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Reading for pleasure Issue 11
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* R E A D I N G F O R P L E A S U R E *
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* Issue #11 *
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* Editor: Cindy Bartorillo *
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* MAGAZINES *
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CONTACT US AT: Reading For Pleasure, c/o Cindy Bartorillo, 1819
Millstream Drive, Frederick, MD 21701; or on CompuServe leave a
message to 74766,1206; or on GEnie leave mail to C.BARTORILLO;
or call our BBS, the BAUDLINE II at 301-694-7108, 1200-9600 HST.
NOTICE: Reading For Pleasure is not copyrighted. You may copy
freely, but please give us credit if you extract portions to use
somewhere else. Sample copies of our print edition are available
upon request. We ask for a donation of $1.50 each to cover the
printing and mailing costs.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS LINE
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
What's News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Good Reading Periodically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Recent Science Fiction Releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Magazines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536
Featured Author: Dean R. Koontz . . . . . . . . . . . . . 777
1989 Bestsellers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 905
Darryl Kenning's Box Scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 972
According to Fred L. Drake, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1003
Recent Mystery Releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1070
According to Cherie Jung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1129
Rotten Rejections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1280
The Bram Stoker Awards Nominations . . . . . . . . . . . . 1338
Two By Noel Perrin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1406
Random Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1439
A Few Good Looking May Releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1832
#1 Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2020
Back Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2056
The books we think we ought to read are poky, dull, and dry;
The books that we would like to read we are ashamed to buy;
The books that people talk about we never can recall;
And the books that people give us, oh, they're the worst of all.
--"On Books" by Carolyn Wells
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EDITORIAL
Well, here we are starting another summer. I'm looking forward to
seeing Scott Turow's new book, BURDEN OF PROOF, and what Hollywood has
done with Turow's PRESUMED INNOCENT. I'm also avidly awaiting John E.
Stith's new REDSHIFT RENDEZVOUS (not yet out as I type this) and the
Stith appearance in the July issue of Analog. We will have more on
these in the next RFP.
Speaking of the next RFP: Get ready for our new look. Starting with
#12, We will be breaking the majority of RFP up into "mini-mags", each
dedicated to a particular genre. This will enable RFP to be
distributed and used in a smaller, more convenient form for people who
aren't interested in the whole issue, and it will be particularly nice
for those of you who like to take copies of RFP to conventions to give
away--photocopying 6 or 7 pages is a lot more efficient than having to
do the whole 30-plus page issue. Here are the sections we have planned
right now:
LOOSEN YOUR GRIP ON REALITY -- This will be our SF section, ably
handled by our very own Darryl Kenning. To reach Darryl about any SF
matters, write to him at: 6331 Marshall Rd., Centerville, OH 45459
(CompuServe 76337,740).
MURDER BY THE BOOK -- Our Mystery section will cover not only mystery
fiction, but books about mystery fiction as well (and books about
books about mystery fiction if we can find any).
FRIGHTFUL FICTION -- If your nightmares have been lackluster and
unimaginative lately, be sure to check out the section devoted to
horror fiction.
THE LAUGH'S ON US -- We here at RFP honestly believe that life is
inherently ridiculous, and we plan to have a small part of each issue
dedicated to what we call "realism", like the works of Gary Larson and
Dave Barry.
We hate to sound like those awful people on PBS who interrupt your
favorite shows to whine about contributions, but we DO accept
contributions here at RFP, you know. Just type it up and send it
either to Darryl (see his address above) or to RFP (see the masthead
for addresses).
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I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.
--Peter De Vries
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WHAT'S NEWS
* Errol Morris (THE THIN BLUE LINE) is directing a movie version of A
BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME. The budget is around $3 million, with $1
million going for computer and laser graphics that will clarify some
of the more difficult points in the book. The first phase of shooting,
an interview with the author Stephen Hawking, has already been
completed as I type this. If all goes according to plan, A BRIEF
HISTORY OF TIME will be shown in theaters first, then will quickly
move to TV.
* Arthur Darling was the CIA's first historian, and he wrote a
1000-page history of the early years of that agency. It was, however,
a classified document, which means that you and I weren't allowed to
read it. Until now, that is, because this controversial history has
recently been declassified and is in the public domain. Penn State
Press will publish the manuscript this fall in hardcover and
paperback. Here's lookin' at you, J. Edgar!
* Those of you who see Illuminati behind every tree understood the
obvious implications when Lynx published the first two books of The
Historical Illuminatus Chronicles by Robert Anton Wilson and then went
out of business. NAL has now decided to be courageous and release the
third volume, to be followed by a reprint of the first two, to be
followed by the fourth, and supposedly final, volume. Got that? If it
helps, #1 was THE EARTH WILL SHAKE, #2 was THE WIDOW'S SON, #3 is
NATURE'S GOD, and #4 was still untitled last I heard. These are not to
be confused with the original Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and
Robert Anton Wilson (THE EYE IN THE PYRAMID, THE GOLDEN APPLE,
LEVIATHAN). Hail Eris.
* While we're on the subject, Dell should have released MASKS OF THE
ILLUMINATI by the time you read this. It's a $9.95 trade paperback by
Robert Anton Wilson and they say that it "continues the adventures
begun in THE ILLUMINATUS and SCHRODINGER'S CAT trilogies". Is there no
end to this?
* The Robert Adams Memorial Fund has been set up by LibertyCon to help
Adams' widow, Pamela Adams, pay his medical bills. Make your donation
payable to LibertyCon and send it to: Robert Adams Memorial Fund, c/o
LibertyCon, PO Box 695, Hixson, TN 37343.
* If you like classic drama, has Grove Weidenfeld got a book for you:
FOUR PLAYS: COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA; PICNIC; BUS STOP; THE DARK AT THE
TOP OF THE STAIRS by William Inge ($9.95 trade paperback). On the
other hand, if you'd like something more modern, the same publisher is
releasing REUNION & DARK PONY by David Mamet ($8.95) in July.
* Writer Joseph Payne Brennan died on January 28, 1990 at the age of
71. His first supernatural story, "The Green Parrot", was published in
Weird Tales, and he followed it with many others, as well as a
considerable body of poetry. A collection of short stories featuring
psychic detective Lucius Leffing is available from Donald M. Grant
right now, called THE ADVENTURES OF LUCIUS LEFFING.
* In 1919 the parents of Robert E. Howard bought a house in Cross
Plains, Texas; a house that he lived in until his death in 1936. A
local civic group called Project Pride has now purchased the house
with plans to restore it and turn it into a Howard museum. If you'd
like to help, you can send a tax-deductible check made out to Friends
of the Cross Plains Public Library. Send it to Project Pride, Box 534,
Cross Plains, TX 76443, and tell them it's for the Howard Museum.
* The wonderful movie AMADEUS gave many people the itch to know more
about Mozart, particularly about his death. To scratch that itch,
Schirmer Books has a July title called 1791: MOZART'S LAST YEAR by
H.C. Robbins ($13.95 trade paperback).
* THE FALL OF HYPERION by Dan Simmons, published by Bantam this
spring, was released with an error. All 20,000 copies of the hardcover
and trade paperback editions were shipped with no page 305 and two
page 306s. It's especially unfortunate since an important plot detail
is revealed on the missing page. You can get an errata sheet by
writing to Bantam Books, c/o Betsy Mitchell, 666 Fifth Ave., New York
NY 10103. The advance galleys are the only complete first edition.
* If you're a fan of Ray Bradbury's work, don't miss the eight Grand
Master paperback editions from Bantam. The eight volumes are: The
Martian Chronicles, Classic Stories I (a combination of The Golden
Apples of the Sun and R is for Rocket), Classic Stories II (a
combination of A Medicine for Melancholy and S is for Space), The
Toynbee Convector, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Illustrated
Man, The Halloween Tree, and Dandelion Wine. All eight feature
elaborate wraparound artwork by (respectively): Michael Whelan,
Barclay Shaw, Don Maitz, Kevin E. Johnson, J.K. Potter, Jim Burns, Leo
& Diane Dillon, and Tom Canty.
* William Gibson and Bruce Sterling have collaborated on an alternate
world historical "steampunk" novel called The Difference Engine, to be
published in hardcover by Bantam.
* For those of you who were interested in our review of LUCID DREAMING
by Stephen LaBerge (RFP #4), there is a new book you'll want to take a
look at: EXPLORING THE WORLD OF LUCID DREAMING by Stephen LaBerge and
Howard Rheingold. With this new book you get exercises and techniques
for inducing, prolonging, and using your lucid dreams (Ballantine,
$18.95, August). If you just walked in, lucid dreams are the ones
where you're dreaming and you KNOW AT THE TIME that you're dreaming.
This is an exciting frontier of sleep research, and one that you can
be part of.
* Interesting June releases: Comedian David Brenner has a new book
out that sounds good--IF GOD WANTED US TO TRAVEL... (Pocket, $16.95).
It's a book of "humorous travel advice". If you didn't catch his SOFT
PRETZELS WITH MUSTARD a few years ago, you should check it out; as
memoirs go, it's very good. Kirk Douglas obviously enjoyed the success
of his autobiography, THE RAGMAN'S SON, because now he's got a novel.
Yes, Spartacus has written a novel! It's called DANCE WITH THE DEVIL
and it's the story of Danny Dennisson, a successful Hollywood director
who must come to terms with his secret Jewish past.
* I don't know if you're That Kind of reader or not, but if you are,
you don't want to miss THE MISFITS by Colin Wilson (Carroll & Graf,
$10.95, June). It's an examination of sexual deviance from de Sade to
Mishima. If nothing else, you can see if you're listed.
* Take a major bestseller to the beach: Paperback editions of some
big-time fiction are coming. July releases include POLAR STAR by
Martin Cruz Smith (Ballantine, $5.95) and THE RUSSIA HOUSE by John le
Carre (Bantam, $5.95). August releases are led by CLEAR AND PRESENT
DANGER by Tom Clancy (Berkley, $5.95).
* Earth Day Every Day: Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart requested
that Harper & Row plant two trees in a rain forest for every tree
felled to produce his upcoming book, DRUMMING AT THE EDGE OF MAGIC: A
JOURNEY INTO THE SPIRIT OF PERCUSSION. The first printing will require
some 765 trees, so Harper & Row will have 1530 trees planted. They
will do so through a donation to Rainforest Action Network, who can
plant 1000 trees for $250. Harper & Row say they will offer to include
a Tree Clause in every contract, matching the author's contribution
tree for tree. Actually, paper does not come from rain forest trees,
but this is still a good way to help the world's diminishing rain
forests.
