100% readthrough completion

I guess not many people can say they have read the entire 34 volume history of the SF-LOVERS mailing list. Add me to to that list as of now. 

I went into the SF-LOVERS mailing list readthrough attempt knowing little history of the SF&F genres, and considered the Hugo Award to be useless gerrymandered garbage; having finished reading all 34 SF-LOVERS volumes, my knowledge of SF&F history has vastly improved at least.

Worst SF-LOVERS author moment discovery: Isaac Asimov sexually harassing the editor-in-chief that was managing his SFF periodical so hard and relentlessly that they left the field of SFF publishing entirely.

Worst SF-LOVERS fan moment discovery: Three items, two of which involve Harlan Ellison inevitably.

Worst fan moment A: the time one SFLer humblebragged to the SF-LOVERS mailing list about making constant harassing phone-calls to Harlan Ellison, claiming their behavior was OK because Ellison got off on the antagonistic phone conversations. Then that SFLer shared Harlan Ellison's private phone number to the entire mailing list.

Worst fan moment B: the negative SFLer reaction when Harlan Ellison's essay about toxic-fan/professional SFF author encounters,  XENOGENESIS, comes out.

Worst fan moment C: Slowly realizing that the ur-SF&F fan Forrest J Ackerman used dozens of  pseudonym and aliases when talking to other people in the worldwide SF&F fan communities was because Forrest J. Ackerman was sexually harassing at least one female SF&F fan under each of his pseudonyms. 

Best SF-LOVERS meta moment: The time when SFLer's remembered OTHER WORLDS magazine & Eric Frank Russell getting hundreds of  1950's SF&F fans to self-out themselves as racists for the chance at winning a slate of prizes and money.

Book publishing houses with the most quality complaints: Baen Books & TOR Books, no contest. Both Baen & TOR received the most complaints about "this book is filled with typographical errors/this brand new book is falling apart/this book is missing entire pages/this book has mutliple duplicated pages". 

SFL Archives Volume 25 readthrough

 SFL Archives Volume 25

1.9 mb raw text file

100% completion, 258 bookmarks

Movies, television shows referenced: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (tv-series), XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS (tv-series), THE X-FILES (tv-series), ANGEL (tv-series), STAR TREK VOYAGER (tv-series), GALAXY QUEST, FARSCAPE (tv-series), THE GREEN MILE, FIRST WAVE (tv-series), FUTURAMA, CHARMED (tv-series), FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON, OUTER LIMITS (tv-series), SUPERNOVA, PITCH BLACK, WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM?, CLEOPATRA 2525 (tv-series), THE 10TH KINGDOM (tv-series), GOD THE DEVIL AND BOB (tv-series), MISSION TO MARS, HELL SWARM, THE OTHERS (tv-series), HOLLOW MAN, SPACE COWBOYS, ANDROMEDA (tv-series), DARK ANGEL (tv-series), LEXX (tv-series), FREAKYLINKS (tv-series), THE INVISIBLE MAN (tv-series), RED PLANET, THE SIXTH DAY, DUNE (tv-series).

SF&F stories referenced: FINITY, INFINITYS SHORE, A CIVIL CAMPAIGN, THE TRIGGER, JUNIPER GENTIAN AND ROSEMARY, NEUROMANCER, CAVEAT: VIOLENT STARS, KINGS DAGGERS, RHAPSODY, SHIP OF DESTINY, A READ HEAT OF MEMORIES, INDIGO, A CLASH OF KINGS, THE GOLDEN GLOBE, LEGENDS, LAST AND FIRST MEN, RED MARS, BLUE MARS, WORLDWAR: TILTING THE BALANCE, THE FALSE HOUSE, OTHERLAND, MOVING MARS, THE WINTER QUEEN, GRIDLOCK, THE TOYOTOMI BLADES, THE MULTIPLEX MAN, SHIVA IN STEEL, DESOLATION ROAD, THE BLUE SWORD, WHIRLWIND, ARISTOI, PRAYERS ON THE WIND, FRANKENSTEINS AND FOREIGN DEVILS, STRANGE TRAVELERS, FORGOTTEN LIFE, THE ESSENTIAL HAL CLEMENT VOLUME 2, EIGHT KEYS TO EDEN, PLAYER OF GAMES, AGAINST A DARK BACKGROUND, LORD OF THE FIRE LANDS, THE ZERO HOUR, 1632, DEATHSTALKER, BAD MEMORY, FOREVER FREE, KNIGHT OF THE DEMON QUEEN, DRAGONSBANE, STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER, SAILING TO SARANTIUM, RAGNAROCK, THE STAR FRACTION, INFINITY BEACH, STARSWARM, CARPE JUGULUM, THE EXTREMES, LAST OF THE RENSHAI, THE SPARROW, ASHES OF VICTORY, THE MOREAU FACTOR, THE BLACK COMPANY, LORD OF EMPERORS, LIONS OF AL-RASSAN, SCENT OF MAGIC, THE NEW APOCRYPHA, VACUUM FLOWERS, THE SHATTERED SPHERE, GENESIS, TIME, SHARDS OF HONOR, ALL TOMORROWS PARTIES, NOCTURNE FOR A DANGEROUS MAN, VENGEANCE IN DEATH, THE BURNING CITY, VAMPIRE$, GODS DICE, FAMILY TREE, SIX MOON DANCE, MEMORY SORROW AND THORN, GREEN RIDER, ISLE OF THE DEAD, THE CYBERIAD, GREENHOUSE SUMMER, STATIONS OF THE TIDE, FREE LIVE FREE, CASTLEVIEW, PEACE, SPIRIT RING, MODERN CLASSICS OF SCIENCE FICTION, OPERATION LUNA, VENUS, GARDENS OF THE MOON, ASH: A SECRET HISTORY, THE CASSINI DIVISION, A SIGNAL SHATTERED, CRYPTONOMICON, ANGEL STATION, HARDWIRED, THE BRIDGE, RIVERWORLD, I OWE FOR THE FLESH, BONE WARS, A CASE OF CONSCIENCE, SHIP OF DESTINY, A STORM OF SWORDS, LOOK TO WINDWARD, DARWINS RADIO, BLOOD MUSIC, NULL-O, REPLAY, KISS OF SHADOWS, THE NAKED GOD, THE ROAD TO MARS, THE TELLING, REQUIEM, THE COLLAPSIUM, PARADOX, BLACK EVENING, DECLARE, A HYMN BEFORE BATTLE, PAVANE, CALLAHANS KEY, THE PROMETHEUS CRISIS, CHIMERA, INTERESTING TIMES, THIEF OF TIME, A STITCH IN TIME, COSMONAUT KEEP, THE PWER, SNOW CRASH, RULES OF CONFLICT, FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH, INVERSIONS, DEFENDER, THE HERO OF DOWNWAYS, LODESTAR, THE LAST HOTE TIME, ENGINES OF GOD, ABANDON IN PLACE, WHEN THE KING COMES HOME, LORD OF LIGHT, SOMETIME AFTER THE EQUINOX, TRANSFORMATION, AN OBLIQUE APPROACH, THE REDEMPTION OF ALTHALUS, PROPHECT, CERES STORM, WINTERS HEART, THE PLANT, THE LOST STEERSMAN, ANNO DRACULA, THE SEVENTH TOWER, THE GOLD COAST, ICE STATION, THE COMPLEAT MCANDREW, HELLFLOWER, DOWN THERE IN DARKNESS, SENTRY PEAK, A TERRIBLE BEAUTY, THE FOX LADY, SUCH A PRETTY FACE, MURDER IN THE SOLID STATE, MARROW, FRAMESHIFT, ZEITGEIST, BROKEN TIME, RIVER OF BLUE FIRE, DOOMSDAY BOOK, TITAN, WAR FOR THE OAKS, SHADOW OF A BROKEN MAN, THE KINGS PEACE, THERE ARE DOORS.

Pop culture references: Tekumel RPG system, "FANS ARE SLANS", 1990'S comics going grim-dark and violent, the Larry Saunders tv-show, Moona Lisa the 1960's horror tv-show hostess, Perry Rhodan the German SF serial having around 2046 episodes circa November 2000, K-Mart "blue light specials", having a Usenet accent(?),

Technology callbacks: Y2k bug on the SF-LOVERS mailing list software, WebTV, intelligent robots being Bill Joy's worst nightmare(?), Redhat Linux, PowerPoint presentations, 

Death notices: John Sladek, SFF author. Curt Siodmak, SFF author & Hollywood screenwriter. Keith Roberts, artist & SF author. L. Sprague de Camp, SFF author-editor. Catherine de Camp, wife of L. Sprague de Camp.

