MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 424

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Re: Castings
	by catwoman <catwoman-+AT+-inreach.inreach.com>
  2) Used/out of print books
	by ptamarin-+AT+-buttenet.com (Pat Tamarin)
  3) ADMIN: the How and Why book of Listservers (was: Ohhhh  Listmistress...)
	by mel (Melanie Dymond Harper)
  4) Re: ranting about the Gods
	by Heather Watson <R618%NEMOMUS.bitnet-+AT+-ACADEMIC.NEMOSTATE.EDU>
  5) Re: Author! Author!
	by mrtmh-+AT+-primenet.com (puppies and dragons)
  6) Re: ranting about the Gods
	by Marissa K Lingen <mlingen-+AT+-gac.edu>
  7) Re: Eddings! :)
	by Birgit Hanel <bhanel-+AT+-ix.urz.uni-heidelberg.de>
  8) Re: Author! Author!
	by Rosario Holsen-Baker <rholsen-+AT+-sidwell.edu>
  9) Re: Author! Author!
	by Birgit Hanel <bhanel-+AT+-ix.urz.uni-heidelberg.de>
 10) Re: Casting
	by Sandra K Haas <sandrah-+AT+-umich.edu>
 11) Re: Casting
	by Becky Anne Christensen <beckyanne-+AT+-iforge.valleynet.com>
 12) Re: Author! Author!
	by dbackhau-+AT+-isou10.estec.esa.nl
 13) Paul Gallico
	by mel (Melanie Dymond Harper)
 14) Re: ranting about the Gods
	by Adrienne York <ayork-+AT+-simons-rock.edu>
 15) Re: The Eagle and the Nightingales
	by STOKES J <95662014-+AT+-mmu.ac.uk>
 16) Re: Black characters in SF/fantasy
	by Birgit Hanel <bhanel-+AT+-ix.urz.uni-heidelberg.de>
 17) Bored of the Rings: Of the Finding of the Ring (fwd)
	by Roger Dahl <rd-+AT+-redleaf.bbs.no>
 18) Re: Master Cast List!!!!! (5!)
	by STOKES J <95662014-+AT+-mmu.ac.uk>
 19) Re: Eddings! :)
	by Rosario Holsen-Baker <rholsen-+AT+-sidwell.edu>
 20) Protests of denial!!!!!
	by STOKES J <95662014-+AT+-mmu.ac.uk>
 21) Re: Castings again
	by "Stormcloud" <JWIL3969-+AT+-SIMCL.STJOHNS.EDU>
 22) Re: Eddings! :)
	by 5INT627-+AT+-sc.maricopa.edu
 23) Re: Eddings! :)
	by Tensen <tensen-+AT+-crow.cybercomm.net>
 24) Companions
	by "Jill" <MORRISJM-+AT+-sbu.edu>
 25) Re: Baldwins? Bleeeech! 
	by "Stormcloud" <JWIL3969-+AT+-SIMCL.STJOHNS.EDU>

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sun, 17 Mar 1996 20:43:44 -0800
From: catwoman <catwoman-+AT+-inreach.inreach.com>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Castings
Message-ID: <199603180443.UAA18178-+AT+-inreach.com>

At 01:35 3/17/96 GMT, you wrote:
>	I think that Selenay should be Robin Wright, the chick from the 
>Princess Bride. Okay, so maybe I just have a thing for the Princess 
>Bride. That movie if full of wonderful people that can actually 
>swordfight! What was the name of the spanish guy that could really 
>swordfight? You know, My name is Manuel something whatever, you killed my 
>father, prepare to die. He would be good as hmmm, maybe one of the 
>Tayledras...

You mean Indigo Montoya <sp??> played wonderfully by Mandy Patankin. He
could be an interesting Tayledras..

<shrug> I still see Carey Elwes as Kris...Robin Wright tho...I don't really
see her as Selenay very well...<ponder> Elspeth? no...I dunno. She's gotta
be there somewhere...i gotta think about this one...

(grabbing thinking cap)

-catwoman-+AT+-inreach.com
still looking for a spiffy sig..


------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 04:56:43 -0600
From: ptamarin-+AT+-buttenet.com (Pat Tamarin)
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Used/out of print books
Message-ID: <v01530500ad72f147644c-+AT+-[205.218.0.104]>

<This message never arrived, so I'll try sending it again...let me know if
you don't receive it.  ;-)   >
_______

Heyla and awayyy! (can't you just see the Loan Ranger...)


I've been wandering around the Web and ran across a couple of sites that
might interest anyone who's been looking for out of print beasties. The
first address is the best bet. Most of the used book stores have e-mail
addresses where you can request a search for any particular book. And some
speciallize in paperbacks.

1. Yahoo search for USED books. Search and links.
http://www.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Companies/Books/Used/

2. One menu back goes into ALL categories of books:
http://www.yahoo.com/Business/Corporations/Books/



Here are three good sites for publishers in general:

The Internet Book Fair: Publishers Index (searchable)
http://www.bookfair.com/Publishers/index.html

AcqWeb's Directory of Publishers and Vendors
http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/law/acqs/pubr.html

The BookWire Index: Publishers
http://www.bookwire.com/links/publishers/publishers.html

____

Happy hunting!

