Ansible 407 -- June 2021 [long]

[David Langford]

ANSIBLE(R) 407
JUNE 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
or a belt buckle, a tungsten filament, three hens' eggs and ...

[NET NOTE. See https://news.ansible.uk/a407.html for the nice HTML version;
https://news.ansible.uk/pdf/a407.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]


### THE DREAM OF X ###

ADRIAN COLE's author page at Openroadmedia.com reports that his works 'have
been translated into many languages including German, Dutch, Belgian ...'
Our researcher speculates that 'readers are eagerly awaiting the
translations into Swiss and Yugoslavian.' [PD]

STEVE DAVIDSON of _Amazing Stories_, who had 'only been operating at
between 10 and 30 percent capacity this past 18 months' (Facebook, 12 May),
has had successful open heart surgery and is reportedly doing well
(_Amazing_ blog, 13 May). Fingers crossed for a full recovery....

AIDAN HARTE, the Irish fantasy author who is also a sculptor, has been in
the news since his sinisterly horse-headed 'Puca of Ennistymon' sculpture,
commissioned by Clare County Council, was put on hold after objections from
locals that 'culminated with the priest denouncing it from the altar as a
pagan idol.' (IrishCentral.com, 12 May) [JF/SJ] I forget whether Scots
Catholics were similarly frit by plans for The Kelpies.

RHYS HUGHES nears the end of the tunnel: 'I have been writing short stories
almost non-stop for the past thirty years, averaging thirty stories per
year. I am extremely glad that long ago I set myself an upper limit of 1000
and no more, because now I am weary of writing short stories. Looking
forward to reaching my target and then forgetting about short stories
forever. People don't believe me when I say this but it's true. Only 24
short stories left to write and I am done, finished, free!' (20 May)

MICHAEL MOORCOCK was silenced: 'Some Tolkytroll got me kicked off Facebook
so I can no longer be contacted there. [You] need a mobile phone to get
back on and I don't have a mobile phone! Neither do I intend to jump
through censorship hoops. Tcha! So it looks like Jeremiah Cornelius is
exiting Fb.' (4 May) He has since returned with a new user ID that thumbs
its nose vigorously at Facebook's 'real names only' rule.

JOHN STEINBECK's estate is resisting academic pleas for the release of his
werewolf 'horror potboiler' _Murder at Full Moon_, rejected in 1930 and
never published despite his later fame. (_Guardian_, 22 May)


### CONCURSION ###

Until 31 Oct [] V FOR VENDETTA: BEHIND THE MASK (exhibition), Cartoon
Museum, London. Free? See www.cartoonmuseum.org.

ONLINE. 3 Jun [] VIRTUAL FIRST THURSDAY, 6-10pm, instead of the London pub
meeting. See tinyurl.com/uow6hqn. _Could there be a physical meeting on 1
July?_ Updates to follow at news.ansible.uk/london.html.

ONLINE. 4-6 Jun [] CYMERA: Scotland's Festival of SF, Fantasy & Horror
Writing. See www.cymerafestival.co.uk.

ONLINE. 18-20 Jun [] PUNCTUATION 2. GBP5. See punctuationcon.uk.

ONLINE. 26 Jun [] BSFA AND SF FOUNDATION AGMS plus panels etc. Starts at
noon. Further details emailed to BSFA members; SFF members (_Foundation_
subscribers) should ask grahamsleight at gmail dot com.

2-4 Jul [] LAVECON (sf/fantasy/gaming), Sedgebrook Hall Hotel,
Northants.Tickets are on sale at 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.

CANCELLED. 18 Jul [] FOREVER AVON (_Blake's 7_), Steventon Village Hall,
Steventon, Oxfordshire. _Next event 10 July 2022._ Tickets automatically
transferred. See www.facebook.com/TeamBlakeForeverAvon.

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. Cancellation announced by email on 11 May [MR]
but not as yet at continuumconvention.co.uk.

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

ONLINE. 22-24 Oct [] THE INEFFABLE CON 3 (_Good Omens_). Ticket price: what
you will (for charity). See theineffablecon.org.uk.