SFL requests/discussion topics:

>Re: Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures question

>Re: M.A.R. Barker

>Re: William Gibson Neuromancer

>Re: Opinions on the Peter Hamilton books

>Re: Opinions on Red Mars/Kim Stanley Robinson

>Re: Walter Jon Williams

>Re: Brian Aldiss primer

>Re: Iain Banks PoG & AADB background

>Re: What is it about the Black Company

>Re: The sad decline of Larry Niven

>Re: Sailor Moon a few thoughts and questions

>Re: Cryptonomicon - Why is it SF?

>Re: Philip K Dick

>Re: Opinions, please, on Philip Pullman

>Re: Terry Pratchett Discworld

>Re: Lensman series

>Re: David Brin's Uplift universe

>Re: Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time

>Re: Anno Dracula and sequels

-The amusing thing where Olaf Stapledon had no idea science-fiction existed as a literary genre, or that he was considered a scifi author.

-Some SFLer's finally free brave enough online to say they don't enjoy Kim Stanley Robinson's scifi writing, and that his writing/characters/character motivations in his Mars trilogy are not good.

-SFLer's start posting reviews of GALAXY QUEST, and most feel favorably towards the movie and the actors, while others feel Star Trek fandom is being mocked. Sam Rockwell stealing every  movie scene he's in and Sigourney Weaver's Wonderbra cleavage is brought up in almost every review of GALAXY QUEST.

-Hardware failure events on the sf-lovers server, and repeated instances of mailer daemon failure and internet gateway issues happen throughout SFL Archives Volume 25.

-Almost every SFLer submits a review of the movie PITCH BLACK in varying shades (pun intended) of critique. Vin Diesel being a up and coming actor to watch out for in the future comes up in almost every review of PITCH BLACK.

-The SFLer doing the "read and review all Hugo Award winning novels" project breaks down and can't finish DOWNBELOW STATION, and entirely gives up the readthrough project after finishing FOUNDATIONS EDGE.

-Half-life of SFF reader awareness circa 2000 seems to be about six months.

-SFLer's are growing increasingly tired of encountering Yet More of (Larry) Niven Writing About Sex.

-SFLer's really exhaustively comment on the movies MISSION TO MARS and RED PLANET.

-Now that Marion Zimmer Bradley is dead, SFLer's feel safe enough to start discussing the various ghostwriters contracted out by MZB. 

-Steven Erikson's GARDENS OF THE MOON comes out, and it mentioned how huge buzz on the Internet about pre-releases versions of GOTM lead to Erikson signing a nine-book, $1.2 million book contract with Random House.

-SFLer's react extremely poorly to the premiere and the first season of Gene Roddenberry's ANDROMEDA. One of the most memorable phrases describing a supporting character is "Twiki with tits".

-The backstory behind Philip Jose Farmer writing RIVERWORLD, and how the Riverworld character "Lem Sharkko" is PJF's revenge against scumbag SFF publisher Mel Korshak.

-A Locus magazine interview with Laurrell Hamilton has the highlights of Laurrell wishing she had made her setting slightly less "real world" and that when she wrote the first Anita Blake book she had no intention of ever having any sex scenes in any of the novels.

-SFLer's are finally fed up with Spider Robinson's endless least-effort-expended and smarmy Callahan's short story collections.

-L. Sprague de Camp dies and SFLer's have universal praise for him. SFLer's relate fond memories of encountering L. Sprague de Camp at SFF conventions, on airline flights, at tours, at SFF author house parties,etc.

-Whatever the hell a "Usenet accent"(?) is during public speaking at the NovaCon 2000 convention.  

-Installing a bunch of air filters in the gaming room at OryCon 2000.

-A retrospective on Russian SF writer Izaak I. Azimov.

(2021 note: I have no idea if Izaak Azimov is real or just a alternate-lifepath scenario that Isaac Asimov "could have lived" if his parents never emigrated from Russia.)

-Stephen King ends his attempt at writing serialized fiction with his serialized $1 per chapter novel THE PLANT. 

SFL Archives Volume 24 readthrough

 SFL Archives Volume 24

3.3 mb raw text file

100% completion, 504 bookmarks

Movies, television shows referenced: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (tv-series), EARTH FINAL CONFLICT (tv-series), SEVEN DAYS (tv-series), STAR TREK VOYAGER (tv-series), X-FILES (tv-series), ANGEL (tv-series), XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS (tv-series), HERCULES THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS, THE FACULTY, SLIDING DOORS, BRIMSTONE (tv-series), MORTAL KOMBAT: CONQUEST (tv-series), ALIEN CARGO, THE CROW (tv-series), FANTASY ISLAND (tv-series), SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH (tv-series), SO WEIRD (tv-series), TOTAL RECALL 2070 (tv-series), CHARMED (tv-series), ULTRAVIOLET (tv-series), THE LAST MAN ON PLANET EARTH, WISHBONE IN SPACE! (tv-series), FARSCAPE (tv-series), FIRST WAVE (tv-series), FUTURAMA (tv-series), NOWHERE MAN (tv-series), RED DWARF (tv-series), STRANGE WORLD (tv-series), THE MATRIX 1, BABYLON 5: CRUSADE (tv-series), HIGHLANDER: THE RAVEN (tv-series), SATANS SCHOOL FOR GIRLS, VIPER (tv-series), BLACK MASK, EXISTENZ, QUATERMASS XPERIMENT, STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE, MILLENIUM (tv-series), THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN (tv-series), TREKKIES, THIRTEENTH FLOOR, CAPTAIN POWER AND THE SOLDIERS OF THE FUTURE (tv-series), ANDROMEDA (tv-series), RELIC HUNTER (tv-series), ROBOCOP (tv-series), NOW AND AGAIN (tv-series), THE SECRET ADVENTURES OF JULES VERNE (tv-series), SLIDERS (tv-series), HARSH REALMS (tv-series), ROUGHNECKS: STARSHIP TROOPERS CHRONICLES (tv-series), THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT 1, ROSWELL (tv-series), THE TIMESHIFTERS, BICENTENNIAL MAN, THIS WAY COMES (tv-series), GALAXY QUEST. 

