327 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
327 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
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+-+--+-+--+-+ VOLUME ONE NUMBER TWO
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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<>X<>
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CONTENTS
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Editorial Propaganda... in the Air!
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1984-Orwellian Reflections A poem by T.P. Milley
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Letters by Victor and Guy...
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Featured Author: Larry Niven Orny's still at it!
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Close Encounter... Story by Alex Williams
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EDITORIAL
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Well, folks, hello, and welcome to issue two of FSFnet! Just
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two or three little things to mention for now...
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First of all, FSFnet NEEDS SUBMISSIONS!!! This zine can only
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survive if YOU contribute. I have had a number of people say that
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they were interested in contributing, but very few have come
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through. I realize it is difficult and time-consuming, but I am
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sure you all would like to continue receiving FSFnet. Well, I need
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your help. I can't do it all myself, although sometimes I have to
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try...
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I would also like to welcome all our new members. The mailing
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list is currently running about 70 to 75. Please continue to
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spread the word, and get more people to subscribe! At least it's
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no strain on the wallet!
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For those people who are interested in a game of Diplomacy over
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the Net, I have already begun game 1, and, if sufficient people are
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interested, I will run a second game. Contact me if you are
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interested.
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Well, enough of the propaganda. I hope you enjoy this issue,
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although it is perhaps not as good as the last (since I have had
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only one submission since issue 1 came out). Next issue will
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feature my discussion of the works of the fantasy author Tanith
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Lee, and whatever else anyone sends me. Please submit articles!
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Until soon...
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-Orny (NMCS025 @ MAINE)
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''1984--ORWELLIAN REFLECTIONS''
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I
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'THE CHILL'
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The Naive worry that the world will end in Fire,
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a nuclear holocaust.
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--How lost we are!
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I do not worry, because I already know
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that it will end in Ice.
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Many times I've felt
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death's unmistakeable chill
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glissando up my spine.
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--How fortunate are we
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to be the children of a new era!
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The Electronic Age, conceived
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through the toil of unremembered men;
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who sacrificed their lives for us
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for this.
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This!
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(let us end this talk of discontent;
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there is no time for emotion,
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We must hurry on!)
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II
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'The Church'
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We are at war again.
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"With whom?" you ask.
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"The Communists, of course." he replies.
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But where are they, these "Communists?"
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So, "They live in Russia." you say.
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I think not.
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Have you ever seen one?
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"No." you say.
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Then how do you know that they are worse: more evil,
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than you or I?
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Think there.
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There, they are at war with "the Americans."
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Think that they have ever seen one?
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Again, I think not.
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We have as little to fear them for
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as they have for fearing us.
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So, why do we fear them?
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Are they not men?
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You say we fear them because they
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will take the land we love by force,
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with all their missiles, planes and bombs.
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Open your eyes.
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They won't take this land by force,
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for they have taken it already.
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Who are "they" anyway?
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Look in the mirror, comrade.
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They are we.
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Let's change the flag tomorrow.
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I think red with a golden reaper
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would look sharp.
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III
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'The Craftsman'
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(How wonderful it must have been,
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to live in the age of patient craftsmen.
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Men took pride in the work of their hands,
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and women, wanting their place,
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stood close behind their men.)
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How sluggish they make me feel as they rush by.
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I am a craftsman born late--
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they leave me behind
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in a cloud of hydrocarbon.
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-T. P. Milley
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<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>
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CP QUERY MAIL ALL
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Orny, Was quite pleased to receive first edition of FSFNET
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today. I enjoyed the stories, and am interested in seeing how this
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piece of electronic imagination fares. I hope with this, you will
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start a "Readers' Responses" section.
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First a commendation: I am most impressed with the level of
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literacy in FSFNET. Having been a bitnet user for some time, I
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have seen some of the worst molestations committed on the English
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language by computer users. I am relieved to see that there is
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someone out there who CAN spell. Next, please tell us what format
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you would like items submitted in. Allow me to suggest that you
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extend you line length a bit to, say 65 or 70 characters to
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conserve file and spool area.
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I am looking forward to reading and contributing to future
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issues. On the whole, I'd say it's a brilliant idea!
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-Victor
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Orny,
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got V1N1 of FSFnet. Thanks. I like the idea. send more. How
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about a play-by-net Traveller game? If asked nicely, I could find
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the time to referee it (sometime during the weekends). If any
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Inspirations hit me, I'll send them to you.
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PS - here's an illustration for you next issue.
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_______(*)_______
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-----------------------
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| POLICE |
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| ----------------- | Who is the Doctor ?
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| |+--+--+|+--+--+| |
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| |+--+--+|+--+--+| |
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| |+--+--+|+--+--+| | o (_
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| || | ||| | || | \ / \_
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| || | ||| | || | \ ___________/ ___)
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| |+--+--+|+--+--+| | / /
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| ----------------- | | +---+ |
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--------------------- | +---+ |
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----------------------- /______________\
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PPS - a LOC (what's a zine without LOC's?) on Mike Foley's Dune
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review:
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I only have 2 comments to add to Mike's excellent review of
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Dune:
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1) While the movie is a reasonably good adaptation of the book,
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it really falls apart in a couple of places. One is when Paul and
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Jessica first meet the Fremen. The scene in the cave bears no
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resemblance to what happened in the book.
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2) Probably due to the restricted time available in a
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screenplay, a major amount of the intrigue so central to the book
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was lost. Although the first half of the movie is provide this
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feeling of "plots within plots within plots", I felt that it
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failed. Due to the small amount of time available, not enough
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background could be presented for a viewer who hadn't read the
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book, and by taking time to present background, even more of the
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intrigue is lost for the person who has read the book.
