The full set, in publishing order, l to r. Click on image to enlarge.
852 books related to the Avon/Equinox authors reviewed in this blog since June 3rd, 2016. Currently reading "The Vengeance of Rome," by Michael Moorcock.
See the Barry Malzberg page for a new book review (November 9th/24)
See the E. C. Tubb page for a new book review (November 6th/24)
See the Kenneth Bulmer page for a new book review (November 5th/24)
I have read all 27 books in the Avon/Equinox Rediscovery Series. It has led me on a much deeper journey than I originally anticipated. Of the 24 authors represented, most of them were new to me. Some I had heard about, but never read. So this journey has been an eye-opening experience. Currently, I have completed reading all of the available published works by 16 of the authors, and continue to read the remaining complete works by 4 others. I will summarize each completed author briefly here, then give my recommended list of must-read books by each of them.
1) Philip Jose Farmer: Farmer is represented by two volumes in the series, so I will begin with the books I reviewed under his first page. Strange Relations was where my journey began. It was a remarkable beginning, and looking back on those stories contained in that volume makes me believe that my project was indeed a fabulous one. Farmer wrote some of the best SF, though much of his work was in the early pulp tradition of action and adventure.
These are Farmer's books and stories that I consider keepers for my library, from the first page of two devoted to his works:
Strange Relations--short stories, including some of his best early SF work.
Father To The Stars--the John Carmody stories, influenced heavily by Blish's "After Such Knowledge" series. It contains "Night of Light," one of Farmer's very best.
The Purple Book--contains "Riders of the Purple Wage," one of his best stories, along with a great Sword and Sorcery tale, "Spiders of the Purple Mage."
Stations of the Nightmare--especially the illustrated Jim Baen edition.
The Grand Adventure--with fabulous illustrations, and includes the story "Shadow of Space," and also "Sketches From the Ruins of My Mind."
Pearls From Peoria--the single best book of Farmer's work ever published.
The Green Odyssey--a planetary adventure in the finest tradition of Burroughs.
Flesh--paganism taken to the extreme. I loved this story.
The Lovers--one of the first books to allow coupling between humans and aliens.
A Woman A Day--sequel to the above.
Traitor To the Living--unusual theme wonderfully handled.
Venus On The Half-Shell--very, very funny. Very original.
Dark Is The Sun--Farmer's take on the Oz books, and possibly Lord of the Rings.
Jesus On Mars--the title says it all. A must-read.
The Unreasoning Mask--like a totally amazing Star Trek adventure.
A Barnstormer In Oz--the weirdest Oz tribute ever penned. Unusual and rare.
Tarzan Alive--the definitive Tarzan biography.
Time's Last Gift--a great tale about going way back in time.
Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life--the definitive Doc Savage biography.
2) Cyril Kornbluth: The Syndic was my intro to this author, and it took a few pages before I finally got into it. Kornbluth wrote very few solo novels, choosing instead to collaborate with Frederic Pohl and Judith Merril. He excelled at short stories, however. Here is my keeper list for this author:
The Syndic--classic post-apocalypse society. A very good read.
Outpost Mars--a fine collaboration with Judith Merril.
Gunner Cade--the 2nd collaboration with Merril.
The Space Merchants--collaboration with Pohl.
Gladiator At Law--with Pohl. Unforgettable.
A Town Is Drowning--contemporary fiction, with Pohl. Riveting.
Wolfbane--with Pohl. One of the greatest SF books I have ever read.
The Wonder Effect--short stories, with Pohl.
Critical Mass--short stories, with Pohl.
Before The Universe:--short stories with Pohl. Some overlap with the above books.
His Share of the Glory--extensive solo short story collection, published by NESFA. A must-have.
3) John Sladek: The Reproductive System is a love it or hate it book. I loved it, and also loved most of Sladek's SF writing. But he also wrote great mystery stories, and two Gothics that are readable but not really my thing. His short stories are also utterly original and devastatingly fantastic. Here is my keeper list.
The Reproductive System--a great introduction to Sladek's wit, humour, and style.
