioned values, tiny cottages, spinster ladies, high-spirited children, homemade happiness, and lots of good food. MISS READ'S CHRISTMAS brings together in one attractively-bound volume two of her yuletide stories, "Village Christmas" and "The Christmas Mouse". In the first, spinster sisters Margaret and Mary have a very special holiday with their annoying new neighbors, and in the second elderly Mrs. Berry receives two visitations on Christmas Eve night, neither one bearing the slightest resemblance to anything thought of by Charles Dickens. Both are delightful, and deserve a place alongside our other Christmas classics like A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS and A CHRISTMAS CAROL. MISS READ'S CHRISTMAS is recommended holiday reading for the whole family. If your local bookstore can't get MISS READ'S CHRISTMAS for you, you can contact the publisher at: Academy Chicago, 213 West Institute Place, Chicago, IL 60610. ************************** ^ THE ANNOTATED NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS edited, with an Introduction and notes, by Martin Gardner (Summit Books, October 1991, $20.00, ISBN 0-671-70839-2) review by Cindy Bartorillo I have never seen, or even heard of, so many versions of A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS, and can't imagine how Martin Gardner managed to hunt down all of them. In any case, they're a lot of fun, and with Gardner's interesting commentary, beautiful illustrations, all nicely bound by Summit Books, THE ANNOTATED NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS makes a wonderful gift for the whole family. Martin Gardner begins by giving the history of the poem, it's author Clement C. Moore, Santa Claus himself, as well as the history of Christmas. Chapter 2 contains the complete text of Moore's famous poem, and Chapters 3 through 10 collect all the parodies, sequels, and other related material. The book ends with a chapter on Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer and a lovely G.K. Chesterton piece, "A Shop of Ghosts". Among the texts you'll find poems about the Night After Christmas: 'Twas the night after Christmas, and boy, what a house! I felt like the devil, and so did the spouse. There are parodies that involve someone other than Santa, such as "A Visit From St. Nicholson" by Bob Rivers, Dennis Amero, and Brian Silva, which includes a longish monologue that is just perfect for all Jack Nicholson impersonators. Computers show up in quite a few of the poems, like "A Visit From Saint Woz" by Marty Knight, and even a piece called "The Worm Before Christmas by Clement C. Morris-- I unplugged the net, and was turning around, When the worm-ridden system went down with a bound. There are parodies by Frank Jacobs from MAD magazine, parodies written for special groups, and parodies in dialect, such as "Cajun Night Before Christmas by J.B. Kling, Jr. Den out on de by-you Dey got such a clatter Make soun' like old Boudreau Done fall off his ladder. This year, why get stuck with the same old poem when there are so many variants to choose from? Just imagine the looks you'll get when your family and friends hear your rendition of "The Booze Before Christmas" My houseguests had long since been poured in their beds, To wake in the morning with hungover heads. ************************** ^ THE FATHER CHRISTMAS LETTERS by J.R.R. Tolkien (Houghton Mifflin, 1976, $10.95, ISBN 0-395-59698-X) cover copy Every Christmas J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of THE HOBBIT and the enchanted world of Middle-earth, sent his children a letter from Father Christmas--handwritten, illustrated, even with a North Pole stamp. This collection is filled with wonderful tales about life at the North Pole, enchanted by Tolkien's delightful watercolors and fantastical drawings. RFP NOTE: A colorful, magical Christmas book by one of the greatest imaginative writers of all time. ************************** ~ CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH BANTAM AUDIO commentary from the publisher ^ A TREASURY OF CHRISTMAS STORIES AND POEMS 60-minute performance by Jane Alexander (Bantam Audio, $9.99, ISBN 0-553-45145-6) In a unique listening experience the entire family can enjoy, actress Jane Alexander reads traditional Christmas tales and poems handed down from generation to generation to guarantee the perfect holiday. From O. Henry's poignant tale of love "The Gift of the Magi", to Hans Christian Anderson's "The Fir Tree" as well as stirring renditions of our best-loved carols, this treasury is brimming with Christmas cheer. This audio tape brings all the warmth and wonder of the season into your home and will be cherished by parents and children alike. ************************** ^ A CELEBRATION OF HANUKKAH 40-minute performance by Hal Linden (Bantam Audio, $9.99, ISBN 0-553-45147-2) Every year families gather to commemorate the brave heroes of Hanukkah and the miracle of the light. Here at last is an audio collection that brings all the heritage and tradition of one of Judaism's most joyous holidays into your home. A CELEBRATION OF HANUKKAH, performed by Hal Linden, is a powerful retelling of the stories of Judah Macabee's courage and Judith's wisdom. Hal Linden also tells listeners the meanings and folktales behind such Hanukkah symbols as the menorah, the dreidel, and Hanukkah gelt. And finally, the whole family will want to join Linden in singing such beloved Hebrew and Yiddish songs of the season as "Rock of Ages" and "Dreidel", specially arranged and produced for this collection. This heartwarming audio celebration will be enjoyed by all ages throughout the eight days of the Festival of Lights and for years to come. ************************** ^ A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens 60-minute abridgment performed by Sir John Gielgud (Bantam Audio, $9.99, ISBN 0-553-45146-4) Sir John Gielgud's dramatic reading of an abridgment of this holiday classic brings Dickens's memorable characters to life. The tale of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge, humble Bob Cratchit, and beloved Tiny Tim has taken a special place in the heart of everyone's holiday tradition. This timeless delight of the most famous celebration of Christmas and family love shows us the nature of true charity, the power of tenderness, and the wisdom of innocence in a coldhearted world that will be enjoyed over and over again by listeners of all ages. Charles Dickens's classic tale, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, performed by Sir John Gielgud. For added shared family pleasure, this audio is packaged with a free copy of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. ************************** ~FOR YOUNGER READERS: ^ QUILL'S ADVENTURES IN THE GREAT BEYOND by John Waddington-Feather, illustrated by Doreen Edmond ages 8 and up (John Muir, 1991, $5.95, ISBN 1-56261-015-5) review by Cindy Bartorillo "You would have thought they'd have seen what was happening long before it took place and taken steps to do something about it," Quill said. "They were--and still are--too greedy. They'd rather live in squalor than make their country beautiful again, as long as their pockets are full. Their land is a shambles now--a wasteland. That's how it got its name. I've never been there, but I'm told the whole place is derelict--acres and acres of slum houses and poisoned land." "And now they've come to the Great Beyond," said Quill sadly. It's spring and Quill Hedgehog is ready for an adventure. He decides to ignore Kraken's warnings and take a trip into the Great Beyond, a strange and mysterious land over the mountains that border Domusland. On the way he meets Horatio Fitzworthy, a cat with deep secrets and a similar taste for adventure. Quill discovers that Horatio is originally from the Great Beyond, and was the lord of Fitzworthy Castle until his unscrupulous lawyer Mungo Brown took over and declared himself President. Mungo then began making financially advantageous deals with the Wastelanders, rats from beyond who had polluted their own territory until it was barely habitable, and who needed new land to plunder. Soon the Great Beyond was dotted with factories belching horrid smoke into the air, and the Wastelanders were destroying wilderness to make room for slum housing. Horatio has decided to take back his Castle, free the citizens of the Great Beyond, and expel the hated Wastelanders (and Mungo Brown too), or die in the attempt. And Quill decides to help Horatio. Their adventures are both comical and thrilling, and QUILL'S ADVENTURES IN THE GREAT BEYOND is a great read for all ages. QUILL'S ADVENTURES IN THE GREAT BEYOND is Book One in a series of "green fiction", featuring Quill Hedgehog--a dedicated environmentalist--and his animalfolk friends. They were first published in England by author, the Reverend John Waddington-Feather, an Anglican priest with three daughters for whom the tales were created. The books were nominated for the Library Association's Carnegie Medal in 1988 by England's Youth Libraries Group. John Muir Publications also has Book Two: QUILL'S ADVENTURES IN WASTELAND ($5.95, ISBN 1-56261-016-3) and Book Three: QUILL'S ADVENTURES IN GROZZIELAND ($5.95, ISBN 1-56261-017-1). You can get QUILL'S ADVENTURES from your local bookstore, or by sending the list price, plus shipping and handling ($2.75 for the first book and $.50 for each book thereafter) to: John Muir Publications, PO Box 613, Santa Fe, NM 87504. They ship UPS, so be sure to give them a street address, not a PO box. There is also a Quill Hedgehog Club. Members receive a membership certificate, a Hedgehog Club badge, and Quill's Club Newsletter, a quarterly publication of the latest news from Hedgehog Corner. Members will be among the very first to learn about Quill's newest adventures and his battles to preserve the environment. Send name, address, and $10 to: Quill Hedgehog, Hedgehog Corner, Fair View, Old Coppice, Lyth Bank, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England SY3 0BW. ************************** ^ WHEN THE FROST IS ON THE PUNKIN by James Whitcomb Riley, illustrations by Glenna Lang ages 3 to 8 (Godine, October 1991, $15.95, ISBN 0-87923-912-3) commentary from the publisher WHEN THE FROST IS ON THE PUNKIN is James Whitcomb Riley's exuberant ode to Fall on the farm, published by David R. Godine for the 75th anniversary of his death. Written in bouncy Hoosier dialect, the Indiana poet's classic poem is fun to read aloud, and fun to listen to. Glenna Lang's gouache watercolor illustrations follow a little girl through fields of pumpkins and other fruits of the harvest, orchards, and barnyards filled with gentle animals. At the poem's end, one of the pumpkins becomes a jack-o-lantern, and the girl's thoughts turn happily to the fall holidays to come. The book's rich, smooth colors and simple shapes express the feel of autumn in a way that will appeal to children. ************************** ^ ANIMAL FABLES FROM AESOP adapted and illustrated by Barbara McClintock ages 6 and up (David R. Godine, November 1991, $17.95, ISBN 0-87923-913-1) review by Janet Peters THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW selected Barbara McClintock's last book, HEARTACHES OF A FRENCH CAT (Godine, 1989), as one of the ten best illustrated books of the year. Now she has created a wonderful set of 54 19th century-style illustrations for a collection of Aesop's fables. McClintock's Wolf, Fox, Crow, Mice, Cat, etc., retain their animal features while wearing Victorian clothing and all-too-human facial expressions and body language. The detail of fur, clothing, and scenery is matched only by the delicacy of the coloring. This is a perfect opportunity to share classic Aesop fables, beautifully illustrated, with a new generation. A lovely book. ************************** * You may have noticed in an earlier RFP that the Everyman Library, a long-time favorite with readers interested in affordable, good-quality classics, was recently revived. The new incarnation was launched with a champagne party in Spencer House (on St. James Place, London). Attending the party were Mick Jagger and his wife Jerry Hall, who have ordered a complete set to match their collection of the original Everymans. * ENCOUNTERS WITH AUTHORS is a collection of 20 interviews with and articles about writers like: Evan Hunter, Tennessee Williams, Larry McMurtry, Chaim Potok, B.F. Skinner, Richard Eberhart, Eugenia Price, John Mortimer, Harry Crews, Alain Robbe-Grillet, etc. These authors write fantasy, poetry, mystery, journalism, drama, literary, experimental and commercial fiction, and in ENCOUNTERS WITH AUTHORS they talk about the art and business of writing. To get a copy, send $3 to: Twin Rivers Press, PO Box 119, Ellenton, FL 34222. * Anyone interested in publishing should know about PRINTER'S DEVIL: GRAPHIC ARTS FOR THE SMALL PRESS. It's a fascinating tri-annual publication of information, instruction, and inspiration for anyone who publishes (or would like to) on a smallish scale. As they put it: "The purposes of this journal are to provide the small press with accurate and timely information on all phases of the graphic arts and to promote ART and CRAFT in contemporary printing." A single copy is $2.10, and a year's worth (USA, First Class) is $6.75. Write to: THE PRINTER'S DEVIL, Mother of Ashes Press, PO Box 66, Harrison, Idaho 83833-0066. * Sidney Sheldon's current bestseller, THE DOOMSDAY CONSPIRACY (Morrow), has been bought by Joel Silver and Warner Bros. for theatrical development. Arnold Kopelson (producer of PLATOON) has bought the rights to Sheldon's next novel, which hasn't even been written yet. #:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:#:# # 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ^ LAND KILLS by Nat & Yanna Brandt (Foul Play, 1991, $18.95, ISBN 0-88150-209-X) review by Cindy Bartorillo Veteran newsman Mitch Stevens is teaching college journalism when old friend Ham Johnson asks him to take over editing his smalltown daily newspaper for a couple of summer months. Ham is scheduled for cancer surgery and needs someone he can trust to take over his Southborough, Vermont, paper while he's recuperating. Mitch figures he'll also bring one of his journalism students as an intern to help out, and while he's in Vermont he'll look around for a piece of land that he and his actress wife Val could build a house on. It's while he's checking out a beautiful and extensive property that he literally falls over a decomposing corpse in the woods. The body turns out to be real estate saleswoman Vera Tolvey, apparently accidentally shot by a hunter the previous November. Locals say that hunting is almost a religion around those parts, and everyone knows better than to wander around during hunting season without wearing an orange vest. It isn't long before there is another mysterious death, and even another, not to mention a few fires, and Mitch just KNOWS that something ominous is going on in sleepy Southborough. Could it have something to do with the new ski resort that local businessmen seem so excited about? LAND KILLS is a first-rate mystery: the characters are well-developed, the Vermont town is vividly drawn, the newsroom scenes are exciting, and the land development/newsroom plot is compelling and nicely paced. Foul Play Press says that LAND KILLS is the first novel in a projected series, so with any luck we can look forward to many more adventures with journalist sleuth Mitch Stevens. Highly recommended. The Authors: Nat Brandt is a former newspaper editor and reporter, professor of journalism, and editor of AMERICAN HERITAGE and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. He is the author of several books on American history, the most recent of which are THE TOWN THAT STARTED THE CIVIL WAR and THE CONGRESSMAN WHO GOT AWAY WITH MURDER. Yanna Brandt has been directing, writing, and producing in theatre, films, and TV for thirty years. Recipient of 9 Emmies and numerous other media awards, she has produced many programs in the arts for TV, including the annual favorite holiday presentation of THE NUTCRACKER with Baryshnikov. ************************** ^ THE YEAR'S BEST MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE STORIES 1991 edited by Edward D. Hoch (Walker, 1991, $19.95, ISBN 0-8027-3200-3) review by Howard Frye Once again Edward Hoch has gathered together a uniformly excellent selection of mystery short stories. For the first time this selection includes all five of the Edgar Award nominees: "Elvis Lives" by Lynne Barrett, the Edgar-winner, in which the pleasures and perils of being Elvis are examined; "Answers to Soldier" by Lawrence Block, my favorite story of the book, about a hitman who deals with the particular pressures of his job in his own peculiar way; "Prisoners" by Ed Gorman, an excellent sketch of a dysfunctional family that Gorman turns upside down with a few sentences at the end; "A Poison That Leaves No Trace" by Sue Grafton, in which Kinsey Millhone gets involved in a family dispute; and "Challenge the Widow-Maker" by Clark Howard, a clever story of pearls and surfing and just desserts. "Hello! My Name Is Irving Wasserman" by Stanley Cohen is a delight. It's very funny and is a virtual textbook on disposing of a dead body. Another favorite of mine is editor Hoch's own story, "The Detective's Wife", about a wife who likes to help her husband solve murders. Also included are: "Andrew, My Son" by Joyce Harrington, a tale of mental illness that gets more horrifying as the story progresses; "Stakeout" by Bill Pronzini, in which Nameless pulls stakeout duty; "An Unwanted Woman" by Ruth Rendell has Inspector Wexford untangling the psychological snarl of a woman, her daughter, and a third "unwanted" woman; "The Conjuring Trick" by Julian Symons, a BODY HEAT kind of story, and the poor guy gets hoodwinked again; "A Midsummer Daydream" by Donald E. Westlake as Dortmunder accused of a theft he, for once, didn't commit; and "Three-Time Loser" by Carolyn Wheat, about a lawyer who is manipulated by her seemingly innocent client. The volume closes with recommended reading lists of novels, collections, anthologies, nonfiction, and other short stories, a list of major mystery awards, and a necrology of all mystery-related authors who died in 1990. THE YEAR'S BEST MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE STORIES 1991 is exactly what the title says. Recommended. ************************** ^ THE LAST DETECTIVE by Peter Lovesey (Doubleday Perfect Crime, October 1991, $18.50, ISBN 0-385-42114-1) review by Cindy Bartorillo "In the Bristol City Mortuary a body lay on a steel trolley. In profile the swell of the stomach suggested nothing less than a mountainous landscape. Or to an imaginative eye it might have been evocative of a dinosaur lurking in a primeval swamp, except that a brown trilby hat of the sort seen in 1940s films rested on the hump. The body was clothed in a double-breasted suit much creased at the points of stress, gray in color, with a broad check design--well known in the Avon & Somerset Police as the working attire of Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond. His silver-fringed bald head was propped on a rubber sheet he had found folded on a shelf. He was breathing evenly." This is how we meet Peter Diamond, the cranky "last detective" who must discover the particulars about a body just found in Chew Valley Lake--a naked woman with long red hair. Diamond's usual second in command has recently been replaced by John Wigfull, who just may be there to keep an eye on him following a scandal over a confession that Diamond got from a suspect which later proved to be false. Like his brown trilby hat, Diamond is a man out of his proper time period. Convinced that true detection is accomplished by hard labor and mental exercise, he is surrounded by computers, psychologists, and departmental politics. As you might suspect, Diamond's attitudes and abrasive behavior isolate him from his colleagues and put his career in jeopardy. "The lady in the lake" (not the only reference in THE LAST DETECTIVE to Raymond Chandler) proves to be a difficult case. Not only is she difficult to identify but there is no murder weapon and no apparent cause of death. Diamond scorns the use of modern technology in police work and instead of a computer check on the dead woman he decides to display an artist's portrait of the victim on television. All he gets for his pains, however, are a dozen calls from TV viewers convinced the dead woman is a soap opera character named Candice Milner. Later, when the computer check is finally run, extensive paperwork only leads the police right back to Candice Milner. Never one to tell a conventional story, Peter Lovesey creates a fascinating character in Peter Diamond, a character that allows him to explore the nature of a human anachronism: what it's like to be one and what it's like to be around one. Lovesey also employs shifting viewpoints to good effect in showing the many layers of meaning that a death has upon the people who knew her--the effects of the death as well as those of the resulting official investigation. THE LAST DETECTIVE is a mystery of unusual depth for the discriminating reader. ************************** ^ WALLFLOWER: A Janek Novel by William Bayer (Villard, July 1991, $20.00, ISBN 0-679-40047-8) review by Drew Bartorillo Manhattan cop Frank Janek has become bored and disillusioned with detective work after solving the case of a lifetime, the infamous "Switch" killings. Ordered to take a vacation by his captain, Janek goes to Venice to sort things out and get his life back on track. In Venice, he meets Monika, the woman of his dreams, and for the first time in many years, he is content. Then one day he receives a call: his goddaughter Jess has been brutally mutilated and murdered in Central Park. Instantly, Janek is back in action. The details that emerge reveal a string of murders of seemingly random victims, whose only connection appears to be the killer's same horrible modus operandi--gluing the victim's genitals--and the same "signature", a dead flower left at the scene of each crime. Out to revenge his goddaughter's death, Janek uncovers her seedy past--bizarre sex rituals, strange obsessions, and illicit relationships. He meets her strange and steely best friend, a martial-arts expert; her ex-boyfriend, a would-be pornographer; and her brilliant but manipulative psychologist. William Bayer's previous book about detective Frank Janek, SWITCH, was turned into a made-for-TV movie a few years back, starring Richard Crenna. For my money, it was one of the best TV mystery movies of recent years. With WALLFLOWER, Williamn Bayer continues with the Frank Janek character and succeeds in producing a thoroughly enjoyable story. As with SWITCH, you know part-way through the story who commits the murders, with the remainder of the story being spent resolving how the murderer is brought to justice. Some of the murder details in WALLFLOWER are a big gruesome, but the book is truly enjoyable and I can recommend it to all mystery fans. If Bayer intends to continue with the Janek character, I'll be one of the first ones in line to get any new story. ************************** ^ IN THE GAME: A Virginia Kelly Mystery by Nikki Baker (Naiad Press, 1991, $8.95, ISBN 1-56280-004-3) review by Carol Sheffert Ginny Kelly has known Bev since business school, and now both are upwardly-mobile black women living and working in Chicago, both with live-in lovers. But now Bev's lover Kelsey has been found shot to death in an alley outside one of Chicago's classiest lesbian bars. Was it another example of gay-bashing, or was the motive more personal? Worried that the police will suspect her friend, Ginny starts asking questions, but the answers just lead to more questions. It seems that Kelsey was about to be arrested for embezzlement, but then why was she apparently broke? When it is discovered that Kelsey had another lover back in Boston, Ginny flies to Massachusetts, unable to drop her investigation even though Bev no longer seems to be suspected. IN THE GAME is an entertaining first novel from Nikki Baker, a new talent to watch. The second Virginia Kelly mystery, THE LAVENDER HOUSE MURDER, is scheduled to be published by Naiad Press in 1992, and Ms. Baker is currently at work on a third, called LONG GOODBYES. I look forward to finding out more about Ginny and her friends in Chicago. If your local bookstore can't get IN THE GAME for you just send the list price, plus 15% for postage, to: The Naiad Press, Inc., PO Box 10543, Tallahassee, FL 32302. If you've got your credit card handy, you can order by calling 1-800-533-1973. Or, if you'd like to fax your order, call 1-904-539-9731. ************************** ^ EXCEPT FOR THE BONES: An Alan Bernhardt Novel by Collin Wilcox (Tor, November 1991, $18.95, ISBN 0-312-93162-X) review by Cindy Bartorillo Diane Cutler is an 18-year-old with problems. After her parents divorced she was forced to leave California and move to New York with her mother and her mother's new husband, billionaire Preston Daniels. Diane loves her father very much, yet her socially-ambitious mother insists upon referring to Daniels as her "father", even though Daniels likes Diane as little as she likes him. As so often happens to an unattractive teenager with more money than love, Diane turns to pills and indiscriminate sex. One fateful night finds Preston at his Cape Cod summer home with his latest girlfriend and Diane in Cape Cod on an angry toot. Calmed by a few pills, Diane picks up her biker friend and decides it would be fun to spy on Daniels, but when they arrive at the house and hide outside they discover Daniels removing what appears to be a dead body. They follow him to a local landfill, then retire to a motel. The next day her biker friend turns up dead, and now Diane is running scared. She runs all the way to San Francisco, where an old friend asks private investigator Alan Bernhardt to talk to Diane and find out what is frightening her. The most interesting level of this mystery is watching what happens to Preston Daniels' life from the moment he kills his weekend girlfriend. A blackmail attempt warns him that he was seen, so he has his private pilot, a brutal man with a history of violence, "take care" of the problem. Now Daniels has a worse problem: the pilot, who is no where near as stupid or timid as the blackmailer was. Each attempt to plug a leak only serves to make his problem worse. Detective Alan Bernhardt, more realistic than interesting, takes a definite backseat to the major players. What sticks in my memory about this story is the tragic dance of money, ambition, and influence of the Cutler/Daniels family. ************************** ^ THE COLLECTED SHORT FICTION OF NGAIO MARSH edited by Douglas G. Greene (International Polygonics, 1991, $9.95, ISBN 1-55882-086-8) review by Howard Frye Dame Ngaio (pronounced NYE-oh) Marsh (1895-1982) was the creator of some of the wittiest and most sophisticated English mysteries, adjectives which also fit her most popular detective, Roderick Alleyn. Now all of her collected short fiction appears in one volume for the first time, including three featuring Roderick Alleyn. Also appearing here are two essays, one of which explains the creation of Alleyn, four non-Alleyn short stories, a courtroom drama in the form of a teleplay, and a newly discovered story that is probably Marsh's very first published fiction. Editor Greene adds a brief biographical Introduction, tying up a fascinating package for all fans of Ngaio Marsh and Roderick Alleyn. You can get THE COLLECTED SHORT FICTION OF NGAIO MARSH at your local bookstore or directly from the publisher by sending the list price, plus $1 shipping and handling, to: International Polygonics Ltd., Madison Square, PO Box 1563, New York, NY 10159-1563. ************************** ^ ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S HOME SWEET HOMICIDE Stories from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine edited by Cathleen Jordan (Walker, 1991, $18.95, ISBN 0-8027-5798-7) review by Cindy Bartorillo Here is another great mystery volume from Walker, this one an anthology of stories concerning home and family that have appeared in ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE (a continuing source of great mystery fiction). I particularly liked "The Moonstone Earrings" by Herbert Resnicow. Intelligent but plain Patsy is called in to solve the mystery of the stolen earrings by wealthy and pretty Angela. Patsy isn't Sergeant Cuff (see THE MOONSTONE by Wilkie Collins, 1868) but she's smart, spunky, and much more likeable. Loren D. Estleman's "Greektown" was another first-rate story, about Constantine Xanthes who is afraid his half-brother Joseph is the Five O'Clock Strangler. He hires Amos Walker to discover the truth, and Amos finds a few surprises along the way. The most touching story is "A Candle for the Bag Lady" by Lawrence Block. Matthew Scudder inherits $1200 from a bag lady who wasn't as down-and-out as she appeared. In this story the home and family is New York City and its population, and, as in most families, there are unseen ties that bind as well as a few dark secrets in the attic. "The Owl in the Oak" by Joseph Hansen involves a mother-son relationship that isn't what it seems to be from the outside, and John Lutz's "What You Don't Know Can Hurt You" concerns Danny (of Danny's Donuts) and his alcoholic uncle. If Nudger doesn't find out what's going on at the clinic where Danny's uncle in staying, it could be him that gets hurt. It's brothers and sisters who can't get along in Marcia Muller's "Deadly Fantasies", where a young heiress suspects her brother or sister of trying to poison her; or is just a delusion? And in "A Young Man Called Smith" by Patricia Moyes, Margie and her sister Sue must cope with two young men named Smith, one of whom is certainly an impostor--but which? Most of the stories, like most real-life crime I imagine, involves husbands and wives. "Domestic Intrigue" by Donald E. Westlake is certainly the cleverest tale, about Mona trying to juggle a rich but jealous husband, a poor but sensitive lover, and a