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Unfortunately, the movie found that unhappy medium where the
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beginner is lost, and the omissions become obvious to the
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knowledgeable viewer.
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Other than those two gripes, I think that the film was
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enjoyable, and a good (but not perfect) adaptation of the book.
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-Guy Garnett (GG822C @ GWUVM)
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Featured Author: LARRY NIVEN
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Most famous for his Known Space series, Larry Niven is a
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classical science fiction author who sometimes dabbles in the arena
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of fantasy fiction. Some of his best works are from his earlier
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Known Space volumes, which include Neutron Star, Protector, the
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Long ARM of Gil Hamilton, and many more, culminating in perhaps his
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best known works, Ringworld, and the Ringworld Engineers. These
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books began as unrelated science fiction stories, but later came to
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represent different tales within the same sphere of space.
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Ringworld is a major work of science fiction, and represents
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Niven's break from traditional science fiction to modern writing.
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The Ringworld Engineers attempts to solve a number of questions
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left unresolved in the first book. These are all excellent science
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fiction works, and well worth the effort to read.
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Niven has also written some books which are not directly
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connected with Known Space. In conjunction with Jerry Pournelle,
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Niven has written Lucifer's Hammer, a tale set in the near future,
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and the Mote in Gods Eye, which I consider his best work to date.
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It is a fascinating tale of man's first contact with aliens, and is
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an engrossing and captivating work. Niven has also written works
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of pure fantasy, namely his 'Magic' series, which, as examples of
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fantasy literature, are neither outstanding nor unworthy. His most
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recent work, the Integral Trees, has just come out in paperback, as
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has another new book, Limits.
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Also of interest to Niven fans might be the Ringworld
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roleplaying game, which was released recently by the Chaosium game
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company. As a sourcebook for the Ringworld, it is excellent,
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although it requires a very strong gamemaster, since the rules are
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a little sketchy. The Ringworld Companion, a supplement to this
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game, has also been put on the market.
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-Orny (NMCS025 @ MAINE)
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Close Encounter
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"I think we should be heading back to the station now," grumbled
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Seargent White,"it's getting mighty cold now." He slapped his
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ungloved hands against his chest, trying vainly to keep them warm
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in this sub zero night. His exhaled breath turned into a thick
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white cloud and drifted away, as if to underline his statement.
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"Yea. It's almost eleven now, anyway.", replied Officer Bennet.
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He opened the door to the squad car and climbed into the drivers
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seat. The other door opened as John White climbed in beside him.
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With a reluctant grumble the engine turned over and the old car
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started to move down the dark road.
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After driving past several miles of uneventful pine forest, John
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White cried "Stop! Stop the car!". With squeal of rubber against
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tar the car slowed to a halt. "What the hell is that up there, by
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the side of the road?" asked John.
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Peering through the gloom Sam saw what appeared to be a man, on
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the tall side standing by the side of the road about twenty yards
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along the road staring at the woods in back of him. The strangest
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thing it was he seemed to be naked.
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"Either that guy is drunk, crazy, or an eskimo!" said Sam.
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"All the same, we should bring him in to the station, at least
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to get him warm."
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"You stay here in the car, and I'll go get him."
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"Maybe we should both get him, he could get rowdy." said John
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"Come on."
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The doors to the squad car creaked open, as Sam and John stepped
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out of the car. The walked slowly toward the figure in the road.
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When they were eight feet away from the man, they stopped. The
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shadowy figure turned and silently faced them.
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"Easy now, we don't want to panic him." whispered Sam.
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John slowly took the flashlight from his belt and shone it at
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the figure. The bright circle of light landed on the figures neck
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and face, revealing a human head. Around the neck was a small black
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box, with two small lights on it, silently winking.
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"Greetings. I am Varrk, emissary from the planet Davron, of the
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star Sirus 5" said the figure in slow measured tones.
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"He's fucking dunk!" hissed Sam
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"I have been sent here to establish peaceful relations between
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our two cultures." said Varrk.
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"Yea. You just come with us, we have a nice warm cell for you to
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get all sobered up. Now come along." said Sam
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"No I must let the mother ship know of my contact." replied
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Varrk
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"We'll let you do that later. Now come with us."
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"No, I must message my mother ship."
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"You'll not do that 'till tomorrow" said Sam.
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Then he and John grabbed each of Varrk's arms and tried to drag
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him towards the waiting squad car. With a surprising display of
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strength, Varrk throws both John and Sam into the dirt along the
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side of the road. He then swiftly walks toward the dark reaches of
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the forest.
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"Wing him in the leg, Sam!! He'll get away!" yelled John
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With a quick explosion of fire Sam's gun spits a bullet strait
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towards Varrk's right leg. There is no reaction and Varrk
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disappears into the woods.
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"You idiot! You missed him, at point blank, and he got away!"
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screamed John.
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"I could've sworn I hit him. I could've sworn I hit him in the
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leg" Sam quietly said.
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"We might as well go back to the car and report him, somebody's
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bound to find him sooner or later." said John.
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They both got up off of the cold ground and headed back toward
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the squad car. About halfway there, John stopped.
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"What was that?" asked John
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"What was what?" said Sam
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"That sound, a low humming."
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"Probably a bullfrog, lets get back to the car, it's damn cold
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out here"
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"No, it isn't a frog, its getting louder. Do you hear it now?"
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asked John.
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Before Sam could reply a light bathed the top of the pine trees
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to there north, and as slowly as a balloon, a long silver cylinder
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rose above the tree tops. It hovered there for a moment and
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streaked into the sky to the north with a loud whining. Within
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several seconds a warm blew past John and Sam, standing stunned at
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the side of the road.
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"What in God's good name was that?" whispered Sam.
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"I have no idea, but maybe Varrk was telling the truth."
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-Alex Williams
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<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>
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