OtherRealms A Fanzine for the Non-Fan "Where FIJAGH Becomes a Way of Life" Volume 1, Number 3 April, 1986 Table of Contents Editorial: Son of News of OtherRealms and OtherStories by Chuq Von Rospach, Editor of OtherRealms Review: Dervish Daughter by J.D. Johnston Review: Smithsonian Magazine By Barbara Jernigan Article: Listening to Science Fiction by John Wenn Reviews: Golden Bough: Great Music in the Eclectic Folk Genre by Barbara Jernigan Readers Survey: The Monthly Question to Our Readers Pico Reviews by Our Readers Letters to OtherRealms by Our Readers Masthead: The Necessary Administrivia Editorial: Son of News of OtherRealms and OtherStories by Chuq Von Rospach Editor of OtherRealms OtherRealms is happy to welcome a new BBS. David Dyer-Bishop, Sysop of The Terraboard in Minneapolis is making OtherRealms available to his users. Terraboard can be accessed at (612)721-8967 and is Fidonet number 14/341. It's got a strong emphasis on SF, writing and text tools. * * * I want to congratulate regular contributor Jim Brunet on his second professional sale. His story "The Devil, the Cat, and the Copywriter" will be seen in an upcoming issue of Pandora magazine. Pandora is semi-annual, and subscriptions are available from Empire Books, P.O. Box 625, Murray, KY 42071. Jim's story is likely to be published in either 9/86 or 3/87. I've read it, and it is well worth looking for. * * * I'm also happy to announce a new author in our fold, someone I hope to see a lot of in future issues of OtherRealms. Barb Jernigan joins us with a review of Smithsonian Magazine, the first article in what I hope will be a long relationship. * * * You will notice that this issue is the April issue, while last issue was the February issue. No, March did not simply disappear. I decided that I wanted to adopt the industry tradition of predating issues. Since I publish on the last Friday of a month, dating for the next month will help keep things from getting confusing when I miss a deadline. * * * OtherRealms hit a critical point in its future, and I'm proud that it happened this early in its life. For the first time I ran out of space to publish things before I ran out of things to publish, so I'm now running a backlog of material. This makes my life easier, since I no longer have to do all the pasteup and formatting in the last week. It shows the support that everyone is giving the magazine. Thanks! Another related point is that this is the first issue that I'm not a major contributor to. I'd planned two articles for this issue, but when I ran out of space I decided that it was more important to print other people's stuff. The fact that I no longer have to write to fill the issue gives me a chance to write fewer but (hopefully) better articles and keeps me from overwhelming the magazine with my viewpoint. * * * The Pico reviews continue to be the favorite part of the magazine. A couple of people disagreed with my comments on some books (specifically "Footfall" and "Pet Semetary") and so we have differing viewpoints on those books this issue. If the Pico review section continues to grow, I'll seriously consider splitting it into a second publication and give it a life of its own rather than choke off the rest of OtherRealms. Allowing multiple reviews of a title turns out to be a Good Thing. You no longer have to be first to say what you think of a book. The ability to build a consensus opinion of a work helps minimize a review that overreacts. I also like being able to discuss books that aren't the latest titles, since frankly I'm never caught up on all the books I want to read and I don't know many people who are. No longer do you have to feel guilty about not reading a book for six months, or two years, or twenty for that matter -- not only should we be reviewing the new goodies, we need to remember to help people find the books they missed the first time out. I hope to introduce the Pico Review summary next month. I've bought Microsoft File for my Mac and that should make compiling the numbers fairly simple. It will be interesting to see what the consensus view on the books are. I'm also planning to computerize my library over the next few months, because I'm tired of never finding the story I want when I want it. As I do so, I'll be putting most of the titles into the Pico reviews (at least, the ones I remember reading well enough to review from memory) to help fill out the database. This is one of the wonders of the Pico review -- I find that if I wait a week between reading and reviewing a work the review goes VERY slowly, but many Pico reviews are best when time gives you a bit of perspective on the work. * * * Finally, the move to a moderated group on USENET is moving forward and should be completed by the next issue. I'll be letting the affected people know what to expect and how to deal with the change. This change will free me of some extensive administrative details, but more importantly will significantly widen the reading audience of OtherRealms, improving its voice in the genre, its visibility, and (I hope) bring in some new readers and writers to our pages. Review: Dervish Daughter by Sheri S. Tepper $2.95US, Tor, ISBN0-812-55612-7 Reviewed by J.D. Johnston ihnp4!icarus!jj Copyright 1986 by J.D. Johnston This book is hard to explain without giving away too much. The "Lands of the True Game" are on a very unusual planet with an even more unusual ecology. "Dervish Daughter" is the fifth (in a manner of speaking) in a series of books detailing the ecology and the problems caused by the human (introduced) population. Shari Tepper has written three sets of books set in this intensely complicated and singularly deceptive environment. The first set of books, the three "True Game" books, detail the common human (psionic, after a fashion) abilities on this world, and develop one major character, Peter. We meet Jinian, the central figure of the third set, in the last of Peter's books. The second set of books, the "Mavin Manyshaped" books, are of historical interest to the first and third sets. They are stylistically much different, written from a more personal viewpoint, and less concerned with the world and ecology. The third set, the "Jinian" books, consists to date of two books, "Jinian Footseer" and "Dervish Daughter," with a third book forthcoming. Stylistically similar to the first books, they describe the growth and discoveries of Jinian. Jinian's meeting with Peter is described in the first of these books, "Jinian Footseer". Like Peter, we meet Jinian as an adolescent, mostly sheltered, and