* Reliable sources say that Tom Clancy's contract with Putnam/Berkley
for his next novel is for over $10 million. This is particularly
impressive since the contract will only cover one book--most megadeals
are designed to get a "hot" writer's output over a longer period of
time, and therefore cover multiple volumes. The money will buy Putnam
the hard- and softcover rights in the U.S. and Canada. The untitled
next novel will be another Jack Ryan story, and this time he's in the
Middle East.
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It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing,
but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous.
--Robert Benchley
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GOOD READING PERIODICALLY
My stack of magazines is growing to ridiculous proportions. It seems
like I just can't resist a good periodical--they give you variety,
information, short fiction, pictures, and more information, and they
do it again and again every month or three. The real difficulty is
that while one magazine can be quick to read, one magazine has a habit
of becoming 30, and a pile like that is definitely NOT a quick read.
Pretty soon you're staying up late at night to plow through your
magazine commitment.
Well, the love of reading can be a strict taskmaster sometimes. And
here are two magazines that had been in my stack for an embarrassing
length of time. I took advantage of a cold that kept me in bed for a
day, and went through both of these cover to cover--now my cold is
better and I have two more magazines that will be regular additions to
my mountain of reading material.
P.I. MAGAZINE -- Don't laugh. This is a serious magazine aimed at
the professional private investigator. There were articles in the
issue I read (Winter 1990) about managing your investigation business,
how to carry a concealed weapon, the growing popularity of premarital
background checks, etc. So why should you care? Well, if you've never
been a closet P.I. there must be something wrong with you. If you can
seriously tell me that an article on how to carry a concealed weapon
wouldn't interest you, even if you never want to own a gun in your
life, you're just not my kind of person. But wait, there's more....
Of the 48 pages of the issue I just read, 18 were devoted to original
fiction--darn good original fiction. All 4 stories were obviously
intended to be much more realistic than your average P.I. fiction, but
they were still great stories. As a matter of fact, I'd say they
constitute the best short detective fiction I've read in a very long
time, and finding them in P.I. MAGAZINE was a real surprise.
Another feature you'll like is the coverage of P.I. movies, TV, and
books. There were 3 pages covering movies, TV, and video; and 7 pages
covering P.I. books. This coverage is an even balance between news and
reviews. You're sure to pick up some good hints for your reading list.
The only negative comment I can come up with is that the authors of
the articles are often more familiar with P.I. work than good English.
Here's an example, taken from "Hollywood Beat", talking about the
sequel to CHINATOWN called THE TWO JAKES:
"This time, twice Oscar winner Jack Nicholson is pulling double duty
as star and director, recurring his role of Jake Gittes, indiscreet
investigator." --Bruce J. Ford
You can get 4 quarterly issues of P.I. MAGAZINE for $10, which sounds
like the best deal I've gotten on magazines in years (have you checked
average magazine prices lately?). Send your check to: P.I. Magazine,
755 Bronx, Toledo, OH 43609.
HAUNTS -- The horror magazine field has been in quite a turmoil
lately. New faces appear, but it seems like even more disappear. I'm
not sure how long HAUNTS has been around, but the Fall/Winter 1989
(#17) issue is the first I've seen. This is primarily a fiction
magazine--#17 had 14 short stories, 5 poems, 1 article about the
sexual overtones in horror movies, and a couple of pages of brief
reviews of horror-related magazines and books.
It turned out that this was my lucky day for fiction. Hard on the
heels of the great detective fiction in P.I. MAGAZINE, here in HAUNTS
there was a whole rainbow of good creepy stories. I was amazed at the
polished writing styles and the solid plots--horror magazine fiction
has gotten much better lately. This could very well be the result of
the shakeout of the last few years; only quality survives.
Another interesting aspect to the fiction in HAUNTS was the general
tone. All the stories were individual and covered a wide range of
subject matter, but the overall tone was different from what I'm used
to. Most horror/weird fiction (in magazines) is either Bizarre,
Splatter, Magical Fantasy, or Cutesy (if I read another
Aladdin's-Lamp-and-three-wishes story I'll scream). The short stories
in HAUNTS were more like the kind of material Rod Serling did so much
of in the original Twilight Zone on TV. I guess you'd call them Think
Pieces. Whatever you call them, I think they're great.
Four quarterly issues go for $13. As an example, issue #17 was 96
pages and was bound like an oversized paperback book, making HAUNTS an
excellent value. Make out your check to Nightshade Publications and
send it to: Nightshade Publications, PO Box 3342, Providence, RI
02906.
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
AWARDS
National Book Critics Circle 1990 Awards
Fiction: BILLY BATHGATE by E.L. Doctorow (Random House)
General Nonfiction: THE BROKEN CORD by Michael Dorris (Harper & Row)
Biography/Autobiography: A FIRST-CLASS TEMPERAMENT: THE EMERGENCE OF
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT by Geoffrey C. Ward (Harper & Row)
Poetry: TRANSPARENT GESTURES by Rodney Jones (Houghton Mifflin)
Criticism: NOT BY FACTS ALONE: ESSAYS ON THE WRITING AND READING OF
HISTORY by John Clive (Knopf)
Citation for Excellence in Book Reviewing: Carol Anshaw (seen
frequently in the Voice Literary Supplement)
Board Award for Significant Contribution to Book Publishing: James
Laughlin (president and publisher of New Directions)
The Anthony Award
The 1989 Anthony Award for the best mystery novel went to SILENCE OF
THE LAMBS by Thomas Harris.
The 1990 Nebula Awards
Best Novel: Elizabeth Anne Scarborough -- THE HEALERS WAR
Best Novella: Lois Bujold -- "The Mountains of Mourning"
Best Novelette: Connie Willis -- "At the Rialto"
Best Short Story: Geoffrey Landis -- "Ripples in the Dirac Sea"
The Hugo Award Nominations
NOVEL:
Boat of a Million Years by Poul Anderson
Prentice Alvin by Orson Scott Card
Fire In The Sun by George Alec Effinger
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Grass by Sheri S.Tepper
NOVELLAS:
The Mountains of Mourning by Lois McMaster Bujold
A Touch of Lavender by Megan Lindholm
Tiny Tango by Judith Moffett
Father of Stones by Lucius Shepard
Time Out by Connie Willis
NOVELETTES:
For I Have Touched the Sky by Mike Resnick
Enter a Solider. Later: Enter Another by Robert Silverberg
At the Rialto by Connie Willis
Dog Walker by Orson Scott Card
Everything But Honor by George Alec Effinger
The Price of Oranges by Nancy Kress
SHORT STORIES:
"Lost Boys" by Orson Scott Card
"Boobs" by Suzy McKee Charnas
"Dori Bangs" by Bruce Sterling
"Computer Friendly" by Eileen Gunn
"The Return of William Proxmire" by Larry Niven
"The Edge of the World" by Michael Swanwick
DRAMATIC PRESENTATION: The Abyss; The Adventures of Baron Munchausen;
Batman; Field of Dreams; Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
PROFESSIONAL EDITOR: Eillen Datlow, Gardner Dozois, Ed Ferman, David
Hartwell, Beth Meacham, Charles Ryan, Stan Schmidt
NONFICTION:
Astounding Days by Arthur C. Clarke
Harlan Ellison's Watching by Harlan Ellison
Grumbles From The Grave by Robert A. Heinlein, ed. by Virginia Heinlein
Dancing At The Edge of The World by Ursula K. Le Guin
The World Beyond The Hill by Alexei and Cory Panshin
The Noreascon 3 Souvenir Book edited by Greg Thokar
PROFESSIONAL ARTIST: Jim Burns, Tom Canty, David Cherry, Jim Gurney,
Tom Kidd, Don Maitz, Michael Whelan.
SEMIPROZINE: Locus, Interzone, New York Review of Science Fiction,
Science Fiction Chronicle, Thrust
JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD: John Cramer, Nancy Collins, Katherine Neville,
Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Allen Steele.
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
Horror Writers Who Used To Be English Teachers:
Charles L. Grant
Stephen King
T.E.D. Klein
Thomas Monteleone
Alan Ryan
Peter Straub
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
RECENT SCIENCE FICTION
EARTH by David Brin (Bantam Spectra, $19.95, June) Scientists are
looking for a microscopic black hole in the Earth's core.
STONE OF FAREWELL by Tad Williams (Daw, $18.95, August) A story of
dark magic and vengeance.
DAYWORLD BREAKUP by Philip Jose Farmer (Tor, $18.95, June) The
conclusion to the DAYWORLD series.
QUEEN OF ANGELS by Greg Bear (Warner, $19.95, July) Society in the
21st century teeters on the edge of perfection.
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
MAGAZINES
All prices are for U.S. subscriptions and are expressed in U.S.
dollars.
2 AM (2 AM, PO Box 6754, Rockford, IL 61125-1754; $19 for 4 quarterly
issues.) Horror fiction.
ABORIGINAL SCIENCE FICTION (Aboriginal Science Fiction, Dept. N, PO
Box 2449, Woburn, MA 01888-0849; $14 for 6 bi-monthly issues) One of
the newer, is now available on general newsstands, large format, good
stories, reviews, some SF news. Editor: Charles C. Ryan.
AFTER HOURS (After Hours, 21541 Oakbrook, Mission Viejo, CA
92692-3044; $14 for 4 quarterly issues.) Horror fiction.
ANALOG - Science Fiction/Science Fact (Analog, PO Box 7060, Red Oak,
Iowa 51591; or call 1-800-333-4561; $19.97 for 12 monthly issues) One
of the best of the few remaining, consistently excellent stories, good
factual information, thought-provoking editorials, and some SF news.
Editor: Stanley Schmidt.
THE ARMCHAIR DETECTIVE (The Armchair Detective, 129 West 56th Street,
New York, NY 10019; $26 for 4 quarterly issues) This is the biggest,
most comprehensive, and most polished mystery publication we know of.
They have interviews, nonfiction articles about mysteries, coverage of
recent mystery publishing, many book reviews, regular columns (William
DeAndrea's is my favorite), and now they even have fiction. If you
love mysteries, you owe yourself a subscription to TAD.
ISAAC ASIMOV's SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE (Asimov's, PO Box 7058, Red
Oak, Iowa 51591-2058; $19.97 for 12 monthly issues) Good stories, and
the editorials by Dr. Asimov are always fun to read. Editor: Gardner
Dozois.
THE BAKER STREET JOURNAL (Fordham University Press, University Box L,
Bronx, NY 10458; $15 for 4 quarterly issues) Sherlockiana.
THE BLOOD REVIEW (The Blood Review, PO Box 4394, Denver, CO
80204-9998) Nonfiction coverage of the horror genre.
CEMETERY DANCE (Cemetery Dance, PO Box 858, Edgewood, MD 21040; $15
for 4 quarterly issues; check payable to Richard T. Chizmar) Horror
fiction. The issue I saw (Winter 1990) was a R.C. Matheson Special and
included material by him and: Ray Garton, David B. Silva, David J.
