So, the guy who did Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story is going to do a movie version of Elfquest. Hmmm ... does he know this is not a comedy?

Please, someone, anyone, if this doesn't work out, introduce [Elfquest comic creators Wendy and Richard Pini] to Hayao Miyazaki and the staff at Studio Ghibli. I think Studio Ghibli might be a better choice. In fact, a lot of Miyazaki's anime reminds me of Wendy Pini's artwork.

It was widely known that Amanda Tapping would leave her role, as station commander of Atlantis, because she had signed on to be a cast member of Sanctuary this fall.

But the way she left Atlantis, happy, optimistic, receiving an undiluted praise for a job well done from Rodney (no small thing), only to arrive on Earth to meet her replacement, who was curt, uninformative and incredibly cold and insensitive. Yes, it was an awkward situation for him, but it was also a miserable way to say goodbye to a wonderful character who contributed so much to the SG mythos and is loved by so many of the SG fans.

Amanda Tapping, Samantha Carter and the SG fans deserved a much more positive, respectful celebration of a heroine's departure. Robert Picardo does a great job as the quite contradictory and complex character he is supposed to be. I loved his performance in Voyager and believe that he is equally successful in the Stargate saga. Doubtless he will be as lovably irritating in his new role. It's a great plot idea. But Picardo too would have been better served by a more nuanced explanation of Sam's departure from Atlantis. Instead, what Sam and her fans received was a slap in the face.

Not nice, not nice at all.

Great review [of Mirrored Heavens], as always. Scary as it may sound, I have noticed that I can tell if [Paul Di Filippo has] written the review just by reading some of the text. Can't put my finger on what triggers the recognition, but there it is.

The analysis part of the review seems like a great primer for aspiring authors. I am an ever lazy such who will take the advice to heart.

Kind regards from a muggy, warm and rainy Hong Kong.

I'm beginning to think I may be going nuts. If someone can help me, please do.

Ever since I was a child, I have remembered seeing on TV a live production of This Island Earth. It was a shortened, made-for-TV version that came out about the same time as the 1955 movie. I remember seeing it in the afternoon on the West Coast, but for some reason I've always thought it was a Playhouse 90 [production] or something similar so it must have been a kinescope of the original broadcast.

Does anyone else remember this or know anything about it? If so, please comment.

In response to Jon Thiel's letter (The Fly Should Be Squashed), I would like to say that I found the earlier Vincent Price version to be a classic sci-fi/horror movie. It gave me shivers as a child, and I still enjoy it now in middle age. The later Jeff Goldblum version explored dimensions that the first was not free to visit, given the mores of the time, and is also a classic (although the sequel was terrible).

I respect Mr. Thiel's right to an opinion, but I really don't know what upset him so about these two classics. After all, to paraphrase Woody Allen, yes, it is a macabre spectacle, but as macabre spectacles go, it's one of the best!

I just finished watching parts 1 and 2 of The Andromeda Strain back to back. Very impressive! The remarkable new directions taken with Crichton's novel in comparison to Robert Wise's original 1971 film, particularly the wormhole twist, which was intriguing, really spiced up Mikael Salomon's version.

I thought the characters were a little too unoriginal, although I admired Eric McCormack's flamboyant portrayal of Jack Nash. Benjamin Bratt is likable as Dr. Jeremy Stone. His closing dialogue is faithfully reminiscent of Arthur Hill's unforgettable last line in Wise's film, "Precisely, Senator. What do we do?", which is one of my favorites. The twist ending is also faithful to the original film's warning that vigilance, even after Earth's victory over Andromeda, will always be necessary for human survival.

For a sci-fi miniseries with a message of hope that humanity can survive anything, Salomon's remake is a successful tribute to Crichton's work. I think there's still potential for more stories like The Andromeda Strain on television, and I look forward to seeing what's next.

The Fly isn't so good! [In reference to Scott Edelman's editorial, "An Embarrassment of Riches."] It has nothing to say about science or life, just submits itself to the enjoyment of the thought of a man turning into a fly. The Vincent Price version was bad and the later version was even worse. I regard the film as an unnecessary one that need not even have been made, in spite of the fact that Judith Merrill saw fit to include the story on which it was based in her Best SF of the Year for that year. I didn't like the story, either, and didn't see why she would have elected it. I don't know why you would consider the story important; where is the reader's increase in knowledge of the world? He's just watched a macabre spectacle. You didn't miss anything, is my opinion of it. I can see the other choices, but you've lost me on that one.

I think it's time for Plan B. We fans have been trying to get The Dresden Files season two for a full year now. I think it's time to move on to Plan B.

My proposal for Plan B is this: Someone suggest to the SCI FI Channel something a lot cheaper than a second season. A Dresden Files-based miniseries or made-for-TV movie that ties up the loose ends of the show. It certainly would be a lot better than their usual made-for-TV movies. Even the two-hour version of Dresden Files: Storm Front had great ratings, even though the SCI FI Channel aired it at 3 a.m.

As a Bob fan (the ghost character played by Terrence Mann), my personal want would be for something with an elaborate flashback into Bob's backstory with Winifred and leading into his being cursed. Follow that up with a well-done Dresden adventure that requires references into Bob's past. Perhaps something explaining what really happened to Harry's mother. And then possibly end it with Bob being redeemed/freed. That way at least something has closure. Perhaps throw in a sappy Harry/Murphy kiss for good measure. I'm keeping this vague in case by some miracle something like this does happen.

A Plan B route is what got Farscape its Peacekeeper War miniseries and online continuation. Perhaps it's time for a Dresden Files Plan B.

I want to commend [Paul Di Filippo] on [his] list of novels that show how civilization copes with environmental disaster in SCI FI Weekly. Although you probably have already read it, I would like to recommend Ward Moore's Greener Than You Think. I know, another grass-related book! I enjoyed the sense of humor in this forgotten gem. I can remember being deeply affected by its stark conclusion. Thank you for your wonderful stories and your objective reviews.

Paul Di Filippo's recent review of "5 Environmental-Disaster Novels" includes Kim Stanley Robinson's novel Forty Days of Rain (and its attendant sequels) and makes mention of the shifting of the Gulf Stream. I have not read the books myself, but I think it is interesting to point out two things:

A. The film The Day After Tomorrow, regardless of its flaws and sensationalism, tackled a change in the Gulf Stream as well (a change in its temperature rather than a physical shifting).

B. Less than a week ago I heard a brief report on National Public Radio that scientists have ALREADY noticed a shift in the Gulf Stream, and they predict droughts and storms here in the United States. The report made no mention of Europe.