Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!genrad!grkermit!masscomp!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!v.srt@UCLA-LOCUS From: v.srt%UCLA-LOCUS@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: MacIntosh...Spinrad...A Movie Message-ID: <16116@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Sat, 28-Jan-84 11:09:11 EST Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.16116 Posted: Sat Jan 28 11:09:11 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 5-Feb-84 04:27:37 EST Lines: 55 From: Scott TurnerFirst of all, some (trivia) questions about the Apple commercial or someone out there with a VCR and freeze frame: (1) What is on the girl's T-shirt? (2) What is written on the back wall of the large auditorium? ******* Secondly, I just read a terrible book by Norman Spinrad called ``The Void Captain's Tale.'' The surprising thing is that the cover has a good review by Gregory Benford on it. Basically what we have here is the tale of a starship captain who becomes involved with his pilot. In this future, starships are guided through the Void in hops of ~4.3 light years by placing a woman (the Pilot) into an electronic circuit derived from some fortuitously available alien circuitry and (electronically) stimulating her to an orgasm. Pilots have mystical experiences during the Jump, and it takes a harsh physiological toll upon them. One of the things that bugged me about the book was the writing style. It is told in the first person by the Captain, and so he uses his ``future'' lingo. Problem is that Spinrad blows this one big -- the lingo is neither believable nor particularly readable. It doesn't fade in after reading -- I stumbled through the whole book. Secondly, the secondary characters' reactions to the Captain are completely unbelievable. Spinrad invents a culture that is completely free on the face of it and completely hidebound underneath. Not only is that unlikely, it is unsupported and unbelievable. I could go on, but I think you get the idea. A poorly written book. Avoid this one. ****** I saw an SF film on TV once that I thought was okay. The only scene I remember is one in where the protagonists were standing in some kind of huge underground cave with a line of bodies on slabs stretching off into the distance. One of the protagonists was some kind of guardian, and the bodies were all of the past guardians, or something like that. Strange how one evocative scene can make a movie (or score, for that matter. Would SW have won without such a damn good theme?). Anyone know the title? I thought I'd throw it into the film discussion. -- Scott R. Turner v.srt@ucla-locus