Old Tea Leaf Reviews 7: 1987 Locus Poll Best First Novel
James Nicoll
Best First Novel
1 The Hercules Text Jack McDevitt
Signals are picked up from space. Since the contents of the
message are potentially revolutionary, the question becomes what to
do with the message.
I never thought about this before but was there only one copy
of the data?
I liked this when I read it but didn't care for the resolution.
This is a pattern that has continued for me where McDevitt is concerned
to the present day.
McDevitt is still a successful author.
This was an Ace Special.
2 Shards of Honor Lois McMaster Bujold
Romance blooms between people serving on opposite sides of a small
war. Needless to say, neither the people from the liberal democracy nor
the people from the autocratic militarism regime are keen on this development
but it all ends on a happier note than ROMEO AND JULIET.
Cordelia on the same list as the protagonist from
3 A Hidden Place Robert Charles Wilson
Is this his Ray Bradburyesque if Ray Bradbury wrote things
I liked" novel? I think it is.
Wilson is still getting published. He made an utterly unsurprising
move to Tor a number of years ago (Eventually, everyone ends up at Tor
or Baen. I think there's a law or something).
4 Wrack and Roll Bradley Denton
Alternate history about which I recall absolutely nothing. It's
filed next to John Shirley in my brain so the music must be angry.
Denton's still writing and still getting published.
5 The Cross-Time Engineer Leo Frankowski
A sex-crazed engineer is transported back in time to Poland just
pre-Mongol invasion. He has only a few years to save Poland from the Asiatic
hordes.
This is a Gary-Stu history-manipulation book and possible the
first droplet in a wave of purile books about moderns transported
back in time.
Frankowski got dumped by Baen a few years ago because his
new books no longer met their minimum stadard for quality and is now
hawking his own works online.
6 No Safe Place Anne Moroz
I missed this. This appears to have been her only novel.
7 Sentience: A Novel of First Contact Terry A. Adams
Another one that I didn't even see.
As far as I can tell, Adams had this novel and a sequel in
1989 and nothing since.
8 Windmaster's Bane Tom Deitz
I missed this as well.
I know Deitz was fairly prolific in the 1980s and 1990s but
I don't see anything more recent than 2002's WARAUTUMN.
8 The Doomsday Effect Thomas T. Thomas
In case anyone is wonder, his middle name is Thurston.
I missed this book as well.
Thomas published about eight novels in the 1980s and 1990s
but I do not see anything more recent than the late 1990s.
10 The Game of Fox and Lion Robert R. Chase
This I do have, along with the sequel and an unrelated book.
I believe that it involves a fairly pointless war between unmodified
and modified humans, as resolved by a man neither side really trusts.
As far as I can tell, Chase had this book, the sequel
and an unrelated novel. He's a Del Rey author, for what it's worth.
11 Fire Sanctuary Katharine Eliska Kimbriel
I missed this.
As far as I can tell, Kimbriel has had some low output periods
but is still getting published.
12 Warchild Richard Bowes
I did not read this.
Bowes is not especially prolific but he does produce work at
a steady pace (His personal website could be more useful re: bibliographical
material. Do agents prod writers about stuff like that?), mostly recently
2005's FROM THE FILES OF THE TIME RANGERS.
13 Daggerspell Katharine Kerr
I missed this along with the rest of her books. I have a terrible
feeling that I keep getting her mixed up with an author whose name is
somewhat similar.
She is reasonably prolific and is still getting published.
14 The Curse of Sagamore Kara Dalkey
Another book that I have not read (Although I've read and
liked later books by Dalkey). I thought she got her start in the mid-
1990s...
She has been reasonably prolific. The most recent work by her
that I can find is the 2002 Water Trilogy.
15 The Star Country Michael Cassutt
I missed this.
He has not produced a lot of novels, seemingly prefering shorter
lengths (His career as a short story writer goes back to the early 1970s).
