LRC.HJJH@UTEXAS-20.ARPA@sri-unix.UUCP (08/09/83)
Fred--
Did the following ever get in SF-L? I tried to send them months ago,
and again after the hang-ups on the net were smothed out, but don't
recall ever seeing them on the digest.
Also, what kind of a right margin do you want? I format for lines
no longer than 70, but have seen a message that had been re-adjusted.
Lemme know whatcha want and I'll adhere thereunto.
(And by the way, I'm glad you saw fit to continue the occasional
\I think/ innocuous messages about NASFIC and WorldCon sites in the
digest. As a NON-supporter of the "Austin in '85" bid, I find it
extremely interesting to see how it strikes distant SF-Lers.)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Randall Garrett's EARTH INVADER ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This past fall, Leisure books issued EARTH INVADER by Randall Garrett
of "Lord Darcy" fame. Splashed across the top of the cover it says:
FIRST TIME IN PAPERBACK. I smiled cynically as I shelved it next to
ANYTHING YOU CAN DO, the Lancer paperback edition with the original
title.
While just p-o-s-s-i-b-l-y Leisure didn't really know of the previous
p/b edition, the giving of the copyright date in roman numerals
(MCMLXII) leaves a nasty mind like mine strongly suspicious.
Under such circumstances I would ordinarily say, "Boycott this book!"
BUT, darnit, it's too good to miss! I don't know \why/ I like it so
well, but I enjoy it immensely. It's not at all like the Lord Darcy
stories, except in competence. And Garrett's work ranks high in
that. Gordon Dickson once told me that Garrett was, in his opinion,
one of the three best writers/stylists (can't recall the exact term
he used) in the field.
In the Introduction, Hank Stine says:
"...even though Garrett avoided all overt humor, there is an
undercurrent of satire which runs through the entire book, as
the alien protagonist, the Nipe, constantly sees events from
one point of view, while the humans see them from another,
each hopelessly misunderstanding the motivations and actions
of the other.
"In a sense, EARTH INVADER is a comedy of manners.
"It is also, like any good book, a great deal more, including
an action-adventure novel, a mystery with a switch ending, a
superman story, good old-fashioned space opera, sociological
extrapolation, psychological SF and even a bit of the new
wave."
Looks like there's something there for everybody, so give it a try!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Media "Sci-fi" Humor in Clarke's 2010 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Steve Alexander, a buddy who reads SF-L via the local bulletin board
reports that in 2010 an archeologist digging in northern Africa comes
across some excitingly strange artefacts-- which turn out to be stuff
left behind after the filming of STAR WARS. Elsewhere, when they step
aboard the ship "Discovery", Heywood tells the Russian, "If you see
the ship's cat, don't follow it."
-------