5-7 Nov [] CORFLU 38, Mercure Holland Hotel, Bristol. GBP50/$60 reg;
$15/$20 supporting; planned 1 July rate rise delayed to September. Hotel
booking form, for members only, downloadable at corflu.org.

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: see members.discon3.org.


### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###

ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE. 'Say what you will about the people in
Shirley Jackson's unsettling short story "The Lottery", but at least they
took pride in their town's unique traditions.' (John Kelly, 'John Kelly's
Washington' column, _Washington Post_, 6 May) [PL]

AWARDS. _Bram Stoker_ (horror) novel categories only: NOVEL _The Only Good
Indians_ by Stephen Graham Jones. DEBUT _The Fourth Whore_ by EV Knight.
YOUNG ADULT _Clown in a Cornfield_ by Adam Cesare.

AS OTHERS SEE US. Another belated realization to chill our very bones: 'The
stuff of science fiction is once again becoming the stuff of reality.'
(Theunis Bates, editorial in _The Week_, 14 May) [MMW]

R.I.P. _Tony Armatrading_ (1961-2021), UK actor with voice roles in
_Eragon_ (2006) and four _Star Wars: The Old Republic_ videogames
(2011-2015), died on 10 May aged 60. [SJ]
_Charles Beeson_ (1957-2021), UK tv director whose credits include
_Afterlife_ (2005-2006), _Timeless_ (2016) and _Supernatural_ (14 episodes
2007-2020), died on 26 April. [AIP]
_K. (Karl) Arne Blom_ (1946-2021), noted Swedish crime fiction author
-- three of whose novels are set in a bleak future twenty years distant --
died on 20 April aged 75. [J-HH]
_Shane Briant_ (1946--2021), UK actor whose early Hammer films
included _Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter_ (1974) and _Frankenstein and the
Monster from Hell_ (1974), died on 27 May aged 74. [SJ]
_John Bush_, UK editor and publisher who oversaw the Gollancz sf list
and chaired the company from 1963 until he retired in 1982, died on 29
April aged 105. He was the 1977 Eastercon guest of honour. [MJE]
_David Butler_ (1960-2021), South African actor in _The Canterville
Ghost_ (1983), _Maze Runner: The Death Cure_ (2018) and others, died on 27
May aged 61. [SJ]
_Rene Cardona III_, Mexican director and actor whose horror films
included _Vacaciones de terror_ (1989 aka _Horror Holiday_), died on 16 May
aged 59. [SJ]
_Eric Carle_ (1929-2021), noted US children's writer and illustratror
best known for _The Very Hungry Caterpillar_ (1969), who in his long career
created a few sf book covers, died on 23 May aged 91.
_Gary Compton_, UK small press publisher and editor at Tickety Boo
Press, died on 25 May. [SJ]
_Neil Connery_ (1938-2021), Scots actor -- brother of Sean -- in
_Operation Kid Brother_ (1967, aka _Operation Double 007_) and _The Body
Stealers_ (1969), died on 11 May aged 83. [LP]
_Frank Cox_ (1940-2021), UK tv producer/director with genre credits
for _Doctor Who_ (1964) and _Doomwatch_ (1970), died on 29 April aged 80.
[PDF]
_Johnny Crawford_ (1946-2021), US actor in _The Space Children_
(1958), _Village of the Giants_ (1965), _The Thirteenth Floor_ (1999),
_Hellboy_ (2004) and others, died on 29 April aged 75. [SJ]
_Blackie Dammett_ (1939-2021), US actor in _The Lost Empire_ (1984)
and _A Night at the Magic Castle_ (1988), died on 12 May aged 81. [SHS]
_Olympia Dukakis_ (1931-2021), US actress in _The Last Keepers_
(2013), died on 1 May aged 89. [SHS]
_Dave Evans_ alias Bolt-01, UK independent comics editor, letterer and
publisher with FutureQuakePress (whose titles include _Dogbreath_,
_FutureQuake_ and _Zarjaz_), died on 5 May. [GW]
