This Time Round We Have:

Silent eLOCutions / art by William Rotsler and Trinlay Khadro / 3

Back to the Scene by Christopher J !arcia / art by "lan White / #
Runaround the Roundabout by $e %ditor / &
They 'ubbed "n (sh) *an+ine Re,ie-s by $e %ditor / &
The *ree Book .eal / /0
Will the Real S-amp Thin1 'lease Stand 2p3 / mascot art by Brad *oster / /3
"dditional "rt) Brad *oster 4co,er5
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This ish is dedicated to a young woman who, if she hasn't been so titled by now, ought to be known as A Poem on Skates
Michelle Kwan has won another !S! title! "ou go, '#helle$
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%eregrination, n., L., A traveling, roaming, or wandering about; a journey. (The New Webster Encyclopedic ictionary o! the English
"anguage, Avenel #oo$s, New %or$& '()*+.
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This issue o7 Peregrine Nations is a 8 099: J& 'ress 'ublication; edited and published by J ! Stinson; 'O Bo< 0=>; %astlake; ?( =&@0@A90=>
PLEASE NOTE NEW ADDRESS. Copies available fo !" or the 2sual " Buarterly pubbin1 sked is intended All ma#eial in #his publi$a#ion %as
$on#ibu#ed fo one&#ime use onl'( and $op'i)h#s belon) #o #he $on#ibu#os.
,ontributions are welcome in the !orm o! "o,s, articles, reviews, art, etc. in two methods& e-mail to me at tro%icsf&earthlink!net (please
use .eregrine Nations in the subject+ or via regular mail. 'o attachments unless %re(iously arranged! ,learly scanned artwor$ is also
welcome. /ueries welcome."0,ers1 addresses intentionally le!t out; i! you need one, as$ me. 'e)t editorial deadline* A%r! +,, -,,.!

Silent eLOCutions
Letters of Comment
(a drachm for your thoughts...)
Sue Bursztinski
Than$s very much !or your 2ine. E# urged
me to continue sending to !an2ines and 3 said
only i! 3 could !ind one similar to his, because 3 really enjoyed
Twin$.
4y eye was caught by the #letchley .ar$ item, because 3 just
!inished writing a children5s boo$ on spies and spying and 3 did a
chapter that included Enigma. 6ascinating subject7
8obbits, bless their hearts, seem to eat mainly bacon and
eggs, there!ore $eep plenty o! pigs and poultry. 3t must be hard, when
you5re their si2e, to $eep cows, even !or mil$.
8as anyone come across a very old article called 9The
.leasures o! the 8obbit Table9: ;an 8oward 6inder gave me a copy.
3t came out years be!ore the 3nternet, so one has to applaud the author
!or having been able to research so many recipes !or !oods mentioned
in The 8obbit. The seed ca$e recipe is especially nice and 35ve made
it several times.
Brad Foster
,hristopher <arcia5s article about his ad5s hope !or a con at
the Winchester 8ouse was an interesting read, though his comment
that 9The place is generally creepy....9 stuc$ with me, since 3 got a
chance to visit there mysel! during a Worldcon, and my impression
was a wonder!ully eccentric and beauti!ul structure, !ascinatingly
weird, maybe, but certainly not in any way 9creepy9. #ut then maybe
3 have a higher creepiness threshold when it comes to old houses.
Whenever 3 watch a horror !lic$ where they are approaching the big
old =ictorian mansion, and the lightning is !lashing, the sound trac$
is eerie, all 3 can usually thin$ o! is 9%ou $now, a little repair wor$
and some nice paint and that would be a great place to live79 And
then there are the shows where the budget is so low, simply having
an old house is supposed to be creepy, even in !ull daylight and
nothing at all wrong with it. 3t5s $ind o! li$e the cheap short hand o!
tossing in a !ew plastic s$ulls to ma$e a set 9scary9 in b-level horror
!lic$s.
Christopher Garcia
Another great issue o! .N li!ts my spirits a!ter so little time
le!t !or reading anything but boo$s to review.
<reat article on #letchley .ar$...4y wor$place, the ,omputer
8istory 4useum in 4ountain =iew ,A, actually has one o! the very
!ew surviving pieces o! an original ,olossus machine (a rather non-
descript paper tape pulley, in a case right ne>t to a simple, three rotor
EN3<4A, both o! which stand right ne>t to a piece o! EN3A,+.
6rom what 3 understand, the <eheimschreiber code was much more
di!!icult to crac$, i! only because any <erman could send EN3<4A
code, but the <-?chreiber users were !ewer and re@uired much more
training and better cryptographic discipline.
Ae& B6amily 4anC& 3 wasn5t much o! a !an, but on ,headle,
who has been ama2ing in everything !rom B0cean5s ElevenC to
B#oogie NightsC to B4eteor 4an,C was e>ceptional. 8e5s one o! the
D.?.5s best actors and he seldom gets the notice he deserves.
Joe Major
#uyler /'ed/ 0rooks& ?o the horses o! the ?hire were li$e
?hire horses:
6ran$ Wu did put up on his website lin$s to the other 6an
Artist nominees. 8e seems mostly to appear in con art shows,
though he did do the cover !or Challenger EF*.
1! 0! 2roh(et& 3 still recall the scene in "uci!er5s 8ammer
3
where the guy set about preserving boo$s. 8e put each boo$ in a 2ip
-loc$ bag with some mothballs, put the bag inside another bag, and
then put all the bags in a septic tan$. .resumably looters wouldn5t
bother with that. 3t was boo$s li$e The Way Things Wor$ that he
had.
What 3 tend to remember more about "uci!er5s 8ammer is the
@uest !or the blue van. The looters stole survival supplies !rom a
bunch o! people, then someone set the van a!ire. 3t5s a common
theme in disaster survival stories; by writing about how the hero
survives with two bent pins and a piece o! string, the author can get
more word count.
