Science Fiction Superhero
A fixup of Moorcock’s Sojan The Swordsman stories so that they resemble a novel with some alteration. An ex-Earthman and now mercenary warrior puts his talents to good use with sword and shield and pistol where he can help or just relieve his own boredom. 3 out of 5 A man out of place and [...]
A fixup of Moorcock’s Sojan The Swordsman stories so that they resemble a novel with some alteration. An ex-Earthman and now mercenary warrior puts his talents to good use with sword and shield and pistol where he can help or just relieve his own boredom. 3 out of 5
Continue reading about Sojan the Swordsman – Michael Moorcock
A man out of place and on the run ends up at a secret project that has created its own universe in a bottle. Agreeing to be their lab rat and with no other prospects ends up a war leader after rescuing both a prince and princess. Now he gets to help them defeat Lovecraftian [...]
Continue reading about Under the Warrior Star – Joe R. Lansdale
An excellent collection, led by Pigeons From Hell. It also contains several good poems along with the novel Almuric. Thunder Of Trumpets : Pigeons From Hell – Robert E. Howard Thunder Of Trumpets : A Thunder Of Trumpets – Robert E. Howard Thunder Of Trumpets : Almuric – Robert E. Howard Thunder Of Trumpets : [...]
“”Flurrrrgh glarrrgh expostulate the rectal rod!” hollered Avila. Oh, intermittently useful telepathic fungus. I’ve learned a great deal about both Martian anatomy and Martian vulgarity in the years since this incident, imaginary reader. To this day I still have no idea what Avila was driving at. Whoosh whoosh hiss. The spider-creature didn’t bellow back at [...]
Continue reading about Queen of the Iron Sands 7 1 Fifinella and the Invisible Men – Scott Lynch
An alien agent has undergone surgery to pass as a human and fight an espionage war with their galactic enemies on Earth – to try and sway the humans to their side. However, evolution has gotten in the way, and a super race of mutants with advanced mental abilities co-opt him to work with them [...]
Continue reading about The Silent Invaders – Robert Silverberg
Fake alien Balance tampering ship story. Fake woman too. Most likely. 3.5 out of 5 http://www.asimovs.com/2012_02/images/TheCopenhagenInterpretation_Cornell.pdf
Continue reading about The Copenhagen Interpretation – Paul Cornell
A short anthology of planetary romance stories, with Brackett by far the highlight. The Anderson is reasonable and Hamilton’s is fun, complete with lightsaber duels. Swordsmen In the Sky : Swordsman of Lost Terra – Poul Anderson Swordsmen In the Sky : The People of the Crater – Andre Norton Swordsmen In the Sky : [...]
Continue reading about Swordsmen In the Sky – Donald A. Wollheim
Stuart Merrick is an adventurous sort, broke with no rellos – so a good subject to transport to another world on a planetary romance adventure. This time fighting spider-men with a trusty blaster AND a lightsaber by his side. 3 out of 5
Continue reading about Kaldar World of Antares – Edmond Hamilton
An omnicollection of the end of Flandry’s career when he is an Admiral and some other Technic history stories. Flandry’s Legacy : A STONE IN HEAVEN – Poul Anderson Flandry’s Legacy : THE GAME OF EMPIRE – Poul Anderson Flandry’s Legacy : A TRAGEDY OF ERRORS – Poul Anderson Flandry’s Legacy : THE NIGHT FACE [...]
This omnicollection deals with an experienced Flandry, with the first story highly excellent and the rest only so-so. Sir Dominic Flandry The Last Knight of Terra : THE PLAGUE OF MASTERS – Poul Anderson Sir Dominic Flandry The Last Knight of Terra : HUNTERS OF THE SKY CAVE – Poul Anderson Sir Dominic Flandry The [...]
Continue reading about Sir Dominic Flandry: The Last Knight of Terra – Poul Anderson
Stasis intelligence corruption – so stasis wait for punishment. 4 out of 5 http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/comics/2000adstrips/dredd/dredd01.shtml
Prison not cure, are you crazy? 4 out of 5 https://comics.comixology.com/#/issue/12284/The-Many-Adventures-of-Miranda-Mercury-295-of-300-
Continue reading about The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury 295 Rebel Ronin
A collection of Wellman’s stories about the Stone Age leader Hok, including some additions set in the same time period and a fragment. The stories display a great deal of consistency in quality. Battle In the Dawn : Battle in the Dawn – Manly Wade Wellman Battle In the Dawn : Hok Goes to Atlantis [...]
