Fesarius
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Fesarius |
| Publisher: | Imperial Press/Ghome Enterprise |
| Editor(s): | the first five issues: T.J. Burnside & Richard Robinson, the last by just Burnside |
| Date(s): | 1976 - 1984 |
| Series?: | |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS (mostly) and multimedia |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Fesarius is a gen Star Trek: TOS and Star Wars fanzine. This zine grew out of an extremely talented group of (then) young fans at the University of Maryland, who put out this zine & a number of others, and for many years, a fondly remembered media convention, August Party.
Robinson wrote a personal statement that he would be stepping down as editor after issue #6: "Rest assured 'Fesarius' will continue through T.J. Burnside -- and that T.J. and I parted the best of friends. I simply wanted to pursue another zine venture and could no longer handle 'Fesarius,' too." [1]
The Editors' Age
The editors of this zine were very young. Robinson was 13 years old [2], and Burnside was 15 years old [3], at the time of the first issue.
Title's Origin
"Fesarius" was the giant flagship commanded by Balok which the Enterprise encountered in "The Corbomite Maneuver".
A Little History
Robinson, one of the editors, wrote in the fourth issue:
I knew that I wanted to do something like this sometime in mid-1976. I soon saw that I needed some help, so I wrote T.J., a friend from a previous not-so-successful project, and asked if she would be interested. Luckily, she was. We got to work and collected a bunch of material that was a little less than Pulitzer calibre. I typed it up, and took it to be mimeographed. The printing wasn't really terrific (it included an upside-down page), but it was a nice first issue. We were off to seek fame and fortune through fanzine sales by December, 1976.With the first issue a moderate success, we started to work on #2, a special issue devoted to the women of Star Trek. We recruited some big names (Landon, Fish, Miller, Cross, etc.) went offset, and got the zine out by March. Sales were great; we were established.
With big heads, we ventured into #3 and got it out by November, 1977. For some reason, at this point, Camelot began to crumble—at least for me. Sales were poor (I still have copies), reviews were kind but not stupendous (I still think it was a good issue that never got the attention it deserved), and I was growing discontented. I gafiated for a short period, told T.J. I was leaving after #5 (a special issue featuring Theresa Holmes and Leslie Fish that I didn't want to be published without my name on it, too—otherwise I would have left after #3), and turned toward other things.
I have since put out a few Dark Shadows projects and a zine of my own, PHLEGETHON (a nice SF/ST zine—SASE for info), and worked a little on FESARIUS #4 and #5. I have a few more zines to put out, and, after that, I don't know what the future holds.
... I'm 16 now, and I'm sure I will remember what all of you have given me even when I'm 60 (I still have every letter written to me while in fandom -- even the nasty ones.)
As we say down here: Love y'all, drop by when you can.
Issue 1
Fesarius 1 was published in November 1976.
It contains stories by Ruth Berman, Alan Andres, Laurraine Tutihasi, Adria, and Suzanne Kirwan along with articles & con reports by T.J. Burnside.
- The Joining, fiction by Nancy Spinks
- The Morian Question, fiction by Nancy Spinks
- The Praetor's Pride, fiction by Sandi Necchi
- Purr, poem by Jeanne Powers
- poem about peace by Debby
- Vulcan mythology article by Ruth Berman
- con report by T.J. Burnside
- Star Trek vs. Space: 1999 Feud, article by T.J. Burnside
- Dora the Singing Andorian by Leslie Fish
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1
This is not an overpoweringly impressive zine. However, it seems to be representative of a new generation of Trekzines and deserves attention for that very reason. The 'classic ' Trekzines are very narrow in scope. I believe many Trekfen have broadened their scope of interest to include other science fiction books and films. Fesarius resembles the standard SF zine more than other Trekzine I have seen. It has variety, and it has an indescribable SF feel to it. Whether this is good or not is up to each individual taste. As I said before, it is not spectacular; but it is interesting.The contents include poetry, articles, fiction, a trivia game, a comic strip (terribly fannish), convention reports, zine reviews, TV reviews, and movie reviews.
If consequent issues include a letter column and ads, it would be a complete genzine. The fiction focuses on peripheral and new characters. It is nice for those who are a bit tired of reading about Kirk, Spock, Kirk, McCoy, Spock, ad infinitum.
Unfortunately, the printing is very bad. Some of it is so faint that the reader can barely read the text or see the illos.
The artwork ranges from poor to very good. Both sides of the bacover, by Suzanne Kirwan, are especially impressive. I will not go so far as to recommend buying this, but it might be a good idea to look for #2. It will be printed using a better method.[4]
...I preface this by saying I am an extremely hardcore "Space: 1999” person who lately has not been too thrilled with all the love and affection from trekkers in general. Before this zine came out I clearly intended to stay as far away from it and fandom as possible. So T.J. sends me a copy of #1.
SUPERB!
First and foremost, the art was breathtaking.
I haven’t been into SF fandom for very long, but I always thought the average zine was a little mimeographed flyer with washed-out drawings. Your overall design and conception was enough to put "Newsweek" to shame. My deepest congratulations to Adria, Alan, Melly, Suzanne, Jeanne, Laurraine, and, oh, you too, T.J. You should feel proud.
Now to the fiction. "The Joining" was a touching, wonderful combination of some of my favorite "Trek" episodes, "The Empath", and "Return to Tomorrow", with innate talent woven in by Nancy. I would very much enjoy further work by Miss Spinks...this and "The Moiran Question"— very funny and interesting. As for Sandi’s, what can I say? My friend, your telling of "The Praetor’s Pride" merely reinforces my belief that you possess a bionic brain. Great job!
I have always held a great respect for poets — I can never get the darn things to rhyme! "Purr" set my mind imagining all sorts of happenings with the tribbles; really well-done, Jeanne! With Debby’s prayer for peace, I felt all my inner yearnings for a united world come to the surface. (And by the way, this could also go for all you out there who degrade "1999" and its people!)
While I have never given much thought to Vulcan mythology, Ruth’s article brought to mind ideas on Vulcan I had never imagined. A very informative piece, and well-written.
How can you review a review? Anyway, the best aspect of the total package was that I was told intelligent, accurate information, not just, "It was crummy" or “It was good." A relief to find them all in one section, not scattered all over the place.
Since I’ve never been to a con, T.J.’s article on her summer adventures was quite enjoyable. All I want to know is, T.J., when do you go in for a nuclear power plant recharge? What do you run on, sheer nerve?
But for me, the high point was the editorial concerning the "Star Trek vs. Space: 1999 Feud". As T.J. can tell you, I thought the whole world (including her) was against "1999” simply because it exists. If enough people read it and understand what they’re really doing when they be "1999" maybe — just maybe — all the bad feelings will go away and trekkers will once again be the kind of people I once thought they were.
Richard, T.J., I’m impressed. I'm awed. And I'm glad I took the time to read Fesarius. Now will someone please tell me what the damned title means??
- Oops—our mistake. Fesarius was the giant flagship commanded by Balok which the Enterprise encountered in "The Corbomite Maneuver". Hope this clears up the mystery for anyone else, too! —TJB) [5]
I got Fesarius #1 today and read it all the way through; very good for a first effort. The repro wasn't bad for non-offset, and the artwork was quite good—especially that comic strip (oh, I’ve got to see more of that! "Am I Blue", indeed.' Ho ho!).
The articles were good too, clear, concise and informative. (I think you're right about "Space: 1999"; most fans react to it as though the networks were offering us "1999" instead of "Star Trek", which isn’t fair or accurate.)
My only criticism of the ’zine is a minor one, and that is that the three stories weren’t as well-written as they could have been. They were all weak on the same point — structure. All three had poor continuity, jumping from scene to scene (or mood to mood) without clear perception or division, and the climaxes were much too vague. This is a pity, because some of the individual scenes were quite good, and the plots were original and intriguing. By all means, make your authors try again; I think all they need is practice. [6]
I LOVED the tribble poem, the feud article, the trivia, "Dora the Singing Andorian", the reviews, the con reports (I've always loved reading about cons) the reprint of Berman's article, and the review of second season "1999". All were great fun to read, excellently written and informative. It’s a GREAT first try, T.J.! That is one terrific fanzine! I can hardly wait for the next one!!![7]
To be quite honest, I don't think that Nancy's story in Fesarius was very good. It’s all been done before, except better. But then maybe I am not being fair there. I am probably comparing her stories to others done by more experienced and almost professional writers. At least she's made an effort, which is more than I can say for myself. If you want me to give your zine a rating, I would have to say “fair”. It needs a lot of improvements in both stories and art. I wish I could be of more help personally, but then I’m very "limited" in what I can do.
- We have to include one like this every now and then, you know. We wouldn’t want the eds to get fat-headed. [8]
Overall, for a first issue zine, it was excellent. Very slick and professional looking. Good sturdy covers...The blue paper was a good choice as it’s restful to the eyes. The art was excellent I really loved the tribble/football one. And "Zap ’em Up Productions "—oh lordie.
...I agree totally with your ideas on "Space: 1999!! I think that "Space" can be placed validly in the context of the ST universe as the roots the Federation grew from. Your statement of "Shoot first, ask what you killed later" is a good point, as it shows how in ST man has progressed and accepted aliens as intelligent beings and not just malignant BEMs. (I was a science fiction fan before I was a ST fan — does that make me a traitor?) I'd also like to point out that nowhere in ST's concept does it say "Thou shalt have no other sci-fi besides ST." I give you a standing ovation for having the guts to say what a lot of us think.
Nancy Spinks’ first story was rather "fannish" — the usual type of thing you find in the average zine. However, ’’The Moiran Question" proved she's got talent and if she keeps developing it, in a few years she'll become quite a competent ST writer. (I don’t mean to belittle her...ST is very difficult to write.)
T.J., you are an excellent reviewer and I thoroughly enjoyed your comments ("Intelligence of a doorknob") but I hope in the future your zine will have guest reviewers and more outside contributions. It just looks kinda bad to have one person writing every article.
Debby Chapman's poem was very good. Is she by any chance of the Vulcan persuasion? Is Fesarius to be totally ST orjented? I feel this is too limiting. I'd like to see it remain largely ST, but be open for all forms of SF and fantasy.
Sand! Kecchi’s piece was super. But I kept crying out "Too short! Too short!".
...Is #10 to be a soft-porn issue? [9]Wouldn’t that be fun?! [10]
Issue 2
Fesarius 2 was published in April 1977 and has 70 pages. It is a special issue featuring the women of Star Trek.
The art is by Adria, Pam Beckett, Malcolm Burnside, T.J. Burnside, Suzanne Kirwan, Signe Landon, Elizabeth Marshall, Marshmelly Framizan, Martynn, Monica Miller, Jeanne Powers, and R. Laurraine Tutihasi.
- Table of Contents (1)
- Editorial Transmissions (2)
- The Women of Star Trek, article by T.J. Burnside (4)
- Uhura by Ingrid Cross (6)
- A Test of Womanhood by Nancy Spinks (7)
- Trivia Time by Burnside (23)
- untitled poem by Jeanne Powers (reprinted from Beta Niobe Revisited) (24)
- The Huntress by Joseph Partlow (25)
- Christine, poem by Pat McCormack (27)
- Yesterday's Memories by Sandra Necchi (28)
- Neutral Zone, the Romulan View, poem by Leslie Fish (34)
- Dora, The Singing Andorian by Banana and Marshmelly (35)
- The Mermaid by Melody Frame (38)
- A Time of New Beginning by Jean Lorrah (reprinted from Masiform D #5; also in The Women's List #2 and Archives #5) (Jacqueline Lichtenberg complains about it being a reprint in a letter in "Fesarius" #4.) (40)
- Song of the Lady Lawyer, poem by Ingrid Cross (50)
- Convention Reports (52)
- Springcon (December 3-5, 1976, Washington D.C.)
- Roc*Kon (February 4-5, 1977, Little Rock, Arkansas)
- untitled poem by Jeanne Powers (reprinted from Beta Niobe Revisited) (58)
- The Library Files (59)
- reviews of pro works: Letters to Star Trek, "The Making of Space: 1999," Alan Dean Foster's "Log Nine"
- reviews of fanworks: The Trek Times, Little Fuzzy
- T.V. Newsbits (reviews of "Tales of the Unexpected," "Man from Atlantis," "Fantastic Journey," and Dark Shadows) (63)
- Movie Reviews (King Kong, Wizards, Carrie) (65)
- Upenda, poem by Pat McCormack (68)
- The Corner Mailbox, letters of comment (69)
from issue #2, Suzanne Kirwan
from issue #2
from issue #2, Suzanne Kirwan
from issue #2, Marshmelly Framizam
from issue #2, Marshmelly Framizam
from issue #2, Martynn
from issue #2, Suzanne Kirwan
from issue #2, Suzann Kirwan
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2
See reactions and reviews for A Test of Womanhood.
