Ansible 408 -- July 2021 [long]

[David Langford]

ANSIBLE(R) 408
JULY 2021

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,
mummy-cloth, Hades' bobbin or the golden smithies of the Emperor.

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### THE DEWDROP PROGRAMME ###

RICHARD DAWKINS clamours for attention: 'Kafka's Metamorphosis is called a
major work of literature. Why? If it's SF it's bad SF. If, like Animal
Farm, it's an allegory, an allegory of what? Scholarly answers range from
pretentious Freudian to far-fetched feminist. I don't get it. Where are the
Emperor's clothes?' (Twitter @RichardDawkins, 5 June)

JON COURTENAY GRIMWOOD on the joy of self-isolation: 'It's weird as all
hell. We spent our lives saying if only we could be locked away in a cave
then inspiration and deadlines would be no problem and then it happens and
it's a disaster.' (quoted in _The Author_, Summer 2021)

KENNETH K. LEE, a US Ninth Circuit Court judge, enshrined his view of the
Disney _Star Wars_ films in the legal ruling on a class action suit against
ConAgra Foods Inc for the presumably misleading '100% Natural' label on
bottles of Wesson Oil -- a cooking oil which ConAgra no longer owns. Lee
found the analogy irresistible: 'That is like George Lucas promising no
more mediocre and schlocky Star Wars sequels shortly after selling the
franchise to Disney. Such a promise would be illusory. [5]' And footnote 5
runs: 'As evident by Disney's production of _The Last Jedi_ and _The Rise
of Skywalker_. (Movieweb.com, 2 June) [OMJC]

JOHN NORMAN (John Frederick Lange Jr) celebrated his 90th birthday on 3
June, soon after the 25 May publication of his 36th 'Gor' novel.

H.G. WELLS may be rotating in his grave at the news that his 1914 novel
_The World Set Free_ -- long in the public domain -- has an exciting new $5
ebook edition apparently constructed via Google Translate. The opening
sentences 'The history of mankind is the history of the attainment of
external power. Man is the tool-using, fire-making animal.' have here
become 'The history of mankind is the records of the attainment of outside
energy. Man is the tool-the use of, fireplace-making animal.' It doesn't
get any better as the story continues.... (Facebook, 17 June) [MO]


### CONG ###

Until 29 Jan [] _WAR OF THE WORLDS_ 'immersive experience', London; tickets
(sold in pairs) from GBP40 at thewaroftheworldsimmersive.com.

ONLINE. 1 Jul [] VIRTUAL FIRST THURSDAY, 6-10pm, instead of the London pub
meeting. See tinyurl.com/uow6hqn. _Could there be a physical meeting on 5
August?_ Updates to follow at news.ansible.uk/london.html.

ONLINE. 2-4 Jul [] LAVECON (sf/fantasy/gaming), Sedgebrook Hall Hotel,
Northants. Tickets will be refunded or (on request) carried over to the
next event, 1-3 July 2022. See www.hwsevents.co.uk/shop-1.

ONLINE. 3-4 July [] TOLKIEN SOCIETY SUMMER SEMINAR. See
www.tolkiensociety.org/events/tolkien-society-summer-seminar/.

15-18 July [] EUROCON 2021, Fiuggi, Italy. Euro50 reg. Still planned as an
in-person event requiring COVID-19 vaccination or pre-testing (Facebook, 24
April). Registration form and latest news at eurocon2021.it. Also Euro50 at
the door, but the venue may by then be fully booked.

25 Jul [] PAPERBACK & PULP BOOK FAIR, International Students House, 229
Great Portland St, London. 10:30am-4:30pm. GBP2 admission.

CANCELLED. 6-9 Aug [] CONTINUUM (RPG), John Foster Hall, Manor Road,
Leicester University, Oadby. 'Insufficient enthusiasm' for a virtual 2021
event; the next will be in 2022. See continuumconvention.co.uk.

CANCELLED. 20-22 Aug [] REUNICON (celebrating ConFiction 1990), The Hague.
To be replaced by a get-together party at Glasgow in 2024 if that bid wins,
or at some other convention. See confiction1990.com.

HYBRID? 20 Aug [] TITANCON, Hilton Hotel, Belfast. Perhaps a free
limited-numbers 'moot' with readings broadcast online; see titancon.com.

HYBRID. 2-5 Sep [] OXONMOOT (Tolkien Society). GBP95 reg; GBP45 online;
members GBP10 less: www.tolkiensociety.org/events/oxonmoot-2021.

