Conference noted::sf

    It's presented as if it was fact, so I don't consider it science
    fiction. However, Strieber has recently come out with a novel
    based on this idea (I forget the title).
    
    --- jerry

    I, personally, believe one of two things: 1) streiber is schizophrenic
    and the episodes are the creation of his mind, 2) it's fiction but
    streiber believed that he could make more money by declaring it
    fact.
    
    I feel the same way about carlos castenada, however.
    
    stevep

    re -.1
    
    Funny, you should mention Carlos Casteneda, because as I was reading
    this book I couldn't help but notice a lot of similarities between
    Casteneda's books and Streiber's _Communion_.
    
    kl

    for more info you may check OCTAVE::UFOS 
    the whole UFO abduction idea has been bantered around alot, and by ufo
    researcher who seem much more credible that streiber. if your 
    interested in a good scare read note 63 "the lear file"
    pete

    i didn't see the movie the reviews i read were bad...i have seen
    previews of it for its video tape release. i don't know if its been
    released yet.
    
    i have always regarded these types of books as guilty pleasures,
    because they are proclaimed as actual events they tend to really 
    effect me alot more than fiction (i.e. nightmares). what really 
    surprises me about streiber is that if his story is make up, he
    did alot of research on it because his abduction tale is very
    similar to many other( i.e. Betty and Barney Hill, and the Andereason
    affair). 
    pete

    Disch on Strieber
    
    There are a couple of articles by Tom Disch which effectively demolish
    Streiber, partly by pointing out similarities with his fiction.
    These appeared in "The Nation" and were re-printed in the British
    magazine "Interzone".  His position is that Streiber and anyone
    else who claims to have contacted aliens simply tell lies to bolster
    their own sense of importance/make a lot of money.  I agree with
    him.
    

    re: .4  For a scarier scare, read the latest in the UFO "coverup"
    in the UFO file entitled The UFO Conspiracy.  136.1.
    
    							Don

    There is a novel called "Nighteyes" I read a while ago which is on a
    similar theme.  This novel poses some interesting theories for the
    "UFO Kidnappings".
    
    Brian
    

    well i finially saw the video and i actually enjoyed it.
    i expected it to be much worse that it actually was...
    one of the nice thing they did in the movie was have the indoor scences
    almost cluttered with artwork and it made the film endurable.
    i wouldn't recomend going out to see it in a movie house but a buck
    home video wasn't bad.
    pete

    Communion gave me nightmares, too, and the UFO conference is where
    I found reassurance that his story is BS.  It's bad to wake up in
    the middle of the night needing to get up, but your afraid to look
    into the corners of the room...
    
    Strieber wrote some horror, The Howling and some other greebie books.
    Then he wrote some other really good books with another author,
    then the Communion business, I think now he's back to horror.  I
    read Communion because I was thoroughly impressed with the books
    he and James Kunetka (?) wrote.  I would highly recommend their
    book Natures End.  Taking place in 2050, the earth's ecology is
    shot and there is a lot of effort taking place to correct it.  The
    biggest effort of all is by a polition from India by the name of
    Singh, who creates the Depopulationist party.  His object is to
    save the planet by causing billions to commit suicide.
    
    The main character is a convictor - through computer programs he
    can build a complete working model of someone's psyche.  This model
    will answer any questions completely honestly, unlike the real human,
    thereby exposing that person for what they really are.  This is
    rough on politicians; kind of like getting up in the morning and
    finding the IRS on your doorstep when you've been cheating on your
    taxes.  Realizing that Singh needs to be stopped, John Sinclair
    decides he better do a conviction on Singh.  Problem is, it may
    now be too late to stop him.
    
    Reason I mention this book here is that since Strieber has returned
    to writing non-sf I'll probably never see his name again and IMHO
    this book is well worth mentioning.

    
    I very much concur with .11 on "Nature's End"; fascinating reading.
    For another page-turner well worth the price of admission by the
    same two author's, read "WARDAY". It involves the saga of a journalist
    and his companion who set out across Post WWIII America to record
    the aftermath of nuclear war, and describe the remnants of American
    society, along with the political consequences. Extremely thought
    provoking and poignant, as was "Nature's End".
    

    Has  anyone read note 1541.19 in the  DEJAVU conference? It certainly
    could lead  to  many  sci fi stories that could be  developed from this
    extraterrestial  communication.