very unschooled in the way of the world. Again like Peter, Jinian is unusually talented, both in ability and the form of the ability. The similarity doesn't matter. "Dervish" is quite interesting, very easy to read, and fascinating, at least if you've read the "True Game" books and the first Jinian book. The interlocking of the various plot elements among the True Game books and the Jinian books is remarkable, even though the books stand reasonably well on their own as isolated stories. Tepper is a good storyteller. The prose is simple, the plot incredibly complicated, the clues opening more questions than they close. There are a number of riddles involved. The characters are developed and credible and the world-universe remarkably well developed, fertile and complicated. All in all, "Dervish Daughter" rates a [***+] or [****-]. It's the middle of a series with the necessary weak ending and there is a feeling that "there's something MORE going on here." The problems are becoming clear and there is a hint to the solution. Given Tepper's talents, however, I would suspect that there's more than the eye can see, even at this point. Although I don't have all of the books handy, here is a quick review of the rest of the series: "King's Blood Four" [****-] We meet Peter, the "Gamesmen" are introduced, and the first signs of trouble appear. It's a good story, but it ends in the middle and makes one want to know more. "Necromancer's Nine" [***+] Peter starts to grow up, and the reader starts to better understand the "True Game." We start to meet the original inhabitants of the world. It also ends in the middle, but with some resolution. "Wizard's Eleven" [****-] Peter meets a Wizard and we understand the basics of the game, but we also discover that there is something beyond the game. Coincidentally, we see a trouble fixed, uncovering greater mystery. The three "Mavin" books. [**-] to [***-] They may matter, but if so, they do NOT stand on their own. To agree with another reviewer, "... a character you don't care about doing things you don't care about..." You care a bit more if you've read the True Game books, but you still don't care a whole lot. "Jinian Footseer" [****-] Aha! So THAT's what they're here for! Or is it? What IS the wise-art? I really don't want to say too much, but things certainly start hopping, and you get a good idea of some of the unsaid things in "Wizard's Eleven," as well as a taste of something bigger that you meet in "Dervish". Review: Smithsonian Magazine Reviewed by: Barbara Jernigan idi!oliveb!olivej!barb Copyright 1986 by Barbara Jernigan You may be wondering why I'm reviewing a magazine here -- and a non-SF/Fantasy magazine at that. In his first editorial, Chuq suggested that we look beyond the boundaries of our genre ghetto, especially since the more "literary" works are casting cross-culture allusions. Besides, OtherRealms also includes other disciplines in its definition -- not to mention the fact that our lives are richer for the experience of looking through new perspectives. Seriously, though, "Smithsonian" magazine (published by the Smithsonian Associates) is a monthly romp through a diverse selection of topics. Its articles are quite readable and knowledgeable; indeed, I consider this magazine a complimentary twin to "National Geographic," with writing, photography, and illustrations of the highest quality. While "National Geographic" takes a scientific tone, "Smithsonian" leans a bit more toward the humanities, though these distinctions are often blurred. "Smithsonian" and "National Geographic" simultaneously printed the same article on the Creation of the Universe in May, 1983 -- and I preferred "Smithsonian's" graphics. Any issue of "Smithsonian" will have something for every interest, beginning with the editorials. "Around the Mall and Beyond" tends to deal with current events at the Smithsonian. The latest issue talked about Gene Kelly, who is hosting the upcoming national broadcast "American Treasure -- A Smithsonian Journey," which, "to an extraordinary extent [...] manages to synthesize the essential gut feelings of our sprawling, bewildering, complex and much-beloved Institution." "Phenomena, comment and notes," is a musing on particular scientific discoveries. This month, for example, explores why "an apparently stable ecosystem may require disturbances, some small as an ant mound, to keep it that way." "Points of Origin" discusses our origins. And, finally, there is always a tongue-in-cheek guest spot reserved for the last page (i.e. "A few words on behalf of the Brontosaurus" -- "After eons and eons of living a virtuous life in primeval swamps, and some 65 million years buried under the arid plains of the West, what is "Brontosaurus'" reward? Some smart-aleck writer comes along and says he never even existed. Without even an 'Oops!' or a 'Sorry.'") The meat of the magazine is diverse -- these examples are from the March 1986 issue. For the Naturalist, "Polar Bear Capital of the World," Churchill, Manitoba, "where the lords of the Arctic are tolerant of human intrusion." For the artist/American historian, "How is the Alamo remembered?," "Differently -- as the author discovered when he tried to do an accurate painting of the battle." This article is as much about history and myth surrounding and "clouding" the circumstances of important events of our past as about art. For the paleontologist and aerospace engineer there's "Flying as they did 65 million years ago," chronicling the creation and flight-testing of a "battery-powered pterosaur replica ... [that] actually flies by flapping its wings." For History (again -- but such is "Smithsonian's" slant) and architecture buffs, there is "The ugliest buiding in America," the eye-sore to treasure story of the Old Executive Office Building. For art History fans, "The delights of a doomed society" telling of a superficial French artist, Boucher, who "painted exquisitely the heedless pleasures of aristocrats." Psychology and Sociology is met in "Making Faces just comes naturally," a fascinating article discussing the universal meaning and importance of human facial expressions. American history and sociology are nodded to in "The offspring of the tourist cabin," a history of the pre-chain motels. History and art history again appear in the entertaining article, "Who was the lady of Vix?" Noble Woman or Madam, "we'll never know, but her grave -- discovered by a French schoolteacher -- sheds light on antiquity. Finally, "When propaganda was 'Spreading Manure'" is a filmmaker's personal account