Ansible 434 -- September 2023

[Ansible Newsletter]

ANSIBLE(R) 434
SEPTEMBER 2023

From DAVID LANGFORD, 94 London Road, Reading, Berks, RG1 5AU, UK. Website news.ansible.uk. ISSN 0265-9816 (print); 1740-942X (e). Available for SAE, surrealist boxing or an invitation to the Unquiet Wedding.

[NET NOTE. See https://news.ansible.uk/a434.html for the nice HTML version; https://news.ansible.uk/pdf/a434.pdf for a printable PDF. Mailing list subscribe/unsubscribe information appears below -- please don't send such requests to my own e-mail address. DRL]


### FITS & STARTS ###

GREG EGAN sees the writing on the wall at the X-movie formerly known as Twitter. 'Breaking: Platinum Tier verification will require submitting buccal swabs, and granting X dot com the perpetual, unencumbered right to leave traces of your DNA at crime scenes.' (Ex-Twitter, 20 August)

HARRISON FORD on the snake species discovered in Peru and named _Tachymenoides harrisonfordi_: 'These scientists keep naming critters after me, but it's always the ones that terrify children. I don't understand. I spend my free time cross-stitching. I sing lullabies to my basil plants, so they won't fear the night....' (_Hollywood Reporter_, 15 August)

SEAN CW KORSGAARD of Baen Books, perhaps best known for a daft Nebula vote-rigging claim that was covered in _Ansible_ 429, contrived to get himself banned from Twitter.com for posting a tasteful little fantasy about 'getting in my time machine to save cinema by killing Kevin Smith and Joss Whedon in 2004.' (17 July). [F770]

ADAM ROBERTS on the (alcohol-free) lager brand Days: 'How much is James Lovegrove making from licensing his novels to beer companies? I think we should be told.' (Facebook, 9 August)

MICHAEL WHELAN was not best pleased to learn that -- on top of all the regular illicit uploads of his artwork -- one 'creator' has not only been training an AI to create dodgy Whelan pastiches but begging for Patreon funds as reward for this naughtiness. 'Michael Whelan is an incredible imaginative realist painter and now you can generate art similar to his signature style within your own Stable Diffusion workflow.' (Twitter.com, 7 August) _Later update:_ 'The "overfit" images on display have been removed, however, we are following up on removal of Michael's art used in training and any product of that unauthorized use.' (11 August)


### CONTRAFISSURA ###

SOLD OUT 2 Sep [] WHOOVERVILLE 14 (_Doctor Who_), QUAD Centre, Derby.

8 Sep [] 42: THE WILDLY IMPROBABLE IDEAS OF DOUGLAS ADAMS, British Library, London. In-person tickets at GBP16 sold out; GBP5 online. See www.bl.uk/events/42-the-wildly-improbable-ideas-of-douglas-adams.

10 Sep [] POPCORN (media), Magna, Sheffield. Tickets GBP11.22; under-17s GBP9.09; under-7s free. See popcorncon.com.

12 Sep - 15 Apr 2024 [] 30 YEARS OF _THE WRONG TROUSERS_, Cartoon Museum, London. See www.cartoonmuseum.org/whatson.

15-17 Sep [] FANTASYCON 2023, Jury's Inn Hotel, Broad St, Birmingham. GBP81.50 reg; students GBP66; under-16s GBP41 (BFS members GBP10 less); under-4s free. See www.hwsevents.co.uk/shop-2.

22 Sep [] TERRY PRATCHETT at the Unseen University (conference), Trinity College, Dublin, and online. Free. See tinyurl.com/y63jdcp8.

23-24 Sep [] NOR-CON (media), Norfolk Showground Arena. GBP39 reg; under-14s GBP19; family (2+2) GBP110. See www.nor-con.co.uk.

29 Sep - 5 Oct [] BIRMINGHAM ANIME FILM FESTIVAL, Edgbaston and Digbeth. Films separately ticketed at www.baff.uk.

29 Sep - 1 Oct [] LAKES INTERNATIONAL COMIC ART FESTIVAL, Bowness-on-Windermere. Weekend pass GBP20 (GBP12 concessions). Day rates Saturday GBP16 (GBP8), Sunday GBP8 (GBP4). See www.comicartfestival.com.

