HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: wiml@milton.u.washington.edu (William Lewis)
Subject: Re: Yet Another Misleading Cover
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 05:44:15 GMT

In article <w+8mmkk@quantum.on.ca> dagibbs@quantum.on.ca (David Gibbs) writes:
>In article <ELIZ.92Aug11101316@peduncle.ai.mit.edu> eliz@ai.mit.edu (Elizabeth Willey) writes:
>The covers of Terry Pratchet's disc world novels.  They are not neccessarily
>accurate, but they do suggest the right style.

  Depends on the printing, I guess. I assume you're referring to the
books that you'd find in a NA new-bookstore if you visited it today.
Frenetic, detailed, graphic-not-shaded drawing. I have an edition of
_The Colour of Magic_ in hardback, whose dust jacket has a wonderful
drawing of Great A'Tuin, elephants, Disc, and all, swimming through space,
with those hexagonal internal-reflection artifacts streaming from the small
orbiting sun. Interestingly, the blurbs mention _The Dark Side of the Sun_
and _Strata_, instead of _The Colo[u]r of Magic_ and the _Guide_ as do
printings with the newer cover art. 
  (For the curious: St.Martin's Press, New York. (c) 1983 by T.P. 
The puctuation follows the British convention.)
  My only gripe with the cover is that the elephants are arranged radially,
but who knows, maybe they shuffle sideways?

-- 
email: wiml@u.washington.edu             |  Home:  Seattle, Washington   |
     (William Lewis)                     |  47 41' 15" N   122 42' 58" W | 
NeXTmail: wiml@ingalls.cs.washington.edu `-------------------------------'
        --*-- Member, Coalition to Preserve Semantic Vacuity --*--
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
From: Zed <zed@silver.lcs.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: H. Beam Piper's "Fuzzies"
Reply-To: zed@silver.lcs.mit.edu
Organization: Liars for Truth
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1992 14:15:40 GMT

taia_a@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz writes:

> I have recently acquired some of H. Beam Piper's "Fuzzy" books.

> Notably "Little Fuzzy"
>         "Fuzzy Spaiens (sp?)"

That would be "sapiens". As in "homo sapiens sapiens", the species
name of human beings. Just a bit of trivia -- no reason to know it.

>         "Fuzzy Bones"

Tuning's book follows the other two immediately.

>         "Fuzzy People"

I presume you mean Piper's _Fuzzies and Other People_. As the story
goes, this was the lost manuscript to Piper's own third Fuzzy book
that finally turned up in a trunk in an attic. I find _Fuzzy Bones_
more satisfying, and wonder if _FaOP_ was what Piper really intended
for publication.

>     and "Fuzzy Odysesy (sp?)".

_Golden Dream: A Fuzzy Odyssey_ by Ardath Mayhar, written to be
consistent with _Fuzzy Bones_.

> The last three are by other authors. Are there any others?

Don't be misled by _Fuzzy Papers_, an omnibus of the first two books,
or _The Other Human Race_, an alternate title for, I believe, the
second one (and one damned insulting to fuzzies, I feel). To my
knowledge these are all the Fuzzy books, though a Fuzzy is depicted on
the cover of Piper's _Federation_ collection (which I haven't read),
so it's possible they play a role there.

Zed
-- 
 "A falling dream is a wonderful dream, one of the best dreams one can have.
                           Where did you fall to, and what did you discover?"
zed@silver.lcs.mit.edu
From: sm@g2.ph.man.ac.uk (Steve Mowbray)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: John Wyndham Question
Date: 20 Aug 92 10:23:50 GMT
Reply-To: sm@g2.ph.man.ac.uk
Organization: University of Manchester, UK

In article 9395@galileo.cc.rochester.edu, mprc@troi.cc.rochester.edu (M. Price) writes:
>
>     Help! I'm trying to locate a short story (?) by John Wyndham which
{description deleted]

I believe it's "Consider Her Ways" in the collection _Consider Her Ways and others_.

