Lawn Order

It's summertime--but not everyone's taking it easy . . .

"When 900 years old you reach, look as good your lawn will not."

IMAGE: Many thanks to David Gerrold's Facebook Page for this image.

Bring out your Droids! Monthly KaCSFFS Meeting 7/18/15

What: Monthly KaCSFFS Meeting

Where: The WritersPlace

3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111

When: Saturday, July 18, 2015

5:30 Board of Directors—open meeting

6:00 Doors open for setup and pre-meeting socializing.
6:30 Start of socializing in earnest.

7:00 Program begins: Tonight! KC R2 Builders!

Food Theme: Cool and Refreshing!

Kevin's R2-D2

Meet Kevin and R2

Tonight's presentation will feature Kevin Schwarz of the KCR2 Builders Club, along with his full-size R2-D2! KCR2 Builders Club members build full scale R2 units from the Star Wars Universe. Membership is free an open to anyone living in the Kansas City Area.

Robots on Parade (B.Y.O.R.)

If you have robots of your own, please bring them to show us! Large or small, tonight we officially love robots! Let's see if we can put together a good display of them.

Bring Cool and Refreshing Food or Drink

KaXFEN are always up for something good to eat. Please bring any favorite "cool and refreshing" favorites that you'd like to share--and come prepared to give out recipes, too, if you're willing!

As ever, KaCSFFS provides cups, plates, plasticware and napkins. The rest is up to you!

IMAGES: The KCR2 Builders Logo and the photo of Kevin's R2-D2 are from the KCR2 Builders Club website.

KC Horror Book Club July 2015 Meeting

The Missing

By Sarah Langan

Details:
Date and Time: July 19, 2015 (Saturday) from noon to 1:30.
NEW Location!!!!!: Char Bar
Address: 4050 Pennsylvania Ave, Kansas City, Missouri 64111
Event Notes: 

Come and discuss and grab some food too.

"A remote and affluent Maine community, Corpus Christi was untouched by the environmental catastrophe that destroyed the neighboring blue-collar town of Bedford. But all that will change in a heartbeat . . .

"The nightmare is awakened when third-grade schoolteacher Lois Larkin takes the children on a field trip to Bedford. There in the abandoned woods, a small, cruel boy unearths an ancient horror—a contagious plague that transforms its victims into something violent, hungry . . . and inhuman.

"The long, dark night is just beginning. And all hope must die as the contagion feeds—for the malevolence will not rest until it has devoured every living soul in Corpus Christi . . . and beyond."

-Harper (via Amazon) & Earline Beebe

Check the Facebook Event Page for more information.

Please contact Earline Beebe for more information on the Facebook event page.
Image from: Amazon. Published by Harper.

Laser Rangers 2015 July Meeting

The World Ends in Fireworks!

Date: July 11, 2015
Time: 4:50pm
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: David S. & Don M.
Food: Mediterranean
Costume: Greek

To learn more, please visit our Facebook Event Page.

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

Pompeii

(2014, 104 minutes) Directed by: Paul W. S. Anderson

Starring: Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Carrie-Anne Moss, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica Lucas, Jared Harris, Kiefer Sutherland

In 79 A.D., Pompeii, a bustling port city, stands in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. Milo (Kit Harington), a former slave, is a gladiator who has caught the eye of Cassia (Emily Browning), a wealthy merchant's daughter. However, their difference in social status is not the only obstacle to their love; Cassia has been promised to Corvus (Kiefer Sutherland), a corrupt Roman senator. When the eruption of Mount Vesuvius rains lava and ash down on the city, Milo races to save her before it's too late.-IMDB

Watch the trailer here!







~~~~~
After the first feature, please join us for a potluck dinner. Bring something to share. It can follow the theme, or be something you prefer.
~~~~~

Feature Presentation!
The Core

(2003, 135 minutes) Directed by: Jon Amiel

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci, Tchéky Karyo, DJ Qualls, Bruce Greenwood, Alfre Woodard

The only way to save Earth from catastrophe is to drill down to the core and set it spinning again.-IMDB

Watch the trailer here!











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!

A Little Grin from KaCSFFS

Every once in a while, we run into an amusing sf or fantasy image we think you'll enjoy. Here's one.

IMAGE: Many thanks to B.T. I.T.S.S.’s Pinterest board, “Dragons and Fantasy Stuff,” via Tumblr.

Questions and Vengeance Intrigue SF&F Literati

Date: June 22, 2015-7:00 p.m.