___________________________________________________
                                                   )
                _,'|            _.-''``-...___..--';
               /, \'.      _..-' ,      ,--...--'''
              < \   .`--'''      `     /|
               `-,;'              ;   ; ;
           __...--''     __...--_..'  .;.'
          (,__....----'''      (,..--''
          Pat Tamarin <ptamarin-+AT+-buttenet.com>
                      <pat-+AT+-mbmgsun.mtech.edu>
___________________________________________________



------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 14:12:30 GMT
From: mel (Melanie Dymond Harper)
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: ADMIN: the How and Why book of Listservers (was: Ohhhh  Listmistress...)
Message-ID: <9603181412.AA06964-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk>

Lady Reesa asked:

>         I  was  just  wondering  if  Vanyel  did  two  or  three
> "mail-drops"  a  day,  or  is  he  constantly  processing  and  sending  out
> messages?  I  seem  to get  my  messages  about  an  hour  after  eveyone
> else,  and  at  two  or  three "peak"  periods  a  day.  I  was  kind  of
> wondering  if  there  was  some  sort  of  malfunction  with  my  own
> personal  mail  program,  or  if  that  was  just  how  our  beloved  Van
> chose  to  work. <gryn>  Thanks!

OK, for those of you who are interested, this is how it works (for those of
you who don't care, ignore the rest of this message)

>From your end:

1) you send mail

[random time delay, dependent on your system and any congestion between yours
 and mine]

2) mail arrives at vanyel.herald.co.uk and is sorted according to which mailing
	list it's for

At vanyel

3) bunch of waiting mail is processed; for each message,

	i) read down the subscribers list and send out a copy to everyone who
	   isn't on digest, postponed, or noack (if they sent the message)

	ii) add the message to the digest-under-construction; if the digest
	    is big enough, send it out, archive it and start a new one

4) go on to next list, repeat 3)

5) if you have processed all of the lists, now check to see if there are any
   requests (subscribe, unsubscribe, search, whatever) waiting to be processed
   if there are, do them.

6) More waiting list mail? Go back and start over.

Your end again:

7) vanyel sends mail to you 

[random delay depending on much the same things as before]

8) You get mail.

The 'random delay' aspect between you sending mail and it arriving here, and/or
me sending mail and it getting to you, depends on how your system is set up
(I know how mine is set up :)) and whether mail is directed to the machine 
where you'll eventually read it, or to somewhere else, or what. Not much I can
do about it.

The reason for the 'batches' of mail (i.e. you'll get ten or twenty messages
one after the other, and then it will go quiet for a while) is because there's
more than one list run from here. So the list processor sends out all the
mail from the Lackey list, and then it moves down to the Bujold list, etc. etc.
etc. Some of these lists take longer to process than others; the one which
takes longest is -- I hope -- moving elsewhere quite shortly, which should
reduce the problem a bit. It all gets sent out eventually, anyway ...

Mel.

------------------------------

Date:        Mon, 18 Mar 1996 08:30:46 CST
From: Heather Watson <R618%NEMOMUS.bitnet-+AT+-ACADEMIC.NEMOSTATE.EDU>
To: <mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk>
Subject: Re: ranting about the Gods
Message-ID:  <18MAR96.09194069.0017.MUSIC-+AT+-NEMOMUS>

Cancer is a little-understood disease, and just because we don't
understand why remission occurs doesn't mean there's no reason for it.
Please don't pity me.  I'm much happier believing that remission is due
to science, chance, or some combination thereof than I would be if I
believed in miracles.  You see, no one I know got a miracle.  My
friends, my grandfather died.  I don't *want* the "comfort" of believing
in a god who goes around blithely putting other people's cancer into
remission, but not theirs, for whatever inscrutable godlike reason.
Believe me, I'm happy the way I am.
   And really, I guess I don't mind if there are gods who don't care
about individuals, only the fate of the Big Picture.  Fine.  But don't
expect me to scrape my nose on the concrete caring about them if I'm
only a cog in the system to them.  All this sucking up to the Star-Eyed
is beginning to make me sick.  Like she cares.  Someone even says at one
point that she's not going to interfere with the mage storms because not
*everyone* on the planet will die.  Oh, spiffy.  Then why tease us with
that sweet, caring thing when she takes An'desha's fur away so he can
feel better about himself?  How come she cares about An'desha so bloody
much at that point?  The mood obviously passed.  Is it just because
An'desha's going to become this big shaman guy, i.e. of future use to
her?
   Gee, when people do things like that, we call them users, and other
less pleasant names.  I guess as a goddess she has the right to do
whatever she jolly well pleases, but I don't have to respect her for it.


HTH

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 07:40:36 -0700 (MST)
From: mrtmh-+AT+-primenet.com (puppies and dragons)
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Author! Author!
Message-ID: <199603181440.HAA21714-+AT+-usr3.primenet.com>


>.I can't stand 
>.Tolkien(except for The Hobbit).  I f you dislike Tolkein, check 
>.out _Bored of the Rings_ by the Harvard Lampoon...I am hereby 
>.donning my flame-proof suit and ducking!


        Oh!  Good  gods,  that  book  had  me  ROTFL!!!!!<--look  five!  I
haven't read  it  in  a  while,  so  I  need  to  go  pester  my  librarian
:)  Thanks  for remembering  it!  And  if  you're  going  to  get  flamed
for  that,  well,  some people  have  no  sense  of  the  absurd!  Finnally,
something  funny  out  of  Harvard!

