From: "Peter Trei" <trei@process.com>
Date: Fri, 22 Nov 1996 11:24:15 -0800 (PST)
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: re: [NOISE] sci fi
Message-ID: <199611221923.LAA15484@toad.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


> Date:          Fri, 22 Nov 1996 18:48:22 +0100 (MET)
> From:          Asgaard <asgaard@Cor.sos.sll.se>
> To:            cypherpunks@toad.com
> Subject:       re: sci fi

> On Thu, 21 Nov 1996, Alan Olsen wrote:
 
> > For absolute brain candy, I recommend "Star Smashers of the Galaxy
> > Rangers".  EE.Doc Smith meets the Hardy Boys.  The ending I had to read
> > twice...
 
> A rather odd book that I found immensely stimulating is
> 'Venus on a halfshell' by a Nym (allegedly for Kurt Vonnegut,
> who in most of his books under his own name now and then
> refers to some hilarious non-existing SF story by this 'author').

> Asgaard

"Star Smashers" first appeared under a wierd 'Generic Book' imprint
in the late 70s/early 80s. There were a series of them - with plain
white covers and black capital titles such as "SCIENCE FICTION",
 "ROMANCE", "WESTERN", "MYSTERY", etc, all actually by well 
respected authors in their respective fields. I think "Star
Smashers' was by Harry Harrison, but am not sure.

VotHS claimed to have been written by Kilgore Trout, an third rate
SF author who exists only in the works of Kurt Vonnegut. However,
the actual author is Phillip Jose Farmer, whom Kurt granted permission
to use the character as a joke at a party. Farmer then wrote and 
published  VotHS, perfectly imitating Vonnegut's style, to Vonnegut's 
great dismay.

Peter Trei
trei@process.com