SF&F stories referenced: BEAUTY, THE GILDED CHAIN, STARDUST, PRINCESS BRIDE, A FOR ANYTHING, PRINCE OF DOGS, THIS ALIEN SHORE, CAMBER OF CULDI, WIZARD OF THE PIGEONS, A CLASH OF KINGS, NIMISHAS SHIP, BLOOD, CASSINI DIVISION, HOKA! HOKA! HOKA!, PRETERNATURAL, THE FORTUNATE FALL, FORTRESS OF EAGLES, FORTRESS OF OWLS, LITTLE BIG, AGAIN DANGEROUS VISIONS, A THOUSAND WORDS FOR STRANGER, DARK LORD OF DERKHOLM, CHILD OF THE RIVER, THE HIGH HOUSE, KALEIDOSCOPE CENTURY, DINOSAUR SUMMER, SHADOW OF EARTH, LUCK OF THE WHEELS, BLOOM, MISSION CHILD, WAVE RIDER, PARIS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, STARLIGHT 2, EARTH MADE OF GLASS, RING OF ALLAIRE, THIRTEEN VIEWS OF A CARDBOARD CITY, ANCIENT OF DAYS, NOT EXACTLY THE THREE MUSKETEERS, LAIR OF THE CYCLOPS, MERCURY RISING, OF SWORDS AND SPELLS, THE GOLDEN GLOBE, TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG, TITAN, TO REIGN IN HELL, DRAGON, TEA FROM AN EMPTY CUP, THE JOWN W CAMPBELL LETTERS, CLORDIAN SWEEP, FOR RED SHIFT, OUR WORLD BEYOND THE WAVE, HOLES, LEFT BEHIND, THE GIFT, THE LAST HAWK, THE LAND OF NO SHADOW, TO VISIT THE QUEEN, ROGUE STAR, DRAGONSTAR, SHIP OF MAGIC, SAILING TO SARANTIUM, STORM OF THE CENTURY, BEGGARS IN SPAIN, SILVERHAND, PLAN B, THE SHADOW OF ALBION, GATEWAY, THE SPACE MERCHANTS, STARSWARM, THE STARS DISPOSE, BLUEHEART, A POINT OF HONOR, A DEEPNESS IN THE SKY, DARWINIA, THE ENGINEER, RAINBOW MARS, HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERORS STONE, DISTRACTION, ILLUSION, ANGEL OF THE SUN, ATROCITY EXHIBTION, FINITY, WHITE LIGHT, THE LAST DRAGONLORD, NAKED CAME THE SASQUATCH, FREEDOM AND NECESSITY, THE WHIM OF THE DRAGON, THE EXILES KISS, YES DEAR, MOONWALK, BAKERS BOY, THE WILD SWANS, TOWER AND THE HIVE, DARK BEYOND THE STARS, HIGHLANDER: WHITE SILENCE, THE GLASS HARMONICA, THE WISHBONE BAG, THE LAST CONTINENT, THE GOLDEN, ARCADY, CRYPTONOMICON, THE RIFT, SILICON DAGGER, SKY COYOTE, EXPENDABLE, COMMITMENT HOUR, DARK HORN BLOWING, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, BESERKERS, PATRIACHS HOPE, DECEPTION WELL, THE FEAR OF GOD, CRUSADER, DIASPORA, AXIOMATIC, FIRESTAR, SECOND CHANCE AT EDEN, THE LION OF BOAZ-JACHIN, DEEP SECRET, THE BLACK SWAN, INTO THE DARKNESS, REBIRTH OF WONDER, FRANKENSTEIN UNBOUND, STARTIDE RISING, MURTHER AND WALKING SPIRITS, STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, ROCKETS REDHEADS AND REVOLUTION, BRIDGE OF BIRDS, A CALCULUS OF ANGELS, RIDDLEY WALKER: EXPANDED EDITION, FAR HORIZONS, VOYAGE, THE BOHR MAKER, THE CONSUMER, CITY COME A WALKIN, EXCHANGE OF HOSTAGES, THE CENTURIONS EMPIRE, THE SHINING COURT, SILVER BIRCH MOON BLOOD, WAR FOR THE OAKS, OCEANIC, THE BURNING STONE, TO SIN AGAINST SYSTEMS, PORT OF CALL, MUSE OF ART, DAEMONOMANIA, IN HARMS WAY, THE BLUE PLACE, MYTHAGO WOOD, THE PEARL OF THE SOUL OF THE WORLD, FALL OF HYPERION, HYPERION, APOCALYPSE TROLL, THE FOREVER DRUG, MICHAELMASS, INTERFACE, THE STEN CHRONICLES, THE KNIGHT THE HARP AND THE MAIDEN, ENCHANTMENT, LEST DARKNESS FALL, ZENITH, AZTEC CENTURY, THE RUNELORDS, BACK TO THE MOON, TOUR OF THE UNIVERSE, DEADLINE Y2K, DAYS, THE MOON AND THE SUN, THE MAGIC OF RECLUSE, SABRIEL, SIGNAL TO NOISE, DRY WATER, HEADCRASH, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, PRIAMS LENS, BURNT OFFERINGS, EINSTEIN INTERSECTION, EMPERORS PENGUINS, MOONFALL, FACTORING HUMANITY, EARTHWEB, RING OF SWORDS, AGAINST A DARK BACKGROUND, MOONSEED, THE WHITE ABACUS, ENDERS SHADOW, FADED STEEL HEAT, QUARANTINE, THIS SIDE OF JUDGEMENT, JARAN, FACE OF THE ENEMY, TRAITORS MOON, PARALLELITIES, BECOMING HUMAN, KASPIAN LOST, PLANET OF THE JEWS, END OF DAYS, THE REALITY DYSFUNCTION, CRADLE OF SATURN, RAILWAYS UP ON CANNIS, THE SILVER METAL LOVER, JASON COSMO, BLOOD JAGUAR, THE MORIGU, THE MILLENIUM PROJECT, ARAMAYA, ILLEGAL ALIEN, JOVAHS ANGEL, WRAPT IN CRYSTAL, THE FACE OF THE WATERS, THE DIAMOND AGE, VAMPIRES OF VERMONT, HEROES DIE, BEYOND THE GATES, OPERATION LUNA, LITTLE GREEN MEN, THE WONDERLAND GAMBIT, ANGELS ON FIRE, THE MEMORY CATHEDRAL, CHILDREN OF THE STAR, THE NAKED GOD, THE STAR BEAST, CHANGER, TIME FOR THE STARS, GOLD STALK, OLD MUSIC AND THE SLAVE WOMEN, THE BOOK OF KELLS, DESTINYS ROAD, SLOW FUNERAL, GREAT APES, SNOW CRASH, A FIRE UPON THE DEEP, RIFT, DARWINS RADIO, BLOOD MUSIC, THE TIN MAN, A CIVIL CAMPAIGN, FLESH AND SILVER, ENDERS GAME, R.U.R., THE DRAGON NEVER SLEEPS, THE SWORD OF MAIDENS TEARS, THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT GOES TO HELL, RHAPSODY, THE TIME WARS, THE SIEGE OF ARRANDIN, A RED HEART OF MEMORIES, TEEK, BAKERS DOZEN, THE STAR FRACTION, THE SKY ROAD, GRAVITY DREAMS, BLUE LIGHT, HORN CROWN, ANTARCTICA, SAUCER WISDOM, SEWER GAS AND ELECTRIC, FOOL ON THE HILL, THE SPARROW, LORD PRESTIMION, HOUNDS OF WINER, LOOKING BACKWARD, A PHULE AND HIS MONEY, AMMONITE, NIGHT VISIONS, THE STONE AND THE MAIDEN, HENRY MARTYN, NYMPHOATION, DIGITAL KNIGHT, HOUSEHOLD GODS, THE CHOSEN, THE UNCROWNED KING, NOT OF WOMAN BORN, THE ULTIMATE ALIEN, WESTMARK, DAWNTHIEF, AN ILL FATE MARSHALING, GROWING UP WEIGHTLESS, TAM LIN, RIBOFUNK, BORDERS OF INFINITY, TERANESIA, THE SECRET HISTORIES, STANDING WAVE, WHAT HO MAGIC!, OWL IN LOVE, THE STONE CANAL, PERSEUS SPUR, THIEFS GAMBLE, THE CHANGLING SEA, THE WEREWOLF OF PONKERT, THE REDISCOVERY OF MAN, THE DISFAVOURED HERO, COLOR OF DISTANCE, DRAGON WEATHER, BIOS, ON BLUES WATER, THE BROKEN GOD, WHEN THE ROSE IS DEAD, THE UNWOUND WAY, THE VEILED WEB, EINSTEINS BRIDGE, HALFWAY HUMAN, PHYLOGENESIS, WIZARDS FIRST RULE, VURT, THE FIFTH ELEPHANT, THE ANTIPOPE,THE REBELLERS, CHILD OF VENUS, LUTHIENS GAMBLE, WORLDWAR: IN THE BALANCE, MUTINEERS MOON, THE ARMAGEDDON INHERITANCE, EVERGENCE: THE PRODIGAL SON, ECHOES IN TIME, ARCADY, BELLWETHER, THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT JOINS THE CIRCUS, A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ, TYPHONS CHILDREN, FRONTIER EARTH, THE TROIKA, SHADOW OF ARARAT, ASH: A SECRET HISTORY, MILLENIUM RISING, KINGS OF THE HIGH FRONTIER, DIPLOMACY OF WOLVES, GOODMAN 2020, THE GOBLIN RESERVATION, CODE OF CONDUCT, CALIBAN, INFERNO, KOMARR, WIND IN THE STONE, THE SEA IS FULL OF STARS, THE ANNUNCIATE, DARKER ANGELS, BRUTE ORBIT, FOREVER PEACE, SCHISMATRIX, DISTURBING THE UNIVERSE, STARFISH. 

Pop culture references: Party of Five (tv-series), Alien Critic the sff fanzine, the NYC World Trade Center, Comic Relief TV specials, Moonlighting (tv-series), V.I.P. (tv-series), Jimmy James from News Radio (tv-series), Krispy Kreme donuts, the Waco Kid from BLAZING SADDLES, the MK-Ultra LSD experiments, Walmart, Josh Malina on SPORTSNIGHT (tv-series), Pepsi TV commericals, Buzz Lightyear from TOY STORY. 

Technology callbacks: The U.S. National Library Service, Windows 95 computer operating system, CAV LaserDiscs, Infocom text adventure games, the Grizzly (self-protection) Suit, 

Death notices: Christine Glanville, professional (tv-series) puppeteer. Vander Pyl, (cartoon) voice-actress. Marion Zimmer Bradley, SFF author. 

SFL requests/discussion topics:

>Re: Dean Koontz - What's the Deal?

>Re: C.S. Friedman's Coldfire trilogy

>Re: Robert Asprin "Myth" books

>Re: David Eddings

>Re: Why is J.G. Ballard unpopular?

