THE TWILIGHT SWILNEWS ZONE (11/8/91)

     We're heading into the part of the semester when things wind down, but
we've still got plenty of stuff to keep you entertained.

     After saying that last Saturday was the last day for t-shirt orders, we
wound up moving the deadline back a couple weeks so people in SWAPA could
get a chance to order (which would push down the cost). So you still have a
chance to sign up for your own copies of all those great shirts.

     This Saturday at the SWIL meeting a couple members of the Dean's Search
Committee will be coming to the discuss the search process. I would
appreciate it if people were to think some about what might be said. I've
got a copy of some questions they sent to think about and I'll post them on
the SWIL board in Parrish.

     PhilCon is next weekend. If you've told me you're going, I'll be
talking to you in the next few days about transportation.  It's never to
late to decide to go either, so if you still want to go, talk to me.

	The discussion table has bounced times once again. This time we're
trying it at 11 o'clock Saturday morning in Sharples.  That's right, right
before the SWIL meeting. All are invited to take part. This week's topic is
"World building vs. people building" ideas on adapting worlds to suit
humanity and adapting humanity to fit other worlds.

     News from the outside world for Star Trek fans. The beginning of the
two-part episode featuring the return of Spock is scheduled for this
weekend. Also, the release date for Star Trek VI has been moved to 12/6 in
order to avoid conflicts with Hook. (Informal SWIL-ish trips to these movies
will probably happen.)

	Review: Phule's Company, by Robert Asprin. (Reviewed by Josh Smith)
Asprin's first venture outside of the Myth series in several years (other
than his part in the Thieves' World series) is a light-hearted science
fiction novel, which deals more with social and interpersonal issues with
plot or technology. Asprin's most recent additions to the Myth series have
drifted towards a focus on similar themes, which seemed odd and at times
irritating to some readers, who enjoyed the series more when it was just off
the wall comedic fantasy. In Phule's Company, though, the same style is less
annoying, perhaps because it isn't as much of a departure from a previously
successful formula.
	The story Asprin tells could be of any military group in any branch
of any military in any time: it's a story about a motivated, wealthy
commander's attempts to turn a company of rejects and outcasts into a
self-respecting, dignified military unit. As in the Myth series, Asprin
makes his points using a combination of story-telling and expository
monolgues. The monologues are often awkward--Phule will say to someone, "So,
tell me what you think about the relations between the different races in
our unit," and the someone will spend the next page talking about issues in
race relations in a style which could have been excerpted from an Asprin
essay on race.  That sort of thing is fairly heavy-handed and clumsy, and
detracts from the story when it happens. He does have some good points to
make, if you can put up with the style, and it becomes easier to ignore the
awkwardness over time. 
	(The one element surprisingly missing from Phule's Company is the
humor. The story is light-hearted, and there are a few jokes here and there,
but it isn't liberally sprinkled with the puns and jokes which pervade the
Myth series. Asprin really is devoting himself to a book just about people;
maybe now he'll return the Myth series to its original, more simply fluffy
form.  (hope hope)
	The book does have other flaws, though. Asprin includes a vaguely
Jeeves- like butler as Phule's valet; fans of Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster
stories will groan loudly, and doubtless be disappointed, since Beeker often
seems like a fairly pathetic shadow of the indomitable Jeeves. Phule is also
less helpless than Bertie Wooster--the similarity between Phule's Company
and Wodehouse only really lasts for the first chapter, but it's there enough
to be annoying.  Additionally, Asprin's characters occasionally act in
unrealistic ways--in particular, stubborness and backbone seem completely
non-existent in Phule's crew. "This is what I think, damnit!" "No, look at
it this way:"  "Oh, ok, you're right, thanks for enlightening me!" is only
slightly less abrupt than some of the dialogue from the book. If you're
looking for subtlety, you definitely won't find it here.
	In summary: Phule's Company is a story about motivation and
self-esteem which manages to be fairly entertaining, if somewhat
un-sophisticated. The plot doesn't take any surprising twists--in fact,
almost NOTHING happens over the course of the book, and what does is fairly
predictable--but his characters are at least mildly interesting, and it's a
fast and easy read.  Even if you end up thinking you've wasted your time,
you won't have wasted much of it. (grin) I'd recommend it as filler while
waiting in an airport or on a train, but certainly not as High Literature.

     No one was dismembered this past week, but Geoff Noer is in line to be
next if he shows up this Saturday. Attendance from the meeting 11/2/91:
David "Chocolate Ice-cream Lunch" R, Andrea "David stole this list but he
gave it back" Hall, Josh "The immortal paper" Burdick, Jen "Now Official
Kicker of Jeremy" Setlow, jere7my "Well at least He's not sending bears..."
tho?rpe, 48 "...->+++- ++++::" SX, Josh "Relocate Sector" Smith, Melissa "la
la la journey" Shaner, Eric "H" Nute, Sherry "Another Way" Levi, Robert "The
Virtual Assassin" Richardson, David "Relocated Sector" Auer, Topher "literal
demonstration" LeRoy, Peter "Relocate Josh ...  (Where is the imp?)" Wagner,
Neil "Neil" Banas, Thomas Hart Benton, the famous American Regionalist
painter, Charles "Not currently sitting next to Deborah" Deily, Chris
"Linear programming can be fun" Hogendorn, Susannah "Funny that you waited
so long to mention it; I've never tried that before" Hauze, Deb "Sitting
next to Deb" Sam, Deb "Sitting next to Deb" Not-Sam, Peter "Sitting next to
Deb" Not-Deb nor Sam nor Not-Sam, Jacob "Go sit in the corner" Mattison,
Helene "with a dunce" Muller-Landau, Andy "It was a meeting, take it for all
in all. We will not see its like again." Perry, Dan "Sharples food affects
sentience" Wells, Dan Levi AOOOOO - Werewolves with Bunions, Stephen "How
large a reduction can I get for having the '87 shirt silkscreened on my
chest?" Sample, Melissa "brief cameo appearance" Running, Nao "Bare
Necessities!"  Parkhurst, Kendra "I'm late but I brought parents and
everybody knows what _that_ means" Eshleman, Leif "Nobody expects..."
Kirschenbaum, Sector Master of SWILdom