The Power Of Purple

Compassion And Avarice, But No Anomalies

2009-11-12T23:57:48Z

ENTRY #41
0911.12

As I mentioned a couple of entries back, during November, DC Comics is releasing a series of promtional rings tied into their Blackest Night series. Yesterday was new comics day, and of course, the second ring release.

Like last week, I happened to have the day off yesterday, so I made my way to The Great Escape within an hour of their opening. I had not put in a hold request for this week's tie-in books -- Booster Gold #26 and R.E.B.E.L.S. #10. Last week, I managed to get to the store before they had even finished putting out all of the new arrivals. I figured that if I could get there that early, I would have no problem picking up either this week's tie-in books, or the rings.

As it turned out, I was right. I did manage to arrive a little later than I had last week. Good decision. Last week, the staff was still in the process of putting out the new arrivals. This week, everything was out by the time I arrived. I made my selections, then went to the cash register to pay for them -- and to pick up my rings, which were kept behind the counter.

The manager was at the register when I approached, and requested this week's rings -- the orange and indigo rings. When he handed me the rings, I made a close inspection. No anomalous rings, like I encountered last week. Each ring had the correct symbol.

I held up the orange ring, and I said to the manager, "You know what you're supposed to say when you wear this one, don't you?"

He did. He was chuckling as he said, "MINE!" I think I was just a half-second slow as I joined in.

I then asked if had heard about the anomalous ring I discovered last week. As it turns out, not only had he known about it, mine wasn't the only one. The Great Escape had received two bags of the promotional rings last week, and he told me that they had found three anomalous rings (including mine, I think). I'm not certain how many rings were in each bag, but from what I saw, I'm guessing that there were 100 rings to a bag.

He didn't mention finding any anomalies this week, so I'm guessing that they hadn't encountered any. Well, it was still early in the day. Something tells me that the number of anomalies they had last week was probably the right amount to be a statistically normal amount of errors, and that the same should hold true for all of the other colors.

Or maybe I'm overanalyzing this way too much.

Two more weeks to go. I can't wait to have the complete set -- and that isn't the orange ring talking.

-30-

Giving Him THAT Number

2009-11-07T21:35:28Z

ENTRY #40
0911.07

[DISCLAIMER: These characters are owned by other people; I'm just having a little fun with them.

This is a followup to "Woolloomooloo Revisited."]

"You wanted to see me, Colonel?"

Colonel Mason Truman nodded. "I did, Dr. K. Please, sit down." As the young woman settled into a chair, he continued, "Scott tells me that you're developing a new Ranger Operator suit."

Dr. K nodded. "Yes, I am. After Ranger Green pointed out that I had skipped the number six designation when I designed the other Ranger Operator suits, I thought it might be a good idea to rectify that situation."

Truman chuckled. "Yes, Scott told me about that as well."

From the way he was smiling, it was clear to Dr. K that whatever the Rangers had found amusing about Ranger Green's question (and especially, her response), Truman found it equally amusing. Since she also suspected that no explanation for the amusement would be forthcoming any time soon, she simply asked, "Is there a reason for your inquiry, Colonel?"

"As a matter of fact, there is. I know you aren't ready to select an operator just yet, but when you are, I have a candidate that I would like to consider."

"Who is this candidate, Colonel?"

"He's a former British intelligence operative. He was our liaison with M9 when the Venjix crisis began, and was unable to return home. He has been working with Corinth's defense forces, but quite frankly, his talents are being wasted with us."

Dr. K asked, "And you think they would be better used with the Rangers?"

Truman nodded. "Here's our file on him. You'll note that he is extremely reluctant when it comes to the use of excessive force. I thought he might be able to help restrain Gem and Gemma's . . . "

" . . . Inordinate preference for blowing up everything in sight first, asking questions later?"

"Something like that."

Dr. K said, "It will be a couple of weeks before I'm ready to begin preliminary tests on the new suit. I will also want to talk to your candidate first, but I promise you that I will give Mr. . . . " She opened the file, then continued, " . . . Mr. John Drake all due consideration."

-30-

Color Of Fear, Symbol Of Hope Together . . . Oops

2009-11-05T00:06:47Z

ENTRY #39
0911.04

Back in July, when Blackest Night #1 was released, DC Comics also released a promotional tie-in: Those buying a copy of that issue also got a replica of the Black Lantern power ring. It was non-functional, of course. I suppose it's just as well; if mine had been functional, it more than likely would have flown off my finger to look for some dead person to reanimate.

Apparently, the people at DC were a little slow in realizing that replicas of the other power rings appearing in Blackest Night would also be great promotional items. (I think it would have been a great idea to have a different ring given with each of the other seven issues of the series.) Even though it took DC at least a month to realize it, they did announce a month ago that they would be releasing promotional rings in the other seven colors -- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet -- and that they would be paired with various Blackest Night-related books that would go on sale during November.

The first ring to be released was the yellow ring, in conjunction with Doom Patrol #4. I had the day off today, so I was able to go to The Great Escape early to pick up a copy. (I had put in a hold request, so I could have gone in at any time, and it would have been waiting for me. But why wait?) I picked up Doom Patrol #4 (and the ring) along with a couple of other new arrivals, then went on to the next stop on my list for the day.

As I was waiting for the bus, I took a good look at my new acquisition, and my jaw dropped just like Wile E. Coyote's. The symbol on the ring was not that of the Sinestro Corps.

It was a yellow ring, but it had the symbol of the Blue Lantern Corps.

Now, this is not the first time I have seen this mistake made. In May, when DC released Blackest Night #0 for Free Comic Book Day, that issue contained profile pages on all of the factions that would be combatants in Blackest Night. For some reason, the symbol of the Blue Lanterns was placed on the label for the Sinestro Corps page -- in spite of the fact that Sinestro himself (and the other members of his corps) were clearly wearing a different emblem.

My first thought was, They've really screwed this one up.

My second thought was to go back to The Great Escape and let everyone know about the (quite possibly) colossal screwup.

When I showed the staff my ring, they were as surprised as I was. They started looking through their supply of rings, but all of them had the right symbol. Apparently, my ring was not indicative of a massive screwup; rather, it was an anomaly, a random miscasting that somehow escaped notice.

The staff offered to exchange the anomalous ring for a correct one, and I accepted their offer. And it was too long before I realized that I had made something of a mistake. I should have kept the ring, and simply bought another copy of Doom Patrol #4, and more than likely, the ring I got with the second copy would have been a correct one. That anomalous ring would probably be worth quite a bit to the right collector.

Oh, well, you know what they say about hindsight.

If you're reading Blackest Night, and you're picking up Doom Patrol #4, take a very good look at the ring you get. I'm betting that there are more yellow rings with the Blue Lantern symbol out there, and you might find yourself with a real collectible on your hands. Or on your finger.

I know it's not likely to happen to me again, but I'm going to pay close attention to the rings I acquire during the next three weeks. If I get another anomalous ring, I'm going to have enough sense to hang on to it -- even if I have to buy another copy of a particular issue to get the right one.

-30-

Woolloomooloo Revisited

2009-10-27T22:29:45Z

ENTRY #38
0910.27

[DISCLAIMER: Power Rangers RPM is owned by BVS Entertainment and Jetix. I'm just having some fun with the characters.]

"Doctor K?"

"Yes, Ranger Operator Series Green?"

Ziggy Grover sighed. Even with Gem and Gemma's attempts to get Dr. K to unbend, it appeared that the most informal she would ever be with him would be "Ranger Green." "I have just one little question about our Ranger suits."

"And what would that be, Ranger Green?"

Ziggy said, "It's about the emblems on the chest." Pointing to each of the suits in turn, he continued, "Scott is Ranger #1, Flynn is Ranger is Rangers #2, Summer is Ranger #3, I'm Ranger #4, and Dillon is Ranger #5. But when we get to Gem and Gemma, they are Rangers #7 and #8."

Dr. K asked, "And your point is . . . ?"

"Where is Ranger #6?"

Dr. K said, "Ranger #6? There is no Ranger #6."

After watching all of the Rangers convulsing with laughter for three minutes, Dr. K began to sincerely hope that Venjix would not launch an attack on Corinth at this moment. She didn't think the Rangers would be capable of mounting an effective defense anytime soon. And what had she said that was that funny, anyway?

-30-

Advice To A Con Virgin

2009-08-31T20:06:16Z

ENTRY #37
0908.31

Two or three weeks ago, Diana Peterfreund (dpeterfreund) announced on her blog that she would be attending this year's DragonCon. She will be on at least one panel (on writing for the YA market), and will be sharing a booth with a number of other writers, where she will be signing copies of her latest novel, Rampant.

I gave her some advice in a couple of comments at the time. Since then, a few other things occurred to me, especially since this will be her first SF/fantasy convention of any kind. Rrather than go back and comment on that earlier entry of hers, though, I decided to present my advice here:

Advice To A Con Virgin

Diana: Your first convention experience is going to be a bit different than mine. If for no other reason, I attended my first convention as a fan, while you will be attending your first as a Filthy Pro. (Don't worry, that is a term of affection.) But I think there are a few things that will apply to anyone attending their first SF convention.

The first thing to keep in mind is that you will not be able to see or do everything that you would like to see or do. This is especially true for a convention the size of DragonCon. Inevitably, you will find two panels that you want to see that are scheduled opposite each other, or you will be on a panel at the same time as another panel you wanted to see. (In 1995, my friend Tim Lane was was scheduled for two different panels at the same time. He picked the panel that interested him more. I'm hoping that the scheduling people at DragonCon have become a little better since then.)

I know that I've already mentioned this, but it bears repeating: DragonCon is big -- really, really BIG. You're probably going to be doing a lot of walking, so be sure to bring some comfortable shoes.

Another thing I know I've already told you is to keep in mind the 5-2-1 Rule. Every day of the convention, you need at the very least the following:

5 hours of sleep -- DragonCon will run nonstop from the time Registration opens on Friday until the dead dog party sometime Monday. Remember Amy's inability to pull all-nighters, and consider what she would do if she was attending. (And by any chance did this particular attribute come from personal experience?)

2 meals of real food -- The munchies in the consuite do not qualify as adequate meals, only as snacks. The concom will likely be putting out a guide to restaurants in the area around the convention. Study it carefully. In an effort to have more money for the dealers room or art show, some fans will have the bright idea of not budgeting for meals, relying on the consuite or whatever is being served at the various room parties for sustenence. This is rarely a good idea.

And finally, the most important part of the 5-2-1 Rule,

1 shower -- For reasons known only to Ghu and Roscoe (or to Persephone, if you prefer), there are some fen who will consider it a point of honor not to shower during the entirety of a convention. You will be aware of their presence soon enough. It will be memorable, but not in the good way.

From what you've said, you'll be behind the table during most of the day. Be sure to take at least some time to go through both the dealers room and the art show. But it might be a good idea to set yourself a limit on how much you're going to spend, and stick to it.

Introduce yourself to the other writers attending. Yeah, I think you already know about the whole networking thing. But Rampant's publication makes you eligible for SFWA membership, and you should be able to find out from at least one of the writers in attendance what you need to do to join. I would definitely recommend introducing yourself to Lois McMaster Bujold and Mike Resnick. I know both of them fairly well, and they're both nice people.

This is something else that I that I may have mentioned, but since you will be behind the table most of the day, business casual is probably the best. If you're bringing a costume, save it for the evening. A possible exception to this suggestion would be if you're planning to dress up as Astrid.