                                        Lady  'Reesa

******************************************************************************
    "True...if Valerie hadn't saved me I'd have been cut in half...and half 
of an  assassin is just an ass."  Sam, from "Villians By Necessity" by
Eve Forward
    "Everything important about males and females is exactly the
same...except  guys are idiots." From "NeverNever" by Will Shetterly
******************************************************************************
 


------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 09:21:48 -0600 (CST)
From: Marissa K Lingen <mlingen-+AT+-gac.edu>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: ranting about the Gods
Message-ID: <199603181521.JAA25933-+AT+-hermes.gac.edu>

Okay, I agree a little bit on both sides here.  I think (err...why won't
it show me her name??? stupid machine) the person who's arguing with
Heather (sorry! technical difficulties) is right in that Valdemar was
given the Companions and then it was up to the rulers of Valdemar to use
them wisely, just like any other resource.
I think the person who's arguing with Heather (once again, sorry) is
missing the point in her argument that the importance of the situation
determines whether the gods interfere.  Heather's point is that she
doesn't think a god who doesn't think lives of individual humans are worth
much is much of a god at all (what a sentence!).
The gods should interfere as little as they do (and possibly less!)
*because* of the importance of individual human life.  Because individual
human life doesn't mean a damn thing if there's no free will--and that's
what the implication is if the gods start interfering in the lives of
folks.  I guess that is one complaint I occasionally have with Misty:  the
gods in her books are considerably more active than I'd like.  Of course,
I've always identified with Natoli quite well (great, now everybody's
going to start looking at *me* sidelong!).  She and Karal were having an
argument about this in _SR_, as I recall.  He thought the gods should
interfere more, and she wanted them to stay the hell out.  I'm with her! 
Solve your own problems!  It's like parents who let their children get by
with no discipline and never make them figure anything out on their own--
they're not doing the children any favors.  Same thing goes for the gods--
if you know they'll pull you out if you really screw something up, who
cares whether you screw it up?  You'll be fine--the gods will protect you.
Well, that may be a nice paternalistic sentiment, but some of us don't
*want* to be protected.  Miracles like cancer remission are all fine and
good if you can get 'em, but give me a good solid cure that's widely
applicable any day.
--Morticia
>  > On Sun, 17 Mar 1996, Heather Watson wrote: > 
> > No, I don't think it's remotely like being born into poverty or to the
> > landed nobility.  Extreme wealth, like extreme poverty, are social
> > constructs that human beings, in their not-so-infinite wisdom, have
> > created.  Companions are the direct work of the gods.  So a poor person
> > is reaping the cosmic effects of a system they didn't create, but only a
> > Hardornen is reaping the cosmic effects of the gods not choosing to let
> > them in on the good stuff.
> But Companions, or rather, the Heraldic system, isn't the direct work of the 
> Gods.  Or, only as much as say, Tarma's being in any one place at any one 
> time is the work of the Star-Eyed.  Valdemar asked, the gods gave an answer, 
> of sorts, and then Valdemar and his son had to figure out how to use what they
> were given.  They could have sent a Companion to the Court of all of 
> their neighboring kingdoms, particularly when they started foaling.  They 
> could have offered to foster the heirs of neighbors in the hope that 
> some of them would get Companions.  They could have started conquering 
> they're neighboring lands and had Companions run all through them.  Any 
> number of things could have happened which the gods chose not to dictate.
> 
> >    I expect humans to be unjust.  I don't see any need to worship
> > humans, and I don't see any need to worship a god who is only going to
> > be as just as a human -- no, I don't even care about justice.  As
> > compassionate as a human.  It's jolly nice that Vkandis wants to protect
> > the alliance with Valdemar so much that he's willing to step in.  Tell
> > it to the generations of children who were burned at the stake, who were
> > evidently not important enough.  We know he COULD have stopped it at any
> > time, and he DIDN'T.  Because it wasn't *important* enough.  Well,
> > damned if I'm going to bow down to anything or anyone who doesn't
> > consider me as an individual important.
> No, it wasn't the importance of it.  The alliance with Valdemar was so 
> important because otherwise most of the known world would be utterly 
> destroyed and if they did work together there was the chance, just the 
> chance, mind you, that things would be worked out.  Individuals aren't 
> that important unless they're at the center of world-changing events.  
> Vkandis is not going to step in unless the fate of the world, or at least 
> all of Karse, depends on his stepping in.  He didn't step in with those 
> kids because the humans could have fixed it themselves; it didn't depend 
> on his interference.  The mage storms did.  So he stepped in.
> 
> >    And no, I don't believe in miracles.  I hate all those stupid stories
> > about how "God made sure my car stalled so I wasn't in that intersection
> > when the pileup occured." Great, so if it's my sister who gets mangled
> > in a twisted heap of metal, then it's because she didn't have the right
> > pull with God.  Apparently she wasn't important, or she didn't pray to
> > the right diety, or often enough, or hadn't led the right kind of life,
> > or hey, that's the breaks, but this lady over here gets divine
> > protection anyway so hahaha.  People die because they die, and I don't
> > believe for one second that God saves or destroys based on merit or
> > significance.  If I did, I'd take the fact that I'm still alive as proof
> > that I'm morally superior to, say, the kids on the last schoolbus that
> > wrecked and burned.
> No, that's not a miracle; that's statistics.  If you put enough car 
> wrecks and enough stalls together, someone's going to miss a wreck 
> because of a stall because they were lucky number 67,890,765,239.  I'm 
> talking about a real miracle, like spontaneous cancer remissions which, 
> according to everything anyone's been able to discover about cancer, 
> shouldn't happen.  Things like that.  And if you don't believe they ever 
> exist, I feel sorry for you.  I don't know how those get handed out and 
> whether or what gods are involved.
> 
> >    I don't know if this makes me like the state of Utah or not.  I do
> > think that banning all activities was better than allowing only, say,
> > certain religious groups to meet on campus, but nothing that the school
> > board didn't approve of.  Shows a certain amount of even-handedness,
> > even if only because Utah's own Sen. Hatch was responsible for the law
> > that makes it illegal to discriminate against student-run groups who
> > want to use school grounds to meet.  Treating everyone under the same
> > set of rules hardly accounts for everything, but it's worth something, I
> > think.
> I think the state of Utah could have made worse decisions, and with such 
> a homophobic religious majority, probably the best decision was made 
> considering their political makeup.  But I also think saying that if I 
> can't pick who comes to the party or even know ahead of time who's going 
> to break the pinata, then I won't play.  i'd rather go to the party and 
> have a good time with whoever is there that i can talk to.
> 
> _____________________________________________________________________________
> L'enfant terrible					ayork-+AT+-simons-rock.edu
> 	            Grand Destinies lead to Grand Funerals.
> 		         	-Mercedes Lackey
> 


