THE MT VOID
Mt. Holz Science Fiction Society
02/25/11 -- Vol. 29, No. 35, Whole Number 1638
Frick: Mark Leeper, mleeper@optonline.net
Frack: Evelyn Leeper, eleeper@optonline.net
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Topics:
Answer to Last Week's Puzzle and a New Puzzle
(by Tom Russell)
Answer to the Previous Week's Puzzle (by Tom Russell,
Tim Bateman, Charles Harris, and Kip Williams)
Nothing to Sneeze At (comments by Mark R. Leeper)
My Picks for Turner Classic Movies for March (comments
by Mark R. Leeper)
Musical Instrument Museum (museum review by Evelyn C. Leeper)
Hugo Recommendations 2011 (comments by Dale L. Skran, Jr.)
Nebula Award Nominations
Untold Stories (letters of comment by Tim Bateman
and Lax Madapaty)
Girl Scout Cookies (letter of comment by Kip Williams)
EARTH ABIDES (letter of comment by Dan Goodman)
This Week's Reading (SENSE AND SENSIBILITY AND SEA MONSTERS)
(book comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
==================================================================
TOPIC: Answer to Last Week's Puzzle and a New Puzzle (by Tom
Russell)
Last week I gave the puzzle:
Our old dictionary has the two-letter word jo meaning "sweetheart".
(See also http://www.yourdictionary.com/jo) If you back up one
letter in each place the J becomes an I and the O becomes an N (in
the same way HAL relates to IBM), so JO becomes IN, another two-
letter word. How many other such "ladder" pairs of two-letter
words can you find? You should be able to find up to five more
such pairs of words.
The answer is ad-be, ax-by, he-if, oh-pi, and to-up.
Arthur T. sent in:
Some people see puzzles like this as a memory challenge. Others
see it as a programming challenge.
My program (and my database of words) said:
14 pairs found of 2 letters.
30 pairs found of 3 letters.
12 pairs found of 4 letters.
4 pairs found of 5 letters.
2 pairs found of 6 letters.
0 pairs found of 7 letters.
A zipfile of my program and results is attached. There are quite a
few words in there that aren't in my standard dictionary, but are
in my anagram dictionary (which is what I search for this kind of
puzzle). [-at]
[The answers Arthur found will appear *next* week so that people
can try the longer words. -ecl]
This week's puzzle:
Find a set of four, four-letter, words in which three of the
letters are the same in all the words and the other letter position
forms a four-letter alphabetic sequence. The pattern might look
like this: VOID WOID XOID YOID. In this example the second, third
and fourth letters are the same and the first letter forms a four-
letter alphabetic sequence. Which letter position is used as the
sequence is for you to find.
Bonus: There is an underlying pattern to the alphabet which makes
the third puzzle difficult. If each of the five vowels is
represented by V and each consonant by C, then our alphabet is:
V C C C V C C C V C C C C C V C C C C C V C C C C C.
English is a living language; it has evolved from grunts to tweets.
Did this amazing pattern in our alphabet come about by natural
selection or by intelligent design?
The answer will appear next week. [-tlr]
==================================================================
TOPIC: Answer to the Previous Week's Puzzle (by Tom Russell, Tim
Bateman, Charles Harris, and Kip Williams)
We had more entries and comments on Tom Russell's puzzle in the
02/11/11 issue of the MT VOID. Just to remind you, Tom said:
The five common vowels are A, E, I, O and U. One set of matching
words using all five vowels is ball/bell/bill/boll/bull. (If
you don't raise cotton then boll might not be a familiar word.)
Find another list of five four-letter words with the same property.
The vowel may be in any of the four positions.
Tom's answer was last/lest/list/lost/lust. Mark added
pats/pets/pits/pots/puts.
Tim Bateman had sent in Tom's answer to the previous puzzle
in the 02/11/11 issue before the solution was published (as noted
below), but too late to make the issue. He also sent in
pall/pell/pill/poll/pull, saying:
I had to check whether 'pell' was a word or not; it appears that it
is a verb meaning 'pelt' or a noun meaning 'pelt'. No such luck
with 'tull', which would give us tall, tell, till, toll and tull.
I am acting on the criteria that we are not allowed proper nouns,
or I'd include the important figures of Jethro and Walter Tull.
I'll pell you with another list if I come up with one.