Schow, Janet Fox, and more.
COMIC RELIEF (Comic Relief Subscriptions, PO Box 6606, Eureka, CA
95502; $23.25 for 12 monthly issues; check payable to Comic Relief) A
collection of newpaper comedy. In addition to a large selection of
political cartoons, the current issue gives you a months worth of the
following Strips & Panels: Washingtoon, Off the Mark, Life In Hell,
Mega Moose, Doonesbury, Outland, Calvin & Hobbes, and The Far Side.
Also, you get material from these funny columnists: Dave Barry, Joe
Bob Briggs, Stephanie Brush, Ian Shoales, Ask Dr. Science, and Weird
News. This is a favorite here at RFP. A lot of laughs for your money.
COMMON BOUNDARY (Common Boundary, 7005 Florida Street, Chevy Chase,
MD 20815; $19 for 6 bi-monthly issues) Covers the "interface between
psychotherapy and spirituality".
DEATHREALM (Mark Rainey, 3223-F Regents Park, Greensboro, NC 27405;
$13 for 4 issues; check payable to Mark Rainey) Horror fiction.
THE DROOD REVIEW OF MYSTERY (The Drood Review, Box 8872, Boston, MA
02114; $20 for 12 monthly issues; check payable to The Drood Review)
Twenty 8-1/2 by 11-inch pages of mystery coverage, mostly reviews.
ELDRITCH TALES (Eldritch Tales, 1051 Wellington Road, Lawrence, KS
66049) Horror fiction.
FUNNY TIMES (Funny Times Subscriptions, PO Box 18530, Cleveland, OH
44118; $15 for 12 monthly issues) Similar to Comic Relief (see entry)
only this is a newspaper. The issue I saw had: Sylvia, Life In Hell,
Lynda Barry, Tom Toles, Dave Barry, Hunter S. Thompson, Ducks Breath
Mystery Theatre, Art Buchwald, Stephanie Brush, Alice Kahn, News of
the Weird, Harpers Index, Washingtoon, Bizarro, Stan Mack, Quigmans,
and more.
GAUNTLET (Gauntlet, Dept. GA2, 309 Powell Rd., Springfield, PA 19064;
$8.95 for one annual issue published in March; check payable to
Gauntlet, Inc.) Dedicated to the issue of censorship, Gauntlet
publishes censored material and commentary from all sides on
censorship questions.
GAUNTLET: The Newsletter (Citizens Concerned About Censorship, 309
Powell Rd., Springfield, PA 19064; available for an unspecified
"donation" at an unknown periodicity; check payable to Gauntlet, Inc.)
A behind-the-scenes look at the publishing of GAUNTLET magazine.
GRUE (Grue Magazine, PO Box 370, Times Square Station, New York, NY
10108-0370; $13 for 3 issues) Horror fiction.
HAUNTS (Nightshade Publications, PO Box 3342, Providence, RI 02906;
$13 for 4 quarterly issues; check payable to Nightshade Publications)
See review in this issue.
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER (The Hollywood Reporter, PO Box 1431,
Hollywood, CA 90078; $142 for a year of Monday-thru-Friday daily
issues) Daily doses of the business side of film and television.
KNOWLEDGE (Knowledge Magazine, 3863 Southwest Loop 820, Suite 100,
Fort Worth, TX 76133-2076; $30 for 4 quarterly issues) Digest-sized
collection of basic information on health and related subjects.
Revenues are used to send free copies to the third world.
LIGHTS OUT! (Lights Out!, PO Box 2111, Orem, Utah 84059-2111; $12 for
4 quarterly issues; check payable to Lights Out!) This is The Robert
R. McCammon Newsletter (if you don't know who this is, you obviously
wouldn't be interested). The issues have been released irregularly so
far, but maybe publication will settle down soon. Contains news about
RRM, excerpts, collector information, etc.
LOCUS (Locus Publications, PO Box 13305, Oakland, CA 94661; $32 for
12 issues; check payable to Locus Publications) Certainly one of the
finest SF nonfiction magazines, but the quality costs. The price of
Locus has been rising faster than the national debt. Features
extensive reviews, news of the authors and the field, bestseller
lists, and worldwide coverage. Covers SF/Horror/Fantasy.
MAD (Mad, 485 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10022; $13.75 for 8 issues)
Yes, the magazine you read when you were a kid is still around, and is
still probably running the same articles you read before.
MAGAZINE ISSUES (Magazine Issues, Feredonna Inc., 252 Peters Road
North, Suite 204, Knoxville, TN 37923; $20 for 6 bi-monthly issues,
but publishers may qualify for a free subscription) Devoted to the
world of magazine publishing, with news and technical help.
MIDNIGHT GRAFFITI (Midnight Graffiti, 14156 Tobiasson Rd., Poway, CA
92064; $24 for 4 issues; check payable to Midnight Graffiti) Horror
fiction and news. This magazine gets the big names (they had an
original Stephen King story an issue or two ago). The latest issue has
material by K.W. Jeter, Harlan Ellison, Nancy Collins, and David
Gerrold, and articles about Ramsey Campbell and Ed Gein (separate
articles, that is).
MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL (Janet A. Rudolph, Editor, PO Box 8116,
Berkeley, CA 94707-8116; $20 for 4 quarterly issues; check payable to
Mystery Readers International) A subscription is for one calendar year
and each issue has an overriding theme. The current subscription is
for 1990: March (Musical Murders), June (Murder on Holiday),
September (Political Mysteries), December (Beastly Murders).
MYSTERY SCENE (Mystery Scene, 3840 Clark Road, SE, Cedar Rapids, IA
52403) Nonfiction coverage of mystery and dark fantasy.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC (National Geographic Society, PO Box 2895,
Washington, DC 20077-9960; $21 for 12 monthly issues; check payable to
National Geographic Society) No doubt about it, this is a Best Buy.
Some of the best photography you'll see anywhere, with some of the
best writing on Natural Science.
NEW BLOOD (New Blood, 540 W. Foothill Blvd. #3730, Glendora, CA
91740; $12 for 4 quarterly issues; check payable to Chris Lacher)
Horror fiction considered "too strong" by other magazines.
NOCTULPA (Noctulpa, PO Box 5175, Long Island City, NY 11105; $8.95
+ $1.05 postage for latest 176-page issue; check payable to George
Hatch) Horror fiction.
PAPERBACK PREVIEWS (Paperback Previews, PO Box 6781, Albuquerque, NM
87197; $12.95 for 12 monthly issues; check payable to Paperback
Previews) This is a great idea: every month you get a catalog (on
newsprint) of the next month's paperback releases--LOADS of them. You
even get descriptions and reproductions of the cover of most items.
You can use this as information, or you can order any you like on the
order form included with each month's catalog.
P.I. MAGAZINE (P.I. Magazine, 755 Bronx, Toledo, OH 43609; $10 for 4
quarterly issues) See review in this issue.
POPULAR SCIENCE (Popular Science, PO Box 51824, Boulder, CO
80321-1824; $9.97 for 12 monthly issues) If you have a serious gadget
addiction, this magazine will only make it worse.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (800-842-1669; $97 for 51 weekly issues) The bible
of the publishing industry, and the best source of information on
what's being released in the near future. If you're really obsessive,
this is the one to subscribe to.
PURRRRR! The Newsletter for Cat Lovers (Islesboro Publishing, HCR
227, Islesboro, ME 04848; $12 for 6 bi-monthly issues; check payable
to Islesboro Publishing) Information, true stories, and humor for
feline fanciers.
RAVE REVIEWS (Rave Reviews, 163 Joralemon St., Brooklyn Heights, NY
11201; $14.95 for 6 bi-monthly issues; check payable to Rave Reviews)
Reviews of and articles about popular fiction.
SCIENCE FICTION CHRONICLE (Science Fiction Chronicle, Box 2730,
Brooklyn, NY 11202-0056; $27 for 12 monthly issues; check payable to
Science Fiction Chronicle) Nice magazine of SF information.
SCIENCE NEWS (1-800-247-2160; $34.50 for 51 weekly issues) Terrific
slim magazine of the latest, most fascinating news in the various
fields of science.
THE SCREAM FACTORY (The Scream Factory, 145 Tully Road, San Jose, CA
95111; $17 for 4 issues; check payable to Joe Lopez) Nonfiction
coverage of the horror genre.
SMALL PRESS (Meckler, 11 Ferry Lane West, Westport, CT 06880; $19.95
for 6 bi-monthly issues) Subtitled "The Magazine & Book Review of
Independent Publishing". Good reviews and news of the small press.
SMALL PRESS REVIEW (Dustbooks, PO Box 100, Paradise, CA 95967; $18
for 12 monthly issues) Includes editorial needs, reviews, and new
listings of independent publishers. Heavy on poetry.
UTNE READER (Utne Reader, Subscriber Services, PO Box 1974, Marion,
OH 43306-2074; $18 for 6 bi-monthly issues; check payable to Utne
Reader) Subtitled "The best of the alternative press", Utne Reader is
largely reprints and excerpts from other places. You get the best
articles on the most fascinating subjects, without having to wade
through too much nonsense yourself. This is one of our favorite
magazines.
WHOLE EARTH REVIEW (Whole Earth Review, PO Box 38, Sausalito, CA
94966-9932; $20 for 4 quarterly issues) If you need an introduction to
the Whole Earth people, you just weren't paying attention in the
1960s. The subtitle is "Access to Tools and Ideas", and that says it
as well as anything. You'll find something of value in every issue:
maybe a book to read, maybe some merchandise to buy, or maybe an idea
to add to your storehouse--or maybe all three.
WIGWAG (800-257-6700; $19.95 for 10 monthly issues--no January or
July) This is a new magazine of fiction, general interest articles and
commentary; probably most similar to The New Yorker, but less
pretentious. A reliable source of good, interesting articles.
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don't bother
just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be
better than yourself.
--William Faulkner
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
FEATURED AUTHOR:
DEAN R. KOONTZ
He's one of the best selling horror/suspense writers, a member of that
small group who can sell a large number of books even in hardcover. He
can handle everything from tense thrillers to high comedy, and writes
books at a prodigious rate that'll please even the fastest-reading
fan. So what could possibly be wrong? The problem is finding the
books, or should I say finding the author. Koontz is a crafty
character and has been dishing it out under a variety of aliases, some
of which almost certainly go undetected to this day. RFP asked Doug
Burg, the most avid Dean R. Koontz fan we know, what the known Koontz
Universe looks like right now, and here's what he sent us:
Books written as Dean R. Koontz
Yr Pub Title Byline
---------------------------------------------------------------------
???? Warlock - SciFi DRK
197? Time Thieves - SciFi DRK
1968 Star Quest - SciFi DRK
1969 Fear That Man - SciFi DRK
1969 The Fall of the Dream Machine - SciFi DRK
1970 Bounce Girl - Cameo Paperback - Soft Porn DRK
Note: New American Lib British Ed. was
published as "Aphrodisaic Girl" and was
reprinted as "Aphrodite Girl".
1970 The Dark Symphony - SciFi DRK
1970 Anti-Man - SciFi DRK
1970 Dark of the Woods - SciFi DRK
1970 The Underground Lifestyles Handbook Dean & Gerda
1970 Beastchild - SciFi DRK
1970 Hell's Gate - Lancer Sci-Fi DRK
1970 The Pig Society (nonfiction collaborative) Dean & Gerda
Note: This book, and the other he wrote for
the same company, were radically altered by
persons unknown, with material added that
wasn't Koontz's.
1971 The Crimson Witch - Curtis Paperback DRK
1972 A Darkness in My Soul - SciFi DRK
1972 The Flesh in the Furnace - SciFi DRK
1972 Starblood - SciFi DRK
1973 A Werewolf Among Us - Lancer Sci-Fi DRK
1973 Demon Seed (filmed in 1977) DRK
1973 Hanging On (Comedy) DRK
1973 Writing Popular Fiction - Non Fiction DRK
1973 The Haunted Earth - SciFi DRK
1974 After the Last Race - Action/Adventure DRK
1975 Nightmare Journey - SciFi DRK
1976 Night Chills - Horror DRK
1977 The Vision - Horror DRK
1980 Whispers - Horror DRK
1981 How to Write Best-Selling Fiction - Non Fict DRK
1983 Phantoms - Horror DRK
1984 Darkfall - Horror DRK
Note: Published in Europe as "Darkness Comes"
1985 Twilight Eyes - Horror DRK
1986 Strangers - Horror DRK
1987 Watchers - Horror DRK
1988 Lightning - Horror DRK
1988 Oddkins: A Fable for All Ages - Childrens DRK
1989 Midnight - Horror DRK
1990 The Bad Place - Horror DRK
Books Written Under Pseudonyms
Yr Pub Title Pseudonym
---------------------------------------------------------------------
1976 Prison of Ice - Action/Adventure David Axton
???? Wall of Masks - Thriller Brian Coffey
???? Surrounded - Thriller Brian Coffey
???? Blood Risk - Thriller Brian Coffey
1977 The Face of Fear - Thriller Brian Coffey
1980 The Voice of the Night - Thriller Brian Coffey
???? Demon Child (Gothic Romance) Deanna Dwyer
???? Legacy of Terror (Gothic Romance) Deanna Dwyer
???? Children of the Storm (Gothic Romance) Deanna Dwyer
???? Dark of Summer (Gothic Romance) Deanna Dwyer
???? Dance with the Devil (Gothic Romance) Deanna Dwyer
???? Chase - Action/Adventure/Thriller K.R. Dwyer
1973 Shattered - Action/Adventure/Thriller K.R. Dwyer
1975 Dragonfly - Action/Adventure/Thriller K.R. Dwyer
???? The Long Sleep - ??? John Hill
1979 The Key to Midnight - Horror Leigh Nichols
1981 The Eyes of Darkness - Horror Leigh Nichols
1982 The House of Thunder - Horror Leigh Nichols
1984 The Servants of Twilight - Horror Leigh Nichols
Note: Originally released w/name "Twilight"
1987 Shadowfires - Horror Leigh Nichols
???? Strike Deep - Action/Adventure Anthony North
1985 The Door to December - Horror Richard Paige
NOTE: Was released under the LEIGH NICHOLS
name in a Foreign Edition
1980 The Funhouse (Novelization) Owen West
1981 The Mask - Horror Owen West
1975 Invasion - SciFi Aaron Wolfe
Known and suspected pseudonyms: Brian Coffey, David Axton, Aaron
Wolfe, K.R. Dwyer, Owen West, Richard Paige, Leigh Nichols,
Anthony North, John Hill, and Deanna Dwyer.
This list is by no means complete. Please let us know if you have any
further information for the list. You can reach RFP at any of the
addresses in the masthead of this issue, or you can contact Doug Burg
at: P.O. Box 81, Buckeystown, Md. 21717.
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down I was
convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it.
--Groucho Marx, on S.J. Perelman's first book
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
*1989 FICTION BESTSELLERS
1) Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy
2) The Dark Half by Stephen King
3) Daddy by Danielle Steel
4) Star by Danielle Steel
5) Caribbean by James A. Michener
6) The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
7) The Russia House by John le Carre
8) The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
9) California Gold by John Jakes
10) While My Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark
11) Midnight by Dean R. Koontz
12) Jimmy Stewart and His Poems by Jimmy Stewart
13) The Negotiator by Frederick Forsyth
14) Straight by Dick Francis
15) Polar Star by Martin Cruz Smith
*1989 NONFICTION BESTSELLERS
1) All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
by Robert Fulghum
2) Wealth Without Risk by Charles J. Givens
3) A Woman Named Jackie by C. David Heymann
4) It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It by Robert Fulghum
5) Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book
6) The Way Things Work by David Macaulay
7) It's Always Something by Gilda Radner
8) Roseanne: My Life as a Woman by Roseanne Barr
9) The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines: China,
Greece, and Rome by Jeff Smith
10) My Turn by Nancy Reagan with William Novak
11) All My Best Friends by George Burns with David Fisher
12) Love & Marriage by Bill Cosby
13) A Brief History of Time by Stephen W. Hawking
14) Blind Faith by Joe McGinniss
15) The Way to Cook by Julia Child
1989 CHILDREN'S BESTSELLERS
1) The Way Things Work by David Macaulay
2) The Great Waldo Search by Martin Handford
3) Find Waldo Now by Martin Handford
4) International Children's Bible
5) The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery by Graeme Base
6) Swan Lake by Mark Helprin
7) Macmillan Dictionary for Children
8) Carl Goes Shopping by Alexandra Day
9) The Magic Locket by Elizabeth Koda-Callan
10) The Book of the Sandman by Rien Poortvliet,
text by Wil Huygen
11) Disney Babies A to Z by Margo Lundell, illustrated
by Darrell Baker
12) Baby Donald's Busy Play Group by the Walt Disney Company,
illustrated by Darrell Baker
13) Glow-in-the-Dark Night Sky Book by Clint Hachett,
illustrated by Stephen Marchesi
14) The Market Square Dog by James Herriot, illustrated
by Ruth Brown
15) The Silver Slippers by Elizabeth Koda-Callan
* from Publishers Weekly (March 9, 1990)
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
DARRYL KENNING
Darryl has been very busy lately, and here is his report from the
trenches of paperback heaven:
......The PaperBack BookShelf BOX SCORES......
/: :
: : Scale is 0 (ugh!) to 5 (must read!) :
: : :
: : Early Autumn, Robert B. Parker..........5 :
: : Silver Pigs, Lindsey Davis..............5 :
: : Cry Republic, K. Mitchell...............4 :
: : Cyber Way, Alan Dean Foster.............4 :
: : The Dark Wind, Tony Hillerman...........4 :
: : Lunar Activity, E. Moon.................4 :
: : Northworld, D. Drake....................4 :
: : Not For Glory, Joel Rosenberg...........4 :
: : Red Phoenix, Larry Bond.................4 :
: : Renegades Honor, W. Keith, Jr...........3 :
: : The Diplomacy Guild, Isaac's Universe...3 :
: : Pepper Pike, L. Roberts.................3 :
: : The Eternal City, David Drake...........3 :
: : The Infinity Plague, Robert Vardeman....3 :
: : Alien Bounty, William C. Dietz..........3 :
: :.............................................:
:............................................../
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
ACCORDING TO FRED L. DRAKE, JR.
WHISTLEJACKET
by John Hawkes
1988, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, New York, $17.95, ISBN 1-55584-049-2
1989, Collier Books, New York, $7.95, ISBN 0-02-043591-6
In WHISTLEJACKET, Hawkes tells a tale of a domestic murder in a
traditional and moneyed family through the eyes of a photographer
adopted as a young child. The leading segment of the book introduces
the characters and allows the reader to learn how Michael, the
photographer, perceives the world around him and to become familiar
with a narrative concentrating on the visual in a way which not
generally seen in literature. Hawkes uses Michael's perception to
describe the background of the family and his place in it, and about
deaths in the family. As might be expected when a photographer is
involved, imagery is strongly emphasized, but not in a particularly
traditional manner, but not in such a way as to create difficulties in
understanding the images either. Much emphasis is placed on the
images, but also on the feelings evoked by images, and so the things
in the images are very important, primarily in their arrangement
rather than as independent objects, as might be the case were the book
written through the eyes of a designer rather than a photographer.
The central portion of this volume is a storyteller's biography of a
portion of the life of George Stubbs, a painter and medical researcher
who lived in the eighteenth century. While this biographical segment
is not an aspect of the plot and while it is presented in a strong
manner, its contribution to the book is in the contrast it creates.
Stubbs' research was in anatomy: when he painted a living creature he
understood every physical layer of the animal or person, allowing him
to bring forth the spirit or inner fire of of his subject through the
essential transparency of the physical representation.
The photographer narrates and interprets events through the outward
appearance of the situation in which he finds himself: what some would
refer to as the requisite superficiality of the art of the
photographer. Hawkes, through Michael, shows that this seeming
weakness of the photographer's craft is not a weakness or even
necessarily true. Michael proves that an intrinsic understanding of
the visual reflections of events can allow as much penetration of
their nuances as an understanding of anatomy can provide for the
transparency of flesh, creating a window to the essential being of a
person or situation. In effect, Michael acts as an instrument by which
those wonderful shadows with which a photographer works are given
meaning as tools with which reality may be discerned.
The blurb on the back of the book claims Hawkes shows events through
the eyes of a photographer. Not only is that claim made, it has been
fulfilled: something I've not seen done successfully prior to reading
this book and, as a professional photographer, I feel qualified to
make this judgement. John Hawkes has given us a novel which is very
"contemporary" in ways, but WHISTLEJACKET is also very readable in the
classical sense. WHISTLEJACKET is one of the most successful novels
I've encountered, and is many times over worth the time spent in the
reading. This is a book, and author, to which and to whom I shall
return.
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but
a bunch of blank paper.
--Steve Martin
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
RECENT MYSTERY RELEASES
THREE BLIND MICE by Ed McBain (Arcade, $17.95, July) Another murder
mystery starring detective Matthew Hope.
SAVINGS AND LOAM by Ralph McInerney (Atheneum, $17.95, June) Another
in the Andrew Bloom series.
WELL-SCHOOLED IN MURDER by Elizabeth George (Bantam, $17.95, July)
Another in the Lynley & Havers series. A paperback edition of PAYMENT
IN BLOOD is also being released in July ($4.50).
