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SF-LIT  January 1998

SF-LIT January 1998

Subject:

From SF-LIT Digest - 7 Jan 1998 to 8 Jan 1998

From:

Nicola Gebendinger <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

Science Fiction and Fantasy Listserv <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Fri, 9 Jan 1998 07:05:01 -0500

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (234 lines)

"Buis, Lela" <[log in to unmask]> on Juvenile Azimov!!!

> We had an extended discussion a while back about the
> fantasies presented in various writer's work, and Asimov's
> haven't aged as well as some.  They come across as
> simplistic and, well, juvenile, these days.  Likely this is
> a function of his attitudes toward women characters, pointed
> out in someone else's message, and of his easy-to-read
> writing style.  Asimov did write mature, professional books
> and fiction, as well, wherein the fantasies were absent.

        Writers who age badly? Other than Asimov, I can quote Clarke, Heinlein,
and King. Anybody can come up with other ones? And they have all this in
common: their writing style is simple and easy to read. (Maybe this should
be a warning to Mike Resnick to whip up a bit his own style <G>) I wonder
if there is a relationship between a simple style and a bad aging process.
Maybe they just lost their touch.

########################

Dennis Fischer <[log in to unmask]> about Asimov's female
characters

> The main character in SECOND FOUNDATION is a young girl, and
> I think one of Asimov's better jobs at characterization. (I
> like Susan Calvin, but she is more of an author's mouthpiece
> than a fully realized character). Now if I could only
> remember the Foundation's girl's name....

        Actually, I never thought that Arkady Darrell is that fully realized
either...

########################

Tim <[log in to unmask]> on Re: From: SF-LIT Digest - 5 Jan 1998 to 6
Jan 1998

        (snip)

>>         Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion are two of them. The
>> other two, please? Thank you!

> 'Endymion' and 'Rise Of Endymion'.

        Thanks! Remember that I self-appointed myself to maintain our reading
lists... As below. :)

########################

Soumen Basu <[log in to unmask]> on Simmons & Asimov

> Asimov has to be admired for some the ideas he had, and of
> course the sheer capacity for writing, on a diversity of
> subjects.  However, I always found his SF immature, as you
> said.

> On the other hand, SF like Clarke's seems to be some
> brilliant SF, interspersed with commentary or a description
> of human sociology, and not neccessarily the human reaction
> to innovation.  The Rama series. while a brilliant idea, and
> a pleasurable read, is a prime example (IMHO).

> Any takes on SF such as 'In Other Worlds', by (I think) A.
> A. Anastasia, part of the Radix series ? (Is it SF or
> Fantasy ? Does it matter ?)

> Soumen Basu

> PS : I am still relatively new to this; if I am repeating
> some views previously expressed, or unintentionally say
> something offensive, pardon me.

        Well, your views are not unknown on this list, apparently being the ones
of those who come to SF from the "literary" end... As for offensiveness,
here there is surprisingly little. Lots of irriverence, but little
offensiveness. (Wonder why, though.)
        Actually, I don't believe that neither Asimov nor Clarke depicted very
well the reaction of many people to innovation, nor that their sf is very
mature, but I've never let such observation stopped me from enjoying
them... BTW, I don't even think it _was_ their aim to show the reaction of
people to innovation - at least not the reaction of _average_ people. It
would probably be better stated they wanted to show the reaction of _some_
people to innovagion.

########################

Soumen Basu <[log in to unmask]> SF-LIT Statistics

> My two bits worth: You have one at least from India, too.

        :::checking from under the rug for the nearest piece of furniture:::
        No, Sumo, I haven't forgotten you, even if I don't remember if you joined
the discussion before or after that posting. However, this is an indication
on how tricky is to infer nationality of people by their email address:
Novell Software Development is an international company... [I've read an
article on Scientific American (if I remember correctly) on how India is
now increasingly hosting software houses. It struck me as one of those
curious contradictions of the East...]