blackmailer. Then there's Martin Quimby--from Ralph McInerny's "In the Bag"--who gets the chance to steal a criminal's money and thereby escape his stale marriage. But the money, the criminal, and his wife, have plans of their own. "I, Witness" by Nancy Pickard is an odd story. Steve Krebs witnesses a possible drowning, then goes home to his unappreciative wife. He just can't get the drowning out of his mind. "The Unlikely Demise of Cousin Claude" is another example of Charlotte MacLeod's talent for upbeat stories about people with goofy names. This one involves a visit with Aunt Agapantha and the death of Claude, who got his necktie caught in the cream separator. But who wears a tie while separating cream? Lastly, John F. Suter's "The Stone Man" concerns a stonemason who kills his unfaithful wife; the story soon disappears under the weight of confusing details and improbable plot twists. HOME SWEET HOMICIDE is a fine anthology of mystery shorts, and a subtle reminder that home is sometimes a refuge from the cares of the world, and sometimes the scene of the crime. ************************** ^ MAIGRET AND THE HOTEL MAJESTIC by Georges Simenon, translated by Caroline Hillier (Harvest/HBJ, $5.95, ISBN 0-15-655133-0) review by Howard Frye This is a good-quality paperback reprint (with an easy-to-manipulate, flexible binding) of a 1942 mystery by the great Belgian mystery writer, Georges Simenon. Simenon's more than 200 novels are divided between his mysteries featuring French policeman Jules Maigret and unclassifiable novels of psychological suspense. His books are spare, with no unnecessary characters or plot elements, which gives them a simplicity that is rare today (exceptions: Bill Pronzini and Joseph Hansen). Another distinguishing feature of Maigret mysteries is the lack of speculation. The reader follows Maigret as he investigates each crime, but he's not an effusive talker, keeping more to himself than he reveals to suspects or even to colleagues. In this outing, Maigret is called to the Hotel Majestic when a dead woman is found stuffed into an unused employee locker in the basement. She was a guest in the hotel, the wife of a rich American, staying with her husband, son, maid, and governess. The late Mrs. Clark was found by the breakfast cook, Prosper Donge, and when a connection is discovered between Prosper and Mrs. Clark, he becomes the most likely suspect. He doesn't stay the most likely suspect, though, at least not with the reader, because Bonneau, apparently the French equivalent of the District Attorney and a man Maigret doesn't like, insists on taking over most of the case and is convinced that Prosper is guilty. Any mystery reader worth a red herring knows that this is an infallible sign that Maigret must discover the REAL murderer and ultimately show up the pretentious Bonneau, which Maigret does in his usual quiet and intense way. MAIGRET AND THE HOTEL MAJESTIC is prime Simenon and a very good read. ************************** ^ SOLOMON'S VINEYARD by Jonathan Latimer (International Polygonics, $4.95, ISBN 0-930330-91-9) commentary from the publisher "A classic you've probably never heard of." ---William L. DeAndrea, from his introduction Originally published in England in 1941, SOLOMON'S VINEYARD has never before been available to the general public in its author's own country. (A highly expurgated version entitled THE FIFTH GRAVE was offered in the U.S. in 1950, but until now the complete text has only appeared in a privately printed limited edition.) The probable reason is apparent in the novel's first sentence. SOLOMON'S VINEYARD was too realistic for a pre-war America which routinely censored films and on occasion banned books. Even today, in a time when more explicit material regularly appears in films and on television, SOLOMON'S VINEYARD retains tremendous power and vitality. We at IPL are pleased and proud to bring home one of the great private eye novels of all time. (RFP realizes that many of our readers will be in an absolute frenzy to know what that first sentence is, so here it is: "From the way her buttocks looked under the black silk dress, I knew she'd be good in bed." For the rest of the story, you'll just have to get the book.) You can get SOLOMON'S VINEYARD at your local bookstore or directly from the publisher by sending the list price, plus $1 shipping and handling, to: International Polygonics Ltd., Madison Square, PO Box 1563, New York, NY 10159-1563. ************************** ^ TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS by Damon Runyon (International Polygonics, 1991, $9.95, ISBN 1-55882-106-6) commentary from the publisher This heretofore-lost book by one of America's most distinctive stylists and best-loved writers was published posthumously nearly fifty years ago. Until now it has never been reprinted. TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS was compiled by Runyon himself shortly before his death in 1946 and collects the best of his courtroom reporting including a vital account of the Halls-Mills case, where a minister and his choir-singer mistress were murdered in an orchard; the sensational trial of financier J.P. Morgan; the scandalous May-December divorce of Peaches and Daddy Browning; a blow-by-blow account of the notorious Snyder-Gray affair; and an insider's view of Al Capone, with whom Runyon was said to have dined the night before the trial. ************************** ~ IPL COLLECTS JOHN DICKSON CARR'S SHORT FICTION edited and with commentary by Douglas G. Greene reviews by Cindy Bartorillo John Dickson Carr (1906-1977) was one of the writers who made the Golden Age of Mystery golden, and was the hands-down master of the Impossible Crime, sometimes known as Locked Room Mysteries. International Polygonics has been reprinting JDC's mysteries for some time, and now they have collected his short fiction in three terrific volumes. ^ FELL AND FOUL PLAY ($19.95, ISBN 1-55882-071-X) Dr. Gideon Fell was probably Carr's most popular sleuth, a character based on one of his favorite writers, G.K. Chesterton. The earliest Dr. Fell short story, "The Wrong Problem" (1936), was written at the request of Dorothy L. Sayers, and is included here. You'll also find: "Who Killed Matthew Corbin?", a previously unpublished 3-part radio script starring Dr. Fell. "The Proverbial Murder", an espionage story starring Dr. Fell and one of Carr's best short fictions. "The Black Minute", another Dr. Fell radio play, that uses a trick derived from Harry Houdini's book A MAGICIAN AMONG THE SPIRITS. "The Locked Room" (1940), another Dr. Fell short story. "The Devil in the Summer-House", a radio play originally written as a Dr. Fell mystery, shortened by JDC for production (which involved in the removal of Dr. Fell) and so printed. It is here published for the first time in its original version with Dr. Fell. "The Incautious Burglar", a Dr. Fell story with plot elements that were later reused in a Sir Henry Merrivale novel. "The Dead Sleep Lightly", a radio script and one of Dr. Fell's greatest cases. "Invisible Hands", the last short story starring Dr. Fell. Also collected in FELL AND FOUL PLAY are several stories of historical mystery and romance. There is "The Dim Queen", which was written when Carr was 19 years old and is reprinted for the first time. Also included: "The Other Hangman", which Carr said had "one of my best plots, which I should have been sensible enough to reserve for a novel". "Persons or Things Unknown", a Christmas ghost story. "The Gentleman From Paris", often considered one of JDC's best short stories, and it was the basis for the Joseph Cotten movie, THE MAN WITH A CLOAK (1951). "The Black Cabinet", a mystery with the solution in the last line. FELL AND FOUL PLAY finishes with a Locked Room novella, "The Third Bullet". Originally published in an obscure British paperback in 1937, a heavily-abridged version appeared in ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE in 1948, and the abridged version has been used ever since. FELL AND FOUL PLAY includes the very first printing of the original full-length version since 1937. ~DR. GIDEON FELL BOOKS: Hag's Nook (1933) $5.95 The Mad Hatter Mystery (1933) The Blind Barber (1934) The Eight of Swords (1934) Death Watch (1935) The Three Coffins (1935) (British title: The Hollow Man) $4.95 The Arabian Nights Murder (1936) To Wake the Dead (1937) The Crooked Hinge (1938) The Problem of the Green Capsule (1939) (British title: The Black Spectacles) $5.95 The Problem of the Wire Cage (1939) The Man Who Could Not Shudder (1940) The Case of the Constant Suicides (1941) Death Turns the Tables (1941) (British title: The Seat of the Scornful) $4.95 Till Death Do Us Part (1944) $5.95 He Who Whispers (1946) $5.95 Dr. Fell, Detective (1947; short stories) The Sleeping Sphinx (1947) $4.95 Below Suspicion (1949) $4.95 The Third Bullet and Other Stories (1954; short stories; Dr. Fell appears in 3) The Dead Man's Knock (1958) In Spite of Thunder (1960) The Men Who Explained Miracles (1963; short stories; Dr. Fell appears in 2) The House At Satan's Elbow (1965) $4.95 Panic In Box C (1966) Dark of the Moon (1967) NOTE: The prices are for IPL editions. Send the list price(s), plus shipping and handling ($1 for first book, .50 for each thereafter) to: International Polygonics Ltd., Madison Square, PO Box 1563, New York, NY 10159-1563. ^ MERRIVALE, MARCH AND MURDER ($22.95, ISBN 1-55882-101-5) Merrivale was Carr's most comical detective, who appeared in only two short cases, both of which are reprinted here. "The House in Goblin Wood" was written in 1946 for ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE, and "All in a Maze" is a 1956 novelette originally published serially in England under the name "Ministry of Miracles". You'll find a list of Merrivale novels and IPL editions in RFP #19. Colonel March is another of Carr's detective characters, this one based on his good friend Major C.J.C. Street, who wrote detective novels under the names John Rhode and Miles Burton. Colonel March headed the most peculiar division of Scotland Yard, the Department of Queer Complaints. This is the first time that all nine of the Colonel March and the Department of Queer Complaints stories have been collected in one volume. Trivia Note: In 1953, Boris Karloff starred in a TV series called COLONEL MARCH OF SCOTLAND YARD, based on JDC's character. Other short fictions included in MERRIVALE, MARCH AND MURDER are: "Blind Man's Hood", a 1937 Christmas story that includes a possible solution to a real-life murder, the Peasonhall case of 1902. "New Murders for Old", another Christmas story. "The Diamond Pentacle", a locked-room mystery reprinted here for the first time since 1939. "Lair of the Devil-Fish", a radio script. "Scotland Yard's Christmas", which was written as an exercise in getting a character to disappear from a phone booth. Also reprinted here is "Strictly Diplomatic" and "The Clue of the Red Wig". ^ THE DOOR TO DOOM And Other Detections ($10.95, ISBN 1-55882-102-3) THE DOOR TO DOOM contains the best of Carr's previously uncollected work, but begins with a 17-page biography of Carr written by Douglas Greene (who is currently at work on a full-length biography). Originally published in 1980, THE DOOR TO DOOM did not then contain JDC's famous essay, "The Grandest Game in the World", which appears now for the very first time in its entirety. Five stories of crime and detection are collected in THE DOOR TO DOOM, four of which feature Henri Bencolin, the head of the Paris Police and the star of JDC's first novel, IT WALKS BY NIGHT (1930). Bencolin also appeared in four other novels: CASTLE SKULL (1931), THE LOST GALLOWS (1931), THE CORPSE IN THE WAXWORKS (1932; British title: THE WAXWORKS MURDER), and THE FOUR FALSE WEAPONS (1937). There are also six radio plays, including one Dr. Gideon Fell script, one ("Cabin B-13") that was the basis for the movie DANGEROUS CROSSING, and one ("Will You Make a Bet with Death?") that was reworked into a novel (THE 9 WRONG ANSWERS). THE DOOR TO DOOM also has three of Carr's stories of the supernatural--one of his favorite subjects--as well as two Sherlockian parodies, which were written to be performed at the annual meetings of the Mystery Writers of America. In both cases, Clayton Rawson played the part of Holmes, Lawrence G. Blochman was Watson, and JDC was the visitor. THE DOOR TO DOOM ends with two essays, "The Grandest Game in the World" and "Stand and Deliver!", the last thing JDC wrote other than book reviews. No fan of John Dickson Carr can afford to be without all three of these fascinating collections. And I can't overemphasize the worth of Douglas Greene's introductions and running commentaries in all three of these volumes. His facts, figures, comments, and bits of history add to any reader's enjoyment; the volumes would be greatly diminished without them. See the note after the Dr. Fell book list for ordering instructions. ************************** ^ MURDER ON THE CLIFF: Starring Charlotte Graham by Stefanie Matteson (Diamond, November 1991, $3.99, ISBN 1-55773-596-4) review by Carol Sheffert Charlotte Graham, film star since the late 1930s and now an occasional amateur detective, is back! (See MURDER AT THE SPA and MURDER AT TEATIME in RFP #16.) This time she's staying with friends in Newport, Rhode Island, to take part in the Black Ships Festival, which commemorates the arrival of Commodore Perry in Japan. The Black Ships Festival is also celebrating the 100th anniversary of the suicide of the geisha Okichi, the real event that was the inspiration for the story of Madame Butterfly. Okichi committed suicide after being deserted by her lover Townsend Harris, first American consul to Japan, who left her and returned to America, building a house in Newport. Charlotte Graham is part of the festivities because she played the role of Okichi in the most famous movie made of the historical event. The highlight of the celebration will be the appearance of Okichi-mago, a beautiful girl who is not only a geisha but it also the descendant of the original Okichi and Townsend Harris. Before she can grace the Festival, however, she is found at the base of a cliff, apparently having committed suicide in exactly the same manner as the original Okichi. Although Charlotte doesn't suspect murder until mid-book, Okichi-mago didn't commit suicide, of course. But who could have done it? Was it her Japanese sponsor, the wealthy Tanaka, angry at her love affair with the American sumo wrestler Shawn? Or is there some more obscure motive? Once again, Stefanie Matteson weaves an entertaining mystery against a fascinating and educational background, leaving the reader hoping for more Charlotte Graham mysteries soon. ************************** ^ MURDER IN ORDINARY TIME: A Sister Mary Helen Mystery by Sister Carol Anne O'Marie (Delacorte, October 1991, $18.00, ISBN 0-385-30226-6) review by Cindy Bartorillo Channel 5's Noon News is the set for murder in this fourth Sister Mary Helen mystery. Investigative reporter Christina Kelly finds a plate of cookies on her chair before air time. She eats one cookie and dies, and the police lab later discovers that the one cookie she ate was the only cookie poisoned. It also happened to be the only raisin cookie in a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Sister Mary Helen was about to be interviewed by Christina when she died, and is thereby drawn into the case, despite the objections of the police as represented by her old friend Kate Murphy (who is pregnant and gives birth during the course of the story) and her partner Dennis Gallagher. Unfortunately for the reader, the characters are more interesting than the mystery. There are two big clues about the murder, and neither of them are successfully handled. The first is a huge screaming clue that no self-respecting mystery fan could miss and it occurs on page 23. Sister Mary Helen, however, doesn't figure it out until page 180. The second major clue is a sound clue (the murderer's voice on a tape) and the reader is reduced to a frustrated onlooker as both Sister Mary Helen and Kate Murphy find something familiar about the voice, but can't quite put their finger on what it is. Actually, there is more consideration given to Kate's pregnancy than to the mystery, a side plot that is handled with charm, making MURDER IN ORDINARY TIME a pleasant read for mystery fans who are expecting a baby. The previous Sister Mary Helen mysteries are: A NOVENA FOR MURDER, ADVENT OF DYING, and THE MISSING MADONNA. ************************** ^ QUOTH THE RAVEN by Jane Haddam (Bantam Crime Line, October 1991, $4.99, ISBN 0-553-29255-2) review by Cindy Bartorillo This is the fourth in the "Holiday Mystery" series starring former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian of Cavanaugh Street in Philadelphia. The three previous novels by Orania Papazoglou writing under the name Jane Haddam were: NOT A CREATURE WAS STIRRING, PRECIOUS BLOOD, and ACT OF DARKNESS. (ACT OF DARKNESS was reviewed in RFP #19.) As the story opens, Gregor's friend Father Tibor Kasparian has come to Belleville, Pennsylvania, to teach a course in an interdisciplinary program called The American Idea at Independence College. Tibor enjoys teaching his class, he enjoys feeding the resident tame raven named Lenore, but he doesn't enjoy academic politics and he positively loathes the new faculty celebrity, Dr. Donegal Steele. Dr. Steele was lured to Independence College by the administration with instant tenure, a huge salary, and some suspect he was promised the now vacant Chairmanship of The American Idea Program. Everyone had thought it would go to Dr. Ken Crockett, a longtime member of the faculty and a native of Belleville, or possibly to Dr. Alice Elkinson, newer but even more academically qualified. Also, Program secretary Maryanne Veer won't be happy to see Dr. Steele installed in the chairman's office either. Despite the fact that she's been virtually running the Program since its inception, Dr. Steele is sure to fire her at once. He prefers his women young (Miss Veer is sixtyish), great looking, and squeezable. You see, Dr. Steele has only been at Independence College for two weeks and he's already managed to earn a reputation for sexual harassment. Absolutely EVERYONE hates Dr. Steele. So the reader is instantly suspicious when Dr. Steele is missing as the narrative begins. He was last seen going off to "pop beers". Has someone finally gotten fed up, or is he just sleeping off a hangover? When Gregor shows up at the college to give a lecture on FBI techniques on Halloween Dr. Steele still hasn't shown up, and Gregor meets the entire cast of suspects. In addition to the faculty already mentioned, there is the bizarre Dr. Katherine Branch, a rabid feminist who also seems to believe she is a witch. Then there's the best-looking girl in the school, Chessey Flint, whose reputation has been trashed by Dr. Steele. Her boyfriend Jack Carroll can't be counted out either. Before the reader, or Gregor, can think much more about Dr. Steele, Maryanne Veer is poisoned with lye in front of a crowd of people in the school cafeteria. No one can figure out how, or why, someone would try to kill Miss Veer. Gregor Demarkian only has a matter of hours to discover the truth, which he will use to turn his expected lecture into a classic "I'm sure you all wonder why I've asked you here" speech worthy of Ellery Queen. Although I thought the method of attack here was unnaturally, and unwarrantably, gruesome, the mystery was exciting to follow. The best part is that the reader is allowed to figure out part (but only part) of the mystery early. The remainder of the book is read in feverish frustration as Gregor strains to catch up. QUOTH THE RAVEN is another good mystery from Orania Papazoglou. ************************** ^ MURDER IS GERMANE: A Brigid Donovan Mystery by Karen Saum (Naiad Press, 1991, $8.95, ISBN 0-941483-98-3) cover copy Panama, the land of Brigid's birth. Where she adored with her child's eyes the blonde and beautiful Georgie Hendryks, who "drove a lime-green convertible and rode a white stallion." Brigid has returned, to look into the disappearance of an INS agent because of his murky association with Monte Cassino, a Maine community of nuns. Brigid locates Georgie--whose more than warm welcome makes all of Brigid's childhood dreams come true. But Brigid's visit also sets into motion an inexplicable series of violent deaths and attempts on Brigid's own life. Brigid must unravel the intricacies of the past, and the skein of tangled passions hidden within it, to discover the pattern behind the murders. Her very life depends on it... MURDER IS GERMANE is both an enthralling mystery and a vivid adventure story--set in a lovely, enigmatic land of violence and passion. If your local bookstore doesn't have MURDER IS GERMANE, you can order it directly from the publisher by sending the list price, plus 15% extra for shipping and handling, to: The Naiad Press Inc., PO Box 10543, Tallahassee, FL 32302. Or get your credit card and call 1-800-533-1973. ************************** ^ A PRIVATE DISGRACE: Lizzie Borden By Daylight by Victoria Lincoln (International Polygonics, 1967, $7.95, ISBN 0-930330-35-8) review by Cindy Bartorillo I've already admitted to my fondness for the Lizzie Borden story. In RFP #8 was a list of Borden books and RFP #19 had a review of a recent addition, LIZZIE BORDEN: THE LEGEND, THE TRUTH, THE FINAL CHAPTER by Arnold R. Brown. Of all the Borden books on my True Crime shelf, however, my favorite has always been A PRIVATE DISGRACE by Victoria Lincoln. Not only is the book more charmingly written than most, it is written by someone who actually KNEW Lizzie Borden! Of course Victoria Lincoln was a young child when Lizzie was near the end of her life, but she stills brings a personal, insider point of view to one of the most perplexing cases in criminal history. It is particularly difficult for a modern reader to understand Fall River, Massachusetts of 1892, but in A PRIVATE DISGRACE we hear directly from someone who can bridge the gap for us, explain the 19th-century, insular New England town to the 20th-century urban reader. If you can only have one Borden book, this is the one to get. (You can order A PRIVATE DISGRACE directly from the publisher by sending the list price, plus $1 for postage and handling, to: International Polygonics Ltd., Madison Square, PO Box 1563, New York, NY 10159-1563.) "In school, I began to make friends of my own age, and observed with interest that one was supposed to shudder and giggle when Miss Borden's name was mentioned. I asked Mother why. "'Well, dear, she was very unkind to her father and mother.'" ---from A PRIVATE DISGRACE by Victoria Lincoln ************************** * We hear that CD Publications (PO Box 858, Edgewood, MD 21040) is coming out with a short story collection by Ed Gorman this coming spring. It will be called PRISONERS AND OTHER STORIES and will include "Turn Away", Shamus Award-winner and Anthony nominee; as well as the Edgar nominee, "Prisoners". With a full-color dust jacket and printed on acid free paper, PRISONERS AND OTHER STORIES will cost $20.95, plus $1.05 shipping and handling. CD Publications is taking reservations now. * Jean Hager's NIGHT WALKER (Worldwide Library, December 1991, $3.50): Some people thought Graham Thornton deserved to die. Thornton's Indian employees are convinced the murder of the arrogant owner of the new resort lodge in Buckskin, OK, is the vengeful act of a night walker, a Cherokee witch. Chief Mitch Bushyhead, however, has a long list of human suspects to worry about--disgruntled employees, a vindictive ex-wife, a hateful sister, the lover Thornton was blackmailing. Then a second murder leaves Bushyhead to a web of secrets, lies and hidden depravations...and a killer's desperate final act that hits perilously close to home. * THE BULRUSH MURDERS: A Botanical Mystery by Rebecca Rothenberg (Carroll & Graf, November 1991, $18.95, ISBN 0-88184-749-6): Microbiologist Claire Sharples flees the academic rat-race of MIT for a research position in California's San Joaquin Valley and is immediately embroiled in the murder of a young Mexican farm worker. Soon she is using her training to unravel a tangle of sabotage, greed, and revenge. But Jane Austen takes on Mickey Spillane when Claire falls for a taciturn co-worker and is called upon to solve the mysteries of the heart as well. * William Bernhardt's PRIMARY JUSTICE (Ballantine, January 1992, $5.99, ISBN 0-345-37479-7): Ben Kincaid wants to be a lawyer because he wants to do the right thing. But once he leaves the D.A.'s office for a hot-shot spot in Tulsa's most prestigious law firm, Ben discovers being moral and being a lawyer can be mutually exclusive. ************************** ~ Catalogs worth getting: The Mysterious Bookshop 129 West 56th Street New York, NY 10019 212/765-0900 Mysteries By Mail PO Box 679 Boonville, CA 95415-0679 ************************** ~ MORE CHRISTMAS MYSTERIES Here is a small addendum to the Christmas Mysteries list in RFP #7: Cohen, Charles Silver Linings Drummond, John Keith 'Tis the Season to be Dying Eccles, Marjorie Death of a Good Woman Haddam, Jane Not a Creature Was Stirring Jordon, Jennifer Murder Under the Mistletoe Long, Manning Vicious Circle McGown, Jill Murder at the Old Vicarage MacLeod, Charlotte, ed. Christmas Stalkings (anthology) O'Marie, Sister Carol Anne Advent of Dying Page, Katherine Hall The Body in the Bouillon (St. Martin's, Dec 1991) Parker, Robert Stardust Pulver, Mary Monica Original Sin Roberts, Gillian Philly Stakes Smith, Joan Don't Leave Me This Way Wingfield, R.D. Frost At Christmas <-*->:<-*->:<-*->:<-*->:<-*->:<-*-> < > < 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 --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE KENNING QUOTIENT (KQ) is a rating applied to books read by the editor of this section, a number ranging from 0 (which means the book is an unredeemable stinker) to 5 (meaning the book is absolutely top drawer). --------------------------------------------------------------------- ~ RANDOM ACCESS This year it is almost impossible not to write an editorial or feature piece about STAR TREK--it being the 25th anniversary and having seen the death of Gene Roddenberry. BTW, one of the best of the things I've seen was published in the September 27, 1991 issue of ENTERTAINMENT, a magazine I've never read except for that issue with it's 1966 picture of Nimoy and Shatner on the cover. As an original trekkie who watched the series when it was first aired and has been collecting episodes as far back as beta, I feel I have a personal vested interest in the whole phenomena--although I guess I really can't claim any more insights into the whole thing than anyone else. It is absolutely fascinating how a minor show in a rather mediocre year for TV has turned into something that pervades society from top to bottom. Even if you've never seen any episode of any of the Star Trek series, or movies, or books,and yes that does seem hard to believe, you still know what BEAM ME UP SCOTTY means! Imagine enough of us pressuring the US Government to change the name of the first space shuttle to the ENTERPRISE. Not to mention that 25 years later after a steady stream (in the last 10 or 15 years) of movies, books, and a new series, that another movie with the original cast members is due out and is being eagerly awaited by millions. "Fascinating, Doctor." A lot of folks have called the series "cowboys in space", and if you remember that TV cowboy series were very popular in those days, however, there is an element of truth in the comment. But there were some really GOOD cowboy series done that didn't elicit this kind of response. Personally I always thought it was the stories--stories that for the most part (some, of course, were absolute bummers) illustrated the human condition, and for better or worse showed us in all our best and worst parts. While many of them are hopelessly dated now it is still amazing to me that many are still indicative of the problems and dilemmas that we face today. Even the crew, radical in those days, reflected the glimmer of hope we had for the future while still retaining the American "cowboy" psyche. And then there is the pride that I feel as a SF aficionado who feels gratified that the world finally sees at least a little of what I find so rewarding in Science Fiction. It does make you wonder what archaeologists in the 25th century will make of all the plastic models and the scholarly writings about a little series that ran only a few short seasons and was clearly not even a near miss in its projections of the real future. Hmmm. Thanks to all of you, the TV staff and crew members, the authors, the actors, the producer, and even the TV executives who took a chance in the first place and probably did us all a favor by killing it off in its prime. Benjamin Svetkey said it best for me in his article: ICH BIN EIN TREKKIE dkk ************************** ~ THE HUGO AWARDS Best Novel: THE VOR GAME by Lois McMaster Bujold Best Novella: "The Hemingway Hoax" by Joe Haldeman Best Novelette: "The Manamouki" by Mike Resnick Best Short Story: "Bears Discover Fire" by Terry Bisson Best Nonfiction Book: HOW TO WRITE SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY by Orson Scott Card Best Pro Editor: Gardner Dozois Best Pro Artist: Michael Whelan Best Dramatic Presentation: EDWARD SCISSORHANDS Best Semiprozine: Locus Best Fanzine: Lan's Lantern Best Fan Writer: David Langford Best Fan Artist: Teddy Harvia John W. Campbell Award: Julia Ecklar ************************** ^ THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien, illustrated by Alan Lee (Houghton Mifflin, November 1991, $60.00, ISBN 0-395-59511-8) review by Cindy Bartorillo In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring to rule all the others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and remained lost until after many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit, Bilbo, and was then bequeathed to his young nephew Frodo. THE LORD OF THE RINGS tells of the quest undertaken by Frodo together with the fellowship of the ring: Gandalf the wizard, Merry, Pippin, and