Electronic OtherRealms #20 Spring, 1988 Part 5 Triplet Timothy Zahn Baen Books, 369pp, $3.95 [****] Reviewed by Danny Low hplabs!dlow Copyright 1988 by Danny Low The title refers to three planets (Threshold, Shamsheer and Karyx) with some unique qualities that are also know as the Hidden Worlds. To start, they are connected by a tunnel that is some sort of transporter. Threshold is a planet that has been blasted lifeless but Shamsheer is a world where there is a very advanced science that is indistinguishable from magic and Karyx is a world where spirits are real and can be made to perform work for people with magical spells. In addition, the people of Shamsheer and Karyx appear to be real humans beings and not just humanoid. The level of technology demonstrated by the tunnels and the gadgets in Shamsheer are way beyond that of the Twenty Worlds but the people of Shamsheer and Karyx are unaware of the tunnels and the technology that makes their worlds work. It's all literally magic to them. The Twenty Worlds, once they realized what they had found, quarantined the planets and restricted access to it, mainly to study teams although some limited tourism is allowed. Danae Panya is a spoiled rich brat who wants nothing more than to escape from the smothering protective arm of her very rich and powerful father. She sees a study trip to the Hidden Worlds as a means to establish herself as an independent person. The story is basically a mystery disguised as an adventure story. Actually, there are several mysteries in this story and in one way or another, all are solved or have plausible theories brought forth about them. The background mystery is who created the Hidden Worlds and why. The foreground mystery is what is happening on Karyx? The story is a well handled mystery. The appropriate clues are dropped throughout the story. While there are not too many red herrings, the clues are also not obvious. Incidents and knowledge that appear to be mere background detail often turn out to be important. For those who like exciting action packed adventure, this book will not disappoint them once the story gets underway. Unfortunately, the first third of the story is taken up with introductory material for the story but once things get underway, it's full throttle action. Those who expect another science fictional chop sockey super ninja story like Zahn's Cobra series will be disappointed. This is not a martial arts story. Zahn has thought out not only the details but the implication of his story situation. The story proceeds in a logical fashion. The obstacles faced by the main characters are resolved in a logical fashion. There are a few cases where Zahn does explain something after the fact but these are minor. The plotting is very tight. There are no extraneous expositions inserted to show off the author's creation. This is always a potential problem when an author has created a well though out universe. The temptation to show off the creation at the expense of the story can be too much for some authors. In the end, the foreground mystery is solved but there is only a suggestion of a solution to the background mystery. Yes, there is a possibility of sequels but the story in this book is complete and does not require a sequel. This book is the best novel produced by Zahn so far and is significantly superior to his previous work. The Stars Like Islands Steve Bellovin ulysses!smb Copyright 1988 by Steve Bellovin It's the oldest plot in the galaxy -- without warning, Our Hero swoops down from hyperspace and liberates a planet from the clutches of an Evildoer. Time after time, this happens, until the Evildoer's empire is reeling. Great! But does this make any sense at all? Is it really conceivable that a single