If I am not getting my Cassutts mixed up, I believe that he is a television
writer and producer.
16 The Hounds of the Morrigan Pat O'Shea
I missed this (The odds of me reading something go way, way
down if there's even the slightest hint of Celtism about the book).
I don't think O'Shea wrote all that many books (Three, all in the
1980s, I believe) but assuming Pat and O'Shea are uncommon names
in Ireland and the UK, she's probably also the the playwright
Pat O'Shea.
She died in 2007.
17 The Burning Stone Deborah Turner Harris
I missed this as well.
She was reasonably prolific in the late 1980s and the 1990s
but the most recent book by her that I can see is her 2001 collaboration
with Katherine Kurtz, THE TEMPLE AND THE CROWN.
--
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http://www.cafepress.com/jdnicoll (For all your "The problem with
defending the English language [...]" T-shirt, cup and tote-bag needs)
James Nicoll
James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
>
>2 Shards of Honor Lois McMaster Bujold
>
> Romance blooms between people serving on opposite sides of a small
>war. Needless to say, neither the people from the liberal democracy nor
>the people from the autocratic militarism regime are keen on this development
>but it all ends on a happier note than ROMEO AND JULIET.
>
> Cordelia on the same list as the protagonist from
Where's the rest of this?
Cordelia is on the same list as the protagonist from
FOUR HUNDRED BILLION STARS, someone who one should never under
any circumstances go camping with.
Bujold is a successful author.
Ted Nolan <tednolan>
>
> A sex-crazed engineer is transported back in time to Poland just
>pre-Mongol invasion. He has only a few years to save Poland from the Asiatic
>hordes.
>
> This is a Gary-Stu history-manipulation book and possible the
>first droplet in a wave of purile books about moderns transported
>back in time.
>
Are you sure that you're not letting how bad the later ones became color
your recollection of this one? I remember it as quite a fun book.
Ted
--
------
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..
rochrist
She was rather old when she produced this book. But its an absolutely
fabulous book and ought to be considered one of the classics of fantasy
literature IMO.
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Nicoll) wrote:
> Frankowski got dumped by Baen a few years ago because his
>new books no longer met their minimum standard for quality...
A frightening concept.
>13 Daggerspell Katharine Kerr
>
> I missed this along with the rest of her books. I have a terrible
>feeling that I keep getting her mixed up with an author whose name is
>somewhat similar.
Katherine Kurtz? Because I always got them mixed up, until I got to
know Kit Kerr.
--
My webpage is at http://www.watt-evans.com
The eighth issue of Helix is now at http://www.helixsf.com
James Nicoll
Lawrence Watt-Evans <l...@sff.net> wrote:
>On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:46:47 +0000 (UTC), jdni...@panix.com (James
>Nicoll) wrote:
>
>>13 Daggerspell Katharine Kerr
>>
>> I missed this along with the rest of her books. I have a terrible
>>feeling that I keep getting her mixed up with an author whose name is
>>somewhat similar.
>
>Katherine Kurtz? Because I always got them mixed up, until I got to
>know Kit Kerr.
Yeah, that's probably the one.
Gene
news:rsun54lepqalhb2aj...@news.rcn.com:
>> Frankowski got dumped by Baen a few years ago because his
>>new books no longer met their minimum standard for quality...
>
> A frightening concept.
So much so that I really wonder if this was the reason. These are the guys
who published Dijkstra's War and State of Disobedience, after all.
William Hyde
>
> Katherine Kurtz? Because I always got them mixed up,
She should have gone for a hyphenated last name.
*ducks*
William Hyde
Michael Alan Chary
James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
>In article <rsun54lepqalhb2aj...@news.rcn.com>,
>Lawrence Watt-Evans <l...@sff.net> wrote:
>>On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:46:47 +0000 (UTC), jdni...@panix.com (James
>>Nicoll) wrote:
>>
>>>13 Daggerspell Katharine Kerr
>>>
>>> I missed this along with the rest of her books. I have a terrible
>>>feeling that I keep getting her mixed up with an author whose name is
>>>somewhat similar.