30 Sep [] INNSMOUTH LITERARY FESTIVAL, Kings House Conference Centre, Bedford. 10am-5pm. GBP20 reg; under-16s GBP15; booking closes 23 September. See innsmouthgold.com/innsmouth-literary-festival.

6-8 Oct [] GRIMMFEST (film), Odeon Great Northern, Manchester. Full pass for all screenings and events GBP79.50 plus fees at grimmfest.com.

7-8 Oct [] NEVERMORE (Gothic), online. GBP15 weekend or GBP10/day. See www.thefolklorepodcast.com/store/c9/Forthcoming_events.html.

7-8 Oct [] OCTOCON, Gibson Hotel, Dublin. Euro60 reg; concessions Euro40; YA or supp Euro20. Registration open at octocon.com.

27 Oct - 25 Feb 2024 [] FANTASY: REALMS OF IMAGINATION (exhibition), British Library, London. GBP16; under-12s free; other discounts vary with weekdays, school terms, etc. See www.bl.uk/events/fantasy.

26 Nov [] STARS OF TIME (comics), Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare. GBP10 plus booking fee; other rates at www.starsoftime.co.uk.

2-4 Feb 2024 [] CONTABILE 34 (UK filk), Palace Hotel, Buxton. GBP39 reg; GBP29 unwaged; other rates at www.contabile.org.uk/tripletime/.

16-18 Feb 2024 [] UK GHOST STORY FESTIVAL, Museum of Making, Derby. Also online 12-15 February. See www.ukghoststoryfestival.co.uk.

12-14 Apr 2024 [] SPRINGMOOT (Tolkien Society), annual dinner and members-only AGM, Jesus College, Cambridge. Bookings are awaited at www.tolkiensociety.org/events/agm-and-springmoot-2024.

31 May - 2 Jun 2024 [] CYMERA: Scotland's Festival of SF, Fantasy & Horror Writing, Edinburgh. _New dates._ See www.cymerafestival.co.uk.

19-21 Jul 2024 [] FANTASY FOREST (cosplay), Sudely Castle, Cheltenham. Ticket sales awaited at fantasyforest.co.uk.

RUMBLINGS. _Worldcon 2024:_ Glasgow Worldcon rates will rise on 1 October.
     _Middle-earth Festival:_ the middleearthfestival.wordpress.com home page still promises a September 2023 event at a new venue, but the website FAQ and Facebook group suggest it won't return until 2024.
     _Worldcon 2025:_ this year's Chengdu Worldcon opened the site selection voting in August, with Seattle being the only bid on the ballot form.


### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###

THE WEAKEST LINK. _Bradley Walsh:_ 'In 1962, John Glenn became the first American to eat a meal where?' _Contestant:_ 'McDonald's.' (ITV, _The Chase_, 22 August) [RJ]

AWARDS. _Arthur C. Clarke Award:_ _Venomous Lumpsucker_ by Ned Beauman.
     _Munsey Award_ (pulp community): Richard Bleiler.
     _Kirkus Prize_ fiction finalists include _White Cat, Black Dog_ by Kelly Link and Shaun Tan. [F770]
     _Mythopoeic Awards:_ ADULT _When the Angels Left the Old Country_ by Sacha Lamb. CHILDREN'S _The Ogress and the Orphans_ by Kelly Barnhill. NONFICTION -- INKLINGS _Charles Williams and C.S. Lewis: Friends in Co-inherence_ by Paul S. Fiddes. NONFICTION -- OTHER _Fantasy: How It Works_ by Brian Attebery.
     _Sidewise_ (alt-history) finalists: LONG _Appliance_ by J.O. Morgan; _Babel_ by R.F. Kuang; _Beat the Devils_ by Josh Weiss; _Begin the World Over_ by Kung Li Sun; _The Peacekeeper_ by B.L. Blanchard; _Three Miles Down_ by Harry Turtledove. SHORT 'Kingsbury 1944' (9/22 _Analog_) by Michael Cassutt; 'A Sky and a Heaven' (_Other Covenants_ ed. Andrea D. Lobel and Mark Shainblum) by Eric Choi; 'Why the Bridgemasters of York Don't Pay Taxes' (_ibid_) by Gillian Polack; _It's Real Life_ by Paul Levinson; 'Dreams of Electric Mothers' (_Africa Risen_ ed. Sheree Renee Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki and Zelda Knight) by Wole Talabi.
     _Splatterpunk_ best novel: _Playground_ by Aron Beauregard. [L]
     _Sturgeon_ (short): 'Rabbit Test' (11/22 _Uncanny_) by Samantha Mills.