Sam the hobbits, Gimli the dwarf, Legolas the elf, Boromir man of Gondor, and a tall mysterious stranger called Strider. Their quest was perilous: to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892, and to celebrate this centenary Houghton Mifflin has produced this omnibus volume of Tolkien's most famous trilogy, certainly the most exquisitly beautiful edition of the works ever published. Fifty paintings were especially commissioned from the noted English artist Alan Lee for this very first illustrated edition of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. The book comes shrink-wrapped and is heavy, sturdily bound, with an Index and a red ribbon to mark your place. The jacket is foil-laminated, the pages are cool and creamy to the touch--but it's still the artwork that stands out. This is a book for readers who not only enjoy Tolkien's master epic but who love the physicality of books as well. (There is also a boxed edition, signed by the artist, for $200.00.) The first volume of the trilogy, THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, was first published in 1954, followed by THE TWO TOWERS and THE RETURN OF THE RING; and this masterwork of one of the world's most distinguished philologists still stands as a supreme work of the imagination. THE LORD OF THE RINGS has also been loved and read all over the world, having sold more than 15 million copies and been translated into 26 languages. In addition to this landmark edition of THE LORD OF THE RINGS, Houghton Mifflin is also releasing three other Tolkien-related items for the centenary: THE ATLAS OF MIDDLE-EARTH, Revised Edition, by Karen Wynn Fonstad. Newly revised--one-third of the maps are new--this paperback edition includes all the information gleaned by Christopher Tolkien's research in THE HISTORY OF MIDDLE-EARTH, including the forthcoming 1992 volume, SAURON DEFEATED. THE ATLAS OF MIDDLE-EARTH will be available in January 1992, $15.95, ISBN 0-395-53516-6) THE FATHER CHRISTMAS LETTERS, Third Edition, by J.R.R. Tolkien. These charming letters were written for the author's four children in the 1920s and 1930s, when he was a struggling young professor during the Depression. Restored to print, this delightful book is illustrated in full color by Tolkien himself. (Available now, and reviewed elsewhere in this issue of RFP, $10.95, ISBN 0-395-59698-X) THE TOLKIEN FAMILY ALBUM, by John and Priscilla Tolkien. The text, by two of J.R.R. Tolkien's children, weaves together family reminiscences with personal, informal family photographs, most of them never before published. Publication will be on the anniversary of Tolkien's birth, January 3, 1992. ($29.95, ISBN 0-395-59938-5) The publisher can be contacted by writing to: Houghton Mifflin Co., 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003. ************************** ^ THE WORLD AT THE END OF TIME by Frederik Pohl (Ballantine Books, 1991) review by Robert Pittman Frederik Pohl has the capacity to craft stories of science and space that reach far beyond the boundaries and horizons of most imaginations. In the five books of the Heechee saga, he introduced his readers to new concepts and new values of civilizations and "invented" new ways to look at time and space. In THE WORLD AT THE END OF TIME he holds true to course and requires his readers to take another long, forward step with their imaginations. The story introduces the oldest and most powerful being in the universe and spans a time frame of more than ten-to-the-fortieth power years! He also sets up a situation in which a few remnants of humanity are still living at the end of this long time span even though the universe is exhausted and contains only the cinders of the stars and planets of which it was once composed. Wan-To is the super being and super intelligence in the story. It was naturally and accidentally created early in the life of the universe and exists as a master manipulator of energy. It lives within a star, can move from star to star and has several abilities to communicate and extend its actions throughout the universe. Wan-To has character and personality with traits such as curiosity, mischievousness, avarice, treachery and even loneliness. Loneliness, in fact, leads to Wan-To's one big mistake in its long life. It has the ability to recreate itself and does so several times. At first its offspring are playmates and stimulating intellectual companions, but as duplicate beings, they also have Wan-To's negative values such as avarice and treachery. In time these characteristics surface and the playmates become competitors and then enemies. Its own procreation sets Wan-To on a lifetime effort to destroy its offspring and to defend itself from their duplicate efforts toward the same goal. In the process, stars are exhausted and galaxies are collapsed as their energies are consumed in the long conflict between super beings. From the perspective of Wan-To and its fellow super beings, humankind is simply a construct of matter, insignificant and utterly beneath their notice. The fortunes of humanity are affected by the antics of the super beings, and the author cleverly and entertainingly carries a human story in parallel with the story of Wan-To. It starts with a young boy, Viktor Sorricaine, who is in frozen sleep along with a thousand other passengers on a 150 year journey to an earth colony planet called Newmanhome. Viktor has been in a freezer unit with his mother and father for about 112 years into the voyage when the captain of the starship decides that it is necessary to wake Viktor's father. He is the only qualified astronomer aboard and the captain is concerned about erratic activity occurring in a star situated along the path that the ship must travel. Following observations, he describes the unusual activity as "an anomalously flaring K-5 star." Beyond that, he does not understand nor does he ever learn what is really happening. The reader, however, by following the Wan-To segment of the story, knows that the flaring anomaly is the result of Wan-To and its offspring attempting to destroy each other (remember, the super beings live in stars). After a few weeks of roaming the ship, Viktor is returned to a frozen sleep and wakes again 30 years later, still a twelve year old boy, when the ship arrives at Newmanhome. The colonists establish themselves on the planet and Viktor grows to adulthood as the new home for humanity is developed. During this period, Viktor's father and a few other members of the scientific community are puzzled and disturbed by unexpected and inexplicable events on some of the planets and stars within their range of observation. These events get little attention and almost no scientific study as most of the population and its resources are focused on the development of Newmanhome. At the same time, Wan-To and its offspring continue their conflict with widespread destructive results. Stars are consumed and energies are drawn off entire galaxies in order to sustain the battle between the super beings. Ultimately the results are felt by the colony in Newmanhome. One of the super beings draws energy from the sun around which Newmanhome revolves and the colony is rapidly pushed into an ice age. As the planet becomes colder and less able to support life, the author develops several interesting sub-themes on social and cultural changes arising from the threat of extinction. As food supplies become scarce and sources of heat become critical, one solution for survival is to return much of the population to a frozen sleep (Pohl calls the frozen ones "corpsicles"). Viktor Sorricaine again becomes a corpsicle and thus survives the next great impact of Wan-To's battle tactics on Newmanhome. In a defensive measure against its challengers, Wan-To tears out a vast section of the galaxy in which Newmanhome resides, and with energies drawn from the Newmanhome sun, starts it speeding through the universe. The acceleration is rapid and the speed achieved almost stops time relative to the rest of the universe. Eons and eons pass and as the universe burns out and becomes a void, the partial galaxy continues to exist as a relatively young and viable star system. In this time Newmanhome has become a cold, lifeless planet but a few of its people have adapted and evolved to allow them a comfortable but confined life aboard space habitats. In order to enhance their gene pool, they occasionally withdraw and revive male corpsicles as sperm contributors (Pohl has these revived ancients making sperm contributions at astonishing rates!). Viktor is chosen as a contributor and comes awake in a world that bears little relation to his past. People have become kinder and more tolerant and have made stunning progress in the biological sciences. There is little interest in astronomical science and people simply accept the proposition that planets are not suitable for human occupancy and that they must make their homes in space habitats. Viktor stimulates curiosity about astronomy and space and begins a project to restore and repopulate Newmanhome. Over this incredible time span, Wan-To has succeeded in eliminating its offspring and is again the only one of its type in existence. It is a lonely and miserable existence in a universe where most of the energy is dissipated and Wan-To is resident in a cold star, unable to thrive with most of its abilities and sense in a state of suspension. In effect, trapped in a dying star in a dying universe. Pohl ends the story with Viktor Sorricaine on the road to success in rehabilitating the planet Newmanhome and in recreating a new colony from the surviving corpsicles. At the same time the quasi-dormant Wan-To "senses" the presence of fresh and vibrant stars in the remnant of the galaxy that was sent speeding through space so many eons ago. The proposition is there - will humankind and Wan-To cross paths again? Only Frederik Pohl can tell us and I hope he creates the sequel to do so. Even without absolute resolution, the ending is not a disappointment. The story is well written, fun and exciting to read. The characters, while not always likable or admirable, are well drawn for their roles in the adventure. Viktor Sorricaine, for example, is not a bright, dynamic, heroic figure. He is about average, somewhat dull and stubborn to a fault in his personal relationships. Wan-To's powerful intelligence is often diminished by his petulance and arrogance. These and other character faults condemn Wan-To to a lonely existence and Viktor to the frustrations of an unusually long life. Overall it is a great adventure story with several "sparkling new" concepts for the science fiction fan. ************************** ~ THE DARK TOWER ON TAPE Donald M. Grant, Publisher, has unabridged recordings read by Stephen King himself. THE GUNSLINGER (AT-1) $29.95 THE DRAWING OF THE THREE (AT-2) $34.95 THE WASTE LANDS $34.95 Add $2 shipping for the first item and $1 for each additional item. Add an additional $3 per item for addresses outside the U.S. Send the total to: Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc., PO Box 187, Hampton Falls, NH 03844. ************************** ^ FUTURESPEAK A Fan's Guide to the Language of Science Fiction by Roberta Rogow (Paragon House, September 1991, $24.95, ISBN 1-55778-347-0) review by Carl Ingram Here is the perfect gift for the SF fan on your holiday gift list. FUTURESPEAK is a dictionary of over 1,000 terms that pop up in and around Science Fiction literature and is absolutely amazing in its comprehensiveness. The types of words and expressions in FUTURESPEAK include: Fan Lingo: Con-Com Mommy, pro-ed, filk, nuke, grazing Magazines Terms: letterzine, closedzine, hurt/comfort story Scientific Words: genetic engineering, barbecue maneuver, parsec Gaming Terms: constitution, proficiency, cronk, chaotic Writers: Jules Vern, Rober Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, H.P. Lovecraft Filmmaking: matte painting, hook, continuity, hyphenate Art: creepy crawlies, control sheet, matting, planetscape Publishing Terms: samizdat, mass-market paperback, cross-genre Comics Terms: colorist, flaking, graphic album, ashcan edition Terms from SF Lit: generation ship, open Universe, Pern, subtext Each entry defines the term and explains its usage, and, where possible, gives the origin. Author Rogow tries to pinpoint how the term evolved, who if anyone started it and why it is a part of the language of Science Fiction. For example, she defines "Grok" as "a total understanding of one person by another, without the necessity of verbalization," then notes that the term was "coined by Robert Heinlein in STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, first published in 1961; taken into the language by the Counterculture, for whom the book became a kind of icon." FUTURESPEAK bears a Foreword by C.J. Cherryh, and four useful and entertaining appendices: Useful Addresses (SF publications, organizations, conventions) Filk Song (Filk Distributors, Filker's Bill of Rights, and several filk songs) Rotsler's Rules for Masquerades Award Rules (for Hugo and Nebula) Entertaining and educational, FUTURESPEAK is an excellent addition to any SF bookshelf, and would make a particularly fine gift for the younger reader just getting into SF. (The publisher may be contacted by writing to: Paragon House, 90 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011.) ************************** ^ THE ELVENBANE An Epic High Fantasy of the Halfblood Chronicles by Andre Norton & Mercedes Lackey (Tor, November 1991, $19.95, ISBN 0-312-85106-5) commentary from the publisher Andre Norton has been acclaimed as the "grande dame of science fiction" by LIFE magazine. Mercedes Lackey has been heralded as one of the most "brilliant and popular"--as well as bestselling--young fantasy writers. When these two masters (mistresses?) of high fantasy meld their talents in THE ELVENBANE, the result is, as PUBLISHERS WEEKLY says, "one of the season's liveliest and most appealing fantasy epics." THE ELVENBANE tells the story of the powerful, proud Elvenlords, secure in their rule over weak humans and halfbreeds, rulers who on the one hand build beautiful, near-perfect cities...and at the same time keep legions of slaves for work and entertainment, and prey on Elven or human concubines for pleasure. The only cloud in this otherwise-perfect world of Elven supremacy is "The Prophecy", which portends that magic and fortunes will remake the world. The prophecy is passed on to the halfbreed Shana, who grows up to be a wizard powerful enough to lead the humans and dragons against the cruel elves who rule the land and enslave others. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY calls THE ELVENBANE a "fine coming-of-age adventure". BOOKLIST regards the book as "dynamic fantasy". And Anne McCaffrey pays tribute to both authors: "A damned fine tale, a splendid blend of the talents of two excellent storytellers." ************************** ^ MIRABILE by Janet Kagan (Tor, 1991, $18.95, ISBN 0-312-85220-7) commentary from the publisher There's a problem on the planet Mirabile with dragon's teeth. The humans from Earth sent to colonize the planet on a generations-long voyage through space lost some essential information in transit. Now, in the early decades of human settlement, the Earth plants and animals genetically programmed to proliferate the old species (so that, for instance, a cow might give birth to a deer sometimes, that will breed true, except that sometimes the deer will give birth to a moose...) are occasionally producing mutants. Thus the carnivorous Kangaroo Rex is born, and the Loch Moose monster, and the voracious Frankenswine, dragon's teeth that threaten the ecology of Mirabile and perhaps the very survival of the colonists. Mirabile is a frontier planet with a generous mixture of ethnic and regional cultures from Earth, and the people are tough, hard-working and generally cooperative, fighting for a new life far from home. And the toughest of all has to be the ecological troubleshooter Mama Jason, a legend in her own time. It's up to her and her teams to protect the environment during this wild growth period, with only partial scientific knowledge and no genetic roadmap. She has to judge the dragon's teeth: are they a useful contribution to the environment or must they die--if you can get them before they get you. ************************** ^ THE TIME PATROL by Poul Anderson (Tor, October 1991, $21.95, ISBN 0-312-85231-2) commentary by the publisher For 35 years Poul Anderson has written about the "Time Patrol", the far future agency charged with responsibility for the stable continuity of human history. Now, in THE TIME PATROL, Tor publishes a new novel of Anderson's "Unattached Agent" Manse Everard and the Patrol, STAR OF THE SEA, along with all the previous stories in the "Time Patrol" series. In the new novel, Everard is sent to Northern Europe in A.D. 70 to investigate dangerous anomalies in the fabric of known history. At this time, according to the historian Tacitus, the Roman Empire is engaged in continuing brush-warfare with Germanic tribes along its border. Simultaneously, a charismatic warrior cult, led by a brilliant young woman, is beginning to surface, threatening the power of the Germanic tribes as well as the Romans. Once again, Everard must save human history from paradox and chaos, no matter what suffering this forces him to "preserve". STAR OF THE SEA is the core of Tor's new book which finally collects in one volume all the "Time Patrol" stories Anderson has written in the last 35 years, including "Gibraltar Falls", "The Sorrows of Odin the Goth", and the novel THE YEAR OF THE RANSOM, the little-known prequel to THE SHIELD OF TIME (Tor, 1990). ************************** ^ PLAYGROUNDS OF THE MIND (The sequel to N-SPACE) by Larry Niven (Tor, November 1991, $22.95, ISBN 0-312-85219-3) commentary from the publisher In N-SPACE (Tor, 1990), Niven provided his readers with a panoply of excerpts from solo fiction, nonfiction, and his collaborative novels, representing the first half of his career. PLAYGROUNDS OF THE MIND picks up where N-SPACE left off, with award-winning stories, memoirs, nonfiction essays in scientific extrapolation, and uncollected fiction. Included are such classics as: "Becalmed in Hell", "What Good Is a Glass Dagger?", and the Hugo-winning "The Borderland of Sol". The reader will also relish comments on and extracts from novels like THE RINGWORLD ENGINEERS and THE MAGIC GOES AWAY, articles like "Mars, with Craters", and "The Theory and Practice of Teleportation", autobiographical essays, and never-before-collected works of hard SF in which Niven writes about his alien-filled Known Space. ************************** ^ RED ORC'S RAGE by Philip Jose Farmer (Tor, October 1991, $18.95, ISBN 0-312-85036-0) commentary from the publisher In the 1960s and '70s, Philip Jose Farmer wrote 5 volumes of the "World of Tiers" series, classics of contemporary fantasy which take place in artificial pocket universes created by the arrogant and decadent super-race, The Lords. For the Earthman, Kickaha, the greatest and most deadly foe is the Lord, Red Orc. The "World of Tiers" books, based loosely on the poetry of William Blake, have been in print for the last 25 years. In 1978, Dr. A. James Giannini, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Ohio State University, decided to use a unique method of psychiatric therapy to treat troubled adolescents. His method was based on the "World of Tiers" series. His patients, all volunteers, read the series and chose which character or characters to identify with and to try, in a sense, to become, based on Farmer's settings and ideas. In a daring literary maneuver, Farmer then took the idea of Dr. Giannini's therapy and turned it into a fictionalized version of a young man in a treatment center undergoing such revolutionary therapy. That young man is Jim Grimson, whose Tiersian fantasies, as he inhabits the fantastic mind of Red Orc, include attacking and maiming his father, making love to 20 of his sisters, saving his mother from prison and a killer while riding a white horse--all occurring while he was 17 years old in October of 1979 and couldn't possibly understand that he had created a seemingly ten-billion-year-old universe. In this art-imitates-life-imitates-art novel, nearly half the action chronicles Jim's exciting and disturbing adventures in other worlds. The result is a powerful blend of psychology and fantasy from Philip Jose Farmer, who critic Leslie Fiedler called "the single best SF writer alive." ************************** ^ AVALON by Mary J. Jones (Naiad Press, 1991, $9.95, ISBN 0-941483-96-7) cover copy AVALON...where strong, courageous women prepare to defend the world that is theirs. Fleeing from Camelot and Arthur's anger, two desperate riders reach the sea to meet the waiting boats. In their care is a baby girl--whose destiny is to rule the fabled isle of Avalon as Lady of the Lake. Named Argante--brilliant one--she will grow to womanhood with her soul-friend, Elin. As one of the Daughters of the Goddess, her duty is to watch over the Celtic Realms of Ireland, Britain, and Gaul. Against her stands a fearsome foe, dark sister of the Goddess Mother, Annis the Hag, Queen of the Wastelands. The stain of evil has swept over the mainlands as Annis, her dreadful Grey Host at her command, brings bloody war and pestilence to the once fruitful kingdoms. Now, only Argante and the Daughters of Avalon stand between Annis and her complete dominion over the Celtic Realms... AVALON...a sumptuous tale, a richly detailed, vivid tapestry of a time when women reigned supreme. If your local bookstore doesn't have AVALON, you can order it directly from the publisher by sending the list price, plus 15% extra for shipping and handling, to: The Naiad Press Inc., PO Box 10543, Tallahassee, FL 32302. Or use your credit card by calling 1-800-533-1973. ************************** ^ STRANDED by Camarin Grae (Naiad Press, 1991, $9.95, ISBN 0-941483-99-1) cover copy A superb new tale from a marvelous storyteller...Camarin Grae, bestselling author of THE SECRET IN THE BIRD and EDGEWISE, reveals what it's like to be truly STRANDED... Amy is more than a little startled to meet Jenna. Because Jenna has taken up residence in Amy's mind. And because Jenna is from the planet Allo. Jenna, amazed and appalled by Earth's culture, must win the trust of Amy and her friend Agatha. Only through them can she locate love-partner Billy and friend, Cass, from whom she has become separated in transit to Earth. Then, for the sake of Earth, they must find and neutralize Zephkar--for Zephkar is the reason the three have been sent from Allo. Zephkar is already hard at work. Using his invincible powers, he has taken over the mind and body of James Lane, and has founded New Direction, a fundamentalist religion. And he is forming a political party to rule America as a theocracy. How can Jenna and her lesbian allies hope to defeat the all-powerful Zephkar? And as for Jenna and Billy--how can they manage to love each other while inhabiting these strange human bodies? Find the answers to all these questions in the most wonderfully entertaining story of the year. If your local bookstore doesn't have STRANDED, you can order it directly from the publisher by sending the list price, plus 15% extra for shipping and handling, to: The Naiad Press Inc., PO Box 10543, Tallahassee, FL 32302. Or use your credit card by calling 1-800-533-1973. ************************** ~THE PAPERBACK BOOKSHELF: ^ CITIES IN SPACE edited by J. Pournelle and J. Carr (Ace, September 1991, $4.50, ISBN 0-441-10591-2) review by Darryl Kenning This is volume III of THE ENDLESS FRONTIER. It is a collection of short stories, articles, and poems from folks like Robert A. Heinlein, Norman Spinrad, Doug Beason, John Gillespie Magee Jr. and Jerry Pournelle to name just some of them. Like the others in the series this is unashamedly a book extolling the virtues of space flight and exploration and moving forward to the next frontier of human exploration. The pieces in the book are all outstanding--every one! Some are classics and THE LONG WATCH by Heinlein still sends a shiver down my back--just like it did almost 30 years ago when I first read it. This one is a must read if you are interested in space, poems, or just like outstanding writing. KQ = 5 -------------------------- ^ LUNAR DESCENT by Allen Steele (Ace, October 1991, $4.99, ISBN 0-441-50485-X) review by Darryl Kenning Allen Steele has written 3 excellent books about the Moon and the people who will be the first real inhabitants, the hard space workers. (ORBITAL DECAY, CLARKE COUNTY, SPACE) In may ways his stories remind me of early Robert Heinlein stories: they are about real people in working environments, who face everyday problems and not-so-everyday problems. LUNAR DESCENT is a detective story and a story about how things really work in life projected to the near future. It's a story about how they/you/us deal with the gritty aspects of life. I for one am looking forward to seeing much more of Steele's writing--it's exciting, it's realistic, and it is about people. KQ = 4 -------------------------- ^ MUTINEER"S MOON by David Weber (Baen Books, October 1991, $4.50, ISBN 0-671-72085-6) review by Darryl Kenning David Weber has got a winner here--and I'm not exactly sure why. The plot is old: An Air Force officer on a routine training flight over the moon wakes up a self-aware Imperial Battleship, that gets him, gives him extraordinary powers....well you see what I mean. I hate to admit this but I think I bought it because of the cover art--I was on a trip and was desperate for SF to read. And yet, I found I couldn't put down the book. Weber has made this rather overused plot line come alive and it works on a couple of levels that are intriguing to say the least. I don't want to spill any more of the plot--I'll bet you can guess most of it already, but it really doesn't matter. This is a book for curling up with on a Friday night when the TV has naught but its usual fare. It will keep you interested and then you will be looking for more of Weber's stuff--and that's probably me you see peering over your shoulder in the bookstore. KQ = 5 ************************** ~ THE SCORECARD Title Author KQ Mutineer's Moon David Weber 5 A Reasonable World Damon Knight 4 The January Platoon Kevin Randle 3 The Mutant Prime Karen Haber 3 A Trace of Memory Keith Laumer 4 Immortality Inc. Robert Sheckley 3 Drifter William C. Dietz 3 Queen of Angels Greg Bear 2 The Jupiter War Bill Fawcet (ed) 2 Lunar Descent Allen Steele 4 Cities in Space J. Pournelle (ed) 5 ************************** ~ NOVEMBER 1991 TITLES FROM TOR commentary from the publisher ^A REASONABLE WORLD by Damon Knight ($3.99, ISBN 0-812-50978-1) Ten years have passed since the researchers on the ocean-going habitat, Sea Venture, accidentally released McNulty's Symbiont into an unprepared world. The alien life form has infected and altered thousands of adults, and is reproduced whenever a child is conceived with a symbiont present. The symbionts are beginning to make themselves heard: they will not permit violence, murder or warfare. Those who attempt such behavior die instantly. A new dawn awaits humanity on Earth, if only those who fear awakening can be made to understand. ^THERE WON'T BE WAR edited by Harry Harrison & Bruce McAllister ($3.99, ISBN 0-812-51941-8) This international anthology sparks the imagination with an exploration of the peaceful development of space. This hopeful volume contains brand-new original fiction from: Nicholas Emmett, Gregory Frost, Joe Haldeman, Ratislav Durman, Frederik Pohl, James Morrow, Robert Sheckley, Jack McDevitt, Jack C. Haldeman II, Charles Stross, Marc Laidlaw, Nancy A. Collins, Timothy Zahn, George Zebrowski, Isaac Asimov. ^EXPLORATIONS by Poul Anderson ($3.99, ISBN 0-812-51536-6) An outstanding collection of science fiction stories by one of the most respected names in the field, EXPLORATIONS contains classic Poul Anderson stories, all involving interstellar voyages of discovery. Anderson has won many Hugo Awards for his short fiction, and his 1991 release, THE BOAT OF A MILLION YEARS, was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. ^CONAN THE ROGUE by John Maddox Roberts ($7.99, ISBN 0-812-51411-4) Everyone in Sicas wants the priceless object Conan of Cimmeria has gone there to find. Beautiful women who offer smiles and kisses--and maybe a knife in the back. A priest who may be closer to his goddess than he thinks. Noble lords, the bosses of criminal gangs, and a fop whose perfumed kerchief may hide poison. Everyone wants it, everyone is willing to murder to get it, and everyone has a different tale of exactly what IT is. But they are all wrong about one thing. None know the horror this object will unleash on Sicas. Only one man has any chance of saving them all from a fate worse than death. Only Conan of Cimmeria--and even his chances are small. ^THE DRAGON KNIGHT by Gordon R. Dickson ($5.99, ISBN 0-812-50943-9) In 1957, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning science fiction author Gordon R. Dickson tried his hand at whimsical fantasy with a novelette titled "St. Dragon and the George", a rollicking tale of a man transported to a fantastic realm where humans are monsters, and dragons are heroes. Twenty years later, Dickson expanded the story into a novel. THE DRAGON AND THE GEORGE soon became one of Dickson's most beloved works. THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION called it "marvelous...an excellent fantasy adventure that resembles real life as only the best fantasy can." It won the Hugo and British Fantasy Awards and ultimately sold more than three quarters of a million copies. Dickson's loyal fans waited eagerly for a sequel. Now, a decade later, Dickson returns to this enchanting world in THE DRAGON KNIGHT. KIRKUS REVIEWS wrote: "For fans, it's been worth the wait...THE DRAGON KNIGHT moves forward in a steady, amusing way, and brings great charm to medieval England and magic lore." JIm Eckert, a college professor, awakens one day in the body of a dragon in a world where magic is real. Through a series of misadventures, he saved