planet can be liberated that easily, let alone several of them? Let's take a closer look, by focusing on the one inhabited planet we really know something about: Earth. The first conclusion we come to is that a planet is really a very large place. Think of how many distinct cultures inhabit our planet, and how many different economies exist. Think how long it takes any one nation to conquer another, as a rule. Now multiply this by N, for an entire planet. How many troops would it take? How many spaceships would be needed to carry these armies? Is it possible? Probably, especially if the attacker's technology is far ahead of the defender's. But if they're at all close, the defender is drawing on a population of billions, with essentially unlimited resources and power. In that situation, conquest is likely to be extremely difficult indeed. Why, then, is the plot so common? The answer, I claim, lies in the mental model authors use, consciously or not. To them, star systems are not composed of entire worlds; rather, each is more or less the size of an island. Fleets of starships are really fleets of battleships -- or perhaps outrigger canoes, for the spaceship and sword folks. The vast reaches of hyperspace are really the vast stretches of an ocean. And the galaxy -- yes, the Milky Way, composed of the proverbial billions and billions of stars -- is really about the size of Planet Earth. (Another possible analogy is city-states, rather than islands; the problem of traversing space seems to be more like crossing a sea, though. Most authors seem to agree, or we'd have fewer space navies and more space armies.) Let's take a look at some stories. Perhaps the best place to start is with Asimov's Foundation series. In it, we are told, the emperor sometimes travels to the "summer planets." Planets? More than one? Each of which has both summer and winter at any one time? Granted, this is a very decadent emperor, but it still seems a bit extreme. Elsewhere, a general describes a strategy of "englobement." Now, this makes eminent sense if we are looking at a single battle between opposing fleets. But here, we are talking about surrounding a large number of star systems! Take any reasonable estimate for the median interstellar distance. Then calculate just how many star systems are contained in, say, a sphere 100 light years across. Does it sound plausible to capture even the perimeter? (We won't even ask what good it does to hold that perimeter; given the apparent state of detection gear in that universe, sneaking between two stars a few light years apart should be no trouble at all, even for a large fleet.) Oh, well -- at least Asimov realized he had to generalize "encirclement" into the third dimension. (We have some external evidence, too. Asimov himself has written that his theme came from the decline of the Roman Empire.) The classic example, of course, is "Doc" Smith's Lensman series. To Smith, every planet has a single culture. None of the inhabitants of Lyrane II have any concept of beauty. Klovia is a giant banana republic, with the coup d'etat formalized as the mechanism for transfer of power. And Lonabar is Al Capone's Chicago. Let us conclude by looking at Schmitz's "The Witches of Karres." In it, we are told of the "Megair Cannibals" -- beings who use spaceships to waylay other spaceships, and then eat their crews. These cannibals, it seems, occupy a star cluster. But please -- it's only a small cluster... Do any authors get the scale right? Some do, though the number is far from impressive. In some senses, Smith does; when he wants a massive fleet, he really does multiply the number of planets involved by some constant, and accepts the huge number that results. (Of course, for space opera huge numbers