@@@@@ @ @ @@@@@ @ @ @@@@@@@ @ @ @@@@@ @@@@@ @@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @@@@@ @@@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @@@@@ @ @ @ @ @@@@@ @@@@@ @@@Mt. Holz Science Fiction Society 06/26/26 -- Vol. 44, No. 52, Whole Number 2438
Table of Contents
Middletown (NJ) Public Library Science Fiction Discussion Group:
July 2, 2026: THE POWER (1968) & novel by Frank M. Robinson
https://libbyapp.com/open/sample/elibrarynj/898177
https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/luminist/PU/BB_1956_03.pdf
Picks for Turner Classic Movies for July (comments by Evelyn C. Leeper):
I'm not necessarily recommending THE MUSIC MAN, just noticing that the ending of the film (different from the stage play) makes it a fantasy film.
On July 22, Turner Classic Movies is celebrating the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing with a "festival" of space films:
WEDNESDAY, July 22 6:00 AM Moon Zero Two (1969) 8:00 AM Things to Come (1936) 10:00 AM From the Earth to the Moon (1958) 12:00 PM Countdown (1967) 2:00 PM A Trip to the Moon (1902) 2:30 PM For All Mankind (1989) 4:00 PM 2010 (1984) 6:15 PM Forbidden Planet (1956)
I will also recommend UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD, which I haven't seen, but a Wim Wenders science film has to be worth watching, even if it is [checks schedule] 4 hours, 48 minutes long. (This is basically the director's cut; the IMDb lists it as 2 hours, 18 minutes, but that is the original, heavily cut American version.)
UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD (1991), Monday, July 13, 2:00 AM
There's also a fairly decent 1950s science fiction "festival" running on July 13/14:
THURSDAY, July 16 8:00 PM The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) 9:30 PM It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958) 11:00 PM Them! (1954) FRIDAY, July 17 12:45 AM The Black Scorpion (1957) 2:30 AM The Killer Shrews (1959) 3:45 AM The Wasp Woman (1959) 5:00 AM The Cyclops (1957)
Other films of interest:
WEDNESDAY, July 1 12:45 PM 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) SUNDAY, July 5 8:00 PM Soylent Green (1973) 10:00 PM Escape From New York (1981) MONDAY, July 6 11:30 AM The Music Man (1962) 11:45 PM The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959) TUESDAY, July 7 5:30 AM Cabin in the Sky (1943) WEDNESDAY, July 8 3:00 AM The Blood of Jesus (1941) FRIDAY, July 10 4:15 AM Poltergeist (1982) 6:15 AM Sherlock Jr. (1924) MONDAY, July 13 2:00 AM Until the End of the World (1991) TUESDAY, July 14 2:30 AM Lisztomania (1975) WEDNESDAY, July 15 2:00 PM House of Dark Shadows (1970) 4:00 PM Night of Dark Shadows (1971) THURSDAY, July 16 8:00 PM The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) 9:30 PM It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958) 11:00 PM Them! (1954) FRIDAY, July 17 12:45 AM The Black Scorpion (1957) 2:30 AM The Killer Shrews (1959) 3:45 AM The Wasp Woman (1959) 5:00 AM The Cyclops (1957) 8:00 PM American Pop (1981) SUNDAY, July 19 6:15 AM Angel on My Shoulder (1946) 8:00 AM The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) MONDAY, July 20 4:30 PM Angels in the Outfield (1951) TUESDAY, July 21 12:30 AM The Wiz (1978) WEDNESDAY, July 22 3:45 AM Eraserhead (1977) 5:15 AM Return to Glennascaul (1953) 6:00 AM Moon Zero Two (1969) 8:00 AM Things to Come (1936) 10:00 AM From the Earth to the Moon (1958) 12:00 PM Countdown (1967) 2:00 PM A Trip to the Moon (1902) 2:30 PM For All Mankind (1989) 4:00 PM 2010 (1984) 6:15 PM Forbidden Planet (1956) THURSDAY, July 23 8:00 PM The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) 9:30 PM The Mummy (1959) 11:15 PM Curse of the Demon (1958) FRIDAY, July 24 1:00 AM Cat People (1942) 2:15 AM The Curse of the Cat People (1944) 3:30 AM Isle of the Dead (1945) 4:45 AM Bedlam (1946) SUNDAY, July 26 2:30 AM Logan's Run (1975) 4:30 AM World Without End (1956) WEDNESDAY, July 29 10:15 PM Somewhere in Time (1980)
[-ecl]
The Dangers of Micro-Gravity (video pointer by Evelyn C. Leeper):
This 20-second video shows you one of the "dangers" of micro-gravity:
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BFb9zMn3v/
[-ecl]
Who Knew There Was an Australian Cockroach Kingpin? (comments by Evelyn C. Leeper):
The Associated Press reports:
Australian cockroach kingpin caught with 100,000 illegal insects in record bug bust
More than 100,000 live cockroaches illegal to keep in Australia were confiscated from a single breeder in the country's largest-ever seizure of exotic invertebrates, officials said Friday.
