New Issues of Faculae & Filigree and Telegraphs & Tar Pits

Bill Burns has archived several editions of my apazines Faculae & Filigree and Telegraphs & Tar Pits in eFanzines. Now available:

• Faculae & Filigree #12
• Faculae & Filigree #13
• Telegraphs & Tar Pits #19
• Telegraphs & Tar Pits #20
• Telegraphs & Tar Pits #21
• Telegraphs & Tar Pits #22

Thank you, Bill!

Book Review: "The Planet Savers" by Marion Zimmer Bradley

The Planet Savers by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Ace, 1962)

After reading Moira Greyland’s memoir, The Last Closet: The Dark Side of Avalon, I also read the first of Bradley’s Darkover novels, The Planet Savers, from 1962. I read a 1976 Ace Books edition that also includes the short story “The Waterfall,” and it was an even better read than Dark Satanic. Even though people have said that some of Bradley and Breen’s interests occasionally showed up in her writing in uncomfortable ways only recognized later, there was nothing untoward in The Planet Savers, which I found to be an interesting take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

What if you could sublimate aspects of your personality and self that you didn’t like or find useful? What if you could compartmentalize different selves functionally, to be invoked at will when the need arises? What if you could entertain both your best self and worst self? Interesting questions, given Bradley’s history.

The slim novel was interesting and entertaining enough that I would read another Darkover book in a heartbeat. The later short story included in the paperback, “The Waterfall” is a coming-of-age and sexual-awakening tale that definitely gives women the upper hand—albeit through a near vampirism of male desire. It’s still slightly uncomfortable reading Bradley given her daughter’s revelations. (This review was previously published in slightly different form in the APA-L apazine Telegraphs & Tar Pits #4.)

Book Review: "Dark Satanic" by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Dark Satanic by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Berkley, 1972)

After reading Moira Greyland’s memoir, The Last Closet: The Dark Side of Avalon, I read Dark Satanic, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s 1972 occult novel now self-published by her trust. I chose to read it because it was one of the titles named in a court deposition. 

The novel tells the tale of ​​an editor and publisher of the occult who obtains a controversial manuscript just before its author dies under mysterious circumstances. The text in question reportedly reveals too much about hidden occult secrets, as well as practitioners in New York City, and the editor/publisher becomes embroiled in a battle of good and evil involving two different occult groups. After encountering representatives of both camps, it’s not entirely clear which side is a force for good, and our hero risks his life trying to learn more—and to decide whether to publish the book.

Dark Satanic mentions the Sexual Freedom League, a real-world organization active in the ’60s, and shows a rudimentary working knowledge of cultic groups, which came up in Bradley and Breen’s court cases. It’s also an interesting commentary on the publishing industry, as well as the relationships between authors, editors, and publishers.

Were it not for the controversy surrounding Bradley and Breen, the book was a relatively good read and could easily be adapted for film along the lines of The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby. It will most likely not be. That said, Bradley wrote a couple of other books in the series, including The Inheritor and Witch Hill, both of which are also available from her trust. (This review was previously published in slightly different form in the APA-L apazine Telegraphs & Tar Pits #4.)

Book Review: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer—The Harvest" by Richie Tankersley Cusick

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Harvest by Richie Tankersley Cusick (Archway, 1997)

For the last few months, I’ve been interested in sf and fantasy creators who have experienced extreme, severe reputational failures and falls in their careers. First came New York magazine’s ham-fisted confessional feature, "The Undoing of Joss Whedon," in January, which explored the rise and fall of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer screenwriter and then showrunner who went on to write and direct The Avengers. In that article, Whedon—once a fan favorite—didn’t really explain or apologize for his misogyny and mistreatment of cast, crew, and others, but instead came across as just another tone-deaf man who couldn’t gracefully cope with or manage unexpected, newfound power and authority.

Instead of disavowing Whedon’s past work because of his reported emotional abuse and affairs, I chose instead to revisit Buffy, which I wasn’t an avid fan of when it first aired, but in which I’ve been interested because of its once-active fandom and online community. (The decision surprised my wife; we both find it challenging to enjoy Woody Allen movies or Louis CK’s comedy now that we know more about them.) Since the article was published, I’ve watched several episodes of Buffy: "Welcome to the Hellmouth," "The Harvest," and "Witch," which aired March 10 and March 17, 1997. I also read the 1997 tie-in novelization of the first two episodes—really a two-part pilot—Richie Tankersley Cusick's The Harvest.

The TV show, which is enjoyable, comes off as a bit dated more than two decades later—that Nerf Herder theme song!—and the novelization is a pretty straightforward beat-by-beat adaptation of the first two episodes, adding very little in terms of literature. Regardless, I’d watch and read more—and the tie-in novel has inspired an interest in other TV tie-in writing, specifically that surrounding Battlestar Galactica and Knight Rider.

Admittedly, I feel guilty revisiting Whedon’s work, but it was once important and meant a lot to a lot of fans at the time. Part of me rationalizes the rubbernecking by considering whether Whedon’s abuse of power had started yet that early in his career. Regardless, it’s an interesting experience revisiting the work of people who are now much less respected and revered than they once were. (This review was previously published in slightly different form in the APA-L apazine Telegraphs & Tar Pits #4.)