THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN

New English Library paperback, 1978. Cover by Joe Petagno.

Rear cover synopsis: 

"Three astronauts had returned safely from the Mars landing. Two were dead and Steve West was on the run. On the run from the quarantine hospital which had been treating him ... from the authorities who had to conceal his escape at all costs ... from his friend Ted Nelson ... and from the dreadful organism which had taken possession of his flesh, turning him into a fiendish nightmare but leaving his mind intact to cringe from the murderous horror he had become."

I feel the need to point out that the only reason I bought this (tie-in) book was because I remember seeing the film in all its awfulness on Mystery Science Theater 3000. As a bonus, the eye-catching cover painting is by Joe Petagno.

STAR BEAST

NEL paperback, July 1978. Illustration: Joe Petagno.

"When John Thomas Stuart VIII abducted the young star beast from its native planet he knew he was taking a risk. But three generations later the creature was still with the Stuarts, as a long-established family pet. Until, one afternoon, it broke loose... 

The order was out to destroy 'Lummox'. And then its fellow creatures arrived to retrieve it. More powerful and highly developed than any star race previously encountered by Man, the Hroshii threaten Earth with interplanetary war. By the star beast and its 'master', John Thomas Stuart XI, have disappeared."

GALACTIC ENCOUNTERS: ALIENS IN SPACE - AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO THE INHABITED GALAXY

Intercontinental Book Productions hardback, 1979. Cover painting by
Bob Layzell.

"One of the more significant developments in human history, and without doubt the most dramatic in terms of mobility of he species, was the introduction of the first Hyperdrive engine by Henri DeVass in 2027 AD. Within a short space of time this device had transformed Man's attempts to explore his extraterrestrial environment, and the doorway to the stars was open. 

The question of whether we were along in the Universe had haunted Homo Sapiens for generations, but even those believing most fervently in the possibility of life existing elsewhere in the vast reaches of space, had little idea that it would be discovered so close to our solar system, or that contact would lead directly to the founding of a great galactic empire. 

Aliens in Space is a fascinating account of the worlds within the Galactic Federation where sentient beings exist, and describes the characters, cultures and circumstances of an extraordinary variety of creatures, from the gentle and sophisticated Alpha Centaurians to the terrible Fangstones of Hades. Each section opens with a planetary data check and navigational reference, before going on to outline the planet and some of the intriguing life-forms to be found there. 

Steven Caldwell joined the galactic Federation Security Force in 2393 and quickly rose to the rank of Group 1 Battleforce Commander. During his 15 years of active service he travelled to all parts of the Federation, and was awarded the Andromeda Star for his part in the settlement of the Perimeter Worlds. He now runs his own company prospecting for the ore Zyrillium - the major propulsive for Interstellar Military Interceptors. 

The GALACTIC ENCOUNTERS series is produced by the Federal Data Bureau which was formed in 2168 as a division of the Galactic Information Service in order to provide a comprehensive service for space travellers. 

Although most of its publications are highly technical programmes for licensed spacecraft operators only, the series was developed to satisfy the the growing demand for information of a more general nature, and to serve as an introduction to the rich variety of life within the Galactic Federation."

Painting by Bob Layzell.

"The settlements of Gadgetia are entirely industrial in nature and offer little in the way of amusement to travellers. They are, however, a fascinating race and there are sufficient points of interest to justify a brief stay, although the only places suitable for humans to relax are the domed glass solar centers where the inhabitants top up their energy levels."

Painting by Joe Petagno.

"Due to their extraordinary powers, the solitary wandering people of Nova Nevada are known as the Magicians."

Painting by Tony Roberts.

"A private solar-sailer encounters the infrequent but no less unpleasant phenomenon of the high-flying creatures of Swarmy as they congregate during the mating season in the manner which earned the planet its name."

Painting by Mike Masters.

"Very often the first sight visitors to Reptilia have of the local wildlife is the arrival of the nearest Scarlet Dragon whose ferocious-looking form belies its placid and inquisitive nature."

Painting by Chris Moore.

"The ponderous dormant species of Matar IV is a wholly unpredictable creature, and it is best to avoid any unnecessary contact. Although frequently generous in their dealings with off-worlders, they are as likely to erupt into an unprovoked rage."

Essentially re-purposed paperback covers, artist portfolio pieces and other examples of fine SF art of the late 1970s, Aliens In Space is part of the series of Galactic Encounters books. As the synopsis gives away, this one is a guide to extraterrestrial life-forms in a fictional Galactic Federation, rather similar to Steven Eisler's The Alien World - The Complete Illustrated Guide, which I also have (see post here). This one amusingly re-uses a painting of H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu by Terry Oakes to illustrate a Reptilian alien called the Slycath, and R'lyeh is its sophisticated aquatic civilization. Peter Elson's painting for the Hamlyn paperback cover of Henry Kuttner's Mutant (see post here) doubles as a Proximan; hairless beings resembling humans in all ways but for the arrangement of their internal organs. I love these books, at times it's a little difficult if you're familiar with the artwork to accept that painting X is a depiction of alien Y, but the descriptions really are brilliant and imaginative, if a little juvenile sometimes - emphasis on a little, and sometimes.