his beloved Angela from an evil wizard, regained his human form, and became a medieval Baron. Now Sir James has suddenly become a dragon again, and can't change back. He has to learn to control his magical powers in order to rescue Edward, the Crown Prince of England, who has just been kidnapped by the King of France. Boris Vallejo, the artist who created the memorable cover painting for THE DRAGON AND THE GEORGE a decade ago, has produced a delightful new painting for THE DRAGON KNIGHT. Gordon R. Dickson is one of science fiction's most respected authors. In a career spanning nearly four decades, he has earned most of the field's highest honors, including two Nebula Awards and four Hugo Awards. His most recent works include WOLF AND IRON, THE FINAL ENCYCLOPEDIA, and THE WAY OF THE PILGRIM. Mr. Dickson has made his home for many years in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. ~ OTHER TOR BOOKS OF NOTE: ^SWORDSPOINT: A MELODRAMA OF MANNERS by Ellen Kushner ($3.99, ISBN 0-812-51771-7) In SWORDSPOINT, Kushner has created an elegant, mannered, and decadent city that spans the distance from the slums of Riverside to the mansions of the Hill. Here, rich people don't fight their own battles. The most talented and sought-after of swordsmen are paid to fight their duels--and the most sought-after of these freelancers is Richard St. Vier. ^A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT by Mark Twain ($2.50, ISBN 0-812-50436-4) It was one HECK of a punch. Knocked me clear from New England to Olde England, from Connecticut to Camelot. Suddenly, there I WAS--with King Arthur, Launcelot, Morgan le Fay, and that faker, Merlin. I was trapped in the sixth century, surrounded by jousts and chivalry and idiots in armor bashing other idiots in armor! But I'm resourceful; I look for opportunities. And King Arthur's court needed a few improvements. Like soap. Toothpaste. Baseball. Electricity, factories, newspapers, telephones, trains, bicycles...free elections. In short, these folks needed a double dose of gool ole American know-how. They needed a Boss. They needed-- Me. ************************** ~ NEWS 'N' NOTES Here is a list of booksellers around the world that specialize in SF, handy to have if you do much traveling or seek specialty stuff for your collection. Always Superior Books Copper Dragon Books 3645 Providence Rd Mark Anderson Marietta GA 30062 2430 Agnes Way 404-977-2378 Palo Alto CA 94303 415-424-1984 Andromeda Bookshop Bakka Books 84 Suffolk ST. 282 Queen Street West Birmingham England, U.K. B1 1TA Toronto Ontario, Canada M5V2A1 415-596-8161 B. Barrett Books T.D. Bell P.O. Box 6202 Leahy Lane Hayward CA 94540 Ballston Spa NY 12020 Black Hill Books Black & White Books The Wain House 111 Hicks St. Black Hill, Clunton #11F Craven Arms Shropshire, UK SY7 0JD Brooklyn NY 11201 05884-551 718-855-2598 Books Borders Bookstore Box 3711 Castleton Corners Mall Bartlesville OK 74006-3711 Indianapolis IN Ray Bowman Stephen Buhner: Bookseller P.O. Box 167 8563 Flagstaff Rd. Carmel IN 46032 Boulder CO 80302 Bump in the Night Books California Book Auction Gal. 133-135 Elfreths Alley 965 Mission St. Philadelphia PA 19106 Suite 730 San Francisco CA 94103 415-243-0650 Nicholas Certo Change of Hobbit POB 322-L 1433 Second St. Circleville NY 10919 Santa Monica CA 90401 914-361-1190 213-473-2873 Cheap Street Cold Tonnage Books Route 2 Box 293 Andy Richards New Castle VA 24127 136 New Road 703-864-6288 Bedfont, Feltham, Middlesex, UK TW148HT Comic Kingdom II L. W. Currey, Inc. 29905 Harper AVe. P.O. Box 187 St. Clair Shores MI 48082 Elizabethtown NY 12932 313-777-2323 518-873-6477 D.C. Books Dangerous Visions David Chack 13563 Ventura Blvd. 30 Clifford Dr. Sherman Oaks CA 91423-3825 West Hartford CT 06107 818-986-6963 Dark Carnival Bookstore Dark Castle Books 2978 Aeline 1861 Adobe St Berkeley CA Concord CA 94520 415-845-7757 DMK Books Dragon's Lair Bookstore 22946 Brenford St. 110 W. Fifth St. Woodland Hills CA 91364 Dayton OH 45402 513-222-1479 Chris Drumm Books Duga's Books POB 445 610 Aldama Ct. Polk City IA 50226 Ocoee FL 32761 407-656-3235 Dust Jacket Chris Eckhoff Dept. LSF 98 Pierrepont St. 9835 Robin Rd Brooklyn NY 11201 Niles IL 60649 Elsewhere Books Toby English 260 Judah St. Lamb Arcade San Francisco CA 94122 Wallingford Oxfordshire, 415-661-2535 UK OX10 0BS Esoterica Book Gallery Excalibur 734 Waverly Rd. 1 Hillside Gardens Bryn Mawr PA 19010 Bangor Northern Ireland BT192SJ 215-527-1260 The Exiles Bookshop F & SF Book Co. Jim Welsh POB 415 P.O. Box 12071 Staten Island NY 10302-0005 Silver Spring MD 209908 301-365-7016 John Faley Fantast (Medway) Ltd. 322 W. 55 St. P.O. Box 23 #2C Upwell, Wisbech New York NY 10019 Cambs. U.K. PE14 9BU Fantasy Connection Fantasy, Etc. P.O. Box 676 808 Larkin St. Carmichael CA 95609 San Francisco CA 94109 916-393-8269 415-441-7617 Fine Books Co. Dwayne Fund David Aronovitz 2657 SW Willow Pkwy 781 E. Snell Gresham OR 97080 Rochester MI 48306 503-661-2729 313-651-8799 Future Fantasy Robert Gavora, Bookseller 3701 El Camino Real P.O. Box 928 Palo Alto CA 94306 Ashland OR 97520 408-855-9771 503-482-8891 Gorgon Books Gryphon Publications 102 Joanne Drive POB 209 Holbrook NY 11741 Brooklyn NY 11228 516-472-3504 Robert Henderson, Bookseller David Holloway, Bookseller 2091-B 10th Ave. 6760 SouthWest 76th Terrace Honolulu HI 96816 South Miami FL 33143 Graham Holroyd Inter-Data Systems 19 Borrowdale Drive 3280 Sunrise Hwy Rochester NY 14626 Suite 265A 716-225-4879 Wantagh NY 11793 It Came From Mt. Shasta David D. Jackson Dennis L. White, Bookseller 450 S. Normandie POB 1120 #102 Mt. Shasta CA 96067 Los Angeles CA 90020 916-926-2174 Kadath Press 20th Century Books 2 Roman Grove Philip E. Kaveny, Bookseller Roundhay Leeds, U.K. LS8 2DT 108 King St. Madison WI 53703 Gerry Kleier John W. Knott Jr., Bookseller 2134 McGee 8453 Early Bud Way Apt. 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Powell 19073 Los Alimos St. Portland OR 97206 Northridge CA 91326 503-775-4943 Mark V. Ziesing POB 76 Shingletown CA 96088 916-474-1580 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* * * * 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ^ NEEDFUL THINGS: The Last Castle Rock Story by Stephen King (Viking, October 1991, $24.95, ISBN 0-670-83953-1) review by Annie Wilkes "...in America, you could have anything you wanted, just as long as you could pay for it. If you couldn't pay, or REFUSED to pay, you would remain needful forever." "You've been here before." So starts Stephen King's latest novel, the story that takes you to Castle Rock for one last, apocalyptic visit. You HAVE been there before, haven't you? Castle Rock has been the setting of some of King's most memorable tales: THE DEAD ZONE, CUJO, THE TOMMYKNOCKERS, THE DARK HALF, "The Body" (from DIFFERENT SEASONS, filmed as STAND BY ME), "The Sun Dog" (from FOUR PAST MIDNIGHT), "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut", "Uncle Otto's Truck", and "Nona". As King wrote in the introduction to "The Sun Dog": "...a state of entrancement with a fictional setting may not be the best thing in the world for a writer. It was for Faulkner and J.R.R. Tolkien, but sometimes a couple of exceptions just prove the rule, and besides, I don't play in that league. So at some point I decided...that the time had come to close the book on Castle Rock, Maine, where so many of my favorite characters have lived and died." And King closes that book with a bang, to be sure. Not quite as emotional as many of his other stories have been, NEEDFUL THINGS is more psychological, more philosophical. It all begins when a new store comes to Castle Rock, a mysterious place called Needful Things, run by the enigmatic Leland Gaunt, who manages to be both hypnotically charming and viscerally repulsive by turns. What does the store sell? Who is Gaunt and where does he come from? What does the name of the store mean? Most of Castle Rock will find answers to at least two of the questions, to their everlasting sorrow. What does Gaunt sell? The one thing you want most in the whole world. What does he charge? Only a few dollars, whatever you can easily afford, plus a small harmless prank to be played on another resident of The Rock. As Gaunt said one time to a man named Hugh Priest, "Do you know something, Hugh? The world is full of needy people who don't understand that everything, EVERYTHING, is for sale...if you're willing to pay the price." The story is about greed and jealousy, paranoia and guilt. As the customers of Needful Things will discover, when you buy something, you're also selling something, and the trade may not be as good as it seems. "...everyone loves a bargain. Everyone loves something for nothing... even if it costs everything." NEEDFUL THINGS is about consumerism gone awry, about people who try to fill their needs with mere things, not understanding that they become things themselves in the process. Sheriff Pangborn must try to save what he can of the people of Castle Rock. But can he even save himself? What will Needful Things have for him to buy? NEEDFUL THINGS is an exciting finish to what has been the most fearsomely entertaining town in fiction. Don't miss it. ************************** ~ NEEDFUL THINGS ON TAPE Donald M. Grant, Publisher, has unabridged recordings of NEEDFUL THINGS read by Stephen King himself. Each Part is 9 hours long on 6 cassettes. Part I: Grand Opening Celebration (NT-1) $29.95 Part II: Sale of the Century (NT-2) $29.95 Part III: Everything Must Go (NT-3) $29.95 Parts I, II, and III (NT-4) $89.85 Shipping is $2 for the first tape, $1 for each additional tape. Add an additional $3 per item for addresses outside the U.S. Send the total to: Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc., PO Box 187, Hampton Falls, NH 03844. ************************** ^ LOT LIZARDS by Ray Garton (Mark V. Ziesing, 1991, $22.00, ISBN 0-929480-59-7) review by Drew Bartorillo Big-rig driver Bill Ketter's wife took their children and left six months ago, complaining that he didn't spend enough time at home. She had left a few times before, but this time it was for good. On a cold winter night, during a moment of lonliness, Ketter invites one of the local truck stop hookers, a "lot lizard" as they are called, to spend the night with him in his sleeper. When she leaves in the morning, she not only takes his money, credit cards and tape deck, but also his humanity, drained through two puncture wounds in his neck. From then on, the only food that Ketter can eat or drink without throwing up is blood. Fresh blood is so much better, but he can't bring himself to kill other humans. Blood from local blood banks has to do but he is slowly dying from the lack of fresh blood. Ketter is determined to find the lair of the vampire lot lizards and their queen, searching from truck stop to truck stop for the big-rigs that carry their evil coffins. Finally, during a raging winter's storm, he comes face-to-face with the evil and the queen mother of the lot lizards herself. Ever since reading and reviewing LIVE GIRLS (RFP # 5), I have been a BIG fan of Ray Garton. After a few novels and short stories, with LOT LIZARDS Garton returns to the vampire theme, and the book is superb. It was very difficult to put LOT LIZARDS down and I managed to finish it in two sittings. I have a weakness for vampire stories and Ray Garton is truly a master in this area. Those of you who have read LIVE GIRLS will recognize an underlying theme, the results of a vampire drinking tainted blood. Think of this as you read LOT LIZARDS. It has a lot to do with the outcome of the story. If you like vampire stories, then LOT LIZARDS is an absolute must. I'll guarantee you'll like it and make you think twice the next time you happen to be at a truck stop on a cold and lonely night. You can order LOT LIZARDS directly from the publisher by sending $22 ($50 for a signed, slipcased edition), plus shipping and handling (Parcel Post: $3 for the regular edition, $4 for the signed. UPS: $3.50 for the regular edition, $4.50 for the signed.) to: Mark V. Ziesing, PO Box 76, Shingletown, CA 96088. Phone: 916/474-1580. ************************** ^ MASQUES IV All-New Works of Horror and the Supernatural edited by J.N. Williamson (Maclay & Assoc., 1991, $19.95, ISBN 0-940776-26-X) review by Howard Frye MASQUES IV is another excellent anthology in the MASQUES series, gathering some of the very best short frightful fiction from both old masters and unknowns. Hundreds or thousands of years from now when archaeologists dig up a copy of MASQUES IV they're going to find out a lot about what it was like in early-1990s America. For instance, there's our love-hate relationship with children. "Children" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch tells of child-shaped monsters who prey on male members of the McIntyre family. Bruce Boston's "Animal Husbandry" has a husband and wife with differing ideas about breeding. And then there's the whole subject of child abuse: "The Coming of Night, The Passing of Day" by Ed Gorman and "Please Don't Hurt Me" by F. Paul Wilson inadvertently form a two-part tale of family violence and child abuse, and its legacy for the future. Cameron Nolan's "The Children Never Lie" also deals with child abuse, but from a different angle, and along the way she makes some good points about the current state of the field of psychology. Memories of childhood form the basis of both "Savages" by Darrell Schweitzer and "Love, Hate, and the Beautiful Junkyard Sea" by Mort Castle, the first concerning a Peter Pan-type character who never grows up and the second about the magic of childhood--how it's found, and how it gets lost again. Relationships between the sexes don't fair too well either. James Kisner tells a sharp-edged tale about life, sex, and boredom in "Splatter Me an Angel"; John Coyne covers related ground in "Obscene Phone Calls". Noise pollution serves as the background for Kathryn Ptacek's "Sounds". There are really quite a few stories in MASQUES IV that are humorous in whole or in part, one of the best being editor Williamson's "Collaborationists", about the wives of writers. Graham Masterton tells one of the most effective supernatural stories in his "The Heart of Helen Day", in which a weary traveler escapes a rainstorm by checking into a rundown motel. "Pratfall" by John Maclay puts a clown in the middle of the Gulf War--no, I mean a REAL clown, in white-face and baggy pants--creating a scene that would have been great on CNN. There are even a couple of poems here, my favorite being "Whispers of the Unrepentant" by t. Winter-Damon: "I have a freezer full of secrets and some most suspicious beef..." I also liked "Milestone's Face" by Gary Brandner, dealing with an egotistical news anchorman who plays a cruel trick on the wrong bag lady. And if you'd told me that sucking someone's eyeballs right out of their head could be sensual, I wouldn't have believed you, until I read Rick Hautala's "Sources of the Nile". Which story was worth the price of the whole book? No question about it: "My Private Memoirs of the Hoffer Stigmata Pandemic" by Dan Simmons. It's funny, it's sad, and you'll be thinking about it for a long, long time. Trust me. In his introduction to the story Williamson says that Simmons "creates a new language with which to examine ourselves with greater, cleaner conscientiousness", which might sound like just so much twaddle, until you read the story. That's EXACTLY what Simmons does. And if this is your first Simmons story, boy, have you got some great reading ahead of you. (Hint: Start with the award-winning SONG OF KALI, move on to the award-winning HYPERION and FALL OF HYPERION, then to the award-winning CARRION COMFORT, winding up at his recent SUMMER OF NIGHT.) MASQUES IV is a sensational anthology of frightening, disturbing, funny, sad, puzzling, and thought-provoking short fiction. Absolutely top-drawer. By the way, there is also a limited edition version (750 copies), signed by the contributors, for $49. If there are any left. At that price, I'd hurry if I were you. In any case, you can get in touch with the publisher by writing to: Maclay & Associates, PO Box 16253, Baltimore, MD 21210 (301/235-7985). ************************** ^ NIGHT VISIONS 9 Introduction by F. Paul Wilson (Dark Harvest, 1991, $21.95, ISBN 0-913165-63-8) review by Drew Bartorillo NIGHT VISIONS is the annual anthology from Dark Harvest that features approximately 30,000 words of original material from three different writers. This year Thomas Tessier contribues a novella, James Kisner has written 5 short stories, and Rick Hautala contributes seven interrelated pieces that he calls "Untciguhunk". In Tessier's novella, "The Dreams of Dr. Ladybank", a psychiatrist discovers that he can control other people's behavior with his mind, but unfortunately it only works with two individuals, and both of them are lunatics. In the end, Dr. Ladybank is done in by his own ego, and everyone comes to a bad end--rather graphically too. A good read. James Kisner's five stories constitute an excellent introduction to this writer who isn't as well known as he should be. "Jack's Demon" solves the mystery of Jack the Ripper once and for all, with a whole new angle on the case. In "The Last Time I Saw Grandma", Jeremy's beloved grandmother is dying. After a visit from a tall dark stranger, Grandma has bite marks on her neck. Now she'll be there for Jeremy forever. In "Moose Oysters", Kurt Kelley hopes to prop up his waning masculinity with a meal of moose oysters from a moose he plans to kill in the forest. The forest wildlife has a few surprises, though, for Kurt. Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD theme gets a new wrinkle in "Born Again", as Reverend Rockwell Healy tries to hellfire and brimstone his congregation into a better afterlife. Elmer preys on the homeless, specifically anyone who greets him with "Fugya", at least he does until he meets Annie. Rick Hautala's "Untciguhunk" consists of four tales about a murderous entity that emerges from the earth every five years to prey upon all living things. These four stories are connected by three folk tales explaining the mythology behind the characters, all of them forming a sequel of sorts to Hautala's previous novel, LITTLE BROTHERS. I haven't read LITTLE BROTHERS yet, but I'd really like to now. This was my favorite section of NIGHT VISIONS--the story was imaginative and left me wanting to hear more about the Old One and Little Brother. You can get NIGHT VISIONS 9 directly from the publisher by sending the list price, plus $2 postage (for the first book, $1 for every additional book), to: Dark Harvest, PO Box 941, Arlington Heights, IL 60006. There is also a deluxe, slip-cased limited edition of 475 copies, signed by all four authors and the artist, for $55, if they have any left. ************************** ^ WAKING NIGHTMARES by Ramsey Campbell (Tor, November 1991, $18.95, ISBN 0-312-85250-9) review by Peter Quint I've been a Ramsey Campbell fan for a long time, and always stay on the lookout for his appearances in magazines. WAKING NIGHTMARES gathers up some of his finest short stories from magazines and anthologies like: PRIME EVIL, POST MORTEM, BOOK OF THE DEAD, NIGHT VISIONS 3, THE ARCHITECTURE OF FEAR, WEIRD TALES, TWILIGHT ZONE, MASQUES II, MIDNIGHT, WHISPERS, DARK FANTASIES, INTERZONE, and THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION. Campbell is particularly good at remembering and communicating the fears of childhood. "Bedtime Story" has a child frightened and tormented by an insensitive grandmother, while "Eye of Childhood" concerns a monster of a teacher. The children in these stories finally manage to strike back, and do so most appropriately in "The Old School", where a teacher is trapped in a haunted school. It is only when a child is terrorized by a writer--in "Meeting the Author"--that he never really recovers. Another common theme for Campbell stories, and one of my favorites, is getting lost in one way or another. "In the Trees" was one of the scarier stories for me, about getting lost in the woods; and the protagonist gets lost around the docks in "Playing the Game". A man gets lost in time in "Second Sight", as does the reader of M.R. James books in "The Guide". A writer gets lost in words in "Beyond Words". And a number of lead characters get lost in a shifting reality, a very frightening concept. "Watch the Birdie" is an unusual story in which the narrator, Ramsey Campbell himself, allows us to see how words can make things appear and disappear. And, lest you be under the delusion that Ramsey Campbell only writes cerebral, heavy-on-atmosphere, low-on-action stories, there is the nasty "It Helps If You Sing" and a tale reminiscent of E.C. comics called "Jack in the Box". Nineteen stories are collected in WAKING NIGHTMARES, representing some of Ramsey Campbell's finest fiction. If you haven't taken the Campbell plunge, this is the time to do it--Recommended. ************************** ^ THE THRILL OF FEAR: 250 Years of Scary Entertainment by Walter Kendrick (Grove Weidenfeld, October 31 1991, $21.95, ISBN 0-8021-1162-9) commentary from the publisher Why do we enjoy scaring ourselves? Why do some of the largest industries in the world--including books, films, television, advertising, toys and games for all ages, even children's breakfast foods--depend so crucially on ghouls, ghosts, and zombies climbing all too nimbly out of dark and moldy resting places? Walter Kendrick provides an answer with this authoritative history of 250 years of horror as entertainment, of those momentary prickles of the scalp and sudden intakes of breath that provide mysterious pleasure--from THE CASTLE OF OTRANTO and DRACULA to D.C. Comics, PSYCHO, and Stephen King. Kendrick's perceptive, humorous, and lively history of the unquiet dead is also the story of a process that has almost totally removed the aftereffects of death from most Western experience, leaving them to cavort in the imagination. The more we have tried to sanitize death, to push it away from our consciousness, the more it has returned in our entertainments, with the undying (until now?) energy of Freddy Krueger. RFP NOTE: I thought I recognized the author's name--he also wrote THE NOVEL MACHINE: THE THEORY AND FICTION OF ANTHONY TROLLOPE, a fascinating book for anyone interested in Victorian fiction in general or Trollope in particular. THE THRILL OF FEAR is a very interesting book from a literary scholar who is appreciative of the genre without being a pushover for anything that goes bump in the night. Walter Kendrick, a multifaceted professor of English at Fordham University, also has written THE SECRET MUSEUM: PORNOGRAPHY IN MODERN CULTURE. ************************** ^ THE YEAR'S BEST HORROR STORIES: XIX edited by Karl Edward Wagner (DAW, October 1991, $4.99, ISBN 0-88677-488-8) review by Peter Quint Once again Karl Edward Wagner provides horror fans with a wide variety of choice fiction. He's been doing it for the last twelve years, so it's no wonder he's gotten very good at it. My favorites this time include "Identity Crisis" by Patrick McLeod, a wonderfully disturbing tale of a person's identity shifting like quicksand. Similar and equally good is Nicholas Royle's "Negatives", in which a man named Linden inhabits a nightmare world of meaningless work and a reality that just won't hold still. The longish "Full Throttle" by Philip Nutman irresistibly leads the reader along, watching several youths on their way to an unavoidable destiny. And for comic relief there is "The Man Who Collected Barker" by Kim Newman, a terrific satire on the limited edition horror market (and, by the way, has anyone actually SEEN Clive Barker lately?). My favorite, though, the story that gave me real physical shivers is "Lord of the Creepies" by Sean Brodrick. An unemployed actor named Dave mans a dial-the-dead 900 line, but he only PRETENDS to be dead. Dave gets a call that he wasn't prepared for. A short story that packs a real chill. Several more of the entries are in a humorous vein, like "Books of Blurbs, Vol. I" by Mike Newland, a phony book review that is a razor-sharp satire of reviewing pretensions. And while we're on the subject of reviewers, Ramsey Campbell's "The Worst Fog of the Year" has a movie reviewer becoming trapped inside a grade-Z horror epic, a scary prospect for any critic. "Elfin Pipes of Northworld" by David Drake is a fantasy parody that seems misplaced in a horror anthology. Also fairly humorous is "Trophies" by Richard McMahan, if you like your humor decidedly black, that is. Have you ever wondered what all those stickers are on the sides of big trucks? There are a few classical supernatural tales in this years BEST HORROR as well. "Walking After Midnight" by C.S. Fuqua is an atmospheric ghost story, and if you like yuletide spirits try "The Soldier" by Roger Johnson. THE YEAR'S BEST HORROR also includes stories by: Andrew J. Wilson, Conrad Hill, J.L. Comeau, Nina Kiriki Hoffman (guaranteed to raise the hackles on anti-abortionists), Steve Vernon, D.F. Lewis, Joey Froelich, Robert Hood, Charles Ardai, Kim Antieau, James B. Hemesath, David Niall, Wayne Allen Sallee, and Ed Gorman. I'd say the anthology holds a nice B average all the way through. ************************** ^ FINAL SHADOWS edited by Charles L. Grant (Doubleday, September 1991, $12.00, ISBN 0-385-24646-3) review by Annie Wilkes Charles L. Grant has been editing the critically-acclaimed anthology series SHADOWS for the last ten years. Now, with FINAL SHADOWS Grant ends the series with an extra-large volume of original dark fantasy. Inside the covers you'll find an entire photograph album of contemporary nightmares: there are haunted houses, menacing strangers, free-ranging paranoia, child abuse, the death of parents, success that fails to satisfy, and the creeping loss of personal identity. What you WON'T find in FINAL SHADOWS is excessive gore or gratuitous violence, a nice change from many recent anthologies. My favorite stories: "Magpie" by Stephen Gallagher, a well-told childhood tale of brains conquering brawn. Lynn S. Hightower's "The Magic House", an edge-of-the-seat survival story. "When They Gave Us Memory" by Dennis Etchison, in which we find that as our past earns our present, so too does our present earn our past--take neither for granted. I also particularly liked: "A Father's Dream" by Chet Williamson which deals with a father's guilt. Brian Hodge's "Past Tense", about mental instability and mannequins. "Fry Day" by Melanie Tem wherein a woman deals with personal tragedy and its effect upon her. Norman Partridge's "Wrong Side of the Road", a story about the pieces of yourself given to your friends--can you ever get them back? Several writers deal with the particular problems of artists. Kim Antieau's "Medusa's Child" is about a woman who gets her life force from tapping the creativity of artists. A painter makes a pact with dark forces in "The Dark Places in Between" by Karen Haber. When is an older master an "influence" and when is the new artist simply a copycat? David Sutton examines this issue in "Photo-Call". "Mulberry's Crystal" by Brian Mooney & Stephen Jones is also note-worthy, being a very fine Lovecraft pastiche; sort of H.P. without quite so many adjectives. FINAL SHADOWS also includes stories by: Wendy Webb, Julie R. Good, Lori Negridge Allen, Brian Lumley, Bill Pronzini, Peter Tremayne, Nancy Holder, Samantha Lee, Michael Bishop, Colin Greenland, Jessica Palmer, Guy N. Smith, Graham Masterton, Bernard Taylor, Tanith Lee, Mike Chinn, Craig Shaw Gardner, Jack Cady, Juleen Brantingham, Nicholas Royle, Sharon Webb, Mark Morris, Ashley McConnell, David S. Garnett, and David Morrell. Another fine anthology, and unfortunately the last, in Charles L. Grant's wonderful SHADOWS series. ************************** ~ PETER QUINT READS THE MAGAZINES ^WEIRD TALES: Special Thomas Ligotti Issue Winter 1991/92 #303 edited by Darrell Schweitzer Thomas Ligotti is a name you may not be familiar with. He's been haunting the small presses for some time and finally emerged into the world of major publishing with SONGS OF A DEAD DREAMER (Carroll & Graf). He writes short stories, and they are usually unusual, bizarre, unclassifiable tales, which might explain why mainstream publishers haven't been rushing to publish him. But his reputation among critics has been excellent, and more readers (like me) are beginning to discover how good Ligotti's stories are. This issue of WEIRD TALES has three--"Nethescurial", "The Cocoons", and "Miss Plarr", as well as an interview with the writer, all of which serve as a terrific introduction to a storyteller you should know. Elsewhere in WEIRD TALES #303, you'll find a couple of Christmas stories: "He Knows If You've Been Bad or Good" by R.G. Evans and "Visitors" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (a writer to watch, trust me), and a seasonal, atmospheric story from Tanith Lee called "The Winter Ghosts". There is also fiction from Holly Thomas ("Homecoming"), Keith Taylor ("Revenant"), and William F. Wu ("Scent of Sandalwood"). There is verse by Darrell Schweitzer, Keith Allen Daniels, Robert Frazier, Stanley McNail, and Robert E. Howard, and an absolutely huge story by editor Darrell Schweitzer, "To Become a Sorcerer", that I'm sure is very nice, but isn't my kind of story and my attention wandered. WEIRD TALES is $4.95 for a single copy and $16 for a year's subscription (4 quarterly issues). Send your money to: Weird Tales, PO Box 13418, Philadelphia, PA 19101-3418. ^MIDNIGHT ZOO Vol. #1, Issue #5, 1991 edited by Jon L. Herron Here's another gigantic issue of articles, fiction, poetry, art, and news covering the entire spectrum of horror, SF, and fantasy. I've been looking around and I still haven't found any other genre magazine that gives you so much material for your magazine dollar, and most of it is darn good too. There are loads of book reviews, a few movie reviews, an article about ALIEN NATION and STAR TREK on TV, an interview with Judith Tarr, pages of artwork from featured artists William Carr and Nikolai Lokteff, an article by Kevin J. Anderson about THE TRINITY PARADOX, and lord knows what all else. (I've usually just about finished one issue by the time the next one arrives.) I don't have the time or the space to tell you about all the fiction, but I can scratch the surface a bit. If you like your prose grisly, "Dead Men Tell No Tales" by Rick McMahan is a good one; "Trick of Treat" by Tracy Vaughn Moore is the best Halloween story I've read this fall; "The Last Vampire" by David Addleman is without doubt the shortest vampire story I've ever read, and I really like Addleman's "Family Ties" about a nasty grandmother. It's tough to pick one story I liked better than any other, but it might be "The Lesser Evil" by Richard F. McGonegal, a high-tech High Noon kind of story with a twist. Good characters, lots of action, and a few surprises--you can't ask for much more than that. You can get a sample copy of MIDNIGHT ZOO for $6 (this includes postage; the cover price is $4.95), and a 7-issue subscription (6 bimonthly issues plus the special December edition) will run you $29.95, a bargain any way you look at it. Send your check to: Midnight Zoo, 544 Ygnacio Valley Road, #A273, PO Box 8040, Walnut Creek, CA 94596. (Late breaking news: Midnight Zoo has a 1992 calendar for sale for $9.95. It's 11" x 17" spiral bound and includes stories under 1,000 words, poems, illustrations, as well as important genre dates and other useful information. Send your money to: Calendar, 544 Ygnacio Valley Road, #A273, PO Box 8040, Walnut Creek, CA 94596.) ************************** ~ FROM TOR IN NOVEMBER 1991 commentary from the publisher ^ THE DARK DESCENT VOL. 2: THE MEDUSA IN THE SHIELD edited by David G. Hartwell ($4.99, ISBN 0-812-50966-8) Horror fiction has existed since man's earliest days, when spooky tales were told around a fire. These stories deal with humanity's most powerful emotions: fear, love and hope. Contributors to THE MEDUSA IN THE SHIELD include Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell, Thomas M. Disch, Dennis Etchison, William Faulkner, Henry James, Stephen King, D.H. Lawrence, Richard Matheson, Flannery O'Connor, Edgar Allan Poe, and Joanna Russ. ************************** ~NEW FROM DARK HARVEST ^ SIBS by F. Paul Wilson typography and cover illustration by Phil Parks commentary by the publisher After vowing never to return, Kara Wade is back in New York City. She's come to claim the body of her twin sister Kelly, and to find out how she died. There's no secret as to the cause of Kelly's death--a nearly-nude twelve-story plunge from a room in the Plaza Hotel--but Kara is determined to learn what led to that plunge. Kelly was a bright, ambitious, dedicated nurse. Why was she in the hotel room that night? Who was with her? Was her brutal death a terrible accident, a desperate act of suicide, a clever murder, or something else, something far more sinister? And why was Kelly dressed like a whore when she died? Enlisting the help of an old lover, now a NYPD detective, Kara delves into her sister's private life. Startling and bizarre facts begin to surface. Instead of answers, Kara finds more questions: Who was the stranger Kelly became during the months prior to her death? What was behind the perverse, decadent lifestyle she came to embrace so passionately? Kelly's psychiatrist hints at a terrible secret in Kelly's past. But Kara shares that past with her twin. Is the sinister influence that drove Kelly into her bizarre double life about to overtake Kara as well? Limited Edition (Deluxe slip-cased edition of 400 numbered copies, signed by both author and artist)....