Hacker Chronicles 2/HACKER2.BIN/413.SF018068.TXT

Text File | 1993-02-05 | 19KB | 454 lines

SF-LOVERS Digest           Thursday, 4 Feb 1993        Volume 18 : Issue 68

Today's Topics:

           Books - Barker & Clarke (10 msgs) & Delany (2 msgs) &
                   Duncan (3 msgs) & Ellison & Haldeman

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Date: 2 Feb 93 13:31:06 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Hobie Orris)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Man of Gold, by Barker

I quite like the Barker books, though more for the universe they are set in
than for Barker's writing style, or the action itself.  But then I played
Tekumel back in the 70's and thought it was really cool then.  I will
definitely buy a third book when it comes out.

I have "The Tekumel Sourcebook", published by Gamescience, which has large,
full-colour maps of the Tekumel world (maps are sadly lacking from the
novels) as well as the history, religion and culture of the different races
of Tekumel.  It's a fascinating creation.  I normally despise fantasy
fiction because it seems so boringly medieval Europe; sort of re-hashed
Arthurian legend.  Tekumel is a mixture of the cultures and religions of
India and the ancient Aztecs (Barker is a professor of Meso-American
history) which gives it enough of an exotic feel to hold my interest.

Hobie Orris

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Date: 29 Jan 93 02:03:41 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Vadim  Strizhevsky)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Is there a sequel to "The Garden of Rama" ?

   I have just finished reading "The Garden of Rama" by Arthur C.  Clarke
(3rd book in Rama series) and judging by the ending I think there should be
another sequel somewhere.  Does any one have any information on whether it
exists or is planned, and what it called?

I'd appreciate any info about this.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael I. Lichter)
Date: 29 Jan 93 08:17:21 GMT
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Is there a sequel to "The Garden of Rama" ?

Related question: I found _Rendezvous with Rama_ to be extremely tedious
and uninteresting.  That given, would you recommend the later books in the
series?

Michael

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Date: 29 Jan 93 11:42:26 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Michael Qvortrup)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Is there a sequel to "The Garden of Rama" ?

[e-mail] (Michael I. Lichter) writes:
>Related question: I found _Rendezvous with Rama_ to be extremely tedious
>and uninteresting.  That given, would you recommend the later books in the
>series?

Since you don't like _Rendezvous with Rama_, you probably belong in the
group which likes the sequels. At least, that is the way it seems to split
.... :-)

Michael Christian Heide Qvortrup
Inst. of Scientific Computation
ETH, Zuerich Switzerland
[e-mail]

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Date: 29 Jan 93 07:18:14 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Charles B. Owen)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Is there a sequel to "The Garden of Rama" ?

[e-mail] (Vadim  Strizhevsky) writes:
>I have just finished reading "The Garden of Rama" by Arthur C.  Clarke
>(3rd book in Rama series) and judging by the ending I think there should
>be another sequel somewhere.  Does any one have any information on whether
>it exists or is planned, and what it called?

It is called Rama Revealed.  I'm not sure when it will be available, but I
read that all three books were written and delivered to the publiser at the
same time, so I expect it soon, if not now.

Charles B. Owen
Western Illinois University
1002 E. Murray
Macomb, IL  61455
[e-mail]

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Date: 29 Jan 93 17:12:19 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Leif Magnar Kj|nn|y)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Is there a sequel to "The Garden of Rama" ?

[e-mail] (Michael I. Lichter) writes:
> Related question: I found _Rendezvous with Rama_ to be extremely tedious
> and uninteresting.  That given, would you recommend the later books in
> the series?

You what???

You have committed blasphemy.  Repent, sinner.  No one puts down the
original _Rendezvous with Rama_ and goes unpunished.  No one.  We know who
you are, and we know where we can find you.

(Only kidding there, but if you didn't like RwR, I'm afraid your mental
processes, such as they are, must be so different from all previously known
ones that you cannot be communicated with.  Well, almost.  The later books,
on the other hand, I wouldn't really recommend either way.  Except of
course I have made the mistake of reading the two that have come out, and
so find myself doomed to having to hunt down the last one when it appears.)