are better.) And he notes the difficult any ship has attacking a fortified base on a planet, though he concentrates mostly on energy availability. Another good example is Pournelle's Co-Dominium series. His planets are (mercifully) finite in number, his hyperspace drive is carefully designed so that strategic locations exist, and his political structures seem commensurate with the scale of his empires. There are failings -- the planetary cultures seem too homogenous -- but that can probably be justified, as discussed below. Poul Anderson probably does the best overall job of handling galaxy- sized empires. In fact, in several of his books he calculates just how many stars and planets are involved. As with Pournelle, the political structures he employs do scale; there is no pretense that the Emperor can keep track of every planet's troubles, for example, and the bureaucracy is portrayed as an almost-insurmountable obstacle in an empire of that volume. Best of call, several of his stories (i.e., "The Man Who Counts" or "Tigry by the Tail") turn on planets having more than one culture. Before we are too harsh on our favorite authors, let us consider whether there is any justification for their apparent failings. Are they right to assume, say, that most planets are monocultural? In some cases, that may indeed be a defensible assumption, though I'm not really convinced. Still, there are several ways in which such a situation can arise. The first, and perhaps most likely way, is when the planets in question are colonies started by a small, distinct group. (We'll ignore the question of whether or not it makes sense to claim an entire planet as a single colony; nations have done stranger things, and there are some political advantages to trying.) In any event, Pournelle uses this argument; his (and Niven's) planet of New Caledonia was settled by Scots, for example. Some authors (Niven, for example) claim that high-bandwidth communications and transport mechanisms can homegenize a culture. This is certainly true to some extent, but one can argue how far it will go. There is a countervailing tendency, whereby distinct cultural groups try to maintain their own identity. Just walking through Brooklyn, one can find more distinct subcultures than the average author has in a galaxy. Finally one can argue that biology is destiny. Perhaps Smith's Eddorians really are evil and treacherous by nature, and their culture couldn't turn out any different. Perhaps -- but until more authors stop turning out "aliens with zipper suits" -- pull down the zipper and a human being pops out -- I'll remain a skeptic. Guardians of the Flame The Sleeping Dragon The Sword and the Chain The Silver Crown The Heir Apparent Joel Rosenberg Signet, $2.95 each [***-] Reviewed by David M. Shea Copyright 1988 by David M. Shea Like Yossarian's fish, I have ambivalent feelings about this series. The premise is one I regard as fundamentally unsound: the game players trapped in the world of their game. This has generally resulted in such one-dimensional works as the stupefyingly boring Tron. Even Andre Norton couldn't do much with this notion (Quag Keep, regarded even by faithful fans as one of her lesser efforts). Also, Joel Rosenberg seems to have hit every standard fantasy item along the way; elves, dwarves, dragons, wizards, magical spells.... Well, lets be fair, I don't recall any unicorns. There is also a great deal of graphic violence. The author tells us any number of times, with a sort of sadistic glee, about how the anal sphincters relax at death. One such reminder would have been ample for this reader. However, there is also much to like about these books. Rosenberg's characters are all fully developed, credible people with believable