As for costumes, keep in mind that no matter how fabulous a costume you might have, someone is quite likely to have a more fabulous costume. And some people will do their best to push the envelope with how . . . out of the ordinary their costumes are, This is known as "freaking the mundanes," and is celebrated in this filk:

http://www.dragon-sea.net/songs.php?song=mundanes

You will be seeing plenty of guys in kilts. And if you're in the Marriott lobby at midnight, you will see a young woman wielding a leafblower. This will be Jennie Breeden of the webcomic The Devil's Panties. She does this every year. I think she has even produced a couple of calendars with the photos taken during these sessions.

Be careful at any of the evening room parties. Some of the people like getting creative with the drinks they serve. Some of these drinks can be the equivalent of having an anvil dropped on your head. If you're unsure, ask first.

Pomegranate juice stains. Oh, wait. That's something that I learned from you.

Bring plenty of business cards to hand out, and something to hold the cards that you might collect.

Be sure to check the freebie table.

I guess what I'm saying can be boiled down to this: Use a little common sense. Pace yourself. And don't forget to take a shower.

-30-

WOOFing Ahead

2009-07-27T20:08:52Z

ENTRY #36
0907.27

In my last entry, I talked about a few items that I hope I will be seeing when I see the first issue of the revived WOOF. This time, I want to look ahead, to 2010 and beyond.

Let us assume for the moment that this year's WOOF is a success. Where do we go from here? I have a few thoughts on the matter, and I want to present them for your probable amusement and possible enjoyment.

I'm probably stating the obvious, but I think the first thing that needs to be done is to keep WOOF from going on another hiatus. If I remember the sequence of events correctly, WOOF went on hiatus after LACon 4 because Victoria Smith (then the OE) didn't attend Nippon 2007, and no one stepped in to fill the void. And as John Hertz mentioned in his postcard, Lloyd Penney is stepping in as OE pro tempore because of his role in running the Fanzine Lounge this year.

I have one possible solution. I am guessing that a permanent OE will be anointed, elected, or otherwise shanghaied at Anticipation. I would suggest that whoever is in charge of the Fanzine Lounge at each year's Worldcon serve as a co-OE, on the off chance that the OE is unable to attend in any particular year.

Second, don't forget those who have been mainstays of WOOF in years past. If they were unable to get something to Montreal for this year (whatever the reason might be), let them know that their contributions would be welcome in Australia.

Third, WOOF needs to attract new contributors, both the regular and the occasional. One possibility would be to contact the nominees in all three of the fan Hugo categories and simply say, "Hey, we would like to have you contribute something to this year's WOOF. Can you have something ready?" Make the cover a jam session between two (or more) of the Fan Artist nominees. If you really want to reach for the stars, see if one of the Professional Artist nominees might be interested in contributing something. (The worst they could do is say no, right?)

Have various fans write about areas where they are knowledgeable, particularly when it comes to WSFS and the Worldcon. For instance, Chris Barkley has covered the WSFS Business Meeting for the convention newsletter for a number of Worldcons; perhaps he could be prevailed upon to contribute a brief summary of what happened at the BM. Kevin Standlee is an expert on parliamentary procedure and the running of the BM; talk to him about writing on how the Business Meeting works (and this is an item that could be kept on file and reused, editing from time to time as necessary). Talk to the Chairman and the various Guests Of Honor, and ask them to write a brief something just for WOOF. Do the same for the TAFF and DUFF delegates. Have people from the various Worldcon bids write about their bid.

Make sure that the drop-off box for contributions has a conspicuous location in the Fanzine Lounge. That might be more important than anything else. And if possible, have an item about where the collection point is in the first issue of the convention's newsletter. If not the first issue, have something placed in the newsletter as early as possible, including the deadline and time and place of the collation.

Provide the opportunity for on the spot contributions. If I remember what Joe and Lisa Major told me correctly, their Alexiad started because the Fanzine Lounge at The Millennium Philcon had a computer and printer on hand for do it yourself fanzines. Lisa put together a single-page something, and it wasn't until she and Joe returned from Philadelphia that they decided to turn that into an ongoing project.

Have past issues of WOOF on display in the Fanzine Lounge. If anyone is curious enough, ask them if they would like to create something. Schedule a panel on putting together a fanzine, and as part of that panel, put together something using contributions from the attendees, and include that as part of WOOF.

Look to the blogosphere. Instead of pubbing their ish, these days fans are putting their writing out on Xanga, LiveJournal, Blogger, Wordpress, or some similar site. If there are any blogs that you regularly read, pay attention. If you see an entry that you find particularly interesting, contact the writer, and ask if the entry can be reprinted.

Ask John Scalzi if WOOF could run his infamous "Baconcat" photo. Especially if the faux Successories poster he created with the photo could be used.

Pay attention to the flyers and other freebies at the convention. At ConJose, someone printed an "Official Do It Yourself SMOF Uniform Kit." This was a cutout propeller beanie and bowtie printed on cover stock, with instructions on how to put it together. If something similar is floating around Anticipation, include it in WOOF.

If you know of someone who might not be attending Worldcon, but would be interested in contributing, make arrangements for their contributions to be sent. Talk to those who are regular contributors to other APAs, and invite them to contribute something to WOOF if they have not done so previously.

In short, think beyond what has been done in the past. Taco Bell's slogan is, "Think outside the bun." What we need to do is not only think outside the bun, but also think outside the taco shell.

I might also suggest that since there will be both a Worldcon and a NASFIC in 2010, putting together WOOF at both conventions might be a possibility.

As I have already mentioned, I won't be attending Anticipation. I probably won't be attending Aussiecon Four, either, but I hope to have something for next year. And I am definitely making plans for Reno. Until then, Clear Ether!

-30-

Content From WOOFs Past

2009-07-25T19:15:43Z

ENTRY #35
0907.25

The news of WOOF's revival at Anticipation started me thinking. What would I hope to see in the first compilation of the new WOOF?

More contributors would be nice. Since this does seem to be something of a last-minute decision, I'm not certain how likely that will be, though.

I've been looking through a few WOOFs from previous years, and I noted a couple of items that were almost always included -- and which I hope will be included in this year's compilation.

Convention Newsletter -- There are a couple of issues that were almost always included in the compilation. First, the Hugo Results issue. Second, the issue that announces the results of the site selection vote. I'm reasonably certain that these issues will be included, but I would like to point out a couple of details.

Anticipation will also be presenting the Auroras. My guess is that the results will be published in an issue of the convention's newsletter, so it would be nice to include that issue in WOOF as well. Since I suspect that the site selection results for both the 2011 Worldcon and the 2010 NASFIC will be published in the same issue of the newsletter, I probably don't have to mention that both sets of results should be included.

Progress Report Zero -- Again, it has been traditional that PR0 for the site selection winner is included in WOOF. And as I have noted above, since we will be choosing both a Worldcon and a NASFIC this year, the PR0 for both should be included.

This should at least give this year's WOOF something of a good start.

-30-

Something To WOOF About

2009-07-18T18:40:00Z

ENTRY #34
0907.19

At the beginning of the week, I got a phone message from Joe Major. He said that Lloyd Penney would be reviving WOOF, the Worldcon Order Of Fanwriters. (Fanzines? Faneditors? I've heard all three used at one time or another; which one is the correct one? Or or all three correct?) A few days later, I received a postcard from John Hertz, which said much the same thing. The postcard did add a few details. It mentioned that Penney is in charge of the Fanzine Lounge at Anticipation, and would be the OE pro tempore, with Hertz assisting him.

As a past contributor to WOOF, I'm glad to hear that someone is at least attempting to revive the annual one-shot. I always find it interesting to see what mix will make it into each year's collation.

A couple of things have occurred to me over the past couple of days. I know that at least some of the people on my "Friend Of" list will be attending Anticipation, and I hope that they will at least pass the following suggestion on to the people who could implement them.

First, I'm guessing that a permanent OE will be elected, annointed, shanghaied, or otherwise chosen at Anticipation. Whoever that might be, I might suggest that whoever is in charge of the Fanzine Lounge at each year's Worldcon be made a co-OE. This could be a failsafe for those times when the OE finds himself/herself unable to attend a particular Worldcon.

The second is more of a challenge to whoever might be reading this. As I said earlier, I know that some of you will be attending Anticipation. If you are, think of something to contribute to the 2009 WOOF. Or to borrow a line from Bonnie Raitt, let's give them something to WOOF about. Take a look back through some of your recent (or even not so recent) entries. There ought to be something worth sharing again.

And if you won't be attending Anticipation, but know someone who will be, make arrangements to have your contributions delivered. I won't be attending, but I will be certain to have something in WOOF. What that might be is yet to be determined.

Now if you will excuse me, I have to get started on my contribution . . .

-30-

The Spoils Of Secrecy

2009-05-13T21:16:47Z

ENTRY #33
0905.13

I have never been one that has been bothered by spoilers. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I knew about "Luke, I am your father" at least 24 hours before The Empire Strikes Back opened. It was a review that aired on NPR's All Things Considered. I remember hearing the following day that there was much wailing, gnashing of teeth, and calls of complaint to NPR over this little revelation. So much, in fact, that the review was quickly edited before the west coast feed was sent.

I'm also remembering an old Peanuts strip where Linus was watching Citizen Kane on TV. Lucy walks by and blurts out that "Rosebud" was the sled, leaving Linus screaming in frustration in the final panel.

In both instances, I could never understand why people would get so worked up over something like the revelation of a plot point, whether major or minor. In the case of The Empire Strikes Back, knowing that Darth Vader would acknowledge his paternity to Luke before the movie started did not lessen my enjoyment of the movie in the slightest. (What it did was make me just a little curious as to when said acknowledgment would transpire.)

Things have been a little interesting since I received the ARC of Tap & Gown that I won. I haven't read the book cover-to-cover, but I have skimmed enough of it where I know all of the major and most of the minor plot points. Enough where I could hold a decent discussion of the book with any interested parties.

There is just one problem. While there may be plenty of interested parties, Tap & Gown won't be available to them for another couple of weeks. At the moment, I think the only person with whom I could discuss this would be Diana Peterfreund (aka dpeterfreund) herself. And I think she is more interested in whetting the appetites of her other readers.

Normally, I probably would have blurted out something by this point. But with secrecy being part and parcel of the Rose & Grave novels, there is something fun about being the position to say something like, "I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you." Which means I'm reduced to the level of an eight-year-old teasing people with, "I've got a secret! I know something you don't!"

I have slipped a few times. There was one discussion on the peterfreundfans LJ community that I settled, with the caveat "I can't tell you how I know this, but I know." I suppose most of the people who read that comment knew whence my knowledge came, and didn't press me for details.

On the one hand, I could get away with dropping this line from Tap & Gown:

"The Knight Poe was mollified. Hale? Not so much."

Trust me, it's from a very funny section of the book, and when you read it, you will be chuckling. I can probably also get away with this quote:

"A: Your mom called. I told her you were off being naughty. -- L"

And probably even this one:

"Also, I was getting cat hair on my skirt."

On the other hand, I don't think I could get away with mentioning plot twists like [REDACTED], or [REDACTED], and especially not [REDACTED]. I think too many people would be upset with me, not the least of which would be Diana herself.