>Re: Surprised by Philip K. Dick 

>Re: Gwyneth Jones

>Re: the Mageworld series

>Re: suggestions on Philip Jose Farmer?

>Re: The Wheel of Time

>Re: Daniel Keys Moran

>Re: J.R. Dunn?

>Re: recent Robert Silverberg

>Re: Barrington J. Bayley

>Re: E.E. Eddison's other work

>Re: Robert Heinlein, an appreciation

-Vol 24 starts off with a history of the SF-LOVERS mailing list, and a admission of not knowing how much longer the SF-LOVERS mailing list will stick around.

-Fans of A CLASH OF KINGS fans are desperate for more and wish George RR Martin would write faster. Other SFLers decide to hold off on reading the Game of Thrones books until GRRM finishes the trilogy -uh- quadrology.

(2021 note: Yeah. 23 years and the Game of Thrones book series still isn't finished, however there is a dozen more WILDCARDS series books edited by GRRM nobody asked for instead.)

-A blind SFLer posts to the SFL Archives about audio books and asks for help on offerings from the (U.S.) National Library Service.

(2021 note: The U.S. National Library Service is legitimately badass.)

-A explanation of why the JOHN W CAMPBELL LETTERS never had a volume 2, which boils down to money issues and less demand than expected.

-Why David R. Palmer stopped writing SFF fiction, and a plot twist in Palmer's Threshold that aged badly.

-First mention of JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone in the SFL Archives.

-SFLer's discuss why J.G. Ballard is so unpopular with SFF fans.

(2021 note: The reasons given are similar to why certain diehard SFF fans dislike Ray Bradbury)

-FARSCAPE the tv-series premieres and nobody in the SFL Archives is really sure about it, and everyone is comically bad at identifying and describing characters. For example, Dargo the tall tentacle guy keeps getting called "Bird Man" by everyone.

-FUTURAMA premieres and gets mildly discussed for a while then never really mentioned again throughout 1999. No one in the SFL Archives was Zapruder Film frame-by-frame analyzing the show to decode the alphabets or catchphrases and slogans.

-ONE SFLer starts a "read and review every Hugo Award winning novel" readthrough project that no one ever responds to, so I'm not bothering listing the novels they bring up in the "discussed SF&F stories referenced" section of this update.

(2021 note: Nobody responding to Evelyn Leeper's/Mark Leeper's constant posting-into-the-void reviews of SFF material is also why I stopped bothering mentioning anything the Leeper's mentioned around 1993-ish.)

-James Hogan either including a Larry Niven-esque fantasy about fucking fans at SFF conventions or a actual sexual encounter he had with a female fan in his ROCKETS REDHEADS AND REVOLUTION story collection. 

-One SFLer is fixated on the "porn actress" look in episodes of Xena Warrior and Hercules the Legendary Journeys.

-A movie-adaptation of A Princess of Mars being stuck in development hell at Disney comes up again.

-STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE comes out and almost every SFLer posts their review and thoughts on it. Reviews and comments on Phantom Menace are mostly positive, some SFLer's don't like the tone shift from the original Star Wars trilogy.

-The season finale of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER gets pre-empted until summer....for the student school shooter violence within the "high school graduation two parter episode'. WB eventually airs the Buffy season finale when most colleges/school systems are on break for the summer.

(2021 note: Not sure if this episode is aired at all circa 2021/aired without content cuts now that school violence/school shootings have become a omnipresent issue.)

-Another solitary cry-out of "Has anyone read Mark C. Perry's MORIGU?" with zero feedback.

(2021 note: These solitary cry-outs into the void about MORIGU have been happening since 1988-ish?, and is the final reference to MORIGU in the SFL Archives.)

-The publishers of Archie Comics wanting Melissa Joan Hart removed from the SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH tv-show because of some public comments she made about drinking and having sex.

(2021 note: This is deeply deeply hilarious given the existence and content of the CW tv show RIVERDALE for the past 3+ years.)

-New Line Cinema announces that the Lord of the Rings movies are officially under production status.

-GALAXY QUEST comes out just as 1999 closes and SFLer's aren't sure what to make it yet. The most vocal are angry about Star Trek fandom being mocked, the others just like the movie and the above-average CGI & Sigourney Weaver's Wonderbra.

-There is many 5 or less references to the upcoming potential Year 2000 computer programming scare mania in the SFL Archives, which was interesting and oddball.

(2021 note: Y2K disaster mania was promoted heavily by mass media news corporations and TV. All references to a possible Y2k disaster were quickly swept under the rug by the same groups/corporations that hyped it up so much, just like the Atlanta GA Olympic Games bomber fiasco all caused by those same groups/corporations. The only modern equivalent to the mania about looming potential Y2k disaster is probably the COVID-19/COVID-19 vaccinations)

SFL Archives Volume 23 readthrough

 SFL Archives Volume 23

5.3 mb raw text file

100% completion, 615 bookmarks

Movies, television shows referenced: GATTACA, THE POSTMAN, MORTAL KOMBAT 2, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (tv-series), X-FILES  (tv-series), EARTH FINAL CONFLICT (tv-series), STAR TREK VOYAGER (tv-series), BABYLON 5 (tv-series), STAR TREK DEEP SPACE NINE (tv-series), MILLENIUM (tv-series), HERCULES THE LEGENDARY ADVENTURES (tv-series), XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS (tv-series), THE WARLORD: BATTLE FOR THE GALAXY, STARGATE SG-1 (tv-series), HIGHLANDER THE TV SERIES, INVASION AMERICA (tv-series), SPHERE, DARK CITY, SPECIES 2, ARMAGEDDON, LOST IN SPACE 1998, SLIDERS (tv-series), TEAM KNIGHT RIDER (tv-series), NEVERWHERE (tv-series), THE INVISIBLE MAN (tv-series), FROM EARTH TO THE MOON (tv-series), WITCHBLADE (tv-series), MERLIN (tv-series), PREY (tv-series), DUNE (tv-series), FANTASY ISLAND 1998 (tv-series), MERCY POINT (tv-series), THE TRUMAN SHOW, THE MATRIX 1, X-FILES: FIGHT THE FUTURE, PI, DEEP IMPACT, SMALL SOLDIERS, THE AVENGERS 1998, NET (tv-series), LEXX (tv-series), VAMPIRES, UPN VAMPYRE/WITCHES, SPACE ISLAND ONE (tv-series), WELCOME TO PARADOX (tv-series), YOUNG HERCULES (tv-series), THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES (tv-series), THE SENTINEL (tv-series), SOLDIER, BLADE 1, THE CROW (tv-series), SEVEN DAYS (tv-series), I MARRIED A MONSTER, CHARMED (tv-series), BRATS OF THE LOST NEBULA (tv-series), EARTHWORM JIM (tv-series), BRIMSTONE (tv-series), HOUSE 3, FREE ENTERPRISE, SPACE PRECINCT (tv-series), BLACK SCORPION (tv-series), STAR TREK INSURRECTION.

