From: BROCK 
Date: Tue, 03 Jun 1997 13:42:35 +1300
Subject: reviews

I enjoyed reading your reviews although I found a few of them a bit 
brief. Dont worry, i'm not complaining. One of the authors you have 
listed, Margeret Weis has finished a series called Star of the Guardians 
which Ijust finished reading. You might find it interesting.
Keep up the good work.
Helen.

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From: woodina@prodigy.com (MR AARON T WOODIN)
Date: Tue,  3 Jun 1997 12:48:36, -0500
Subject: Book ideas:


   Doug:
 
   I Read your web pages, reviews of fiction and non-fiction.

   Some book ideas:

   Baphomet's Meteor, by Pierre Barbet

   A huge minotaur - like alien lands during the Crusades, gives them 
atomic weapons, with which
   they win the whole campaign!  Amusing and satirical, with some 
neat surprises...

   Robert McCammon

   An author comparable to King - has King's feel for small towns, 
morbid situations, and his indepth
  knowledge of firearms.  His better works include: Swan Song (like 
the Stand), Mine (great kidnapping tale!)
   and Stinger, about a burrowing alien that terrorizes a small 
desert town.

   Ghosts, by Marsha Parker.

   Gothic romance, with some supernatural overtones.  Midwestern 
woman marries Britisher, has
   unpleasant life with him, and uncovers surprising facts about her 
past.  This book is hard to find.

   The Abyss, by Jere Cunningham

    Not related to the James Cameron film, and the novelization by 
Orson Scott Card.  A legendary coal
    mine is reopened in a tiny Tennessee town.  Even as the town 
prospers, evil is unleashed - the 
    miners have dug into Hell!  An intriguing premise, not fully 
realized...

    The Butterfly Revolution, by William Butler

     Like Lord of the Flies at a summer camp.  Young narrator falls 
under the spell of adolescent 
     pseudo-Marxist revolutionary at a camp.  Creepy study of the 
potential children have
     for evil...  (made into the movie Summer Camp Nightmare).

     Planet of Adventure - Jack Vance

     Scout Pilot Adam Reith crashes on a hostile world.  Spends about 
800 pages trekking across
     the planet, making both friends and enemies, on a quest to 
return to Earth.  You really feel
     Reith's frustrations and triumphs.  The ending is excellent...

     There are a lot of other books that I loved.  I found your page 
by querying "Stainless Steel Rat"
     Stainless Steel Rat got me into science fiction, and remains the 
book series I have re-read the most
     often (going on 6 or 7 times now).

      Team Yankee - Harold Coyle

       Coyle is getting like King - his novels are getting more and 
more bloated.   Team Yankee is his first novel,
       a World War 3 story, 95% set in Germany, where a tank company 
slugs it out with Warsaw
      Pact forces.  More tactical, just as literate as Clancy, and a 
LOT crisper and more compact... 

   WWW.Powells.com is a great online used book store - a FULLY 
searchable database!

    Good luck,

    Aaron Woodin
    ybab98a@prodigy.com
    woodina@prodigy.com  

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From: ajbrown 
Date: Sat, 07 Jun 1997 04:28:14 -0700
Subject: Your Page

It must have taken forever to complete the description of all of those
books.  I'm impressed.  I'll use your page as a reference for future
reading.  I wasn't aware that Douglas Copeland had a new book.  I'll have
to go look for it.

I read your comment under Jordan, Robert so I will keep this recommendation
short.  You seem to like fantasy books (as do I), but notice that most book
are formula written.  (I can't get through and Jordan or Edding books for
that reason.  As a matter of fact I haven't read any fantasy for years.) 
Try MAR Barker's "Flamesong", or "The Man of Gold".  Both are hard to get
into at first, but well written with good characters.  You will only find
them in a used book section and they aren't easy to find ("Flamesong" is
easier to get into than the "Man of Gold").

-Aaron

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From: kyrilson@juno.com (Paul L Spencer)
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 1997 00:21:48 PST
Subject: A couple of recommended books for you to read....

Hi Doug!

	I have been following your page for about a year or so, because I
have found that we generally tend to have similar taste in books.  I read
books from a lot of different areas, because I have diverse interests, I
guess.  In particular, I like SF, horror and historical
"fiction/nonfiction" books.  Here are a couple of books I thought you
might want to take a crack at sometime.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett  --  This book is set in
England/France (that general area) during the Middle Ages (1100's).  The
main storyline is of a simple man's dream to build a cathedral and the
turbulent events of that time, mainly the religious "battles" and
politics among other things.  It's hard to really describe how good of a
book this is, just read it.  One of the things I really enjoyed about it
were it's accurate portrayal of life in the middle ages, and the
everyday happenings in the people's lives at that time.  I think you'll
like this book.

Casino by  Nicholas Pileggi  --  I know this is probably a bit out of
your scope, and you've  probably already seen the movie, but, the book
is MUCH  better, and is very interesting.  If you haven't seen the
movie, it's basically the true story of the rise and fall of the Mafia
stronghold in Vegas.  What made this book so interesting for me were the
brief parts discussing the nuts and bolts of how a casino is run and some
of the scams gamblers try to pull.  Except for one scene, this stuff was
omitted in the movie

The Gap Series - Donaldson  --  I'm sure I don't even have to mention
this to you, you're a lock to read this series considering your reviews
of his previous works.  I just wanted to say, it's a great series, with
a very good, complex, far-reaching plot.  As in Donaldson's previous
works, the characters are all in the grey areas (they all have some bad
and some good in them).  Most of them are not very likable, yet you find
yourself in their corners rooting for them as you read.  