motivations. His prose is crisp and vigorous, not cluttered with the rhetorical gimcrackery, pseudo-medieval dialogue and interminable strings of adjectives which bog down so much contemporary fantasy. Even better, he knows how to get on with telling a story, surely a prime requisite for a fiction writer. In the first volume, a group of American college students find their harmless game of D&D interrupted when they are suddenly catapulted into the world of the game. Their natural attempt is to get back to their own familiar continuum, in the face of numerous obstacles, is the bulk of the first volume. In the process, they suffer a fatality. On the Other Side, even death need not be permanent; so the companions decide to go back again and salvage their friend's life. This forms the basis of the second book. Even in a magical realm, however, reversing the death does not come cheaply; and in the course of acquiring the price, they run afoul of the local slave-traders. The abuses suffered at the slavers' hands are such that Karl, the group's leader, vows to stay and wipe out slavery no matter how long it takes. The others decide to join the abolitionist movement also. (These things come easier when you have a tame dragon on your side). By the third book, having come into conflict with the local barons as well, they come to the reasonable conclusion that the best way to change government policy is to take over the government. The fourth volume begins some twenty years later. Karl and his group, and their many local followers an allies, have become a power to be reckoned with; but an arch-enemy slaver hasn't given up on revenging himself on Karl and his family. Karl's son Jason, now sixteen, is an obvious target; and to protect him, Karl and the others must stage a violent showdown with all their lives on the line. No one is going to mistake this material for, say, The Book of the New Sun; but on the other hand, it's several cuts above the routine bad-Tolkien-imitation swill which infests the market. If you're looking for some good old-fashioned sword-and-sorcery adventure with lots of (occasionally gory) action, you could do a lot worse. The entire series is in print as well. Stuff Received Ace Stith, John E. Memory Blank, 230pp, January, 1986, $2.95, 0-441-52417-6. Stith, John E. Death Toll, 230pp, September, 1987, $2.95, 0-441-14214-1. Ace/Putnam Herbert, Frank and Ransom, Bill. The Ascension Factor, 381pp, 1988, $18.95, 0-399-13224-4. Arkham House Shea, Michael. Polyphemus. 245pp, December, 1987, $16.95, 0-87054-155-2. Avon Aldiss, Brian W. Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction, 510pp, March, 1988, $9.95, 0-380-70461-7. Winner of 1987 Non-Fiction Hugo. Betancourt, John Gregory. The Blind Archer, 233pp, Februrary, 1988, $2.95, 0-380-75146-1. Deitz, Tom. Fireshaper's Doom, 306pp, December, 1987, $3.50, 0-380-75329-4. Sequel to Windmaster's Bane. Ferguson, Bruce. The Shadow of his Wings, 278pp, March, 1988, $2.95, 0-380-70415-3. Haldeman, Joe. Mindbridge, 207pp, February, 1988, $2.95, 0-380-10689-3. Reprint of a 1977 book. Longyear, Barry. Sea of Glass. 375pp, January, 1988, $3.50, 0-380-70055-7. Recommended. Martine-Barnes, Adrienne. The Crystal Sword, January, 1988, 278pp, $3.50, 0-380-75454-1. Part two of the Chronique D'Avebury. Smith, L. Neil. Bright Suit Macbear, 212pp, March, 1988, $2.95, 0-380-75324-3. First in the Tom Paine Maru series. Strieber, Whitley. Communion: A True Story, 302pp, February, 1988, $4.95, 0-380-70388-2. Baen Books Allen, Roger MacBride. Orphan of Creation, 345pp, February, 1988, $3.50, 0-671-65356-3. Anderson, Poul. The Broken Sword, 266pp, January, 1988, $3.95, 0-671-65382-2. Reprint of a 1971 novel. Baen, Jim. New Destinies, Volume III, 273pp, February, 