Welcome to ConFurence 6!
Here we are, back again for the seventh year now, gathered together to celebrate anthropomorphics in all their variety. This year’s theme is Magic and Transformation, so all of you mages and were-folk, gather round! And, because this is ConFurence 6, what better time to show off our 6-limbed friends, the ‘taurs? So, there’s a lot in store this time…
We’d like to extend a special welcome to our writer Guest of Honor, Alan Dean Foster. Mr. Foster has given us many hours of enjoyable furry reading, and a number of unforgettable characters, and we want to thank him profoundly for his contributions to our furry legacy.
But, let us not forget our other Guests of Honor! Ellisa Mitchell, our artist guest, is one of the most prolific fantasy artists out there, and her repetoire most definitely embraces the furry end of the spec- trum. Her exquisite prints have graced our art show (and many fan’s walls) for a number of years now, and we are proud to have her in person this time!
And Ed Zolna, our third, multi-faceted Guest of Honor, has not been idle either! Indeed, he currently runs one of the best furry mail-order firms out there; if you want a comic or fanzine, chances are he has it, and can get it to you quick. Given the poor (sometimes nonexistent) distribution of a lot of our favorite reading, this is a community service of no small merit. And, if that’s not enough, he has a number of his own comics under his belt, namely Fran an’ Mabland the offshoots thereof (although he’s been concentrating more on his business of late).
There’s all the usual fun events—the Cabaret Fur le Dance, the Ice Cream Social, the SF Dance, the Pizza Feed, the Art Show and auction, the Dealer’s Den, Artist’s Alley, herds of SIGs, swarms of videos, and heaps and heaps of new and old furries to meet and greet! So get out there and have fun already!
And! We are proud to announce the formation of a brand new furry convention on the East Coast. Yes, one was not enough, there had to be more! Thankfully, a whole new set of folks out east are doing this new one, but we will be working with them to make sure we both can provide the very best furry conventions for everyone. For details of times, places, and people, keep an eye on In-Fur-Nation, as we will be including a report on ConFurence East from now on, or contact A. Fox Enterprises, 11037 Henning Drive, Chardon, OH, 44024; e-mail can be sent to purelady@wariat.org. We wish them the best of luck, and we encourage everyone to help them out like you’ve helped us out—we’re all in this together!
ConFurence Credits
Co-Directors, Programming, Facilities, Publications:
Mark Merlino, Rod O’Riley, John Alan Stanley
Hotel Facilities:
‘Atrium Marquis Hotel, Irvine, CA
Dorine Skuse, Tricia Wall
Art Show:
Jazmyn Concolor, John Alan Stanley, Vicky
Levitin
Video Programming:
John Cawley, Larry Adams, James Lomax, Henry
Brown Jr.
Official Mascots:
Sydney Fisher, Cairn Fisher
T-Shirts:
Daphne Lage, Ken Bolland
Printing:
AE Press, Concord, CA
Staff Members:
Lawrence A. Adams, David Bliss, Gearl Brace,
Henry S. Brown Jr., James P. Callicott, Jazmyn
Concolor, Mario D’Anna Jr., Timothy Fitelson
GFM3, Dave Friedman, Steve Gattuso, Amanda
Geyer, John Geyer, Charles E. Gray, Darren
Hanson, Robert Hanz, Lori Henderson, Lisa
Iennaco, Mark Iennaco, Warren Johnson, David
E. Klinkler, Zsa’nene Klinkler, Viky Levitin,
James G. Lomax, Scott Malcomson, Brandy
McDaniel, Tom McDaniel, Avi Melman, Mark
Merlino, Kurt Miller, Charles Nezzer, Ken
Nielsen, Kelly O’Guinn, Rodney O’Riley, Jan M.
Paxton, Lewis Peterson Jr., Waverly Pierre,
Manfred Prange, Shayn Raney, Kay Shapero, John
Alan Stanley, Richard Taliaferro, Sean Wally,
Taylor Wilson
Super Sponsors!
David Bliss, Thomas G. Brady, Gary Breuckman,
Cody Buchmann, Samuel Conway Jr., Jeffrey A.
Costa, Derrick Dasenbrock, David Ewell,
Norman Fabian, Mark Farey, Pete Glaskowski,
Jimmy M. Hines, Ron Johnson, Juan F. Lara,
Richard Lewis, Walter A. Lyzohub Jr., Sean
Malloy, Jeff Mancebo, Matthew R. Muench,
David Orth, Carol Ann Osman, John D.
Pennington III, Dennis R. Peterson, Dennis W.
Province, Robert Repas, Mike Selewski, Scott
Shannon, Richard F. Thatcher, David J. Van
Deusen, Bruce Wilhite
Sponsors:
Waylon Adams, Suzanne Barth, Joshua Carpman,
Michael T. Danaher, Bernard Doove, Lanny
Fields, Don Fitch, Steve Gattuso, William A.
