Conference noted::sf

    The Well World Series which more or less has Nathan Brasil -
    who was/is a rabbi in different incarnations of the universe...
    
    by Jack Chalker

    While not explicit, I believe that Asimov's foundation series was
    inspired by the creation and growth of the state of Israel. 
    
    Amr
    

    re .2:
    
    Asimov has said that the Foundation Series was inspired by the Roman
    Empire. The fall of the Galactic Empire was meant to follow the
    fall of the Roman Empire.
    
    Now, whether there are similarities between the modern nation of
    Israel and the (first?) Foundation, is another matter.
    
                                                   
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	Some years ago a friend lent me a book called "Wandering Stars"
which is an anthology of SF short stories by jewish authors.

	The stories were very good and it is the only book I've read that 
has an accent (Yiddish, of course).

	I don't remember who was the editor.

	I highly recomend it if you can find it. It seems it was printed some
time ago and I don't know if it is still available.

						Mauricio

    WANDERING STARS by Jack Dann
    
    Mom got it through the SFBK and it's still in her library.  I also
    saw a copy in my temple's library!  I think it's out of print though
    so you may have to hunt through used book stores or have your local
    SF bookseller (like DANGERIOUS VISIONS or CHANGE OF HOBBIT in LA
    or THE OTHER CHANGE OF HOBBIT in Berkely).
    
    Great book.  It has I AM SEARCHING FOR KADAK by Harlan Ellison and
    other fun stories (like ON VENUS, HAVE WE GOT A RABBI! by Robert
    Silverberg).
    
    /MeV/

    Also, see Note 442.76 (which seems to have been the precursor for
    this note). There was a WANDERING STARS sequel. (May have some of
    the stories you're looking for in .5)
    
    - Richard

Would "A Canticle for Liebowitz" qualify?  Actually, the only Jewish characters 
in the story are the martyred scientist, Liebowitz, and the tent maker in the 
first section of the book. The rest of the action takes place during three
periods in the life of a monastary dedicated to St. Liebowitz.  The story
ends with an exodus from a doomed Earth with the hopes of re-establishing
civilization somewhere "out there".  Sorry, I don't remember all the details.

Dave

    re "A Canticle for Liebowitz"
    
    I'm currently reading this right now.  I'm a couple of chapters
    into the second section.  Frankly, I'm still having trouble picking
    up on it.  I find it moving too slow.  I think I know what
    they're trying to hit upon, but they haven't answered any of the
    questions yet; Who is the "Wanderer"?  Is Liebowitz really a Saint?
    What are the Liebowitz blueprints of?
    
    Also, does the book have to have so much Latin in it?  I have to skip
    over the material whenever they go into a Latin speaking paragraph.
    Does the book get anymore interesting?  I read somewhere in this 
    conference that it was pretty good.
    Has anyone else read it?
    
    Mike_L

    re -.1;
    
    -	It continues at a fairly contemplative pace.
    
    -	Don't expect answers to your questions.
    
    -	It's high on my "best ever" list.
    
    -dave
    

< Is Liebowitz really a Saint?

I think "Sainthood is in the eyes of the beholder". He was trying, as I recall, 
to preserve knowledge in the form of books from the book burning fanatics who 
would plunge the world back into the dark ages.

< What are the Liebowitz blueprints of?

Some electrical circuit, I believe, but this is irrelevant since the prints are 
revered simply as relics as is the cryptic shopping list found in the fallout
shelter (or whatever it was, my memory is hazy).

< Also, does the book have to have so much Latin in it?  I have to skip
< over the material whenever they go into a Latin speaking paragraph.

It's probably not mandatory but it is interesting to get the translations. There
is a phrase in Hebrew in the first section which, when translated, simply states
what was already stated in English, something to the effect that the hermit is a
tent maker.

< Does the book get anymore interesting?

I thought the ending had some parts which gave me a bit of philosophy to ponder.
BTW, did you notice that the names of the Abbots in each section started with a
letter of the alphabet indicating their relative position in the chronology?

One more point. There was a serialized radio dramatizaton of the story on PBS a
few years ago. That was what interested me in reading the book. It was OK but I 
prefered the book.

Dave

    	The blueprint Francis found was of a nuclear missle, codenamed
    "Squirrel Cage".  Of course the monks who read and copied it had
    no idea what it was, and they especially didn't think the device
    depicted on the paper could catch squirrels. :^)
    
    	I find this novel to be one of the best SF novels ever written,
    and the radio play was excellent as well.  Except for the "Wandering
    Jew" and Leibowitz in the story, the book is actually oriented to
    the Roman Catholic Church.
    
    	Larry
    

    I actually have a poster of the illuminated schematic of the Blessed
    Leibowitz.  It shows a transistor circuit diagram all entwined with vines
    and angels and gold leaf.  All the text is done in a gothic manuscript
    style; not the usual font for text like: "R2 - 13K 5% �W".
    There's a cherub holding a blueprint and a 
    radiation symbol on the coat of arms.  It's titled "Transistorized
    Control System for Unit Six-B", and the opening T is done very
    elaborately, full of figures and knotwork.  The Book of Kells
    meets EE!  I found it at a con about ten years ago.  The artist
    was Mary Lynn Skirvin.
    /jlr