(3 recall being annoyed that the 4ysterious #ene!actor in The
4ysterious 3sland donated to the castaways a chest containing all the
things they needed. 3t was more interesting to read the e>planation o!
how one seed o! wheat can engender an entire crop. #ut then, the
castaways didn5t have their survival gear ta$en !rom them. 3! they5d
had the sense to pull the ripcord a!ter ten minutes they would come
down over the %an$ee siege lines, and there wouldn5t have been a
story.+
3 thin$ 4ac$ Aeynolds was popular with ;ohn ,ampbell, and
at that because he speculated about politics and society. 8owever,
the legend o! ;W, as arch-reactionary has to ignore the !act that he
published a 4ar>ist-e"eonist. Not that Aeynolds5s politics was all
that sound in other areas. The central thesis o! his 9#lac$ 4an5s
#urden9 stories was that American blac$s must return to the
homeland where they can serve as tribally neutral ancestrally a$in
arbiters. 3t doesn5t wor$ that way.
Trinlay Khadro& ,ould this asociali2ation be the product o!
small !amilies and wor$ing parents: The trend !or employees to be
available FGHI, !or e>ample. 3 am thin$ing o! the mother who got
into trouble at wor$ because she begged o!! a con!erence call !or the
preposterous reason that it was at eleven p.m. on a ?unday night.
(And all these e>panded meetings, con!erence calls, email chats, etc.
seem to have a negative impact on productivity. Then there was the
law !irm which held a !our-hour meeting with all the partners, several
associates, paralegal, etc, all billed to the client, the topic o! which
was the !ont !or a document.+
Me& There is a 3nternet theorist named avid 3c$e who claims
that humanity is secretly controlled by alien li2ard people. 3! he
investigated the directorship o! .ETA, he might !ind proo! !or his
thesis.
What do you do i! you see an endangered animal eating an
endangered plant:
4yn Mc#onchie& 3 $now about pernicious anemia. 3 learned
about it !rom reading about polar history; Aobert E. .eary, the Arctic
e>plorer, died o! it. Then my doctor told me I had #'F de!iciency;
my ,rohn5s disease had a!!ected the ileum to the point where it
wasn5t absorbing #'F. =egetarian diets are short o! #'F.
4loyd Penney& 3 tal$ed to Tom ?adler a !ew months ago; he
seems all right. "ast he spo$eHwrote on the subject he was having a
variety o! problems (job, copier+ and was e>pending a lot o! energy
on genealogy. 3 will try to get in touch with him again soon.
5oy Smith& 3 had a di!!erence with my college English teacher
about 9<ood !ences ma$e good neighbors9 --- he read it as walling us
o!! !rom each other, 3 read it as establishing sel!-boundaries. All the
same he gave me a good grade.
BAd(entures in the S%ook Trade6& illy Jno> was one o!
the Jno> brothers, who were among other things early ?herloc$
8olmes !ans (one o! his brothers wrote a classic paper on the ,anon+,
sort o! proto-!an2ine !ans (they had a !amily maga2ine, and i! only
they5d mailed it to others . . .+, religious polemicists (one was a
,hurch o! England parson, another a ,atholic priest+, and so on. A
most interesting !amily.
0ne o! the !irst #ritish ?6 novels 3 read was ,olossus, by .
6. ;ones, a story about a super computer. id he wor$ at #letchley:
3 have a Enigma simulator program suitable !or Windows machines.
72roh(et on ! ! ! 2ilm6& 3 am somewhat as$ew on B3t5s A
Wonder!ul "i!eC because 3 did not see it until a!ter 3 saw a version o!
it with 4arlo Thomas playing a developer as the <eorge #ailey
character. 34# says it was B3t 8appened 0ne ,hristmasC ('(II+
and the character was named 4ary #ailey 8atch K in B3t5s a
8
Wonder!ul "i!eC <eorge5s wi!e was 4ary 8atch #ailey.
79ill the :eal Swam% Thing Please Stand %;6& 3 was
convinced !or the longest time that Readers !igest had a Wol!
Editor; they published all $inds o! heartwarming stories about
wolves. Never got around to the .inis5 1lf<uest, but . . . Anyhow,
one o! said stories was about a !amily that adopted a wol!. 8e shed.
They spun the shed hair into wool (with a little real wool+ and made
sweaters out o! it. They were very warm, but about one dog in ten
would go insane upon smelling said sweaters.
L"n McConchie # ;anuary F**L
8mmmm, .N arrived the other day but is datelined 0ctober
F**G. 35m not sure i! you were late doing it or i! the ..0. was even
later getting it here. ,hristmas may have a lot to answer !or. M$ope, I
%as late in getting it done, all &" 'ault.N
3 plan to be in America over most o! 4ay F**L ending with
Wiscon be!ore 3 head home. ?o 35m -- er -- 5available5 i! anyone would
li$e me to see i! 3 can stop o!! at their place !or a couple o! nights.
4loyd did mention he might li$e to see me. 3 also plan to be in
Wisconsin, 4aryland and Tennessee, possibly in .ennsylvania and
".A. with L-O days in the DJ somewhere in the middle. ?pea$ now,
be!ore 3 begin !irming dates in early 4arch.
'ed was mentioning 4t. 8oreb, that isn5t the place which is
swamped in trolls is it: M(es.N That5s the place 3 was dying to get to
!or a couple o! hours when at Wiscon in F**', no public transport
!rom the con to there though, and no one who could drive me over.
#ut my own village here has a troll !i>ation, and my !riend who runs
the big cra!t shopHin!ormation center here wanted me to go there to
get photos and in!o. M)ell, &a"*e %ell get there this "ear+ note to all
readers, I& also planning to attend )iscon this "ear.N
And to 5oy, 3 certainly am collecting my !arm tales. The !irst
boo$, 6arming a2e, has been in print with one publisher or the other
since '((P, and the second, a2e on the "and, was published
6ebruary F**G. They are available on Ama2on and my Australian
publisher, Avaloo$ .ublications (who does them+, is now tal$ing
about a third.