SF&F stories referenced: VIRTUAL DEATH, GREAT SKY RIVER, EARTH, FREEDOM AND NECESSITY, FORTRESS OF EAGLES, 3001: FINAL ODYSSEY, STALKING TENDER PREY, DAEMONOMANIA, DIASPORA, ONE FOR THE MORNING GLORY, UNWISE CHILD, IDORU, MISSISSIPPI BLUES, THE FIRST IMMORTAL, THE NAKED GOD, STAINLES STEEL RAT FOR PRESIDENT, BEGGARS RIDE, LILITH, A GAME OF THRONES, MASTERHARPER OF PERN, WILD HORSE WOMAN, RINGWORLD, FINDER, ENDERS GAME, CUCKOOS EGG, CONAN THE FREEBOOTER, STAINLESS STEEL RAT GOES TO HELL, STARSHIP TITANIC, THE SILVER METAL LOVER, BRIGHT MESSENGERS, RENEGADES OF PERN, SHADOWS FALL, WHEEL OF STARS, MORE WOMEN OF WONDER, GOLDEN FLEECE, BLACKBRIAR, ALL AMERICAN ALIEN BOY, HARD TO BE A GOD, FAR RAINBOW, A FIRE UPON THE DEEP, MORE THAN HONOR, MUTINEERS MOON, CITY ON FIRE, FOOLS WAR, FORGE OF GOD, ANVIL OF STARS, MISTS OF AVALON, NO BLADE OF GRASS, SKEENS SEARCH, MAKING HISTORY, WOLFS BANE, STARSHIP TROOPERS, A STANISLAW LEM READER, WAR BIRDS, WHITE LIGHT, ISLANDS IN THE NET, THE FAMILY TREE, EXCESSION, GALACTIC CENTER, INFINITIES SHORE, PASTWATCH: THE REDEMPTION, THE NEUTRONIUM ALCHEMIST, BUG PARK, BAD BRAINS, FIRE ROSE, STONE PRINCE, NIGHT, USER FRIENDLY, CRYPTONOMICON, ISLAND IN THE SEA OF TIME, MIND CHANGER, METROPOLITAN, PATH OF THE ECLIPSE, PORNUCOPIA, MONSTER DOGS, FEERSUM ENDJINN, DAUGHTER OF THE BLOOD, CITY OF SORCERY, BLOODSPORT, THE FLIGHT OF DRAGONS, RUSALKA, THE DREAM OUR STUFF IS MADE OF, RAMA REVEALED, SOMEPLACE TO BE FLYING, SILICON KARMA, THE RUNELORDS, SHARDS OF A BROKEN CROWN, STARGATE, HALFWAY HUMAN, A POINT OF HONOR, TIDES OF LIGHT, PHOENIX GUARD, SPIDER LEGS, FEAR PRINCIPLE, MEROVINGEN NIGHTS, RIVERWORLD, WIZARDS FIRST RULE, THIRTEEN VIEWS OF HIGHER EDO, SUMMON THE KEEPER, THE LIONS OF AL-RASSAN, STRANGE ANGELS, THE ENEMY PAPERS, DRAGONS WINTER, A CLASH OF KINGS, AN EXCHANGE OF HOSTAGES, PERSIUS SPUR, FREEDOMS CHALLENGE, CYGNET, THE ECOLITAN OPERATION, DEATH, TIME TRADERS, VACUUM DIAGRAMS, MIDSHIPMANS HOPE, PROPHECY, NORTHERN LIGHTS, HIGHWAYMEN: ROBBERS AND ROGUES, FREEWARE, DOGLAND, CHILDREN OF GOD, THE ALLELUIA FILES, ONLY FORWARD, MANEKI NEKO, WILD MINDS, BETWEEN THE RIVERS, PORTS OF CALL, MANJINN MOON, BURNT OFFERINGS, SHADOW OF THE TORTURER, FREE LIVE FREE, MOSTLY HARMLESS, THE GAIA WEBSTERS, CRASHCOURSE, MOTHER OF STORMS, EON, RUNNING WITH THE DEMON, DIGITAL FORTRESS, TO REIGN IN HELL, EINSTEINS BRIDGE, I STRAHD, THE GOLDEN ONE, THE GLIMMERING, THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND, THE HOMEWARD BOUNDERS, WITCH WEEK, SANDMAN: BOOK OF DREAMS, SONG IN THE SILENCE, COLD IRON, STRANGE BRAINS AND GENIUS, CHIMERA, THE SPARROW, BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE, THE WAR GODS OWN, INVERSIONS, ENEMIES OF THE GOLDEN MEAN, MOVING MARS, THE FURIES, THE EINSTEIN INTERSECTION, CROWN OF STARS, THE STILL, TALKING MAN, THE FARAWAY TREE, HEAVENS REACH, INTERFACE, BARDIC VOICES: THE LARK AND THE WREN, THIS PERFECT DAY, DESIGNING FREEDOM, THE GIVER, ONCE A HERO, BLAMELESS IN ABBADON, THE WAY THE FUTURE WAS, SOFTWARE, CONVERGENCE, WAY STATION, THE LAST HAWK, GOSSAMER AXE, SIGN FOR THE SACRED, JUNIPER GENTIAN AND ROSEMARY, WOLF MOON, HERO!, NIGHTSEER, THE BONES OF TIME, ECOPOIESIS, FINITYS END, CYTEEN, A DOZEN BLACK ROSES, THE BARBED COIL, SILK, THE DOLPHINS OF PERN, SACRIFICE OF FOOLS, THE ECOLITAN ENGIMA, THE LAST CONTINENT, PANDORA, ARCHANGEL, EXORDIUM 1, THE DIAMOND AGE, THE FAMILY TREE, A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ, MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA, RHIALTO THE MARVELLOUS, A SORCEROR AND A GENTLEMAN, TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG, CITADEL OF THE AUTARCH, LORD OF LIGHT, NINE PRINCES IN AMBER, NEVER NEVERNESS, ORBITAL RESONANCE, KALEIDOSCOPE CENTURY, THE MIRACLE STRAIN, DISCLOSURE, THE ELECTRIC ANT, THIS STAR SHALL ABIDE, RING OF LIGHTNING, E-MAIL: A LOVE STORY, LORD OF SUNSET, FLESH AND GOLD, HELM, NOSTRADAMUS ATE MY HAMSTER, TRUE NAMES, POLYMORPH, THE EAGLES THE SWORD, SLANT, QUEEN OF ANGELS, THE WHITE ABACUS, DOWNBELOW STATION, EYE IN THE SKY, CARVE THE SKY, THINK LIKE A DINOSAUR, INFERNO, RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, ANTARTICA, FIRE ANGELS, PRAYERS TO BROKEN STONES, SERPENTS BLOOD, ONE OF US, NOBODYS SON, THE ROSE SEA, SIX MOON DANCE, NAMELESS MAGERY, THE WHITE TRIBUNAL, THE DEATH OF THE NECROMANCER, AFTER THE BLUE, FLUX, CHARONS ARK, THE FOREVER WAR, SAGA OF THE EXILES, RINGWORLD THRONE, BENEATH VAULTED HILLS, PALIMPSESTS, PROTEUS UNBOUND, DEATH DREAM, EYES OF THE EMPRESS, SILICON SUNSET, 1968, THE STONE CANAL, THE STAR FRACTION, ACORNAS QUEST, SCHOOL OF FIRE, A MILLION OPEN DOORS, THE SPIRIT RING, FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON, THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS, THE TOMB, CONSIDER PHLEBAS, AGAINST A DARK BACKGROUND, GARDEN OF IDEN, AREA 51, FIRESTAR, CHILD OF THE RIVER, MARK OF THE CAT, THE STARS DISPOSE, FACTORING HUMANITY, VIRTUAL UNREALITIES, HYPERION, RISE OF ENDYMION, THE JERICHO ITERATION, CANARY IN A CAT HOUSE, WATCH ME, DONNERJACK, MANSEED, HEARTLIGHT, DARWINIA, SLOW RIVER, JOB: A COMEDY OF JUSTICE, A PATH OF DAGGERS, ETERNITY ROAD, BEOWULFS CHILDREN, HOT SKY AT MIDNIGHT, MOCKINGBIRD, UNTO US A CHILD, GRASS, DREAMS OF STEEL, INTO THE FIRE, THE UNGOVERNED, MILLENIUM EVE, THE PHYSIOGNOMY, THE UNICORN GIRL, SNOWBROTHER, DARKON, WARLORDS, THE HEDGE KNIGHT, THE BRIDGE, EARTH MADE OF GLASS, SATURNALIA, GODZILLA 2000, HOW LIKE A GOD, SONJA BLUE, DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP, BLUE MOON, DEEPDRIVE, ALL THE GODS OF EISERNON, ELLA ENCHANTED, SONG FOR THE BASILISK, SISTER TO THE RAIN, SCENT OF MAGIC, THE DUMB HOUSE, FOLK OF THE FRINGE, ON HER MAJESTYS WIZARDLY SERVICE, REPENT HARLEQUIN SAID THE TICKTOCKMAN, BANK OF FEAR, BEGGARS IN SPAIN, FIRE FROM HEAVEN, THE ORIGIN OF CONSIOUSNESS IN THE BREAKDOWN OF THE BICAMERAL MIND, THE ALIEN YEARS, WIDOWMAKER UNLEASHED, RESUME WITH MONSTERS, THE GATE TO WOMENS COUNTRY, GHOST SEAS, THE GOLDEN GLOBE, WAKING BEAUTY,SAILING TO SARANTIUM, CASSINI DIVISION, BESERKER FURY, FIFTH HEAD OF CEREBUS, THE COMPLETE PEGANA, A SECOND CHANCE AT EDEN, ACCIDENTAL CREATURES, BROWN GIRL IN THE RING, A DEEPER SEA, TEHANU, SECRET HARMONIES, AUTOMATED ALICE, PIXEL JUICE, SPLASHDANCE SILVER, ETERNAL LOVECRAFT, GRINDSTONE, THE RIVER OF TIME, MAXIMUM LIGHT, OWLSIGHT, 22ND GEAR, VAMPIRE$, ARMOR, HEAVY WEATHER, THE RADIANT SEA, ALPHA CENTAURI, THE GREEN RIDER, BLOOD LINES, PARABLE OF THE TALENTS, TEA FROM AN EMPTY CUP, THE TENTH PLANET, THE DUBIOUS HILLS, JED THE DEAD, A MAN OF HIS WORD, CHARIOT, THE SHINING, CARPE JUGULUM, WINTER ROSE, THE GHOST OF THE RELEVATOR, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, BLACKMANTLE, ATLAS SHRUGGED, COLONY, SPIRIT FOX, THE LADY IN THE LOCH, INHERIT THE EARTH, AGENT OF BYZANTIUM, NIGHT LAMP, DISTRACTION, GOING HOME AGAIN, WOLFS CUB, ARROWDREAMS, STARDUST, THE MAD SHIP.