GET SHORTY by Elmore Leonard (Delacorte, $18.95, August) Crime pays if
you happen to work in Hollywood.
BONES AND SILENCE by Reginald Hill (Delacorte, $17.95, August)
Superintendent Dalziel witnesses a murder.
MRS. POLLIFAX & THE WHIRLING DERVISH by Dorothy Gilman (Doubleday,
$17.95, June) Mrs. Pollifax goes to Morocco.
THE BURDEN OF PROOF by Scott Turow (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $22.95,
June) The long-awaited new novel by the author of PRESUMED INNOCENT.
One of the lawyers from the previous book, Sandy Stern, is
highlighted in this story of family secrets.
A VENOM IN THE BLOOD by Eric von Hoffman (Donalad I. Fine, $18.95,
July) The true story of the only known husband-and-wife serial killer
team.
COYOTE WAITS by Tony Hillerman (Harper & Row, $19.95, June) Another
mystery set in the Native American community featuring Detective Joe
Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee.
DEED OF DEATH: THE STORY BEHIND THE UNSOLVED MURDER OF WILLIAM DESMOND
TAYLOR by Robert Giroux (Knopf, $19.95, June) Refutes the Sidney
Kirkpatrick account (CAST OF KILLERS) of the 1922 murder in Hollywood.
A GRAVEYARD FOR LUNATICS by Ray Bradbury (Knopf, $18.95, July) A
sequel to DEATH IS A LONELY BUSINESS set in 1950s Hollywood.
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL by James Ellroy (Mysterious, $19.95, June) Another
noir epic about Los Angeles in the 1950s.
POOR BUTTERFLY by Stuart M. Kaminsky (Mysterious, $17.95, June) A Toby
Peters mystery. There's a paperback of THE MAN WHO SHOT LEWIS VANCE
($4.50) coming in June and another Toby Peters mystery, YOU BET YOUR
LIFE ($4.95), will be a July paperback release, both also from
Mysterious Press.
Miscellaneous Paperbacks: Ed McBain's McBAIN'S LADIES TOO ($4.95) is
a June release from Mysterious Press. Ruth Rendell (writing as Barbara
Vine) has THE HOUSE OF STAIRS ($4.95) coming from NAL in August. And
PRESUMED INNOCENT by Scott Turow ($5.95) has been re-released by
Warner as a tie-in to the movie.
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
ACCORDING TO CHERIE JUNG
A READER'S GUIDE TO THE CLASSIC BRITISH MYSTERY
by Susan Oleksiw
Mysterious Press (July, 1989)
Trade paperback, $19.95
If you haven't already seen a copy of this one, you'll want to. It
reminded me of SILK STALKINGS: WHEN WOMEN WRITE OF MURDER by Nichols
and Thompson. This is another excellent reference work that should be
on your shelf. It provides information on the traditional British
mystery, series characters and such. It does not limit the "British
mystery" only to the cozy (or "companionable crime" as some prefer to
call it) but includes other British style or traditional style of
mysteries as well.
Since I am, relatively speaking, new to mysteries, I find it
invaluable in seeking out books and authors that I am not currently
reading and may have overlooked in the past.
(Previously published in 1988 by G.K. Hall & Company, Boston.)
BUM STEER A Jenny Cain Mystery
by Nancy Pickard
Pocket Books Hardcover Mystery (March, 1990) $16.95
For those of you who have not read Nancy Pickard's series featuring
Jenny Cain, the head of the Port Frederick, Massachusetts, Civic
Foundation, do yourself a favor while you are awaiting the publication
of BUM STEER. Go out and buy, rent or borrow copies of all the other
Jenny Cain mysteries. (GENEROUS DEATH, SAY NO TO MURDER, NO BODY,
MARRIAGE IS MURDER and DEAD CRAZY.)
For those of you who are already fans...it's going to be a bit of a
wait for March to roll around but what about me? I'm already craving
another Jenny Cain book and the month of March arriving won't do ME
any good. Since I've already read this one, I have to wait until the
NEXT one! Do I hear the soft murmurings of "oh, you poor thing..." out
there? Well, that's better.
Ms. Pickard's storytelling gets better with each new novel and BUM
STEER is no exception. Jenny Cain is as real as any character can be.
I especially enjoyed that this time, Jenny is on her own, so to speak,
without the aid of her police lieutenant husband.
The day before she is scheduled to take off on vacation, Jenny
receives instructions to fly to Kansas to be interviewed (sized up) by
the terminally ill and hospitalized Charles Whitepaw "Cat" Benet IV
who intends to bequeath his cattle ranch (worth in the neighborhood of
$4 million, not including, as they say, "livestock, equipment and
improvements," to the Port Frederick Civic Foundation, provided a few
peculiar stipulations are adhered to, like the provisions that they
can't sell the property, must continue to employ two ranch hands for
the remainder of their lives, and no relative is allowed to step foot
on the property or that person's inheritance is forfeited.
Trouble is, the mysterious benefactor is dead - murdered - by the time
she gets to him. To the local police, all of the heirs, including
Jenny, are suspects in the murder. For Jenny, not only is she trying
to track down a killer, she's trying to unravel the mysterious
circumstances of the bequest and survive her introduction to cattle
ranching. And that's just the beginning, as they say.
MURDER ONCE DONE
by Mary Lou Bennett
(1988, Perseverance Press, $8.95)
Remember this address:
Perseverance Press P.O. Box 384 Menlo Park, CA 94026
If your local bookstore doesn't carry this book and won't special
order it for you, then write and get a copy for yourself! It's worth
the extra effort.
Meet Allison, Plum and Jane.
"They came to the north Oregon coast to live out their lives in
serenity, three women who'd been friends for decades...They thought
they'd spend their quiet days with music, books, a little needlework,
a bit of gardening, and leisurely strolls along the beach. They
thought they could forget the secret of murder once done.
But Tommy Weed, a street-smart young punk, follows them. He knows all
about the murder, and plans to work out his own retirement plan
through blackmail. Overpowering three vulnerable old biddies ought to
be a piece of cake. Age and experience are surely no match for youth
and strength - or are they?"
This Edgar nominated (best first mystery) book is a real treat. Once
you pick it up, you won't put it down until you're finished. And, once
finished, I think you'll be hoping, like I am, that these three spunky
women will be having more adventures, and soon!
* Thanks go to Janet Rudolph of Mystery Readers International for the
tip about reading this one!
TIP: If you enjoyed MURDER ONCE DONE, consider trying another novel
from Perseverance Press called THE LAST PAGE by Bob Fenster. $8.95
SILVER PIGS
by Lindsey Davis
(1989, Crown, $18.95)
Of all the books I've read during the past year, this one is tied for
first place among my favorites.
A friend loaned me her copy to read. At the time, I thought, "a
detective novel set in ancient Rome"? No, way.
The book jacket introduces Marcus Didius Falco as "the Empire's Philip
Marlowe - streetwise, tough, too honest for his own good, and a sucker
for a pretty face." Since I don't read Philip Marlowe, I set the book
aside and kept reshuffling it to the bottom of my "to read" pile.
Finally, when I could no longer put it off, I pulled it begrudgingly
from the pile. However, by the time I reached page 14, I knew I must
have my own copy. It's worth every penny of the cover price. Don't
wait for the paperback.
I was reminded of the (1975) delightfully silly spoof of The Maltese
Falcon directed by David Giler, starring George Segal called The Black
Bird.
When the book jacket blurb describes SILVER PIGS as both "stylish" and
"original," it is exactly right. I thoroughly enjoyed MarcusDidius
Falco and his "case." I know I will be reading it again soon.
I also hope there will be more Falco adventures in the near future.
These reviews, and many, many more, are available on Cherie's
Over My Dead Body! Mystery BBS 415/465-7739
(and we certainly hope that Cherie will continue to appear here in
RFP).
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
MYSTERY LOVERS! Be sure to send away for a catalog from Mysteries By
Mail, PO Box 679, Boonville, CA 95415-0679. They carry all kinds of
mysteries, hardcover and paperback, as well as mysteries on cassette,
large print mysteries, and even classic mystery movies on videotape.
They offer freebies for purchasing 12 paperbacks, 6 hardcovers, 2
cassettes, or two large print titles. And every order comes with a
money-back guarantee of satisfaction.
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
ROTTEN REJECTIONS
The following bits are from a recent book called ROTTEN REJECTIONS
edited by Bill Henderson. All are opinions once expressed by some
nameless publisher.
About THE GOOD EARTH by Pearl Buck (1931):
"Regret the American public is not interested in anything on China."
About LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding (1954):
"It does not seem to us that you have been wholly successful in
working out an admittedly promising idea."
About CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller (1961):
"I haven't really the foggiest idea about what the man is trying to
say. It is about a group of American Army officers stationed in Italy,
sleeping (but not interestingly) with each others' wives and Italian
prostitutes, and talking unintelligibly to one another. Apparently the
author intends it to be funny--possibly even satire--but it is really
not funny on any intellectual level. He has two devices, both bad,
which he works constantly...This, as you may imagine, constitutes a
continual and unmitigated bore."
About THE BLESSING WAY by Tony Hillerman (1970):
"If you insist on rewriting this, get rid of all that Indian stuff."
About THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD by John le Carre (1963):
"You're welcome to le Carre--he hasn't got any future."
About ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell (1945):
"It is impossible to sell animal stories in the U.S.A."
About ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand (1957):
"The book is MUCH too long. There are too many long speeches...I
regret to say that the book is unsaleable and unpublishable."
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
Basically I was falling-down-drunk in a field in Innsbruck. Clutching
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO EUROPE, I looked up at the stars and
thought: Why not a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
--Douglas Adams
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
THE BRAM STOKER AWARDS NOMINATIONS
Here are the nominees for the 1990 Bram Stoker Awards given out by the
Horror Writers of America. The winners will be announced during the
Bram Stoker Awards Weekend in Providence, RI--June 22-24, 1990.
Novel:
CARRION COMFORT by Dan Simmons (Dark Harvest)
GEEK LOVE by Katherine Dunn (Knopf)
IN A DARK DREAM by Charles L. Grant (Tor)
MIDNIGHT by Dean R. Koontz (Putnam)
THE WOLF'S HOUR by Robert R. McCammon (Pocket)
First Novel:
THE DWELLING by Tom Elliot (St. Martin's)
GOAT DANCE by Douglas Clegg (Pocket)
LAYING THE MUSIC TO REST by Dean Wesley Smith (Questar)
THE LILITH FACTOR by Jean Paiva (NAL Onyx)
SUNGLASSES AFTER DARK by Nancy Collins (NAL Onyx)
Novella/Novelette:
"At First Just Ghostly" by Karl Edward Wagner (WEIRD TALES Fall '89)
"The Confessions of St. James" by Chet Williamson (NIGHT VISIONS 7)
"On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks" by Joe R.
