• Nebula Finalists 1985

    From James Nicoll@21:1/5 to All on Mon May 27 12:59:22 2024
    This week's Nebula finalists reaches the finalists of 1985! 1985 was
    a golden age of Wham! songs, the Coen Brothers' first film debuted,
    and a plucky David Miller transformed Ontario government. What of
    1985's science fiction?

    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    Neuromancer by William Gibson
    Frontera by Lewis Shiner
    Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein
    The Integral Trees by Larry Niven
    The Man Who Melted by Jack Dann
    The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson

    All but the Dann. I am very poorly read in Dann, even titles that became
    the basis for hilarious games.


    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novellas Have You Read?

    Press Enter by John Varley
    A Traveler's Tale by Lucius Shepard
    Marrow Death by Michael Swanwick
    The Greening of Bed-Stuy by Frederik Pohl
    Trinity by Nancy Kress
    Young Doctor Eszterhazy by Avram Davidson

    All but the Davidson.


    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novelettes Have You Read?

    Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler
    Bad Medicine by Jack Dann
    Saint Theresa of the Aliens by James Patrick Kelly
    The Lucky Strike by Kim Stanley Robinson
    The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule by Lucius Shepard
    Trojan Horse by Michael Swanwick

    All of them.


    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Short Stories Have You Read?

    Morning Child by Gardner Dozois
    A Cabin on the Coast by Gene Wolfe
    Salvador by Lucius Shepard
    Sunken Gardens by Bruce Sterling
    The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything by George Alec Effinger
    The Eichmann Variations George Zebrowski

    All but the Zebrowski.
    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

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  • From James Nicoll@21:1/5 to alan@sabir.com on Mon May 27 13:42:04 2024
    In article <lbjgg6Fmjq3U1@mid.individual.net>,
    Chris Buckley <alan@sabir.com> wrote:
    On 2024-05-27, James Nicoll <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote:
    This week's Nebula finalists reaches the finalists of 1985! 1985 was
    a golden age of Wham! songs, the Coen Brothers' first film debuted,
    and a plucky David Miller transformed Ontario government. What of
    1985's science fiction?

    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    Neuromancer by William Gibson
    Frontera by Lewis Shiner
    Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein
    The Integral Trees by Larry Niven
    The Man Who Melted by Jack Dann
    The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson

    All but the Dann. I am very poorly read in Dann, even titles that became
    the basis for hilarious games.

    All of them, though for both the Dann and the Shiner I had to check
    my bookshelves since I didn't remember them.

    The Gibson is the only Favorite (a strong one); none of the other
    novels come close.

    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novellas Have You Read?

    Press Enter by John Varley
    A Traveler's Tale by Lucius Shepard
    Marrow Death by Michael Swanwick
    The Greening of Bed-Stuy by Frederik Pohl
    Trinity by Nancy Kress
    Young Doctor Eszterhazy by Avram Davidson

    All but the Davidson.

    Just the Varley.

    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novelettes Have You Read?

    Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler
    Bad Medicine by Jack Dann
    Saint Theresa of the Aliens by James Patrick Kelly
    The Lucky Strike by Kim Stanley Robinson
    The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule by Lucius Shepard
    Trojan Horse by Michael Swanwick

    All of them.

    None of them!


    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Short Stories Have You Read?

    Morning Child by Gardner Dozois
    A Cabin on the Coast by Gene Wolfe
    Salvador by Lucius Shepard
    Sunken Gardens by Bruce Sterling
    The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything by George Alec Effinger
    The Eichmann Variations George Zebrowski

    All but the Zebrowski.

    Just the Wolfe.

    For some reason, I thought the Effinger was from the 1970s.
    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

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  • From Chris Buckley@21:1/5 to James Nicoll on Mon May 27 13:35:02 2024
    On 2024-05-27, James Nicoll <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote:
    This week's Nebula finalists reaches the finalists of 1985! 1985 was
    a golden age of Wham! songs, the Coen Brothers' first film debuted,
    and a plucky David Miller transformed Ontario government. What of
    1985's science fiction?

    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    Neuromancer by William Gibson
    Frontera by Lewis Shiner
    Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein
    The Integral Trees by Larry Niven
    The Man Who Melted by Jack Dann
    The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson

    All but the Dann. I am very poorly read in Dann, even titles that became
    the basis for hilarious games.

    All of them, though for both the Dann and the Shiner I had to check
    my bookshelves since I didn't remember them.