[zine]: Despite one of the major stories (A Time of New Beginning) being a reprint and the abundance of poem-accompanied page-size illos of women's heads, 'Fesarius' is extremely enjoyable, what might be called a funzine. 'A Test of Womanhood,' however, is not a primary contributor to this era of good feeling, because it is as pure a Mary Sue as we seldom see in these revisionist, apologetic days. Spinks will be fine writer when she gets these things out of her system, so in the meantime we must bear with: Sam—Samantha King— "half Scottish, half Texan," but raised up on Vulcan for some reason, finds herself in A Jam battling Mara the Klingon on this Amazon, planet (called, not surprisingly, Amazonia, tho to Spinks' credit the natives call it Kor'dane), while Kirk, her subordinate in this affair, stands by wringing his hands. Luckily Sam has her telepathic abilities to fall back on, and...well, you get the idea. What is very good about this zine, setting the light tone, is Marshmelly Framizam and her magic pen, particularly in her continuing feature, 'Dora the Singing Andorian.' It is a pip. There are also three Zarabeth pieces, two very nice poems by Powers, and 'Yesterday's Memories' by Necchi, which has the best, most sympathetic and least sloppy characterizations of the exile I have seen. Leslie Fish has a poem, 'Neutral Zine, the Romulan View,' from the rhyme and beat patterns one suspects it was or is actually a song. Finally, there's 'The Women of Star Trek.' a short gloss on how women were portrayed in the show. In all, not a heavyweight zine, but a pleasant one. Contents - 4 Graphics - 4 $ Worth - 4.[11]
[zine]:I must say I really enjoyed the second issue of FESARIUS. It was much batter than I expected it to be. The repro and illustrations mare more than adequate. I do wish you'd managed to include some longer pieces of fiction. I'm an incurable ST addict and I like them long.
A TIME OF A NEW BEGINNING I had read before in MASIFORM D #5. I don't object to reprints--especially of such good stories-- but I think the fact that your best story is a reprint should appear in large type on your table of contents. 'Zine buyers at cons can get home, having spent a fortune on zines, and find that they've read the material before. Or, you could be doing a service in that someone may have missed a certain classic zine and be overjoyed to find the story printed in yours, and thus buy when they otherwise wouldn't have.
I read TIME before I actually met Jean and got involved doing collaborations with her. Her ST universes are very, very different from my own. I simply can't believe that a Vulcan male could lift a hand against his bondmate--especially not during pon farr. Or plak tow either. That's why they choose a champion for the woman -- not because the woman can't fight, but because it would be unfair to the male. [12]
[zine]:FESARIUS II is in a word: SUPERIOR. The quality of the printing mas far superior to that of ish was the clarity of the illos. The illos by the way were beautiful, particularly Martynn's illos for Jean Lorrah's A TIME OF A NEW BEGINNING. Loved Melly's cartoons too! And the cover... well, what can one say about perfection? The quality of the stories too mere super, particularly Jean Lorrah's ATOANB. Great!
T.J., it's OK that you didn't print the synopsis [to my story, "A Test of Womanhood"] -- I just hope the readers weren't confused. By the way, lovely job of editing and I did read it all.... the Ed. Transmission, that is...do I win a prize?
Pam Beckett and Melody Frame... thank you! Kind words are always appreciated and you'll both be remembered in my will. A fine job. You should be very proud of FESARIUS II--I am! [13]
[zine]: Everything has improved, though it ain't perfect yet, folks. The printing and layout are excellent. You had some very good art in there, particularly Signe Landon's cover and the Monica Miller poster. Is Marshmelly Framizam for real? Whoever it is does a pretty fair job as cartoonist. The other artists all show promise. Joseph Partlow's "Huntress” was a bit too violent for my tastes. "Yesterday's Memories” is quite good; Necchi could still use more polish; though; I feel it should have brought tears to my eyes. "Dora, the Singing Andorian" is a lovable strip--vary faanish. That's one thing I find refreshing about FESARIUS. It has a wider scope than other Trekzines that seem preoccupied with the biggies on the ENTERPRISE. There's a lot of peripheral and SF stuff in your zine that gives it needed variety. "The Mermaid” was touching but could have been better written. Your Jean Lorrah story -- well, she's my favorite Trek author. Like she can do no wrong, so I'm prejudiced when I say that hers was the greatest story. I enjoyed reading the con reports and am glad that SF fandom can claim two more. [14]
[zine]: Congrats on a beautiful second issue- really lovely artwork interspersed with funny cartoons. The poems were moving, the "Dora" cartoon is hilarious."The Women of Star Trek" tells it like it is. In general the image of women projected by ST was very positive and proved that female characters could be shown in forceful roles.
"A Test of Womanhood" proves the point --here's a super-heroine who climbs over mountains, dives off cliffs, and fights sea monsters and Klingons easily. Not only that, but she has Vulcan telepathic training and an eye on Kirk's chair (not to mention what sits in it). Is there nothing this girl can't do? For Ghu's sake, give her a few weaknesses before Sam changes her name to Hilary Sue!
Joseph Partlow's vignette, "The Huntress", was very good in establishing the atmosphere. We don't really get enough of Arex or M'Ress stories (probably because we weren't given much to go on with them.)
"Yesterday's Memories" was a good example of a "what happened before the episode" story, a perfectly logical explanation of why Zarabeth got stuck out there in the Glacier Age. I like the characterization of Zarabeth as essentially an innocent bystander in all the machinations and blood-feuds.
"The Mermaid"--a lovely fantasy vignette, and a delightful illo, too.
...A general concensus [sic]--Keep up the good work. FESARIUS is going to be one of the better zines around. [15]
[zine]:Just wanted to let you know that I thoroughly enjoyed FESARIUS II. The stories and articles were good, and the art *sigh* beautiful. I particularly liked the article on "Fantastic Journey". (The expressed) preference of the characters coincided exactly with mine. It's unfortunate the series was cancelled after all. For all its faults it still had potential, and at least it was something different. If only NBC had given it half a chance.
When I saw my LoC that you printed (in F II) I almost choked.' DID I WRITE THAT? Sorry Richard, but I didn't realize it would come across that way. For a first issue FESARIUS really wasn't that bad, and you certainly proved yourselves with #2. In fact, I can hardly wait for #3! My most humble apologies to both you and Nancy... I feel like a heel! [16]
[zine]: F_ II is BEAUTIFUL] The Landon cover is perfect, and words can't describe the Miller poster -- I love it] All the illos this time are excellent, and I love seeing so many humorous ones...In the fiction department, the standouts to me were "Yesterday's Memories" and "The Huntress", probably because I'm so fond of those two characters. I loved all the poetry this time, and really liked the way Suzanne Kirwan's illos went with them so well. I liked the lettercol very much because I'm basically a snoop--I love reading other people's mail. Actually, I'm just a sucker for lettercols...can't resist 'em![17]
[zine]: I received FESARIUS II today and was pleasantly surprised at how good a reproduction you had, and at the inclusion of Monica Miller poster! The contents themselves ranged from mediocre to pretty good, and overall I think your poetry rates higher than your prose fiction. Not bad for your second issue![18]
[zine]:The change to reduced print was quite nice. Nancy Spinks' story was much better than her first two efforts. The poetry was beautiful--Ingrid Cross' "Uhura" was captivating, and Leslie Fish's "Neutral Zone, Romulan View" was OUTSTANDING! Speaking of Leslie Fish, I'd like to thank her for her constructive criticism of my work in issue one. I'm a neo at writing and her thoughts helped my awareness of plot structure. Jeanne Powers' poems were exquisitely intriguing as was Melly's "The Mermaid". The adventures of Dora are becoming quite interesting...that is to say, I'm finally being revealed to TJ's double life! I had no idea she was so love-struck. The art was something else! My favorite piece was that adorable little Barnabas Tribble. Being a DS fan, I reveled in it...but my mom, who's the real DS fan in the house, went bananas!
My idea of the perfect zine has always been a well-handled composite of articles and fiction, with a few extras thrown in. ST zines are mostly fiction. SF zines are mostly articles (some are downright boring). Admittedly, the former is more entertaining but a combination of both makes for a very enjoyable zine. You've done that.
FESARIUS wins the NECCHI SPELLING AWARD! Each time my name was mentioned, you SPELLED IT CORRECTLY! After having letters addressed to S. Vecchi, Secchi, Wecchi, Necci, Nechi, Necki, Neki, not to mention Tleschi by Ike Asimov (whom I forgave quickly), it's refreshing to see it right. [19]
Issue 3
Fesarius 3 was published in November 1977 and contains 79 pages.
The editors were Richard Robinson (AS) & T.J. Burnside (MD).
The front cover is by Monica Miller, and the back cover by Gee Moaven. The interior art is by T.J. Burnside, Connie Faddis, Marty Siegrist, Amy Harlib, H.C. Chmielefield, Marshmelly Fremizam, Nancy Spinks, and Suzanne Kirwan.
From the editorial by Burnside:
You may have noticed that issue let in a little more SF and fantasy, Well, it mas intentional. We hoped to make a more enjoyable zine for everyone by adding a little variety (although I admit this particular issue is more diverse than most!). Bear with us, we expect to settle down to a general balance of 50% ST, 25% SF, and 25% fantasy and other by issue #5.
[...]
You may also have noticed that me have a "Space: 1999 story in this issue. There's a very simple reason for this: It's a great story. Read first, comment later. (If you're like me, you'll end up liking it even though you dislike the show.)
[...]
To anyone who cares. I'll be at the following cons (to sell FESARIUS, stationery, artwork.,,): Lunacon, T'Con]] and Trekaday (April 15, Univ of MD, Plug, plug.), I will not be at Star Trek World Expo. I don't plan to go to another [[Townsley convention]] again, unless it is to picket it, (If you like, I can write an editorial on that, too.)
- Editorial Transmission by Richard Robinson and T.J. Burnside (2)
- Little Lady Lost, poem by Jeanne Powers (4)
- Trivia Time by T.J. Burnside (13)
- The Mush Monsters of Mira Ceti by M.G. Mears (broad spoof) (5)
- All That Time Left by Sandra Necchi (non-ST) (14)
- Letter to a Boy, Never Read, poem by Jeanne Powers (21)
- Our Heroes Past and Future by The High Priestess (22)
- Second Generation Trekkie by Shelby R. Salzberg (25)
- Amanda: Sunset at the L'Langons, poem by L.V. Fargas (27)
- And the Dark Things in Our Minds Can Kill Us by Nancy Spinks ("Some readers have asked about The Temple of the Mind that was mentioned in ”A Test of Womanhood” which appeared in Fesarius #2, so we now present the story behind it.") (28)
- untitled poem by Laura Scarsdale (reprinted from Delta Triad #3) (42)
- Dora the Singing Andorian by T.J. Banana and Marshmelly Framizan (43)
- The End Shall Come by Michael Heyes (art for this story was reprinted from The Loner) (Space: 1999) (47)
- Convention Reports by T.J. Burnside and The High Preistess (74)
- The Corner Mailbox, letters of comment (78)
from issue #3, inside front cover, T.J. Burnside
from issue #3, inside back cover, Marshmelly Framizam
from issue #3, T.J. Burnside
from issue #3, Marshmelly Framizam
from issue #3, calligraphy by Beth Guynn
from issue #3, Suzanne Kirwan
from issue #3, Connie Faddis
from issue #3, Marshmelly Framizam
from issue #3, Nancy Spinks
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 3
[And the Dark Things in Our Minds]: Human, Samantha was reared on Vulcan, where she was bonded with a Vulcan man; she was the first to tame a Hypno Beast, the most dangerous animal on the planet. She is telepathic and multi-talented: she sings and plays a Vulcan lyre, was awarded the golden IDIC by the Vulcan Science Academy, and whips up Vulcan delicacies in the galley of the Enterprise. When the ship meets a race of aliens who feed on psychic energy, Samantha learns that she is descended from an alien explorer who crashed on Earth. Before the story is finished, the aliens have made her relive her most agonizing moment in the presence of Spock, Kirk, and McCoy; she leaves the Enterprise in order to recover mentally, and Spock and McCoy lose their "referee." [20]
[zine]:FES is one zine where I invariably like the fil ler features more than the major stories. I mean, how can Sandra Need's "All That Time Left," a somewhat impenetrable sci-fi story, and yet another one of Nancy Spinks' Sam King sagas hope to compete with Part 3 of "Dora the Singing Andorian" and "The Mush Monsters of Mira Ceti"?
