X-Message-Number: 1960
Date: 14 Mar 93 20:48:28 EST
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: CRYONICS "Chiller"/Sterling Blake

To: Cryonet


Nick Szabo has told us that CHILLER, the upcoming novel by 
"Sterling Blake," is actually written by Gregory Benford. 
Benford has asked me to post the following message. 

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Gregory Benford was hoping that he would not be identified as 
the author of CHILLER (at least, not yet). CHILLER will be 
marketed as a suspense novel; his name is associated with 
science fiction. It will be easier to market the book if 
distributors and retailers do not think of the author as a 
science-fiction writer. 

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Gregory Benford showed me the manuscript of CHILLER some time 
ago. He also showed it to several people in Alcor. I'm afraid 
it isn't the kind of book that Nick Szabo is hoping for. It's 
a suspense novel in which cryonicists just happen to be the 
good guys, and cryonics just happens to be the field of 
special interest. My personal feeling is that the book may 
function as a Trojan horse, taking cryonics into the minds of 
unsuspecting readers who buy it expecting something like, 
say, a police procedural. 

Advance copies of CHILLER were sent to most book stores 
earlier this year. The book should be on general sale in 
June. 

So far as I know, there is no truth to the rumor that in 
addition to using the name Sterling Blake, Gregory Benford 
may write under the name Clarissa Wells from time to time. 

--Charles Platt

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