Evelyn C. Leeper's Home Page: Books, Travel, and More

This week's MT VOID contents :

What to Look for in the Eclipse
Bottled Water (comments by Mark R. Leeper)
A Cyber-Crime Too Big to Fail? (comments by Mark R. Leeper)
STAR-BEGOTTEN: A LIFE LIVED IN SCIENCE FICTION by James Gunn 
     (book review by Joe Karpierz)
1944 (film review by Mark R. Leeper)
6 DAYS (film review by Mark R. Leeper)
"West Wing" (letter of comment by Philip Chee)
This Week's Reading (SYLVIE AND BRUNO, COUNTER-CLOCK WORLD, 
     CRYPTOZOIC!, TIME'S ARROW, and "What Has Passed Shall 
     in Kinder Light Appear") (book comments 
     by Evelyn C. Leeper)
Quote of the Week

Featured articles, trip logs, and convention reports:

• NorthAmeriCon '17 (NASFIC 2017) Convention Report (July 2017) (98)
• Philcon 2016 Convention Report (November 2016) (45K)
• Los Angeles (mostly foodie stuff) (August 2016) (17K)
• Londinium in CMLIV A.U.C. (201 C.E.)
• List of books read by the Old Bridge (NJ) Public Library's "Original" Book Group
• List of books read by the Old Bridge (NJ) Public Library's Science Fiction Book Group

Mark and I were Fan Guests of Honor for Windycon XXIX, November 8-10, 2002. Here are:

• My convention report
• A brief co-biography written for the Program Book by friend and seven-time Hugo nominee Bob Devney
• Further information on Windycon

What I do:

• I was for twenty years one of the judges for the Sidewise Award for Alternate History.
  • Click here for "AH 101," a quick introduction to alternate history.
  • Click here for a list of Jewish-themed alternate histories.
• I read books and write book reviews.
• I travel and write travelogues and science fiction convention reports.
• I maintain various lists and pages:
  • Lists of bookstores throughout the world
  • A Magical Realism page of discussion and links
  • A Harry Potter page: differences between the British and American editions of the first book (work in progress)
  • A Sherlock Holmes booklist
  • The rec.arts.books FAQ
  • The rec.arts.sf.written FAQ
  • The rec.arts.movies FAQ
  • The rec.arts.sf.movies FAQ
  • Recommended DVD commentaries

If you want to get some idea of my philosophy, check out my .sig quotes.

I have been nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer twelve times, most recently in 2001.

The MT VOID is a publication of the Mt. Holz science fiction club.

To subscribe, send mail to mtvoid-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mtvoid/.