Hopefully, you will find something in my short list that you might like
to try.  I haven't been able to find much on your web site regarding
reviews of historical fiction/non-fiction.  Do you have any
recommendations?  

Keep up the good work and happy reading!

Rob Hall

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From: Richard Wereley 
Date: Mon, 09 Jun 1997 12:52:19 -0400
Subject: Some comments on your Web pages (Turing Option)

Hello,

I was just surfing around and got to your web page searching for reviews
on one of my favorite writers, Harry Harrison.  I first wanted to
compliment you on a fine page & reviews (many of which I agree with.)  I
also noticed you were in the midst of reading The Turing Option by Harry
Harrison.  Personally, it is not one of my favorites, but I recently
came across a slightly intrigueing, if not interesting web page for
Marvin Minsky.  It seems that Harrison & Minsky (co-authors) had decided
to keep two chapters on the psychology and interdynamics of the
technology out of the final draft.  Minsky, whom I take wanted to keep
them in has made the two chapters available on the internet.  Its always
interesting, I believe IMHO to see such material. 
	The address is http://www.ai.mit.edu/people/minsky/minsky.html

# Actually, I discovered those two chapters on the Web while hunting
# for information on Artificial Intelligence.  Those chapters, in
# turn, led me to the book, not the other way around!

I figured I would make the information available only because when I
read the book I found it to be somewhat lacking.  The two chapters are
not that great either, yet perhaps the character development and
extensive plot would be justified a bit.  I thought the innovative ideas
where interesting, yet a book could have been written on the
implantation of a microchip in a brain just by itself.  To add on to the
science part of the fiction an AI or MI creates an instance where as
Minksy suggests when he tells us that Harrison and Aldiss (editor)
thought the two chapters would hinder the flow of the plot.  
	Anyhow, I just found it interesting, even if slightly interesting ;)

-Rich Wereley
http://www.epix.net/~heminway/index.html

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From: Croaker 
Date: Mon, 09 Jun 1997 15:06:08 -0400
Subject: Glen Cook/The Black Company

You mentioned that Glittering Stone was due out Real Soon Now... I've
had my copy for over a year now....  just thought you'd like to know.

Glittering Stone is actually the name of a new Black Company series. 
Book One: Bleak Seasons
Book Two: She Is The Darkness  (Due September, 1997)
Book Three: Forthcoming

It can be a little difficult to find Bleak Seasons; bookstores (at least
around here - Altoona, PA) seem reluctant to carry it; however you
should be able to order it; either at the bookstore or at
http://www.tor.com

Good luck!

-- 
Mike

PS.
Barbara Hambly's Darwath trilogy now has a fourth book in it: 

The Mother of Winter(available now)
Icefalcon's Gaes (Forthcoming)

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From: jcolpit@minot.com
Subject: McCammon

Hello agian,
	I writing this time to tell you about Robert R. McCammon.  I noticed
that your ranked King's The Stand rather highly.  McCammon's Swan Song
ranks right up there with it.  He also has some other rather good books.
MINE is an excellent suspence, while BOY'S LIFE is a good read.  The
Wolf's Hour and Blue World are also worth your time.
	On another note; have you read Red Mars, Green Mars or Blue Mars?  I
was wondering if the are worth reading. 	
	I just finish Card's Children of the Mind.  Nowhere near Ender's Game
but a good finish to the series.  Thank you for your time.

v/r
Jeff Colpitts
jcolpit@minot.com

## I have since read and reviewed Swan Song and didn't like it at all.

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From: "R.F.Briggs" 
Date: Mon, 09 Jun 1997 22:24:35 -0700
Subject: Tepper

Just read your review of _Raising the Stones_ and can't agree more!! 
But do yourself a favor and read the third in the series _Sideshow_.  It
is by far in my opinion the pick of the litter!!!!

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From: "Wilbur T. Oldham" 
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 10:16:56 -0500
Subject: old title

I would like to recommend an old book for your pleasure.

author: Eckert,Allen W.
title:  HAB theory
published in Boston by Little,Brown,c1976
LC Call#   PZ4.E192 HAB PS3555.C55

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From: "Kirk W. Ellis" 
Date: Fri, 13 Jun 1997 20:36:24 -0700
Subject: SF Choices

I just read through some of your reviews and your submission to the 
TOP 100 LIST.

We disagree on a few points :
I rate Heinlein's Starship Troopers and Friday much higher than 
you do, although you don't have much of his on your list.

You are way too kind to Tad Williams series; it was enough to keep me 
reading, but disappointing overall.

Those are my major disagreements, but I was amazed by your list in 
that I've actually read about 50% of them and agree wholeheartedly on most.

Good call on Brust's Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years After -- 
nobody I know seems to appreciate those.

Based on that, I would recommend:

Daniel Keys Moran -- start with "Long Run", then get the background in 
"Emerald Eyes", then finish with "Last Dancer".  The "Long Run" is by 
far my favorite book of all time, witty, brilliantly built future, upbeat, 
and fast.  "Emerald Eyes" is darker and somewhat defeatist, 
"Last Dancer" shows the story is larger and older than you thought.  
All of them very intelligently written.  Now the bad part ... 
you'll need luck to find copies, especially to read them in the 
order I recommended.

Around X-mas I read a series starting with "Midshipman's  Hope" 
by an author whose name escapes me but is near to Feist on the shelves.  
Really absorbing low-tech sci-fi and tortured soul of a protagonist.  
Very funny, really.  Pay no attention to the cover art.

Also, you rated Feist's Riftwar books only so-so, while I enjoyed them more, 
but the "Daughter of the Empire" series with Janny Wurts includes a lot 
of political by-play on the world of Kelewan that I enjoyed.  