---
Steve Mowbray, Physics Department, University of Manchester, U.K.
-  Janet: sm@uk.ac.man.ph.g2  /  Internet: sm@g2.ph.man.ac.uk  -
From: dagibbs@quantum.on.ca (David Gibbs)
Subject: Re: Yet Another Misleading Cover
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 92 03:10:48 GMT
Organization: Quantum Software Systems

In article <ELIZ.92Aug11101316@peduncle.ai.mit.edu> eliz@ai.mit.edu (Elizabeth Willey) writes:
>Pally Hoffstein pleads:
>
>   Since the topic of misrepresentational covers has come up so often, I have a
>   question for the net.
>   Can anyone think of a book that had a promising, well-done cover where the
>   contents of the book lived up to promise of the cover and the cover proved
>   accurate?
>

The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay (covers by Martin Springet) -- 
the covers are beautiful as is the writing.  (The covers are done in
a style that looks like a tapestry, and portray stylized version of
events in the novels.)

The first few Vlad Taltos novels by Steven Brust -- Jhereg, Yendi, Teckla,
Taltos.  (Then came Phoenix, with a totally different artist.)

The Elric series, in the edition with silver covers, nice art, and the
set sits well together.  Books fit cover.  (And are good, modulo whether
or not you can stand Moorcock's eternal champion multiverse.)
Also nice, is the Chronicles of Count Brass trilogy done in a Brass
coloured paper instead of silver.  (But similar style.)

The covers of Terry Pratchet's disc world novels.  They are not neccessarily
accurate, but they do suggest the right style.

The covers of the Starblaze editions (trade paperback) of Robert Asprin's
M.Y.T.H. series.  (At least the early ones, I haven't seen the later
Starblaze editions, if they even exist.)

Most comic books, at least they get the characters looking right.  :-)

-David Gibbs
(dagibbs@quantum.on.ca)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.science
From: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee)
Subject: Re: Are the Moties us?
Organization: Johns Hopkins University CS Dept.
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 02:34:54 GMT

In article <1992Aug14.231933.11904@oracle.us.oracle.com> mfriedma@uucp (Michael Friedman) writes:
>1.  The richer you are, the more likely you are to have access to
>contraceptives.  
>2.  The rich need less redundancy in their families to be sure of
>reaching a given target.
>3.  The rich are more likely to be educated to have fewer children.
>4.  If you're dirt poor you aren;t that much poorer with 6 kids than
>with 2.  If you're rich you are much poorer.
>None of these factors produce any kind of evolutionary pressure to
>have fewer kids if you are rich.

Sure they do.  Education and lack of poverty are survival traits.
--
I am of course experienced in teaching and have read the writings of Socrates.
    -- Ed Nilges

Ken Arromdee (UUCP: ....!jhunix!arromdee; BITNET: arromdee@jhuvm;
     INTERNET: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu)
From: davidba@carmel.technion.ac.il (David Ben_Ami)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: Recommendation on Fantasy Epic Novels
Date: 13 Aug 92 17:08:07 GMT
Organization: Technion, Israel Inst. of Technology

In article <1992Aug11.143115.1@vaxa.strath.ac.uk> ciar04@vaxa.strath.ac.uk writes:
>Dear fellow netters
>
>Greetings everyone!  I am new to this newsgroup.  Recently, I have acquired
>this (bad?) habit - actually more of an obssession - of reading epic
>fantasy bookss.  I wonder if anyone out there can give me some recommendation
>as to some *good* books.
>Any suggestions from anyome?

Try one of Micheal Moorcock's "Eternal Champion" Serieses(sp?):

1. Elric Saga (7 books)
2. Corum Chronicles (2 trilogies).

Robert Zelazny's Amber series is also very good.
(Nine princes in Amber, Guns of Avalon, Sign of teh Unicorn, Hand of
Oberon adn I forgot the fifth, there are 4 more books that are said to
be worse but I didn't get them yet).

and of course Tolkien "Lord of the Rings" is a must!

I just bought "Duncton Tales" by William Hoorwood" anybody read this
series already?

David.
-- 
=============================================================================
  David Ben-Ami (irc: bigdav)      |   "I can resist anything but Temptation"
  s2780369@Techst02.Technion.Ac.Il |       Oscar Wilde
  davidba@Carmel.Technion.Ac.Il  davidba@Moav.Techniona.Ac.Il
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
From: sef@kithrup.COM (Sean Eric Fagan)
Subject: _Tigana_ question
Organization: Kithrup Enterprises, Ltd.
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 03:31:03 GMT

I just finished rereading _Tigana_ (by Guy Gavriel Kay), and have one
question:  what, exactly, did the ending mean?