Half the zine is given over to Michael Heyes' "The End Shall Come," a readable but unmemorable Space: 1999 novella that attempts to bridge the series' first and second seasons. Among other things, it croaks off Victor.
A friendly, good-humored zine. Personally re commended.
Contents - 3. Graphics - 4. $ Worth - ?.[21]
[zine]:
Though primarily a Star Trek zine, "Fesarius 3" also offers within its pages a variety of other types of sf and fantasy stories. Noteweoth among these, Michael Heyes' superb "Loner" supplement, "The End Shall Come." Based upon the alternate 99 history originated and written about in Michael's novel "The Loner>, "The End Shall Come" shows us a Moonbase Alpha in a life and death confrontation with those one-time invaders of Earth, the Jarons. Filled with vivid battle maneuvers as Eagles and Jaron battleships clash above a beleagued [sic] Alpha, "The End Shall Come" is a definitive "how Year One became Year Two" story and required reading for all Space fen. In fact, "Fesarius 3" is almost worth getting for that one story alone. However, besides "The End Shall Come," "Fesarius 3" features a hilarious ST parody, "The Mush Monsters of Mira Ceti" by M.G> Mears; the continuing misadventures of "Dora, The Singing Andorian" -- a comic strip -- and very well done "Mary Sue story" by Nancy Spinks about a Vulcan tained human telepath named Samantha King assigned aboard the Enterprise entitled, "And The Dark Things in Our Minds Can Kill Us." All in all, an excellent variety of sf.[22]
[zine]: I got Fesarius #3, and it's really a lovely job, the print is clear, the art reproduced very well—I especially liked the inside back cover. Remember -- Fat is Beautiful!
...About the issue—"The Mush Monsters etc." is something I've been missing, a well-written parody of Star Trek as seen in the reruns. Not too many people really get into parodies these days, which is a pity. I also liked the illos that went with the story—hysterical!
The SF story by Sandra Necchi—very moving. I'm not too sure if these people are Aliens or Us in the future. And since I am not too familiar with the Silver Surfer, that story was a bit mysterious. I'm not against borrowing from other writers' universes (with or without their permission) but it helps to give a little of the background either in a forward or in the body of the story so that the non-fans can get the drift.
I was interested in the confessions of the Second Generation Trekkie, since I am one of the original Closet Trekkers who watched the show back in 1967-70. I didn't get into active fandom until 1971'—but that's a long story. At any rate, I'm glad the younger generation is hanging in there, despite the inroads of Star Wars, Space 1999 and Close Encounters.
I'm glad to see that Nancy Spinks' heroine had become a little human—and humane. Like I said in my last letter, she needed a few flaws. I like her better now, I also liked the way the Aliens were built up—although the idea of an alien living off human dreams is a little old-hat by now. Is there any "Dora, the Singing Andorian" ought to go into competition with "Mary Hartman". The idea of an inter-galactic cathouse fractures me!
"And the End Shall Come"—well, I'm not all that crazy about Space 1999 anyway, but at least this story tried to make sense out of something that wasn't very sensible to begin with. Good characterizations, and a logical explanation for the discrepancies between Season 1 and Season 2.
I am also pleased with the lettercol—you might consider printing a few of the unfavorable notices—although I doubt that you get any! ((We print every unfavorable LoC we receive—I guess the majority is pretty satisfied with the zine! —tj))
Each issue of Fesarius gets better. There's a nice mix of serious and humorous and fiction and non- fiction; the artwork is consistently good; even the print is easy to read. What can I say but—keep it up! [23]
[zine]: I have read and enjoyed Fesarius #3 very much. Especially "And the Dark Things in our Minds Can Kill Us". I usually don't like Space 1999 stories but this one I did. Keep up the good work.
And the poems...they were good. My favorites were "Little Lady Lost" and "Letter to a Boy, Never Read".
Unfortunately all I can do is appreciate good stories. I can't write them. But please, do continue. The stories in this one were original and good. I am not an expert, but I do know what I like. And Fesarius I like.[24]
[zine]: Open Letter to the Critics of Fanzines:
As a relative newcomer to the world of 'zines, I have noticed quite frequently that there are more "critics" than "editors", "contributors", etc. I think 'zines are the greatest thing to come along for the exchange of ideas, stories, and anything relative to fandom. Where else, certainly not in the "legitimate" publishing world, has so much been written, published and read by the fans themselves? We all know, who have tried to have our stories, poetry, etc. published by the slicks, how hard it is to bread into print. Fanzines give us this chance. You have all seen the quality of stories in FESARIUS and TWODS, to mention a few.
My point is the fact that someone, particularly the editors of such 'zines, who devote so much time and love to this "art", and it has become an art, are constantly criticized because this issue wasn't perfect, or that drawing could have been better, or that story could have been different. Come on, gang. These 'zines aren't the ATLANTIC MONTHLY or the SATURDAY REVIEW OF LITERATURE. Of course, they're an amateur effort, but they're ours! We have something unique, and to constantly harp on picayune things is ILLOGICAL!
The guys and gals who put out these 'zines often use their own money to do so ([Don't I know it —tj)) and it's a losing proposition which we should all take into consideration. So, if you want it to be perfect, buy ESQUIRE or TIME, but for gosh sake's let's stop this petty criticism. If you think it is so easy to put out a 'zine of the quality of FESARIUS or TWODS, maybe you ought to try it before you write your next critique. Try to he more helpful. Submit your own stories, etc., if you think you can do better. Old George B. Shaw was right when he said, "Those who can do; those who can't, criticize". Ease up, gang, and just enjoy.
As I said before, we have a great thing going for us... try to build it up, instead of constantly tearing it down. I suppose as subscribers, you feel you have a right to criticize. Again, try doing it yourself, then see if you feel this type of criticism is warranted.[25]
[zine]:
I just read Fesarius #3 last week. The whole issue was great, but I loved the Space: 1999 story. I don't think I've heard of Michael Heyes before. Has he done anything else? The story was well done all around. The only thing I had a hard time swallowing was that the new character, Daniel Morgan, seemed more like a comic book hero than anything else. I expected him to get it in the end but I'm glad he didn't. Will Michael have anything else in future issues? [26]
[zine]: First of all, the cover was great, but could have been a better in a different color. I will never get used to a blue Balok.
The major part of F3 seemed to be "The End Shall Come". Fine. It was a nice, long story which captured the spirit of the TV series. It bored me with its endless space maneuvers, but the occasional inserts of character interplay broke up the tedium. Also, the ending contained a subtle message, much as the series did. But my opinion of TESC is basically the same as my opinion of Space: 1999: The sudden burst of philosophic thoughtfulness at the end is not worth waiting through all those boring space battles. It takes an experienced writer, however, to put fantastic special effects on paper, which is why space maneuvers should be avoided in written fiction. This doesn't mean the story wasn't good. It was on an equal level with the aired 1999. Take that any way you like.
I don't understand why the High Priestess decided to combine ST and the Silver Surfer in one story. To me, it was like Woody Allen looking out his window and saying, "Hey, there goes Donald Duck," but then, maybe that's the point of the story.
"And the Dark Things in our Minds Can Kill Us" had Its moments of excellence, but I'm getting tired of fan fiction in which scenes from the aired episodes are relived. Although in this case it was done very well, I think the whole idea of fan fiction is to bring the writer's own personal originality to already existing characters, instead of simply feeding on someone else's ideas. The character of Sam King is coming along nicely, though, and she blends well with the K/S/M relationship, especially in her role as referee.
"All That Time Left" had very good ideas and I like the way the story was set up, but Sandi seems to have the same problem that I have. When I write a story, many sentences sound so awkward that I have to reread them a few times to remember what I was trying to say. I've often commented that the hardest part of writing is judging my own work. Reading Sandi's story has made it easier for me to see my own writing faults. I think that both Sandi and myself have great potential as writers, although Sandi will probably be more successful, because I'm not going to try as hard. Any way, it's nice to see that there are other intelligent beings in Fall River.
"The Mush Monsters of Mira Ceti" was one of the best satires I've ever read in a STzine. It really balanced out this ish a bit. Most of F3 was depressing. Just reading the story titles caused my plants to droop. Even "Dora, the Singing Andorian" gave me the blues.
"Little Lady Lost" was the best thing in the zine. Also, the Kirk/McCoy poem, and "Letter to a Boy, Never Read" were wonderful.
I am positive that, in about 2 or 3 years, Shelby Salzberg is going to be cleaning out her zine closet and will come across an old copy of Fesarius 3. Flipping through the pages, she will begin to read "Second Generation Trekkie" and ask herself the writer's question of questions: Did I write that? (I don't usually have these premonitions. It must have something to do with asparagus.) I am a second generation trekker. I also remember the date, time, and details of my first episode (Sunday, August 24, 1975, Errand of Mercy) I also felt it as a turning point, but in the years since I have done more than collect posters and T-shirts. One of the most important messages presented by ST was IDIC, a concept which Shelby seems to be ignoring completely. Those creeps she blasted in her article are part of the human race, as capable of advancement as anyone else. Going off alone into space and letting the other people murder each other is not a very optimistic interpretation of the ST
...In closing, F3 was not quite as good as F2. But I am hopeful that F4 will be better.
To Rich and T.J., thanks for another fine zine. To the contributors to F3, keep trying harder and keep submitting your stuff to Fesarius. Maybe someday we'll come up with the ultimate zine, consisting of about 500 pages of writing, art and Trekness that will be so fantastic as to make Rich forget he ever heard of "Dark Shadows".[27]
[zine]:
Fesarius 3 is great. A very classy-looking zine. And the way TESC was presented is beautiful. That title page...mmmnnnmm. I was in North Dakota with Mike (Heyes) when we got our copies from Rich and we were both thrilled to pieces. TJ's lllos really added to the story.[28]
[zine]:
Unfortunately this issue of FESARIUS could probably have been printed in half, the pages, as what we get mainly is great white space between each two bits of conversation, and extremely short paragraphs. This was a well-done zine in issue #1, when it was mimeo, but since they went to reduced offset (palely printed) in #2-3, there is just not enough to fill up a zine reasonably.
#3 leads off with a satire called "The Mush Monster of Mira Ceti" by M. G. Mears, featuring Abbott and Costello dialogue that was better in the latter's baseball routine. Uhura is called "Uheardme", for instance, and the reader is beaten over the head with such puns as can be dragged out of that unlikely name. There is sly humor, though, such as the Captain saying to the Mush: "You speak excellent English" , and the Mush replies scornfully, "Everyone speaks English, fool!" I liked "Mr, Spunk, the monk," too.
"All That Time Left", by Sandra Necchi, is non-ST, and not up to her usual good standards. A nice Harlib illo, though. "And The Dark Things In Our Minds Can Kill Us" is another in Nancy Spinks' Mary Sue series, starring the perfect "Sam" (for Samantha) King. She is so beautiful, sings so well, is so strong, brilliant, has pre-cognizance as well as mental telepathy, was raised on Vulcan (naturally!), inspires droolingly childish behavior in all the men around her, and in short, makes me urp. Too bad, too, as Nancy has a lively imagination and really sets up some splendid sf and character-testing situations in her stories. If she could just let Wonder Woman be fleshed out with humanity this could develop into a landmark series. In the current story, Sam meets all the problems in a smart-alec fashion singlehandedly, and leaves the officers of the Big E standing around strumming their lips and going "Duh".
The other long fiction is Space: 1999' s "The End Shall Come", by Michael Heyes. Okay for fans of the tv show, I guess, but blah for the ST fan who expects tp get ST stories in an ST zine.
Some really good art, Con reports, a few LoCs, an article or two, lovely Fargas and Powers poetry, and another adventure of my favorite comic-strip character, "Dora, The Singing Andorian" (whose: themesong is "Am I Blue?") complete this issue. I adored the chubby Melly-fairy inside the back cover, the Moaven-Uhura on the back, and the touching tribute to Stanley Adams inside the front.[29]
Issue 4
Fesarius 4 is 90 pages long. It was published in July 1979. Edited by T.J. Burnside and Richard Robinson. It has art by Randy Ash, T.J. Burnside, Gordon Carleton, Melody Frame, Amy Harlib, Nan Lewis, Gee Moaven, P.S. Nim, Jeanne Powers, V.M. Wyman.
