Eldritch Abominations for the SFF Soul: Five Works of Cosmic Horror
https://www.tor.com/2021/10/28/eldritch-abominations-for-the-sff-soul-five-works-of-cosmic-horror/
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

On Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 8:09:22 AM UTC-6, James Nicoll wrote:
> Eldritch Abominations for the SFF Soul: Five Works of Cosmic Horror
> https://www.tor.com/2021/10/28/eldritch-abominations-for-the-sff-soul-five-works-of-cosmic-horror/

Accelerando illustrates something I've been thinking about
recently, even if the threat here is from capitalism rather than
from nanotech hackers.

Technology keeps progressing, and as it keeps progressing in
free societies, the possibility of its misuse keep growing.
Fission and fusion technology have mostly been kept out of
private hands - with the Americum in smoke detectors being
one gap that was once exploited - but computer technology,
so far less dangerous, has not.

3D printing, CRISPR, nanotech - there are potential dangers on
the horizon.

But if, thanks to the election of Donald Trump in 2024, the
United States joined the world's other two nuclear superpowers
in being at least an authoritarian dictatorship, like Russia,
if not a totalitarian one, like China... although I've opposed this
prospect, as it would not be pleasant, it could bring world
peace, as well as a shutdown of technological progress.

Basically for the same reason as in ancient China -
technological progress threatens to upset apple carts,
and overthrow dictators, who therefore will see no need
for it if they're not under an external military threat
from technological equals, as was the case in mountainous
Europe (see Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond).

The safety of a new dark age... that may be just what the
human race needs to survive. So, while I had viewed
a Donald Trump victory in 2024 as a horrible disaster, to
be avoided at all costs, perhaps there is a HIgher Power
that knows better than I do...

John Savard

On Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 10:09:22 AM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
> Eldritch Abominations for the SFF Soul: Five Works of Cosmic Horror
> https://www.tor.com/2021/10/28/eldritch-abominations-for-the-sff-soul-five-works-of-cosmic-horror/
> --
> My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
> My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
> My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
> My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

It's just the right time of the year for Roger Zelazny's wonderful novel "A Night in the Lonesome October", which revolves around a periodic conflict to enable or prevent the invasion of our world by Cosmic Horrors.

On Thu, 28 Oct 2021 08:54:38 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc
<jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:

>On Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 8:09:22 AM UTC-6, James Nicoll wrote:
>> Eldritch Abominations for the SFF Soul: Five Works of Cosmic Horror
>> https://www.tor.com/2021/10/28/eldritch-abominations-for-the-sff-soul-five-works-of-cosmic-horror/
>
>Accelerando illustrates something I've been thinking about
>recently, even if the threat here is from capitalism rather than
>from nanotech hackers.
>
>Technology keeps progressing, and as it keeps progressing in
>free societies, the possibility of its misuse keep growing.
>Fission and fusion technology have mostly been kept out of
>private hands

The difficulty of making fission bombs has kept them out of private
hands more than any effort of "socieity", and without fission bombs
you can't do much with fusion.

>- with the Americum in smoke detectors being
>one gap that was once exploited - but computer technology,
>so far less dangerous, has not.
>
>3D printing, CRISPR, nanotech - there are potential dangers on
>the horizon.
>
>But if, thanks to the election of Donald Trump in 2024, the
>United States joined the world's other two nuclear superpowers
>in being at least an authoritarian dictatorship, like Russia,
>if not a totalitarian one, like China... although I've opposed this
>prospect, as it would not be pleasant, it could bring world
>peace, as well as a shutdown of technological progress.

The US is already an empire, it just needs an emperor. It became an
empire the day that a bunch of kings decided that they could make up
their own laws by saying the magic words "it's an emergency". Now
they just need an emperor to hold their leashes.

>Basically for the same reason as in ancient China -
>technological progress threatens to upset apple carts,
>and overthrow dictators, who therefore will see no need
>for it if they're not under an external military threat
>from technological equals, as was the case in mountainous
>Europe (see Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond).
>
>The safety of a new dark age... that may be just what the
>human race needs to survive. So, while I had viewed
>a Donald Trump victory in 2024 as a horrible disaster, to
>be avoided at all costs, perhaps there is a HIgher Power
>that knows better than I do...
>
>John Savard

On Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 8:04:33 PM UTC-6, J. Clarke wrote:
> It became an
> empire the day that a bunch of kings decided that they could make up
> their own laws by saying the magic words "it's an emergency".

Are you criticizing those state governors who reacted properly to
the COVID-19 pandemic by taking the necessary and sensible
public health measures recommended by the medical profession?