Green, Rich Griffin, Michael Hackett, Johnathan
Hammar, William Haskell, Russell Hockins, Jo
Ellen Kellner, Robert C. King, John G. Lussmyer,
Walter A. Lyzohub Jr., Karl Meyer, Eric Miyoda,
Barry Needleman, Ken Nielsen, John Overall,
David Reiss, B.J. Stachlin, Dana Uehara, John
Van Stry, Scott Whitmore, Leonard Zubkoff
Who is Sydney?
by Mark “Sylys” Merlino
Everyone who collects Furry art by Ken Sample or myself, comes to ConFurence, or spends any time on FurryMUCK is familiar with that tall, full- bodied, dark-furred female. She has been the official “mascot” of ConFurence since Zero, in 1989. People seem to be curious about just where this vision of musteline pulchritude came from. So I won’t have to tell the same story to everyone, over and over, I have decided to write this little article about the origin of Sydney Fisher.
It is hard to place the exact point that Sydney was born. For several years, Ken Sample and I had been having fun creating characters for each other. Ken had created Ken Cougar, and I Sylys Sable, each being a furry persona for ourselves. Ken created Tampa, his cute cat “wife”, and Porsche Puma, kind of a female alter-ego with attitude. Amanda Rivers, the otter, was designed to ring my bell, and Trina the feline wet-dream come true. There were more, but you get the idea.
Around this time, I created Andre, a black leopard, based on my good friend and roommate; and Audi the ocelot, an obvious foil for Porsche. Together, Porsche and Audi became one of the first Furry Pairs; an obvious parody of the popular anime Dirty Pair. I was very happy with Amanda, custom designed by Ken for me. I wanted to return the favor. For awhile, Ken Cougar was chasing Audi’s tail, but in the end it was clear she was just not his type. It was obviously a case of “back to the drawing board” for me.
Now, Ken creates his characters by drawing them on paper. I have always been more of a story teller then a visual artist. I “sketch” a character in my head, selecting a type of animal, then picking per- sonality traits, likes and dislikes, and a simple back- ground. As I work on the concept in my mind, things come into focus. I can see more detail, until the character literally “comes to life”. Most of my characters are inspired by two different things. First, the type of animal the character is based on, and second, some real person or persons I know. Some of my best characters are based on people I have only met in passing. This is the case with Sydney.
In 1985 I was on a cross-country flight, going to visit my friends on the East coast. This included Ken Sample and Dorothy and Luke Wisbeski, the couple who have become famous for raising otters in their home. On the crowded flight I was seated next to a tall, attractive woman who was wearing an airline uniform. I noticed that the formal jacket she wore had two gold stripes on the sleeves. We started to speak to each other early into the flight, and I asked if she was a member of the flight crew on an airliner. She was pleasantly surprised that I had not thought she was a stewardess, as most people seem to think that is the only job for females on board a commercial aircraft. She said she was a First Officer, which is like a co-pilot/navigator/engineer on air- craft with a flight crew of two. I was impressed! My friend Andre had explored a career as a commercial pilot. The cost for the required classes and hours in the air was astronomical! She smiled at me and told me that she had taken her ground school course and then passed her VFR (Visual Flight Rules, the first step in becoming a pilot). She had then joined the school as an instructor, teaching ground school and VER, trading her salary for the cost of air time and classes for Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). When she passed, she became an instructor for those classes too, and so on, through the stages. I was amazed by her clever scheme, and I told her so.
As the flight continued, I settled down to do some sketching. She asked me what I was drawing, so I showed her various copies of furry art I had with me for reference. She really enjoyed the characters, and I explained some of them were based on real people. She had a teddy bear on her lap, one of those extravagant “adult” toys, with real mink fur. During our conversation I told her my favorite animals were the mustelines (the weasel family, including otters, skunks, badgers, martens, fishers, and mink) and how intelligent and beautiful they were, and how cruelly humans treated them. She looked nervously at her bear, and explained it was a gift someone had given her at the airport. As we continued our conver- sation, she paid less attention to the toy, letting it slip onto the floor, where she finally kicked it under the seat in front of us. I found her actions regarding the over-indulgent gift to be charming. She was truly interested in what I had to say, and was afraid that the stupid mink bear would offend me.
We said our good-byes and went our separate ways when we landed in Newark, though she stayed in my thoughts. Later that year, sitting at home, I was toying with the idea of creating a new character. She would be something like Sylys, who is an Ameri- can Pine Marten, in spite of his last name. She should be taller, and well-built. Fishers are over twice the size as Martens, though they live in much the same way. Swift hunting carnivores who move through the canopy of a pine forest faster then the eye can follow. I knew Ken Cougar liked BIG girls. Now, fora name. I wanted something to begin with Sy… Sylvia? Sylven? Sydney! Perfect! Now, what would she be like? What kind of personality would she have? What she do for a living? Something unique. Something that would be demonstrative of her intelligence and individuality.
Sydney Fisher would be an airline pilot! I could see her smiling at me, talking about how she became a pilot. Asking me about my drawings, and flattered I liked weasels so much. She was clever, and beauti- ful. And real!
That was how Sydney was born. I think my friend on that flight would be pleased with the character she inspired. Ken later that year did a few drawings that brought her to life in the visual sense, but for me, she was already alive. And, more impor- antly, Ken loved her!
I am Sydney!
by Sydney Fisher-Cougar
Hey gang! Welcome to ConFurence 6. I’ve been the “poster girl” for this fine gathering since it’s inception way back in ’89. I admit I was a bit surprised to be asked to be the ConFurence mascot, but then my employer has been interested in using me in all kinds of promotions ever since I joined the team, so I suppose it makes some odd sense. I wonder what made me so desirable as a symbol? Was it the fact I was a successful female in a predomi- nantly male occupation? Was it the fact I was a member of the most rare and exotic of the human “minorities”, a recombinant being? Or, did they just want me for my body? I guess I’ll never know for sure why the company I work for wanted me to represent them, but I’m sure I know why you folks did, eh? The last couple of years I’ve convinced my little brother, Cairn, to join me in the mascot biz. I’m sure you all like him ‘cause he’s so cute, eh?