HYBRID. 30 Oct [] BRISTOLCON, Hilton DoubleTree Hotel, Bristol. GBP25 reg;
concessions GBP15 (GBP30/GBP20 from 1 October; GBP35/GBP25 at the door);
under-14s free. See www.bristolcon.org.

12-14 Nov [] NOVACON 50 had to move from the Mercure Sherwood Hotel,
Nottingham, still commandeered as a 'Nightingale' courthouse; the new venue
is the Palace Hotel, Buxton, with slightly cheaper room rates. GBP50 reg;
under-17s GBP12; under-13s free. See novacon.org.uk.

15-19 Dec [] DISCON III (Worldcon), Washington DC, USA. _Now $225 reg; YA
$115; virtual $75;_ supp $50; other rates at discon3.org. Hugo voting is
open, closing 19 November, and the downloadable Hugo Voter Packet was
released in June: see members.discon3.org.

RUMBLINGS. The 2021 Hugo administration team, just like their predecessors
in January, resigned en masse on 22 June. In the context of honouring all
Hugo winners, they cryptically wrote: 'It is clear that we have taken the
process as far as we can, and that our input is no longer needed by the
convention leadership.' It emerged that DisCon III had privately told Hugo
finalists -- without promised consultation and discussion of this issue --
that no more than four people for each item on the ballot would be allowed
at the reception and ceremony. (The semiprozine finalist _Strange
Horizons_, wanting all staff and contributors recognized _on the ballot_,
has close to 90 names listed but was never asked how many were likely to
appear at the Hugos.) A DisCon apology and retraction followed on 23 June:
'There will be no four person limit.' Just as in January. The only thing we
learn from history is ...
The next excitement was the rapid resignation of convention chair Bill
Lawhorn on 25 June.


### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###

AS OTHERS ARE INSPIRED BY US. 'Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) asks whether the
Forest Service or the BLM _[Bureau of Land Management]_ can alter the orbit
of the moon or the Earth in order to fight climate change during a House
Natural Resources hearing.' (Forbes, Twitter, 8 June)
Boris Johnson, remembering classics taught at Eton, dreams of the UK
as '... some country ready to take off its Clark Kent spectacles and leap
into the phone booth and emerge with its cloak flowing as the supercharged
champion of the right of the populations of the earth to buy and sell
freely among each other.' (_London Review of Books_, 6 July) [MMW]

AWARDS. _British Book Awards (Nibbies):_ Orion and its sf/fantasy imprint
Gollancz won the publisher and imprint categories.
_Lambda_ (LGBTQ): SF/F/HORROR NOVEL _Everyone on the Moon is Essential
Personnel_ by Julian K. Jarboe. ANTHOLOGY _Love after the End: An Anthology
of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction_ ed. Joshua Whitehead.
GAY ROMANCE _The Ghost and Charlie Muir_ by Felice Stevens. [F770]
_Locus Award_ novel categories: SF _Network Effect_ by Martha Wells.
FANTASY _The City We Became_ by N.K. Jemisin. HORROR _Mexican Gothic_ by
Silvia Moreno-Garcia. YA _A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking_ by T.
Kingfisher. More at locusmag.com.
_Nebulas_ (SFWA): NOVEL _Network Effect_ by Martha Wells. NOVELLA
_Ring Shout_ by P. Djeli Clark. NOVELETTE 'Two Truths and a Lie' by Sarah
Pinsker (Tor.com). SHORT 'Open House on Haunted Hill' by John Wiswell
(_Diabolical Plots_). ANDRE NORTON (YA) _A Wizard's Guide to Defensive
Baking_ by T. Kingfisher. GAME WRITING _Hades_ by Greg Kasavin. RAY
BRADBURY (dramatic): _The Good Place_ -- 'Whenever You're Ready'.
_SFRA Award for Lifetime Contributions to SF Scholarship_ (formerly
Pilgrim Award): Veronica Hollinger. [L]
_UK Queen's Birthday Honours_ for genre authors and illustrators:
Lauren Child and Philippa Gregory CBE, David Almond OBE, Irenosen Okojie
MBE.

