From: Cateline de la Mer 
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 1998 13:11:05 -0700

Good Sir,

If you would be so kind as to make mention of my Guy Gavriel Kay fan
mailing list (tigana@onelist.com, subscribe at www.onelist.com), I would
really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Cat

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From: Claire Wells 
Date: Sun, 04 Oct 1998 16:54:26 -0500
Subject: Vampire$

Hi Doug, the most esteemed review man --

John Carpenter's Vampires, a film coming Oct. 30 to a theater near you,
is based on _Vampire$_.  Stars James Woods.  Sounds like it could be
intereresting :-)

Hope you're having a great year.

Claire

## After seeing it, I was unimpressed.  The book is much better.

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From: Gavrielle Perry 
Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1998 05:42:59 +1300
Subject: Gap Review

Doug,

I note that you have commented that my review of Stephen Donaldson's Gap
Sequence has vanished.  Its new address is
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/road/adc95/Gap.htm

Thanks,

Gavrielle

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From: Scott Ferris 
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 13:08:46 -0500
Subject: many thanks

After having read everything by every fantasy author that I like and not
finding much good that was new - I stumbled
across your website in search of some recommendations about some good
new authors.  I decided to give
Glen Cook a try and picked up The Black Company at a used book store.
Amazing!!!  I have not read anything
this amazing for years.

A recommendation of my own - read Tom Dietz.  He's a little hard to find
and not well known but in my opinion
he is the best author out there.  He writes fantasy that crosses the
boundary's between our world and that of
Celtic mythology.  Simply the best.

My opinion - Don't ever waste your time with Jordan - literary crap.  Of
course that's just my opinion.

Scott

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From: STEPHEN LONG 
Date: Tue, 03 Nov 1998 22:56:29 +0000
Subject: Tigana

Dear Doug

How can you compare the Al Rassan to the masterpiece that is Tigana. It =
is multi-layered with an effective tie in to the Tapestry with its very =
own incestuous lurve triangle. Al Rassan didn't keep me enthralled in =
the same manner, and whilst I agree that the Tapestry is a touch roughly =
hewn, the character development is superb. One of my friends is still =
madly in love with Diar after all these years......

jenny

P.S. Steve wishes to say that..."I've tried to replace the Kindath with =
my favourite historically persecuted group of people but it doesn't seem =
to work with Tottenham Hotspur fans........."

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From: Lesley Dale 
Date: Sat, 07 Nov 1998 21:27:44 +0000
Subject: your library

Dear Doug,
             Found your pages by accident tonight . I was just surfing
looking at stuff on some of my favourite authors. I love your pages but
I wondered...
              You don't list either the Sparhawk novels by David Eddings
or any of Anne McCaffrey's work apart from the Dragons of Pern saga.
Have you read anything else she's written?
            I love Eddings but to my way of thinking the Sparhawk novels
are better than the Belgariad and the Mallorean. The humour is more
subtle some how. Anyway thanks for an entertaining set of pages. Hope
you don't mind the questions.
                                Lesley. (My chat name is Lady Kylara by
the way. I guess you'll recognise that and it'll probably tell you what
I think of the Pern novels)

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From: Jason Fleshman 
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 13:32:33 -0500
Subject: "Doug's Library": One more Ron Luciano book

In 1988 Luciano (and David Fisher) published "Remembrance of Swings
Past" (Bantam Books).  "Remembrance" is more about the changes in
baseball over the years than Luciano's time as an umpire in the AL.
"The Fall of the Roman Umpire" (if you still haven't read it yet it's
pretty good BTW) is a collection of mini-autobiographies of lesser-known
players prefaced by the third half of Luciano's autobiography.

In case you're curious I found your page when, for a class on American
sports, I was assigned to do a book review of a book on sports history.
I needed to include information about the author but the book jacket
didn't include when Luciano died.  Your page was the first good match in
a Yahoo! search.

--Jason

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Date: Tue, 01 Dec 1998 22:34:13 -0500 (EST)
From: SteRens@aol.com
Subject: what to read

Just thought i would recommend a very good sci-fi book called "The Reality
Disfunction" by Peter F. Hamilton.  It has a massive plot thousands of pages
and is without doubt one of the best science fiction books i have read ranking
just ahead of Dune in my opinion.
Unfortunately it is a trilogy and the final part comes out in hardback
sometime in 99 or 2000.  But it is well worth the wait and i recommend you
read it as soon as possible.
yours sincerely  Steve

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Date: Tue, 08 Dec 1998 14:20:50 -0500 (EST)
From: GeoMetroid@aol.com
Subject: Reading suggestions

Doug,

         Great site,  Read Clive Barker: Weaveworld, the two books of the Art
and (drumroll please)  Imajica, completely and especially Imajica. Imajica is,
IMO, one of the best books ever written.
                                                         GeoMetroid@AOL.com

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From: Scott Ferris 
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 07:15:01 -0500
Subject: feedback

It seems like everytime I go to your site I find something new - still
one of the best sites on the Internet.
Well, I took some of your reviews and went out and bought some books
with mixed results.

1.) Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionovar Tapestry - Flew through the first book
and was very impressed due mainly to the story line.  Plodded through
the second book hoping that I would enjoy it as much as the first.  And
then on the 3rd book I did something that I have never done before - I
threw it out.  I tried on 4 separate occasions to read it and just could
never finish it.  And then I realized why I thought it was crap, yes he
has a wonderful writing style BUT I didn't care about the characters at
all and to me that means everything - anyway.

2.) The Black Company - Amazing, simple as that.

A few recommendations for you...