------------------------------

Date: 30 Jan 93 18:47:44 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Jim Kasprzak)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Is there a sequel to "The Garden of Rama" ?

[e-mail] (Michael Qvortrup) writes:
> Since you don't like _Rendezvous with Rama_, you probably belong in the
> group which likes the sequels. At least, that is the way it seems to
> split .... :-)

 Amusing, but not necessarily so. Actually it seems to break down into
"people who liked _Rendezvous with Rama_, but didn't like the sequels" (I
fall into this category myself), and "people who liked _Rendezvous with
Rama_ and the sequels". I think that someone who didn't enjoy the original
Rama book wouldn't get much out of the sequels.

Jim Kasprzak
RPI
Troy, NY, USA
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

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Date: 30 Jan 93 02:50:55 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Louis Sivo)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Re: Is there a sequel to "The Garden of Rama" ?

> Related question: I found _Rendezvous with Rama_ to be extremely tedious
> and uninteresting.  That given, would you recommend the later books in
> the series?

Well if you didn't like it I would say no. Stop where you are and buy
another book. I did like it (I hate an unsolved mystery) so I continued.
For a brief description of the other books and what you can expect (minor
spoilers) read on:

The second book is "Rama II" and Clarke wrote it with Gentry Lee. It's your
basic, let's explore the next Rama ship that enters the solar system. This
time though with a different cast of people. There was more
"characterization" that a lot of people say is due to Gentry Lee's
influence. I liked it, though to be fair, others here have said they
didn't. If you didn't like "Rendevous With Rama" you'd probably hate this
one.

The third book "Gardens of Rama" again with Clarke and Lee has a group of
explorers on a Rama ship (sorry won't tell you if it's the same one from
book 2, or another one, have to minimize the spoilers) heading for an alien
destination. I viewed this book as three major acts. Act 1, on the Raman
ship.  Act 2, arrive at destination. Act 3... well, read the book I really
don't want to say and spoil anything. (My minor spoilers for Act 1 and 2 as
I remember are implied by the blurb on the back of the book cover.)

Anyway, I really like this third book a lot more. There was more going on.
You found out more about the ship, something about the aliens, etc.

There is supposed to be a forth book out sometime called "Rama Revealed" by
the same authors where all the mysteries are solved.

Well, I hope that helps. If anyone has a different opinion, let's hear from
you. :-)

Louis

------------------------------

Date: 31 Jan 93 22:10:50 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Ross Smith)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: New Clarke novel

Readers might be interested:

A recent issue of "New Scientist" (16-Jan-93) has a letter from none other
than Arthur C Clarke, in which he mentions a forthcoming novel, "The Hammer
of God". Apparently it's about the attempts to intercept an asteroid that's
about to hit the Earth.

Ross Smith
Wanganui, NZ
[e-mail]

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Date: 1 Feb 93 00:11:47 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Jason John Seaver)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: New Clarke novel

[e-mail] (Ross Smith) writes:
>A recent issue of "New Scientist" (16-Jan-93) has a letter from none other
>than Arthur C Clarke, in which he mentions a forthcoming novel, "The
>Hammer of God". Apparently it's about the attempts to intercept an
>asteroid that's about to hit the Earth.

   Isn't that the name and subject of the short story he wrote for the TIME
Special Edition on "The Year 2000" or something or other?

------------------------------

Date: 31 Jan 93 17:54:47 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Anil Joshi)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Is there a sequel to "The Garden of Rama" ?

[e-mail] (Jim Kasprzak) writes:
>Amusing, but not necessarily so. Actually it seems to break down into
>"people who liked _Rendezvous with Rama_, but didn't like the sequels" (I
>fall into this category myself), and "people who liked _Rendezvous with
>Rama_ and the sequels". I think that someone who didn't enjoy the original
>Rama book wouldn't get much out of the sequels.

Things are getting complicated. Am I the only one who liked "RWR" and "RII"
and hated "GOR"?

