Message-ID: <565@topaz.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 8-Feb-85 23:46:26 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.565
Posted: Fri Feb  8 23:46:26 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 10-Feb-85 06:13:31 EST
Sender: daemon@topaz.ARPA
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
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From: pduff 


      BOOK RECOMMENDATION FOR SF WRITERS, READERS:  
   \The Science Fiction Source Book/, edited by David Wingrove
   (Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc., copyright 1984, $25.50
   in hardcover).  Briefly, this book is aimed at serious SF
   writers but most SF readers will find some items of interest 
   (although perhaps not $25.50 worth).  [Please, if you know 
   of any other books which discuss the process of authoring or 
   publishing SF stories or books (not writing in general, just
   SF writing) will you post title, author & publisher, and 
   perhaps a review on SF-Lovers?].
   Table of Contents: 
      FOREWORD by David Wingrove
      "A BRIEF HISTORY" by Brian W. Aldris
      "THE SF SUB-GENRES" by Brian Stableford
          Introduction
          Man and Machine
          Utopia and Dystopia
          Time Travel
          Aliens
          Space Travel
          Galactic Travel
          ESP
          Disasters
          Religion and Mythology
          Parallel Worlds and Alternate Histories
          Sex and Sensuality
          Alien Ecologies
          Magic
          The Media
          Inner Space
      "THE SCIENCE FICTION WRITER AT WORK" 
          Introduction by Frederik Pohl
          "One Man's Work" by Poul Anderson
          "The Secret Mind" by Ray Bradbury
          "Is there a Story in it Somewhere?" by Richard Cowper
          "Wrestling with Words" by Christopher Evans
          "Mapping Imaginary Countries" by Ursula LeGuin
          "Equipment, Method and the Rest" by Larry Niven
          "Thirty Years of Writing" by Robert Silverberg
          "How I Became a Science Fiction Master in only 15 
              Minutes a Day" by John Sladek
          "How I Write" by Lisa Tuttle
          "Where I get my Ideas" by Gene Wolfe
          "The Process of Composing" by Roger Zelazny
      "SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS: A CONSUMERS' GUIDE"
          [200 pages of biographies of SF writers]
          "First Magazine Publication of Leading Authors"
      "SCIENCE FICTION PUBLISHING"
          "The Science-Fiction Magazines" by David Wingrove
          "Magazine Checklist"
          "SF Publishing: The Economics" by Malcolm Edwards
      "SF CRITICISM" by David Wingrove
          "Criticism Checklist"
      "AFTERWORD" by Kingsley Amis
      "INDEX"  [excellent!]

      BAD SF MOVIES:  There was a file containing about 30 pages 
   of plot summaries and ratings for bad SF movies available via 
   SF-Lovers a few years back.  I no longer have my electronic 
   version--I printed it and deleted it a long time ago.  Perhaps
   our moderator can track it down in the SFL archives (I think 
   the filename contained the characters "HORRID") and post a 
   current filename sometime soon.

   Now, some fresh topics to (hopefully) spark further discussion:

      SECRET SOCIETY BOOKS:
   I particularly enjoy SF books involving a group of either
   humans or aliens who have been observing and manipulating 
   humanity throughout history.  (As a matter of fact, I am in 
   the process of writing one right now.)  These usually take
   the form of someone stumbling across a secret society of
   mentally, physically, or technologically advanced humans, or 
   perhaps being recruited by them.  I am *not* interested in 
   books which aren't written as fiction (unless they are
   *exceptionally* interesting);  many of the "Lost Continent" 
   or "UFO" type books try to pass themselves off as works of 
   non-fiction to be taken seriously.  Any pointers to such SF 
   (!) books would be appreciated (Warning:  if you use your 
   real name, watch out for strangers in black limousines for 
   the next few months!).  

      PERRY RHODAN (space-opera series popular in Europe):  
   Although I enjoyed the first Perry Rhodan book (#1 in the 
   series), the other four I've read were not very good.  I've 
   heard that there are now several hundred Perry Rhodan books, 
   written by quite a few different authors.  Are *any* of 
   them worth reading?  Are some so bad they're good?  Is there 
   anyone else out there who'll even admit to having read one?  
   Has a list of titles with plot summaries and ratings ever 
   been published?  Do any of them contain interesting ideas, 
   (i.e., gadgets, creatures, climates, etc.) even if the 
   surrounding plot, etc. is worthless?  I'll sometimes put
   up with poor writing or a stupid plot if there's a good
   idea buried in there somewhere.

   regards, Patrick

   Patrick S. Duff, ***CR 5621***          pduff.ti-eg@csnet-relay
   5049 Walker Dr. #91103                  214/480-1905 (work)
   The Colony, TX 75056-1120               214/370-5363 (home)
   (a suburb of Dallas, TX)

   "Run and find out."  -- Rikki-Tikki-Tavi's motto

Message-ID: <1143@sunybcs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-Feb-85 12:49:59 EST
Article-I.D.: sunybcs.1143
Posted: Tue Feb 12 12:49:59 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 13-Feb-85 20:20:57 EST
References: <565@topaz.ARPA>
Organization: State University of New York @ Buffalo,NY
Lines: 33

>    Now, some fresh topics to (hopefully) spark further discussion:
> 
>       SECRET SOCIETY BOOKS:
>    I particularly enjoy SF books involving a group of either
>    humans or aliens who have been observing and manipulating 
>    humanity throughout history.  (As a matter of fact, I am in 
>    the process of writing one right now.)  These usually take
>    the form of someone stumbling across a secret society of
>    mentally, physically, or technologically advanced humans, or 
>    perhaps being recruited by them.  I am *not* interested in 
>    books which aren't written as fiction (unless they are
>    *exceptionally* interesting);  many of the "Lost Continent" 
>    or "UFO" type books try to pass themselves off as works of 
>    non-fiction to be taken seriously.  Any pointers to such SF 
>    (!) books would be appreciated (Warning:  if you use your 
>    real name, watch out for strangers in black limousines for 
>    the next few months!).  
> 

I recall a particular series (trilogy?) of the 'sercret society' genre,
this was/is the Illuminatti (sp?) series. I only got through 1 and 1/2 of
the books since I started becoming parinoid! I believe the writers were
Anton Wilson and Robert Sheckly, though my mind is rather fogy on this since 
once I put the books down I never wanted to hear about them again. They were 
real good, so good I did not dare go anywhere without looking over my shoulders!
-- 
--------------
Today we live in the future,
Tomorrow we'll live for the moment,
But, pray we never live in the past.
--------------
Daniel G. Winkowski @ SUNY Buffalo Computer Science (716-636-2879)
UUCP:	..![bbncca,decvax,dual,rocksanne,watmath]!sunybcs!lazarus