Thank you. I won't believe it, myself, til I'm actually there.

Man, you are really getting into this thing! Good for you. I've found that it helps to defeat SF burnout by reading short stories now and then, so there's plenty of time for Bradbury. If I read 5 or 6 novels back-to-back I get burned out for a little while and have to spend a few nights reading short stories.

I recently finished book 5 of Asimov's FOUNDATION series (FOUNDATION AND EARTH) and I suddenly realized that it seems I just can't wait to get to the end of his novels more often than not, just so I can read something else... by somebody else. Too much dialogue, info-dumping, and techno-babble for me. You're right, Robo, his writing is dry. Good sense of humor, but I need some action! The first two hundred pages really dragged. The original FOUNDATION TRILOGY was good, but there's really no need to continue after those three.

Now I'm reading something called A FOR ANDROMEDA by Fred Hoyle. It was given to me, and like the gluton who can't waste food... I guess I have to read this thing. It's just like CONTACT, which I've never read but I saw the movie. Message from space, directions to build something, military and scientists butting heads, sabatoge and espionage etc. There's even a shady multi-billionaire guy. Carl Sagan should have been sued for plagiarism... for "billions and billions".

After that it's onto something that looks like a whole lotta fun called ROGUE MOON by Algis Budrys. Then again, it might be depressing. It's about cloned soldiers sent on suicide missions for reconnaissance purposes and the effects that "experiencing" death has on their telepathically linked originals. Sounds cool, huh?

Oh! Just thought of something. Keep your eyes open for the understated yet absolutely vital roles women play in most of these Post Apocolypse novels. There's usually a whole subplot regarding the women. I don't know why it's so prevalent in the Post Apocolypse sub-genre. Maybe you can offer an opinion later on?

Loved �Rogue Moon�--and what you say about FOUNDATION is true.


[This message has been edited by Chapter 31 (edited 04-15-2006).]

Yes your right. His characters are shallow and cardboard cutouts, yet his stories are intriguing. I am enjoying reading his book though. I did order a couple John Christopher books, No Blade of Grass, and Wrinkle in Skin. It looks like his characters are real kooky and deep, which I think I'll like. Man, his books were high dollar for me. Spent like twenty five for both, when I'm used to spending one penny or a couple dollars max. I've always loved Bradbury and Heinlein though. When I lived in Ca., I bought from a bookstore in Anaheim all of Heinlein and Bradbury books up until 1985. They were really reasonably priced and I only bought late fifties/early sixties copies because I always liked the book art better. Heinlein's characters are more deeply presented than Asimov from what I have assertained, but still lack the warmth and vitality of Bradbury's. Bradbury's king as far as I'm concerned, depth of characters you can relate to, even the evil ones, a plot and story line totally original, unique, and geniusly laid out, and an almost singular writing style that closely borders poetic verse, not to mention the beautiful metaphors. So far, I haven't run into any writer that I thank God and the Universe for producing for our/my pure joy and amusement. Now, with regard to the apocalyptic stories, of which, Ray has a few fantastic ones. I think I love to read that because obviously we as a species are on the wrong track right now. We are raping and pillaging old mother Earth for all she's worth. Only a matter of time before she lashes back with a vengeance. In the Postman, some of the stronger women come to the conclusion that men are responsible for most if not all of the trouble before, during, and after that pesky apocalypse. I agree with an eighty percent slice. Although the women didn't succeed directly in their venture for salvation, they made a deep stab at it, and ended up being legendary, thereby allowing others to follow in their footsteps. I haven't read a whole lot of these kinds of books yet, but I know women in general don't get wrapped up in that whole territorial stigma. I think women are more pragmatic, its only fair that they get to save the world, after all we've done.

This is unrelated, so I'm going to write it anyway. Earlier, I went out to smoke a cig, and I was sitting at the patio table. Sitting on the table was a Dandelion seed with its parachute intact. I picked it up in my finger and really looked and scrutinized it. I thought how perfect and genius in its function and beauty, not unlike a snowflake. Can only God create something so perfect such as that, or is it the universe, or is the universe God? On the other hand, wouldn't it be equally miraculous for it all to be random events tied together by the fates? I almost wanted to plant the dandelion seed, something I have never done, but I just put my finger in front of my lips and blew it on its way in the dark night.

Then came inside and helped dye Easter eggs, with the leftover dye, I tiedyed a shirt my mom had given me. Hope it turns out.

Your mom should be proud.

Yes, she should. It has an eagle on the front. It was the only one that I had that was remotely white all over. Never tried it with egg dye. Should either be really great or a cracked egg! This is a hoot, one of the kids got up with, surprise, Easter insomnia. Its the eight year old,our baby, he has gotten up twice hungry. He was fed twice and sent back to bed, I just heard who I thought was he getting up yet again so I hollered in, "what are you doing up again"?! Turns out, it was the other one, his bro, also suffering the same ailment. At least one is fast asleep, my daughter. I don't remember this happening at Easter before, X-mas, yes. Make that two sleeping, my wife succumbed to sleep now. Unfortunately, she needs to get back up and help me eat candy and stuff baskets. I guess I can manage it, if she shows me where she hid it all. Ain't life grand! Sheesh.