Lansdale (BOOK OF THE DEAD)
"Phantom" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (F&SF 6/89)
Short Story:
"A Last Sad Love At the Diner of the Damned" by Edward Bryant (BOOK OF
THE DEAD)
"Bodies and Heads" by Steve Rasnic Tem (BOOK OF THE DEAD)
"Each Night, Each Year" by Kathryn Ptacek (POST MORTEM)
"Eat Me" by Robert R. McCammon (BOOK OF THE DEAD)
"Yore Skin's Jes's Soft'n' Purty...He Said" by Chet Williamson
(RAZORED SADDLES)
Collection:
BLUE WORLD AND OTHER STORIES by Robert R. McCammon (Grafton; Pocket)
BY BIZARRE HANDS by Joe R. Lansdale (Ziesing)
RICHARD MATHESON: COLLECTED STORIES by Richard Matheson (Scream Press)
PATTERNS by Pat Cadigan (Ursus)
SOFT AND OTHERS by F. Paul Wilson (Tor)
Non-Fiction:
AMERICAN VAMPIRES: FANS, VICTIMS, PRACTITIONERS by Norine Dresser
(Norton)
HARLAN ELLISON'S WATCHING by Harlan Ellison (Underwood-Miller)
HORROR: A CONNOISSEUR'S GUIDE TO LITERATURE AND FILM by Leonard Wolf
(Facts on File)
HORROR: THE 100 BEST BOOKS by Stephen Jones & Kim Newman (Xanadu;
Carroll & Graf)
H.P. LOVECRAFT by Peter Cannon (Twayne)
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food
and clothes.
--Desiderius Erasmus
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
TWO BY NOEL PERRIN
FIRST PERSON RURAL: Essays of a Sometime Farmer ($9.95)
SECOND PERSON RURAL: More Essays of a Sometime Farmer ($9.95)
by Noel Perrin
(Godine, June 1990)
The news from Vermont is good. Noel Perrin's farm thrives and so does
his prose. An urban man, who came to Vermont in 1960, Perrin soon
found himself both teacher and farmer--but he is a farmer with a
difference. He writes.
In these two new softcover editions, readers will discover that Noel
Perrin, "witty, fluent, and stylish" (Kirkus) and "consistently
entertaining" (Time), is incapable of solemnity or the merely local.
He knows the terms of upland Yankee fable and his temper refashions it
while maintaining a laconic edge. He cannot be read without the assent
of laughter. Try "Real Milk", "Country Codes", "One Picture is Worth
Seven Cows", or the marvels of "Pig Tales", and see what one man
thinking in Vermont about our fate can do to release your mind.
Teacher, writer, and farmer (in that order), Noel Perrin was city-born
(New York) but country-bred. Now living in Thetford, Vermont, he
teaches at Dartmouth College and scratches a chancy sustenance from
the stone-stubborn New England soil. His many books include GIVING UP
THE GUN: Japan's Reversion to the Sword, 1543-1879 (Godine, 1979);
THIRD PERSON RURAL (Godine, 1983); and DR. BOWDLER'S LEGACY: A History
of Expurgated Books in England and America (Godine, 1990).
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
RANDOM REVIEWS:
COMMUNION
by Whitley Strieber
(1987)
communion: A mutual sharing of thoughts, feelings, etc.
Author Whitley Strieber (WOLFEN, THE HUNGER, etc.) has had a number of
upsetting experiences that he is trying to understand. In COMMUNION he
shares his experiences with us and invites us to make sense of it with
him. He seems to recall having contact with some kind of entities that
are apparently not human (at least as we currently define the term),
and he's taken a lot of not-so-good-natured ribbing about his alien
"visitors" ever since the book was published.
Surprisingly to me, COMMUNION is a fascinating book, and it's mainly
due to the personality of the author; he's an intellectual with a
distinct philosophical bent. And the content of this book has been
greatly misrepresented--he does NOT claim to have had contact with
aliens. On the contrary, at the end of the book he is STILL
considering that his experiences may have been entirely mental. His
point is that WHATEVER it is that happened to him, it's happened to
many others as well and is very disturbing and should be studied; and
he makes his point compellingly.
At no point does Mr. Strieber try to sell the reader any particular
theory. There is no rush to explain away evidence that doesn't fit a
particular pattern. No, all theories are discussed dispassionately,
with a neutral tone that's convincing. Despite his personal
involvement, Whitley Strieber manages to maintain an admirable level
of scientific objectivity.
At one point, Whitley Strieber is hypnotized by a psychiatrist and is
asked a probing question, a question which his subconscious dithers
over and finally refuses to answer. The tantalizing explanation here
would be that the question dredged up memories too terrifying to
contemplate, a theory which Strieber considers. But he ALSO gives
equal time to the explanation that his subconscious balked at the
question because it was unexpected and a suitable answer hadn't been
concocted yet. Psychologically, that's certainly possible.
Most interesting to me were the theories that Mr. Strieber comes up
with that are new to me. He correctly points out that these entities
needn't be either hallucinations or aliens from outer space; there are
loads of other explanations. They could be earth creatures from a
different dimension or time. They might be future humans. Or they
could even be humans that have died and continued to evolve--as he
puts it, we may be the larval stages of them.
As you can appreciate already, these are ideas guaranteed to upset the
insecure. As Whitley Strieber points out, there are many who believe
in aliens because they need to, and likewise there are many who refuse
to believe in the possibility of aliens because they psychologically
can't afford to. The job of intellectual progress is let to the few
humans who can walk that razor edge of neutrality, keeping an open
mind and subjecting ALL evidence to rigorous logic and testing.
Where does the title come from? It's Mr. Strieber's perception that
communion is what these entities are after, some sort of sharing with
us. Ultimately, that is the nature of this book as a whole, a sharing,
this time from one human to another.
Passages from COMMUNION:
"This matter is a garden of luminous weed through which only a fool
would dash yelling any doctrine at all, whether it be that of the
Creationist and debunker or that of the UFO true believer. Even to
approach the idea of the visitors, it is necessary to study a whole
history of tall stories, bizarre tales, and--just possibly--truths."
"There are many instances of the surprising and subtle relationship
between the visitor phenomenon and the hidden life of the mind.
Understand, I am not presenting a hypothesis that denies that the
visitors may be real beings from another planet and/or reality. All I
am suggesting is that we do not know what they are, only that they
are--and our relationship with them is very strange indeed."
"To really begin to perceive the visitors adequately it is going to be
necessary to invent a new discipline of vision, one that combines the
mystic's freedom of imagination with the substantial intellectual
rigor of the scientist."
"This is not a 'mere' matter, to be explained away by one facile dodge
or another. It is an immense human reality, vast in its impact and
complexity."
"Something is here, be it a message from the stars or from the booming
labyrinth of the mind...or from both."
THE SECRET HOUSE
by David Bodanis
(Simon & Schuster, 1986)
Here is yet another volume of Science For The Lay Person, with two
special gimmicks: 1) All of the science presented is built around one
24-hour period in the average person's home life, so it's not only
science in language that you can understand, it's science that you can
relate to. 2) The book is heavily illustrated with unusual and
breathtaking photographs, all of creatures and processes that surround
us all, but that we never see.
This is a great book for dragging around to bother friends and family
with: "Hey, do you wanna see something really gross?" Then you can
show them the photograph of a bedbug, fully six inches square. Or
maybe you could entertain them with the pseudomonad bacterium, a tiny
beastie swimming around on your kitchen table and in damp sponges.
There are several weeks worth of visual aids in this book.
The text is horrifying too. Did you know that there are microscopic
creatures hanging on fine threads from your face right this very
second? Did you know that the natural color of margarine is a
nauseating gray? Did you know that the germs spread by a guest's
sneeze will be with you for days? (We won't even mention what happens
when your guest uses your bathroom.) Did you know that the natural
color of lipstick is orange juice orange? Did you know that your
toothpaste contains formaldehyde? Did you know that substandard milk
(not Grade A) is used for condensed milk, commercial cakes, and baby
milk mixtures?
THE SECRET HOUSE is a treasure trove of disgusting, fascinating
scientific details about you, your house, and the products you use.
(There's a section about how chips are made and why they crunch.) Not
for weak stomachs, though, and you may find yourself becoming suddenly
interested in germicides and hygiene.
DEATH AND THE CHASTE APPRENTICE
by Robert Barnard
(1989)
It's time once again for the Ketterick Arts Festival, where the play
THE CHASTE APPRENTICE OF BOWE (a figment of Barnard's imagination)
will be presented in the courtyard of the historic Saracen's Head
Hotel. The actors from this production, as well as the singers from
the nearby opera, meet in the hotel's Shakespeare Bar, where they all
agree on one thing: the hotel's new landlord, Des Capper, has got to
go.
Barnard's specialty is characterization, and DEATH AND THE CHASTE
APPRENTICE has the usual assemblage of juicy suspects. There's Mr. and
Mrs. Galloway, who do everything together but sleep, which they do
with other people. And there's Gunter Gottlieb, musical genius and
general all-around autocrat. And let's not forget Natalya Radilova,
the suspicious Russian opera singer and her mysterious phone calls to
Germany. The characters are, as usual for a Barnard mystery, the best
part of the book.
DEATH AND THE CHASTE APPRENTICE is a fast, pleasant read, and if
the resolution to the mystery is a tad forced, it's still an
enjoyable forum for another batch of Barnard's eccentrics.
MURDER ON A MYSTERY TOUR
by Marian Babson
(Bantam, 1988)
(originally WEEKEND FOR MURDER, 1985)
It often seems that no one loves an inside joke or reference more than
a mystery fan, and this novel is chock full of them. To begin with,
Ms. Babson has tossed authors' and characters' names in a hat and
pulled out the names used here: Roberta Rinehart, Sir Cedric
Strangeways, Algernon Moriarty, Dixon Carr, Lady Hermione Marsh, etc.
Even the cat is named Roger Ackroyd.
Then there are the passages like: "'Just making sure.' He smiled at
her sternly. 'It wouldn't be the first death of an expert witness--and
right under the noses of other people. I don't mind losing Sir Cedric,
but I'd hate to be party to the murder of Roger Ackroyd.'"
The setting is a Murder Weekend, where guests who have paid for the
privilege are put up at a small hotel where a "murder" takes place
that they must solve. The hotel's staff are all given parts to play,
and the bigger parts are taken by professional actors hired especially
for the weekend. Role-playing games for grownups, actually.
Then, in classic 1930s tradition (as is most of the story), the minute
everyone assembles it begins to snow and before long they are cut off
from the outside world. The phones are put out of order and a REAL
murder occurs. Now the difficulties set in, for everyone has done such
a good job of making fake murders seem real that real murders just fit
right in. Soon the guests are trying to fit the real murder into their
fictional plot line. MURDER ON A MYSTERY TOUR is a great deal of fun
all around.