The House That Fear Built--the better of two gothic tales, co-written with Thomas Disch.
Black Alice--a disturbing account of a white girl being kidnapped and painted black.
The Muller-Fokker Effect--a man is imprinted onto computer tapes. Very funny.
The Steam-Driven Boy--short story collection.
Black Aura--an excellent mystery novel.
Invisible Green--his second and final mystery novel.
Keep The Giraffe Burning--short story collection.
Alien Accounts--short story collection.
The Lunatics of Terra--short story collection.
The Complete Roderick--contains both Roderick novels. Essential reading.
Tik-Tok--A very different robot than Roderick. Dark and delicious.
Bugs--his final novel. Great reading.
Maps--an essential collection of all things Sladek.
4) Algis Budrys: Rogue Moon is a book that is all but forgotten today, along with its author. Budrys is a creative talent that is unmatched in certain areas, and this excellent story shows his strengths. A unique story, and a good choice for the Equinox series.
Rogue Moon--one of the best stories in the Equinox series.
False Night/Some Will Not Die--either version of this post-apocalyptic tale are superb.
Who?--is a tale of lost identity during the Cold War.
The Unexpected Dimension--contains 7 short stories. "First To Serve" is brilliant.
Budrys' Inferno--contains 9 stories.
The Amsirs and the Iron Throne--a really good novel about hunting an intelligent life form for sport.
Michaelmas--a masterpiece of fiction about the mass media and its power.
Blood and Burning--11 short stores.
Hard Landing--5 aliens crash land on Earth. Great story, and short.
5) Robert Silverberg: Man In The Maze The first of two Silverberg pages contains all of his solo series writing, as well as his short stories. The second page is devoted to his single novels. The books for this author are still being read. A list of keepers will be forthcoming when I have completed reading his short stories.
6) Norman Spinrad: The Iron Dream is one of the stranger books in the Equinox series. What if Adolph Hitler had not gained access to political power, and instead had become a SF writer? If this burning question keeps you awake at night, this book will soon put you to rest. The books for this page are now complete. A list of keepers follows:
Bug Jack Baron, 1969: Call up the man on TV and tell him what's bugging you. A classic.
Riding The Torch, 1974: A very short book about humans on board their space ark.
The Void Captain's Tale, 1983: Classic SF, and one of the best.
The Mind Game, 1985: An inside look at a cult that grooms members for better things.
Child of Fortune, 1985: My favourite Spinrad novel, and one of favourite SF novels.
Children of Hamelin, 1991: Non SF, semi-autobiographical. Rich story telling.
Vampire Junkies, 1994: A novella, and one of the best things I've ever read.
Journals of the Plague Years, 1995: 4 people in California live during a plague. Solid stuff.
Greenhouse Summer, 1999: Spinrad's very unique take on global warming.
Mexica, 2005: Historical fiction on the downfall of the Aztecs at the hands of the Spaniards.
7) P. J. Farmer: Inside Outside is the book that announces Farmer's 2nd entry into this series. This page contains his main book series. Here is a list of keepers for my bookshelf:
Inside Outside--One of Farmer's stranger books, and not really required reading, but some interesting topics come up. Also, the initial mystery about what is going on is pretty good.
Maker of Universes, 1965: First World of Tiers book, a great adventure story!
Gates of Creation, 1966: 2nd book, but not featuring Kickaha.
A Private Cosmos, 1968: Kickaha is back, along with several lords.
Behind the Walls of Terra, 1970: More adventure, as Farmer stays true to the series.
The Lavalite World, 1977: A great world is created here by Farmer.
Red Orc's Rage, 1991: Unusual entry in the series, loosely connected but interesting.
More Than Fire, 1993: A poor ending to the series. Disappointing.
To Your Scattered Bodies Go--the first and best Riverworld book.
Gods of Riverworld--the 5th and final book of the series, also recommended.
Tales of Riverworld--short stories by Farmer and others set in Riverworld.
Dayworld--The Dayworld series is not great writing, but is great pulp-style adventure.
Dayworld Rebel--The story continues directly from volume one. Fun.