------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 16:22:19 +0100 (CET)
From: Birgit Hanel <bhanel-+AT+-ix.urz.uni-heidelberg.de>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Eddings! :)
Message-ID: <Pine.A32.3.91.960318161339.45055J-100000-+AT+-aixterm7.urz.uni-heidelberg.de>

On Mon, 18 Mar 1996, Jill wrote:

> ObMisty --- Ummm...hmmm....Eddings/Misty crossover would be cool!  
> 
> 
> 
> Jill Morrison /// morrisjm-+AT+-sbu.edu /// Merlyn3109-+AT+-aol.com

NNNOOOOO!!!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaase don't!
Unless of course Misty does the female characters, a thing which Eddings is 
obviously unable to do (judging from the Elenium-books). 
C.G.Jung-stereotypes all-over, and I thought good fantasy books (resp. 
writers) had overcome that a long time ago (well, sometime in the 80s, at 
least). <shudder>

Forward momentum
Khenta*

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 10:29:06 -0500 (EST)
From: Rosario Holsen-Baker <rholsen-+AT+-sidwell.edu>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Author! Author!
Message-ID: <Pine.BSD/.3.91.960318102724.4982A-100000-+AT+-gateway.us.sidwell.edu>

On Sun, 17 Mar 1996, Jake (Rynath *OIB*) wrote:
<major slicing with Stormbringer...augh! My soul!>

> Michael Moorcock's _Elric of Melinibone_ (although I don't think this one is
> going to be good.)
> 
	Ooooh, no.  The first five books of the Elric series are 
incredible! After that, though, it gets a bit stale. But the first five 
are wonderful, especially _Elric of Melibone_

*****LADY JAGUAR*****
Leader of the Cat People
Lady in Green
LGMCB, DHTBB
"Meddle not in the affairs of cats
for you are soft-skinned, and blind at night."
*********************


------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 16:30:17 +0100 (CET)
From: Birgit Hanel <bhanel-+AT+-ix.urz.uni-heidelberg.de>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Author! Author!
Message-ID: <Pine.A32.3.91.960318162358.45055K-100000-+AT+-aixterm7.urz.uni-heidelberg.de>

On Sun, 17 Mar 1996, Jake (Rynath *OIB*) wrote:

> And to think, before I met you I read mainly sci-fi. <Shudder> What was wrong
> with me? (I know, I didn't meet you <veg>.)  Priest, I have some 
suggestions for > you too.

So what was wrong with you? There's nothing wrong with SF! Go try Lois 
McMaster Bujold (Shars of Honor, Barrayar, The Warrior's Apprentice etc; 
just awesome). She's definitely 1st choice when there's no Misty book at 
hand.

Miles forever!
Khenta*

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 10:34:54 -0500 (EST)
From: Sandra K Haas <sandrah-+AT+-umich.edu>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Casting
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.960318103325.15818B-100000-+AT+-frogger.rs.itd.umich.edu>

If we get to cast dead people, I think that River Phoenix would have been 
a great Skif!  And while I'm at it, I think David Swimmer (the guy from 
'Friends') would be a good Dirk, and Beatrice Arthur (Maude) would be a 
great Sayvil!!

Sandy, Queen, cute one, etc.