Yesterday, I found myself making a comment on Diana's blog that would have given away just a little too much too soon. Rather than delete the comment, though, I did a little bit of judicious editing to eliminate anything that hadn't been revealed in the first three books.

I may have to resort to that tactic until the release date for Tap & Gown. It might actually be fun, but I will be glad once the veil of secrecy has been lifted.

-30-

Not One Mention Of Nantucket

2009-04-07T18:02:50Z

ENTRY #32
0904.07

It started a little over three weeks ago on Diana Peterfreund's (dpeterfreund) blog (March 15, if you want the precise date). She asked her readers a simple question: Who would like an ARC of the fourth and final (or should that be "fourth & final"?) book in her Rose & Grave tetralogy, Tap & Gown? (Obviously, anyone reading the entry was thinking, "Me! Me!")

It wasn't going to be that easy, though. Diana had just returned from a trip to Ireland, and was calling to mind a visit to one pub where the barman made her and her friends sing before they would be served. In a similar fashion, she was going to make her readers work for that ARC. What we had to do was write a limerick that had something to do with the Rose & Grave novels, and post it as a comment. The best limerick would win the ARC.

As I started thinking, the first two lines came rather quickly. As a matter of fact, they came from a teaser for Tap & Gown that appeared in the third book, Rites Of Spring (Break). In one part of the teaser, the narrator, Amy "Bugaboo" Haskel, is talking to her new boyfriend, Jamie "Poe" Orcutt, and she makes the observation that all of their friends are going to find it oh-so-cute that their real names rhyme. The first line came to mind immediately; the second within a minute:

There once was a Digger named Amy,
Who fell for the patriarch Jamie . . .

Okay, two down, three to go.

The idea of them becoming a couple triggered a few long-forgotten memories, although I didn't fully realize it until sometime later. It triggered memories of a story I read a long time ago in Asimov's. In fact, it was so long ago that it was when the magazine was Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. I still can't recall the story's title, or who wrote it, but I'm fairly certain that it appeared during George Scithers's tenure as editor.

In the story, Earth had been at war with an alien race for who knows how long. In fact, at the end, we learn that the narrator is an AI controlling various defenses, and that the human race has been long dead. The same is true of the alien race, and the narrator destroys his counterpart from the alien race.

The two AIs taunt each other during the initial confrontation, and the Earth AI zings the alien AI with a rather insulting limerick -- a fart joke, as a matter of fact. When the alien AI replies that it was physiologically impossible for his race, the Earth AI says something along the lines of, "Cut me some slack; it's hard enough to get the meter right."

The Earth AI then begins to give his alien counterpart a brief lecture on the intricacies and nuances of the limerick, ending with a challenge. He will give the alien the first four lines of a limerick. If the alien can come up with a final line, he will surrender. Those first four lines went like this:

"An Earthman was seeking to couple
With a maiden so soft, sweet, and supple.
But he found in her pants
With his hands, just by chance . . . "

(This may be a slightly inaccurate quote, but it's as close as I can get without re-reading the story. And at the moment, I don't feel like going through 30+ years of Asimov's to find that one story. Incidentally, if anyone does know the story of which I speak, please leave a comment as to the title and author.)

Getting back to my own narrative, my (mostly subconscious) memories of that story, and especially that partial limerick, gave me lines three and four:

. . . On becoming a couple,
With their bodies so supple . . .

All I needed was that fifth and final line. This time, my muse thought it would be funny to bring Joss Whedon into play, as I recalled one of the memorable lines from Buffy The Vampire Slayer: "Love makes you do the wacky." A rhyme for "Amy" and "Jamie" came to mind, and I suddenly had that fifth line:

. . They did the wacky without shamie.

Keep in mind that all of these random bits of thinking took place within the span of about 10 to 15 minutes, and most of that was happening in my subconscious mind. Once I had the final line, I posted the finished limerick as a comment:

There once was a Digger named Amy,
Who fell for the patriarch Jamie,
On becoming a couple,
With their bodies so supple,
They did the wacky without shamie.

(When I posted the comment, I also mentioned that I thought it was pretty bad, but I couldn't think of anything better at just that moment.)

The week went by, and during that time, Diana occasionally mentioned the limerick contest in her blog entries. I couldn't think of anything better, so I didn't attempt another limerick.

The following Monday, as I checked Diana's blog, I saw that she had chosen the winners. And much to my surprise, I found myself reading my own limerick, followed by these comments by Diana:

"Purple Ranger's innovative coinage of 'shamie' (move over, Edgar Allan and Shakespeare!) as well as interesting (if not necessarily accurate) predictions for the future took an early lead with the panel. Jamie and Amy have *not* done the wacky, guys. Just some good, old-fashioned snogging. Says one judge: 'I just giggle every time I read "shamie."'"

Oh, wow. I was just a little surprised. I wasn't the only winner, though. There were a couple of others, including an honorable mention to one person who had submitted something like 29 different limericks.

Now that I think about it, though, I realize that the last line doesn't fit the meter as well as it should. I discovered that it scans better with just the slightest transposition of words:

There once was a Digger named Amy,
Who fell for the patriarch Jamie,
On becoming a couple,
With their bodies so supple,
The wacky they did without shamie.

Much better, don't you think?

And yesterday, I received my prize in the mail. Diana had autographed it, with the inscription, "To PurpleRanger, who already has a code name . . . " I hereby confess: That made my day.

So far, I've only skimmed the book, but I will say that it is a satisfying conclusion to the series. For more than that, you'll have to wait until Tap & Gown hits the bookstores in May.

-30-

Strange Visitors From Cleveland

2008-12-23T16:38:19Z

ENTRY #31
0812.23

Book Review
BOYS OF THE STEEL: THE CREATORS OF SUPERMAN
by Marc Tyler Nobleman
Illustrated by Ross MacDonald
(Alfred A. Knopf, 2008)

Everyone knows Superman's origin story.

It has been told and retold many times in the 70 years since Action Comics #1 first hit the newsstands. Writers have added things to the story, and other writers have taken out things, but the story has remained essentially the same: As the planet Krypton is being destroyed in a planetary cataclysm, a scientist sends his infant son to Earth in a rocketship, where he develops amazing powers in Earth's environment; powers that he uses for the good of his adopted planet as Superman, the Man Of Steel.

As I said, most of you, if not all of you, know that story. But how many of you know Superman's other origin story? The story of how two kids from Cleveland created what they described would be "the greatest superhero of all time." (And as it turns out, they were right.)

Marc Tyler Nobleman tells that story in Boys Of Steel. He is writing it for a young audience (probably first grade level), so he is telling the story of Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and their creation in a very simple manner. But he is telling it in a way that should also hold the interest of parents (or other adults) who might be reading it to kids who are still learning to read.

Ross MacDonald's illustrations are an homage to Shuster. They capture the style of the art of Superman's early years perfectly, almost as if MacDonald had Shuster's spirit guiding his hand as he was drawing them. (I think my favorite illustration in the book is one of the last ones, where the cover of Action Comics #1 was lovingly recreated.)

The main story takes Siegel and Shuster from high school to their first success with Superman. A text-only afterword tells of what happened to them later, from the shameful treatment they received at the hands of DC Comics to how DC eventually provided them with pensions.

I know that various parts of the story have been told in other places, and it's quite likely that the entire story has been told more completely in one place. But Boys Of Steel tells it in a way that might capture the attention of my six-year-old niece, or even my nine-year-old nephew -- and just maybe give them a little more insight into how the man in the big red S made it to the page.

-30-

Some Graphic Clarification?

2008-10-16T17:28:59Z

ENTRY #30
0810.16

I always try to keep up with what happens at each year's WSFS Business Meeting, even if I am unable to attend that year's Worldcon. This year was no different, and thanks to the Internet, I could learn what happened just a few hours after each day's session concluded.

I suppose the big thing that happened this year was the initial passage of a Best Graphic Story category for the Hugo Awards. I suspected that sooner or later, someone was going to propose such a category. After Nolacon 2 came up with the rather creative "Best Other Forms" category in 1988 just to give the graphic novel Watchmen a Hugo, I suspect that it was inevitable.

Since Anticipation has elected to use its "Additional Category" prerogative to conduct a trial run of the proposed category next year, there is just one little thing that probably needs to be cleared up before the nominating ballots are sent out. If a storyline from an ongoing title is deemed worthy of being nominated for this new category, I assume that it will be treated the same way that a serialized work of fiction will be; that is, it will be eligible the year the final installment is published. But there is one other thing that the Hugo administrators for Anticipation need to consider, since this will probably set a precedent for future administrators should the category receive its second passage at the Anticipation Business Meeting.

In recent years, it has become common practice for a comic publisher to collect a storyline that was published over several issues into a single volume a few months after the concluding installment has been published. How will eligibility for the story be determined -- by the publication of the serialized version, or by the publication of the collected volume?

For example, let's take the case of DC Comics's Final Crisis, which is still being published. At the moment, I think the final issue will hit the comic stores, newsstands, et cetera, sometime in December. (This, of course, is subject to change, but for the sake of this argument, let's assume that the final issue will appear in 2008.) The collected volume of Final Crisis (and trust me, there will be one) will probably be published some time in the first part of 2009. When will it be eligible for Hugo consideration? For calendar year 2008, or for calendar year 2009?

Also, if a collected volume contains extras that weren't part of the serialized form, is that enough of a difference to consider it a separate work? As I said, I think the Hugo administrators should be thinking about this now, to reduce any possible confusion later.

-30-

Why, Robot?

2008-09-25T17:12:37Z

ENTRY #29
0809.25

I've been looking through Harlan Ellison's illustrated screenplay for I, Robot. Now, this is not the screenplay for the movie that came out a couple of years ago. You know, the one that claimed to be based on Isaac Asimov's collection of stories, but in reality, the only similarity was the title and the fact that they used Asimov's Laws Of Robotics?

No, this screenplay was actually based on Asimov's stories. Ellison took the stories in that collection, and wove them together into a breathtaking and imaginative tapestry of storytelling -- and while there may have been changes made in the translation from prose to script, the screenplay stayed true to the spirit of Asimov's stories. Unfortunately, this screenplay was never brought to life on the big screen. (At least not yet. We can always hope.)

The text on the back cover of the book proclaims that this screenplay is "the greatest science fiction movie never made." While I will concede that there might be just the slightest bit of hyperbole in that statement, if there is an unfilmed screenplay for an even greater SF movie, it has not been brought to my attention.

This isn't the first time that I've read Ellison's screenplay for I, Robot. I first read it many years ago, when Asimov's serialized it in 1987. I was probably mesmerized when I read it then, and just leafing through the book now, I think I still might be. Harlan Ellison is more than a good writer; he's a damn good writer -- although most of you reading this already know that.

In his introduction to the book, Ellison talks about what could be his only regret involving this screenplay; that will never be able to sit in a theatre with his good friend Isaac Asimov and watch the movie made from this screenplay. And he's right -- there are times when I really wish I could read a new story by Isaac Asimov, or open up a new issue of Asimov's and find one of his editorials in front. But however much I might wish that Dr. Asimov were still with us, reading this screenplay has made me realize something, and I suspect that Mr. Ellison might find himself in agreement with me on this point.

I'm glad Dr. Asimov wasn't alive to see the Will Smith version of I, Robot.

-30-

Luck Be A Lady

2008-09-05T19:45:19Z

ENTRY #28
0809.04

Jennifer Estep is running a contest on her website in connection with the release of her third Bigtime novel, Jinx. The narrator of the book has luck as a superpower, and the contest is related to Bella's sometimes capricious power. Estep asked her readers to tell her about their luckiest or unluckiest experience.