_Charles W. Fries_ (1928-2021), US executive producer of _She Waits_
(1972), _Sandcastles_ (1972), _The Vault of Horror_ (1973), _Spider-Man
Strikes Back_ (1978), _Timestalkers_ (1987), the Dick-based _Screamers_
(1995) and others, died on 22 April aged 92. [SJ]
_Charles Grodin_ (1935--2021), US actor in _Rosemary's Baby_ (1968),
_King Kong_ (1976), _Heaven Can Wait_ (1978) and _The Incredible Shrinking
Woman_ (1981), died on 18 May aged 86. [LP]
_Robert Hall_ (1973-2021), US make-up/effects artist with many genre
credits from _The Island of Dr. Moreau_ (1996) to _The Malibu Tapes_
(2021), died on 24 May aged 47. [SJ]
_Richard Halliwell_ (1959-2021), UK game designer who co-created the
original _Warhammer_ in 1983, died on 3 May aged 62. [SHS]
_Jesse Hamm_, US comics artist for DC, Marvel and
alternative/independent imprints, died on 12 May. [SHS]
_Wynn Hammer_ (1924-2021), US still photographer who worked on genre
films from _The Boy Who Cried Werewolf_ (1973) via _Invasion of the Body
Snatchers_ (1978) to _Maxie_ (1985), died on 2 May aged 97. [SJ]
_Billie Hayes_ (1924-2021), US actress who played witches in _H.R.
Pufnstuf_ (1969-1970), _Lidsville_ (1971-1972), _The Black Cauldron_ (1985)
and _Shrek Forever After_ (2010), died on 29 April aged 96. [PDF]
_Marty Helgesen_ (1938-2021), US fan and APA contributor whose
1980s-1990s fanzine was _Radio Free Thulcandra_, died on 23 May aged 82.
[AIP/F770]
_Tom Hickey_ (1944-2021), Irish actor in _Gothic_ (1986) and _High
Spirits_ (1988), died on 1 May aged 77. [SHS]
_Chuck Hicks_ (1927-2021), US actor and stuntman in many genre films
from _Creature with the Atom Brain_ (1955) to _Legion_ (2010), died on 4
May aged 93. [SJ]
_Kevin Jackson_ (1955-2021), UK author, broadcaster and film-maker
whose genre work includes the vampire rock opera _Bite_ (2011, plus related
short films), the comics adaption _Dante's Inferno_ (2012 with Hunt
Emerson) and the BFI Classics book on _Nosferatu_, died on 10 May aged 66.
[DP]
_Nathan Jung_ (1946-2021), US actor in _Big Trouble in Little China_
(1986), _Darkman_ (1990), _The Shadow_ (1994) and others, died on 24 April
aged 74. [MMW]
_Lorina Kamburova_ (1991-2021), Bulgarian-born actress in _Nightworld:
Door of Hell_ (2017), _Doom: Annihilation_ (2019) and others, died on 26
May aged 30. [SJ]
_Marvin Kaye_ (1938-2021), US editor -- of many anthologies, _H.P.
Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror_ 2004-2009 and _Weird Tales_ from 2011 --
and author best known for _The Masters of Solitude_ (1978) with Parke
Godwin and _The Incredible Umbrella_ (1979), died on 13 May aged 83. [TM]
_Shunsuke Kikuchi_ (1931-2021), Japanese composer with score credits
for _Kamen Rider_ (1971-1973) plus spinoffs, Gamera films beginning with
_Gamera vs. Jiger_ (1970), the _Dragon Ball_ (1968-1989)/_Dragon Ball Z_
franchise and many more, died on 24 April aged 89. [SJ]
_Tawny Kitean_ (1961-2021), US actress in _Witchboard_ (1986), _Eek!
The Ca_t (1992-1995) and _Hercules in the Underworld_ (1994, plus related
Hercules films and the tv series), died on 7 May aged 59. [LP]
_David Anthony Kraft_ (1952-2021), US comics writer/critic, sf
publisher as Fictioneer Books, and editor of _Comics Interview_ and _OAK
Leaves_ (the official Otis Adelbert Kline journal), died on 20 May. [PDF]
_Willy Kurant_ (1934-2021), Belgian cinematographer whose films
include _The Incredible Melting Man_ (1977) and _Mama Dracula_ (1980), died
on 1 May aged 87. [SJ]
_Joe Lara_ (1962-2021), US actor in _American Cyborg: Steel Warrior_
(1993), _Tarzan: The Epic Adventures_ (1996-2000, as Tarzan) and