On Sun, 17 Mar 1996, Becky Anne Christensen wrote:

> 	Okay, I just had a rare brilliant flash of genious. How about 
> Rock Hudson for Kris? I know he's dead, but it doesn't make that much of 
> a difference anyways, because this movie will never be made. He's 
> perfect, both Dirk and Kris are supposed to be really tall guys, Rock 
> Hudson was 6'6, that's pretty tall. He's plenty handsome, and he even had 
> dark hair! Yes, I just finished watching Pilloe Talk, starring Doris Day, 
> and (big surprise) Rock Hudson.
> 
> 	Lady Becky
> 
> The more that you read,
> the more things you will know.
> The more that you learn,
> the more places you'll go.
>         --Dr. Suess
> 
> 
> 
> 

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 07:50:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Becky Anne Christensen <beckyanne-+AT+-iforge.valleynet.com>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Casting
Message-ID: <Pine.BSD/.3.91.960316171024.18093A-100000-+AT+-iforge.valleynet.com>

On Sat, 16 Mar 1996, puppies and dragons wrote:

>         Just  as  an  aside,  I  am  bi-sexual,  and  I  would  never
> reveal  this to  anyone  in  my  school,  out  of  fear  that  I  would  be
> targeted.  Yes,  I am  fully  capable  of  taking  care  of  myself,  but  I
> do  not  wish  to  deal with  the  hatred  I  have  seen  displayed  towards
> the  one  openly  gay  girl  who  goes  there.  She  is  my  friend,  and  I
> have  seen  her  cry  over  the  thoughtless  words  of  some  idiot  who
> never  took  the  time  to  get  to  know her  before  condeming  her.
> 
>                                    Lady  'Reesa
> P.S.  The  more  I  think  about  it  the  more  convinced  I  become  that
> it  was  Utah.
> 
	That is really incredibly stupid. One of the reasons I love my 
school is that we don't have those kinds of problems. There are quite a 
few gay and bi people, and nobody really cares one way or the other. One 
of the reasons is that most people accept everyone else as their own 
people, and don't condemn them. But there are those occasional stupid 
people that are really prejudiced, and can be really mean, but they 
quickly learn that no one wants to hear their stupid little remarks, and 
most of them eventually shut up. I consider myself very lucky.

	Lady Becky

The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you'll go.
        --Dr. Suess





------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 96 16:49:22 +0100
From: dbackhau-+AT+-isou10.estec.esa.nl
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Author! Author!
Message-ID: <9603181549.AA20038-+AT+-isou10.estec.esa.nl>

HTH wrote:
<snip snippity>
> The other is Guy Gavriel Kay. <snip snip>
> TIGANA takes place in something like Renaissance Italy, A
> SONG FOR ARBONNE in Provencal France among the troubadours, and THE
> LIONS OF AL-RASSAN in Spain during the Reconquista, complete with the
> clash of three cultures sharing the same space.  But it's definitely
> fantasy, not historical fiction.  He gets my vote for Author Most Like
> J.R.R. Tolkien Without Being Unbearably Dull.<snip snip>

weeeeeeellllllll, I must admit I flinched slightly at the juxtaposition of
Tolkien and Tigana - Tigana is (as I believe I have written here before) the
most soul wrenchingly, achingly sad, hope filled book I've ever read. The first
read I thought, hmm, good. The second I was tearing up (thats tears, wet salty
things, not tears, rips and shreds) at times, and it just gets better (I'm
up and beyond 10 times now). It's about the strength of hope, and memory, and
friendship - I even weep at the demise of the 'baddie' - then it's the triumph
of love over revenge and hatred - whoof, it's a good book - just give it a few
reads to grow. Arbonne I'm at the about to start for the second time, and Al-Rassan
I've not seen in paperback here in the flatlands yet. (Neither is WG or Storm
Rising (if that' part 2)) (ick, nested brackets, the mathematician in me gaining
a temporary ascendance - down, down - back, basket, bad dog ...... ah, where am
I?)

I intend to crawl out from under the ton of work that dumped on me two weeks ago
and unpostpone, so excuse me if I ask "But what about oojamagrip... " when you did 
him and his cohorts to death last week - if I can I'll trawl through the archives.

Esmeralda Evensbane
(staggering back into the light)

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 16:36:02 GMT
From: mel (Melanie Dymond Harper)
To: mercedes-lackey
Subject: Paul Gallico
Message-ID: <9603181636.AA01810-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk>

Cindy corrects me (offline) by pointing out that _The Abandoned_ is the US
version of _Jennie_; I was muddling it with _Thomasina_, also about a cat,
also well worth reading. Mea culpa.

Mel.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 11:36:20 -0500 (EST)
From: Adrienne York <ayork-+AT+-simons-rock.edu>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: ranting about the Gods
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.960318113554.16757D-100000-+AT+-plato>

To each his own...  There is no one true way.

_____________________________________________________________________________
L'enfant terrible					ayork-+AT+-simons-rock.edu
	            Grand Destinies lead to Grand Funerals.
		         	-Mercedes Lackey

------------------------------

Date:          Mon, 18 Mar 1996 16:36:42 GMT
From: STOKES J <95662014-+AT+-mmu.ac.uk>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: The Eagle and the Nightingales
Message-ID: <2EF8FE45ECE-+AT+-EXCALIBUR.MMU.AC.UK>

Date:          Thu, 14 Mar 1996 19:15:23 GMT
Reply-to:      mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
From:          MURANOG THE BIG CUDDLY TROLL <K939641-+AT+-crystal.kingston.ac.uk>
To:            95662014-+AT+-mmu.ac.uk
Subject:       The Eagle and the Nightingales

Bright the day, listmembers!
Just finished the latest Misty book I could get my hands on - title as
above. I may be totally mistaken{hope hope HOPE not :)} but I got the
idea from various hints in the book that Misty has written other books
in that setting/with those characters...is this so? Can anyone tell me
what their titles are if so, & whether they're available in the UK?
One troll eagerly anticipating replies...