You also shouldn't miss Steve Perry's Matador series, starting with 
"The Man Who Never Missed", a great premise and good follow-through. 

I'm also rarely disappointed by Dave Duncan.  I've read everything he's 
written, starting with the "Reluctant Swordsman" and it's very enjoyable 
(if light) fantasy. 

PS.  I don't have your rule about waiting for a series to hit paperback, 
so I'm up to date with Jordan's series.  It is starting to fizzle, 
so you may not want to read it by the time he's finished with it.

"Of course that's just my opinion ... I could be wrong. "  Me and Dennis both.

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From: OLIVIA SALAZAR 
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 11:08:22 -0700
Subject: Alex Haley

HI!!

        I ready Malcom X and I thought it was a very Good Book And
Movie... But I wonder If you Have read Alex Haley Queen. It based on his
family history and Abc made a mini serais based on the book.. I really
think you would like this book...

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From: "Charles R.  West, Jr." 
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 17:57:58 -0400
Subject: John Steakley

.  I've read, and seriously enjoyed both of his books.. but was hoping for
more. So I did a Web search and found your page and this one http://www.scho
ber.com/~corona/films/details/vampires.html . Not much help for info about
upcoming books, but since you enjoyed the Vampyres book I thought you might
be interested in the movie- follow the above link for details.
.  I also have some book recommendations in the Book Store area of my site,
in case you lack something to do.. feel free to check it out. Wish I could
say I've read something especially good recently.. but can't .. waiting for
Jordan, Feist has gone downhill, waiting for Cherryh, etc...

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From: David Harp 
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 23:05:35 -0500
Subject: Eddings

I am shocked, Sir!  Nay, I am appalled!  Okay, maybe I'm not shocked and
appalled, but I'm certainly surprised at your review of the works of David
Eddings.  Specifically, the Belgariad and the Mallorean.  I will admit that
the similarity between these two series was somewhat disappointing and that
the characters were a bit stereotypical, but I urge you to consider the
following:

The Belgariad was written in an attempt to work out certain technical and
philosophical difficulties concerning the fantasy genre.  I would even go so
far as to say that the Belgariad was Eddings' attempt (at least in part) to
deal with some personal philosophical and theological questions, chiefest of
which (I'm guessing here, but I don't think I'm too far off the mark.) was
the seeming paradox of free will versus predestination.  Read in this
context, I think the Belgariad and its continuation, the Mallorean, are very
insightful and thought-provoking.

If you want to rip on his other two series, the Elenium and the Tamuli,
though, feel free.  They were amusing enough, but everything was just too
pat, especially in the Tamuli series.  The finale was anticlimactic.

Concerning Steven Brust's "Vlad Taltos Saga" and Glen Cook's "Annals of the
Black Company", I am in complete agreement.  (If you care.)

Keep up the good work.
-Dave

# Thanks for the note.  I hadn't really thought to give Eddings
# much credit for expanding the free will vs determinism debate,
# and I'll admit that makes the series more a more attractive study
# of that than, say, a forced-march-English-class reading of
# "Moby Dick" or some such.
# 
# Still, I just hated them.  I can't help it.  :)

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From: Bob 
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 1997 04:02:16 -0400
Subject: A very interesting board

I stumbled across your board while doing an Alta Vista search on one of
my favorite authors, Lois McMaster Bujold, and decided to stay a while.

I'm sorry that you started with The Vor Game, it is really something one
should read when one is familiar with the internal structure of the
universe she has created.  I may suggest that you try Shards of Honor
and The Warriors Apprentice, these being much stronger novels and which
lay a serious groundwork to judge that-little-short-guy Miles :)  I
usually feel the same as you about waiting for paperbacks, but I shelled
out the cash for the latest book as soon as it came out in hardcover;
it's one of the best series I've ever read.

Ah, but we all have our personal likes and dislikes, and a sense of what
we will abide.  One of my personal favorites is The Imagica by Clive
Barker which goes on to untold thousands of pages of which I would not
cut one single word.  Long, but well told.

I wish I could agree with you about Donaldson.  Yes, he has some great
ideas, and you could really feel the characters, but I found myself
slogging through the first three books hoping that they would finally go
somewhere and not keep repeating themselves so often (yes, you have
Leprosy, you don't believe this is happening, tell me again).  I kept
thinking that a competant editor would have sliced the whole thing down
to a single book with just as much impact.  I bought the second trilogy
at a used bookstore and skimmed them just to see where it would all lead
to, but then sold them back.  I was satisfied, but still wished it had
been told as much shorter length.  The words vs ideas just never added
up to me, no disrespect meant to the author or those who appreciate his
works.

You included in your list a few Star Wars novels.  That is a subjenre I
have never been willing to read.  There are shelves at the store
dedicated to each; Star Trek, Star Wars, Quantum Leap; things that I
have a deep respect for and that I am not willing to follow as each
author splits it into his/her version of the original vision.  I have
followed terrible fights as people have debated how this or that detail
does not jibe with someone elses.  To each their own, but I feel that if
you are going to tell a tale then you should start from scratch and lay
it out for us as a fully told story, and not your take on someone elses
idea.  My opinion, for what it's worth.

I only wish I had the gumption to put up a board such as yours.  I look
at my bookshelves and weigh my feelings about each volume but I know
that I'll never take the time and energy to tell others about my
thoughts.  Thank you for sharing yourself with the rest of us.

