The Sudden Curve

New Yawk Colonial Times

A Leiber Novel I Missed

I gathered up my Leiber books to see which ones I hadn't read. Sure enough, there was one -- Gather, Darkness! Even though written in 1950, this is a subversive novel. Set about 350 years in the future after a nuclear war, Fritz informs us in no uncertain terms that when political power over people is involved, it doesn't matter if people worship God or the Devil, because for all practical purposes, they're the same thing. And, that science and religion aren't as much of enemies as people think, because the rulers of this post-Apocalyptic world have used both to enslave and impoverish the masses and enrich themselves. This isn't really an anti-religion novel, or even anti-science, but about the perversion of both when the lust for power and wealth is involved. As always, Fritz can't help but be satirical, even when he's trying to be serious. One of the forms it takes here are aerial dogfights between "angels" and "demons," only they're fighter aircraft disguised as both. The "demons" even have horns. Of course, Fritz has to toss in his favorite animal -- cats -- even though they're not major characters. Sneaky, subversive book, and I can't imagine it being taught in school, ever. The authors of the Left Behind series would have conniption fits, as would their fans. Not only that, there have been ages in which both this book and the author would have been burned at the stake.

Posted by Bob Wallace, who sez, there are clones and lightsabers and brainwashing and all kinds of cool stuff in this book.

Good riddance to bad Cats

Sixties peacenik turned orthodox islamic jihadist, err, uh - that's orthodox islamic "personal spiritual sojourner," the singer formerly known as Cat Stevens and now called Yusuf Islam has been denied entry to the United States. Let's hope it's permanent. The British should now kick his butt to the continent where he can ride his peace train to paradise in the Caliphate. That is, after his fundamentalist co-religionists behead or enslave what is left of the remaining infidels over there to establish the Caliphate in Eurabia - Praise Allah!

And, OOPS! guess we plumb forgot to put an amazon link to any X-Cat Stevens albums. Darn.

Hmmmm, how about this instead?

... or, perhaps:

Guess you will have to get your master's JIZYA somewhere else, Yusuf.

Of course, all of you enlightened TSC-iites will no doubt recognize and want to read the puerile dhimmitude in old Cat, err, ah - old Yusuf's own words, yourselves.

Ultimate Roadster

Very Recently, I had the opportunity to race, umm, I mean DRIVE, the opportunity to drive a Honda S2000 through the glacier-hewn terrain around Viroqua, Wisconsin. It was an experience... and after having just come from watching a BMW film on the big screen during Microsoft Movie night at Gnomedex, all I'll say about the Honda is "Eat my dust Clive"

Now here is Brad Edmonds with a terrific review of the little beast