Edited by Samuel Lubell lubell@bigfoot.com
Review by Colleen R. Cahill Of Swords and Spells. By Delia Marshall Turner. New York: Ballantine Publishing Group,
c1999. LC card number 98-93409, ISBN
0-345-42432-8. Of Swords and Spells
is a book that defies definition as a science fiction or fantasy novel. On one hand it has space ships, needle guns,
and a galactic web; on the other hand it also has magic, witches, and sword
play. Turner has made both commonplace in her universe and they interact
together in a way that does not jar the mind. Magic is a source of power, not
just for spells, but for engines that drive space ships. The book begins with
the sword fight between Malka and her trainer Sefir Zul. As one of the two
major sword fights in the book, it sets the tone of Malka's relationship with
the world. She trusts no one, likes to
hurt people, and wants to be left alone, but it is quickly revealed that she
may not just be a paranoid, sadistic loner. The title of each chapter is a
fencing term or phrase, reflecting not only the ability of Malka with a saber,
but that of the author, who is a national ranked saber champion (see her web
page http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dmturner/). The titles also nicely reflect the action in
the chapter, but do not give anything away.
The most intriguing
thing about this book is the way the author sets you expectations and then
turns the story away from them. Malka
is especially hard to pin down, as her character and even her physical size are
in flux. Hints are dropped, but just when you think you have enough pieces to
put the puzzle together, a new clue will reshape the picture. Not being cruel,
Turner does eventually answer the most burning questions and nicely joins this
book to Nameless Magery, an earlier work set the same universe. For those who have read the first book,
Of Swords and Spells gives a different but still familiar view of that
world and has appearances of some of Nameless Magery's characters. My personal
assessment of the book is it is a fun read with plenty of plot twists and
interesting characters. While this work may not change your world view or
deepen your spiritual nature, it will keep you entertained. From the Internet with additions by Samuel
Lubell U Trades her Barbie doll in for a crossbow. U Every one of her dates ends the same way. She
calls in the middle of the night and you have to drive out and pick her up
because she's all alone in a field and covered with dust. U U Ran for Homecoming Queen and was suspended for
beating up the captain of the football team in the same week. U Always hanging around with that creepy English
librarian but insists that they're not "doing it." U Garlic disappears from the kitchen, reappears
on her bedroom window. U Dresses like Popular but hangs out with the
Freaks and Geeks U Tree by window gets more use than her door U Is always complaining about umpires U Hope chest consists of stakes, swords, and
crossbows U Calls best friend a witch, and is serious U Needs to know the plural of apocalypse U Takes your front door's Welcome mat U Laughs every time you say, "It's not the end of
the world." U Practically lives in the school library yet
never seems to do her homework U Thinks that the best tool for "dusting" is a
stake, not a cloth with Pledge U Is always being watched. The first WSFA meeting of the year 2000 took place
1/17/2000. "Meeting time, meeting
time," said Bob MacIntosh who chaired the meeting despite the presence of
President Judy at his side. "Our
President is having a vocal problem with the flu. 1st Friday official time 9:17 by my watch." Lee offered him a gavel. "Any old business?" "Dues are due, and they are at $10," said Sam. Eric asked if the membership fee included
Disclave membership. "Hit him"
instructed Bob. "We were to investigate insurance for our hosts,"
said Sam. "Our packet is this book"
said Bob, holding his hands far apart.
"I haven't gone through it yet." "Some idiot suggested doing a world fantasy
con. Guess who." There was much speculation as to the
name. "Initials MW." The treasurer reported $2,669.52. Disclave 2000 said, "One of my enterprises
went belly up so I should have more time."
"You lost your job?" asked a member.
