Cap Kennedy 1: Galaxy of the Lost by Gregory Kern

I miss series like Cap Kennedy. One of the first series that hooked me on science fiction was Perry Rhodan. It was perfect for a young fan. New books appeared every month. Then DAW decided to publish their own version. Donald Wollheim contacted E. C. Tubb (writer of the popular Dumarest series) about writing a new house series for him. Cap was a mix of James Bond, Perry Rhodan, and Doc Savage.

In this book, starships are disappearing in the "Bermuda Triangle" of space. Cap goes undercover on a ship that is travelling through this sector. Cap's ship disappears.

"Galaxy of the Lost" is a fun, quick read. This is a fun introduction to pulp style science fiction. I know that Cap Kennedy and Perry Rhodan are not great science fiction but they are a good way to introduce a young reader to the field. If you are looking for deep science fiction that really makes you think, avoid this series.

Goals

I have decided to set some goals for this site.

So far I have reviewed 18 books and 7 short stories. Due to various factors, I have not read as much as usual this year. Between now and the end of December of 2010, I will attempt to review 100 books and 100 short stories. It sounds crazy when you look at my current output but I think I can do it.

Only time will tell if I can do it.

Short Story Review Index

Aldiss, Brian W. "In the Arena"

Asimov, Isaac "Button, Button" 
                       "Day of the Hunters"
                       "Everest"
                       "Let's Not"
                       "Shah Guido G"
                       "The Monkey's Finger"
                       "The Pause"

Bartell, David "Misquoting the Star"

Baxter, Stephen "The Ghost Pit"

Bradbury, Ray  "The Playground"

Dickson, Gordon R.  "Act of Creation"

Farmer, Philip Jose  "The Sliced-Crosswise Only-On-Tuesday World"

Heinlein, Robert A.  "The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag"

Hemry, John G. "The Bookseller of Bastet"

Kress, Nancy "By Fools Like Me"

Lake, Jay ""Hello", Said the Gun"

Lovett, Richard A. and Mark Niemann-Ross  Phantom Sense

Martin, George R. R. "Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels"
                                   "Override"
                                   "Remembering Melody"
                                   "The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr"
                                    "The Second Kind of Loneliness"
                                  "With Morning Comes Mistfall"

Nagle, Pati  "Draw"

Plante, Brian "The Astronaut"

Resnick, Mike "All the Things You Are"

Reynolds, Alastair  "Scales"
                             "The Great Wall of Mars"
                           
Shaara, Michael "Beast in the House"

Shaw, Bob  "Light of Other Days"

Simak, Clifford D.  "The Birch Clump Cylinder"

Smith, Cordwainer "No, No, Not Rogov!"

Sturgeon, Theodore "The Graveyard Reader"

Wolfe, Gene  "A Fish Story"
                      "The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories"

Zelazny, Roger   "And I Alone Am Escaped to Tell Thee" 
                         "Auto-da-Fe"
                         "Devil Car"
                         "Dismal Light"
                         "Love is an Imaginary Number"
                         "The Engine at Heartspring's Center" 
                         "The George Business"
                         "The Man Who Loved the Faoli"
                         "The Monster and the Maiden"
                         "The Naked Matador"
                         "The Night has 999 Eyes"
                         "The Stainless Steel Leech"

"The Graveyard Reader" by Theodore Sturgeon

The Graveyard Reader by Theodore Sturgeon

Published in Science Fantasy, 1958.

This is a different type of story to read for R.I.P. IV. The title led me to believe this would be a scary story. I was not exactly sure what a "graveyard reader" was but it sounded like the title to a good spooky tale. What I ended up reading was an excellent story that initially was not frightening. But then, upon further thought, it was a very scary story.

How many people would be happy to find that others could read their grave after they die? Would you want all of your secrets and actions revealed to others? Probably not. Sturgeon is an author I have not read much. After reading this story, he goes on my must read list. It is not a flashy story but it is well written.

Highly recommended.

The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells

What do you think of when you see a copy of The Invisible Man? Normally, I think of a man's descent into darkness. Wells is able to create numerous full blown characters in this short novel. What amazed me this time around was the sympathy I felt for the Invisible Man early in the story. It seems like he is being discriminated against. Children make fun of him. Adults don't even try to think of his feelings. It turns out that they are right. He is evil but would his story have taken a different path if the villagers had shown him compassion? I don't know but it does make you think. Next time you see someone being ignored or picked on, think back to this story.

It makes me think that sometimes people are the scariest things in the world.

"Beast in the House" by Michael Shaara

Published in Orbit#4(1954)

Beast in the House was a very interesting story. The beast in the title is an ordinary looking dog that wanders into the yard. Nothing sounds scary so far. Then, the mother notices that the dog seems to be watching her. But something else does not seem right. The dog's ears do not move when sounds are made. Every dog she has ever seen has it's ears move in reaction to sounds.

In another part of the neighborhood, a man finds the dead body of a dog. The dog has been skinned. What would do something like that? And why?

After reading this story, I know I will be looking at stray dogs more carefully.

Highly recommended.

Tetrasomy Two by Oscar Rossiter

Sometimes a book just jumps out at you. That was the case with this book. I was checking out at a used book store when I saw a table of discounted books. As I scanned the table I saw the name "Tetrasomy Two". The name catches your attention. Reading the back cover made me think of a Philip K. Dick novel.

The mind that runs the universe is locked in the body of a person in an asylum. What better place to hide?

The author naturally reveals the personality of the various characters until you start thinking of them as real people. The main character is Dr. Boyd. He reminds me of Monk on the USA Network TV show. It is obvious that he has numerous problems. As the story progresses the reader starts thinking that the doctor might be going insane. Are any of the things described by the doctor happening or is he suffering a breakdown? The reader is not sure until the final two pages.

I must also admit to being surprised by the revelation near the end. I will not spoil it for you but you will know what I mean when you read it. It was one of those great moments that made sense after you read it.

If you are a fan of Philip K. Dick or Barry Malzberg, hunt down this book. You will enjoy it.

After finishing it, I went in search of more books by Oscar Rossiter. Why did I not hear of him before? Probably because this is his only novel. The author, whose real name was Vernon Skeels, quit writing after completing this novel. Between his professional career and writing Tetrasomy Two, it left no time for his family. The choice was simple for Skeels, family came first.

In the final days of his life, his children would read this novel to him as he lay in a rest home. He was proud to tell people that he wrote a novel.

Why did he use a pen name? Because of his work as a psychiatrist in Seattle. He worried that people would get upset if they thought he used their personality and cases in a novel. Like most good novelists, he used real life as inspiration but did not copy specific cases.

A month after finishing this book, I still wonder what he would have produced if he had continued writing.

Rating: 5 out of 5.