Instead of criticizing people like Florida governor Ron de Santis, who
is trying to *prevent* schools in that state from requiring students to
wear masks?

Even in the United States, the legal basis for public health measures
during a pandemic is sound.

And the consequences of not taking them are grave: hospital ICUs
that are overworked, which prevent elective surgeries from being
carried out, leading to additional needless deaths.

COVID-19 is capable of causing harm to humans. Failure to take the
actions required to mitigate this harm as much as possible is not
permissible.

John Savard

On Thu, 28 Oct 2021 21:46:41 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc
<jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:

>On Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 8:04:33 PM UTC-6, J. Clarke wrote:
>> It became an
>> empire the day that a bunch of kings decided that they could make up
>> their own laws by saying the magic words "it's an emergency".
>
>Are you criticizing those state governors who reacted properly to
>the COVID-19 pandemic by taking the necessary and sensible
>public health measures recommended by the medical profession?

No, I am criticizing the system that allows suchy "necessary and
sensimble public health measures" to remain in force in perpetuity
with no review by any elected body.

>Instead of criticizing people like Florida governor Ron de Santis, who
>is trying to *prevent* schools in that state from requiring students to
>wear masks?

If the king of New York can make up a law requiring masks, why can't
the king of Florida make up a law forbidding them? If the king has
the power to enact legislation by saying "it's an emergency" then we
are no longer anything even distantly resembling a democracy. That
you may agree with the laws enacted by a particular king does not make
him any less a king.

>Even in the United States, the legal basis for public health measures
>during a pandemic is sound.

The issue is not "public health measures", it is the king enacting an
edict that remains in force in perpetuity without any review by the
body that is in theory the only one entitled to issue edicts.

This is the Senate trying to control Caesar.

>And the consequences of not taking them are grave: hospital ICUs
>that are overworked, which prevent elective surgeries from being
>carried out, leading to additional needless deaths.

So what? Your assertion seems to be "this time the king did something
I agree with therefore he is not a king".

>COVID-19 is capable of causing harm to humans. Failure to take the
>actions required to mitigate this harm as much as possible is not
>permissible.

So what? In what states have the legislatures made those actions law?
the basis for those actions in all cases of which I am aware is the
king enacting an edict, not a legislature enacting a law.

On Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 10:09:22 AM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
> Eldritch Abominations for the SFF Soul: Five Works of Cosmic Horror
> https://www.tor.com/2021/10/28/eldritch-abominations-for-the-sff-soul-five-works-of-cosmic-horror/

The Web serial _Worm_, which I seem to recall you reviewed some
months ago, is one of the more horrific works of Cosmic Horror. However,
you have to read 1.68 million words, then review the author's explanation
of how the world really works and then reread [at least parts of] the serial
in order to get the full picture.

Perhaps not entirely surprisingly, Worm fanfiction (over 10,000 works at
last count) tends to be lighter in tone and to present the universe as less
horrific than it was in the canon. Even authors who are primarily
interested in character trauma rarely touch upon the fact that most
characters are, to quote a rare exception -- MASSIVE rot13-protected
SPOILERS -- pbzong zrng chccrgf sbe na nyvra pbzchgre.

On Thu, 28 Oct 2021 22:04:28 -0400, J. Clarke
<jclarke.873638@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Thu, 28 Oct 2021 08:54:38 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc
><jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:
>
>>On Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 8:09:22 AM UTC-6, James Nicoll wrote:
>>> Eldritch Abominations for the SFF Soul: Five Works of Cosmic Horror
>>> https://www.tor.com/2021/10/28/eldritch-abominations-for-the-sff-soul-five-works-of-cosmic-horror/
>>
>>Accelerando illustrates something I've been thinking about
>>recently, even if the threat here is from capitalism rather than
>>from nanotech hackers.
>>
>>Technology keeps progressing, and as it keeps progressing in
>>free societies, the possibility of its misuse keep growing.
>>Fission and fusion technology have mostly been kept out of
>>private hands
>
>The difficulty of making fission bombs has kept them out of private
>hands more than any effort of "socieity", and without fission bombs
>you can't do much with fusion.
>
>>- with the Americum in smoke detectors being
>>one gap that was once exploited - but computer technology,
>>so far less dangerous, has not.
>>
>>3D printing, CRISPR, nanotech - there are potential dangers on
>>the horizon.
>>
>>But if, thanks to the election of Donald Trump in 2024, the
>>United States joined the world's other two nuclear superpowers
>>in being at least an authoritarian dictatorship, like Russia,
>>if not a totalitarian one, like China... although I've opposed this
>>prospect, as it would not be pleasant, it could bring world
>>peace, as well as a shutdown of technological progress.
>
>The US is already an empire, it just needs an emperor. It became an
>empire the day that a bunch of kings decided that they could make up
>their own laws by saying the magic words "it's an emergency". Now
>they just need an emperor to hold their leashes.