Pop culture references: Woody Allen, GWAR, Fabio romance novel covers, STARSHIP TITANIC (video game), a First Nations woman suing Canada for being forcibly sterilized, "hurt/comfort" fanfic, "slash" fanfic, Elizabeth Gracen and her history with President Bill Clinton, FRIENDS (tv-series), TOMB RAIDER video games, a un-named X-Men/Star Trek:TNG crossover comic book, Judy Tenuda comedy bits, 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN (tv-series), Funniest Home Videos tv-shows, the Perry Rhodan comic strip/book series, Chronomaster (video game), Cartoon Network Channel, Kids WB, "should be killed every week like Kenny (from South Park)", whatever "Skiffy" is in 1998 terms (maybe it's a really dumb way of saying "sci-fi" perhaps?). 

Technology callbacks: Linux and DAT tapes, CRT computer monitors, IRC hosted roleplaying games, OMNI ON-LINE, ANTI-SPAM software, vast amounts of Spam email coming from aol.com & hotmail.com email addresses, Radio Shack stores.

Death notices: J.T. Walsh, American televion/movie actor. Jerome Bixby, professional SFF writer/tv industry scriptwriter. Phil Hartman, professional comedian and tv comedic-actor.

SFL requests/discussion topics:

>Re: Ringworld setting/Larry Niven fans

>Re: Bujold: where to start

>Re: Cherryh Universe(s)

>Re: Tanith Lee

>Re: Hard to be a God - plot question

>Re: Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy(?)

>Re: H. Beam Piper

>Re: David Brin Uplift novels

>Re: Has Piers Anthony gone retro yet?

>Re: Iain Banks

>Re: C.S. friedman, Anyone?

>Re: Next Sime/Gen novel?

>Re: John Barnes -why so much violence and sex?

>Re: Steven Brust's To Reign in Hell

>Re: Anita Blake series: some thoughts

>Re: author Richard Grant

>Re: Defend Philip K Dick

>Re: Darkover questions

>Re: John Brunner suggestions

>Re: S.M. Stirling's Draka novels

>Re: Redwall series- thoughts?

>Re: Anyone have any news on Daniel Keys Moran?

>Re: Wild Cards series

>Re: R.A. MacAvoy

>Re: What is the status of Star Wars 1, 2, and 3?

>Re: House 3?

>Re: Terry Goodkind

>Re: Robert A. Heinlien

>Re: A Game of Thrones

>Re: about "Robert Jordan"

>Re: Van Vogt's Null A books?

-The scifi themed THE OSIRIS CHRONICLES tv movie finally gets released under the name THE WARLORD: BATTLE FOR THE GALAXY.

-Isaac Asimov's FOUNDATION AND EATH still being out of print despite every other Foundation series novel getting republished gets mentioned again.

-Canada forcibly sterilizing First Nations women and the mentally unfit comes during a discussion of H. Beam Piper's work.

-First mention of "hurt/comfort" fanfic in the SFL Archives along with the first mention and explanation of what Slash fanfiction is.

-The Stephen King written episode of the X Files airs, and a bunch of SFLers critique it.

-Many many SFLer's post reviews of the movies DARK CITY and SPECIES 2 and SPHERE and ARMAGGEDON and SOLDIER and LOST IN SPACE and especially X-FILES: FIGHT THE FUTURE.

-First mention of the online bookseller storefront abebooks.com in the SFL Archives.

-A POINT OF HONOR gets reviewed and discussed a few times, which appears to be the ur-Source that Ernest Cline ripped off when writing his best selling novel READY PLAYER ONE.

-John Scalzi appears in the SFL-Archives a good year before his first book is published. David Mitchell, future SFF author also reappears a few times.

-Deranged SFF fans stalking/harassing/vandalizing Mercedes Lackey and Diane Tregarde with one of the harassers eventually being arrested for participating in a kiddie porn ring.

-Sime/Gen story discussion makes a reappearance in the SFL Archives after 5+ years.

-Robert Jordan comments that his wife has threatened to leave him if he strings out the WHEEL OF TIME series to twelve books.

(2021 note: She did not. It took Brandon Sanderson 3 additional highly streamlined books to "finish" the Wheel of Times series that Robert Jordan started writing back in 1984.)

-The jargon in Rudy Rucker's novels SOFTWARE and FREEWARE being incomprehensible to a first time reader, and often taking multiple parses even by a experienced reader of Rudy Rucker.

-The Isaac Asimov franchised out "Robot City" series started in 1987 gets mentioned for the 3rd time ever in the SFL Archives.

(2021 note: This is sort of funny-sad, because I think Asimov planned for this SFF story franchise to pay the bills for his wife/children after his death.)

-SFF author Geoffrey Landis wins a award for his boring IRL daytime job about "developing a sub-miniature nitinol actuator for the Mars Pathfinder probe"

-The SFF periodical OMNI shuts down their web portal OMNI ON-LINE because they were losing massive amounts of money maintaining it/writing for it.

-The SFL Archives mailing list moderator sends out an announcement about ANTI-SPAM measures they are taking, with hotmail.com and aol.com SFLers possibly being blocked in the future.

-SFLer's start heavily discussing the Anita Blake book series and the power-creepage and the love triangles and the sex in them.

-SM Stirling posts about almost using the name of a IRL highly respected Coast Guard officer for one of the villains in his ISLAND IN THE SEA OF TIME novel.

-The tv-series STARGATE SG-1 gets renewed for a few more seasons. Meanwhile the tv-series TEAM KNIGHT RIDER, PREY, and MERCY POINT all get cancelled. 

-Phil Hartman's death is related to the SFL Archives by way of a "3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN is recasting a role due to a death post.

-A internet campaign is started to get Alison Spedding, a 1990's SFF author, out of Bolivian jail.

(2021 note: I have no idea how this played out reading about it 23 years later.)

-Bill Baldwin's HELMSMAN mil-scifi "World War 2 but it's set in space in the future"  stories having a planetary naming scheme that Robert Heinlien and John W Campbell would be proud of.

(2021 note: Baldwin used planet names like Eppeid, which is Deippe in reverse. [sarcasm]Hmmm, wonder what will happen there?[/sarcasm].)

-Martha Well's 3rd novel, THE DEATH OF THE NECROMANCER, comes out, and SFLer's start wanting more Martha Wells stories to come out.

-SFLer's comment on the missing/changed content within the various reprinted editions of Joe Haldeman's THE FOREVER WAR.

-SFLer's wonder when Louis Wu "learned to read" by the time RINGWORLD THRONE happens.

-In a return to the earliest SFL Archives Volumes, one SFLer reviews books and tv shows and movies strictly through what technology was used and whether or not that technology is feasible.

(2021 note: The first 2 or SFL Archives books had a person who interpreted everything through the lens of Larry Niven's KNOWN SPACE technology such as "Clearly Star Wars's lightsabers are merely KNOWN SPACE mono-filiment blades with fiber optic lighting effects". I miss that person's takes and hope the 1998 "I see everything through technological feasibility" SFLer keeps doing their thing.)

-More instances of extended unexpected outages of the SFL Archives server hardwere/server software. The SFL Archives mailing list was down for roughly 2.5 months total in 1998.

-A SFLer is looking for a half-remembered story about "a stepmother of some Down's Syndrome vampires".

-SFLer's like the premiere of CHARMED in ways that heavily reminds me of Quantum Leap.

(2021 note: Only it's male viewers who really like watching Charmed...the most die-hard fans and viewers of Quantum Leap in the SFL Archives were woman. Eye candy is eye candy.)

-One SFLer comments that TWISTER stole Bruce Sterling's "cow gag" from Heavy Weather.