Muranog

***************************DGIF #11027*************************
*"If thou do not wish to talk,                                *
* and thou do not wish to listen,                             *
* then thou do not wish to live." - Dawn Taylor, Canadian poet*
***************************************************************

The Lark and the Wren   
The Robin and thee Kestral

Kal'enedral Kalen of the Wolf

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 17:38:40 +0100 (CET)
From: Birgit Hanel <bhanel-+AT+-ix.urz.uni-heidelberg.de>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Black characters in SF/fantasy
Message-ID: <Pine.A32.3.91.960318173148.45055L-100000-+AT+-aixterm7.urz.uni-heidelberg.de>

On Sat, 16 Mar 1996, puppies and dragons wrote:

>         If  you've  read  some  of  the  "Sword  and  Sorceress"  books,
> there  is  an  author  in  them  that  writes  stories  with  a  black,
> female  protagonist.  I  beleive  he  has  also  written  a  book  or  two
> about  her,  but  I  cannot  for  the  life  of  me  remember  his  name  or
> the  name  of  any  of  the  stories.  Still,  if  you're  one  of  those
> people  who  can't  find  the  anthologies,  try  contacting  MZB.  I've

I think you are referring to Charles de Lint's character Dossouye, but I 
don't know if there's a whole book with her in it either. Though that 
would be great.

Just checked the bookstores here in HD: there is a whole new edition of 
the first 4 Sword&Sorceress-volumes out (must be the 4th one or 
thereabouts). 
Sooooo, if anyone is interested...but then: how good is your german?  
<sly grin>

Forward momentum
Khenta*


------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 08:52:17 +0000 (GMT)
From: Roger Dahl <rd-+AT+-redleaf.bbs.no>
To: Lackey-List <mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk>
Subject: Bored of the Rings: Of the Finding of the Ring (fwd)
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.91.960318084607.1202I-100000-+AT+-redleaf.bbs.no>

I must say that I loved "The Hobbit"... when I was fourteen. I even typed
inn the whole book in the process of learning to touch-type. Lord of the
Rings is also a great book for kids. The stuff below is not, though :)

  -+*#*+- -+*#*+- -+*#*+- -+*#  Roger Dahl - rd-+AT+-redleaf.bbs.no  #*+- 
      Now Hounds of Love are Hunting

As is told in the volume previous to this hound, *Valley of the Trolls*, 
Dildo Bugger set out one day with a band of demented dwarves and a 
discredited Rosicrucian named Goodgulf to separate a dragon from his 
hoard of short-term municipals and convertible debentures. The quest was 
successful, and the dragon, a prewar basilisk who smelled like a bus, was 
taken from behind while he was clipping coupons. And yet, though many 
pointless and annyoing deeds were done, this adventure would concern us a 
good deal less than it does, if that is possible, except for a bit of 
petty larceny Dildo did along the way to keep his hand in. The party was 
ambushed in the Mealey Mountains by a roving pack of narcs, and in 
hurrying to the aid of the embattled dwarves, Dildo somehow lost his 
sense of direction and ended up in a cave a considerable distance away. 
Finding himself at the mouth of a tunnel which led rather perceptibly 
down, Dildo suffered a temporary recurrence of an old inner-ear problem 
and went rushing along it to the rescue, as he thought, of his friends. 
Sfter running for some time and finding nothing but more tunnel, he was 
beginning to feel he had taked a wrong turn somewhere when the passage 
abruptly ended in a large cavern.

When Dildo's eyes became adjusted to the pale light, he found that the 
grotto was almost filled by a wide, kidney-shaped lake where a 
nasty-looking clown named Goddam paddled noisily about on an old rubber 
sea horse. He ate raw fish and occasional side orders to travel from the 
outside world in the form of lost travellers like Dildo, and he greeted 
Dildo's unexpected entrance into his underground sauna in much the same 
way as he would the sudden arrival of a Chicken Delight truck. But like 
anyone with boggie ancestry, Goddam preferred the subtle approach in 
assaulting creatures over five inches high and weighing more than ten 
pounds, and consequently he challenged jDildo to a riddle game to gain time.
Dildo, who had a sudden attack of amnesia regarding the fact that the 
dwarves were being made into chutney outside the cave, accepted.

They asked each other countless riddles, such as who played the Cisco Kid 
and what was Krypton. In the end Dildo won the game. Stumped at last for 
a riddle to ask, he cried out, as his hand fell on his snub-nosed .38, 
"What have I got in my pocket?" This Goddam failed to answer, and growing 
impatient, he paddled up to Dildo, whining, "Let me see, let me see." 
Dildo obliged by pulling out the postol and emptying it in Goddam's 
direction. The dark spoiled his aim, and he managed only to deflate the 
rubber float, leaving Goddam to flounder. Goddam, who couldn't swim, 
reached out his hand to Dildo and begged him to pull him out, and as he 
did, Dildo noticed an interesting-looking ring on his finger and pulled 
it off. He wuld have finished Goddam off then and there, but pity stayed 
his hand. "It's a pity I've run out of bullets," he thought, as he went 
back up the tunnel, pursued by Goddam's cries of rage.

