Science Fiction Quote of the Week

"It is my body, not yours," said Olava burning. "Or his. I have given it to my God. And I do not pass it out like little party cakes for the momentary satisfaction of those who happen to be around me. It is neither a sedative, palliative, reward, or bribe. It is my body."
--Richard Ben Sapir, The Far Arena

R.I.P. Warren Murphy

American writer Warren Murphy -- best known for co-creating The Destroyer series with the late Richard Ben Sapir -- put away his typewriter for the last time on September 4, 2015, at age 81.

He will be missed.

Science Fiction Quote of the Week

Olava said her cult would never endorse killing. Semyonus said the same for his government.

"In previous times," said Lewus,"Olava's church has ordered people killed, and Semyonus' government now does it. You should know that. I am not the only person with a sin."

"You think I needed to be told these things, Lewus?" I said.
--Richard Ben Sapir, The Far Arena

Science Fiction Quote of the Week

“There is no such thing as magic,” she translated. “There are scientific principles, which scientists discover and write down, and these principles are followed by engineers who invent such things as what you call the flying monster or the electric lights. Scientists discover principles, engineers act on them. Yes?”

“Hail the priests of Science and their temple slaves the engineers,” I said. “Truly the god Science is a great god. You worship a great god.”

“It is not worship. It is science.” Semyonus angry, Olava smiling.

“I am sorry to have given offense to the god Science but you must understand this is a strange land to me. Will your god understand?”

Semyonus was very angry. Olava translated for him.

“Science, Eugeni, is immutable. It understands nothing and forgives nothing. It is what it is.”

“A mysterious god, great for the Pantheon.”

“Science is not a god. It would not like you calling it a god. If you think of it as a god, it will never let you know its mysteries. You must approach it in a scientific manner, with an open mind. Men devote years of their lives to it, their entire lives. It has given us everything we have today.” Thus said Olava for Semyonus.

“Hail Science, giver of things,” I said. “Let us sacrifice to it.”
--Richard Ben Sapir, The Far Arena

All the Fantasy Novels That I Have Read

Once again, a not so complete list:

1. Bloodsucking Fiends (1995) -- Christopher Moore.

A rarity--a vampire novel that is actually both funny and scary. Better than the sequel, You Suck: A Love Story.

2. You Suck: A Love Story (2007) -- Christopher Moore.

An appropriately titled book. At least the first part of the title is appropriate.

3. A Dirty Job (2006) -- Christopher Moore.

One of the best novels Moore has written in quite a while. It's about a man who sees the Grim Reaper at the bedside of his dying wife and ends up “inheriting” the Reaper's position. It combines genuinely serious insights into life and death with not so serious insights about everyday life -- and makes it work. It even manages to include a guest appearance by the lead female character of a previous Moore novel, Bloodsucking Fiends, and make that bit work.

4. Definitely Dead (2006) -- Charlaine Harris.

The until-recently-latest novel in the Sookie Stackhouse Saga (a series about a young Southern barmaid who becomes involved with a vampire). It answers some questions raised by earlier books in the series and leaves yet other answers to the imagination. It could have made a good conclusion for the series if Ms. Harris had not gone on to write another book in the series.

5. Grave Sight (2005) -- Charlaine Harris.

A young woman in the modern South can find dead people. A better novel than that brief description makes it sound. Proof that Charlaine Harris can write about something other than vampires and barmaids.

6. Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth (2006) -- Simon R. Green.

I had first supposed this book to be the concluding volume in Mr. Green's Nightside series. But apparently it is not. (Another book in the series has been published since this book came out.) An odd comic-book-style effort about a psychic detective who operates in a supernatural area of London known as the Nightside. The detective spends most of the series searching for clues to the mystery of his mother's disappearance, only to find out an unpleasant truth about his missing parent. In this book, he has a big confrontation with his missing mother; hence, the title.

7. Smoke and Ashes (2006) -- Tanya Huff.

Concluding book in a trilogy about a gay production assistant who is constantly running into the supernatural. (I hate it when that happens.) A spinoff from Ms. Huff's Henry Fitzroy series.

8. The Paper Grail (1991) -- James Blaylock.

So-so novel about a modern-day Holy Grail. Not to be confused with the Richard Ben Sapir novel Quest.

9. Quest (1987) -- Richard Ben Sapir.

A New York City police detective and an all-American girl try to track down an ancient artifact which might be the original Holy Grail. Sapir's last novel and one of his best.

10. The Werewolf of Paris (1933) -- Guy Endore.

Endore uses a fictional version of a real-life fiend (Sgt. Francis Bertrand) to explore the non-supernatural horrors of nineteenth-century French society. The novel is much, much better than the title makes it sound.