I guess I should start this little story at the beginning. I was born at the Advance Genetic Re- search Institute lab at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada. I was part of the “second batch” of human recombinants created by AGRI. Sy Sable was their first, so you can see what kind of quality these folks were striving for. (Gotcha, Sy!) Using the gene mapping software and VR DNA manipulators made by Genetitech Corp. in good old NY, NY, I was built up like a molecular level Lego™,
A Fisher is a large member of the weasel family, also called the Mustelines. My 4-legged relatives live mostly in pine forests, above the snow line. Our fur is dark brown, nearly black, and is nearly the thickest on Earth (second only to our surfer kin, the Sea Otters). The fur of the female is even more luxurious then the males, who are close to twice the size of a typical female. And you thought I was big! There is usually a patch of lighter colored fur under the chin and on the throat and chest. It can be white, cream yellow, or sometimes orange, like mine! Unlike some smaller weasel types, fisher fur stays dark all winter, making it difficult to hide when the snow falls. Fishers are carnivores and very efficient hunt- ers, they eat just about any smaller animal; birds,
amphibians or mammals. This includes some of their smaller kin. I guess cannibalism is relative. My little brothers and sisters were trapped for their fur until the early 2000s, when their numbers dwindled so low they were universally protected. Real fur had sort of fallen out of favor with the regular humans by then, possibly because there were more and more of us around to make them feel guilty.
By the time I was “hatched” from my glass womb, we “special” people were pretty well accepted by the original humans, and the Created Life Coun- cil had set things up to make sure we all grew up as good as possible. I was delivered to my CLC foster folks, who had the unlikely last name of Fisher! Incredible coincidence, eh? Mom and pop own a small ranch (only a few hundred acres) near Calgary, where they raised quarter horses. Tomboy that I was, I was not much into the cowboy gig. I wanted to fly! Every chance I got, I was over at the little local airfield, taking lessons and going up with the in- structors. I got past my VFR at 16, and became a teacher to pay for my IFR ticket.
When I headed off to UBC, my folks got mea little brother from the CLC, a cute caracal tom- kitten named Cairn. He became the cowboy I never was. The folks bought him a beautiful black Arabian colt, whom Cairn named Ferrari. He trained that stallion himself, and they set off together, winning all the cutting and roping contests at all the rodeos, including the famous Stampede!
At the University I majored in Aeronautical Engineering, but I had my sights set on the cockpit! Ispent all my spare time at the local private airport, teaching for the best equipped flying school. During the summer months and winter break, I flew tour- ists, mostly fisherman, into the wilderness in am- phibian bush planes. My scholasticachievement was nothing to be proud of. I managed to graduate with a BS, ETE; but I was racking up the hours and keeping my eyes on the job board in the pilots lounge. One day, I saw an ad for a co-pilot for the freight division of Air Canada. They were impressed with me, and I was hired the same day I went to interview. After a short time, they noticed I was the only recombinant they had on the flight deck. I guess it’s nice to know! didn’t get hired for my exoticlooks alone. When the new ESTOL (Extremely Short Takeoffor Landing) airliners were added to the fleet,
Alan Dean Foster—Biography
Born in New York City in 1946, Foster was raised in Los Angeles. After receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a Master of Fine Arts in Cinema from UCLA (1968, 1969) he spent two years as a copywriter for a small Studio City, Calif. advertising and public relations firm.
His writing career began when August Derleth bought a long Lovecraftian letter of Foster’s in 1968 and published it, much to Foster’s surprise, asa short story in Derleth’s bi-an-nual magazine The Arkham Collector. Sales of short fiction to other magazines followed. His first attempt at a novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, was bought by Betty Ballantine and pub-lished by Ballantine Books in 1972. Itincor-porates a number of changes suggested by famed SF editor John ‘W. Campbell.
Since then, Foster’s sometimes hu-morous, occasionally poignant, butalwaysen-tertaining short fiction has appeared in most of the major SF magazines as well as in original anthologies and several “Best of the Year” compendiums. Three representa- tive collections, With Friends Like These…, Who Needs Enemies’, and The Metrognome have been published by Del Rey books.
Foster’s work to date includes excursions into hard science-fiction, fantasy, contemporary horror, detective, and western fiction. He has also written numerous non-fiction articles on film and science, as well as having produced the novel versions of many films, including such well-known productions as
Star Wars, the three Alien films, and Alien Nation. Other works include scripts for talking records, radio, and the treatment for the first Star Trek movie. In addition to publication in English, his work has appeared throughout the world. His novel Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990, the first work of science-fiction ever to do so.