SCIENCE METAPHOR CORNER. 'The poles of American politics were on a collision course.' (_Washington Post_, 6 August) [PDF]

R.I.P. _David Albahari_ (1948-2023), Serbian postmodern fiction author and translator of Thomas Pynchon's _The Crying of Lot 49_, died on 30 July. [AM]
     _Michael Bakewell_ (1931-2023), UK radio and tv producer, the BBC's first head of plays, whose credits include _1984_ (1965), _The Year of the Sex Olympics_ (1968) and the radio serial _The Lord of the Rings_ (1981), died on 11 July aged 92. [AIP]
     _Juleen Brantingham_ (1942-2023), US author of some 40 magazine and anthology stories 1979-1999, died on 22 July aged 80. [SHS]
     _'Butchie'_ (William George, 1947-2023), US motorcyclist and actor in _Dawn of the Dead_ (1978), died on 10 August aged 76. [SHS]
     _Philippe Curval_ (Philippe Tronche, 1929-2023), French author active from the mid-1950s, whose sf novels won several awards including the 1963 Prix Jules Verne and 1977 Prix Apollo, died on 5 August aged 93. [JC]
     _John R. Douglas_ (1948-2023), long-time US editor at Simon & Schuster, Avon (where he ran the AvoNova sf imprint), HarperCollins and others, recipient of a 2023 World Fantasy Award for life achievement, died on 3 August, He is survived by his wife of many years, Ginjer Buchanan, to whom all sympathy. [SHS]
     _Ita Ever_ (1931-2023), Estonian actress in the Gogol-based Russian Gothic horror film _Vedma_ (_The Power of Fear_, 2006), died on 9 August aged 92. [AM]
     _Sharon Farrell_ (1940-2023), US actress in _It's Alive_ (1974), _The Premonition_ (1975) and _Night of the Comet_ (1984), died on 15 May aged 82. [LP]
     _Terry Funk_ (1944-2023), US wrestler and actor in _Timestalkers_ (1987) plus genre tv series, died on 23 August aged 79. [LP]
     _William Friedkin_ (1935-2023), Oscar-winning US director of _The Exorcist_ (1973), _The Guardian_ (1990), _Bug_ (2006) and _The Devil and Father Amorth_ (2017), died on 7 August aged 87. [LP]
     _Valery Gayevsky_ (1960-2023), Crimean fan, poet and author of three fantastic novels plus the reference works _Who's Who in Crimean SF_ (2004) and _Encyclopedia of Crimean SF_ (2018), died on 21 August. [AM]
     _Matyelok Gibbs_ (1932-2023), UK director and actress in _Erik the Viking_ (1989), _Superstition_ (2001) and _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1_ (2010), died on 14 August aged 91. [AIP]
     _Marc Gilpin_ (1966-2023), US actor in _Jaws 2_ (1978) and _Earthbound_ (1981), died on 29 July aged 56. [AIP]
     _Dan Green_ (1952-2023), US comics artist working mainly as an inker for Marvel -- co-writing and illustrating the graphic novel _Doctor Strange: Into Shamballa_ (1986), and known for a long run on _Uncanny X-Men_ -- died in August aged 70.
     _Linda Haynes_ (1947-2023), US actress in _Latitude Zero_ (1969) and _Human Experiments_ (1979), died on 17 July aged 75. [SJ]
     _Ron Cephas Jones_ (1957-2023), US actor in _Luke Cage_ (2016-2018), died on 19 August aged 66. [SJ]
     _Mark Kemble_ (1953-2023), US actor in _Netherworld_ (1992), died on 14 August aged 69.
     _Tom Kempinski_ (1938-2023), UK playwright and actor in _The Damned_ (1962), _Moon Zero Two_ (1969) and _Moonbase 3_ (1973), died on 2 August aged 85. [AIP]
     _Darren Kent_ (1987-2023), UK actor in _Jeepers Creepers: Reborn_ (2022), _Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves_ (2023) and genre tv series including _Game of Thrones_, died on 11 August aged 36. [AIP]
     _Bill Laubenheimer_ ('Moonmoth', 1956-2023), US fan and filk creator, a past LepreCon Music GoH, died on 19 July after arriving in Winnipeg for Pemmi-con; he was 66. [GG]
     _Sarah Lawson_ (1928-2023), UK actress in _The Trollenberg Terror_ (1956-1957), _Night of the Big Heat_ (1967) and _The Devil Rides Out_ (1968), died on 18 August aged 95. [AIP]
     _Mark Margolis_ (1939-2023), US actor in _Tales from the Darkside: The Movie_ (1990), _End of Days_ (1999) and _The Fountain_ (2006), died on 3 August aged 83. [LP]
     _Shunpei Maruyama_, Japanese producer of the tv anime series _Girls und Panzer_ (2012-2013) and _Princess Principal_ (2017) -- both with film spinoffs -- died in August. [LP]
     _Francis Monkman_ (1949-2023), UK musician on the soundtracks of _The Empire Strikes Back_ (1980), _Superman II_ (1980), _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ (1981) and others including James Bond films, died on 12 May aged 73. [AIP]
     _Clifton Oliver_ (1975-2023), US actor in the Broadway stage musicals _The Lion King_ and _Wicked_, died on 2 August aged 47. [LP]
     _Robert 'Ozzie' Osband_ (1951-2023), Florida fan and space enthusiast who was on the New York in '83 Worldcon bid committee, died on 6 August. [DD]
     _Hersha Parady_ (1945-2023), US actress in _Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star_ (1986), died on 23 August aged 78. [LP]
     _Sir Michael Parkinson_ (1935-2023), noted UK tv presenter who played versions of himself in _Madhouse_ (1974) and _Ghostwatch_ (1992), died on 16 August aged 88.
     _Arthur Schmidt_ (1937-2023), US film editor whose credits include _Back to the Future_ (1985 plus sequels), _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ (1988), _Death Becomes Her_ (1992), _Addams Family Values_ (1993) and _Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl_ (2003), died on 5 August aged 86. [AIP]
     _Arleen Sorkin_ (1955-2023), US actress and comedian who inspired the DC Comics character Harley Quinn and voiced the role in _Batman: The Animated Series_ (1992-1994) plus several more animations and videogames, died on 26 August aged 67.
     _Robert Swan_ (1944-2023), US actor in _Somewhere in Time_ (1980) and _C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America_ (2004), died on 9 August aged 78. [LP]
     _R.J. Theodore_ (Rekka Jay, 1980-2023), author of the genre series 'Peridot Shift' -- opening with _Flotsam_ (2018) -- and 'Phantom Traveler', died on 18 July aged 43. [SFWA]
     _Vera Vasilyeva_ (1925-2023), Russian actress in the Bradbury-based tv miniseries _Vino iz oduvanchikov_ (_Dandelion Wine_, 1997), died on 9 August aged 97. [AM]
     _Peter Vaughan-Clarke_ (1957-2023), UK actor in _The Tomorrow People_ (1973-1976), died in August aged 66.
     _Igor Yasulovich_ (1941-2023), Russian actor in sf/fantasy films from the J.B. Priestley-based _31 June_ (1978) via _Mary Poppins, Goodbye_ (1984) to _Anyone But Them_ (2018), died on 19 August aged 81. [AM]