35m immersed in a welter o! boo$s to be edited, proo!ed,
completed, or printed out, and my un!ortunate agent doesn5t $now it
yet, but the current activity is going to result in P more boo$s to him
by mid-year. As it was 3 spent a very hectic ecember writing
)P,***Q words, which le!t me with a new themed short-story
collection 35d never intended to write but which 3 got booby-trapped
into by my subconscious. ?o 35m cleaning up outstanding wor$ until
the D?A trip and will begin the ne>t new boo$ on my list this
?eptember or 0ctober.
4eanwhile lambing has begun, and 3 have two new babies
racing about at the moment, ne>t door5s three duc$s $eep marching
down my land just where 3 don5t want them, and .oppy, my hei!er, is
so e>cited by hay ma$ing that she sounds li$e a !oghorn every time
the machines come bac$ to wor$ on the hay -- and hal! the area must
wish she5d get laryngitis, 3 $now 3 do.

Llo"d ,enne"
3 believe on Anderson is the !ellow 3 met some years ago in
.
Trinlay Khadro's Perspective 2005 Trinlay Khadro
the Aochester area. 3 thin$ on is 6irst 6andom, or is at least old
enough and around long enough to be a member, and 3 had a chat
with him the last time 3 attended an Astronomicon there. The ne>t
one is this coming November, so 3 hope 3 can go.
3n the "ord o! the Aings boo$s, there are re!erences to
overweight hobbits. 4aybe this is part o! the reason why !ans too$ to
the boo$s; you could be interesting and slightly di!!erent, and also
short and !at. (35ve described about a @uarter to a third o! !andom
right there. 3! Tol$ien had given hobbits glasses, that number might
have gone up to a hal!.+
The rumour is become !act7 3 loo$ !orward to the !ourth
Stea& -ngine .i&e. M(oure on the &ailing list. /n"one else %ho
%ants on it and either cant or pre'ers not to print out the electronic
cop" at e'anzines.co& 0and %ill send a contri*ution o' either
pu*lisha*le &aterial or &one"1 should e2&ail or %rite to &e, and Ill
see "ou get a cop" o' S-. 3N.
3 enjoy 4yn Mc#onchie's tales o! her !arm animals. A !riend
o! mine who used to live on a !arm got married and too$ with her, o!
all things, one o! the barn cats to live with her in the city. This semi-
!eral animal has become a true lapcat, and she has spent several
hours purring up a storm on my lap. ?he has been dubbed 4omcat,
!or she was the mother by birth or adoption o! all the other barn cats
on the !arm.
.aid proo!reading is a hard gig to !ind, to be sure. 0ver the
years, 35ve had a number o! them. 3n the new year, 3 start training !or
a paid proo!ing job in the proo!ing pit o! ,anada NewsWire, one o!
the corporateH!inancial news services, with their o!!ices in downtown
Toronto. 3 have wor$ed !or law boo$ !irms, ?ears, print plants and
other companies, and most times, it5s as a proo!reader, copy editor,
copywriter or other editorial person. M4eres to the latest jo* *eing
one that lasts at least a 'e% "ears, as long as "oure happ" %ith it.N
3nteresting to see the name .eter ;arvis not connected with the
Torcon !iasco -- another 4r. ;arvis is showing o!! the contents o! a
Turing #ombe in the photo.
<ood to see that ,hristopher <arcia pic$ed up the !annish
detritus o! his !ather5s li!e, and has caught the !annish interest. The
son o! a ,anadian !an !rom the '(G*s has done much the same thing
-- <ordon .ec$ ;r. is loo$ing !or any o! his !ather5s creations in
,anadian and American 2ines !rom the '(G*s, and is willing to pay
!or copies o! .ec$s ?r.5s material.
Than$ you !or the early ,hristmas present o! the
"ac$eyHEdghill boo$7 (3 will $eep an open mind about it.+
%our story on $nitting reminded me o! %vonne5s passion !or
!abric; 3 have a collection o! homemade 8awaiian and tropical shirts
many people envy. ?he has a collection o! buttons Mwith sayingsN on
her cor$board, and 3 thin$ most o! them are !rom Nancy "eibowit25s
collection&
Whoever dies with the most 6A#A3, wins7
"adies ?ewing ,ircle R Terrorist ?ociety
6abric& The <athering
%ou5d be surprised at the things you can learn while doing
alterations. - Elim <ara$ (the ,ardassian tailor on eep ?pace Nine+
Jo" S&ith
3nteresting cover. 3 presume that5s smo$ing ruins behind the
robot: 3 also enjoyed the illos, and photos and articles on =isiting
#letchley .ar$ and ,hristopher <arcia5s con bac$ground.
4yn Mc#onchie& ,ongratulations on your Aussian sales7
(6oreign sales are good7+ 6ascinating about the chic$en5s nest ne>t to
6lu!!. And 3 enjoyed your article on the Aunt imity series. Will
$eep my eyes open !or that. (Am passing this issue on to my sister,
the mystery !an; she5ll also li$e the #letchley .ar$ piece.+
WAHF: Sheryl Birkhead (... the type of kick done by a cow is
actually differentiated from that of a horse by simply being called 'a
cow kick' -- one gets used to giving the rear ends of the respective
species a certain amount of room based on their firing power),
Trinlay Khadro (see illo elsewhere thish), Dave Szurek (recovering
from another bout of pancreatitis stay well, Dave! -- and loved
Garcia's 'Mystery Con' article), Paul Di Filippo (who also liked the
Garcia piece), and E. B. Frohvet. 6
Back to the
Scene
by Christopher J. Garcia
Where did it happen:
That1s a @uestion that haunts
all o! us historian types.
