WESTWIND MAY 1980 ISSUE 38

[Photo: Norwescon attendee in costume, possibly as a Mongolian warrior, with a furry cloak and hat, wielding a sword and shield.]

WESTWIND - the newszine of the Northwest Science Fiction Society. Number 38, May 1980
Editor: Janice Murray [REDACTED] Seattle WA 98178
Layout: Tamara Vining. Printing: Michael Brocha. Computer: Tony Pepin. Typing: T Walls

Contributors to the issue: Richard Wright, Greg Bennett, Blake Mitchell, Lauraine Miranda. Photo of Betty Bigelow (Winner of Norwescon Masquerade) by Thom Walls.

Contents copyright (c) 1980 for the contributors by the Northwest Science Fiction Society. The Westwind is mailed monthly to members of NWSFS. Membership is $7 per year. Please send to P.O. Box , Seattle WA 98124. Advertising accepted: must be received camera-ready by the first of the month of issue. Full page ad: $15 (7 1/2 x 10) Half page: $8 (7 1/2 x 5) 1/4 page: $5 (3 1/2 x 5) 1/8 page: $3 (3 1/2 x 2 1/2).

New NWSFS Members

John Andrews
Rich Calvert
Steven Coles
Judy Eisenbiese
Marjorie Stratton

WHOOPS! Our typist last month (don’t worry Janice, I won’t mention your name) blew the name of one of our new members. Bernie Klauss is in reality Bernie Clauss.

Thom Walls has moved from a large comfortable house into a small P.O. box. The new address is P.O. Box [REDACTED], Renton 98055.

MEETINGS

MAY 17: NWSFS - OLYMPIA CHAPTER MEETING
On the third Saturday of the month, 7:30 at [REDACTED], Olympia [REDACTED]. The meeting sometimes moves to a cabin at the lake, but this is where everyone will meet first.

MAY 23–25: V-CON, DELTA RIVER INN, VANCOUVER
See report on page 8

MAY 31: NWSFS MONTHLY SOCIAL MEETING
Greater Pocatello Spaceport (a.k.a. the residence of our chairman, Richard Wright), [REDACTED] Kirkland. [REDACTED].

[Hand-drawn map to Richard Wright’s house.]

JUNE 1: PSST MOVING PARTY
From [REDACTED] to [REDACTED]. Call: [REDACTED]

JUNE 28: NWSFS MONTHLY SOCIAL MEETING
Dixie Tourtellot’s house, [REDACTED] Bellevue WA.

JULY 4–6: WESTERCON 33
Hyatt Hotel, Los Angeles. G.O.H. Roger Zelazny, F.G.O.H. Bob Vardeman, Toastmaster Frank Denton. $20 to P.O. Box [REDACTED], Van Nuys CA 91404. Room rates $29 single, $34 double. $15 to 5/31, $20 thereafter.

AUG 29 - SEPT. 1: NOREASCON II, 38th WORLD SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION.
Sheraton-Boston Hotel, Boston MA. G.O.H.s Damon Knight & Kate Wilhelm, F.G.O.H. Bruce Pelz, TM Bob Silverberg. Membership $30 'til 7/15

SEPT. 12–14: MOSCON II
University Travelodge Moscow ID. George Barr, Jerry Sohl, Frank Denton. Membership $8 'til 9/1.

news & announcements

Victoria Poyser of Olympia was notified on March 25th that she has been nominated for the Hugo award in the category of Best Fan Artist. The Hugos will be voted on and presented at this year’s World Science Fiction Convention, Noreascon in Boston. The convention will be August 29th to Sept, 7th. Vicki has done numerous WESTWIND covers and the program book covers for Norwescon 3 and Orycon. Her work has also appeared in magazines such as Fantasy Artists Network, Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Galaxy and Starship. She recently sold an interior illo to Ace Books.

Theodore Sturgeon made a quick sidetrip to Olympia on Wednesday, March 26th, just prior to Norwescon, to talk to a gathering of about 100 fans at the public library. His talk, largely in a question-and-answer format, delighted everyone and the head librarian was kind enough to let us stay about an hour overtime so Ted could autograph a considerable number of books. The event was arranged by Kipy and Vicki Poyser and was sponsored by the Friends of the Olympia Library group. Janice Murray, piloting her well-known blue shuttlecraft, acted as Seattle-Olympia courier for Ted and Jayne.