ENTOMOLOGY CORNER. The discoverers of many previously unknown species of
_Coptoborus_ ambrosia beetles in Central and South America have named
several for their favourite female sf characters: _C. katniss_, _C.
ripley_, _C. scully_, _C. starbuck_, _C. uhura_.... (Phys.org, 16 June)
[MF]

CLARKE AWARD finalists: _The Infinite_ by Patience Agbabi, _The Vanished
Birds_ by Simon Jimenez, _Vagabonds_ by Hao Jingfang, _Edge of Heaven_ by
R.B. Kelly, _The Animals in That Country_ by Laura Jean McKay, _Chilling
Effect_ by Valerie Valdes. This is the first all-debut-novel Clarke
shortlist.

AS OTHERS SEE US. 'There is, in fact, a LOT of bad science fiction and some
of it is obviously inspiring some of the world's most powerful
entrepreneurs. / Elon Musk, for example, frequently quotes the 1960s
potboiler _Dune_, a book that, frankly (as it were), hasn't weathered all
that well. Jeff Bezos similarly so loves _The Expanse_, a grade B TV space
opera, that he kept it alive by moving it to Amazon Prime.' (Geoffrey
James, 'Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Bad Science Fiction', Inc.com, 30 June)

R.I.P. _Peter Adams_, UK writer and executive producer with genre credits
for _S.N.U.B!_ (2010) and _Aux_ (2018) died on 11 June aged 75. [SJ]
_Lisa Banes_ (1955-2021), US actress in _Last Exit to Earth_ (1996),
_Dragonfly_ (2002) and _A Cure for Wellness_ (2016), died on 14 June aged
65. [PDF]
_Olga Barnet_ (1951-2021), Russian actress in Tarkovsky's _Solaris_
(1972), died on 25 June aged 69. [SJ]
_Claudia Barrett_ (1929-2021), US actress in the infamous _Robot
Monster_ (1953), died on 30 April aged 91. [LPer]
_Ned Beatty_ (1937-2021), US actor in _Exorcist II: The Heretic_
(1977), _Superman_ (1978), _The Incredible Shrinking Woman_ (1981),
_Captain America_ (1990) and others, died on 13 June aged 83. [O]
_Dennis Berry_ (1944-2021), US director/producer whose credits include
_Angel on My Shoulder_ (1980), two _Highlander_ tv series (1993-1999) and
_Stargate SG-1_ (1997), died on 12 June aged 76. [SJ]
_Frank Bonner_ (1942-2021), US actor in _Equinox_ (1970) and director
of _Harry and the Hendersons_ (11 episodes 1991-1993), died on 17 June aged
79. [LPer]
_Alexander Bouchard_, Detroit-area fan whose fanzines were _Lightning
Round_ and _Scopus_, died in a car accident on 29 June. [LPen]
_Kathy Burns_, US actress and film crew member seen in _Shock Theater_
(1959), _King Kong_ (2005) and _The Lovely Bones_ (2009), died on 12 May.
[SJ]
_Douglas S. Cramer_ (1931-2021), US tv producer whose genre credits
include _The Cat Creature_ (1973), _Snowbeast_ (1977) and _Wonder Woman_
(1975-1979), died on 7 June aged 89. [PDF]
_Stuart Damon_ (1937-2021), US actor in _The Champions_ (1968-1969)
and _Space: 1999_ (1975-1977), died on 29 June aged 84. [SG]
_Edward de Bono_, Malta-born polymath best known for his promotion of
'lateral thinking', who introduced George Hay's _The Edward De Bono Science
Fiction Collection_ (1976) and contributed to Peter Nicholls's _Science
Fiction at Large_ (1976), died on 9 June aged 88. [MMW]
_John Erman_ (1935-2021), US director with credits for _My Favorite
Martian_ (1965-1966), _The Flying Nun_ (1968) and _The Ghost & Mrs. Muir_
(1968-1970), died on 26 June aged 85. [AIP]
_John Gabriel_ (1931-2021), US actor in _The Incredible Hulk Returns_
(1988) and various genre tv series, died on 13 June aged 90. [F770]
_Larry Gelman_ (1930-2021), US actor in _Alice in Wonderland: An
X-Rated Musical Fantasy_ (1976), _Dreamscape_ (1984) and various genre tv
series, died on 7 June aged 90. [PDF]
_Patricia Reilly Giff_ (1935-2021), US children's author whose many
books include the historical ghost story _Gingersnap_ (2013), died on 22
June aged 86. [PDF]
_Milton Moses Ginsberg_ (1935-2021), US film-maker who wrote, directed
and edited _The Werewolf of Washington_ (1973), died on 23 May aged 85.
[AIP]
_Arlene Golonka_ (1936-2021), US actress in various genre tv series,
