Checkpoint 11

C*H*E*C*K*P*O*I*N*T 11 6th November 1971

Checkpoint is a news and reviews zine published by Peter Roberts, The Hawthorns, Keele, Staffs, UK, every fortnight or so. Subs are available at 4/20p (1st Class), 5/20p (2nd Class & Europe), and 6/$1 (foreign airmail). North American Agents: Charlie & Dena Brown, 2078 Anthony Av, Bronx, NY 10457. Australian Agent: David Grigg, 1556 Main Rd, Research, Victoria 3095. Duplicated by Darrell & Rosemary Pardoe. News this issue from: Joanne Burger (US), Gerald Bishop, Phillipe Hupp (RF), Ian Maule, and Mary Legg. Restormel Press Publication: 51.


NEW ANALOG EDITOR: Ben Bova, a member of the SFWA and the New England SF Assn, is the new editor of Analog (following an interim period after John Campbell's death last July). Ben Bova himself is a novelist (The Duelling Machine, &c) and anthologist (The Many Worlds of SF).

THE MADDING CROWD: On October the 23rd the long expected meeting between the M.A.D. and Gannet groups took place. Pete Presford, Lisa Conesa, Brian Robinson, and Pete Colley made the journey up to Sunderland (and the Gannet pub). Report is said to be forthcoming.

Pete Presford (10 Dalkeith Rd, Sth Reddish, Stockport, SK5 7EY – phone: 061 480 1452) would like to hear from any other groups who might relish a similar visit from the 'hard core' of the Manchester Group. A floor is all that's required and the invitation is a two-way one (just give them a little notice first).

INTERGALACTIC GANNETCON? Ian Maule suggests a small Northern con and is 'seriously considering' such a thing. "What I had in mind was to hire a few rooms (one for films, another as a lounge for drinking & talking) over a Saturday and Sunday so bed and breakfast would have to be found for the one night." Ian notes that twenty to thirty people would be about the right number for everyone to meet everyone else. Ideas and comments: 59 Windsor Tce, South Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 1YL.

TV AND RADIO: BBC Radio 3 are broadcasting a series of four half hour programmes on "Ideas in SF" at 9.55pm on Thursdays with Christopher Evans. Over Christmas they will be doing four more on Horror fiction (Thus: 6.30pm). Both will probably be available from the BSFA Tape Library.

Kit Pedler, creator of the BBC tv series, Doomwatch, is setting up a think-tank along the lines of the programme to fight environment problems. It's to consist of a nucleus of forty scientists, economists, and artists (+ computer) and will produce a Which?-like magazine.

ETHEL LINDSAY asks that I apologise on her behalf for her "lengthy silence"; her widowed father died in Scotland on Oct 7th and Ethel had to close up the home and tend to arrangements, returning to find a mass of mail and other work. My condolences to Ethel and I'm sure that everyone will understand her difficulties.


FANZINES RECEIVED: An asterisk indicates a recommendation.

*Speculation 29 (d.53pp.¼o). Pete Weston, 31 Pinewall Av, Kings Norton, Birmingham 30. 5/£1 or 4/$2. Sf – Blish, Niven, Strick, Conquest, &c.

*Shadow 14 (d.41pp.¼o). David Sutton, 66 Watford Rd, Kings Norton, Birmingham 30. 20p or 50¢. Horror & fantasy – Campbell, Bertin, &c.

Pozitron 71/1 (p.65pp.1/8o). Arpad Toth, Tudomanyos Fantasztikus Klub, Budapest XI, Bocskai ut 37, Hungary. Sf. (in Hungarian...)

The Middle Earthworm 115 (d.18pp.¼o). Archie Mercer, 21 Trenethick Parc, Helston, Cornwall. Free. Tolkien chatter.

*Locus 98 (d.10pp.A4). Charlie & Dena Brown, 2078 Anthony Av, Bronx, NY 10457, USA. 12/$3. UK Agent: Malcolm Edwards, 28 Kinch Grove, Wembley, Middx HA9 9TF. 10/£1.50 (airmail). Sf news.

Scottishe 60 (d.28pp.¼o). Ethel Lindsay, Courage House, 6 Langley Av, Surbiton, Surrey. 15p or 10/$3. General – Geis, Birchby, &c.

