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Andre Norton: Gateway to Magic
The Zero Stone (Viking, November 1968), Breed to Come (Viking, April 1972), and Galactic Derelict (World Publishing, 1959). Covers by Robin Jacques, László Gál, and Ed Emshwiller Andre Norton (1912...
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Vintage Treasures: Memories by Mike McQuay
Memories (Bantam Spectra Special Edition, August 1989). Cover by Will Cormier Mike McQuay published his first SF novel, Lifekeeper, in 1980, and he died just fifteen years later, in May 1995. But in...
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Vintage Treasures: World’s Best Science Fiction First Series edited by Donald...
World’s Best Science Fiction First Series (Ace Books, 1970). Cover by Jack Gaughan If you want to understand science fiction, it’s not a bad idea to start by reading Year’s Best volumes. And if you’re...
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Vintage Treasures: The Bantam Spectra Élisabeth Vonarburg
The Bantam Spectra Élisabeth Vonarburg: The Silent City (August 1992), In the Mothers’ Land (December 1992), and Reluctant Voyagers (March 1995). Covers by Oscar Chichoni, Oscar Chichoni, and Stephen...
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Love Exotic Science Fiction on Desert Planets? Try Donald Kingsbury’s...
Courtship Rite (Timescape Books, July 1982). Cover by Rowena Morrill Noe took her strange Liethe in a comforting embrace. “Some of us make our Contribution to the Race through Death, and others of us...
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The Horrors of Sam Moskowitz
Horrors in Hiding, Horrors Unseen, and Horrors Unknown (Berkley Medallion, February 1973, June 1974, and February 1976). Covers: Vincent Di Fate (x2), uncredited A few years back I wrote a trio of...
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Vintage Treasures: Night’s Black Agents by Fritz Leiber
Nights Black Agents (Berkley Books, May 1980). Cover by Wayne Barlowe Nights Black Agents was Fritz Leiber’s first first collection — and in fact his first book. It was originally published in...
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The Red Magician by Lisa Goldstein
In the town where Kicsi grew up there was a rabbi who could work miracles. It was a small town, and borders — Hungarian, Czech, Russian — ebbed and flowed around it like tides. Once, Kicsi remembered,...
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Vintage Treasures: To the Resurrection Station by Eleanor Arnason
To the Resurrection Station (Avon, October 1986). Cover by Tom Kidd Eleanor Arnason is a familiar name to anyone who’s been reading short science fiction for the past four decades. Her first story...
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Adventure in the Magellanic Cloud: The Mote in Time’s Eye by Gérard Klein
The Mote in Time’s Eye (DAW, January 1975). Cover by Josh Kirby This is the latest in a series of posts I’m doing covering relatively obscure SF novels of the ‘70s and ‘80s. This novel was first...
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Andre Norton: Gateway to Magic, Part II
Andre Norton’s two-book series Judgment on Janus and Victory on Janus (Fawcett Crest, December 1979 and January 1980). Covers by Ken Barr Part I of Andre Norton: Gateway to Magic is here. Two other...
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Vintage Treasures: Hammer’s Slammers by David Drake
Hammer’s Slammers (Ace Books, April 1979). Cover by Paul Alexander David Drake passed away on December 10, 2023, and his death was a major loss to the field. In addition to his considerable...
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Vintage Treasures: To Reign in Hell by Steven Brust
To Reign in Hell (Ace Books, May 1985). Cover by Stephen Hickman In 1983 all my friends in Ottawa were talking about the debut novel by a young fantasy writer from Minnesota. The book was Jhereg, and...
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Five Tours in the Galactic Security Service: Backflash (Simon Rack #3) by...
Backflash (Sphere Books, January 1975). Cover by Bruce Pennington Here’s another review of an obscure (at least to me!) 1970s SF novel. I found it on the free table at Boskone this year. It is slim,...
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Vintage Treasures: Strange Monsters of the Recent Past by Howard Waldrop
Strange Monsters of the Recent Past (Ace Books, July 1991). Cover by Alan M. Clark Howard Waldrop passed away in January of this year, and his death was a major loss. It’s common, especially for...
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Vintage Treasures: Sandkings by George R.R. Martin
Sandkings (Timescape/Pocket Books, December 1981). Cover by Rowena Morrill Writing is a notoriously poor-paying profession. In 2017, after eleven months of work, I sold my first novel to Houghton...
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Vintage Treasures: Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
Falling Free (Baen Books, April 1988). Cover by Alan Gutierrez Lois McMaster Bujold is one of the most acclaimed writers in science fiction, with four Hugo wins for Best Novel under her belt (matching...
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Andre Norton: Gateway to Magic, Part III
The first two installments in this series are here: Andre Norton: Gateway to Magic, Part I Andre Norton: Gateway to Magic, Part II As I mentioned in the first two articles in this series, I’ve read a...
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A 1970s Future: The Man Responsible by Stephen Robinett
The Man Responsible (Ace Books, April 1978). Cover art by Vincent DiFate This latest in my loose series of essays about fairly obscure 1970s/1980s SF books is about a writer who looked to be...
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A to Z Reviews: “Tag,” by David Kablack
David Kablack’s “Tag” appeared in the 18th issue of the magazine Pirate Writings, which would change its name to Fantastic Stories of the Imagination with the next issue. One of the features of Pirate...
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