(Uncredited cover for the 1963 edition of Doomsday, 1999 (variant title: Midge), Paul MacTyre)
Behold Part II of my popular series on the doomed city in science fiction cover art (see Part I). A doomsday that never happened, a tank and a skeletal reminder of a past battle — a ruined city, colliding stars, colliding planets…
Behold the august ruins of our people, our cities, our achievements. If there’s anyone still left.
As always, are the books/authors worth reading? Continue reading
(Uncredited cover for the 1965 edition)
2/5 (Bad)
*Concerning the publication date: Rena Vale’s Beyond the Sealed World was written in the 50s and sold to Shasta press. However, the press went bankrupt and the novel remained unpublished until 1965. No wonder it took forever for another press to pick it up….
Before Rena Vale became a science fiction author she was a secretary for the California State Assembly Committee on Un-American activities. In an affidavit she detailed her own experiences as a member of the Communist party and implicated famous individuals she worked with including Lucille Ball (of I Love Lucy fame), novelist John Steinbeck, actress Gale Sodergaard, and various others! Wonderful.
I’m not going to lie but this piqued Continue reading
Christmas giftcard expenditures continue…
An interesting collection of acquisitions — Clifton’s Eight Keys to Eden (1960) is considered, at least by the reviews I’ve found online, to be a little read classic — i.e. my kind of sci-fi novel. Aldiss always has wonderful ideas and The Long Afternoon of Earth (variant title: Hothouse) is generally proclaimed one of his best — I’m still waiting for work which garners the same magic as his masterpiece Non-stop (variant title: Starship) (1958).
After reading Kornbluth’s masterful short story collection The Explorers (1953) I felt obligated to pick up a copy of one of the more famous Pohl + Kornbluth collaborations, Gladiator-In-Law (1954).
A few intriguing Malzberg stories in Future City (1973) compelled me to snatch one of his lesser known novels off of the shelf — In The Enclosure (1973) tells the story of an alien tortured by his human captives. I find Malzberg’s relentlessly dark visions very appealing… He has a HUGE catalog I’ve yet to read.
1. The Long Afternoon of Earth (variant title: Hothouse), Brian Aldiss (1962)
(Uncredited cover for the 1962 edition) Continue reading
(Ed Emshwiller’s cover for the 1962 edition of Recalled to Life (magazine publication 1958), Robert Silverberg)
The science fiction doctor’s table — a place of healing, a place of inhuman manipulation, unusual prosthetic limbs are attached, immortality conferred, brains are transfered, descending mechanical arms wield their scalpels, vast arenas expose the spectacle, a mad scientist’s altar for ritualistic modification/sacrifice in the name of science or personal gain (legions of super men, alien/human hybrids, etc)…
I LOVE Ed Emshwiller’s cover for the 1962 edition of Silverberg’s Recalled to Life (1958). The book itself is suposed to be one of Silverberg’s weaker ones. I have read Silverberg’s To Live Again (1969) — a work filled with interesting concepts which are sadly not sustained Continue reading
Inspired by C. M. Kornbluth’s dark/satirical tales in The Explorer (1954) that uncover the underbelly of the normally glamorous 50s portrayals of space travel and alien contact, I seek to expose (well, re-expose) the darker side of science fiction cover art. I’ll try to post every monday, one bad science fiction cover — if possible, I’ll pair it with a much better cover of the same book from another edition if one exists.
My reasons:
1). The hilarious website ‘Good Day Sir’ doesn’t post the images I come across fast enough despite getting routine ratings from 7.5-9.5… This is probably due to the fact that I don’t own the books and don’t follow the submission rules — i.e. posting an image of me physically holding a book in hand — alas, too bad.
2). If a reader came across certain editions (posted below) the true nature of a book would be hopelessly confused (a great cover on a terrible book does the same thing) — Yes, there really are cat-like aliens in this book. But, the work’s overarching theme is much more mature (societal reaction to natural disaster, etc). Continue reading
(Richard Powers’ cover for the 1954 edition)
collated rating: 4/5 (Good)
I’ve stayed away from C. M. Kornbluth for far too long. I read Kornbluth and Pohl’s The Space Merchants (1953) when I was quite young and was put off for some unexplainable reason. What a shame! This collection of short stories and novelettes contains some of the best short works I’ve ever read from the 50s (a few of Philip K. Dick’s early works are just as good). As with The Space Merchants, Kornbluth exposes (in an often satirical manner) the dark underbelly of the usually glamourous 50s accounts of space travel, interplanetary trade, and the devastating social ramifications of technology on astronauts, new cultures, etc. Kornbluth is equally adept at infusing his work with devastating commentary on American society.
This collection is brilliant throughout — only the annoying silly Continue reading
Christmas = gift cards = more science fiction books, and a few my dad had procured for himself appeared miraculously in my pile — I’ve decided to break down the clump into manageable four book posts.
And of course, I wish you all a good sci-fi book hunting/reading year!
Enjoy!
1. The Santaroga Barrier, Frank Herbert (1968)
(Paul Lehr’s cover for the 1968 edition)
I’ve read a substantial number of Frank Herbert’s non-Dune Continue reading
(Kelly Freas’ cover for the 1972 edition)
3.75/5 (Good)
First, a snarky comment about Kelly Freas’ unfortunate cover art — I can’t help but giggle at the imposing sci-fi behemoth cityscape which accidentally wandered onto a Thomas Kinkade, “Painter of Light” (or, as I call him, “The Painter of Kitsch”) Christmas tableau. Kelly Freas’ fuzzy light, happy-budget-hotel-color-scheme art seldom impresses me. Perhaps I’m too harsh….
On the other less caustic hand, Louis Trimble’s The City Machine is a surprisingly intriguing blend of allegory and sci-fi tale. In line with my previous Continue reading
(Uncredited cover for the 1960 edition of The 22nd Century (1954), John Christopher)
There’s no better way to start off the new year than a gallery of science fiction covers depicting rampant imagination, unlimited promise. Some of us probably wish for mechanisms that conjure extraordinary feats of telepathy or the throbbing delights (avoiding all the pitfalls, of course) of a wisdom inundated supermind (well, I do at least).
Regardless, depicting extraordinary intelligence — whether harnessed for nefarious schemes or not — is a common trope: gigantic brains! unusual metal helmets! exploding heads replete with spectral fires! rays darting from eyes! otherworldly auras encircling heads, emanating symbols Continue reading
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations 