nce upon a time, the term "mass media" referred to only two things: radio and "moving pictures." The history of films, in our current era of instant gratification and education via VCR, is quite wellknown. But the history of the more perishable medium, radio, is filled with lacunae. Still, there are many buffs of "Old Time Radio"--OTR for short--who collect, sell and trade tapes of classic performances, laboring to preserve, catalog and disseminate these inventive playlets.
Many of these hundreds of broadcast dramas involved material that would appeal to lovers of fantasy, science fiction, horror or thrillers, both original scripts and adaptations of famous genre stories. But zeroing in on a favorite episode often presents problems--problems which Jeff Dickson is intent on alleviating with his site, The OTR Plot Spot.
Dickson's site is basically a cross-referenced index with notes, so it's light on graphics. No animations or sound files here (although Dickson's extensive set of links will put you touch with many good sources for OTR material). Neither is Dickson selling CDs or tapes. Rather, he is intent on giving handy, short synopses of individual episodes, clustered by shows, so that the interested fan can track down specific stories. For instance, clicking on X Minus One we learn, first, a little about the history of this longest-running of radio SF shows, and then, in a random scan, that the episode "Appointment in Tomorrow" was derived from a Fritz Leiber story, and concerned itself with "a look into a dark future controlled by the 'Thinkers,' and the computer brain they rely on to do the actual thinking." "I'll order a copy now" might be your reaction!
Additionally, Dickson lists episodes per author, and groups episodes across many shows by themes. Dedicated visitors can also post their own synopses or reviews. All in all, this site is your ticket to those thrilling days of yesteryear.
-- Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week -- June 11, 2001
ssume the following: the health of the SF field depends on the health of its short-story outlets. In the short form, SF can mutate and evolve faster than at novel length, and new writers may more easily make their debuts and learn the ropes. Now, the factors that contribute to the health of the short story in SF are too numerous and detailed to cover here. But surely one of the most important parts of the equation is feedback, in the shape of reviews and criticism (a boon once supplied by letter columns in the good old pulp days). And while SF novels stand a good chance of receiving such corrective input, the average short story generally appears and disappears so fast and to such little notice that the poor author gets no response to her work, and thereby suffers.
Mark Kelly at Locus does a fine job sampling short stories, but he's only one man. Fortunately for the field, however, founder Dave Truesdale has for eight years been holding high the standard of short fiction reviewing with his publication Tangent. The 'zine began in the medium of print in 1993 and migrated to the Web a few years ago. Since then, it has become a one-stop clearinghouse for information on the good, the bad and the ugly in the short-story jungle.
When you visit the home page of Tangent you encounter a crystal-clear array listing all the current venues for SF short stories, grouped according to frequency of publication. Jumping to the name of an individual 'zine (book publications of short stories are covered as well, and so are online outlets), you find archived reviews of its various issues. Truesdale's hard-working staffers--Rich Horton, Steven Silver, Chris Markwyn, Christopher East, Jay Lake, Michael Payne, James Reichert and Lyda Morehouse, among others--diligently report back with grace, perception and honesty which stories soared and which stories sank. Usually, one person reviews an entire issue, but for the review of the April 2001 issue of Analog, the interesting experiment of having a different critic cover each story was attempted. Such dedication and ingenuity are hallmarks of this indispensable site.
-- Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week -- June 4, 2001
aintained by the author, this page is crammed with information on Poppy Z. Brite: childhood photos, current photos, an autobiography, a complete bibliography and recent news updates. There is also a section in which Brite answers questions submitted by readers, plus an index of online interviews which should whet the appetite of even the most dedicated fan. True completists will find back issues of Purple Prose, a magazine devoted to Brite's work and activities, posted on the site.
The site also offers original fiction. Pieces include older work from Brite's pre-published days, as well as essays about recent travels, new fiction and the prologue to her first novel, Lost Souls. To those familiar with Brite's other work, it should be no surprise to hear that the content of these stories ranges from light humor to explicit sex and violence. Written with the same lush vividness that characterizes her novels, these tales will delight fans and shock the unwary.
Favoring a clean design, bright colors and plenty of details about her day-to-day existence, Poppy Brite's Web page gives websurfers a chance to see two faces of one of horror's most interesting new authors. She also provides an opportunity for readers to take note of the vast differences that yawn between writers' lifestyles and the work they produce.
-- A.M. Dellamonica
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