I got through 13 novels last month, 10 from my Avon Equinox authors project, and 3 others. The most recent of the others was a book of short stories by Rabindranith Tagore, including the fabulous "The Cabuliwala" and "The Postman." I haven't read Tagore in many, many years, and after reading these 10 stories I honestly don't know what was wrong with me. More of his writing coming soon. "The Postman" is showing on Criterion, along with several other Tagore stories, filmed by Satyavit Ray.
I read Stonehenge: Where Atlantis Went To Die, by Harry Harrison, and it completely clarified the meaning of the Stonehenge site for me, and reaffirmed my Atlantis beliefs, as to what it really was, and what likely happened. It is virtually impossible for Stonehenge to be a calendar, and now I see why. The excellent postlude by Professor Leon Stover should be read, even if the novel isn't. But the novel is pretty darned good, too.
Next came a disappointing novel by Kenneth Bulmer, the first sequel to his Land Beyond The Map, called the Irunium series now. I have high hopes for this series, after the excellent first book. On the flip side was The Wandering Tellurian, by Alan Schwartz. This is the only know book by this author, and no one seems to know anything about him. Curious. This story is a halfway decent planetary adventure that would have made a great series. It is certainly better reading than the Bulmer.
Up until now I hadn't realized that E. C. Tubb had written books in the Space: 1999 series. After reading his Child Of Space, some things had a familiar feel to them. Sure enough, this is a repackaged story from the series (which I had never read), with names changed slightly. It's a good story, and worth reading, and if you are a fan of the old TV series, reading it is even more fun. But I wonder how and why it was re released under a new title, with no mention of its origins. Strange.
I finished the Seetee series by Jack Williamson, though there may be a short story floating around somewhere. I liked the first book a lot, and this one somewhat. The first book had some concerns about a very ancient and advanced race of beings, but the sequel never even mentions them.
The Eleventh Hour, by S. B. Hough (alias Rex Gordon) is an unbelievably good story about WW111, following it from the first Chinese soldiers invading Nepal, to the complete destruction of much of the world through atomic weapons. Though harrowing, the book is extremely well written, extremely believable, and, in my opinion, in the first rank of holocaust fiction. A stunning discovery, by the man who wrote First On Mars, the 1950s version of The Martian.
I'm nearly out of unread SF books by Hal Clement. That is a shame, but most will be reread. December's offering was the outstanding Still River, as university students of the future are given the assignment of visiting a planet and doing a complete report on it. SF planetary exploration at its finest and most descriptive. No aliens, just fantastic exploring and adventure on a truly strange world.
I also read One Of Our Asteroids Is Missing, a ridiculous but fun early pulp novel by Silverberg. On the flip side were three novelettes by A. E. Van Vogt. Though the ideas were quite nifty, the writing style was very substandard, as if the author assumed we knew what he was thinking, instead of explaining things better that required it. The stories are from 1949 and 1951, so I assuming that the popular author improved his writing as he went along.
I finished up the Jerry Cornelius tetrology by Michael Moorcock. The author scored another direct hit with the final book, called The Condition of Musak, where we learn the truth about Jerry and his incredible adventures. This is a really fantastic series! Jerry is certainly a hero for the 1970s, and he doesn't do too badly in 2019-20 either. Some remarkable writing, a good portion of it being very, very funny. Do not miss this series!
Ballard's Hello America is another fantastic book--I seem to have really hit the jackpot last month. The first half of the novel is my very favourite kind of book. In the tradition of John Christopher, we wander across an alien desert North America, ravaged by climate change and abandoned by its people. This section is truly fabulous reading. The 2nd half takes place in Las Vegas, and becomes more political and violent. I've read so many of these kinds of books in the past 3 1/2 years, but this one stands very high in the rankings. It also hearkens backs to Ballard's first three SF novels.
Oracle of the Thousand Hands is a very early effort by Barry Malzberg, about a young man who masturbates, often. I can't say it is pornographic, but there is a lot of weird sex in it. The author seems to begin his affair with diseased minds at this point. While I would hardly be comfortable recommending the book, there is some very dark humour, and more than once I was laughing out loud as I read. Strange and unsatisfying.