Bob

PS. So you are a Lawrence Watt-Evans fan too.  Each story stands on its own
without the need to know the others, but is just so much fun to find the
connections between them.  I'll sometimes pull The Misenchanted Sword
down off the shelf to read a section or two, just because he tells a
very complicated story in so few words

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From: Nicole Andrews 
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 20:29:11 +1000
Subject: Thanks for the tips

Hello 

Stumbling on your page was like listening to a great conversation
someone else was having and being allowed to join in. I'm always looking
for new authors to read as I tend to find one I like or who has been
reccommended and stick to them. 

Some suggestions try "Dragonsbane" by Barbara Hambly or her vampire
series "Those who hunt the night" then "Travelling with the dead". I
particularly like Hambly's consistent treatment of magic in all her
books. I see no listing for David Gemmell. I really like his earlier
books "legend" and "waylander". He also has two good books mixing his
brand of magic and greek legend and Alexander the Great stories in "lion
of Macedon" and "Dark Prince".

For something completely different try the Lindsay Davies "Falco"
series. A set of crime novels set in ancient Rome where the hero is an
early private eye type. I have bought the complete set and re read them
frequently.

Thanks again.

Nicole

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From: "Nancy J. Proctor" 
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 14:24:36 -0400
Subject: Since you like Clancy . . .

I like Tom Clancy's books about as well as you do & would like to
suggest another author that you might like.  W.E.B. Griffin has written
some really good military and police books.  There are 3 series to date:
The Brotherhood of War, The Corps, and Badge of Honor.  His
characterization is very similar to Clancy's and the plots are
interesting.  You might want to give The Brotherhood series a try--as
far as I can tell, it's complete.

Nancy Proctor

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From: "KENNETH C. GRIEST" 
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 13:08:38 -0600 (MDT)
Subject: Suggestions from an ENFP

    I came across your web page today quite by accident and found myself
enjoying reading another person's opinion on some of my favorite Fantasy
and Science Fiction books.  So, I thought I would just send you a note to
respond to some of your reviews and suggest some books for future reading.

Terry Brooks - Shannara series
  I also found the first book to be shamefully similar to the Lord of the
Rings Trilogy, which is certainly the best fantasy series I ever read.
However, I think Brooks' Scions of Shannara series is more original and
worth a look -- especially the Druid of Shannara.

Dan Simmons - Hyperion
   This book has to be one of the most original works of fiction I've ever
read.  I'm looking forward to reading Endymion.

Dave Duncan - A Man of His Word series
   I noticed you didn't have any reviews of Dave Duncan's books.  His
Seventh Sword books are pretty interesting and quite funny in parts, but I
believe his best work is in his A Man of His Word stories.  These books
contain an original, fresh perspective on the standard elements of the
fantasy genre.  They're a thoroughly enjoyable quick read.

Robert Jordan - The Wheel of Time
   I'll try to be brief, since I know you get snowed under with this
topic.  First, I think it's an excellent idea to wait until Jordan has
finished the series before you start reading it.  The plot in this series
is simply incredible.  I have a very difficult time remembering all the
characters and plot twists since I have to wait at least a year in-between
book installments.  It's worth the wait, though.  Jordan is very nearly
Tolkien's equal as far as creating a spell-binding tale goes.  The plot
alone is far more complex and interesting than in Tolkien's Trilogy.  I'm
afraid you'll be waiting a while to read these books, though. I don't see
how Jordan can possibly finish the series in less than 10 installments.

   Well, sorry for the Jordan plug.  I couldn't help myself.  Your web
page sorely needs a review of his books.  Anyway, thanks for giving me the
excuse to talk about this stuff.  I'll take your advice and try some of
Stephen Donaldson's books.
                                       --K.G.

***************************
          Ken Griest  
  griestk@ucsub.colorado.edu
********************************* 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: Joe  Prozinski 
Subject: Comment on Death Gate review. No Sour Grape

Doug,

I recently found your review of _The_Death_Gate_Cycle_ while gaining
inspiration for a new character in my friends AD&D campaign. I found it
to be an accurate interpretation of the books. I only have one
disagreement with the review. That is the part of Zifnab.

     I don't feel he had an insignificant role in the grand scheme of things. I
see how you could get that impression from the books. It has been
awhile since I've read the books, but from what I remember he made few
appearances throughout the seven books. 
     He plays an important role, although the authors could have
developed that role to a greater extent. They may have intentionally left
his role vague, he is a bit of unpredictable and mysterious character.
Take for example "How did he move between each of the different
worlds without using the Nexus or The Seventh Gate?" He also seemed
to know things that none of the other characters knew about, but
always seemed to be holding back and not telling certain info. He could
also find the characters, even though he shouldn't have known where to
find them. It seems to me these are things only someone with the power
of a "god" could do. Which was brought up, just not in conjunction with
Zifnab, but with the Sartan and Patryns being gods. 

     I feel he played the part of a god who realized the world he created
was falling apart, and couldn't stand aside and watch if fall apart. So he
decided to go in an tinker, but not play a big part in making things work
again. Just like I might when a program I write on my computer isn't
working exactly the way I want it to. I go in a make minor adjustments so
I don't ruin the whole thing. So to conclude, I feel he did have an
important part to play in the grand scheme of things, his part was just
understated. 

     I hope this isn't taken in the wrong way. Zifnab is one of my favorite
characters in this series, the other is Hugh the Hand, and I feel it's my
duty to defend his "honor" or the honor of any character I like.  ;-)

     Another interesting bit. After having read _The_Dragonlance_
Chronicles_ and _The_War_of_the_Twins_ I read DGC. Then I read
Weiss/Hickman's newest book _Starshield_. I found that he appears in all
four series. Although with a different name in each. Fizban in
Dragonlance and War, Zifnab in DGC, and Zanfib in Starshield. 
He is without a doubt a god in the Dragonlance books, and he doesn't
appear to be a god in Starshield, but a very powerful wizard. It can't be
denied that they are the same character, all three are described the
same way and look at the letters in their name. Just the kind of thing you
would expect from an absent minded old wizard who's answer to any
problem is this wonderful fireball spell if he could just remember how it
goes!

     Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings. I think you may have
come to some of the same conclusions. I wasn't sure what you meant
when you wrote "stop me if you've heard this", but you may have been
alluding to my last paragraph. Thanks again.

-Joe Prozinski

Before I forget, I'm an INTP. I've taken four different personality type
indicator tests over the last three or four years and this is where I've
found myself every time. I would also recommend _The_Coldfire_Trilogy_
by C.S. Friedman. Long books, about five or six hundred pages each.
Very dark. Sorta mix between SF and Fantasy, but a very good read.
One review I read said "Friedman makes Stephen Donaldson look like a
comedy writer." I haven't read much of Donaldson's stuff, I started _Lord
Fouls Bane_ but haven't finished it. Got sidetracked somewhere. From
what I remember Friedman and Donaldson have a very similar writing
style.  The titles are in order _Black Sun Rising_, _When True Night
Falls_, _Crown of Shadows_. Hope this is helpful.

# Thanks for the note and the recommendations.  By necessity, I
# reviewed the "Zifnab" character in a vacuum, independently of
# his presence in other books.  He just didn't work for me.  I
# personally wouldn't give THAT much credit to the authors by
# saying that his presence is supposed to spark some Deep Thinking
# by the reader.  Oh well, the bottom line is that (imho) the 
# series would've been better off without him, but I still get a
# few readers defending him because my review is so harsh on that
# particular point.  I guess at the time of writing, I'd had my
# fill of fantasy archetypes (namely, eccentric wizards) and was
# hoping for something fresher.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: "Jim Laubacker (8-293-6077)" 
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 97 10:14:20 EDT
Subject: web page

  Still enjoying your reviews page, but I'd thought I take a minute for
a couple of comments:

  I read the Black Company books 'way back when, and the first 3 are
great, but the quality drops off, and the last couple are really poor..
I was disappointed by Bleak Seasons, which was just a retelling of
Dreams of Steel.  You may want to warn your loyal fans.

  I noticed in your Julian May review that you had not read the Pliocene
Exile series.  They really should be read before the Intervention series,
as they set the stage for them.  Besides, they are GREAT BOOKS!  Again,
something you may want to warn other readers about.

  Don't be so hard on Terry Brooks.  Sword came out 'way back in the 70's,
when fantasy didn't exist as a genre yet, and people wanted more Tolkien.
Yes, Sword is very Tolkien-ish, but after that he takes his world in its
own direction.  I think if you take Elfstones and read it without being
influenced by Sword, you'll like it more.   You may also want to pick up
Katherine Kerr's later books in the Deverry series, they get more interesting.

  Some books to try:
  A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin
  Eye of the Hunter  Dennis McKiernan
  'Hatrack River' Series (Alvin series)  Orson Scott Card

Avoid D. McKiernan's early books, they are deliberate Tolkien imitations.
Eye of the Hunter and Voyage of the Fox Rider are very good, though they
were written in reverse order and 'Voyage' could be read first.  Card's
'Alvin' books, which are alternate history, are even better than the Ender
books, if that's possible.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: Russ Wilcox 
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 1997 23:57:39 -0400
Subject: Enjoyed your page

Good stuff.  I will be trying some of your 9's (read all the 10s
already).  Haven't read much Lawrence Watt-Evans (did he do something
about an executioner?) so I will have to go back a bit.

Probably would have listed Tigana a full 10, but that's just me.

Always good to see the Black Company get its due!

For reference, my Meyer's Briggs is between ENTJ and INTJ.

Recommendations:

 - Neal Stephenson, Diamond Age
	-- It's out in paperback now
	-- Just as good as Snow Crash and maybe better
	-- Some wild visions but without ANY cyberhype
	-- Captures and transports you; very good

 - Joan Vinge, Winter Queen (S1) & Summer Queen (S2)
	-- S1 is really excellent I thought
	-- much much better than her Catspaw/Psion series
	-- weird society with good characterizations
	-- married to Vernor Vinge & both good writers

 - Jack Vance, Araminta Station (S1), Ecce and Old Earth (S2), and Throy
(S3)
	-- tongue in cheek science fiction mystery
	-- wry dialogue can reach the sublime, like Phoenix Guard did
	-- super super super -- I loved it the whole time

 - C.S. Friedman, Crown of Shadows (S1) - Coldfire Trilogy

	-- a quest in a dark & haunted fantasy world
	-- S1 was really imaginative and stands alone
	-- S2 & S3 were good reads, although it's S1 that's the star
	-- I skipped this one in the bookstore for years but it 
	turned out to be excellent

 - Elizabeth Moon, The Deed of Paksenarrion 

	-- will be liked by anyone who enjoyed Black Company
	-- highly recommended; a stand-out

 - Dennis McKiernan, Iron Tower / Eye of the Hunter / Fox Rider /
Mithgar

	-- for all Tolkien fans, standard group quest fantasy fare
	-- but.. really well done!  great storyteller, many plot twists
	-- ended up reading everything he has written
	-- particularly liked Voyage of the Fox Rider but read'em in order!


And just to show I'm not all praise, here's one that's worse than Bambi:

	World Without End by Sean Russell (& sequel)
	-- 1000 pages that go NOWHERE

-- Russ

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: Rocky D Hasty 
Subject: Authors

Doug,

	Have you read anything by David Weber or Hal Clement?  If you 
have, what is your general opinion.

