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Mt. Holz Science Fiction Society
Club Notice - 08/05/94 -- Vol. 13, No. 6
MEETINGS UPCOMING:
Unless otherwise stated, all meetings are in Middletown 1R-400C
Wednesdays at noon.
_D_A_T_E _T_O_P_I_C
08/06 Movie: *No film this week*
08/13 Movie: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE (Saturday night, 8PM, RSVP)
08/20 Movie: THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (Saturday night, 8PM, RSVP)
08/24 Book: VIRTUAL LIGHT by William Gibson (Hugo Nominee)
08/27 Movie: *No film this week*
09/03 Movie: *No film this week*
Outside events:
The Science Fiction Association of Bergen County meets on the second
Saturday of every month in Upper Saddle River; call 201-933-2724 for
details. The New Jersey Science Fiction Society meets on the third
Saturday of every month in Belleville; call 201-432-5965 for details.
MT Chair: Mark Leeper MT 3D-441 908-957-5619 m.r.leeper@att.com
HO Chair: John Jetzt MT 2G-432 908-957-5087 j.j.jetzt@att.com
HO Co-Librarian: Nick Sauer HO 4F-427 908-949-7076 n.j.sauer@att.com
HO Co-Librarian: Lance Larsen HO 2C-318 908-949-4156 l.f.larsen@att.com
MT Librarian: Mark Leeper MT 3D-441 908-957-5619 m.r.leeper@att.com
Distinguished Heinlein Apologist:
Rob Mitchell MT 2D-536 908-957-6330 r.l.mitchell@att.com
Factotum: Evelyn Leeper MT 1F-329 908-957-2070 e.c.leeper@att.com
All material copyright by author unless otherwise noted.
1. I recently ran a piece from _S_c_i_e_n_c_e _N_e_w_s about rings in space.
That was nothing. They have been running a bunch of articles there
that I am surprised that nobody else is talking about. Let me
start with the lessor one first, but take my word that there is a
big one coming. The first strange and amazing fact--from the June
25 issue--is that there has been a gap found in Andrew Wiles proof
of Fermat's Last Theorem. A big deal was made when Wiles claimed
he had a proof. Now it appears that one piece of that proof was
more complex than Wiles thought and is still an open question.
Wiles is trying to prove that last piece. There is a double irony
THE MT VOID Page 2
here. All Wiles has really done is show that Fermat's Theorem
might now be equivalent to a different open problem. All it takes
is for someone else to solve that problem to prove Fermat and hence
after Wiles work it may actually be someone else who actually
proves Fermat's Theorem. The other part of the irony is that even
if someone does prove the other problem, in the public's mind Wiles
will still be the person who proved Fermat, since there was so much
publicity. Nobody will ever get that much publicity for proving
Fermat again. So you could go and actually be the person who
proves the famous theorem, but the public will remember Wiles and
not you. In any case Wiles is rushing in frantically to patch the
gap in his proof just so he can honestly claim the publicity he has
gotten.
Now I promised you that there was big news. The July 2 issue of
_S_c_i_e_n_c_e _N_e_w_s talks about two scientists at Berkeley who are trying
to find how long it takes photons to tunnel through solids. Now
normal intuition tells you that a photon should slow down when
tunneling but what has been discovered is that a photon tunneling
through a mirror actually goes at about 1.7 times the speed of a
photon in air.
Hello? Did you catch that?
What I just said was that a photon tunneling through a mirror will
travel at about 1.7 times the speed of light. You know that old
speed limit that nothing can go faster than? No information can
move faster than the speed of light, remember that? Well _S_c_i_e_n_c_e
_N_e_w_s is just matter-of-factly saying that a photon tunneling
through a mirror goes 1.7 times that fast. And _S_c_i_e_n_c_e _N_e_w_s put
this on page 6 and calls it a "surprising result." There is a nice
little explanation as to why this effect does not blow causality
out of the water. If you see a photon as a wave packet there is
some uncertainty as to where the photon is. But it sure sounds
like hyper-light speeds are now starting to creep into physics. I
just wonder why more people are not hearing about this. I guess as
news it pales beside the news of today's turn of events in the
Simpson trial. Well, I guess that few of us wants to fool with
math or can visualize photons, but, hey, we all know what O. J.
Simpson looks like, right?
===================================================================
2. THE CHILD GARDEN by Geoff Ryman (Tor Orb, ISBN 0-312-89023-0,
May 1994 (1989c), 388pp, US$13.95) (a book review by Evelyn C.
Leeper):
Tor's Orb line is bringing back into print (in trade paperback)
science fiction works that Tor's editors feel should get a wider
audience in the United States than they have gotten so far. These
THE MT VOID Page 3
may be books that had only a hardback release, or a paperback
release that has long since gone out of print. For example,
Ryman's _C_h_i_l_d _G_a_r_d_e_n, was published in Great Britain in 1989 and in
hardback in 1990 by St. Martin's in the United States, but never
got a paperback release. Maybe publishers didn't think a book
about Dante and Derrida would be a runaway best-seller.
The premise is certainly classic science fiction; in the future
viruses and other biologicals have been developed for everything.
