HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: IRH@utrc.utc.COM
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: McCrumb Mysteries
Date: 15 Sep 92 12:14:52 GMT

From:    Irene R. Harrison ( IRH )               Postmark: 15-Sep-1992 08:15am
Dept:    Computer Applications                   Tel No:   8-446-7415

TO:  Remote Internet User                 ( _in%sf-lovers-written@rutgers.edu )

CC:  Remote Addressee                     ( natinst!radian!markbr@cs.utexas.edu@inet )
CC:  Remote Addressee                     ( cc697@cleveland.freenet.edu@inet )

Subject: McCrumb Mysteries

I'm tired of defending some very funny MYSTERIES.  All of these books have
been mysteries.  I realize that many of you take yourselves very seriously.
I have found all of Ms. McCrumbs books to be a light hearted and enjoyable
look at different places.  Each of them is a good look at the different
events.

Least you think that McCrumb didn't have sufficient 'experience' with
Science Fiction conventions. Well how many does it take?? After my first
Con I already expected the Fat-Uniformed-Star-Trek people and people who
seem to schedule their entire lives around the next convention. I'm still
going to Conventions and still laughing with and at us.

For those of you who are tired of these arguments, go to your local
library.  Many of them have copies of Sharyn McCrumb's books.  It may be a
new experience taking a book out from the MYSTERY shelves, but you'll
decide for yourself.

Books by Sharyn McCrumb;
     SICK OF SHADOWS                   A gathering of the rich in VA
     LOVELY IN HER BONES               Archaeology in the mountain country
     HIGHLAND LADDIE GONE              A 'clan' gathering (a Con for Scots)
     PAYING THE PIPER                  Archaeology & Bagpipes & murder
     WINDSOR KNOT                      A wedding & Tea with the Queen
     MISSING SUSAN                     Murder/mystery tour of England
     IF EVER I RETURN PRETTY PEGGY-O   Mountain country town & Vietnam vets
     BIMBO'S OF THE DEATH SUN          Murder at the SF Con
     ZOMBIES OF THE GENE POOL          Murder of a SF Fan

I.Harrison
irh@utrc.utc.com

Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
From: parmentier@iowasp.physics.uiowa.edu
Subject: Re: Glen Cook's next Black Company Book
Organization: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 19:38:26 GMT

In article <alix.716090714@vincent1.iastate.edu>, alix@iastate.edu (Leigh Ann) writes:
> I'm new to the nets, so I'm not sure if this has been discussed before....
> 
> I've been waiting for Glen Cook's new book (I think it's supposed to be called
> "Glittering Stone" or something like that) to come out for a couple of years
> now.  Does anyone out there know when it's supposed to be out?

	I'll use this as prompting for my Glen Cook update after Magicon.
As of last week _Glittering Stone_ was half done, this is the same status
as of last spring.  He still doesn't have adequate writing time.  He does get
some marginal work done from time to time.  He says this story has percolated
enough that it will most likely turn into two books instead of one, so that
probably ammends to 1/4 done for the last of the Black Company.  Don't expect
to see _Glittering Stone_ ANY time before late 1994, and even that is being
VERY optimistic:-(
	He sold a new Garrett book ( the name is at home somewhere ) just
before Magicon, and it should be out next fall (1993).  This book had been
75-90% done last spring.
								Ggg
-- 
"I'm not a programmer, but I play one at work." _/_
 _, .__  _  _,  _,     _   _, .__  ____  _  __  / o _ .__
(_)_/ (_(/_(_)_(_)_   |_)_(_|_/ (_/ / /_(/_/ /_/_/_(/_/ (__
 /|         /|  /|   /|      ___ Gregg  Parmentier ___
|/         |/  |/    |/ parmentier@iowasp.physics.uiowa.edu
From: dittman@skitzo.dseg.ti.com (Eric Dittman)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: Dreamer Fithp
Date: 8 Sep 92 19:37:30 CDT
Organization: Texas Instruments Component Test Facility

In article <1992Sep7.230659.26430@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz>, ecmtwhk@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz (Thomas Koenig) writes:
> daynem@byron.u.washington.edu (Dayne Miller) writes:
>>Niven and Pournelle, in FOOTFALL, mention a Threat Team (the "Dreamer Fithp")
>>that's composed of several writers of SF that advise the federal gov't. in 
>>times of unusual crisis. I believe Niven makes reference to a similar group 
>>in one of his short stories (maybe in the LIMITS collection??).
>>...
>>Anyone know anything they want to share?
> 
> We can start out by identifying who is who in FOOTFALL. Robert Anson is
> (or rather, was) Heinlein...