-SFLer's rebring up the fact that AE Van Vogt was a die-hard promoter of Dianetics before L Ron Hubbard exiled him and before that AE Van Vogt was a die-hard promoter of Alfred Korzybski's General Semantics. AE Van Vogt's NULL A series heavily promoted the General Semantics viewpoints and belief system.

(2021 note: The framework tying Vogt's VOYAGE OF THE SPACE BEAGLE has heavy General Semantics vibes too.) 

-It took 6+ years but SFLer's finally start replying to Evlyn Leeper and Mark Leeper's reviewer-posts about various SFF themed books and movies.

(2021 note: Chalking this up to the really inconsistent inclusion/exclusion policies the SFL Archives mailing list maintainer has been using ever since 1991/1992.)

-The final episode of BABYLON 5 airs and just about every SFL fan of Babylon 5 posts a unique homage of what Babylon 5 meant to them.

SFL Archives Volume 22b readthrough

 SFL Archives Volume 20b

3.3 mb raw text file

100% completion, 364 bookmarks

Movies, television shows referenced: STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE (tv-series), STAR TREK: VOYAGER (tv-series), BABYLON 5 (tv-series), ROAR (tv-series), MILLENIUM (tv-series), CONAN THE BARBARIAN (tv-series), HERCULES THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS (tv-series), XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS (tv-series), X-FILES (tv-series), HIGHLANDER THE TV SERIES (tv-series), TEAM KNIGHT RIDER (tv-series), BAYWATCH NIGHTS (tv-series), THE VISITOR (tv-series), EARTH FINAL CONFLICT (tv-series), NIGHTFLYERS, SCREAM 1, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (tv-series), MIMIC, LOST IN SPACE, MEN IN BLACK 1, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, BATMAN AND ROBIN, CONTACT, MONSTERS (tv-series), MISSION GENESIS (tv-series), HONEY WE SHRUNK OURSELVES, CRONOS, JAMES CAMERONS AVATAR 1, EVENT HORIZON, KULL THE CONQUERER, GATTACA, SPAWN, STEEL, STARGATE SG-1 tv-series), ALIEN NATION tv-series), SLEEPWALKERS (tv-series), LORD OF THE RINGS, STANLEY KUBRICKS A.I., SPACE TRUCKERS, THE POSTMAN, AMAZON HIGH (tv-series), NIGHTMAN (tv-series), TIMECOP (tv-series), NEVERWHERE (tv-series), THE APOCALYPSE, ROCKET MAN, MEN IN BLACK 1, THE DEVILS ADVOCATE, STARSHIP TROOPERS 1, I ROBOT, MORTAL KOMBAT 1, ALIEN RESURRECTION. 

SF&F stories referenced: I AM LEGEND, SHADOW WARS, RAMA 2, DRUM WARNING, LORD OF THE ISLES, FOOTPRINTS OF THUNDER, FIRESTAR, THE CALCUTTA CHROMOSOME, AMMONITE, THE LAUGHING CORPSE, BEYOND THIS HORIZON, FOOD OF THE GODS, CARD MASTER, GOLDEN WITCHBREED, HUMPTY DUMPTY AN OVAL, SEARCH FOR THE SUN, THE TRANSISTION OF HP LOVECRAFT, MAGIC KINGDOM FOR SALE, GATES OF IVORY, THE DUNGEON, GRUNTS!, STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, BEGGARS RIDE, WHO HUNT BY NIGHT, REMNANT MOON, BEYOND THE BLUE GATEWAY, EARTHQUAKE WEATHER, THE GODWHALE, THE SHADOW MATRIX, GAP INTO CONFLICT, EXPENDABLE, THE REALITY DYSFUNCTION, THE PROPHET OF LAMATH, EMERALD HOUSE RISING, BIBLE STORIES FOR ADULTS, THE OTHER END OF TIME, THE GOLDEN COMPASS, THE SUBTLE KNIFE, ANTHEM, WIND FROM A FOREIGN SKY, RED MARS, BLUE MARS, POINT OF HOPES, THE BILLION DOLLAR BOY, CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS, THE FLEET OF STARS, FLUX, WIZ BIZ, DRAGON, HELLSTROMS HIVE, THE PATH OF DAGGERS, COST TO BE WISE, HYPERION, ENDYMION, RISE OF ENDYMION, VIRTUAL DEATH, BOOK OF NIGHT WITH MOON, ZODIAC, NEWS FROM THE EDGE, PROFITEER, CYTEEN, HOGG, BLAMELESS IN ABADDON, BEYOND THE VEIL OF STARS, WATERBORN, A PURSUIT OF MIRACLES, THE OPIUCHI HOTLINE, THE PEACE WAR, MAROONED IN REAL TIME, WITCH AND WOMBAT, PERMUTATION CITY, GAME OF THRONES, DECEPTION WELL, CELESTIS, THE LAST DEADLOSS VISIONS, THE GOLDEN KEY, INFINITE JEST, IN ENEMY HANDS, TAM LIN, THE REVOLUTION FROM ROSINANTE, INTO THE FORGE, THE WEAPON SHOPS OF ISHER, SECTOR GENERAL, TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG, ONE FOR THE MORNING GLORY, TITAN, SLANT, HEART OF THE COMET, THE PRACTICE EFFECT, HOW LIKE A GOD, CIPHERS, RALLY CRY, UNION FOREVER, MINDSTAR RISING, A QUANTUM MURDER, THE NANO FLOWER, INTO THE FOREST, THE CAT WHO WALKED THROUGH WALLS, THE WHITE PLAGUE, INHERIT THE STARS, THE GRID, THE BARBED COIL, OWLFLIGHT, MOMENTO MORI, EXCESSION, LOOK INTO THE SUN, LADYLORD, PROPHET, RUNNING WITH THE DEMON, DARK BORDER, ONLY FORWARD, FIRST AND LAST MAN, THE WORLD THE FLESH AND THE DEVIL, STARLIGHT 1, THE POSTMAN, CATCH THE LIGHTNING, ETERNITY, ROGUE MOON, FINITYS END, THE FAIRY OF KU-SHE, 100 WICKED LITTLE WITCH STORIES, 100 VICIOUS LITTLE VAMPIRE STORIES, PRESENT TENSE, DIASPORA, THE CLOAK AND DAGGER, CATARACT, THE LAST WIZARD, STEAL THE DRAGON, SYZYGY, THE PRICE OF THE STARS, TIMESHARE, TREACHERY OF THE DEMON KING, LOOKAWAY, TIGANA, LENS OF THE WORLD, STAR FRACTION, THE STONE CANAL, POWERS THAT BE, ROSE DAUGHTER, THE CHAOS BALANCE, DESTINYS ROAD, INVERTED WORLD, ATLAS SHRUGGED, POSITRONIC MAN, PATRIOTS, STATIONS OF THE TIDE, THE CYBERIAD, THE MOUNTAIN MADE OF LIGHT, THE SERVANT OF THE BONES, TOMOE GOZEN, THE ARMOR OF LIGHT, TEKLORDS, FIRST TO FLIGHT, MALLWORLD, FIRE FROM THE WINE DARK SEA, A KING OF INFINITE SPACE, SCHISMATRIX PLUS, THURSDAY, SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME, HOW FEW REMAIN, THE CENTAUR, THE MERRO TREE, A FOREST LORD, LOOKING FOR THE MAHDI, FARADAYS ORPHANS, FALSE DAWN, THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE, VIRUS, POLGARA THE SORCERESS, NEVERWHERE, THE ALIEN DARK, LEGEND, WIZARDS FIRST RULE, DR ADDER, DERYNI RISING, DREAMSNAKE, ALADORE, SABRIEL, THE DIAMOND AGE, LEGGY STARLITZ, DISTRACTION, YESTERDAYS MEN, OTHERLAND, THE KILLING STAR, THE RISING, MARS UNDERGROUND, WIZARD AND GLASS, DARWINIA, THE INTERIOR LIFE, MIRROR DANCE, DANCERS RISE, EINSTEINS BRIDGE, FOREVER PEACE, MARTIANS IN MAGGODY, A WALK IN THE SUN, RAZORS EDGE, JINGO, PICNIC ON PARADISE, FAMILY TREE, EXORCISMS AND ECSTASIES, STARSHIP TROOPERS, THE DRAGON AND THE UNICORN, THE NEUTRONIUM ALCHEMIST, VOYAGES BY STARLIGHT, EXILE, THE PRESTIGE, JURGEN, THINK LIKE A DINOSAUR, MAGICIANS WARD, FUGITIVE PRINCE, HARVEST OF STARS, SPIDER LEGS, SIN OF ORIGIN, FORTRESS OF EAGLES, CLOUDS RIDER, DUNE MESSIAH, A SONG FOR ARBONNE, WITCH WORLD, RINGWORLD THRONE, FLIGHT OF VENGEANCE, CITY ON FIRE.

