Westwind #44 November/December 1980
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Westwind 44 November and December 1980
[Cover art by Bill Warren of a book held open on a wooden table and lit by a candle. Small imps are climbing up onto the table to look at the book. The open page says, “Westwind. This being number 44 of the monthly newsletter of the Northwest Science Fiction Society. Set by my hand only slightly belatedly in the months of November–December anno domini 1980”.]
WESTWIND - the newsletter of the Northwest Science Fiction Society. Issue #44 Nov-Dec 1980 Editor: Janice Murray. [REDACTED] Seattle 98133. Typing: Denise & Ken Slauson, Richard Wright, Steve Bieler. Layout: Bill & Elizabeth Warren. Printing: Michael Brocha. Computer: Ken Slauson & Richard Wright. Mailing Labels: Tony Pepin. Mailing: Cliff Wind.
Contributors to this issue: Steven Bieler, Constance Maytum, Richard Wright, Jon Gustafson, Blake Mitchell, Thomas Day, Janice Murray, Lauraine Miranda. Cover art by William Warren. Interior art by Bill Warren, Mike Frick, Victoria Poyser, and Wendy Adrian Schultz.
Contents copyright (c) 1980 for the contributors by the Northwest Science Fiction Society. WESTWIND is mailed monthly to members of NWSFS. Membership is $7 per year. Please mail to NWSFS, P.O. Box [REDACTED], Seattle WA 98124. Advertising accepted: must be received camera-ready by the first of the month of issue. Please mail to editor. Full page: $20 (7.5 x 10), Half page: $12 (7.5 x 5), Quarter page: $7 (3.5 x 5), Eighth page or business card: $5.
NEW YEAR’S PARTY ROUTE MAP AND COMPLETE INFORMATION IN "CHAIRMAN’S CORNER ON PAGE FOUR
Artist’s Profile & Bio
[Art by William Warren of two birds, one dove-like and one vulture-like, both being ridden and harnessed by riders at battle.]
William Warren and family recently moved back to Seattle after spending a year in California where he was studying new airbrush techniques. He worked at the Unicorn Press where he learned new printing techniques as well. He holds the record for highest price ever brought for a single piece at Westercon last July with an airbrush and ink painting entitled “It Ain’t Much, But It’s A Start”. It sold for $1,000. He did the membership cards and covers for the program books for Norwescon 1 & 2 and the membership cards for the Puget Sound Star Trekkers. He will be showing art at Norwescon 4. Bill is married to the Norwescon 4 Hospitality Chairbody, Elizabeth, sometimes referred to as the Dragon Lady, and has three children, Tony, Becky and Kathy-roo, and a cat named Selket. He can be contacted at [REDACTED].
FROM LAURAINE…
New Members:
Leroy Berven
Susan Berven
Rochelle Eldridge Lynn Hess David Bratman
Moving Members:
Michael Elmer
[REDACTED]
Portland OR 97208
Ken & Denise Slauson
[REDACTED]
Renton WA 98055
Here is how to get your COA (change of address for all you neos) published in WESTWIND. Ask us. If you don’t tell us to we won’t, as we are firm believers in the right of every fan to hide out gafiate. Except, of course, from us.
Norwescon 4 Progress Report
BY JANICE MURRAY
The Guests of Honor for Norwescon 4 have been confirmed. Our Author GoH is Samuel R. Delaney, our Fan Guests of Honor are the Palmer family of Bellingham (Jack, Pauline & Tilda), and our Toastmaster will be William Tenn. We are planning on having an Artist Guest of Honor but no one has been confirmed as of this date.
Membership rates for Norwescon are $10 for members of the Northwest Science Fiction Society and $12 for non-members. Please make checks payable to NORWESCON and mail to P.O. Box [REDACTED], Seattle WA 98124. The convention will be held at the Hyatt Seattle on March 27–29, 1980.
From Judy Lorent, Head of Operations for the con, comes an urgent plea for recruits. Sign up now to work on gofer, stage management, security, troubleshooter and film projectionist shifts. You can either call Judy at [REDACTED] (decent hours, please) or write to her at the above P.O. Box. For that matter, if there is any talent out there waiting to be tapped, get in touch with us.
[Art of a dragon having its claws examined by a female warrior.]
[Ad: Shadow Star, PO Box [REDACTED] Bellevue WA 98007. Specializing in S.F. and Fantasy wargaming miniatures. Send for our free catalog listing over 400 items.]
CHAIRMAN’S CORNER
BY RICHARD WRIGHT
New Year’s Eve Social. Since our lamented loss of the Spaceport, there seems to be no place for us to hold our traditional multi-day Holiday Social. Therefore, we will celebrate with a one-night New Year’s Eve Social, held at Dave Bray’s, Riverside Apartments, [REDACTED], phone [REDACTED]. (Park around in back, enter the back door into the Riverside party rooms.)
The date for the Social, to be sure, is Wednesday, December 31, 1980. We will start the festivities at 5:30 pm with a quick meeting, then continue with a holiday pot luck supper. The Social begins at 7:30 and continues until the wee hours when we will adjourn to a nearby breakfast place and watch the sun come up.
As usual, in the various corners of the rooms, we will have SF discussion groups, a BYOB bar, pool and ping-pong, dancing, computer games and perhaps video programs. As has often been said, “we are our own entertainment,” so come prepared.
[Hand-drawn map to Dave Bray’s home.]
The January Social will be held at the home of Dennis and Carolyn Pernaa, [REDACTED], Seattle, phone [REDACTED], on Saturday, January 31, 1981. Video programming is the specialty in the Pernaa home.
An initial meeting of the Special Interest Group on Computer, Fantasy and Science Fiction Gaming will be held on Tuesday, January 13, 1981, 7 - 9pm. It will be hosted by Steve Coles at [REDACTED], Edmonds, phone [REDACTED]. It is on bus route 306.
And Jim Cox is trying to form a group to play Traveller and Bushido. He would like interested NWSFS members to write him at POB [REDACTED], Bellevue, WA 98007, or call [REDACTED]. (Also, see his Shadowstar ad in this issue.)
The Pacific Science Center is continuing a SF 95 Cent movie series. Coming up are: “Forbidden Planet” on Dec. 13, “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” on Dec. 20, “It Conquered the World” on Dec. 27, the classic “Them” on Jan. 3, 1981, and “King Kong Vs. Godzilla” on Jan. 10. These play at 10:00 pm, with a “Captain Marvel” serial, in the Eames Theater. A showing of the children’s film “Charlotte’s Web” plays at 11 am on Dec. 13. For more information, call Lisa Tranquada at [REDACTED].
The Center is also looking for volunteers to staff their Science Circus, to be held Dec. 26 - Jan. 4. You would volunteer for a day, and would give directions, answer questions, assist with the exhibits, and generally help out. This could be a marvelous way to spend part of the holidays. If interested, please call Deborah Westling at [REDACTED].
In March DELL will publish its first fantasy special paperback edition, and it will be Seattle writer Mildred Downey (Bubbles) Broxon’s TOO LONG A SACRIFICE. The edition will have a wraparound cover by Huens. Joan Vinge describes it as “an irresistable blend of myth and reality that carries the reader from Celtic Ireland to the ‘troubles’ of the twentieth century with a magic as deft as that of the sidhe.”
SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW has now gone to 68 pages and a heavy stock cover. The current issue, #37, has a front cover by Fabian, and a back by Marco Bianchini, both striking. Subscriptions have gone up to $7.00 a year. For more information, write Richard Geis at POB [REDACTED], Portland OR 97211.
Denvention’s staffzine, Rocky Mountain Oysters, explains that they do need staff to help them run next years’s Worldcon. They say: "A lot of people got wind of a nasty rumor that Denvention didn’t need any help, or rather, that the committee was turning down offers of help. That is completely,
Continued on Page 15
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART
Steven Bieler Relates…
“Well, Isaac, they’re doing it again.”
“Who’s doing what, Arthur?”
“Those Norwescon people. Norwescon 4 will feature their Second Annual Short Fiction Workshop.”
“What in the name of Darkover is a Short Fiction Workshop, Arthur?”
“It’s an opportunity for beginning writers to have their stories critically analyzed, Isaac.”
“No one is more of a beginner than I am. Who’s going to do the critical analyzing?” “A panel of professional writers and editors. Last year’s panel was moderated by Marta Randall and included Pat Murphy, Richard Kearns, J. Michael Reaves, and Seattle writer Paul David Novitski.”
“Wait a minute, Arthur. Panel? You mean they do this in public?”
"That’s right. Your story will be microscopically examined before a live audience. "
“I’ll die of embarrassment!”
“Don’t panic, Isaac. It’s all done anonymously; the names of the authors will not be revealed until the conclusion of the panel. I went through it last year and I survived. And anyway, if you want to be a writer you’d better get used to being laughed at.”
“You went through it last year, huh? Did it do any good?”
“Did it do any good? Does Darth Vader live in the woods? A year ago I kept warm all winter burning nothing but rejections. There wasn’t an editor or nine planets who would publish me. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong. Then I entered a story in the workshop.”
“And now?”
“Now I’m rich and famous.”
