Halupovich Ilana wrote:
>
> Stephen (Steg) wrote
> <<But then again, I would really much rather be discussing science fiction
> or something else directly Brin-related, and not middle-eastern politics.>>
>
> Great idea <G>! I am reading now mystery book "The Bookman's Wake" by John
> Dunning 1995. Murders, missing existing or non existing book or books,
> kidnapping. But on one of the pages: "There was a bookcase filled with
> review copies, ... I a quick flyby, I saw some hot young authors - David
> Brin, Dan Simmons, Sharyn McCrumb..."
> I like almost everything that I read by the first one, very much don't like
> the second one and have no idea who is the third. Help, pls?
Sharyn McCrumb is a mystery writer. She's written in 3 series, one set
some in the South, some in the British Isles, about a young woman whom
you sometimes want to strangle for her stupidity that almost gets her
hurt or killed (at least in the first few books, she seems to be
improving as time goes by); one set in eastern Tennessee, in the
Appalachian Mountains; and one with only two books in it so far, about a
college prof/SF author whose novel got titled "Bimbos of the Death Sun"
by the publisher, and who's embarassed about the title.
The first book in the series about the college prof/SF author is _Bimbos
of the Death Sun_ and if you've ever gone to a small, regional SF
convention, you'll see a lot of truth in it, and if you take fandom too
seriously, you'll get upset at the unflattering picture of it. (It was
called to my attention, and inspired me to buy a copy, when someone
posted to several newsgroups on Usenet about how outrageous that book
was being re-released. Thus my introduction to Sharyn McCrumb.) The
second book, _Zombies of the Gene Pool_ is somewhat more serious and
more depressing. If you read _Bimbos_ and are looking for more in the
same vein, rather than just familiar characters, I'd recommend _Highland
Laddie Gone_ instead of _Zombies_.
If Yanni were still subscribed, I imagine he'd have more to say about
Ms. McCrumb, as she's one of the "regional" authors in his region.
She's done research with folks at Virginia Tech, which is in Blacksburg,
VA, which is where Yanni lives, and which is also where my mom moved
about 3 years ago, giving me the opportunity to meet Yanni in person a
few times.
Julia
who finished one of McCrumb's books earlier this week, in fact