Dayworld Breakup--The conclusion to the action-packed adventure series.
8) Piers Anthony: Omnivore is the first book of a fabulous SF trilogy, featuring the same characters along with a wonderful alien life form. The series is called Of Man and Manta, and is highly recommended. The books for this author are now finished. He is the first author in this series that I have greatly tired of. His writing seems to get more and more mechanical, and less and less interesting. I have abandoned this author long before having read his complete works.
1) Philip Jose Farmer: Farmer is represented by two volumes in the series, so I will begin with the books I reviewed under his first page. Strange Relations was where my journey began. It was a remarkable beginning, and looking back on those stories contained in that volume makes me believe that my project was indeed a fabulous one. Farmer wrote some of the best SF, though much of his work was in the early pulp tradition of action and adventure.
These are Farmer's books and stories that I consider keepers for my library, from the first page of two devoted to his works:
Strange Relations--short stories, including some of his best early SF work.
Father To The Stars--the John Carmody stories, influenced heavily by Blish's "After Such Knowledge" series. It contains "Night of Light," one of Farmer's very best.
The Purple Book--contains "Riders of the Purple Wage," one of his best stories, along with a great Sword and Sorcery tale, "Spiders of the Purple Mage."
Stations of the Nightmare--especially the illustrated Jim Baen edition.
The Grand Adventure--with fabulous illustrations, and includes the story "Shadow of Space," and also "Sketches From the Ruins of My Mind."
Pearls From Peoria--the single best book of Farmer's work ever published.
The Green Odyssey--a planetary adventure in the finest tradition of Burroughs.
Flesh--paganism taken to the extreme. I loved this story.
The Lovers--one of the first books to allow coupling between humans and aliens.
A Woman A Day--sequel to the above.
Traitor To the Living--unusual theme wonderfully handled.
Venus On The Half-Shell--very, very funny. Very original.
Dark Is The Sun--Farmer's take on the Oz books, and possibly Lord of the Rings.
Jesus On Mars--the title says it all. A must-read.
The Unreasoning Mask--like a totally amazing Star Trek adventure.
A Barnstormer In Oz--the weirdest Oz tribute ever penned. Unusual and rare.
Tarzan Alive--the definitive Tarzan biography.
Time's Last Gift--a great tale about going way back in time.
Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life--the definitive Doc Savage biography.
2) Cyril Kornbluth: The Syndic was my intro to this author, and it took a few pages before I finally got into it. Kornbluth wrote very few solo novels, choosing instead to collaborate with Frederic Pohl and Judith Merril. He excelled at short stories, however. Here is my keeper list for this author:
The Syndic--classic post-apocalypse society. A very good read.
Outpost Mars--a fine collaboration with Judith Merril.
Gunner Cade--the 2nd collaboration with Merril.
The Space Merchants--collaboration with Pohl.
Gladiator At Law--with Pohl. Unforgettable.
A Town Is Drowning--contemporary fiction, with Pohl. Riveting.
Wolfbane--with Pohl. One of the greatest SF books I have ever read.
The Wonder Effect--short stories, with Pohl.
Critical Mass--short stories, with Pohl.
Before The Universe:--short stories with Pohl. Some overlap with the above books.
His Share of the Glory--extensive solo short story collection, published by NESFA. A must-have.
3) John Sladek: The Reproductive System is a love it or hate it book. I loved it, and also loved most of Sladek's SF writing. But he also wrote great mystery stories, and two Gothics that are readable but not really my thing. His short stories are also utterly original and devastatingly fantastic. Here is my keeper list.
The Reproductive System--a great introduction to Sladek's wit, humour, and style.
The House That Fear Built--the better of two gothic tales, co-written with Thomas Disch.
Black Alice--a disturbing account of a white girl being kidnapped and painted black.
The Muller-Fokker Effect--a man is imprinted onto computer tapes. Very funny.
The Steam-Driven Boy--short story collection.
Black Aura--an excellent mystery novel.
Invisible Green--his second and final mystery novel.
Keep The Giraffe Burning--short story collection.
