Conference noted::sf

    I just started reading the 3rd volume, and I'm struggling through
    the incessant lecturing.  My enthusiasm for the series wanes in
    direct proportion to the amount of it that I have read.
    
    Uhm, if you decline to give *your* opinion for fear of prejudicing
    the discussion, why would you expect anybody else to give their
    opinions?
    
    len.
    

    I, too, am having trouble wading through the BS to get to the meat
    of the story.  IMHO, the books were much better in the first,
    un-expanded, editions.

    OK; good point.
    
    My opinion: this book fails badly. It compares to the first two
    as does Star Trek: The Next Generation to Star Trek: The Original
    -- talk, talk, talk ... <snore>.
    
    If I remember correctly, the third book was to be the last of three,
    in which all lose ends were wrapped-up. I suspect that what happened
    was the publisher "suggested" that the series could be milked for
    a lot more, and to be fair to the author who is probably being paid
    by the word and/or number of books, the five now planned for the
    series may be extended beyond even that.
    
    Book three is one of those all talk, no action books, in my opinion.
    It does have glimpses of exciting writing, but the endless sub-plot
    of that interminable mind training schtick made my eyes glaze over. It
    was too much like some company seminars [which will remain unnamed.]
    
    Gerrold is capable of far better.
    
    
    Ken
    

    
    I have to agree with the previous 2 notes. I'm only half way through
    book 3 and the conversations are all starting to look the same.
    
    All of the mind games that McCarthy went through with Duke, Whitlaw,
    Fletcher et al in books 1 and 2, he's reliving in book 3 with
    Foreman (again) and Delandro. Its becoming quite tedious to read
    the same lines over and over. All right Gerrold, we get the point,
    on with the story.....
    
    					Steve

                         THIS CAME THROUGH COMPUSERVE:

    
    EasyPlex  

Date:  03-May-89 15:54 EDT
From:  David Gerrold [70307,544]
Subj:  Chtorr Books

 
There are only five books planned for the series.  You have to think of it
as a very large novel.  The first three books have been to set up the
various problems.  The last two books will reveal most of the secrets of the
Chtorrans and will resolve the dilemma postulated in the first three books.
Nothing in the books is extraneous -- even the Mode Training stuff is
essential to understanding the Chtorran intelligence when we finally meet
it.  I thank everybody for their patience and their willingness to work
their way through the series.
 
dg
    

    
    Well, I finally finished Rage for Revenge and must say that I felt
    the last 1/3 to 1/4 of the book made up for the drudgery of the
    first portion. If it weren't for the limericks and -SS quotes,
    I probably would have given up before getting to the later pages.
    All in all I'm glad I kept going.
    
    				-Steve 
    
    (What does a Chtorran call a writer who re-writes the first
     two novels in a series? Bad Taste.)
    

    ahh...i like all 3 of them. a friend of mine mentioned that he thought
    that the alliance with the renagades was more than what appeared
    that the dark secret would be that the worms were mutated people
    or something more horrible. i don't know but something is going
    on. personally i would love to wear orange fur which could give me
    new senses.
    pete   
    

>   (What does a Chtorran call a writer who re-writes the first
>     two novels in a series? Bad Taste.)

Arthur C. Clark rewrote a single book, one of which was titled "Against The Fall 
of Night".  I liked em both, but I liked the first better!

Just-starting-the Chtorr-books-now,
\bob

    re .8 - the rewritten version was, I believe, "The City and the
    Stars".
    
    Note also that Clark "rewrote" his short story "The Sentinel" to
    become "2001: A Space Odyssey".
    
    len.
    

                I liked  the third, not as much action as the 2nd
                or 1st, but  I  still  couldn't put it down.  The
                limericks have to go  though.   They have nothing
                to do with the story,  and they are horrible.  It
                seems like he had Jim into writing them 'cause he
                wanted to use them in his books.    They are also
                quite  gross,  not  that  I have anything against
                that, but it was unnecessary.  The jokes in  book
                2  were  at  least funny.  I also always wondered
                who Soloman  was.    Not a big revelation in book
                three, but kind of neat. 
                
                - Rob who now has one more book to wait for -
                
                *sigh*
                
                

    
    How did Gerrold change books 1 & 2 when he 're-wrote' them - I read
    the original versions and thought they were pretty good - but after
    reading the 'preface' to the 3rd it sounded like the series was
    going to be dragged on forever (plus the plot sounded _really_ hokey).
    
    will

    
    EasyPlex  
    
    Date:  05-Jul-89 16:38 EDT
    From:  David Gerrold 
    Subj:  More Comments on WAC
    
    Thanks for the comments, Ken.
     