READING OLD SF. _Brexit Metaphor:_ '"I grieved when the British Isles were destroyed," said Dr. Oberhausen. "Such a lovely culture, really. So basically solid. Immovable. But that is weakness, also."' (Frank Herbert, _The Dragon in the Sea_, 1956)
     _If Only He'd Written 'Florida':_ '... and from one forgotten pest-hole in Borneo, leprosy, long imagined extinct, reappeared.' (Alfred Bester, _The Stars My Destination_, 1956)

LISTICLE HORROR. A claimed list of all-time sf bestsellers places _Brave New World_ at #12 -- 'unable to secure reliable figures' -- and goes up from there, not all numbers being the latest: _The Martian_ (3+ million sales), _2001_ (3+m as of 1992), _Stranger in a Strange Land_ (5m as of 1990), _The Handmaid's Tale_ (8+m), _Frankenstein_ (~8m), _Fahrenheit 451_ (10+m as of 2011), _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ (15+m), _Foundation_ (20+m for the entire series), _Dune_ (20+m), _1984_ (30+m), and in top place _The Hunger Games_ (100+m for the trilogy). (Bookriot.com, 8 August) [BA]

OUTRAGED LETTERS. _Sam J. Lundwall_ writes that his daughter Karin Lundwall 'as of right now has left her position as publishing manager at Forum, one of Sweden's biggest publishing houses, in order to be CEO of the Science Fiction-Bokhandeln (the SF Book Store), taking over after the founder and CEO Maths Claesson who died earlier this year.' (Email, 25 August).
     _Lloyd Penney_ on _A431_: '_Star Trek_ street names? I would have thought that Warp Drive would be at the top of the list.'