“Wow! Gee, Arthur, maybe the Norwescon 4 Short Fiction Workshop could work for me. Give me the details.”
“Sure. Contributions are now being solicited; entries must be postmarked no later than March 1, 1981. Your story should be no more than 3000 words long and typed double-spaced on one side of each sheet of paper, preferably NOT the erasable variety. Make sure your typewriter is clean, and use a good ribbon. Mail to SHORT FICTION WORKSHOP, c/o NWSFS, P.O. Box [REDACTED], Seattle, WA98124. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you want your manuscript back. The best three stories received will be critiqued by a merciless panel of professionals sometime during the con.”
“You said ‘beginning writers’. How do you define that?”
“Anyone who has never been published, or who has published no more than two stories. And the story judged best of the three will be given a tacky award.”
“Tickets to the Mariner games?”
“Don’t be gauche, Isaac.”
[Art by Bill Warren of two men, one resembling Arthur C. Clarke wearing a propeller beanie, and the other resembling Isaac Asimov wearing a Star Trek uniform. They stand near a signpost with an arrow pointing left that says, “This way to the Norwescon IV short-fiction workshop”, and an arrow pointing right that says, “That way to the NWC 4 tall fiction workshop”. Text at the bottom says, “Note: Any resemblance between these typical fans and anybody else is purely coincidental!”]
Felicitations by Janice Murray
I was talking to Greg Bennett, founder of NWSFS, the other day and while discussing the trials and tribulations of editing WESTWIND he said “The thing I liked most about the role of editor was making sure that the people who work so hard within the club get the egoboo they deserve.” We talked about how important “egoboo” is and how to assure that those who devote their time, labor and oft-times money get the proper recognition.
Now I would like to take some space in this issue to thank those who have volunteered their help with WESTWIND since I started editing it in February. (MyGhod, has it been that long?)
First to my rescue was Shelley Dutton who taught me how to figure out what goes on which page and how to make it fit when it doesn’t want to. Shelley worked on a few WESTWINDs in the past and now edits the newsletter of the Puget Sound Star Trekkers a.k.a. Sub-Space Static. Her little helpful hints have been invaluable.
Secondly, I met Tamara Vining when she was looking for a Darkover group in Seattle. Tami does offset layout eight hours a day but is still willing to prepare the zine for the printer after work. She has an excellent eye for balance as evidenced by the cover she did for WESTWIND #41 last August. Tami will also head the gofer squad at Norwescon 4 next March.
I met Michael Brocha (pronounced Bro-chay) at Norwescon earlier this year. Michael has been printing WESTWIND ever since issue #17 when we started this offset printing style. I refer to him as our miracle worker. Not only does he make the plates and prints up all the pages, but then he folds, collates and staples them for us before sending them up from Olympia via Greyhound. Since Michael lives down in Tumwater I really have no idea how much time he puts into WW every month, but since he is such a perfectionist I imagine he tends to work into the wee hours, too.
Denise Slauson answered my plea for help in WESTWIND that time I asked for a typist. Her husband, Ken, works at Data General and has volunteered to write up a program for the club’s various mailing lists. They suggested doing the WESTWIND typing on the terminals there to see what would happen if we tried using columns. I haven’t received much feedback on the overall look, but I have to admit, not only does the machine give us three chances to catch typos, but it’s fun. Hopefully, we will eventually get the system down to where it won’t take more than one evening each month to input all the WESTWIND articles. That would be a relief. (… make that “miracle” — Ken)
Kipy Poyser has been sending me artwork for WESTWIND by very talented artists he has met, including Debi D’Amico, Hugo-award winner Alexis Gilliland, and, of course, his wife, Victoria.
[Cartoon by Bill Warren of a woman sitting up in bed, pointing at a sleeping boy floating through the air and saying, “Tommy, you’ve been watching that horrible late-night ‘sci-fi’ program again! You know how that always gives me bad dreams!”]
[Art by Mike Frick of an insectoid alien holding a spear-like weapon.]
In the course of going to conventions and other fannish activities I have net quite a few good artists in this area. Naturally, I was delighted to hear that William and Elizabeth Warren, et al, were moving back to Seattle. I am a great fan of his, ever since seeing the series of artwork he did for the Seattle in '81 worldcon bid entitled “Great Moments in Science Fiction”. Bill did the new ad for Shadow Star, and what do you think of this month’s cover? Other artists new to the area are Wendy Adrian Schultz, Steve Gallacci, John Alexander and Tamara Vining.