>>
>>Katherine Kurtz? Because I always got them mixed up, until I got to
>>know Kit Kerr.
>
> Yeah, that's probably the one.
Just remember, Kurta is the one who has a pact with Satan. (Under
simiular terms to Frank herbert and Joseph Heller.)
--
The All-New, All-Different Howling Curmudgeons!
http://www.whiterose.org/howlingcurmudgeons
David DeLaney
>8 Windmaster's Bane Tom Deitz
>
> I missed this as well.
>
> I know Deitz was fairly prolific in the 1980s and 1990s but
>I don't see anything more recent than 2002's WARAUTUMN.
WB was the start of a long series involving the protagonist, who had gotten
gifted with the Sight, a friend, and various Elves and realms outside our
world. I don't remember enough details at the moment to give names or plot
summaries, but I enjoyed them and bought them up through the last one he wrote.
>11 Fire Sanctuary Katharine Eliska Kimbriel
>
> I missed this.
>
> As far as I can tell, Kimbriel has had some low output periods
>but is still getting published.
I have this and have read it, along with Fires of Nuala, but have no
recollection of it. (I'll be reboxing K fairly soon though and will see it
again.)
>12 Warchild Richard Bowes
>
> I did not read this.
It and its sequel Goblin Market were about a young man who was somehow
adventuring across timestreams... but that's all I recall, not having reread
them in years. (Curiously, wikipedia isn't giving me much info on it either,
which is a little offputting.)
>13 Daggerspell Katharine Kerr
>
> I missed this along with the rest of her books. I have a terrible
>feeling that I keep getting her mixed up with an author whose name is
>somewhat similar.
Probably Katherine Kurtz? Kurtz does the Deryni series. Kerr does the
Deverry novels (and a few others), about a land with magic (the dweomer), elves
and dragons, and the working-out of a centuries-old curse through
reincarnation, karma, and the dweomer, except that one of the central figures
in the curse (Nevyn, the dweomer-master) is simply living through the entire
thing, because he's not going to be allowed to die until he's fixed the
tangle things got into originally...
hmmm, looks like I'm about two books behind on the series - but that may
be the usual hardback->paperback delay.
>14 The Curse of Sagamore Kara Dalkey
>
> Another book that I have not read (Although I've read and
>liked later books by Dalkey). I thought she got her start in the mid-
>1990s...
This and its sequel the Sword of Sagamore were humorous fantasy; I enjoyed
them, and have read some of her other novels as well.
>16 The Hounds of the Morrigan Pat O'Shea
>
> I missed this (The odds of me reading something go way, way
>down if there's even the slightest hint of Celtism about the book).
>I don't think O'Shea wrote all that many books (Three, all in the
>1980s, I believe) but assuming Pat and O'Shea are uncommon names
>in Ireland and the UK, she's probably also the the playwright
>Pat O'Shea.
>
> She died in 2007.
If I remember right, this was a children's-book-style retelling of a cycle
of Irish legend, with the young protagonists getting caught up in it (10-year-
old Pidge and his younger sister Bridget, wiki reminds me). Somewhat like
a Nesbit adventure might have been if it had been stuffed full of Celtic
legendry. I enjoyed it.
>17 The Burning Stone Deborah Turner Harris
>
> I missed this as well.
I read this and the (two) sequels as well, but cannot recall anything about
them without cheating through wiki.
Dave "has reached the SF state of having part of my brain held out on the
Internet, apparently" DeLaney
--
\/David DeLaney posting from d...@vic.com "It's not the pot that grows the flower
It's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to see
Love is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>
http://www.vic.com/~dbd/ - net.legends FAQ & Magic / I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.
Mike Schilling
IOW, Jim Baen didn't think they would sell well. But you knew that.