A Seattle-based writer, Jessica Amanda Salmonson (Fan Guest of Honor at Moscon last fall), has just sold her first novel to Ace Books. The Tomoe Gozen Saga is based on a true story about a 13th Century Japanese woman who became one of the fiercest samurais in history. No release date has been set at this time.

Mike Glyer, in a recent issue of his fanzine File 770, referred to the WESTWIND as “…the most beautiful of the world’s clubzines”. Kudos to our Olympia printer Michael Brocha.

Starbase is moving. The new home of the Puget Sound Star Trekkers will be in the same neighborhood. The new address is [REDACTED]. If you want to help move them June 1st at noon, call them at [REDACTED].

Nominations for the positions of chairman, vice-chairman and secretary-treasurer are due to the nominating committee before the May social meeting. The committee consists of Lauraine Miranda, Linda Hoffer and Judy Lorent. Ballots will appear in the next issue of the WESTWIND, which will come out one week early (approx. June 6th).

A large amount of found items were left in the Operations Suite at Norwescon. These were brought to the Greater Pocatello Spaceport in Kirkland (club HQ) To collect said stuff please call Richard at [REDACTED].

Subscriptions to The Crier, newsletter of the local Society for Creative Anachronism are available at $6 for twelve issues. Please make checks payable to The Crier and send to P.O. Box [REDACTED] Seattle 98105. For info on SCA activities contact the Seneschal, Roger Shell, at [REDACTED].

The Portland Science Fiction Society has new officers. The President is Pam Davis, Vice-President is Debbie Cross, Secretary is Bryce Walden and the Treasurer is John Andrews. To join PorSFiS send $5 to P.O. Box [REDACTED] Portland OR 97214. Memberships for Orycon '80 are $8 'til Sept. 1st. NOTE: Please make checks payable to Oregon Science Fiction Conventions, Inc.

Membership rates in the British Columbia Science Fiction Association are as follows: Voting: $6, Assoc.: $5, Family voting: $8, Family assoc.: $7. Send to BCSFA, P.O. Box [REDACTED], Station E, Vancouver BC [REDACTED]. Seeinformation on V-Con 8 elsewhere in this issue.

HABITAT SPACEARIAN
Non-smoking, non-drinking, non-drug group in the 25–40 age range seeks women and men to share a seven bedroom house. If we are filled, please get on our waiting list. For further information, please call [REDACTED]

CHAIRMAN’S CORNER

By RICHARD WRIGHT

1256 people at NORWESCON! It is hard to believe. I do not yet know where we put them all. One popular theory, promulgated by FANTASTIC FILMS editor Blake Mitchell and others, was that there was a space/ time warp in the Hyatt 400 wing where members were whisked off into an alternate NORWESCON, stayed for a while, and reentered present time in the 600 wing. Wherever they were, everyone seemed to enjoy NORWESCON.

And we enjoyed hosting it! Again, many thanks to all of you who came, and many thanks to all those great people who helped us bring it off. There are probably many more who helped whose names were not recorded to be listed in last month’s WESTWIND, including Kit Canterbury, JoAnn Cachapero, Jennifer Parkinson, and Curtis Hack who worked backstage at the Masquerade. Thank you, one and all.

As Lauraine’s report has shown, the Northwest Science Fiction Society continues to grow. With that growth comes the opportunity to continue to do more exciting things. WESTWIND becomes more impressive, the prose magazine, Hydrazine, should again be published this summer, NORWESCON keeps getting better, and our monthly socials are becoming mini-conventions in themselves. All of this allows NWSFS members to get even more involved in the Society. There is so much now to do, as either a participant or spectator. If you want to be even more a part of NWSFS and are not sure how or where, give me a call on [REDACTED] and let us talk about it.

The Door Into Fire by Diane Duane, Dell 1979, $1.95. This book hit me at an opportune time. I was playing a magic-using elf in a Chivalry and Sorcery game, and had been agonizing over the time and effort I had to expend to enchant my focus. I thought my game master was being cruel and capricious in making me go through so much hell.

Then I read how Duane’s protagonist, Herewiss, strove to enchant, to put his Power of the Flame into, his sword. Duane made me feel his agony, to join with him in his every effort, to know his anguish on failing again to make the enchantment hold. Then I knew what my GM was trying to teach me.