Anything by Tom Dietz - a little hard to find but well worth it.
Richard Adams - Plague Dogs (not fantasy or sci fi but amazing
nontheless)
Myst - Book of Tiana (of something like that), it was bought for me as a
present and I put off reading it for a year because I thought I wouldn't
like it.  I was impressed, very creative storyline and characters that
are well defined AND I was made to care about them
Starship Troopers - I couldn't remember if you have read this but very
cool book, a little corny at times but good for a few hours
entertainment and thought provoking reading.

Great Site
Keep up the great work, I still haven't seen anything on the web that
compares to your site.

Scott Ferris

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From: "CJAM 91.5 FM" 
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 14:31:08 -0500
Subject: review of the man in the high castle

I must respectfully disagree with your review of Dick's novel. It is
in the minutiae of life that has depth and meaning. By focusing on such
"minor concerns" as you call them, Dick is able to create convincing
three dimensional characters that the reader can relate to. This is why,
beyond the strange and almost surreal settings, that Dick is so highly
regarded by literary critics; his novels and short stories have
something that most science fiction lacks, convincing characters that
change and develop. I find it unfortunate that the day to day concerns
of the characters seems to be so ephemeral to you. It seems that you are
more concerned with the grander scope of things. I cannot deny you this
preference but I wonder about all the individuals living now, going
about their lives, and how these details will be swept under the carpet
by historians and writers and documentarians interested in "the big
picture".
	I would say that if this was your take on "The Man in the High Castle"
then you will probably not be impressed by his other novels as the style
of character and plot development does not change. Indeed, many people
consider "The Man in the high Castle" to be one of Dick's
greates novel. Indeed, it won the Hugo award for best novel, the year it
was published. If I were to recommend further readings, "A Scanner
Darkly", "The Martian Time-Slip", "Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep?", "The Penultimate Truth", "Flow My Tears The Policeman Said", 
"The Zap Gun", "The Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch", and "A Maze of
Death". Of course you will hardly ever find Dick books in used
bookstores because people keep his books, they don't trade 'em in. Also,
if one is so fortunate as to discover a Dick book in a used bookstore,
it is immediately purchased by some lucky literati. Peace unto thou. 

				Sincerely,
				Christien Gagnier
				mailto:gagnie5@uwindsor.ca

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From: LUCIAramos@webtv.net (Lucia Ramos)
Subject: GOOD CHOICE IN READING

I'VE TRIED TO GET INTO THE DARK TOWER SERIES BUT I FELT LIKE THAT 16
YEAR OLD KID (EVEN THOUGH I'M A SK FAN) IS IT REALLY WORTH THE READ??
ALSO, IN YOUR SELECTION OF BOOKS, TRY PHILIP DICK BOOK VERSION OF "BLADE
RUNNER" VERY INTERESTING. ALSO, THE "HANDSMAID TALE"  ALSO, WOULD YOU
SAY THAT SK'S "EYE OF THE DRAGON" INTRODUCES RANDALL FLAGG??  FINALLY,
LAST BUT NOT LEAST I STRONGLY RECOMMED  ARTHUR MILLER'S "THE CRUCIBLE"
AND THE  "I CLAUDIUS SERIES."       

## I ask myself:  "Would I listen to a 14-year-old me?"  Naaah.

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From: Kasper Grosman Michelsen 
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 00:57:02 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Reviews

Dear Doug.

At first, I'd like to tell you, that I think you've done a great work by 
placing all those reviews on the internet; it's a great idea (well, I 
know that my english isn't perfect, but I hope you'll understand what 
I'm writing (I'm danish)).
   I read your comment on the David Eddings novels in The Belgariad and 
The Malloreon, and I'd like to tell you, that as you sead, to less 
experienced readers, these books are quite good. I guess that I'm not a 
very experienced fantasy-reader, but I've read quite many books, and I 
like David Eddings very much (because I find him very funny). I haven't 
read the Malloreon yet (I'll have it as a christmas present, I hope) but 
I found the Belgariad very entertaining.
   Now, my point is, that if you read the prequels, Belgarad the 
Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress, it makes the other books much more 
interesting (at my opinion). I think they (the prequels) are very good, 
and I'd like to hear your opinion on them (when I read reviews, I like 
to read about some books that I know, so it is possible to compare).

By the way, I think Eddings' new books, The Elinium (3 books) and The 
Tamuli (3 more), are much better than his old ones.

I hope I haven't bothered you, Kasper Michelsen (kaspergm@hotmail.com)

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From: Nancy /Bill Kreml 
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1998 00:20:50 -0500
Subject: Good Books

Well, I suppose everyone has already recommended these, but they're stil
really worth reading.  I'd be interested in your views:

Series by Kim Stanley Robinson:

Red Mars
Green Mars
Blue Mars

also by KSR:

Antarctica

Two novels, not a series, but I can't remember the author's name. Easy to find:

Snow Crash
Diamond Age

## These are by Neal Stephenson.  I've read the first of the two.

Good book, but not speculative/fantasy:

by Barbara Kingsolver--

The Poisonwood Bible

Thanks for reviews and MYST hints. I like your restraint.

Nancy Kreml

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From: intrepidmag@juno.com (Brandon C Wu)

Hello -

Hopefully you recall who this is.  Well, you've done it again - one of
your reviews will appear in the second issue of Intrepid magazine, which
should be coming out in a week or so.  I'll send a complimentary copy
your way as soon as the issue is available.  Thanks, and I hope you
enjoyed the first one!

The piece of yours which will appear in issue #2 is the review of
"Replay" by Ken Grimwood.

Best regards,
Brandon Wu

-----
Intrepid * Amateur Journal of Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tough reviews * Insightful essays * Entertaining rants
* editor/publisher Brandon Wu * intrepidmag@juno.com *
www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Studio/2064/intrepid.html