3.5/5 (Good)
Leigh Brackett’s The Big Jump (1955) is a solid (if predictable) pulp sci-fi adventure with a few delightful poetic moments. Although Brackett is primarily known for her numerous short stories from the 40s and 50s and screenplays (The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo, The Empire Strikes Back, etc) her novels deserve to be read as well. Continue reading
3/5 (Average)
To Live Again (1969) is a flawed work from a very fruitful period of Robert Silverberg’s career. The ideas are original and well-conceived but a downright disgusting strain of misogyny and sexism permeates virtually every page. Bluntly put, I cannot recall a single instance where a female character does anything without the shape, size, and clothed or unclothed state of her breasts Continue reading
2.5/5 (Bad)
John Boyd’s The Last Starship from Earth (1968) is a forgettable and predictable alternative history/science fiction novel incorrectly described by some reviewers as a lost classic. The basic divergent point in history (which is only mentioned near the end) is the only redeeming feature of the work because the society he’s created becomes slightly more cohesive and realized. However, Boyd’s reliance on time-travel Continue reading
Austin’s Half Price Books will be my downfall. I’ve broken my promise not to buy any more science fiction books this summer…
1. The Big Jump (1955), Leigh Brackett (MY REVIEW)
I’ve yet to read a work by the famous female sci-fi writer and screenwriter (The Big Sleep, The Empire Strikes Back, Rio Bravo, El Dorado) Leigh Brackett. I look forward to this “pulp” work with great Continue reading
I’ve held to my promise not to buy any more books this summer considering I have at least 40 unread sci-fi books looming over my shoulder. However, other people are welcome to procure books FOR me! And they have — all of the following were gifts! Thank you!
1. The Last Starship from Earth (1968), John Boyd (MY REVIEW)
I’ve read multiple reviews which claim that John Boyd’s The Last Starship from Earth is a lost classic. However, opinion are far from unanimous (for example, the sci-fi author Joanna Russ wrote a scathing review blaming the publishers for subjecting her and fellow readers to Continue reading
0.25/5 (Terrible)
First, a few words to describe the tattered novel (I hurled it on the ground at one point) in front of me.
Politically dangerous: Master of Life and Death (1957) presents dictatorship (well, so-called “benevolent” dictatorship), propaganda, extreme distrust of the common person, fratricide, surveillance, torture, government control of the press, political assassination, euthanasia of children, among other equally dubious activities as occasionally necessary for the good of humanity.
I understand that Silverberg himself does not endorse these positions BUT he in NO WAY presents the actions of his main character as anything other than exemplarily and a necessary result of the tough position he finds himself Continue reading
4/5 (Good)
D. G. Compton’s first science fiction novel, The Quality of Mercy (1965), is a forgotten work which deserves to be read along with the rest of his canon. I’ve found Compton’s lesser known works to be on the whole quite solid — with the dismal The Missionaries (1972) the lone exception so far. Both Synthajoy (1968) and The Steel Crocodile (1970) are among my top reads of this year. I’m keeping his acknowledged masterpiece Continue reading
3.75/5 (Good)
Vault of the Ages (1952), one of Poul Anderson’s earliest novels, should not be missed. Although Vault of the Ages is at its core a simplistic juvenile (50s sci-fi for younger readers), Anderson’s budding storytelling skills make it engaging and a joy to read. If only I had read it when I was younger! Suggested for any fans of 50s sci-fi, early post-apocalyptical Continue reading
3/5 (Average)
James Blish’s The Star Dwellers (1961) is a quality sci-fi novel (for younger readers) easily comparable to some of Heinlein’s juveniles. The plot is straightforward/predictable yet still engaging. Of course, Jack, our seventeen year old hero, saves the day! Unlike the best “alien encounter” sci-fi novels which convey a certain sense of convincing “reality,” The Star Dwellers demands Continue reading
