Carl V. Anderson over at Stainless Steel Droppings often picks up books for me when he peruses the used book stores in his region (I pay for them of course! haha). Thanks again! Over the next few months or so I’ll be posting a range of the ones he acquired for me—three of the four here.
I always want more Kate Wilhelm….
Poul Anderson’s invented world “shared” by other SF authors…
A collection (masquerading as a fix-up novel?) by Barry B. Longyear—whose work I have never read…
And Rick Raphael’s most well known work—another “new” author…
Thoughts?
1. The Clone, Theodore L. Thomas and Kate Wilhelm (1965)
(Hoot von Zitzewitz’s cover for the 1965 edition)
From the back cover: “One night, beneath the streets of the city, four ingredients found their way into the same collector box in the underground sewer system. There these ingredients—muriatic acid; trisodium phosphate; a bit of meat; a fleck of silica gel—combined in a warm, seething liquid and gave birth to a hideous, destructive force: the clone…
A microscopic mass at first, the clone grew rapidly, feeding on the nutrients in the swer, converting everything it touched into its own pulsing tissue. It spread in all directions, filling the pipes beneath the sleeping metropolis. Then seeking more food, the deadly green tissue reached upward and entered the unsuspecting city…
It moved through houses and stores and spread into the streets, absorbing all that lay in its path. Nothing could stop it…
2. A World Named Cleopatra, ed. Roger Elwood (1977)
( Stanislaw Zagorski’s cover for the 1977 edition)
From the back cover: “Location: In Ursa Major, 398 light-years from Sol… Size: 0.78 Earth radii… Atmosphere: Terrestroid… Biology: Mesozoic… Suitability for human colonization: Excellent.
From deep in space it beckoned, a new “New World” for earthmen and earthwomen fleeing their poisoned planet. A world of gently rolling seas and unetterably beautiful sunsets. A world teeming with exotic life forms, and wracked by sudden storms and quakes more violent than anything known on Earth. A world so lovely, so fascinating and dangerous in its thousand looks and moods, that it could only be named—CLEOPATRA.
Poul Anderson has brought Cleopatra alive with all the daring imagination and vivid detail that won him five Hugo Awards and two Nebula Awards. In this unique “anthological novel,” he and three other distinguished writers chronicle the sometimes inspiring, sometimes shattering human history of that unforgettable planet.
FICTION BY: Poul Anderson, Jack Dann, Michael Orgill, George Zebrowski.”
3. Manifest Destiny, Barry B. Longyear (1980)
(Tim White’s cover for the 1982 edition)
From the back cover: “‘The universe is now available for exploration and discovery. A Universe of exotic planets and awesome civilisations, where unlimited power awaits those races aggressive enough to grab it. And where a destiny far higher awaits those mature enough to see it. Earth, the choice is yours.’
This saga of mankind’s highest adventure on the frontier of the far future from one of science fiction’s most exciting young writers, Barry B. Longyear, includes his award-winning novella, ‘Enemy Mine.'”
4. Code Three, Rick Raphael (1967) (MY REVIEW)
(Jerome Podwil’s cover for the 1967 edition)
From the back cover: “TIME: the distant future. It is the Age of the North American Continental Thurway System—the vast high-way with half-mile-wide lanes—which extends from Alaska to the southern tip of Mexico. Controlling this huge network are the NorCon patrol cars, outfitted for every roadside contingency, with miniature hospitals, machine shops, living quarters and jails. Cruising at 600-miles speeds across ten-state areas, NorCon cars monitor a strange world of civilian cars almost as powerful as their own. CODE THREE is about the gripping exploits of one particular NorCon crea—plunged into adventure after adventure, so exciting and unusual that you won’t be able to put down this engrossing novel until the very last page.”
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations 
Longyear was going to be the next big thing in the early 80s when Enemy Mine won Hugo and Nebula awards. As a kid I attended a writing lecture he gave. He was a nice guy. His book on writing is one I’d give to a teen or college writing student, it’s got decent practical advice. If you want to know how his career developed he still has a web presence. But he sure did vanish from the SF scene in a big way.
I know very little about his work. I picked up this collection due to the very late 70s stories in it. But yes, his last SF novel was 2002 and his last short story was 2012. A 2010 story did get a Sidewise nomination at least….