Mike Schilling
Katherine The-Horror. Good genre name.
Tim McDaniel
James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
>In article <g3gfsn$n60$1...@reader2.panix.com>,
>James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
>>
>>2 Shards of Honor Lois McMaster Bujold
>>
>> Romance blooms between people serving on opposite sides of a
>>small war. Needless to say, neither the people from the liberal
>>democracy nor the people from the autocratic militarism regime are
>>keen on this development but it all ends on a happier note than
>>ROMEO AND JULIET.
>
>FOUR HUNDRED BILLION STARS, someone who one should never under
>any circumstances go camping with.
Is that because Bad Things happened to everyone else on the trip, or
for some other reason I'm not seeing?
--
Tim McDaniel, tm...@panix.com
Rich Horton
Nicoll) wrote:
>
>10 The Game of Fox and Lion Robert R. Chase
>
> This I do have, along with the sequel and an unrelated book.
>I believe that it involves a fairly pointless war between unmodified
>and modified humans, as resolved by a man neither side really trusts.
>
> As far as I can tell, Chase had this book, the sequel
>and an unrelated novel. He's a Del Rey author, for what it's worth.
>
>
Chase continues to publish short fiction occasionally, usually at
Analog but also at Asimov's. I tend to enjoy his short stories.
>
>13 Daggerspell Katharine Kerr
>
> I missed this along with the rest of her books. I have a terrible
>feeling that I keep getting her mixed up with an author whose name is
>somewhat similar.
>
> She is reasonably prolific and is still getting published.
>
>
Well I used to confuse her with Katherine Kurtz ...
Rich Horton
<tednolan>) wrote:
>In article <g3gfsn$n60$1...@reader2.panix.com>,
>James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>5 The Cross-Time Engineer Leo Frankowski
>>
>> A sex-crazed engineer is transported back in time to Poland just
>>pre-Mongol invasion. He has only a few years to save Poland from the Asiatic
>>hordes.
>>
>> This is a Gary-Stu history-manipulation book and possible the
>>first droplet in a wave of purile books about moderns transported
>>back in time.
>>
>
>Are you sure that you're not letting how bad the later ones became color
>your recollection of this one? I remember it as quite a fun book.
>
That's my feeling -- this first one wasn't too bad -- not great, but
fun enough. The rest were at best awful, and at worst despicable
beyond belief. (Especially including the one non-Conrad book he
wrote.)
Robert Massey
>James Nicoll wrote:
>>
>> 16 The Hounds of the Morrigan Pat O'Shea
>>
>> I missed this (The odds of me reading something go way, way
>> down if there's even the slightest hint of Celtism about the book).
>> I don't think O'Shea wrote all that many books (Three, all in the
>> 1980s, I believe) but assuming Pat and O'Shea are uncommon names
>> in Ireland and the UK, she's probably also the the playwright
>> Pat O'Shea.
>>
>> She died in 2007.
>
>She was rather old when she produced this book. But its an absolutely
>fabulous book and ought to be considered one of the classics of fantasy
>literature IMO.
It is a great book, but I found the ending to be supremely irritating.
Robert
--
Would Albert Einstein ever have hit upon the theory of relativity if he
hadn't been clever? Would Rutherford ever have split the atom if he
hadn't tried? Could Marconi have invented the radio if he hadn't by
pure chance spent years working at the problem?
-- MP
Rich Horton
True, but Frankowski's books were even worse.
news.iglou.com
news:g3gfsn$n60$1...@reader2.panix.com...
>
> Best First Novel
>
> 1 The Hercules Text Jack McDevitt
>
> Signals are picked up from space. Since the contents of the
> message are potentially revolutionary, the question becomes what to
> do with the message.
>
> I never thought about this before but was there only one copy
> of the data?