While we have the stories
down, the names and
circumstances, we don1t
$now enough about the
locations o! many o! the
classic moments. 31ve
searched !or ,aravan 8all,
trying to !ind the spot o! the con!rontation that too$ place as part o!
the 6an E>clusion Act o! '(P(. 3 loo$ed !or the !ormer site o! "A1s
original 6an 8ilton, the legendary home o! so many hugely
signi!icant !ans. riving around "A in the (*s, 3 !ound the site o! the
#ooby 8atch and a !ew o! the locations where "A?6? would meet.
There is one truly signi!icant location to the history o! !andom that is
$nown e>actly& the location o! the introduction o! the ?ociety !or
,reative Anachronism to national !andom.
The ?,A grew out o! a party held during the early summer o!
'(OL in iana .a>son1s bac$yard. iana, a medieval studies major,
had read about The "ast Tournament. The Earl o! Eglanton, who had
been a huge !an o! tales o! chivalry, set up an event to re-enact the
good old days in ?cotland in ')P(. Though the event was severely
dampened by rain, the story o! the event inspired .a>son to hold her
own medieval event. The event went o!! e>tremely well, and by the
ne>t summer, the ?,A had been incorporated and was regularly
holding events in #er$ley. 3n '(OI, the ?,A e>posed itsel! to West
,oast !andom with an event at Westercon SS in "os Angeles.
While this had e>posed a good-si2ed chun$ o! !andom to the
e>istence o! the ?,A, it wasn1t until the !ollowing year1s World,on,
the #er$ley #ay,on, that !andom really got its introduction on the
largest possible stage.
The #aycon Tourney was won by Earl o! 4orris, but more
important than who won or lost was the !act that more than P**
people watched the !ighters and joined in on the !easting and revelry
a!terwards. 0ne o! those who went and too$ a !ew photos happened
to be my !ather, who told me the stories o! the event whenever 3
would crac$ open one o! our photo albums. When 3 decided to ma$e
my rounds to the sacred sites o! !andom, the !irst idea 3 had was to
!ight at the same location where national !andom !irst !ell in love
with the ?,A. There was only one problem& in the intervening years,
the 8otel ,laremont had become a resort spa and tennis club. 3
would not be dissuaded, so 3 brought my !riend ;ames and our
potential girl!riends and headed up to #er$ley.
The whole resort is gorgeous. 3 chec$ed up and !ound that 3
could get into the lobby until '' with no problem. ;ames and the
girls carried the padded wooden swords so that 3 would have my
hands !ree !or the important action. They hung bac$ as we made our
way up to the des$ where the tennis court attendant was sitting. 3 had
!ound out when the last time you could use the tennis courts that now
occupied the space where the #aycon tourney had ta$en place. We
came ten minutes later.
B8i, 31d li$e to use your tennis courts !or a little while.C 3 told
the guy.
The Tennis ,ourt $eeper was in his late F*s, reading a copy
o! the National Aeview and listening to tal$ radio.
BAnd you are:C he responded, ma$ing me thin$ o! the maitre-
d5 in B6erris #ueller1s ay 0!!.C
BWell, 31m hoping that 3 can recreate an important moment
that too$ place on those courts.C
BWhat, some sort o! match between the greats: 3s this where
#illy ;ean Jing beat that Aiggs guy:C the !ellow as$ed me.
3 signaled my !riends closer.
BNo,C 3 said, hoping that the guy would understand any o! my
ne>t !ew words, Bthis is where the ?ociety o! ,reative Anachronism
=
did the big tourney that really established them in a lot o! !ol$s5
eyes.C
The guy set down his maga2ine.
BWhat:C
BThis is where the big tournament too$ place, out where the
tennis courts are, and we were hoping we could recreate one o! the
!ights.C
B%ou mean with those wooden sword-thingees:C
B%eah. 3t won1t ta$e us any longer than a !ew minutes.C
The attendant loo$ed us over and reached !or the phone.
B#rian: This is ,raig at the Tennis courts. %ou mind
coming down !or a second:C
;ames and the girls and 3 waited !or a !ew minutes until the
aged, gri22led head o! security !or the ,laremont appeared. The guy
strode up to the des$ and leaned on it, as i! he were coming straight
out o! a '()*s independent !ilm.
BAnd who are these !ol$s:C he said in either a very strange
accent or a !airly decent ,hristopher Wal$en imitation.
3 launched into the story about how the ?ociety had done their
tourney on the area where the courts are, about how the '(O)
World,on had been so important, and what we were actually
planning on doing.
B"emme see one o! those swords.C 8e said a!ter 3 had
e>hausted all my $nowledge on the situation. ;ames1 girl, 3 thin$ her
name was ?tacey, handed the old guy a short sword. 8e grabbed it
by the handle and li!ted it. 8e swung it bac$ and !orth li$e a ;erry
"ewis prop be!ore bringing it crashing down onto his palm. The
guard shoo$ his hand a bit. B4ore solid than 3 e>pected.C
3 loo$ed at the attendant and he hal!-smiled.
B%ou mind watching these guys !or a !ew minutes, #rian:C
BNo sweat. 3 used to see those guys out at <ragmore .ar$
when 3 was in school. "oo$ed li$e a lot o! !un.C
And with that, ;ames, his lady, my !air lass enise, the guard,
and mysel! all wal$ed out to the tennis court. 3 could remember the
photos and descriptions and wal$ed about thirty paces be!ore 3
thought we might be standing near the location o! the #ay,on
tourney. ;ames had ?tacey hand him his helmet, heavily-taped suede
wor$ gloves, and !inally his sword. enise put the helm on !or me,
then handed me pu!!y s$i gloves and my sword. ;ames and 3 stood
on either side o! the net, deciding to try our hand at !ighting over it,
as we had seen at some o! the sword demos that real ?,A members
put on at various conventions.