Fanews 23/5 (sd.18pp.A4) Uwe Sitzenstock, D-3321 Salzgitter-Ohlendorf, Gartenweg 2, Germany. 10/2.7odm. German news (in German).

*Crossroads 12 (d.35pp.A4). Al Snider, Box 2319, Brown Station, Providence, RI 0912, USA. 3/$1. Fannish & general – Benford, &c.

Forthcoming Sf 4 (sd.3pp.A4). Joanne Burger, address opposite. book news.

What A Weird City! (d.7pp.A4). Joanne's Noreascon rep.

Fan Addressen (d.37pp.A4) Gerd Hallenberger, 355 Marburg, Alter Kirchhainer Weg 52, Germany. Details & address of 411 German fans.


HUNGARIAN FANDOM: With Pozitron (see above) came a letter asking for contacts, particularly with sf groups – something you might care to take up, especially since the Hungarian fanzine will have an English summary next time. From what I could decipher this time, it seems that they're reading Aldiss, Simak, &c;and managing to see 2001 and sundry other films. (But when did Brian write Szürkeszakall!?).

HOST A FAN? Phillipe Hupp, a French student and assoc. Editor of L'Aube Enclavee, is wondering whether anyone can accommodate him for three weeks or so next summer, after the Eurocon. He's willing to help out in part payment (French lessons, German lessons, or even collating!). 34 rue Bossuet, 57 Metz, France, if you can help.

GERMAN NEWS: The Fan Poll 1971 Results: Best Fanzine – 1/ Andromeda (SFCD), 2/ Munich Round Up (Kumming), 3/ Quarber Merkur (Rottensteiner) 4/ SF Times (Alpers). Best Single Issue: SF Times – Comics (Alpers). Best Fan Author: 1/ Helmut Pesch, 2/ Dieter Steinseifer. Best Fan Critic: Franz Rottensteiner. Best Fan Artist: Helmut Pesch. Best Article Writer: Franz Rottensteiner. Best German Novel: 1/ Zone Null (Franke) 2/ Der Zeiter (Jeschke) 3/ Jesus in Osaka (Herburge). Best Translation: Computer Streiken Nicht (Knight). Best Film: 1/ Rückkehr zum Planet der Affe 2/ Satyricon. Best tv: Das Millionspiel. For full results, see Fanews 23/6.

ANZAPA: The 19th mailing of the Australian & New Zealand Amateur Publishing Association has just arrived – page count: 104 + one matchbox. $3 membership – Dennis Stocks, Box 2268, GPO Brisbane, Queensland 4001 for full details.


BOOK NEWS FOR SF FREAKS: New British releases (October).

Hardback: Sidgwick & Jackson: Now Comes Tomorrow (R.M. Williams), The Man in the Moone (ed. Pizor & Allan – C18/19th sf). Hale: The Touch (Daniel Keyes), A Crack in Time (Mark Carrel), The Pyramids From Space (Jack Bertin). Gollancz: Candy Man (Vincent King), The Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula Le Guin), The World's Best Sf 1971 (ed.Carr & Wollheim). Michael Joseph: Hot Wireless Sets (D.G.Compton). Souvenir: Mutant 59 – The Plastic Eater (Kit Pedler & Gerry Davis). Longmans: Earth Abides (G.R. Stewart), The Midwich Cuckoos (Wyndham) – both abridged school readers. Faber: Anywhen (James Blish), The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge (Harry Harrison). Heinemann: The Molecule Men (Fred & Geoffrey Hoyle – two short novels). Bodley Head: The Homemade Dragon & Other Incredible Stories (Norman Hunter).

Paperback: Pan: Earthlight (Arthur Clarke). Penguin: The Lotus Caves (John Christopher), The Space Hostages (Nicholas Fisk), Titus Alone & Gormenghast (Mervyn Peake), Catweazle (Richard Carpenter). NEL: Methuselah's Children (Heinlein), A Fighting Man of Mars & Llana of Gathol (ERB). Corgi: Barefoot in the Head (Brian Aldiss). Sphere: The Compleat Werewolf (Anthony Boucher), Neutron Star, A Gift From Earth, & The World of Ptavvs (Larry Niven). Panther: Nightfall 2 (Asimov), The Overloaded Man (Ballard). Mayflower: The Queen of the Swords (Mike Moorcock), England Swings Sf (ed. Judith Merril).