This month I’m going to take Cliff Wind up on his offer to take care of the mailing aspect of WESTWIND. When you send out a large mailing via bulk rate the material has to be sorted, bundled and counted before taking it to the post office. That’s after putting over 250 labels on them. Cliff works at the post office and has graciously volunteered to do this for me, thereby saving me not only time but gas money as well. Thank you.
Thanks to all the people who did reporting work for me in the past months. Not only to the people who volunteered, but also to those whom I pressured, cajoled, demanded and threatened. We’re trying to make WW more informative, and if you have any suggestions please let me know.
[Ad: AQUACON
February 12–16, nineteen eightyone
Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim, California
midway between Worldcons…
THE science fiction convention
Pro GoH: Philip Jose Farmer
Hugo winning author of the Riverworld series
Fan GoHs: Janice Bogstad and Jeanne Gomoll
Hugo nominated editors, artists, activists
Toastmaster: Bill Rotsler
Hugo winning writer and artist
SPEECHES • ART SHOW • BANQUET • FILMS • POLITICS • WORKSHOPS • PARTIES MASQUERADE • HUCKSTERS • PANELS • VIDEO • FEMINISM • VOLLEYBALL • GAMING READINGS • FRIDAY the 13th CABARET • STORY IN THE ROUND • SCIENCE LIVE HOUR 25 RADIO BROADCAST • INTERVIEWS • DISPLAYS
Memberships: $15.00 until December 31, 1980
$17.00 until January 16, 1981
$3.00 Supporting
more at the door!
AQUALINE: [REDACTED]
Make checks or money orders payable to Aquacon and mail to: P.O. Box [REDACTED], Brea, CA 92621 U.S.A.]
We’re Everywhere, We’re Everywhere
AN EXCITING DEMOGRAPHIC REPORT FROM THE EXCITABLE LAURAINE MIRANDA, HEAD MEMBERSHIP HONCHO
Are you one of those unfortunate fen who feel they are all alone out there? Well, here is a chance for you to discover if you really are alone or simply paranoid. Here is what you have all been eagerly waiting for! Here is a demographic breakdown of NWSFS! (Listen very hard for the sound of applause.)
[Map of the Seattle area showing 17 members in the northwest area, 26 in the north, 32 in the northeast, 8 in the west, 12 in downtown, 18 in the east, 20 in the southwest, and 29 in the south.]
As is to be expected, manY of us are in Seattle. 162 or 40% of us in fact, and we are in 45 other cities and towns inWashington as well. This puts 77% of us in Washington. The remaining 20% of us are divided up over 18 other states (14%) and three Canadian provinces (6%). I know, I know, this adds up to 97%. The leftover is taken up by members for whom we no longer have a current address.
* Below you will find a map showing the distribution within Seattle and a list of all the places we inhabit with their NWSFS population figures as of September. Mow you know!
* IF YOU DID FIND THE MAP “BELOW”, CONSULT YOUR LOCAL OPTHALMALOGLCAL OR NEUROLOGICAL CLINIC, OR STOP READING YOUR WESTWIND UPSIDE-DOWN!
WASHINGTON
Seattle 162
Bellevue 18
Olympia 12
Kent 11
Kirkland 9
Tacoma 9
Bellingham 8
Bothell 6
Lynnwood 6
Everett 5
Renton 5
Mercer Island 4
Port Orchard 4
Aurburn 3
Bremerton 3
Edmonds 3
Enumclaw 3
Kennewick 3
Redmond 3
Centralia 2
Federal Way 2
Issaquah 2
Marysville 2
McCleary 2
Oak Harbor 2
Puyallup 2
Richland 2
Tumwater 2
Aberdeen 1
Battleground 1
Burlington 1
Burton 1
Cheney 1
Dockton 1
Everson 1
Kelso 1
Lacey 1
Langley 1
Longview 1
Midway 1
Orondo 1
Pullman 1
Roy 1
Selah 1
Spokane 1
Woodinville 1
OTHER STATES
Oregon 17
California 8
Idaho 6
Illinois 5
Florida 2
Montana 2
Ohio 2
Texas 2
APO New York 2
Alaska 1
Arizona 1
Colorado 1
Connecticut 1
Indiana 1
Kansas 1
New York 1
Oklahoma 1
Pennsylvania 1
Tennessee 1
APO San Fran. 1
CANADA
British Columbia 21
Alberta 2
Ontario 2
Lost souls 14
SERPENTS TOOTH
Jon Gustafson
[Art by Vicki Poyser of a dragon curled around the shoulders of a woman wearing a flowing robe and holding a black sphere.]