_The New Yogi Bear Show_ (voice, 1988) and _Dr. Alien_ (1989), died on 31
May aged 85. [LPer]
_Bob Haberfield_ (1938-2021), Australian-born artist whose distinctive
psychedelic covers appeared on many UK Mayflower and Granada paperbacks --
especially by Michael Moorcock -- from 1968 to 1980, reportedly died
recently. [JC]
_Andrew Hackard_, games designer at Steve Jackson Games who worked on
the RPG-parody card game _Munchkin_ and co-wrote _GURPS Deadlands: Weird
West_ (2001), died on 17 June. [MR]
_Damaris Hayman_ (1929-2021), UK actress in _Doctor Who_ 'The Daemons'
(1971), _The Pink Panther Strikes Again_ (1976), _The Haunting of Julia_
(1977) and _White Witch of Devil's End_ (2017), died on 3 June aged 91.
[PDF]
_Robert Hogan_ (1933-2021), US supporting actor in many genre tv
series 1964-1986 and _Species II_ (1998), died on 27 May aged 87. [LPer]
_Leo P. Kindt_ (1943-2021), Dutch fan who co-founded the first Dutch
sf organization, died in March. [PVO]
_Jackie Lane_ (1941-2021), UK actress in _Doctor Who_ (1966; 19
episodes as early companion Dodo Chaplet) and theatrical agent whose
clients included Tom Baker, died on 23 June aged 79. [MR]
_David Lightfoot_, Australian producer of _Bodyjackers_ (2001) and
_Cyber Wars_ (2004), died on 13 June aged 61. [AIP]
_Joanne Linville_ (1928-2021), US actress in _The Invaders_
(1967-1968), _Star Trek_ (1968, as a Romulan commander) and others, died on
20 June aged 93. [PDF]
_Patrick McGreal_, comics writer who wrote over 600 stories for
Disney's European affiliate Egmont, died on 31 May aged 68. [PDF]
_Vladimir Malov_ (1947-2021), Russian author of popular science books
for children and four volumes of children's sf since 1964, died on 22 May
aged 74. [AM]
_John Paragon_ (1954-2021), US actor in _The Frog Prince_ (1986),
_Pee-wee's Playhouse_ (1986-1990 as Jambi the Genie), _Elvira: Mistress of
the Dark_ (1988) and _Honey, I Blew Up the Kid_ (1992), died in April aged
66. [AIP]
_Joe Praml_ (1935-2021), US actor in _Deep Space_ (1988), _Demonwarp_
(1988) and others, died on 18 June aged 85. [SJ]
_Robert M. Quackenbush_ (1929-2021), US author and illustrator whose
many popular children's books included talking-animal fantasy series, died
on 17 May aged 91. [PDF]
_Ben Roberts_ (1950-2021), UK actor in _Miss Peregrine's Home for
Peculiar Children_ (2016), died on 7 June aged 70. [AIP]
_Richard Robinson_, US publisher who joined Scholastic in 1962 and was
CEO from 1975 -- publishing many YA authors including J.K. Rowling and
Suzanne Collins -- died on 5 June aged 84. [PDF]
_Wally Schneiderman_ (1922-2021), UK make-up artist whose genre films
included _One Million Years B.C._ (1966), _Scars of Dracula_ (1970),
_Rollerball_ (1975), _Beauty and the Beast_ (1976) and _Labyrinth_ (1986),
died on 8 April aged 98. [AIP]
_Steve Sherman_ (1949-2021), US puppeteer for _Men in Black_ (1997,
plus sequel) and _Mighty Joe Young_ (1998), died on 24 June aged 72. [PDF]
_Natalya Smirnova_, Russian actress in _Mermaid_ (2007; original title
_Rusalka_), died on 30 June aged 60.
_Linda S. Touby_, US artist who collected the work of her husband
Basil Gogos (1939-2017) as _The Monster Art of Basil Gogos_ (2020), died on
9 June aged 78. [SJ]
_Buddy Van Horn_ (1928-2021), US stuntman whose genre credits include
_The Beastmaster_ (1982) and _Space Cowboys_ (2000), died on 11 May aged
92. [AIP]
Late report: _Evgeny Voiskunsky_ (1922-2020), Russian sf author active
from 1961 to 1980, his first novel being _The Crew of the Mekong_ (1961;
trans 1974) with his cousin Isai Lukodianov, died on 3 July 2020 aged 98.
[PY]
_Clarence Williams III_ (1939-2021), US actor in _Twin Peaks_ (1990),
_Tales from the Hood_ (1995) and _American Nightmares_ (2018), died on 4
June aged 81. [LPer]
_John Sacret Young_, (1946-2021), US producer, director and writer
whose credits include _Testament_ (1983), _VR.5_ (1995-1997) and _Level 9_
(2000-2001), died on 3 June aged 75. [KF]