This one was obvious, but what I noticed was the character disappeared
without explanation (or I missed the explanation).  Did I miss the
reason?  If so, what was it?
-- 
Eric Dittman                  Texas Instruments - Component Test Facility
dittman@skitzo.dseg.ti.com    (214) 578-3575
Disclaimer:  Not even my opinions.  I found them by the side of the road.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
From: REBECCA@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu (Rebecca Drayer)
Subject: Re: _Oracle_, by Mike Resnick (spoilers!)
Organization: Yale University
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 92 01:06:30 EDT

In article <1992Sep10.034343.5891@kithrup.COM>
sef@kithrup.COM (Sean Eric Fagan) writes:
 
>>The Soothsayer (the character) is basically the same gimmick as the Teela
>>Brown gene.
>
>Spoilers below!
 
In what book/series did Teela Brown appear?  I'm not familiar with the name.
 
 
*************************************************************************
Rebecca A. Drayer, EMT        |    Rebecca@Yalevm.Ycc.Yale.edu
P.O. Box 6349 Yale Station    |    Computing Assistant
New Haven, CT 06520           |    Silliman College, Yale University
 
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite
you.  This is the principle difference between a dog and a man."
                                                        -Mark Twain
*************************************************************************
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 17:52:26 EDT
From: Sime <TJS107@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: Ya can't keep 'em down!

Whoops.  I posted something about the book Armor and comparison to Starship
Troopers.  In this post I sorta put down RH.  Didn't mean to start anything,
I was just disappointed in ST, and it was the first and only RH book I have
read.
Hope no one took that the wrong way, but I'd like to hear more discussion
as to why ST is better than Armor (in RH's fans opinions;  I like Armor 'cuz
its got action and adventure and excitement and etc.) or vice versa...

PS I think I'll pick up Vampires by Steakley (author of Armor) soon.  Sounds
like it'll be good.


Sime
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
From: xoanon@carina.unm.edu (timothy k istian soholt)
Subject: Is _Prince of Chaos_ out in paperback?
Date: Tue, 08 Sep 92 21:02:54 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

The subject says it all. I've just recently broken down and
shelled out a fair amount of dough on the _Amber_ books, but
I haven't seen a paperback copy of the tenth book anywhere.
Please email me, as I don't think this newsgroup needs any
more clutter. Any "me too"s can be directed to me and I'll
let you know whether or not a paperback edition of _Prince
of Chaos_ exists or not.

-- Tim Soholt (xoanon@carina.unm.edu), The Man With No .sig
From: aaron@space.ualberta.ca (Aaron Humphrey)
Subject: Re: Piers Anthony
Reply-To: aaron@space.ualberta.ca
Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 04:38:43 GMT

clc@kepler.unh.edu (Christian L Claiborn) writes:
: >>Is anyone out there a Piers Anthony fan?  I prefer his fantasy to his
:       <A lot of things I'd rather not think about deleted.>
: >Are you serious, or just joking?
: 
: Pray for the sanctity of rec.arts.sf.written that he was.  Pray that it was
: all a dream.  Pray that we're not being invaded by a bunch of fans of a 
: second-rate hack who's stooped to punning for money.

Oh, don't worry, Christian.  Our pristine little elitist haven isn't going to
be invaded by those heathen infidel philistine scum anytime soon.  They got
their own newsgroup so that they don't have to worry about the snide
pseudo-superiority of people into "serious" SF like we are.  If the newbie who
just showed up knows what's good for him, he'll go there right away--I told him
where to find it, just pray his site gets alt.fan.anthony.  That way he won't
have to put up with all your mockery and ridicule, and your presumption that
you know the absolute measure of book quality and that anyone who can't see the
Absolute lack thereof in Anthony's works is a subhuman fit only for the
occasional janitorial job.

As to "stooping" to punning for money--I'm sure that he enjoys it.  I'm sure
that he loves the fact that he can make money by writing Xanth books.  I don't
think I'd refuse an opportunity like that, if it were offered to me.  I seem to
recall that he doesn't spend all his time writing Xanth books, so he might
perhaps have written something worthwhile at some point(which indeed I believe
he has)which you missed because of your outrage over Xanth...but not to
worry, that something worthwhile will probably sell better than anything Iain
Banks ever writes(or insert your favourite authors here).  Which is probably
the real problem you have, right?  Tell the truth.  Admit it.

(Pant pant.  Maybe I should start taking courses in alt.flame or something.)

