The Prometheus Project

Brad Linaweaver, winner of the 1989 Prometheus award for his novel Moon of Ice, has had a number of short stories published recently. The first of these is set in the Moon of Ice universe, and has mythological underpinnings. "The Littlest Stormbringer" is a tale of a Nazi summer camp with some dreadful visitors. It was co-written by former Prometheus editor William Alan Ritch, and appears in Tales of the White Wolf from the publisher White Wolf.

Just released in an Ace collection called Superheroes is the very amusing satire "Press Conference." It may be a truism that power invites abuse, but in this story almost everyone gets into the act.

"The Bison Riders" published in Tales from the Great Turtle (Tor), is a marvelous trip in time to an alternative early America in which America undiscovered by Europeans and makes its own, quite novel advances in culture and technology.

"Under An Appalling Sky," mentioned in the last issue of Prometheus and also set in the Moon of Ice universe, is a chilling account of a Nazi expedition to find the Holy Grail. This story ties together, in a fascinating way, many of the religious and cultural myths of the last several millennia, and contains the only likable (if horrifying) pun I've ever encountered.

But my favorite of these stories is "Wells of Wisdom" published in Galaxy #3 in which H.G. Wells is brought back to life by the citizens of a galaxy-wide utopia created because of his writings. Well's reaction to the working model of his philosophy is absolutely hysterical, and the ending has just the right twist. Linaweaver seems to look at the world and its history as a gigantic puzzle, to be taken apart, and put back together in many innovative ways. The results are not only fascinating, but often wickedly funny.

Brad also has a story, "Poisoned Dreams," in the White Wolf press anthology, Dark Destiny (which also contains a brand-new Harlan Ellison story), edited by Edward E. Kramer. Linaweaver also is working on two novels with another libertarian writer, Dafydd ab Hugh, on novelizations of the video computer game, Doom, from id software. The novels, Phobos Means Fear, and Infernal Earth, are based respectively on Doom I and Doom II.

Brad Linaweaver and fellow sf author Victor Koman, and Koman's daughter, Vanessa, all appear in Fred Olen Ray's current movie, Attack of the 60-Foot Centerfold, released in March. Linaweaver has three lines of dialogue. He also appeared last year in Olen Ray's Possessed by the Night (Vision), along with 1940's character actor Turhan Bey.

Past anthology appearances include "Destination Indies," Alternate Americas, Gregory Benford and Martin H Greenberg eds. (Bantam Spectra, 1992), and "Unmerited Favor," Alternate Americas, Mike Resnick, ed. (Tor, 1993). Two future sold stories are "A Real Babe," in the Horror Writers of America anthology, Ghosts, Peter Straub, ed. due out in 1995, and "The Darkest Doctrine"' sold to Tombs, Peter Crowther ed.

1993 saw two Victor Milán novels. The first, Red Sands (Warner—still in print), is a prequel to Cybernetic Samurai and Cybernetic Shogun. it's set in the near future, in which a resurgent Russian Empire faces a revolt in Central Asia. Russia sends a Russian-American spetsnaz soldier to infiltrate the camp of mysterious rebel leader Timur.

America—in which the all-powerful umbrella Federal Police fights to enforce bans on drugs, guns, cigarettes, alcohol, pornography, violent entertainent, unrestricted Net access & so endlessly on—sends its own representative to offer "benevolent guidance."

Neither superpower counts on the fact that its chosen emissary may have a mind—not to mention internal conflicts—of his own. Scary in its implications about government abuse of power, room remains for hope and liberty.

From the Depths: Star Trek #66 (Pocket, 1993-still in print) is a classic Trek novel. The crew of the Enterprise encounter a fascinating anarchist society, and sly references to Illuminatus! give the novel a pleasant inside joke bonus. Another novel, Close Quarters: Battletech #15 (Roc) appeared in 1994.

Milán's paramilitary SF novel, CLD, is scheduled to be published by Avon in September, 1995. It's a pure dystopia novel about soldiers condemned to die fighting for a collectivist stellar empire in the far future. The penal unit to which they're sentenced is known as the Co1lective Landing Detachment, or CLD, hence the book's name.

CLD is an extrapolation of political tendencies well-entrenched, and well advanced, in America right now. The nightmare society of the Stellar Collective—in which the "deathbirds" of CLD are in many ways better off than the civilian population—is not that far (except in technological terms) from one in which the readers may find themselves in a surprisingly short time.

Milán's novelette "Guardian Anget" will be in Warriors of Blood and Dream, an anthology of SF&F martial arts stories edited by Roger Zelazny & Martin Greenberg, to be published by AvoNova in June. It's about a young man who wants to be a hero, how he finds out heroism is nothing like what he's been told, that it isn't easy—and how he ultimately finds out how to achieve it.

Weird Menace, co-edited by Linaweaver and movie producer Fred Olen Ray, mentioned last issue also contains a story by Prometheus Award winner Victor Koman, "Theater of Blood Lust." A special treat is former Prometheus editor Bill Ritch's story, which features a villain based on Janet Reno.

The new Illuminatus novel, Bride of Illuminatus, co-written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, to be published by Dell (possibly as soon as 1995), is nearing completion. Shea and Wilson began Bride of Illuminatus before Shea's untimely death in March, 1994. Shea collaborated on the outline and wrote about 30 pages, and Robert Anton Wilson reports that he hopes to finish the novel by early Spring.

Bride is set in 2056, 50 years after the end of Illuminatus!. Major characters include Winifred Saure, cryonically revived after her death in the trilogy and Toshiro Celine, Hagbard's grandson.

The latest news from F. Paul Wilson predicts a great deal of literary action in 1995. Repairman Jack fans can look forward to the short story, "The Wringer," due out in a Stalkers/Predator-like anthology. Wilson and Matthew Costello have teamed together for a unique multimedia project. They formed PM Interactive, Inc., a multimedia corporation. Scheduled are scripts for the Sci-Fi Channel's FTL News, and two CD-ROM games with accompanying novels.