	I just read Turtledoves latest and checked in to find out your 
opinion of him.  We agree on that.

Rocky D Hasty

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: Peter Griffiths 
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 00:34:40 +0100
Subject: bill bryson

seeing as how you gave 'notes from a small island' a good review, i'd
suugest you try also his non-fiction works like 'made in america' and
'mother tongue' a try. in fact i started with these and worked up to
'notes..'
they are both stories about the development of the english language, but i
say stores because they are as easy to read as a story book, rather than a
dry, dusty old linguistic text. well worth a go if you come across them.
by the way, i thought your review of 'notes...' was a bit muteds. i laughed
out loud all the way through - something i normally reserve for alvin and
hobbes (alas, no more...) perhaps the fact i live in england made it
funnier.
like the site though, i've got a couple of books after reading your reviews.
all the best,

peter

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
X-Sender: linkmaster@smtp.scientology.org
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 15:36:03 -0700
Subject: Suggestions

Dear Ingram,

I looked at your site and was surprised to see that you did not enjoy L.
Ron Hubbard's books.  While the Mission Earth series is one of my favorites
I thought that maybe you could give some of his other books a try.  Have
you read Fear?  This is an amazing book that many people I know, and don't
know, have loved.  When I read it, I was very curious as to what it all
meant, and found the ending both exciting and left me thinking.  Another
one of his books that you should try reading is Final Blackout, which was
just re-released and is getting the same great reviews as before.  

L. Ron Hubbard wrote many wonderful things and he caters to many different
genres of readers.  He has written numerous books as well and is loved by
many.  I hope you give some of his other books a try.  Browse through his
many titles and see if there is anything you might enjoy.  There is a site
you can check out to get a better list of his many books.  It is at
www.authorservicesinc.com.  There is a list of his fiction books at
http://www.authorservicesinc.com/fic_home.htm.  There may be something
there you would enjoy.

Thanks for taking time to look at these.

Andromeda Edison
linkmaster@scientology.net

# Is it just me, or would anyone get the creeps by getting this letter?

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: "James H. Park" 
Date: Mon, 07 Jul 1997 08:00:24 -0400
Subject: Hey Doug: re your book reviews

It's really funny reading my e-mail on your page; I had no idea I used
the word "enjoy" so frequently. It's a little embarrassing. :)

At any rate, just a few pieces of sundry stuff.

I saw the fifth book of the Gap series in paperback. I'm really looking
forward to your review of it! For future reference, there is a very,
very long and spoiler filled review at
http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/town/parade/nd69/ which you may want to
look at after you've written your review or before, or however you
handle such things. 

On my reading list right now (which is unfortunately very short, and the
books tend not to be read as quickly as I'd like) is Tolstoy's Anna
Karenina. One of the few classical literature - type books I actually
like while reading.  

Finally, I ran across the page where you compare personality types and
reading preferences. Well, as I told you before, the TC novels are some
of my favorites of all time (I think my e-mail identity is set as TC
right now, though I'm not certain about that), and my MBTI profile lists
me as a (surprise!) INTJ. Most of our other prefs are the same, as I
wrote before, though I have a higher opinion of Weis/Hickman. (Btw, if
you could throw a link onto that page of other INTJ's, I'd appreciate
it. My home page is http://www.amherst.edu/~jhpark if you still have
that page up.) And a friend of mine, whom I have yet to convince to read
the series, really, really likes LOTR (has read it 14 times) and is an
INFJ, if that provides a useful reference point.

				--James Park

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: Sharalee Daniels 
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 01:26:36 -0700
Subject: Shannara series

-- 
MZ
I just thought I would let you know my feelings. I love these series! I
have read the first Shannara series, and am on The Tailsmen of Shannara
in the second series. He is a wonderful writer, and keeps it up through
all of the sequels. The Landover series wasn't as good, but still worth
reading. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I do.

I just wanted to suggest an author who is very talented, but is not on
your list. Dean Koontz has written many excellent novels. I think that
you should look into adding him to your list.

       Thank you, 
    Cathe Daniels

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: JHaruda@aol.com
Subject: Just found you .....

Love your Monty Python reference in your screen name.....
Just finished Robin Cook's Chromosome 6 ....it was great, as all of his are.
It really speaks to frightening science-related experiments which are taking
place now in our "progressive" world.  I'll look forward to "dropping in"
from time to time. Thanks for your time! 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: Eric 
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 22:54:07 -0400
Subject: L. Ron Hubbard

Hello, first of all, I must say I truly enjoyed perusing your site,
(although I can't say I agree with on everthing, to each his own).  I
just wanted to give you a counter opinion on old L.Ron Hubbard.  First
of all you, mentioned in your review that you had been told that the
invaders plan was the best book in the series, I must disagree.  I found
the first book to be rather plodding and after resding the series,
realized that Hubbard needed an entire book just to set the stage for
the rather ambitious ten book series.  The following 7 and a half books
are truly enjoyable reads with more twisted plot lines than one would
expect from as you called him, "Mr. Scientology himself."  I beg you not
to forget that while it is easy to think of Hubbard as the man behind
Scientology (to which I must point out, I do nto myself subscribe) he
was also one of the founding fathers of Science Fiction as we know it. 
I must however, include a warning as the series is incredibly long.  The
final book and a half are told from the perspective of reporter several
decades later and are not nearly as good.  The perspective changes
without warning at for me, a particular disconcerting point in the plot
line of the series.  My own personal feeling is that the fianl portion
of the series was ghost written after Hubbards death, it is that far
removed from the caliber of the rest of the series.  Despite this
obvious drawback, the preceding novels, (2 though 8 1/2) are so good it
makes up for the rather lackluster ending.  I hope you will take the
time to read the rest of the books, it is worth it.  Also, I must
mention Battlefield and Final Blackout, in my mind, must reads for any
SF fan.  Battlefieled Earth reamins to this day, my favorite book of all
time and Final Blackout, written decades ago, contains so many glimpses
at the future (many which have long since come to pass) that it is worth
the time even for someone who does not really like Hubbard.  It is even
a fairly short book, unlike Battlefield Earth (1000+ pages).  Anyway,
thats my disertation for the day, I hope you will find the time to
return to L. Ron and all his marvelous works.