$45.00 Trade Edition.....$21.95 Special Edition (26 copies lettered A thru Z in a hand-made solid mahogany slip-case)....$125.00 Send list price, plus $2 postage, to: Dark Harvest, PO Box 941, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 ************************** * If you have a Collector's taste in horror, SF, and/or fantasy, you will definitely want a catalog from BLACK ORCHID BOOKS (PO Box 3236, Greenwood, MA 01880; 617/665-5837). The stock is mostly first editions and limited editions, which of course gets pretty expensive, but there are many books available for $50 and under. I'm not much of a Collector, and can't speak for the prices, but on a literary level, BLACK ORCHID BOOKS offers some terrific reading. * According to Hunter Goatley, in the last issue of LIGHTS OUT! The Robert R. McCammon Newsletter, McCammon's next book is called GONE SOUTH, about a down-on-his-luck Vietnam vet who accidentally kills a person. Not knowing what to do, he goes on the run and is tracked by two unlikely bounty hunters: a bad Elvis impersonator and a man who grew up in a carnival freak show. GONE SOUTH is tentatively scheduled to be published by Pocket Books in August 1992. * Speaking of Robert R. McCammon, look for an audio tape abridgement of BOY'S LIFE, to be read by McCammon himself, in May 1992. The release of the audio tape will coincide with the appearance of the paperback edition of BOY'S LIFE. ************************** JUST A THOUGHT: I've just been reading ILIAD, and I've come to realize that splatterpunk isn't as modern as I had previously assumed. The ILIAD comes from around the sixth century B.C., so you can't say that Homer was influenced by Jason or Freddy Krueger. It's a war story, about a war fought mostly with spears, and is full of detailed descriptions of the damage the weapons inflict upon human bodies. Yesterday's reading contained references to an eyeball stuck to the spear-point, and today I learned what happens to a dead body that gets run over by a chariot. And come to think of it, BEOWULF (a tenth century monster-story poem written in Old English) is awfully gruesome too. As I recall, once the monster gets done with the fellows in the mead hall, there's quite a pile of assorted, unconnected body parts. So next time someone bemoans the terrible decadence of modern horror, just give them a copy of BEOWULF or the ILIAD. Gross-outs have a long and distinguished, if messy, history. ************************** ______________________ / / / NONFICTION REVIEWS / /______________________/ ^ THE NEW AMERICAN SPLENDOR ANTHOLOGY by Harvey Pekar (Four Walls Eight Windows, 1991, $18.95, ISBN 0-941423-64-6) review by Howard Frye "When I was younger I thought about women constantly...I was always running around looking for a good time...Now I've matured, my priorities have changed. I'm aware of what's really important: CRUSHING MY ENEMIES." ---Harvey Pekar AMERICAN SPLENDOR is difficult to describe, it's sort of a comic and sort of isn't. I should say it LOOKS like a comic, with sequentially arranged illustrated frames of scenes and dialogue, but it's not quite like any comic book I've ever seen before. AMERICAN SPLENDOR is Harvey Pekar, it's his life served up in chunks for the amusement, education, inspiration, disdain, amazement, or whatever, of the reader. Harvey Pekar is a file clerk in a veteran's hospital in Cleveland, which isn't a job that shelters him from much. He has doctor problems, wife problems, and you should see what happened when he appeared on the David Letterman Show. THE NEW AMERICAN SPLENDOR ANTHOLOGY is a collection of the newest stories by the cranky-yet-paranoid Harvey Pekar. Each story is illustrated by a different artist, a roster which includes names like R. Crumb, Drew Friedman, Alan Moore, Jim Woodring, and many others. The AMERICAN SPLENDOR series won an American Book Award in 1987 and is currently being adapted for a movie to be released in 1992. "I love Harvey's stuff, and it makes my day when a new issue of AMERICAN SPLENDOR comes out. I think he's a real treasure." ---Matt Groening ************************** ^ THE REST OF YOUR LIFE IS THE BEST OF YOUR LIFE by David Brown (Barricade Books, November 1991, $14.95, ISBN 0-942637-35-6) review by Carol Sheffert Subtitled "David Brown's Guide to Growing Gray (Disgracefully)", this is the perfect book for any aging reader who needs a little attitude adjustment. David Brown maintains that fading out into dismal decrepitude is ridiculous--on the contrary, he firmly recommends dying on the job, whatever that job might be. (And it very likely isn't the career you began in.) Some of his advice is rather particularly for men, and some is even a wee bit controversial: "Keep some love in your life, whether girl-watching or the hard stuff, you will stay young all of your life if you have a woman--preferably two of them, in case one falls out." As a matter of fact, he heartily advises multiple relationships, although he points out that they needn't all be sexual. Still, this may not sit well with some wives. But then Brown also holds that marriages shouldn't be allowed to stagnate, so it all may work out in the end. "Live riotously" is his theme, and THE REST OF YOUR LIFE is a very wise, funny, and inspirational book. Great fun. David Brown was half of the movie-producing team of Zanuck and Brown, who brought to the screen JAWS, COCOON, and THE STING. He hasn't retired (of course), he is now producing on his own, and is still married to COSMOPOLITAN Editor-in-Chief Helen Gurley Brown. ************************** ^ HOW DO YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE? Discovering the Difference Between Science & Superstition by Hy Ruchlis (Prometheus Books, 1991, $12.95, ISBN 0-87975-657-8) commentary from the publisher Superstition still requires that many buildings have no floor numbered 13. More than 25 percent of Americans say they believe in astrology. Knocking on wood is an almost universal habit. Are these harmless notions--or dangerous delusions? Unfortunately, "fairy-tale thinking" is still the greatest enemy of progress, and education often bypasses the teaching of cognitive skills young readers can use to think independently. HOW DO YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE? will provide young readers with an understanding of the basic nature of science, not just as a body of knowledge, but as a way of thinking. Hy Ruchlis addresses the main theme by contrasting the Cinderella fable with the way scientists establish facts; he describes the scientific method and how it has been applied to increase human knowledge. In subsequent chapters, Ruchlis demonstrates the unobservable nature of superstition, illustrates the dangers of magical thinking using the example of the Salem witch trials, explores the contradictions of such elaborate superstitions as astrology, and shows how astonishing events can be analyzed and explained using rational methods. ************************** ^ THE PROTECT OUR PLANET CALENDAR 1992 researched, written and illustrated by The Middle School Students of The Philadelphia School, an Independent School (Running Press, $8.95, ISBN 1-56138-028-8) review by Janet Peters THE PROTECT OUR PLANET CALENDAR 1992, "A 12-Month Calendar of Environmental Facts and Positive Actions" is a natural extension of our new-found respect for our environment. Celebrating Earth Day is good, but caring for the planet 365 days a year is better. Each month of this calendar comes with facts and quotations about our environment, and each day has a fact, historical reference, or recommended action to take care of our only home. On March 24, the EXXON VALDEZ had an accident, June 4 tells us that Israel uses 35% of its treated wastewater for irrigation, and August 23 tells you where to write for the most current information about global warming. THE PROTECT OUR PLANET CALENDAR 1992 has plenty of space for plotting your visits to the local recycling center and other appointments, as well as an entire year's worth of environmental education. Printed on recycled paper, of course. You can get THE PROTECT OUR PLANET CALENDAR 1992 from your local bookstore, or by sending the list price, plus $2.50 postage and handling, to: Running Press, 125 South 22nd St., Philadelphia, PA 19103. ************************** ^ AFTER THE STROKE Coping with America's Third Leading Cause of Death by Evelyn Shirk (Prometheus Books, October 1991) Hardcover: $19.95 ISBN 0-87975-693-4 Paperback: $14.95 ISBN 0-87975-694-2 commentary from the publisher In just a few seconds--without warning--a stroke can shatter the life of its adult victim and radically affect the unsuspecting family. Each year 150,000 Americans die and many thousands are disabled as a result of stroke and related illnesses. Confused, frightened, and completely unprepared family members suddenly find themselves in the role of caregiver. What exactly happened? What to do? What to expect? Where to turn for help? How to cope? The questions come fast and furious but answers are hard to find. AFTER THE STROKE is the compelling account of Evelyn Shirk's courageous struggle to face these questions and to find her own answers as she accepted the challenge of caring for her husband, a victim of multiple strokes. Evelyn discusses the "why" and the "how" of a stroke: what happens to the body and the mind, why it happens, and what to expect. She describes the unforeseen pressures on victims and their families; evaluates hospital and nursing home care for those who must endure a prolonged illness; details the unprecedented financial burden that medical costs place on the middle class; and offers helpful suggestions to those who face the anguish, guilt, frustration, and loneliness of caring for a stroke victim. ************************** ^ PICTURE THIS: Perception & Composition by Molly Bang (Bulfinch Press, September 1991, $12.95, ISBN 0-8212-1855-7) review by Cindy Bartorillo PICTURE THIS is an inspiring introduction to art for young and old, an all-too-brief excursion through the two-dimensional world of shapes, colors, and space. The trip begins with the author declaring that this red triangle represents Little Red Riding Hood, which I thought was kind of bizarre. I mean, I was willing to go along with her idea intellectually (red triangle = Little Red Riding Hood), but it didn't affect me emotionally. Next we were going through the decisions of how to portray her mother, and then how to construct a forest using only simple shapes. The forest became tall thin rectangles of varying sizes, and the minute the red triangle was placed amongst them, I saw it as a picture of Little Red Riding Hood in the forest! It wasn't that I intellectually "understood" it to be a representation of LRRH in the forest; I really saw it that way. Instantly, I was hooked on Molly Bang's every word and illustration, and I stayed up late finishing the book. The principles of design, as explained by Molly Bang, say that diagonals are dynamic, horizontals are static, pointy objects are threatening. Whether you create some artworks of your own, as Molly Bang strongly suggests, or merely carry your newfound insights to the art museum, PICTURE THIS is an experience not to be missed. Highly recommended. ************************** ^ THE BEST HOME BUSINESSES FOR THE 90s by Paul & Sarah Edwards (Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1991, $10.95, ISBN 0-87477-633-3) review by Carol Sheffert THE BEST HOME BUSINESSES FOR THE 90s profiles 70 occupations that you can run from home. Each business is described with a brief essay, and then the important information is divided into sections: * Knowledge and Skills You Need to Have * Start-Up Costs (itemized and given both a Low and a High figure) * Advantages (what's so great about this particular business) * Disadvantages (what isn't so great) * Pricing (what you'll charge for your product or service) * Potential Earnings (possibilities for growth) * Best Ways to Get Business * Related Businesses (areas for possible expansion) * First Steps (how to get started) * Where to Turn for Information and Help The great thing about THE BEST HOME BUSINESSES FOR THE 90s is the way the information is arranged for ease of access. Not only can you pull out whatever particular piece of information you need in a hurry, but by condensing the information into small pieces and dividing those into categories they've made it so you can grasp the character of a business right away. Especially helpful is the "Disadvantages" section, which can alert you to potential problems before you fall in love with the idea of the job. The authors also have two other new books just out from Tarcher: GETTING BUSINESS TO COME TO YOU (written with Laura Clampitt Douglas) and MAKING IT ON YOUR OWN. The Edwards' WORKING FROM HOME (1986, also from Tarcher) is a standard of the field. If your local bookstore can't get these books for you, you can write to the publisher at: Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc., 5858 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Or you can get your credit card and order what you want by calling 1-800-288-2131. ************************** ^ CULT MOVIE STARS by Danny Peary (Fireside, November 1991, $17.00, ISBN 0-671-69394-8) review by Cindy Bartorillo Here's the perfect Christmas gift for movie fans, an encyclopedia of actors and actresses, well-known and obscure, with a brief overview of their career and their appeal for fans, as well as a list of movies they've appeared in, divided into various recommendation categories. "In choosing the actors and actresses...I have been more selective, picking only those who have had strong emotional impact on at least a fair-sized number of movie fans...they each have sparked an unusual, fiery passion..." Who appears in CULT MOVIE STARS? About 750 people including: James Dean, Greta Garbo, Linnea Quigley, Humphrey Bogart, Randolph Scott, Dorothy Stratten, Vincent Price, Peter O'Toole, Traci Lords, Troy Donahue, Jack Nicholson, Peter Cushing, Lon Chaney, Veronica Lake, Jeff Goldblum, Mae West, Ann Margaret, etc. From Abbott and Costello to George Zucco, CULT MOVIE STARS is over 600 pages of fascinating information and photographs. Peary's comments about the stars covered are obviously well-considered, and he is as good at distinguishing the particular sexual appeal of men as he is of women. CULT MOVIE STARS also makes a terrific companion volume to Peary's previous CULT MOVIES, CULT MOVIES 2, and CULT MOVIES 3, all of which I can heartily recommend. ************************** ^ SECRETS OF THE AMAZING KRESKIN The World's Foremost Mentalist Reveals How You Can Expand Your Powers by Kreskin (Prometheus Books, September 1991, $14.95, ISBN 0-87975-676-4) review by Howard Frye Kreskin is an unusual sort. He performs "magic", yet is not exactly a magician; he "reads minds" yet doesn't believe in clairvoyance. SECRETS OF THE AMAZING KRESKIN explains these paradoxes, as well as teaching the reader a series of talents and tricks to enhance their own powers (and/or the appearance of such powers). Most of the techniques are ordinary tricks or talents taught in many other volumes, such as relaxation, focus, concentration, and the like. Quite a few demonstrations of unusual abilities involve nothing more than knowing more about physics or human biology than your audience does. The difference in Kreskin's book is that he pulls all these diverse facts, tricks, and talents together and gives the reader a practical outlet for them. There are no fuzzy concepts like "Concentration can improve performance" here; Kreskin lays out exactly WHAT you should concentrate on to accomplish WHAT exact deed or effect. Like the man himself, SECRETS OF THE AMAZING KRESKIN is a very interesting book. ************************** ^ KITCHEN WISDOM Harrowsmith's Sourcebook for Cooks by Pamela Cross (Camden House, 1991, $19.95, ISBN 0-921820-37-2) review by Janet Peters "...this is a book for everyone who passes through the kitchen door, whether reluctantly or compulsively. It is for everyone, regardless of level of skill, who likes to cook or who wants to like to cook. It is for those who would like to explore new avenues in food preparation and for those who want food to be fun. It describes the food and the tools and some simple but fundamental preparations and cooking techniques that can make that goal a reality." The first section of KITCHEN WISDOM, "Pantry", introduces the reader to common food items that a kitchen is stocked with, tips on buying them, storing them, and what kinds of dishes you can create with them. The second section, "How-To", explains basic cooking terms like simmer, stir-fry, blanch, clarify, al dente, dredge, parboil, etc., and then walks you through a couple dozen fundamental creations such as a cake, vegetable stock, mayonnaise, pancakes, and pizza dough. Next comes "Tools & Equipment", which discusses various forms of technology that you might meet in a kitchen, from the stove and the refrigerator, to pasta makers and coffee grinders. A last section provides tables and charts for cooking pasta, beans, grains, vegetables, using herbs and spices, making recipe substitutions, food storage, and a bakeware glossary. On one level KITCHEN WISDOM is an excellent textbook for beginning cooks (or those whose food savvy has gaps). On another level it is a goldmine of delicious recipes for basic kinds of food that real people eat. I'm talking about cinnamon buns, biscuits, chili, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, gingerbread, etc. And when you're ready to try something a bit more exotic, there are recipes like Groundnut Stew or Chinese Dumplings. The photographs accompanying the recipes are mouth-watering, dangerous to someone with an empty stomach. If you'd like to be able to feed yourself and others with confidence and enjoyment, KITCHEN WISDOM is a great book to have. If your local bookstore can get KITCHEN WISDOM for you, you can write to the publisher at: Camden House Publishing, 7 Queen Victoria Road, Camden East, Ontario, K0K 1J0 CANADA. ************************** ^ WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? The HARPER'S MAGAZINE Book of Annotations edited by Colin Harrison (Delta, November 1991, $10.00, ISBN 0-385-30400-5) review by Howard Frye Of all of HARPER'S MAGAZINE's innovations in the presentation of information (such as the "Forum", the "Index", the "Readings"), perhaps none is as entertainingly educational as the "Annotation"s. Each double page spread in this collection reproduces some item of modern culture and provides marginalia explaining various portions thereof. For instance, pages 36 & 37 contain a photograph of a wine label, along with 6 paragraphs of information about various parts of that label. Other annotated relics include: a surrogate parenting agreement, a week's schedule of prime time on PBS, two pages of a registration booklet carried by Hiroshima survivors, a gun registration form, a lab report from an AIDS test, a funeral contract, a baseball bat, Roy Cohn's patient record, the form to open a numbered account in a Swiss bank, a South African "pass" that must be carried by Africans, a census form...etc. You'll be surprised, and thoroughly entertained, to find out what you don't know about wine, or television, or funerals, or baseball bats. Which is an important life lesson, I think. It's not what you don't know about the chemical composition of stars that will do you in, it's what you don't know about human-created systems. WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? is funny, fascinating, and sometimes even important. Good reading. ************************** ^ CHURCH SCHOOLS & PUBLIC MONEY: The Politics of Parochiaid by Edd Doerr & Albert J. Menendez (Prometheus, November 1991, $14.95, ISBN 0-87975-708-6) commentary from the publisher "Parochiaid"--any form of direct or indirect aid to parochial and other nonpublic elementary and secondary schools--has given rise to the most enduring, bitter, and important controversy in the history of American education and church-state relations. Edd Doerr and Albert J. Menendez, examining and critiquing the attitudes and activities of federal, state, and local government regarding parochiaid, offer a searing indictment of the resurgent drive to support sectarian schools with tax dollars. Concentrating on the last five decades, during which the parochiaid lobbies have gained in influence, the authors reveal that lawmakers in 42 states have increased tax support of church schools to more than $1 billion per year--despite the fact that voters have rejected such aid in 17 of 18 statewide referenda held since 1966. CHURCH SCHOOLS & PUBLIC MONEY includes a state-by-state survey of the most generous giveaways; revealing statistics on nonpublic school enrollments; and an examination of the biases taught by sectarian schools, particularly those operated by Protestant fundamentalists. The authors skillfully summarize the case against parochiaid and uncover the faulty reasoning of its advocates. According to Doerr and Menendez, the sectarian special interests and their political allies threaten democratic public education and the constitutional separation of church and state. ************************** ^ THE CELEBRITY ALMANAC by Ed Lucaire (Prentice Hall, November 1991, $10.00, ISBN 0-13-122367-4) review by Cindy Bartorillo Did you know that Mia Farrow has 8 children, three of whom are named Satchel, Lark Song, and Summer Song? Did you know that Julia Child is 6'2" tall? Did you know that Henny and Sadie Youngman have been married since 1928? Do you know the identities of The Hollywood Ten, those who refused to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee? Do you know which celebrities have had what plastic surgery? You'll know all these things once you've gotten yourself a copy of THE CELEBRITY ALMANAC, a vastly entertaining collection of quotes, lists, and tables of interesting information about the rich and famous. If you had THE CELEBRITY ALMANAC, you'd know about Melanie Griffith's tattoo, and where on her body it hides. You'd know that Al Pacino is a high school dropout and that Roseanne Barre has spent time in jail. You'd know who the highest-paid athletes are and you'd know that Ed McMahon fears heights. There are lists of celebrities' real names, birthdates, schools attended, physical handicaps, ethnic origins, relatives, religions, political affiliations, incomes, etc. There is a list of male celebrities who wear toupees. There are lists of award winners and hall of fame inductees. THE CELEBRITY ALMANAC is almost 300 pages of information that you probably didn't even know that you were interested in, but it's all as addictive as peanuts. It's useful for settling arguments, creating trivia quizzes, and anytime browsing. ************************** ^ AT LEAST OUR BOMBS ARE GETTING SMARTER A Cartoon Preview of the 1990s by Toles (Prometheus Books, October 1991, $9.95, ISBN 0-87975-709-4) review by Peter Quint What can you say about a collection of editorial cartoons? That they're funny? Toles' work is certainly very funny, although sometimes the humor is more of the laugh-or-cry type. I mean how long can you think about the Savings & Loan mess, or the national deficit, or the environment, the gulf war, urban violence, the space program, etc., without getting pretty emotional one way or the other? Toles' cartoons put the laugh track back in Washington, D.C., where it belongs. He has won the Pulitzer Prize and his work appears regularly in more than 175 newspapers and magazines in the U.S. and Canada. If you pay any attention at all to what's happening in the world today, you NEED this book. Trust me. ************************** ^ BROTHERS & SISTERS Getting Back Together With Your Adult Siblings by Barbara L. Johnson (Prometheus Books, October 1991, $18.95, ISBN 0-87975-682-9) commentary from the publisher Time and circumstance often separate adult siblings from the family closeness they once knew. Based on a decade of research and more than 200 personal interviews, this book is filled with abundant case histories that reflect the heartening, sometimes heartbreaking, tugs and ties that brothers and sisters experience after they have grown up. BROTHERS & SISTERS also includes guides and self-tests for measuring the quality of past and present sibling relationships; a list of reasons why adult siblings drift apart; and a list of common denominators found in poor sibling relationships, comparing them to characteristics of good relationships. Also included are suggestions for making renewed contacts and a list of reconciliation pitfalls, plus a chapter on effective communication, four practical "problem and solution" charts, and a check-list to evaluate reconciliation progress. Johnson provides recommendations for successful ongoing relationships, ideas for coaxing response from indifferent siblings, a sibling code of ethics, and a mini-dictionary with unique ideas for putting these tips to work. Summaries at the end of each chapter allow for quick review. ************************** ^ 1991-1992 INSIDER'S GUIDE TO BOOK EDITORS, PUBLISHERS, AND LITERARY AGENTS by Jeff Herman (Prima, 1991, $19.95, ISBN 1-55958-116-6) review by Cindy Bartorillo This is an annual guide that is indispensable to writers and would-be writers. It is, as the author says, a guide to "the identities and specialties of the book-publishing industry's doorkeepers--the hundreds of editors and agents who decide what will and will not get published." It has chapters that will show you how to make submissions to editors and agents; how to write a strong query letter or book proposal; how to make sure your unsolicited manuscript gets read; and how to improve your odds of getting published. The core of the INSIDER'S GUIDE is its Directory of Publishers and Editors and the Directory of Literary Agents, but there are also chapters about: category fiction, ghostwriting, collaborating, University presses, small publishers vs. large ones, the poetry business, rejection, vanity publishing, and reading fees. Appendixes provide a list of Literary Agent Trade Associations, information about Writers' Clubs and Workshops, as well as a sample Author-Agency Agreement, a Collaboration Agreement, and a Model Nonfiction Book Proposal. A Glossary explains important publishing terms, and there is a list of Suggested Readings for further information. The INSIDER'S GUIDE is absolutely essential for beginning writers, and the names and addresses are useful for anyone who needs to contact editors, publishers, or literary agents. ************************** ^ CARING FOR OLDER DOGS & CATS Extending Your Pet's Healthy Life by Robert Anderson, DVM & Barbara Wrede (Williamson Pub. Co., 1990, $10.95, ISBN 0-913589-46-2) review by Carol Sheffert Older pets, like older people, have special needs, many of which can be met with just a little extra care and understanding. Like raising the height of food and water for arthritic pets who have trouble stooping. Or providing a place where the animal can be warm and quiet. Or changing your pet's diet to something more digestible. It's easy to respond to your pet's changing needs when you know what to look for. CARING FOR OLDER DOGS & CATS will explain just what kind of changes to expect in your aging pet, and how you can work with your veterinarian to maintain the animal's health. The authors discuss what you can do around the house to make it more comfortable, and safer, for your elderly companions, while other chapters consider the changing nutritional needs of older pets and the particular problems of pollution and poisons. One chapter even devotes space to "Unorthodox Therapies" like homeopathy, acupuncture, and herbal medicines. And "Knowing When It's the End" will assist the caring owner to make the most difficult decision of all. Finally, a last chapter helps pet owners to choose a new pet and to apply what they have learned about old age to a pet's entire life. CARING FOR OLDER DOGS & CATS is essential reading for responsible pet owners. If your local bookstore can't help you get CARING FOR OLDER DOGS & CATS, you can order it directly from the publisher by sending $10.95, plus $2 shipping, to: Williamson Publishing Co., Box 185, Charlotte, VT 05445. Or get your credit card handy and call 1-800-234-8791. ************************** ^ A HARVARD EDUCATION IN A BOOK Was $80,000 -- Now Only $7.95! by the Editors of The Harvard Lampoon (Perigee Books, September 1991, $7.95, ISBN 0-399-51665-4) commentary from the publisher From the outrageous editors of THE HARVARD LAMPOON comes a bitingly funny spoof of the Ivy League mystique in A HARVARD EDUCATION IN A BOOK. Traditionally reserved for an "ultra-exclusive, tiny elite group of wealthy intellectuals", a Harvard education is now available to anyone with a sense of humor and $7.95! A HARVARD EDUCATION IN A BOOK tells you everything you need to know to pass yourself off as a Harvard graduate: * Discover the grand old traditions of Harvard University, such as "butter-tossing in the Freshman Union", the Primal Scream, followed by the Primal Ass-Kicking, and one of the oldest, the tradition of "significance" -- the way every action and event on campus inevitably ends up having major global repercussions, like the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, based on a sophomore's Government paper. * Learn basic survival study skills: the "all-nighter" -- "You're staying up all night? You've got lots of time. It'd be a shame to waste all that time studying. There's a Dick van Dyke retrospective on, you know..." * Take a fool-proof magazine-style quiz to help you choose your field of study with confidence from among such challenging subjects as English (lots o' books), Foreign Languages and Cultures (Ooh-la-la! Vocabulaire!), Psychology (drooling dogs) and Religion (for EXORCIST fans). * Reap the benefits of Harvard credentials with advice on networking, bluffing real alumni, and telling absolutely believable stories about your college days in Cambridge. Once you've completed the greatest educational experience of your lifetime--ta dah!