Alien Accounts--short story collection.
The Lunatics of Terra--short story collection.
The Complete Roderick--contains both Roderick novels. Essential reading.
Tik-Tok--A very different robot than Roderick. Dark and delicious.
Bugs--his final novel. Great reading.
Maps--an essential collection of all things Sladek.
4) Algis Budrys: Rogue Moon is a book that is all but forgotten today, along with its author. Budrys is a creative talent that is unmatched in certain areas, and this excellent story shows his strengths. A unique story, and a good choice for the Equinox series.
Rogue Moon--one of the best stories in the Equinox series.
False Night/Some Will Not Die--either version of this post-apocalyptic tale are superb.
Who?--is a tale of lost identity during the Cold War.
The Unexpected Dimension--contains 7 short stories. "First To Serve" is brilliant.
Budrys' Inferno--contains 9 stories.
The Amsirs and the Iron Throne--a really good novel about hunting an intelligent life form for sport.
Michaelmas--a masterpiece of fiction about the mass media and its power.
Blood and Burning--11 short stores.
Hard Landing--5 aliens crash land on Earth. Great story, and short.
5) Robert Silverberg: Man In The Maze The first of two Silverberg pages contains all of his solo series writing, as well as his short stories. The second page is devoted to his single novels. The books for this author are still being read. A list of keepers will be forthcoming when I have completed reading his short stories.
6) Norman Spinrad: The Iron Dream is one of the stranger books in the Equinox series. What if Adolph Hitler had not gained access to political power, and instead had become a SF writer? If this burning question keeps you awake at night, this book will soon put you to rest. The books for this page are now complete. A list of keepers follows:
Bug Jack Baron, 1969: Call up the man on TV and tell him what's bugging you. A classic.
Riding The Torch, 1974: A very short book about humans on board their space ark.
The Void Captain's Tale, 1983: Classic SF, and one of the best.
The Mind Game, 1985: An inside look at a cult that grooms members for better things.
Child of Fortune, 1985: My favourite Spinrad novel, and one of favourite SF novels.
Children of Hamelin, 1991: Non SF, semi-autobiographical. Rich story telling.
Vampire Junkies, 1994: A novella, and one of the best things I've ever read.
Journals of the Plague Years, 1995: 4 people in California live during a plague. Solid stuff.
Greenhouse Summer, 1999: Spinrad's very unique take on global warming.
Mexica, 2005: Historical fiction on the downfall of the Aztecs at the hands of the Spaniards.
7) P. J. Farmer: Inside Outside is the book that announces Farmer's 2nd entry into this series. This page contains his main book series. Here is a list of keepers for my bookshelf:
Inside Outside--One of Farmer's stranger books, and not really required reading, but some interesting topics come up. Also, the initial mystery about what is going on is pretty good.
Maker of Universes, 1965: First World of Tiers book, a great adventure story!
Gates of Creation, 1966: 2nd book, but not featuring Kickaha.
A Private Cosmos, 1968: Kickaha is back, along with several lords.
Behind the Walls of Terra, 1970: More adventure, as Farmer stays true to the series.
The Lavalite World, 1977: A great world is created here by Farmer.
Red Orc's Rage, 1991: Unusual entry in the series, loosely connected but interesting.
More Than Fire, 1993: A poor ending to the series. Disappointing.
To Your Scattered Bodies Go--the first and best Riverworld book.
Gods of Riverworld--the 5th and final book of the series, also recommended.
Tales of Riverworld--short stories by Farmer and others set in Riverworld.
Dayworld--The Dayworld series is not great writing, but is great pulp-style adventure.
Dayworld Rebel--The story continues directly from volume one. Fun.
Dayworld Breakup--The conclusion to the action-packed adventure series.
8) Piers Anthony: Omnivore is the first book of a fabulous SF trilogy, featuring the same characters along with a wonderful alien life form. The series is called Of Man and Manta, and is highly recommended. The books for this author are now finished. He is the first author in this series that I have greatly tired of. His writing seems to get more and more mechanical, and less and less interesting. I have abandoned this author long before having read his complete works.