AS OTHERS SEE US II. Bill Gates confronts the twenty-first century: 'So
what does the next generation of toilets look like? At first glance, not
that different. They don't exactly look like something out of a sci-fi
novel.' (Gates Foundation Annual Letter, February 2019) [MMW]

COURT CIRCULAR. US scenic artist and designer Judy Juracek is suing the
Japanese game developer Capcom for alleged copyright-violating use of 80 or
more of her photographs (published 1996 as the book/CD-ROM _Surfaces_) in
games, including _Resident Evil_ franchise titles. Damages of $12 million
plus legal fees are asked. (_The Register_, 8 June)

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME. 'Like watching the descent of a giant lift, or
seeing New York's World Trade Center collapse through a sidewalk on the
downstroke of an invisible piston.' (Jon Courtenay Grimwood, _Lucifer's
Dragon_, 1998) [BA]

THE DEAD PAST. _40 Years Ago_, Robert Conquest revealed that 'he learned
all his skills at understanding the Russian mind from his vast knowledge of
alien psychology gleaned from 40s issues of _Astounding_'; and Karl Hansen
offered a (pre-Thog) True Romance Masterclass in his 1981 novel _War
Games_: 'Even through two layers of combat armour, I felt her nipples brush
against my back ...' (_Ansible_ 19, July 1981)
_50 Years Ago_, Anne McCaffrey told a UK convention: 'Dragons are
really a rather nice animal; they've just had bad press.' (_Focal Point_
3:1, July 1971)

SILO-FI. Amitav Ghosh is pleased that Richard Powers's _The Overstory_
(2018) escaped the taint of silage: 'It wasn't hived off into the usual
silos of climate change or speculative fiction, but was treated as a
mainstream novel. I do think that was a very major thing.' (_Guardian_, 26
June) [JF]

FANFUNDERY. Yet another free TAFF ebook: _The Road to Fame_ by D.R. Smith,
written 1941-1946 and first collected in 1953, a mash-up fiction in which
Prof. Challenger's _Lost World_ team goes questing with Tarzan, John Carter
of Mars, Kim Kinnison and other sf notables in search of ... literary
immortality. Details at taff.org.uk/ebooks.php?x=RoadFame.

MAGAZINE SCENE. The cancellation of my 'Ansible Link' news digest along
with other _Interzone_ nonfiction was reversed in May: all the usual
departments are in the double issue #290/291, published late June.
_New Worlds_ returns as an anthology from PS Publishing in August
2021.

C.O.A. _Pete Young_, 10 Springvale Close, Kirkby, Liverpool, L32 5ST.

PAGING LAZARUS LONG. Going the rounds on Facebook: a job ad with 'Basic
Qualifications / 710 years of Graphic Design experience ...'

RANDOM FANDOM. _British SF Association:_ The BSFA has moved to a new
database and now sends both invoices and newsletters electronically. If you
are a member and are not receiving email communications, please contact
Treasurer[at]bsfa.co.uk to add or correct your email.

THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Elven Dexterity._ 'He brushed it aside with a flick of
his ears.' (Katherine Addison, _The Witness for the Dead_, 2021)
_What Dead Men Tell._ 'I long to kill you by mine own hand, but I have
granted you the favor of being beheaded by a public executioner. You cannot
then say that you have been murdered ...' (Clark Ashton Smith, _The Sword
of Zagan_, written _circa_1909; 2004) [BA]
_Eyeballs Round the Corner._ 'Her eyes followed him out of sight ...'
(Isaac Asimov, 'Liar!', May 1941 _Astounding_) [ECL]
_Multiple Personality Disorder: Know the Symptoms._ 'When explicit
thinking patterns were in charge, light waves of particular lengths were
thought to stimulate Jenny's optical nerve, changing hue of her eye color.'
(Judy Byington, _Twenty-Two Faces_, 2012)
_Tone of Voice Dept._ 'Sounding throaty like a dog before it barfed,
he said ...' (_Ibid_)
_Dept of Euphemism._ '"Kiss my lickity-split," the doper shouted.'
(_Ibid_)