    The Gibson is the only Favorite (a strong one); none of the other
    novels come close.

    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novellas Have You Read?

    Press Enter by John Varley
    A Traveler's Tale by Lucius Shepard
    Marrow Death by Michael Swanwick
    The Greening of Bed-Stuy by Frederik Pohl
    Trinity by Nancy Kress
    Young Doctor Eszterhazy by Avram Davidson

    All but the Davidson.

    Just the Varley.

    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novelettes Have You Read?

    Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler
    Bad Medicine by Jack Dann
    Saint Theresa of the Aliens by James Patrick Kelly
    The Lucky Strike by Kim Stanley Robinson
    The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule by Lucius Shepard
    Trojan Horse by Michael Swanwick

    All of them.

    None of them!


    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Short Stories Have You Read?

    Morning Child by Gardner Dozois
    A Cabin on the Coast by Gene Wolfe
    Salvador by Lucius Shepard
    Sunken Gardens by Bruce Sterling
    The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything by George Alec Effinger
    The Eichmann Variations George Zebrowski

    All but the Zebrowski.

    Just the Wolfe.

    Chris

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  • From James Nicoll@21:1/5 to Michael F. Stemper on Mon May 27 14:04:54 2024
    In article <v323cl$2c0t$1@dont-email.me>,
    Michael F. Stemper <michael.stemper@gmail.com> wrote:
    On 27/05/2024 07.59, James Nicoll wrote:
    This week's Nebula finalists reaches the finalists of 1985! 1985 was
    a golden age of Wham! songs, the Coen Brothers' first film debuted,
    and a plucky David Miller transformed Ontario government. What of
    1985's science fiction?

    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    Neuromancer by William Gibson
    Frontera by Lewis Shiner
    Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein
    The Integral Trees by Larry Niven
    The Man Who Melted by Jack Dann
    The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson

    By cosmic coincidence, I read both _Neuromancer_ and _Job_ in May
    of 1993. Gibson no longer darkens my shelves, but I've reread the
    Heinlein and may do so again.

    What's wrong with Gibson?
    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Robert Woodward@21:1/5 to James Nicoll on Mon May 27 09:53:47 2024
    In article <v3203a$pl2$1@reader1.panix.com>,
    jdnicoll@panix.com (James Nicoll) wrote:

    This week's Nebula finalists reaches the finalists of 1985! 1985 was
    a golden age of Wham! songs, the Coen Brothers' first film debuted,
    and a plucky David Miller transformed Ontario government. What of
    1985's science fiction?

    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    Neuromancer by William Gibson
    Frontera by Lewis Shiner
    Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein
    The Integral Trees by Larry Niven
    The Man Who Melted by Jack Dann
    The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson

    All but the Dann. I am very poorly read in Dann, even titles that became
    the basis for hilarious games.


    Only the Heinlein and the Niven


    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novellas Have You Read?

    Press Enter by John Varley
    A Traveler's Tale by Lucius Shepard
    Marrow Death by Michael Swanwick
    The Greening of Bed-Stuy by Frederik Pohl
    Trinity by Nancy Kress
    Young Doctor Eszterhazy by Avram Davidson

    All but the Davidson.

    I have read the Davidson, maybe the Varley.


    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novelettes Have You Read?

    Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler
    Bad Medicine by Jack Dann
    Saint Theresa of the Aliens by James Patrick Kelly
    The Lucky Strike by Kim Stanley Robinson
    The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule by Lucius Shepard
    Trojan Horse by Michael Swanwick


    Maybe the Robinson and Shepard.



    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Short Stories Have You Read?

    Morning Child by Gardner Dozois
    A Cabin on the Coast by Gene Wolfe
    Salvador by Lucius Shepard
    Sunken Gardens by Bruce Sterling
    The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything by George Alec Effinger
    The Eichmann Variations George Zebrowski

    All but the Zebrowski.

    None?

    --
    "We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
    Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_. ‹-----------------------------------------------------
    Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com

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  • From Ted Nolan @21:1/5 to robertaw@drizzle.com on Mon May 27 18:05:24 2024
    In article <robertaw-1428DE.09534727052024@news.individual.net>,
    Robert Woodward <robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:
    In article <v3203a$pl2$1@reader1.panix.com>,
    jdnicoll@panix.com (James Nicoll) wrote:

    This week's Nebula finalists reaches the finalists of 1985! 1985 was
    a golden age of Wham! songs, the Coen Brothers' first film debuted,
    and a plucky David Miller transformed Ontario government. What of
    1985's science fiction?