Though restricted (for now) to the exploration of one world, Foster’s love of the far-away and exotic has led him to travel ex-tensively. After graduat- ing from college he lived for a summer with the family of a Tahitian po-liceman, camping out in French Polynesia. He and his wife JoAnn Oxley, of Moran, Texas, have traveled to Europe and throughout Asia and the Pacific in addition to ex- ploring the back roads of Tanzaniaand Kenya. Fos- ter has camped out in the “Green Hell” region of the Southeastern Peruvian jungle, photographing gi- ant otters and army ants and pan-frying piranha (lots of small bones; tastes a lot like trout); profes- sionally filmed feeding Great White Sharks in the Great Australian Bight, has ridden forty-foot whale sharks in the remote waters off Western Australia, and was one of three people on the first commercial air flight into Northern Australia’s Bungle Bungle National Park.
Besides traveling he enjoys listening to both classical music and heavy metal. Other pastimes include basketball, hiking, body surfing, scuba div- ing, collecting animation on video, and weightlifting.
He studied karate with Chuck Norris before Norris decided to give up teaching for acting. He has taught screenwriting, literature, and film history at UCLA and Los Angeles City College as well as having lectured at universities around the country. Amem- ber of the Science-Fiction Writers of America, the Author’s Guild of America, and the Writer’s Guild of America, west, he also spent a year serving on the Planning and Zoning Commission of his home town of Prescott, Arizona. Foster’s correspondence and manuscripts are in the Special Collection of the
Hayden Library of Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, and he currently serves as Adjunct Faculty at Northern Arizona University.
The Fosters reside in Prescott in a house built of brick salvaged from a turn-of-the-century miners’ brothel, along with assorted dogs, cats, fish, several hundred houseplants, visiting javelina, porcupines, eagles, skunks, coyotes, cougars, and the ensorceled chair of the nefarious Dr. John Dee. He is presently at work on several new novels and film projects.
Alan Dean Foster Bibliography
Novels, Novelizations (¢) & Collections The Day of the Dissonance + _ Phantasia 1984
Commonwealth books (0) Spellsinger series (+) Warner 1984
SFBC – Science-Fiction book club SFBC 1986
Who Needs Enemies? (col) Del Rey 1984
The Tar-Aiym Krang 0 Ballantine 1972 The Moment of the Magician + Phantasia 1984
Bloodhype 0 Ballantine 1973 Warner 1984
Icerigger 0 Ballantine 1974 SFBC 1987
eLuana Ballantine 1974 — ¢Starman Warner 1984
Dark Star Ballantine 1974 Shadowkeep Warner 1984
Star Trek Log One Ballantine 1974 #Pale Rider Warner 1985
¢Star Trek Log Two Ballantine 1974 Sentenced to Prism 0 Del Rey 1985
*Star Trek Log Three Ballantine 1975 The Paths of the Perambulator + Phantasia 1985
Star Trek Log Four Ballantine 1975 Warner 1986
*Star Trek Log Five Ballantine 1975 SFBC 1987
Midworld 0 SFBC 1975 *Aliens Warner 1986
Ballantine 1976 SFBC 1986
Star Wars (as George Lucas) _ Ballantine 1976 Into the Out Of Warner 1986
SFBC 1976 SFBC 1986
Star Trek Log Six Ballantine 1976 The Time of the Transference + Phantasia 1986
Star Trek Log Seven Ballantine 1976 Warner 1987
Star Trek Log Eight Ballantine 1976 SFBC 1987
Star Trek Log Nine Ballantine 1977 The Deluge Drivers 0 Del Rey 1987
Orphan Star 0 Ballantine 1977 Glory Lane Ace 1987
The End of the Matter 0 Del Rey books 1977 SFBC 1988
With Friends Like These…(col) Del Rey books 1977. Maori Berkley 1988
Star Trek Log Ten Del Rey books 1978 __Flinx in Flux 0 Del Rey 1988
Splinter of the Mind’s Eye Del Rey books 1977 *AlienNation Warner 1988
SFBC 1978 To the Vanishing Point Warner 1988
Mission to Moulokin 0 Del Rey books 1979 SFBC 1988
SFBC 1979 — Quozl Ace 1989
Alien Warner 1979 SFBC 1989
SFBC 1979 Cyber Way Ace 1990
The Black Hole Del Rey 1980 SFBC 1990
SFBC 1980 The Metrognome & others (col.) Del Rey 1990
Cachalot > Del Rey 1980 A Call to Arms—Damned vol. 1 Del Rey 1991
SFBC 1980 Catalyst Ace 1991
Clash of the Titans Warner 1981 SFBC 1991
SFBC 1981 *Alien 3 Warner 1992
Outland Warner 1981 The False Mirror—Damned vol. 2. Del Rey 1992
The Thing Berkley 1982 Codgerspace Ace 1992
SFBC 1982 SFBC 1992
Nor Crystal Tears Del Rey 1982 The Spoils of War—Damned vol. 3 Del Rey 1993
For Love of Mother-Not 0 Del Rey 1983 Son of Spellsinger + Warner 1993
Spellsinger at the Gate + Phantasia 1983 Greenthieves Ace 1994
[Spellsinger] Warner 1983 Chorus Skating + Warner 1994
{The Hour of the Gate] Warner 1984 Life Form Ace 1995
SFBC 1986 Design for Great-Day
Krull Warner 1983 (with Eric Frank Russell) Tor 1995
The Man Who Used the Universe Warner 1983 The Voyage of the Basset
SFBC 1983 (with James Christensen) 1995
The | Inside Warner 1984 Mid-Flinx > Del Rey 1995
Voyage to the City of the Dead 9 Del Rey 1984 Montezuma Strip (col) Warner 1995
Slipt Berkley 1984 Mad Amos (col) Del Rey 1995
The Last Starfighter Berkley 1984 Dinotopia Lost Turner 1995
An Anthropomorphic Recommended
Reading List
compiled by Fred Patten
For the past ten years, fans have been recom- mending various anthropomorphic books to each other. However, there has not yet been a compre- hensive list of them. It is high time that one was assembled.