1988, $3.50, 0-671-65385-7. Bowker, Richard. Marlborough Street, 232pp, March, 1988, $3.95, 0-553-27167-9. Bretnor, Regniold. Thor's Hammer, 276pp, March, 1988, $3.50, 0-671-65394-6. Volume 1 of The Future at War anthology series. Busby, F.M. The Breeds of Man, 294pp, March, 1988, $3.95, 0-553-27008-7. Dalmas, John. The General's President, 420pp, February, 1988, $3.50, 0-671-65384-9. Davidson, Avram & Davis, Grania. Marco Polo and the Sleeping Beauty, 300pp, March, 1988, $3.50, 0-671-65372. Heinlein, Robert A. Sixth Column, 248pp, January, 1988, $3.50, 0-671-65374-1. Reprint of a 1949 novel. Jennnings, Phillip C. Tower to the Sky, 316pp, March, 1988, $3.50, 0-671-65393-8. Laumer, Keith. Retief to the Rescue, 250pp, 1988, $2.95, 0-671-65376-8. Reprint of a 1983 novel. Kingsbury, Donald. The Moon Goddess and the Son, 471pp, December, 1987, $3.95, 0-671-65381-4. Kotani, Eric & Roberts, John Maddox. Between the Stars, 225pp, March, 1988, $2.95, 0-671-65392-X. Morris, Janet. Masters in Hell, 280pp, $3.50, 0-671-65379-2. Latest in the Heroes in Hell anthology. Peat, E. David. Artificial Intelligence: How Machines Think, January, 1988, 356pp, $4.95, 0-671-65377-6. Revised Edition. Reaves, Michael. The Burning Realm, 278pp, February, 1988, $3.50, 0-671-65386-5. Saberhagen, Fred. The Broken Lands, 192pp, $2.95, 0-671-65380-6. Empire of the East book one. First paperback edition. Saberhagen, Fred. The Black Mountains, 185pp, $2.75, 0-671-65390-3. Empire of the East book two. Saberhagen, Fred. After the Fact, 285pp, March, 1988, $3.95, 0-671-65391-1. Scarborough, Elizabeth. Songs from the Seashell Archive, Vol. 2, 390pp, $4.95, 0-553-27009-5. Contains the novels Bronwyn's Bane and The Christening Quest. Shaw, Bob. Medusa's Children, 217pp, February, 1988, $2.95, 0-671-65387-3. Reprint of a 1977 book. Stiegler, Marc. David's Sling, 346pp, January, 1988, $3.50, 0-671-65369-5. Sturgeon, Theodore. To Marry Medusa, 251pp, $2.95, December, 1987, 0-671-65370-9. Contains two novellas: To Marry Medusa and Killdozer. Thomas, Thomas T. First Citizen, 373pp, December, 1987, $3.50, 0-671-65368-7. Thompson, W.R. Sideshow, 346pp, January, 1988, $3.50, 0-671-65375-X. Wylie, Jonathon. The Center of the Circle, 281pp, March, 1988, $3.95, 0-553-27056-7. Servants of the Ark Volume 2. Zahn, Timothy. Cobra Bargain, 409pp, February, 1988, $3.95, 0-671-65383-0. Sequel to Cobra and Cobra Strike. Bantam Busby, F.M. The Rebel Dynasty, 1987, 475pp, $4.95, 0-553-26988-7. Reprint of The Alien Debt and Rebel's Seed. Charnas, Suzy McKee. The Silver Glove, 162pp, March, 1988, $13.95, 0-553-05470-8. A Bantam Starfire Young Adult novel. Effinger, George Alec. When Gravity Fails, 276pp, 1987, $3.95, 0-553-25555-X. Godwin, Parke. A Truce With Time (A Love Story with Occasional Ghosts), 310pp, February, 1988, $16.95, 0-553-05201-2. McDonald, Ian. Desolation Road, 355pp, February, 1988, $3.95, 0-553-27057-5. McDonald, Ian. Empire Dreams, 220pp, February, 1988, $3.50, 0-553-27180-6. Norwood, Warren C. True Jaguar, 324pp, February, 1988, $3.95, 0-553-27127-X. Weis, Margaret & Hickman, Tracy. Forging the Darksword, 391pp, 1987, $3.95, 0-553-26894-5. Wilson, Robert Charles. Memory Wire, 219pp, 1987, $3.50, 0-553-26853-8. Wylde, Thomas. Pitfall, 198pp, February, 1988, $3.50, 0-553-26946-1. Volume 2 of Alien Speedways. Carroll & Graf Sladek, John. Roderick at Random, 317pp, 1988, $3.95, 0-88184-341-5. Reprint of a 1983 book. Sturgeon, Theodore. The Dreaming Jewels, 180pp, $3.95, 0-88184-351-2. New edition of a 1950 novel. DAW Books Adams, Robert, Greenberg, Martin H. & Adams, Pamela Crippen. Hunger for Horror, 256pp, March, 1988, $3.59, 0-88677-266-4. Asimov, Isaac & Greenberg, Martin H. The Great SF Stories #17, 349pp, 1987, $3.95, 