Now it is a curious fact that Dildo never told this story, explaining 
that he had gotten the Ring from a pig's nose or a gumball machine--he 
couldn't remember which. Goodgulf, who was naturally suspicious, finally 
managed with the aid of one of his secret potions (probably Sodium 
Pentothal) to drag the truth out of the boggie, but it disturbed him 
considerably that Dildo, who was a perpetual and compulsive liar, would 
not have concocted a more grandiose tale from the start. It was then, 
some fifty years before our styry begins, that Goodgulf first guessed at 
the Ring's importance. He was, as usual, dead wrong.


Next: Chapter One--It's My Party and I'll Snub Who I Want To

------------------------------

Date:          Mon, 18 Mar 1996 16:50:22 GMT
From: STOKES J <95662014-+AT+-mmu.ac.uk>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Master Cast List!!!!! (5!)
Message-ID: <2EFCA521004-+AT+-EXCALIBUR.MMU.AC.UK>

Not going to include the whole list but .......
Whoa it was impressive.
The time,the patience,the memory!!!!![< 5]
Jaguar ; you are one seriously impressive Lady.

Kal'enedral Kalen Of the Wolf
[Was Lord Jason]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 12:04:58 -0500 (EST)
From: Rosario Holsen-Baker <rholsen-+AT+-sidwell.edu>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Eddings! :)
Message-ID: <Pine.BSD/.3.91.960318120400.10667A-100000-+AT+-gateway.us.sidwell.edu>

On Mon, 18 Mar 1996, Jill wrote:

> Oh, ho!!  Somebody's been reading Eddings, I bet!  *grin*  I love 
> Eddings, and Velvet was great.  

	Velvet and Silk are two of my role models. Another one is Mona 
Mayfair, from Anne Rice's Mayfair witch series (Lasher and Taltos). :)

	ObMisty: There are no Mayfairs on Velgarth. :)

*****LADY JAGUAR*****
Leader of the Cat People
Lady in Green
LGMCB, DHTBB
"Meddle not in the affairs of cats
for you are soft-skinned, and blind at night."
*********************


------------------------------

Date:          Mon, 18 Mar 1996 17:06:09 GMT
From: STOKES J <95662014-+AT+-mmu.ac.uk>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Protests of denial!!!!!
Message-ID: <2F00DCC0347-+AT+-EXCALIBUR.MMU.AC.UK>


>I have said it once, and I'll say it as many times as it bears repeating.

>I have NO affiliation with TMIW!!!!! <-- Look 5!

>--Gyrfalcon

Now Now Gyrfalcon lets not get touchy.
Anyway to paraphrase  the quote:-

Me thinks the Gyrfalcon doth protest to much

Kal'enedral Kalen


------------------------------

Date:          Mon, 18 Mar 1996 12:18:04 EST
From: "Stormcloud" <JWIL3969-+AT+-SIMCL.STJOHNS.EDU>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Castings again
Message-ID: <415C4630E1-+AT+-SIMCL.STJOHNS.EDU>

<snipping>
> 'nother pertinent question: who will be directing?
> I can't make up my mind between Ridley Scott and Kathryn Bigelow...
> 
> 
> Khenta*
<sig snipping>

The voice of Jenna's mother: Mel Gibsonnnnnnnn
Seriously, he did a damned good job directing Braveheart and The Man 
Without a Face.  He may not be as experienced a director as some 
others, but I think he might be a good consideration.


-+AT+->---                                   
Stormcloud                              In the name
One in Black                            of the Moon 
Jenna, the Misty maniac               I'll punish you!
jwil3969-+AT+-simcl.stjohns.edu



------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 10:13:23 -0700 (MST)
From: 5INT627-+AT+-sc.maricopa.edu
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Eddings! :)
Message-ID: <01I2HAM8612W0054K9-+AT+-sc.maricopa.edu>

>On Mon, 18 Mar 1996, Jill wrote:
>
>> ObMisty --- Ummm...hmmm....Eddings/Misty crossover would be cool!  
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Jill Morrison /// morrisjm-+AT+-sbu.edu /// Merlyn3109-+AT+-aol.com
>
>NNNOOOOO!!!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaase don't!
>Unless of course Misty does the female characters, a thing which Eddings is 
>obviously unable to do (judging from the Elenium-books). 
>C.G.Jung-stereotypes all-over, and I thought good fantasy books (resp. 
>writers) had overcome that a long time ago (well, sometime in the 80s, at 
>least). <shudder>
>
>Forward momentum
>Khenta*
Khenta*,
	Read the Tamuli or the Belgariad or the Mallorean or 
Belgarath the Sorcerer and reach the same conclusion...I don't 
think Polgara is any type of "C.G.Jung" stereotype, heck, in most 
ways she's tougher than Belgarath!  Also, the Elenium is set in a 
fairly patriarchal world, closely resembling medievel Europe, so 
you should expect some "stereotyping", since it fit the culture 
Eddings created.  Also, if Mirtai is not a "strong" female 
character, who is(in the Tamuli it details her, ah, abilities, 
such as killing at least 15 men who were "improper" with her, 
most with a sharpened spoon, chasing down wolves etc., don't tell 
me that the Atans are weak...)  Stepping off of my soapbox, I 
apologize if this sounds like flaming, but Eddings is one of my 
favorite authors and I *have* to defend him on this point.