In the entry for Barry Longyear in “The Science Fiction Source Book”,edited by David Wingrove,it says of him,that,”winning Hugo and Nebula awards for his work,has come to prominence in the last few years.His fiction,however,is far from award-winning quality,and is often simply poor mainstream fiction given an artificial colouring and flavouring of sf gimmickry……Manifest Destiny is a sentimental,cardboard melodrama about future warfare,which doubtlessly calls on memories of Vietnam rather than speculative ideas of what war will be like……Longyear has very little to offer the sf genre”.
The entries for each author aren’t signed,so I’m not sure who among the book’s various contributors,said that,although I think it might be Brian Aldiss,who also wrote the foreword to the book,because he is listed not only as a contributor,but didn’t even mention him in his sf history,”Trillion Year Spree”.
It doesn’t give you much enthusiasm to want to read his books.If it is Brian Aldiss,as I suspect it is,I know his criticism carries as much weight as solid gold,judging by the books I’ve read he’s commented upon.
Richard, I think you know by not that I am not going to simply go read all the established classics anointed as holy by Aldiss and the rest—I’ve done a lot of that in the past when I didn’t know the genre that well. Nor I am going to only follow the words of a few critics—Pringle, Aldiss, or even John Clute at SF encyclopedia—to inform all my choices. That sounds boring. And thus, bringing up what one of two of them said means little to nothing to me.
I will read a few stories and perhaps a novel by Barry B. Longyear and make my own decision. That is generally the tact I take.
I want you to understand these aren’t my opinions,and don’t neccessarily abide by what they say,if I haven’t read the books.I,like you,always make my own decisions upon the books I want to read,and make judgements according to what I thought of the books I read of course,not what those who are supposed to be high and mighty say.
Aldiss for example,doesn’t mention Thomas Burnet Swann,Tom reamy or Cordwainer Smith in TYS,but I have read them,and all are quite good authors,particularly Swann and Reamy I think.Their omission makes no difference to me,even if I think they should have been cited.In fact,I don’t agree with everything he favours in his excellent book,particularly in regards to H.G.Wells for example.The same applies to other books he doesn’t regard so highly that I like,by Dick,Silverberg,ect.
He is an excellent critic however,and I do agree with so many of his choices,so he is well informed and knows that of which he speaks.That doesn’t mean I don’t have my own preferences though,and always abide by his “rules”.In regards to Barry Longyear,whoever it was who did write that,made criticism according to their standards and choices,and I thought might give a hint and an idea of what to expect.It wasn’t meant to be a judgement call.
I’m sorry if your heckles rose Joachim,but my memory of what I read about him,did seem particularly sharp and incisive,and thought I might be giving a hint of what to expect,since you didn’t seem to know much about him.It wasn’t to put you off my friend.
I need to often read reviews to know what to read and buy.I often am at odds to know what to get,and can’t help feeling dubious.
I remember “Code Three”, it was a lot of fun. And I read Kate Wilhelm’s original short story of “The Clone”, I didn’t know it had been expanded into a novel.
Ah, I did not know it was originally a short story…
Yeah; Code Three was quite fun, but nothing special.
The only Barry Longyear book I’ve read is Sea Of Glass, which was interesting. A young boy is orphaned and thrust into the world with only his knowledge of Hollywood films to guide him!
I think I really want to check out A World Named Cleopatra. The description of Cleopatra makes me want to read some stories that take place there.
I have the feeling it is informed a bit by New Wave SF ideas… It is also one of the early shared world collections—Anderson invented the world and the other authors listed contributed stories within the world.
A couple of interesting books and some great covers. Thanks.
I’m pretty sure the World Named Cleopatra cover art is by Polish graphic designer Stanislaw Zagorski, known for his posters, book and album covers.
Thanks, I didn’t know who it was. I love that cover for After Worlds Collide!
Here’s the other Wylie & Balmer cover by Zagorski:
It’s great to have friends like this who look out for new treasures, you’re a lucky man Joachim. I’m absolutely loving the cover for The Clone, fabulous collage work as ever from Hoot!
I’ve really only recently began to be interested in science fiction a couple years ago. I heard “the clone” is an outstanding story from mid-sixties era and I’m excited to start getting deep into 60’s psychedelic era of art stories.
I haven’t read “The Clone”.Is there anything else you’d like to know about 1960s sf?