The haul of Madagascar hissing cockroaches and dubia cockroaches, worth 200,000 Australian dollars ($142,000), was seized in May from a commercial breeder in the city of Bathurst in New South Wales state, according to Australia's Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water.
The Madagascar hissing species is one of the world's biggest cockroaches, measuring 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 centimeters) in length. ... It's much bigger than the country's common Australian cockroach, which measures between 0.9 and 1.4 inches (2.3 and 3.6 centimeters) long. ...
Bathurst snake catcher Stefanie Lesser told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that the larger exotic species were likely being sold as a cost-effective reptile food because their large size meant fewer insects were needed. Officials urged pet owners to seek out crickets or wood roaches to feed their lizards instead.
The full story at:
[-ecl]
The Guardian's Readers' Top 100 Novels of All Time (comments by Evelyn C. Leeper):
In the 05/22/26 issue of the MT VOID, we ran an article on "The Guardian's List of 100 Best Novels of All Time". The Guardian now writes:
"After critics and authors picked their top 100 novels [The Guardian] asked for your favourites. From Uruguay to the Isle of Skye, more than 3,000 readers cast their votes. Here's your list--topped by a new number 1"
Here are the SF/F novels (most of the numbers indicate ties at that place):
There was no tie for first place, or indeed for the first seven places.
The full list is at https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/jun/06/readers-top-100-novels-of-all-time
Reminder: here are the SF/F novels from the list generated by reviewers:
Clearly the readers have more respect for science fiction and fantasy than the reviewers et al. [-ecl]
Starbucks Follow-Up (comment by Evelyn C. Leeper):
Starbucks closed early on June 22 for "mandatory history and social sensitivity training" regarding the incident described in the 06/12/26 issue of the MT VOID.
Since the problem was more than AI came up with the campaign and no one in the advertising or executive areas seems to look at it very hard, it doesn't seem like giving the local barista "history and social sensitivity training" is going to avoid the problem. [-ecl]
Geoengineering Planetary Risks (pointer by Evelyn C. Leeper):
"'Termination shock': trust our expert warnings on geoengineering's planetary risks"
"Do we really want to play dice with our planet?"
Article at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/19/solar-geoengineering-risk-to-planet-earth
AI Writing (letter of comment by Anonymous):
In response to Evelyn's comments on AI writing in the 06/19/26 issue of the MT VOID, an anonymous poster writes:
[Evelyn writes,] "An essay by Katy Waldman in the June 10, 2026, issue of The New Yorker asks, "Did a Chatbot Write a Prize-Winning Story? Does It Matter?" [-ecl]
Notes: I have never used what's currently being called "A.I.", I haven't read the essay Evelyn is commenting on, and it's all my opinion, even if the phrasing makes it sound like I'm stating facts. [-anon]
[Evelyn writes,] "I personally love zeugma. Noel Coward used it often. [-ecl]
Have Some Madeira, M'dear [-anon]
Evelyn responds:
I don't think that's zeugma. [-ecl]
Anonymous continues:
Waldman is making a common mistake of considering all uses of AI to be the same (bad). Certainly, if I prompt "What is love?" what comes out will be the kind of slop she's objecting to, and not, as she said, my meaning.
But what if I write an essay on what love means to me? I can then send it to a human editor asking for help in phrasing and word choices, and then look at the suggestions and decide which to keep, which to not, and which give me ideas that are better than what I had originally written or what the editor said. Who would claim that the final essay isn't my meaning? (If *you* would, please explain it to me.)
Let's try again with an AI editor, with the same essay and the same post-editor re-editing. Waldman's over-broad statement suggests that this is now no longer "my meaning". I disagree.
Does using a scroll saw instead of a coping saw automatically make the wood's shape less artistic? Ice sculptors often use chain saws. The tool is not the artisan, and AI is just a tool. It can be used subtly and well. Or it can be used like a chain saw to carve a fine headboard, with predictably bad results.
See how professional writers do a better job of explaining this than I do:
https://www.techdirt.com/2026/02/10/how-to-think-about-ai-is-it-the-tool-or-are-you/
[-anon]
AI Writing, JEZEBEL, THE QUIET MAN, EDEN, SHROUD, THE BAD SEED, and Mary Robinette Kowal's "Lady Astronaut" Series (letter of comment by Taras Wolansky):
In response to Evelyn's comments on AI writing in the 06/19/26 issue of the MT VOID, Taras Wolansky writes:
Every time I see somebody refer to AI-generated prose as "AI slop", I tip my metaphorical hat to Fritz Leiber's prophetic novel, THE SILVER EGGHEADS (1958). I think I prefer his term: "word wooze". [-tw]
In response to Evelyn's comments on JEZEBEL in the 05/22/26 issue of the MT VOID, Taras writes:
It's long been my understanding that JEZEBEL (1938) was Bette Davis' consolation prize for losing the plum role of Scarlett O'Hara in GONE WITH THE WIND.
Given how poorly even whites were educated in the Old South, the dialect spoken by the black characters may not have been greatly exaggerated. Indeed, as Percival Everett points out in JAMES, his 2024 retelling of HUCKLEBERRY FINN, it may even have served as protective coloration: "I'm just a happy d***ie -- you don't want to be lynching harmless little old me!"
