Alright, finished More Than Human by Sturgeon. It was great! I highly recommend it to anyone. A couple times throughout, I was like, where is this all going. Sturgeon brought all the loose ends of the story together brilliantly weaving an almost zen like story full of rich human emotions and subtle nuggets of wisdom. Now for something completely different, time out from sci-fi. I started The Waves by Virginia Woolf. Next I will finish I Sing The Body Electric. Been putting it on the back burner too long, it's simmered enough.

Thanks, Robo.

If it wasn't for Bradbury I would never have discovered Sturgeon. When I first fell in love with RB's work I ran out and bought up all the Bradbury books I could find. One book was an odd anthology of three authors, Bradbury, Sturgeon, and Chad Oliver called THREE TO THE HIGHEST POWER edited by William Nolan. I only remember the Bradbury story being "The Lost City Of Mars" but the Sturgeon story must have really impressed me. I often forget the titles of stories, except for RB's for some reason.

YESSSS!!! I found my way back home. I switched from AOL to ATT/SBC High Speed and lost my link to this ghost ship in the process. TGIG (Thank Goodness For Google)

Robo, I found a big fat anthology with "Killdozer" in it and I'll read it tonight. I spent $8.00 on the anthology just for that one story, it better be good. Also, I HAVE read "The Chromium Helmet". I get confused because it has a character named "The Widget" and Sturgeon has another story called "The Widget, The Wadget, And Boff" (or something like that) which IS the one I haven't read yet. I saw another huge anthology with "Microcosmic God" in it, which I haven't read yet either. Maybe I'll buy it.

Grass,

The other day at the bookstore(I now work at, scarily for me because of my love of books and easy access to them now) I ran across an anthology The Greatest Treasury of Fantasy. It is 1981, and it has Sturgeon and Bradbury in it. Here is the kicker and why I bought it, with my discount for almost nothing(1.75), it has The Dark Ferris by Ray in it. I read it right off and granted it is rough and not near as good as the book Something Wicked eventually became, but what a foundation and not bad for a twenty seven year old rookie writer. Remember, it originally was sitting with its brothers and sisters, like The Lake, The Dwarf, The Wind etc! I want to read The Killdozer too. I remember the movie was creepy when I saw it as a kid.

Is that the one with the guy in the odd hat who gets on the ferris wheel and when it stops he's just a skeleton?

Yes correct. It served as the basis of Something Wicked This Way Comes. I wish that book Dark Carnival would come my way at the bookstore. On most sites, it averages as being sold for around $200.00-$300.00. I'd snatch that baby up and try and get it signed.

Just finished Virginia Woolf's, The Waves. Was not that great, I will try a different one some day. I'm back on I Sing The Body Electric, halfway through. Next, The Caves Of Steel, by Asimov.

[This message has been edited by Robot Lincoln (edited 06-11-2006).]

"Killdozer" is a pretty cool story, but nothing spectacular. There's a whole lotta construction site tech-talk descibing the different machines they're using, which was kinda boring. The best dialogue so far was after a man gets konked over the head with a wrench he later says after waking, "If this goose egg behind my ear hatches a hundred pound anvil will fall out." Funny stuff.

The last three nights I've been too pooped to read. Trying to cram a whole summer's worth of fun into two weeks is exhausting.

Check that, Robo, it's a GREAT story. Builds momentum as it goes. The tech-talk was still over my head, but an outrageous slugfest between a possessed CAT and a man operated bulldozer towards the end was one of the coolest things I've ever read. What a spectacle! Was the movie like that? I'd love to find it.

Cool, I remember the movie being creepy but not much else about it. Now I'm anxious to read it. I really liked More Than Human alot. The end was spectacular. I think he is known for his fabulous endings where everything is finalized with a bang. I liked his style and everything. I think even Bradbury envied him somewhat at one point early in his career.

Just finished I Sing The Body Electric. I loved it, especially Lost City Of Mars! We are going to Fla., so have decided to read Joseph Conrad's Tales of the Sea. Then will read Caves of Steel, then Bradbury'd Halloween Tree which I have never read before.

This is a prolific and potent thread you started, Grasstains. Its one of the best ones bar none!

Bot, a good maritime adventure is the biography of captain Cook by Alan Villiers.
I just finished "Catering To Nobody" by Diane Mott Davidson, just for fun. First in a series. Lots of fun, but I'm not sure yet if/when I'll read more.
I'm now reading Bob Dylan's autobiography "Chronicles". He writes very well, as one might expect, and has an incredible memory for detail; which (along with the title) may remind us of someone!

I read that too! I love Dylan, he is a good writer. Is he going to continue it? From what I remember, it only went about halfway through his life. Did you see that documentary on him by Scorsacy(?)? The one that came out earlier this year, which I thought was awesome. I taped it off pbs.

Yes, the PBS stations in my area are getting ready to run it again.

Ever hear the "Bob Wilson" bit on Prairie Home Companion? Imagine Dylan singing "Blowin' In The Wind" but with the lyrics:

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck
If a woodchuck could chuck wood?
And how many songs must a songwriter write
Before he writes one good?

Hee hee!

Dylan's voice is offensive to my ears. Now, when somebody else sings his songs I can really get into it. Harry Belafonte did some beautiful covers of classic folk songs. Burl Ives singing folk songs is the best. Hey, imagine how fun to hear Leon Redbone do some Dylan covers.

THE BEACH BOYS DO DYLAN!!! Now, THAT would be cool.