Ansible 420 -- July 2022

[Ansible Newsletter]

ANSIBLE(R) 420
JULY 2022

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 or route plan from Paragon III via Megaster V and Earth to Pollux.

[NET NOTE. See https://news.ansible.uk/a420.html for the nice HTML version; https://news.ansible.uk/pdf/a420.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]


### THEY KNOW ONE TRUTH ###

DMITRY GLUKHOVSKY, Russian journalist and sf author of _Metro 2033_ fame, was placed on Russia's wanted list and faces prosecution for spreading 'false information' about the war in Ukraine -- that is, calling it a war and condemning this as a bad thing. (Reuters, 7 June) [F770]

RHYS HUGHES may no longer have a purpose in life: 'Just finished writing my 1000th story. The massive story-cycle I began back in 1989 is done at last. 33 years is a long time and to be honest I never actually thought I would get to the end. But I have ...' (Facebook, 10 June)

VERITY LAMBERT (1935-2007), the BBC's first woman producer -- fondly remembered for launching _Doctor Who_ in 1963 -- was honoured with a blue plaque at Riverside Studios, London. (_Radio Times_, 30 May)

BELLA PAGAN was promoted to the lofty status of Publisher at Tor UK, having been a senior editor there since 2011. (_The Bookseller_, 13 June)

JAMES PATTERSON, proprietor of a hugely successful fiction factory that's sold over 450 million copies -- including sf and superhero tales -- went public with a lament that "white older male writers" like himself are hapless victims of "racism" and finding it hard to get "writing gigs in film, theatre, TV or publishing". (_Sunday Times_, 12 June) Poor dear. After much response that unfairly cited publishing and bestseller lists dominated by white older male writers, Patterson issued an apology.


### CONTREFACE ###

3 Jul [] TOLKIEN SOCIETY SEMINAR, Leeds Hilton and online. Free. See www.tolkiensociety.org/events/tolkien-society-seminar-2022/.

SOLD OUT. 10 Jul [] FOREVER AVON (_Blake's 7_), Steventon Village Hall, Steventon, Oxon. See www.facebook.com/TeamBlakeForeverAvon.

13-17 Jul [] ONCE AND FUTURE FANTASIES (conference), Centre for Fantasy, University of Glasgow. GBP225 reg; GBP98 concessions. See fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk/index.php/onceandfuturecon/.

15-17 Jul [] LAVECON (gaming), Kents Hill Park, Milton Keynes. Many ticket options from GBP21 per day at www.hwsevents.co.uk/shop-1.

16-17 Jul [] OTHER WORLDS writing weekend, Nottingham Writers' Studio, Hockley, Nottingham. GBP65; GBP35/day. See tinyurl.com/3x3c3mat.

5-8 Aug [] CONTINUUM (RPG), John Foster Hall, Manor Road, Leicester University, Oadby. GBP175 with single room (self-catering only); day pass GBP15; more rates at continuumconvention.co.uk, 'Other Stuff'.

CANCELLED. 5-7 Aug [] TITANCON, Belfast. Cancellation first announced on Facebook (27 May); memberships to be refunded. See titancon.com.

SOLD OUT. 19-22 Aug [] DISCWORLD CONVENTION, Hilton Metropole, Birmingham NEC. GBP85 reg, GBP60 concessions. Waiting list at dwcon.org.

1-5 Sep [] CHICON 8 (80th Worldcon), Chicago, IL, USA. Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due have been added to the GoH list. $240 reg; other rates at chicon.org. _Note that Hugo voting closes on 11 August._

10 Sep [] POPCORN (media), Magna, Sheffield. Tickets GBP10; under 17s GBP8; family (2 adult, 2 children) GBP30. See popcorncon.com.

CANCELLED. 30 Sep-1 Oct [] DESTINATION STAR TREK, ExCel, London. See destinationstartrek.com.

29 Oct [] BRISTOLCON, Hilton DoubleTree, Bristol.GBP35 reg; GBP20 under-18s and concessions; under-14s free; GBP10 supp. See www.bristolcon.org.

ONLINE. 3-4 Dec [] WHEN IT CHANGED: WOMEN IN SF/F SINCE 1972 (conference). See 7 June item at sf-foundation.org/fresh-about.