"No, the government can't go out of business," Covert replied. Joe protested, "It can't go out of business,
it never started." Entertainment committee said that a Big Truck came
on Tuesday and took lots of things out of the house. The Library Committee is on hold due to vacations. Eric, for the Austerity Committee, said,
"We're leading by example, people are bringing food." Mike Walsh brought information about the World Fantasy Convention
to be looked at. Joe said, "There is a project for Balticon. We discussed working two hours at
registration. They can use two people
at a time. Next meeting I'll have a
sign-up sheet. If you volunteer for two
hours on Friday you can enjoy the rest of the con <without feeling
guilty.> And they're giving us a
room for a WSFA party. Last year John
Pomerantz made instant ice cream and everyone had a lot of fun. Generally the Friday evening programming
isn't stellar so this would be a neat way to hang out and meet friends." Joe will coordinate the party, "We'll need
refreshments and ideas. I'd like to see
innovation. Go for it!" Any new business?
No! There will be an exhibition
of sf art from the Frank Collection, January 27- March 4, 2000 at the
University of Maryland. There will be a
reception Monday Jan 31 and a Roundtable discussion Friday March 3rd. Fandom has been trademarked. Windows 99 is a trademark in Russia, for
cigarettes. David Halterman is still
alive; his address is 920 E. Park Street, Panama City, FL 32404. WSFA used to meet at his house. Joe is back from hospital. He is allergic to a drug made by
turtles. The meeting was unanimously adjourned at 9:39 and
members went upstairs to help mail stuff out for the sf writing contest. Attendance:
Pres Judy Kindell, Sec. Samuel Lubell, Treas Bob MacIntosh, Trust. Lee
Gilliland, Trust Steven Smith, Trust. Michael Walsh, 2000 Chair Covert Beach,
Eric Jablow, Elspeth Kovar, Keith Lynch, Nicki Lynch, Richard Lynch, Keith
Marshall, Joe Mayhew, Barry and Meridel Newton, George Shaner, Michel Taylor, Madeleine
Yeh, Mary Bentley, Edmund Schlaessal, Daniel Horne, Chris Holte, and the
Millennium Bug. Embassy Row, A Mycroft Holmes Novel By Quinn Fawcett, authorized by Dame Jean Conan Doyle Tor Books, 1998, $6.99 pb, 384 pgs One of the pleasures of going
to SF Conventions is running into Larry Smith, Bookseller, in the Dealers Room.
Half the time he has books I might want to buy. This time he happened to have the mystery referenced above in his
new books section, which I purchased on impulse. (I will confess, I am addicted
to books and I frequently buy books on impulse.) I forget if Larry added his
recommendation. This is apparently part of a
series. Other books by the same author
and publisher are "Against the Brotherhood" and "The Flying
Scotsman". For those who have forgotten,
Mycroft Holmes is the elder brother of Sherlock Holmes, and far surpasses him
in intellectual ability. Her Majesty's
Government depends on him, in this case for the negotiation of a naval alliance
with Japan, and then for the rectification of events following the murder of
one of the other negotiators. Notice I
did not state that he was to catch the murderer, or see Justice done. Like his younger brother, he doesn't see the
necessity of enforcing law when more important things, such as the fate of
nations, are at stake. The story is told from the
point of view of his secretary, with diary entries of his butler. Alas, they lack the literary abilities of
John Watson, MD, who makes an appearance in the story. Or perhaps Mycroft is
simply more mysterious than Sherlock, or doesn't deign to explain himself. In any case, it is a solid procedural story,
and impossible to put down. --Robert E Sacks Review
of Phantom of the Opera Still, a member of the New York
(now Nieuw Amsterdam) Worldcon Bid was pressing for a theatre party, and I do
listen to WQXR, the local classical radio station, so when last year I heard an
ad for discounted tickets to Les Miserables I organized a group and we
went. I had seen the PBS tribute and
heard the music, and read the play. I
had even read the book many years before.
I was expecting an uplifting experience. Instead, it was dark and depressing. It was great theatre, great music, a worthy musical
interpretation of great literature, and yet I was depressed. Then, a few weeks ago I heard
another ad, this time for The Phantom of The Opera. This time, there were only a couple of us
who went. You may not know it, but Gaston Leroux' novel Le Fantome de
L'Opera is generally considered to be trite, melodramatic drivel. Of the three operas within the opera, the
only one with any dramatic value is the one written by the Phantom, "Don
Juan Triumphant." "Il
Muto" is just bad. And the opening
scene from "Hannibal" was so (deliberately) bad, I couldn't stop
laughing. And the scenes in the
managers' office are also laughably bad.