THE QUIET MAN may have been made in 1952, but the movie is set in Ireland in the 1920s. Presumably the little old lady who offers Sean Thornton (John Wayne) a switch with which to beat his "pretty lady" (Maureen O'Hara) would have been born in the 1860s. Thornton, of course, spurns the switch, implying that a manly man doesn't need to beat his wife to keep her in line. [-tw]
In response to Evelyn's comments on EDEN in the 05/22/26 issue of the MT VOID, Taras writes:
Speaking of films set in the Twenties ... When I saw EDEN (2024), I was late and missed the opening titles. It was only when I watched the end credits that I realized Sydney Sweeney was in the movie. Evidently she can play anything, from a sexpot to a shy virgin, from a lesbian boxer to, here, an unrecognizable, dumpy German hausfrau. [-tw]
In response to Joe Karpierz's book review of SHROUD in the 05/01/26 issue of the MT VOID, Taras writes:
Review of SHROUD by Adrian Tchaikovsky: "greedy corporate entities who have one goal in mind, and that's to strip the planet of all its resources ... They do not treat their employees well." (Hey, this sounds like H. Beam Piper's LITTLE FUZZY, ca. 1962.) OK, Tchaikovsky needs a villain, but how about a little subtlety. In reality, corporations treat valuable employees well, because it costs money to do otherwise. (That's still true even if the "employees" are actually slaves, which is possibly what Tchaikovsky intends here.)
Thinking back over my own career, corporations always treated me well; public employers, not so much. [-tw]
In response to Evelyn's list of films on Turner Classic Movies in the 04/24/26 issue of the MT VOID, Taras writes:
I see THE BAD SEED (1956) was playing on TCM last month: I remember little of the plot, but I'll never forget the "piano recital"! I had the privilege of seeing the "bad seed" herself, Patty McCormack, on the stage a few years ago, here in upstate New York. She was costarring with Dan Lauria in his play, JUST ANOTHER DAY, as two elderly people in a sanitarium gradually remembering that they are husband and wife. [-tw]
In response to the list of Hugo finalists, Tara writes:
I was disappointed that Mary Robinette Kowal's "Lady Astronaut" was defenestrated from the Hugo Best Series nominees because of "fewer than 240,000 new words since last appearance on the ballot". Do you know the reasoning behind this strange rule? [-tw]
Evelyn responds:
I suspect it was to prevent essentially the same series appearing on the Hugo ballot in multiple years, i.e., by appearing on ballot, having a single new short story appear, and then appearing again. 240,000 words does seem like a high bar, though; that would be the equivalent of three 300-page books. [-ecl]
This Week's Reading (book comments by Evelyn C. Leeper):
THREE LAWS LETHAL by David Walton (Pyr, ISBN 978-1-633888-560-8) is on the whole very topical, being about the morality of self-driving cars, the opaqueness of government policies as implemented in software, and the sentience/consciousness of AIs. It was even on the Wall Street Journal's list of "The Best Science Fiction of 2019."
In it, Asimov's Laws are discussed, along with the "The Three Laws of Warfighting AIs" that one of Walton's main characters postulates:
1) An AI may not injure a friendly human being, or, through inaction, cause a friendly human being to come to harm.
2) An AI must efficiently neutralize enemy humans and machines, except as it may conflict with the First Law.
3) An AI must accept the definitions of enemy and friend as given by its commanding officer.
I definitely recommend this book.
But one part is oddly dated.
In 2019, the biography following the text says, "Since [Walton] doesn't have any time to write, he created a simulated world with AIs and trained them to write his books for him. The AIs have produced some great stories, including THE GENIUS PLAGUE, winner of the Campbell Award; TERMINAL MIND, sinner of the Philip K. Dick Award; and the internationally bestselling quantum duology SUPERPOSITION and SUPERSYMMETRY. Ever sine they wrote THREE LAWS LETHAL, however, he's been afraid they may be trying to tell him something..."
I doubt any author today would write, even jokingly, that AIs wrote their books, especially since many awards are now requiring that candidates affirm that they have not used AI to create their works. (See last week's book column for a longer discussion of this.)
What exactly this means is not clear. Obviously, telling the AI "write a 100,000-word novel about a time traveler in medieval Iceland" is forbidden. But what about asking an AI, "What are the main problems a time traveler in medieval Iceland encounter?" And even the strictest would probably allow asking for translations of English sentences into Icelandic.
Actually, make that two parts. The "Campbell Award" (more completely, the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel) that Walton won for his 2018 novel THE GENIUS PLAGUE was the penultimate one; it was announced in 2020 that the award would not be given that year and the name would be changed in light of what the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE FICION calls "the associational baggage brought by Campbell's name", but no further news has been forthcoming. [-ecl]
Evelyn C. Leeper
evelynchimelisleeper@gmail.com
Quote of the Week:
Live TV died in the late 1950s, electronic bulletin
boards came along in the mid-1980s, meaning there was
about a 25-year gap when it was difficult to put your
foot in your mouth and have people all across the
country know about it.
--Mark R. Leeper
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