This is not that list. A complete list would be too long for this souvenir book. This isa list of those ‘morph books that are currently on sale in book- stores or are still available from their publishers, according to the latest Books In Print. If your local bookshops do not have them on their shelves, they should be able to get them without any trouble.
Books are listed in alphabetical order, except in the case of a series, where they are listed in chrono- logical order.
For the convenience of readers who are looking for stories of a particular type, this list is keyed to nine broad subject classifications. It is also noted whether a book is packaged as an adult or a Young Adult/childrens’ book.
(1) S-f: stories featuring enhanced animals.
Bioengineering, mutation, alternate dimensions,
unknown species, future evolution.
(2) Human-into-animal stories. Both s-f and fantasy.
(3) S-f: extraterrestrial aliens. ‘Morphlike space peoples.
) Nature fantasies. Animals talk among themselves in
“realistic” settings.
(5) Allegorical fantasies. Animals as metaphors for
humans and human folly.
(6) Fantasy: animal/human joint societies. Humans and
fully-intelligent talking animals as equals.
(7) Fantasy: animals have their own sophisticated
communities hidden from humans.
(8) Fantasy: animal mixed-species &/or human-imitation
civilizations, but with humans absent/unknown.
(9) Fantasy: talking animals in the human world.
(a) Published as an adult book.
(c) Published as a Young Adult or childrens’ book.
(HC) Hardcover edition.
(PB) Paperback edition.
Adams, Richard. The Plague Dogs. PB. (4,a)
Adams, Richard. Watership Down. HC, PB. (4,a)
Alton, Andrea |. Demon of Undoing. PB. (3,a)
Anderson, Poul, & Dickson, Gordon R. Earthman’s
Burden. PB. (3,c)
Anderson, Poul, & Dickson, Gordon R. Hoka! PB.
(3,a)
Bach, Richard. Jonathan Livingston Seagull. HC, PB.
(4,5,a)
Bell, Clare. Ratha’s Creature. PB. (1,c)
Bell, Clare. Clan Ground. PB. (1,c)
Bell, Clare. Ratha and Thistle-Chaser. PB. (1,c)
Bell, M. Shayne. Nicoji. PB. (3,a)
Betancourt, John. Rememory. PB. (2,a)
Boulle, Pierre. Planet of the Apes. PB. (1,3,a)
Brown, Dennis Phillip. Foxglove Hollow. PB. (8,a)
Brush, Karen A. The Pig, the Prince & the Unicorn.
PB. (6,a)
Brush, Karen A. The Demon Pig. PB. (6,a)
Buchwald, Emilie. Gildaen The Heroic Adventures of
a Most Unusual Rabbit. HC. (9,c)
Capek, Karel. War With the Newts. HC, PB. (1,a)
Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
HC, PB. (6,c)
Carroll, Lewis. Through the Looking-Glass and What
Alice Found There. HC, PB. (6,c)
Cherryh, C. J. The Pride of Chanur. HC, PB. (3,a)
Cherryh, C. J. Chanur’s Venture. HC, PB. (3,a)
Cherryh, C. J. The Kif Strike Back. HC, PB. (3,a)
Cherryh, C. J. Chanur’s Homecoming. HC, PB. (3,a)
Cherryh, C. J. Chanur’s Legacy. HC, PB. (3,a)
Clement, Aeron. The Cold Moons. HC, PB. (4,a)
Clement, Hal. Mission of Gravity. HC. (3,a)
Conly, Jane Leslie. Racso and the Rats of N | M H.
HC, PB. (1,7,c)
Conly, Jane Leslie. R-T, Margaret, and the Rats of NI
MH. HC, PB. (1,7,c)
Cook, Kenneth. Play Little Victims. HC. (5,a)
Dickson, Gordon R. Spacepaw. PB. (3,a)
Emshwiller, Carol. Carmen Dog. HC, PB. (5,9,a)
Foster, Alan Dean. “The Damned” trilogy:
A Call to Arms. HC, PB. (3,a)
The False Mirror. HC, PB. (3,a)
The Spoils of War. HC, PB. (3,a)
Foster, Alan Dean. The Icerigger trilogy:
Icerigger. PB. (3,a)
Mission to Moulokin. PB. (3,a)
The Deluge Drivers. PB. (3,a)
Foster, Alan Dean. Quozl. PB. (3,a)
Foster, Alan Dean. The Spellsinger series:
Spellsinger. PB. (6,a)
The Hour of the Gate. PB. (6,a)
The Day of the Dissonance. PB. (6,a)
The Moment of the Magician. PB. (6,a)
The Paths of the Perambulator. PB. (6,a)
The Time of the Transference. PB. (6,a)
Son of Spellsinger. PB. (6,a)
Chorus Skating. PB. (6,a)
France, Anatole. Penguin Island. HC, PB. (5,a)
Friesner, Esther. Magyk By Hook or Crook. PB. (6,a)
Gallagher, Diana G. The Alien Dark. PB. (3,a)
Gallico, Paul. The Abandoned. PB. (2,a)
Gentle, Mary. Rats and Gargoyles. HC, PB. (6,a)
Grahame, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows. HC,
PB. (6,a,c)
Gurney, James. Dinotopia A Land Apart From Time.