Apparently so, since the protagonist figured that erasing certain parts
of their record would protect them from Things Man Was Not Meant to Know, or
Things the Evil Military-Industrial Complex Would Turn into Weapons.
>
> 2 Shards of Honor Lois McMaster Bujold
>
> Romance blooms between people serving on opposite sides of a small
> war. Needless to say, neither the people from the liberal democracy nor
> the people from the autocratic militarism regime are keen on this
> development
> but it all ends on a happier note than ROMEO AND JULIET.
Some of the afterthoughts in the sequels -- i.e., the explanation of why
Aral likes women in uniform -- seem a bit obnioxious.
> 4 Wrack and Roll Bradley Denton
>
> Alternate history about which I recall absolutely nothing. It's
> filed next to John Shirley in my brain so the music must be angry.
Rockers save the U.S. from a British-Nationalist Chinese alliance called
the "Lemon-Limeys". The cover shows a rocker jumping high in the air and
holding his guitar in such a fashion that if he comes down on it he will be
skewered. One can hope.
> 5 The Cross-Time Engineer Leo Frankowski
>
> A sex-crazed engineer is transported back in time to Poland just
> pre-Mongol invasion. He has only a few years to save Poland from the
> Asiatic
> hordes.
>
> This is a Gary-Stu history-manipulation book and possible the
> first droplet in a wave of purile books about moderns transported
> back in time.
Moderns back in time had been done before (i.e. _Lest Darkness Fall_)
but Frankowski certainly knew how to ruin it! You didn't mention the horse
smarter than most people, the incredible Polish-wank, and did I mention how
he starts the witch craze a couple of centuries too early?
The hard part is that when he writes about solving a problem through
engineering, he's interesting. Unfortunately, he has to go and put other
stuff in his books.
>
> 7 Sentience: A Novel of First Contact Terry A. Adams
>
> Another one that I didn't even see.
>
> As far as I can tell, Adams had this novel and a sequel in
> 1989 and nothing since.
I know I read this, but I can't remember anything about it.
> 8 The Doomsday Effect Thomas T. Thomas
>
> In case anyone is wonder, his middle name is Thurston.
>
> I missed this book as well.
>
> Thomas published about eight novels in the 1980s and 1990s
> but I do not see anything more recent than the late 1990s.
His novel having the Caesar-Pompey war in a future U.S. (_First
Citizen_) helped me save a lot of money getting more of his work.
> 13 Daggerspell Katharine Kerr
>
> I missed this along with the rest of her books. I have a terrible
> feeling that I keep getting her mixed up with an author whose name is
> somewhat similar.
>
> She is reasonably prolific and is still getting published.
The main plot never seems to get anywhere, and she has the annoying
habit of writing just so much of the flashbacks and then dropping them
before they come to a conclusion. Which leaves us with the feeling that her
Gauls spend all their time having pointless, bloody wars, which may be what
she's getting at.
Joseph T Major
Joseph Nebus
>15 The Star Country Michael Cassutt
> I missed this.
> He has not produced a lot of novels, seemingly prefering shorter
>lengths (His career as a short story writer goes back to the early 1970s).
>If I am not getting my Cassutts mixed up, I believe that he is a television
>writer and producer.
From his scifi.com page, I believe you have the right Cassutt.
He's also a writer/cowriter of several quite good space history books
and I picked up a Fantasy & Science Fiction issue last year with his
alternate history novella (in which Apollo 8 failed), on the strength
of his name on the cover. I don't believe I've seen any of his other
fiction, though.
He was also, I believe, script editor for the series _Max
Headroom: 20 Minutes Into The Future_ and coined the classic ``She's
the Pope! He's a chimp! They're cops!'' pitch.
--
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew Plotkin
Will no one put in a word for confusing Katharine Kerr with Peg Kerr
or Phyllis Ann Karr?
No one?
--Z (oh well)
--
"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the borogoves..."
*
If the Bush administration hasn't thrown you in military prison without trial,
it's for one reason: they don't feel like it. Not because you're an American.