RANDOM FANDOM. _Chengdu Worldcon:_ Infographics posted at a Chinese site linked to the local sf association include a panel of six guests of honour: Robert J. Sawyer and Liu Cixin as before, plus new additions Michael Swanwick, David Wesley Hill, Touya Tachihara and Kim Bo-young, while the controversial Russian guest Sergey Lukyanenko mysteriously isn't shown.(mp.weixin.qq.com, 17 August)
     _John Scalzi_ just celebrated the 20th anniversary of his first sf convention (Whatever, 28 August); I plan to lie low for my corresponding 50th in November.

SFWA will now accept poetry and translated fiction -- both in English only -- as membership qualifications. (Email release, 21 August)

GOING POSTAL. UK special stamps for 2023 have commemorated the X-Men, Robin Hood, _Blackadder_, _Warhammer_ and Discworld (with Paul Kidby art): this month it's Paddington Bear and, in October, Harry Potter.

MAGAZINE SCENE. _Interzone_ #295 is officially out on 5 September; the mailing of printed copies from Poland began in August.
     _The Magazine of Fantasy & SF_ came under fire after buying a novelette from UK author David A. Riley, a member for ten years of the white-supremacist National Front who three times stood as an NF parliamentary candidate. _F&SF_ editor Sheree Renee Thomas first thought: '... it's unethical for me to remove a story after I've already accepted it.' [F770] Publisher Gordon Van Gelder followed up: '_F&SF_ recently accepted a story by a writer whose background, when we learned of it, turned out to be a cause for concern. We will not be publishing that story. / I stand by my editor's integrity, leadership, and vision for _F&SF_.' (Facebook, 28 August)

THE DEAD PAST. _30 Years Ago:_ 'John Grant, proofreading his tenth _Lone Wolf_ fantasy, finds that "We thought you were a mercenary bursting in here in search of plunder" has been hugely improved to "We thought you were a mercenary bursting in here in search of a plumber".' 'Overheard: "Arthur C. Clarke is an English gentleman, and far too polite to say that he didn't enjoy a book. After all, he even gave a cover quote to Ben Bova's _Mars_."' (_Ansible_ 74, September 1993)

CAUTIONARY TALE. Sarah Stusek's novel _Three Rivers_ was to be published this month by Sparkpress, but Stusek had an online tantrum when one of several advance reviews gave it _only four stars_: 'I had a perfect 5 star average till this bitch came up.' Her refusal to apologize, together with a revenge pile-on of unfair one-star reviews at Goodreads etc. by people who hadn't read the book, persuaded the publisher to drop this author altogether. (Black Gate, 29 August) Oh dearie me.

FANFUNDERY. _Con or Bust:_ the Goldman Fund assisting Palestinians to travel to sf events is now open for its first year's applicants, with the 2024 Glasgow Worldcon as destination. More at tinyurl.com/4hfv3b44.
     _GUFF:_ Alison Scott, the 2020 winner, is at last making her delayed Australian trip -- arriving in Sydney on 26 September, flying home from Perth on 30 October.
     _TAFF:_ Sandra Bond is safely home from her US TAFF adventures. ('Taking my first bath in five weeks. BLISS.') The next TAFF ebook compiled by Rob Hansen is _Generation Femizine_, centred on the 1950s fanzine _Femizine_ that was a rallying point for female UK fans -- October publication is hoped. Meanwhile, following its ebook release, Rob's _British SF Conventions Volume 1: 1937-1951_ has now been added to the select list of TAFF-benefit paperbacks at ae.ansible.uk/?id=taff.

