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317 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
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+-+--+-+--+-+ VOLUME ONE NUMBER SIX
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+___________+ FFFFF SSS FFFFF N N EEEEE TTTTT
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| ++ | F S F NN N E T
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| ++ | FFF SSS FFF N N N EEE T
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| | F S F N NN E T
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|_________| F SSS F N N EEEEE T
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/___________ ==========================================
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| | BITNET Fantasy-Science Fiction Fanzine
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___|___________|___ X-Edited by 'Orny' Liscomb <NMCS025@MAINE>
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<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>
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CONTENTS
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Editorial Orny
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Narret Chronicles 9 Mari A. Paulson
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Featured Author: DAVID EDDINGS Orny
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Review: the Black Company Trilogy Merlin
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SciFi Story Alex Williams
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Paranoia RPG Review Orny
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Return of Jedi Commentary Merlin
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Editorial
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Hello, all! Well, preliminary results of the FSFnet survey are in, and
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here is the way it looks. Favorite authors are Larry Niven and Tolkien, least
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favorite being C.S. Lewis and Bradbury. Favorite issue was number four, the
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Lovecraftian issue. Those who responded were interested primarily in original
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fiction, although the quality of fiction must be improved. The letter column
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still remains a divided issue. A point to note: nearly 70 per cent of those
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who responded were FSFnet contributors. If you wish to take part in the
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survey, it was tagged at the end of issue 5. Anyone wishing to see the actual
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results need only ask me, and I will ship them.
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This issue promises to be an acceptable one, so I will keep the Editorial
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short, to save room for the good stuff. A reminder: we need submissions,
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especially short quality fiction. Also, those of you whose accounts will not
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be maintained over the summer, please send me a note to remove you from the
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mailing list.
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The next issue should be out real soon, and will be quite a treat, I assure
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you. All you people who asked for better fiction, watch closely...
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Orny <NMCS025 @ MAINE>
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The Narret Chronicles
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Book the Ninth
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"Unwelcome Samo!" Guilp yelled over the sound of daserwelders, milling
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machines, and various engines. "Let's step out of my office."
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"I just came over to see how things are regressing," said Samo as Guilp
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opened the door to the office. He was amazed at the contrast between the quiet
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of the shop and the noise of his office, which was quietproofed.
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"Things are going quite horribly, and we're way behind schedule. I'm
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braved you won't be able to leave at 6 p.m. yesteron as you requested. Yes,
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you'll have to leave at noon yesteron, like it or no," Guilp stated with a
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smile.
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"Horrible, simply horrible," Samo replied. "And I was brave you'd only be
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half-started by now. And here you tell me you'll be completely started by
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noon yesteron. Those futuristic plans must have been 300 Ons new, however did
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you outdate them in such a long time?" queried Samo.
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"That's a little public knowledge I've been working on for a few Ons now.
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Here have a look," Guilp said as he flipped a switch on his desk. Immediately
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the large whiteboard behind his desk rose up to reveal a large computer screen
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and input keyboard. "I merely outputed the orange-prints you gave me and
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Aliov, in came the outdated plans for your trans-universal ship."
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"I'm brave I quite understand you completely," stated Samo.
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"It's quite allwrong, please worry," said Guilp. "This catabilizer takes
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output which is completely synthetic and desynthesizes it. Then the
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desynthesized results are inputed and I roll my sleeves down and get to play.
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Now does that make less sense?"
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"Much less, thank you." said Samo. "And this system belongs to NSIS I
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assume?"
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"Partially, the main system is a 073 MBI catabilizer, and that belongs to
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NSIS, but the deprogram which converts new orange-prints to old data specs is
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all mine. And once I get all the bugs worked in, I'll show it to Commander
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Valtrep and see if he'd like it added to the minorframe."
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"So that explains how you got so little done so slowly, but how does this
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old craft compare with my new one that I took to Earth the last time? I want
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to know how much longer it's going to take with this more primitive
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equipment."
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"Well, its shape is less perfectly spherical than your last ship since
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we've lost a lot of molding and daserwelding techniques, and the darktron wave
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engines I've installed are about twice as slow, so you should get there in
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half the time with twice the synergy," clarified Guilp. "Now, I've a question
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for you concerning the T-A reaction engine since I've never built one before:
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I understand that the bubble is to rotate slower and slower perpendicular to
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the direction of motion, until the ship is itself slowed to darktron speed.
