Author: Brian Stableford
First Publication: 1975, reprinted 2014
Publisher: Open Road Media
Source: NetGalley
The 2015 Sci-Fi Experience
Harker Lee is known as a prisoner, a survivor, and insane. These traits combine to make him the perfect candidate to pilot a faster-than-light ship. All of the previous sane pilots either did not return, returned dead or deranged. By taking a person who knows how to survive while insane, humanity might be able to leave the cage that is the Earth and spread to the stars.
“In the beginning, you create the heaven and the earth. That’s the first thing you do, every time-build cages. And the second thing you do is to pin the labels on.” (from the beginning of “Man in a Cage”).
Stableford’s own words best sum up the idea behind this novel. Harker Lee is the schizophrenic narrator of this psychological tale. While it is short by today’s standards, it is not a quick read. The basic idea falls in the same sub-genre as some other classics of that time. I group it with “Mindship” by Gerard F. Conway, “Beyond Apollo” by Barry Malzberg, “The Black Corridor” by Michael Moorcock, “Tetrasomy Two” by Oscar Rossiter, and many of Philip K. Dick’s surreal works.
The author does an excellent job of handling the characterization of someone who is “not normal”. One of the best things that comes out of well written science fiction is the ability to let us see what it would be like to be different. Stableford’s stories continue to show that he is a very good writer who has been overlooked. I would like to get back to reading more of his work in the upcoming year.
The first works of his that I read were two short stories, “Captain Fagan Died Alone” and “An Offer of Oblivion”. Both impressed me with “An Offer of Oblivion” being my favorite. Both are worth looking up and reading if you can find them.
Highly recommended for fans of psychological fiction.
First Publication: Galaxy, April 1975
Cover Artist: Jack Gaughan
I remember reading this in Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine when it originally was published. At that time, Zelazny was still writing the original “Amber” series (which was being serialized in Galaxy). “The Game of Blood and Dust” shows what happens when two beings with god like powers use the Earth as their chessboard. Changes to our history are the moves in the game. As expected, I liked this story. Zelazny poetic use of language always appeals to me. In a very short story, he manages to cover the history of man.
Recommended.
First Publication: 1975
Source: Net Galley
Graphic Novel Challenge book #2
Summary (from Amazon):
First published in 1975, The Cage was a graphic novel before there was a name for the medium. Cryptic and disturbing, it spurns narrative for atmosphere, guiding us through a labyrinthine series of crumbling facades, disarrayed rooms and desolate landscapes, as time stutters backward and forward. Within the cage's barbed-wire confines, we observe humanity only through its traces: a filmic sequence of discarded objects - headphones, inky stains, dishevelled bedsheets - scored by a deafening cacophony of breaths, cries and unsettling silence.
This book is very intriguing. The artist focuses on the cage while time might be flowing forwards...or maybe backwards around it. The lack of people, including a protagonist, makes it difficult to understand. Some people say that the author is not really sure what it is about. So if you are a reader who loves dialog and the interaction between people, avoid this book. In other words if you are someone who prefers the destination to the journey, this is not for you.
On the other hand, the "journey" of this story is amazing. The art varies in style but is very good. Martin Vaughn-James does a great job of using the items in and around the cage to show changes. I would like to see what the creator could do with a more traditional type of story. I give the art a higher grade than the story but the way it is done makes the art the focal point of the pages. Fans who enjoy good art will like this book.
Overall, I am glad I had the opportunity to read this novel. It is worth getting a copy.
Title: Buy Jupiter and Other Stories
Author: Isaac Asimov
First Publication: 1975
Cover Artist: John Harris
Anthologies can be hard to review. The quality of stories tend to vary. Sometimes one type of story might appeal to the reader but other types might not. It becomes a battle between “greatest strength” and “greatest weakness”. I have always enjoyed the variety of stories in good anthologies. Early in my science fiction reading years, I was a big fan of Donald A. Wollheim’s “World’s Best SF” series (especially the ones from the late 60s). From there I moved on to reading single author anthologies such as “The Wind’s Twelve Quarters” by Ursula K. Le Guin, “Songs of Stars and Shadows” by George R. R. Martin, “Four for Tomorrow” by Roger Zelazny, “I, Robot” and “The Early Asimov” by Isaac Asimov, “Tales of Ten Worlds” by Arthur C. Clarke, and many others. A couple of years ago, I decided to re-read my collection of Isaac Asimov and Roger Zelazny books. This year I putting more of a focus on reading these old favorites. And that brings me to this anthology.
Accepting the responsibilities as ruler to the world of Amber, Corwin finds himself the target of sibling treachery, and must seek guidance in a land of visions where a sinister prediction foretells his doom.
This is the book that made me a life long Zelazny fan. I just started getting my first magazine subscription (Galaxy Science Fiction) when new editor Jim Baen introduced this as a new serial. Fortunately, the summary at the beginning brought me up to speed since this is the third book in the series. As soon as I finished reading the three parts of "Sign of the Unicorn" I immediately went in search of more by this amazing author. Luckily, Avon had just issued reprints of the first two books in the series. It did not take be long to devour them. And when Zelazny released books four and five, I went back and re-read the previous books. I have lost track of how many times I have read this series. It is by far my favorite fantasy series.
Synopsis:
John Grimes is lost inside a giant alien spaceship. In addition to being lost, he discovers that they are also in an alternate universe. The entity who has captured Grimes appears to be the "god" of this other universe. His only companion in this adventure is the policewoman-Una Freeman. The alien "god" wants them to recreate the Garden of Eden. With Grimes involved, things are not going the way the entity plans.
Chandler was an Australian born author who wrote the first Hornblower in Space series. Back in the seventies, I read and enjoyed many of the Grimes books. Some I picked up in the old Ace Double books and others in DAW editions. Somehow, I had missed out on this one until I found it in a used book store last year. The Grimes novels are classic pulp style series fiction. The length is short and the action is fast. Due to the length the plots were not as complicated as some of the space opera novels published today. In some ways I miss the shorter novels.
The Broken Cycle was not up to the quality of many of the other Grimes books. I thought the first chapters focused too much on everyone trying to sleep with Una. It seemed to dominate the plot. The rest of the novel was okay but did not put it near the top of the other books in this series. I would recommend reading The Way Back, The Anarch Lords, or To Keep the Ship.
Rating: 2 out of 5.