--A HARVARD EDUCATION IN A BOOK even provides you with your own official Harvard diploma, suitable for framing! Congratulations! THE HARVARD LAMPOON, founded in 1876, is the nation's oldest humor magazine. Famous LAMPOON alumni include John Updike, Robert Benchley, George Plimpton, William Randolph Hearst, and the Aga Khan. Recent grads have gone on to write for "Saturday Night Live", "Late Night with David Letterman", "The Simpsons", "Married With Children", "In Living Color", and NATIONAL LAMPOON. ************************** ^ BAD OR, THE DUMBING OF AMERICA by Paul Fussell (Summit Books, October 1991, $19.00, ISBN 0-671-67652-0) review by Cindy Bartorillo Paul Fussell begins by distinguishing between bad and BAD. Bad is simply not good, but BAD... "It is something phony, clumsy, witless, untalented, vacant, or boring that many Americans can be persuaded is genuine, graceful, bright, or fascinating...For a thing to be really BAD, it must exhibit elements of the pretentious, the overwrought, or the fraudulent." BAD OR, THE DUMBING OF AMERICA is about the prevalence of BAD in America, which he maintains is a distinguishing characteristic of the American people. Each chapter covers another category of BAD, making this volume one of the crankiest, crabbiest, and most entertaining books I've read in many months. Not since H.L. Mencken (mentioned several times by Fussell) have we had a cultural critic of such wit and razor-sharp tongue. Consider his pointed definition of "collectibles": "...objects mass-marketed by the cynical for sale to dupes imagining that they are laying up 'exclusive' art objects which will increase in value and thus become valuable heirlooms to be passed on to grateful offspring." I enjoyed having someone else making a case for a favorite hobbyhorse of mine: that the very worst shows on television are the news programs. Other shows may be dumb, but it's difficult to beat a news program for deceit and harmfulness. There were also a few points that I disagreed with, such as when he when he was making the point that movie remakes are almost always BAD, he particularly made an exception for INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, preferring the 1978 Philip Kaufman remake to the 1956 Don Siegel original (I've always greatly preferred the original). Agree with him, disagree with him, Paul Fussell's point is clear: we need to reassert our critical sense of what is of quality and what isn't. Here are a few of Fussell's targets: * Advertising, the sine qua non of BAD * Architecture, "so ludicrously and expensively pretentious as to become ridiculous when occupied by second-rate human beings like us" * Beliefs, particularly as trumpeted by New Age practitioners * Education, scrupulously designed to discourage the unAmerican life of study and contemplation * Food, from processed cheese to honey-roasted peanuts to dyed-and-polished apples * Language, the true soul of America's love affair with euphemism and pretentiousness * Restaurants, especially those with padded mock leather menus touting dishes in metaphors and adjectives reminiscent of BAD lyric poetry BAD: OR, THE DUMBING OF AMERICA is provocative, ill-tempered, challenging, and perfect for those times when you feel you're surrounded by idiots. It's not an illusion--you really are. ************************** ^ THE WALLS AROUND US The Thinking Person's Guide to How a House Works by David Owen (Villard, October 1991, $21.00, ISBN 0-394-57824-4) review by Howard Frye "When I was a boy, my favorite places to play were construction sites. Then I became an adult and grew wistful whenever I thought of those golden afternoons. My youth is gone forever, I would moan as I trudged through the grown-up world, paying bills and registering to vote. Then, around the time I turned thirty, I made an astonishing discovery: if you set your mind to it, being a grown-up can be even better than being a kid, because you have more money and a car. Grown-ups don't have to steal tiny bits of plywood from a building site. They can drive to the lumberyard and buy entire sheets." "I love buying expensive power tools and using them to wreck various parts of my house." These two excerpts should give you a feel for the tone of THE WALLS AROUND US. What they don't even hint at is the enormous store of information provided in this book. For instance, the first chapter is devoted to paint: the history of paint and painting houses, as well as pages of information about modern house paints, for inside and out. There is also a fascinating bit about paint for nuclear power plants that will give you a topic of conversation for years. As a matter of fact, THE WALLS AROUND US will give you an entire lifetime of information to amaze and impress your friends with whenever homeowners gather to exchange miseries. There are chapters that will tell you all about lumber, electricity, walls, roofing, bathrooms, kitchens, plumbing, and how to build the basic skeleton of a house. David Owen not only gives you the facts, but the background behind the facts, and lots of great anecdotes to make you laugh and scare you to death. He tells you stuff like: * How to get rid of lead-based paint * How to tell the difference between types and grades of wood * How to detect and get rid of termites and carpenter ants * How to repair cracks in a wall * How to do your own electrical wiring and when not to * How to fix a leaky roof * How to distinguish good-quality building materials from cheap goods * How to tell if your toilet is leaking or merely sweating * How to decorate your home in an ecologically sound manner Owen shows the reader how to plan a building project and how to see it through, without ever implying that things have ever gone that smoothly for him. For that's the real force behind THE WALLS AROUND US--David Owen isn't one of those snotty guys on PBS who deigns to speak very slowly and explain the obvious to us nincompoops--Owen is one of us! He dorks stuff up just like we do, only he researches what he did wrong and figures out what he should have done, then tells us about it. THE WALLS AROUND US is great reading for every homeowner. "THE WALLS AROUND US is so funny and informative and inspiring that, after reading it, I was tempted to locate a broken part on my house and actually attempt to fix it, although fortunately I located a beer instead." ---Dave Barry ************************** ^ BENET'S READER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN LITERATURE edited by George Perkins, Barbara Perkins, and Phillip Leininger (HarperCollins, 1991, $45.00, ISBN 0-06-270027-8) review by Cindy Bartorillo We have had BENET'S READER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA (Third Edition, 1987) here at RFP Central since its publication, and over the last four years it has become our most-used literary reference work, standing out from the fifty-plus other volumes on our reference shelves. We have found that given any particular author, work of literature, term, or subject, BENET'S is more likely to have an entry than the other encyclopedias. And given any particular piece of information desired, BENET'S is most like to be able to provide it. In the field of literary research, BENET'S READER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA is a classic. And now HarperCollins has produced another BENET'S, a tad larger than the first, devoted to American literature (that's American, North and South, not just the U.S.). The new BENET'S provides the same level of comprehensive and authoritative coverage as the general encyclopedia, with entries for: novelists, poets, playwrights, short-story writers, essayists, critics, literary works, literary groups and movements, newspapers, magazines, journals, places referred to in literature, cultural phenomena that have affected literature, historical periods, literary genres, genealogies of famous literary families, writers who have influenced American thought, and famous historical figures. In addition, like the general encyclopedia, the new BENET'S gives attention to topics of special interest (comics, science fiction, feminism, slave fiction, detective fiction, etc.) and a variety of cultures (Native American Prose and Poetry, Afro-American Literature, Asian American Literature, etc.). BENET'S READER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN LITERATURE is sure to become another classic reference work from HarperCollins, a standard to be used by readers, students, and literary researchers for years to come. A monumental accomplishment that will delight any serious reader. ************************** ^ THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN COMICS: From 1897 to the Present edited by Ron Goulart (Facts on File, 1990, $19.95, ISBN 0-8160-2582-7) review by Dan Ellis "There are only three major vehicles to keep us informed as to what's going on in Washington; the electronic media, the print media, and DOONESBURY--not necessarily in that order." ---President Gerald Ford With more than 600 entries covering comic strips, comic books, characters, artists and writers, and syndicates, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN COMICS is a comprehensive reference book for the collector, fan, or anyone interested in the literary and cultural phenomenon of the American comic. You can read the stories behind Batman, Superman, MAD Magazine, Calvin and Hobbes, Doonesbury, Little Orphan Annie, Bloom County, the X-Men, Archie, Terry and the Pirates, Li'l Abner, Dick Tracy, and many many more. You can also find out about the creative people behind your favorite comics, people who are so often overshadowed by their more outspoken creations. People like Will Eisner, M.C. and William M. Gaines, Alex Toth, Basil Wolverton, Steve Ditko, Chester Gould, Bob Kane, Joe Orlando, Stan Lee...the list goes on and on. THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN COMICS is a terrific reference book, both entertaining and authoritative, and makes a great companion volume to Ron Goulart's previous books: THE GREAT COMIC BOOK ARTISTS and THE GREAT HISTORY OF COMICS. ************************** ^ VARIETY: FILM * VIDEO * THEATRE * MUSIC 1990--The Year In Review edited by Marilyn J. Matelski, Ph.D. (Focal Press, 1991, $21.95, ISBN 0-240-80074-5) review by Cindy Bartorillo This volume encapsulates the entire entertainment year of 1990 as covered in the industry's #1 periodical: VARIETY. Divided into chapters that cover Film, International, Homevideo, Music-Records, and Theatre, you'll find reprints of the top stories as well as engrossing statistical tables. I particularly liked the All-time Film Rental Champs table, covering thousands of films, and the additional list of the films broken down by decade. For instance, the top film rental from the 1930s is easy--GONE WITH THE WIND--but can you guess what #2 is? Disney's SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS runs a close second to GWTW. Another table listed the most expensive films of each era, and I found that 1963's CLEOPATRA actually cost more to make than 1984's DUNE. Hard to believe. All the major industry awards are listed here, and you'll find several articles that attempt to explain why the prices of videotapes will be going up in the near future. In the back is an Index of reviews that appeared in VARIETY in 1990, a Necrology, and a Glossary of VARIETY's sometimes baffling insider jargon. This is a fascinating reference book for anyone who loves film, theatre, and music. If your local bookstore can't help you get this Review, you can contact the publisher by writing to: Focal Press, 80 Montvale Avenue, Stoneham, MA 02180. ************************** ^ THE CONNOISSEUR'S GUIDE TO THE MIND How We Think, How We Learn & What It Means To Be Intelligent by Roger C. Schank (Summit, October 1991, $20.00, ISBN 0-671-67855-8) review by Howard Frye THE CONNOISSEUR'S GUIDE TO THE MIND is sure to be the most unusual textbook you have ever seen on the way the human mind works. This is largely because Roger Schank doesn't talk as much about the mind as he does about food. Food? Yes, food. As a food-lover of international scope, Schank regales the reader with fascinating eating experiences all over the globe, stopping between mouthfuls to consider the ways in which the operation of the brain plays a part in his experiences, and in the reading of his experiences. If this sounds confusingly recursive, it is, at least at first. He tells stories and then discusses the ways in which storytelling helps humans reinforce their memories, he samples new foods and reflects on the problem of "inference explosion". As a matter of fact, Schank's ramblings about food are almost entertaining enough to make you forget about the real subject of THE CONNOISSEUR'S GUIDE TO THE MIND. (Like the time he put sugar in his tea in Tokyo, and the entire restaurant was howling with laughter over his bizarre behavior.) On the other hand, I have found that the peculiar style of the book is contagious--several times today I have caught myself thinking about what I was thinking about, or wondering about something I did without thinking. For an entertaining and educational stroll through the corridors of your own mind, you can't do much better than THE CONNOISSEUR'S GUIDE TO THE MIND. ************************** ^ MORE FUTURE STUFF Over 250 Inventions That Will Change Your Life By 2001 by Malcolm Abrams & Harriet Bernstein (Penguin, 1991, $10.95, ISBN 0-14-014523-0) review by Janet Peters Each listed innovation is given Odds (on its showing up), an ETA, and an idea of a Price. Some products are given Odds of 100%, meaning that they exist now. Such products include Vivid Effects TV, a rather unbelievable computer simulation that you can interact with physically. Other almost-products are: Self-Watering Plants, the Stolen Vehicle Location Service, and Chateau Bow Wow. Some of the products are fascinating, like A La Carte Hotels that provide a decent room and practically nothing else, even sheets cost extra; the point being that you only pay for what you need. Other products are very encouraging, like Braille Handrails. Still other products are rather alarming: Would you want to try a Microwave Fryer? All of the innovations make amusing reading, particularly for you Sharper Image types who need something a little stronger. The only element lacking from MORE FUTURE STUFF are some badly-needed illustrations; the few (very few) simple line drawings just aren't sufficient. Luckily, you don't need a picture to imagine the benefits of a Self-Parking Car. (And if it would also wash itself and come when called, I'd buy one tomorrow.) ************************** ^ RODALE'S BOOK OF PRACTICAL FORMULAS Easy-to-Make, Easy-to-Use Recipes for Hundreds of Everyday Activities and Tasks edited by Paula Dreifus Bakule (Rodale, September 1991, $23.95, ISBN 0-87857-979-6) review by Cindy Bartorillo Whether you are interested in products that are ecologically gentler, cheaper, or just want to assume a greater responsibility for your own life, homemade materials have many advantages over store-bought. RODALE'S BOOK OF PRACTICAL FORMULAS is a large collection of hundreds of recipes and directions for making a wide variety of useful things. There are chapters devoted to car care (Windshield Scratch Remover, Rust Inhibitor, etc.), food (Homemade Pizza, Christmas Cider, etc.), gardening (Basic Compost, Soilless Mix for Rooting Cuttings, Slug Traps, etc.), beauty (Cucumber Toner, Banana-Cream Mask, Basic Body Lotion, etc.), health (Chapped Lips Salve, Sore Throat Soother, etc.), home repair and remodeling (Hand-Mixed Concrete, All-Purpose Oil-Based Wood Stain, etc.), housekeeping (Upholstery Cleaner, Heavy-Duty Laundry Presoak, Olive-Almond Soap, etc.), crafts (Hand-Crafted Candles, Baker's Clay, Flower-Drying Mixes, etc.), pet care (a variety of food, health, and grooming products for cats, dogs, and more exotic pets), and outdoor life (Beef Jerky, Pemmican, Blister Remedy, Athlete's Food Remedy, etc.). Throughout RODALE'S BOOK OF PRACTICAL FORMULAS are shaded sidebars entitled "Good Idea!" that contain practical advice and helpful hints. In the back of the book there is a list of Supply Sources. (Not buying readymade products doesn't allow you to create materials out of thin air.) Making your own products is ecologically responsible, economical, personally rewarding, safer, healthier, and frequently a lot of fun; and RODALE'S BOOK OF PRACTICAL FORMULAS is a comprehensive guide to self-sufficiency for the whole family. Recommended. ************************** ^ ARCHIE: HIS FIRST 50 YEARS by Charles Phillips (Abbeville, October 1991, $29.95, ISBN 1-55859-206-7) review by Dan Ellis "According to Archie's creator, it was a deliberate attempt to produce a popular comic book character who was the antithesis of Superman... [John Goldwater] first got the idea for a 'normal' teenager from ANDY HARDY, a very popular radio show..." Almost as many people know Archie Andrews, America's favorite teenager, as know Superman or Batman. As a cultural icon, Archie has, since his creation in 1941, stood for the idealized super-normal adolescence that none of us actually had, but so many of us wanted, dreamed about, even remember. Bob Montana drew Archie in the beginning and continued to do so until his death in 1975, and he referred to high school as the three best years of his life. "He gave the strip the emotional strength of his own nostalgia to create an idealized picture of teenage life that we all recognize, but none of us quite lived." In ARCHIE: HIS FIRST 50 YEARS, Charles Phillips gives us a brief but thorough history of comics, allowing him to place ARCHIE in proper context. Various chapters comment on the appeal of ARCHIE, the evolution of ARCHIE, the success of ARCHIE merchandising, and an inside glimpse of the steps involved in the creation of an ARCHIE comic. In addition, twelve of the best multi-page ARCHIE stories are reproduced in full, along with dozens of classic covers and extracted panels. You'll get to meet Archie Andrews and the other Riverdale residents: Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Jughead (real name: Forsythe P. Jones), Reggie Mantle, Mr. Weatherbee, Miss Grundy, Pop Tate, etc. ARCHIE: HIS FIRST 50 YEARS is an enjoyable trip through Archie's past and our own. ************************** ~ NEW FROM AUDIO LITERATURE THE DHARMA BUMS by Jack Kerouac, read by Allen Ginsberg. Two cassettes, 3 hours (abridged); $15.95; ISBN 0-944993-29-X. Audio Literature launches its Twentieth Century Voices series with Jack Kerouac's powerful autobiographical novel about a pair of offbeat wanderers searching for the meaning of life. Poet Allen Ginsberg, one of Kerouac's closest friends, movingly evokes the exuberant style and vision of the man who was an inspiration to the literary and popular culture of the 50s and 60s. ************************** ^ ZOOBABIES by Michael O'Neill (Villard, October 1991, $17.00, ISBN 0-679-40698-0) review by Carol Sheffert ZOOBABIES is a charming collection of studio portrait photographs of baby animals, many of them endangered species, taken by celebrity photographer Michael O'Neill. Each portrait comes with the animal's name, species, sex, birthdate, habitat, and a brief description. There's Muni the European Roe Deer who is still unsure of her balance (she took her very first steps during the photo session), Coda the Timber Wolf who is appropriately caught in mid-stride, Dakin the very laid-back Koala, Besar the Sumatran Tiger who already has an impressive snarl. An endearing collection for animal lovers of all ages. A Behind-the-Scenes Look at ZOOBABIES: GOBLIN (10-month-old Siamang gibbon): This tiny little creature had a problem letting go of the thing most dear to him--a furry monkey doll. Throughout the whole photo shoot this precious little monkey clung lovingly to his toy. BOB (5-year-old Sumatran orangutan): This little tyke was so hyperactive that O'Neill had to shoot him from behind the bars of his cage. During his photo session, Bob ripped down the canvas backdrop, pulled the camera out of O'Neill's hands, spat grape pits at the crew, and sprayed O'Neill's assistant from across the cage. Ironically, Bob's final portrait makes him look like an angel--he is shrugging his shoulders despite the havoc he has caused. JATI (Indian elephant, birthdate unknown): Highly intelligent, Jati was the most curious of all the zoobabies--he had to check out the studio and see what he was getting himself into before getting his picture taken. Like a well-trained detective, Jati probed the set with his long trunk to make sure it was safe. Despite his large size, Jati slowly and carefully tip-toed his way, inch by inch, onto the canvas in front of the camera. SLEEPING BEAUTY (8-month-old pot-bellied pig): Orphaned by her natural mom, Sleeping Beauty grew attached to her human surrogate mom (to say the least). Every time O'Neill tried to take her picture, she would squeal so loudly that O'Neill had to wear earplugs. Her plump little body kept finding its way onto "momma's" lap. Although Sleeping Beauty would have preferred a family portrait, O'Neill managed to sneak a shot of her when she was finally ready to stand on her own. ************************** ^ THE GREATEST GAMES OF ALL TIME by Matthew J. Costello (Wiley, 1991, $12.95, ISBN 0-471-52975-3) review by Cindy Bartorillo From the ancient game of Senet to video games; from the physical (Miniature Golf) to the cerebral (Chess, Scrabble); from the oldest simulations (like Monopoly) to the very latest (role-playing games, interactive murders to solve, and the National Survival Game). THE GREATEST GAMES OF ALL TIME is a tiptoe through the historical garden of challenges, recreation, and competition. Not only does the reader get the lowdown on all the great games--like the REAL story behind Monopoly, how weird Bobby Fischer is, and how Arneson and Gygax created Dungeons & Dragons--but also actual GAMES. The illustrated gameboard and printouts of the rules are given for over 30 games. There is Nim, The Checkered Game of Life, a Monopoly Trivia Quiz, Dudeney's War Puzzle Game, The Cave of Madness (a solitaire role-playing adventure), Battle (a wargame), a few Pictionary puzzles, Flimflam--Fact or Bluff?, and loads of others. THE GREATEST GAMES OF ALL TIME is fun to read and some of the games included are very entertaining to play--a first rate gift for any game-player on your holiday list. ************************** ^ LOVE, MILDEW, & PAPER CUTS And Thousands of Other Things to be Miserable About by Susan Klingman (Running Press, 1991, $6.95, ISBN 1-56138-034-2) review by Howard Frye What makes you miserable? Deforestation? Kids carrying guns to school? Ted Koppel's hair? Elvis impersonators? Knowing you have amounted to all you are ever going to? Or maybe the real downer for you is simply the passage of time and the mile markers along the way. Like: * the year you don't find Halloween haunted houses scary anymore * the moment you realize your child may never live at home again * knowing this is the last time you will ever see someone * when the first friend of your age dies You'll find all of these depressing ideas in Susan Klingman's delightfully gloomy LOVE, MILDEW, & PAPER CUTS, a compendium of everything that's ever rained on your parade. From national icons of despair ("the picture of John F. Kennedy, Jr. saluting the casket of his father") through the political ("being called, 'one of those left-wing, radical, hippie types' by a right-wing, radical, fascist type") and the surreal ("the fact that Mickey Mouse has a pet dog") to the ridiculous ("hole punchers that make cockeyed holes"). Every page of LOVE, MILDEW, & PAPER CUTS is a guaranteed conversation starter. If your local bookstore doesn't have LOVE, MILDEW, & PAPER CUTS, you can order it directly from the publisher by sending the list price, plus $2.50 postage and handling, to: Running Press, 125 South 22nd St., Philadelphia, PA 19103. ************************** ^ ENVIRONMENTAL VACATIONS: Volunteer Projects to Save the Planet by Stephanie Ocko (John Muir Pub., 1990, $15.95, ISBN 0-945465-78-5) review by Cindy Bartorillo "At first glance, volunteer science vacations appear to have been designed for the gullible: for a hefty sum, you will be able to spend your vacation working your fingers to the bone for someone else. You will also get to bunk with strangers, possibly cook your own food, and use a latrine. The temperature might be 105 degrees Fahrenheit all day everyday, and the guy in charge is no cruise director. Forget your designer swimsuit; you'll need industrial- strength shorts." Admittedly, these "vacations" aren't for everybody. They're often physically demanding, they're not glamorous, and they're not cheap, but they DO give you possibly the best chance you'll ever get to make a real contribution to the future of this planet and the life forms on it. The specific opportunities at any particular time vary, but typical Environmental Vacations might be "digging for artifacts of the ancient Anasazi in the American Southwest, tracking hamsters in Siberia, listening for volcanoes in Yellowstone, counting monkeys in Liberia, bird-watching in China, helping to build a city of the future in the Arizona desert, and diving to a wreck off Belize." The basic idea behind Environmental Vacations is helping scientists with their fieldwork. Whenever a scientist finds himself in need of assistance, he contacts one or more organizations that specialize in bringing together willing workers and work opportunities. When you contact the organization, you are given a list of projects that need workers--you pay the organization and they make the arrangements. Your money is used to pay for your living expenses while working, part goes toward the research project itself, and part goes to the middleman organization. Why would people pay good money for this? Basically for the education, for the challenge, and for the satisfaction of participating in a worthwhile project. About a third of the science project volunteers will go on to sign up for yet another such vacation, some people have made Environmental Vacations a regular part of their lives. Author Stephanie Ocko is a veteran of five such vacations herself and she fills her guide with firsthand accounts of volunteers on projects ranging from archaeology to immunization to animal behavior. She discusses the problems that might arise in the field and gives practical tips on food, water, visas, seasickness, clothing, legal problems, and creatures to avoid both on land and in the water. ENVIRONMENTAL VACATIONS also includes a directory of over 60 organizations that accept paying volunteers and an index. (The second edition of ENVIRONMENTAL VACATIONS is due out in February 1992: 248 pages, $16.95.) ************************** ^ FAST FACTS ORGANIZER: A Deluxe Daily Planner (Running Press, $14.98, ISBN 0-89471-994-7) review by Carol Sheffert The FAST FACTS ORGANIZER is another of those all-in-one organizers that keep all your important information in one place and that goes with you everywhere. More feature-packed than most, the FAST FACTS ORGANIZER includes: * Fold-out 2-year calendar * Compartments for coins, credit cards, calculator, & licenses * Credit card register * Entertainment planner * Tear-off note pad * Goal planner * Restaurant directory * Weights and measures tables * Hotel directory * Gift register * Insurance register * Personal note pages * Snap-out ruler/place marker & ballpoint pen At Your Office: * Area code map * Spacious 2-year appointment calendar * 3-year reference calendar * Daily schedule sheets * Business suppliers phone directory * Project planner * Income & expense ledgers * Business receipt envelope At Home: * Emergency directory * Calorie & nutrient guide * Weight & fitness journal * Recipe directory * Menu planner * Fast-food nutrition guide * Clean-up checklist * Grocery list * Baby-sitter instructions * Medication register * Packing checklist * Personal yellow pages * Home receipt and warranty envelopes The features might remind you of the very expensive personal organizers, but the cover is definitely not leather and the price is low enough to make you think it's a misprint. At $14.98, the FAST FACTS ORGANIZER is not only a terrific tool for keeping your own life from unraveling, it's a Best Buy for Christmas gifts too, particularly for students (who have more to keep track of than most). Refills are available from the publisher. If your local bookstore doesn't have the FAST FACTS ORGANIZER, you can send the list price ($14.98), plus $2.50 for postage and handling to the publishers at: Running Press, 125 South 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215/567-5080). ************************** ^ ACTORS, ARTISTS, AUTHORS & ATTEMPTED ASSASSINS The Almanac of Famous & Infamous People by Susan Stetler (Visible Ink, 1991, $13.95, ISBN 0-8103-9409-X) review by Cindy Bartorillo 1) Who were the Chicago Seven? 