Readers Letters and @-xclamations

Today I accessed this site for the first time, and I was thrilled to find such a place dedicated to sf and fantasy. I eagerly accessed the TV, film, and book reviews, expecting to find more useful and interesting information. What I found distressed me greatly.

I do not know who wrote your review of the FOX television series, "Roar," but whoever it was certainly was not familiar with the show; indeed, the review's author must have only given the show a perfunctory glance. Your reviewer totally misunderstood the aim of the show, and this person subsequently misrepresented the show's theme on your review page.

I would first like to establish the fact that the name of the show is "Roar," not "The Roar;" furthermore, the show is filmed in New Zealand, not in "obviously tropical Californian forest-land."

Your reviewer claims that the show contains historical inaccuracies, but as a student of history I can tell you that this period in time is a seriously gray area. Evidence of Roman influence has been found and unearthed in the British Isles; complaining that Romans never landed on Ireland is a moot point since that can be neither proved nor disproved.

Your reviewer also failed to delve beneath his/her superficial judgments of the show's characters. This is a show about loyalty: to one's convictions, to one's beliefs (religious and moral), to one's family, to one's friends. This is not a corny, swashbuckling carbon-copy of Hercules and Xena -- this show's writers and producers have attempted to bring to life a brutal and harsh era in an untamed land, with characters that must make hard decisions and often make serious mistakes. I know of no other fantasy show that actually portrays its characters like real people who sometimes really screw up.

Your reviewer must have only seen one episode, or else he/she would have been more familiar with the history of the characters:

Conor, the so-called "poor Irish Prince," was the younger son of one of the land's kings whose family was brutally murdered during his brother's wedding. Also in that first episode, Conor's love was killed by her own father, who was under the influence of Diana, the Roman bent on winning favor with Rome by taming Ireland.

Longinus is Diana's advisor, but he is not a "vampire-like dark sorceror." He is the Roman soldier who, 400 years previous, impaled Jesus Christ on the cross -- and he has caused Diana to come to Ireland to search for the spear that did this deed, the spear that is his only hope for death or redemption.

While "Roar" might have unrealistic moments, the aim of the show is noteworthy. The show explores themes of loyalty, prejudice, peace and war; the characters experience conflict of all kinds, and do their best to muddle through and come out with some kind of understanding. It doesn't always work out happily and simply, and the "good guys" don't always win. But the commentary that "Roar"'s writers attempt to make on human society is commendable, especially in a television world populated with dark police dramas and immoral soap operas.

The show's filming makes beautiful use of the New Zealand landscape, and "Roar"'s crop of unknown actors get better with each episode. Interesting cinematography and incredible use of natural light (there is not a soundstage conveniently down the block if the scene doesn't turn out right) make the show a delight to watch.

I understand the fact that opinion is often a part of any review, and I respect the opinions of your reviewer. The fact that I disagree is not the reason that I am responding. The reason for my response is that I feel that it is necessary for a reviewer to make an attempt to get the facts or at least to understand the subject before writing the review. His/her scathing comments were based on a perfunctory, superficial viewing of the show, and I am saddened by the fact that this review might have prevented other, more objective viewers from giving a worthwhile show a try.

Carol Ann Sartin
carolann@arn.net

There's a set of fan sites for the Sime~Gen universe which don't categorise neatly in your SF-finder page.

The sites might- be considered a web-zine.. most contain fiction, updates on what's happening, extensions of the universe, explanations of awkward concepts...

Just wondering if it'd be appropriate to have a category for single-universe fandom?

Jenn V.

Alas, Jenn, the universe is a complex place for which we must make many a simplification on the road to enlightenment. Which sentence makes as much sense as a Slime-General universe full of fiction and happenings.

If anyone can guess what Jenn means, please send your explanations to:

Obscure Letters Competition
Hologram Tales
Sack'o'Shite Road
Your Passage

I noticed your "magazine" while searching the web, and thought your members might have an interest in hearing about my publishing initiative!

I've written a 247 page Science Fiction work, which I'm working on releasing in the near future.

I am 26 years of age, and I live in Tórshavn. Tórshavn the Capital of the Faroe Islands, is with it's approx. 15.000 thousand inhabitants, probably one of the smallest Capitals in the world.

This is the first Science Fiction Novel written by a Faroese author to be published in the United States, or anywhere in the world for that sake.

By writing this book in English, I've taken a very different approach to the creative process, compared to the established Faroese writing community.

Hopefully my efforts will enable other Faroese "would be writers" of the SCI-FI genre to take steps toward publishing their own work.

About the book!

---

In "Help Wanted!", by Einar Petersen © 1996, you're taken on a trip to a world forced into a new way by a powerful organisation, known as the Freelancers.

This has been achieved by dissolving the corrupt UN, while encouraging the forming of a new World Union!

Several of the worlds most pressing problems have been solved. Not creating the perfect society, but hunger and disease, are basically a thing of the past. But corruption lurks everywhere, there is a strong resistance from within the new World Union where hard core officials, are doing their best to dismantle the work in progress, in order to change things back to what they were in the good old days!

All of a sudden new players arrive on the scene, there is an interstellar conflict in our back yard, and we have been chosen, to give a helping hand.

Furthermore there is a copy of the informational material I've written about the publishing initiative on the following homepage. http://users.cybercity.dk/ blk4017/book.htm

Simply click on the flag you prefer and you're on the way. I hope that you find the concept interesting, and would appreciate if you informed your members about it. Anyway Let me know what you think!

Einar Petersen

Good god. It's the new wave of Faroe-punk, and you heard about it here first! If anyone wants to read Einar's work and comment back to him, be our guest.

Just finished The reality dysfunction by Hamilton, and I think it is a really good and complex story, well written.

Then at page 1221 I realise the book just ended!!!!!! CRAP! Is the book the first part in a trilogy, or does Hamilton enjoy playing games with my mind???

I hope that you know the answer to this most important Q of mine!!!!

MVH Sren OMINOUS

C YA

Best that we know, it's a trilogy. The second one is out now in hardback.