Table of Contents

• 08/11/17, Vol. 36, No. 6: Comments on what to look for in the eclipse, on bottled water, and on cyber-crime; book review of Star-Begotten; film reviews of 1944 and 6 Days; letter of comment on "West Wing"; and comments on books (Sylvie and Bruno, Counter-Clock World, Cryptozoic!, Time's Arrow, and "What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear").
• 08/04/17, Vol. 36, No. 5: Announcement of NASFIC con report; comments on today's "West Wing", and on the shape of places to come; letters of comment on Greece, on Rhinoceros, and on henry Ward beecher; and comments on books (The Assimilated Cuban's Guide to Quantum Santería, and The Collapsing Empire).
• 07/28/17, Vol. 36, No. 4: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on "up to", on Galaxy and Amazing magazines, and on Mark's picks for Turner Classic Movies in Augus; film reviews of Valerian: City of a Thousand Planets and Dunkirk; book reviews of A Closed and Common Orbit and The God Wave; letters of comment on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, and on jumpers and pinafores; and comments on books (The Great God Pan, Vacation Guide to the Solar System, and The Novel of the Century).
• 07/21/17, Vol. 36, No. 3: Corrections; comments on the Newark Steam Man, on the National Parks Senior Pass, and on San Juan and the NASFIC; film review of War for the Planet of the Apes; letters of comment on tights, on Too Like the Lightning, and on the Scholastic Aptitude Test; and comments on books (Evolution and War for the Planet of the Apes).
• 07/14/17, Vol. 36, No. 2: Comments on James Bond, and on San Juan; book reviews of Too Like the Lightning and Death's End; letters of comment on Sikhs, and on the Scholastic Aptitude Test; and comments on books ("There Was a Crooked Man, He Flipped a Crooked House" and Limitless).
• 07/07/17, Vol. 36, No. 1: Comments on tights, and on academic cheating; film review of Under the Turban; and comments on books (book formats and "Your Life in 1977"),
• 06/30/17, Vol. 35, No. 53: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on remembrance, Little Free Libraries, and on Mark's picks for Turner Classic Movies in July, film review of A Quiet Passion; letters of comment on minions, on An Economist Gets Lunch, and on Before the Dawn; and comments on books (Hugo novelette and short story finalists),
• 06/23/17, Vol. 35, No. 52: Announcement of the John W. Campbell Award finalists and winner; comments on Marvel movies, on what is science fiction, and on The Massacre of Mankind; book reviews of Ninefox Gambit and Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet; film review of The Midnighters; letter of comment on Mona Lisa; and comments on books (Hugo novella finalists: The Ballad of Black Tom, Every Heart a Doorway, Penric and the Shaman, A Taste of Honey, and This Census-Taker).
• 06/16/17, Vol. 35, No. 51: Comments on Adam West, on Val Lewton, on the Mona Lisa; film reviews of Aaron's Blood and Wonder Woman; letters of comment on Agatha Christie, on generation ships, on Greece, on Afterimage, on Matt Helm, on geography and the Martians, on The Warrior's Apprentice, on Hidden Figures, on Deadpool, and on Hugo finalists; and comments on books (Postern of Fate).
• 06/09/17, Vol. 35, No. 50: Comments on the WannaCry virus and the hacker century; film review of Be Afraid; letters of comment on Greece and comments on books (Lagoon, Wicked Wonders, and A Caribbean Mystery).
• 06/02/17, Vol. 35, No. 49: Comments on Greece; film review of Afterimage; letter of comment on spotting the ISS spotting tools; and comments on books (Last Year and The Martian).
• 05/26/17, Vol. 35, No. 48: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on Nebula Awards, on Ghosts, and on Mark's picks for Turner Classic Movies in June; book review of The Asylum of Dr. Caligari and Spaceships; film review of The Women's Balcony; letters of comment on ISS spotting tools, on Fantastic Voyage, on issue numbers, on Hugo finalists, on Turner Classic Movies, and on rain and dogs; comments on Superman and the KKK, on imitation, and on Fantastic Voyage; and comments on books (Simulacron-3).
• 05/19/17, Vol. 35, No. 47: Correction, announcement of Hugo finalists change, pointer to tricorder invention, pointer to ISS spotting tool; comments on Superman and the KKK, on imitation, and on Fantastic Voyage; book review of Wicked Wonders; letters of comment on Stefan Zweig, on Horror of Dracula, and Fantastic Voyage; and comments on books (Breaking the Maya Code (Revised), and Rhinoceros).
• 05/12/17, Vol. 35, No. 46: Comments on Hammer films, on tricorders, on Fantastic Voyage, and on Curse of Frankenstein and Horror of Dracula; film review of Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe; letters of comment on All the Birds in the Sky and Latin@ Rising, paper, and fonts; and comments on books (Reel Terror).