But Fire is not just about magic, it is also about relationships, love and caring. Duane lets the reader join with Herewiss in his intimate feelings toward his friend, the exiled Prince Freelorn, and a fire elemental he calls Sunspark. Duane’s skill is so good that the reader cannot help but get involved.

I do not know when I have enjoyed a book so much — many of my friends read Fire just to get me off their backs, and now they cannot stop talking about it. In his “Overture” David Gerrold explains: Fire “is the first novel that I have read all in one sitting since I don’t know when. It’s exciting, magical, intelligent, heart-warming, thrilling, scary, all that good stuff, and in all the right places too — best of all, it has that rare, elusive quality called sense of wonder.”

We met Diane Duane at NORWESCON and found her to be as exciting in person as in print. She is interesting, intelligent, and fun to be with. And, she is full of stories. Anecdotes bubble out of her constantly, and at the typewriter, four more books are in work.

She has just finished The Door Into Shadow, the next of four parts of the series. It will be published hardbound this Fall with a hardbound edition of Fire. With Fire, though, Duane has avoided an often fatal trap. Many series writers, especially those who create a fantasy world, know so much about their setting and the overall story that no one book in the series can really stand on its own. Even though we know the story in Fire will continue, that Herewiss will help Freelorn eventually regain his throne, and that he will continue to learn how to control and use the Power of the Flame, we feel that at least all of the current issues are resolved at the end of Fire and are satisfied that it is complete.

Even so, I can hardly wait to read Shadow. I heartily recommend The Door Into Fire to you, so that you can wait with me. Anticipation enjoys company.

ED. NOTE - And my sincerest apologies to Peter Citrak for not giving him his well earned egoboo last issue. Peter spent over 50 hours recording music for the dance and masquerade at Norwescon, and worked more than 30 hours at the con.

Gallimufry

from our Hollywood Correspondent - BLAKE MITCHELL

Spring in Hollywood. The hills have stopped moving, the avocado trees are in bloom and new film projects are popping up everywhere.

Paramount is being very closed mouthed on the subject, but sources tell me that Gene Roddenberry has just returned from La Costa with act I of his “Star Trek” sequel tucked under his arm. Is it possible that in ‘82’ we will be seeing “ST-TMP part II”?

Alan Ladd Jr., the man who gave us “Star Wars”, has his own production company (he left Fox a year ago), and what is his first project????? “Outland” a 10 million science fiction epic featuring Sean Connery! !!!!!! Is it possible he will be giving Mr Lucas and Fox a run for their SFX money?

John Carpenter(Halloween and the Fog) has plenty of projects on his schedule; one includes the Universal re-make of “The Thing”. When asked recently if he had a favorite SFX project he would like to do he answered “If I had 30 million I’d like to do Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination.” To anyone listening at Universal: Forget the remakes they’re never worked before. Try something new- you just might be pleasantly surprised. (And frankly film fans could stand a pleasant surprise from you guys about now!!)

Everyone at AFD is proud as they can be with their latest release. “The Changling” is not only doing great box office business but the film took 9 out of 10 Canadian Academy Awards. The only reason they missed a clean sweep was that director Peter Medak is an American and not eligible for best director. Better luck next April in the U.S., Peter.

Brian “Carrie” De Palma has just completed his latest, “Dressed to Kill”. But don’t worry, it’s no unemployment line for him. He has already started his next project- a 10 million dollar epic that focuses on a sound effects man who’s search for the ultimate effect and becomes involved in a series of vicious, politically motivated accidents. HONEST, people,I couldn’t make something like that up.

For those of you who miss the gorgeous Richard Hatch (and that includes me) watch for his next feature “Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen”. Richard plays Charlie’s number one son…………..

It’s Lucas time again. It’s been hush hush for the past year, but with advanced copies of the novelization and comic book finding their way into book stalls across the ountry the lids off. And come May 21st, in many cities the ultimate test the public gets a crack at the much awaited sequel. A lot of questions need answers on this one and none more important than: Will fans respond to the sometimes radical changes in their favorite characters, i.e. Luke, Han, Darth and even Obi-Wan?????????

And if by July you haven’t OD’d on “Empire” there’s a new film comming out of the Roger Corman stables “Battle Beyond the Stars”. Now before you groan and shake dead things like “Star Crash” under my nose! This time Roger may have a real surprise for you. Having seen the special effects reel Doug Trumbul was amazed! Catch this one!!!!!!!!!!

