mcduck's page

In good faith, I participated in their call-in vote to off that kid way back when.
Shouldn't DC offer to give our money back now? (shrug)
-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

I am a fan from way back, ever since they first aired the series on U.S. public radio. I have since read all the books, seen the TV show, played the computer game, and thoroughly enjoyed the Tertiary Phase radio program.

The movie was great. It was not terribly funny in the "laugh out loud" manner of the radio or TV shows, but it was wildly entertaining in its own right.

Die-hard fans will enjoy it if they go into it with an open mind (or two).

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

I am a longtime fan of Asimov's entire Robot/Empire/Foundation universe (and I believe that "Nemesis" fits in as part of the back-story for the mentally-powered people in, if memory serves, "Foundation's Edge"). After reading the hype behind the "I, Robot" movie, I was ready to deplore the film as heretical to the established Asimov creation.

I finally went to see the film when it hit the cheap theater. It was actually a lot better than I had dreaded. The bizarre behavior of the robots may not have been based directly on anything Asimov wrote in the original story collection, but to a real Asimov fan like myself, it still rang true. It was obvious that the screenwriter had done at least some homework based on the source material, because the rationale for the plot was based on developments in the 3 Laws of Robotics that Asimov postulated in "Robots and Empire" (where he added a superseding "Zeroth Law" to protect humanity as a whole). So to a casual Asimov reader, the movie may have seemed blasphemous. To a die-hard Asimov fan, there were elements that seemed to make it work within the parameters as modified by Asimov in his later years.

The film still works best if you prepare yourself to enjoy it as simply an action/adventure film, but it isn't all that bad as an Asimov film, either.

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

1. The Man Who Would be King
2. Amadeus
3. Ladyhawke
4. Singin' in the Rain
5. The Third Man
6. Citizen Kane
7. Fantasia
8. The Empire Strikes Back
9. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
10. Never Say Never Again
11. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

Is that available in the US?

I ordered it from amazon.co.uk.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

I just finished listening to the CD release of the "Tertiary Phase" of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio show, based on Douglas Adams' third novel, "Life, the Universe and Everything."

It really took me back to my youth when I first heard the original Hitchhiker's radio shows. Of course, they had to do some creative modifications to make the story of the third book properly follow the end of the second radio series, but I am willing to accept the manner in which they did it (I won't ruin it by saying exactly what they did, but imagine the infamous shower scene from Dallas with Zaphod instead, and you have the gist of it).

It took a while getting used to the new voice of "the book," since Peter Jones is no longer with us, but the rest of the principal characters are all back with the right voice actors behind them. Simon Jones will always be Arthur Dent, and his delivery is still perfect. It all sounds great.

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

I am a sucker for Sherlock Holmes pastiches (and the original Conan Doyle stories, too).

I recommend "Shadows Over Baker Street," edited by Michael Reaves and John Pelan. It pits Holmes against Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos (with mixed results from the various authors). It is, overall, a very nice collection, highlighted by Neil Gaiman's "Study in Emerald."

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

I've found that I prefer his short fiction. His novels tend to be overly long (but then again, I recall the complaint in "Amadeus" about too many notes; I can't say what I would cut from "American Gods," for instance, because it all seems essential). His comic work is great, but (again) you need to make a substantial commitment to it to get through the full Sandman story. I have the feeling that many potential readers may find it too daunting, preferring to stay away in favor of something more easily digestible.

Now to contradict myself again, publishers seem to love these multiple-volume series, and people are buying them, so my preference for solid, stand-alone novels may be in the minority.

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

Arthur Conan Doyle: Hound of the Baskervilles.
H.G. Wells: The War of the Worlds.
Isaac Asimov: The End of Eternity.
David Gerrold: When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One.
Darrell Schweitzer: Mask of the Sorcerer.
James P. Hogan: Inherit the Stars.
Harlan Ellison: All the Lies that are My Life.
Arthur C. Clarke: Rendezvous with Rama.

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

I saw it at a free screening. I still left wanting my money back!
(Just kidding; it was pretty good for free.)

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

Now if only they'd time travel to 2004 and put current editor-in-chief, Dave Gross, in the story. . . .

Do you really want to see him hangin' with Jakeem Thunder?

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

I just read JSA Strange Adventures and was delighted to discover that Amazing Stories plays a starring role!

There has already been a full-page article about "JSA: Strange Adventures" in the magazine: look again at page 33 of #604.

It might not be a bad idea to explore the possibility of placing an advertisement for the revived magazine in a future issue of Strange Adventures; the majority of the comic's readers may not realize that Amazing Stories exists in the present day.

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

His recent StarWars novels were both excellent. Star By Star was probably the best novel in the New Jedi Order series.

I read the entire New Jedi Order series, and I found STAR BY STAR to be one of the low-points in the series for me. To each his own, I suppose. The real stand-outs to me were James Luceno's AGENTS OF CHAOS, Greg Keyes' EDGE OF VICTORY, and Matthew Stover's TRAITOR. On reflection, I'll rank Keyes' contribution highest. I will definitely seek out more of his work.

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
Uncle $crooge
Identity Crisis
Planetary
JSA: Strange Adventures
Liberty Meadows
The Norm Magazine
Jim Starlin's Cosmic Guard

Is that eclectic enough?

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

Five minutes later and it worked. Something might yet be amiss, however, and worth investigating.

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

Your webstore won't let me add anything to my shopping cart after the first item.

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

I am not much of a Doctor Who fan (and it may be telling that I enjoyed the fifth doctor the most), but I am a tremendous fan of the late Douglas Adams. When I discovered this audio production of an Adams script to an unfinished Doctor Who episode, I had to add it to my collection.

It definitely has elements that Adams fans will find appealing, including bits that he re-used in his Hitchhikers and Dirk Gently stories.

This audio production uses the eighth doctor (I think, but I have trouble keeping track of them) in the story originally written for the fourth. Okay, I am confusing myself again, but don't let that deter you: this is a fun production of a very entertaining story in the expected Douglas Adams style.

Publisher: Big Finish Productions Ltd (2003)
ISBN: 1844350398

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

Sorry about the duplicate posts.
I am trying to get the hang of these message boards....

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

Darrell Schweitzer is my current favorite author. I had enjoyed several of his short stories over the years, but it was his novel, "The Mask of the Sorcerer," that really put him into the top rank of authors for me. It was an exceptionally engaging, dream-like fantasy that is entirely believable once you accept the parameters of the narrative.

I have since gone on to read his other full-length works, including "The Shattered Goddess," "The White Isle," and the story-cycle, "We Are All Legends." I have yet to be disappointed.

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

Darrell Schweitzer is my current favorite author. I had emjoyed several of his short stories over the years, but it was his novel, "The Mask of the Sorcerer" that really put him into the top rank of authors for me. It was an exceptionally engaging, dream-like fantasy that is entirely believable once you accept the parameters of the narrative.

I have since gone on to read his other full-length works, including "The Shattered Goddess," "The White Isle," and the story-cycle, "We Are All Legends." I have yet to be disappointed.

-> Ray.

P.S. "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message content has not been reviewed or approved by Thomson or its affiliates."

When I heard him read at the University Book Store this spring, I loved the noir tone of Richard Morgan's books, and I liked his intelligence and worldly perspective. I got another nudge when someone read from his first book when he won the PKD award at Norwescon a month or two later. Even after those two harbingers, Altered Carbon blew me away.

Recently I began the second of his Takeshi Kovacs books, Broken Angels, and it's surprisingly different, but still excellent. After I finish it, I'm eager to...