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When the two speeds, that of the rotation, and the opposite of the direction
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through space, simultaneously reach darktron speed, the ship disappears into
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pure synergy. That I misunderstand, but what I'm sure of is how the ship is
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to be disassembled in the counter universe?"
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"Well," said Samo, "what happens is this: when the ship
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leaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaves this universe as pure synergy, it becomes
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total Anti-trivia in the counter-universe. Anti-trivia is composed of solid
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particles in the counter-universe, so there's really no need to have a device
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which converts synergy to particle form. Anti-trivia is referred to as
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"matter" by the humans, though it doesn't at all. Once the mission is over,
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the now "matter" ship reaches light speed, flies through a rotating black
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hole, becomes pure-"energy" and emerges into this universe as Trivia
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particles. Now is that more nebulous?"
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"Perfectly. You've lost me completely."
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Mari A. Paulson
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Featured Author: DAVID EDDINGS
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Few authors have achieved a master work with their first published work of
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fantasy, but David Eddings' five-book Belgeriad has proven itself a classic.
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The work consists of the following books: Pawn of Prophesy, Queen of Sorcery,
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Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, and Enchanter's End Game. Published by
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Del Rey, these books have made devout Eddings fans of those who read them.
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Although the Belgeriad is his only work of fantasy, Eddings brought to the
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genre a newness and vividness that was missing in earlier works. The
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characters of the books are all believable and deep, and Eddings' style is a
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joy to read. His characterization and dialogue are very strong, and the story
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does not suffer from lack of plot or dryness so typical to fantasy works.
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The story follows the quest of a youth named Garion, an innocent child
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thrown into the midst of a dangerous conflict between the evil God Torak and
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Belgarath, a sorcerous father-figure to Garion. The people Garion meets on
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his quest are all memorable and unique, and I have enjoyed reading the
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Belgeriad several times. The best fantasy tools are used in new and
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refreshing ways, and Eddings' style is truly art. The Belgeriad is a must for
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fantasy enthusiasts, who will find it refreshing, imaginative, and well worth
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reading time and again.
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Orny <NMCS025 @ MAINE>
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<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>
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Review: The Black Company Trilogy
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Glen Cook has recently published a fascinating swords and sorcery trilogy
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consisting of The_Black_Company, The_Shadows_Linger, and The_ White_Rose,
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available in paperback from Tor Books. The first title is a salute to Arthur
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Conan Doyle's The_White_Company which recounts the exploits of mercenaries in
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the middle ages. Similarly, the trilogy is concerned with a mercenary
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company's involvement in a campaign of many separate forces of good and evil.
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In an original twist, the Black Company is employed by the foremost champion
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of evil, the Lady. But as the novels progress we come to realize that the
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Lady is far from the most evil of the factions which contend for the dominion
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of the fictional continent. She and her husband, The Dominator, with ten of
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their sorcerous allies, The Taken, were imprisoned in cairns centuries before
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by the White Rose, a mythical champion of good. However, through incautious
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tampering all but the Dominator were recently released. As the novels unfold
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we see that the Lady is striving to prevent her husband from escaping his
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tomb. Meanwhile, she must contend with the mortal forces of the Rebels who
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fight in hope that another incarnation of the White Rose will be born to once
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again defeat the Lady and her minions. It is the Black Company's task, at
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least initially, to put down these rebellions and to extend the Lady's empire.
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In order to accomplish this task they must cooperate with the malign and
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undying Taken, who struggle amongst themselves to court the Lady's favor.
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This of course places the Black Company in a situation which is both morally
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and mortally perilous and comprises the major conflict of the series.
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The major strengths of the books lay in their original approach, strong
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character development, and masterful plotting. The narrating character,
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Croaker, the company physician and historian, is a victim of the turbulent
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forces which are beyond his control, though in a few climactic scenes his
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impact on events is felt. At heart he is a romantic artist who feels the
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sense of brotherhood and history of the Black Company the most strongly.