I’m a collector of science fiction books, mainly paperbacks, and have been for almost a quarter of a century (I started young, you understand). I have a fairly decent collection of about 6500–7000 books and magazines and one of my problems has been how to insure my collection, which I estimate has a value of somewhere near $15,000. But how to tell an insurance company? Most won’t even consider insuring books, let alone books considered “junk” by many and “used” by others. The few companies that will consider insuring such keep asking “How do you figure the market (or replacement) value of those books?” Well, a possible answer lies in a new book, The Paperback Price Guide by Kevin Hancer ($9.95, Overstreet Publications, [REDACTED], Cleveland TN 37311). This is a truly monumental work, regardless of its varied drawbacks and attempts “to list all mass market paperback books, both regular and digest sized, published in the United States between 1939 and 1959.”
Kevin Hancer includes a grading list (mint, near mint, etc.), how to store paperbacks, how to start collecting, and several other aspects of the field. In the pricing section he gives three prices for each book (based on the condition of the book: good, fine and mint), its numerical order relative to all the other books by each publisher, and the type of book: sf, mystery, western, romance, etc. He lists about 120 different publishers and, whenever possible, the cover artist… something I, for one, appreciate. The prices he gives are fairly accurate, though I find wide variance between them and the prices in bookstores or on huckster tables at cons. I do net find this a particular drawback since I bought the book primarily for insurance purposes. I plan to get a second issue of this book as the first one is going to my insurance company (State Farm, if you are curious) with each of my books carefully marked and its present value, based on condition, carefully circled. If you have an extensive collection, I would recommend this book highly. If you don’t I would still recommend it because it is just plain fascinating.
Clifford D. Simak has been writing science fiction since Year 1 and is still at work. His latest novel, The Visitors (Del Rey/Ballantine, #28387, $2.50), also shows that he has lost little, if any, of his considerable writing skills. It tells a tale of the first visitors from the stars…and these are truly aliens. Not little green men, but rather large black boxes that eat trees and cars. The hero, Jerry Conklin, is swooped up into one of the aliens and develops a sort of rapport with it/them. Because of this he makes a startling discovery about them. This book flows smoothly despite a fragmentary and scene-changing style, and is worth getting.
Between 1942 and 1947 George 0. Smith wrote a number of “Venus Equilateral”
Continued on page fifteen
[Ad: This Christmas give art by Warren. Post cards, envelopes, note cards, prints, tote bags, jackets and shirts. We offer highest-quality sportswear in a variety of colors and styles featuring original art designs by award-winning northwest fantasy and SF artist, William R. Warren, Jr. (Remaining text omitted.)]
[Simple line drawing of mountains.]
Denvention Progress Report
1981 Worldcon News by Constance Maytum
It has come to my attention, through the good offices of Janice Murray, that some information about Denvention II would be in order. I will give you what I have at this time.
The best way to offer your abilities and services to the Denvention Committee is NOT to call Janice at 2 AM. Instead write to them direct. The official post is: DENVENTION II, P.O. Box [REDACTED], Denver, CO 80211. The Con Comm divides as follows: Suzanne Carnival and Don C. Thompson are Co-chairs, Boo Alvis is Treasurer, Gail Barton and Sourdough Jackson are Art Show, Leanne Harper is Programming Director, Bruce Miller is Operations Supervisor, Fred Goldstein is Hucksters Room. If you want something more specific write to these people. I suggest that you write and volunteer. Denver feels a little out of the mainstream of the various Coastal Fandoms. I know how I felt when I saw my first WESTWIND, about four days after I got here. Wow! Communication!
The gossip that I get from my Super, Leanne Harper (I am doing Art Programming), is that there is a shuttle, that Maria Alvarado is not handling Pre-registration, and that the confirmation you get when you register will be the next issue of the P.R., due out in mid-December. (I got a card but that was before Seacon.) Membership rates until March 31 are $35 for attending members and $15 for supporting.
So, for all of you eager to get a hand in on Denvention II, GO TO IT!!
I Survived Norwescon 3.5
BY STEVEN (“Gimp”) Bieler
[Drawing of a bearded man with one foot being soaked in ice and radiating pain symbols as he says, “well, almost”.]
An unsuspecting Holiday Inn was rocked by a Relaxacon the last Saturday in October, and Bellevue is still reeling from the blow. Never before have so many Seattle fen been unleashed in this normally sedate suburb. Traffic has been rerouted, curfews enforced, and all passports revoked. Martial law remains in effect.
Those who attended Relaxacon will forever carry fond memories of the event. As a standard for comparison, and as an aid for those who couldn’t be there out will pretend they were, this correspondent has jotted down a few of his own memories. They are arranged by topic for convenient reference.