Johnny Tindalos
@reader2.panix.com:
>> Cordelia is on the same list as the protagonist from
>>FOUR HUNDRED BILLION STARS, someone who one should never under
>>any circumstances go camping with.
>
> Is that because Bad Things happened to everyone else on the trip, or
> for some other reason I'm not seeing?
>
It's more the thought of having to spend any time listening to Dorthy
being miserable (though I wouldn't mind the Shakesphere quotes and took
umbrage at the character who dissed her for it).
I know she had perfectly good reasons for it, but as it would be
accompanied by kidnap attempts from the Golden for reasons to do with
inordinately stupid aliens, I'd kinda pass.
(I can still remember which one was Robot and which one was Machine, but
that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy _Fairyland_, _The Invisible Country_ and
the Confluence books a hell of a lot more...but then, I think they're
McAuley's best work so far, so there you go.)
Sincerely,
Johnny T.
James Nicoll
Your odds of coming back are probably better for expeditions
into Miskatonic U's library's rare books collection.
Mike Schilling
> Here, Rich Horton <rrho...@prodigy.net> wrote:
>> On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:46:47 +0000 (UTC), jdni...@panix.com (James
>> Nicoll) wrote:
>>>
>>> 13 Daggerspell Katharine Kerr
>>>
>>> I missed this along with the rest of her books. I have a
>>> terrible feeling that I keep getting her mixed up with an author
>>> whose name is somewhat similar.
>>>
>>> She is reasonably prolific and is still getting published.
>>
>> Well I used to confuse her with Katherine Kurtz ...
>
> Will no one put in a word for confusing Katharine Kerr with Peg Kerr
> or Phyllis Ann Karr?
Or Deborah Kerr. Or Cab Calloway. Or Tank Macnamara.
David DeLaney
>Here, Rich Horton <rrho...@prodigy.net> wrote:
>> On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:46:47 +0000 (UTC), jdni...@panix.com (James
>> Nicoll) wrote:
>> >13 Daggerspell Katharine Kerr
>> >
>> > I missed this along with the rest of her books. I have a terrible
>> >feeling that I keep getting her mixed up with an author whose name is
>> >somewhat similar.
>> >
>> > She is reasonably prolific and is still getting published.
>>
>> Well I used to confuse her with Katherine Kurtz ...
>
>Will no one put in a word for confusing Katharine Kerr with Peg Kerr
>or Phyllis Ann Karr?
I'd actually be more likely to confuse her with _Jean_ Kerr. But I suppose
older humor books age even more rapidly than older science fiction...
Dave
John Schilling
Nicoll) wrote:
>Best First Novel
>2 Shards of Honor Lois McMaster Bujold
> Romance blooms between people serving on opposite sides of a small
>war. Needless to say, neither the people from the liberal democracy nor
>the people from the autocratic militarism regime are keen on this development
>but it all ends on a happier note than ROMEO AND JULIET.
I don't recall the Barrayaran autocrats being at all displeased about the
romance. Well, the Aral-Cordelia romance, anyhow. There were a few
Barrayaran autocrats who had very brief opportunity to be displeased
with the outcome of the Bothari-Cordelia pseudo-romance.
But Aral-Cordelia at least superficially fit into the Barrayaran model of
how such things should rightfully turn out, and the few who saw beyond the
surface were the ones who most appreciated the underlying reality.
Possibly I've forgotten something, though. And of course the Betans were
displeased enough for any two interstellar quasi-Empires.