I don't know if this would be my luckiest experience ever. It is related to Jinx, though, so it's certainly appropriate to mention it.

One thing you should keep in mind before you go any further is that the official release date for Jinx was just two days ago, September 2.

Last Friday, I was in one of the local Borders stores. One of the first things you see as you enter this particular store is part of the bargain section. And as I entered the store, I noticed one book in particular in the bargain section. It was the hardcover edition of The Darwin Awards 4. For some reason, I had missed getting that book when it was originally published, and I was a little irked that the only edition I could find was the trade paperback. I had the first three books in the series in hardcover, and I wanted the fourth the same way.

Needless to say, I quickly grabbed a copy, and I looked through the rest of the store. Just before I went to the check-out counter, I decided to make a brief stop by the romance section. Much to my surprise and delight, I saw Jinx on the shelves, several days ahead of schedule. (This wasn't the first time I got this lucky. When Estep's second Bigtime book, Hot Mama, was reissued in mass market paperback last month, I found it on the shelves several days ahead of the release date, too.)

As I told Estep in an email a day or so later, I think some of Bella's luck was rubbing off on me.

-30-

The Mark Of NASFIC?

2008-04-13T17:28:28Z

ENTRY #27
0804.13

[NOTE: This is being crossposted to worldcons, so there is a slim chance that some of you may be reading this in stereo.]

If I were to hazard a guess, I would suspect that this has been rolling around in my subconscious for some time now. I'm guessing that it was the recent Progress Reports from both Denvention and Anticipation that finally dragged it forth from the subconscious to the conscious.

It all has to do with WSFS's marks, and that obligatory notice that appears in all Worldcon publications, as mandated by Section 2.2 of the WSFS Constitution:

Marks. Every Worldcon and NASFIC committee shall include the following notice in each of its publications: "World Science Fiction Society," "WSFS," "World Science Fiction Convention," "Worldcon," "NASFIC," and "Hugo Award" are service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society.

I realized something, and I'm a little surprised that it hasn't occurred to anyone else before this. Or at the very least, if it has occurred to someone before now, I'm surprised that no one has apparently mentioned it until now.

There should be one more mark on the list.

Section 1.2 refers to NASFIC as "the occasional North American Science Fiction Convention," and that is the only place the phrase is mentioned in the Constitution. My point is this: "World Science Fiction Convention" and "Worldcon" both refer to the same annual event. The former term is the formal name, while the latter is the commonly-used (and equally acceptable) short form. By the same token, shouldn't WSFS hold both "North American Science Fiction Convention" and "NASFIC" as service marks?

Yes, I know that there are some SMOFs who are violently opposed to the very existence of the concept of the NASFIC. At the moment, though, it is a valid service mark of WSFS. Still, until and unless WSFS decides to either abandon the mark altogether, or relinquish the mark to another organization, would it not be in the Society's best interests to add "North American Science Fiction Convention" to its list of service marks?

I'm posting this in this manner because I know that it will appear on the radar of at least one member of the Mark Protection Committee (Hi, Kevin!), and I figure that it is the quickest way to bring this to the attention of the entire MPC. And, I suppose, to ask if this is indeed something that should be added as an item to the agenda of Denvention's business meeting.

-30-

They Illustrated Me With Science

2008-04-09T17:43:57Z

ENTRY #26
0802.29

Magazine Review
SCIENCE ILLUSTRATED

I guess it was about two or three years ago that I lamented the fact that there hasn't been a good general interest science magazine on the stands since Omni folded many years ago. Before you say anything, yes, I am well aware of Discover. I see it quite regularly, and I even look through the occasional issue at the library if something on the cover catches my eye. But for some reason, Discover never really grabbed me, never really caught my attention the way that Omni did. It just doesn't have the right spark. For lack of a better term, it doesn't have that sense of wonder.

I expressed my lament while reviewing a short-lived magazine called Phenomena. While Phenomena did grab my attention, it unfortunately covered the sorts of flaky, fuzzy-minded New Age thinking that Omni usually reserved for its "Antimatter" column. (It also lasted only four issues.) But recently, I spotted a new magazine on the stands that might actually embody the same sense of wonder that I once found in the pages of Omni.

That magazine is Science Illustrated. According to the editorial in the premiere issue, this is the US edition of a Danish magazine which is largest-circulation magazine in Scandinavia. (I would like to see data to back up that claim, but I'm willing to accept it for now.)

In that debut editorial, Editor-In-Chief Mark Jannot describes Science Illustrated as "a visually spectacular gateway to the world of science and discovery" and "a feast of information for anyone with a passion for understanding the world and for understanding that understanding with others." I love enthusiasm like that. It's infectious. If the man at the top has this enthusiastic sense of wonder, I feel confident that it will trickle down to the rest of the magazine's staff as well (assuming that it isn't already there).

Three departments appear at the front of Science Illustrated in rapid succession. "Bull's-Eye" is a gallery of two-page spreads, each spread showcasing a different aspect of science, be it technology, medicine, nature, or culture. "Science Update" reminds me of Omni's "Continuum" department more than anything else. It's a collection of ultra-short articles that really don't require longer, separate pieces. The difference here is that "Science Update" is much more lavishly illustrated than "Continuum" ever was. And I think "Ask Us" should be self-explanatory. It's Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye The Science Guy in print form.

Three other departments appear at the back of Science Illustrated. I think I could maybe best describe "World Of Science" as the answers to all of those puzzling little questions that my nephew (who's just about to turn 9) and niece (age 5) would pose just out of curiosity. Included in this section are factoids on the different chemical elements. (They aren't going in order, and I was a little disappointed that the first issue covered oxygen, and not antimony.) And "Trivia Countdown" and "Brain Trainers" bring back fond memories of Omni's "Games" column.

The main articles are sandwiched between these sets of bookending departments. Simply, these articles every branch of science -- or they will, assuming that Science Illustrated stays on the stands long enough. Topics covered in the first two issue's articles include snake venom, penguins, building a bionic eye, the possibility of limb regeneration in humans, and tracking icebergs.

As I mentioned earlier, Science Illustrated is illustrated lavishly, befitting the magazine's title. That's the main difference between it and Omni. If you were a reader, you will remember that Omni was text-heavy. I'm not saying that one is better than the other; I'm just pointing out the differences.

(Yes, I realize that I'm making more than a few comparisons between Science Illustrated and Omni. That's the best standard for comparison I have at present. A decade from now, I could easily be comparing another new science magazine to both.)

Science Illustrated is published bi-monthly. Individual issues cost $4.95 on the newsstand, while a one-year subscription costs $24.

There is a website for the magazine, which can be found at http://www.scienceillustrated.com. Unfortunately, at present it is little more than a page describing Science Illustrated, and a page for subscribing. Maybe in the future, the website will include teasers for articles in the current issue, or maybe even an archive of past articles.

Now, if they could just consider the possibility of running a science fiction short story in each issue . . .

-30-

Dial "G" For Geography, Please

2008-02-07T23:06:38Z

ENTRY #25
0802.07

I first encountered reprints of Dial "H" For Hero . . . well, let's just say that it was many, many years ago, and leave it at that. I think I fell in love with the series concept at first glance. If you loved to play superheroes when you were growing up, Robby Reed had to be the embodiment of your ultimate fantasy. Instead of being just one superhero, Robby could become any superhero. Of course, there was that one little hitch in that he never knew what hero he might become every time he dialed the letters "H-E-R-O" on his H-Dial.

So as you can imagine, I let out just the tiniest bit of a fanboy squeal a few weeks ago, when I saw the latest issue of The Brave And The Bold (#9, to be precise). That issue featured a team-up between Dial "H" For Hero and the Metal Men.

It wasn't perfect. The story was only seven pages long (it was one of three in that issue). Barely an appetizer, when I was hoping for a full-course meal. (But better than nothing, I guess.) And the focus of the story was more on the Metal Man Tin, who had used the H-Dial after Robby had become injured after dialing "O-R-E-H" and returning to normal. But there were a few good moments. Like on the last page, when an intrigued Dr. Will Magnus credits the H-Dial as the sole source of the multitude of superheroes appearing in Robby's locale -- neglecting to take into account the person using the dial. (Okay, I can see why Magnus went into robotics. His people skills are even worse than mine.)

But there is one teensy tiny little thing about the story that struck a wrong chord with me. When did Robby's hometown of Littleville get located in Colorado?

I have all of the original run of Dial "H" For Hero from House Of Mystery. Littleville was clearly a coastal city. One story mentioned that the town had docks, and the second story had Robby foiling an attack on a nearby city called Whale Harbor (as an energy being called Super-Charge).

To me, the name "Whale Harbor" suggested that it was somewhere in New England. This suggestion was probably reinforced by the 1980s version of Dial "H" For Hero, which was definitely set in "the New England town of Fairfax." (The state was never explicitly mentioned, but a background clue in DC Comics Presents #44 suggests that Fairfax was in Rhode Island.)

Somewhere along the line, though, someone got the bright idea that Littleville was in Colorado. I think the first reference I saw of this was in the Dial "H" For Hero special from 2000's Silver Age crossover event. That story had Robby foiling an attack at a missile base (I think there was at least one reference to it being a NORAD base in the various comics from the crossover).

Placing Littleville in Colorado may have been more a story requirement for "The One-Man Justice League" than anything else, but it still struck a slightly wrong note with me. You would think that DC's writers and editors would have taken enough time to do a little bit of research in their archives.

I suppose that the powers that be at DC Comics could always explain the change in location as an aftereffect of something like Crisis On Infinite Earths, or as being caused by one of the occasional ripples in Hypertime. I just wish they would give us an explanation. Any explanation will do. Even an "Oops, we goofed."

-30-

After The Unmasking

2007-12-23T19:32:54Z

ENTRY #24
0712.23

[WARNING: This essay contains potential spoilers for Jennifer Estep's novels Karma Girl and Hot Mama. If you have not read either of these books, if you think you might be reading them, or if you are simply the whiny little girly-man type that goes into a frothing rabid frenzy at the thought of encountering anything that even vaguely resembles a spoiler, scroll down to the next entry NOW. This will constitute your only warning!]

In Karma Girl, Carmen Cole is a reporter who quite by accident finds herself specializing in reporting on superheroes and ubervillains. Or more precisely, the public unmasking of same.

She proves to be quite good at what she does, too. Before she finally moves to Bigtime, New York (and the heart of the story), Carmen mentions that she has exposed the identities of 13 heroes and villains.

And she adds to her total during the course of Karma Girl. Carmen learns the identities of Bigtime's most prominent band of heroes, The Fearless Five. She also learns the identity of Malefica, leader of The Terrible Triad, the most infamous group of villains based in Bigtime.

One question seems to have been left unanswered, though. What happens to the a hero or villain after they have been unmasked?

For the six whose identities Carmen learned during the course of Karma Girl, we do know what happens. (That is a large part of the book's plot, after all.) The only identity Carmen publicly revealed during the book was that of Tornado, one of the Fearless Five. Soon after uncovering his identity is published, he commits suicide -- or, that is what we are led to believe for most of the book. Just before dropping Carmen into a vat of radioactive goo near the end of the book, Malefica states that she killed Tornado, and made his death look like a suicide.