Perhaps the best scene without the Phantom is the ballet scene from
"Il Muto", and the Phantom is killing someone in the background. The only good singing involves the
Phantom/villain, the heroine, and the hero.
I suppose you really can't ask for much more, except a happy ending,
which was supplied. In spite of the
rotten ingredients, this was an uplifting experience. People without experience in good opera and good theatre might
not even realize how rotten the ingredients were. In an age where you can see Shakespeare, Gilbert & Sullivan, Amadeus,
The Marriage of Figaro and The Barber of Seville on television,
it is surprising how many people lack any experience in good opera and good
theatre. --Robert E Sacks WSFA
Meeting January 31, 2000 At
Ginter's, Judy Kindell presiding. The meeting
was called to order at 9:19. In the
absence of the Secretary, Judy asked Joe Mayhew to be scribe. There was no outstanding old business,
except for Erica's request for information about what WSFA's insurance covered
for its regular meetings. Bob MacIntosh reported the treasury
balance to be $2,723.82, and that, as of the new year, dues were payable. The Trustees noted that we ought to be
thinking about candidates for the election of WSFA Officers at the first
meeting in May. COMMITTEES AUSTERITY; Eric Jablow noted that people
were contributing refreshments. DISCLAVE: Covert Beach said he might
organize tours of possible Hotels during the next week. BALTICON PROJECT. Joe Mayhew circulated a sign-up sheet for
those willing to help out at Balticon registration on Friday between 3 pm and 8
pm - with three slots per hour (7 1
hour slots were filled, leaving six to go) WEB SITE: Several people had ideas about
developing a WSFA web site. The existing
one needs up-dating and attention. PUBLICATIONS: Joe Mayhew announced that
Secretary Sam Lubell had turned the mailing list over to Joe. Future
maintenance, changes of address, or corrections should be given to him. If you want a copy of the list: 1) give him
a diskette he can put it on, 2) E-mail him at JTMayhew@worldnet.att.net, or
wait until a paper version comes out. LIBRARY
EVENTS: Lee Gilliland said the Arlington Library
person still hadn't got back to her. Joe Mayhew said that he had gotten past
the first gorgon in his quest for space in the Prince George's Co. (MD) system. Mike Nelson reported that Chicon 2000's
PR 5 was at the printer. He had Hugo
ballots for any who wanted them. The meeting was adjourned at: 9:45 The following attended: Treas. Bob MacIntosh, Trusts. Lee Gilliland
& Michael J. Walsh, MM Chair Covert Beach. Colleen Cahill, Alexis & Lee
Gilliland, Karl & Erica Ginter, Greg Herring, Chris Holte, Daniel Horne,
Michael Lummis, Keith Lynch, Richard & Nicki Lynch, Keith Marshall, Joe
Mayhew, Walter Miles, Mike Nelson, Meridel Newton, Evan Phillips, Kathleen
Pleet, George Shaner, Jon Singer, Marian Skatski, Mike Taylor, & Madeleine
Yeh. By Bob MacIntosh Here's
what WSFA did in January: Revenue
In: $240 from dues MacIntosh,
Bob Shaner,
George Lynch,
Dick Lynch,
Nikki Beach,
Covert Kindell,
Judy "El Presidente" Newton,
Barry Newton,
Judy Newton,
Meridel Walsh,
Mike Lubell,
Sam Lynch,
Keith Marshall,
Keith Mayhew,
Joe Gilliland,
Alexis Gilliland,
Lee Yen.