They are used for teaching, they allow people to photosynthesize,
they are used for social conditioning, and they have cured cancer.
The last turns out to be a mixed blessing--the same process that
caused cancer was also what allowed the body tissues to regenerate.
The result is that there is no cancer but no one lives past the age
of 35.
Into this world is born Milena. Milena is resistant to the
viruses. In the "Child Garden," where she is raised, she has to
learn the old-fashioned way, from books. She can't
photosynthesize, so she has to get nutrition from food. She isn't
socially conditioned, meaning that among other things she hasn't
been "cured" of her lesbian orientation. And she has one other
difference--she can be creative. While everyone else is directed
by their viruses, she is directed by her own nature. So she falls
in love with a woman genetically engineered to resemble a polar
bear (so she can work in the Antarctic) who has set all of Dante's
_D_i_v_i_n_e _C_o_m_e_d_y to music. (It is at this point, perhaps, that _T_h_e
_C_h_i_l_d _G_a_r_d_e_n leaves the realm of easily marketable science
fiction.) Since the most popular artform of Milena's time is the
perfect reproduction of historical artforms (_L_o_v_e'_s _L_a_b_o_u_r _L_o_s_t
produced identically to the first production and so on), trying to
get a new opera of _T_h_e _D_i_v_i_n_e _C_o_m_e_d_y produced is not the easiest
trick in the world. One wonders, in fact, if Ryman isn't being a
bit self-referential here. Think about it.
_T_h_e _C_h_i_l_d _G_a_r_d_e_n is about bioengineering and art and love and a lot
more. It's not for everyone, but I recommend it for anyone looking
for a literate and thought-provoking novel.
===================================================================
3. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE MASQUERADE MURDERS by Frank Thomas (Otto
Penzler Books, ISBN 1-56287-056-4, 1994 (1986c), 250pp, US$21) (a
book review by Evelyn C. Leeper):
As a Sherlock Holmes author, Frank Thomas makes a good Tom Corbett.
Well, to be fair, _S_h_e_r_l_o_c_k _H_o_l_m_e_s _a_n_d _t_h_e _M_a_s_q_u_e_r_a_d_e _M_u_r_d_e_r_s is
considerably better than some of Thomas's earlier attempts, which
tended toward an anachronistic writing style of modern phrasing,
and often ended in a truly awful pun. Some of this is till in
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evidence: on page vi Thomas has Watson write that "many a hardened
criminal literally threw in the sponge" if Holmes was called in.
Since I doubt that the burglars went into Scotland Yard and heaved
absorptive sea creatures at the inspectors, I can only conclude
that neither Thomas nor the copy editor (if any) knows what the
word "literally" means. (Thomas/Watson also refers to the author
"H. Rider Haggart.")
My main problem, though, is more with the portrayal of Watson.
Holmes still seems like Holmes, but Thomas still has enough of a
modern slant to his writing that Watson as a narrator sounds like a
modern transplant rather than the Watson we know and love.
(Watson's actions in regard to the fee are particularly unlikely
for the honorable Dr. Watson.) And Thomas throws in anachronisms
such as having the criminals overly concerned with fingerprints
years before Scotland Yard started using them in detection. The
mystery itself is not badly constructed, but there are too many red
herrings and other mis-steps along the way for me to recommend this
book. (Thomas's other three pastiches came out in paperback from
Pinnacle, but I suspect Otto Penzler will not be doing a paperback
release of this one. It's possible the 1986 was a paperback.)
===================================================================
4. 221B: STUDIES IN SHERLOCK HOLMES edited by Vincent Starrett
(Otto Penzler Books, ISBN 1-883402-07-7, 1993 (1940c), 247pp,
US$7.95) (a book review by Evelyn C. Leeper):
Otto Penzler is in the process if bringing back into print (usually
in paperback) classics of Sherlockiana which have been unavailable
for many years. This anthology, for example, was first published
in 1940, and while some pieces have been reprinted since then,
having the entire collection back in print, and at such a
reasonable price, is a real treat.
"The Field Bazaar" is one of the pieces which has been reprinted in
the interim, enough times that it has been suggested that it should
really be included in the Canon. "The Adventure of the Unique
Hamlet" by Vincent Starrett and P. M. Stone's "Sussex Interview"
are the other fiction pieces here, and at least the Starrett has
also been reprinted elsewhere.
The non-fiction pieces, on the other hand, have been less
available. This may reflect the reading public's greater interest
in reading more Sherlock Holmes stories than in reading more _a_b_o_u_t
the original Sherlock Holmes stories. Maybe that's why the
category listed on the back cover is "Crime Fiction" instead of
"Crime Fiction Criticism." In any case, this reprint is most
readers' first chance to read such classics as Christopher Morley's
"Was Sherlock Holmes an American?" Other pieces include
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R. K. Leavitt's "Nummi in Arca, or the Fiscal Holmes," Earle
F. Welbridge's "Care and Feeding of Sherlock Holmes," Harvey
Officer's "Sherlock Holmes and Music," and Frederic Dorr Steele's
"Sherlock Holmes in Pictures." Watson is not forgotten, in Elmer
Davis's "On the Emotional Geology of Baker Street," Jane
Nightwork's "Dr. Watson's Secret," and sharing the spotlight in
Richard D. Altick's "Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Samuel Johnson."