While Carmen does learn Malefica's identity, she doesn't publicly reveal the secret. Not directly, anyway. For one thing, The Terrible Triad had captured first Striker, and then the remaining members of The Fearless Five. Carmen had been working with The Fearless Five after Malefica originally gave her the one-month deadline to learn the rest of their identities, and she is a little distracted by trying to think of some way to rescue her rescuers.

For another, Carmen learned that Malefica was really Morgana Madison, the publisher of The Expose -- her employer. Carmen learned that Morgana/Malefica had hired her to unmask The Fearless Five so that all of them could be eliminated the same way that Tornado had been. In other words, Carmen discovered that Malefica had been playing her for a fool the same way that she had been by her ex-fiance, The Machinator. That was something that Carmen swore would never happen to her again, and she is more than a little pissed.

But in an attempt to neutralize any potential threat from Carmen, Malefica has (as Morgana Madison) also tried to publicly discredit Carmen, so directly revealing her double identity is not a viable option for Carmen. A more indirect approach is needed this time, so just before making what would appear to be a kamikaze attempt to rescue the rest of the Fearless Five, Carmen gives all the information she uncovered on Malefica's identity to her friend Lulu Lo, and tells her hacker friend to wait one hour before releasing the information to Bigtime's news outlets. Carmen specifically suggests that Lulu first release the information to SNN -- the Superhero News Network -- and The Chronicle, Bigtime's other major newspaper. (The latter, incidentally, is one of the many companies owned by Sam Sloane, the alter-ego of Striker.)

As Carmen is giving Lulu the information and instructions on releasing it, she doesn't expect to survive her assault on The Terrible Triad's lair. The best she is hoping for is that she will release at least one member of The Fearless Five before she is killed, and that whoever she frees will be able to free the others.

Well, things turn out quite differently from the way Carmen thought they would. Not only does she survive the encounter, it is The Terrible Triad who are presumed dead when the dust settles. (And when you consider the beating that Malefica receives at Carmen's hands, if she did survive, she will probably be either in need of extensive plastic surgery or recovering from it should she ever make a return appearance.) The multiple dips in Frost's frigid radioactive goo that Carmen is forced to endure leave their own mark, giving her superpowers and the edge she needs both to defeat the Triad and rescue The Fearless Five, and later to join the team as Tornado's replacement as Karma Girl.

(One minor nitpick here. Why do the heroes continue to call themselves "The Fearless Five" after Tornado's death? Were they planning to hold auditions for a replacement? Or was there already another group somewhere calling themselves "The Fearless Four" that precluded them using that name? I'm having mental pictures of Striker and Fiera conducting tryouts in much the same way as the Legion Of Super-Heroes regularly held tryouts in some of their 1960s stories.)

As for the remaining members of The Fearless Five, Carmen learns their identities during the one month that Malefica gives her, but when the deadline comes, Carmen flatly tells Malefica that she has no intention of turning over that information. After The Fearless Five rescue her on the first of several occasions (before she returns the favor), she becomes their ally. Slowly at first (and more than a little begrudgingly in the case of Fiera), Carmen finds herself becoming more and more a part of The Fearless Five. She initially finds herself in what is essentially the superhero version of witness protection, but finds herself taking on the role of superhero sidekick before she develops her own powers and becoming a full-fledged superhero. It would probably take an ubervillain with powers similar to Mr. Sage's telepathic abilities to force Carmen to reveal her allies' secrets.

But what of the heroes and villains that Carmen unmasked before arriving in Bigtime? We don't even learn all of their costumed identities; just four or five names that Carmen mentions in passing. What happened to them after their private lives became not so private?

I got the impression that things did not go so well for The Machinator, the first superhero Carmen unmasked (not to mention her ex-fiance). After Carmen discovered him in bed -- literally -- with his archenemy Crusher (who also turned out to be her now-former best friend), it was implied that he had something of a fall from grace. Not only did he and Crusher continue their romp between the sheets like a pair of nuclear-powered Energizer bunnies, they brought down the house -- or at least the hotel where Carmen and Mark's wedding was supposed to have taken place. According to Carmen, the hotel suffered considerable structural damage. (And I thought Klingons had some violent sexual practices!)

In the case of the ubervillains, we can assume that Carmen's unmasking was at least beneficial to the local authorities. I am assuming that the information that Carmen revealed in her exposes helped various law enforcement agencies to apprehend the villains. At the very least, I assume that the police would be able to make things more difficult for the villains to continue their normal operations. (Of course, in the comics, how many times have we seen superpowered criminals captured, only to see them escape once the writers came up with a new story using that villain? While Ms. Estep doesn't mention it, I suspect that the prisons in the Bigtime universe may have as much of a revolving door when it comes to ubervillains as the prisons in the DC and Marvel universes have when it comes to their supervillains.)

But the $256,000 question here is this: What has happened to the superheroes that Carmen has unmasked before she came to Bigtime? How did her unmasking affect them?

Carmen is again quiet on the subject, because she was more concerned with unmasking the heroes rather than what consequences might occur. At the time, she really didn't care; it took Tornado's death to change her feelings in that regard. So, we are left with suppositions and hypotheses. My own best guess is that, for the most part, the unmasking had to have had an adverse affect on the heroes. Carmen did mention that the authorities in some of the cities where she worked during her crusade wanted to send heroes and villains alike a bill for the damages they caused during their battles. It sounds as though it would be a distinct possibility that some heroes might find themselves tied up in litigation after Carmen publicly revealed who they really were.

Another possibility is that might find themselves at greater risk for attack from ubervillains, and not just the ones who had been unmasked by Carmen. After all, how long did Superman tell Lois Lane that they could never get married because he felt that she would be in constant danger from his enemies? (Never mind that Lois was finding herself in constant danger from his enemies even though they were only friends.) It might be something of a minor miracle that Tornado's death was the only one that came as a result of Carmen’s exposes.

It's implied more than anything else, but it seems that the primary consequence of a superhero being unmasked by Carmen is that the hero is no longer able to effectively function as a superhero. The Bigtime universe does not seem to have the equivalent of Ralph Dibny -- a hero who is so comfortable with the spotlight that he or she has publicly revealed his or her dual identity. Or if there is one, that hero hasn't been mentioned, and it's entirely likely that Carmen would be uninterested. After all, what is the point of unmasking someone who has already unmasked themselves?

But if it turns out that an unmasked hero somehow loses the ability to operate effectively as a superhero, what does he or she do then? Do they go into hiding, and then at some later point reappear under a new identity? And if they do, doesn’t it seem likely that the public would start thinking that new hero Major Magnet's powers seem awfully similar to the unmasked Magnetron's powers? Of course, this might hold true only if Magnetron had operated in a major city like Chicago or Los Angeles. If Magnetron had been a regional hero, living in Bozeman, Montana before relocating to Louisville and debuting as Major Magnet, it might escape all but the most diehard superhero watchers.

And now, in what truly has to be one of life's great ironies, Carmen finds herself on the other side of the mask, as a superhero. (Carmen, of course, thinks that it is just karma.) If she hasn't already, she will eventually realize that like Woodward and Bernstein before her, she has inspired some other young journalist, who will want to follow in Carmen's footsteps. Maybe even by uncovering the identity of the newest member of The Fearless Five.

Before she finally decides to become a superhero, Carmen has an encounter with Swifte, Bigtime's answer to The Flash. She tries to downplay her recently-acquired powers as martial arts skills, and Swifte plays along. But during their brief conversation, Swifte lets Carmen know that The Fearless Five have let the rest of Bigtime's superhero community know who really was responsible for Tornado's death. They were also told how Carmen had rescued The Fearless Five from The Terrible Triad. When Karma Girl made her first appearance as a member of the Fearless Five, it would seem almost certain that Swifte would know who she really was. But who else in Bigtime's superhero community knows?

And there is one other thing that none of The Fearless Five seems to have realized. When Carmen decided on a costume design, she settled for a silver costume -- the same color as Tornado's costume. Did she choose the color, even unconsciously, as a form of penance? It's particularly interesting to note that Fiera, who not only designed the costume, but was also engaged to Tornado, has not made the connection.

Of course, this may just be a case of karma working in strange ways . . .

-30-

I Could Tell You More, But . . .

2007-12-14T18:36:33Z

ENTRY #23
0712.14

Book Review
SECRET SOCIETY GIRL by Diana Peterfreund
(Random House, 2007)

I hereby confess: This review is going to go off on a number of tangents.

Sorry, but it can't be helped. As I was trying to organize my thoughts to write this review, my brain kept shooting off in a number of wildly different tangents -- and the occasional cosine as well. I realized that the easiest way to write this review was to incorporate them into the review. I'm hoping that it will make some sense out of the review.

The first tangents came as I was reading the text on the cover summarizing the book. Both of those came from TV. First came the announcement that was delivered in a stentorian voice at the beginning of Dragnet (slightly altered here to match the medium):

"DUM-DA-DUM-DUM! DUM-DA-DUM-DUM-DUMMMMM! The story you are about to read is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent."

The other came from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and was an exchange between Dr. Bashir and his friend Garak. (The following lines may not be precise quotes, but they are close enough.):

"How much of what you told me was the truth?"

"My dear Doctor, it was all the truth."

"Even the lies?"

"Oh, especially the lies!"

That is my overall impression of Secret Society Girl. Diana Peterfreund takes truths, partial truths, and outright lies, and weaves them together in a way that equals the guile of the "plain, simple" Cardassian tailor. (Though I suspect that she does it without having to spend hours in the makeup chair that Andrew Robinson did to bring Garak to life.)

Peterfreund's playfulness with the truth begins with the setting of the novel. Her bio at the back of the book states that she is an alumna of Yale University, graduating with degrees in geology and literature. (Definitely an . . . interesting combination. Of course, I don't know how much room I have to talk, seeing as how I had a double major in journalism and theatre arts, and a minor in radio-TV.) So when she has the novel set at "Eli University," it doesn't take too much of a stretch of the imagination to conclude that Peterfreund is staying pretty close to home.

Amy Haskel is a junior at the aforementioned Eli University. As the editor-in-chief of the university's literary magazine, she expected to be selected for Quill & Ink, Eli's literary senior society. (The phrase "secret society" might also apply, but to hear Amy talk, Quill & Ink isn't that particularly secretive.) Amy's predecessor as editor of the lit magazine is in Quill & Ink, and had told Amy that her own selection was a fait accompli.

Amy would probably find great wisdom and understanding in the words of Gerald R. Ford. In his first address to the US Senate, Vice-President Ford began by saying, "A funny thing happened to me on the way to becoming Speaker Of The House."

Yes, Amy did get interviewed by one of Eli's secret societies. But instead of Quill & Ink, she soon discovered that she had been tapped by Rose & Grave, the oldest and most secretive of the secret societies. This was a source of puzzlement to Amy. She doesn't come from a rich family, she doesn't have any political connections, and . . . well, she doesn't have a Y chromosome. It was Amy's understanding that Rose & Grave was all male.

But Amy soon learns that she is one of the first women ever to be tapped for Rose & Grave. She is swept up in an initiation that the book's cover text describes as "a blend of Harry Potter and Alfred Hitchcock," and given the society name Bugaboo. (Were he still alive, I think Sir Alfred would probably find the juxtaposition more than a little amusing. Come to think of it, I think J.K. Rowling would more than likely get a chuckle or two out of the phrase as well.)