########################

jfhill <[log in to unmask]> on Asimov autobiography

> Asimov also had two other autobiographies published, both by
> Doubleday:
> In Memory Yet Green   1979   and
> In Joy Still Felt     1980

        Far as I know they're both out of print.

########################

Neyir Cenk Gokce <[log in to unmask]> on SF-LIT Statistics and a few
questions

> FYI, the correct word is not 3 Turkeys but either 3 Turks or
> 3 Turkish--I don't call you or Umberto Italy's vero?

        :::waving whit flag:::: Apologize, Cenk! I'll remember it for next time!

> If you have a .za that stands for south africa.

        Seen none, way back then.

> Very few Turkish SF published, translations of those to
> other languages, AFAIK, nil.  A good thing, too, since the
> stuff they wrote was better left untranslated--it was bad
> enough in Turkish, bound to lose something in translation
> but gain something?  I wonder...

        While there _is_ some fairly good fantasy here in Italy, the translation
situation is the same...

> If we had a Romanian on the list, they could give a better
> picture of a non-anglosaxon scene [look out for a .ro
> address] since they do seem to have many people interested
> in SF in Romania, they even had a *weekly* sf magazine
> [jurnalul sf] at one time.

> Sorry couldn't help more.

        Seen no .ro, here either...

> [did you count me among the Turks?  I have a .com address,
> you know...]

        First and foremost among turks, sir! :)

########################

Date:    Thu, 8 Jan 1998 12:11:09 +0000
From:    Edward James <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: halp saught: alien selves and formations

On Wed, 7 Jan 1998, Andy Ralph wrote:

> This is going to the list because I cannot remember the title of this
short story. It was by Damon Knight. Four humans are inside an alien
creature (having been eaten by it?), but they are still alive and can use
their nervous systems to partially control the alien. They try to control
its actions to return to their base but fail. The alien creature then
starts to reproduce by fission, causing the humans to try to arrange
themselves in the two halves of the creature. Any ideas? I think it was
around the late 60's or early 70's.


Wrong about the date! It was Damon Knight's "Four in One", from Galaxy 1953
-- anthologised in quite a few places, but best known to me from Edmund
Crispin, ed. _Best SF 3_. Fascinating story.

Edward James

########################

Hans Persson <[log in to unmask]> on SF-LIT Statistics

>>        Of the non-american ones:
>>        9 are Canadians (or with Canada-based email
>> addresses);
>>        8 are british;
>>        5 are australians

> I'm Swedish.

        That's all right, Hans. Nobody holds it against you, but it was
interesting to explode the list in native-english people and
non-native-english people, and as a swedish you are most definitely _not_ a
native-english-speaker. So I dealt with you in the non-native-english
people. I'll send you my original posting if you haven't it available and
you are interested. :)

########################

From:    Hans Persson <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: SF-LIT Statistics and a few questions

> Sweden also had a weekly SF magazine -- from 1940 to 1946.
> Unfortunately the local SF activity is not very high right
> now, at least not when it comes to publishing. Most of what
> we get is translated infinite fantasy series. Also some X-
>Files and Star Wars novels.

> I have made a list of all genre works during 1997 that I
> have been able to find and it is around 80 books, including
> translations. I don't have my list here now, but I'd guess
> at least 2/3 are translated, almost exclusively from
> English.

        Something like that is in Italy too... It's depressing - as there _is_ a
good basis for good italian fantasy!

########################

Mike Resnick <[log in to unmask]> on Asimov in SF-LIT Digest - 6 Jan 1998
to 7 Jan 1998

> I don't think Asimov's post-1972 novels pass what we in the
> trade call the "Joe Smith test". In other words, if they
> were submitted to an editor as being written by Joe Smith
> rather than Automatic Bestseller Isaac Asimov, I don't think
> they would have sold.

        The Stephen King Effect strikes again. :::looking gloom:::



        Nicola
        [log in to unmask]

        Anyone interested in the SF-LIT books-to-be-read lists and the SF-LIT
movies-to-be-watched can request them to my private address. Omissions,
errors, and suggestions can also be sent to the same address.

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