Pop culture references: the Social Credit Card political party of British Columbia Canada, Dennis Miller's sprawling referential monologues, Baywatch Nights, George of the Jungle, 

Technology callbacks: "dusty 3 inch A disks(?)", DejaNews the Internet search engine, the fermi paradox

Death notices: Paul Edwin Zimmer, SFF author. G. Harry Stine aka Lee Correy, SFF author and model rocketry industry wunderkin.

SFL requests/discussion topics:

>Re: How much Lem is Lem

>Re: How racist was Lovecraft

>Re: Ringworld Engineers, a daft question

>Re: What ever happened to Mack Reynolds

>Re: RGB Mars trilogy (Kim Stanley Robinson)

>Re: Samuel Delany

>Re: A few thoughts on Ursula LeGuin

>Re: E.E. Smith Lensman - Where to start?

>Re: Has Sliders had TOO MANY chances?

>Re: Handmaid's Tale SciFi?

>Re: A.S. Byatt? What to read?

>Re: Game of Thrones Praises/Gripes

>Re: Stargate SG-1

>Re: Alien Nation question

>Re: Robert Asprin "Myth" series

>Re: David Brin any good?

>Re: Card Problems (Orson Scott Card)

>Re: Storm Constantine

>Re: One-Note Eddings

>Re: Heinlein's CAT WHO WALKED sucks

>Re: Excession a disappointment

>Re: Andrew J. Offutt

>Re: Darkover for beginners

>Re: Rogue Moon (Algis Budrys)

>Re: Is Charles DeLint any good

>Re: Mageworld series

>Re: Clifford Simak

>Re: John Updike? SF?

>Re: Xena and her dad

>Re: Things I learned from Team Knight Rider

>Re: Any STEN fans?

>Re: War against the Chtorr

>Re: Terry Goodkind

>Re: Sterling: Leggy Starlitz

>Re: George Zebrowski?

>Re: Vance - The Dying Earth

>Re: Arthur C Clarke RETIRE!

>Re: Dickson's Childe Cycle reading order

>Re: Style change in LeGuin's fiction

-A SFLer refuses to believe that HP Lovecraft's stories had lots of racism in them, doubling down by saying they've only read the German? translations of Lovecraft when other SFLers go "oh hell yes HP Lovecraft's stories were racist top to bottom".

-SFLer's new to Robert Anson Heinleins work ask what the differences are between the posthumous unabridged version of STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND and the original published version

-John Dos Passos using the "sidebar" literary technique decades before John Brunner & Fredrick Pohl (and Stephen King) utilizied that technique in their stories comes up for the 5th or 8th time since the SFL Archives has existed.

(2021 note: This 5th or 8th reminder that John Dos Passos originated the "sidebar" literary technique finally made set aside the time to read Dos Passos U.S.A. trilogy. That time and effort was not wasted, despite their 70+ year age the U.S.A. trilogy holds up well.)

-The 2nd book in Philip Pullman's Golden Compass series, The Subtle Knife, comes out, and peoples minds start breaking when they discuss the Golden Compass books. Certain SFLer's absolutely cannot handle the mix of technology and sci-fi AND Narnia elements in the Golden Compass books.

-SFLer's note how many modern authors rip off the plot and characters in Rudyard Kiplings CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS story in their adventure and mil-fiction stories.

(2021 note: CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS is a deep cut. Not sure how many people in 2000 - 2021 have read CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS on their own without being forced to read it via a college English literature course.)

-SFLer's start discussing Samuel Delany, and his most controversial published work like HOGG. The same SFLer's who really liked the torture-porn scenes in Terry Goodkind's work really really really like HOGG.

-Claudia Christian's take on why she will not be appearing in season 5 of Babylon 5 gets reposted to the SFL Archives/how Claudia Christian found out she was fired from Babylon 5 season 5 after spending a weekend promoting season 5 of Babylon 5 in London alongside a bunch of other Babylon 5 actors and show producers.

(2021 note: The B5 producers do not come off good, especially JMS's lumping all the blame onto Babylon 5 producer John Copeland for roughly the 600th time.)

-Avid hate-watchers of the tv-series SLIDERS come out in droves when the question "Has Sliders had TOO MANY chances?" comes up in the SFL Archives. Gharlane of Eddore manages to solidify his status as a proto-incel while talking about the all the wrongs things SLIDERS does/why SLIDERS is a abomination.

-Virtually every Star Trek fan in the SFL Archives turns on Majel Barrett Roddenberry when she heavily invokes Gene Roddenberry's name and legacy when promoting the upcoming in Fall 1997 tv-series EARTH FINAL CONFLICT. Even the SFLer who wrote 9000 words defending Majel-Barrett Roddenberry back in SFL Archives Vol 22a does a complete 180 twist andturns against her.

(2021 note: The underlying tone of all the anti Majel-Barrett Roddenberry posts is "how fucking DARE she" promote a non Star Trek tv-series and use the name of her husband/use her husband's notes & failed previous tv-pilot attempts while DS9 & Voyager are still being produced by Paramount.)

-ROAR the short lived 1997 fantasy tv-series starring Heath Ledger comes out on the FOX network and nearly everyone who posts about ROAR spends tons of effort ripping it apart for not adhering to history/technical inaccuracies/not living up to SCA fight standards. Gharlane of Eddore again goes that extra step in new tv show haterdom/incel-dom.

-A SFLer review of HONEY WE SHRUNK OURSELVES makes special note of young actress Alison Mack showing particular promise and how the camera loves her little smiles.

(2021 note: Retroactively funny and creepy given Alison Mack's recent court trail and conviction for co-running the NXIVM sex-slave cult.)

-The first mention of a James Cameron movie project called AVATAR slated for a 1999 release date.

-Almost every SFLer posts a review of the movie GATTACA, however every single SFLer in existence later in SFL Archives Vol 22b will post a review and critique of the 1997 movie STARSHIP TROOPERS and how it does live up to the vision and scope of Robert Heinlein's novel the movie was adapted from.

(2021 note: Roughly 12% of SFL Archives Vol 22b is devoted to STARSHIP TROOPERS 1997 reviews and critiques) 

-Glen Cooks Black Company series gets discussed when SHE IS THE DARKNESS is released. One SFLer jokingly manages to predict Sleepy becoming the next chronicler of the Black Company.

-Harlan Ellison making a funny in retrospect comment in one of his Dangerous Vision collections about how "..if Kate Wilhem is the woman's voice for this genration of speculative fictoon, James Tiptree Jr. is the man's voice."

-SFLers start commenting how one-note David Eddings is, as in every book or story written by Eddings is a thinly revised version of the story he's written 15+ times now.

-Something about Arthur C Clarke hoarding his copy of J. Bernal's THE WORLD THE FLESH AND THE DEVIL and refusing to loan it out to other authors due to it's rarity.

-SFLer's start commenting on Jeri Ryan being a improvement to STAR TREK VOYAGER. SFLer's will later rave about the Voyager 'Year of Hell' and hope that it isn't rolled back like every other Voyager episode involving damage to the ship or a Voyager shuttlecraft being destroyed is.

-SFLer's note there is rumors and speculation floating around the Internet concerning Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS movie adaptation.

(2021 note: Mostly of historical note showing that Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie trilogy had been in movie development hell for years.)

-One of the first standalone mentions of actor Karl Urban in the SFL Archives

-Michael Moorcock saying that for adventure books, it shouldn't take any longer to write than to read them.

-Paul T. Riddell posts a huffy "I'm retiring from writing SF fiction" open letter to the Internet blaming burnout from toxi fans and people not caring about his in-depth SF genre criticism reviews in SF genre periodicals, and absolutely no from the SFL Archives cares enough about Paul T. Riddell to respond.

-SCI-WIRE breaks the news that Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson have signed a contract to write DUNE series prequels and sequels

-SFLer's discuss how awful and out of tone Harlan Ellison's screenplay of I ROBOT was to Isaac Asimov's existing Robot stories.

-EARTH FINAL CONFLICT airs and everyone who isn't a Star Trek fan comments on how suprisely decent it is, and look forward to new episodes.

(2021 note: Absolutely none of the die-hard Star Trek fan that earlier in SFL Archives Vol 22b verbally ripped Majel-Barrett Roddenberry apart for the audacity of producing a non-Star Trek tv-series ever comments on EARTH FINAL CONFLICT like they do on SLIDERS and ROAR and STARGATE SG-1, etc...)