    You can pass this to those interested:
     
    There are five books in the series.  I am working toward a specific
    ending. The fact that the series has expanded to five books is not 
    because I am dragging it out, but because I'm having fun exploring 
    what I've created.
    
    Book four will explain a great deal of the Chtorran ecology.
     
    dg
                           
    
    
    
    Last page.  Enter command or <CR> to continue !

                
                Is there  a  way  we  can send mail to DG via our
                usenet gateway?   Does  he  have a usenet or arpa
                address?  thanx!
                
                - Rob -
                

    re:.13
    
    Unfortunately, no. I believe he's only on Compuserve.
    
    --- jerry

    
    Any updates as to the release of book #4? I thought it was due out
    in the spring of '90.
    				-Steve

    I don't know if you've noticed....
    
    
    But it's only February!
    
    
    ;-)
    
    I'm itching for the new book, too, but be patient.

    re: -.1
    
    	Is it spring yet?

    
    
    How about now?  I'm STILL waiting for this book, unless it's out and
    none of my bookstores carry it...  It's one of the few series I've had
    to wait for and actually still remember (more or less) what's going on!
    :')
    
    

    
    I haven't seen anything in the bookstores. 

    
    In Gerrold's "The Voyage Of The Star Wolf" he makes several references
    (both direct and indirect) to the Chtorr. I haven't finished reading it
    yet, but the 'universe' in which this book is set may provide some kind
    of a hint as to how the Chtorr were defeated (if in fact they were).
    
    					-Steve
    
    PS Harlie(s) also make an appearance in this book.

    
    Well, just finished "The Voyage Of The Star Wolf" and there really
    aren't any concrete hints about the war against the Chtorr.  The
    book's jakcet, however, claims that Gerrold is now working on 
    book #4 of the Chtorr series.  I guess we'll just have to be
    patient a little while longer.
    
    
    					-Steve

    
    
    The WAC fans wait.... A star system is born and then dies... and still 
    the WAC fans wait
    
    Anyone with recent data on Book IV? ;^)
    
    j

    
    
    HAHAHAHA!!!  I've been standing there right along side you waiting. 
    Even called the publisher a year or so ago, but they were useless of
    course.  I've practically got to reread these things now.  I just have
    a vague recollection of what's going on...
    
    

    Well, I have some news, but you might not like it.
    
    The 4th book in the series is almost finished and is scheduled to be
    released by the end of the year (this is according to the man himself). 
    There is going to be a (gulp) fifth book and possibly a sixth one.  We
    could be waiting into the next century if he continues at present rate.

    
    im glad SOMEONE has news... dont suppose you have any idea why it took
    so long to write this thing... he get bored with the series or
    something?
    

    Screenwriting obligations/other literary projects/writer's block.

Fresh from Magicon:

Book 4, A Season for Slaughter, is scheduled to start shipping in Dec. and hit
the stores by Jan.  The original plans for book 4 grew to be too big, so it
got split.  On the plus side, this means that book 5 is well underway, and 
should come out with much less delay.  On the minus side, this means that
book 4 shows that it stopped in the middle (more so than the other books).
Also, this means there will be at least 6 books in the series.  Gerrold still
intends to close things off.

I picked up a complete draft of the book, dated Nov 91, at Magicon.  I don't
want to comment too much, as I don't know what changes, if any, have been made
since then.  

   Gary

    Who's the publisher?  Hard or paper?  Details, give me details :)
    
    H

Bantam, paperback.  A new set of covers is being done, and the first three
books will be rereleased, with the new covers, so that they all look
consistent.

   Gary

    
    	It's out.
    
    	I just picked up a copy (paper) at Barnes and Noble in
    	Nashua, N.H.
    
    -rjc-

    
    Yes!!  Hmmm....  now to remember what happened in previous books... 
    :')
    
    

    Is it just my imagination or has Gerrold turned up the humor rheostat
    on McCarthy just a bit?  At times it gets very distracting.
    
    I enjoyed 'A Season for Slaughter' much less than the previous three
    books.  An incredible amount of writing (and reading) went into advancing
    the series story line by the barest fraction.
    
    Excuse me I have to go do some Mode excercises...
    
    Herk
    

    
    	After reading The Man Who Folded Himself, I decided to pick up some
    more of Mr. Gerrold's writing ( I know, I know, I had a sheltered
    childhood ) - I'm almost through A Rage for Revenge, and then I just
    have A Season for Slaughter to go - what's the news on the fifth book,
    if any?
    
    					Thanks and cheers,
    
    						Jim