Author Archives: John Walters

Book Review: Quest of the Three Worlds and Stardreamer by Cordwainer Smith

Cordwainer Smith is an anomaly in the science fiction field.  The closest analogy I can think of to his singular work and career is that of James Tiptree, Jr. Both writers came out of the intelligence community, adopted pseudonyms to … Continue reading

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Book Review: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies by Jared Diamond

This book gives us a bird’s eye view of all of human history.  Really.  The writer starts way back at the beginning, hundreds of thousands of years ago, and works his way through hunting and gathering societies, tribes, chiefdoms, and … Continue reading

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On Rereading The Einstein Intersection by Samuel R. Delany

“The Einstein Intersection” is undoubtedly a strange book.  It posits a far future in which humans have been destroyed in some sort of apocalyptic event, and an alien race that has colonized the Earth is attempting to come to grips … Continue reading

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Creative Hunger and the Magnanimity of Artists

Rereading Bob Dylan’s collection of autobiographical essays “Chronicles” made me reflect on how we as artists react toward other artists.  The book begins in New York where Dylan is a lean, dedicated folk singer sleeping on other people’s couches and … Continue reading

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Book Review: The Best of Robert Silverberg

This is a 1976 publication I found in a used book store.  I picked it up because I hadn’t read any Silverberg for a long time, and he’s one of the best science fiction short story writers ever. His collection … Continue reading

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Reflections on Norwescon 38

To fully explain what attending the science fiction and fantasy convention Norwescon 38 meant to me I have to go all the way back almost three years to when I was living in Greece.  In Europe I was isolated from … Continue reading

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Book Review: The Unfinished Odyssey of Robert Kennedy by David Halberstam

I’ve been wanting to read this book for years, but I’ve never been able to find it at a price I could afford.  It’s the only Halberstam book I know of that’s out of print.  I’m not really sure why.  … Continue reading

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Dangerous Visions and Again Dangerous Visions Edited by Harlan Ellison: A Perspective

Out of the blue, “Dangerous Visions” and “Again Dangerous Visions” returned to me.  I had wanted to get my youngest son out of the house for a while on a Saturday, seeing that I spend so much time working at … Continue reading

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Book Review: Happiest Man Alive: A Biography of Henry Miller by Mary V. Dearborn

Although Henry Miller is notorious for the explicit sex in his novels, I was drawn to his work because of his literary exuberance, the celebration of his life despite his poverty and hard circumstances, and his use of his own … Continue reading

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What My Blog Means To Me

I started a blog without a clear idea of what I was doing other than establishing a web presence, which I read that I should do as a writer.  Early on I established it as a mix of essays on … Continue reading

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