2) Who were the members of the rock group Black Sabbath? 3) Who was Cecil Day-Lewis? Every time you find yourself asking, "Who's that?", this is the book you should reach for. Almost 600 pages with listings of 13,000 people will answer just about any Who? question you can come up with. Each listing gives full name, pseudonyms, a brief description, a list of major accomplishments, birth and death dates and locations. The people are divided into major groups: Stage & Screen Madams, Models, Myths & Blood Lines Artists Saints, Sinners & Suffragettes Music Makers Potentates, Politicians & Militants Scribes What if you have a name and absolutely NO idea who it is? No problem, just look the name up in the Index where everyone is listed alphabetically. ACTORS, ARTISTS, AUTHORS & ATTEMPTED ASSASSINS is an excellent reference book for the whole family, and it makes a superlative book for bedside or coffee table browsing. Answers: 1) Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, John Radford Froines, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Lee Weiner. They were political activists who disrupted the 1968 Democratic National Convention with antiwar demonstrations. (page 370) 2) Terry Geezer Butler, Ronnie Dio, Jan Gillan, Anthony Iommi, Ozzie Osbourne, William Ward. (page 258) 3) Poet laureate of England (1968) who also wrote detective stories under the name Nicholas Blake. (page 454) ************************** ^ GREAT MAMBO CHICKEN & THE TRANSHUMAN CONDITION by Ed Regis (Addison-Wesley, August 1991, $8.95, ISBN 0-201-56751-2) review by Cindy Bartorillo "Five Gs positive at launch, followed by three Gs negative when the chute snaps out--Eyeballs IN!, Eyeballs OUT!--all of this in about sixty seconds." ---describing the plans for Evel Knievel's rocket launch over the Snake River Meet Bob Truax. He has degrees in aeronautical and mechanical engineering as well as a master's in nuclear engineering. He believes that NASA designed the space shuttle all wrong, and that there's no reason why individuals shouldn't be blasting themselves into space in their own personal spaceships. He's even built a personal spaceship, and you shouldn't laugh because the U.S. Navy bought it from him for $750,000. Bob Truax also believes that old age can be cured. Meet Hans Moravec. He believes that within fifty years people will be able to download themselves into a computer, freeing themselves of the limitations of biological existence. He has also come up with four different ways in which this downloading might be accomplished. Meet Eric Drexler. He invented the field of nanotechnology and believes that some day tiny DNA-sized robots that he calls "assemblers" will be able to manipulate individual molecules, maybe even atoms. This would enable us to take human cells that have deteriorated due to age or disease and FIX them, put them back the way they were before the problems occurred. The assemblers would also be able to manipulate any other kind of matter, allowing us to make anything that's physically possible. You can meet Truax, Moravec, Drexler, and many other like-minded individuals in Ed Regis' GREAT MAMBO CHICKEN & THE TRANSHUMAN CONDITION. You'll find out where the frontiersmen of the late 20th century are and what they're thinking about. You'll get the latest ideas on the big issues: Immortality, Artificial Life, Space Colonies, Delaying the Heat-Death of the Universe, etc. You'll read about ideas like squeezing the sun and towing black holes around the universe. One forward thinker has already taken it for granted that he will be downloaded into a computer and will be able to beam himself around the universe as a cosmic tourist. His big worry now is What if his tour takes so long that some stars and galaxies don't stick around long enough for him to get there? (I'm worried about paying the bills next month, and he's worried about outliving galaxies.) GREAT MAMBO CHICKEN & THE TRANSHUMAN CONDITION is fascinating, it's fun, and there is more food for thought per page than any book I've seen in a while. Recommended for readers who like to think about six impossible things before breakfast. (You're probably wondering what Great Mambo Chicken is all about. That's what you get when you breed chickens in 2-1/2 gravities. For the Transhuman Condition you're just going to have to read the book.) ************************** ^ LUNCHEON AT THE CAFE RIDICULOUS by Alice Kahn (Poseidon Press, 1991, $8.95, ISBN 0-671-74193-4) review by Carol Sheffert "The New Age is getting older but shows no signs of wising up." This collection of short essays, most of which originally appeared in the The San Francisco CHRONICLE, is usually funny, occasionally hilarious, once in a while even touching, but always entertaining. You can read about Kahn's early years in the balcony of the Lawndale Theater, how she almost wrote a screenplay for Spielberg, what she thinks about Chain Saw Editors, her very brief career as a model, phone sex, the cultural promiscuity of baby boomers, unisex bathrooms, and a women's consciousness-lowering session in a yuppie bar. She discusses life passages for which there is no Hallmark card, and frets that "Being an adult...is the most behaviorally boring thing on earth." Kahn talks about the time her mother pretended to be a transvestite named Ramona to get a good seat at a San Francisco drag club, and reports on the phenomenon of channeling which she says is "the rage among bored-again New Agers". Alice Kahn amuses with charm and wit, illuminates our shared culture while lampooning our excesses. ************************** ^ THE WHOLESALE-BY-MAIL CATALOG 1992 by The Print Project (HarperPerennial, 1991, $15.00, ISBN 0-06-273061-4) review by Cindy Bartorillo I love this book for two main reasons: 1) I do most of my shopping by mail, and 2) I don't like to spend any more than I have to. First off, mail-order shopping is easy, it gives me a greater selection of goods that I would otherwise have, and it forces me to shop wisely. All the catalogs that have items that I need or want get fanned out on the table, and I sit in front of them with my checkbook. Instead of buying whatever product happens to be near me at the time, I can choose which of my wants or needs gets filled first. Sometimes I just pile the catalogs on the coffee table in the order of importance: the item I need most on top, all the way down to that electric hedge clipper that would be nice but that I could live without. Then, as the money comes in (IF it comes in), I order the merchandise. THE WHOLESALE-BY-MAIL CATALOG 1992 is a big help if you're going to take up mail order. All the vendors are listed by type of merchandise, and in addition to a paragraph of description you get header information that includes: address, phone number, how much the catalog or brochure costs, what the savings are like, acceptable methods of payment, what basic kind of product(s) they sell, whether they have a storefront, whether they ship to Canada, whether they ship to APO and FPO addresses, whether they accept phone orders, whether they give an additional discount to readers of THE WHOLESALE-BY-MAIL CATALOG, and a "$" code that gives a subjective rating of worth to the bargain hunter. Armed with all that information, you can quickly find the vendors who are most likely to have what you want at the best possible price. Considering that many places give extra discounts for readers of THE WHOLESALE-BY-MAIL CATALOG, it shouldn't take more than one or two purchases to more than refund your $15. ************************** ~ NEW FROM STOREY PUBLISHING THE STENCILLING WORKBOOK by Judy Tuttle A wealth of information and inspiration for stencillers Hardcover: $24.95 ISBN 0-88266-682-7 Paperback: $14.95 ISBN 0-88266-681-9 COUNTRY FRESH GIFTS Wonderful gifts you can grow and cook Paperback: $12.95 ISBN 0-88266-660-6 NEW COMPACT HOUSE DESIGNS edited Don Metz Prize-winning plans for efficient homes Hardcover: $27.95 ISBN 0-88266-667-3 Paperback: $16.95 ISBN 0-88266-666-5 ROOT CELLARING by Mike and Nancy Bubel No-fuss food preservation--safe, healthy and economical Hardcover: $21.95 ISBN 0-88266-740-8 Paperback: $12.95 ISBN 0-88266-703-3 THE HEDGE BOOK by Jeffrey Whitehead The complete guide to natural fencing Hardcover: $21.95 ISBN 0-88266-742-4 Paperback: $12.95 ISBN 0-88266-695-9 HOME INSULATION by Harry Yost The energy-saving solution that pays for itself Hardcover: $21.95 ISBN 0-88266-741-6 Paperback: $11.95 ISBN 0-88266-694-0 If your local bookstore doesn't carry the Storey Publishing titles you want, you can order directly from the publisher by sending the list price, plus $2.75 shipper per order, to: Storey Communications, Inc., PO Box 445, Pownal, VT 05261 or get your credit card and call 1-800-827-8673. ************************** ^ THE M STREET RADIO DIRECTORY: 1991 Edition edited by Robert Unmacht (Focal Press, 1991, $29.95, ISBN 0-240-80137-7) review by Howard Frye THE M STREET RADIO DIRECTORY is an annual summary of the M Street Corporation's database of radio stations in the U.S. and Canada. The stations are listed by state (and by city within state), by call letters, by frequency, and by "market". The information given for the stations includes: city, call letters, power, AM antenna configuration, FM antenna height, format, frequency, owner, address, phone number, applications and permits, and any available ratings estimations. For professionals employed in radio, public relations, or advertising, the applications are obvious. But I've found the DIRECTORY useful at home next to my radio as well. By scanning the format codes for radio stations in my general area, I could see at a glance why I have trouble finding classical music on either dial; my area is largely "CW" (Country) and "EZ" (Easy Listening). But by taking note of the few classical music stations, I have managed to tune in several sources of music I was previously unaware of. If you have trouble getting THE M STREET RADIO DIRECTORY, you can reach the publishers by writing to: Focal Press, 80 Montvale Ave., Stoneham, MA 02180. The M Street Corporation's database is much bigger than what is shown in this DIRECTORY. Customized reports of stations, ownership, market information or mailing labels are available through their Alexandria, Virginia, office. You can reach them by writing to: M Street Corporation, PO Box 3568, Alexandria, VA 22302, or by calling 703/684-3622 (FAX: 703/684-0320). ************************** ~FOR THE LOVE OF CATS: ^ IN THE COMPANY OF CATS: A Tribute to the Feline (Andrews and McMeel, 1991, $15.00, ISBN 0-8362-7986-7) review by Cindy Bartorillo To Willie Who lives in a world I cannot enter And knows many things beyond my perception, Whose demands are paramount, And who alone interrupts my work as pleases him, For he speaks always with love In pianissimo purrs and muted meows ---Raymond Bushell (THE INRO HANDBOOK) Neither maudlin nor syrupy, catching the character of cats in brief brushstrokes of words and images, IN THE COMPANY OF CATS does justice to its subject. With small snatches of fiction, poetry, quotes, photographs and paintings, the animal who is now estimated to be the most popular pet in the world is illuminated from differing perspectives. The words are drawn from such notables as: George Eliot, P.G. Wodehouse, Cleveland Amory, Sir Walter Scott, Kingsley Amis, Robertson Davies, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Henry David Thoreau, and many others. Lovingly assembled, beautifully reproduced, and sumptuously bound, IN THE COMPANY OF CATS makes a wonderful gift for the cat lovers in your life. -------------------------- ^ CAT'S PICNIC Greens, Games, and Guaranteed Fun for Your Favorite Feline by C.E. Crimmins (Running Press, November 1991, $12.95, ISBN 1-56138-050-4) review by Carol Sheffert CAT'S PICNIC comes with seed packets for Catnip and Cat Salad (wheat and oats), and the whole book is structured around growing treats for your pampered pet. Part One starts you off with everything you need to know to get your crops started, including why your cat will like them. Part Two is called "What to Do Until the Picnic Begins", and covers a wide variety of cat toys, games, snacks, and other activities that you can share with kitty. Sprinkled throughout are cat facts, care hints, and quotes about cats, entertainment to inform and delight anyone who shares their space with a cat. Part Three concerns harvesting your crops, with a host of presentation ideas to suit any feline temperament. CAT'S PICNIC makes an excellent gift for the new cat owner, and the Cat Salad is a novel idea even for veteran cat people. You can get CAT'S PICNIC from your local bookstore, or by sending the list price, plus $2.50 postage and handling, to: Running Press, 125 South 22nd St., Philadelphia, PA 19103. -------------------------- ^ THE COMPLETE CAT BOOK by Richard H. Gebhardt (Howell Book House, October 1991, $24.95, ISBN 0-87605-841-1) review by Cindy Bartorillo THE COMPLETE CAT BOOK is without a doubt the most comprehensive book about cats and cat ownership I have ever seen. This oversized book includes a Preface by Betty White, a brief history of cat evolution and the cat-people connection, an introduction to cat anatomy, a description of over 40 breeds (with a history, official Standard, and personality for each one), the care and maintenance of a pet cat, all about cat reproduction, an introduction to cat showing and judging, and a glossary of cat-related terms. On top of all that THE COMPLETE CAT BOOK contains more than 120 color and black-and-white photographs, as well as addresses of cat registries and feline health and welfare organizations. The pictures are wonderful, and I particularly enjoyed the chapters on the history of the cat. The sections devoted to each of the breeds are invaluable for selecting your next pet, and the chapters on catshows are fascinating, even if you only go as a spectator. Author Richard H. Gebhardt is an internationally known judge and breeder of pedigreed cats. He was the first American to judge in Continental Europe and the first international judge of all breeds. From 1968 to 1980 he served as president of one of the oldest and the largest cat registry in the world, Cat Fanciers' Association. THE COMPLETE CAT BOOK is a fine addition to any cat-person's bookshelf and makes a great gift. You can contact the publisher by writing to: Howell Book House, 866 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022 (212/702-3800). -------------------------- ^ GREAT CATS: Majestic Creatures of the Wild by Consulting Editors Dr. John Seidensticker & Dr. Susan Lumpkin (Rodale Press, September 1991, $40.00, ISBN 0-87857-965-6) review by Cindy Bartorillo GREAT CATS is a breathtaking oversized book of photographs, drawings, and text about one of this planet's most fascinating animals. From the housecat to the lion, GREAT CATS explains and illustrates what cats are, how they got that way, how they function (and why), and how they interact with other animals--like people. The photographs alone are worth the price of the book. They capture all species of cats in all their many moods, from cheetah cubs playing in the grass to an ocelot stalking its prey. But don't let the photographs keep you from the text too long, because it is fascinating material including the latest discoveries about the origins of cats, a history of the relationship between cats and people, as well as comprehensive information about all 37 species of living cats. Nearly 40 internationally renowned experts from all over the world share their observations about how cats live, breed, socialize, and interact with their environment. GREAT CATS is entertaining, educational, and breathtakingly beautiful. For cat people and nature lovers, GREAT CATS is irresistible. (You can contact the publisher by writing to: Rodale Press, Inc., 33 East Minor Street, Emmaus, PA 18098-0099 (215/967-5171). ************************** ~HARDWARE & SOFTWARE: ^ UNDERSTANDING PC TOOLS 7 by Peter Dyson (Sybex, 1991, $26.95, ISBN 0-89588-850-5) review by Carl Ingram If you've been using PC Tools for awhile, you know that the menus are great as long as you know where you're going, and the on-line help is not all that helpful. Of course, they provide you with documentation, but it's divided into multiple books and I can never find the one I want when I want it. Now that I have UNDERSTANDING PC TOOLS 7, there are no more problems. This is the manual I should have had from the beginning. Everything I could ever want to know about PC Tools, all gathered together for me in one book, with one index in which I can look up any subject from Creating Macros to Passwords for Phone Directory Files. Here is the layout of UNDERSTANDING PC TOOLS 7: Installing and Running PC Tools 7 1. An Overview of PC Tools 2. Installing PC Tools 3. Using PC Tools File and Program Management Tools 4. Using PC Shell 5. Using the Program Manager Disk Recovery and Data Protection Tools 6. An Introduction to Disk and Directory Structure 7. Preventing Data Loss with the Recovery Tools 8. Managing Files, Directories, and Hardware with the System Tools 9. Protecting Files with the Security Tools 10. Backing Up Your System 11. Operating a Remote Computer with Commute 12. Using the Windows-Only Tools Desktop Tools 13. Working with Notepads, Outlines, the Clipboard, and the Macro Editor 14. Figuring with the Four Calculators 15. Increasing Your Efficiency with the Appointment Scheduler 16. Using the Database 17. Telecommunications Made Easy 18. Using DeskConnect and the Desktop Utilities Reference Tools 19. Troubleshooting 20. The PC Tools Complete Command Reference In the first week I had UNDERSTANDING PC TOOLS 7 on my desk, I used it to recover from a disastrous session with the Color Configuration (I can't believe how difficult it is to change PC Tools' colors. There IS such a thing as too many options.), help me add a few programs to my Program List, and install CP Backup. In winging my way around the volume, I discovered that on every left-hand page, just under the page number, is what chapter you are in. Couple that with the index that is printed inside the front and back covers, and you can find any general subject in seconds. UNDERSTANDING PC TOOLS 7 is an excellent reference book for anyone who wants to get the most from PC Tools, a very powerful but complicated collection of programs. -------------------------- ^ PC TOOLS 7.0 AT WORK by Jonathan Kamin (Addison-Wesley, August 1991, $22.95, ISBN 0-201-56766-0) review by Cindy Bartorillo Despite the fact that I have been using PC Tools for over a year, and have had version 7.0 for several months, I found some valuable new information within 3 minutes of picking up this terrific book. This is a testament to the logical organization and readable typography of PC TOOLS 7.0 AT WORK. The Table of Contents will direct you to an interesting subject and, once there, the information practically leaps off the page. Colored headers, illustrations, emphasized text, and outlines help you get to the facts you want and skip over the rest. General outlines of each chapter are given at the beginning and at the end, making quick reviews a breeze. And, as RFP noted in a previous review of an Addison-Wesley computer book, the large, emphasized page numbers at the outer corners make flipping to a particular page as easy as it should always be, but seldom is. Here's a breakdown of PC TOOLS 7.0 AT WORK by chapter: For the New User: Getting Familiar with Your Computer System Introducing PC Tools Installing PC Tools 7.0 Exploring Your System Introducing PC Shell Computer Housekeeping Preventive Maintenance Data Security Backing Up and Restoring Hard Disks Disaster Recovery Advanced Shell Functions Launching Applications Introducing the Desktop Manager Creating and Editing Text: The Notepads Organizing Your Thoughts: The Outliner Remote Control: The Macro Editor Organizing Your Time: The Appointment Scheduler Organizing Information: Databases Instant Communications: The Autodialer Talking to Your Applications: The Clipboard Instant Numbers: The Calculators The ASCII Table Connectivity PC Tools and Windows Appendixes: The DOS Configuration Files Fine-Tuning Your Installation A Short Course in Hexadecimal Thinking As you can see, a lot of ground is covered, but then PC Tools is a very large set of programs. While the documentation that comes with PC Tools is better than most, it is still basically linear, forcing you to read entire chapters to discover a few facts. Now that I have PC TOOLS 7.0 AT WORK, I'm already trying out a few applications that I had previously put off until I had more time, like the Appointment Scheduler and the Notepads. Now that I can extract the information I need more quickly, I can explore new facets of PC Tools in just a few spare moments. (What was the new information I picked up right away? That PC Tools can change the date and time of a file, something I do all the time and have been loading an outside program to accomplish. Until now.) -------------------------- ^ VENTURA TIPS & TRICKS (3rd Edition) by Ted Nace with Daniel Will-Harris (Peachpit Press, 1991, $27.95, ISBN 0-938151-20-7) review by Drew Bartorillo VENTURA TIPS & TRICKS, winner of the 1990 Reader's Choice Award from PUBLISH magazine, explains how to use Ventura Publisher more effectively, offering a wealth of shortcuts, special techniques, undocumented features, work-arounds for bugs, and tips on speed, safety, and printing. The book also addresses the overall desktop environment, providing extensive information on computer configurations, peripheral hardware, the operating system, graphics software, clip art, fonts, and third-party resources. All versions of Ventura Publisher from 2.0 to the Windows and DOS/GEM Gold series are covered with differences between the versions pointed out when applicable. VENTURA TIPS & TRICKS is divided into the following areas: > Which Ventura Is Right for You? > How Ventura Works > Configuring Your System > Printers/Monitors/Scanners > Managing Files > Preparing, Loading, and Editing Text > Working With Style Sheets > Formatting Text > Tables and Equations > Pagination > Document Layout Strategies > Using Graphics/Graphic Tools/Clip Art > Encapsulated PostScript > Screen Snapshots > Using and Adding New Fonts, Font Tools > Speed/Safety/Printing Tips > Memory Limitations and Solutions > Utilities > Printing Labels/Envelopes > Voodoo Tricks > Using Ventura Without a Mouse > Resources > Graphics Program Compatibility It's obvious from this list that VENTURA TIPS & TRICKS is a very, very extensive reference publication for Ventura Publisher. According to the publisher, VENTURA TIPS & TRICKS is the only book to receive the official endorsement of Xerox Corporation, vendors of the Ventura Publisher program. I wish that I had known about this book over two years ago, when I first started using Ventura Publisher. It would have made learning the program and becoming productive with it much easier. Of particular interest is the way that the book is presented. The method of giving tips--followed by a thorough explanation--is especially helpful. Of note also is the spattering of common, everyday questions and concise, helpful answers that appear throughout the book. For a reference book, it is also very easy to read. I found myself just sitting back and enjoying reading through page after page in my spare time. VENTURA TIPS & TRICKS now has a permanent place on my computer reference bookshelf and I can highly recommend it to all Ventura Publisher users. Peachpit Press has an entire line of useful computer books (such as THE EASY VENTURA BOOK, reviewed in RFP #19, and VENTURA BY EXAMPLE, WINDOWS EDITION). You can contact them by writing to: Peachpit Press, Inc., 2414 Sixth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710; or by calling 415/548-4393 or 800/283-9444. -------------------------- ^ PC/COMPUTING GUIDE TO EXCEL 3.0 by Dale Lewallen (Ziff-Davis, 1991, $24.95, ISBN 1-56276-019-X) commentary from the publisher PC/COMPUTING GUIDE TO EXCEL 3.0 is your step-by-step tour of Microsoft's powerful and versatile Excel 3.0 spreadsheet program running under Windows. PC/COMPUTING technical editor Dale Lewallen teaches by example, and presents dozens of clear, well-illustrated exercises that will show you how to apply Excel to real-world situations. Whether you're new to graphical spreadsheets or looking for a way to enhance your skills, you'll find the help you need in PC/COMPUTING GUIDE TO EXCEL 3.0, including how to... * Build a simple spreadsheet from the ground up, with clear, step-by-step instructions * Format worksheets and change formats with ease * Turn your spreadsheet data into professional-quality 3-D charts and graphs * Increase your productivity with mathematical analyses and sophisticated programming techniques * Exchange data between Excel and other programs Use this book as a learning guide to master Excel's wide range of features, and keep it on your bookshelf as a convenient reference to Excel's many capabilities. -------------------------- ^ THE WAITE GROUP'S TURBO PASCAL HOW-TO The Definitive Object-Oriented Problem Solver by Gary Syck (Waite Group Press, 1991, $24.95, ISBN 1-878739-04-2) review by Drew Bartorillo THE WAITE GROUP'S TURBO PASCAL HOW-TO is for Turbo Pascal programmers who already know Turbo Pascal and want ways to give their programs a more professional look. THE WAITE GROUP'S TURBO PASCAL HOW-TO presents hundreds of typical programming problems with their creative solutions in a standard easy-to-use reference format. Some sample problems presented in the book are: How do I... Test whether ANSI.SYS is in use? Stuff keys into the keyboard buffer? Make sound effects? Make formatted data-entry fields? Make a file-management program? Solve simultaneous equations with matrices? Sort strings into dictionary order? Display the BIOS data area? Draw 3-D objects? Each problem contains a question, a description of why the problem comes up, a program solution including code, comments, cross references, enhancements, and cautions. Problems and solutions are divided into the following categories: > Interacting with the User > File and Devices > Mathematical Operations > String Manipulation > System Programming with Turbo Pascal > Object-Oriented Programming > Graphics > Turbo Pascal Routines from Computer Science > Utility Programs and Units > Using Turbo Vision and Turbo Pascal for MS Windows I found THE WAITE GROUP'S TURBO PASCAL HOW-TO to be full of useful tips that have and will help me tremendously in my Turbo Pascal programming. The problems listed above are just a small sampling of the wealth of information available in the book. As is indicated in this list, a wide range of problems are solved. And these are common, everyday problems, not ones that no one will ever encounter, as is the case with most Turbo Pascal reference books. My copy of the book is full of markers, indicating areas of my previous programming that can be upgraded with this new-found information. Beware, though, that more than a basic knowledge of Turbo Pascal programming is necessary to make full use of the book. There is no basic "how to do Turbo Pascal" section. It is assumed that you know what you are doing going in. One thing I wish was in the book is an index of all the "How do I..." topics. Going through, page-by-page, picking out the "how do's" is not putting the book to its most efficient use. All-in-all though, the book is a must-have for any Turbo Pascal programmer's reference library and one purchase you surely won't regret. A companion disk for THE WAITE GROUP'S TURBO PASCAL HOW-TO is available, from the publisher, for $19.95. The disk includes all of the Turbo Pascal program listings contained in the book, organized by chapter, and pre-tested and debugged. Given the vast amount of useful program code in the book, purchase of the companion disk should be seriously considered. -------------------------- ^ POWER GRAPHICS USING TURBO PASCAL by Keith Weiskamp, Loren Heiny & Namir Shammas (Wiley, 1989, $22.95, ISBN 0-471-61841-1) review by Drew