For the mystery purist, however, this does not make a very good puzzle
to solve. The real murder, from motive to confession, could be excised
with the removal of about 2 pages. MURDER ON A MYSTERY TOUR is a grand
entertainment for fans of the Golden Age of mystery, but does not
rival the novels alluded to.
A CAT IS WATCHING:
A Look at the Way Cats See Us
by Roger A. Caras
(Simon and Schuster, 1989)
"I am terribly wary of scientists who want us to believe that
everything that is to be known is already known..."
"Quite frankly, I have always felt that anyone who could derive
pleasure from killing a lion, leopard, tiger, puma, jaguar, or any
other cat for that matter was an incipient sociopath and should be
held suspect. I feel the same way about ladies who wear them."
This is the very best cat book I think I've ever read. Caras is the
first person who I can recall who talks about cats with both affection
and mature common sense, meaning that he can display a great deal of
love without resorting to baby talk. For some reason, many people seem
to feel that a love of animals must be accompanied by being
nauseatingly cute, or by treating animals as if they were people. It
has always seemed to me that if you really loved animals, you would be
able to acknowledge their inherent nature. In other words, one of the
things that I love about cats is their catness. They aren't people;
they aren't dogs; they aren't birds. They're cats, and that's really a
very beautiful, and interesting, thing to be.
Beyond the attractiveness of the perspective from which Caras speaks,
there are still other elements to recommend here. The cat anecdotes
which he includes are terrific, and the information which he presents
provides an education for all cat fanciers, novice and expert alike.
Once again, it's Caras' approach that I appreciated the most in A CAT
IS WATCHING. Caras loves cats, is fascinated by cats, and has a deep
respect for them as living beings. If only everyone could be as humane
and supportive.
HAWKSMOOR
by Peter Ackroyd
(Harper & Row, 1985)
This is, of necessity, going to be an incomplete glimpse of this book,
because I'm not at all sure that I have grasped all the meanings of
this story. I will surely benefit from reading this book again and
reconsidering its various perspectives, but I understood enough to
give you a good idea of the general outlines; enough, I hope, to allow
you to determine whether HAWKSMOOR is for you or not.
There are two parallel stories here: there's architect and Satanist
Nicholas Dyer in early 18th century London, and Scotland Yard
detective Nicholas Hawksmoor in present-day London. That they are
parallel stories is obvious early on. Dyer's assistant is Walter Pyne;
Hawksmoor's assistant is Walter Payne. Dyer is creating dead bodies;
Hawksmoor is finding remarkably similar dead bodies. Both men are
teetering on the verge of insanity, and are uncomfortable in their
society.
Through alternating chapters Peter Ackroyd tells his haunting story of
Dyer and Hawksmoor and their mysterious connection. I was continuously
fascinated and intrigued by the story, even though I ultimately felt
that I wasn't entirely equal to it. In any case, let me say that this
book would have been particularly apt for our Time Travel Issue.
Ackroyd shows us that the membrane between the past and the present
can become very thin indeed.
BE YOUR OWN DETECTIVE
by Greg Fallis & Ruth Greenberg
(M. Evans, 1989)
Prominent in my formative years were James Bond in the movie theater
and Secret Agent and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. on TV. I always checked
for snipers before leaving home, was constantly watching for tails,
and suspected my algebra teacher of being a mole. Needless to say, I
would have LOVED this book. I also believe that detective/spy tactics
are very helpful for adolescents. Developing objectivity, constant
watchfulness, and a healthy dose of paranoia can ward off many of our
society's dangers. For one thing, I would never have been caught out
in public while under the influence of drugs or alcohol--too difficult
to maintain vigilance.
BE YOUR OWN DETECTIVE seems to assume that their audience is largely
adolescent. The type is large, the text is heavily padded with
repetition and explaining the obvious, and boring details are kept to
a minimum. There are chapters on tailing, conducting surveillance,
interviewing, locating missing persons, and conducting a paper trail.
The best parts are when detective Greg Fallis illustrates a point with
a personal anecdote, although I would have been a bit happier if each
story was unique. There is plenty of attention given to the legalities
of detecting, as well as constant reminders that reality seldom works
like in the TV shows.
BE YOUR OWN DETECTIVE would make a great gift for a young person, or
someone like me who began life as a junior spy. The chapter on
following a paper trail (along with a helpful appendix) is full of
hints on how to get information, useful to probably all of us at one
time or another.
DISTURBER OF THE PEACE: The Life of H.L. Mencken
by William Manchester
(Harper, 1950)
"On all known subjects, from aviation to xylophone-playing, I have
fixed and invariable ideas. They have not changed since I was four or
five years old."
"Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands,
hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats."
"Love is the delusion that one woman differs from another."
"Whenever A annoys or injures B on the pretense of saving or improving
X, A is a scoundrel."
"All government, in its essence, is a conspiracy against the superior
man: its one permanent object is to oppress him and cripple him."
H.L.Mencken was born on September 12, 1880, in Baltimore, Maryland. He
began his professional career with a job as a newsman for a local
Baltimore newspaper, but he was to become one of America's most famous
magazine editors and social commentators. A genius at making the most
of what he had, Mencken wrote the famous tome THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE,
even though he was only an amateur philologist himself.
To understand Mencken you first have to realize that the Mencken wit
was based on satire. There was nothing he loved so much as deflating
the pompous, poking fun at whatever authorities were at hand. His
brand of humor is carried on most faithfully, I believe, by Mad
Magazine, whose parodies were familiar to most of my generation. The
important point, according to Mencken, is to make fun of everything.
Take nothing seriously, and life is a lot more fun. In his day, a
Mencken editorial could induce sermons from the pulpit across America,
some even precipitated legislation. We Americans have always been
prone to take ourselves too seriously, and writers like Mencken are
essential to maintaining any kind of a balance. It's good to remember
that ANYTHING can be a source of humor.
So is this biography worth your while? Well, it's a good, engrossing
story, and, unless the career of a journalist in the first half of our
century holds no interest for you, you might want to give it a try.
There are some interesting historical points in the Mencken story too.
Once, when he was trying to raise money for his major magazine, The
Smart Set, he and his partner George Jean Nathan began some pulp
magazines to help pay the bills. One of these was called The Black
Mask (if that name means nothing to you, you obviously aren't a
mystery fan). And at another stage of his career he covered what has
become known as the Scopes Monkey Trial. I'll give you a hint: the
Mencken account doesn't sound much like INHERIT THE WIND.
The really great part about biographies, as far as I'm concerned, is
the opportunity to see one life, close-up and with objectivity. In
real life we usually get one or the other--the close-up or the
objectivity--never both at the same time. As human beings we are
generally so tied up with the trivia of our days that we never notice
the larger trends and colors of our existence. I think that's why it's
so comforting to read about people in depth, but from a wider
perspective. And if you like biographies of literary people, add this
one to your list.
EMINENCE
by William X. Kienzle
(1989, Andrews & McMeel)
I have been a fan of Kienzle's series of mysteries starring Father
Koesler from the beginning, but even I have to admit that he's
stumbled with this one. There's a whole grab bag of plot elements that
remain largely unconnected, and several of the essential pieces of the
mystery are very poorly integrated into the overall framework. Each
piece of the story reads very well, but they don't quite add up to one
whole mystery.
The first problem is the bad guy, Brother Paul of the Congregation of
St. Stephen. We realize very soon that he's not a nice person, but
we're not really sure what, if anything, he's actually done, or is
going to do. For over half the book, the good guys go about their
business and the bad guy goes about his, and the reader is left to
wonder when, if ever, the conflict between the two will begin.
In each mystery, Kienzle illuminates some aspect of Catholic theology,
and uses his leading character Father Koesler to make philosophical
connections between theology and everyday life. In EMINENCE the focus
is on miracles, and we learn that the official definition is "a
sensible fact, extraordinary and divine". Father Koesler's lecture on
miracles is the very best part of this novel. Indeed, that's the way
Kienzle's mysteries usually turn out (for me): the mental wanderings
of Father Koesler are the main attraction. Unfortunately for EMINENCE,
there are too few pages of Father Koesler, and too many pages of an
unsavory and diffuse criminal plot.
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
I'm not saying what you are hearing. The only good fnord is a dead
fnord. Never whistle while you're pissing.
--from THE EYE IN THE PYRAMID by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
A FEW GOOD LOOKING MAY RELEASES
THE GREEN MAN by Kingsley Amis
Academy Chicago ISBN 0-89733-220-2 $5.95 Paper 242 pages
BLOODY SOAPS by Jacqueline Babbin
Int. Polygonics $7.95 Trade Paper
A mystery by the producer of ALL MY CHILDREN.
BLIND SIDE by William Bayer
NAL/Signet $4.95 Mass Market Paperback
When a beautiful young actress disappears, a burned-out news
photographer begins a search that leads to a hellish hideaway where
desire is deadly in this novel from the author of SWITCH and PATTERN
CRIMES.
JOE BOB GOES BACK TO THE DRIVE-IN by Joe Bob Briggs
Delacorte ISBN 0-385-29770-X $10.95 Trade Paper
THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS by John Buchan
Godine ISBN 838-0 $9.95 Spring
The classic pre-World War I adventure that provided the model for the
modern spy thriller.
DO NOT DISTURB ANY FURTHER by John Callahan
William Morror ISBN 1-557-10011-X $7.95
Callahan's first collection of cartoons.
SEVEN SUSPECTS by G.K. Chesterton
Carroll & Graf ISBN 0-88184-578-7 $17.95 Hardcover Mystery
LOVE AND MARRIAGE by Bill Cosby
Bantam $4.95 Mass Market Paperback
ALIEN SEX edited by Ellen Datlow
Dutton ISBN 0-525-24863-3 $18.95 Hardcover
THE CONCISE OXFORD COMPANION TO ENGLISH LITERATURE
edited by Margaret Drabble & Jenny Stringer
Oxford Univ. Press ISBN 0-19-282667-0 $9.95 Paper
Important material from THE OXFORD COMPANION TO ENGLISH LITERATURE.
THE READER'S QUOTATION BOOK: A Literary Companion
edited by Steven Gilbar
Pushcart Press ISBN 0-916366-64-2 $12.50
"G" IS FOR GUMSHOE: A Kinsey Milhone Mystery by Sue Grafton
Holt ISBN 0-8050-0461-0 $16.95 Hardcover
"F" IS FOR FUGITIVE by Sue Grafton
Bantam $4.50 Mass Market Paperback
WALTER WINCHELL by Michael Herr
Knopf ISBN 0-394-58372-8 $18.95
A novelistic rendering of the life and times of the powerful gossip
columnist and journalistic demagogue.