_Doomsdayer_ (2000), died on 29 May aged 58. [MMW]
_Paul Leon_ (1972-2021), US comics artist who worked on _Static_,
_Earth X_, and _Batman: Creature of the Night_, died on 1 May aged 49.
[PDF]
_Stephanie Sinclaire Lightsmith_, US film-maker whose productions
include _The Tell-Tale Heart_ (2004), _Goblin Market_ (2016) and _Tears of
Valhalla_ (2016), died on 14 April aged 67. [AIP]
_Gary Littlejohn_ (1946-2021), US actor/stuntman in _Howard the Duck_
(1986), _Near Dark_ (1987), _The Mask_ (1994) and others, died on 15 May
aged 75. [SJ].
_Douglas Livingstone_ (1934-2021), UK actor and screenwriter who
voiced Gimli in the Radio 4 _Lord of the Rings_ (1981) and adapted _The Day
of the Triffids_ as a BBC tv series (1981), died on 19 April aged 86. [AIP]
_Norman Lloyd_ (1914-2021), US producer, director and actor whose
credits include _Alfred Hitchcock Presents_ (1957-1962; follow-up
1963-1965), _Journey to the Unknown_ (1968-1969) and _Tales of the
Unexpected_ (1982-1985), died on 10 May aged 106. [SG]
_Frank McRae_ (1944-2021), US actor in _*batteries not included_
(1987), _Last Action Hero_ (1993) and _Asteroid_ (1997), died on 29 April
aged 77. [MMW]
_Kentaro Miura_ (1966-2021), Japanese comics artist who created the
best-selling dark fantasy manga _Berserk_ (1989-current), died on 6 May
aged 54. [AIP]
_Jim Rittenhouse_ (1957-2021), US fan who founded the alternate
history APA Point of Divergence and was a long-time Sidewise Award judge,
died on 16 May aged 64. [SHS]
_Jean-Claude Romer_ (1933-2021), French film critic and historian who
co-edited _Midi-Minuit Fantastique_ magazine (1963-1971) and had cameos in
many genre films -- playing the Frankenstein monster in _Cinemania_ (1978)
-- died on 8 May aged 88. [SJ]
_Don Sakers_ (1958-2021), Japanese-born US author and reviewer whose
novels include the Scattered Worlds sf series opening with _The Leaves of
October_ (1988) and who wrote the _Analog_ 'Reference Library' books column
2009-2021, died on 17 May aged 62. [SE]
_Roy Scammell_ (1932--2021), UK stuntman and stunt arranger for _A
Clockwork Orange_ (1971), _Rollerball_ (1975), _Alien_ (1979) and many
more, died on 15 May aged 88. (_Guardian_)
_Paul Soles_ (1930-2021), Canadian actor whose tv voice credits
include _King Kong_ (1966), _Captain America_ (1966), _Spider-Man_ (title
role 1967-1970) and _Redwall_ (2000-2001), died on 26 May aged 90. [PDF]
_Benoit Sokal_ (1954-2021), Belgian comics artist and videogame
developer who created the _Syberia_ adventure game series (2002-current),
died on 28 May aged 66. [PDF]
_Peggy Spirito_ (1929-2021) UK script/continuity editor whose credits
include _One Million Years B.C._ (1966), _The Avengers_ (1967-1969) and
_Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)_ (1969-1971), died in May aged 92. [SJ]
_Bill Starr_ (1933-2021), US author of the linked space operas _The
Way to Dawnworld_ (1975) and _The Treasure of Wonderwhat_ (1977), died on 8
May aged 87. [WDS via A]
_Janet (Jan) Stirling_ (1950-2021), US author of several genre stories
since 1995 -- both solo and with her husband S.M. Stirling -- died on 8 May
aged 71. [PH]
_Romy Walthall/Romy Windsor_ (1963-2021), US actress in _Howling IV_
(1988) and _The House of Usher_ (1989), died on 19 May aged 57. [MMW]
_Victor Wood_ (1946-2021), Filipino actor who starred in _Fight!
Batman, Fight!_ (1973), died on 23 April aged 75. [SJ]
_Samuel E. Wright_ (1946-2021), US actor with voice roles in _The
Little Mermaid_ (1989, plus tv series and sequels) and _Dinosaur_ (2000),
died on 24 May aged 74; he was also in the 1997 Broadway version of _The
Lion King_. [PDF]