--
*John Schilling * "Anything worth doing, *
*Member:AIAA,NRA,ACLU,SAS,LP * is worth doing for money" *
*Chief Scientist & General Partner * -13th Rule of Acquisition *
*White Elephant Research, LLC * "There is no substitute *
*John.S...@alumni.usc.edu * for success" *
*661-718-0955 or 661-275-6795 * -58th Rule of Acquisition *
Chris Thompson
James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
>In article <g3gfsn$n60$1...@reader2.panix.com>,
>James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
>>
>>2 Shards of Honor Lois McMaster Bujold
>>
>> Romance blooms between people serving on opposite sides of a small
>>war. Needless to say, neither the people from the liberal democracy nor
>>the people from the autocratic militarism regime are keen on this development
>>but it all ends on a happier note than ROMEO AND JULIET.
>>
>> Cordelia on the same list as the protagonist from
>
> Where's the rest of this?
>
> Cordelia is on the same list as the protagonist from
>FOUR HUNDRED BILLION STARS, someone who one should never under
>any circumstances go camping with.
Not really. Whats-his-name suffers brain damage before the cross-country
hike starts, he doesn't get any *worse* as a result. Aral survives. In
_Barrayar_, so does Gregor.
It's not in camping but in "shopping" mode that you really have to
watch out for her... :)
--
Chris Thompson
Email: ce...@cam.ac.uk
Walter Bushell
ce...@cus.cam.ac.uk (Chris Thompson) wrote:
For Cordelia that camping trip was a shopping trip.
--
What is done in the heat of battle is (normatively) judged
by different standards than what is leisurely planned in
comfortable conference rooms.
John Schilling
>In article <g3r8sh$2o3$1...@gemini.csx.cam.ac.uk>,
> ce...@cus.cam.ac.uk (Chris Thompson) wrote:
>
>> In article <g3gg1p$hka$1...@reader2.panix.com>,
>> James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
>> >>2 Shards of Honor Lois McMaster Bujold
>> > Cordelia is on the same list as the protagonist from
>> >FOUR HUNDRED BILLION STARS, someone who one should never under
>> >any circumstances go camping with.
>> Not really. Whats-his-name suffers brain damage before the cross-country
>> hike starts, he doesn't get any *worse* as a result. Aral survives. In
>> _Barrayar_, so does Gregor.
>> It's not in camping but in "shopping" mode that you really have to
>> watch out for her... :)
>For Cordelia that camping trip was a shopping trip.
If there'd been any shopping involved in Cordelia's camping trip,
they'd have had something beyond crackers and salad dressing to
eat. And that, alone, is sufficient reason to never go camping
with Cordelia Naismith.
Thousand Island, IIRC. Ugh!
--
*John Schilling * "Anything worth doing, *
*Member:AIAA,NRA,ACLU,SAS,LP * is worth doing for money" *
*Chief Scientist & General Partner * -13th Rule of Acquisition *
*White Elephant Research, LLC * "There is no substitute *
*John.Sc...@alumni.usc.edu * for success" *
*661-951-9107 or 661-275-6795 * -58th Rule of Acquisition *
John F. Eldredge
> On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:05:30 -0400, Walter Bushell <pr...@xxx.com>
> wrote:
>
>>In article <g3r8sh$2o3$1...@gemini.csx.cam.ac.uk>,
>> ce...@cus.cam.ac.uk (Chris Thompson) wrote:
>>
>>> In article <g3gg1p$hka$1...@reader2.panix.com>, James Nicoll
>>> <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
>
>>> >>2 Shards of Honor Lois McMaster Bujold
>
>>> > Cordelia is on the same list as the protagonist from
>>> >FOUR HUNDRED BILLION STARS, someone who one should never under any
>>> >circumstances go camping with.
>
>>> Not really. Whats-his-name suffers brain damage before the
>>> cross-country hike starts, he doesn't get any *worse* as a result.
>>> Aral survives. In _Barrayar_, so does Gregor.
>
>>> It's not in camping but in "shopping" mode that you really have to
>>> watch out for her... :)
>
>>For Cordelia that camping trip was a shopping trip.
>
> If there'd been any shopping involved in Cordelia's camping trip, they'd
> have had something beyond crackers and salad dressing to eat. And that,
> alone, is sufficient reason to never go camping with Cordelia Naismith.