FOOD. International gourmand Cliff Wind organized and led an early-evening invasion of a nearby Chinese restaurant. For two hours management and staff cowered in the kitchen while fifteen ferocious fen simultaneously debated the merits of various social sciences and stuffed their faces. Alan Bostick interpreted the menu and revealed the secret of the Chinese Burrito. Also present at this swanky chow-down were such noted food-disposals as Thom Walls, Don Glover, and Steve Bieler. The Sweet and Sour Shrimp was especially good, and several injuries were inflicted in the scuffle to secure a fair share. Following the meal the group adjourned to the parking lot for drag racing and other convention activities.
HALL PARTIES. As usual the hall parties were literally bursting with weighty conversation. Contemporary culture was a popular topic. Among the issues discussed: Is Bruce Springsteen the culmination of Western Civilization? Is it polite to pound one’s face into the stage at a B-52’s concert? (On this last point, the final consensus was one Yes, one No, and twenty- two Shut Up Already Nobody Gives a Damn.) Tall tales were told and trivia-puzzles posed. Winner of the trivia contest was the knowledgeable Constance Maytum, who correctly named every National League batting champion and Hugo winner since 1957.
FOOD. Birthdays for Judy Lorent and Gordon Erickson, and the first weeding anniversary of Jay and Shirley Palmer, were the reasons behind the delightful appearance of two delicious cakes, one chocolate and one vanilla. Several people were trampled as the hungry horde charged the Hospitality Suite, but no fatalities were reporter and the walls have since been replaced. Preceding this carnage Judy was serenaded in tasteless song and poetry by a male ballerina attired in tights and tutu. The less said of this the better.
PROGRAMMING. Relaxacon’s major programming event was a late-night panel on, lap-swapping. Lap-swapping has taken America by storm. Articles and essays on this newest successor to disco music have appeared in such diverse publications as PENTHOUSE, PSYCHOLOGY TODAY, and SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. At Relaxacon the lap-swapping panel was conducted by the capable Jerry Kaufman. Participants included Lauraine Miranda, Alan Bostick, Kay Putnam, Clifford Wind, Esther Rabinowitz (the former Karrie Dunning), Steve Bieler, and the enthusiastic Amy Thomson. This highly popular event lasted several hours and was only terminated by utter exhaustion. A lap-swapping panel is tentatively planned for Norwescon 4.
[Ad: Heritage Bookshop
OVER 1200 SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY TITLES IN STOCK
RENTON SHOPPING CENTER IN THE MALL
RENTON, WASHINGTON 98055]
ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMMING. Crappercon I commenced at 8 a.m. Sunday morning while Steve Bieler soaked a sprained ankle in the bathtub of the Hospitality Suite. Mary Guthridge, Thom Walls, and Tim Bennett also attended. A workshop was run on how to wrap ice in a towel. The Art Show was an informal and rather boring affair, composed exclusively of impromptu toilet-paper sculpture. Richard Wright provides a stale roast beef sandwich for the Banquet. Theo Williams provided an Ace Bandage for the sprained ankle and Barbara Hunter demonstrated its proper use. We hope to avoid any future Crappercons.
FOOD. A Holiday Inn guest names Gary, who was not originally a fan, crashes Relaxacon around 3 a.m. Sunday morning and brought with him an assortment of cookies well-aged from a week in the trunk of his car. The Oreos were fab. Gary was warmly received and so enjoyed himself that oy sunrise he was already cutting the stencils for the first issue of his fanzine.
MASQUERADE. Rick Stierl won first prize for his costume, which might best be described as The Ice Prince Visits Bellevue. He received the first annual Bostick Award. Shirley Palmer was second with a seductive jungle outfit. Third among the three contestants was Gordon Erickson, the most fearsome fighter pilot ever seen on any runway. By midnight Saturday Gordon was capable of flying his misson without the aid of a plane.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT. It was discovered at Relaxacon that a spontaneous pause in conversation occurs once every twenty minutes. The interested experimenter can duplicate this effect by filling a comfortable room with congenial people. If you are also lap-swapping the pauses will increase in frequency.
And those were just the highlights!
[Cartoon by Bill Warren of a fly carrying dung to baby flies in a next on a tree branch. At the top is the text, “Spirit Lake in '82! Mt. St. Helen, Washington. GOH: H. Truman. Feb. 29, 30, & 31. Presupp $1.00”.]
Tolkien Unfinished - and best left that way
By Thomas Day
Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien, Edited with introduction, commentary, index and maps by Christopher Tolkien, Houghton Mifflin, $15.00.
Right at the start, let me present my objection to this book. It is sheer exploitation of a dead author. I object to this very strongly. JRR Tolkien did not see fit to publish these tales in his lifetime and they do little credit to his reputation as an author.