TRANSLATION CORNER. Alasdair Gray's version of Dante suggests the poet was
influenced by _Blade Runner_: a famous line about memories that melt away
like snow is here amplified with 'and this is how our tears are lost in
rain'. (_Paradiso_, canto 33, translation published 2020)

OUTRAGED LETTERS. _Stephen Gallagher_ writes: 'Much buzz in social media
over a _Variety_ announcement that Bryan Talbot's "Luther Arkwright"
graphic novels are in development for live-action TV by Three River
Studios. Bryan's deal was made by Ellen Gallagher of Casarotto Ramsay, of
whom I'd say "no relation" were it not for that fact that I'd be lying and
missing out on a moment of parental pride.' (3 May)
_Mike Moorcock_ was unimpressed by Guillermo del Toro's US court win
against a claim of plagiarism in _The Shape of Water_ (see _A406_),
reckoning that 'they picked the wrong case to sue him over. I've always
considered him a good xerographer. As do others he's pinched from.' (30
April)

THE DEAD PAST. _40 Years Ago_, the essence of Ballardian diction was
captured: 'a poster in Forbidden Planet bookshop depicts a noted skiffy
author with speech-balloon: "Hi! I'm J.G. Ballard! I'll be signing copies
of my new book _Hello America_ here on June 6 ..."' (_Ansible_ 18, June
1981)
_50 Years Ago_, there was wailing and gnashing of teeth: 'The Arts
Council have discontinued their grants to both _New Worlds_ (about GBP1500)
and _Ambit_ (GBP400). The latter will almost certainly fold as a result.
Hurrah for jolly Conservatives....' (_Checkpoint_ 5, 26 June 1971)

RANDOM FANDOM. _John Bray_ has set up a wiki called FanBase which does
clever things by automated scraping of other fan history sites: see
fanbase.johnbray.org.uk.
_The National Fantasy Fan Federation_ president treated members on 2
May to an emailed bundle of 'Free Fanzines from the N3F', including PDF
issues of _Ansible_. [MG] When mildly reproved for not asking permission,
he poutingly cancelled his subscription.
_John Scalzi_ 'needs his writing license revoked', tweeted an admirer
who got the reply: 'I am an unlicensed writer and YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME,
COPPERS, he yelled, driving away down the wrong side of the English
language, gerunds screaming as they ran for cover'. (Twitter, 26 May)

FANFUNDERY. The sixtieth TAFF ebook is Rob Hansen's _Faan Fiction
1930-2020: an exploration_ -- a critical survey of UK fan fiction in the
older sense of fiction about fans, with many examples. Free download at
taff.org.uk/ebooks.php?x=FanFic. Also, I've added another 5,000 words of
previously undiscovered material to _A Budrys Miscellany_:
taff.org.uk/ebooks.php?x=BudrysMisc.

THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Neat Tricks._ 'Poirot concealed a smile in his
moustache.' (Agatha Christie, _Hickory Dickory Dock_, 1955)
_Mysteries of Anatomy (or What, No Cellphone?)._ 'The girl had a tiny
purse tucked into her vagina, just big enough to hold her driver's license,
a credit card, and a few bucks.' (Stuart Woods, _Desperate Measures_, 2018)
(Twitter @menwritewomen) [LW]
_Dept of Irresistible Opening Lines._ 'It was the year 1992 when the
premonition that an incalculable disaster would strike its fangs into some
member of the universe caused much concern in our solar system.' (Clinton
Constantinescu, 'The War of the Universe', _Amazing Stories Quarterly_,
Fall 1931) [DS]
_Great SF Predictions._ 'Under the influence of Plutonium, you were
able to extend the moment of present cognition in both directions, and to
behold simultaneously a certain portion of that which is normally beyond
perception.' (Clark Ashton Smith, 'The Plutonian Drug', 1934) [NWW]
_Hard Radiation Dept._ 'The aggression radiating from the girl's
shuddering body was so palpable it could have had a thousand-year
half-life.' (Jon Courtenay Grimwood, _Lucifer's Dragon_, 1998) [BA]
_Dept of Elocution._ '"Hziulquoigmnzhah," he sought to articulate.'
(Clark Ashton Smith, 'The Door to Saturn', 1932) [NWW]
_One-Legged Army Dept._ 'From ten thousand throats a cry went up "Kill
them! Kill them!" And like some vast beast with ten thousand legs ...'
(George R.R. Martin, _Fire and Blood_, 2018) [BA]


