Star Bridge

The books featured on this blog have been pulled from the shelves of my science fiction library.

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In this post we feature our well-loved hardcover copy of L. Sprague de Camp’s “A Gun For Dinosaur.” De Camp was an influential author of the golden age of science fiction and fantasy whose work often took a humorous approach to storytelling. The title story of this collection features a group of time-traveling hunters who set out to bag a few dinosaurs.

The jacket design is by Gilda Kuhlman.  

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This post features an omnibus edition of David Gerrold’s “War Against Chtorr” series, an ecological take on alien invasion. Gerrold also penned the classic Star Trek episode, “The Trouble With Tribbles.”

The cover features art by Bob Petillo. 

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In this 1962 novel, J.G. Ballard weaves together a post-apocalyptic tale with an investigation of how human environments reflect or influence our subconscious lives. Ballard’s examination of climate change from both the apocalyptic and psychological perspectives remains relevant to contemporary conversations unfolding in the world of SF.  The painting for this Berkley paperback edition was created by renowned cover artist Richard Powers. 

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This week’s post features an entry in Andre Norton’s Forerunner series. These books feature characters discovering and interacting with the artifacts of a powerful but long-lost alien race.  Andre Norton published over 300 titles over the course of her seven-decade career. She was the first woman the SFWA named Grand Master, and also the first to be inducted into the SFF Hall of Fame.  The cover art was illustrated by artist and educator Charles Mikolaycak, whose work was frequently influenced by his Polish and Ukrainian heritage. 

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Highlights from this anthology include Stephen King’s classic short story “The Monkey,” and Thomas M. Disch’s “The Brave Little Toaster,” the animated film of which has since become staple childhood viewing.

Though a writer of fiction himself, Terry Carr is better known as an editor. Many giants of the SF community were given their first commission from Carr during his tenure overseeing the Ace Science Fiction Specials.

The pen and ink cover illustration comes from Gary Viskupic.  

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This collection of interplanetary adventures features stories by an all-star lineup including the likes of A. E. van Vogt, Clifford D. Simak, Cordwainer Smith, Damon Knight, and Frederik Pohl. One of Aldiss’ own stories appears under the pseudonym C.C. Shackleton.  Aldiss himself is a prolific Grand Master and Hall of Fame inductee. SF scholars will be interested to note that he co-founded (with Harry Harrison) one of the earliest journals devoted to science fiction criticism, “Science Fiction Horizons.” The skull clouds and space worms here are brought to you by Alex Ebel, who also illustrated the original Friday the 13th poster. 

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As we celebrate awards for best science fiction novel and short story (presented at MidAmeriCon II on Thursday), today’s post features a book from Theodore Sturgeon, for whom the short story award is named.

Though he did write a handful of novels, Sturgeon’s status as one of the great SF writers was earned for the most part by his short fiction, of which he published sixteen collections over the course of his lifetime. The title story of this 1958 collection is a strange tale of romance featuring two people lured to a secluded beach by their separate enchantments with merfolk. Cover art by Joseph Mugnaini, best known for the artwork he created for Ray Bradbury’s books.

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This year the Campbell Conference serves as the Academic Programming Track for WorldCon 2016 in Kansas City. Awards for best science fiction novel and short story will be presented there this Thursday.

In the spirit of things, this week’s posts will feature works by the namesakes of our annual awards. First is a novel by John W. Campbell, Jr., for whom the conference and award for best science fiction novel of the year is named. As an author and editor (Astounding Science Fiction/Analog) Campbell is considered by many to be the key figure in shaping the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Published in 1949 by Fantasy Press, “The Incredible Planet” is a sequel to his ‘47 space opera “The Mightiest Machine,” featuring the fifth dimension jumps, super telescopes, and golden-skinned aliens. The cover sports incredible artwork by A.J. Donnell, who did many of the covers for Fantasy Press. (To see a selection and analysis of Donnell’s artwork, follow this link.)

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For our inaugural post we’re sharing a book by our mentor, James Gunn.  Published in 1972, The Listeners is widely acknowledged as an essential text in the “first contact” subgenre of science fiction. Carl Sagan told Gunn (who is featured in the book’s dedication page) that The Listeners was the inspiration for his own novel, Contact. The jacket of this ’72 hardcover features a great design by Jerry Thorp.