• 05/05/17, Vol. 35, No. 45: Comments on a chart of the history of science fiction, and on the soap opera effect; book reviews of All the Birds in the Sky and A Night Without Stars; letters of comment on Davy Crockett, on Enceladus, and on Hidden Figures and The Rise of the Rocket Girls; and comments on books (New York 2140 and Latin@ Rising).
• 04/28/17, Vol. 35, No. 44: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups and of TAFF winner; comments on Mark's picks for Turner Classic Movies for May; film review of The Girl from the Brothel; letter of comment on role models; and comments on books (Cretaceous Dawn).
• 04/21/17, Vol. 35, No. 43: Comments on Davy Crockett, on geography and Martians, and on Enceladus; book reviews of The Warrior's Apprentice and The Dawn of Innovation; film review of Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story; letters of comment on Andromeda Nebula, on tripod ambulation, on grammar, and on confusing mathematics; and comments on books (The True Believer, El libro de los salmos, and "Overrated!").
• 04/14/17, Vol. 35, No. 42: Comments on role models, on the new perspective, on H. G. Wells and The Massacre of Mankind, and on the Hugo finalists; book review of The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Eleven; letters of comment on confusing mathematics; and comments on books (It Can't Happen Here and War Films).
• 04/07/17, Vol. 35, No. 41: Announcement of Hugo finalists; comments on confusing language; film reviews of Zero Days, Anthropoid, The Salesman, Touched with Fire, Transpecos, and Worlds Apart; letters of comment on Day for Night; and comments on books (Stories of Your Life and Others).
• 03/31/17, Vol. 35, No. 40: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on April 1, on Mark's picks for Turner Classic Movies in April, pointer to video of Mars; film reviews of Bethany, The Blackcoat's Daughter, and Bokeh; book review of Into the Fire: Samantha Kane #1; letters of comment on selecting words; and comments on books (Down Here in the Dream Quarter).
• 03/24/17, Vol. 35, No. 39: Comments on CRISPR; film review of Dig Two Graves; letters of comment on selecting words, and on The Life and Growth of Language and Chinese; and comments on books (The Man from Mars).
• 03/17/17, Vol. 35, No. 38: Announcement of Old Bridge (NJ) comic con; comments on eBay and on words and ideas; film reviews of Kong: Skull Island and Tickling Giants; letters of comment on Malaya and the talented minority, on Superman versus the KKK, on Gregory Benford, on reading, on Hidden Figures, and on Andromeda Nebula and Medusa's Web; and comments on books (The Life and Growth of Language).
• 03/10/17, Vol. 35, No. 37: Comments on space news, on calendars, and on Superman and the KKK; film reviews of Brimstone and Atomica; book review of Shards of Honor and The Big Picture; letters of comment on "Stigmata", on Captain Fantastic, on Z, on Inherit the Wind, on The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, Moonlight and Mahershala Ali, on Eye in the Sky, on Hacksaw Ridge, on Admiral, on The Finest Hours, on Rogue One, on elections, on In Search of the Castaways, on Way Station, on The Vicomte de Bragelonne andSir Charles Grandison, on microbes and antibiotics, on talented minority syndrome, and on Isaac's Storm; and comments on books (Pope Joan).
• 03/03/17, Vol. 35, No. 36: Comments on Mediterranean; film reviews of Captain Fantastic, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, and The Legend of Tarzan; letters of comment on Burlesque: The Heart of the Glitter Tribe and luchadores, on "Stigmata", on The Skill of Our Hands, on Turner Classic Movies, and on near-future SF ; and comments on books (In Search of the Castaways or the Children of Captain Grant).
• 02/24/17, Vol. 35, No. 35: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups, and the MT VOID policy on fiction; comments on Mark's picks for Turner Classic Movies in October, and on near-future SF; book review of The Skill of Our Hands; film reviews of Burlesque: The Heart of the Glitter Tribe and Lavender; letters of comment on Varney the Vampire, on Way Station, on superbugs, and on Project Blue; "Stigmata" (fiction); and comments on books (Invisible Planets: An Anthology of Contemporary Chinese SF in Translation).
• 02/17/17, Vol. 35, No. 34: Pointer to Philcon 2016 convention report; comments on ice ages, and on superbugs; book reviews of Way Station and Varney the Vampire; letters of comment on Project Blue, on walls, on The Lord of the Rings, on autism, on The Dispatcher, and on The Expanse; and comments on books (Through Five Administrations: Reminiscences of Colonel William H. Crook).
