By Kendra Hibbert
January 23, 2004
Recently my friend has been insisting that I listen to all his Frank Zappa CDs and it got me thinking about the difference between the terms “fan” and “fanatic.” In the world of fandom, the difference of these four letters could be huge, depending on who or what the fan is being fanatic about. Take Zappa, for example. With over 74 albums out there (no doubt there’s a Zappa fanatic willing to argue to the death the exact number) it’s possible to have only a passing interest in his work and still own more than 20 of his CDs. A fanatic, however, would own all 74 albums, plus the rare works, plus all his work with Captain Beefheart, plus all his movies/concert videos, plus the plethora of books written about the man, plus his interviews/memorabilia, anything his kids have been up to, etc. If, however, the subject were say, Paris Hilton, it would be much harder to tell if the admirer was a fan or a fanatic since, besides a seven-episode reality series featuring her getting fired four times in the course of a month and a three-minute video featuring her admiring herself for a night-vision camera - she really hasn’t produced all that much.
Robert Heinlein is one of those wonderfully prolific authors for whom it is easily possible to differentiate between a fan of his work and a fanatic. A fan could read four or five novels of his, starting with say, STARSHIP TROOPERS and moving on to his other work like HAVE SPACESUIT -WILL TRAVEL or STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND. They could feasibly appreciate Heinlein’s writing for what it is and be interested in reading other works by him but not really be a fanatic per se. The difference between
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a Heinlein fan and a Heinlein fanatic lies in whether or not they are willing to read “anything” written by the late sci-fi master, even his rare self-confessed “stinkeroos” published in Sci-Fi magazines in the 40s. FOR US, THE LIVING, the recently published “lost first novel” by Heinlein is for the fanatics - for those readers who can look past the unpolished work of the master and savor the sweetness that comes from finding a new work by a person who is alas, no longer with us and under normal circumstances could never come out with any new work.
Those familiar with Heinlein’s “Future History” series of works (TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE, “Methuselah's Children,” “The Man Who Sold the Moon,” etc.) will recognize the story line of this “new” book. It follows the adventures of Perry Nelson a man from 1939 (which is when Heinlein first wrote the novel) who, after a car accident, is transported 147 years into the future where a kafuffle with a local man over the affections of a beautiful half-naked woman causes Perry to be sent for deprogramming. It is there that he realizes he is in the future and discovers this new society has a “progressive” way of thinking that comes as a shock to his 1939 morals. While learning about this new utopia, Perry reads about the “history” of the earth after he last left it - the wars, earth changing disasters and the new economic system which has created a world of richness and freedom.
This is one of Heinlein’s more “preachy” novels (as most utopian works are) and those who are not willing to look past the sermonizing should stay away from this new work. It’s actually an interesting novel but not one which can necessarily stand on its own. In context as an unpublished work of fiction written by Heinlein before he made the Sci-Fi scene it’s a fascinating look into the evolution of some ideas he used in later novels like the use of sex in TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE or even some inventions like the conveyer strip in stories like “The Roads Must Roll.” Owning and liking this book could quite possibly turn out to be one of the unfailing distinguishing characteristics differentiating a fan from a fanatic. It isn’t however, a novel that the uninitiated should pick up. Unless you have a good understanding of Heinlein (meaning you’ve read more than 10 of his books and have a fascination with his work bordering on fanaticism) it’s a good idea to stay away from FOR US, THE LIVING. There’s a danger that for the newbie this book might turn you off of Heinlein before you can appreciate some of his grander works.
THE THACKERY T. LAMBSHEAD GUIDE TO ECCENTRIC AND DISCREDITED DISEASES is a book that plays with the idea of fans, fanaticism and the cult of personality by making up an eccentric disease detective, Thackery T. Lambshead, publisher of an annual collection of rare diseases written by “Doctors” like Neil Gaiman,
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Alan Moore, Michael Moorcock and Michael Cisco (to name a few). Diseases like Logopetria in which the infected drop strange shapes out of their mouths instead of words, or Diseasemaker’s Croup which affects those who diagnose these diseases. In addition to an alphabetical section listing these diseases there is also a section in which these Doctors discuss their first meeting with the infamous Thackery T. Lambshead and the various adventures/legends about the man where the personality of the oddball Lambshead comes through to those readers who don’t know him (which is, of course, everyone). The book pretends to be the newest in a long series of similarly published Guides Lambshed has been compiling for decades, suggesting that this work and its maverick editor has a fan base all its own.
What this book is really, is a masterpiece of tongue-in-cheek humor, fantasy fiction at its most meaningful and an absolute wonder of a publication. Just as everyone owns at least one version of UNCLE JOHN’S BATHROOM READER (at least it seems that way to me), every household should have a copy of ‘The Guide’ around their house to use as a boredom breaker, a conversation starter and a harbinger of weird dreams (I’m writing personally from experience specifically about a few strange dreams I’ve had recently brought on by reading about a disease the book describes as a virus which only appears in the infected’s dreams, starting with a stuffy nose or a slight tingle in the throat and progressing night after night until the dream-ee is unable to function normally in their night time sleepy world (I am now unable to find the name of this disease in the Guide which leads me to believe that I actually only dreamt about reading this disease in the Guide - which will no doubt lead to stranger dreams in the future)).
Though the Guide has a few “superstar” names in its list of contributors, this is more than anything a collaborative project meaning no one really stands out. If you are a fan of Neil Gaiman or Alan Moore, be aware there’s not a huge amount by them in this book (though if you’re a fanatic of either of these authors or any of the others and it’s a selling feature for the book that they are in it - by all means use that as an excuse to pick it up). The real stars of this book are the editors Jeff VanderMeer and Mark Roberts and whoever thought up this concept in the first place. This is one of those rare treasures where you don’t need a personality behind this work to be a fan of it. You can (as I am) be a fan of the concept and of the “series” just by picking up a copy of this one book (hopefully there will be more of these collections upcoming so I can become a fanatic of the series), a debatably more constructive direction to throw your admirations than toward the various body parts of a hotel heiress.
Next Column: Elmore Leonard’s MR. PARADISE.
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