6-7 May 2023 [] PORTSMOUTH COMIC CON, Guildhall, Portsmouth. 'Tickets on sale soon' at portsmouthcomiccon.com.

20-21 May 2023 [] HORRORCON UK, Magna, Sheffield. Ticket details awaited at horrorconuk.com.

26-28 May 2023 [] SATELLITE 8, Crowne Plaza, Glasgow. GoH Christopher Priest and Michelle 'Cuddles' Drayton-Harrold. GBP70 reg, _perhaps rising very soon_: see eight.satellitex.org.uk for all current rates.

2-4 Jun 2023 [] CYMERA SF FESTIVAL 2023, Edinburgh and online. Further details awaited at www.cymerafestival.co.uk.

10-11 Jun 2023 [] EM-CON (media), Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham. Ticket sales awaited at www.em-con.co.uk.

31 May - 2 Jun 2024 [] FUNCON ONE, Palace Hotel, Buxton. GBP55 early-bird membership still offered, perhaps rising soon. See funcon.lol.


### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###

AS OTHERS CLASSIFY US. 'Fabulist fiction exists in the no-mans-land between "genre" and "literary" fiction, drawing heavily from each. It has this in common with a number of other subgenres -- surrealism, magical realism, weird fiction. A lot of books could be reasonably given several of these labels, just as a lot of books could be reasonably shelved as both literary fiction and fantasy. What defines fabulism in my mind, though, is the use of fantastical elements to explore personal, human themes.' (Kathryn Harlan, _Publishers Weekly_, 22 June) [PDF] Unlike sf or fantasy.

QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY HONOURS. Knighted/damed as Companions of Honour: Quentin Blake, Salman Rushdie and Marina Warner. OBE for services to literature: Michael Foreman and Joanne Harris.

MAGAZINE SCENE. Andy Cox's _Interzone_ 292/293, now printing, is his final issue. Gareth Jelley of MYY Press will take over as editor/publisher, with number 294 expected this year; he hopes to return to the old bimonthly schedule. Gareth is already running the online _Interzone Digital_, cunningly described as 'like _Interzone_, but digital': see interzone.digital. The sister magazine at TTA Press is not yet dead, says Andy: '_Black Static_ continues for a bit ... One more double issue (82/83) should do it I think.'

AWARDS. _Locus:_ SF NOVEL _A Desolation Called Peace_ by Arkady Martine. FANTASY NOVEL _Jade Legacy_ by Fonda Lee. HORROR NOVEL _My Heart Is a Chainsaw_ by Stephen Graham Jones. YA NOVEL _Victories Greater Than Death_ by Charlie Jane Anders. FIRST NOVEL _A Master of Djinn_ by P. Djeli Clark. NOVELLA _Fugitive Telemetry_ by Martha Wells. NOVELETTE 'That Story Isn't the Story' by John Wiswell (_Uncanny_ 11/21) SHORT 'Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather' by Sarah Pinsker (_Uncanny_ 3/21) ANTHOLOGY _We're Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2020_ ed. C.L. Clark & Charles Payseur. COLLECTION _Even Greater Mistakes_ by Charlie Jane Anders. MAGAZINE Tor.com. PUBLISHER Tor. EDITOR Ellen Datlow. ARTIST Charles Vess. NONFICTION _Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: Radical Science Fiction, 1950-1985_ ed. Andrew Nette & Iain McIntyre. ART BOOK _The Art of Neil Gaiman & Charles Vess' Stardust_ by Charles Vess. SPECIAL Codex Writers' Group.
     _Rhysling_ for short poem: 'Confessions of a Spaceport AI' by Mary Soon Lee (_Uncanny_ 43); long poem voting continues until 1 November.
     _Women's Prize:_ _The Book of Form & Emptiness_ by Ruth Ozeki.