From Burnside's editorial:
I can't believe that I am typing this page. You probably can't see anything particularly amazing in it, but I can assure you that to me, the significance is unsurpassed, as it happens to be precisely 4:12 am and I have been typing just about continuously for the last month. You'll never know what a relief it is to be done with this beast...I've been working from 8:30 to 5:30 and going to school from 6:00 to 10:30 and putting this out in my free (?)time. My dad thought the 3 am typing was squirrels in the attic. Well, I made a New Year's resolution this year not to make any more excuses as to why FESARIUS 4 is over a year late, so none of you will ever know... I am hopeful, however, that you will find it worth the wait...I know I do. I have a lot of respect for Richard...he did this for three issues in a row. Somehow the work load of being editor-in-chief far outshines the glory, even if my editorial does come first now.
- Editorial Transmissions by T.J. Burnside (2)
- Moonsilver and Stardust by Kelly Hill (4)
- When in Rome by Gregory A. Baker ("A twentieth century soldier working for Star Fleet meets more than he expects on a trip to the "Bread and Circuses"planet.") (5)
- Dora, the Singing Andorian by T.J. Banana and Marshmelly Framizam (25)
- Star Trek Talks Back by W.J. Sadler ("What happens when the ST characters discover they are only characters?") (28)
- Crossthoughts by Tom Audette (a chance meeting of Spock's) (30)
- In Search of Ancient Star Wars by Rich Kolker (33)
- Tomar by Nancy Spinks ("For breaking the highest law of her people, Tingg is abandoned on an isolated world, her only companions - the primitive beasts.") (40)
- A Very Short Story by Ed Bernstein (51)
- Writer's Contest Winners (Jeanne Powers and Sandra Necchi) (53)
- Looking Glass Enemy by Patricia Spath (The strain of his double heritage finally drives Spock to a nervous break down: with his Vulcan and Human sides beaoming separate personalities." ) (56)
- Lethe by Jocelyn Feaster (66)
- Backstreet Warriors by Jeanne Powers ("Two young women struggle to survive in the anarchy of post-nuclear war.") (67)
- Sure, Leave! by Howard Weinstein ("A hilarious parody of "Shore Leave"; You'll see the amusement park planet as you've never seen it before!") (75)
- A Tellarite Tale by Roberta Rogow ("Find out the real reason Gav got sent to Babel." (81)
- A Day in the Life of a Trekfan: Thursday by Jeanne Powers (84)
- con reports by Rich Kolker, T.J. Burnside (Boskone—Feb 16-18, Boston, Star Trek World Expo—Feb 17-19, NYC, Disclave—May 25–27, Washington D.C.) (86)
- The Corner Mailbox, LoCs (88)
from issue #4, Nan Lewis
from issue #4, Melody Frame
from issue #4, P.S. Nim
from issue #4, Randy Ash, foldout
from issue #4, Gee Moaven, originally appeared in Fesarius #3
i from issue #4, T.J. Burnside
from issue #4, Amy Harlib
from issue #4, V.M. Wyman
from issue #4, Gordon Carleton
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 4
'Fes' has evolved, in just 4 issues, into a very nice genzine. The eds have done a remarkable job with this zine. Repro and layout are as good as any issue of Warped Space, with borders and a very tidy look. Wyman has a very striking cover, and Yver has a delightful has a delightful bacover with a dragon and an owl. Fiction is quite varied. Baker's 'When in Rome....' deals with a 20th century man who has been in the 22nd century as a Star Fleet Ground Forces officer for a while now. (He got there by suspended animation, of course.) This is a fun story, a bit sketchy, but enjoyable. Perhaps the most interesting piece in the zine is Volker's 'In Search of Ancient Star Wars' wherein we are treated to a thesis that combines the Von Daniken hypotheses with SW complete, with ancient drawings. It's got to be read to be believed! Con reports, a lettercol, trivia, poetry, the latest of 'Dora, the Singing Andorian.' and the winners of writer's contest (one of them who is yours truly) plus ads round out the issue. 'Fes' 4 is their best so far and worth the price.[30]
An excellent general zine containing a wide variety of material. Con reviews by Rich Kolker. A historical allegory by Roberta Rogow. A Howard Weinstein (he wrote "Pirates of Orion") parody of "ShoreLeave." An interesting exploration of Spock as a schizophrenic. Further adventures of Dora, the singing Andorian (a comic strip.). Nice art, nice stories. Recommended.[31]
Issue 5
Fesarius 5 was published in 1982 and has 213 pages. The art is by T.J. Burnside, Leslie Fish, Chris Gerken, Theresa Holmes, Liz Pietrzak, Melody Rondeau, and V.M. Wyman. The front cover is by Gayle F. Includes three fold-outs of art. (In the next issue, the editor apologizes for some art printing goofs in this issue: "to those who noticed it, yes! T h e illustration on page 71 of the first printing of FES 5 was indeed upside down (printer's mistake) and did make the Invictus look a bit like a TV set. (I'm sorry, Leslie! It wasn't my fault!) But, as a few astute readers pointed out, there's no up or down in space, anyway. Another silly, glaring error (which I can't blame on the printer, unfortunately) was that Theresa Holmes' foldouts appeared in the wrong order. Both of these flubs were fixed in the reprint.")
This issue consists mainly of two novels: one by Leslie Fish and one by Theresa Holmes, on the theme of "What would be the effect of the ST universe if Christ were not an influence?" and "A special writer's challenge between Theresa Holmes and Leslie Fish on the theme, "What would the effect be on the Star Trek universe if Christ had lived and died a poor carpenter?" Both stories are illustrated by their respective authors, and Leslie's is novella-length."
From the editorial, by Burnside:
Number One on the list by anyone's standards has to be Theresa Holmes. I received Theresa's lovely story, complete with illustrations, before I had even set the first deadline. (If you want proof, look at the dates on her illos.) I subsequently held onto to it for the next five years, and the very fact that she did NOT send me a letter bomb at any time during those five years should testify to Theresa's patience and good nature. So, everyone, on the count of three: THANK YOU, THERESA!!!As you all know, Leslie Fish has been working on her story (novel?) just about continuously since 1977, and all I can say is that the story speaks for itself. Thanks to Leslie for finally coming through with a real masterpiece, and for typing above and beyond the call of duty. You're a peach! Howie Weinstein probably did more rewrites than anyone in the history of fanzines on his article one each time the previous one got out-of-date (which is pretty often in five years). We finally decided that STAR TREK II would be current for awhile - I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that they don't release STAR TREK III before this thing gets out. (I can see it now—"Crazed Writer Strangles Fanzine Editor With Typewriter Ribbon . . . "Too Many Rewrites!" Cited as Cause . . .)
Thanks to Tony Citro and Rich Kolker for writing two terrific con reports; the only problem is the cons took place too long ago now to include them. Sorry! (I'm so embarrassed ...)... Thanks to [Gayle F] for meeting that first deadline so long ago and then darkening the illo to keep my printer happy and fed . . . Thanks to Eddie for "Frost Dancer" and two of the happiest years of my life . . .
From the editorial, by Robinson, who says he is newly married:
TJ: Although we've never even met, in many ways we've grown up together; we started this thing when I was 13 and you were 15. Through the years, we've had plenty of good times and glory and plenty of bad times and headaches—though, overall, it's been a wonderful enterprise. I appreciate your understanding and helpfulness . . . you know I wish you the best for the future and I'll be here if you need me.
- Editorial Transmissions by T.J. Burnside and Richard Robinson (2)
- Triumvirate by Kelly Hill (4)
- Trivia Time by T.J. Burnside and Philip Chien (6)
- Difference by Theresa Holmes (7)
- Malfunction by Jeanne Powers (38)
- Dora, the Singing Andorian by T.J. Banana and Marshmelly Framizam (39)
- Frost Dancer by Ed Bernstien (43)
- Guest Review: Star Trek II by Howard Weinstein (44)
- Con Reports: MediaWest*Con, see that page, by Kevin J. Anderson and Sheila Willis (47)
- Sunset and Evening Star; Sunset and Evening Star by Leslie Fish (50)
- The Corner Mailbox, LoCs (210)
- Ads (214)
- The Last Page by The Management (216)
from issue #5, Theresa Holmes for Difference, see that page for other examples
from issue #5, Theresa Holmes for Difference, see that page for other examples
from issue #5, Leslie Fish for Sunset and Evening Star, see that page for other examples
from issue #5, Leslie Fish for Sunset and Evening Star, see that page for other examples
from issue #5, You are Receiving this Zine Because
from issue #5
from issue #5, short story by Ed Bernstein, illustrated by V.M. Wyman
from issue #5, T.J. Burnside
from issue #5, Melody Rondeau
from issue #5, T.J. Burnside
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 5
See reactions and reviews for Difference.
See reactions and review for Sunset and Evening Star.
[zine]:
I admit I ordered this zine because of the promised "Part 5--The Conclusion" of 'Dora, the Singing Andorian'. In this comic strip, T.J. Banana and Marshmelly Framizam have kept my favorite Andorian singing 'Am I Blue?' at least twice each episode as she outsobs cosmic con men and mercenary madams to join luster-smiling Lance Charger in a glass of milk and cookies. Rightthinkers everywhere will be glad to know that Mr. Glzupt... got 40 years on the neutronium pile.
Although 'Dora' should be enough to recommend the zine to anybody, there are other items in the zine, notably the 'rival' stories by Theresa Holmes and Leslie Fish on the general theme of just where did the Roman Empire go wrong, specifically in regard to the impact of Christianity. Their answers are about as opposite as it's possible to be.
Holmes, in her 'Difference' claims that without the 'moderating, unifying influences of Christianity, ' the Empire of Rome would have centralized into a totalitarian state that managed to withstand the periodic invasions from the east (Goths, Huns, Turks), developing into a sort of precursor to the German Third Reich, only much longer lived... Holmes gets 10 out of 10 for her sincerity, but minus several million for her Mary Sue character, Elanor MacPhail. Granted, 'Difference' was written five years ago when the syndrome was more prevalent, but here she is again, calling her superior officers, 'Spock' and 'Penda' (while they rather humbly say 'Ms. McPhail'),... dragging around an ill-tempered reptile that only she can control, and telling Kirk, Spock, and Scotty their business. Unnaturally, everyone is thrilled with her performance...
Where 'Difference' says everybody should have a god, preferably the same one, Leslie Fish in 'Sunset and Evening Star' is all for celestial-free enterprise. Christianity laid the Empire low. Not only that, it proposes a conspiracy of truly cosmic -- or paranoid -- dimensions. Yeshua ben David, see, is this super-version of Rev. Sun Yung Moon, a Being on the same order as Apollo and Kulkukan, as was Yahweh before Him; they are like these soulsuckers who entrap humans with the Beatific Vision and occasionally instigate religious wars to skim off a load for some theocentric purpose... Her presentation of the early Empire will indeed upset notions some readers may have formed from Sunday School... a must-read for anyone whose personal beliefs, religious, atheist, or agnostic, can withstand probing.[32]
[zine]:
FES keeps getting better as each issue progresses. Number 5 is the LOOOONG awaited (five years) issue containing the writers' challenge between Theresa Holmes and Leslie Fish on the following question: What would the Star Trek universe be like if Jesus Christ had lived and died an unknown carpenter (or words to that effect)? The results are incredible.
One complaint about the editorial handling of this event: I don't think there was enough clarity concerning the fact that this was a writers' challenge and that the writers involved represent two differing world views. Since the gap between issues four and five was so long, I'm sure that there were those who did not remember what this issue was going to be about. And neos, or fans who have never read FES until now, were probably a little confused. This is very minor and it doesn't require a great deal of intelligence to figure out what's going on here.
Anyway, "Difference," by Holmes, is the first story, and concerns the Big E's encounter with an alternate earth. Our heroes get caught up in the ensuing conflict between ancient Celtic druids and Romans (who are, by the way, supported by the Klingons). The Enterprise people expend a lot of effort to get these Celts on the right track of overthrowing the evil Roman empire—including have Spock appear as a messiah to them (to compensate for the fact that, on this earth, there is no prophet Jesus Christ who founds a philosophy that spreads throughout the known world). The main character is a female Scottish officer, Elanor MacPhail, a native of some Christian colony of the Federation (Delphi). Unfortunately, she comes forth as a blatant MarySue. She knows everything—what's right and what's wrong—does all the things on the ship Spock should be doing, and, of course, saves the ship through her miraculous, god-given mystical powers. She's also rather sanctimonious. The only thing missing from the MarySue stereotype is that none of the principal officers is madly in love with this woman. Holmes writes Elanor's speech in a very wooden, messy, and incomprehensible Scottish accent. Later on, though, Elanor speaks in perfect American English. This lapse of dialogue serves only to confuse. Finally, Holmes does not even answer the BIG question. We never learn, from her point of view, just what the ST universe would be like had Christ died an unknown. The story comes off being very dogmatic and shallow.
