From: SARAH PROUDFIT <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: your opinions -Reply
> BTW What Fantasy novels anyone suggest for people who do
> not want to read fantasy (it�s a school assignment) that are
> 250 pages or less? Perferably not in series.
> I had to deal with two kids with that assignment and I was
> nearly helpless. I like and read a great deal of fantasy,
> but finding easy and short novels was rather difficult. (It
> didn�t help that the kids were so unresposive that I thought
> I should check for a pulse.)
THE LORD OF THE RING doesn�t apply, huh? Useful for beating unresponsive
kids on the head, though. <G> That said, I would like to suggest THE SWORD
OF RHIANNON by Leigh Brackett, even if it�s settled on Mars and is labelled
as SF... But even that is out of order as it is long since out of print.
Well, it�s fantasy, then:
#1) any of the Witch World series by Andre Norton. If you manage to find
them, that is, but maybe there are some still in print (Victor Gollancz had
them a few years back). I know, you said: no series, but the stories are so
loosely connected in the series that they can stand alone.
#2) OPERATION CHAOS by Poul Anderson. A very nice fantasy, and extremely
funny.
#3) THE DRAWING OF THE DARK by Tim Powers. A favorite of Fiona Kelleghan. <G>
#4) THE MERMAN�S CHILDREN by Poul Anderson. But it might be too difficult
and bitter for unresponsive kids.
I�ll leave L. Sprague de Camp�s fiction to somebody�s else.
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From: Laura Quilter <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Environmental Science Fiction
> I�ve been trying for a while to identify the author and the
> anthology in which �Dragon�s Breath� appeared. Short story
> about a future US in which cars are banned. Air pollution
> has increased to the point where there is no fresh air to
> blow away the polluted air over cities such as LA. The
> story ends with the protagonist being arrested for flipping
> out and driving a car, and the one edge of the dragon�s
> breath (the plume of polluted air) meeting the other edge -
> thus ending any chances of a breath of fresh air. Can
> anyone ID the author or anthology?
I can�t identify it, Laura, but this reminds me of that anthology by Larry
Niven: �The Flight of the Horse�. It deals with a man of an extremely
polluted future coming back in time. He�s so well adapted to his
high-CO&CO2-content atmosphere that he has to breathe the car exhaust gases
to keep his respiratory reflexes in working order. :::dry chuckle:::
########################
From: LELA BUIS <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: fantasy books/STARGATE
> Boys or girls? For boys, I dunno. Try STAR WARS, maybe.
> For girls, I�m a little better prepared with suggestions of
> excellent quality.
I�d have some difficulty labeling Star Wars as fantasy... Indipendently
from the absence of boundaries between fantasy, SF, and else. :)
(snip)
> Andre Norton has her own page in BOOKS IN PRINT. The old
> ones are classic, as well, and got me started on SF and
> fantasy both (I won�t say how many years ago). THE WITCH
> WORLD is a good beginning for girls. Many of these may be
> suitable for boys, as well, but the guys would have to
> pronounce judgement on that. I don�t know.
Lela, as much as I love you, I have to disagree with you on this subject.
Witch World is good for everybody, not only for girls. The series has a
place of honor in my library, along with FOUNDATION, 2001 and STARSHIP
TROOPERS.
This reminds me, any of MZB anthologies: SWORD AND SORCERESS. The older
ones are out of print, though.
Nicola
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Worms eat you up dead (maggots?) and worries eat you up alive. (Yiddish)
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