They did so under the law as passed by the legislature.

This is why all the histrionics are political and not legal.

Some States have re-thought that power, and put in limits.

And at least one did require legislative review after a period of
time, IIRC.

But this is very useful -- it highlights the difference between sane
people and RINOs:

1) Sane people act to reduce the infection/death rates, using the
legally-available tools.

2) RINOs do everything they can to kill off their base, while chanting
about "personal choice" -- which, somehow, never applies to people who
/choose/ to wear masks, socially distance, or get vaccinated, but only
to those who don't.

Last I read, the unvaccinated were 11 times as likely to die as the
vaccinated. Which approach to /you/ think is working better?

And it is Texas and Florida which are currently afflicted with
Governors who are very reminiscent of ... Mussolini.

Lots of bluster. Not much else.
--
"I begin to envy Petronius."
"I have envied him long since."

In article <ej6ongtc5fmv9vnndfkp65oud6m8p6lebp@4ax.com>,
Paul S Person <psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>On Thu, 28 Oct 2021 22:04:28 -0400, J. Clarke
><jclarke.873638@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 28 Oct 2021 08:54:38 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc
>><jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:
>>
>>>On Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 8:09:22 AM UTC-6, James Nicoll wrote:
>>>> Eldritch Abominations for the SFF Soul: Five Works of Cosmic Horror
>>>>
>https://www.tor.com/2021/10/28/eldritch-abominations-for-the-sff-soul-five-works-of-cosmic-horror/
>>>
>>>Accelerando illustrates something I've been thinking about
>>>recently, even if the threat here is from capitalism rather than
>>>from nanotech hackers.
>>>
>>>Technology keeps progressing, and as it keeps progressing in
>>>free societies, the possibility of its misuse keep growing.
>>>Fission and fusion technology have mostly been kept out of
>>>private hands
>>
>>The difficulty of making fission bombs has kept them out of private
>>hands more than any effort of "socieity", and without fission bombs
>>you can't do much with fusion.
>>
>>>- with the Americum in smoke detectors being
>>>one gap that was once exploited - but computer technology,
>>>so far less dangerous, has not.
>>>
>>>3D printing, CRISPR, nanotech - there are potential dangers on
>>>the horizon.
>>>
>>>But if, thanks to the election of Donald Trump in 2024, the
>>>United States joined the world's other two nuclear superpowers
>>>in being at least an authoritarian dictatorship, like Russia,
>>>if not a totalitarian one, like China... although I've opposed this
>>>prospect, as it would not be pleasant, it could bring world
>>>peace, as well as a shutdown of technological progress.
>>
>>The US is already an empire, it just needs an emperor. It became an
>>empire the day that a bunch of kings decided that they could make up
>>their own laws by saying the magic words "it's an emergency". Now
>>they just need an emperor to hold their leashes.
>
>They did so under the law as passed by the legislature.
>
>This is why all the histrionics are political and not legal.
>
>Some States have re-thought that power, and put in limits.
>
>And at least one did require legislative review after a period of
>time, IIRC.
>
>But this is very useful -- it highlights the difference between sane
>people and RINOs:
>
>1) Sane people act to reduce the infection/death rates, using the
>legally-available tools.
>
>2) RINOs do everything they can to kill off their base, while chanting
>about "personal choice" -- which, somehow, never applies to people who
>/choose/ to wear masks, socially distance, or get vaccinated, but only
>to those who don't.
>
>Last I read, the unvaccinated were 11 times as likely to die as the
>vaccinated. Which approach do /you/ think is working better?
>
>And it is Texas and Florida which are currently afflicted with
>Governors who are very reminiscent of ... Mussolini.
>
>Lots of bluster. Not much else.

Please note that there are some RINOs to whom your description
doesn't apply.

I give you Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor and sometime Governor of
California, who's definitely a Republican In Name Only, and who
was last seen brandishing his Conan sword and urging people to
get vaccinated and other anti-COVID things.

--
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
djheydt at gmail dot com
Www.kithrup.com/~djheydt/

On Friday, October 29, 2021 at 10:55:03 AM UTC-6, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:

> Please note that there are some RINOs to whom your description
> doesn't apply.
>
> I give you Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor and sometime Governor of
> California, who's definitely a Republican In Name Only, and who
> was last seen brandishing his Conan sword and urging people to
> get vaccinated and other anti-COVID things.