of his valuable education received while working under director John Ford in World War II. There is also an interesting letters section, and at least one or two book reviews, usually non-fiction titles. In addition to this diverse, entertaining, and enlightening magazine, your subscription also gives you a National Membership in the Smithsonian Associates. Membership benefits include 12 issues of "Smithsonian," participation in the Associates' Travel Program, Member privileges and discounts at the Smithsonian Institute (Washington, DC) and Cooper-Hewitt Museum (New York City), and book and gift discounts. Smithsonian Books are marvelous -- high quality publications covering everything from the History of the Sunday Comics to Space, Time, and Infinity. The Smithsonian catalog has something for all tastes and price ranges, from art and artifact reproductions to the latest in high-tech toys from color-theory tops to space shuttle ties. It's difficult to encapsulate such a panorama of experience in a few words. If this teaser hasn't sold you, by all means pick up the real thing which can be bought for $2.50 per issue from book and magazine stores. Subscriptions are available for $18 (outside USA $28 in US funds) with your name and address to: Smithsonian Institution Membership Data Center P.O.Box 2953 Boulder, Colorado 80321 Article: Listening to Science Fiction by John Wenn wenn@gandalf.cs.cmu.edu With the technological marvel of the portable tape player, the popularity of listening to fiction has grown enormously. Go into any chain bookstore and you will see many tapes available in most genres. Listening to fiction is definitely convenient; you can listen to a favorite book while jogging, biking, or on long trips. Even apart from its convenience, hearing the sound and the rhythms of prose is a different experience than reading it on a page. I like to listen to poetry or Shakespeare, but never get the same enjoyment out of reading them. Listening to fiction also has advantages over seeing the same thing on TV or at the movies. The pictures of well loved characters never quite match what one expected. One has similar problems with how characters sound, but it isn't usually as big a problem. When talking about audio fiction, several distinctions should be made. One distinction is if the work was originally designed to be heard, or if it is an adaptation of another work. For the most part, books are adapted, but on occasion movies are adapted as well, like Star Wars. On the whole, original material works best since it was designed with the strengths and weaknesses of the medium in mind. Adapting material also has its own special problems. The main problem with adapting books is that there is far too much material to be presented, so books always end up abridged. This is not necessarily as big a problem as in the movies, since you can have long adaptations (4 hours, 12 hours, or more), but most of the tapes you see are one hour. I prefer long works, since you get a much richer feel for the book in question. Another distinction is if the tape is a dramatic presentation or a reading of the work. Dramatic presentations can get quite elaborate with many different people doing voices and complex sound effects. A good dramatic presentation gives you a marvelous sense of actually being in the work. This is the same approach used by radio in its heyday of the 30's and 40's. On the other hand, a reading is one or two people reading from the book. How well this works depends greatly on who is reading. A poor reading can leave one confused on what is happening and who is talking at any time. A good reading infuses each character with a life of his own. It is hard to find a reading that can match reasonable dramatic presentation, but it is possible. Now I give you reviews of seven audio SF works. I've grouped them into three groups, to help contrast each of the works. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien [***+] Read by Nichol Williamson. Argo Records. ZPL 1196/9. 4 records. Hard to Find The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien [***] 12 one hour tapes. Produced by 'The Mind's Eye' for National Public Radio. Widely available in a large wood box. Tolkien is the ultimate example of something impossible to adapt. Both movie versions ('The Hobbit' by Rankin-Bass and 'Lord of the Rings' by Bakshi) were massive failures. The length, depth and scope of both books are awesome; everyone sees their own vivid images of people and places that are impossible to reproduce. Listening has far fewer problems, but the voices of the characters are never what one would wish (Gandalf and elves are especially hard to do). Listening, however, does have the advantage of hearing the wonderful rolling rhythms of Tolkien's prose. These are two examples of quite different successful adaptations. "The Hobbit" is a reading by Nichol Williamson. Nichol Williamson is a English Shakespearean actor. This experience is used in good stead as he gives a rich array of different English accents for each of the characters. The adaptation is good, with no major scenes cut, and most of the dialogue kept. There is a minimum of sound effects, just a bit of music now and then. "The Lord of the Rings" is a full dramatic presentation. Full sound effects with many actors doing voices gives a nice realistic feel of the book. The adaptation is also quite good, with only a few of my favorite speeches cut short. The voices, on the whole, aren't as good (Elrond and Galadriel are quite bad), but some of the voices are delightful (Treebeard in particular is wonderful). This is balanced by being a full dramatic production. While neither of these are the last word in dramatic presentations of Tolkien, they are quite enjoyable. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams [****+] BBC radio production. 12 half hour episodes. Occasionally broadcast by National Public Radio. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams [***] 2 records. Hannibal Records. HNBL 2301 The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams [***+] 1 record. Hannibal Records. HNBL 1307 HHGTTG has been done in virtually all possible mediums. Radio, records, TV, books, talks about movie deals, and I've heard about a stage play. But the original and best was the radio production. The marvelous voices (Marvin, The Book, Arthur Dent, and the rest), the great rhythms of dialogue and narration, and marvelous sound effects. You haven't lived until you hear the robot choir sing the "Sirius Cybernetics Corporation" song. The first six radio episodes closely match the records, TV series, and first 2 books. The last six radio episodes don't have anything to do anything other media presentations. They are very funny. The records are cheap imitations of the radio production. They have scenes cut, the voices aren't as animated, and the sound effects aren't as good. If you can't get a copy of the radio production, however, they are still quite funny. Now there is a book that has the original radio scripts, entitled "The Original Hitchhikers Radio Scripts" [Harmony Books, $9.95, ISBN 0-517-55950-1]. In addition to having material not in the radio presentation, it has many interesting comments by Mr. Adams. Ruby [****] 65 short episodes/4 1 hour tapes. $25.00. Produced by ZBS Foundation, RR #1, Fort Edward, NY 12828 Ruby 2 [**-] 65 short episodes/4 1 hour tapes. $25.00. Produced by ZBS Foundation Ruby is a 21st century galactic gumshoe. A good one. This is a great series. Wonderful wit, fantastic sound effects, amazing music, marvelous voices, and that hardest of qualities to create: STYLE. Ruby is smart, tough, and sexy. She loves blowing up things. She has been hired to find out who is manipulating media reality on the planet of Summa Nulla ('The High Point of Nothing'). A interesting cast of characters complete the scene: the Toka (4 tentacles, 3 eyes, a blue mustache, and wearing a red fez), T.J. Teru the archeologist ("I love the feel of plastic - plastic makes me hot"), the Mole people, who love mole-dy old puns, Angel Lips the android, Slimys (bio-genetically engineered assassins), the Android Sisters, and many others. The short-episode format makes for a different method of presentation. It was designed to broadcast a 3 minute episode each day/week, which makes for a slightly repetitive style. "Ruby" is not tightly plotted; by the end of the series there are plot holes large enough to drive a small moon through. It is still great, though. "Ruby 2" is a massive disappointment. It stars a different Ruby (which isn't bad in itself), has a far less interesting plot, retains only the least interesting characters from the first series, has a very muddy plot, and just doesn't have the spark of the first series. It still has very high production values, but the story doesn't justify them. Reviews: Golden Bough Great Music in the Eclectic Folk Genre Reviewed by Barbara Jernigan idi!oliveb!olivej!barb Periodically, in the drudgery of our day to day, we are lucky enough to stumble upon a Pearl of Great Price, a bit of sunshine in the grey expanse of sameness. Golden Bough is just such a gem. I first discovered Golden Bough at the King's Mountain Art Faire, one of the best in the San Francisco Bay Area. This foursome (Florie Brown, Leif Sobye, Paul Espinoza, and Margie Butler) endeared themselves to me with their musical repertoire, spanning traditional Welsh to songs of the California gold-fields. They are balladeers, accenting their well-blended voices with lively arrangements of flute, recorder and penny-whistle, lap harp and accordion, violin, mandola, mandolin, and guitar. When, the following year, we were again delightfully serenaded at King's Mountain, we were even more delighted to discover Golden Bough produced albums. Three, in fact: THE BOATMAN'S DAUGHTER, FLIGHT OF FANTASY and, for Christmas, WINTER'S DANCE (Kicking Mule label). We immediately ordered all three, and found more delight in store. As I said, the Golden Bough foursome may be described as balladeers. Their tone is reminiscent of Great Halls and wandering minstrels -- the same and yet modern, as if retelling and recapturing the magic of faery tales. Our ears and fantasies were treated to an elegant blending of voice and instrument in interesting and lively arrangements -- to our wonder and delight greatly written by the group members themselves. Here is no meer replaying of lost voices, but the minstrel's vibrant spirit blooming again to life. Now I play and you listen, friend. Dance to the tune at your journey's end. Leave this world, now you begin, Fly with me tonight. ("Flight of Fantasy," Paul Espinoza) Dare to fly with the music of Golden Bough. If you like the music of eclectic folk you will *not* be disappointed. Cassettes and albums of the three titles may be purchased directly from Golden Bough. Enclose $8.98 for each and send to GOLDEN BOUGH, P.O. Box 11288, Oakland, CA 94611. Prices include Special 4th Class Postage and handling. California residents add 6.5% sales tax. Reader's Survey for April, 1986 Last month we set up a book list for a college SF class. This month, we do the same for a Fantasy class: name the five to ten books you would use to teach an introductory course in Fantasy at a college or university. And the obligatory: What do you like most about this OtherRealms? The least? Please drop me comments and any suggestions you might have. * * * Reader's Survey Report for February Last month the survey asked for five to ten books you would use to teach an introduction to SF course at a college. I got 11 lists, with a total of 67 nominations of 51 different titles from 42 authors. They are listed below, sorted by author. Author Title Votes ====== ===== ===== Anderson, Poul No Truce With Kings 1 Asimov,Isaac The Caves of Steel 1 End of Eternity 1 The Hugo Winners 1 The Golden Age, Vol I 1 I, Robot 2 Bester, Alfred The Demolished Man 1 The Stars My Destination 1 Blish,James A Case of Conscience 1 Bova,Ben SF Hall of fame Vol IIa 1 SF Hall of fame Vol IIb 1 Bradbury, Ray Fahrenheit 451 2 Martian Chronicles 3 Brunner, John A Stand on Zanzibar 2 Total Eclipse 1 Burroughs, E.R. Princess of Mars 1 Carr,Terry Universe 13 1 Chrichton,Michael Andromeda Strain 1 Clarke,A.C. Childhood's End 3 Tales from the White Hart 1 Clarke/Proctor SF Hall of fame Vol III 1 Cowper Custodians 1 Delaney,Sam Einstein Intersection 1 Nova 1 Doyle,A.C. Lost World 1 Ellison,Harlan Ellison Wonderland 1 I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream 1 Forward,Robert Dragon's Egg 1 Haldeman,Joe Forever War 1 Heinlein, Robert A. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress 2 Starship Troopers 1 Stranger in a Strange Land 3 Time Enough for Love 3 Herbert,Frank Dune 3 Hogan,James The Genesis Machine 1 Hoyle, Fred The Black Cloud 1 Keyes, Daniel Flowers for Algernon 1 Leguin, Ursula, K. Left Hand of Darkness 3 The Word for World is Forest 1 Lem,Stanislaus Return from the Stars 1 Star Diaries 1 McCaffrey,Anne The Ship Who Sang 2 Miller,Walter A Canticle for Leibowitz 3 Niven,Larry Ringworld 1 Niven/Pournelle Inferno 1 A Mote in God's Eye 3 Pohl,Fred Gateway 1 Silverberg,Robert SF Hall of Fame Vol I 3 Simak,Clifford City 2 Smith,E.E. (Doc) First Lensman 1 Triplanetary 1 Tolkien, J.R.R. Lord of the Rings 1 Twain, Mark Birth of a Comet 1 Varley,John Persistence of Vision 1 Verne,Jules Journey to the Center of the Earth 1 Vonnegutt,Kurt Slaughterhouse Five 1 Wells, H.G. The Shape of Things to Come 1 The Time Machine 3 Williamson,Jack Legion of Space 1 Windham The Day of the Triffids 1 Zelazny,Roger Lord of Light 3 It's a good list, and you won't go wrong choosing any of them. Here are some books I would have chosen that didn't get into the main list: Adventures in Time and Space edited by Healy and McComas -- First published in 1946, it has 33 stories, all Golden Year classics. The single best anthology I have ever found. Dangerous Visions by Harlan Ellison -- controversial choice, but it matches AiTaS perfectly, giving an anthology view of SF in the 60's. Davy by Edgar Pangorn -- good post-holocaust book. Earth Abides by George Stewart would work just as well. Needle by Hal Clement -- Alien encounter novel with a good mystery style spy thriller attached. Murder and Magic by Randall Garrett -- great alternate universe story Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg -- Another PSI oriented story, very person oriented, very dark mood. OtherRealms Pico Reviews for April, 1986 BLACK STAR RISING, by Frederik Pohl [***] del Rey, 214 pages [Science Fiction Book Club edition] I've liked most of the Pohl that I have read, and this is no exception. In a post-holocaust world, the Chinese have picked up the pieces and are building a new society. However, their plan is interrupted when aliens come to meet the President of the United States. An interesting twist to the alien invasion story, with aliens trying to restore the US to its former glory. -- Shane P. McCarron ihnp4!meccts!ahby CHALLENGE OF THE CLANS, Kenneth C. Flint [*] Bantam Books, 328 pp, $3.50 An average quality book about a stock theme: Father killed, Mother exiled, Son grows up to be a super warrior to avenge them both. Flint can do better. -- Russ Jernigan idi!oliveb!olivej!barb THE CHROMOSOMAL CODE by Lawrence Watt-Evans [*] Avon Books, $2.50 The Earth is in an ice-age, and helpful aliens have happened along just in time to save humanity. They ask nothing in return, at least until they find the one man with the gene's they were looking for in the first place. This is an idiot plot; if people acted with any intelligence it would be over on page twelve. It relies far too heavily on coincidence to survive a critical reading. -- chuq von rospach ESCAPE VELOCITY, by Christopher Stasheff [****] Doubleday, 224 Pages [SFBC (To The Magic Born)] This is a prequel to the famous THE WARLOCK IN SPITE OF HIMSELF, and tells the story of how the planet Garmarye came to be. It is incredibly humorous, as well as being as very good book. Stasheff creates some very likable characters, and spins them through harrowing adventures. A must for any Warlock fan! -- Shane P. McCarron ihnp4!meccts!ahby FOOTFALL, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle [*] del rey, 495 pages, $17.95 Don't even buy the paperback, but borrow it from someone. Pournelle has said that due to too many commitments by one or the other of them, they were writing 20,000 words a day just before deadline. The final product reflects it. In terms of disasters and size of cast, it is similar to Lucifer's Hammer, but nowhere near as polished. Too many plot threads are introduced and either abandoned or summed up in a sentence. Characters are introduced and then ignored or removed with no opportunity to sympathize with them. I don't think any character or even a group of characters can be thought of as the protagonists, except perhaps the aliens. In summary, if Nivnelle had done another draft or two, it could have been the equal of Hammer, but the book reads like a first or second draft. -- tyg galloway@isib.arpa HEROES IN HELL created by Janey Morris [*] Baen Books, $3.50 Janet Morris tries to recreate the popularity of Thieves' World in a new collaborative anthology. This is the first of eight contracted anthologies, and the first of two contracted novels is also out. The concept is silly (a day in the life of Hell, as the guerilla's attempt to overthrow Satan and nothing quite seems to work right) the plots are for the most part banal, and the characters are unsympathetic. The writing is simplistic and the continuity is questionable. In other words, they borrowed all of the worst parts of Thieves' World and forgot to include what makes it worthwhile. The only story worth reading is "Newton Sleep" by Greg Benford (discussed in my editorial in V1.1) and available in a recent F&SF. Find the magazine, avoid the book. -- chuq von rospach ISHMAEL (a Star Trek novel) by Barbara Hambly [***] Pocket 1985, 255 pages, $3.50 This Trek novel is great fun and a wonderful use of cross-universe. A Klingon attempt to change history by time travel leaves Spock in the world of the western series "Here Come the Brides". Passing characters to look for, never mentioned by name, turn up from Star Wars, Galactica, four incarnations of Doctor Who, Bonanza, Maverick, and Have Gun, Will Travel. Barbara Hambly knows more about westerns than Trek though, and three glaring errors in Trek background got past the editor, including the inexcusable mistake of calling Vulcan Vulcanis. -- Mary Anne Espenshade ...!{allegra,seismo}!umcp-cs!aplcen!aplvax!mae JINX ON A TERRAN INHERITANCE, by Brian Daley [***] 1985, Del Rey, $3.50 JINX is a direct sequel to REQUIEM FOR A RULER OF WORLDS. If you have not read the first book, JINX will be *very* confusing. On the other hand, if you have read REQUIEM, do read JINX, even if REQUIEM left you lukewarm. As you may have gathered, I found this book MUCH more interesting than the first in the series (REQUIEM). Yes, I did say "series," the adventures of Hobart Floyt and Alacrity Fitzhugh are obviously just beginning. And I, for one, will be happy to buy them as long as Daley can keep the quality up. -- Russ Jernigan idi!oliveb!olivej!barb KILLING TIME (a Star Trek novel) by Della Van Hise [*] Pocket 1985, 311 pages, $3.50 Similar starting plot to ISHMAEL, but this time the Romulans are trying to change the past. Few redeeming features. The author copped out of writing the characters in character by setting 90% of the book in the altered universe. After reading nearly the same time travel plot done well in ISHMAEL and done VERY well in THE PROTEUS OPERATION, the weak handling of it here was even more annoying. The handling of time travel and the Romulan background information are not consistent with the series. -- Mary Anne Espenshade ...!