9) Eric Frank Russell: The Great Explosion is a collection of 4 novelettes that deal with Earth colonists hundreds of years after leaving home. A classic! Here are my Russell keepers:
Entities, containing five novels.
Major Ingredients, containing 30 short stories.
Deep Space, containing 9 short stories.
Men, Martians, and Machines--simply the best. A collection of 4 novelettes. Don't miss!
Rabble Rousers, proving that truth is stranger, and more cruel than fiction.
The Mindwarpers-- a man brain washed by the enemy. A scary cold war tale.
10) Chad Oliver: The Winds of Time is a great novel of first contact, and an excellent introduction into this author's SF. Here is my list of keepers by him:
The Winds of Time: Essential SF reading. A good choice for the series.
Unearthly Neighbours: Trying to find something in common with non-tool users.
The Wolf Is My Brother: One of the greatest western novels even written.
The Shores of Another Sea: A great first contact story, set in rural Kenya.
Broken Eagle: Fact-based account of Custer and the Little Big Horn. Essential reading.
A Star Above It: 20 shorter stories.
Not of this Earth: 20 more shorter stories.
11) John Christopher: No Blade of Grass is still one of the best end-of-the-world as we know it story ever written. An excellent choice for the Equinox series! The books for this author are now read. A list of keepers is listed below.
Planet In Peril is similar to a good plot from Man From UNCLE.
Caves of Night is pure adventure, trapped in a system of caves.
The White Voyage is high adventure on the north seas, in winter.
The Long Winter sees Britain hit hard by a sudden ice age.
The Possessors is fine horror writing, as alien spores descend on an isolated alpine cabin.
A Wrinkle In The Skin details life after devastating earthquakes change the landscape. A favourite novel of mine.
The Little People is a creepy horror/SF novel that should not be missed.
The Tripods is a series of young adult Sf consisting of 4 novels. This is the best of his series.
Empty World is a very good stand-a-lone youth novel, a very good take on the "last man on Earth" theme.
A Dusk Of Demons is a stand-alone youth novel in a post apocalyptic world.
Bad Dream is his final novel, an excellent political and horror thriller for adults.
12) Edgar Pangborn: A Mirror For Observers is a book that opened my eyes to the possibility of a different kind of SF story, one that is quieter, more reflective, and in search of something beyond adventure. This book is one of the very best. Here are my Pangborn keepers:
A Mirror For Observers.
West of the Sun is the author's first SF.
Wilderness of Spring is non-fiction, historical.
The Trial of Callista Blake is a riveting courtroom drama.
Davy is the first of his post holocaust masterpieces. Set 400 years after nuclear war.
The Company of Glory is set closer to the time of nuclear war.
Good Neighbours and Other Strangers is a collection of 10 short stories.
Still I Persist In Wondering is a collection of 7 short stories.
The Judgment of Eve is the 2nd Pangborn book in the Avon/Equinox series, also set in his post holocaust world
13) Harry Harrison: Bill, The Galactic Hero is a funnybone tickler, but also one that not only makes fun of the military and its recruitment policies, but treats them scathingly. It spawned a whole series of books, but only two are written by Harrison. A list of keepers follows:
Deathworld series. Riveting SF adventure.
Stainless Steel Rat series. Simply the best SF adventure humourous tales ever written.
Planet of the Damned (and sequel).
Captive Universe. Unique and spellbinding SF writing.
Tunnel Through The Deeps. Building a trans-Atlantic tunnel.
Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers. Hilarious SF adventure.
The QE2 Is Missing. Adventure and mystery in the Pacific. Not SF.
Turing Option. A great SF novel about AI.
Hammer and the Cross Trilogy. Historical Viking fiction at its finest.
Stars and Stripes Trilogy. Civil War and beyond as the US and Britain fight it out. Terrific trilogy!
14) Hugo Gernsback: Ultimate World is very early SF. Works by Gersback are to be read a chapter at a time, as this is the way they appeared back in the day. He is more into inventions and predictions than plot, but I find his three novels eminently readable and worthwhile. The Hugo Award is named after him. Here are the three books I have read by him, all of them keepers:
Ultimate World is less a novel than a series of predictions and inventions.