HC, PB. (1,a)
Hancock, Neil. Greyfax Grimwald. PB. (6,a)
Hancock, Neil. Faragon Fairingay. PB. (6,a)
Hancock, Neil. Calix Stay. PB. (6,a)
Hancock, Neil. Squaring the Circle. PB. (6,a)
Hawdon, Robin. A Rustle in the Grass. PB. (4,c)
Hawke, Simon. The Nine Lives of Catseye Gomez.
PB. (6,a)
Horwood, William. The Willows in Winter. HC. (6,a)
Jacques, Robin. Redwall. HC, PB. (8,a,c)
Jacques, Brian. Mossflower. HC, PB. (8,a,c)
Jacques, Robin. Mattimeo. HC, PB. (8,a,c)
Jacques, Robin. Mariel of Redwall. HC, PB. (8.a.c)
Jacques, Robin. Salamandastron. HC, PB. (8,a,)
Jacques, Robin. Martin the Warrior. HC. (8,c)
Jacques, Robin. The Bellmaker. HC (Britain) (8,c)
Jekel, Pamela. The Third Jungle Book. HC. (4,c)
Jones, Diana Wynne. Dogsbody. HC, PB. (2,c)
Kilworth, Garry. The Foxes of Firstdark. HC. (4,a)
Kipling, Rudyard. The Jungle Book. HC, PB. (4,a,c)
Laumer, Keith. Zone Yellow. PB. (1,6,a)
McCaffrey, Anne. Decision at Doona. PB. (3,a)
McCaffrey, Anne & Nye, Jody Lynn. Crisis on Doona.
PB. (3,a)
McCaffrey, Anne & Nye, Jody Lynn. Treaty at Doona.
PB. (3,a)
Norman, Lisanne. Turning Point. PB. (3,a)
Norton, Andre. Fur Magic. HC. (2,a,)
O’Brien, Robert C. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of
N.1LM.H. HC, PB. (1,7,c)
Orwell, Geoge. Animal Farm: A Fairy Story. HC, PB.
(5,a)
Peak, Michael. Cat House. PB. (4,a)
Peak, Michael. Catamount. PB. (4,a)
Popham, Melinda Worth. Skywater. HC, PB. (4,a)
Salten, Felix. Bambi: A Life in the Woods. HC, PB.
(4,0)
Salten, Felix. Bambi’s Children The Story of a Forest
Family. HC. (4,¢)
Seidler, Tor. A Rat’s Tale. HC, PB. (7,c)
Seidler, Tor. The Wainscott Weasel. HC. (7,c)
Smith, Cordwainer. The Rediscovery of Man the
Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer
Smith. Ed. by James Mann. HC. (Includes his
Underpeople stories.) (1,a)
Stanton, Mary. The Heavenly Horse From the
Outermost West. PB. (7,a)
Stanton, Mary. Piper at the Gate. PB. (7,a)
Swann, S. Andrew. Forests of the Night. PB. (1,a)
Swann, S. Andrew. Emperors of the Twilight. PB. (1,a)
Swann, S. Andrew. Specters of the Dawn. PB. (1,a)
Verne, Jules. Adventures of the Rat Family. HC. (7,a,c)
Vinicoff, Eric & Martin, Marcia. The Weigher. PB.
(3,a)
Wangerin, Walter, Jr. The Book o the Dun Cow. PB.
(8,c)
Wells, H. G. The Island of Dr. Moreau. HC, PB. (1,a)
Wharton, William. Franky Furbo. HC (only the $50.00
de luxe limited edition is still in print). (1,7,a)
Williams, Tad. Tailchaser’s Song. PB. (4,a)
Wilson, David Henry. The Coachman Rat. PB. (9,a)
Wolf, Gary K. Who Censored Roger Rabbit? PB. (6,a)
Wolf, Gary K. Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit? HC.
(6,a)
Zelazny, Roger. A Night in the Lonesome October.
HC, PB. (6,7,9,a)
The Hunters
By Tim Susman
The dawn light surrounded the two figures on the hill with shimmering, frosty reflections. The tall, well-muscled man clasped the boy’s bony shoulder with one huge hand. “We need hunters now, Run- ning Squirrel. It is your time,” he said, stern eyes holding the boy’s uncertain stare.
“What if I fail?” The boy’s voice was no more than a whisper.
“You will not,” Two Elk said, not reassuringly, butasan order. “The spirits of the tribe are with you. You are my son, after all.” Running Squirrel twisted his hands together, a familiar unconscious gesture. “Maybe tomorrow I would feel better.”
“Listen,” the man said, “every boy is nervous on his first hunt. You’re as good as any of them— better. And Broken Clawis planning to bring his son out tomorrow for his first hunt. I won’t have his son become a man first.”
Running Squirrel bit his lip and said nothing. Taking the silence for assent, Two Elk continued. “There’s a herd over those ridges,” he said, pointing into the rising sun. “We’ll go and bring one down. They just moved into the area, so they’ll be watchful. You’ll have to remember everything I’ve been teach- ing you. Understand?”
