Ski-Ffy: May 2010

Tuesday, 25 May 2010

THE STARS MY DESTINATION

Gollancz SF Masterworks paperback, 1999. Illustration by Chris Moore.

"EDUCATION: none.

SKILLS: none. MERITS: none.

RECOMMENDATIONS: none.

That is the official verdict on Gully Foyle, unskilled space crewman. But Gully has managed to survive for 170 days in the airless purgatory of deep space after the wreck of his ship, and has escaped to earth carrying a murderous grudge and a secret that could change the course of history."

Ten points go to Bill Miller, who spotted that the painting is actually mirrored. According to Wikipedia this was done for aesthetic reasons. So when Gully meets the Scientific People, they tattoo 'DAMON' on his forehead.

CITIES IN FLIGHT

First Avon printing, Feb 1970. Cover artist uncredited.

"The epic cyclic history of the future is now brought together in one volume. In the tetralogy, James Blish has structured an entire universe in which mankind is no longer bound to the Solar System, but has become both conqueror and victim of the stars."

Wednesday, 19 May 2010

ALIEN EMBASSY

Panther SF paperback, 1979. Cover artist uncredited.
Possibly Tony Roberts?

"A WORLD AT PEACE WITH ITSELF, AND WITH ITS NEIGHBOURS-

The 22nd century world of Lila Makindi, a young African girl, is a world of simplicity and peace, where the greatest honour any citizen can hope for is to be chosen by Bardo (the Space Communications Administration) as a candidate for Starflight.

Lila is chosen. She begins to practise the tantric yoga exercises that will take her to the stars where she will communicate and exchange knowledge with their alien inhabitants.

But Lila soon discovers that galactic intercourse is not the sole purpose of Starflight. Bardo's purpose is much more urgent, for the galaxy is threatened by an immense, malignant energy force - the Starbeast. And the efforts of the Starflyers is the only way of containing the Starbeast. At least, that's Bardo's story..."

THE MIND RIDERS

Fontana SF paperback, 1977. Cover illustration by Tony Roberts.

"The boxers slugging it out in the ring were just holographs, patterns of light, but to millions of Network viewers they were genuine flesh and blood. They looked real, and with an E-link between the handler controlling the sim and the viewer's mind you could actually feel them emotionally - their excitement, power, anger...even their fear and crushing sense of defeat.

After the fight, when the holos faded out and the handlers took off their headsets, the boxers ceased to exist. There were no scars to heal, except mental ones - and Network wasn't interested in things like that.

But for years one handler had been tortured by painful memories of a previous fight - so much so, that when he came back to the ring for the last time he was fighting not just to win, but to gain honour and self-respect in a world he had ceased to believe in."

Tuesday, 11 May 2010

RIP FRANK FRAZETTA

Painting for L. Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth.

Frank Frazetta died yesterday (10th May), he was 82. Admittedly, his work was never my cup of tea but nonetheless, he was an incredible artist with an astounding body of work, even if his few dalliances with sf were rendered with the clichés of heroic fantasy intact. RIP, Frank.