{allegra,seismo}!umcp-cs!aplcen!aplvax!mae LITTLE MYTH MARKER, by Robert Asprin [***] Starblaze Edition, 1985, Donning Co. This is the sixth book in a very tongue-in-cheek series about Skeeve, an apprentice/journeyman mage, and Aahz, a demon from Perv ("That's PreVECT... and don't you forget it!") who is Skeeve's Master/partner. As those of you who have read any of the previous books know, Skeeve and Aahz have the ability to get into the most hilarious scrapes. In Skeeve's case this is usually by being too nice to somebody; in Aahz's case it usually involves money. LITTLE MYTH MARKER is no exception. The quality of the MYTH books continues to be high. Instead of beating a tired horse, Asprin continues to introduce fresh horses (and zebras, quaggas, gnus, dragons, griffins...). -- Russ Jernigan idi!oliveb!olivej!barb LITTLE MYTH MARKER by Robert Asprin [***] The Donning Co. 1985, 172 pages, $7.95 (Starblaze Edition) Sixth in the Myth Adventure series. The Great Skeeve tries his hand at dragon poker - with the usual unpredictable and pun-ny results. The end leaves the characters set up for another volume. If you've enjoyed the series so far, don't miss this one. There is some review of what has gone before at the beginning, but probably not enough for someone who hasn't read the rest of the books. -- Mary Anne Espenshade ...!{allegra,seismo}!umcp-cs!aplcen!aplvax!mae A MAN CALLED MILO MORAI, by Robert Adams [***] Signet books, $3.95, 221 pages Volume 14 in Robert Adams' Horseclans series continues Milo's reminiscences, this time going back to the Great Depression and World War II. One gets the feeling Adams is not as comfortable describing the contemporary period as he is with the typical post-holocaust setting. Still, the story is a good one that will interest any reader. Those unfamiliar with Milo will find a believable tale of people struggling against adversity; only later does it become apparent that not everything is as it seems. Old Horseclans fans will revel in this story as they have been waiting years to find out more about Milo's background. [Warning: sexual content may offend some readers] --rick heli UUCP: {ucbvax,lll-lcc}!ucdavis!ccrrick ARPA: ucdavis!ccrrick@ucbvax.berkeley.edu THE MAN WHO NEVER MISSED by Steve Perry [***] Ace Science Fiction, 1985. 195 pp. $2.95 (Mass-market). This book has it all; Sex, Drugs, and Violence. It is better than it sounds. The novel concerns a soldier who has a cosmic flash which causes him to reevaluate his values. He decides the universe must be changed and then prepares himself to change it. His motivations and preparations are almost believable even if all his abilities are not. Good entertainment. [Warning: sexual content may offend some readers] -- Aydin Edguer decvax!cwruecmp!edguer MATADORA, by Steve Perry [***] Ace Science Fiction, 1986. 211 pp. $2.95 (Mass-market). The sequel to 'The Man Who Never Missed'. The protagonist is a woman, and picks up about 3 years after the previous book leaves off. A little bit more mystical than the previous book, it still receives 3 stars for its treatment of the female characters. All are strong characters who are as good as if not better than their male counterparts. Surprise ending. [Warning: sexual content may offend some readers] -- Aydin Edguer decvax!cwruecmp!edguer MISS THISTLEBOTTOM'S HOBGOBLINS: THE CAREFUL WRITER'S GUIDE TO THE TABOOS, BUGBEARS, AND OUTMODED RULES OF ENGLISH USAGE by Theodore M. Bernstein [****+] Simon and Schuster, $6.95 A great book on English Grammar, Bernstein uses a series of letters to an imaginary high school teacher to explore all of those rules that are taught by teachers that simply don't work. A good guide to a writer trying to learn when it is reasonable to break the rules and explore the language. -- chuq von rospach MYTHAGO WOOD, by Robert Holdstock [*****] Arbor House, 215 pages [Science Fiction Book Club edition] Certainly the creepiest book I've ever read, MYTHAGO WOOD is a surreal account of an ancient wood in post-WWII England. Within this wood the mythos of ages past are still active, just waiting to be created by the minds of a family who live on the wood's edge. This winner of the British Science Fiction Association's Best Novel award is the best thing I have read this year. I strongly recommend it to anyone who appreciates mythology, the macabre, or both. -- Shane P. McCarron ihnp4!meccts!ahby PET SEMATARY, Stephen King [*-] Signet, $4.50, 410 pages I picked this book up in a moment of boredom, I apologize. A collection of cheap thrills and horrifying senseless slaughter. King has some real writing skills which he uses to write schlock, I couldn't stand the subject and never finished the book. Classic Stephen King. -- Richard Loken ihnp4!alberta!auvax!tech THE PROTEUS OPERATION by James P. Hogan [****] Bantam 1985, 403 pages, (Book Club Edition) I've enjoyed several of Hogan's previous hard-SF novels, so when a friend offered to loan me his SF Book Club edition, I snatched it right up. The plot centers around attempts by several groups to change and counter-change history by traveling back in time. Part quantum mechanics text, part WWII spy thriller, it's probably even more enjoyable to someone with a good knowledge of European history immediately leading up to WWII (I kept a history book at hand to follow the changes). - Mary Anne Espenshade ...!{allegra,seismo}!umcp-cs!aplcen!aplvax!mae QUESTIONS YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO ASK ABOUT ENGLISH (BUT WERE AFRAID TO RAISE YOUR HAND) by Maxwell Nurnberg [***+] Washington Square Press, $2.95 A good technical overview of English Grammar. This book gives good, solid and accessible advice on how to improve your writing. Combined with "Miss Thistlebottom's Hobgoblins (see the pico review this issue) you have the two books on English that any serious writer should read. -- chuq von rospach SUNDIVER by David Brin [**] Bantam, $2.75 Not as good as Startide Rising, Dave Brin writes a good mystery that suffers from very convenient plot devices. The technology needed to fly around inside the Sun is fascinating, but the are just too many coincidences leading to the climax for my taste. -- chuq von rospach THE VULCAN ACADEMY MURDERS (a Star Trek novel) by Jean Lorrah [***] Pocket 1984, 280 pages, $3.50 Excellent Trek novel. Jean Lorrah is known in Trek fandom for her writings on Vulcan culture and it shows here. As a murder mystery though, the story is transparent, I had the intended victim, murderer, motive and method solved before the first murder took place and I didn't even peek at the ending. -- Mary Anne Espenshade ...!