--
---Alfvaen(Canadian SF Quasi-Activist)
"You better hope and pray that you're gonna awake
 Back in your own world..."  ---Shakespear's Sister
Current Album--Suzanne Vega:Days of Open Hand
Current Read--Robert Heinlein:The Past Through Tomorrow
From: dave@cs.arizona.edu (Dave Schaumann)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: Heinlein stories ?
Date: 11 Sep 92 00:43:36 GMT
Reply-To: dave@cs.arizona.edu (Dave Schaumann)
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Arizona

In article <1992Sep10.163459.8627@pbhyc.PacBell.COM>, djdaneh@pbhyc (Dan'l DanehyOakes) writes:
>In article <1992Sep10.025827.9894@colorado.edu> robertm@alumni.cs.colorado.edu (MONTGOMERY ROBERT PH) writes:
>
>>1. "Window to the Stars"
>
>Hard to say -- the most probable would be TUNNEL IN THE SKY, but that's
>pushing it a little.

That was my first thought, too.

>Perhaps there's something I'm forgetting.

What about that story with the TP twin brothers; one goes out in space
& the other stays home?  The name escapes me, but I /think/ it was
something like that (just discussed on the net, too :-/  ).

-- 
Caught an internal error--.brainrc restored
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
From: jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com (Jim Mann)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: Heinlein GOOD??!! was Re: Piers Anthony
Date: 15 Sep 92 12:37:18 GMT
Reply-To: jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com

In article <willimsa.716554442@unix1.tcd.ie> willimsa@unix1.tcd.ie  
(Gavin Williams) writes:
> Au contraire, mon frere!  (I've always wanted to say that:).
> I would very much hesitate to place Heinlein in the same sentence  
as Asimov,
> unless it is to show contrast.  IMO Heinlein has about as much to  
recommend
> him as Hubbard, which isn't much.  Ok his works may be miles better  
than
> Anthony's, but they still are not, IMO deserving of the >good<  
epithet!
> 

Gee, I agreed with your first sentence then disagreed with the 
rest :)     I think Heinlein was quite good, especially at his
peak. I still re-read Double Star, Citizen of the Galaxy,
Have Space Suit, Will Travel, "By His Bootstraps," and others
from time to time.  

--
Jim Mann            
Stratus Computer   jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com
From: chuq@gallant.apple.com (Chuq Von Rospach)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: New SF Releases
Date: 14 Sep 92 16:49:47 GMT
Organization: Apple Computer Inc.

dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig) writes:

>>Pournell, Jerry et al. Bloodfeuds (Baen, $4.99, pb, Jan) 1st War World

>Fifth War-World, isn't it?

First War World novel, as opposed to the anthology series (of course, 
it's a collaborative novel like Wild Cards is, so definitions are somewhat
murky)

-- 
Chuq "IMHO" Von Rospach, ESD Support & Training (DAL/AUX) =+= Member, SFWA
  chuq@apple.com | GEnie: MAC.BIGOT | ALink:CHUQ =+= Editor, OtherRealms
From: ST401844@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU (Stewart Crall)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Ace Doublebacks
Date: 16 Sep 92 00:24:21 GMT


A used book salesman recently told me that the Ace doublebacks
from the 60's are in most cases abridged versions of the real books.
This shocked me because several of my favorite books are in that form.

Does anybody know if there is an easy way to tell whether the books have
been abridged?  Some of them say "complete and unabridged" or "abridged
by the author", but I am not sure if all explicitly say so.

I have been away from many of my books since I found this out, so I have
not been able to check my books.  Can anybody give me information about
the following books, as to whether they are complete, and whether I can
find more complete versions elsewhere?

VanVogt "One Against Eternity"
DeCamp "Hand of Zei/Search for Zei"
GO Smith "Lost in Space", and 2 others I can't recall the names of.

The VanVogt I know I could buy as "Weopon Makers", but I don't want to
unless the doubleback is abridged.

The DeCamp has definitely been abridged, that is one half of it was
abridged, while the other was "complete and unabridged", and it has
recently been republished as "Hand of Zei", which contains both
novellas.  However I don't know whether the new book is a
concatination of the original novellas, or of the Ace
doubleback novellas.  I would very much appreciate some information
about this, but I asked this very question a year ago when the newer
edition came out, and I didn't get any help from this network, so I
suspect that no one knows.

The Smith is what I am really worried about, because I have never
seen them in another form, and my only hope to read the full form
is interlibrary loan.  I believe that one of them is indeed abridged,
although I haven't checked recently.   It is really sad that such a
skilled author, who is so comfortable with the science bits, is so
infrequently republished.

The used book salesman who warned me about the abridgement of the
Ace doublebacks was unable to give me specifics (his main interest was
mysteries), but he did warn me that some of the abridgements aren't
marked, and if they don't explicitly say "complete and unabridged",
the chances are they are abridged.