We set up on either side and waited, possibly because we
were hoping that someone would say something appropriate !or the
start o! a !ight. enise came over to where 3 was standing, tied
something that she had been wearing in her hair around the dangling
hoo$ !or my gloves, and gave me a $iss on the chee$.
BWin this one !or me and there1ll be more o! that.C ?he
whispered in a @uite-less-than medieval way. 3 noticed that ;ames1
girl was doing the same, though she must have been trying to whisper
the words into his mouth. We stood at attention, our swords @uite
near each other.
B0J, you two,C 3 heard the old security guard call, B!ight7C
3 struc$ @uic$, $noc$ing his sword1s hand guard to pieces be!ore
diving in with a stab !or the $ill in less than ten seconds. We set up
again and 3 $illed him again. 3 was the $ing o! over-the-net
swordsmanship7 We decided to go !or !ull terrain ne>t, ma$ing !ull
use o! the court. While 3 was strong when 3 had to wor$ over a net, 3
was chopped down !ast when he could stri$e at my legs. 3 ended up
with a hal!-do2en nasty grey-red bruises on my shins. We did si>
stand-ups and 3 lost !ive, though won the !inal with a spectacular
!alling stri$e across ;ames1 chest. We were about to call it a night
when the security guard came up to me.
B4ind i! 3 ta$e a !ew swings:C
3 didn1t say anything, breath being at a premium !or this
slightly pudgy gladiator, and 3 handed him my sword and he too$ my
helmet and waited patiently !or my gloves. 8e and ;ames set and
too$ mad swings at each other. 3 wondered how 3 had lost to
someone with such ill !orm. ;ames too$ the guard down once, but
lost the ne>t two. 3 watched with the same highly amused awe that 3
!igure my ad !elt when he watched the #ay,on tourney.
>
BDm, ,hris,C enise said, running her !ingers through my
hair, Byou1re bleeding.C
3 !elt her touch a cut right below my ear. ?he grabbed the
collar o! my shirt and pressed it in hard. ?he held her hand there !or
a !ew minutes, then !inally too$ it o!! as #rian the <uard told us it
was time to pac$ it up.
0ur near-recreation o! one o! the most signi!icant recreations
o! all time had le!t two !riends and a security guard e>hausted, and
two young women impressed enough to agree to !urther dates. We
carried the stu!! bac$ to the car and drove o!! to get a enny1s
appeti2er sampler. 3 read the reprint o! / 4and*ook o' the 0Current1
Middle /ges, the boo$ that had been passed around at the #ay,on
tourney, and lost mysel! in the thought that 3 had just managed to
bring mysel! a step closer to another event in !annish history that 3
missed because 3 was born a little late. 3 almost completely !orgot
where 3 was and what enise was doing until 3 heard ;ames tal$.
BWe should head down south, see the Ac$ermansion this
wee$end.C 8e said.
B31m up !or it.C enise answered.
At that point, 3 $new what needed to be done, and we ditched
the bill, hopped into the car, determined to !ind the <rand .iano
where #jo and ;ohn Trimble met during one o! 6orry1s wee$end-
long birthday parties.
Runaround the Roundabout
Review: Soundstage: Yes: 35
th
Anniversary
Concert, PBS
3 too$ notes on this show with the thought that 35d write up
something on it !or .N, so here it is. #ut, to save space and lessen the
boredom !or non%es!en, 35m reproducing the notes here with just a
!ew added comments. 3! %es means nil to you, s$ip this.
"ineup& AndersonH8oweH?@uireHWa$emanHWhite...C<oing
!or the 0neC... B?weet reamsC (drum intro by White+... BAll <ood
.eopleC (classic version+ T bridge was a bit wea$, but maybe 3 was
just missing the Bwall o! cymbalsC White used to play at this point in
the song... short solo spot by Wa$eman T he5s got P*Q years o! his
own music to draw on and 35m !amiliar with only a small part o! it...
B?ong !or %ouC (Wa$eman R Anderson+ T very sweet, maybe too
sweet... B"ong istance AunaroundC acoustic version...?tage patter
!rom Anderson R ?@uire on the acoustic version o! BAoundaboutC
and how they came up with it T a ,hicago blues shu!!le, no less7
Wa$eman ta$es a piano solo in the bridge, and the shu!!le rhythm is
maintained throughout the song... B0wner o! a "onely 8eartC
(acoustic+ T Anderson teases White !or wearing a $ilt as an intro to
this one... BAnd %ou And 3C (electric+ -- B3t5s all about what we doC is
how Anderson introduced this one... ?et design is new by Aoger
ean, utili2ing several o! the design themes he used in previous %es
stage sets...-5er"one has hair this time7... Anderson in e6cellent
voice7...someone once said that countertenors generally improve as
they age, and in Anderson5s case, they were right ...Wa$eman loo$ed
rela>ed and pleased to be bac$... every time 35ve seen ?@uire with
%es, he always loo$ed li$e he was having !un, and he loo$ed that
way this time as well... 8owe is, well, 8owe; he still has trouble on
the night with just cutting loose and ripping o!! solos T his best are
recorded on (essongs (my opinion, o! course+... White is the same as
ever, no hint o! slowing down... not a bad show !or a bunch o!
BdinosaursC7
?e%t! of @bscure :eferences* BWhen hit, the shining, !lying purple
wol!hounds tended to crash out o! the s$y, bouncing to the ground or
just e>ploding in hot blossoms.C -- Alastair Aeynolds, Aevelation
?pace (F***+, p. FG*. Ae!erence& B%ours 3s No isgrace,C %es, .he
(es /l*u& ('(IF+.
U U U
They .ubbed An 3sh& 6an2ine Aeviews
3 said 35d get bac$ to this area, and here 3 am. There are some
A
who still thin$ there aren5t many !an2ines being pubbed these days.