OB Misty: I too would love to see a Eddings/Misty collabaration, 
perhaps a series about the Eastern Empire...

As to casting, I would think that Charlton Heston would make one 
heck of a good Tayledras, perhaps Iceshadow...
						---EDWARD---
						  ---OIB---
						FORBES 2000
						Hai N'ai

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 12:26:16 +0000 (GMT)
From: Tensen <tensen-+AT+-crow.cybercomm.net>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Eddings! :)
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.91.960318122440.22656A-100000-+AT+-crow.cybercomm.net>

> > ObMisty --- Ummm...hmmm....Eddings/Misty crossover would be cool!  
> > 
<other message partially snipped>
> 
> NNNOOOOO!!!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaase don't!
> Unless of course Misty does the female characters, a thing which Eddings is 
> obviously unable to do (judging from the Elenium-books). 
> C.G.Jung-stereotypes all-over, and I thought good fantasy books (resp. 
> writers) had overcome that a long time ago (well, sometime in the 80s, at 
> least). <shudder>
<snip>

Hey, look at the novel that Misty and Piers Anthony wrote..  it wasn't 
that bad...which was very surprising...  And Eddings definitely isn't ass 
bad as Piers Anthony when it comes to female characters.



------------------------------

Date:          Mon, 18 Mar 1996 12:07:51 EDT
From: "Jill" <MORRISJM-+AT+-sbu.edu>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Companions
Message-ID: <28C7D1C1C-+AT+-pub.sbu.edu>

    As I sit here reading about the upcoming presidential election in 
the paper, my mind (as so often happens) started wandering.  

    I wonder if the principle behind the very beginning of the idea 
of Valdemar in Misty's head wasn't the question of accountabilty and 
ethics in leaders.  That in and of itself is a fascinating idea.  
If a country has the means to be absolutely *certain* its leaders 
were ethical, honest, well-meaning people ... hey, if the U.S. had 
Companions, think of what might've happened...     

    Not a utopian world.  But closer.  Plus the idea of Heralds and 
the Truth Spell virtually guarantees a reduction of crime.  And the 
U.S. doesn't have Border wars to worry about.

    :)  I kinda doubt Clinton OR Dole would've been Chosen.  Hmmm...I 
wonder what sort of a poltician *would*?

    Food for thought ....
      


Jill Morrison /// morrisjm-+AT+-sbu.edu /// Merlyn3109-+AT+-aol.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    "And that's such a shame, because that stranger is the Puck in the 
midden, the part of us that makes gold out of trash, poetry out of 
nonsense. It calls art forth from common sights and music from 
ordinary sound and without it, the world would be a very grey place 
indeed."
                                    - From "A Tempest in her Eyes"
                                        "The Ivory and the Horn"
                                          by Charles de Lint
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    

------------------------------

Date:          Mon, 18 Mar 1996 12:28:05 EST
From: "Stormcloud" <JWIL3969-+AT+-SIMCL.STJOHNS.EDU>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Baldwins? Bleeeech! 
Message-ID: <4187327E5A-+AT+-SIMCL.STJOHNS.EDU>

Lady Becky wrote:
> On Thu, 14 Mar 1996, Rosario Holsen-Baker wrote:
> 
> > Lady Beck wrote:
> > > 
> > >     I love Pierce Brosnan!!!!!!! <--look, 7! hee-hee :) Anyways, 
> > > since I can't think of anyone better, maybe Van? To make the cast 
> > > complete, we need a Baldwin in there somewhere. Even better question is, 
> > > 
> >   Tim Curry, probably. Either that or maybe Michael Wincott.
> > 
> >   <rant> A Baldwin? No! Well, maybe not. Unless we have a horde of family 
> > in there, somewhere. All the Baldwins ('cept Alec, he's the only interesting
> > one) are interchangeable. I'm serious. I see a preview, I see a 
> > Baldwin..."Oh, look. A Baldwin." It doesn't matter which it is, anymore, 
> > I spot a Baldwin and immediatly that movie loses one star. The sheer 
> > clone-ness of the whole group sincerely bothers me. Stephen, Adam, 
> > William, Daniel, Alec..they all look alike!!! </rant>
> >   Okay, I'm better now. 
> > 
> > *****LADY JAGUAR*****
>     I agree, they do all look alike, it's one of the things that 
> happen when you're a family <g> But isn't there a family or town in Velgarth 
> somewhere that really look alike (inbreeding?) Maybe they could be the 
> Holderkin people. 
> 
>     Lady Becky
<sig snipping> 

I'm sure I remember someone else suggesting this, but how about the 
Ashkevrons?  Mekeal was supposed to love like a minature Within-- 
there's an older Baldwin and a younger one, and we've got the rest of 
them as cousins. . . perfection! :)

-+AT+->---                                   
Stormcloud                              In the name
One in Black                            of the Moon 
Jenna, the Misty maniac               I'll punish you!
jwil3969-+AT+-simcl.stjohns.edu



------------------------------

End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 424
*********************************