Halfway through that last sentence, of course, I came across:
last/lest/list/lost/lust
which I think is better, if only for including the word 'list' in
the list. [-tb]
Charles Harris adds (and Kip Williams also sent in):
And how about bats/bets/bits/bots/buts? This set would seem
appropriate for the VOID's science fiction roots. As for objecting
that some of these are not words, I won't accept any ifs, ands or
buts. [-csh]
==================================================================
TOPIC: Nothing to Sneeze At (comments by Mark R. Leeper)
They say that nothing is so powerful as an idea whose time has
come. I know from experience that a sneeze whose time has come is
actually more powerful. A sneeze can stop an idea, even if only
temporarily. But no idea is powerful enough to stop a sneeze.
[-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: My Picks for Turner Classic Movies for March (comments by
Mark R. Leeper)
This is my monthly notice of recommendations on Turner Classic
Movies for the upcoming month. I am calling your attention to the
slightly more obscure films on TCM that might be easily missed by
people who do not recognize the titles. There are two obvious
choices to point out as films to look for. Both are shown early in
the month.
Rarely seen these days is Brian De Palma's OBSESSION (1976). 1976
was the year that Alfred Hitchcock released his final film, FAMILY
PLOT. It was people's last chance to see the master's work. It
also was the year that Brian De Palma released his OBSESSION. If
you really wanted to see what made Hitchcock great you could do it
that year, but not by seeing a Hitchcock film. Brian De Palma's
Hitchcock-style thriller better represented the best of Hitchcock
than a slowing Hitchcock himself could manage at the time. De
Palma had a one-word title like Hitchcock often did to point to the
strongest emotion in the film. (In fact, OBSESSION might have even
been a better title for VERTIGO than VERTIGO was.) De Palma
employs a disquieting Hitchcock-style score by Bernard Herrmann,
who had been the composer in the 50s and 60s. De Palma tried other
times to imitate Hitchcock's style, but this film he really manages
to get the feel. The one difference critics have noted is that
Hitchcock usually has a little humor and in this film De Palma is
fairly humorless.
Cliff Robertson plays a very successful New Orleans real estate
developer, deeply in love with his wife and his young daughter.
Then the wife and daughter are kidnapped. Robertson makes
arrangements to pay the ransom but the police botch the rescue and
the two victims are killed. Robertson never forgives himself.
Years later Robertson returns to the same little church in Italy
where he first met his wife. Unbelievably there is a woman there
who could be a double for his dead wife. Robertson decides to try
to recreate the life he has lost. Also starring are Genevieve
Bujold and John Lithgow. De Palma tried several times to make
films borrowing touches of Hitchcock's style including SISTERS,
DRESSED TO KILL, BLOW OUT, and BODY DOUBLE. This one was his most
artistically successful attempt. (Thursday March 3, 4:00AM-5:45AM)
THE WAGES OF FEAR (1953) is one of the greatest edge-of-the-seat
suspense films ever made. An ugly, dirty Central American village
is the dead-end for expatriates from all over Europe. People wind
up in the village without the money to leave and are stuck forever
in what has to be the most boring and hot village in the world.
Finally there is an opportunity to get out. There is an oil well
explosion somewhere over the mountains at an American oil company.
The Americans will pay good money if they can get four drivers to
truck nitroglycerine to the fire. The only problem is that the
cargo is in volatile, leaky old dynamite sticks. And the dirt
roads over the mountain are barely drivable even without
explosives. Hitting any little rock in the road could be deadly to
the trucks. THE WAGES OF FEAR is directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
who also directed DIABOLIQUE. It made a star our of Yves Montand
and featured silent film actor Charles Vanel and German Peter Van
Eyck (of THE SNORKEL). The film is in French with English
subtitles. It has been imitated many times and remade three times,
most notably by William Friedkin as SORCEROR. The film takes about
a half hour get going, but once it does this is a solid white-
knuckle film. (Saturday March 5, 3:45AM-6:00AM)
Also worth noting is a Ray Harryhausen triple feature early Tuesday
morning March 29. TCM will be showing JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS
(1963), THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1973), and SINBAD AND THE EYE
OF THE TIGER (1977). The last of these was released the same
weekend as STAR WARS (1977). That weekend epitomized the end of
one era of special effects in film and beginning of another.
Another very good French film RIFIFI (1954) will be run Thursday,
March 17, 9:15-11:20. It is scheduled to run again in May and I
may talk about it when I discuss the films of May. [-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: Musical Instrument Museum (museum review by Evelyn
C. Leeper)
We visited the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix recently, and
(naturally) I have a few comments.