Ah, but then we come to the Fish's "Sunset and Evening Star". My only real complaint is the title. It's meaningless, innocuous, unmemorable, and unfit for the masterpiece Leslie has written. There is one complaint I expect many people to make (though it is not one of mine) so I should mention it: there is a lot of conversation in this story. There's some very gripping action and it is plentiful, but there is more conversation and it's a 150 page novel. Don't let that bother you—once you start, you will whiz right through it instantly because you will be caught in the Fish's incredible mind. There is SO MUCH in this story! I don't know where to begin. Leslie uses the old transporter malfunction bit (to her credit, the Big E is on a time travel jaunt to ancient Rome, not using the Guardian but the method used in "Tomorrow is Yesterday". Also, Leslie acknowledges she is using a time-worn gimmick by calling the chapter Transporter Malfunction of the Month") and sends Kirk back into time to ancient Rome. The Enterprise is forced to return to the present before rescuing Kirk and finds the universe drastically changed. Rome never fell and has founded a very advanced, benevolent space confederation. Since there were no Dark Ages, space travel was developed in 1500. Meanwhile, Kirk is encountering—and falling in love with—ancient Rome, which is nothing like we in the present, with our prejudices, believe it to be. Leslie has drawn a basically accurate picture of ancient Rome (which has been emasculated by people of my profession—historians—down through the centuries, who so readily believed ancient propaganda spread by Rome's enemies); a Rome with labor unions, surgery, public service, religion, ethics (yes, ethics! A morality very similar to ours), silk-screened printing, and so much more. To present the atheist-vs.-Christian confrontation, Leslie presents us with two characters: Ellison Hawk (good ol' Harlan) and Agnes Day, a perfectly hateful character. I can see a lot of religionists getting upset with Leslie's portrayal of a devoted Christ-follower. The only thing Leslie could be attacked for in this instance is portraying a Christian in such a stereotypical manner. I can't. Having been brought up in Roman Catholicism, Agnes comes very close to many priests, nuns and lay Christians I have known. The underlying subplot is a beautiful exploration of Spock's love for Kirk. The only problem I have is Leslie's portrayal of Spock. He is much too emotional and much too "evil". I should mention that Leslie's story is meant as a sequel to Sharon Emily's "Proof Positive" in her Showcase zine, wherein Spock meets Christ and becomes a Christian. Leslie's presentation of this is that Spock is "dominated" by a powerful entity and behaves in very unpleasant, intolerant, bigoted ways. His behavior should be looked at with that in mind, but it is still so unSpockian that I'm still uncomfortable with it. All that aside, the story is magnificent. I haven't even touched half of it. This is a morality tale in the old-fashioned sense, and so some of Leslie's characters do not come off being very well fleshed out. But "Sunset and Evening Star" is such a good story (and impossible to put down) that this can be easily overlooked. Above all, this is a story where one learns and thinks constantly, a phenomenon decidedly lacking in fanfic. Leslie forces you to take a position—agreement or disagreement. And those who disagree must come away very angry.
[...]
The rest of FES contains the last entry of "Dora, the Singing Andorian" (never could get into it, although the art is cute), an excellent review of ST:WK by Howie Weinstein, con reports, a letter column, and some very good illos by Burnside, Chris Gerken, Rondeau, and Wyman. My favorites, though, are Fish's illos for her story, and her illo of the inside bacover is perhaps the best. One more thing: I basically ignore fan poetry because very little of it impresses or moves me, but "Malfunction," by L. Jeanne Powers, is outstanding. Janice Rand gets her say at last—at least partially. It's a powerful poem. Very highly recommended! [33]
[zine]:
FESARIUS V is based on an interesting promise -- the editor asked two well-known fan writers to write ST stories about ST in a world where Jesus Christ lived and died a poor carpenter's son. It is an unusual and controversial zine.
The zine is clean and good looking. The reduced type is readable, the layout attractive, and the illustrations reproduced well. The [Gayle F] cover portrait of Spock with two dragonets (Delphian singjoys) is very attractive. The two stories from the fan authors comprise 95% of the zine contents. The other 5% is not memorable.
The first story is "Difference", a novelette written and illustrated by Theresa Holmes. The Enterprise and a pursuing Klingon ship go into the galactic barrier and come out in an alternate universe in which Christianity never developed. They also go back in time to 24 3 A.D. to Roman occupied Britain. The Klingons back the Romans, and the Enterprise crew backs the local Celts who are trying to drive them out and regain their land. The author introduces several new members of the crew, the most important being El-anor MacPhail, a telepath and a super-Christian from a space colony called Delphi. She is instrumental in effecting the resolution of the plot which saves the Enterprise and brings a Christian-type message to the Celts while violating the Prime Directive in almost every way possible.
There is also a major new novel from Leslie Fish called "Sunset and Evening Star." I predict that this novel will cause considerable uproar in fandom. Ms Fish is not one to duck unpopular causes, and in this novel she attacks monotheism, in general, and Christianity, in particular. The brunt of the argument is carried on by two crewpersons. Dr. Agnes Day, the historian, represents the Christian viewpoint; Ellison Hawk, the archeolo-gist, represents the secular humanist viewpoint. Whenever these two meet the debate is carried on.
Now on to the plot. About three months before the time of the novel, Spock steps through the Guardian and meets Jesus Christ. He is most impressed. (This takes place in "Proof Positive" by Sharon Emily in SHOWCASE #2). Remember this. The Enterprise goes back in time to an Easter Sunday in Rome before the Tall of the Roman Empire. Their mission: to rescue works of art and records destroyed in the Fall. Hawk and Day are in the landing party to a temple when a post-Easter service pack of Christians sack and burn the temple. The landing party beams up, but Kirk beams back a few minutes later. However, a transporter malfunction occurs, and he materializes nine feet above a Roman fish peddlers pushcart in 7 B.C.
Meanwhile, the crew tries to effect rescue. Hawk manages to determine that Kirk was displaced in time, but before they can return to 7 B.C., they must return to their own time to relieve the Knaffbein stress on the engines. When they return to their own time, it is changed. The find the Roman Empire in Space represented by the starship Invictus.
They welcome the Enterprise warmly and render all possible assistance. The Imperium is a higher civilization than the Federation, and they give the Enterprise all kinds of information about themselves and their technology. Spock, however, censors all information given in return. What if they learned that rescuing Kirk could bring their universe to an end? The Invictus entertains the main characters at a banquet where Hawk and Day argue at length. Spock sides with Day. Why? Fish makes Day's arguments sound like nonsense. Eventually Hawk deserts. fie also spills the beans, and the Enterprise is forced to depart hastily for the past followed closely by the Invictus. It seems that Kirk is the key to the change in history. As Emperor of the Roman Empire, his inventions, innovations, and policies change the course of Galactic history.
Many people will be upset by this novel. Ms Fish depicts all Christians as hysterical, bigoted, rigid, Bible as literal truth, believe as I believe or burn forever, religious fanatics. This is far from the truth. And her Roman civilization is thoroughly sanitized before comparing it to the worst of Christian cultures. Slanting the arguments so obviously do not add to their credibility. Judaism, Buddhism, and other major religious movements are mentioned, too, and they are not treated any better than Christianity.
Now, a spoiler warning! I am going to reveal the ending — something I do not normally do. If you object to this, skip the rest of this paragraph. After Kirk is rescued, he mind melds with Spock and uncovers a great secret. When Spock met Christ, Christ placed secret orders in his mind and obscured the fact that in reality Christ was an evil alien being (much like the Apollo of the TV episode, but evil) who was creating a death wish society from which souls could be harvested for some evil scheme. Kirk, of course, deprograms him. This is definitely a controversial ending.
Those of you who are not easily offended and like intellectually stimulating fan fiction will find this novel a MUST READ; however, I cannot promise that you will like it. Others will want to read it just to see what all the fuss is about. It is well-written, imaginative, iconoclastic, amusing, well-researched, etc. and the depth, the breadth, and the width of the novel are rarely seen in a work of fan fiction. And in the day of the $20 fanzine this long novel is comparatively cheap, making FESARIUS V a BEST BUY as well as a MUST READ.[34]
[zine]:
Fan writers, by and large, have trouble thinking up interesting and believable alien sociology. The last thing I'm willing to waste my time or money on is "My Jesus is better than yours and I've got a Vulcan Master to prove it" kinds of nonsense. If you want good fan fiction on religious themes, try Fesarius V which finally came out this fall, in my opinion a story can say more of a truly religious nature by how its characters treat each other and do their jobs than any number of religious ceremonies, sermons or pious invocations of this or that god will ever provide. After you've read the stories in Fesarius V, disconnect your prejudices and judge both stories on the basis of plot, characterization, motivation and style and then give an honest judgment on which is the more truly "religious" tale.[35]
[zine]: 'Fesarius 5' is basically a two-story zine, containing what the advertisement in 'Universal Translator' calls the "writers' battle" between Theresa Holmes and Leslie Fish. The source of the authors' contention is what would have happened on Earth had Christ not existed. Theresa's solution in 'Difference' is that the Celts would have overcome the Romans and (with a little ethical help from Spock) set out on a course of wise government and ultimate freedom. The prediction seems perfectly reasonable but as far as the "writers' battle" is concerned it's a 'no contest'. 'Difference' is a good enough gen zine story but ultimately unmemorable against Leslie's long (159 pages reduced type) and powerful narrative.
'Sunset and Evening Star' takes off from two points: a story by Sharon Emily, called 'Proof Positive' (Showcase 2 C.1975 O/P) wherein Spock meets Christ, and from the section of 'This Deadly Innocence' where Kirk and Spock read 'The Star' by Arthur C. Clarke, the story of the light that shone at Christ's birth. From these starting points Leslie postulates an Earth ruled continuously by Rome developing unhindered by the evils of the Dark Ages (ignoring the fact that current archeology is proving that those ages were not so dark after all.). Spaceflight develops 1,000 years early (c. 1500 A.D.). People grow up tolerant and sophisticated, freed from the trammels of religion.
The pivotal point in this change of history is Kirk, who is trapped in the past during the reign of the Emperor Octavius (Augustus) Caesar. In this time line Kirk becomes Emperor, replacing Tiberius of evil fame (see Suetonius 'The Twelve Caesars'). Believing he is in an alternate universe, Kirk sets about improving the lot of the people and unwittingly alters his own history. The Enterprise, thrown forward in time, encounters the results of Kirk's interference; an attractive, mature, hybrid people with far advanced technology. Spock must destroy all this and reroute history to reclaim Kirk. In addition Spock has been 'taken over' by the Master (i.e. Christ) and all his mental processes are being forced into the Master's mold.
Having come this far, the reviewer is confronted with a problem; that of making some kind of pronouncement on the quality of the story, and this is most difficult. To to ease the difficulty, I have divided my thoughts into two; firstly on the style and form of the story;, secondly on the believability of the argument.
Undoubtedly Leslie Fish is a writer of enormous talent. In imagination and mood, the story is very rich with the tapestry of detail so evident in 'This Deadly Innocence. The word 'powerful' still seems most applicable.
The second part of the analysis is the more difficult and although I believe that a reviewer's persona should not intrude, I think some explanation of viewpoint here is necessary for fairness. Therefore: I am an historian in part, although not of the ancient period and I believe in no systematised religion.
Leslie has set out to attack and destroy, not only Christianity, but all god centred belief. Christ is 'Fleecer, milker, eater of souls'. All gods 'want the same thing from us; adulation, worship, mental energy, their food. Christianity marked the arrival of the 'first large scale exploitative cartel into what had previously been a small business market'. Beings are 'livestock'. Christ, in Kirk's view a renegade Organian, Melkotian or Metron, is able to dominate Spock because the Vulcan cannot resist the all-accepting Ioving that the Master appears to offer him. Only for Kirk, can he break away. I find this whole section unconvincing when we have seen Spock resist the Melkotians, the mind sifter and the weight of thousands of years of Vulcan history.