I see by the Editors red pencil my space is up. Rats!!!!!!! Next time a close look at the Empire. If there are questions you would like answers to please send them to the WESTWIND and I’ll try to answer them in up comming columns. Until then, nighty-night from Lotus-land………

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OVER 1200 SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY TITLES IN STOCK

RENTON SHOPPING CENTER IN THE MALL

RENTON, WASHINGTON 98055]

Inverted Flight

Ramblings from our Chairman-in-exile at the Johnson Space Center, in Houston -
by Greg Bennett

…how can we go for the Big O* if we can’t even get it up?

* that’s Orbit, you Cretin!

At least the Space Shuttle program is consistent on one point - the first flight will be delayed. This time we’re putting it off until March 30, 1981, which is the new “working launch date” NASA is using for program scheduling.

The main show-stoppers are still those heat-shield tiles and the development of the flight control system. The shuttle’s main engines, which had previously threatened to hold up the first flight (STS-1), have been tested up to 109% of their rated thrust for six minutes of continuous running, so the propulsion troops no longer think that the engines will be a factor in delaying flight.

The most disturbing thing about the flight control system development being the number two show-stopper is that this development is being done on the Phase I Shuttle Procedures Simulator (SPS0I). By the time this goes to press, I’ll have the dubious distinction of supervising the operations of the SPS, which gives me no comfort when I think about the hardware we’re using for SPS0I.

This simulator is a patchwork of computer and communications hardware left over from the Gemini program, held together (almost) with baling wire and chewing gum. Mounted in front of the simulator’s display processor is a string of turkey bones that the hardware technicians rattle religiously before any session of poking about in the machine’s innards. So this is the hardware,with its tendencies to such dramatic failures as stretching computer tapes into threads and having its card readers go up in smoke, that we are depending on long enough to develop the programming for the on-board computers to be used on the shuttle’s first flight!

If you have been tracking the frequenciey of delays of STS-1, you may have noticed that each time a delay occurs, the schedule gets pushed back a greater increment in time than has passed since the last schedule revision. Now, extrapolating that procedure, one might conclude that the shuttle will never get off the launch pad, but, take heart, we still have hopes that someday, maybe March of next year, the Brick Airplane will fly.'

…hot stuff for the Shuttle…

Latest in a long line of clever uses for the Shuttle is the proposal to dispose of nuclear waste material in space. A complete description of the proposal would fill a book; however, some of the data that came out of the analysis of where to put the nasty stuff in outer space might prove fascinating to hopeful science-fiction writers .

One of the prime concerns in selecting a disposal site is determining how difficult it is to get there. In astronautical engineering terms, the big factor is the change in velocity, or “Delta V”, required to reach a certain orbit or celestial body. The following table lists some of the potential disposal sites for nuclear garbage:

The most interesting thing about this chart is that it takes about six times as much energy to hit the sun with an earth-launched payload than it does to orbit the sun, while just getting the satellite (or space junk) into orbit around the earth (the chart assumes 55,000 km up) gets you almost to orbit around the sun or moon. Note that a soft landing on the moon will cost you 50% more energy than just orbiting the moon (or smaking into it). So, although Jerry Pournelle’s claim that earth orbit is half way to anywhere isn’t really valid, the point is made that most of your energy will be expended in just launching the payloan off the ground.

Back to nuclear waste disposal - the most likely site is solar orbit, where we’ve gotten the stuff out of the earth-moon system, but can still recover it in the future if some clever nuclear engineer thinks up a use for it.

…and Boeing gets another contract…

Seattle’s Boeing Aerospace Company has been selected to do a 12-month study of a Space Operations Center. Tae center would essentially be a service station in space, along with a construction shack. The function of the low-earth-orbit space station would be to service satellites and space vehicles, and to construct large orbiting systems that have to be assembled in space.

After Boeing’s years of effort in designing construction facilities for their Solar Power Satellites I’m not surprised that BAC was selected for the $400,000 contract from the Johnson Space Center. Perhaps, during the slack times, the Space Operations Center will give us a place to hang while we watch the Sun get a new necklace of radioactive asteroids and ponder the question: in space, where there is no up or down, what is the true meaning of Inverted Flight?