If anyone has more information on this subject, I would appreciate
some edification.
From: weemba@sagi.wistar.upenn.edu (Matthew P Wiener)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Gold
Date: 9 Sep 92 17:02:52 GMT
Reply-To: weemba@sagi.wistar.upenn.edu (Matthew P Wiener)
Organization: The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology
In-reply-to: jhildeb1@cc.swarthmore.edu (Jeff Hildebrand)

In article <2X8PBR5J@cc.swarthmore.edu>, jhildeb1@cc (Jeff Hildebrand) writes:
>Better believe it. Ever since the nominations came out people were
>saying that this would happen. This is actually the only winner I
>haven't read, but virtually every comment I've seen was "It was ok,
>but not Asimov's best." Sounds like a tribute win to me.

Actually, "Gold" was a surprisingly good story.  It was a tribute win,
though, since it's level of goodness was one the fen have rarely shown
much interest in.
-- 
-Matthew P Wiener (weemba@sagi.wistar.upenn.edu)
From: tyg@HQ.Ileaf.COM (Tom Galloway)
Subject: Re: HUGO Awards?
Organization: Interleaf, Inc.
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 92 15:06:11 GMT

In article <95499@bu.edu> mab@buphy.bu.edu (Michael Burstein) writes:
>Could someone please post the Hugo winners for novel, novella,
>novellete, and short story?

Let's see how many I can recall off the cuff here...apologies in advance
for any misspellings.

Best Novel: Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
Best Novella: Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress
Best Novelette: Gold by Isaac Asimov [side note: quite possibly not his
                                      last. I'd guess that the upcoming
                                      volume 3 of his autobiography would
                                      have a decent chance, and Forward The
                                      Foundation might as well]
Best Short Story: A Walk In The Sun by Geoffrey Landis
Best Non-Fiction Book: The World of Chas. Addams by Charles Addams
John W. Campbell Award: Ted Chiang
Best Dramatic Presentation: Terminator 2
Best Artist: Michael Whalen
Best Artistic Work (or whatever the category for best single piece of 
 art was called):  The Summer Queen by Michael Whalen
Best Editor: Gardner Dozois
Best Semi-Prozine: Locus
Best Fan Writer: Dave Langford
Best Fan Artist: This one I forget...I think it may have been Brad Foster,
 but I'm not sure.
Best Fanzine: Mimosa by Dick and Nicki Lynch [this was a rather embarrassing
 moment. The card in the envelope read Lan's Lantern, but the plaque on the
 Hugo and the slide shown after Lan was already up accepting the Hugo read
 Mimosa. Spider had no previous knowledge of the winners, and so just read
 the card (and then had the card pinned to his tux jacket for the rest of
 the evening as proof). Lan came back out to represent the Hugo to the 
 Lynches (and you could just barely make out the concealed snipers and
 red hot irons being pointed at him...:-)). About the only good thing out
 of this is that Lan's already won at least one Hugo so it wasn't as bad
 as it could have been. Afterwards, I suggested to him that he should now
 write a story/do a zine titled the Death of Dr. Island to win either a
 Hugo or Nebula. This was a reference to when a similar, but even more
 embarrassing, event occured at the Nebulas. Gene Wolfe was announced as
 winner for a story containing the words Death, Doctor, and Island in
 some order or other. It was then realized that a mistake had been made
 and that No Award had actually "won". Someone suggested that if he wrote
 a story with those words in the title in a different order, he'd be a lock
 for the next year, he did, and did win the Nebula for it.]

tyg   tyg@hq.ileaf.com
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
From: xtifr@netcom.com (Chris Waters)
Subject: Re: Piers Anthony
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 07:54:32 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 

In <1992Sep14.215034.17448@kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca> aaron@space.ualberta.ca (Aaron Humphrey) writes:

>Dan'l concedes that many people don't want a book that makes them think, but
>merely a "good read".  He then claims that Anthony is not a "good read".  Well,
>then, why do people keep buying and reading Anthony?  >Why< does he keep
>selling books?  I can't imagine that however many millions of people look at
>Anthony books on the rack and say, "His last one was shit, but I'm going to buy
>this one anyway."  So somebody must consider them a "good read" despite the
>flaws you mention(which I partially agree with).

Hmmm, well, actually, my internal dialog when contemplating a new
Anthony, or Asprin, or Gardener novel often goes *exactly* as described
above.  :-)

But I doubt if I'm typical of the American buying public.  :-)

>Someone like the recent poster,
>who wasn't sure if any of us had heard of this Anthony guy, is obviously a bit
>naive about SF, and if the first reaction to his enthusing over Anthony is
>mockery, laughter, snidery, etc., then it might turn him off entirely.  Is
>that what we want to do?  Turn people off SF?