CROME YELLOW by Aldous Huxley
Carroll & Graf ISBN 0-88184-588-4 $8.95 Trade Paper
Learned conversation and comic adventures of an odd group of people
at an English country house party. Published in 1921.
DICKENS: A Biography by Fred Kaplan
Avon $12.95 Trade Paper
Studies the writer's successes, his unhappy marriage and his intimate
circle.
PUNCHLINES: The Violence of American Humor by William Keough
Paragon House ISBN 1-55778-084-6 $19.95 Hardcover
THE STAND: The Complete and Uncut Edition by Stephen King
Doubleday $24.95 450 new pages
THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT by Dean R. Koontz
Berkley $4.95 Mass Market Paperback
A tale of terror that pits its heroine against the fanatical Church of
Twilight in a fight for the life of her child.
UNRELIABLE SOURCES: A Guide to Detecting Bias in News Media
by Martin Lee & Norman Solomon
Lyle Stuart ISBN 0-8184-0521-X $19.95 Hardcover
MERCY by David Lindsey
Doubleday $21.95
A novel about a female detective on the track of a serial killer in
Houston.
TIME TRAVEL: A Guide to Journeys in the Fourth Dimension
by John W. Macvey
Scarborough House ISBN 0-8128-3107-1 $16.95 Hardcover
A renowned astronomer explains the types of time travel that are
scientifically plausible, from time dilation to the passage through a
black hole/white hole bridge.
THE DARK SIDE: Tales of Terror and the Supernatural
by Guy de Maupassant
Carroll & Graf ISBN 0-88184-596-5 $8.95 Trade Paper
MINE by Robert R. McCammon
Pocket Books ISBN 0-671-66486-7 $18.95
Mary Terror, the fugitive sixties radical, makes one last attempt to
bring back the glory days.
CYBERPUNKTREK by Jim Meddick
Pharos $6.95 Trade Paper
A parody of SF and fantasy featuring Robotman and his evil twin Bruce.
THE FIFTH PROFESSION by David Morrell
Warner ISBN 0-446-51562-0 $19.95
A thriller set in the high-tech world of executive security
specialists.
STARDUST by Robert B. Parker
Putnam ISBN 0-399-13537-5 $17.95
A show business thriller.
BEST OF GRAVESTONE HUMOR by Louis S. Schafer
Sterling $5.95 Trade Paper
THE DOOR by Georges Simenon
HBJ ISBN 0-15-126370-1 $18.95 Hardcover
MAIGRET AND THE BURGLAR'S WIFE by Georges Simenon
HBJ ISBN 0-15-155572-9 $18.95 Hardcover
MAIGRET AND THE FORTUNETELLER by Georges Simenon
HBJ ISBN 0-15-655163-2 $5.95 Mass Market Paper
MAIGRET AND THE FLEMISH SHOP by Georges Simenon
HBJ ISBN 0-15-655121-7 $5.95 Mass Market Paper
BEDS I HAVE KNOWN: Confessions of a Passionate Amateur Gardener
by Martha Smith
Atheneum ISBN 0-689-12082-6 $17.95 Hardcover
THE FICTION OF ANNE TYLER by C. Ralph Stephens
Univ. Press of Mississippi ISBN 0-87805-435-9 $27.50 Hardcover
CLIENT PRIVILEGE: A Brady Coyne Mystery by William G. Tapply
Delacorte ISBN 0-385-29903-6 $16.95
The ninth mystery for Boston lawyer/sleuth Brady Coyne.
CLOWN PRINCE OF HOLLYWOOD: The Antic Life and Times of Jack L. Warner
by Bob Thomas
McGraw-Hill ISBN 0-07-064259-1 $19.95 Hardcover
KING COHN: The Life and Times of Hollywood Mogul Harry Cohn
by Bob Thomas
McGraw-Hill ISBN 0-07-064261-3 $9.95 Trade Paper
THE LOSER by Peter Ustinov
Arcade Publishing ISBN 1-55970-090-4 $9.95 Paper
KRUMNAGEL by Peter Ustinov
Arcade Publishing ISBN 1-55970-091-2 $9.95 Paper
GALLOWGLASS by Barbara Vine
Harmony ISBN 0-517-57744-5 $18.95
Ruth Rendell's fourth novel under this pseudonym.
THE GOLDEN ORANGE by Joseph Wambaugh
William Morrow ISBN 0-688-09408-2 $19.95 Hardcover
An ex-cop and a spirited divorcee in a world of clubs, mansions--and
assassination.
LAST SEEN WEARING... by Hillary Waugh
Carroll & Graf ISBN 0-88184-607-4 $3.95 Mass Market Paper
SACRED MONSTER by Donald E. Westlake
Mysterious Press $4.95 Mass Market Paperback
A satirical portrait of the rise and fall of a Hollywood film star.
MODUS OPERANDI: An Excursion into Detective Fiction
by Robin W. Winks
Godine ISBN 851-8 $8.95 Trade Paper
A deeply personal essay in defense of detective fiction as a welcome
facet of the civilized life. An excursion through the works of Ambler,
Chandler, Chesterton, Christie, Hammett, and more.
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
Only the more rugged mortals should attempt to keep up with current
literature.
--George Ade
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#1 FAN
by Annie Wilkes
From time to time people tell me I should be keeping a diary (if they
went to college they tell me I should keep a journal). They make it
sound like a good idea: It's a good way to get your life in some kind
of order, to make sure you don't forget the good stuff, to get the bad
stuff out of your system, and to exercise your verbal skills. But I've
never gotten around to it, probably for the same reason you haven't
either--who has the time to be writing in a diary? My days run about 2
or 3 hours short every day as it is.
There is, however, one specific type of diary I do keep--a reading
diary. And I wholeheartedly recommend it to you too. Go to the store
and get yourself a spiral notebook and write down EVERY book you read.
Each time you finish a book, just write the title and author in your
notebook. Then, any time you feel like it you can look back over your
list, reminding yourself of all the good and bad books you've been
reading, and perhaps making some course corrections in your reading
habits. Once you see it laid out, you may be surprised to discover how
much one type of book dominates your reading. Maybe you read more
nonfiction than you thought. Or maybe you've always told people that
you read "mostly mysteries", and maybe you find out that's not true.
For dedicated readers like us, looking back over your reading list is
like looking through a photo album. You'll remember the book that you
were sneaking pages of during last Thanksgiving's preparations. And
the book you read in the hospital waiting for your sister to have her
second baby. And the book you read under the tree in the backyard when
you did, for one wonderful summer afternoon, nothing.
Keep a Reading Diary--I guarantee you'll enjoy it for years to come.
>:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<->:<
BACK ISSUES
ELECTRONIC EDITION: Check the BBSs in the Directory first. If what
you want isn't available, you can get any (or all) issues directly
from RFP. Disks you get from us will be formatted using PC/MS-DOS (for
IBM clones). Specify 3-1/2" or 5-1/4" floppy, high or low density.
PRINT EDITION: We have print copies of all issues except #1 and #2.
PRICE: Send $1.50 for each issue requested. Be sure to indicate
whether you want the electronic or the print edition.
Checks: Make checks payable to Cindy Bartorillo.
Address: Reading For Pleasure, c/o Cindy Bartorillo, 1819 Millstream
Drive, Frederick, MD 21701. On CompuServe leave a message to
74766,1206. On GEnie leave a message to C.BARTORILLO. Best of all,
call our BBS, The Baudline II at 301-694-7108 (1200-9600 baud HST)
where all RFPs are available for downloading on your first call.
ISSUES AVAILABLE:
#1: Premier issue: 1988 World Fantasy Awards; Books I'm Supposed to
Like, But Don't; Pronunciation Guide to Author's Names; Christie
Characters on Film; Featured Author: Richard Matheson; Baseball &
Cricket Mysteries; Stephen King Checklist; Time Travel Books
#2: Summer Reading Issue: Award Winners & Nominees; Beach Bag Books;
Featured Author: Stanley Ellin; Splatterpunk; Murderous Vacations; The
Psychology of Everyday Things; The Shining; SF Fan-Lingo; Pseudonyms
#3: Books About Books Issue: Two-Bit Culture; Christopher Morley; 84
Charing Cross Road; Assorted References; Bibliomysteries; Deep Quarry;
Featured Author: Harlan Ellison
#4: Hollywood Issue: Recent Awards; About Hollywood; Silver Scream;
Death of a Salesman; Joe Bob Briggs; The Hollywood Mystery; Featured
Author: Fredric Brown; The Dark Fantastic; Darryl Kenning Reviews
#5: Halloween Issue: Hugo Awards; Year's Best Horror Stories XVII;
Tracy Kidder; Supernatural Mysteries; Thomas Harris; Falling Angel
Heart; Ray Garton; New From Underwood-Miller; Featured Author: Robert
R. McCammon; The Modern Halloween Shelf; Darryl Kenning Reviews; The
Ultimate Stephen King Character Quiz
#6: Computers & Robots Issue: 1989 World Fantasy Award Nominations;
Donald M. Grant, Publisher; Cyberpunk & Neuromancer; Computer Books;
Digital Delights; Nightmare On Elm Street, The Comic; Banned Books;
Featured Author: Josephine Tey; Mystery Terminology; Darryl Kenning
Reviews; Books On A Chip; New From Carroll & Graf; Computer Cowboy
Reading; and the usual
#7: Happy Holidays Issue: New From Carroll & Graf; Featured Author:
Charles Dickens; A Christmas Carol; Religious Reading; An Incomplete
Education; Great Endings; New From Simon & Schuster; New From
Underwood-Miller; Christmas Mysteries and Other Yuletide Reading; On
Line With Steve Gerber; The Last Christmas Trivia Quiz; and the usual
#8: True Crime Issue: New Age Books; Amazing Stories; True Crim in
Paperback; Steve Gerber; Bluffers Guides; The Onion Field; Mysterious
Press; Lizzie Borden; John E. Stith; Darryl Kenning; Bestselling
Children's Books; Awards; Carroll & Graf; and more
#9: Time Travel Issue: Bestsellers of the Christmas Season; Obscenity
Ruling Reversed; The Turner Tomorrow Awards; Roc Books; Carroll &
Graf; Meadowbrook; Time Passes For Baby Boomers; Darryl Kenning; Time
Travel Reading List; Simon & Schuster; Featured Author: Jack Finney;
Reviews; and all the usual
#10: Earth Day Issue: Environmental Reading; Featured Author: Thomas
Berger; reviews by Darryl Kenning, Robert A. Pittman, Fred L. Drake,
Jr., Ollie McKagen; Book lists: The Civil War, India, The Middle Ages;
Sharing The Wealth; My Favorite Books of 1989; and the usual.
Supplemental Issue #1: Baseball Books of Spring 1990. Distributed
along with #10.
#11: Magazines: The one you're reading now.
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