But Amy and the other new members of Rose & Grave also soon learn that they are at the nexus of a giant hornet's nest within the society; a hornet's nest that has been whacked with one equally giant Louisville Slugger. There are a group of alumni (or patriarchs, to use their jargon) who are less than thrilled at the induction of Amy and the other female members. These patriarchs (who include the Chief Of Staff to the President) want to keep the "NO GURLS ALLOWED" sign on the Rose & Grave tomb firmly in place. And they have no compunction about using whatever means necessary to punish both the new inductees, and the seniors who selected them.

At first, Amy wonders if this is all more trouble than it's worth, and is on the verge of quitting. But then, she and the other juniors get mad; mad enough to confront the patriarchs in their lair (well, the alumni club in Manhattan).

There are a lot more twists, turns, and convolutions to Secret Society Girl than the primary plotline I just gave. But trying to go through even a handful of those twists would more than likely result in a review that approached book-length itself. (Okay, maybe novelette-length. Still much longer than necessary.) And if I did that, what purpose would you have in reading the novel for yourself?

There is one minor tweak in the plot that I found particularly . . . interesting. At the beginning of the confrontation, the patriarchs tried to make the new members return their Rose & Grave pins. Amy and the others dug in their heels, and flatly refused to do so. Later, when talking about it in a ladies' room discussion, Amy comments that all of them probably would have either swallowed the pins or pinned them into their flesh before giving them back. And when one of the other "Diggirls" (as they dub themselves) says that it's too bad they aren't permanent, all of the girls immediately decide to get tattoos of the Rose & Grave seal (a rose within an elongated hexagon). As tattoos on fictional characters go, it's pretty cool (and for a trypanophobe like me, that's saying something), but I still think the coolest fictional tattoos belong to Jim Brass, Angelus, and Chakotay.

I also identify with Amy in at least one respect. During the course of the book, several people comment that Amy tends to overanalyze everything. Amy herself admits to this. And she also has the habit of making lists on any and every topic. Oh, yeah, I know those characteristics quite well. I possess those qualities myself to some degree.

Some people may have trouble keeping track of some of the characters, as Amy will refer to them both by their real name and by their society name, often on the same page. For me, it wasn't that much of a problem. For me, it was the same as when I was reading Karma Girl. There is no difference when Carmen Cole refers to Sam Sloane and Striker, or when Amy Haskel refers to Clarissa Cuthbert and Angel. In each case, you know both names refer to the same person, or at least you do after the first two or three times. (I suppose it helps if you've been a lifelong fan of superheroes.)

Secret Society Girl is Diana Peterfreund's first novel, but there are more to come. Amy Haskel's adventures are far from over.

I hereby confess: I enjoyed this book.

I hereby confess: I'm looking forward to the second book.

-30-

Oops, I Probed It Again

2007-11-12T19:36:09Z

ENTRY #22
0711.12

My recent musings about Mindprobe triggered another memory or two about the game. In this case, the memories are of a musical nature. And yes, they do relate to the game.

The first one occurred after one game. Yes, it was a game that I won. As the post-game chat continued, I could almost hear the plaintive tone in one of the other player's voice as he -- or maybe she; userids don't always give clues to gender -- asked, "Purple, is there anything that you don't know?"

I don't know why I typed the answer I did. Part of it, I suppose, is that I cannot resist being given an opening. In any event, I answered, "Don't know much about history . . . " Another player caught the spirit of the moment, and added, "Don't know much biology . . . " Several of us ended up "singing" the song together, and having something of a laugh over it in the process.

The second one happened over the course of a number of games -- again, games that I won. After the games, I was trying to be cute, and I typed in the chat area, "Oops, I did it again." As you might suspect, this was around the time that the song of the same name first hit the airwaves, so the other players were adding "Britney" to the repertoire of names they had for me. (I will say, though, that I have never been photographed leaving a car and showing that I wasn't wearing any underwear.)

After about the third or fourth time I typed "Oops, I did it again," the seeds of a filk were planted in my imagination. I shared it with my fellow Mindprobe players, and as I recall, they were rather amused by my efforts. I feel the urge to share it with the rest of the world, and this seems as good a place as any to do it. I hope this brings a chuckle or two to your lips.

Oops, I Probed It Again
(sung to the tune of "Oops, I Did It Again")

I think I did it again,
I made the high score,
And got the Green Screen.(1)
Oh, Baby,
You grumble as you leave,(2)
But I wish you'd believe,
I’m not being mean.

Because to ace all the questions,
That's just so typically me,

Oh, Baby, Baby,

Oops! I did it again,
I won the Mindprobe,
Got caught up in the game,
Oh, Baby, Baby,
Oops! You all swear it's so,
That I'm sent from below,(3)
But I'm not that big a brain.

You see, the problem is this,
The questions appear,
Challenging me to always raise my score.
I'll try to throw a game,(4)
But even with my best shot
The results are the same.(5)

Because to win all the T-shirts(6)
That's just so typically me.

Baby, Oh!

Oops! I did it again,
I Probed all your minds,(7)
And then won the game.
Oh, Baby, Baby,
Oops! You all swear it's so,
That I'm sent from below,
But I'm not that big a brain.

Oops! I did it again,
Probed your minds and then won the game, oh Baby,
Oops! You swear that I'm sent from below,
But I'm not that big a brain.

Oops! I did it again,
I won the Mindprobe,
Got caught up in the game,
Oh, Baby, Baby,
Oops! You all swear it's so,
That I'm sent from below,
But I'm not that big a brain.

Oops! I did it again,
I Probed all your minds,
And then won the game.
Oh, Baby, Baby,
Oops! You all swear it's so,
That I'm sent from below,
But I'm not . . . that . . . big a brain.

And now a few explanatory footnotes. When I originally typed this entry, I had all these really nice-looking superscripts. For some reason, though, they didn't work when I uploaded the entry to LiveJournal:

1. The Green Screen popped up for the winner(s) at the end of the game. It was a congratulatory message, and if it was one of the themed games, asked for the player's name and address so they would know where to send the T-shirt and other prizes.

2. When I had one of my occasional hot streaks, the others were not shy about voicing their displeasure. I never said anything when I went several days without winning, though. I never took the game as seriously as everyone else thinks I did.

3. More than once, it was suggested that I came straight from the Hellmouth.

4. Yes, there were a few times when I deliberately threw a game -- usually when the prize was a book or movie that I already owned.

5. Most of the time, I had no problem throwing the game. There was one time, though, when I couldn't lose no matter how hard I tried. And another time, someone else was trying to lose just as hard as I was. I tried harder that time, though. No one was going to beat me at throwing the game.

6. As I mentioned before, part of the prize included a Mindprobe T-shirt. I probably have the largest collection of them.

7. Yes, I was accused of getting the answers by probing the other players' minds -- among other things.

-30-

Come And Knock On My Door

2007-10-10T15:57:05Z

ENTRY #19
0710.10

Book Review
THE BOYS NEXT DOOR by Jennifer Echols
(Simon Pulse)

I picked up Jennifer Echols's first book, Major Crush, because the cover art of two drum majors doing the tango caught my eye. I picked up The Boys Next Door, her second book, because I wanted to see if she would be as entertaining the second time around. Long story short, she is.

Oh. You're wanting more details than that. I suppose it would be a rather short review if I left it at that, so read on . . .

Major Crush followed a familiar plotline used quite often in the romance genre: Two people, who don't particularly like each other, are forced together by various circumstances. As time goes on, though, the couple gradually realizes that they don't dislike each other as much as they thought they did. The Boys Next Door goes down a quite different path. If it were a movie, it would be called a "screwball comedy." Think What's Up, Doc?, or some of the more farcical moments of The Secret Of My Success. Maybe even Three's Company.

Lori McGillicuddy has long had a crush on Sean Vader, the middle brother of the boys mentioned in the book's title. She has decided that this summer, she is going to do something to attract Sean's attention, to get him to realize that she is a girl. And she knows just how she is going to grab his attention -- cleavage-enhancing tank tops (now that she has some cleavage to be enhanced), bikinis, et cetera, et cetera.

All of Lori's careful planning goes out the window, though, when at the first Friday night party of the summer, she stumbles upon Sean playing tonsil hockey with Rachel, his younger brother Adam's girlfriend. And she tells Adam, who had been wondering where Rachel was.

Adam . . . is just a little upset. Understandably, he wants Rachel back, and he has an idea on how to achieve that goal. The next morning, he suggests to Lori that they pretend to be a couple as a way to put a halt to Sean and Rachel's romance before it can get started. Adam can get Rachel back, and Sean will once again be available for Lori to pursue.

Lori agrees, and as the saying goes, wackiness ensues.

Adam and Lori's plan follows some . . . interesting convolutions. For instance, on their first "date," he takes her mud riding -- riding in his family's old pickup truck at a local mud pit. It is a place to be seen, but Adam doesn't tell Lori beforehand, and she is wearing these very delicate high heels. And of course, the inevitable happens, and the truck gets stuck in the mud. Lori is better prepared for their next mud riding date; she wears rubber flip-flops that, as she put it, could be hosed off. (Personally, I think wellies would have been a better choice. There would have been less chance of Lori losing one [or both] if she did have to schlep through the mud, and she would have to hose off only the boots, as opposed to having to hose off the flip-flops and her feet and legs.)

There is a strong thread of sibling rivalry running throughout The Boys Next Door. Besides the girlfriend stealing, there is the sudden realization early in the book that Adam is now just the slightest bit taller and heavier than Sean. And when Adam makes his displeasure known over Sean's choice of a makeout partner, it is the first time that he has ever had the upper hand in a fight.

There is also a strong thread of cluelessness running through the book as well. Sean seems completely unaware that Lori has always had a major crush on him. And while Lori has been making goopy eyes at Sean for years, she is equally unaware that Adam has wanted to be more than just a buddy with her. As I said, wackiness ensues.

There are a couple of things I like about Lori. For one thing, she is a reader. At one point, she mentions curling up with I, Robot, and she is talking about Asimov's short story collection, not the abomination of a movie that was allegedly based on said collection. And Lori also mentions Arthur C. Clarke during the book -- although I don't know how Sir Arthur would react to a teenage girl commenting on his kissing abilities. (She does think he writes a great space story, though.)

On the other hand, there is one error (albeit a minor one) that set my teeth on edge. Lori is also a fan of the James Bond movies, but when she mentions Halle Berry's walking out of the ocean in Die Another Day, she doesn't seem to realize that it is a tribute to Ursula Andress from the very first 007 movie, Doctor No. And at one point in her narration, Lori says, "She looked exactly like a James Bond girl from the pre-Halle Berry era, one of those ditzes who stood safely in the corner and never had a dagger when she needed one, like Honey Ryder, or Plenty O'Toole." Again, Lori seems to forget that when we first saw Honey Ryder, she had a diving knife strapped to her hip. She is also discounting a number of Bond girls before Jinx who were more than able to take care of themselves, like Barbara Bach's Agent XXX, or Honor Blackman's Pussy Galore. And I'm trying to decide whether this mistake was supposed to be something on Lori's part, or if this was something that Echols made, and her editor didn’t catch.

As I did when I was reading Major Crush, I began thinking about who I might cast in a movie version of The Boys Next Door. Of course, I have an advantage over real producers and casting agents. I don't have to limit myself to contemporary actors at their current ages. I can hop into my London police box (circa 1963) and grab the actor I think is best from the age that fits the character.

