John Purcell

Congratulations on another Best Fanzine Hugo nod, Guy. After reading this issue and perusing past issues on-line, I can understand why. You are producing a top-notch zine with fine art (lovely cover by Taral, by the by) and photos to accompany the articles, which are many and varied. Lots of interesting material herein. Overall, a splendid issue.

This is such a huge zine that it took me quite a bit of time to read it. Most fanzines lately seem to hover in the 30-page range, and then you clock in with this 76-page monster, which is a throwback to those days of yore when massive fanzines were produced on a regular/semi-regular basis. When Challenger #25 put a new dent in my mailbox, memories came banging back about those huge issues of the Haskell-era Runes, plus Energumen,
Mota, Granfalloon, Mimosa, Mainstream, and others that regularly exceeded 50 or 60 pages an issue. I wonder if the smaller average size of modern-day zines is not only a reflection of the smaller number of people producing zines, but is in addition to the technology factor that makes fanzine production easier and faster. It probably is; still, it makes me wonder. This sounds kind of like a fanzine article to me...

My wife and older daughter are Criminal Justice majors over at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, and so your article "Hebrews 13:3" piqued their interest when I told them you were a public defender in real life. Penny – the 22 year old – is a victim studies major, and your third story about the Aggravated Incest case grabbed her interest. If not this semester – since it's almost over – but maybe next year, maybe you could provide an interview or additional material for papers they will have to produce for classes. Of course, it all depends on which courses they will be in, but this might be a Good Idea for primary source material. No rush on this one, but I figured I'd mention it since your article jarred this idea loose in my brain. It certainly sounds good to me.

Great interview with Alfred Bester. As you know, I re-read The Stars My Destination during the Holiday break this past year, and thoroughly enjoyed it again. It is simply just one well-told, thoroughly entertaining novel. I forget off-hand where I read this - not sure if it was in the latest SNAPS distribution, and Joyce Katz wrote about it, or was it Robert Sabella in his fanzine? gotta double-check – but 2006 was the 50th Anniversary of the publication of The Stars My Destination. It would have been very appropriate for a special edition with retrospective commentary by various authors to be published. This book consistently pops up on fans' lists of favorite all-time sf novels. It is one crackling good read.

Now I'm getting the urge to re-read The Demolished Man. Maybe over the summer. That may have to wait, though, since I just checked out four Alastair Reynolds books out of the TAMU circulating library to read, and I've started with Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days, which is a lot of fun. The other books I checked out were from his Revelation Space
series, so I'm looking forward to reading them. This is my first exposure to Reynolds. So far, I am not disappointed.

Back to the zine. James Bacon's "The Greatest Bookshop of Them All" made me nostalgic for the used bookstore runs Lee Pelton, Steve Glennon and I used to do once a month back in Minneapolis-St. Paul in the mid-70s. I love used bookstores. Of course, my interests are more eclectic nowadays, but I always check out the science fiction and fantasy shelves first. There aren't many used bookstores in College Station-Bryan, I am afraid; Carousel Books closed down recently (it was in a shitty little strip mall over by Post Oak Mall), and that was the only other used bookstore in College Station besides Half-Price Books, which is a wonderful place to spend an evening and 50-bucks at a drop. Good stuff there, though. Up in Bryan, there are only two used bookstores: BCS Books & Comics and Cavitt Corner Used Books & Collectibles. Most of the "bookstores" in these "Twin Cities" (ick! they are not! especially not to this Minn-stf boy) cater to this college town, with four chains carrying texts, supplies, and TAMU bric-a-brac and clothing. *sigh* Such is life in a college town.

Speaking of books, John Hertz reviewed one of my favorite Arthur C. Clarke books, The City and the Stars. That novel is full of those *ghosh-whow* moments that simply make me stop,
put down the book for a minute, and soak in or digest what I had just read. Clarke can paint such a vivid picture and infuse it with an energy that is still poetic, which is probably why he
is one of my favorite SF writers of all time. Such an incredibly talented writer, and such an incredible output over time. Love his work.

Funny thing, glancing at Rich Dengrove's review of Heinlein's Children, I never was a big fan of Heinlein. His shorter fiction was fine, and some of his books are definitely fun to read - the juveniles, of course - but I never cared for his huge, sprawling tomes from the late 1960s through the 1970s. Oh, well. Everybody has their own reading tastes.

I think I'll call it a wrap by thanking Curt Phillips and Charlie Williams for the tribute to our dear friend, Bob Tucker. Even though Bob passed away seven months ago now - has it really been that long? – the thought of his loss still gives me pause. Our fannish heritage is so much richer thanks to Bob's efforts, and for that we thank him, and we'll miss him. The upcoming NASFiC has been dedicated and renamed in his honor. That is a fitting tribute, too, but I think Bob would have been very amused by the gesture. He was one cool fella. I hoist my coffee mug in a non-alcoholic Smooooth to his memory.

Grand zine, Guy. Thank you much, and I look forward to the next one.