Hoppy Easter everyone!

Are you familiar with Psanky? Ukranian Easter eggs - incredible. Check them out on various web sites. I've made some myself and actually gave a class for the 4H years ago. The origin of Easter eggs, by the way, is that all Christians used to keep the fast during Lent that the Orthodox still do, to wit; abstaining from meat, dairy (including eggs), fish, wine, and oil; wine and oil being allowed on certain days and fish on the Annunciation and Palm Sunday. So, what did they do with the eggs they weren't eating? They decorated them! On Pascha (Easter Sunday) we take an egg (hard boiled) and crack it against that of another and say, "Crist is risen!" The other responds, "He is risen indeed!" Then we eat 'em! And, boy, do they taste good after 7 weeks of no eggs!

Happy Easter, everybody.

Robo,

You may be right about the women having to always clean up after the men.

or

"YOU IDIOT!!! You dropped the baby! This, is how you hold a baby."

or

Perhaps there's some kind of Freudian mother-love metaphor? Nah...

or

Mama always makes the hurt go away.

I think it's a combination of all of the above. I've never really been good at analizing books and recognizing metaphors (and I don't make cliffnotes), that's why I asked for your opinion. Thanks. I'm one of those readers who I've read some people describe as "being able to read, but not knowing 'how' to read." I read for entertainment and I likes what I likes.

And I likes Bradbury, and also thank God for bringing him into my life. I'm glad you're not afraid of sharing your thoughts, Robo. We are kindred spirits, here, ALL of us.

I've been tripping on snails suckling on smashed earthworms. Thought snails were herbavores??? Not anymore. Last night I observed an earwig going to town on a spider I had smashed weeks ago on the patio. Aren't earwigs supposed to eat decaying vegetation? Biology is cool, entomology is really cool. But this is scary. Even roly-polys are on The Atkins Diet. The times they are-a-changing. I blame Bush!

[This message has been edited by grasstains (edited 04-16-2006).]

Don't sweat the small stuff...eat it! I disagree with your synopsis regarding yourself as being nonanalytic, I think your statements about what you've read are very consise and so far, I've found right on the money. So no more of that, I fall into that at times too. Its obvious you have a keen mind, keep up the good work. Sometime soon, I will list all of the books I have gotten just by yours, Chapter, B-Two, a couple others on here recommendation. I've not yet disagreed with anything. Quite contrary, I have been astounded at the new worlds both sci-fi, and liturature, verse, I have encountered. By the way,Chap, poetically speaking, I think I like my poetry a little abstract like E.E. Cummings or Ferlinghetti etc. I know, I have rubbed a few the wrong way on here and on the other board by my ramblings, but I am trying to curtail it a bit. Grass, what is that other board you mentioned, a sci-fi board? I may join up. Any who, take care and have a great Easter. Thanks Braling on that about eggs, its interesting.

Don't worry about that website. I skimmed back and dug it up. I'm sometimes a little lazy. Anyhow, I checked it out and it looks really fun. Just reading the general discussion board had me laughing. People never cease to amaze me. I have to tell you this one more time, Grass, if I didn't know better, I would swear you are a paid book reviewer. I was going back and reading some posts, I guess it was a case of modesty. By the way, I'm a little over halfway through I Robot. I'm liking it alot more than I thought when I began. Its a similiar style in a way to Martian Chronicles, only in that it seems to be short stories of a like vein tied together by bridge chapters. Happy Reading.

Addendum: went back and checked that site again to paruse, loved it! it is so diverse and dynamically exciting! I e-mailed the moderator to join. Its storming right now here, tried to sneak a smoke before getting too wet, and the rain was frozen in time by the lightning flashes, I stuck my tongue out and tasted the cool rain of the night!

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[This message has been edited by Robot Lincoln (edited 04-17-2006).]

There's a Q&A section in Popular Science each month. In the Feb edition, someone asked, "What's worth reading on the Web?" and the response was 365tomorrows.com. It's a site where there's a new super-short-SF-story daily. I've been there a few times now, and it's quality stuff.

Nice story today. That title seems familiar.

Yeah, bet there'd be quite a few google hits on a title like that. Liked the story before it a lot, especially for Easter.

Perhaps I'll check their archives. I'm glad the stories are so short, I hate reading longer works online. Flash fiction has really taken off with the advent of the computer, so it looks like I'm not alone in my distaste for online reading.

I saw you at Asimov's, Robo!

I was trying to hide. Kinda like lurking lately.

Wow, I just saw that Katie and Tom have had their evil spawn. Reminds me of Rosanne and Tom. Katie and Tom should have a blue collar t.v. show now...

[This message has been edited by Robot Lincoln (edited 04-18-2006).]

Thanks for mentioning that. Yeah, if the kid really is his, I guess the problems bearing children in his previous marriage must have been due to Nicole. I always suspected it was him, and, thanks to a post on another forum, I now remember why. It's been "common knowledge" for years that Tom was supposedly sterile. This is the reason for his divorce from Mimi Rogers, and the adoption of his kids with Nicole. Also why he supposedly shunned Nicole after she had a miscarrage--because he knew, or at least suspected, it was not his.

[This message has been edited by dandelion (edited 04-19-2006).]