-- 
Sean Eric Fagan  | "You can't get lost in in one room, no matter how
sef@kithrup.COM  |  little effort you make to learn your way around."
-----------------+    -- William E Davidsen (william@crd.GE.COM)
Any opinions expressed are my own, and generally unpopular with others.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
From: aaron@space.ualberta.ca (Aaron Humphrey)
Subject: Re: Go to alt.fan...we don't want you(was Re: rec.arts.sf.written FAQ)
Reply-To: aaron@space.ualberta.ca
Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 20:14:23 GMT

Sorry.  I obviously forgot my /*sarcasm on/off */ markers.  Like I was serious?
Think of it as "A Modest Proposal for rec.arts.sf.written".  (Too much time on
talk.bizarre makes the netiquette reflex atrophy...)

I was actually trying to sum up the opinions I've seen displayed on this
newsgroup.  I know people who like David Eddings(I enjoyed the Belgariad,
myself), and I like Piers Anthony and Anne McCaffrey.

But given the general reaction to Anthony/Eddings/McCaffrey subjects on this
newsgroup, I would >almost< recommend that fans of those authors not discuss
them on this group, in favour of the groups composed specifically of fans of
those authors.  Otherwise, the reaction in this group might be strong enough
to turn them off SF entirely...

Is that stating things more clearly?

I have no statistics to support my thesis, merely impressions.  Impressions
that many of the people who post here look with disdain on those who read the
above authors, and especially those who are gauche and ignorant enough to
think that anybody on sf.written might even like any of them.

--
---Alfvaen(a.k.a. Nysinra, rot13 Psycho)
"So you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts
 what's so amazing about really deep thoughts"  -- Tori Amos
Current Album--Tom Tom Club:Boom Boom Chi Boom Boom
Current Read--Henry David Thoreau:Walden and Other Writings
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
From: magnus@thep.lu.se (Magnus Olsson)
Subject: Re: Author Polls -- Cordwainer Smith
Summary: No, Jack Vance, actually!
Organization: Theoretical Physics, Lund University, Sweden
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 09:18:17 GMT

In article <92223.080819IOR@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU> IOR@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU (Thomas Hyer) writes:
>LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:
>
>Jack Vance
>----------
> Dying Earth                       +  20
> Araminta Station                  +  17
> Last Castle                       +   9
> Lyonesse                          +   9
> Cugel's Saga                      +   7
> <Demon Princes>                   +   7
> Moon Moth                         +   6
> Blue World                        +   5
> Maske: Thaery                     +   5
> Eyes of the Overworld             +   4
> Marune: Alastor 933               +   4
> <Planet of Adventure>             +   4
> To Live Forever                   +   4
> City of the Chasch                +   3
> Pnume                             +   3
> Star King                         +   3
> Book of Dreams                    +   2
> Dirdir                            +   2
> Face                              +   2
> Killing Machine                   +   2
> Rhialto the Marvelous             +   2
> Showboat World                    +   2
> Languages of Pao                  +   1
> Madouc                            +   1
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> Asutra                            -   1
> Galactic Effectuator              -   1
> Lyonesse I: Suldrun's Garden      -   1
> Nopalgarth                        -   1
> Son of the Tree                   -   1
> Take My Face                      -   1
> Vandals of the Void               -   1
> Five Gold Bands                   -   2
> Space Opera                       -   2
> Gray Prince                       -   3

Isn't there an inconsistency here? "Lyonesse" gets a rating of +9,
while "Madouc" (Lyonesse III) only gets +1 and "Lyonesse I: Suldrun's
Garden" even gets a negative score. 

Magnus Olsson                   | \e+      /_
Dept. of Theoretical Physics    |  \  Z   / q
University of Lund, Sweden      |   >----<           
Internet: magnus@thep.lu.se     |  /      \===== g
Bitnet: THEPMO@SELDC52          | /e-      \q
Xref: sparky rec.arts.sf.written:11199 rec.arts.sf.science:2549 sci.bio:2972
From: szabo@techbook.com (Nick Szabo)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.science,sci.bio
Subject: Re: Are the Moties us?
Date: 19 Aug 92 09:20:35 GMT
Article-I.D.: techbook.1992Aug19.092035.10907
Organization: TECHbooks --- Public Access UNIX --- (503) 644-8135

In article <1992Aug17.190857.15405@news.acns.nwu.edu> myboy@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Lewis Murtaugh) writes:

>changes in human behavior in the past 200 years ..
>Societies may evolve, but there is nothing happening on the genetic level.

This is quite false.  Relative frequencies of existing alleles and
simple allele combinations can change sharply over a few generations, as has 
been well-demonstrated in animal breeding, in the wild, and in modern humans.