C.O.A. _The Discworld Emporium_ (see _A432_) has moved to Guild House, Station Road, Wincanton, Somerset, BA9 9FE. [FS]

THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Expressionist Dept._ 'Olli watched the disparate pieces of Idris's face chase each other about as he tried to get his thoughts in order.' (Adrian Tchaikovsky, _Lords of Uncreation_, 2023) [DL]
     _Neat Tricks._ 'Just before performing his critical experiment, Professor Lidenbrock's eyes were throwing sparks out through his glasses.' (Jules Verne, _Journey to the Centre of the Earth_" (1864; translated by William Butcher 1992) [CG]
     _Eyeballs in the Sky._ 'She winced visibly when Jarvik pulled her eyes away.' (David Eddings, _Pawn of Prophecy_, 1982) [AR] 'His eyes left the garish counter where a disinterested young girl was flipping through a magazine, sliding across the various tables until they came to rest on a mound of dark, curly hair popping over the top of a booth near the back of the shop.' (Drew Hayes, _Super Powereds: Year 3_, 2015) [GS]
     _Crawling Dept._ 'Thanasset's eyebrows tried to crawl up over his jutting supraorbital ridges.' (Randall Garrett and Vicki Ann Heydron, _The Steel of Raithskar_, 1981) [AR]


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### ENDNOTES ###

PAYPAL TIP JAR THINGY. Donate to support _Ansible_, cover website costs and keep the editor happy! Or just buy his books.
https://ansible.uk/paypal.html
https://ae.ansible.uk/
https://ansible.uk/books/index.html

GROUP THEORY.
     21 September 2023, evening: London Zoom meeting, third Thursday of each month. 'Please share this with people who you know typically come to the Bishop's Finger, but aren't on Facebook.'
https://bohemiancoast.medium.com/first-thursday-london-sf-fan-virtual-drinks-5232021e961f

RISE OF THE MACHINES. Amazon is now infested with fungus foraging books most likely written by Chat GPT: 'The authors are invented, their credentials are invented, and their species IDs will kill you.' Whoever thought _that_ was a good idea?
https://www.404media.co/ai-generated-mushroom-foraging-books-amazon/

RIP II -- LATE AND LAST-MINUTE REPORTS. _Jamie Christopher_ (1971-2023), UK-born film-maker with assistant director and/or associate producer credits for _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2_ (2011), _Star Wars: The Last Jedi_ (2017) and several Marvel Cinematic Universe films, died on 30 August aged 52. [AIP]
     _Carl Davis_ (1936-2023), US composer and conductor whose films include _I, Monster_ (1971), _The Thief of Bagdad_ (1984 orchestration for 1924 movie) and _Frankenstein Unbound_ (1990), died on 3 August aged 86. [SHS]
     _Johnny Hardwick_ (1958-2023), US _King of the Hill_ voice actor seen in the horror spoof _The Collegians Are Go!!_ (1999), died on 8 August aged 64. [SHS]

SOME LINKS from the _Ansible_ home page.
     Con or Bust: grants for Palestinians to attend the Glasgow Worldcon
https://dreamfoundry.org/2023/08/07/goldman-fund-applications-for-palestinians-attending-glasgow-worldcon-are-open/
     _File 770_: 'Are These Awards Dead...?'
https://file770.com/are-these-awards-dead-or-just-pining-for-the-fjords
     Glasgow Worldcon PR2
https://glasgow2024.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/glasgow2024_pr2.pdf
     Sidewise Awards finalists in full
http://www.uchronia.net/sidewise/

THOG'S GOLDEN OLDIES from _Ansible_ 194, September 2003. _Striking Simile Dept._ '... the abbot watched dazedly as they rushed like lemurs towards destruction.'
     _Literality Dept._ 'Dr. Runnicels, Immaculate's chief of staff, literally dripped Southern courtesy.'
     _Theology Dept._ 'Catholics as a rule avoid divorce -- unless one of them dies.'
     _Eyeballs in the Sky._ 'Anita's brown, penetrating eyes never left David's face, except to pour cups of tea.'
     _Aerostatics Dept._ 'The vultures, aware of this supernatural transformation, halted in their flight.' (all from Frank Corsaro, _Kunma_, 2003)


_Ansible_(R) 434 (C) David Langford, 2023. Thanks to Brian Ameringen, Sandra Bond, John Clute, Paul Di Filippo, Dermot Dobson, _File 770_, Glenn Glazer, Carl Glover, Rob Jackson, Steve Jones, Dave Linton, Andrey Meshavkin, Lawrence Person, _Locus_, Andrew I. Porter, Adam Roberts, Steven H Silver, Gordon Smith, Frank Springall, and Hero Distributors: Durdles Books (Brum Group), SCIS/Prophecy and Alan Stewart (Australia).

1 September 2023