0-88677-256-7. Carter, Lin. Callipygia, 252pp, February, 1988, $3.50, 0-88677-262-1. Cherryh, C.J. Gate of Ivrel, 191, 1988, 0-88677-257-5. Reprint of a 1976 novel. Cherryh, C.J. Exile's Gate, 414pp, 1988, 0-88677-254-0. Green, Sharon. Terrilian V: The Warrior Victorious, 415pp, March, 1988, $3.95, 0-88677-264-8. Green, Sharon. Terrilian I: The Warrior Within, 224pp, $3.50, 0-88677-146-3. Reprint of a 1982 novel. Ingrid, Charles. Lasertown Blues, 286pp, February, 1988, $3.50, 0-88677-260-5. Book Two of the San Wars. Johnson, James B. Mindhopper, 269pp, March, 1988, $3.50, 0-88677-265-6. Lackey, Mercedes. Arrow's Fall, 319pp, January, 1988, $3.50, 0-88677-255-9. Roberson, Jennifer. A Price of Princes, 453pp, February, 1988, $3.50, 0-88677-261-3. Book Five of the Chronicles of the Cheysuli. Dell Smith, James V., Jr. Beast-Maker, 382pp, March, 1988, $3.95, 0-440-20042-3. Franklin Watts Pollack, Rachel. Alqua Dreams, 256pp, November, 1987, $16.95, 0-531-15070-4. Pocket Books Barker, Clive. In the Flesh, 255pp, January, 1988, $3.95, 0-671-61270-0. New collection of horror by the author. Brandewyne, Rebecca. Passion Moon Rising, 480pp, February, 1988, $3.95, 0-671-61774-5. Historical Romance with strong fantasy element crossovers. Dillard, J.M. Bloodthirst, 264pp, 1988, 0-671-64489-0. Star Trek #37. Kinder, Gary. Light Years, 308pp, February, 1988, $4.50, 0-671-66120-5. McCammon, Robert R. Stinger, 538pp, April, 1988, 0-671-31138-7 St. Martin's Press Green, Terence M. Barking Dogs, 214pp, April, 1988, $15.95, 0-312-01424-4. Kahn, James. Timefall, 295pp, 1987, $16.95, 0-312-00195-9. Stewart, Michael. Blindsight, 258pp, March, 1988, 0-312-01392-2. Swigart, Rob. Portal, 346pp, March, 1988, $18.95, 0-312-01494-5. Watson, Ian. Queenmagic, Kingmagic, 205pp, February, 1988, $14.95, 0-312-01503-8. Wells, H.G. Complete Short Stories, 1038pp, March 1988 $19.95, 0-312-15855-6. Wilhelm, Kate. Crazy Time, 245pp, March, 1988, $16.95, 0-312-01411-2. Space & Time 138 West 70th St. (4B) New York, NY 10023 Ford, Jeffrey. Vanitas, 167pp, February, 1988, $7.95 trade paperback, 0-917053-07-9. Small Press Science Fantasy/Horror cross genre novel. Starblaze Graphics Cherry, David A. Imagination, the Art & Technique of David A. Cherry, 144pp, 1987, $12.95, 0-89865-563-3. Foglio, Phil. Buck Godot -- Psmith, 72pp, December, 1987, $7.95, 0-89865-459-9. Russell, P. Craig. The Thief of Bagdad, 120pp, #12.95, 0-89865-523-4. Van Hamme, Jean. Thorgal, The Archers, 48pp, September, 1987, $6.95 color hardcover graphic novel, 0-9617885-0-X. Wagner, Matt. Mage -- The Hero Discovered, Vol. 2, 144pp, $12.95, September, 1987, 0-98965-560-9. Color Graphic Novel. Tor Bova, Ben. Vengeance of Orion, 342pp, February, 1988, $17.95, 0-312-93049-6. Chetwin, Grace. The Atheling, 445pp, January, 1988, $18.95, 0-312-93059-3. Volume 1 of the Last Legacy. Grant, Charles L. For Fear of the Night, 277pp, March, 1988, $17.95, 0-312-93046-1. Preuss, Paul. Starfire. 310pp, $17.95, March,1988, 0-312-93056-9. Robinson, Kim Stanley. The Gold Coast, 387pp, February, 1988, $17.95, 0-312-93050-X. TSR Salvatore, R.A. The Crystal Shard, 333pp, January, 1988, $3.95, 0-88038-535-9. Warner Books Cherryh, C.J. Cyteen, 688pp, May, 1988, $18.95, 0-446-51428-4 (galley). Workman Publishing Barlowe, Wayne. Barlow's Guide to Extraterresterials, 144pp, $10.95, 0-89480-324-7. A classic art book for the field back in print. Highly recommended. Hartman, William K & Miller, Ron. Cycles of Fire: Stars, Planets and the Wonder of Deep Space, 188pp, full color plates. $27.50 cloth, $24.95 paperback, 0-89480-510-X (cloth), 0-89480-502-9 (paperback). Non- fiction high quality look at the Universe. Fanzines and Magazines Delineator #5. Alan White, ed. Irregular, available for the regular or $5.00 to 455 E. 