### 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. 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.
3 June 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
20 June 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. Preparing a new home for the _SF Encyclopedia_ (still due to be
evicted from its current Hachette/Gollancz host in October) has been taking
up rather too much of my time. The only current book project, though very
much on the back burner, is a planned collection of fan fiction by Walt
Willis inspired by Rob Hansen's latest TAFF ebook as described above; even
the monumental Willis collection _Warhoon 28_ omitted almost all of Walt's
writing in that curious subgenre. Don't expect anything to come of this for
many months....
Matthew Davies, to whom thanks for unearthing the new material added
to _A Budrys Miscellany_, has also discovered a Thomas M. Disch/John T.
Sladek collaboration previously lost to history -- in which the two great
men combine forces to produce a determinedly groovy profile-cum-interview
piece for _GQ Scene_ (Winter 1967-1968), titled 'St. Eric the Animal' and
starring Eric Burdon of The Animals. Matthew: 'I knew Disch had contributed
a few items to a _GQ_ spin-off marketed at the teen/college market, but I
didn't expect a profile of a pop star, and certainly can't see why it took
the two of them to write it.' Bibliographers take note!

OUTRAGED LETTERS II. _R.I. Barycz_ provides a warning from history: 'Do we
not realize that every person vaccinated against the smallpox by Dr Jenner
in 1796 has now up and DIED? The antivax cretins of this parish never
mention that fact.' (10 May)

SOME LINKS from the _Ansible_ home page.
Bram Stoker and HWA awards in full
http://www.thebramstokerawards.com/front-page/4394/
http://www.thebramstokerawards.com/lifetime-achievement-award/hwa-announces-2020-lifetime-achievement-award-winners-carol-j-clover-jewelle-gomez-and-marge-simon/
http://www.thebramstokerawards.com/specialty-press-award/hwa-presents-2020-specialty-press-award-to-crystal-lake-publishing/
A fantasy-themed crossword
http://www.fifteensquared.net/2021/05/25/inquisitor-1699-an-alternative-guide-to-wonderland-by-phi/
Locus Awards finalists
https://locusmag.com/2021/05/2021-locus-awards-top-ten-finalists/

THOG'S GOLDEN OLDIES from _Ansible_ 167, June 2001. _How to Recognize the
Marquis de Sade._ 'Only his hands betrayed the disguise -- white and plump
like a pair of corpse-fed spiders, ornamented with a dozen costly jewels
like the glistening bodies of dead insects. Despite the well-tended
softness of the skin, the nails were black and ragged, as if eaten away by
unspeakable vices.' (Andre Norton & Rosemary Edghill, _Leopard in Exile_,
2001)
_Can You Feel Anything When I Do This?_ 'Then it _[pain]_ entered him
with power: into his eyes, down his throat, in through his nose, his ears,
ripping open his rectum and jamming up the length of his shriveled penis,
forcing into him with howling lust; it filled him to bursting, swelling him
from within, stretching him thinner and thinner like a weather balloon
expanding toward destruction, while it dissolved and digested his guts, his
heart, lungs and bones, everything within the stretching membrane of his
skin. His eyeballs expanded, threatening to burst from his face, to explode
from the pressure that built within them. / He screamed in pain as he
squeezed his eyelids shut, trying to keep his eyes in their sockets by
sheer strength ...' (Matthew Stover, _Blade of Tyshalle_, 2001)