    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novellas Have You Read?

    Press Enter by John Varley
    A Traveler's Tale by Lucius Shepard
    Marrow Death by Michael Swanwick
    The Greening of Bed-Stuy by Frederik Pohl
    Trinity by Nancy Kress
    Young Doctor Eszterhazy by Avram Davidson

    All but the Davidson.

    I have read the Davidson, maybe the Varley.


    YDE was a rollicking good read from the era where the latest
    revivification of _Amazing_ was doing a lot of fun stuff.
    --
    columbiaclosings.com
    What's not in Columbia anymore..

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Scott Lurndal@21:1/5 to Michael F. Stemper on Tue May 28 18:13:17 2024
    "Michael F. Stemper" <michael.stemper@gmail.com> writes:
    On 27/05/2024 09.04, James Nicoll wrote:
    In article <v323cl$2c0t$1@dont-email.me>,
    Michael F. Stemper <michael.stemper@gmail.com> wrote:
    On 27/05/2024 07.59, James Nicoll wrote:
    This week's Nebula finalists reaches the finalists of 1985! 1985 was
    a golden age of Wham! songs, the Coen Brothers' first film debuted,
    and a plucky David Miller transformed Ontario government. What of
    1985's science fiction?

    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    Neuromancer by William Gibson
    Frontera by Lewis Shiner
    Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein
    The Integral Trees by Larry Niven
    The Man Who Melted by Jack Dann
    The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson

    By cosmic coincidence, I read both _Neuromancer_ and _Job_ in May
    of 1993. Gibson no longer darkens my shelves, but I've reread the
    Heinlein and may do so again.

    What's wrong with Gibson?

    For me, he's all but unreadable. I struggled through _Neuromancer_ in
    1993. Feeling that I should give such a significant author another chance, >the following year I survived _Mona Lisa Overdrive_.

    I also found Gibson mostly unreadable. Wasn't a fan of Brunner, either,
    except for _Polymath_.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From The Horny Goat@21:1/5 to robertaw@drizzle.com on Tue May 28 11:49:05 2024
    On Mon, 27 May 2024 09:53:47 -0700, Robert Woodward
    <robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:

    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    Neuromancer by William Gibson
    Frontera by Lewis Shiner
    Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein
    The Integral Trees by Larry Niven
    The Man Who Melted by Jack Dann
    The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson

    All but the Dann. I am very poorly read in Dann, even titles that became
    the basis for hilarious games.


    Only the Heinlein and the Niven

    4/6 (Shiner and Dann - read others of his but not that one)

    Best for me was Robinson followed by Heinlein

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    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ted Nolan @21:1/5 to Scott Lurndal on Tue May 28 18:54:40 2024
    In article <19p5O.2751$1tf.1794@fx38.iad>,
    Scott Lurndal <slp53@pacbell.net> wrote:
    "Michael F. Stemper" <michael.stemper@gmail.com> writes:
    On 27/05/2024 09.04, James Nicoll wrote:
    In article <v323cl$2c0t$1@dont-email.me>,
    Michael F. Stemper <michael.stemper@gmail.com> wrote:
    On 27/05/2024 07.59, James Nicoll wrote:
    This week's Nebula finalists reaches the finalists of 1985! 1985 was >>>>> a golden age of Wham! songs, the Coen Brothers' first film debuted,
    and a plucky David Miller transformed Ontario government. What of
    1985's science fiction?

    Which 1985 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    Neuromancer by William Gibson
    Frontera by Lewis Shiner
    Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein
    The Integral Trees by Larry Niven
    The Man Who Melted by Jack Dann
    The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson

    By cosmic coincidence, I read both _Neuromancer_ and _Job_ in May
    of 1993. Gibson no longer darkens my shelves, but I've reread the
    Heinlein and may do so again.

    What's wrong with Gibson?

    For me, he's all but unreadable. I struggled through _Neuromancer_ in
    1993. Feeling that I should give such a significant author another chance, >>the following year I survived _Mona Lisa Overdrive_.

    I also found Gibson mostly unreadable. Wasn't a fan of Brunner, either, >except for _Polymath_.


    My favorite as well. I was hoping some of his other books in the same
    setting would be as good, but I didn't feel they were. Then he kind of
    went all 70s. (Props for _Shockwave Rider_ though).
    --
    columbiaclosings.com
    What's not in Columbia anymore..

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