Continue reading about Battle In The Dawn: The Complete Hok the Mighty – Manly Wade Wellman
Hok decides to literally take a wife – who is not at all pleased with the idea, until he lets her go. 3.5 out of 5
Continue reading about For The Love Of Oloanna – Manly Wade Wellman
Start of a story in which Hok meets Plorr. 3 out of 5
Continue reading about Untitled Hok Fragment – Manly Wade Wellman
Martian invade – to find that twelve of them won’t do the job with the Flint people and others have a quick witted leader. Even in the face of rayguns. 3.5 out of 5
Continue reading about Day of the Conquerors – Manly Wade Wellman
Hok becomes a young chief when his father is killed, and leads his tribe in savage defense against the Neanderthals that occupy the area they have travelled to. 3.5 out of 5
Continue reading about Battle In The Dawn – Manly Wade Wellman
A meteor brings Hok the means to make a sword. 3.5 out of 5
Continue reading about Hok and the Gift of Heaven – Manly Wade Wellman
And more than a few of her monsters. 3.5 out of 5 http://atomicpulp.supernaturalcrime.com/strips_pages/strips_pages_POPX/popx_lair_03.html
Continue reading about Perils On Planet X – Lair of the Science Witch
Sheena and Bob have to escape an ant army across the Gorge of Skulls. 2.5 out of 5 http://qd2.blogspot.com/2011/04/lost-comet-and-sheena-and-crawling.html
Continue reading about Sheena and the Crawling Death – Morgan W. Thomas
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5587632104_17a2717de5_o.jpg “Here is a gathering of all the pertinent links for the Planet Comics serial Mysta of the Moon posted on Lady, That’s My Skull. The links are sorted per issue though sharp-eyed readers may notice the chapter headings do not match the links. This is due to my not noticing a few posts were [...]
3 out of 5 http://www.battleroar.com/almuric.cfm
““They may be. Some of them must be. The bright child has all too often grown up to be a queer, maladjusted, unhappy adult. Or else he has thrown away half of his intelligence in order to adjust and be happy and get along as a social being. These children are bright beyond anything the [...]
Continue reading about Children of the Atom: Opening Doors – Wilmar Shiras
More mutants for Mysta to force bolt in her sneaky ways. 3.5 out of 5 http://thatsmyskull.blogspot.com/2011/02/mysta-of-moon-chapter-25.html
Mysta goes back to spinning disks and friends. 3.5 out of 5 http://thatsmyskull.blogspot.com/2011/02/mysta-of-moon-chapter-24.html
Mysta’s anti-arms stance comes back to haunt her as she does some technicianing. 3.5 out of 5 http://thatsmyskull.blogspot.com/2011/02/mysta-of-moon-chapter-23.html
Mysta has to investigate the creation of giant insects. 4 out of 5 http://thatsmyskull.blogspot.com/2011/01/mysta-of-moon-chapter-20.html
“”What about the dessicator pistol?” “I didn’t pick it up,” said Avila. “Nor me,” I muttered sheepishly. In fact, all I’d rescued from the strato-launch was myself, my clothes, and my flight jacket, all of which were now thoroughly soaked. “Damn,” hissed Gathris. “That severely complicates the matter of our survival.” “It can’t be all [...]
Continue reading about Queen of the Iron Sands 6 Seven Miles Down – Scott Lynch
Horrible black bubbles. 3.5 out of 5 http://thatsmyskull.blogspot.com/2011/01/mysta-of-moon-chapter-19.html
Thanks to Sleestak at Lady That’s My Skull. 3.5 out of 5 http://thatsmyskull.blogspot.com/2011/01/mysta-of-moon-chapter-18.html
Crappy life, and now I get kidnapped, anal probed and turned into a bioweapon. Think I’ll kill you all. 4 out of 5 http://listerart.com/blog/?p=413
Thanks, Baron von Blabs about his weakness. 3.5 out of 5 https://comics.comixology.com/#/view/1/Atomic-Robo-1-of-6-
Spirit goddess swings. 4 out of 5 http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=11671
Lectroid spud power play. 3.5 out of 5 https://comics.comixology.com/#/view/66/Buckaroo-Banzai-Return-of-the-Screw-1
Continue reading about Buckaroo Banzai: The Return of the Screw 1
Witchy pop stand blowing. 3 out of 5 https://comics.comixology.com/#/issue/1668/Sheena-Queen-of-the-Jungle-0
“Flandry paced in silence. He would have traded a year of life for a pack of Terran cigarets, but he hadn’t even been supplied with locals. It was like a final nail driven into his coffin. What to do? Cooperate? Yield to the probe? But that meant allowing his mind to ramble in free association, [...]