The Scientific Adventures of Baron Munchausen is my favourite of the three, and I love the modern edition.
Ralph 124C 41+ is strange and wonderful. Try to read an edition with illustrations.
15) Kenneth Bulmer: City Under The Sea is not the best selection of Bulmer's writing to choose for such a series. Still, it is very different, and if you like underwater adventure, then this is the book for you. I am not fussy about such books, but still enjoyed this claustrophobic (for me) tale of underwater intrigue and revolution. The books for this author are still being read. A list of keepers will be forthcoming when I have completed reading his stories.
16) E. C. Tubb: The Space Born is not the best Tubb for a major SF rediscovery series. If I had read only this one story by him I would not have thought him to be terribly special. It is his version of Orphans of the Sky. Still, I like Tubb a lot, and he is a great pulp action writer. The books for this author are still being read. A list of keepers will be forthcoming when I have completed reading his stories.
17) Jack Williamson: The Humanoids is a hard-hitting look at where technology may be taking us, as androids, fitted with resources to prevent humans from coming to any harm, lead to a disastrous life for people, who are not allowed to do anything dangerous to body or mind. Things like sex are forbidden, as well as creating art, music, and literature, all of which may cause depression, anxiety, or uncertainty. A stunning read. There is also a sequel. The books for this author are now all read. A list of keepers will be forthcoming.
18) Edgar Pangborn: The Judgment of Eve is the 2nd book by Pangborn reprinted in the Avon/Equinox Rediscovery Series. It is a novel of adventure, but also an inward looking one, as three men are sent off to seek the answer to a woman's riddle, namely to discover what love is. Essential reading. See the list of Pangborn keepers remaining on my bookshelf, listed under book #12, above.
19) Rex Gordon: First On Mars was the basis for a 1960s movie, and Andy Weir's more up to date book, The Martian. Gordon also wrote under other names, including S. B. Hough. In addition to SF, he writes incredible crime novels, as well as straight fiction. Everything I have is being kept on the shelf.
Favourite books by Gordon/Hough:
Mission In Guemo: Intrigue and Nazi hold-outs in a fictional South American country (Paraguay). Taut and spellbinding.
Sea Struck: The first chapter of this sea-faring adventure is one of the best openings to any novel.
The Alscott Experiment: Another sea tale, this one involving brainwashing a young girl.
The Primitives: Not many were writing openly about incest in 1954. Top notch writing.
Utopia 239: Three people leap into the future to leave behind the nuclear holocaust.
Extinction Bomber: 6 years before Fail Safe, this is still a gripping read.
The Tender Killer, also The Bronze Perseus: Mystery writing at its weirdest and finest.
First To The Stars: Written 2 years after First On Mars.
Beyond the 11th Hour: Unbelievably good WW 3 novel.
First Through Time: A great SF time travel adventure.
Dear Daughter Dead: Murder mystery that sticks with you. Exceptional.
Sweet Sister Seduced: A very fine detective story, with results in 24 hours.
The Yellow Fraction: Very fine, off the wall SF story. Unique and worth reading.
Fear Fortune Father: Off beat mystery story, with one of a kind characters and plot.
20) Hal Clement: Needle gives a good idea of what Hal Clement is all about, though it is far from my favourite book of his. An alien cop is trailing an alien criminal, and they happen to crash land on Earth, in the summer. A group of youngsters, enjoying their summer break, are gradually drawn into this tense situation. Overall, I really like Clement's SF writing. A list of keepers is given below.
Favourite books by Clement:
Iceworld --a unique view of Earth from an alien perspective.
Close To Critical-- 2 children, one of them an alien, accidentally launch themselves to a planet's surface from their observing satellite. Classic stuff.
The Planet Mesklin Stories--2 unforgettable novels and a few short works.
Cycle Of Fire--this would appeal to high school readers as well as adults.
Still River--an exciting world-exploring jaunt, with multi-alien scientists and a human.