I just find it confusing to use the term RINO for Trumpists, however much
they may deserve it, when formerly it was a term of abuse heaped on
moderate Republicans by the more extreme Republicans before Trump.

John Savard

In article <a70bf057-4a1e-4cd1-b9fd-702a17ee1be2n@googlegroups.com>,
Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:
>On Friday, October 29, 2021 at 10:55:03 AM UTC-6, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
>
>> Please note that there are some RINOs to whom your description
>> doesn't apply.
>>
>> I give you Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor and sometime Governor of
>> California, who's definitely a Republican In Name Only, and who
>> was last seen brandishing his Conan sword and urging people to
>> get vaccinated and other anti-COVID things.
>
>I just find it confusing to use the term RINO for Trumpists, however much
>they may deserve it, when formerly it was a term of abuse heaped on
>moderate Republicans by the more extreme Republicans before Trump.

I disagree. Trumpists and their ilk are Republicans Within the
Meaning of the Act. Not sure how you'd acronymize that.

Now, a couple of generations ago (such as the first Monday
evening in November 1948, from which I clearly remember my
parents sitting up in bed to mark their sample ballots for
Dewey), Republicans were a lot more reasonable. Sane, even, the
ones I knew.

--
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
djheydt at gmail dot com
Www.kithrup.com/~djheydt/

On Friday, October 29, 2021 at 1:40:02 PM UTC-6, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:

> Now, a couple of generations ago (such as the first Monday
> evening in November 1948, from which I clearly remember my
> parents sitting up in bed to mark their sample ballots for
> Dewey), Republicans were a lot more reasonable. Sane, even, the
> ones I knew.

Oh, indeed. I may have been too young to appreciate Eisenhower
during his Presidency, but he is well remembered as a great
President.

But then Eisenhower's vice-president returned to politics.

There was Watergate - *and* there was the "Southern strategy".

It was logical that the more conservative party would appeal
more to the South than the more liberal one, despite the fact
that Abraham Lincoln, so long ago, was a Republican. But
pandering to racism can only be seen as viciously wicked.

After Nixon, of course, we had Reagan, G. H. W. Bush and
G. W. Bush - and they did fairly well, even if one could find
some things to criticize.

And then there was John McCain.

A war hero, who might have brought the Republican Party back
to its roots - who might have moved it back to what it was
under Eisenhower.

I remember, during the 2008 campaign, at a point when the
two candidates were close in the polls, a commentator dared
to speak the "unthinkable" - that if another terrorist attack
like 9/11 happened, support might swing to John McCain,
leading to a landslide victory for him.

And then... it happened, but in reverse. Instead of a terrorist
attack, there was a *stock market crash*.

Historically, the Democrats are known for being concerned
with jobs and the economy, and of recognizing how serious
a stock market crash is: think of F. D. R..

And we all remember what happened next.

John McCain spoke to a reporter, saying that the stock
market crash should not be too great a concern, because
the fundamentals of the economy were sound.

The stock market crashes. Chanelling Herbert Hoover in
response is _not_ a good way to win an election. I don't
know who could have told him otherwise. And then, to
top it off, he obstructed emergency measures by President
Bush to contain the damage from the stock market crash
until his state got more gravy.

And yet, although he lost the election, it was no landslide.

In fact, I also remember hearing in the news afterwards
that *more white voters voted for McCain than for Obama*.

Despite the fact that McCain didn't just lose the election,
it seemed to me almost as if he *threw* it.

Well, there you are. No wonder Donald Trump was so
concerned about voter fraud. And, but I'm hoping I
remember this wrong, apparently the same was true
of the 2020 elections - that white voters actually cast
more votes for Trump than for Biden.

Under normal circumstances, I am not so rigidly
ideological aboout racism that I would automatically
condemn concern by the white people of America that
people of other backgrounds are so numerous that
they could affect election results. It could, under
some circumstances, cause genuine problems.

But at present, it seems like the non-white voters of
America are the only ones that have any sense!

Well, along with slightly less than half of white voters,
to be fair.