7th st. #4, San Jacinto, CA, 92383-8401. This issue contains con reports on Westercon XXXX and a picture of the OtherRealms company car's license plate. Dillinger #55 & #56. Arthur Hlavaty, ed. bimonthly from P.O. Box 52028, Durham, NC 27701. Fosfax #122 & #123 & #124. Joseph Major, ed. Available from FOSFA, P.O. 37281, Louisville, KY, 40233-7281. Reviews cons, books, and other material. Well written. Gegenschein #53. Eric Lindsay, ed. Available from 6 Hillcrest Avenue, FAulconbridge, NSW 2776 Austrailia. supporting Terry Dowling's DUFF bid Holier Than Thou #26. Marty Cantor, ed. Irregular from 11565 Archwood St., North Hollywood, CA 91606-1703. Available for the usual or $5.00, whichever comes first. The Insider #137 & #138. Clubzine from the St. Louis SF Society, P.O. Box 1058, St. Louis, MO, 63188. Lan's Lantern #24, Lan Laskowski, Ed. Irregular, from 55 Valley Way, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48013. Honoring Frederik Pohl and L. Sprague deCamp. Locus. Charles Brown, ed. $24/year from P.O. Box 13305, Oakland, Ca, 94661. Phlogiston #14 & #15. Alex Heatley, ed. Quarterly personal/reviewzine from P.O. Box 11-708, Manners Street, Wellington, New Zealand. Renaissance Fan #1. Rosalind Malin & Dick Pilz, ed. 2214 SE 53rd, Portland, OR, 97215. Rune #77. David E. Romm & Jeanne Mealy, Ed. For the regular from P.O. Box 8297 Lake Street Station, Minneapolis, MN, 55408. Scavenger's Newsletter. Janet Fox, ed. Monthly from 519 Ellinwood, Osage City, Kansas, 66523-1329 for $8/yr. Small press market reports. Short Form #2. Orson Scott Card, Ed. Quarterly from Hatrack River Publications, P.O. Box 18184, Greensboro, NC 27419-8184. $9.00/1, $20.00/4. Short fiction reviewzine, also includes the Green Pages, full of strange stuff. South Pacific Penguin #1. Lon Levy, P.O. Box 1505, Milwaukee, WI, 53201-1505. Perzine, available for the regular. Stigmata Junction. Poetry Chapbook by Thomas Wiloch, available for $3.00 from Thomas Wiloch,
. Take Your Fanac Anywhere #1. Andrew Hooper, ed. from Drag Bunt Press, 214 Brearly St., Madison, WI 53703. Fanzine of trip reports supporting the TAFF bid of Pam Wells. The Texas SF Enquirer #22. Pat Mueller, ed. Irregular from Box 9612, Austin, Texas, 78766. Thrust #29. Douglas Fratz, ed. $2.50 from 8217 Langport Terrace, Gaithersburg, Md. 20877. Semi-pro review magazine. Twilight Zine #39, Janice Eisen, Ed. Mitsfs, room W20-473, 84 Masachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA, 02139. Velocities #5. Bruce Boston, ed. From Box 5293, Berkeley, CA 94705. Speculative poetry magazine, $3.50. Weird Tales, Spring 1988. Terminus Publishing, Box 13418, Philadelphia, PA, 19101-3418. Quarterly, $18/six issues. Latest incarnation of the pulp magazine, edited by George Scithers, Darrell Schweitzer and John Betancourt. This issue is a Gene Wolfe special issue, with about half the material by or about the author. YHOS #42. Art Widner, Ed. Irregular from 231 Courtney Land, Orinda, CA 94563 for the regular. OtherRealms #20 Spring, 1988 Copyright 1988 by Chuq Von Rospach All Rights Reserved One time rights have been acquired from the contributors. All rights are hereby assigned to the contributors. OtherRealms may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of Chuq Von Rospach. The electronic edition may be distributed or reproduced in its entirety as long as all copyrights, author and publication information remain intact. No individual article may be reprinted, reproduced or republished in any way without the express permission of the author. OtherRealms is published quarterly (March, June, September and December) by: Chuq Von Rospach 35111-F Newark Blvd. Suite 255 Newark, CA 94560. Usenet: chuq@sun.COM Delphi: CHUQ CompuServe: 73317,635 GENie: C.VONROSPAC