Non Fiction: Allen Lane/Penguin: The Penguin Book of Comics (ed Aldridge). Ian Allen: Film Album 2 – Horror (Allen Eyles).

NOVEMBER – Hardback: Hodder: The Overman Culture (Edmund Cooper). Cape: Wintersol (Thacker & Earnshaw). Gollancz: Nebula Awards 6 (ed.Simak). Gresham: A Message From Earth (Kenneth Hassler). Macgibbon & Key: T Minus Tower (Derek Maitland). Joseph: Out of the Mouth of a Dragon (Mark Geston). Stacy: Tarzan's Quest (ERB).

Paperback: NEL: Indoctrinaire (Chris Priest). Panther: Don't Pick The Flowers (D.F.Jones). Corgi: Star Trek 4 (James Blish), Danny Dunn on the Ocean Floor (Williams & Abraskin). Sphere: The Syndic (Kornbluth). Faber: Best SF 5 (ed.Edmund Crispin). Cape: Musrum (Thacker & Earnshaw).

Non Fiction: NEL: A World Away (Maeve Gilmore – a biography of Mervyn Peake). Penguin: The Enlarged Devil's Dictionary (Bierce).

Gerald Bishop, 1971.

FRENCH BOOK NEWS: Paperbacks: J'Ai Lu: Killdozer (Sturgeon) – Dec. I Robot (Asimov), Shambleau (C.L.Moore), The Weapon Shops of Isher (Van Vogt) – 1972. Ailleurs et Demain/Laffont: The Left Hand of Darkness (Le Guin), Nova (Delany), Dune Messiah (Herbert).

Two books about sf have appeared – no further details.

Sf specialist Jacques Goimard is taking three university courses on science fiction.

Philippe Hupp.

US BOOK NEWS: Joanne Burger publishes Forthcoming Sf @ 3/$1 and indexes to sf (68, 69, & 70) at 3/£1 – 55 Blue Bonnet Ct, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566, USA. They're all very comprehensive.


CAMBRIDGE SF GROUP: This is in fact a university society with some fan members, though it's open to all. Meetings are in the Maypole at 8.30pm every Thursday (in full term) and the pub is in Park St, Cambridge. Vick Hallet and John Piggott are two of the fans involved.

BIRMINGHAM SF GROUP: Forthcoming meetings include Phil Strick on Dec 17th (at the Imperial Hotel), Prof.Fremlin on 'The Limits of Population' (Jan 21st), and Brian Aldiss on Feb 18th. The Oct 15th meeting with James Blish was described as the best to date, some fifty-five attending a talk which treated on factual science in sf and included a put-down of some unnamed, recent authors of the 'British School'.

Membership of the Brum Group is now at 62 and Novacon membership looks like exceeding 150.

NEW EGG AGENT: Seth McEvoy (Box 26, East Lansing, Mich.48823) is the new American agent for my fannish fanzine, Egg, after a gap of some months when Ed Read relinquished the post. Anyone interested can send $1 to Seth for three issues.

FANZINE NEWS: The New York and general US dock strike is, of course, still the reason why nobody has been receiving many American fanzines recently; there's an embargo on European surface mail. // VUG publications is said to be a hoax. Wow. /// Maya, says Ian Maule, progresses and the next issue will be some 50 pages long. //// I'm afraid copies of The Fanarchist 5 still haven't arrived over here, though they're supposed to be being airmailed RSN.

APA-45: The 29th mailing of APA-45 has just been issued. Page count is 608, with a revised 641pp for mlg 28. Ken Fletcher won the Egoboo Poll for the second year with Lesleigh Luttrell and Bob Vardeman coming second and third. Uh, and I came 13th... Membership is only $1, though it's restricted to those born in 1945 or after. (Lesleigh Luttrell, 1108 Locust St, Columbia, Mo.65201, USA). Fifteen on the waiting list, I'm afraid.


Code: XXX = final issue, S = sample, 'number' – last paid issue, &c.


CHECKPOINT II.11

from:
Peter Roberts
The Hawthorns
Keele, Staffs
Great Britain

Printed
Matter
Only**

Australia IN '75!