Anil

------------------------------

Date: 1 Feb 93 10:41:43 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Samuel R. Delany's Neveryon

I am currently reading Delany's _Tales of Neveryon_ the first book in the
_Return to Neveryon_ series. In an appendix to the book, there is a
fictional summary from S.L. Kermit about a text fragment (the culhar
fragment or the Missologhi codex) written in linear B (proto greek
language) and in another language (decoded by K. Leslie Steiner). This text
is supposed to have inspired Delany for his Neveryon books...  Does anyone
know if there is something true in that or if all the characters and all
the story are pure fantasy? Does the culhar fragment exist? Who wrote the
appendix to this books and the others?  Any information welcome!

Patrick J. Gyger
University of Lausanne
History dpt.
[e-mail]

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Date: 1 Feb 93 17:29:35 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Erich Schneider)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Samuel R. Delany's Neveryon

[e-mail] writes:
>I am currently reading Delany's _Tales of Neveryon_ the first book in the
>_Return to Neveryon_ series. In an appendix to the book, there is a
>fictional summary from S.L. Kermit about a text fragment (the culhar
>fragment or the Missologhi codex) written in linear B (proto greek
>language) and in another language (decoded by K. Leslie Steiner). This
>text is supposed to have inspired Delany for his Neveryon books...  Does
>anyone know if there is something true in that or if all the characters
>and all the story are pure fantasy? Does the culhar fragment exist? Who
>wrote the appendix to this books and the others?  Any information welcome!

It's pure fabrication. "K. Leslie Steiner" is a pseudonym that Delany has
occasionally used when he writes about his own work. An interesting volume
containing some of these writings is _Straits of Messina_; unfortunately,
it's kind of hard to find.

Erich Schneider
[e-mail]

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Date: 22 Jan 93 01:02:56 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Jean Goodrich)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Dave Duncan

_The Cutting Edge_ is set 10-15 years later (sorry, I don't recall
exactly). Rap and Inos have kids, Shandy is making a military hero of
himself, the wardens are quarreling as usual, and Rap has supposedly made
THE mistake of the millenium...

I won't say its as good as the first trilogy, because that one was *so*
good and I enjoyed it for its novelty. But it is good, and worth the price
of hardback.

Jean

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Date: 21 Jan 93 19:42:00 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Allen Tam)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Dave Duncan

[e-mail] writes:
>EaC is the fourth book in the first series.  TEC is the first book in the
>second series.  You should be able to find Eac.  It's been out for a
>while.

So does _The_Cutting_Edge continue from where _Emperor_and_Clown left off?
Or is it the start of a brand new series with new characters?  I'm curious,
because I've yet to see it in bookstores yet.

Allen Tam

------------------------------

Date: 28 Jan 93 17:02:35 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Charles Frederick Goodin)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Dave Duncan

[e-mail] (Allen Tam) writes:
>So does _The_Cutting_Edge continue from where _Emperor_and_Clown left

   The Cutting Edge continues 10+ years from where Emperor and Clown left
off, with some new characters, but also with Rap and Inos (and their kids)!
I got it from the local library a while ago, so I don't remember all of the
details, but it's definitely up to the previous four books in quality.
Love the magic system, love the "races".  Can't wait for the second one!

------------------------------

Date: 21 Jan 93 19:32:53 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Steve Brock)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: "Harlan Ellison's Watching" by Harlan Ellison

Title: HARLAN ELLISON'S WATCHING
Author: Harlan Ellison
Publisher: Underwood-Miller Publishing, 708 Westover Dr., Lancaster, PA
Publisher: Index, two appendices.
Pages: 514 pp.
Comments: $17.95 paper.
Order Number:0-88733-147-5