They seem to try to have instruments from every country of the
world. However, for a few they "cheat," such as combining Eritrea
and Ethiopia, or having "the Levant" rather than Jordan, Syria,
Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza. (The last means they do not have
to deal with whether to treat the Palestinian territories as a
separate country, or two separate countries, or not a separate
country.) Israel had its own display, but seemed to be
characterized primarily by European classical music. Klezmer music
was in the North American section, localized in New York, Boston,
Chicago, and Montreal. And is Kosovo a separate country?
South Korea was represented but not North Korea. It would seem to
me that these could be combined as one region a la the Levant. In
addition to North Korea, they are also missing Yemen, Libya,
Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco, Bulgaria, Estonia, and Slovakia.
(It's possible the last three were there somewhere, but I looked
twice for them and could not find them.) Their FAQ said they were
missing a few countries from which collecting instruments was
difficult, and named North Korea, Yemen, and Libya. Admittedly,
Liechtenstein, San Marino, and Monaco are very small, but so are
Luxembourg, Singapore, and Vatican City, all of which got a
section.
Standing in front of the Macedonia display, I overheard another
couple: "I didn't think Macedonia still existed. Oh, wait, I'm
thinking of the island off Africa." "Madagascar?" "Yes,
I didn't think it still existed." I have no idea whether she
thought that Macedonia no longer existed, or that Madagascar
didn't.
The Kurds and the Roma also have separate sections, as well as
various groups within large countries, such as the Tuvans or the
Uighurs in China. The Tuvans are known for "throat singing," which
can produce two or more tones simultaneously, and I was glad the
videos included an example, since I wasn't sure they would consider
the human body an instrument. But they did, and also later
included an example of Samoan music which included body-slapping
and finger-snapping.
I should describe the video sections. Each section has a video
(with audio) of music and dance from that country or region.
Normally this would create a cacophony, but what the MIM does is
give everyone a headset and receiver that will pick up the closest
transmitter. It is also designed to gradually fade one station out
and then the next one in as you move, making it a much smoother
transition than just cutting one out and starting the next.
All the instruments listed what materials were used in making them.
The Tuvans seem to be unique in using bull scrotums (scrota?) in
their instruments.
The United States section had some regional musical traditions,
such as Klezmer, Polka, Norteña, Conjunto, and Taiko, but also
sections on Fender and other manufacturers. Taiko (Japanese
drumming) has really become a different sort of music in the United
States, and (like the Samoan body-slapping dances) are as much a
visual art form as an audio one.
All in all, this is a very well-designed machine and worth seeing.
[-ecl]
[Evelyn and I both wrote of descriptions of this museum not knowing
the other was writing one. Mine will appear in an upcoming issue.
-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: Hugo Recommendations 2011 (comments by Dale L. Skran, Jr.)
It is that time of year again, and the deadline for Hugo
nominations--March 26, is not far off. I decided to get it done
early this year, and then blast off this little missive shamelessly
promoting my favorites.
In the novel category, I am promoting TERMINAL WORLD by Alastair
Reynolds, available in hardcover from Gollancz/Ace. Reynolds is a
British writer of space opera that has not received the recognition
he deserves. Often his books come out in England/Europe first and
American fans are not aware of what he has written until it is too
late for nominations. TERMINAL WORLD is not his best work, but it
is the book that came out in 2010 and is Hugo-eligible, and it is
pretty good, although a bit of departure for Reynolds. You can
find out more about Reynolds at http://www.alastairreynolds.com/.
His books are all good, but I especially recommend CENTURY RAIN and
HOUSE OF SUNS. His stories are often dark, but the science is
pretty hard, as befits a writer with a Ph.D. in astronomy, and the
sense of wonder is blazing bright.
In the Dramatic Presentation Long Form, I especially recommend HOW
TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON from Dreamworks. This animated film is
original and fun. Although it skirts being a politically correct
paean along the lines of "why can't we just all get along?" it
redeems itself in the end. I also recommend "SALT", which,
although billed as a thriller or spy story, is actually rather
close in some parts to the Algis Budrys classic WHO? It also gets
some credit for accurately predicting the usage of sleeper agents
by the Russians against the United States, a large ring of which
was rounded up about the time the movie came out. SALT is not
going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I recommend it for your
consideration.
