jmturn@ringwld.UUCP (10/16/85)
From: ringwld!jmturn@cca-unix > Date: Fri, 11 Oct 85 18:28:52 CDT > From: William LeFebvre <phil@rice.ARPA> > Subject: "The Invaders Plan" by L.Ron Hubbard > It's out. I've actually seen a copy in a B. Dalton's (or was it > Walden's? --same thing). It is 500+ pages, standard hardback size > book, but the typing is very large (about 12 point, I think) and the > interline spacing is generous, which compensates for the number of > pages. I wasn't that interested in the book, so I didn't bother > looking at the price. An interesting aside: one of the preliminary > pages (between the front cover and the start of the story) contains > a list of other things published by Hubbard. The list is rather > long, and I assume this was inserted by the publisher to encourage > people to buy other books from them. This would imply to me that > there ARE older Hubbard stories still being printed (since the only > other book he's written recently, to my knowledge, is "Battlefield > Earth"). Another one of these pages had a list of all the books' > names in the proposed dekalogy* (yes, it's even footnoted in the > book). Pretty intense. > If I can find just-released Hubbard, why can't I find just-released > Varley? Because John Varley doesn't have Bridge Publications spending millions of dollars of the Scientologist's hard earned money :-) to promote the book, get it stuck in every bookstore, and put double page ads in every trade and national magazine from coast to coast. Hubbard and Bridge Publications represent (in my opinion) an insideous attempt to redefine SF and Fandom into Hubbard's own mold. Their contests for new writers and soon-to-be published magazine are brutal attacks on the currently weakened SF mainstream, and an attempt to re-legitimize Hubbard as a founding father of SF. You should boycott Hubbard and Bridge Publications for the same reason you don't buy Dolphin skin coats, not because the coat isn't a good product, but because the producers are committing an immoral act. Obviously, this represents my opinion, and I'm sure there are lots of people who disagree, most of whom have no connection with Hubbard, BP, or the "Church" of Scientology. But consider what a company must think of you if they believe they can buy your tastes? P.S. Is there any truth to the rumor that the Scientologists wanted to "buy" Hubbard a Hugo for Battlefield Earth by hacing every member of the Church buy a supporting membership in ConStellation, but they missed a deadline? Libel suits to /dev/null... > Date: Fri, 11 Oct 85 18:24:02 CDT > From: William LeFebvre <phil@rice.ARPA> > Subject: "Press Enter _" by John Varley > I have been trying for the past several days to locate a copy of > "Press Enter _" by John Varley. Why can't I find this book? No one > knows that it exists. Short stories got, no reason... Short stories got, no reason... Short stories got, no reason to live. They got little print, On their little page, They got stupid plots, 'Bout an evil mage. Don't want no short stories... Don't want no short stories... As the above should indicate, "Press Enter []" won the Hugo for Best Short Story, and is therefore not likely to be found as a seperate book. Your best bet is to get a hold of the issue of Asimov's which it appeared in. Alternately, it should show up in one of the "best of the year" collections, and if you don't mind waiting, will appear in the next Hugo Winners Anthology. Save Your Vertical Blanking Intervals for Big Cash Prizes! James Turner (The Ringworld Engineer) --------------------------------------------------- | ARPA | ringwld!jmturn@CCA-UNIX.ARPA | --------------------------------------------------- | | decvax \ | | | sri-unix \ | | UUCP | !cca!ringwld!jmturn | | | ima / | | | linus / | --------------------------------------------------- | MAIL | 329 Ward Street; Newton, MA 02159 | --------------------------------------------------- (The views expressed in this message have been computer enhanced for your pleasure.)
jimb@ISM780B.UUCP (10/17/85)
>As the above should indicate, "Press Enter []" won the Hugo for >Best Short Story, and is therefore not likely to be found as a >seperate book. Your best bet is to get a hold of the issue of >Asimov's which it appeared in. Alternately, it should show up in >one of the "best of the year" collections, and if you don't mind >waiting, will appear in the next Hugo Winners Anthology. > Whoa. Strictly speaking, "Press Enter[]" won the Hugo for best novella, not best short story, which was won by David Brin's "The Crystal Spheres." A minor point; both are short fiction. "Press Enter[]" was in the May, 1984 issue of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine and apparently has also been recently released in one of the Best of the Year (1984) anthologies. -- from the bewildered musings of Jim Brunet decvax!cca!ima!jimb ucbvax!ucla-cs!ism780!jimb ihnp4!vortex!ism780!jimb
oleg@birtch.UUCP (Oleg Kiselev x268) (10/27/85)
In article <4045@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> jmturn@ringwld.UUCP writes: >From: ringwld!jmturn@cca-unix > >> Date: Fri, 11 Oct 85 18:28:52 CDT >> From: William LeFebvre <phil@rice.ARPA> >> Subject: "The Invaders Plan" by L.Ron Hubbard > >> It's out. I've actually seen a copy in a B. Dalton's (or was it >> Walden's? --same thing). It is 500+ pages, standard hardback size >> book, but the typing is very large (about 12 point, I think) and the >> interline spacing is generous, which compensates for the number of >> pages. I wasn't that interested in the book, so I didn't bother >> looking at the price. An interesting aside: one of the preliminary > >Hubbard and Bridge Publications represent (in my opinion) an >insideous attempt to redefine SF and Fandom into Hubbard's own >mold. Their contests for new writers and soon-to-be published >magazine are brutal attacks on the currently weakened SF >mainstream, and an attempt to re-legitimize Hubbard as a founding >father of SF. You should boycott Hubbard and Bridge Publications >for the same reason you don't buy Dolphin skin coats, not because >the coat isn't a good product, but because the producers are >committing an immoral act. > I saw the book and the initial reaction is : bleah!!! The second reaction : hysterical laughter - 10(!) volumes??? The third reaction : Who cares? I looked through the book. It stinks. The writing style is sophomoric. The storyline fails to keep readers attention ( Keith Laumer, he is not) and the topic is REALLY not that interesting to begin with. I have to confess I DID try to read "Battlefield Earth" ( no I did NOT pay for it) and I couldn't forse myself to read past the first 5-6 pages. It just was SO boring and un-attractive! And badly written too. No, Gene Wolfe he is not. I don't completely agree with boycott idea though. I believe we ALL should subscribe to Bridge Publications FREE literature and have them provide us with a steady stream of house-heating materiel. Let them spend their "hard earned" money. -- Disclamer: My employers go to church every Sunday, listen to Country music, and donate money to GOP. I am just a deviant. ----------------------------------+ Don't bother, I'll find the door, "Only through a violent revolution| Oleg Kiselev. can the existing order be pre- |...!trwrb!felix!birtch!oleg served..."-Perfect Student Union |...!{ihnp4|randvax}!ucla-cs!uclapic!oac6!oleg