                             REVIEW

   Fiona Webster has given a nice description of the cover of this book,
and Stewart Tame has correctly stated that this is a trade paperback
edition of the hardcover published in 1989.  With all the help, this review
should be a snap.  I have two questions, however, for Fiona:
   1.  What's with the arrow that goes under the title, points toward the
spine, with the one on the spine pointing toward the back cover?  Is it to
get the reader to turn the book over to see the abstract "chessboard on the
lake?"
   2.  And what is little Harlan doing on the cover?  He looks like his
head and arm are floating in the air.  What is the symbolism of this?  Does
"fingers down" signify a bad review a la Siskel and Ebert's "thumbs down?"
   Little Harlan has watched, as well as written for, many television shows
and movies, and this book attempts to put his reviews into some kind of
order with chapters grouped into "Installments."
   Beginning with a short essay on the influence of movies on his childhood
(and sneaking out of his grandmother's house at night to see "Mr.  Bug Goes
To Town" on his birthday so he could get in free, and getting caught -
jerked out of his seat where he cringed, by a flashlight-wielding usher),
the responsibilities of being a critic (responsibilities? what
responsibilities), and his first reviews for "Cinema" magazine, he exhibits
other reviews written for the publication.
   Most memorable of his opinions in this section are in his reviews of
"Beau Geste" ("a microcephalically written screenplay of the sheerest
ineptitude"), Godard's "Le Carabiniers" ("I suggest those who find this
deprecating review of M. Godard's pud-pulling unacceptable, cross check
with less-Philistinic reviewers and then go or not go accordingly"), and
"2001: A Space Odyssey" (he calls it "Kubrick's Folly" and tells viewers to
watch it "stoned on acid").
   We then enter Ellison's "Screening Room" (four reviews of lesser movies
excerpted from "The Staff"), and then we get to the meat of the book:
"Harlan Ellison's Watching" First Series (1977-78) and Second Series
(1984-).  These reviews show Ellison reaching maturity, but never growing
up.  Most of these reviews ran in "The Magazine of Fantasy and Science
Fiction."
   In Harlan's own words, he outlines his perspective on reviewing movies.
"I try to look not only at the primary entertainment, storytelling
qualities of films," he says, "but attempt to consider them as reflections
of cultural phenomena."
   This extends to occasionally equating them with bodily functions, such
as "Star Wars" (panning the movie makes him "run the risk of being
disemboweled by terminal acne cases"), "Cujo" ("a gawdawful lump of
indigestible grue"), or "Robocop" ("this is a template for everything rabid
and drooling in our culture").  Occasionally this opens him up to slander
suits, but I know of none that he has lost.  Few ushers, lately, have tried
to jerk him out of his seat.
   That (once) sweet little Ellison kid is one of the most caustically,
sincerely original voices we have today, whether it's a movie review, a
dangerous vision, or a pilot for a new television show.  This book of
reviews gets an unequivocal "fingers up."  And don't let Fiona get you
jealous that she has the hardback edition.

------------------------------

Date: 24 Jan 93 03:00:31 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Dave Schaumann)
Reply-to: [e-mail]
Subject: Ending of _Hemingway Hoax_

I just read Haldeman's _Hemingway Hoax_ (the novel version), and I'd be
interested in hearing what others have to say about the ending.

Here's my thoughts on the matter:

*** SPOILERS ***

In a lot of ways, I was very impressed by this book.  In particular, the
changes as John Baird travels from universe to universe (both in him and
the other main characters) is quite impressive.  I also like the way the
"time police" aspect was used only enough to support the main story.

I'm not familiar with Hemmingway's writing or style, so I can't really
address the accuracy of that aspect; it was certainly presented in a way
that doesn't leave non-initiates behind.

What I didn't like was the fact that while the "time police" aspect
supports the main story clearly, I can't see that any of the questions it
raised were ever answered:

  -Why was John Baird immune to the kill-stick?
  -Was the "unraveling of reality" avoided?
  -What was the motivating force behind these events?  Was it some
   deity (as John suggests) or something else?  Given the assumptions
   underlying the events, happenstance and coincidence don't quite wash.
  -As I read it, at the end, Baird becomes and/or merges with Hemingway.
   How does this fit with the rest of the story?

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End of SF-LOVERS Digest
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