John Savard

Generally I dislike it when threads in this group wander off into politics, but considering the topic is Eldritch Abominations and Cosmic Horror, it doesn't seem completely out of place for once. ;)

On Fri, 29 Oct 2021 16:42:30 GMT, djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J
Heydt) wrote:

>In article <ej6ongtc5fmv9vnndfkp65oud6m8p6lebp@4ax.com>,
>Paul S Person <psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>>On Thu, 28 Oct 2021 22:04:28 -0400, J. Clarke
>><jclarke.873638@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On Thu, 28 Oct 2021 08:54:38 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc
>>><jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:
>>>
>>>>On Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 8:09:22 AM UTC-6, James Nicoll wrote:
>>>>> Eldritch Abominations for the SFF Soul: Five Works of Cosmic Horror
>>>>>
>>https://www.tor.com/2021/10/28/eldritch-abominations-for-the-sff-soul-five-works-of-cosmic-horror/
>>>>
>>>>Accelerando illustrates something I've been thinking about
>>>>recently, even if the threat here is from capitalism rather than
>>>>from nanotech hackers.
>>>>
>>>>Technology keeps progressing, and as it keeps progressing in
>>>>free societies, the possibility of its misuse keep growing.
>>>>Fission and fusion technology have mostly been kept out of
>>>>private hands
>>>
>>>The difficulty of making fission bombs has kept them out of private
>>>hands more than any effort of "socieity", and without fission bombs
>>>you can't do much with fusion.
>>>
>>>>- with the Americum in smoke detectors being
>>>>one gap that was once exploited - but computer technology,
>>>>so far less dangerous, has not.
>>>>
>>>>3D printing, CRISPR, nanotech - there are potential dangers on
>>>>the horizon.
>>>>
>>>>But if, thanks to the election of Donald Trump in 2024, the
>>>>United States joined the world's other two nuclear superpowers
>>>>in being at least an authoritarian dictatorship, like Russia,
>>>>if not a totalitarian one, like China... although I've opposed this
>>>>prospect, as it would not be pleasant, it could bring world
>>>>peace, as well as a shutdown of technological progress.
>>>
>>>The US is already an empire, it just needs an emperor. It became an
>>>empire the day that a bunch of kings decided that they could make up
>>>their own laws by saying the magic words "it's an emergency". Now
>>>they just need an emperor to hold their leashes.
>>
>>They did so under the law as passed by the legislature.
>>
>>This is why all the histrionics are political and not legal.
>>
>>Some States have re-thought that power, and put in limits.
>>
>>And at least one did require legislative review after a period of
>>time, IIRC.
>>
>>But this is very useful -- it highlights the difference between sane
>>people and RINOs:
>>
>>1) Sane people act to reduce the infection/death rates, using the
>>legally-available tools.
>>
>>2) RINOs do everything they can to kill off their base, while chanting
>>about "personal choice" -- which, somehow, never applies to people who
>>/choose/ to wear masks, socially distance, or get vaccinated, but only
>>to those who don't.
>>
>>Last I read, the unvaccinated were 11 times as likely to die as the
>>vaccinated. Which approach do /you/ think is working better?
>>
>>And it is Texas and Florida which are currently afflicted with
>>Governors who are very reminiscent of ... Mussolini.
>>
>>Lots of bluster. Not much else.
>
>Please note that there are some RINOs to whom your description
>doesn't apply.
>
>I give you Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor and sometime Governor of
>California, who's definitely a Republican In Name Only, and who
>was last seen brandishing his Conan sword and urging people to
>get vaccinated and other anti-COVID things.

I suggest it is time to re-purpose the term.

Trump and his base are destroying the Republican Party. Literally. One
death by COVID at a time.

And by their "fraud" claims. At least one poll has suggested that
something like 10% of likely Republican voters may not vote in
2022/2024 because they believe the game is rigged.

Making your own voters believe that voting does not work is /not/ how
you wil elections.

Who but a RINO would do this?
--
"I begin to envy Petronius."
"I have envied him long since."

On Friday, October 29, 2021 at 2:40:02 PM UTC-5, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
> In article <a70bf057-4a1e-4cd1...@googlegroups.com>,
> Quadibloc <jsa...@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:
> >On Friday, October 29, 2021 at 10:55:03 AM UTC-6, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
> >
> >> Please note that there are some RINOs to whom your description
> >> doesn't apply.
> >>
> >> I give you Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor and sometime Governor of
> >> California, who's definitely a Republican In Name Only, and who
> >> was last seen brandishing his Conan sword and urging people to
> >> get vaccinated and other anti-COVID things.
> >
++ I just find it confusing to use the term RINO for Trumpists, however much
++ they may deserve it, when formerly it was a term of abuse heaped on
++ moderate Republicans by the more extreme Republicans before Trump.

+ I disagree. Trumpists and their ilk are Republicans Within the
+ Meaning of the Act. Not sure how you'd acronymize that.

How about "MOTA"; you can't go wrong with a Heinlein reference.
+
+ Now, a couple of generations ago (such as the first Monday
+ evening in November 1948, from which I clearly remember my
+ parents sitting up in bed to mark their sample ballots for
+ Dewey), Republicans were a lot more reasonable. Sane, even, the
+ ones I knew.

Peter Wezeman
anti-social Darwinist