Madeline Jablow,
Eric Holte,
Chris Horn,
Dan Ginter,
Erica Philips,
Evan Nelson,
Mike Cahill,
Colleen In
Addition, we got a refund from Montgomery County for too much tax paid. Amount
$79.19. Expenses: First
Friday $38.56 WSFA
Journal $32.55 Third
Friday $25.00 Wed
Site $35.00 Disclave
Refunds $60.00 Total
Revenue: $319.19 Surplus
for January : $128.08 I
found out today that I won't be at WSFA Friday. I'll be Laredo Tx. So, allow me
to submit our current balance: $2,658.82. The
Starship Trooper Chronicles. A review by Charles Gilliland ROUGHNECKS is an early morning cartoon that is
completely CGI, and airs on Channel 20, at 7:30am. Produced by Paul Verhoeven,
ROUGHNECKS is a serialized re-working of his movie, whose story is doled out
over the course of several episodes, with three to four episodes forming a
chapter in the chronicles. The individual stories are, unfortunately, rather
uninspired, and coupled with the bland characterizations, the show is merely
watchable. The nod towards Heinlein
occurs in the opening credits with voice over quotes from FDR "This date will
live in infamy," and JFK "Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather
what you can do for your country," which is all that is left of Heinlein's
philosophizing. The soldiers are
already in combat, so the boot-camp training that they had gone through, and
society in general on earth, are revealed through an episode of flashbacks,
with some scenes (such as the "jump-ball" game) lifted directly from the
movie. On the plus side, the writers
are paying attention to continuity, and do build on events that had occurred in
prior episodes in the chapter. So, as
the show progresses, you can see a larger story unfold over the course of the
episodes. They have managed to avoid
the "Planet of the Week" syndrome, by spending an entire chapter showing the MI
trying to drive the bugs off of a planet (which in show time occurs over a few
months). This formula is, in turn,
broken up by the odd skirmish on an asteroid or satellite. With the overall shoot-em-ups broken up by
the odd mystery where Razak's [sic] Roughnecks have to figure out what the bugs
are doing now, or trying to identify the new type of bug that they've
encountered. However, with the lack of
an overall picture of the campaign, the cardboard characters presented with
their sophomoric dialog and actions, and the lack of tension during the actual
fighting, ROUGHNECKS falls short of telling a gripping, two-fisted, combat tale
during the course of the episode.
However, with the overall arc in place, it does try to tell a passable
war story leavened with romance. All in all, ROUGHNECKS is an
impressive looking show, where the overall series is better than its individual
episodes. Note: Charles also sent the Journal the following
lyrics to "Ballad of Rodger Young" that Heinlein referenced in
STARSHIP TROOPERS. by
Frank Loesser Spoken: "On July 31st, 1943, a bloody round in the
battle for the Solomon Islands was being fought in the tangled jungles of New
Georgia. This is the story of one of
the young men who fought and died there.
This song is respectfully dedicated to those heroic infantrymen, who,
like Rodger Young, have sacrificed their lives that their nation might remain
forever free...." No, they've no time for glory in the Infantry. No, they've got
no use for praises loudly sung, But in every soldier's heart in all the Infantry Shines the name, shines the name of Rodger Young. Shines
the name - Rodger Young! Fought
and died for the men he marched among. To the
everlasting glory of the Infantry Lives
the story of Private Rodger Young. Caught in ambush lay a company of riflemen - Just grenades against machine guns in the gloom - Caught in ambush till this one of twenty riflemen Volunteered, volunteered to meet his doom. Volunteered,
Rodger Young! Fought
and died for the men he marched among. In the
everlasting annals of the Infantry Glows
the last deed of Private Rodger Young. It was he who drew the fire of the enemy That a company of men might live to fight; And before the deadly fire of the enemy Stood the man, stood the man we hail tonight. On the island of New Georgia in the Solomons, Stands a simple wooden cross alone to tell That beneath the silent coral of the Solomons, Sleeps a
man, Rodger Young, Fought