• 02/10/17, Vol. 35, No. 33: Comments on walls, on The Lord of the Rings, and on autism; book reviews of The Dispatcher and Babylon's Ashes; film review of Road to the Well; letter of comment on Arsenic and Old Lace; and comments on books ("Masterworks of Early 20th Century Literature", Heart of Darkness, and Sicilian Carousel).
• 02/03/17, Vol. 35, No. 32: Comments on fast radio bursts; film reviews of Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World, Among the Believers, Sunset Song, and Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You; letters of comment on anti-matter food, on single-letter film titles, and on Inherit the Wind, Of Mice and Men, The Daughter, and La La Land; and comments on books (Civil War Ghosts, Green Tea and Other Ghost Stories, and Atheism: A Brief Insight).
• 01/27/17, Vol. 35, No. 31: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on Soviet futurism in 1960, revisionists recipe, and on Mark's picks for Turner Classic Movies in February; book review of The Four Thousand, the Eight Hundred; film review of The Daughter; letter of comment on La La Land; comments on books (Isaac's Storm).
• 01/20/17, Vol. 35, No. 30: Comments on monster drive-in posters, on GPS surgery, and on the visible light telescope upgrade; film reviews of La La Land, Off the Rails, I Am Not Your Negro, The Lovers and the Despot, A Patch of Fog, and Claire in Motion; letters of comment on Jackie, fast radio bursts, N. K. Jemisin, and Beyond Earth; book review of Miniatures: The Very Short Fiction of John Scalzi; comments on books (Time Travel: A History and The Dim Sum Field Guide).
• 01/13/17, Vol. 35, No. 29: Comments on submarines, and on fast radio bursts; film reviews of Jackie, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, Fireworks Wednesday, Kate Plays Christine, and A Patch of Fog; book reviews of The Obelisk Gate and Beyond Earth; comments on books (Copenhagen).
• 01/06/17, Vol. 35, No. 28: Announcement of OFCS winners; comments on the answer; Mark's "Top Ten" films of 2016; film reviews of Rogue One, Hacksaw Ridge, and The Stolen Lyric; letters of comment on fake news and hacking, on The Invisible Boy, on Sherlock Holmes, and on TAFF 2017; comments on books (Postcards from Stanland and Putin Country).
• 12/30/16, Vol. 35, No. 27: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on Mark's picks for Turner Classic Movies in January; book review of Alien Morning; letters of comment on fake news; comments on books (Literary Wonderlands and Hidden Figures).
• 12/23/16, Vol. 35, No. 26: Comments on Death Stars, on snow, and on fake news; film review of Counter Clockwise; book review of The Dark Forest; television review of Daredevil; letters of comment on Gary [K.] Wolf[e], on llamas, on Indian savory snacks, and Pulp Fiction and Quentin Tarantino films; comments on books (Sherlock Holmes and the Stuff of Nightmares, Sherlock Holmes and the Patchwork Devil, and Echoes of Sherlock Holmes).
• 12/16/16, Vol. 35, No. 25: Comments on grading pass/fail, and on Indian savory snacks; book review of Crosstalk; letter of comment on Roman names; comments on books (Textos cautivos and Borges en "El hogar").
• 12/09/16, Vol. 35, No. 24: Comments on Christmas, and on reading groups; film review of SMART; book review of Conquerors; letter of comment on classicists and science fiction fans; annotations to Chapter 1 of Moby Dick;
• 12/02/16, Vol. 35, No. 23: Comments on Garden State Parkway tolls, and "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"; an illustration; letter of comment on Presidents as authors; and comments on books (Living with a Dead Language and Some Kind of Hero).
• 11/25/16, Vol. 35, No. 22: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on Mark's picks for Turner Classic Movies in December; film review of Denial; letters of comment on technology; book review of Good-Bye to All That; and comments on Presidents as authors.
• 11/18/16, Vol. 35, No. 21: Comments on the EmDrive, and on the negative power of technology; film review of Arrival; letters of comment on ratings, and on superheroes; and review of "How Great Science Fiction Works".
• 11/11/16, Vol. 35, No. 20: Comments on the supermoon, on swimming and the Apollo program, and on rating systems; film comments on Laura; letters of comment on rocket fuel, on Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and on the interplanetary experience; and comments on books (Five-Finger Discount).
• 11/04/16, Vol. 35, No. 19: Comments on the interplanetary experience, on monster wines, and on Star Wars: The Force Awakens; film reviews of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Star Wars: The Force Awakens; book reviews of The End of All Things and The Value of the Moon; letters of comments on the Retro Hugo Awards and on The Diary of Samuel Pepys; and comments on books (Crosstalk and You Can Look It Up).