I also realize we are all tired of Harry Potter at this point, but
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART I was the best Harry
Potter movie in years, and feels much less herky-jerky than the
last two efforts, with plenty of time to fully detail the plot and
let the audience figure out what is going on. Similarly, THE
TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE is probably the best of the three movies so
far, with smarter dialog and more believable characterization, plus
hunky shirtless werewolf guys if you are into that!
I continue to be unhappy with the Hugo process for Best Dramatic
Presentation Short Form. This has been a chestnut for the longest
time, but it was, in my view, intended to be an award for the best
SF television program of the preceding year. Sadly, this has been
interpreted as meaning that the award is given for a particular
episode of a series, and not for the series itself. This has any
number of deleterious effects. One is surely the sheer difficulty
with which any particular episode getting on the Hugo ballot.
There is a huge and unfair barrier requiring fans to select
"favorite" episodes and systematically advocate for those episodes.
In practice, large, well organized fannish groups, i.e., "Dr. Who"
fan clubs, get their way year after year, overpowering fans of
other programs which are more ephemeral and have less organized
support groups. I say this without any prejudice toward "Dr. Who"
fan clubs, especially as I happen to be a dues-paying member of one
of them! For example, in 2010 Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse" was #1 on
all ballot rounds but the final one, when a "Dr. Who" episode
pulled ahead.
Another difficulty is that the fans of a particular series are
sometimes split into two or more groups, each favoring a different
episode, with the result that although the total support for that
series is the largest, it does not win the award. Yet another
issue is that short works of a very modest nature that are not in
any way comparable to a regular TV series frequently win the Hugo
since they are familiar to a group of organized Worldcon fans. My
argument is simply this--we need a Hugo for the best SF TV/Web
series under 90 minutes. This puts mini-series into the long form
where they belong, while excluding plays, speeches, and other
oddments. If we really want a Hugo award for plays, speeches, and
so on, either a new category should be added, or they could receive
a special award given by the Worldcon committee.
With my diatribe out of the way, I'll get on to "playing the game"
and promoting particular episodes of particular series. In some
cases I am adding my voice to those I have seen on the web, as I
think the best results will come if all fans of a particular series
line up behind the best known episode rather than wrangling over
which is best. In my mind, each of these episodes represents the
entire series, and is a proxy for that series.
I consider FRINGE to be the best SF on TV, and suggest nominating
"Over There Part I & II". This is the final episode of the last
season, and deals with the Fringe team's crossing over to an
alternative dimension to recover one of their members. They find
that the enemies who oppose them, are, in fact, themselves.
Leonard Nimoy has a supporting role as William Bell, a brilliant
scientist who once worked with Walter Bishop [played by John Nobel]
but missing for a long time in the other dimension. This is grand
SF at its best, with a complex, mature plot and wonderful acting.
There is web support for this nomination.
SMALLVILLE is a guilty pleasure, and I suggest nominating "Absolute
Justice", which also has web support. This episode is one of the
best in the series in terms of bringing classic DC characters to
life, in this case the Justice Society. Comic book fans will love
the episode; others may find it hard to follow all the characters
and plot twists.
"Swan Song" is the concluding episode of the fifth season of
SUPERNATURAL, and, I have just learned, was intended to be the
final episode of the series. It wraps up the major storyline that
has been growing for five years, leading to the ultimate throw-down
of our heroes with Lucifer and Michael. This nomination has web
support. I've liked this series from the beginning and reviewed it
elsewhere--I wish it well in at least getting a Hugo nomination.
"No Ordinary Pilot" is the opening episode of a new TV show, NO
ORDINARY FAMILY. This is pure proxy for the entire series--it is
certainly possible some of the later episodes were better, but it
seems like the best one to gather support around. This series is
mainly interesting in its portrayal of a family trying to deal with
their super powers, and has the virtue that as it covers what
appears to be well-trodden ground, it is fresh and original, with
engaging characters that grow on you. I especially like the
various misadventures of the son and daughter, who acquire the
powers of hyper-intelligence and telepathy respectively.
Finally, I recommend "Founders Day"--the season opener for EUREKA.