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### ENDNOTES ###

PAYPAL TIP JAR THINGY. 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

VIRTUAL MEETINGS.
1 July 2021, evening: Alison Scott has set up this alternative to the
physical London First Thursday meeting: 'Please share this with people who
you know typically come to the Bishop's Finger, but aren't on Facebook.'
https://medium.com/@BohemianCoast/first-thursday-london-sf-fan-virtual-drinks-5232021e961f
18 July 2021 (and every other third Sunday of the month),
afternoon/early evening: Sheffield SF and Fantasy Society online meeting
using Zoom. For access details contact Fran Dowd, thesofa [at] gmail dot
com.

EDITORIAL. I didn't think I had any stake in this year's _Locus_ awards,
but was happy to see a nonfiction winner that quotes me from time to time,
with multiple index listings for both _Ansible_ and myself: _The Magic of
Terry Pratchett_ by Marc Burrows. Thanks again, Marc!
https://twitter.com/20thcenturymarc/status/1409450719338450944

MORE FREE EBOOKS. Currently in preparation: _American Trips_ by Rob Hansen,
bringing together his reports of further visits to US conventions after
that 1984 TAFF trip; and a collection of Walt Willis's fan fiction (in the
old sense of stories about fans and fandom) other than the much-reprinted
_The Enchanted Duplicator_ (1954 with Bob Shaw) and its sequel. One missing
item according to the _Warhoon_ 28 bibliography is 'A Modest Proposal' in
_Century Note_ (Winter 1956), a one-shot published by Dick Eney for OMPA.
Can any obsessive fanzine collector help?

SOME LINKS from the _Ansible_ home page.
Fanzine Spotlight: _Ansible_
http://corabuhlert.com/2021/06/08/fanzine-spotlight-ansible/
Kitschies shortlists
https://thekitschies.tumblr.com/post/654867256760778752/the-kitschies-2020-shortlists-revealed
Locus Awards -- full results
https://locusmag.com/2021/06/2021-locus-awards-winners/
Nebula Awards (in full, with finalists and pre-announced categories)
https://nebulas.sfwa.org/award-year/2020/
Shirley Jackson Awards shortlists
https://www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/
Where Thog Fears to Tread
https://www.amazon.com/Gary-L.M.-Martin/e/B07JNLP7WK
https://strangecurrencies.org/2021/02/14/an-open-letter-to-gary-l-m-martin-the-very-worst-author/

THOG'S GOLDEN OLDIES from _Ansible_ 168, July 2001. _Neat Tricks._ 'Kothar
leaped, leaving his booted feet and diving a yard above the floor ...'
(Gardner F. Fox, _Kothar -- Barbarian Swordsman_, 1969)
_Dept of Vegetable Love._ 'He did not resist the temptation. He
mounted that big old tree with primitive joy.' (Piers Anthony, _Split
Infinity_, 1980)
_Eyeballs in the Sky._ 'Trying to pull the chiefs' eyeballs down onto
himself rather than onto each other, Tiny Acorn danced ...' (Dominic Green,
'Grass', _Interzone_ 168, June 2001)
_Pathetic Fallacy Dept._ 'We join the terminally-ill protagonist as he
sets out across inhospitable, empty vastnesses covered in scabby,
suppurating sores ...' (Peter Crowther introducing Tim Lebbon, _Faith in
the Flesh_, 1998)
_Dept of Magical Metaphor._ 'The all-over narrative is stuffed with
nasty sweetmeats of ugly behavior that eventually turn on a dime and are
leavened by a redeeming sprinkle of grace notes.' (Edward Bryant, _Locus_
6/01)


_Ansible_(R) 408 (C) David Langford, 2021. Thanks to Brian Ameringen, Olav
M.J. Christiansen, John Collick, Paul Di Filippo, Moshe Feder, Julian
Fifield, _File 770_, Keith Freeman, Steve Green, John-Henri Holmberg, Steve
Jones, Evelyn C. Leeper, _Locus_, Andrey Meshavkin, Michael O'Brien, Omega,
Lloyd Penney, Lawrence Person, Andrew I. Porter, Marcus Rowland, Paul van
Oven, Martin Morse Wooster, Pete Young, and our Hero Distributors: Durdles
Books (Birmingham SF Group), SCIS/Prophecy, and Alan Stewart (Australia).

1 July 2021
--
David Langford | http://ansible.uk/ | http://news.ansible.uk/