{allegra,seismo}!umcp-cs!aplcen!aplvax!mae THE WILD SHORE by Kim Stanley Robinson [****] Ace Science Fiction, $2.95 Superficially similar to Vinge's "The Peace War," this book is set in the same locale and time frame (post holocaust California) and a very different book. Where Vinge has a high-tech society, Robinson has written about the Agrarian/Scavenger people. Robinson deals with the people instead of the hardware and the result is a very satisfying book with very real characters. -- chuq von rospach WITCH BLOOD, by Will Shetterly [*] Ace Fantasy, 1986. 197 pp. $2.95 (Mass-market). A book with nothing outstanding about it. Little or no character development, low on motivations, and I never really empathized with the hero. Finding the solution to the hero's 'mysterious' background was the only reason to finish the book. It wasn't worth the wait. -- Aydin Edguer decvax!cwruecmp!edguer THE WHITE PLAGUE, by Frank Herbert [****] Putnam, 467 pages [Science Fiction Book Club edition] The White Plague is a book in the true Herbertian tradition; A single force taking on the superior forces of an entire world and defeating them. If you like that sort of thing, then this book is great! The central character designs a plague that will kill all the women on the planet if it isn't stopped. Good drama from beginning to end, as well as excellent character development. As with all Herbert books, I hated the ending -- but I've learned to accept that. -- Shane P. McCarron ihnp4!meccts!ahby OtherRealms Lettercol -- April, 1986 Dear Editor, I'm writing this letter is to talk about the current state of the SF marketplace and to provoke a discussion on reviews, reviewing and so on. Like you, I've just tried to read "Footfall" (Niven & Pournelle) but I tossed it down in abject nausea after about 100 pages. In a similar way, I've read about a dozen SF books in the past month or so and only ONE of them was worth reading. That's pretty bad! In fact, that's far lower than the usual hit ratio when you consider that a number were by authors I had previously liked. Why is this? First off, to be frank, I've been moving away from the hard core SF books that I enjoyed in College but mostly it seems that authors are rushing to hit the post-StarWars boom in the SF marketplace. There is, in a nutshell, a LOT of crap out there! And it seems to be relatively pervasive - even the good authors are being hit by the malady. Part of the problem is that there is indeed a rather large marketplace for SF so that almost anything written and published will have at least a few thousand sales. One of the reasons that the worst swill can sell well is that SF people don't always talk to each other And that's why stuff like the "Pico Reviews" in this fanzine are worthwhile - If we can get more information about books then we can perhaps make shrewder decisions on which to buy and which not to. On the other hand, how useful are reviews until you've read a few books that the review comments on? Not very since sometimes you can find someone who is diametrically opposed to your tastes and can sort of look for the ones the review pans and avoid the ones they like (this is usually the way one deals with film critics :-). A case in point - a lot of people on the net have been raving about Brust and especially about "To Reign in Hell". I went out and bought it and, even after I'd overcome the form of language that the author uses, didn't like it at all. I just didn't give a damn about the characters halfway through the book, and that's a bad sign. This doesn't mean that it isn't a good book, however. I'm just trying (in a somewhat unintelligible way) to provoke some thought and discussion on the variety in SF and potential schemes for avoiding the slumps much like the one I'm in... Dave Taylor ihnp4!hpfcla!d_taylor [Editor's note: Am I the ONLY person in the world that liked Footfall? Seriously, Dave has some good points. Many people find that their tastes change over time. I cut my teeth on Bradbury, yet now I rarely read him. I went through a phase where all I read was Vonnegut and Ellison, and then "hard" SF and finally what I call "people" SF and Fantasy. Every time you shift it takes a while to find a new set of authors. Some people leave the genre completely; I once spent almost a year reading only mysteries before coming back, for instance. I think this feeling is natural, but that doesn't help the disorientation or burnout you feel when NOTHING looks good to you. Anyone got ideas on how to get over this hump, besides simply reading as much variety as possible? Hard SF is making a comeback, and a good one, with Niven back in form and Greg Benford, Vinge, Bear and Forward in the pack. As big as Hard SF is, though, the real winner in the market right now is Fantasy, and that is where most of the schlock is, unfortunately. For every good work of Fantasy such as Brust's work, we seem to be inundated by dozens of quest books, of quickly translated D&D dungeons, and lots of Tolkien Clones. This is where the term "buyer beware" take on a life of its own.] Chuq, The art of reviewing has always caused me some bemusement. From the time we are first-graders we are plagued with the omnipresent (and for most forbidding) task of writing book reports. These book reports, alas, assigned with little care and teaching of style, enforce some very bad habits -- the greatest of which is the plot synopsis -- or, "Yes, flame you, I read the book, and here's my proof, so leave me alone, will ya?" Try to make your review interesting to read. Pico Reviews are nice in that they are short. But if you're going to go beyond a few paragraphs, the review becomes an *entity* in its own right, which means the writer has a responsibility to the reader. A review is worthless if no-one will read it. Which is not to say I'm God's gift to reviewing -- but I do have a tip or two for learning. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts. I have at least 12 art history courses locked away in the shady corners of my memory. In art history, they teach you to write a review. And what a review -- sometimes one can get so caught up in the language of reviewing that the article begins to take on an independent life of its own -- like Frankenstein's Monster. I'll give an example (from an article by Dan Hofstadter on Boucher, an eighteenth century French painter): Looking recently at a grisaille sketch for his *Venus Asking Vulcan for Arms*, I found myself wondering how much of [Boucher's] notion of painting is actually retrievable for modernity... Unlike Rubens, his esthetic grandfather, he doesn't work his figures up to the expression of some richly suggestive action; he unfolds them rather, as one might a string of papers dolls. The human figure becomes a decorative unit like a tapestry flower or a bird; its limberness or ductility is used not to express feeling but simply to create variety. In earlier, high-Baroque painting, every religious or mythological episode is transparent: the shapes and colors spin a palpable metaphor for some aspect of the human condition. In Boucher, by contrast, the pageant becomes opaque: the poses of his sylphs and cupids are gorgeously looped and festooned together without ever adding up to an emotional sum. The eyes can get indigestion reading passages like this -- but they are the norm in art reviewing. This is because art reviewing and critiquing are intertwined (and perhaps because the review should be as much artifice as the reviewed -- artists and would-be artists reviewing art). I always felt a bit silly going to such extremes -- though there was something sinfully heady in the challenge of "what obtuse allusion can I hit them with this time?" Seriously though, there is still something to be learned here -- first, in the attempt to view the work with something more than superficial interest; second, there is as much discussion in how the work is put together (in the arts: brushstrokes, light and dark, coloring...) as of its subject. This does not mean that superficial works cannot be discussed critically. Indeed, the article on Boucher closes, [Boucher] is not concerned with defying or upholding any sort of code; he cares only for vividness and dazzle. He is very like one of those wonderful charlatans who used to strut upon the boards of the theaters [...] like a charlatan with a false nose and a slipping wig, in a scarlet waistcoat or a cornflower-blue waistcoat, who stays only long enough to sell Tasmania to a gullible young man... only long enough to win one laugh from the audience, then turns toward the wings and is gone. Of course, it is much more concise (and perhaps honest) to say, "Let's face it, folks, Boucher's work is a forgettable assault on the eyeballs." And this is appropriate -- for a Pico review -- but it's not nearly as much fun. But I must confess some tongue-in-cheek here -- I do not suggest we write in the ebullient style of the art critiquers, only that we look at them for thought. They represent an extreme -- perhaps the opposite extreme -- of synopsis. I would suggest the would-be reviewer look at famous literary reviewers. I've just discovered Shaw -- highly entertaining -- and educating. And he is not a fluke; indeed, a great many writers over the ages have augmented their incomes by the book review. Magazines are another good source for book review examples ("Smithsonian," "Atlantic Monthly," any number of [book] specialty magazines, your monthly book club brochure...). Observe -- critically -- and learn. Barb Jernigan idi!oliveb!olivej!barb Masthead for OtherRealms Volume 1, Number 3 April 1986 This issue is Copyright 1986, by Chuq Von Rospach All Rights reserved OtherRealms is edited and Published on a monthly schedule by: Chuq Von Rospach 160 Pasito Terrace #712 Sunnyvale, CA 84087 USENET: {major_node}!sun!plaid!fanzine ARPA: fanzine%plaid@sun.ARPA Fidonet: 125/84, user chuq vonrospach CompuServe: 73317,635 Submissions: Submissions are welcomed at any of the above addresses. Electronic mail is preferred, Macintosh format disks through U.S. Mail will allow me to publish your work MUCH faster (returned with SASE). Hardcopy is accepted but will get keyed into the system when I get time. A writers guide is available. If you are interested in writing articles for OtherRealms, please ask for a copy. Pico reviews are welcome from everyone. Duplicate the format used in this issue and please limit your comments to one paragraph. Multiple Pico reviews for the same work are welcome. If you are on a BBS or other system that does not have access to the above electronic addresses, contact your SYSOP about making arrangements for a submission policy. Letters to the Letter column: should be mailed to the above address. Letters to an author should be mailed directly to the author where possible. If you can't reach an author, I'll do what I can to get the letter forwarded. All letters will be considered for publication unless requested otherwise. Deadline for submissions for the next issue is April 20, 1986. All material in this magazine is Copyright 1986 by Chuq Von Rospach. One time rights only have been acquired from the signed or credited contributors. All rights are hereby assigned to the contributors. Reproduction rights: Permission is given to reproduce or duplicate OtherRealms in its entirety for non-commercial uses if all associated copyright notices and bylines are left intact. Re-use, reproduction, reprinting or republication of an individual article in any way or on any media, printed or electronic, is forbidden without permission of the author or rights holder. Reproduction of subsets of an issue of OtherRealms is permitted only if all bylines, copyright notices and the masthead and table of contents areas are included in the reproduction. Subscriptions: Subscriptions are available on the USENET, ARPANET, BITNET and CSNET computer networks. Send mail to the appropriate address above to be placed on the mailing list. Subscriptions are not yet available on CompuServe. Please write me for latest status. OtherRealms is also available through the following bulletin boards: SCI-FIDO, Fidonet number 125/84, (415) 655-0667. The Terraboard, Fidonet number 14/341, (612)721-8967. Other BBS systems or computer networks are welcome to make OtherRealms available on their systems. Either copy it from an available location or contact me to make arrangements. If you do make it available, I would appreciate hearing about where it is being distributed. Coming attractions o A discussion of cooperative anthology/novel, looking at "Liavek," "Thieves' World," and "Heroes in Hell" o Chuq really, honestly tries to print his article (announced in the first issue for last issue) on the St. Germain Chronicles. Really. o Barb Jernigan returns with an article on the importance of keeping a journal in a writers life. And, of course, Pico reviews, other reviews, and the letter column.