Author: Poul Anderson
First Publication: 1967
Source: News stand
Publisher: Ace Books
Serial: Analog June & July 1966
Cover 1: Michael Whelan
Cover 2: Kelly Freas
Cover 3: Chesley Bonestell
Way back in the days I bought books off a spinner rack at a newsstand, one series of books seemed to jump off the racks at me. They were the reissues of Poul Anderson’s novels with new covers by Michael Whelan. Whelan has created many classic covers but one of my favorites was always his one for this cover. To this day I still can spend time staring at it.
A bonus, in addition to the cover, was the fiction of Poul Anderson. I had previously read one of his Dominic Flandry novels in the final issues of “Worlds of IF”. That was “A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows”. It led me to search out other books he wrote.
“World Without Stars” has many classic elements. Travel to an alien world, trying to establish trade relations, alien contact, and a traveler who is separated from the woman he loves. That relationship is what ties the book together.
At this short length, I would recommend reading this Anderson classic.
The Art of Science Fiction will be a semi-regular feature. Each time I will showcase some of my favorite covers. This time I am looking at a couple of Frank Kelly Freas' work.
"Starmasters' Gambit" is one of my favorite Freas covers. The image of the astronaut in the traditional Freas spacesuit looks like it came from the pulp magazines. Gray Morrow would use similar designs when he painted the Perry Rhodan covers.
I always liked the "starburst effects". Freas does a good job of giving the impression that a whole galaxy of stars is appearing on the cover.
The giant sized figure, which one can only assume is one of the Starmasters, reaching down to grab the hapless astronaut tops off this classic cover.
Freas has always been a classic science fiction artist. The reader was always sure that they were looking at a science fiction cover when he was doing the painting.
"The Mind Net" is another classic Freas cover. Is the main image the wreckage of an alien city or spaceship? Or is it some weird alien fauna? It is definitely not of Earth origin.
The astronauts appear to be human but with the reader cannot see through the helmets to confirm their appearance. The silver helmets are a traditional classical science fiction design.
The spaceship design gives away the artist. Freas uses a similar style of ship on numerous covers without copying the previous ones.
Another unique cover from the great Frank Kelly Freas.
I am sure I will be visiting this artist again in future installments.