	Thanks

		Eric van Hattem (kingh@netrover.com)
		Toronto On, Canada

PS By the way, avoid any Terry Pratchett involving Granny Weatherwax and
you can really do no wrong. (although Masquerade(a brutal satire of
modern opera) and Equal Rites are quite good)

	Sincerely

		Eric van Hattem (kingh@netrover.com)

p.p.s.  Your comments would be appreciated, it is rare to come across
someone as well read in Sci-Fi and Fantasy as you obviosly are.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: Wu 
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 23:05:00 -0400
Subject: The Paratwa series...

I read your little blurb about "Liege-Killer"... I felt the same way
about it, but I went out and bought the last two books in the trilogy
and read them.  I found them fascinating.  Where Liege-Killer was more
of an action-oriented military sci-fi sort of thing, Ash Ock and The
Paratwa develop an astounding plot and end with a bang.  I strongly
suggest you check them out; Liege-Killer is not representative of the
series at all.

I am working on a review of the series, actually, which will be posted
at http://wwww.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Studio/2064/books.html real
soon now.

Just passing along a recommendation,
Brandon Wu

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: tenforward@webtv.net (Jessica Lynch)
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 1997 10:31:56 -0700
Subject: Terry Brooks

I just read your review of Terry Brooks novels.  I am a very big fan of
Terry Brooks and, yes, the Sword of Shannara was kind of a let down but
don't knock his writing until you read the rest of his books which, I
might add, if you are the fantasy lover that I am, are extremely good
and are very well written.  This is not a nastygram but please if you're
going to knock someones writing read all of the books.  Thank you.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: KiwiSpring@aol.com
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 1997 20:27:56 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: web page

Hello, I am trying to start a sci/fi review page.  I was wondering if you
would like to check it out and tell me what you think?  And maybe if you like
it, you could post a link.  So far I don't have much, but I am working on it.
thanks, 
kiwi

http://members.aol.com/kiwispring

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: "Rudish, Charles" 
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 16:06:58 -0400
Subject: suggestions???

Doug,
	Just saw and went through your page, interesting stuff.
I am, or was, an avid reader of Clancy, Cussler and Coonts. Clancy
turned me off with his last few books. It's like he just got lazy and
let someone else do the work, and signed his name to it. I really miss
Cussler, with his Dirk Pitt character. Both him and Coonts gave up on
fiction it seems, and started doing bio's. I guess that's what those
guys do when they run out of things to write about. The closest I've
come to these guys are people like Poyer and Cannell, but again, it
takes them forever between books.  I guess I've given you an idea of
what I like. Do you have any suggestions for this type of read? I like
stories of or about or near the ocean. (I am, or will be a marine
Captain/Master by October) This seaborne mystery stuff is to my liking.
Later,
Chuck

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: BCL@webtv.net (Lewis Bressler)
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 20:02:23 -0700

     You may find this strange but I have been looking for a short story
I read years ago that maybe you have read if you're heavily into the
sci-fi genre. It's title is "Man of steel, Woman of kleenex".  It's
basically an analytical study of Superman and Lois Lane and the problems
they would encounter during sexual relations and such.  If you haven't
read it and you find it.(god knows where) you're in for the funniest
thing in print (I think anyway).  I accidentally found it years ago
while at work and thumbing through an old book of sci-fi short stories
at the lunch table. people thought I was nuts the way I was giggling the
rest of the night over it. But I never got the name of the author nor
book of short stories but I do know he was a well known and fomous
author of sci-fi,
     Anything you might know about this would be greatly appreciated.
    
_______ Bart 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: erika44@webtv.net (Erika Minnie)
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 10:34:10 -0400
Subject: Doug's library

You seem to be mostly a science fiction fan but you shouldn't dismis
Robert McCammon until you have read "Mine" or "Gone South"  Both are
very good and have my highest recomendation. Also try Louise Cooper.
                                   Erika


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: lumer 
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 10:58:17 -0700
Subject: DragonLance

Hi.
I'm quite a Weis-Hickman fan and I read your opinions about the "Death
Gate Cycle".
I wonder, after seeing your various authors and books related in your
site, if you read
"Dragon Lance" (and I mean only Chronicles and Legends), and I would
appreciate if
you could write your opinions about this really fantastic series - which
I think is the best ever writen by Weis-HIckman.
If you are not familiar with the series (and I'm quite sure you are),
It's Mainly aboute the
Majere brothers - Caramon and Reistleen, in a world called Krynn - a
kind od D&D
world with all kinds of races - Minotaurs, gnoms and of course elves,
dwarves and humans.
I will greatly appreciate if you wrote about the 6 books,
    Thanks in advance
        Koby Lumer

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: Doruk Akan 
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 19:33:18 -0700
Subject: Recommendations

I have visited your page a few times now, and I enjoy it very much. You 
said you wanted some recommendations, so I've decided to give some.

1. Robin Hobb, Farseer trilogy - I know you mentioned that you won't read 
a series until its all out on paperback, but I must mention this one. 
This is a very good and very easy quick read involving many surprises and 
court intrigues. I can't recommend this enough. Even though the third 
book is still in hardcover, I want to bring this series to your 
attention. You should get this one, while their all paperback.