Whatever the truth of this atheistic view, it is strongly argued - too strongly - I think, for the bitterness of the tone pervades the whole, creating a recoil in the reader in proportion to the original intensity. The vehemence of the argument is carried through long and sometimes tedious 'set-piece' conversations again causing possible recoil on the reader's part.
As far as the historical facts are concerned, Leslie has undoubtedly done her homework, and it would take considerable research for a non-ancient historian to argue on a par, even if such argument were relevant to a review. However, I cannot resist one reservation, not with the content of Leslie's history but with the historical method that makes so broad an extrapolation from a single historical inversion, ignoring all the other civilisations of Earth and their potential.
Finally, from what I understand of the Roman character (somewhat inflexible and pragmatic), I cannot see that Roman philosophy would form a basis for the intellectual development Leslie outlines - roads and roublic health aren't everything.
All this is far from a 'shall I order or not decision' and all I can say is that if the subject matter is of previous interest then it's worth the investment. It is thought-provoking.
A last word - Leslie's illos are extraordinary, conveying a sense of movement and strength. Those familiar will know that they are slightly 'cartoon' in style but they glare a strong sense of the spirit, of the characters and the Spock/Christ/Kirk is chilling. [36]
[zine]:I have noted your request for LONG LoC's, so, having just finished reading FESARIUS V, I am setting down my thoughts about it.
Inevitably, I liked the cover, and most of the rest of the artwork was good, too. I got the impression that the illustration on page 70 was supposed to be the other way up, though, since there's no "up" or "down" in space, that can't be considered a serious error.
Theresa Holmes' Difference was my favorite story in the issue. I particularly liked Jery, and Elanor MacPhail's culture sounds fascinating. I was a bit frustrated at only being given a brief glimpse of it. I'd also like to know more about Spock's relationship with Jeremy, and, of course, whether Sss'Char ever caught up with her father, and if that's the only reason why she hates men ... This is beginning to sound like a spiel for a soap opera, but I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for any sequels.
I came in late for Dora, the Singing Andorian, so probably didn't get as much out of it as I should have. 'Twas enjoyable nonetheless.
Very nice sketch accompanying Howard Weinstein's review, and I agreed with every word of the latter. Oh, maybe not every word; the first movie did give us some lovely moments, and a beautiful soundtrack album. I don't think it quite merits total erasure from the fandom's collective mind...
...And now on to the natter which will guarantee this'll be a LONG LoC: What did I think of Sunset and Evening Star?
First of all, I predict that it's going to set off the most heated zine-story discussion since The Rack. Personally, I couldn't get very excited about it, even though I am, by most people's standards, a devoted Christian. (I have to add the qualifier since a lot of my interpretations of scripture, notably on the subject of women's rights, would be too liberal for a fundamentalist's tastes. Well, I never did care what the Moral Majority thought.)
Part of the reason was that I simply couldn't take it seriously as a story; ST principals acting flagrantly out of character always plays havoc with my "willing suspension of disbelief." (No way you can convince me Spock would ever behave so irrationally, or that Mr. Scott could be quite that contemptuous of him.) Of course, the characters' behavior is rather a moot point, since the whole story is obviously only meant to function as a vehicle from which to launch attacks upon the Christian religion, with no alternate views ever offered. (Agnes Day does not offer an alternate view; she functions as a cardboard character of religiousness whose sole purpose is to be knocked flat at every opportunity. Now, if there'd been somebody around with C.S. Lewis' eloquence ...) I did find the one sidedness distinctly unpleasant, but couldn't take any of it personally, since it soon became apparent that my religion — that which has always directed me to seek my fullest mental and physical potentials, which of times compels me to keep my Irish temper in check, which so sharpens my delight in natural spectacles that I've determined to make a career related to biological science, which moves me to make contributions to Unicef and Klanwatch and to write letters for Amnesty International— that religion does not exist in the S&ES universe. (I got the impression that it does exist in the original version of Sharon Emily's Proof Positive universe, however...)
Even an impersonal reading of Fish's arguments reminded me very much of Chariots of the Gods' attempts to "prove" the existence of ancient astronauts; the sheer volume of allegations may look impressive, but when examined individually they just don't hold up very well. At least not for me. To cite just a few examples:
- p. 78: "Uh, 'He sees even the sparrows fall ...'"
- "Perhaps, but does he do anything to stop the sparrow from falling?"
- I should hope not, or we'd soon have a chronic overabundance of sparrows.... [37]
- p. 103: "...to 'love' all folk equally — not 'respect' or 'be tolerant' or 'treat justly' ..."
For me, the introduction of that execrable pro-novel into the Sunset and Evening Star universe promptly dragged the whole story down to the same level. (Not much of a transition, to tell the truth.) I finished it anyway, from force of habit — same reason why I bothered to read all of Trek to Madworld once I'd started. I'm sorry, T.J., Leslie, and whomever, but any work I finish reading, for no better reason than that, just doesn't make my Top Ten list. For whatever it's worth. [38]
- p. 126: "Even the Organians have been known to produce a meddling heretic or two, as you found out on Madworld."
[zine]:FESARIUS V was a treat! I liked the cover immensely ....
And those two blockbuster stories! They definitely had me thinking, especially the second one, by Leslie Fish.
Had he not been love bombed" (a la Rev. Moon) out of his usual reason and into religious fanaticism and blindness, it's interesting to consider that Spock might have chosen a different alternative t o go back to that time line himself, to join Kirk and be to Demas what Hephalstion was to Alexander (although, in his dark beauty, perhaps he resembles more his Persian boy?). Then that glorious imperial future could have existed. (But then we wouldn't have Star Trek. Apity.) Ifound Spock's irra¬ tional and bigoted behavior hard to accept, but of course that's the premise, that his behavior was altered by his "religious experience" and he was "not himself, Although not a Christian, I still found my faith deeply shaken by the story. Powerful writing to bring into doubt the very existenc
I was a bit disappointed that, at the end of all that brilliant research and writing and thought, we find ourselves once again back in K/S-ville, Kirk and Spock blissfully entwined in bed together (however chastely), fade to black, Greater love hath no man and all that, but still!
... My only real criticism of the story was that the drawing of the Imperial ship on page 71 looked startlingly like a television set, and the Enterprise looked like three fat sausages (and wasn't it flying upside-down?).
All in all, Ms. Fish's story left me with my mouth dry, my knees shaky, my faith shattered, and with that certain squirmy feeling in the stomach that occurs when you walk in to find the two men you love best in each other's arms. (The line that stays with me the most is "My poor hybrid Vulcan." Don't know why, but that one really got to me.) A brilliant story. (Oh yeah, and the stuff about Rome was interesting too.)
Ms. Holmes, despite the decapitated heads, wrote the more "cheerful" story. I was fascinated by the character of Elanor MacPhail and would like to delve further into the Delphian chronicles ... And of course, fond of our favorite hybrid Vulcan as I obviously am, I was left eager to discover whether, if as hinted, when Spock and Jeremy Branfield were roomies, did the singjoy indeed sing? (Poor Spock — not only do we have him queer for his captain, but now he's gadding about with his roommates! Well, I suppose if one ascribes that leaning to him, it would be ... excuse the expression ... logical.) I could picture Spock so well, petting and being nuzzled by the little dragonet, debating the merits and morality of "playing God." The part at the end, about Elanor growing her own ship to see for her, reminded me of that Anne McCaffrey story a bit.
A beautifully done ish and I can see five years' work in it. Hope the next one comes out sooner![39]
[zine]:It's been along time but you and Richie and the contributors finally delivered. Looks like it's worth the wait! That fanciful Feyrer cover was charming! I'd forgotten that she can do good G-rated work as well as X-rated sizzlers.
The writing contest didn't turn out to be the duel I'd expected. Theresa Holmes tackled the issue in an entirely different way from Leslie Fish.
In fact, until I got through two-thirds of the story, I thought Theresa had ignored the question entirely:" What would be the effect be on the Star Trek universe if Christ were not an influence?" Her story touched on an incidental aspect —the effect on the Celt-Roman conflict. Spock was right to have misgivings on violating the Prime Directive but under those circumstances, it was the least of all the evils. I was a bit dissatisfied because the ending seemed to trail off. At least Theresa was thoughtful enough to provide an explanatory note at the ending. I wasn't too pleased with the artwork of the regular Enterprise characters —they didn't look like Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. But I did like the fold-out artwork.
One aspect I did like about the story was that for once we were shown, in a fan story that devout Christians could still be intelligent, open-minded, and adventurous enough to venture into space. The first two qualities were sorely needed to balance the shabby image of the believer as presented in Leslie Fish's story, But more on those fireworks, later.
I liked the Triumvirate poem — very fitting. Your illo for it was simple, yet very appropriate. Malfunction also gave a better image of Janice Rand than what appeared in ST:TMP. At least she resented Kirk's interference.
Delightful ending to Dora, the Singing Andorian. It contained everything: A handsome hero, a tearful heroine, and a villain. How could it miss? My favorite part, though, came when Dora told her fickle golddigging lover Thellar, to get lost.
.... I'd really like to know what Sharon Emily thought of Leslie's conversion of her tale Proof Positive from a tale of loving encounter between a loving Jesus Christ and Spock, into one stating that, at that incident, Spock was actually brainwashed into mindless servitude for a greedy god. Seems to me that was quite a distance from what the original story intended ... and connotes character slander. Was this supposed to be in an alternate universe from that in Proof Positive? Or is Leslie saying, "This shows what actually happened in that tale"?
At first, I thought Fish was trying to be fair. Both the believer (Dr. Day) and the atheist (Dr. Hawk) appeared equally illogical and biased in their views of what each side was doing. But then I noticed a subtle shift in the story to make Hawk look good: It was indicated that his "hunches" were frequently correct. No such thing was said about Day, to indicate how she'd managed to get the post of Chief Historian in the first place. Wouldn't she, as ah istorian, also have encountered some accounts of the "dark side" of Christianity —the pogroms, the persecutions —and agreed with Hawk that caution could be observed? If she's that blind to history, wouldn't it have come out long in her career before this, and caused her bosses to recommend her dismissal?
I'm also a little bewildered at the circumstances which made James Kirk the factor in stopping "The Master's" plans. At one point in the story, Kirk speculated that "The Master" entrapped starved, desperate, lonely people by enslaving them with love. Yet, in another part of the story, it was stated that religion functioned as apalliative for the downtrodden masses used by the slaveowners.
I've got news for Leslie: Desperate, lonely people exist even in the most prosperous of places. Just look at the headlines when a successful, famous person (for example, Marilyn Monroe) mystifies everyone by committing suicide, because they had given up on themselves. Therefore there would still be prey for "The Master," even in a prosperous Roman Empire ....
.... There are instances in the Bible when Christ definitely didn't act the way his country's religious leaders would want a faithful Jew to act. He actually spoke to a Samaritan woman (violating the taboos of that time) and dared to call the Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites! Hardly the actions the leaders would want encouraged in the downtrodden masses, don't you think? I also don't remember reading about Him advocating filth as a state of holiness. Sure, he said, "Seek the Kingdom first — and all these will be given besides," but He also took the time to provide wine at a wedding feast —and feed the multitudes with loaves and fishes. So he didn't totally neglect the daily concerns of this world. In fact, in the story of the Last Judgment, some pretty basic questions are asked of the followers: "Did you feed the hungry? Give drink to the thirsty? Clothe the naked? Then, enter the Kingdom" Not all concerns centered on life in the next world.
I will say one thing for Leslie, though. She makes a person think. Her theories are so reasoned-out that I, with all my objections, found myself asking: "Could it be the truth?" I must also admit that the accounts of the alternate Roman empire were very enjoyable, but I think they had more going for them than just James Kirk —the voracious "Master" evidently didn't exist in that timeline at all.
Finally, To Harry —a very touching tribute, T.J. I think Harry enjoyed it, wherever he is.
Thanks all of you, for a memorable issue. If you go for another ish ... I hope it's half as good.[40]
[zine]:I picked up FESARIUS V at the CREATION Con in Boston with curiosity, but, frankly, without expecting too much. The only fan writings before then which had impressed me as "literature" were the various incarnations of KRAITH... so when I began leafing through your zine that night, it was "In Search Of" a little light entertainment, nothing more.
Well, apart from the annoyingly mandatory interruptions of going to work, eating, and sleeping, I did nothing but read-read- READ F5 from cover to cover (twice) for the next 3.2 Earth days. I think I'm trying to say that I was "pleasantly surprised" (a Spockian understatement if there ever was one).