Title: Ancillary Justice

Author: Ann Leckie

Publisher: Orbit

Available from: Fine booksellers, including Barnes & Noble

Meeting Location: 

Barnes & Noble #2352, 2^nd Floor

11323 W 95th Street, 

Overland Park, KS 66214

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, British Science Fiction, Locus and Arthur C. Clarke Awards.

On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.

Once, she was the Justice of Toren - a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy.

Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.

Next Month: July 27, 2015

Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

Without warning, giant silver ships from deep space appear in the skies above every major city on Earth. Manned by the Overlords, in fifty years, they eliminate ignorance, disease, and poverty. Then this golden age ends—and then the age of Mankind begins....

IMAGES: Many thanks to Ann Leckie's website, for the Ancillary Justice cover image. The cover art for Childhood's End is from Goodreads.

June Monthly Meeting Set for 6/20/2015

Puzzle it Out at the June KaCSFFS Meeting 

What: Monthly KaCSFFS Meeting

Where: The WritersPlace

3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111

When: Saturday, June 20, 2015

5:30 Board of Directors—open meeting

6:00 Doors open for setup and pre-meeting socializing.

7:00 Meeting and Program begin

Barry (R) with wife Beth Welsh

Master puzzle-maker and KAXFAN Barry Haldiman will be the evening's highlight, as he teaches us how to construct a crossword puzzle, then guides us through the creation of a science-fiction-themed puzzle. 

"My Favorite Food" is this month's theme. Bring a personal or family favorite to share with the group, as we enjoy Barry's presentation.

Although in recent past years the June meeting has been our Annual Indoor Picnic, we decided this year to move the picnic to September, when we hope the weather will accommodate an Outdoor-Indoor Picnic. Stay tuned for details. 

IMAGES: Many thanks to The Pre-Shortzian Puzzle Project, for both of the images in this post!

KC Horror Book Club June 2015 Meeting

The Troop

By Nick Cutter

Details:
Date and Time: June 13, 2015 (Saturday) from noon to 1:30.
Location: The Green Room Burgers and Beer
Address: 4010 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite D, Kansas City, MO.
Event Notes: 

Come and discuss and grab some food too.

"Once a year, Scoutmaster Tim Riggs leads a troop of boys into the Canadian wilderness for a weekend camping trip—a tradition as comforting and reliable as a good ghost story around a roaring bonfire. But when an unexpected intruder stumbles upon their campsite—shockingly thin, disturbingly pale, and voraciously hungry—Tim and the boys are exposed to something far more frightening than any tale of terror. The human carrier of a bioengineered nightmare. A horror that spreads faster than fear. A harrowing struggle for survival with no escape from the elements, the infected…or each other. Part Lord of the Flies, part 28 Days Later—and all-consuming—this tightly written edge-of-your-seat thriller takes you deep into the heart of darkness, where fear feeds on sanity…and terror hungers for more."

-Pocket Books (via Amazon) & Earline Beebe

Check the Facebook Event Page for more information.

Please contact Earline Beebe for more information on the Facebook event page.
Image from: Amazon. Published by Pocket Books.

Laser Rangers 2015 June Meeting

Saving the Universe . . . Must be Tuesday

Date: June 13, 2015
Time: 4:50pm
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: Ty G.
Food: Groot Salad, Roadkill Helper
Costume: Space Suit

To learn more, please visit our Facebook Event Page.

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

Feature Presentation!
The Fifth Element

(1997, 127 minutes) Directed by: Luc Besson

Starring: Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Milla Jovovich, Ian Holm, Chris Tucker

In the 23rd century, a New York City cabbie, Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), finds the fate of the world in his hands when Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) falls into his cab. As the embodiment of the fifth element, Leeloo needs to combine with the other four to keep the approaching Great Evil from destroying the world. Together with Father Vito Cornelius (Ian Holm) and zany broadcaster Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker), Dallas must race against time and the wicked industrialist Zorg (Gary Oldman) to save humanity.-IMDB

Watch the trailer here!







~~~~~
After the first feature, please join us for a potluck dinner. Bring something to share. It can follow the theme, or be something you prefer.
~~~~~

Feature Presentation!
Guardians of the Galaxy

(2014, 122 minutes) Directed by: James Gunn

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio del Toro

Brash space adventurer Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finds himself the quarry of relentless bounty hunters after he steals an orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain. To evade Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with four disparate misfits: gun-toting Rocket Raccoon, treelike-humanoid Groot, enigmatic Gamora, and vengeance-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when he discovers the orb's true power and the cosmic threat it poses, Quill must rally his ragtag group to save the universe.-IMDB

Watch the trailer here!







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!