{"id":2527,"date":"2013-08-16T08:00:51","date_gmt":"2013-08-16T13:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/?p=2527"},"modified":"2013-08-16T16:57:38","modified_gmt":"2013-08-16T21:57:38","slug":"rayguns-over-texas-preview-don-webb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2013\/08\/16\/rayguns-over-texas-preview-don-webb\/","title":{"rendered":"Rayguns Over Texas preview: Don Webb"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cover<\/a>

Cover by Rocky Kelley<\/p><\/div>\n

As we barrel toward the August 29 premiere of\u00a0Rayguns Over Texas<\/a>\u00a0<\/a><\/em>at\u00a0LoneStarCon 3<\/a>\u00a0(aka the 71st Annual World Science Fiction Convention) in San Antonio, I am presenting book excerpts, one contributor per day.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s selection comes from Don Webb’s\u00a0\u201cThe Art of Absence.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Don Webb expertly unravels timeless\u00a0mysteries \u2014 universal, personal, and
\notherwise \u2014 as archeologist Peggy\u00a0Reynman journeys to the red planet to
\nresearch the legendary Cylinders of Mars.<\/p>\n

Her daddy used to bury little things in the backyard.<\/p>\n

Mainly, George Reynman buried arrowheads that he bought at\u00a0an antique store in town. Sometimes silver coins, ten cent pieces from\u00a0a hundred years ago when they still made coins from silver (and had\u00a0denominations less than a dollar). It was all for Peggy\u2019s older brother.\u00a0Of course.<\/p>\n

Jack wasn\u2019t doing well in school. He was three years older than\u00a0she was, and he was going to look like daddy when he grew up. She\u00a0was pudgy and not going to look like anybody. Momma was famous,\u00a0beautiful and dead. Momma had died in the first Venus landing. Then\u00a0Jack stopped reading and doing math, but she had escaped into books\u00a0and studies. She lived on the nets.<\/p>\n

Daddy had meant to awaken some romantic spirit in Jack. If Jack\u00a0were turned on by finding these little treasures he might want to read\u00a0about Indians or 20th century America. Jack might get excited, do well\u00a0in school and not be so damn pale. It didn\u2019t work. Daddy had to help\u00a0Jack find the arrowheads. Daddy would uncover them with his feet,\u00a0while the three of them were barbecuing. He would wait for Jack to\u00a0spot them, and failing this would suddenly exclaim, \u201cOh what\u2019s this?\u201d\u00a0or some other equally inspired piece of acting. Jack would look dully\u00a0at the piece of flint, sigh, and go back to eating his hamburger.<\/p>\n

But not her.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrincess\u201d would be thrilled. The arrowhead would immediately\u00a0become part of her ongoing story. Usually a tale involving Daddy,\u00a0herself and a dragon.<\/p>\n

Daddy lost interest in trying to bury things for Jack.<\/p>\n

One day, when she was eight, she dug up all of the things Daddy\u00a0had ever buried. She washed them and displayed them on a big piece\u00a0of burlap. Daddy looked at her as if he had never seen her before. \u201cI\u2019m\u00a0so proud of you, Princess.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was glad when she told him that she wanted to be an\u00a0archaeologist. He helped her find role models: Amelia Peabody,\u00a0Jeanine D. Kimball, Guiniviere Marie Webb, and Mary Denning.<\/p>\n

When she was twelve, he told her what had made him happiest was\u00a0that archeology\u00a0would keep her on Earth. He never talked directly\u00a0about Momma dying on Venus. Momma was on a stamp. Captain\u00a0Sarah Reynman.<\/p>\n

Now, the landing on Mars was three hours away. Mars landings were\u00a0no big deal, but, she was scared. Not of the landing, of the gap, the space\u00a0she was making. She wanted a brave face for the cameras. Fifty-five and\u00a0a couple of books on archeology behind her, she could make a brave face.\u00a0Hell, she had faced failing freshmen, reporters shouldn\u2019t scare her.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Excerpt from \u201cThe Art of Absence\u201d \u00a9 2013 by Don Webb.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we barrel toward the August 29 premiere of\u00a0Rayguns Over Texas\u00a0at\u00a0LoneStarCon 3\u00a0(aka the 71st Annual World Science Fiction Convention) in San Antonio, I am presenting book excerpts, one contributor per day. Today\u2019s selection comes from Don Webb’s\u00a0\u201cThe Art of Absence.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-rayguns-over-texas"],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n