Message-ID: <700@topaz.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 19-Feb-85 10:17:30 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.700
Posted: Tue Feb 19 10:17:30 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 21-Feb-85 05:25:16 EST
Sender: daemon@topaz.ARPA
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 14

From: Hank Shiffman 

    From: ukma!red@topaz (Red Varth)
    Subject: Here's another book that needs identification:
    Date: 12 Feb 85 21:14:00 GMT

    This book starts out about a professor whose wife has left him. He
    gets depressed one night, and tries to commit suicide. He's saved by
    his hat.  His wife is a nurse, I think.

That's "Mindkiller" by Spider Robinson.  The bit about him rescuing the
wireheaded girl was originally a story called "God Is An Iron".  I
believe it was published in Analog and reprinted in Robinson's
collection "Time Travellers Strictly Cash".

Message-ID: <791@topaz.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 26-Feb-85 11:02:13 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.791
Posted: Tue Feb 26 11:02:13 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 28-Feb-85 12:11:06 EST
Sender: daemon@topaz.ARPA
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 27

From: mrose@udel-dewey

Chalker is almost as prolific as Piers Anthony (or vice-versa).  Perhaps
they're the same person armed with a word-processor...

I liked the River of the Dancing Gods series best (though am still waiting
on the release of the third book).  In just about all of his books, Chalker
envisions some sort of tangible entity (e.g., the well, eyes of baal in "and
the devil will drag you under", coldahs in the "four diamonds" series, etc.)
which direct the operation of the universe.  In the river series, there's
this alternate earth (earth') which is goverened by the book of rules.  A
committee of good and evil magicians vote on the rules therein.  Typical rule:
"in every party of seven, there is one member who can not be trusted".
Actually, a lot of them are quite funny.

*spoiler**
The major plot revolves around one magician who can travel between earth
and earth'.  The bad guys are trying to pervert earth' (since God gave up on
it) and to launch an attack to earth.  Needless to say, the good magician,
having experienced both earth and earth' is one formidable opponent,
despite overwhelming odds, since the bad guys haven't heard of things
like napalm or vintage films...

Where, or where is that third book?  (Chalker, a retired DEC salesman,
seems to have been spending all of his time on the Soul Rider series.)

/mtr