Laser Rangers 2018 November Meeting

Laser Rangers Annual Planning Meeting

Date: November 03, 2018
Time: 4:15pm
Location: David Sooby’s home theater with 51-inch Samsung HDTV, a 5.1 Surround Sound Dolby Digital sound system, a full set of audiophile-grade speakers, and upgraded seating for about 15 people without crowding.
Captain Laser: We're All Captains here
Food: Space Food
Costume: Space Suit

To learn more, please visit our Facebook Event Page.

Short features will be shown before the main feature. Don't miss them!

Feature Presentation!
The Martian

(2015, 142 minutes) Directed by: Ridley Scott

Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Benedict Wong, Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor

An astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assume him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. -IMDB

Watch the trailer here!








~~~~~
Please join us for a potluck dinner after the feature. Bring something to share. It can follow the theme, or be something you prefer. Afterwards we'll discuss and choose movies for the upcoming year.
~~~~~

The home of the Laser Rangers is located about four miles north of the Kansas Speedway, NW of the intersection of I-70 and I-435 on the Kansas side of the Greater Kansas City area.

IMAGE CREDITS: The information for all of these shows come from the invaluable IMDB. The movie posters come from Wikipedia or the movie's respected distributors. 

The movie screen frame image used for the Laser Rangers contact information is courtesy of Psychology Today Online. Many thanks to these websites!

Calculate this!

Get your copy today!  
The Kansas City SF&F Literati November Selection
Next meeting: Monday, November 26, 2018; 7 p.m. at the Oak Park Barnes & Noble.

The Calculating Stars
by Mary Robinette Kowal

Book One of the Lady Astronaut series, based on the premises behind her Hugo Award-winning "Lady Astronaut of Mars."

The Calculating Stars has received acclaim since its release:
Goodreads―Most Popular Books Published in July 2018 (#66)
The Verge―12 fantastic science fiction and fantasy novels for July 2018
Unbound Worlds―Best SciFi and Fantasy Books of July 2018
Den of Geek―Best Science Fiction Books of June 2018
Omnivoracious―15 Highly Anticipated SFF Reads for Summer 2018

The Story:
On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the east coast of the United States, including Washington D.C. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space, and requires a much larger share of humanity to take part in the process.

Elma York’s experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon, as a calculator. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too.

Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.

Available from booksellers everywhere, including host location Barnes & Noble Booksellers. And don't forget to check for it at your local library! 

IMAGE: Many thanks to Macmillan Publishers for the cover photo. Thanks also are due to Amazon, for the list of recognitions and the book description, and to Barnes & Noble for saving me the trouble of looking up a source for "Lady Astronaut of Mars."

-- AND --

In case you missed it:
(because Jan missed the chance to promote it--sorry)
The October 2018 Selection was 

Flex ('Mancer Book One)
by Ferrett Steinmetz
See what the SF&F Literati thought of this book!

The Story:
FLEX: Distilled magic in crystal form. The most dangerous drug in the world. Snort it, and you can create incredible coincidences to live the life of your dreams.

FLUX: The backlash from snorting Flex. The universe hates magic and tries to rebalance the odds; maybe you survive the horrendous accidents the Flex inflicts, maybe you don’t.

PAUL TSABO: The obsessed bureaucromancer who’s turned paperwork into a magical Beast that can rewrite rental agreements, conjure rented cars from nowhere, and track down anyone who’s ever filled out a form.


But when all of his formulaic magic can’t save his burned daughter, Paul must enter the dangerous world of Flex dealers to heal her. Except he’s never done this before – and the punishment for brewing Flex is army conscription and a total brain-wipe.

Also available from the Library and host location Barnes & Noble Booksellers!

IMAGE: Many thanks to Amazon, for both the cover image and the book description.

Get FREE Tickets to Neil Gaiman TOMORROW!

Neil Gaiman?!? Where? When?
This is a rare opportunity, and we're certain these tickets will go fast. Plan accordingly!

Neil Gaiman in 2013, courtesy of
Kyle Cassidy and Wikipedia.

About GETTING tickets: 
Available starting 11:00 a.m. TOMORROW, Monday October 22, 2018.
FREE for the asking. 
Limit TWO.
IN-PERSON requests only.
Only at the Lied Center Box Office in Lawrence, KS

Gaiman's Appearance, NOV 19, 2018:
"An Evening with Neil Gaiman" is set for November 19 at 7:30 p.m. at Lied Center in Lawrence, KS, a program hosted by the Hall Center for the Humanities at KU in Lawrence. Gaiman's appearance is supported by the Hall Family Foundation.

In case you need a refresher about Gaiman, he is a bestselling author "listed in the Dictionary of Literary Biography as one of the top ten living post-modern writers. He is the author of American Gods, The Graveyard Book, Coraline, The Sandman series, and countless other works of prose, poetry, film, journalism, comics, song lyrics, and drama," as the Hall Center announcement notes.

"Gaiman's work has been honored with many awards internationally, including the Newbery and Carnegie Medals. His books and stories have also been honored with 4 Hugos, 2 Nebulas, 1 World Fantasy Award, 4 Bram Stoker Awards, 6 Locus Awards, 2 British SF Awards, 1 British Fantasy Award, 3 Geffens, 1 International Horror Guild Award, and 2 Mythopoeic Awards."

IMAGE: Many thanks to Kyle Cassidy and Wikipedia for the photo of Neil Gaiman, and to the Hall Center and the Hall Family Foundation for sponsoring his appearance in our area.

Haunting the Writers Place on Saturday!

Annual KaCSFFS Halloween Party and Meeting is October 20
Where: The Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111
When: Saturday, October 20, 2018
Time: 6:00 p.m. - Setup; 7:00 - Readings begin
Food Theme: Seasonally appropriate food

Sean Demory has read for a KaCSFFS Halloween before.
Also shown: David Means, Allison Stein, Sherri Dean.

Come for the Readings . . .
Two distinguished local authors will bring some of their spookier works of short fiction to share with us.

KaXFEN may remember being riveted by the marvelous reading voice and fascinating fiction of Sean Demory, from last year. What's the plan for this year? "I'll potentially be reading something old, something new and something very new depending on time," he said.

Aaron Hollingsworth will read from
The Apothecary of Mantua:
A SupernaturalSequel to Romeo & Juliet.

Aaron Hollingsworth has been a KaXFAN, but this'll be his first time reading for a KaCSFFS meeting. He's chosen selections from The Apothecary of Mantua: A Supernatural Sequel to Romeo & Juliet.

Stay for the Party . . . 
KaCSFFS Halloween Parties are a tradition for the October meeting. Many of us love to wear costumes (what better opportunity, right?), but don't feel you must. If you'd rather come and enjoy the results of others' labors, there probably will be plenty of fun costumes to admire (admirers are always welcome!)

Glimpses from past Halloween Party Meetings: L-R Corey Barber, the Means Family, Susan Ives, and Carol Doms.

And bring food!
KaXFEN also love to eat. Whether it's trick-or-treat themed goodies, hearty autumn fare, or some kind of pumpkin marvelousness, please bring food to share!

The Halloween Party food table in 2014.

PHOTOS: The photos of Sean Demory at last year's Halloween meeting, those in the Haloween Costume montage, and the photo of the food table all were taken by Jan S. Gephardt, for the purpose of KaCSFFS publicity. If you'd like to use it, please attribute Jan, and provide a link back to this blog post. The photo of Aaron Hollingsworth is courtesy of Aaron's Facebook Author Page.