For Sean and Adam, I think a couple of real-life brothers would work best -- Luke and Owen Wilson. At the moment, I don't recall if they have appeared on screen together, but from what I have seen of them in interviews, they share an easygoing goofiness that would seem to be right for playing Sean and Adam. (And as I also recall, there is a third Wilson brother, who would be a good choice to play the oldest Vader boy, Cameron.)

For Lori, I would go with Michelle Trachtenberg. There is something about Lori that reminds me of Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers; particularly during the first season that Dawn appeared on Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

As I said, I picked up The Boys Next Door because I wanted to see if Jennifer Echols would be as good to read a second time around. Let me put it this way -- I will be seeking out her third book without any hesitation.

And guess what? I made it through the entire review without wondering if Sean and Adam had a cousin named Darth.

-30-

Even-Better All-Time Series?

2007-09-25T19:51:18Z

ENTRY #18
0709.25

From the Constitution of the World Science Fiction Society, Article 3 -- Hugo Awards:

"Section 3.3.14: Additional Category. Not more than one special category may be created by the current Worldcon committee with nomination and voting to be the same as for the permanent categories. The Worldcon Committee is not required to create any such category; such action by a Worldcon Committee should be under exceptional circumstances only; and the special category created by one Worldcon Committee shall not be binding on following Committees. Awards created under this paragraph shall be considered to be Hugo Awards."

Tricon, the 1966 Worldcon, used that section to create a one-time Hugo category -- "Best All-Time Series." The nominees for that award were:

The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov
The "Barsoom" series by Edgar Rice Burroughs
The "Future History" series by Robert A. Heinlein
The Lensman series by Edward E. Smith, Ph.D.
The Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein

The winner was The Foundation Trilogy.

Now, I will readily agree that these five series should be ranked among the best that the genre has produced. But are they really THE best SF/Fantasy series of all time?

I have heard it suggested that the modern science fiction era began in 1926, with the publication of the first issue of Amazing Stories, the first magazine devoted exclusively to science fiction (or "scientifiction," to use the term Hugo Gernsback coined for the genre). Yes, I know that there is probably someone out there who would try to engage me in a Long And Pointless Argument on the matter, but I will choose to ignore that person. For one thing, while I can engage in Long And Pointless Arguments just as well as the next fan, I'm not interested in doing so on this subject. For another, choosing 1926 as The Beginning Of Science Fiction As We Know It, and the reasoning behind that choice, seems plausible enough and sensible enough to me.

In any case, my point -- and as Ellen DeGeneres once said, I do have one -- is this: There were 40 years between the beginning of modern SF and the selection of The Foundation Trilogy as the Best All-Time Series. Well, make that 39 years, because the 1966 Hugos were presented for works first published the previous year (something that still holds true today), so the Hugo voters of 1966 would have considered series published through the end of 1965. It has now been 41 years since Tricon was held. More time has elapsed between Tricon and the present than between the beginning of modern SF and Tricon.

Can we honestly say that there have been no series published in the intervening 41 years that are at the very least equal to those five series? Were the people involved in running Tricon being just a little presumptuous in thinking that these five series were superior to any other SF or Fantasy series that would ever be published? Haven't there been series published since 1966 that should be at the very least considered the equal of these five series?

In case you haven't figured it out by now, my answer to that question is this: Yes, there have been a number of series published in the past 41 years that are probably just as good as the five nominated back in 1967. Maybe even better. (Yes, I know that some members of SF fandom are right now accusing me of having committed blasphemy. Deal with it.) But if next year's Worldcon, Denvention 3, announced that they would be administering their own Hugo for Best All-Time Series, I would be willing to bet on at least two things happening. First, there would be some members of fandom who would be outraged, utterly outraged, and be demanding to know (in the loudest and most strident voices possible) how Denvention would dare commit such an act of sacrilege. (And it would be likely that just as many fen, if not more, would be wondering what the big deal is, and why these people would be causing such a fuss.) Second, you would not see the same five nominees on the ballot in 2008 that you did in 1966.

I suspect that The Foundation Trilogy (which Asimov expanded upon in later years) and The Lord Of The Rings might stand a good chance of making this hypothetical ballot. But what other series would make the cut? At the moment, I can think of several that might be considered.

Important Disclaimer here: Please keep in mind that some of these series I have read, others I have not. I mention some series because I know they have strong followings in fandom, and I know that some of their fans would support their nomination most enthusiastically. Other series I mention because I like them, and they are among the ones I would nominate if this hypothetical situation became real. In no particular order, they are:

The Dune series by Frank Herbert -- I read the original Dune once, a long time ago. To be honest, I found the book drier than Arrakis itself, and I was never tempted to pick up any of the sequels. But there must have been a lot of readers who liked it; it was the first novel to win both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best novel. (As a matter of fact, the original Dune won the Best Novel Hugo at Tricon.)

The Chronicles Of Narnia by C.S. Lewis -- I strongly suspect that this series just missed the ballot back in 1966. I don't know if the Hugo administrators of that era were required to publish a list of nominees that just failed to make the ballot, as they are today. If they were, I would be interested in learning what series just missed being in the top five.

The Time Quintet by Madeleine L'Engle -- A Wrinkle In Time was the first SF novel I can remember reading, and based on some of the things I read after her recent death, she was the introduction to SF for a lot of other people as well. L'Engle may have been thought of as a "children's writer," but she never wrote down to them. I reread Wrinkle both when I was in high school and as an adult, and I found the book just as enthralling as I did when I first read it in fifth grade.

The Dragonriders Of Pern by Anne McCaffrey -- Two of the books in this series received Best Novel nominations, and I was rather disappointed when both of them lost. While I haven't read some of the more recent books, I have thoroughly enjoyed the Pern books that I have read. I should also mention that McCaffrey has written a number of other series, and one them could conceivably appear on this hypothetical ballot instead of the Pern books: The Crystal Singer series, The Rowan and its sequels, and the Acorna series (which McCaffrey co-wrote with Margaret Ball).

The Amber series by Roger Zelazny -- I have read only a couple of Amber short stories. I remember those stories because Realms Of Fantasy published them in 1995, just before Zelazny's untimely death. The stories I did read made me want to read more, but as of yet, I haven't done so. (You know the old saying -- so many books, so little time? Applies here.)

The "Ender" series by Orson Scott Card -- Card was the first person to win back-to-back Best Novel Hugos, and both of those winners were in this series. Personally, I have never read any of the "Ender" books (let's face it, it is impossible to read everything in SF now), but I'm willing to bet that any series that has won two Best Novel Hugos is going to be given some serious consideration by the people who nominate and vote on the Hugos.

The "Miles Vorkosigan" series by Lois McMaster Bujold -- Bujold is the only other writer to win back-to-back Best Novel Hugos. In fact, Bujold has won four Best Novel Hugos (which puts her in a tie with Robert Heinlein for the most Best Novel Hugos), and three of them were Vorkosigan novels. I've read parts of the series, and what I like most about it is the humor. It isn't the absurd, over-the-top humor that you find in the "Hitchhiker's Guide" books; it's a more subtle humor that has you chuckling before you even realize that you are reading something funny.

The "Darkover" series by Marion Zimmer Bradley -- again, I have not read any of these books (so many books, so little time), but I do know that this series has been more than a little popular. As a matter of fact, about all I know of the series is its name and that Bradley wrote it. That, and I know that the series has some very enthusiastic fans.

The "Honor Harrington" series by David Weber -- This is probably my personal favorite of the series I have listed. E.E. "Doc" Smith may have been the one to create the subgenre we call "space opera" (he even invented the term, as I recall, or at the very least used it in one of his Lensman books), but Weber has taken the concept and refined it with not only the Honor Harrington books, but also with other books such as March Upcountry and its sequels (co-written with Eric Flint). I remember a blurb in one of the Honor Harrington books (taken from a Starlog review from the 1990s) suggested that Weber would enter the new century as the new master of military SF.

The "Tek" series by William Shatner -- Okay, not really. I just threw this one in to see if you were really paying attention. Of course, I wouldn't put it past some people to nominate this series simply as a means of discrediting any hypothetical additional category along these lines.

The "Hitchhiker's Guide" series by Douglas Adams -- Or as the series is now usually described, the five-book "Hitchhiker's Trilogy." Douglas Adams created a thing of exquisite beauty -- a science fiction series that is rip-roaringly hilarious. And he did it in at least a half-dozen different media; all telling the same basic story, but each version having slightly different details. (And each one is unfailingly funny.) Some comedian once said that dying was easy; it was comedy that was hard. Adams has proven that, because I cannot think of another SF writer who has even come close to writing anything as funny as Arthur Dent's (mis)adventures.

The "Skolian Empire" series by Catherine Asaro -- I like Catherine Asaro. First of all, I have had the chance to meet her at a few conventions, and she is a very nice person. Second, she is a damn good editor, which is how I originally became aware of her. And third, she is an amazing writer. She writes novels that garner rave reviews from not only the nuts-and-bolts hard SF lovers, but also from romance readers. And she has won awards in both genres. That is probably much harder to do than it looks, and Dr. Asaro makes it all look so very easy. Oh, and she is also an honest-to-Goddard rocket scientist. (Did I mention that I think she is a really cool person?)

I am sure that you have noticed that I have listed considerably more than five series here. There is a reason or two for this. For one thing, I mentioned the series that most quickly came to mind when I started writing this entry. I realize that for every series I mentioned, there are an equal number of series that I haven't mentioned. For another, I didn't want to list only five series and then say that they would be the ones to make the final ballot if there were another Best All-Time Series Hugo, because quite frankly, my track record when it comes to predicting Hugo nominees and winners is woefully abyssmal.

Besides, we all know that Shatner's "Tek" series would be the clear winner, don't we?

-30-

Speeding Bullet, Locomotive, Tall Buildings

2007-08-29T19:52:16Z

ENTRY #17
0708.29

Book Review
THE MAN FROM KRYPTON
Edited by Glenn Yeffeth
(Benbella Books, 2005, $17.95)

Do you want just one reason to get this collection of essays? Okay, how about this? Larry Niven's essay "Man Of Steel, Woman Of Kleenex" is reprinted here.

If I'm not mistaken, All The Myriad Ways has been out of print for at least a few years. And while Niven's somewhat irreverent look at Superman's sex life can be found on the Internet, there is just something about reading it in book form that makes it a little more . . . satisfying, I guess.

Okay, I did say that "Man Of Steel, Woman Of Kleenex" was a good enough reason to pick up this collection of essays (subtitled "A Closer Look At Superman") if you needed just one reason. If, on the other hand, you want more than just that one essay, there are 19 others for your edification as well. Some of the essays, like Niven's, take a look at the lighter side of the Man Of Steel. Others take a more serious, almost scholarly approach to the subject.

Lawrence Watt-Evans starts the collection with "Previous Issues." I am going to have a hard time looking at Superman's costume with a straight face for a while after reading this essay. There's a good chance that you will, too.

Adam Roberts asks the question "Is Superman A Superman?" In other words, is Kal-El a superman in the way that Friedrich Nietzsche meant when he coined the word Übermensch? As Roberts gives a cursory explanation of Nietzsche's term, he goes on to state, "But since the 1950s (roughly speaking), English-language scholars have stopped translating Übermensch as 'Superman,' generally preferring the translation 'Overman.'" Roberts seems to be more than a little amused by some of the explanations generally given for the preference, when he (and anyone with more than three functioning brain cells) knows that English-language philosophers couldn't stand the thought of having their wonderful philosphical concept compared to a mere comic book character like the Man Of Steel.

