John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction   A history of the early days of modern Science Fiction, centered about the lives of John W. Campbell Jr. and three of his proteges: Robert Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and Isaac Asimov. A sometimes interesting account of a crucial era in the history of Science Fiction, but mainly just biographies of the titular personalities. Most of the interactions among these characters occurred before World War II, long before the lifetimes of anyone likely to be reading. I'm a longtime SF reader who grew up reading Heinlein and Asimov, and started reading Analog intermittently from about the time of Campbell's death.  As invested as I am in the SF of the second half of the 20th Century, the history of the first half didn't interest me that much. Really, if you want to know what was happening in SF way back when, just read the stories! (SPOILER: It mostly sucked, especially Hubbard an...

  “The Shattering” is the new campaign world I've begun to design for an eventual return to in-person gaming. Here are my base points:   -- I’ll run some flavor of D&D, most likely Moldvay B/E. Initial design will be version (and system, I guess) independent.   -- PC level independent, at least in initial design. Populating the encounters will need to wait until it's decided if the players want to start with fresh PCs, or continue with developed (and at this stage, probably ridiculously equipped) PCs. The PCs in my group are always happy to dungeon delve, so those subterranean complexes can be designed now, and stocked later.   -- The actual "world" will be designed as a network of interconnected locales. Completing the scenario in the current location will provide clues/quests for choosing the next course of action. As the PCs explore the setting while gathering information along the way, they can choose whichever opportunity looks most attractive to...

Long ago, in ancient days, a tremendous cataclysm shook the land. A vast expanse filled with hills and valleys, cultivated fields and wild woodlands, with isolated hamlets and vibrant cities was transformed into a warped and shattered landscape. Tales and legends of that event are innumerable, but they differ with every teller, particularly on the event’s cause. Was it Wild Magic gone berserk? The anger of the Gods? A fragment of the Celestial Sphere crashing to Earth? But every loremaster has come to name both the event and the blasted land as -- The Shattering. The long-lived elves, whose memories span millennia, say in ancient days an Elven kingdom rich in wealth, exalted in culture, and strong in magic brilliantly shone in a land filled with beauty and wonder. That land was one among many that disappeared from history, lain to waste by The Shattering. Still, to this day, whisperings among the elves say it is not so. Long have elven adventurers searched, but they have found no evide...

      I've been an avid science-fiction fan from childhood. Through the eighties into the early nineties, I subscribed to IASFM. Some truly great stuff was published in that mag, particularly when Gardner Dozois was editor. I became acquainted with some of my favorite authors through that magazine and got caught up in the excitement generated by the Cyberpunk movement, which was prominently represented in its pages. Around 1994, I dropped my subscription, and fell out of touch with new and upcoming SF writers. Still followed my favorites from the eighties but, besides John Scalzi, really didn't become acquainted with any new SF writers. About ten years ago, I decided to try to discover some of the new talent, since some of my favorites (e.g., Bruce Sterling) weren't publishing much anymore. So I took a six-month subscription to IASFM in an attempt to educate myself. Good lord, in those six issues I enjoyed the grand total of ONE story! The rest, just dross, pure dross. Fa...

  Jefferson Airplane -- 14 September 1970   Have You Seen the Saucers? -- 14 Sep 1970 Taken from a performance at the Fillmore West (the former Carousel Ballroom) in San Francisco, California. With a capacity of around 3000, this was Bill Graham's premier venue at the time. "Have You Seen the Saucers" was recorded in February 1970 and was released in May on a 45, backed with "Mexico". Neither cut was released on LP until the Early Flight compilation in 1974. "Saucers" was a better song than many of those on Volunteers and Bark , the LPs bookending its release. For me, the four Kantner / Slick collaborations ( Blows Against the Empire, Sunfighter, Manhole, Baron Von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun ) are better than the last three Jefferson Airplane studio albums. But imagine if the band had released just one Jefferson Airplane LP per year, 1969-1973, with a selection of the best of all the Airplane, Kantner / Slick, and Hot Tuna records in those years. Th...

  Our Heroine, a software baron (who actually knows how to code -- talk about science fiction!), flees dark forces in a near-future Earth only to be yanked into a strange universe populated with highly evolved, cyberneticly enhanced human-like races. The action gallops along briskly in a strange and original setting. It's pure Space Opera with an evil Empress, a marauding galaxy-consuming alien entity, and rivals who hurl titanic energies against each other. One action sequence follows another as our Heroine and her allies are battered, bruised, and tortured, miraculously recover, then move on to another girl, another weird planet. But before concluding in the somewhat underwhelming final conflict, our Heroine learns to overcome her selfish, controlling tendencies and place her trust in the ability and loyalty of the odd collection of friends she's gathered during her journey. It's an enjoyable and well-written tale, but it runs a little long. Shaving off 20% probably would...

  Took advantage of a bright, blustery Sunday and motored out to Hagerstown, Maryland to troll the used bookstores. Picked up a bunch of history and biography at 2nd & Charles , but all the Sci-Fi at Wonder Books . The latter had a 2-for-1 deal on mass market paperbacks, which regular readers know would make me happy. The Haul:   -- The Tar-Aiym Krang -- Alan Dean Foster -- 1972   -- Probability Moon -- Nancy Kress -- 2000   -- Midnight at the Well of Souls -- Jack Chalker -- 1977   -- Bloodhype -- Alan Dean Foster -- 1973   -- Black Sun Rising -- C. S. Friedman -- 1991 Also picked up "King Jesus", by Robert Graves. Haven't read it yet, but I guess it's either an alternate history or an alternate myth, depending on your tribal allegiance. Genre-adjacent, at least.