• 10/28/16, Vol. 35, No. 18: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on Mark's picks for Turner Classic Movies in November; film review of The Monster; letters of comments on Grant's memoirs, on canine intelligence, on Shin Godzilla and rating scales, on Shin Godzilla and translated titles, on Aurora and Gregory Benford, on Jane Austen, on one-word film titles, on Walmart, on Casablanca, on Seed: The Untold Story, and on ideology and scientific consensus; and comments on books (Twelve Days of Terror).
• 10/21/16, Vol. 35, No. 17: Comments on the bat-signal and on crow intelligence; film reviews of Shin Godzilla and The Windmill; and comments on books (Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant).
• 10/14/16, Vol. 35, No. 16: Comments on our roots, on the minds of dogs, and on fueling spacecraft; film review of Yo-Kai Watch: The Movie; letters of comments on pies and "The Great American Dream Machine"; and comments on books (The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen and Lectures on Literature).
• 10/07/16, Vol. 35, No. 15: Announcement of Benford award; comments on practical applications and on Walmart and the English language; book review of Transgalactic; and comments on books (The Big Book of Science Fiction and The Paper Menagerie).
• 09/30/16, Vol. 35, No. 14: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on Mark's picks for Turner Classic Movies in October; solution for quiz on one-word film titles; film reviews of Now We're Alive and Sole Proprietor; book review of Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen; and comments on books (On the Edge of Gone and Running the Books).
• 09/23/16, Vol. 35, No. 13: Comments on Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959); quiz on one-word film titles; film reviews of Somnus, I.T., and Seed: The Untold Story; book review of 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created; and comments on books (The Mammoth Book of Cthulhu and Jews, Slaves, and the Slave Trade).
• 09/16/16, Vol. 35, No. 12: Comments on flying saucer book covers, on the 1959 film Journey to the Center of the Earth, and on Ellen Datlow; book review of Quantum Night; film reviews of Sully, Florence Foster Jenkins, and The People Garden; letters of comment on the Prius; and comments on books (The Annotated Hobbit).
• 09/09/16, Vol. 35, No. 11: Comments on the secret agent polka, on the Metropolis program book, on American SF/horror anthology series of the 1960s, and on the Prius; book review of Local Custom; film review of London Road; and comments on books (Moby-Dick as Doubloon).
• 09/02/16, Vol. 35, No. 10: Comments on frustration, on American SF/horror anthology series of the 1950s, and on the Beloit Mindset List; letters of comment on Suicide Squad, on Star Trek Beyond, on Hugos and Retro Hugos, on Seveneves and spoilers, and on Trumbo and A Man for All Seasons; and comments on books (12 Years a Slave).
• 08/26/16, Vol. 35, No. 9: Announcement of science fiction discussion groups; comments on Boris Karloff Day on TCM, on electrons, on Mark's picks for Turner Classic Movies in September, on Hugo and Retro Hugo Award winners, and on infinite universes; film reviews of Killer Party and of Bad Moms; book reviews of five more Jack Reacher novels; list of various changes to Hugo categories and voting procedures; letters of comment on Star Trek Beyond and on the joys of self-immolation; and comments on books (Tales and Sketches and The Black Lizard Book of Locked Room Mysteries).
• 08/19/16, Vol. 35, No. 8: Comments on chamber music, on Star Trek Beyond, and on exo-planets; film review of Suicide Squad; and comments on books (A History of the English-Speaking Peoples).
• 08/12/16, Vol. 35, No. 7: Comments on irony, on gjetost, and on attitudes in old movies; book review of Seveneves; comments on animal intelligence and altruism, on Pinocchio, and on encores and the Proms; and comments on books and films (There Are Two Errors In The The Title of this Book and The Civil War).
• 08/05/16, Vol. 35, No. 6: Correction; comments on Tor eBook Club, and on the lessons of Pinocchio; film review of yHomeless?; comments on encores; and comments on books and films (Book Business and Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?).

Older back issues are available here and at fanac.org.

Here are some links to sites of interest:

• the incomparable Mark R. Leeper's Home Page
• The Internet Speculative Fiction DataBase
• Uchronia Alternate History List, Overview
• Steven Silver's Jewish Science Fiction Bibliography