With James Blish's VOR, we are swept away to Michigan, where the entire novel takes place. A single alien craft lands, and after suitable waiting, VOR emerges. What a fantastic book about first contact, and the many consequences it could have during a cold war! Blish is one of the bests writers SF ever produced, and it's easy to see why. The book has a lot to say about first contact, and I was often reminded of the movie Quatermass and the Pit. One of Blish's earliest novels, he is already a master.
To see the full reviews of these books, and over 400 more like them, refer to my Avon/Equinox blog (see top left of this page). I also have images of all the cover art from these novels.
We are currently watching a mini film festival of SF movies from the 1970s. we just watched No Blade Of Grass, and there are plenty more to come. These films are showing on Criterion, but only in January.
Mapman Mike
Up until now I hadn't realized that E. C. Tubb had written books in the Space: 1999 series. After reading his Child Of Space, some things had a familiar feel to them. Sure enough, this is a repackaged story from the series (which I had never read), with names changed slightly. It's a good story, and worth reading, and if you are a fan of the old TV series, reading it is even more fun. But I wonder how and why it was re released under a new title, with no mention of its origins. Strange.
I finished the Seetee series by Jack Williamson, though there may be a short story floating around somewhere. I liked the first book a lot, and this one somewhat. The first book had some concerns about a very ancient and advanced race of beings, but the sequel never even mentions them.
The Eleventh Hour, by S. B. Hough (alias Rex Gordon) is an unbelievably good story about WW111, following it from the first Chinese soldiers invading Nepal, to the complete destruction of much of the world through atomic weapons. Though harrowing, the book is extremely well written, extremely believable, and, in my opinion, in the first rank of holocaust fiction. A stunning discovery, by the man who wrote First On Mars, the 1950s version of The Martian.
I'm nearly out of unread SF books by Hal Clement. That is a shame, but most will be reread. December's offering was the outstanding Still River, as university students of the future are given the assignment of visiting a planet and doing a complete report on it. SF planetary exploration at its finest and most descriptive. No aliens, just fantastic exploring and adventure on a truly strange world.
I also read One Of Our Asteroids Is Missing, a ridiculous but fun early pulp novel by Silverberg. On the flip side were three novelettes by A. E. Van Vogt. Though the ideas were quite nifty, the writing style was very substandard, as if the author assumed we knew what he was thinking, instead of explaining things better that required it. The stories are from 1949 and 1951, so I assuming that the popular author improved his writing as he went along.
I finished up the Jerry Cornelius tetrology by Michael Moorcock. The author scored another direct hit with the final book, called The Condition of Musak, where we learn the truth about Jerry and his incredible adventures. This is a really fantastic series! Jerry is certainly a hero for the 1970s, and he doesn't do too badly in 2019-20 either. Some remarkable writing, a good portion of it being very, very funny. Do not miss this series!
Ballard's Hello America is another fantastic book--I seem to have really hit the jackpot last month. The first half of the novel is my very favourite kind of book. In the tradition of John Christopher, we wander across an alien desert North America, ravaged by climate change and abandoned by its people. This section is truly fabulous reading. The 2nd half takes place in Las Vegas, and becomes more political and violent. I've read so many of these kinds of books in the past 3 1/2 years, but this one stands very high in the rankings. It also hearkens backs to Ballard's first three SF novels.
Oracle of the Thousand Hands is a very early effort by Barry Malzberg, about a young man who masturbates, often. I can't say it is pornographic, but there is a lot of weird sex in it. The author seems to begin his affair with diseased minds at this point. While I would hardly be comfortable recommending the book, there is some very dark humour, and more than once I was laughing out loud as I read. Strange and unsatisfying.
With James Blish's VOR, we are swept away to Michigan, where the entire novel takes place. A single alien craft lands, and after suitable waiting, VOR emerges. What a fantastic book about first contact, and the many consequences it could have during a cold war! Blish is one of the bests writers SF ever produced, and it's easy to see why. The book has a lot to say about first contact, and I was often reminded of the movie Quatermass and the Pit. One of Blish's earliest novels, he is already a master.
To see the full reviews of these books, and over 400 more like them, refer to my Avon/Equinox blog (see top left of this page). I also have images of all the cover art from these novels.
We are currently watching a mini film festival of SF movies from the 1970s. we just watched No Blade Of Grass, and there are plenty more to come. These films are showing on Criterion, but only in January.
Mapman Mike
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