His son nodded. “You’re not going to let your tribe down, are you?” Two Elk asked, and was met with a silent shake of the head. “Of course not,” he said, wishing he felt that confident. The boy took after his mother, light and delicate, and despite daily hours of rigorous training, he still was no physical match for most of the other boys his age. He’d tried to convince himself that the boy was just a late bloomer, but as the years went on, it was becoming harder and harder to believe.
He looked down into the blue eyes staring up into his own. “You know the rituals?” His last hope for the boy was that the tribe’s medicine would be strong in him. He’d drilled the boy over and over, so there would be no mistake in the ritual. Many boys went out several times before succeeding. Not his son.
Running Squirrel nodded. “Then begin.” He released the boy’s shoulder and stepped a few feet back.
Lifting his face to the sky, Running Squirrel spread his arms and sang a series of words in a clear, high voice. His eyes closed, concentrating, wishing. He was singing properly, he knew he was, but he didn’t feel the spirits.
And then… a brush of wind along his cheek, cold and sharp, but more than wind, creeping inside him. Then another, and another, and then he was only a shell, dimly aware of the spirits probing through him with light, icy fingers, until they all fled, back out into the misty air. All but one.
Running Squirrel’s body belonged to himagain, but he was cold, so cold with the spirit inside him. Frost began at the nape of his neck and spread outward from there, covering him in seconds. The cold in him bled out, frost thickening and lengthen- ing into thick fur, just as it constricted inside him and doubled him over.
He fell to all fours, his bones icy cold as they cracked and reshaped; then warming into a new configuration. His nose lengthened, legs shortened, spine extended into a tail. The pain was swallowed by the cold, over almost before he felt it. The spirit receded then, toa faint icy touch in his head he knew would always be with him.
The small grey wolf looked back. Two Elk met his yellow eyes, a lump in his chest. The boy had done it, and done it well. The chill air drew a tear to his eye, or perhaps something less tangible was responsible.
He didn’t know if the wolf saw the tear, but at that moment his son slipped down the hill into the sunrise, to claim his prey, and his manhood.
Ellisa Hawke Mitchell 1994 Biography
Foras longas Ellisa can remember, she has been fascinated with the boundless worlds of science fiction. From her very first reading venture into the pages of Analog at the age of four, she has been drawing and sculpting from her imagination.
Although Ellisa is currently a professional illus- trator for science fiction books and games, her specialty is sculpture. Her bronze has been exhibited at the Delaware Museum in the First Invitational Exhibition of the National Academy of Fantastic Art, the largest and most prestigious show of its kind everassembled. But she is best known for the colorful and imaginative work which has appeared at convention art shows all over the country; magical beasts of all types: winged kitties, uni- corns, dragons,
gryphons, _ spirit- guardians—all the creatures of
dreams. Ellisa has been sending her works of fantasy to conventions around the US and Canada for many years. In addition, she is currently the main interior illustrator for TOR books and St. Martin’s press, and has done work for the books of many well- known authors in the SF, Fantasy, and Historical Fiction genres, along with a few historical romances, mysteries, westerns, and horror novels. (For the mystery fans out there, one of Ellisa’s more coopera- tive cats doubles for Midnight Louie’s pawprint signature in Carol Nelson Douglas’ works.) Her
maps and illustrations have appeared in the works of Piers Anthony, Robert Jordan, Orson Scott Card, Tad Williams, Larry Niven, Judith Tarr, Jack Williamson, Charles de Lint, Vernor Vinge, Kathy O’Neil Gear, and many others. She has recently completed a full-color inside cover for Robert Jordan’s best-selling Wheel of Time series.
Ellisa lives in the alligator-infested swamps of East Texas, surrounded by a large collection of unusual pets; a menagerie which includes about forty cats at last count, two dogs, an Arabian horse, miniature Sicilian donkeys, a few dozen pet rats, an overweight ham- ster, tiger sala- manders, goldfish rescued from the bait shop, and a yard full of poultry. As an anatomist and animal portraitist, the animals pro- vide inspiration for Ellisa’s work; both the fan art and the bronzes. “I never stop studying,” said Ellisa, when discussing her craft. “I want things to work. IfI put wings ona cat, or design a dragon, I want to be sure those wings would support the animal, and that all the muscles and bones are correct.”
In addition to the artwork, Ellisa has recently finished a novel and a science fiction series, and hopes to expand soon into the equally challenging world of professional writing.
Ed Zolna
Ed Zolna, creator of Fran & Maabland Tales from Roslyn comics keeps busy. When he’s not working on the books, he’s busy with other projects like Savage Funnies Special #1, a 128 page comic book that he and Kjartan Arnérsson collaborated on.
Ed also does art commissions and contract work. All this is in addition to his “day job” of operating subway trains in Philadelphia.
Ed drawsa variety ofanthropomorphic charac- ters but mainly sticks with Frannie and Maabl. Frannie, a would-be, world-class magic worker and her 10°4″ sidekick, Maabl, get into lots of situations ranging from the absurd to the even more absurd.
In his spare time (?), he also runs Mailbox Books, a mail-order business that specializes in an- thropomorphic material. Write and ask for the Vast Catalog of Other Good Stuffand see for yourself
“Even more elaborate in detail and richness of lore than the lion-, tiger-, and hyaena transformations, are those of the werefox.
the world, the werefox is basically an Eastern belief. However, unlike the common were-tale which tells of some cursed person or witch turning into a creature, a werefox (in legend) is exactly the oppo- site: the fox turns into a human!