PUBLISHERS AND SINNERS. The mighty Macmillan publishing group (including Tor) went offline in both the USA and the UK following a cyber-attack on 25 June that caused 'the encryption of certain files on our network' -- which sounds like ransomware -- and left it unable to 'process, receive, place, or ship orders'. (_Publishers Weekly_, 27-29 June)

WE ARE EVERYWHERE: ABNORMAL BRAIN DEPT. 'Do you care how Darth Vader's appearance in the new _Star Wars_ television series can be reconciled with his confrontation with Obi-Wan Kenobi in the1977 film _A New Hope_ or are you normal? I am a proud member of the abnormal.' (Stephen Bush, _Financial Times_, 7 June) [MMW]

R.I.P. _Regimantas Adomaitis_ (1937-2022), Lithuanian actor in the Strugatsky-based _Hard to Be a God_ (1989) and in _Amphibian-Man_ (2004), died on 20 June aged 85. [AM]
     _Cuneyt Arkin_ (1937-2022), Turkish actor who starred in very many films including _The Man Who Saved the World_ (1982) and _Turks in Space_ (2006), died on 28 June aged 84. [SS]
     _Bryan Barrett_ (1957-2022), long-time US fan and book dealer who was a 1987 UK Worldcon bid agent, co-chaired the 1988 World Fantasy Convention and published _Abbattoir_/_Cartouche_ (1987-1991) with Lucy Huntzinger, died on 21 June. [LH]
     _John Bates_ (1935-2022), UK fashion designer with credits for _The Avengers_ (1965-1966) and _The Final Programme_ (1973), died on 5 June aged 87. [SJ]
     _Julee Cruise_ (1956-2022), US singer and actress in children's fantasy productions including _The Marvelous Land of Oz_ (1981), and in _Twin Peaks_ (1989-1990 plus later film and series), died on 9 June aged 65. [SJ]
     _Raymundo Garduno Cruz_ and _Paco Mufote_ (Juan Francisco Gonzalez Aguilar), Mexican actors in the coming Netflix series _The Chosen One_, died on 16 June in a road crash while filming a scene; six other cast and crew members were injured. [AIP]
     _Simon Deitch_ (1947-2022), US underground comics artist and animator, died on 21 June aged 75. [PDF]
     _Tommy Dysart_ (1935-2022), Scots-born Australian actor in _Next of Kin_ (1982), _Sky Pirates_ (1986) and _Body Melt_ (1993), died on 15 June aged 87. [SS]
     _Renee Glynne_ (1926-2022), UK script and continuity expert with genre credits for _Four Sided Triangle_ (1953), _Spaceways_ (1953), _The Quatermass Xperiment_ (1955), _Catweazle_ (1971), _The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires_ (1974) and others, died on 6 April aged 95. [AIP]
     _Philip Baker Hall_ (1931-2022), US actor in _The Truman Show_ (1998), _The Amityville Horror_ (2005) and _Second Chance_ (2016), died on 12 June aged 90. [LP]
     _Dorothy J. Heydt_ (1942-2022), US fan -- who compiled the original _Star Trek Concordance_ (1968) -- early SCA member and author of _The Interior Life_ (1990 as Katherine Blake), _A Point of Honor_ (1998) and many short stories, died in late June aged 80. [SM]
     _Ernst Jacobi_ (1933-2022), German actor whose films include the Gunter Grass-based _The Tin Drum_ (1979), died on 23 June aged 88.
     _Greg Jein_ (1945-2022), Chinese-American special effects model-maker whose credits include _Flesh Gordon_ (1974), _Close Encounters_ (1977), _Star Trek: The Motion Picture_ (1979; also later tv series), _Avatar_ (2009), _Oblivion_ (2013) and _Interstellar_ (2014), died on 22 May aged 76. [SL]
     _Brad Johnson_ (1959-2022), US actor in _Always_ (1989), _Philadelphia Experiment II_ (1993), _Left Behind_ (2000 plus sequels), _Riverworld_ (2003) and others, died on 18 February. [LP]
     _Billy Kametz_ (1987-2023), US voice actor best known for English dubs of anime such as _Neon Genesis Evangelion_ (1995-1996), _Pokemon_ (1997-current) and _Attack on Titan_ (2013-2023) -- plus much videogame work -- died on 9 June aged 35. [AIP]
     _Ken Kelly_ (1946-2022), US artist who worked for Warren comics (_Creepy_, _Eerie_) in the 1970s and did numerous covers for books and music albums (notably Kiss) -- many collected in _The Art of Ken Kelly_ (1990) and _Escape_ (2004) -- died on 3 June aged 76. [GVG]