and died for the men he marched among. In the
everlasting spirit of the Infantry Breathes
the spirit of Private Rodger Young. No, they've no time for glory in the Infantry, No, they've got no use for praises loudly sung, But in every soldier's heart in all the Infantry Shines the name, shines the name of Rodger Young. Shines
the name - Rodger Young! Fought
and died for the men he marched among. To the
everlasting glory of the Infantry Lives
the story of Private Rodger Young. The Varieties Of Philosophic Kissing Experience Submitted by Elspeth from the Unofficial St. John's
College Alumni Web Page Dear Doctor Rude, 1.Aristotelian kiss 2.Hegelian kiss 3.Wittgensteinian kiss 4.Godelian kiss Signed, Flummoxed in Florida Dear Flummoxed, That's a very good
question; nowadays most sex education courses focus on secondary and tertiary sources,
so much so that few people really get exposed to the classics in this field any
more. I'll try to make a brief but clear summary of some of these important
types of kisses: Aristotelian
kiss -- a kiss performed using techniques gained solely from theoretical
speculation untainted by any experiential data by one who feels that the latter
is irrelevant anyway. Hegelian
kiss -- a dialiptical technique in which the kiss incorporates its own
antithikiss, forming a synthekiss. Wittgensteinian
kiss -- the important thing about this type of kiss is that it refers only to
the symbol (our internal mental representation we associate with the experience
of the kiss--which must necessarily also be differentiated from the act itself
for obvious reasons and which need not be by any means the same or even similar
for the different people experiencing the act) rather than the act itself and,
as such, one must be careful not to make unwarranted generalizations about the
act itself or the experience thereof based merely on our manipulation of the
symbology therefore. Godelian kiss -- a kiss
that takes an extraordinarily long time, yet leaves you unable to decide
whether you've been kissed or not. Now, this is by no means an
exhaustive list--here are just a few other classic kisses: Socratic
kiss -- actually really a Platonic kiss, but it's claimed to be the Socratic
technique so it'll sound more authoritative; however, compared to most strictly
Platonic kisses, Socratic kisses wander around a lot more and cover more
ground. Kantian
kiss -- a kiss that, eschewing inferior "phenomenal" contact, is
performed entirely on the superior "noumenal" plane; though you don't
actually feel it at all, you are, nonetheless, free to declare it the best kiss
you've ever given or received. Sartrean
kiss -- a kiss that you worry yourself to death about even though it really
doesn't matter anyway. Russell-Whiteheadian
kiss -- a formal kiss in which each lip and tongue movement is rigorously and
completely defined, even though it ends up seeming incomplete somehow. Hertzsprung-Russellian
kiss -- Oh, Be A Fine Girl/Guy, Kiss Me. Pythagorean
kiss -- a kiss given by someone who has developed some new and wonderful
techniques but refuses to use them on anyone for fear that others would find
out about them and start using them. Cartesian
kiss -- A particularly well-planned and coordinated movement: "I think,
therefore, I aim." In general, a kiss does not count as Cartesian unless
it is applied with enough force to remove all doubt that one has been kissed.
(cf. Polar kiss, a more well-rounded movement involving greater nose-to-nose
contact, but colder overall.) Nietzscheian
kiss -- "she/he who does not kiss you, makes your lust stronger." Epimenidian
kiss -- a kiss given by someone who does not kiss. Grouchoic
kiss -- a kiss given by someone who will only kiss those who would not kiss him
or her. Harpoic
kiss -- shut up and kiss me. Zenoian
kiss -- your lips approach, closer and closer, but never actually touch. Procrustean
kiss -- well, suffice it to say that it is a technique that, once you've
experienced it, you'll never forget it, especially when applied to areas of the
anatomy other than the lips. -----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Unnatural Enquirer, (C)
1992 by Trygve Lode (tlode@nyx.cs.du.edu)
May be reproduced and distributed freely in unmodified form on a noncommercial
basis provided this notice remains intact.