The Werefox
by John Cawley
”Human Animals (1915) by Frank Hamel Whereas the werewolf is known throughout
{Original headline: Vietnams’ “Fox- Women’ Lure Gls to Death] Several “true” accounts of werefoxes were reported in Beyond from the late 1960s.
Stories abound of men who find a woman on the side of a road, or near a cemetery, or in a small shack in the country. These men will often marry the woman only to discover later that she is a werefox. In a few stories even when the truth is discovered, the husband will remain faithful and offer to let the fox/ wife return as she pleases.
A Chinese were-fox, a creature said to inhabit the boderline between the earth and the underworld, and noted for its great sexuality and amorousness. A nineteenth-century painting. {Illustration and caption from The Werewolf Delusion (1979) by lan Woodward]
The most popular human shape is the female variety: the fox will take the form of a beautiful woman to entice a human male. It is said that no human female is as seductive as the werefox. It’s believed that foxes live to be 800 years old. Once they hit 500 they can begin taking human form. (50 years and 1000 years are also popular ages for the fox to begin transformations.)
Illustration from the 1940 edition of Lady into Fox showing the (formerly) human wife in her fox form.
There are several tests for werefoxes. The most recognized is the test of dogs. A dog cannot be fooled by the shape of the fox. Another sign is the odor of fox. Even in the form of a human, the musky fox scent is present. Some stories also talk of enticing werefoxes with their favorite food (certain types of fruit and/or leaves). The fox will be unable to resist the treatand will eat ravenously, sometimes convert- ing back to fox form in the process.
Illustration from Sidney (1975) a book that tells the tale of a chick that disguises itself as a fox, only to become a real fox.
The Fox from the series that appeared in Vampirella Magazine in the early 1980s. Stories were by Nicolas Cuti, art by Luis Bermejo.
Excerpt from an original comic by Brett Koth for Rowr-Brazzle.
Theactual transformation ofa foxintoawoman is somewhat charming. The fox will roam a grassy field, pick up a skull (usually human) and then race towards the North Star. It begins to worship and recite various passages. As it worships the fox be- comes agitated and jumps higher and higher into the air. If it is successful in 100 jumps, it may transform into a human.
Though the majority of werefox stories come from the Orient before 1700 ad, their craft and stories have slowly come to light around the world in both fact and fiction. In most cases. they have retained their oriental background. A very small sampling of key werefox tales includes “Lady Into Fox” by David Garnett, A. Merrit’s “The Fox Woman”, Steven Bauer’s “Satyrday”, and Andre Norton’s “The White Jade Fox”.
The legendary werefox is adefinite creature of graceand mystery. Though many of the non-Oriental and modern ver- sions lack the feel and texture of the original fables, these stories keep the creature in the eye (and mind) of the public. Which may or may not please the werefox.
Getting Your Shots
by David Schneberger
Dr. Pollar hated giving shots. Still, it was in his job description so what was he to do? Usually the kids calmed down after a while, but the two muscu- lar orderlies were having a time restraining the grown-man who was now in front of him, fighting to escape as if he were going to be given cyanide.
“Calm down Mr. Schimmel, its just a simple inoculation.” he tried to say soothingly.
“The hell it is! You want to make me into one of them!” Schimmel shouted, his face quite red with the strain of trying to break free of the orderlies.
Pollar sighed. “That’s absurd Mr. Schimmel. You know vaccination is re- quired under World Health Organization rules. The only way we can ensure no more spread ofa wild, mutating virus is to make sure everyone is immune.”. Pollarten- tatively took a step forwards as a nurse rolled up Schimmel’s sleeve and applied alcohol to his skin.
“No you bastard! I won’t become some cursed thing!” Schimmel tried to pull free once more but was held in place. Pollar sighed, the media had done a good job after the first set of vaccines had been distributed world-wide. Anything for ratings he guessed. Even with the vaccine’s undoubted success some were still phobic as all get out. This guy however was positively certifiable.
Pollar motioned the orderlies to hold Schimmel still as he inserted the needle into his arm. He could feel the muscles of his patient’s arms seize up as he
tried to pull free once more. Given all the buildup it was a fairly routine injection. Thankfully the fight went out of Schimmel as the site was rubbed once more with alcohol as the needle was removed.
Sighing, Dr. Pollar left the room and put away his things for the night. It was still early, but he wanted to get home and out of these uncomfortable clothes he always wore to the hospital.
It was hard to figure a person like Schimmel he thought as he walked to his car. When the first outbreaks of lycanthropy had shown up it had been anarchy until the first mass immunization was introduced. On hindsight World Heath had likely wanted to prevent thers getting it instead of infecting most everyone with it, but that was the risk of using live virus as a vaccine. It wasn’t like they’d had a lot of time to do extensive testing of it. Still, nobody was complaining with the results. Perhaps there was something behind that saying “if you can’t beat them….”.
Pollar looked up at the clear autumn sky and the sun which was slowly setting. The silhouette of the moon was still too watered down by daylight, but already he could feel the now familiar tug at his bones. He’d better hurry if he wanted to get home and out of these clothes in time. Besides, he had a date over at the park with a lovely grey-furred she- wolf tonight.