These people must be the !ol$s who aren5t online, as e!an2ines has
T0N? o! the things available, and new ones are started almost
monthly. 3 don5t read all o! them (as not all o! them interest me+, but 3
read several. ,ode& #old V new; italics V one-shots and specials
ALEXIAD =ol. P No. O HH ANSIBLE 209 & 210 //
BANANA WINGS 20 // THE BBB BULLETIN 19 // *brg* 39 // //
DE PROFUNDIS 383-384 // eAPA 8 & 9 // THE GAY BLADE #1
(Woody Bernardi) // HARD SCIENCE TALES 1 & 2 (Joyce
Worley) // IT GOES ON THE SHELF #26 // IN A PRIOR
LIFETIME 4// THE KNARLEY KNEWS 109 // MORE BALLS #1
(Ang Rosin) THE NATIONAL FANTASY FAN VOL. 4 NO. 4 //
NICE DISTINCTIONS 8 // iPLOKTA // SOUTHERN FANDOM
CONFEDERATION BULLETIN VOL. 8 NO. 7 // STEAM
ENGINE TIME 4 // TRAPDOOR 23 // THE UNNAMABLE 2 //
VANAMONDE 563-567 // VEGAS FANDOM WEEKLY 1-8
(Arnie Katz) //
That5s just the stu!! 35ve managed to read since the last ish o!
.N; there5s more 3 haven5t gotten through yet, including stu!! !rom
the last B3n the 3nterimC list. 0i7
The ecember 5*G Ale)iad !inds "isa 4ajor re!lecting on the
importance o! things and memories (and thereby practicing what5s
preached on the T", ,hannel show B,lean ?weepC as well as
!ollowing her own rules+ T 3 $now how she !eels. ;oe 4ajor hints that
he5ll be ta$ing a swing at revising "otA !or a Web site (BAnyone
want to see 5The Tragedie o! 6rodo #aggins5 by Will& ?ha$spur:5 C+.
0h, yes, we do7 We do777 And we gets it, at least the opening salvo,
on the last page. The reviews include 'L boo$s, two maga2ines and
three candy bars. 8ey, how about a review o! the 6ast #rea$ bar: 0r
the new one !rom 8ershey5s that has pret2els, caramel, chocolate and
two other ingredients 3 can5t remember: 8mm, maybe B should
review them; can5t beat that !or an e>cuse to buy chocolate. The
loccol is jam-pac$ed, as usual, with witty and insight!ul comments,
and o! course there5s more but space here is limited. <etting this
!an2ine is always a good reason to ta$e a brea$ and rela>.
ave "ang!ord continues to bring D? readers news and views
!rom across the puddle in Ansible with his well-established, arch
prose stylings. There, ave, how2at:
0anana 9ings -, has a cover which sports a #rad 6oster
butter!ly, very much li$e the one on thish e>cept without the banana.
3nventive lad, that #rad. Drgh. This time, ,laire #rialey and 4ar$
.lummer bring us articles by <reg .ic$ersgill, 6red ?mith, ,ardinal
,o>, ;ames #acon, Tony Jeen and themselves, along with a he!ty
loccol. Nice to see that banana winging in again to the mailbo>.
Now !or an e>tinction notice& Arnie and ;oyce Jat2 o! The
0ring 0ruce 0ayside 0ulletin, having succeeded in their aim to
raise enough money to allow Australian !an (and my co-editor !or
Steam 1ngine Time+ #ruce <illespie to attend ,or!lu Titanium and
.otlatch 'G in 6ebruary and 4arch F**L, have closed the .ay.al
donations account and announced the ### 6und has o!!icially ended.
Why: #ecause they5ve raised over D?WL,*** through the 6und, so it5s
no longer needed. Wow. ,ongratulations to #ruce, and 3 wish 3 could
!ly out to the "e!t ,oast to visit, but 35m still saving !or Wiscon.
?pea$ing o! #ruce, CbrgC 3A details the move he and Elaine
,ochrane made to the <reensborough area near the end o! F**G.
#ruce counsels, Bon5t move house T unless you really have to. #ut
i! you do, it helps to be married to a genius who !inds you a place
li$e L 8oward ?treet, <reensborough.C Well said. And that outdoor
cat enclosure screen is the coolest thing 35ve seen in a long time. ,at
lovers, contact #ruce !or in!o. 8e also reviews The #est Australian
?cience 6iction Writing& A 6i!ty %ear ,ollection .
The "A?6? club2ine ?e Profundis still ma$es me wish 3
lived in ".A. just so 3 could attend their meetings, but perhaps the
written minutes are more interesting than the actual meetings:
eAPA is an electronic-only A.A run by ave #urton (by
de!ault, not !iat+ which pubs monthly. There are now I members, and
li$ely room !or at least one more, so i! you5re interested, chec$ it out
at e!an2ines.com. We do have a good time.
The Day 0lade comes !rom =egas !an Woody #ernardi, and
he regales readers with what he5s been doing the last !ew years
(becoming a Aealtor, moving to =egas+ while using some Aotsler
+,
illos to decorate the pages, along with some photos. A bit more
attention to details (copy editing+ would improve the overall e!!ect o!
this !an2ine, but it5s otherwise a very readable pub.
;oyce Jat2 introduces yet another publication with Eard
Science Tales, and readers !amiliar with (and !ond o!+ her bree2y
writing style will be happy to !ind it here. 8?T is primarily intended
!or ?NA66D members, but she5s generously made it available at
e!an2ines !or others. ?he writes about how she !ound !andom, and
uses interesting science !acts as speculative launch points !or
tangential wonderings. 6un stu!!.
Ned #roo$s reads a lot; maybe almost as much as ;oe 4ajor.
Whenever his arms get tired o! holding up boo$s, he sets them aside
and writes about what he5s read in Bt Does @n the Shelf. Number FO
!eatures yet another clever #rad 6oster piece (that !ella do get about+
and more than 'L pages o! boo$ reviews. Eclectic is a good
description o! Ned5s reading material. Nicely done is a good way to
describe his 2ine.