Bartorillo POWER GRAPHICS USING TURBO PASCAL takes you inside Turbo Pascal's powerful graphics features and gives you a variety of useful programs that will help you utilize these versatile graphics tools for a wide range of applications. In POWER GRAPHICS you will find in-depth instruction on building graphics tools, techniques for designing graphics-based user interfaces, fundamentals of two- and three-dimensional graphics programming, creating real-life animation and presentation graphics, and interactive applications, including painting and CAD programs. POWER GRAPHICS explains all the capabilities of the Borland Graphics Interface (BGI), including drawing commands, fonts, and text. POWER GRAPHICS is broken down into the following chapters: >> The BGI Quick Tour >> The BGI Drawing Functions >> The BGI Fonts and Text >> Presentation Graphics >> Graphics Techniques in Two Dimensions >> Animation >> Creating Mouse Tools >> Working With Icons >> Pop-up Windows in Graphics >> Interactive Drawing Tools >> A Paint Program >> A CAD Program >> Three-Dimensional Graphics POWER GRAPHICS is by far the most detailed graphics-oriented book I have in my Turbo Pascal reference library. Of special interest are the mouse tools and a complete CAD program. One drawback to the book is that it is current as of Turbo Pascal 5.0 and does not include any of the object-oriented or Turbo Vision programming tools available with today's Turbo Pascal 6. If you don't want to spend the time, and make all the errors, entering the extensive source code in the book, there is a set of disks available for $15, plus $5 shipping and handling, that contain all the source code presented in the book. -------------------------- ^ THE CARTOON GUIDE TO THE COMPUTER by Larry Gonick (HarperPerennial, 1991, $9.95, ISBN 0-06-273097-5) review by Carl Ingram The title of this book might have you expecting a computer-related joke book, but THE CARTOON GUIDE TO THE COMPUTER is actually a heavily (and charmingly) illustrated textbook that is witty, entertaining, and educational. From the very beginnings of language, numbers, and information theory, Larry Gonick tells of the origin and rise of the computer. Once the computer is no longer a stranger from the outside, Gonick tears off the cover and allows the reader/student to progressively zoom in on the computer an discover the mysteries that lie within. Binary numbers, logic gates, electronic versus electro-mechanical memory devices, all the way through assembly language and higher-level programming languages. An Index allows the reader/student to access any particular subject or term. Don't be fooled by the cute drawings and the goofy title: THE CARTOON GUIDE TO THE COMPUTER is seriously educational. It could be the best chance you have of understanding some of the more exotic aspects of the digital beasts we share our lives with. Larry Gonick is also the author of THE CARTOON HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE, THE CARTOON GUIDE TO PHYSICS (with Art Huffman), and THE CARTOON GUIDE TO THE GENETICS (with Mark Wheelis). -------------------------- ^ THE NEW HACKER'S DICTIONARY edited by Eric Raymond (MIT Press, September 1991, $10.95, ISBN 0-262-68069-6) review by Cindy Bartorillo BOGON FLUX /boh'gon fluhks/ n. A measure of a supposed field of BOGOSITY emitted by a speaker, measured by a BOGOMETER; as a speaker starts to wander into increasing bogosity a listener might say "Warning, warning, bogon flux is rising". See QUANTUM BOGODYNAMICS. At last, the complicated jargon of computer enthusiasts and fanatics authoritatively and comprehensively codified for one and all. It's impossible to pick up THE NEW HACKER'S DICTIONARY and get any more meaningful work done for at least an hour. Finding the entry on BOGON FLUX leads to QUANTUM BOGODYNAMICS, which leads to PSYTON, and soon you're lost in a sea of language that is by turns clever, funny, silly, always entertaining, and often wise. Who could resist reading about MANDELBUGs, BONDAGE-AND-DISCIPLINE LANGUAGEs, GUILTWARE, PLOKTA, or MOUSE DROPPINGS? Do you know how many items are in a SAGAN? Do you have the PINK-SHIRT BOOK? Did you take part in the infamous ARC WARS? THE NEW HACKER'S DICTIONARY provides over 400 pages of useful terms, laws, abbreviations, and graphics, all carefully and amusingly explained. At the rear of the book you'll find two helpful Appendixes. The first collects examples of Hacker Folklore, including several AI Koans. Here's one: In the days when Sussman was a novice, Minsky once came to him as he sat hacking at the PDP-6. "What are you doing?", asked Minsky. "I am training a randomly wired neural net to play Tic-Tac-Toe" Sussman replied. "Why is the net wired randomly?", asked Minsky. "I do not want it to have any preconceptions of how to play", Sussman said. Minsky then shut his eyes. "Why do you close your eyes?", Sussman asked his teacher. "So that the room will be empty." At that moment, Sussman was enlightened. The second Appendix provides a Portrait of J. Random Hacker, with descriptions of his General Appearance, Dress, Reading Habits, etc. Lastly is a truly awesome Bibliography. It's short, but the book recommendations are excellent. Don't miss THE NEW HACKER'S DICTIONARY. If your local bookstore can't help, try writing to the publisher at: The MIT Press, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142. -------------------------- ^ PC MAGAZINE: BASIC TECHNIQUES AND UTILITIES (with disk) by Ethan Winer (Ziff-Davis, 1991, $29.95, ISBN 1-56276-008-4) review by Drew Bartorillo BASIC TECHNIQUES AND UTILITIES is a book about power programming using Microsoft compiled BASIC. It is intended for people who already understand the fundamentals of BASIC programming, but want to squeeze as much performance as possible from the BASIC compiler. BASIC TECHNIQUES shows you how to go beyond creating programs that merely work--it explains how the compiler operates and how it interacts with the BASIC runtime library. It teaches you how to write programs that are as small and fast as possible. Although the book emphasizes Microsoft QuickBASIC and the BASIC Professional Development System (PDS), much of the information in the book applies to other BASIC compilers such as Power Basic from Spectra Publishing (formerly Turbo Basic from Borland International). BASIC TECHNIQUES is organized into the following chapters: + An introduction to Compiled BASIC + Variables and Constant Data + Programming Methods + Debugging Strategies + Compiling and Linking + File and Device Handling + Database and Network Programming + Sorting and Searching + Program Optimization + Key Memory Areas in the PC + Accessing DOS and BIOS Services + Assembly Language Programming A disk accompanies BASIC TECHNIQUES that contains all of the programs and example code for the listings throughout the book. This includes all the BASIC and assembly language source code. Also included on the disk are a variety of useful utility programs like: DOSWATCH, a TSR program that provides a "window" into DOS as it works; FINDTEXT, a handy utility that searches a group of files for a specified text string; MAP, a system utility that shows all of the programs that are currently loaded in memory; and SCRNCAP, a text-mode TSR screen capture utility that lets you capture text screen images from any application. ************************** ~ BOOKS FROM JEREMY P. TARCHER, INC. ALWAYS AT EASE Overcoming Shyness and Anxiety in Every Situation by Christopher J. McCullough, Ph.D. (August 1991, $18.95, ISBN 0-87477-542-6) WEIGHT AND STRENGTH TRAINING FOR KIDS AND TEENAGERS A Responsible Guide for Parents, Teachers, Coaches, and Young Athletes by Ken Sprague and his son Chris Sprague (August 1991, $12.95, ISBN 0-87477-643-0) THE 20-MINUTE BREAK Reduce Stress, Maximize Performance, and Improve Health & Emotional Well-Being Using the New Science of Ultradian Rhythms by Ernest Lawrence Rossi, Ph.D with David Nimmons (September 1991, $17.95, ISBN 0-87477-585-X) TO BE A MAN: In Search of the Deep Masculine edited by Keith Thompson (September 1991, $12.95, ISBN 0-87477-637-6) THE PATH OF THE EVERYDAY HERO Drawing on the Power of Myth to Meet Life's Most Important Challenges by Lorna Catford, Ph.D. and Michael Ray, Ph.D. Foreword by M. Scott Peck (September 1991, $12.95, ISBN 0-87477-630-9) THE 3-POUND UNIVERSE Revolutionary Discoveries About the Brain From the Chemistry of the Mind to the New Frontiers of the Soul by Judith Hooper & Dick Teresi Foreword by Isaac Asimov (October 1991, $14.95, ISBN 0-87477-650-3 KNIGHTS WITHOUT ARMOR A Practical Guide for Men in Quest of Masculine Soul by Aaron Kipnis, Ph.D. Foreword by Robert A. Johnson (October 1991, $19.95, ISBN 0-87477-658-9) WHEN YOU'VE BECOME A WIDOW A Compassionate Guide to Rebuilding Your Life by Genevieve Davis Ginsburg, M.S. (October 1991, $10.95, ISBN 0-87477-599-X) WHEN GOD BECOMES A DRUG Breaking the Chains of Religious Addiction & Abuse by Father Leo Booth Foreword by John Bradshaw (October 1991, $18.95, ISBN 0-87477-657-0) DRAWING FOR OLDER CHILDREN AND TEENS A Creative Method for Adult Beginners, Too by Mona Brookes (October 1991, $12.95, ISBN 0-87477-661-9) (Hardcover: $22.95, ISBN 0-87477-660-0) THE HEALTHY COMPANY Eight Strategies to Develop People, Productivity, and Profits by Robert H. Rosen, Ph.D. with Lisa Berger (October 1991, $22.95, ISBN 0-87477-655-4) THE ONE-MINUTE (OR SO) HEALER 500 Quick and Simple Ways to Heal Yourself Naturally by Dana Ullman, M.P.H. (November 1991, $8.95, ISBN 0-87477-667-8) DAYDREAMING Using Waking Fantasy and Imagery for Self-Knowledge and Creativity by Eric Klinger, Ph.D. (December 1991, $12.95, ISBN 0-87477-666-X) MORE THAN FRIENDS, LESS THAN LOVERS Managing Sexual Attraction in Working Relationships by David R. Eyler, Ph.D. and Andrea P. Baridon (October 1991, $18.95, ISBN 0-87477-651-1) EVERYBODY'S GUIDE TO NATURAL ESP Unlocking the Extrasensory Power of Your Mind by Ingo Swann (November 1991, $9.95, ISBN 0-87477-668-6) MIRRORS OF THE SELF Archetypal Images That Shape Your Life edited by Christine Downing (November 1991, $12.95, ISBN 0-87477-664-3) AN EASIER CHILDBIRTH A Mother's Workbook for Health and Emotional Well-Being During Pregnancy and Delivery by Gayle Peterson, Ph.D. (November 1991, $11.95, ISBN 0-87477-665-1) THE SECRET LIFE OF FOOD A Feast of Food and Drink History, Folklore, and Fact by Martin Elkort (November 1991, $9.95, ISBN 0-87477-662-7) Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc. 5858 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 200 Los Angeles, CA 90036 ************************** ^ WONDER-WORKERS! How They Perform the Impossible by Joe Nickell for ages 9-14 (Prometheus Books, October 1991, $11.95, ISBN 0-87975-688-8) review by Cindy Bartorillo Nickell investigates the apparently impossible accomplishments of ten famous wonder-workers: Ivan Chabert (who was impervious to heat), Robert-Houdin (one of the greatest magicians of all time), Daniel Home (who could float through the air), Lulu Hurst (whose body was a powerful magnet), Evangeline Adams (who could foretell the future), Harry Houdini (who could, among many other talents, walk through walls), Joaquin Argamasilla (whose x-ray eyes could see through metal), Joseph Dunninger (who could read minds), Edgar Cayce (who could diagnose illnesses while asleep), and Peter Hurkos (a psychic detective). WONDER-WORKERS! is both an entertaining book about famous people and a textbook on scientific investigation. For each claim of supernatural powers, Nickell discusses the possible explanations, many of which are very educational in themselves. For instance, the reader learns a good deal about the properties of heat while hearing the story of Ivan Chabert. Without spoiling the attraction of magic as entertainment, the author shows children how to bring a healthy skepticism to any claims of special talents or powers. At the end is a note to teachers advising ways to use the book in a classroom setting, including suggestions for assignments. WONDER-WORKERS! is an excellent example of how entertainment and education can be combined in one package. A delightful and instructive book for any age group. (You can contact the publisher by writing to: Prometheus Books, 700 East Amherst Street, Buffalo, NY 14215) ************************** ^ THE ANXIETY & PHOBIA WORKBOOK by Edmund J. Bourne, Ph.D. (New Harbinger, 1990, $13.95, ISBN 0-934986-85-1) review by Cindy Bartorillo "In writing this workbook, my intention has been to 1) describe specific skills that you need to overcome problems with panic, anxiety, and phobias and 2) provide step-by-step procedures and exercises for mastering these skills." In our high-stress, fast-paced society, we are subjected to an enormous amount of psychological pressure, which in large part explains the epidemic of anxiety disorders in recent years. Anxiety disorders are the #1 mental health problem among American women and second only to alcohol and drug abuse among men. It is estimated that 10% of the population have suffered from panic attacks, phobias, or other anxiety disorders in the past year. "It has been my hope to define in a single volume the full range of strategies necessary to overcome problems with anxiety. The more of these strategies you can incorporate into your own recovery program, the more efficient and rapid your progress will be." As THE ANXIETY & PHOBIA WORKBOOK stresses, each person's anxiety is different and you need to discover for yourself the best way to ease your discomfort. The book covers relaxation techniques, exercise, coping strategies for panic attacks, nutrition, desensitization, overcoming negative self-talk, visualization, self-esteem, expressing feelings, medication, assertiveness, etc. And in every case the information is specific, the recommendations are concrete. Dr. Bourne takes the reader through each step of each therapy technique, advising a holistic approach by utilizing as many strategies as seem appropriate. THE ANXIETY & PHOBIA WORKBOOK is very helpful, whether used by itself or in conjunction with a professional therapist. You can contact the publisher by writing to: New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609. ************************** ^ SAVING GRACES: Sojourns of a Backyard Biologist by Roger B. Swain (Little, Brown, October 1991, $17.95, ISBN 0-316-82471-2) review by Carol Sheffert SAVING GRACES is a collection of short pieces of spare, elegant prose by Roger Swain, science editor of HORTICULTURE magazine. He talks about wolves, hermit crabs, pockets, recycling, turtles, honeybees, the sense of smell, water, bats, onion braiding... Each essay is a small gem of careful thought about the world we live in. He can find vivid memories of childhood and the seed of his life's meaning in a horse chestnut, "a pearl of oiled and polished mahogany". Swain acknowledges the irresistible impulse to interfere with our environment: "But who of us is so free of self-interest as to have never looked at a blueberry bush and thought muffins, nor played in a stream and tried to harness it with a small dam?" but he notes the dangers: "Water purity is terribly fragile. Like minnows in a lake, contaminants spread quickly in the water, making it all but impossible to retrieve them once they are released." Without sermonizing, Swain celebrates the natural world we live in, and reflects on ways in which we can interact harmoniously with it. "If we are even half-serious about having wildlife close at hand, we should be making room for bats." SAVING GRACES is a gentle book that begs to be read outdoors with your back against a tree. Roger B. Swain is also the author of EARTHLY PLEASURES: Tales from a Biologist's Garden, FIELD DAYS: Journal of an Itinerant Biologist, and THE PRACTICAL GARDENER: A Guide to Breaking New Ground. ************************** ^ WHEN IN ROME... A Business Guide to Cultures & Customs in 12 European Nations by John Mole (AMACOM, October 1991, $16.95, ISBN 0-8144-7769-0) commentary from the publisher NEVER take off your jacket in front of German business associates. Shirtsleeves are considered sloppy and unbusiness-like. NEVER send a FAX to a Spanish company, thinking the matter will be taken care of. Everything must be confirmed orally--and preferably face to face. NEVER expect an Italian colleague to take work home at night or on weekends. Work is work and fun is fun. NEVER assume that a Greek woman is merely support staff. In Greece, women have made significant inroads into business and are well-represented at all levels. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." That's fine advice if you KNOW what the Romans do...or the Parisians...or the Berliners. Unfortunately, many Americans business people haven't a clue how things are done in other countries. What an American may have meant as a humorous remark could be perceived as confusing, weak, or even insulting to a European. Not a great entrance into the lucrative European market. According to author John Mole, "Americans and Europeans have very similar business and personal goals. But it is a mistake to assume that they have the same ways of ACHIEVING them." In his new book, WHEN IN ROME..., Mole looks at each of the twelve countries of the European Community. He points out important structural, political, and managerial conventions--as well as the more subtle, but equally important, social traditions that define a country. For instance, Mole explains that if you're invited to dinner at 7:00 and you're in Germany, come on the dot. In England, come at about 7:15. In Italy, 8:00 is about right, and in Greece--show up any time during the evening. What about humor? In the Netherlands, Mole says, humor is fine, but NOT if the subject is religion. In France, wit is highly valued but the standard JOKE is gauche. In England, if you don't joke around, you're not being part of the crowd. In Spain a joke at your own expense is incomprehensible, and in Germany, don't joke on the job at all. Based on Mole's personal experiences as well as interviews with 200 managers from the EC nations, WHEN IN ROME... contains insider's information on business organization and structure, political frameworks, general management style, and national attitudes toward humor, attire, meeting styles, communication, and leadership. In addition, Mole provides separate chapters on Americans in Europe and Japanese in Europe--what they expect and how they are perceived. As a wrap-up, WHEN IN ROME... presents "The Mole Map", a grid formed by rating countries by their Organization structure on one axis and Leadership style on the other. This graph provides readers with a visual comparison of the different cultures. You can contact the publisher by writing to: AMACOM, A Division of American Management Association, 135 West 50 Street, New York, NY 10020. ************************** ^ SNITCH: A Handbook for Informers by Jack Luger (Loompanics Unlimited, 1991, $16.95, ISBN 1-55950-076-X) review by Cindy Bartorillo "If you're a typical American, someone has probably already informed or snitched on you. Don't be surprised if it's happened more than once. This book is about both sides of the coin: how to snitch for fun and profit, and how to protect yourself from snitches." Has anyone ever informed on you? Where did the information in your credit rating come from? (Do you know what's in your credit rating?) Have you ever gotten a security clearance? Have you ever joined a politically-active group? Have you ever broken the law? Do you have business rivals? Many activities can increase your chances of being the victim of a snitch. Jack Luger's SNITCH discusses all facets of the phenomenon, covering questions like: What kind of people become informers? What motivates them? Who employs them? What can the brand-new informer expect, and what is expected of them? How are informers paid? What are the dangers of being a professional snitch? And, from the other side of the fence, What can you do to protect yourself from informers? "If the snitch is your worst enemy, guess who is your second-worst? Probably, you are." The point Luger is making is that your big mouth can get you into more trouble than anything or anyone else. If you've done something you'd rather not have written up in the newspaper, DON'T TELL ANYONE. Luger goes on to give other hints for personal protection, with specific recommendations for particular situations. After each chapter is a list of "Sources", which makes a nice list of books for further reading if you are so inclined. SNITCH is another unusual and fascinating book from the people at Loompanics, producers of one of the world's great book catalogs. Other Jack Luger books available from Loompanics are: THE BIG BOOK OF SECRET HIDING PLACES; CODE MAKING AND CODE BREAKING; COUNTERFEIT I.D. MADE EASY; ASK ME NO QUESTIONS, I'LL TELL YOU NO LIES; HOW TO USE MAIL DROPS FOR PRIVACY AND PROFIT, and IMPROVISED WEAPONS IN AMERICAN PRISONS. You can order SNITCH from Loompanics by sending the list price, plus $3 shipping and handling (for 1-3 books; for 4 or more send $6) to: Loompanics Unlimited, PO Box 1197, Port Townsend, WA 98368. With an order you also get a copy of their huge catalog (a $5 item) for free. ************************** ^ MONET. (Phidal Art Series, 1990, $9.95, ISBN 2-89393-049-2) review by Howard Frye Claude Oscar Monet, born in 1840, became one of the greatest artists of all time, despite many personal challenges and traumas. It was one of his paintings--IMPRESSION, SUNRISE--that gave a name to a popular technique; from that moment on, painters using such a painting technique would be known as Impressionists. IMPRESSION, SUNRISE, a biographical essay, and 43 other Monet paintings, are reproduced in this volume of Phidal's Art Series. With the artworks reproduced in glorious color on heavy slick paper, this oversized hardcover is amazingly only $9.95. Also included is short descriptive text about each painting, like having a museum guide take you through Monet's masterpieces. The series also include volumes on: Van Gogh (ISBN 2-89393-050-6), Degas (ISBN 2-89393-047-6), Renoir (ISBN 2-89393-040-9), Cezanne (ISBN 2-89393-042-5), and Gauguin (ISBN 2-89393-041-7), all for the same price. At such reasonable prices, the Phidal Art Series would make excellent gifts for young people, giving them an introduction to the world of fine art that can lead to a lifetime of enjoyment. If your local bookstore can't help you, write to the distributor of the Phidal Art Series at: Firefly Books Ltd., 250 Sparks Avenue, Willowdale, Ontario M2H 2S4, CANADA. ************************** ^ WOMEN OF THE 14TH MOON: Writings on Menopause edited by Dena Taylor & Amber Coverdale Sumrall (The Crossing Press, 1991, $14.95, ISBN 0-89594-477-4) review by Carol Sheffert Menopause is a major event in the life of over half the population and yet nobody seems to want to talk about it. Nearly the only media attention it gets is the occasional snide joke about hot flashes or mid-life insanity on TV sitcoms. Yet many women live in fear and dread of this natural episode in their biological evolution. Wouldn't it be great if they could talk to dozens of other women about menopause--sharing information, experiences, strength, and inspiration? This is the service performed by WOMEN OF THE 14TH MOON, a collection of almost 100 articles, essays and poems about menopause written by women for women. You'll hear about the suffering and the joy, the successes and failures--the experience of menopause isn't quite the same for any two women. With the wisdom of those who have blazed a trail ahead, every woman has a much better chance of making their menopause a personally transforming experience that will enrich the second, and best, half of their lives. WOMEN OF THE 14TH MOON is insightful reading for women and the men who live with them. Highly recommended. You can contact the publisher by writing to: The Crossing Press, PO Box 1048, Freedom, CA 95019. ************************** ^ FURTHER TEACHINGS OF LAO-TZU: UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERIES translated by Thomas Cleary (Shambhala, October 1991, $19.00, ISBN 0-87773-609-X) review by Howard Frye The TAO TE CHING, attributed to Lao-tzu, is a Chinese classic of Taoism that has been popular in the West for many years, but the WEN-TZU (also known as UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERIES), another of the great sourcebooks of Taoist thought, has never before been translated into English (or any Western language for that matter). Longer than the TAO TE CHING but just as simple, clear, and profound, the WEN-TZU is supposed to have been compiled by a disciple of Lao-tzu, the contents being mostly words attributed to Lao-tzu himself. But as translator Thomas Cleary says, "The assignment of authorship in ancient Taoism is generally symbolic rather than historical. Names may refer not only to supposed individual persons, but also to schools and traditions associated with those individuals or their circles." Thomas Cleary holds a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University. The translator of over thirty important Chinese and Japanese texts, including THE ART OF WAR, he is among the most renowned translators of Asian classics of our time. FURTHER TEACHINGS OF LAO-TZU is highly recommended to everyone who has loved the TAO TE CHING. (Hint: The two books together would make a sensational holiday gift.) The publisher can be contacted by writing to: Shambhala Publications, Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. ************************** ^ HOW I MADE A HUNDRED MOVIES IN HOLLYWOOD AND NEVER LOST A DIME by Roger Corman with Jim Jerome (Delta, 1990, $12.00, ISBN 0-385-30489-7) review by Janet Peters Roger Corman is one of the world's most successful film directors and producers and is responsible for bringing us movies like: THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, THE WILD ANGELS, THE RAVEN, THE TRIP, and, a particular favorite of mine, X-THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES. How has he done it? At least part of the answer is that his movies make money because they're made cheaply. Other filmmakers talk in millions, Corman says that many of his films have been made for under $100,000. He made the original LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, for instance, for $35,000. Corman is also famous in the industry for giving new talent their first professional experience. People like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, John Sayles, Gale Anne Hurd, Joe Dante, etc. In HOW I MADE A HUNDRED MOVIES, Corman tells his story, how he got started, the inside scoop on all of his most famous films, and the book includes hundreds of anecdotes about the well-known and interesting people he has worked with. As an unusual extra attraction, many of those people talk back, giving their particular experience of Roger Corman in short articles sprinkled throughout the book. Roger Corman is as engaging and entertaining in print as he is on film--HOW I MADE A HUNDRED MOVIES IN HOLLYWOOD AND NEVER LOST A DIME is a really good read for movie fans, Corman fans, and anyone else who is curious about the business of making movies. ************************** * Are you ready for body-building tots? Late next year Doubleday will be publishing ARNOLD'S FITNESS FOR KIDS: A GUIDE FOR EXERCISE, HEALTH AND NUTRITION by Charles Gaines with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Three versions will be released, targeted at different age groups: 2-7, 8-11, and 12-14. * If you're interested in the MIA issue, you may want to check out M.I.A. OR MYTHMAKING IN AMERICA by H. Bruce Franklin, Rutgers University professor of English and American Studies. We have heard that the book contends that there are no more MIAs in Southeast Asia; that the POW/MIA myth was created by the government and aided by Hollywood movies. If you want to know more, take a look at the 21-page excerpt from Franklin's book in the December issue of ATLANTIC, or wait until January when the book hits the bookstores. * COMIC RELEASE is a biweekly newspaper devoted to alternative comics, like an expanded version of the comics section of your daily paper, only entirely different. All you have to do is send them $6 and you'll get the next 12 issues, or you can just shoot the moon and send $10 for an entire year of bizarre, underground-type comics. They tell me that unsolicited submissions of manuscripts and artwork are welcome. Send your contributions or cash to: Comic Release, PO Box 20661, Seattle, WA 98102. * If you're feeling flush this Christmas, you might want to consider the Sony Electronic Book Player, the portable unit that displays texts that have been encoded on 3" CD-ROMs. It was supposed to go on sale November 1 1991. The $550 unit comes with book disks for the 26-volume COMPTON'S CONCISE ENCYCLOPEDIA, the WELLNESS ENCYCLOPEDIA, and the WORLD TRAVEL TRANSLATOR. Twenty other book disks are available, priced from $29 to $69. Don't look for the Book Player in bookstores, it's being sold through electronic retailers only (at least for now). * Anyone interested in visualization, particularly in the book VISUALIZATION FOR CHANGE (reviewed in RFP #19) by Patrick Fanning, should know that Fanning has three visualization audio tapes now, available from New Harbinger. The titles are: Visualization for Healing Injuries, Visualization for Curing Infectious Disease, and Visualization for Shyness. They are $11.95 each. You can reach New Harbinger Publications by writing to: 5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609. * For books about deafness, Sign Language textbooks, and books for hearing-impaired children, write for a brochure from Gallaudet University Press, 800 Florida Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002-3695. * Despite the fact that TIME magazine failed with their audio version last year, more magazines seem to be getting on the audio bandwagon. BUZZ magazine produced a cassette called THE BEST OF BUZZ which collects material from the first 3 issues. Look for an audiotape version of PEOPLE magazine (from Dove Books on Tape) early in 1992. ************************** See you in Reading For Pleasure #21, coming February 1, 1992