Weekend Update

Around the Internet

Science Fiction Times now has a brand new sister site.  Comics!  A Personal Journal is the new blog for my comic book reviews.  It will feature reviews of all the new and classic comics I read, as I read them.  The reviews will show the cover, list the creators and publisher, and have my comments.  This will be what I consider to be a "casual" blog that will be more like a journal of the comics I read.  "Weekend Update" will list the comics I review each week with links to the reviews.

New Additions to my Library 

Due to combination of a visit to a local used book store and many arrivals from Paper Back Swap my library has many new additions this week.

Mindship by Gerard F. Conway
Conway made a name for himself while writing comics.  He wrote a handful of science fiction stories before moving on to writing for television.  This was one of my favorite books from my younger days.  I tracked down a copy over the summer and sent it to my old college roommate-Terry Kissinger.  This week I finally got my hands on a copy for my collection.

The 1973 Annual World's Best SF edited by Donald A. Wollheim
The 1974 Annual World's Best SF edited by Donald A. Wollheim
The 1975 Annual World's Best SF edited by Donald A. Wollheim
The 1976 Annual World's Best SF edited by Donald A. Wollheim
The 1979 Annual World's Best SF edited by Donald A. Wollheim
The first short fiction I discovered was in a couple of Donald Wollheim's collections.  I am putting together a complete set of Don's World's Best SF books. 


Analog 1 edited by John W. Campbell
Analog 6 edited by John W. Campbell
John W. Campbell.  That is enough to get my attention.  Most of my favorite authors of the past were developed by Campbell.  Just reading Isaac Asimov's biographies made me a fan of Campbell's magazines.

Other Worlds 1 edited by Roy Torgeson

Chrysalis 5 edited by Roy Torgeson
Chrysalis 9 edited by Roy Torgeson
Roy Torgeson was my favorite anthologist when he was doing the Chrysalis collections.  I plan on doing research to see what ever happened to him.  I will be reviewing some of his books this year.

Perry Rhodan 77 Conflict Center:  Naator by Clark Darlton
Perry Rhodan 81 Pucky's Greatest Hour by Kurt Brand
The much maligned Perry Rhodan series.  Many authors have written negative comments about this German series.  It played a big part in developing my love of science fiction.  I never went back and re-read the series.  At some point I plan on checking these out again.

Amazing Stories 60 Years of the Best Science Fiction edited by Isaac Asimov/Martin Greenberg
This collection looked too good to pass up.  Amazing Stories is starting to fade into science fiction's past.  During my days of reading the magazines, it was not as good as the other ones but it still featured some very good stories.  One that I really enjoyed when it was originally published was "The Araqnid Window" by Charles Harness.  It is on my short list of stories to review.

The Mind Net by Herbert W. Franke
The Orchid Cage by Herbert W. Franke
A big name German writer.  At the time, these were the only novels that I could find English translations of.  The Mind Net was a favorite but I no longer remember what it was about.  Now that I have another copy of it, expect to see it reviewed soon.

Ancient, My Enemy by Gordon R. Dickson
Gordon Dickson is another author who seems to be disappearing from science fiction discussions.  This is a collection of some of his short stories.  I hope to read some of his novels and short stories this year.  For an excellent review of one of his novels, check out The Pritcher Mass on Visions of Paradise.


Pilgrimage by Drew Mendelson
Anytime I see the yellow spine I know it is a DAW book.  This one just sounded interesting.  Here is the back cover writeup.
"As far as anyone knew, all mankind lived in The City. The City, a self-enclosed towering single building, had always moved generation by generation across the vast empty landscape.
Brann Adelbran met destiny when his family sector found itself at Tailend. Already the Structors were planning to dismantle his ancestral apartment high on an upper floor of that colossal metropolis. Brann would have to make the pilgrimage to Frontend to re-establish his family there for the generations to come.
But when tradition was suddenly shattered, Brann was forced to flee, not on the established routes and hallways, but down the forbidden shafts into the lost chambers, corridors and basements which even legend had forgotten.
His pilgrimage became an odyssey of terrors, mysteries, and scientific marvels - leading to the end of the world."


The Science Fictional Olympics edited by Isaac Asimov, et al.

Body Armor 2000 edited by Joe Haldeman, et. al.
Two more anthologies containing interesting sounding stories.



Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (July 1981)


The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
(August 1985)
(September 1985)
(December 1986)
(February 1986)
(March 1986)
A half dozen magazines that I missed when they were first published.