Conference noted::sf

    There's a W. T. Quick short story in the latest Analog (or is it
    IASFM?).
    
    len.
    

    
    
      A Quick listing (pardon the pun)
    
    Dreams of flesh and sand
    Dreams of gods and men
    Yesterday's pawn
    Systems
                      
    
                                          Rich
                                           in the midst of "Systems" 

    Are Yesterday's Pawn and Systems available in paperback?  Publication
    data?
    
    len.
    

    
    
       Yup. All four are paperbacks by Signet. A division of Penguin Books.
    
       I'm halfway through Systems(got it yesterday)and find Quick's
    style of writing rather mediocre. This may be because I just finished
    Mona Lisa Overdrive and enjoy Gibson's picturesque style.  I REALLY
    like Gibson's books.
    
       As an example of my dismay with Systems, Quick uses the phrase,
    " it was a synergistic effect" at least thrice in the book. This
    kind of repetition may be a trivial thing, yet really bugs me.
     
                                      
    			                   Rich
    

    I find I must agree with reply .4 and take to task the praise heaped
    upon Mr Quick in reply .0.
    
    Starting with _Dreams of Flesh and Sand_, we note that Quick has
    some very good ideas and is capable of using rich imagery. But his
    writing style flags in many places and one continually gets the
    feeling that overmuch has been borrowed from the greats of the
    Cyberpunk genre. Who are that greats? That's a question that has
    started many a long and heated argument; you certainly can list
    Jeter and Gibson among them, however. Gibson's strong influence
    over Quick is always very, VERY obvious.
    
    All in all, _Dreams of Flesh and Sand_ is not bad for an author's
    first Cyberpunk novel (was it his first novel too?). Lots of holes,
    a paucity of fresh ideas perhaps, and certainly without Gibson's
    edge; nevertheless not an altogether bad read.
    
    _Dreams of Gods and Men_ actually impressed me in some ways. Quick's
    prose is somewhat improved and his characterization becomes strong
    enough to make his cast memorable. Most of all, some really great
    ideas, with enormous philosophical implications, begin to appear
    in this sequel. By the time I was halfway through the novel, I was
    getting really drawn into both the action and the subtext. How can
    anyone, given such a foundation, fail to produce an excellent novel?
    
    Don't ask me, ask Mr Quick. Somehow he manages to turn _Dreams of
    Gods and Men_ into something trite, skirting all the really difficult
    and interesting issues. My only theory is that he truly did not
    understand the material (and it's implications) that he was working
    with. Despite this, there is merit here worth your time.
    
    Do not read _Yesterday's Pawn_. I did. I regretted it.
    
    I haven't read _Systems_, neither will I read anything else by Quick
    until I am assured (by those I trust) that he has managed to improve
    markedly. There are too many excellent works being published that
    need to be read and I can't spare the time for novels like _Yesterday's
    Pawn_.
    
    					Michael
                                                            
                          

I just read _Systems_ and while I found lots of holes and found it very
superficial it WAS a page turner. I didn't want to set it down until I
found out how it would come out. For a light airplane read or something
like that I would recommend it.

					Dick

    I haven't seen "Systems" yet, but I have recently read "Yesterday's
    Pawn", and although I still like his writing style, I was disappointed
    that the plot was unbelievable in many ways, and didn't cohese real
    well....
    
    -Jody