Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2005 15:56:22 -0500
From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at press.jhu.edu>
To: <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Old School
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

> dalek_cag at yahoo.com 3/30/2005 3:16:36 PM >>>
>Well, if you haven't read Clifford Simak's Way Station
>yet, you should do so.  I can't believe I waited until
>this year to read it.  Mike Walsh's Old Earth Books
>has it back in print with a spot on cover
>illustration. =20

<blush>

The sad thing, in my cynical opinion, is that if Simak presented Way =
Station to a publisher now they would ask when the rest of the trilogy =
would be done.

"I write novels (*when* I write them), not series. The first time I saw =
the words "stand alone novel" I thought I would never stop throwing up. =
Once upon a time, a book was a book. One. A Singular. Now they're not =
books unless there's *at least* three of them." * Howard Waldrop

>
>I'm a huge Bob Shaw fan, but he doesn't seem to be
>very popular anymore in the US.=20

He was also a fan who happen to be a writer.

Here's a nice bio by Langford: http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/cla=
ssics_archive/shaw/shaw_bio.html=20

He wrote three novels set in "a universe of audaciously daft physics where =
pi has an unfamiliar value, twin planets can share an atmosphere, =
interplanetary balloon flight is feasible"

He came up with the concept of "slow glass" which is really neat.See: =
http://technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=3D692

> I would recommend the
>short story collection Cosmic Kalaedescope.  Also, i'm
>of the opinion that you can't go wrong with John
>Wyndham - Day of the Triffids, The Midwich Cuckoos
>a/k/a Village of the Damned, The Chrysalids a/k/a
>Re-birth, The Outward Urge and The Kraken Awakes.=20

http://www.liv.ac.uk/~asawyer/triffid2.html might be of interest.=20

>
>For fantasy, I'd recommend Peter S. Beagle.  A Fine
>and Private Place should never have been allowed to go
>out of print (Mike, any chance you could pick up the
>rights?).  Tamsin is also really good.  Beagle really
>captures the voice of an adolescent girl.

Lots of Beagle will becoming back.  He now has a business manager. =20
The anniversay issue of F&SF will have a *new* Beagle story in it. & will =
probably be the cover.

>
>Like Madeleine, I've recently dug out an Andre Norton
>book.  I just finished Here Be Monsters last night.=20
>It's not the most brilliant book ever, but it's a good
>serviceable fantasy.

I have very fond recollections of reading those early Ace paperback =
editions. =20

>
>In fantastic horror, I'd recommend Sheridan LeFanu.=20
>Carmilla wasn't made into a movie 4 times because it
>sucked.

Oh, that bites.

mjw

>
>--Cathy