From: "Strong, Lee" <StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL>
To: "'WSFA members'" <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Sturgeon's Law & Fanthorpe
Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2002 15:00:48 -0500
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

	It was "the pores of your nose" that did it for me.  I nominate Mr.
Fanthorpe for the honor of having a black hole named for him.
	And what does "YMMV" mean?

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Walsh [mailto:MJW at mail.press.jhu.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2002 2:31 PM
To: WSFAlist at keithlynch.net
Subject: [WSFA] Sturgeon's Law & Fanthorpe

Lee Strong quizzed:

>	Does Sturgeon's Law obey Sturgeon's Law?

I suspect if he had been asked he would have said yes - but that's only my =
opinion, YMMV.

OTOH, I don't know if Sturgeon's Law is applicable to only large masses of =
stuff - like sf, sci-fi, skiffy, etc etc - or to more discrete units - =
like the work of an author.  If so, then somewhere R. Lionel Fanthorpe has =
actually written some decent fiction.

"When he awoke it was pitch dark, dark as the pit, dark as the tomb, dark =
as the grave. A thick, black velvet darkness that seemed almost tangible =
in its intensity. The kind of darkness that got into the pores of your =
nose..."  Orbit One, Fanthorpe writing as John E. Muller  (http://www.pelto=
rro.com/examples.htm)

mjw

>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Michael Walsh [mailto:MJW at mail.press.jhu.edu]
>Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2002 2:10 PM
>To: WSFAlist at keithlynch.net
>Subject: [WSFA] Re: time travel
>
>>"Strong, Lee" wrote:
>>>
>>>         Both Heinlein stories have been cited in serious physics books =
=
>to
>>> illustrate the apparent problems with time travel, including a =
>wonderful
>>> chart of the protagonist's worldline.
>>
>>I've read them -- I've read all of Heinlein at one point or another =
=AF
>>and they're fine but for me they come under the category of 'puzzle
>>stories', little intellectual pieces like mystery short-stories, with a
>>prize for the winner and not a whole lot of characterization.  I prefer
>>stories that have stronger (and better) characters, and ones in which
>>the actual effects of the time shift can be shown through characters'
>>behavior in more than just a snapshot.  What can I say?  I'd rather read
>>about people than dissect the author's head games, and Heinlein's
>>'authorial voice' comes through so strongly in much of his work that
>>it's intensely annoying.
>
>No question that RAHs voice is strong.  But in that case that's what - to =
=
>my mind - makes his better stories so good.  It also makes his weaker/bad =
=
>stuff even more weaker/bad.
>
>Authors with voices/styles that are fairly unique to them are of course =
=
>not uncommon in the genre, and the better authors can get away with it - =
=
>Cordwainer Smith & R. A. Lafferty come to mind.
>
>>
>>Yes, I realize this is heresy to much of SF fandom, but I'm saying this
>>having paid the dues of reading all of it first.
>
>I wouldn't categorize such as "heresy" just an observation.
>
>There are authors who are ever so popular that I just can't read,  I =
>suspect just mentioning one of them here would cause gasps of disbelief =
=
>amongst some of the folks on this list.
>
>Though sometimes I think Sturgeon was an optimist . . .
>
>mjw
>
>>
>>Kit
>>
>