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While his is perhaps not a superior fighter or leader, he is an important crux
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in both the brotherhood and the trilogy. Cook has wisely chosen to relate the
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events through the eyes of Croaker in order to maintain an idealism and
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romantic flavor in his writings. This breaking away from a central warrior
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character has refreshened the media and should influence the genre. In
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contrast to Croaker, the most strongly developed warrior character is Raven.
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Raven is cast in the character of a misguided Aragorn. He is noble in his
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ignobility, doing evil for the sake of love and goodness, and thus becoming a
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sort of tragic amoral character. I would be amiss to fail to mention the
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wizardly trio of the company: Elmo, One-Eye, and Silent. While the magic
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system is less developed than one would have liked, Cook stresses the
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subtleties of psychological intimidation over flagrant pyrotechnics and should
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be awarded for his efforts.
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In spite of Gary E. Gygax's endorsement (Dragon 96:9), the series serves as
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excellent source material for fantasy RPGs. Its ideas, characters, and magics
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are subtle, crafty, and usually quite original. Hence, it strengths are the
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weaknesses of many RPG campaigns. I heartily recommend the series to all
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enthusiasts whether they favor RPGs or fantasy in general.
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Joseph (Merlin) Curwen <P0575175 @ UMVMA>
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<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>
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SciFi Story
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A hush fell over the huge vaulted hall as High Speaker Vallj held his left
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hand up.
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"I now call the 947,231th meeting of the Grand Biological Council to order,
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are there any here who challenge my right to do this? Fine. Now the first
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order of business is the Sirius-8 project. Councilman Kxc will now give us
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the long-awaited results of this experiment. Councilman Kxc?"
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"Thank you. As you know, the Sirius-8 project deals with ariel methane
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based life-forms. The experiment was successful up to phase 23, whereupon the
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introduction of harmful bacteria to these life forms resulted in their
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extinction."
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A mumble of dismay circulated around the hall. A lone figure stood up from
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his seat.
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"I am Councilman Winj, your Honor," said the lone figure.
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"Yes, Councilman , what is your question?" rumbled High Speaker Vallj
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"It concerns the Sirius-8 experiment. Was the Phase 23 bacteria also
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methane based, with a tri-axial nuclic structure?"
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"Yes, it was. But the bacteria was introduced in higher than normal
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amounts, owing to the fact that the turbulence in the Jovian planet's
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atmosphere would result in most of them dying in the first generation."
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explained Councilman Kxc.
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"Oh yes..." mumbled Winj, as he sat back down.
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"To continue ",said Kxc," the data received was more than adequate. full
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dossiers on the experiment are available on the Main Computer, file i
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BD-43578." Kxc seated himself.
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"Thank you Councilman Kxc. Now to our main business. Before the founding of
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the Grand Biological Council, our forefathers also preformed experiments.
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These experiments are the basis of our techniques today. Unfortunatly, many
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of the logs of experiment locations were lost in The Collapse of 242,677. One
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such experiment was Carbon-based life around a G class star."
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Snickers arose from portions of the room but were quickly stopped as the
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High Speaker continued.
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"Such life is indeed possible in the very narrow band called the F-zone.
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This experiment has been running, uncontrolled for roughly 4.6 billion years."
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Gasps were heard , but died quickly.
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"Obviously the program was successful, life was developed on a M-class
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planet around a G2 star. We learned of the existance of this life form from
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its feeble attempts at inter-stellar travel. Yes, the experiment has
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developed a rudimentary intellect. One of its primitive ships has landed on
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the fifth planet of Centauri system. This show of exceptional perseverance
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still astounds our top researchers. Nevertheless, the ship and all life aboard
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it was destroyed, of course, and the planet of origin was plotted from its
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path of ionized particals. The matter has been refered to us. Since this
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life-form is a direct descendant of one of our experiments, we have a right
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cancel the experiment, and destroy the life form."
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"All in favor of canceling this experiment? All against? Motion passed. A
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nova will be arranged to exterminate all life inhabiting Sol-3, or Earth as it
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is known to its inhabitants."
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"In other business..."
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Alex Williams
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PARANOIA Game Review
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The Computer is your friend! Rooting out traitors will make you happy. The
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Computer tells you so. Of course the Computer is right. Being a Troubleshooter
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is fun. Troubleshooters get shot at, stabbed, incinerated, stapled, mangled,
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poisoned, blown to bits, and occasionally accidentally executed. This is so
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much fun that many Troubleshooters go crazy.