Te>as resident and !an ;ohn .urcell has returned to the
!an2ine !old with Bn A Prior 4ifetime. 3n Number G, he continues
his remembrances o! "ee .elton, and proves people are reading his
electronic !an2ine by pubbing locs. Number F !eatured mole cric$ets.
0h, my, <hod. %ou should get that ish and loo$ at those suc$ers,
they5re 8D<E. And ;ohn writes about them in a very amusing
manner T the only reason you need to go read all !our ishes.
The ecember edition o! The Knarley Knews shows that
8enry Welch $nows how to pac$ in the columnists T he has !our o!
them, plus Terry ;eeves5 memoirs. This FL-pager sports a ?chirm
cover, always a treat, and Jnarley5s law-school $news.
3n 'ice ?istinctions ), Arthur 8lavaty tac$les mental health
(his own+, elections (one guess T but not in the way you might
e>pect+ in addition to the ever-readable BAecent Aeading,C where 3
learn about a lot o! good boo$s 3 didn5t $now e>isted. Arthur, you
ha(e to stop ma$ing my To-Aead list so long7 The .lo$ta ,abal
turned out iPlokta with a 4arch F**G datestamp, but 3 got it several
months a!ter that (BWe have su!!ered !rom a slight mailing delay,C
se2 the editorial+. 6lic$ muses on !oundation garments, <iulia e
,esare mutters about Things Not Wor$ing, "ilian Edwards5 article on
the ?houting #oo$ ,lub has rather a lot o! blue smo$e (the language
$ind+, B"o$ta .lo$taC sports a vast array o! contributors, and Alison
proves she can do more than yoga in BThe Aeluctant ,ostumer.C 3
haven5t decrypted the dingbat code in BThe .assion o! the .lo$ta,C
and 35m not sure 3 want to. #ut the cover is super!luously $ewl.
(%eah, 3 $now this was listed in the last B3n the 3nterimC item T so
sue me.+
Southern 2andom #onfederation 0ulletin $eeps arriving
despite the !act 3 haven5t sent in my dues in a while; 3 am beginning
to !eel guilty. Editor Aandy ,leary maintains a steady hand on the
rudder o! this !ine !annish club2ine. 8e gives brie! glimpses into his
e>periences at Noreascon G and ,onstellation SS333 in =) NI, and
boo$ reviews by "eana ;ustice are included along with Tom 6eller5s
!an2ine listing, news o! ?outhern !andom doings, awards news, the
conventions list, and locs. A sercon !an2ine is a proud and lonely
thing to be these days, and since 3 couldn5t get enough o! sercon
chatter, 3 HhHoHoHdHwHiHnH$HeHdH convinced #ruce <illespie that
reviving Steam 1ngine Time was a good idea. Number G includes
the ever-gorgeous itmar covers (!ront and bac$, mind+, a double
editorial !rom #ruce (such a generous !ellow+, a trio o! articles !rom
arrell ?chweit2er, a reprint o! <reg #en!ord5s recounting o! his
most recent visit with ?tephen 8aw$ing, Andrew #utler and .aul
#ra2ier debate the e>istence o! a #ritish #oom. and a couple do2en
!ol$s get their locs pubbed. ?orry !or the long wait, but we5re !inally
here.
The worst thing about Tra% ?oor FP is also the most
memorable (!or me+ thing. ;ohn 8ert2 writes a memoir o! a portion
o! his misspent youth in B3 Thought 3 8ad A .ump$in #ombC -- but
he doesn5t let the other shoe drop, one might say. 0h, 4r. 8ert2, you
are so very luc$y your nec$ was not in range when 3 read the last
sentence o! this article. "ess targetable items come !rom editor
Aobert "ichtman, Ed #urbee, ,arol ,arr, Aobert ?ilverberg, 4ichael
obson, ,alvin emmon, Aon #ennett, <eorge 4et2ger, ;oe
Jennedy, "ee 8o!!man and the Aeaders (sounds li$e a garage band
++
name+. The . West bacover is priceless.
An enterprising !emme!an named 6eorag Nic#hride (pleae
e>cuse the lac$ o! accent mar$s+ !rom Edinburgh decided to let one
o! her stu!!ed toys do a 2ine, and the result is The nnamable F. The
toy in @uestion is the un@uestionably !hannish 6lu!! the .lush
,thulhu, a surprisingly gi!ted and entertaining writer !or an
inanimate object (sshh, don5t say a word7+. 3 laughed a lot while
reading this !an2ine, and derived particular pleasure out o! the
evidence that 6eorag had managed to coa> several well-$nown
writers and editors into letting 6lu!! pose on their heads !or a photo
(Bpictures o! 4e consuming the brains o! peopleC+. There are many
such photos in this ish. The main !eature concerns 6lu!!5s Noreason G
e>periences, with additional comments on Eastercon F**G,
.lo$ta.con P.*, and ,onvivial, ending with a review o! a boo$ about
human cadavers. 4y, those Elder <hods are gadabouts, eh:
Fanamonde is one o! the most consistent, and consistently
interesting, !an2ines 35ve ever encountered. Editor ;ohn 8ert25s
economy o! language is admirable and elegant. ?ome day, i! 3 am
luc$y, perhaps the gentleman will teach me a !ew dance steps and 3
will actually be able to replicate them without !alling on my !ace.
0ne can but hope. And 35m not just saying this because he published
the one decent hai$u 35ve ever written, though that was a pleasant
surprise (than$s ;ohn7+. Arnie and ;oyce Jat2 have a publishing
empire going whether they $now it or not, and Arnie seems to have
started a brush !ire with Fegas 2andom 9eekly. 3t5s up to '* issues
now, available to non-"as =egans at e!an2ines.com, and maintains
the energetic (dare 3 say sprightly:+ approach to !annish news and
!ol$s that seems to have characteri2ed a majority o! =egas !andom
!rom its earliest days.