>
> Thousand Island, IIRC. Ugh!
Well, the Betans apparently were well-equipped before the Barrayaran
raiding party showed up. Given the conditions (most of the food supplies
destroyed, unfamiliar ecology, and having to nurse a man with traumatic
brain damage), I think the so-called camping trip turned out reasonably
well.
--
John F. Eldredge -- jo...@jfeldredge.com
PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu
"Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better
than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria
Walter Bushell
John Schilling <schi...@spock.usc.edu> wrote:
> On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:05:30 -0400, Walter Bushell <pr...@xxx.com> wrote:
>
> >In article <g3r8sh$2o3$1...@gemini.csx.cam.ac.uk>,
> > ce...@cus.cam.ac.uk (Chris Thompson) wrote:
> >
> >> In article <g3gg1p$hka$1...@reader2.panix.com>,
> >> James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
>
> >> >>2 Shards of Honor Lois McMaster Bujold
>
> >> > Cordelia is on the same list as the protagonist from
> >> >FOUR HUNDRED BILLION STARS, someone who one should never under
> >> >any circumstances go camping with.
>
> >> Not really. Whats-his-name suffers brain damage before the cross-country
> >> hike starts, he doesn't get any *worse* as a result. Aral survives. In
> >> _Barrayar_, so does Gregor.
>
> >> It's not in camping but in "shopping" mode that you really have to
> >> watch out for her... :)
>
> >For Cordelia that camping trip was a shopping trip.
>
> If there'd been any shopping involved in Cordelia's camping trip,
> they'd have had something beyond crackers and salad dressing to
> eat. And that, alone, is sufficient reason to never go camping
> with Cordelia Naismith.
>
> Thousand Island, IIRC. Ugh!
Cordelia was husband shopping.
Robert A. Woodward
> On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:05:30 -0400, Walter Bushell <pr...@xxx.com> wrote:
>
> >In article <g3r8sh$2o3$1...@gemini.csx.cam.ac.uk>,
> > ce...@cus.cam.ac.uk (Chris Thompson) wrote:
> >
> >> In article <g3gg1p$hka$1...@reader2.panix.com>,
> >> James Nicoll <jdni...@panix.com> wrote:
>
> >> >>2 Shards of Honor Lois McMaster Bujold
>
> >> > Cordelia is on the same list as the protagonist from
> >> >FOUR HUNDRED BILLION STARS, someone who one should never under
> >> >any circumstances go camping with.
>
> >> Not really. Whats-his-name suffers brain damage before the cross-country
> >> hike starts, he doesn't get any *worse* as a result. Aral survives. In
> >> _Barrayar_, so does Gregor.
>
> >> It's not in camping but in "shopping" mode that you really have to
> >> watch out for her... :)
>
> >For Cordelia that camping trip was a shopping trip.
>
> If there'd been any shopping involved in Cordelia's camping trip,
> they'd have had something beyond crackers and salad dressing to
> eat. And that, alone, is sufficient reason to never go camping
> with Cordelia Naismith.
>
> Thousand Island, IIRC. Ugh!
It was Blue Cheese salad dressing (with oatmeal).
--
Robert Woodward <robe...@drizzle.com>
<http://www.drizzle.com/~robertaw>
Steve Coltrin
Rich Horton <rrho...@prodigy.net> writes:
>>So much so that I really wonder if this was the reason. These are the guys
>>who published Dijkstra's War and State of Disobedience, after all.
>>
> True, but Frankowski's books were even worse.
A Good Parts Version of the Conrad books wouldn't be unenjoyable.
Would a GPV of _State_ even fill an index card?
--
Steve Coltrin spco...@omcl.org Google Groups killfiled here
"A group known as the League of Human Dignity helped arrange for Deuel
to be driven to a local livestock scale, where he could be weighed."
- Associated Press