Changes involving genetic mutations often involve a large random element that 
is improbable in less than hundreds to thousands of generations, so the
cumulative effects procede much more slowly . Changes involving improbable 
allele configurations a lso may take much longer.  But there are plenty of 
gene-frequency changes that act over less than ten generations that can have 
significant effects.  For example, the frequency of sickle-cell anemia is 
lower in African-Americans than in Africans, the Americans having been removed
from the threat of malaria for several more generations.


-- 
szabo@techbook.COM  Public Access User --- Not affiliated with TECHbooks
Public Access UNIX and Internet at (503) 644-8135 (1200/2400, N81)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: Bronte & Seuss
From: markrose@spss.com (Mark Rosenfelder)
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 19:43:51 GMT
Organization: SPSS Inc.

In article <1b8527dc.ARN2331@prolix.pub.uu.oz.au> munnari!labtam!eyrie!prolix!dac writes:
>You may as well juxtapose _The Cat In The Hat_ and _Wuthering
>Heights_.

OK.  They're both books about the enormous and disturbing impact of
uncontrollable male figures (Heathcliff; the Cat).  In both, a moralistic
figure (Catherine's husband; the fish) proves an ineffectual hedge against 
this primal force.  In both the weather is an important part of the
book's atmosphere: the stormy weather on the heath; the rain in _Cat_.
Both authors seem to identify more with their stormy protagonists than
with conventional mores, and lay stress on the rejection experienced
by their antiheroes.  Finally, the impact of both books (perhaps due to
their subversive subtext) has been considerable; these books are read 
again and again by their readers.
From: demon@desire.wright.edu (Stupendous Man)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: Niven dials
Summary: Pretty common "mistake" in almost all SF
Date: 3 Aug 92 18:00:15 GMT
Organization: Demonic Possesions, Inc.

In article <auwen.712850318@convex.convex.com>, auwen@convex.com (John David Auwen) writes:
> Even at a leading-edge computer company, I've heard the term "dial-up modem
> password" used.  I've also heard older folks say, "I think I'll dial him
> up".   So I think it was a figure of speech that Niven used on purpose.

	Niven used it because there was no other (American) term at the time. 
You had rotary dials and you dialed them.

	There are abundent anachronisms in books that usually peg the time the
book was written.  Take a(nother) look at Stranger in a Strange Land and count
the wrong assumptions about the future.

Brett                                                      
_______________________________________________________________________________
Proconsul Computer Consulting                                        CHA-CHING!
Better, Cheaper, Faster					       (Pick any two :)
Disclaimer:								   NOT!
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
From: write@eff.org (Glen Cox)
Subject: Re: Author Polls -- Cordwainer Smith
Originator: write@eff.org
Organization: Electronic Frontier Foundation
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 16:06:37 GMT

Dani Zweig wrote:

>>Choosing among Cordwainer Smith's top half dozen stories is hard,
>>almost arbitrary.  The '-1' entry is easy, though:  I can't think
>>of anything he wrote that merits it.  I can't think of any other
>>science fiction author with such a *solid* corpus.

Curtis Yarvin wrote:

>When discussion comes round to the Golden Age, I often find myself
>wondering if I'm living in the same consensus reality as the
>rest of you blokes.  I haven't read much by Smith - an anthology
>or two - but everything I've seen has been, if an improvement on
>E.E. Doc, mindbogglingly awful.  Without exception.

I write:

Usually, I would agree with you, Curtis.  Except this time I truly
believe that you do a grave misservice to Cordwainer by comparing 
him to that very inferior other Smith.

Have you read "Scanners Live in Vain"?  It could appear today and
cop some awards, IMHO.  

Some 50s work still holds up, even though some of the "style" might
seem dated.  (Dickens' style seems dated to us, but it still has
that something, and Dickens isn't the only comparison I could use.)

glen

-- 
/== Glen E. Cox ==============================================================\
|  write@eff.org  | "The great enemy of clear language is insincerity."       |
|  GEnie: G.COX3  |                                --George Orwell            |
| DELPHI: MRWRITE |                                                           |
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
From: hoahosth@halls1.cc.monash.edu.au (ANDREA HOSTH)
Subject: Re: Lois McMaster Bujold - recommendations?
Organization: Halls of Residence, Monash University 
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 07:18:29 GMT

In article <1992Aug11.020440.18295@microsoft.com> ericsa@microsoft.com (Eric Sassaman) writes:
>From: ericsa@microsoft.com (Eric Sassaman)

>I just finished Bujold's _Falling Free_. I was very impressed. However I was
>disappointed with _Brothers In Arms_. I'd like to try some more Bujold but
>perhaps stay away from her Vorkosigan (sp?) novels. I've seen good words
>about _Warrior's Apprentice_... any other recommendations of Bujold's works?
>Thanks in advance!

