1. Mick Farren, of the “protopunk” and rock band The Deviants fame, wrote SF: drug-addled SF about the cult of musicians in a post-apocalyptical England. At least it’ll be a crazy romp! And probably not very good….

2. I’ve been slowly posting all the New Dimensions anthologies edited by Robert Silverberg that I purchased a few months ago. Inspired by my enjoyment of New Dimensions 3 (1973).

3. A gift from a family friend… Definitely not a book I’d look for but, who knows, sometimes I get a hankering for pre-WW II science fiction of the pulp sort.

It comes with a solid Paul Lehr cover.

4. Huge fan of Geo. Alec Effinger (that should go without saying if you following this site). I want ALL his short story collections.

I’ve reviewed the following Effinger novels/collections:

• Heroics (1979)
• Irrational Numbers (1976)
• What Entropy Means to Me (1972) (In my favorite 70s SF novels list)

As always, I look forward to your comments/tangents!

Note: Scans are of my personal copies. Click to enlarge.

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1. The Texts of Festival, Mick Farren (1973)

(Peter Jones’ cover for the 1975 edition)

From the back cover: “THE EVE OF DESTRUCTION. In the wilderness of Britain little of civilization remains. Decadence and division have overtaken the huddled people of Festival. And faith in the wold gods–Dhillon, Djeggar and Mirrizen–is fading fast.

Beyond the city walls the tribes are massing, united in evil intent. Hill savages fired by ritual superstition to pillage and slaughter. satanic horse riders inspired by drugs to rape and defile. And crystal-crazed Iggy at the head of them all–a despot in search of a territory. A territory like Festival.”

2. New Dimensions 2, ed. Robert Silverberg (1972)

(Ron Walotsky’s cover for the 1974 edition)

From the back cover: “STEPPING OUTSIDE. Outside of the world we know… outside of our space, time, and reality… outside even the traditional subject matter of science fiction. Written especially for this volume, these stories share a freshness and originality that come from stepping outside of the conventional, into unknown territory. Price-winning science fiction author Robert Silverberg has assembled a noteworthy, stimulating collection, continuing the bold tradition of NEW DIMENSIONS 1.”

Contents: Joanna Russ’ “Nobody’s Home,” “James Tiptree, Jr.’s “Filomena & Greg & Rikki-Tikki & Barlow & The Alien” (variant title: All the Kinds of Yes), Barry N. Malzberg’s “Out from Ganymede,” Edward Bryant’s “No. 2 Plain Tank Auxiliary Fill Structural Limit 17,605 lbs. Fuel-PWA Spec. 522 Revised,” R. A. Lafferty’s “Eurema’s Dam,” (1972), Garnder Dozois’ “King Harest,” Isaac Asimov’s “Take a Match,” George Alec Effinger’s “f(x)=(11/15/67) x=her, f(x)!=0,” Gordon Eklund’s “White Summer in Memphis,” Miriam Allen deFord’s “Lazarus II,” Barry N. Malzberg’s “The Men Inside.”

3. The Wheels of If and Other Science-Fiction, L. Sprauge de Camp (1949)

(Paul Lehr’s cover for the 1970 edition)

From the back cover: “THE WHEELS OF IF turned–and Allister Park spun from our own New York through a dizzying succession of alternate worlds to New Belfast… biggest city in the Nretwaldate of Vinland, the country that might habe been if some historical crises had turned out the other way…

Park’s frantic efforts to get back to his own if-world turn Vinland upside down–and create a marvelously inventive and entertaining classic of SF.

In addition to this famous novel, this collection includes “The Gnarly Man,” “Hyperpelosity,” and four other stories in the inimitable De Camp manner.”

Contents: “The Wheels of If” (1940), “The Best-Laid Scheme” (1941), “The Warrior Race” (1940), “Hyperpelosity” (1938), “The Merman” (1938), “The Contraband Cow” (1942), “The Gnarly Man” (1939).

4. Mixed Feelings, George Elec Effinger (1974)

(Plus One Studio’s cover for the 1st edition)

From the inside flap: “George Alec Effinger is a young writer of extraordinary talents with a firmly established reputation in the science-fiction field as one of the finest new writers on the horizon. Both of his previously published novels, What Entropy Means to Me and Relatives, and many of his stories have been award nominees.

Effinger does not write traditional science fiction, and eleven stories in this collection reveal wonderfully the many facets of his ability. The stories show a deep concern with the present quality of life and the prospects–physical, political, social, and economic–for man’s future. All of the them, though written with great subtlety, finesse, and wit, hit hard at the problems and sadnesses that people face. They are exciting reading.”

Contents: “The Writings ‘Game” (1974), “Steve Weinraub and the Secret Empire” (1974), “Two Sadnesses” (1973), “Naked to the Invisible Eye” (1973), “f(x)=(11/15/67) x=her, f(x)!=0” (1972), “The Ghost Writer” (1973), “All the Last Wars at Once” (1972), “Things Go Better” (1972), “Wednesday, November 15, 1967” (1971), “World War II” (1973), “Lights Out” (1973).

For books reviews consult the INDEX