This really is one of the best episodes of the year, if not the
best. In the episode, the main characters travel back to the birth
of Eureka, and on their return, discover the butterfly effect has
changed their lives forever. In some ways, this is best and most
realistic alternative history SF show ever done. So many
alternative histories diverge in a bizarre fashion--here the
changes are subtle--a statue is marble rather than bronze, A never
met his current girlfriend in the new timeline, B married someone B
barely knew in the original timeline, and so on. The episode also
introduces a great new character--one of the founders of Eureka,
and works well as a historical drama. [-dls]
==================================================================
TOPIC: Nebula Award Nominations
Novel:
- THE NATIVE STAR by M.K. Hobson
- THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS by N.K. Jemisin
- SHADES OF MILK AND HONEY by Mary Robinette Kowal
- ECHO by Jack McDevitt
- WHO FEARS DEATH by Nnedi Okorafor
- BLACKOUT/ALL CLEAR by Connie Willis
Novella
- "The Alchemist" by Paolo Bacigalupi
- "Iron Shoes" by J. Kathleen Cheney
- "The Lifecycle of Software Objects" by Ted Chiang
- "The Sultan of the Clouds" by Geoffrey A. Landis
- "Ghosts Doing the Orange Dance" by Paul Park
- "The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers Beneath the Queen"s Window"
by Rachel Swirsky
Novelette
- "Map of Seventeen" by Christopher Barzak
- "The Jaguar House, in Shadow" by Aliette de Bodard
- "The Fortuitous Meeting of Gerard van Oost and Oludara"
by Christopher Kastensmidt
- "Plus or Minus" by James Patrick Kelly
- "Pishaach" by Shweta Narayan
- "That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made" by Eric James Stone
- "Stone Wall Truth" by Caroline M. Yoachim
Short Story
- "Arvies" by Adam-Troy Castro
- "How Interesting: A Tiny Man" by Harlan Ellison"
- "Ponies" by Kij Johnson
- "I"m Alive, I Love You, I"ll See You in Reno" by Vylar Kaftan
- "The Green Book" by Amal El-Mohtar
- "Ghosts of New York" by Jennifer Pelland
- "Conditional Love" by Felicity Shoulders
(Publication information may be found at
http://www.sfwa.org/2011/02/2010-nebula-nominees/.)
==================================================================
TOPIC: Untold Stories (letters of comment by Tim Bateman and Lax
Madapaty)
In response to Mark's comments on "untold stories" in the 02/11/11
issue of the MT VOID, Tim Bateman writes:
And the moment that anyone makes up the story and tells it to
someone else--for example, by showing the script to a film producer
or an agent--the story is no longer untold.
It becomes even more untold once the film is released into cinemas
and millions of people see it unfold. [-tb]
Lax Madapaty writes:
"Untold as in "on the big screen". I saw it recently on DVD after
skipping it due to mixed reviews. I loved it. Very good film. I
should have seen it on the big screen but got to see the director's
cut on DVD. [-lm]
Mark replies:
We have discussed remakes recently. I knew that it had become a
common practice, but still the vast majority of fiction films could
get the tag "the untold story." Why wasn't CASABLANCA called
CASABLANCA: THE UNTOLD STORY? Somehow you should only call
something "the untold story" using that label is, in fact, a lie.
I guess the implication is that the writers have had access to
information that the general public has not. But the implication
is that the writers somehow have come upon some little-known truth
about Robin Hood that has never been done on the screen before. I
find that unlikely. I think the title goes in the same category of
stunt as the Coen Brothers claiming that FARGO is based on a true
story, but in this case it is right in the title.
I have not seen ROBIN HOOD yet, but I still intend to. I will take
that as a recommendation. [-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: Girl Scout Cookies (letter of comment by Kip Williams)
In response to Evelyn's comments on Girl Scout cookies in the
02/18/11 issue of the MT VOID, Kip Williams writes:
I was in a family with three Girl Scouts and a Girl Scout/Brownie
leader, so I remember those cookies. In the 1960s, Sunshine made
them, then the bakery was switched to Burry's, which we didn't like
as much. If I could, I'd order Trefoils now, the way they used to
make them, with a crust of sugar on the top. (I also like Lorna
Doones.)
Trivia: Girl Scouts used to make the cookies themselves, using
recipes sent down by the organization. They sold for something
like a dime or a quarter per batch. I'm guessing something awful
happened, along the lines of what would happen if Lucille Ball was
a Girl Scout ("Gee, this powdered sugar sure looks like my dish
soap!").
More trivia: I have a cook book from the 1970s that purports to
reconstruct recipes for a lot of junk food items. To get the
chocolatey coating of faux Thin Mints just right, they suggest
using some wax. Without rifling my shelves for the book, I think
they referred to some brand of confectioner's wax. Either that or
use a brown crayon (and be sure to take the paper off). [-kw]
==================================================================
TOPIC: EARTH ABIDES (letter of comment by Dan Goodman)
In response to Evelyn's comments on EARTH ABIDES in the 02/18/11
issue of the MT VOID, Dan Goodman writes:
Another instance of racist thinking in EARTH ABIDES: Earlier in the
book, while Ish is a lone wanderer, he finds a Negro community in
the South. He leaves because he's uncomfortable about the way they
immediately see him as their leader.