Ah, but what you don't seem to understand, Alfvaen, is that Usenet in
particular, and fandom in general, is populated by geeky nerds who
desperately want to find *some* way to feel superior to the great
unwashed masses who beat them up in high-school (on Usenet, these
memories are usually particularly fresh), and steal their lunch money.

These geeks have traditionally banded together to discuss other planets,
and alternate universes, and other ideas with a sufficiently geeky
pseudo-intellectual appeal.  Then, much to their dismay, they find that
"their" turf has lately been invaded by people who claim to like SF, but
who, for the most part, read Anthony or his ilk.  When your typical
college sophomore pimple-faced geek finds that the bully who used to
steal his lunch money now likes Anthony, he has no real choice but to
proclaim that "Anthony is bad."

IOW, the answer to your question is yes, many of the participants here
probably do want to turn anyone insufficiently geeky off of SF.  :-)

>(I mean, if someone posts here and says "I tried Iain
>Banks and Gene Wolfe, and they suck, but Piers Anthony's awesome", then go
>ahead and flame Anthony all you want...)

Hmm, still haven't read any Banks (though Wolfe has *long* been one of
my favorites).  In any case, it still seems like it would be more
appropriate to flame the idiot with such a lack of taste, rather than
flaming a fairly innocent author-of-juvenile-fiction.
-- 
Chris Waters    | the insane don't | NOBODY for President!
xtifr@netcom.COM| need disclaimers | Because Nobody's perfect!!
From: chuq@gallant.apple.com (Chuq Von Rospach)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: Upcoming Books till June
Date: 4 Sep 92 15:55:49 GMT
Organization: I is a writur

ve3pak@micor.ocunix.on.ca (Alayne McGregor and Brett Delmage) writes:
>In article <1992Sep1.001339.27822@gallant.apple.com> chuq@gallant.apple.com (Chuq Von Rospach) writes:
>>dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig) writes:
>>>Holt, Tom, Flying Dutch, Ace, Jun
>>
>>Which I've read, and which really whelmed me. Oh, well.

>I'm not sure why, but the jokes in this seemed like a tired Pratchett
>or a faded version of Holt's previous books. Nothing done paricularly
>wrong, but it just didn't quite click.

My feeling exactly. It definitely is a different style than SOMEONE TALLER,
not quite as gonzo and more moody. His previous books had a lot of really
weird situational humor (1200 year old vikings swapping seagull recipes and
the like) in outrageous situations. In this one, he set up a rather
depressing tale and tried to tell a fairly serious story surrounded by jokes
(because, of course, he's a humor writer). 

>>>MacAvoy, King of the Dead, AvoNova, Dec
>>>	I haven't a clue why this is a sequel to "Lens of the World",
>>>	instead of being a stand-alone novel. LotW certainly didn't
>>>	need a sequel.

>>Sequels sell, of course....

>Maybe because this is *better* than LotW, which was damned good itself.
>Read it, and you'll be convinced that LotW really needed this as a sequel.

I did try reading KotD, as well as the previous LotW, and neither did much
for me, but then I generally have mixed feelings about MacAvoy's work. She
either keeps me up until 2AM finishing her stuff, or mystifies me completely.
These didn't click, which doesn't mean they aren't good, it just means that
they weren't my style of book.

-- 
Chuq "IMHO" Von Rospach, ESD Support & Training (DAL/AUX) =+= Member, SFWA
  chuq@apple.com | GEnie: MAC.BIGOT | ALink:CHUQ =+= Editor, OtherRealms

    I believe there should be a constitutional amendment outlawing the
From: mgates@entiat.boeing.com (Michael Gates)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: Joan Aiken
Date: 10 Sep 92 17:32:06 GMT
Organization: Boeing Computer Services, Bellevue, WA
In-reply-to: dpn2@po.CWRU.Edu's message of 9 Sep 92 21:16:00 GMT


Neil> In a previous article, levine@symcom.math.uiuc.edu (Lenore Levine) says:

>Does anyone else like her Dido Twite books? 

Neil> I read one or two of those many years ago. I remember them being
Neil> very good.  Do you by any chance have a list of her books? I
Neil> wouldn't mind reading them again, to see if I still like them.

"...not looking at it. And then... *looking at it*, 
to see if I still liked it."

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Black Hearts in Battersea
Nightbirds On Nantucket
The Stolen Lake
The Cuckoo Tree
--
et tu mgates?
Xref: sparky rec.arts.sf.written:12040 rec.arts.sf.science:2890 sci.bio:3205 soc.culture.british:12400