     _George Lamming_ (1927-2022), Barbadian poet and author whose one fantastic novel was _Natives of My Person_ (1971), died on 4 June aged 94. [JC]
     _Linda Lawson_ (1936-2022), US actress in _Night Tide_ (1961), died on 18 May aged 86. [LP]
     _Leon Lissek_ (1939-2022), Australian actor whose many credits include _Countess Dracula_ (1971), _The Dybbuk_ (1980), _Time Bandits_ (1981), _Whoops Apocalypse_ (1986) and _The Discovery of Heaven_ (2001), died on 21 June aged 83. [SJ]
     _Rafael Llopis_ (1933-2022) Spanish author, editor and critic who introduced Lovecraft and the Chthulu Mythos to Spain -- also translating M.R. James and Arthur Machen -- died on 24 March aged 89. [JR]
     _Mary Mara_ (1960-2022), US actress in _Love Potion No. 9_ (1992), _K-PAX_ (2001) and genre tv including _Star Trek: Enterprise_ (2004), died on 26 June aged 61. [LP]
     _Serge Minskevich_ (Siarhey Mytsko, 1969-2022), Belarus author of short fiction and two novels which he called 'quasifantasy' and 'space fantasy', died on 8 June aged 53. [AM]
     _Massimo Morante_ (1952-2022), Italian whose prog-rock band Goblin has soundtrack credits for _Deep Red_ (1975), _Suspiria_ (1977) and _Dawn of the Dead_ (1978), died on 23 June aged 69. [LP]
     _Olga Orlova_ (1932-2022), Russian animator for _The Mystery of the Third Planet_ (1981) and many short films for children, died on 5 June aged 89.
     _Barbara Paul_ (1931-2022) , US novelist best known for mysteries, whose six sf novels include the _Star Trek_ tie _The Three-Minute Universe_ (1988), was reported in early June as having died; she was 90 or 91. [JDN]
     _Everett Peck_ (1950-2022), US comics artist and animator whose creations starred in the tv _Duckman_ (1994-1997) and _Squirrel Boy_ (2006-2007), died on 14 June aged 71. [AIP]
     _Isidoro Raponi_ (1945-2022), Italian mechanical effects expert who worked on _King Kong_ (1976), _Close Encounters_ (1977), _Something Wicked This Way Comes_ (1983), _The Running Man_ (1987) and others, died on 27 May aged 76. [AIP]
     _May Routh_ (1934-2022), UK costume designer with film credits for _The Man Who Fell to Earth_ (1976), _Ghost Story_ (1981), _Splash_ (1983), _Morons from Outer Space_ (1985) and _A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court_ (1989), died on 1 June aged 87.
     _Tim Sale_ (1956-2022), Eisner-winning US comics artist who with writer Jeph Loeb created projects for DC (Batman, Superman, Catwoman) and Marvel (Daredevil, Spider-Man, Hulk), died on 16 Jun aged 66. [PDF]
     _Tyler Sanders_ (2004-2022), US actor with a star role in _Just Add Magic: Mystery City_ (2020), died on 16 June aged 18. [LP]
     _Pat Silver_ (formerly Pat Brown), UK convention-runner and filker who won the 1991 Doc Weir award, died on 8 June. [AF]
     _Marlenka Stupica_ (1927-2022), award-winning Slovene painter who illustrated many classic fairy tales and other children's books, died on 17 June aged 94. [PDF]
     _Jean-Louis Trintignant_ (1930-2022), French actor in _Journey Beneath the Desert_ (1961), _Malevil_ (1981), _The City of Lost Children_ (1995) and _Immortal_ (2004), died on 17 June aged 91. [SJ]
     _Glen Trotiner_ (_1956-2022_), US assistant director for many genre films including _Freejack_ (1992), _Independence Day_ (1996) and _Captain America: The First Avenger_ (2011), died on 16 June aged 66. [AIP]
     _Frank Williams_ (1931-2022), UK _Dad's Army_ actor in _Jabberwocky_ (1977), _Oh Heavenly Dog_ (1980) and _The Ghost Downstairs_ (1982), died on 26 June aged 90. [SJ]
     _Peter Lamborn Wilson_ (1945-2022), US author and poet who wrote some sf (_Interzone_, _Back Brain Recluse_, etc.) and co-edited _Semiotext[e] SF_ (1989) with Rudy Rucker and Robert Anton Wilson, died on 22 May aged 76. [LP]
     _Billy Wolfenbarger_ (1943-2022), US fan and author who published many stories, articles and poems from 1965 onward, died on 26 June. [SHS]
     _Matt Zimmerman_ (1934-2022), Canadian actor who voiced Alan Tracy in Gerry Anderson's _Thunderbirds_ (1965-1966), _Thunderbirds Are GO_ (1966) and _Thunderbird 6_ (1978), died on 9 June aged 87. [SS]