Note that George R. Stewart was either at the left edge of
liberalism, or a bit left of liberal. Times and attitudes change.
[-dg]
==================================================================
TOPIC: This Week's Reading (book comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY AND SEA MONSTERS by Jane Austen and Ben
H. Winters (ISBN 978-1-59474-442-6) is a cute idea for about two
pages. After that comes an overwhelming desire to read Jane
Austen's prose before Ben H. Winters started modifying it.
As an example, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY begins:
"The family of Dashwood had long been settled in Sussex. Their
estate was large, and their residence was at Norland Park, in the
centre of their property, where, for many generations, they had
lived in so respectable a manner as to engage the general good
opinion of their surrounding acquaintance. The late owner of this
estate was a single man, who lived to a very advanced age, and who
for many years of his life, had a constant companion and
housekeeper in his sister. But her death, which happened ten years
before his own, produced a great alteration in his home; for to
supply her loss, he invited and received into his house the family
of his nephew Mr. Henry Dashwood, the legal inheritor of the
Norland estate, and the person to whom he intended to bequeath it.
In the society of his nephew and niece, and their children, the old
Gentleman's days were comfortably spent. His attachment to them
all increased. The constant attention of Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Dashwood to his wishes, which proceeded not merely from interest,
but from goodness of heart, gave him every degree of solid comfort
which his age could receive; and the cheerfulness of the children
added a relish to his existence.
By a former marriage, Mr. Henry Dashwood had one son: by his
present lady, three daughters. The son, a steady respectable young
man, was amply provided for by the fortune of his mother, which had
been large, and half of which devolved on him on his coming of age.
By his own marriage, likewise, which happened soon afterwards, he
added to his wealth. To him therefore the succession to the
Norland estate was not so really important as to his sisters; for
their fortune, independent of what might arise to them from their
father's inheriting that property, could be but small. Their
mother had nothing, and their father only seven thousand pounds in
his own disposal; for the remaining moiety of his first wife's
fortune was also secured to her child, and he had only a life-
interest in it."
Winters changes this to:
"The family of Dashwood had been settled in Sussex since
before the Alteration, when the waters of the world grew cold
and hateful to the sons of man, and darkness moved on the face
of the deep.
The Dashwood estate was large, and their residence was at
Norland Park, in the dead centre of their property, set back
from the shoreline several hundred yards and ringed by
torches.
The late owner of this estate was a single man, who lived to a
very advanced age, and who for many years of his life had a
constant companion and housekeeper in his sister. Her death
came as a surprise, ten years before his own; she was beating
laundry upon a rock that revealed itself to be the camouflaged
exoskeleton of an overgrown crustacean, a striated hermit crab
the size of a German shepherd. The enraged creature affixed
itself to her face with a predictably unfortunate effect. As
she rolled helplessly in the mud and sand, the crab mauled her
most thoroughly, suffocating her mouth and nasal passages with
its mucocutaneous undercarriage. Her death caused a great
change in the elderly Mr. Dashwood's home. To supply her loss,
the old man invited and received into his house the family of
his nephew Mr. Henry Dashwood, the legal inheritor of the
Norland estate, and the person to whom he intended to bequeath
it.
By a former marriage, Henry had one son, John; by his present
lady, three daughters. The son, a steady, respectable young
man, was amply provided for by the fortune of his mother. The
succession to the Norland estate, therefore, was not so really
important to John as to his half sisters; for their mother had
nothing, and their fortune would thus depend upon their
father's inheriting the old gentleman's property, so it could
one day come to them."
The new version is 12% shorter (at least for the opening
paragraphs), but to achieve that *and* add the sea monster parts, a
lot of the original prose has been omitted.
Now, I know that this "mash-up" sub-genre is popular now (or has it
already passé?), so there must be some appeal. And if I had chosen
something like QUEEN VICTORIA, DEMON HUNTER, then I would not be
"distracted" by the original prose. But this particular type of
book just does not work for me. [-ecl]
==================================================================
Mark Leeper
mleeper@optonline.net
The laws of nature are but the mathematical
thoughts of God.
--Euclid