Sunday, August 15, 2021

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.


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