However, the tales do add luster to Tolkien’s reputation as a storyteller. I am glad to see them. But they are painfully “unfinished” .
Those who have read “Lord of the Rings” and the “Simarillion” know the difference in treatment between the two.
“LOR” is written at the narrative level. We learn about Middle Earth and the quest of the One Ring through the words and actions of the characters. We come to know and love, or hate, those characters. Our hearts are moved as their hearts are moved.
The “Simarillion” is a different matter. An omniscient, though reticent, narrator tells us of events and emotions. Characters rarely speak for themselves. Our hearts are moved, but they do not necessarily move with the characters.
We stand at a great height and look down upon them, rather than as in “LOR”, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them to resist the evil Mordor.
This is why Tolkein did not publish the “Silmarillion” in his lifetime. It is the earlier of the two works, but it was never finished — never brought to a narrative form.
This is understandable since “LOR”, equal in length to “War and Peace” in its present form, would if given the treatment of the “Silmarillion”, occupy one chapter, twenty pages or so.
The Unfinished Tales" are even more unfinished. Some of them are incomplete. The tale does not carry through to an end. “Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin” is in this condition. Turgon remains in the wings. The combat and deaths of Gothmog and Ecthelion remain untold.
Some of the tales consist of contradictory accounts where a final version had not yet been chosen. “The History of Galadriel and Celeborn” is at this stage.
The most finished tale is “Norn I Hin Hurin” (“The Tale of the Children of Hurin”). It could have just as easily have been incorporated into the tale “Of Turin Turambar” from the “Silmarillion”. As it is, I had to turn back and forth between the two books to keep the plot clear.
If the two had been combined and reworked, it might have been possible to publish it as a separate book. The present situation makes little sense from a storyteller’s point of view.
As a whole, the book is an overpriced disappointment. Much of it is instructive in the art of Tolkien’s storytelling. We see the way that that his stories grew in the telling and retelling. Some of the tales are entertaining. They are finished enough that they make a coherent whole. But too often the flow of the story is interrupted by editorial notes of alternate treatments or possible reconciliations of apparent conflicts.
All of the book is interesting to a Tolkien fan. But it will gain no new converts to Tolkien. Most of it should have appeared as an appendix to the “Silmarillion”.
There is a hint of more to come. At one point Christopher Tolkien mentions the “lost” tales of his father. I would not be suprised if these are found and published in the next few years. If they are to be published I, for one, will be glad to see them. But I’m afraid that I’ll still have the same objections.
I’d like to see Christopher Tolkien do something more than just compile his fathers' notes and outlines. It would seem less like exploitation to me if something of Christopher Tolkien went into the finishing of these tales.
[Cartoon by Bill Warren of a line of dwarves marching along, with Tolkien-esque dwarves at the front and Disney’s Dopey at the rear.]
GALLIMUFRY
BLAKE MITCHELL
Alright, hold everything. I want to get this thing cleared up before it goes one step further. In March 1980 the Ferg and I attended our first NorwesCon. By coincidence, that same month Mount St. Helens decided to rearrange local topography. For this we and other Los Angeles folk got numerous guarded looks and heard much rumbling. But did we protest? US??? Kind, gentle, out-going L. A. folks? NEVER… But now I must put my foot down. Recently, after confirming our appearance at this year’s Orycon with chairperson Bryce Walden, we noted on the 11 p.m. news reports that grumpy Helen had begun griping again. Although Ferg and I exchanged several quizzical looks we shrugged it off as just another coincidence and went sleepy-bye. The next day while watching our favorite soap (All My Children) we heard a new bulletin. Yep, you guessed it. “Heaving Helen” had struck again… and again… and again. HONEST, we didn’t do one bloody thing to that mountain. HONEST. .. By the time we get to this year’s NorwesCon they’ll be blaming us for the weather.
Speaking of blame, you figure out who gets the rap for this one. While audiences seem split on “The Empire Strikes Back” one fan went to a lot of trouble and effort to tell Luke Skywalker, alias Mark Hamill, lust how much she appreciated his work.
In San Antonio, Texas, 23-year-old Angela Marie Moran worked all summer on gifts for Mark. These gifts included a ceramic sculpture which she had glazed with solid silver, sketches of the sculpture , and a painting. Moran sent the gifts to the “Star Wars Fan Club.” She did this in the belief that (like the ad says) the fan club promises to forward mail to members of the cast. Time passed. After several phone calls Angela was told by fan club president Ira Friedman that the package had arrived but could not be forwarded to Mr. Hamill. (Why? you may ask.) According to Friedman, the fan club has an agreement with Hamill to answer his mail for him. (What about his presents???) BUT he adds that in the case of every other actor and actress involved mail is indeed forwarded.