In "You Will Believe A Man Can Walk," Sarah Zettel writes about actor Christopher Reeve, both in the roles he had other than Superman, and about his life following the 1995 accident that left him paralyzed. She opens her essay by mentioning a certain scene in the movie Deathtrap (yes, that scene), and her reaction when she initially saw the movie was quite close to what mine was when I saw the movie.

Keith R.A. DeCandido takes a look not only at Christopher Reeve, but at all of the actors to portray the Man Of steel in "Actor And Superactor." At the time The Man From Krypton was published, Superman Returns was still in production, so this was taking a look at the very big red boots that Brandon Routh was going to have to fill. I agree with DeCandido on a few things. I get the impression that, like me, his first exposure to Superman outside of the comics was Bud Collyer's voice. There is something about the way that Collyer dropped his voice an octave as he said, "This is a job . . . for Superman!" that makes it quintessential. On the other hand, I like Dean Cain's portrayal of the part much better than Reeve's, and I suspect that we could get into an argument on that subject.

And speaking of the star of Superman Returns, Lou Anders has "A Word Of Warning For Brandon Routh." Anders takes a look at the so-called "Superman curse" that has befallen a number of actors to play the part. His thread of logic gets stretched very thin, especially when he draws parallels to the US Presidents who have died in office. Very thin indeed.

In "The Mirror Of Gilgamesh," John G. Hemry writes about the one person that Superman fears the most, and the one person without whom he would fall victim to that greatest fear. And yes, in the process, Hemry does make some comparisons to the ancient myth of Gilgamesh.

Chris Roberson's "Jewel Mountains And Fire Falls" takes a look at Krypton itself. The backstory of Superman's birthworld has changed as much as he has over the years, as different writers and editors have added information on the now-lost planet, edited it, and in a couple of cases completely revamped what we knew.

And as I mentioned at the beginning, "Man Of Steel, Woman Of Kleenex" is reprinted here. I was a little disappointed at its positioning in the book. It should have either been the first essay, or at the very end (saving the best for last). Instead, Yeffeth chose to put it somewhere in the middle.

This is but a sampling of the essays in The Man From Krypton. Other essays take a look at Lex Luthor, at the TV series Smallville, at the idea of Superman as modern mythology, and at the parallels between Superman and Batman, among other topics. But I won't give a rundown of every single essay, because what would be the point of your picking up the book and reading it for yourself?

The Man From Krypton presents a vast array of viewpoints -- or at least as vast as you can get in 20 essays. Even if you find the thesis of one essay to be absurd, boring, or just merely annoying, turning a few pages will bring another essay with something that is perhaps more palatable to your tastes.

There is one more piece that I wish Yeffeth had included in The Man from Krypton. That would be the lyrics to Tom Smith's filk "Superman's Sex Life Boogie." Yes, it was inspired by Niven's essay. (As I understand it, Niven was delighted when he first heard the song, and even joined Smith in singing it at a convention where the two were guests.) Perhaps if BenBella publishes another collection of Superman essays, it will be included.

And I think there is potential for another collection of closer looks at Superman. The Man Of Tomorrow has been around for almost 70 years (next year marks the 70th anniversary of Action Comics #1), and the character has become thoroughly ingrained in our culture in those seven decades. There are a lot more viewpoints out there. Finding and collecting them -- well, that might be a job . . . for BenBella Books!

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Which Side?

2007-08-23T20:06:01Z

ENTRY #16
0708.23

Book Review
THE GREAT SNAPE DEBATE
by Amy Berner, Orson Scott Card, Joyce Millman
(Borders, 2007)

In the months leading up to the release of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, there were easily a dozen books published on the singular subject of what would happen in the final book in J.K. Rowling's series about the boy wiazrd. This book (which was developed by BenBella Books exclusively for the Borders chain of bookstores) focuses on just one question among many left by the ending of the sixth book, Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince. That question: To whose side does Hogwarts potions master, and head of Slytherin House Severus Snape's allegiance belong? Is he an agent of Lord Voldemort, or has he been an agent of Albus Dumbledore all along?

The Great Snape Debate is a flip book, fashioned after the style of the old Ace Doubles. One side puts forth "The Case For Snape's Innocence." Flip it over, and the other side presents "The Case For Snape's Guilt."

In presenting each side of the argument, Berner, Card, and Millman bring supporting evidence from the first six books in the series, along with extensive quotes. There is the initial argument for each side of the question, sections on Snape as hero or villain, a look at Snape's life (is he just misunderstood, or rotten to the core?), and a look at Slytherin House (not always evil, or home of the ethically challenged?). There is even a look at the career of Alan Rickman, the actor who portrays Snape in the Harry Potter movies, at both what could be called his heroic and less than heroic roles. There are even two Top 10 lists -- the top 10 reasons why we love Snape, and the top 10 reasons why we love to hate Snape.

One interesting insight that I picked up from The Great Snape Debate was the comparison drawn between Snape and Dr. Gregory House from the TV series House MD. It surprised me at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the two are indeed quite similar. If the two were ever introduced, they would probably get along very well -- much to the dismay of everyone around them. (And now that I think about it a little more, Hugh Laurie, the actor who plays House, would have been as interesting a choice to play Snape as Rickman has been.)

A speculation that brought an even bigger chuckle was what Snape's secret vice might be. As he is presented in the books, Snape is someone who doesn't drink that much, and really doesn't socialize, and since he both dresses and acts like a Puritan minister, he probably isn't the type to do drugs. Muggle pasttimes such as video games and the Internet would probably hold little interest for him, but the authors suggest that there is one form of Muggle entertainment that is more than likely to be Snape's guilty pleasure. And if the speculation is true, Carrie Ann Inaba and Tom Bergeron (among others) would be surprised to learn that Severus Snape was one of their most ardent viewers.

In presenting both sides of the Snape question, the authors prove one thing over anything else. J.K. Rowling created an intriguingly complex character when she added Severus Snape to the Harry Potter stories. The authors do not reach any definitive answer to the question. Instead, they preferred to leave the readers guessing, and discover the answer in the pages of Deathly Hallows.

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Tango In Front Of the Band

2007-08-03T16:26:10Z

ENTRY #15
0708.03

Book Review
MAJOR CRUSH by Jennifer Echols
(Simon Pulse)

I'm quite certain that you have heard the old saying, "Never judge a book by its cover." While I am sure the saying may have had some validity at some point in the distant past, these days, it's a load of crap. The whole point behind the art on book covers and dust jackets (not to mention cover text and blurbs) is to give the shopper browsing in the bookstore at least something of an idea about what's inside the book. These days, the publishers want you to judge the book by its cover (or at least by its cover art).

Such was the case when I first saw Major Crush in Borders. The cover features two drum majors doing the tango. That cover caught my eye, and it piqued my curiosity enough to make me want to learn more.

It's interesting to note that there are several interesting parallels between Jennifer Echols and her heroine, Virginia Sauter. From Echols's website, I discovered that, like Virginia, Echols was the first girl to be drum major of her high school's marching band. (The website has a photo of Echols in uniform, and she was quite the hottie.) Even though Echols stresses on the dedication page that her parents are nothing like Virginia's, she did make Virginia's dad an OB/GYN, just like hers. And she borrowed one other aspect from her youth for Major Crush. As Virginia mentions in passing:

"This meant that after I was home sick from school, my mother would scribble an excuse for me on a pad printed with a cartoon uterus and the slogan of a menopause drug: 'Just like the estrogen she used to make!'"

Virginia is a former beauty pageant contestant; the "former" stemming from a number of events that happened a couple of years earlier. (Those events are mentioned during the book, but they are enough of a plot spoiler that I don't want to go into any more detail than that.) After tossing her tiara, Virginia gets her nose pierced, takes up drums, and eventually decides that she wants to be the one in front of the band, leading it. And to everyone's surprise (possibly even hers), Virginia gets the job.

Virginia may be the first girl to be drum major of her high school marching band, but she isn't the only drum major. She's sharing the responsibility with Drew Morrow, the previous year's drum major (and having multiple drum majors is also a first for the band). Drew isn't particularly happy with this arrangement. He succeeded his two older brothers as drum major, and years earlier, their father also held that job. Drew feels that sharing the drum major responsibilities with Virginia is a demotion. And with the old band director more or less sleepwalking through band camp (he was getting ready to leave to become a mail carrier), Virginia and Drew aren't playing well with each other. And the band's performance reflects that.

The new band director, Mr. Rush, decides that the status quo is going to change, even if he has to bang Virginia's and Drew's skulls together. And banging their skulls together is about the only thing he doesn't do. One of the first things Mr. Rush does to force Virginia and Drew to start cooperating more is to have them do a dip at the beginning of the band's performance. (Hence the cover illustration.) This does not sit well with Drew's girlfriend, Tracey Reardon. Or is it Cacey Reardon? Well, it's one of the Evil Twins (or as Virginia refers to them, "blonde hair, big boobs, and her sister"), that much is for certain. Which one, though -- only they know the answer to that question. When Virginia asked him pointblank, Drew was amazingly clueless. (For all he knows, Drew could be dating both of them, and he apparently wouldn't realize it.)

As Virginia and Drew begins to work together more (spurred on by Mr. Rush's suggestions, coercions, and out and out threats), the band's performance begins to improve. And the drum majors go from being adversaries (Virginia makes the comparison to Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG; a comparison later echoed by Mr. Rush) to allies (you and me against the crazy band director) to friends (sharing some very personal confidences in the process).

There were a few interesting incidental details I learned about Major Crush only after I discovered Echols's website and blog. For instance, she tuckerized her agent, making her a victim of the Evil Twins' perfidy. (Said agent found this rather amusing, especially the part where her fictional version was given a boyfriend named "Gator.") It's not particularly necessary to know minutia like this, but it always gives an added chuckle if you do.

As I read the book, one thing I especially liked was Echols's use of language. I don't think I had ever seen the word "majorette" used as a verb before. And Echols writes some wonderfully descriptive sentences. My favorite of the book had to be this one: "Her bags and boots and sequined leotard and tiara sat in the passenger seat like a pool of melted majorette." (It's on page 121, for those of you who may be curious.)

Another thing I found myself doing as I read Major Crush was thinking about who I would cast if I were making the book into a movie. For Virginia, it would probably be Reese Witherspoon. If I had a fusion-powered DeLorean, I would fire up the flux capacitor, and go back to when Reese was making Cruel Intentions. The Reese Witherspoon of that time would be perfect for the part. For Drew, I would probably go with Tom Welling, again maybe going back two or three years.

And although in the book Mr. Rush is in his early 20s (this is his first job after graduating), the actor who I thought had the right blend of manic energy and outright insanity to play the part is a little older than that. Danny Bonaduce.

There is one cute parallel in Major Crush, which would be the start for, if not a sequel, then at least a companion book. As Virginia and Drew are gradually becoming friends (and perhaps more?), there is also a budding romance between their best friends, Allison and Luther. Allison is one of the band's majorettes, and I would love to see if Echols could get away with using the line, "And this one time at band camp . . . "

Echols has a sparkling sense of humor, and Major Crush is a spectacular debut novel. I'm not sure how she could get any better, but I'm looking forward to reading future titles by her.

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