Mindwebs: Look Homeward, Spaceman and Nackels

Look Homeward, Spaceman

This is a Robert Silverberg, from early in his career when he was a prolific author of pulp SF. This is about a young man home from the stars and I have to say the bit that caught my ear was "Natives on Deneb. They resisted our attempts to trade and we showed them," followed by a description of a brutal battle. I assume this was "trade" like the Shinmiyangyo was "diplomatic outreach."

I do have a question down below the cut.

Nackels

"Curt Clark" is one of Donald E. Westlake's pen names. Aside from the theological speculations, there's nothing in this jolly tale of parental abuse that's hard to believe.

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This is actually an interesting question

Q: Which figure in the history of the creation of science fiction, living or dead, would you most like to see the next thorough biography of?

I'm torn between Mary Shelley (although surely her life has been covered in detail) and the woman who (among many other things) arguably made the difference between readable Heinleinia and self-indulgent mush, Alice Dalgliesh [1].

1: Who, granted, gets used as an example of How Not to Write about Native Americans.

Not feeling inspired tonight

From my inbox: A request for the names of (living) SF writers who regularly write about weird or exotic forms of alien life. Suggestions?

Is anyone else

Having trouble xposting from Dreamwidth?

Is anyone else

Having trouble xposting from Dreamwidth?