Just about anything she's written. She's brilliant. I *like* the Vorkosigan 
books (of which Warrior's Apprentice is sort of the first - first published 
I believe). I enjoyed it considerably. 

Ankh
From: TIP@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: seeking a Bujold story
Date: 19 Aug 92 19:04:20 GMT
Article-I.D.: SLACVM.92232.110420TIP
Organization: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

In the July through October 1991 issues of Analog there was a Bujold
story called "Barrayar."  I managed to miss part of the series and
was wondering if it was published anywhere else.
Any recommendations on other good works of hers are also appreciated.
-Karen
From: DAVIS@licra.dn.mu.oz.au
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: What are the best fantasy books involving dragons?
Date: 17 Aug 92 04:13:24 GMT
Organization: Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research

In article <7830@lee.SEAS.UCLA.EDU>, kwilliam@maclab01.seas.ucla.edu 
(William Kuan) writes:
> 	Any recommendations on fantasy books involving dragons? I feel
> like reading a good book that involves dragons as main characters in the

One of the best books involving dragons (and indeed one of the best 
fantasy books I have read) is "Dragonsbane" by Barbara Hambly.  Essential 
reading.

Ian Davis                                 DAVIS@licr.dn.mu.oz.au
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
Melbourne Tumour Biology Branch
Melbourne, Australia.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
From: mab@wdl39.wdl.loral.com (Mark A Biggar)
Subject: Re: Andre Norton's _Beastmaster_ (the book, not the (ugh) movie)
Organization: Loral Western Development Labs
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 22:20:12 GMT

In article <jcmorris.714410358@mwunix> jcmorris@mwunix.mitre.org (Joe Morris) writes:
>And as long as we're talking about _Beastmaster_, what's the story
>behind the movie sequel?  I noticed that _Beastmaster_2_ was available
>on cable (as pay-per-view) back in June, although given the abyssmal 
>handling of the original I had no trouble deciding not to watch it...

The story for the original movie is that the people who did
the movie bought the rights from Norton and then proceeded to use
only the Title, the set of animals and the telepathy with the animals
gimic and nothing else from the story.

The sequal is a not too-bad B fantasy movie, but not worth paying money to 
see, wait for it to come to normal cable.


--
Mark Biggar
mab@wdl1.wdl.loral.com

Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
From: drisko@ics.COM
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Dark Force
Date: 6 Aug 92 19:47:10 GMT

Date: 4 Aug 92 17:33:30 GMT
From: bl375@cleveland.freenet.edu (Brian G. Greenberg)
Reply-to: sf-lovers-written@Rutgers.Edu
Subject: Zahn Books (Some spoilers to Dark Force Rising)

Well I just finished Dark Force Rising and was surprised by the ending,
however I did like it (the book and the ending).  In fact, the ending was
as I hoped it would be.  Because everything had been going the rebels way,
well practically, I was hoping the Empire would get the Dark Force.  I was
however surprised about the whole Clone thing.

> You had to expect something like that to happen.  They dropped enough hints
    with the constant talk about the Emperor's secrets in Mt. Tantiss.  I 
    wonder though, if these cloning cylinders are why they had soooo many 
    troops and stormtroopers during the war with the rebels.

When I first read Heir, I disliked the ysalamir and still do.  I don't see
how you can create a bubble to block out the Force.

> The whole idea is ridiculous.  The Force surrounds and comes from all things.
    Listen to Yoda's speach in TESB, and you'll see what I mean.  

One of the things I like best about the series is Mara Jade.  I love her
character.  I forsee her and Luke joining forces again to defeat C'boath.
Who knows Luke may turn her to the good side once and for all and marry
her.

> She is kinda cool, but I can't see her joining anyone's side.  A battle with
    C'boath is right around the corner, and I think she'll have a part in this
    one too.  I have a feeling though, that she just might die saving Luke.

What is the third book called and when is it due out?

> When you find this info out, let me know ASAP.


- Jason

drisko@ics.com

Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written