Whew. There, 3 did it7
The Free Book Deal
Our query for Contest #11 uttered in dulcet tones thusly:
According to The 2000 Old Fan's Almanac by Dick & Leah Smith,
which four writers (all of whom have written as fen and 'pros,' as far
as I know) have birthdays from Nov. 23 to Nov. 25?
The correct answer is: Wilson Bob Tucker, 4SJ, Spider
Robinson and Poul Anderson.
Only three readers entered this round (that's regular mail and
online categories combined). Are you all getting bored? Would you
prefer easier questions? <G>
Lloyd Penney wins Robert Bloch's The Eighth Stage of
Fandom (and thereby eliminated himself from the online contest, but
I'm sure he's not unhappy about that). The online prize is Heat of
Fusion and Other Stories by John M. Ford, and goes to Steven H
Silver. Congratulations to the winners; your books will be in the mail
soon.
Contest #12 Is Announced: Who won the first Grand
Master Nebula ever awarded by the Science Fiction Writers of
America? Hint: It's the same person who made a famous comment
about lunch. Can't get too much easier than that, folks.
Prize Preannouncement: Since it doesn't seem to make
much difference in the number of respondents, I'm reverting to
announcing the prizes ahead of time. The regular mail winner will
receive a great collection of short fiction, Jubilee: Stories by Jack
Dann. The online winner will receive a lovely art book written and
illustrated by Jim Fitzpatrick called The Silver Arm (it's his telling of
the Irish Book of Conquests and the story of Nuada). If you don't
have online access but know someone who does, and you want to
enter the online contest, have that person send in your entry with
Free Book Deal entry for [your name] as the Subject line. Check
the colophon for my e-mail and regular-mail address details.
Deadline for all responses to both contests is midnight
(EST) April 10, 2005.
Let me repeat something here: The reason there are a few
folks who are winning more than one book is because they are the
ones entering the contests. You can't win anything if you don't
enter. I'm footing the postage bill on these prizes, folks, and I
expect some effort in return from their recipients.
12
If you don't know the answer to the question, be resourceful:
ask a friend, hit the local library's reference section, etc. No one said
you had to squeeze the answer out of your brain for it to count. If you
want a free book, it's easy enough to get one. If you haven't entered
any of the contests and are whining, I don't wanna hear it the only
person you have to blame for it is yourself.
Will the Real Swamp Thing Please Stand UP?
editorial
35ve been thin$ing lately about this
!an2ine, what 35ve published and the places
35ve visited with those contents (both
BrealC and imagined+, and as$ing mysel!
whether the contents have been in $eeping
with my announced theme o! journeys. 3
thin$ so, and !rom the reader responses
35ve received, you all li$e what you5re
reading here, so 3 presume 35m on the right
road.
espite the !act that the article
pool idea never got o!! the ground, articles
continue to come in at a rate which is
generally commensurate with .N5s
publishing schedule, which is a relie!. No one has complained about
my lac$ o! contributions here, again a relie!; !or a while 3 !eared 3
might have to write everything in this !an2ine mysel!, but the !ear
was short-lived since several readers rescued me !rom that !ate. 4ost
o! the writing 3 do about mysel! !or .N appears in this editorial
space, and 3 thin$ that5s where it will stay most o! the time. 3! 3 get a
notion to write something that would be better suited as an article,
you5ll all $now about it.
,hristmas was a @uiet celebration, spent with !amily. 4y son
and 3 went down the road (about L minutes5 drive+ to my parents5
house !or dinner and pre22ies, and 3 got lots o! cool stu!! and only a
!ew clun$ers. ;amie also got cool stu!!, which $ept him occupied !or
all o! a day, as 3 recall. 0h well. 8e5s had !ar too many snow days
since then !or my taste, but then 3 wouldn5t have been able to drive a
bus in that weather either. We had yummy !ood and ;amie5s Dncle
;ohn played pass the !ootball with him in the bac$ yard; good !or
them both, !or several reasons.
35m planning to attend Wiscon this year because it5s in late
4ay (weather5s better than now+, it5s in 4adison, Wisconsin
(relatively close and not etroit T no o!!ense to anyone !rom there+,
"yn 4c,onchie will be there (as announced in her loc thish+ as well
as Trinlay Jhadro (pending good outcome in other areas+, one o! the
<o8s is <wyneth ;ones (3 don5t thin$ 35ve read any o! her boo$s yet,
but people $eep tal$ing about her li$e she Jnows ?omething, so 35ll
go and see !or mysel!+, and my health has improved to the point
where 3 thin$ 3 can actually ma$e the trip on one o! the two car-!erry
services !rom 4ichigan to Wisconsin (cheaper than air!are and 3 get
to ta$e my car+. 3 haven5t been to a con in nearly !ive years, and have
wanted to attend a Wiscon i! !or no other reason than to !ind out
What <oes 0n at one.
A!ter ') months o! treatments that started out on a wee$ly
schedule and progressed to a biwee$ly one, my acupuncture sessions
are now every three wee$s. This ma$es my needle lady happy, !or, as
she says, she5d rather see me in the grocery store than in her o!!ice.
,hanging to a tri-wee$ly schedule means progress, which also
pleased my ENT doctor when 3 saw him recently. All 3 have to
remember is to get enough sleep at night, eat regularly, ta$e all my
meds and supplements, and stay as calm as possible.
4y son is maturing. Now that he5s had to clean his room
every night !or a wee$, he sees the bene!it in spending less time on
doing it, since the room stays cleaner. 8e seems to have !inally
gro$$ed that i! he wor$s !or his allowance, and doesn5t spend it as
soon as he gets it, he will have enough money !or 6riday night Aoc$
5n5 Aoll #owling and snac$s to boot. Wonders never cease.
iscipline, with love, wor$s well.
+3