The New Hobbit Hole

[HairOfTheDog]

Hello! - I am back in taking a break. I take a break in between tanks of gas. Run a tank of gas through the weed-wacker, come in and have a cool drink... I think one more tank of gas is do-able before it is too hot to keep going! [whew]

[HairOfTheDog]

We are a quiet hobbit hole on weekends... not making much progress toward the quad-0.

Scott got us going a bit with his Westernesse knife discussion.... That helped us out a bit!

[Scott from the Left Coast]

I fancy myself a rather capable weed-whacker, for I must do it behind my fence twice each growing season. Yet it is not something to do for kicks.

Alas, my wife and I did the necessary -- hit the gym for a little lifting -- then we took the dogs on a hike in the woods. The latter made me very popular in my household, particularly with the 4-legged members. A sunny day not wasted. Now I've chowed like a hobbit and am feeling very peaceful.

[JenB]

Done weeding yet? I rented a DVD, Ocean's Eleven. It was much better than I thought - I love robbery movies, especially ones with cool villians trying out daring technical plans. When I'm not writing SF or fantasy, it's crime stories... I'm not much good with the gadgets, though.

How are you this evening? And where are our friends?

[DonnerT]

Hello Jen

Let's discuss Card and Busby to the double naughts.

[JenB]

Card I could manage. Who's Busby? I don't recall the name. Ever heard of: Keith Laumer, Cyril Kornbluth, L Sprague de Camp, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Fred Pohl, James Hogan, John Ringo, H Beam Piper? Not all of them are well known but I've enjoyed their works....

[DonnerT]

F.M. Busby wrote a hard Sci-Fi series, Star Rebel, Rebel's Quest, Rebel's Seed in the 80's. I have the first two and have been looking for the third.

I have probably read some of every on of those authors. All the names sound familiar.

[DonnerT]

Read "Ender's Shadow" while I was in hospital. Tried to find Ender's Game when I got home,, couldn't. Ordered it from the library. Want to read it again.

[JenB]

Oh, right. Haven't read Busby. New Ender book - well, not Ender anymore since he's off on the 3000 year guilt trip - but anyway, there's a new one coming out next week.

[Sam Cree]

I liked the Gateway series by Fred Pohl quite a bit (am I right, he wrote those?), but not necessarily his other stuff. Pretty sure I still have those around the house in paperback.

[DonnerT]

Ender's Shadow is a companion to Ender's Game and chronicles the character Bean through the Battleschool. I like it much better than any of the Ender sequels.

[Sam Cree]

"I like it much better than any of the Ender sequels."

Agree with you there, read it recently also. I got a little bored with the last couple sequels.

Good night, All.

[DonnerT]

I have read Phol but couldn't name the books. Gateway sound familiar though.

By the way thank you and Jen for letting me eaves drop on your conversations about SF and authors. I dug through the attic boxes and am enjoying books I read 30 years ago. I seem to have forgotten the endings to most of them so they are like new to me. Much cheaper that way.

[Rocko]

he wrote those?

Yes, he did.

[JenB]

Pohl wrote that series, yes. I didn't really care for that one. I prefer things he wrote with other people - he seems to need a moderating influence, imo.

Donner, I've read all the books in the Ender/Shadow series so far, and anticipate reading the next one shortly. I prefer the original, but the companions are good, too. Maybe it's just nostalgia that makes me think that Game is the best...

[DonnerT]

What is the next one supposed to be about?

[DonnerT]

Ready to start Sneakin ?

[DonnerT]

Sneak.

[DonnerT]

Go ahead Jen. I don't even want it if no one else does.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Pohl wrote that series, yes. I didn't really care for that one.

Pohl was a great editor (of the late Galaxy science fiction magazine) and a good author, whose most interesting works were collaborations. He was also a leftist political activist in my part of New Jersey, back around 1970, I had a number of discussions with him at debates where I was a friend of the debator on the other side. He was an intelligent debator, and an old fashioned political liberal, who was civil in debate.