THE WEAKEST LINK. _Clive Myrie:_ 'A fairytale in book form called _The Ickabog_, first published in 2020, is a bestselling children's book by which author?' _Contestant:_ 'Charles Darwin.' (BBC2, _Mastermind_)
     _Ben Shephard:_ 'Sirius Black was the godfather of which fictional wizard created by J.K. Rowling?' _Contestant:_ 'The Wizard of Oz.' (ITV, _Tipping Point_) [PE]

DON'T TELL CORY DOCTOROW. '"Little Brother is watching you," said no novel or movie ever.' (Janan Ganesh, _Financial Times_, 22 June) [MMW]

SFWA sent a release about new membership qualifications introduced this year. Full members must have earned at least $1,000 from writing and associate members $100, either solo or as their share of co-authored works. These are career totals, not annual income. (29 June)

MAINSTREAM MASTERCLASS. 'You envisioned your clitoris lying in cement, sped over flickeringly by bicycle wheels. It would regenerate itself and look alive again, but its soul was smashed, bleeding tiny ruby seahorse tears on the sidewalks.' 'She felt like she had eighteen clitorises, and all of them couldn't drive.' (Lisa Taddeo, _Ghost Lover_, 2022) [MMW]

RANDOM FANDOM. _Hugo Reform?_ There's a proposal to abolish clause 3.12.2 of the WSFS constitution, which decrees that no Hugo award should be given in any category where the number of valid final ballots cast is less than 25% the total of ballots received. Minority interest categories like Best Fanzine have already come close to being cancelled in this way despite getting many hundreds of votes, simply because the biggies like Novel and Dramatic attract such vast numbers. [F770]

SOME GOOD NEWS FOR A CHANGE. 'City-killing asteroid won't hit Earth in 2052 after all' is the headline of a story about the terrifying 2021 QM1, described by the European Space Agency as 'the riskiest asteroid known to humankind' but now removed from the ESA risk list ... which however still contains a further 1,377 asteroids. (_The Register_, 29 June)

MAGAZINE SCENE II. Paul Campbell's _Cossmass Infinities_, published since 2020, will cease with the July 2022 issue. (Twitter, 20 June)

FANFUNDERY. _One-Off Fund:_ Jason Sanford launched a fundraiser to bring Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki from Nigeria to the 2022 Chicago Worldcon and the Hugo ceremony where he's a multiple finalist. See www.gofundme.com/f/send-oghenechovwe-donald-ekpeki-to-worldcon. The goal of $7,000 was reached and passed in just over one day.
     _TAFF:_ The second free ebook to become a paperback sold in aid of TAFF is Rob Hansen's _1957: The First UK Worldcon_ -- see ae.ansible.uk/?t=1957.

THE DEAD PAST. _50 Years Ago_, the first Eurocon was held in Trieste (12-16 July) with John Brunner as guest of honour and many 'Europa Awards' presented. (_Checkpoint_ 20, 29 July 1972)
     _40 Years Ago_, 'Brian Aldiss has suffered the rewards of hubris after setting his "mini-saga" competition in the _Telegraph_ magazine; a mini-saga was defined as a story no more nor less than 50 words long, making the judging look relatively light work: but there were 33,000 entries....' (_Ansible_ 27, July 1982)
     _30 Years Ago_, 'Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. is suing _Vogue_ magazine for using "trademark images" without leave, i.e. pictures of "Tarzan" with underdressed Janes. $1 million damages asked. Costume fans take note: your torsos and loincloths are not your own.' (_Ansible_ 60, July 1992)

PUBLISHERS AND SINNERS II. With the June 2022 release of John Clute's seventh critical collection _Sticking to the End_, 'Beccon Publications has now published its last book.' (Roger Robinson, beccon.org, June)

THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Dept of Nice Distinctions._ 'A paralyser field effected only the nervous system and not the brain.' (Philip E. High, _Invader on My Back_, 1968)
     _Synaesthesia Dept._ 'He was a nymph of a man, but he sounded like petroleum fumes would if they'd had anything to say.' (Natasha Pulley, _The Lost Future of Pepperharrow_, 2020) [SC]
     _Eyeballs in the Sky._ 'She had large protruding eyes -- sometimes they looked horribly biddable and other times impressively contemptuous.' 'He had high wolfish hair and small eyes that looked like they were boiling in his face.' (both Claire-Louise Bennett, 'Invisible Bird', 30 May 2022 _The New Yorker_) [CG]
     _Geocentric Dept._ '... John Carr, a well-known space ace was chosen. Carr, a popular hero, held the Mars-Mercury speed record and had been the first man to circle the sun.' (Von Kellar, _Tri-Planet_, 1953) [BA]
     _Much the Best Way._ 'Baun jumped head-first up the stairs ...' (_Ibid_)


### GEEKS' CORNER ###

SUBSCRIPTIONS. To receive _Ansible_ monthly via email, send a message to:
ansible-news+subscribe [at] googlegroups.com
You will be asked to confirm by email that you want to join the group. To resign from the Google Groups list, send email to:
ansible-news+unsubscribe [at] googlegroups.com
More details, and an ALTERNATIVE LIST subscription form for those averse to Google, on this page (which is also where to unsubscribe from the alternative list, hosted at ansible.uk):
https://news.ansible.uk/asubs.html
Home page -- https://news.ansible.uk/
RSS feed -- https://news.ansible.uk/rss.html
LiveJournal syndication -- http://www.livejournal.com/users/ansiblezine/
Back issues -- https://news.ansible.uk/aseries2.html
Printable PDFs -- https://news.ansible.uk/pdf/
Email the editor -- https://news.ansible.uk/contact.php
Books Received -- https://ansible.uk/books.php

CONVENTION AND EVENT LINKS
     British Isles -- https://news.ansible.uk
     London -- https://news.ansible.uk/london.html
     Overseas -- https://news.ansible.uk/conlisti.html [no longer updated]


### 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://ae.ansible.uk/ebooks.php
https://ansible.uk/books/index.html

ANSIBLE EDITIONS CLEARANCE. Found some copies of _New Maps: More Uncollected John Sladek_ (see https://ae.ansible.uk/?t=newmaps) left over from the 2019 Eastercon. GBP10 post free in UK only; first come first served; please check via https://ansible.uk/contact.php before sending any money (PayPal preferred).

VIRTUAL MEETINGS.
     21 July 2022, 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

SOME LINKS from the _Ansible_ home page.
     Flying Cars and Food Pills
https://www.flyingcarsandfoodpills.com/
     Forgotten Langford _Skeptic_ article comes to light
https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2022/06/david-langfords-skeptical-skrapbook/

THOG'S GOLDEN OLDIES from _Ansible_ 180, July 2002. 'Her brother's twitching eyes and bared buck teeth gave him the look of a gopher on pure crystal meth, capable of anything, one way or the other.' (S.M. Stirling, _Island in the Sea of Time_, 1998)
     'When he spoke again he could barely suppress a yodel of irritation.' (Ian McEwan, _The Innocent_, 1990)
     _Dept of Logic, Pure:_ 'After all, Roamers had disproved the impossible time and again.' _Applied:_ 'In the vacuum of space no one could see beautiful lines or shiny hulls anyway.' (both Kevin J. Anderson, _Hidden Empire_, 2002)


_Ansible_(R) 420 (C) David Langford, 2022. Thanks to Brian Ameringen, Steve Carper, John Clute, Paul Di Filippo, _File 770_, Alan Fleming, Carl Glover, Lucy Huntzinger, Steve Jones, Steve Lee, Seanan McGuire, Andrey Meshavkin, James D. Nicoll, Lawrence Person, Andrew I. Porter, _Private Eye_, Jorge Repolles, Marcus Rowland, Steven H Silver, Steven Smith, Martin Morse Wooster, Gordon van Gelder, and as always our Hero Distributors: Durdles Books (Birmingham SF Group), SCIS/Prophecy, and Alan Stewart (Australia).

1 July 2022