Half-Life--exploring Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, with some calm but desperate scientists.
Noise--one of the best books ever written about human colonizing of an alien world.
21) Robert Silverberg: Nightwings is the 2nd book by Silverberg published in the series. Since his output is so vast, I am using this second Silverberg blog page to review his single novels. On his previous page (#5--Man In The Maze) I am reviewing his series and his short stories. Nightwings is a memorable and gentle tale of an Earth in the far future, undergoing another social and technological morph. Quite a beautiful story.
22) Michael Moorcock: Behold The Man is a book that garnered a lot of controversy when it was first published, and a lot of fans. It is a break-through novel that everyone should read, and goes a long way to explaining myth and legend, and why trusting too much in them can be fatal. An amazing book. The books by this author are still being read. A list of keepers will be forthcoming when I have completed reading his stories.
23) Ward Moore: Bring The Jubilee is a book that brought me into the world of a previously unheard of author whom I have come to treasure and greatly admire. Virtually everything on his page will remain on my bookshelf. Many of his books are hard to get, and I am still missing an early one. Jubilee is an alternate history story, probably the best of its kind I have ever read. What would happen if the south beat the north in the American Civil War. And much more. An amazing (re)discovery.
Favourite books by Moore:
Greener Than You Think--this one left me nearly speechless.
Lot, and Lot's Daughter--post holocaust, and a must-read. Two novellas.
Cloud By Day--regular fiction about a California wildfire and a small town.
24) Harry Martinson: Aniara has been made into an opera, and now a 2018 film (not seen as yet). I think it is probably best the way it was created, as an epic poem. It is one of the finest books I have ever read. I will read it many more times. The author won the Nobel prize for his poetry. I have one volume of that on my shelf, as well, and will add to it gradually.
25) J G. Ballard: The Crystal World is a unique story, with very poetic landscapes, odd characters, and one of the more unique end-of-the-world scenarios. While virtually all of Ballard's work is considered must-read material, I will always remember this first contact with his writing. The books by this author are now all read. It's easier to list the books I would not likely read again:
The Atrocity Experiment--once is enough.
Crash--A Novel. Once is enough.
High Rise. Possibly will reread it.
Just about everything else by the author is totally brilliant, and I hope to re-read someday.
26) Barry Malzberg: Revelations is an avante-garde novel that is not easy to read, but even harder to understand. So far, it is not my favourite book by this author, though it has its moments. Malzberg is not a fan of human spaceflight; my take is that he believes that the body can be somewhat prepared, but not the mind. The more we depend on technology, the less human we become. Military-type training will not prepare humans for space travel. I enjoyed the next book by him I read, The Empty People, much more. The books by this author are still being read. A list of keepers will be forthcoming when I have completed reading his stories.
27) James Blish: Black Easter is the first of a connected two-part story about Satanism and the end of the world. It is brilliant and amazing to read, with Blish providing authenticity along with the horror. It would make such a fantastic film, or graphic novel. One of the best of its kind. Blish has long been a favourite author, and I had to wait until the final book of the Avon/Equinox series to finally get to read him again. I will likely be keeping all of his novels and short stories when this project ends.
Mapman Mike
26) Barry Malzberg: Revelations is an avante-garde novel that is not easy to read, but even harder to understand. So far, it is not my favourite book by this author, though it has its moments. Malzberg is not a fan of human spaceflight; my take is that he believes that the body can be somewhat prepared, but not the mind. The more we depend on technology, the less human we become. Military-type training will not prepare humans for space travel. I enjoyed the next book by him I read, The Empty People, much more. The books by this author are still being read. A list of keepers will be forthcoming when I have completed reading his stories.
27) James Blish: Black Easter is the first of a connected two-part story about Satanism and the end of the world. It is brilliant and amazing to read, with Blish providing authenticity along with the horror. It would make such a fantastic film, or graphic novel. One of the best of its kind. Blish has long been a favourite author, and I had to wait until the final book of the Avon/Equinox series to finally get to read him again. I will likely be keeping all of his novels and short stories when this project ends.
Mapman Mike