Review: Of Swords and Spells
Signs Your Daughter Has Become a Vampire Slayer
WSFA 2000
Robert Sacks Reviews
Quest for Space
Treasurer's Report
Roughnecks, The Starship Trooper Chronicles
The Ballad of Rodger Young
The Varieties of Philosophical Kissing Experiences
Review: Of Swords and Spells
At
the center of the story and its narrator is Malka, a short, cranky, sword
master who is on the run from both the galactic magic police and her mysterious
master. Malka is just as mysterious, as
she has magical powers but insists she is not a witch, seems to be 15 years old
but has memories of several decades, and attracts the most unusual people. She
deals with or tries to avoid a fencing master, a handsome android, various
witches, an extremely nasty-sounding master, a possessive cat, and a group of
people who want to "release" her, which she implies is not a good idea ... for
her.
Signs Your Daughter Has Become a Vampire Slayer
Her boyfriend flees in terror when you offer to
get him a steak for dinner.WSFA 2000
For a
New Yorker, I don't go to the theatre much.
I read plays, watch movies, listen to soundtracks, and watch plays on
television. When I was in college, I had a subscription to the college
repertory. When I was young, a friend of my father's got us in to see him in Once
Upon a Mattress, and a customer in my parents' store got us in to see her
in Pirates of Penzance, twice, but one year I had an experience which
pretty much turned me off of Broadway theatre.
My parents took me to see two off-off-far off-Broadway plays, and I gave
up on Broadway theatre. After all, once
you have seen Man of La Mancha and The Royal Hunt of The Sun
there is not likely to be anything worth seeing in the same lifetime. I did go with my high school class to see 1776,
and I did enjoy it, but I gave up on theatre.
After all, they don't seem to write good plays that often. (The same can
be said of movies - have you noticed how many of the better recent movies were
written by William Shakespeare and Jane Austen?)
Now I
will confess that Man of La Mancha, along with the book Watership
Down, has had a lasting impact on my personal philosophy and beliefs.
That "The Impossible Dream" is my personal theme song should
come as a surprise to no one who knows me. In any case, I hadn't been going to
the theatre, and in only one case, "Sunset Boulevard", did I ever
regret that practice.
Quest for Space
Total Expended: $191.11
The
episodes themselves are shoot-em-up action-adventure, with a touch of
characterization and soap opera mixed in, though the characters come across
more as high-school kids on a field trip, complete with all the stereotypes,
than as MI. The love-triangle between
our hero Rico, Dizzy, and Carmen has survived the transition, as has the
general Mobile Infantry look and the Bug's overall appearance. However, the armor (referred to in the show
as "power armor") is now part of a space/environment suit combination that
includes: shock sticks, an inflatable floatation collar, fully enclosed helmet
to allow for operations in hostile environments, and a jump-pack that allows
the troopers to move "on the bounce." The
infantry squads are reinforced by "Marauders," which are armed variants on the
ALIENS power-lifter with which Ripley fought off the Alien Queen. And we also get to see them do a Capsule
Drop, though this is reserved for only "special" occasions. The hardware designs are impressive: the
dropships look much better here, than in the movie; and the skimmers (Surface
Effect APC's) are also impressive. The
bugs now look like bugs, as they utilize the slashers from the movie as the
base, and combine them with mosquitoes, or water boatmen, or other real bugs so
that they actually look like proper insects.
The landscapes are impressive, as are the various vistas our heroes get
to see, and they also can portray the weather.
As for the actual people, there is a strong feeling of the
Super-Marionettes from THUNDERBIRDS, or CAPTAIN SCARLET, in their movements and
expressions. And the "Skinnies" are
finally introduced as our methane-breathing allies against the Bug Menace.
Sleeps
a man, sleeps a man remembered well.
I think I understand what a "platonic
kiss" is, but could you explain to me the difference between the following
kisses? 
Kafkaesque kiss -- a kiss that starts out feeling
like it's about to transform you but ends up just bugging you. 
Heisenbergian kiss -- a hard-to-define kiss--the
more it moves you, the less sure you are of where the kiss was; the more energy
it has, the more trouble you have figuring out how long it lasted. Extreme
versions of this type of kiss are known as "virtual kisses" because
the level of uncertainty is so high that you're not quite sure if you were
kissed or not. Virtual kisses have the advantage, however, that you need not
have anyone else in the room with you to enjoy them.