	Farseer Trilogy
		1. Assassin's Apprentice
		2. Royal Assassin
		3. Assassin's Quest

2. The second series, I want to recommend JV Jones' Book of Words series. 
This series doesn't have anything special, but it is still a good read. 
If you have the time, you will want to check these books out.

	Book of Words
		1. The Baker's Boy
		2. A Man Betrayed
		3. Master and Fool

3. The last book I'm going to recommend to you right now is Nobody's Son. 
This is a terrific and fantastic book in my opinion. Its author, Sean 
Stewart, apparently won some award. But the intriguing part of this book 
is that it tackles the problem of happily ever after. In this novel, 
happily ever after isn't as it always is for the hero.

	Those are my recommendations for now. If you read them, and don't 
like them, don't blame me. I loved them. Oh, and by the way, I know its 
your own opinion, but I disagree with your review of Raymond E. Feist's 
Riftwar Saga. Not just pretty good, but excellent. The series ranks among 
my top 5, as I like almost only fantasy, and the first book ranks in my 
top 5 for books. And just to bring it to your attention (you probably 
already know), Magician:Apprentice and Magician:Master were originally 
published in one volume.

					Thank you,
					Doruk Akan

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: Suzane 
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 22:07:52 -0500
Subject: Book page

Hi Doug,

I enjoyed your web page very much. I agree with many of your reviews,
and it is encouraging me to pay attention to the SF/fantasy genre again.
I used to read quite a lot in this area, but kind of lost track of
what's current after reading (or attempting to read) so MANY bad ones. 
Not to mention waiting for years for Jordan to finish his series. I
really really tried Brooks--about 5 times--but couldn't make it through
the first book. And after I read the first series of Eddings I couldn't
believe I actually took the time to read that stuff. So it's great to
see I'm not the only one in the world who doesn't like these authors.

On the other hand, I very much liked Kay, Adams, Eco, Tolkien of course,
and Williams. So I've decided to let you read everything first, and if
you say they're good, I'll give them a try! :)

Some I've read that you might like:

Phyllis Eisenstein
John Crowley
Mary Brown, although her first two books seemed like exactly the same
story, to me
Mary Gentle
Parke Godwin
Ellen Kushner
Patricia McKillip
Robin McKinley, if you like fairy tale kinds of fantasy

Thanks for a great web page!
Suzane Um

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: "Ted Orosz" 
Date: Sat, 26 Jul 97 04:12:41 UT
Subject: Reviews

You're looking for an author who can hold your interest for 7 or 8 books?  
Read Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time.  7 books have been published so far, #8 is 
due early next year, and all he will say about the eventual length is that the 
eighth will not be the last.  The books are 500-1000 pages each (paperback).  
Sound dull?  Try it.  You'll like it.  I like it so much that I recommend it 
to people on the streets.  I think Jordan owes me a share of his royalties by 
now.

# My only response: http://personal.tcu.edu/~ingram/books/rjordan.html

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: Justin McDonnell 
Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 14:06:16 +0100
Subject: Your reading list

I think your website is one of the most interesting I have visited 
recently. I found it by typing 'Alfred Bester' into a search engine.
He is one of my favourite SF authors. I have often wondered why no-one 
has tried making films out of his books 'Tiger Tiger' has to be a prime 
candidate. 
With regard to Iain Banks, Have you tried any of his mainstream stuff. 
The Wasp Factory is particularly good, if you can get hold of it over 
there.
I'm currently attempting to read Island of the day before by Umberto 
Eco.
Next week we are driving to Spain for a vacation. Im taking 'Therapy' by 
David Lodge, 'The Shipping News' by Annie Proulx and 'The Arizona Game' 
by Georgina Hammick

Cheers

Justin McDonnell

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: COWBOYFEW@aol.com
Subject: Swan Song

I'm a big McCammon Fan.  I thought Swan Song was outstanding!  I gues to each
his own.

You do have my curiosity now on King's THE STAND.  Think I'll check it out,
however, I've read King before and he takes 200-300 pages to say nothing.  He
sometimes reminds me of the torture of Reading H.D. Threaugh (spelling) "On
Walden Pond" (drudgery in English 102 in college)  verbose piddle!

Just an average joe with another opinion.  I'll keep tabs on your sight.

Thanks.  Cowboy

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: "David Drazek"
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 23:05:26 -0500
Subject: Tom Clancy

Did you happen to read T.C.'s "Executive Orders" yet. I'm about 3/4 though
it and I think that it's fantastic. He must spend alot of time researching
his books. His attention to detail always amazes me. I especially enjoy the
way he brings all of those separate story lines together. I must say ,if
it's not already apparent, that I'm a really big Clancy fan.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
From: "John S. Johnston" 
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 13:27:40 -0700
Subject: Vampire$

Doug,

A friend called me last night to tell me that John's book is finally
being turned into a movie.  A fact that we (in Dallas) all knew years
ago.  However, I am unable to locate anything about it on the Net.  Do
you possibly know anything about Vampire$ being filmed?

I know who John had hoped was going to star and all I will tell you is
that they are both veteran actors and Father and Son.  If they are going
to star, the movie should turn out very well - provided you like the
actors.  But no matter, as you stated, the story line is great.

I wish I could find out more myself but, as John's books are sporadic so
is his presence among his friends - at times.  He tends to hibernate
when he is writing.

Anything you can find out would be appreciated. I will let you know,
also, if I find out anything more - if you want to be kept abreast of
the progress.

Sincerely,

John S. Johnston