Theresa Holmes shows great promise of becoming one darn good writer (watch all those dependent clauses and adjectives, however, T.H.), reminiscent of Marion Zimmer Bradley, an all-time favorite of mine.
Leslie Fish already more than fulfills such promise: Sunset and Evening Star has got to be the best fan story I've ever read, and a standout even compared to most pro SF (ST and otherwise) I see published these days. I suspect we'll be seeing a lot of Ms. Fish on the SF scene in coming years. After ST, I, Claudius is my favorite teleshow of all time, and I'm grateful to see someone finally giving poor, maligned Livia the credit she deserves after all these (2000) years (to say nothing of Harlan ...I mean, "Ellison Hawk").
For having the inspired temerity to balance these two writers off one another in the same zine, you, the editors, have won my respect and admiration (I know whereof I speak, too: I'm a copy editor and reporter for a small chain of weekly newspapers in southeastern Massachusetts).
Both Sunset and Difference are bound to stir up much controversy in fandom. Both take a firm stand on (opposing sides of) deeply personal, metaphysical issues, ones which most people would prefer to ignore and/or take the safe middle road on (the fact that both tales are as entertaining as all heck is pure bonus). Ah, something to offend everyone!
Good luck dealing with the can of worms you've opened. Hope to see more Fesarii in the future.[41]
[zine]:So you want LoC's on FESARIUS V? Believe me, I wouldn't have needed any persuading to write on this zine. It's a beautiful looking one; clean, neat, with artwork that goes from wonderful (Gayle F) to mediocre (L. Fish).
I enjoyed Theresa Holmes' Difference very much.
Howard Weinstein's STII review was a very well written and intelligent piece, offering new insight into ST's two movies.
Why, then, am I so disgusted with your zine? Why did I need to wait a year and a half before I could respond in a near-constructive way? Why do I feel as if I was ripped off ... ? You owe it all to 160 pages of Sunset and Evening Star by L. Fish. While Sharon Emily's Proof Positive (from Showcase II) is not as well written as Ms. Fish's story, Emily's work is sensitive and warming, while Fish's novella is distractive, totally insensitive, and the characterizations of our Trek friends are so far off-base it's hard to recognize them. If I were Ms. Emily I'd demand an apology for corrupting her story into this degenerative piece of so-called "writing."
The way Fish has corroded a beautiful story by Emily — not to mention her ridiculous distortion of history (her not so impressive "research" notwithstanding, since I'm familiar with these books and a much wider range than she displays) — should have been unworthy of the calibre zine you seemed to be aiming for.
It's more than obvious that Ms. Fish has a personal ax to grind against Christians and their beliefs. The question is whether a Trek zine, which should support the philosophy of IDIC, is the place to do it. I really don't need to tell the editors of Fesarius that they, along with Fish, have succeeded in insulting the intelligence of a large populus of our planet — Christians. Without exception every one of my friends that read this story was disgusted with it. Not all of them were Christians, but represented many various religions. I truly hope this tells you something, part of which is that a story written in prejudice gains nothing if it is well written ....
I'm particularly astounded at Richie Robinson, who in his Final Transmission told all of us readers of his then recent conversion to Roman Catholicism, Fish's story blatantly insults a whole spectrum of Christians (since there are so many Christian denominations). Is this how Robinson shows what he thinks of his newfound faith?
...So now, what am I going to do with a zine that is mostly an insult to the ideals of Star Trek fandom and its beautiful concept of differences combining to create truth and beauty (the working words are truth and beauty)? I'm going to round file it, [42] learning a lesson in the process — and never buy Fesarius again.[43]
[zine]:Who are you? Where have you (and FESARIUS) been for the past five years of my life? How did you finagle a [Gayle F] cover? (It's beautiful, as usual!) Will there be a FESARIUS VI?
I've just finished FESARIUS V... whew! To be honest, I started out thinking it was a fair, nice zine. I enjoyed Theresa Holmes' story but wasn't drastically affected by it.
Then I put the zine aside for awhile ... I picked it up again a few days ago and started reading Sunset and Evening Star ... Now, I've read Leslie Fish's work before and have been impressed by it, but this time she's outdone herself. I'm also very impressed with you for publishing such a ...controversial piece. That takes chutzpah! To say I loved the story, was moved by it, was impressed with Leslie's skills as a writer, would be an under¬ statement ! I've read ... and written ... a lot of fan fiction, and this is probably the most intelligent, well written, thought provoking piece I've ever come across. [44]
[zine]:...May Finagle avoid you, and the Great Bird bless your life. FES 5 was areal pleasure. My positive response is remarkable when one considers that I started reading your zine four hours after taking —and probably flunking — a proficiency exam in Latin. I never wanted to see, hear or think about anything Roman again. So what did I get when I opened Fes 5? Two hundred pages of Romans! Sic vita esc, but I sure could've used the Universal Translator ...
This is my first exposure to Fesarius, and I'm quite impressed. Layout and illos are both pleasing to the eye, and far more polished than the fanzine average. I'm not big on fan poetry, but then I'm not big on the "Great Foots" either, and I make a living teaching them. Your prose selections are really fine.
Difference is a nice, reliable ST story -- no surprises, but a consistent and enjoyable adventure. Elanor MacPhail, however, strikes me as a Mary Sue-in-disguise; she's too perfect, too much the scene-stealer. I sense that she is a result of an author's fantasies spilling over ....
Now for Sunset and Evening Star. This novella is very good, with remarkable potential. Leslie took an oft-used story line and built a rich plot that is thoroughly engrossing. The dialogues rival Heinlein's neo-Socratic debates; the plot and sub-plot interact perfectly; there is a perfect balance of humor and seriousness. Her basic concept, that Christ and Christianity are a malevolent perversion of human history, is very brave and well supported within the story.
There are two areas in which the story suffers, however. (Sorry if I sound pedantic — habit, I guess.) Agnes Day is ill-conceived and worse executed; she is a one-dimensional character in a world of real personalities. She is flat, as E.M. Forster defines it: "constructed round a single quality or ideal ..." Leslie goes too far in telling us to hate Agnes —page 146, for example: " Day rolled her eyes and absently fluffed her curls." That's a signal, saying, BITCH! PRISSY LITTLE GOODY-GOODY!
....If Agnes Day (even her name, Agnus Dei, is too limiting) is dull and implausible, then that which she represents (Christian piety) is also reduced to an uninteresting aberration. That is not the case, or Leslie could not write a whole novel about the dangers of Christian religiosity. Sunset and Evening Star goes beyond mere black versus white, angels versus devils, but Agnes simplifies a complexly rich conflict of values.
My other complaint with Leslie's story concerns the final scene between Kirk and Spock. The mind-meld is beautifully described; it's afterwards that there is a sense of unreality. I'm no lover of the male-macho bit, but it seems out of character for two such constrained men to lie in each other's arms and cry. And to have Kirk saying, "Don't go off alone for tonight. You can stay here ... I know there is a whole K/S homosexual tradition, and more power to those who profess it, but it's not organic to this story. If Leslie wants to write a K/S story, fine, but it disrupts this novel to tack a hint of K/S onto the end.
On a different note: Why do time travel stories always focus on Imperial Rome?
Why not ancient Greece? Can't you just see Spock debating with Socrates? Kirk matching wits with Odysseus? Or Star Trek ala Chaucer Whanna that Starre Fleet wytb ittse shyppes sweete ....[45]
[zine]:FESARIUS V was very interesting, particularly the story by Leslie Fish, She's an excellent writer. Having all the traditional concepts of God and Christ turned inside out certainly held my attention. In fact, I found it quite disturbing — as I suppose she intended.
One inconsistency still bothers me. Once the characters had decided that all religion had been and is a scam made up by predatory advanced aliens, why were Spock and particularly the little scientist who wanted to be a Roman so careful to perform the captain of the Roman spaceship's religious rite after his death? I f the theory about the predatory aliens is correct, then performing religious rite is playing into their hands, At the very least, it's not doing the Roman Captain any good. [46]
[zine]:...I finally finished FESARIUS this afternoon. Good all-around stuff ...
A few annoyances in the Holmes story —
1) The dialectical "thought passages. Come on! Nobody thinks with an accent. You think in concepts and ideas, and rarely in words — but to you, the thinker, those words are perfectly normal and carry no accent. In the mind of MacPhail there's no way she'd chink "nae mon's pairfect" —in her mind it says It no man's perfect" —it's just the way her mouth was trained ... to articulate those words that gives an accent.
2) Call it a "singjoy" or a "dragonet" or whatever you will, but a firelizard is still a firelizard and they are a big enough pain in the butt on Pern and at SF conventions — DON'T put them in Star Trek too! Please!
3) Christ was never born here in the past universe of the story — are we actually supposed to believe that by Spock giving the Celts a lecture on a few moral ideas that history will turn out exactly the same? The entire Fish novel showed how much impact the Christian Church had on the development of man without it, how in the hell is the 23rd century going to emerge unchanged? But then I've always been a firm adherent to the Ray Bradbury school of time travel and history —go back far enough and kill a fly, thereby wiping out all future generations of that fly, affecting all the spiders, birds, etc. which fed on those generations, which in turn .... That's why I can't buy a lot of Star Trek, with the Enterprise crew mucking around in time, making all sorts of subtle changes...
The characters aren't always right either, in Fish's or Holmes' works — especially in Fish. The most glaring thing is James T. Kirk would NEVER say "Fuck off!" Scotty would never say "Shit." Not that I'm a prude, but in all the episodes of the series Kirk only says "hell" once, after Edith Keeler died — Gene Roddenberry created the characters and ST characters just didn't CUSS. And since you're using GR's characters you've got to keep them the same ....[47]
[zine]:Difference by Theresa Holmes ... is definitely a well written ST story (novella). The structure is well-formed; however, the character development of Elanor MacPhail appeared to me to be a little confusing/awkward especially up to the point where Elanor gains control of the Enterprise, Additionally, the attempted use of italic text to represent thoughts ... tended to confuse more ... than gain in favor of language accent. I personally ended up glossing over the italic representations of Elanor's thoughts in order to maintain continuity within the story ... Overall, I rate Difference as FAIR to GOOD. A little more character development in future stories by Theresa Holmes and I would say she will quickly rise to becoming a first rate writer —possibly professional in time.
Sunset and Evening Star by Leslie Fish is a very original and innovative story! The story (or should I say novel) flows along well with an excellent plot. The supporting characters are intriguing and well developed if nothing else. The overall story is first rate; however, there are some minor points which need mentioning ...
The maturity level of some of the main characters were more juvenile than that of middle-aged men with years of experience in dealing with the wonders and dangers of space. They seem more black and white than color ... as I said, a minor point. The only really disappointing portion of the story was the ending! A fannish gesture perhaps to the juvenile rumor about the Kirk/Spock relation, which in itself is well and good —but at least build up to it in the story! Needless to say, I found the ending tacky and idiotic, a grave disappointment. A rewrite of the ending would raise the story's effectiveness — if it were tied in with the rest of the story. Overall, I rate Sunset and Evening Star as only GOOD. It could have been better! Very close to professional, although somewhat juvenile at times —it depends on the readers Leslie wants.
... Even with its disappointing end, Leslie's story has innovation and sparkle to it. Definitely a cut above the old "time travel to beat the baddies." The challenge in presenting Christianity and its rise/spread as possible "super alien" manipulation was more intriguing than chasing Klingons and Romulans with some cameos by the Celts. So much for my two cents!
Off the record ... Leslie's illustration on page 71 ... when I first saw it, the "Invictus" looked like a flying Magnavox TV! T.J. — the page is upside down! [48]
[zine]:What can I say about FESARIUS V? "WOW!" just doesn't seem to cover it. I bought this zine at BayCon (San Jose, CA) because the cover yelled, "Buy me!" Am I glad I did.
Theresa Holmes' Difference is a great story but somehow I felt like I had jumped into the middle of a much bigger story. Her characters and illustrations were very well done, and I'm looking forward to more.
Malfunction brought back to me very brilliantly one of the most chilling scenes in Star Trek: TMP. Howard Weinstein's ST II review was refreshing. No extensive sighing over Spock's demise ...
