@RUTGERS.ARPA:stever@cit-vax (05/03/85)
From: stever@cit-vax (Steve Rabin ) I am not sure quite what you objected to about KSR - personally, I find his writing rather dull, having insufficient action/plot to support his travelogue, and devoid of surprises (actually The Wild Shore is all that I've read, and I could not finish that). Maybe most 'big' SF authors are insipid in person - I've only met two, Asimov and Varley, and the conversation did tend to be rather one-sided, but both seemed quite friendly. -steve
brust@hyper.UUCP (Steven Brust) (05/06/85)
> From: stever@cit-vax (Steve Rabin ) > > > Maybe most 'big' SF authors are insipid in person - I've only met two, > Asimov and Varley, and the conversation did tend to be rather one-sided, > but both seemed quite friendly. > > -steve I've met Varley, and found him a thoroughly delightful man. I hadn't liked his work until I met him, but I couldn't stand liking him so much and not liking his books, so I made myself read them until I liked them. The other thing about Varley that is so nice is that he often comes complete with Anette (sp?) McKonnal (sp?), one of the most delightful individuals it has ever been my pleasure to meet. -- SKZB
chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (05/09/85)
In article <188@hyper.UUCP> brust@hyper.UUCP (Steven Brust) writes: >> From: stever@cit-vax (Steve Rabin ) >> >> Maybe most 'big' SF authors are insipid in person - I've only met two, >> Asimov and Varley, and the conversation did tend to be rather one-sided, >> but both seemed quite friendly. > >I've met Varley, and found him a thoroughly delightful >man. I've met a number of authors, and with a few exceptions I've found them to be exceptionally wonderful people. Tops on my list are (not in any particular order) David Gerrold, Julian May, Marta Randall, Greg Bear and Dave Brin. I haven't met Steve Brust yet, but I'm looking forward to it if only to see how he can still put so much verbiage out onto the network and still get novels published... sigh... You have to remember that authors have bad days, and that authors are people. I've seen too many people go up to an author with the look in their eye that says ****AUTHOR**** -- good way to kill off any conversation is to moon and burble at anything they say. Unless the author can walk on water (and I reserve that to RAH at this point...) then pretend that they are people who have to pay bills and mow the grass just like the rest of us. If you want an authors perspective (not ALL authors perspective, fortunately) Harlan Ellison has an essay in 'Sleepless Nights on the Procrustean Bed' that tells a good story on fan/harlan interactions. The article name just flitted off into the back of my brain, but I'm sure it won't be too hard to find in the book. Besides, you ought to read the whole thing anyway... -- :From the offices of Pagans for Cthulhu: Chuq Von Rospach {cbosgd,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA Who shall forgive the unrepentant?