[Ad: MIDSUMMER FESTIVAL June 20–21–22, 1980

Perched on the edge of the desert overlooking the Columbia River in South-Central Washington State lies a full-scale reproduction of Stonehenge. Since it is nearly the same latitude as the original on Salisbury Plain in England, it is within a few degrees of proper alignment for MidSummer Sunrise. Join with us to observe the marching shadows-and-light of the standing-stones across the ''altar" at MidSummer Sunrise, to see the spray of stars in the clear desert night, and otherwise engage in special observances, programs, and festivals celebrating the MidSummer. Council of the High Cascades of the Friends of Darkover invites all interested parties to a weekend of fun and frolic and maybe some pagan Nature-worship. A short side-trip puts one in view of fuming Mt. St. Helens on a clear day. Registration will be limited to 50 persons, so reserve your place right away. We have to inform the local motel about room reservations a few weeks in advance, so TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. We’re asking for room payment in advance along with $3.00 registration per person to pay for party goods. Decide on your room preference, add $3.00 per person (and list the person) and send your reservations as soon as possible to:

Bryce Walden
[REDACTED]
Portland, Oregon 97236 Lightline Message Phone: [REDACTED]

Our Motel is in Biggs, Oregon. It is Best Western/AAA affiliation, Air Conditioned, Queen beds, phone, color TV, & heated swimming pool. We must book in advance to get these rates and to guarantee rooms. Please send payment & list category:

]

[Ad: V-Con 8

A FORUM ON AND EXPOSITION OF
GRAPHIC INTERPRETATIONS OF SCIENCE FICTION
May 23–25, 1980

GUEST OF HONOR
Roger Zelazny

FAN GUEST OF HONOR
George Metzger

TOASTMASTER
Ted White

V-Con 8 will be held this year at the Delta’s River Inn near the Vancouver Int’l Airport which, we have been assured, is very easy to get to. The address is [REDACTED], Richmond BC [REDACTED]. Take the Vancouver Airport exit from Hwy. 99 (Interstate 5 becomes 99 on the other side of the border.) Follow the airport signs. As you go over a bridge about two miles down the road you will see the hotel on your left. Or so the woman told me when I called. Their telephone number is [REDACTED]. You can call collect to make reservations.

Roger Zelazny is the Guest of Honor this year. The author of the famous Amber series also has three short-story collections, dozens of novels, and is described in the V-Con progress report as “…one of the most successful writers in the field of science fiction, a Nebula-and-Hugo-award winning alumni of the experimental sixties”.

Fan Guest of Honor, George Metzger, has contributed stories and illustrations to fanzines since the late fifties. He has done illustrations for various “underground” comics, as well as book illustration and animation.

Ted White is the editor of Heavy Metal magazine, an extremely successful “graphic arts” publication. He was editor of Amazing and Fantastic magazines from 1969 to 1978, and co-chaired the 1967 Worldcon, NYCon.

In keeping with the theme of the convention, “graphic interpretations of sf”, there will be a graphic story workshop and a special Saturday morning banquet, the latter sponsored by the Vancouver Comic Book Club. There will also be a short-story workshop akin to the one at Norwescon, and, of course, the masquerade, trivia bowl, banquet, dealers' room, art show, panels, slide shows, movies, and room parties!

If you haven’t made your hotel reservations yet, please call As Soon As Possible, and you might consider asking for a room on the same floor as the other members of the Northwest Science Fiction Society, since we will be hosting a Seattle in '81 bidding party on Saturday night. Actually, we lost the bid for the 81 worldcon to Denver last summer, but we liked the bidding parties so much we decided to keen them for a while.

When at V-Con, if you find you have a few hours free, please consider volunteering to help the Vancouver group, the British Columbia Science Fiction Association. They responded to our plea for help at Norwescon, and running a con this size is Hard Work. It’s a great way to meet fans and get some on-hands experience. (All the better to work on Norwescon 4!)

P.S. Congratulations to John and Becky!!]

A Westwind subscription is included in NWSFS membership, at $7 per year. Westwind is mailed on the 15th of each month.

Changes of address should be sent to NWSFS, P.O. Box [REDACTED], Seattle 98124

Contributions of graphics, reviews, articles, etc. are welcome. Send to Janice Murray, [REDACTED], Seattle WA 98178 Reports on submissions in three weeks: include SASE. Deadline in the first week of month of issue.