_Ansible_(R) 407 (C) David Langford, 2021. Thanks to Ahasuerus, Brian
Ameringen, Peter Danssaert, Matthew Davies, Paul Di Filippo, Scott Edelman,
Malcolm Edwards, _File 770_, Jo Fletcher, Mike Glyer, Steve Green, Peter
Halasz, John-Henri Holmberg, Steve Jones, Pamela Love, Todd Mason, Lawrence
Person, Andrew I. Porter, David Pringle, Marcus Rowland, Darrell
Schweitzer, Steven H Silver, William December Starr, Nicholas Wynn Watkins,
Gary Wilkinson, Liz Williams, Martin Morse Wooster, and as always our Hero
Distributors: Durdles Books (Birmingham SF Group), SCIS/Prophecy, and Alan
Stewart (Australia).

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

[John Hall]

In message <hdncbg95uora3j3p6...@4ax.com>, David Langford
<ans...@cix.co.uk> writes
>
>ANSIBLE(R) 407
>JUNE 2021
<snip>

> _Mysteries of Anatomy (or What, No Cellphone?)._ 'The girl had a tiny
>purse tucked into her vagina, just big enough to hold her driver's license,
>a credit card, and a few bucks.' (Stuart Woods, _Desperate Measures_, 2018)
>(Twitter @menwritewomen) [LW]

I think desperate measurement must have been involved for that to work.
--
John Hall "Hard work often pays off after time, but laziness always
pays off now." Anon

[Dorothy J Heydt]

In article <Zl9x+9CO4mtgFwys@jhall_nospamxx.co.uk>,

John Hall <jo...@jhall.co.uk> wrote:
>In message <hdncbg95uora3j3p6...@4ax.com>, David Langford
><ans...@cix.co.uk> writes
>>
>>ANSIBLE(R) 407
>>JUNE 2021
><snip>
>> _Mysteries of Anatomy (or What, No Cellphone?)._ 'The girl had a tiny
>>purse tucked into her vagina, just big enough to hold her driver's license,
>>a credit card, and a few bucks.' (Stuart Woods, _Desperate Measures_, 2018)
>>(Twitter @menwritewomen) [LW]
>

Well, there was the episode of Doctor Who in which Captain Jack
had been stripped naked (careful camera use kept it okay for the
kiddies) by a pair of robots who intended to perform various
surgical alterations that he didn't want. So he pulled out a
blaster and blasted them. "Where--did--you--get--that--weapon?"
croaked the expiring robot. "You don't want to know," said the
Captain.

--
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
djheydt at gmail dot com
Www.kithrup.com/~djheydt/

[John Hall]

In message <qu1w7...@kithrup.com>, Dorothy J Heydt
<djh...@kithrup.com> writes

:)

Not from his vagina, I'm betting.

[Dorothy J Heydt]

In article <oXsdiZBIw0tgFwX8@jhall_nospamxx.co.uk>,

John Hall <jo...@jhall.co.uk> wrote:
>In message <qu1w7...@kithrup.com>, Dorothy J Heydt
><djh...@kithrup.com> writes
>>In article <Zl9x+9CO4mtgFwys@jhall_nospamxx.co.uk>,
>>John Hall <jo...@jhall.co.uk> wrote:
>>>In message <hdncbg95uora3j3p6...@4ax.com>, David Langford
>>><ans...@cix.co.uk> writes
>>>>
>>>>ANSIBLE(R) 407
>>>>JUNE 2021
>>><snip>
>>>> _Mysteries of Anatomy (or What, No Cellphone?)._ 'The girl had a tiny
>>>>purse tucked into her vagina, just big enough to hold her driver's license,
>>>>a credit card, and a few bucks.' (Stuart Woods, _Desperate Measures_, 2018)
>>>>(Twitter @menwritewomen) [LW]
>>>
>>Well, there was the episode of Doctor Who in which Captain Jack
>>had been stripped naked (careful camera use kept it okay for the
>>kiddies) by a pair of robots who intended to perform various
>>surgical alterations that he didn't want. So he pulled out a
>>blaster and blasted them. "Where--did--you--get--that--weapon?"
>>croaked the expiring robot. "You don't want to know," said the
>>Captain.
>>
>
>:)
>
>Not from his vagina, I'm betting.

Well, no. He has at least one other orifice.