| |
G0TEZ > TREK 07.02.04 08:05l 68 Lines 2652 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 110229G0TEZ
Read: DB0FHN GUEST
Subj: Re: G0TEZ > future units
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RGB<OK0PPL<DB0RES<ON0BEL<SP7MGD<VK3TE<GB7YFS
Sent: 040207/0028Z @:GB7YFS.#26.GBR.EU #:37859 [Bourne] $:110229G0TEZ
From: G0TEZ@GB7YFS.#26.GBR.EU
To : TREK@WW
Hi Warren and anyone else who'se interested.
My first ever pulp Sci Fi book was SLAN by A.E. van Vogt. I still have it.
I then read a lot of the 'Robot' stories.
The only woman in those was Susan Calvin. He did have some robots like the
JN series which were female and did female things like sweeping up.
JN=JANE...?
Funnily. I have just re read Foundation, so, without going and picking it
up, I can say I remember 'Hari Seldon', and all the mayors, like Hober
Mallow. There are women mentioned in the 'Trader' series but they are
usually greedy and nagging. Isaac's traders sell them pretty 'Gee Gaws'.
I'm still looking for 'Second Foundation' and 'Foundation and Empire.'
I know they are around somewhere as I bought the Foundation trilogy.
He did add two more books, which I probably have read.
I discovered Science Fiction with the first full book I read when Isaac
would be 26. As far as I recall, I read my first 'pulp' mags when he would
be 32, so, even though I thought he was dead, like Jules Verne, he was
writing 'em as I was reading 'em.Some of his stories were pure rubbbish
like 'Christmas on Ganymede, but he was only a teenager when he wrote it.
He did write one about the 'Tweenies' the mutants who settled Venus and
had
picnics by the side of a cool river.
I only mention that one as he wrote it just after he got married. Apart
from the fact that I'm pretty sure scientists knew that the climate on
both Mars and Venus was lethal even then, he still wrote as if they were
habitable.
More puzzling still was his reference to 'slide rules' even in stories
written in the 70s. I know he was a PhD in Chemistry but he must have
known
some physics and, like me, known that electronic calculators and watches
that don't tick were just around the corner, even in the late 60s.
As for his 'strong women' characters. You've got me. I can't think of one.
A lot of the Star Trek TNG and Voyager women werein there as Admirals
etc.,
because those stories were written by a well known man hating feminist.
Give me Babylon 5 and Crusader any time.
My fawvourite SF story, and I don't think it's an Asimov:
Our hero is about to blast off for some dim distant galaxy as part of his
job. He kisses his two little girls and then his wife goodbye.
As he does, he flicks a little switch behind each of their ears.
Then goes out and drives away. leaving them frozen in position, ready to
switch on when he gets back.
They don't write them like that anymore!
All the best - Ian, G0TEZ @ GB7YFS.#26.gbr.eu
Message timed: 18:06 GMT on 05 Feb 04
email: ian@g0tez.fsnet.co.uk
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