What can I say about Leslie Fish's Sunset and Evening Star? That story was a rare, REAL treat. It entertained me AND got me thinking deeply. I never figured Ancient Rome was as bad as I was "taught" it was. It never ceases to amaze me how a few fanatics can twist our perception of history around. Leslie's characterizations were very sound so well done that I wanted to strangle both dear ol' Spock (!) and Agnes Day. She gratingly reminded me of an extremely fanatical Christian roommate I once had ... Heavy duty thinking material, that story. Thanks, Leslie.
T.J., this zine is a definite keeper. Thank you and your contributors ever so much for such good reading and art. I'm DEFINITELY looking forward to #6. [49]
[zine]:The cover was gorgeous and so was Leslie Fish's story! (Nifty article too.) I think it's the best SF/ST story that I've seen all year! Since, having such a fantastic piece, I must congratulate you on presenting it so attractively.
Hope your next issue has a "masterpiece" like this one! [50]
Issue 6
Fesarius 6 was published in October 1984 and contains 150 pages.
The art is by B.L. Barr, T.J. Burnside, Peter Zale, Pat Cash, Bob Eggleton, Caro Hedge, Mary Bohdanowicz, P.S. Nom, Patrick O'Neill, Karen River, Melody Rondeau, Leah Rosenthal, Hannah M.G. Shapero, Gennie Summers, Carole Swoboda, Howard Weinstein, T'hy'la by B.L. Barr (inside front cover).
This issue was dedicated to Beth Nugteren who had been killed September 14, 1984 by a drunk driver while she and her friends were on their way to a SCA event.
From the editorial:
Well, it's been two years since the publication of FESARIUS V. Since it took five years to get the last issue out, I'm congratulating myself on a grand improvement! (Actually, the only real reason this one IS late is that I wanted to wait until I had enough pages to be able to put the name on the spine of the binding. Ah, vanity, thy name is zined!
There's a lot that's new this issue ... first of all, I've gone to a two-column format to make it easier to read (but lordy, SO much harder to type!) and the contents have also been expanded. In addition to Star Trek material you'll find some (*gasp*) Star Wars fiction (I know, I know, I said I'd never include SW ... so I lied), and some original SF and fantasy material (and one Bubonic Plague tale which defies classification ... sorry, Kevin!).
One piece which I'm particularly proud to present is Leslie Fish's Darkover ballad, "The Horse Tamer's Daughter." Hannah M.G. Shapero has my utter and most groveling gratitude for taking time from her busy professional artwork schedule to do eight pages (!) of stunning illustrations for the piece, as well as several charming drawings for another story in this issue (Philip Hughes' delightful fantasy, "At Large in a Dapple- Grey World").
Here's a special plug, too: Off-Centaur Publications has produced a tape of "The Horse Tamer's Daughter" (by the same name) featuring Julia Ecklar. See the ad on page 11, If you like it as a poem, you'll love the song (and if you haven't heard Julia sing, you've been living in a very boring cave).
- Table of Contents (2)
- Editorial Transmission by T.J. Burnside (3)
- The Corner Mailbox, letters of comment (5)
- The Elder by L. Jeanne Powers (Star Trek: TOS) (12)
- Pitbroch, poem by Kelly Hill (Star Trek: TOS) (16)
- Star Trek III, review by Howard Weinstein (17)
- Star Schlep III: Besmirched by Schlock by Lee Heller (script of the con skit that was performed by the BSTA Players at The BASH, November 3, 1984) (Star Trek: TOS) (19)
- Birth Day/Later Day by B.L. Barr (Star Trek: TOS) (39)
- Fandom's Lost Idealism, essay by Sandra Necchi (also printed in K/S & K.S. (Kindred Spirits) #10 in September 1984) (41)
- Words, poem by L. Jeanne Powers (Star Trek: TOS) (46)
- At Large in a Dapple-Grey World, a Fairy Tale for Modern Times by Philip Hughes (original fantasy) (47)
- If This Be Madness by Ann Cecil (Star Trek: TOS) (51)
- Hiatus by Jennifer Weston (Star Trek: TOS) (67)
- Warpfactor II, a Speculative Utopia by B.F. Skynard (a parody of "Walden II)" (Star Trek: TOS) , meta)(69)
- Turning Points by Lorraine Bartlett (Star Wars) (73)
- Joining, poem by Lee Heller (Star Trek: TOS) (89)
- The Horse Tamer's Daughter by Leslie Fish (Darkover) (90)
- Blessed Are the Pure In Heart by Kevin J. Anderson (original science fiction) (98)
- Solace by T.J. Burnside and Gail Pittaway (Star Wars) (109)
- Blood Brothers, poem by B.L. Barr (113)
- Old Spice by Lee Heller (Star Trek: TOS) (114)
- And the Sins of the Fathers, poem by Lee Heller (Star Trek: TOS) (118)
- An Educational Experience by Lynette Knox (Star Trek: TOS) (119)
- The Last Page by Eddie Tor: You Are Receiving This Zine Because (150)
from issue #6, an interesting take on T'hy'la
from issue #6, inside back cover, Bob Eggleton
from issue #6, T.J. Burnside
from issue #6, Pat Cash
from issue #6, Peter Zale
from issue #6, Peter Zale
from issue #6, P.S. Nim
from issue #6, P.S. Nim
from issue #6, Gennie Summers (portrays Carol Marcus and David Marcus)
from issue #6, Gennie Summers
from issue #6, T.J. Burnside
from issue #6, Melody Rondeau
from issue #6, Karen River
from issue #6, Peter Zale
from issue #6, TACS
from issue #6, TACS
from issue #6, TACS
from issue #6, Hannah Sapero
from issue #6, Hannah Sapero
from issue #6, Hannah Sapero
from issue #6, You Are Receiving This Zine Because
![from issue #6, Hannah Shapero: in 2017 from the artist: "...the young King meets with a richly dressed woman who is not an aristocrat but the Madam of the whole town." [51]](/w/images/thumb/6/6b/Kingandunircorn-2.jpg/180px-Kingandunircorn-2.jpg)
from issue #6, Hannah Shapero: in 2017 from the artist: "...the young King meets with a richly dressed woman who is not an aristocrat but the Madam of the whole town." [51]
![from issue #6, Hannah Shapero: in 2017 from the artist: "...shows the Unicorn's horn becoming less....horny. There you have it. Black ink on illustration board, 2 panels on page 7" x 10", summer 1984.[52]](/w/images/thumb/c/c7/Kingandunircorn.jpg/180px-Kingandunircorn.jpg)
from issue #6, Hannah Shapero: in 2017 from the artist: "...shows the Unicorn's horn becoming less....horny. There you have it. Black ink on illustration board, 2 panels on page 7" x 10", summer 1984.[52]
![from issue #6, Hannah Shapero: in 2017 from the artist: "Once upon a time there was a young king who went on a quest to find himself a bride. For the usual dynastic reasons, she needed to be a virgin. To assure that she was, he took along a Unicorn with him on his royal progress. Unicorns, as is known in fantasy, will not allow any non-virgin to ride them, and are uneasy in the presence of, uh, sexually active people. The king realized he was going to have a problem from the very first village he visited. The Unicorn stood unridden and upset, because every woman from adult to child (yes, children too) turned out not to be a virgin, in fact they were all for sale. Isn't that cute? Now that we are hearing what happens to women of all ages in the presence of powerful men, these "ribald" stories just aren't that entertaining. At least they weren't for me. I didn't like the story, but I did the illustrations anyway. You didn't talk about those things in 1984. Black ink on illustration board, 8 1//2" x 11", summer 1984." [53]](/w/images/thumb/0/04/Kingandunircorn-1.jpg/180px-Kingandunircorn-1.jpg)
from issue #6, Hannah Shapero: in 2017 from the artist: "Once upon a time there was a young king who went on a quest to find himself a bride. For the usual dynastic reasons, she needed to be a virgin. To assure that she was, he took along a Unicorn with him on his royal progress. Unicorns, as is known in fantasy, will not allow any non-virgin to ride them, and are uneasy in the presence of, uh, sexually active people. The king realized he was going to have a problem from the very first village he visited. The Unicorn stood unridden and upset, because every woman from adult to child (yes, children too) turned out not to be a virgin, in fact they were all for sale. Isn't that cute? Now that we are hearing what happens to women of all ages in the presence of powerful men, these "ribald" stories just aren't that entertaining. At least they weren't for me. I didn't like the story, but I did the illustrations anyway. You didn't talk about those things in 1984. Black ink on illustration board, 8 1//2" x 11", summer 1984." [53]
![from issue #6, Hannah Shapero: in 2017 from the artist: "...the young King meets with a richly dressed woman who is not an aristocrat but the Madam of the whole town." [51]](/wiki/File:Kingandunircorn-2.jpg)
![from issue #6, Hannah Shapero: in 2017 from the artist: "...shows the Unicorn's horn becoming less....horny. There you have it. Black ink on illustration board, 2 panels on page 7" x 10", summer 1984.[52]](/wiki/File:Kingandunircorn.jpg)
![from issue #6, Hannah Shapero: in 2017 from the artist: "Once upon a time there was a young king who went on a quest to find himself a bride. For the usual dynastic reasons, she needed to be a virgin. To assure that she was, he took along a Unicorn with him on his royal progress. Unicorns, as is known in fantasy, will not allow any non-virgin to ride them, and are uneasy in the presence of, uh, sexually active people. The king realized he was going to have a problem from the very first village he visited. The Unicorn stood unridden and upset, because every woman from adult to child (yes, children too) turned out not to be a virgin, in fact they were all for sale. Isn't that cute? Now that we are hearing what happens to women of all ages in the presence of powerful men, these "ribald" stories just aren't that entertaining. At least they weren't for me. I didn't like the story, but I did the illustrations anyway. You didn't talk about those things in 1984. Black ink on illustration board, 8 1//2" x 11", summer 1984." [53]](/wiki/File:Kingandunircorn-1.jpg)
References
- ^ from Scuttlebutt #4
- ^ Robinson wrote in issue #4: "I'm 16 now, and I'm sure I will remember what all of you have given me even when I'm 60 (I still have every letter written to me while in fandom — even the nasty ones.)"
- ^ Burnside mentions being 21 years old in the editorial of the issue #5.
- ^ from Interphase #4
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius #2
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius #2
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius #2
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius #2, this fan apologizes for this letter in the next issue. - Eds
- ^ This is a reference to Warped Space #10, published in August 1975, that was an explicit het issue.
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius #2
- ^ from Paula Smith in Menagerie #12
- ^ Jacqueline Lichtenberg's letter of comment printed in "Fesaruis" #4
- ^ from a letter of comment printed in "Fesaruis" #4
- ^ from a letter of comment printed in "Fesaruis" #4
- ^ from a letter of comment by Roberta Rogow printed in "Fesaruis" #4
- ^ from a letter of comment by Connie DiFonso printed in "Fesaruis" #4
- ^ from a letter of comment printed in "Fesaruis" #4
- ^ from a letter of comment by Lori Chapek-Carleton printed in "Fesaruis" #4
- ^ from a letter of comment printed in "Fesaruis" #4
- ^ Too Good to be True: 150 Years of Mary Sue -- The Mary Sues Listed (addendum to Too Good to be True: 150 Years of Mary Sue) posted around 1998, accessed 4 June 2012
- ^ by Paula Smith from Menagerie #14
- ^ from ComLoC #7 (1978)
- ^ from an LoC in Fesarius #4
- ^ from an LoC in Fesarius #4
- ^ from an open letter by Joan Shumsky in Fesarius #4, also printed in The World of Dark Shadows #18
- ^ from an LoC in Fesarius #4
- ^ from an LoC in Fesarius #4
- ^ from an LoC in Fesarius #4
- ^ by Dixie Owens in WXYZine #1 (1978)
- ^ from Scuttlebutt #16
- ^ from Academy Chronicles #8
- ^ from Warped Space #48
- ^ from Universal Translator #19
- ^ from TREKisM #26
- ^ from Interstat #63
- ^ from Communicator #10 (1983)
- ^ Perhaps a better analogy would be to skip the sparrows, and ask the question something more personal and horrifying.
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius" #6
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius" #6
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius" #6
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius" #6
- ^ "round file it" means she is going to throw the zine in the trash.
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius" #6
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius" #6
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius" #6
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius" #6
- ^ from a letter of comment by Kevin J. Anderson in "Fesarius" #6
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius" #6
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius" #6
- ^ from a letter of comment in "Fesarius" #6
- ^ Unicorn Fail (December 6, 2017)
- ^ Unicorn Fail (December 6, 2017)
- ^ Molesting the Unicorn (December 5, 2017)