Rounding out the set are H. M. Bell's "Three Identifications,"
James Keddie's "Other Boarder," Henry James Forman's "Creator of
Holmes in the Flesh," and the longest piece, Edgar W. Smith's
"Appointment in Baker Street." You might think the latter a
catalogue of all visitors to Baker Street, but it includes other
minor characters as well. There is also a "Sherlock Holmes Cross-
Word" by F. V. Morley (which fails the symmetry test for an ideal
crossword pattern, but what the heck). I can't imagine real Holmes
fans actually _w_r_i_t_i_n_g in this book, but that's what photocopiers
are for (well, one purpose, anyway).
While probably not of interest to the reader who is looking for
more Sherlock Holmes _s_t_o_r_i_e_s, this is a must-buy for any serious
Sherlock Holmes fan.
===================================================================
5. IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU (a film review by Mark R. Leeper):
Capsule review: Nicolas Cage plays an honest cop
who agrees to share a lottery ticket with a
waitress, then finds himself sharing four million
dollars. This is a light summer love story that
also makes some comment on the selfish and unselfish
uses of good fortune. Cage and Bridget Fonda make a
likable couple. Rating: high +1 (-4 to +4)
_I_t _C_o_u_l_d _H_a_p_p_e_n _t_o _Y_o_u is claimed to be based on fact both
internally and in the publicity. In actual fact, just about none
of it is true, but the basic situation of a policeman sharing a
lottery ticket as a tip and then splitting the payoff when the
ticket actually wins. Jane Anderson's screenplay takes that
situation as a springboard to tell a fable about greed and
unselfishness. Surprisingly, the invented story is not all that
far from credibility.
Charlie Lang (played by Nicolas Cage) is a good, honest cop who
lives the kind of life that a good honest cop can expect to live.
He has a one-bedroom apartment, a lot of aggravation, and a
dissatisfied wife Muriel (Rosie Perez) who is getting ready to give
up on Charlie and look for something new. One day Charlie buys a
lottery ticket. Then getting a cup of coffee he finds he does not
have money for a tip so promises to split any lottery winnings with
THE MT VOID Page 6
his waitress, Yvonne Biasi (Bridget Fonda). When the ticket wins
to the tune of four million dollars Charlie's wife Muriel wants
Charlie to keep all the money for themselves. Charlie insists
repeatedly that a promise is a promise and splits the money with
Yvonne.
As Charlie discovers, winning the lottery completely changes who
you are and how people relate to you. Charlie and Yvonne find
kindred spirits in each other, each wanting to spend much of the
money unselfishly. They also begin getting interested in each
other. Muriel, on the other hand, wants to enjoy every dollar
spending on herself. What is more, she wants all four million.
What results is neither entirely expected or unrealistic. On top
of this is a rather pleasant love story in which Cage and Fonda
work very well together on the screen.
And Fonda and Cage are something of a surprise as a screen couple.
Cage has overcome the goopy kid roles he has played in the past and
carries the film reasonably well as a leading man. He has, of
course, worked with director Andrew Bergman before in _H_o_n_e_y_m_o_o_n _i_n
_V_e_g_a_s. Fonda is captivating with a winning smile and a more
winning acting talent. Slightly misjudged is Rosie Perez whose
grating voice was somehow an asset when she played the traumatized
plane passenger in _F_e_a_r_l_e_s_s, but here, playing a human cockroach,
she seems just insufferable on the screen. Also disappointing is
the limiting of Stanley Tucci to three scenes as Yvonne's wandering
husband. Tucci is a rubber-faced actor who proved he had a great
deal of comic potential as Alec Baldwin's best friend in _P_r_e_l_u_d_e _t_o
_a _K_i_s_s.
Anderson's screenplay has a lot of what was good in older Frank
Capra films. Unfortunately Capra films were far from perfect and
an unrealistic turn of events toward the end of the film is lifted
straight from a Frank Capra film. What is oddly missing is the
attention to well-observed character development that one would
find in a Capra film. It is odd because Anderson proved she was
good at creating characters in _T_h_e _P_o_s_i_t_i_v_e_l_y _T_r_u_e _A_d_v_e_n_t_u_r_e_s _o_f
_t_h_e _A_l_l_e_g_e_d _T_e_x_a_s _C_h_e_e_r_l_e_a_d_e_r-_M_u_r_d_e_r_i_n_g _M_o_m for HBO. Here, instead
of developing the minor characters the screenwriter actually seemed
to be working with a checklist to make sure a wide variety of
ethnic minorities were represented in the film. Also the telling
of the story with a narrator seems to be a false move on the part
of the author.
_I_t _C_o_u_l_d _H_a_p_p_e_n _t_o _Y_o_u is not a great film, but it is an enjoyable
love story and a pleasant change from much gun-blazing summer
entertainment available in the theaters right now. I would give it
a high +1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark Leeper
MT 3D-441 908-957-5619
m.r.leeper@att.com
Nothing is so aggravating as calmness.
-- Oscar Wilde