NAIL DOWN THE STARS

NEL paperback, 1979. Illustration: Joe Petagno.

"STARFARER AND SKILLMAN, 

Jolon Gallmor has been on the run since his tenth birthday. Among the diverse races and worlds of the galaxy so vividly described in STARBRAT, Jolon's skills as playwright, actor and bard are his passport to privilege and acclaim, all too often to peril and banishment. With each new planet he reaches, Jolon finds himself taking on a new role, hiding his past and keeping one step ahead of the catastrophe which threatens him. 

TROOPER OF THE STERNVEREIN, 

Thief, slave and fugitive, Jolon the peaceable battles his way around the universe, until as Alladale Anthem-maker he defeats an army and wins a world without spilling a drop of blood."

STARBRAT

NEL paperback, 1979. Cover artwork by Joe Petagno.

"DRIVESHIPS ROAM THE STARWAYS, 

carrying outlaws, pirates and slavers, for it is six centuries since the Wroblewski Drive sent men into galactic space, far beyond the solar system. Out on the edges of the unknown, the descendants of Old Earth have settled down with the many races of the galaxy, from the gangling, spidery Lixians to the furry, knee-high Quiplids. But space is a frontier, and all too often the only law is a man with a weapon, as it was in the Bloody Centuries On Old Earth.  

SLAVE TRADERS 

snatched Del Whitby from planet Gilead on the day he learned he was a foundling. From the gladiatorial schools on Tarquin VIII where he learns weapon-skill, to the information banks on Watson's Planet and the barbarities of war-torn Skorat, Del scours the many-peopled worlds of Space for a clue to his origins. 

THE TEEMING GALAXY 

of Starbrat is also the setting for Nail Down The Stars and Under A Calculating Star. John Morressy, whose science-fiction novels have previously appeared in the United States, has written a tale of adventure, humour and ideas, in a far future when men have won the stars but lost the past."

THE OMEGA POINT

NEL paperback, 1978. Illustration: Joe Petagno.

"GEORGIAS WAS ONE OF THE LAST SURVIVING MEMBERS OF THE ANCIENT AND MIGHTY RACE, THE HERCULEANS. 

Their rival empire had dared challenge Earth's supremacy of the stars. In vicious retaliation their race was nearly wiped out, and their home planet left lifeless and burn out. These old and terrible memories were etched deep in Georgias' memory. They drove him on over the lonely and hate-filled centuries, seeking a vengeance that would bring eternal glory. But the lovely Myraa, beloved from long ago, had a different and strange vision that did not include empires and wars and armies. And she constantly called him, drawing him always back to her side..."

TRAVELLING TOWARDS EPSILON

NEL paperback, June 1978. Illustration by Joe Petagno.

"French science fiction has a distinguished and impressive a history as our own, dating back to the seventeenth century and beyond. Here is an anthology of some of its best short stories, edited and introduced by Maxim Jakubowski, who is himself an acknowledged master of the art. There is Delta, a love story set on a planet where there are three sexes ; The Gunboat Dread, a grotesque piece of science fantasy ; How's Business?, the story of an interplanetary soap company ; and others, all masterpieces in their own right."

Contains:

The Gunboat Dread by Daniel Walther

Where The Astronauts Meet by Suzanne Malaval

How's Business? by Jacques Sternberg

Jonah by Gérard Klein

Until Proof To The Contrary by Bernard Mathon

Towards The High Tower by Michel Jeury

It's Only Pinball! by Philippe Curval

Summer In The Death Zone by Maxim Jakubowski

Thomas by Dominique Douay

Delta by Christine Renard and Claude F. Cheinisse

The Bubbles by Julia Verlanger

Stars, Here I Come! by Jean-Pierre Andrevon

The Leap by Tony Cartano

Wings In The Night by Nathalie Henneberg

THE DARK DESIGN

Grafton paperback, 1988 reprint. Cover by Joe Petagno.

"Who are the weavers of the dark design? The myriad dead of thirty thousand centuries have awakened to find themselves resurrected, naked and hairless, on the banks of the great river which winds itself round the awe-inspiring planet Riverworld. A few resourceful and intrepid individuals attempt to trace the source of the river, among them Sir Richard Francis Burton, Mark Twain and Peter Jairus Frigate. Together they seek to find some purpose to the dark design in which they find themselves enmeshed..."

TO YOUR SCATTERED BODIES GO

Granada / Panther SF paperback, 1980. Cover by Joe Petagno
(thanks: Egrove).

"WELCOME TO RIVERWORLD 

It is not like our world - or any world that can be imagined by anyone but Philip José Farmer. It is huge and mysterious. It has a central river, rimmed by mountains, with a hidden source and an unknown end. Reborn there is every last soul who ever lived on earth - from prehistoric apemen to moondwelling future civilizations. Reborn there is Sir Richard Francis Burton, translator of The Arabian Knights, explorer, brawler, scholar, womanizer - adventurer. His quest to discover the end of the river, the meaning of the world's existence - and lovely Alice Hargreaves (the real-life model for Alice In Wonderland) form a science fiction adventure that is already recognized as a classic."