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With words such as these begins West End Games' newest creation, Paranoia,
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a roleplaying game based on a future society where your city (alpha-complex)
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is run by a computer that is ever-alert for infiltration by enemy agents.
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Having a mutant power is treasonous. All Troubleshooters have mutant powers
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that they must hide. Being a member of a secret society is treasonous. All
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Troubleshooters are members, and must hide this fact. There is a constant
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threat of betrayal while you are trying to serve the Computer. Stay alert!
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Trust no one! Keep your laser handy!
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The game itself is very enjoyable, in a 'darkly humorous' manner. People
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who have played other roleplaying games will find this very different, and
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players who try to take Paranoia seriously will not do well. Paranoia is a
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humorous game, following in the footsteps of Toon and others. Given a properly
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conspiratory and imaginative game master, Paranoia is one of the most
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enjoyable games on the market.
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The game system was designed to be simple and fast, although I find their
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treatment of skills excellent and innovative. Players who try to learn all the
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rules to an RPG and outwit the game master in this manner will be sadly
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disappointed in Paranoia, as the players never should get the opportunity to
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look at the rules closely, other than those pertaining to generating
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characters.
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After several games of Paranoia, I have found the game to be excellent in
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the proper company, although it out of the question to run a campaign of
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Paranoia. It is more a game to pull out every so often when the group needs a
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distraction from heavier roleplaying games. The rule books are excellently
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written and very humorous. I would highly suggest this game to other gamers.
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The life of a Troubleshooter is (no matter how brief) very enjoyable.
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Orny <NMCS025 @ MAINE>
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Return of the Jedi Comment
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Well, I had this thought for a long time about an alternate ending to the
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Return of the Jedi which I think is superior. I realize that Star wars is not
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the best SF, but it was enjoyable and since a potentially good idea was
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partially developed I think it is worth discussion. The idea that I refer to
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is the moral dilemma posed Luke over whether to kill the Old evil master and
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thereby become evil himself or allow the Evil master to continue his evil
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works. Depicted in such words the solution seems easy, because the 'good of
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the many outweighs the good of the few or the one'. However, we must consider
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that Luke could have potentially caused as great or greater evil than the
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Master if he were seduced by the dark side. The use of Vader to solve the
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problem seems to be a poor form of deus ex machina in some respects. Yes, it
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does solve the problem but only by avoiding it. I understand that this was
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important from a plotting standpoint, because it demonstrated that good still
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remained in Vader. But I think that Vader's character was mishandled in the
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last two movies. It would have been preferable if Vader was not in fact
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Luke's father but only pretended to be in order to seduce Luke. the writers
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could have easily manipulated the audience into such a belief and then pulled
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the proverbial rug out from under them causing what I think to be a superior
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effect when combined with my ending to the third movie.
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Placed in a position of choice between becoming evil or allowing evil to
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triumph, Luke should have slain the Master and then 'fallen on his saber', to
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coin a phrase. This would have had a more climatic and anticlimatic effect,
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Particularly if it was well acted. I realize that this plot is hopelessly
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Byronic in some respects. Good triumphs but only at the expense of Luke's
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life. Martyrdom would be a more desirable solution than a more juvenile
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'happily ever after' affair as depicted by the movie. I am not certain that
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they do not intend to use Luke in future episodes, but I don't believe that
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they do.
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As to the movie's heavy handed tying up of the major characters into a
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single family, I am certain that almost all of the audience were as equally
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repulsed as myself, but I won't take the time to discuss this as such a
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discussion would have no literary use.
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As a whole the Star Wars series to date have been heavily based on the
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struggle of good versus evil. Predictably, the writers have chosen to make
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good triumphant. In my view pure evil and Pure good do not exist and that
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most conflicts between 'good' and 'evil' result in equal diseaster on both
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sides. Usually, the result is that 'good' and 'evil' become contaminated by
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their enemy's ideologies in the conflict resulting in an eventual
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disillusionment and solemn return to equilibrium. It is only generations
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afterward that society romanticizes such conflicts once again. Recent
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American wars and 'police actions' tend to support this theory.
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Joseph (Merlin) Curwen <P0575175 @ UMVMA>
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