But there’s more. This week the items were returned to Moran, but the silver sculpture was broken beyond repair because of poor packaging (Moran claims). Friedman is quoted in the L. A. Times as having said “The large majority of our 50,000 fans are highly appreciative and satisfied. Forwarding mail is just a small part of our operations. We also provide a membership kit and an excellent newsletter, and we take great pride in what we do.”
But Friedman hasn’t heard the last of this. It seems Angela is a determined young lady who says that she also takes great pride in what she does. All she wants is to share it with Hamill. “I’m going to keep trying until I can try no more.” (It’s hard to keep a good woman down, hay Ira?)
Now that I have your tummy rumbling let’s try for a growl. Has it ever happened that you have a particular favorite in science-fiction stories that has come out as a feature film and made you change your mind about the story??? No? Well, let’s check this list and see if we can add any more casualties to Hollywood’s growing kill list.
Ridley (“Alien”) Scott is preparing “Blade Runner” for Filmways from the Thomas Disch novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” Jack Finney’s “Time and Again” is hanging around Universal waiting for a director. Dino De Laurentiis has an original script from Harlan Ellison called “Seven Warriors, Seven Planets” which is a ways off on his production schedule. Then there’s Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s “Player Piano”; Alfred Bester’s “The Demolished Man”; an original script from A. E. Van Vogt to star Klaus Kinski called “Star Riders”; Philip K. Dick’s “Man in the High Castle”; and J. G. Ballard’s “The Drowned World.” Also Jeannot Szwarc’s “Alpha”, and Carl Foreman’s “The Weather War.”
How about remakes??? How about a remake of “The Thing” with John (The Fog) Carpenter or John Landis' remake of “Creature from the Black Lagoon” or even a remake of that neat little film “Invaders from Mars” with a reported 30 million dollar budget. Did I miss anyone? If I missed you, hang on — these are just the early runners for 81/82 starts. I haven’t even touched on the newest Hollywood fad, “SWORD AND SORCERY.” But we’ll save that for another time.
This week we caught 19 minutes of Ladd Company’s newest, “Outland.” It looks very Hot. Sean Connery was his usual edible self. The story is an original written by the same man who wrote and directed “Capricorn One”, Mr. Peter Hyams. John “Star Wars” Stears handles the special effects and John “Alien” Mollo designed the costumes. Music by Jerry Goldsmith. More about this one as time goes on.
I hear the phone: it’s more than likely Mein Fuhrer Murray wanting this copy, and threatening to withhold my travel visa to Portland if this isn’t finished. Oh well, such is the life of we writer folk.
Stay tuned next week for “TALE’S FROM THE PORTLAND TRIANGLE.”
[Cartoon by Bill Warren of two vaguely humanoid robots, one leaning on a lamppost with one hand on its head and the other on its hip, with a speech balloon that has a UPC code.]
NORWESCON 4 OPERATIONS NEEDS YOUR HELP with Security, Gofers, Office, Troubleshooters, etc. To volunteer call Judy Lorent at [REDACTED]. Thank you.
[Art by Bill Warren of a snake’s head in a clear dome in space, operating a control panel with its toungue.]
Chairman’s Corner
Continued from page 4
utterly untrue. What did happen was that no one was answering the mail in which people volunteered to help, and for some time it was simply piling up. That’s a minor slip, but one that could have disasterous consequences. Denver is one of the most geographically isolated places in North America to have a World SF Convention. We do not have the people to run this all ourselves; there’s simply not enough fans in Colorado to run a Worldcon without help. I cannot stress this enough." Write to Denvention Personnel, POB [REDACTED], Denver CO 80211, if you want to help. 'Nuf said.
Serpent’s Tooth
Continued from page 9
stories (plus a special one in 1973) that gained a widespread popularity. Now Del Rey/Ballantine has brought out The Complete Venus Equilateral, with all the original stories plus a special introduction by Arthur C. Clarke. I hadn’t read any of the stories for many years and was pleasantly surprised at how little they have been dated by the intervening years. Sure, some of the electronic gadgets have become very different and Venus sure isn’t like he thought, but the language - how the characters conversed - still reads well. Very entertaining.
[Ad: Art of a night on a winged horse. Text says: Fantasy artists 1981 calendar. Artwork by Victoria Poyser, C.L. Healy, Ken Macklin, Frank Cirocco, Lela Dowling, Linda Michaels and others. To order, send $4.95 and $1 postage to Kipy Poyser, Olympia, WA 98501. Sent first class to arrive for Christmas.]
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