Continue reading about The Plague of Masters 1-14 – Poul Anderson
Ah-Ah! Saviour of the Universe! 5 out of 5
Landing the big one. 3.5 out of 5 http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/preview2.php?image=previews/dynamite/junglegirl/0/JG0-3.jpg http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=11729
Where you might get eaten by a sabre-tooth, a giant snake, a tyrannosaurus, or squashed by the slothlike, among other problems. 4 out of 5 http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album_view.php?gid=1521&page=4 http://i.newsarama.com/images/JG2-01-4.jpg
Librivox audio serial. 4 out of 5 http://www.archive.org/download/princess_of_mars_librivox/princess_of_mars_00_burroughs_64kb.mp3
Continue reading about A Princess of Mars Foreword – Edgar Rice Burroughs
Wherein we see some green guys. 3 out of 5 http://i.newsarama.com/images/Warlord-Mars-1-18.jpg http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album_view.php?gid=2756&page=17
Space survival breeding experiment. 3.5 out of 5
Telepathy exists, and as you can image, a lot of people are not happy about it, but there you go. Like anything else, it exists in the people who can use it to varying degrees – until our ‘Telepathist’ or ‘Whole Man’ comes along. While saying communicating with someone on another planet is something you [...]
“Captain Spycer lifted her slender brows and started down the passenger way which had extruded, slightly warped, from the side of the still-steaming ship, the silver and blue Command Force uniform clinging to her shapely front and rear elevations. “Do I at least have time for a manicure and shampoo?” “You don’t even have time [...]
Librivox audio serial. “Carrying out the last wishes of a comrade, mercenary Eric John Stark takes on the task of returning a stolen talisman to a walled city near the Martian pole; a city that guards the mysterious Gates of Death. Now all he has to do is get past the brutal clans of Mekh [...]
Continue reading about Black Amazon of Mars 7-9 – Leigh Brackett
Librivox audio serial. “Carrying out the last wishes of a comrade, mercenary Eric John Stark takes on the task of returning a stolen talisman to a walled city near the Martian pole; a city that guards the mysterious Gates of Death. Now all he has to do is get past the brutal clans of Mekh [...]
Continue reading about Black Amazon of Mars 4-6 – Leigh Brackett
Librivox audio serial. “Carrying out the last wishes of a comrade, mercenary Eric John Stark takes on the task of returning a stolen talisman to a walled city near the Martian pole; a city that guards the mysterious Gates of Death. Now all he has to do is get past the brutal clans of Mekh [...]
Continue reading about Black Amazon of Mars 1-3 – Leigh Brackett
An interesting choice of stories, putting the other two with the Stark novella. Maybe they will do ‘Queen’ and ‘Enchantress’ volumes as well. It is a seriously great idea to do a book that features the fabulous Anderson Black Amazon Planet Stories cover, though. I think I have lost count of how many different copies [...]
Continue reading about Black Amazon of Mars and Other Tales From the Pulps – Leigh Brackett
“”I’m not joining the enemies of the All-Sovereign,” I said. “I’m already in the club, you boobs! I’ve got the membership card and the god-damn secret decoder ring! He killed the Doc and tried to kill me! He declared war on Violet DeVere, and Violet DeVere is happy to return the favor!” “That seems adequate [...]
Continue reading about Queen of the Iron Sands 5 Part 1 – Scott Lynch
Gretel god-killer. 3.5 out of 5 http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=story&id=59449
Continue reading about What Doctor Gottlieb Saw – Ian Tregillis
Women who commune with trees and others in ruined temples are best avoided. Failing that, there is the trusty raygun solution. 3.5 out of 5 http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/3/2/8/5/32850/32850-h/32850-h.htm http://www.archive.org/details/TheTreeOfLife
Other-planar sorceresses and their attractive victims to be found this time. 4 out of 5 http://www.archive.org/details/Julhi
An invisible divine daughter of darkness runs into Northwest’s arms, leading to a dangerous dance. 4 out of 5 http://www.archive.org/details/NymphOfDarkness
Northwest comes across evidence of an ancient Moon race. 3 out of 5 http://www.archive.org/details/LostParadise
Its Circe and Beast-men time when the desperados go in for a spot of exotic escort hunting. 3.5 out of 5 http://www.archive.org/details/Yvala
Rescue from a dragon by your opponent who is always aware of what you are doing leads Flandry to come up with a cunning plan. 3.5 out of 5 http://www.archive.org/details/HonorableEnemies
Flandry gets involved with some of the ruling class of an alliance opposed to his, and uses their tribal society system against them via some political destabilisation, and a spot of duelling. 4 out of 5 http://www.archive.org/details/TigerByTheTail
Stark goes looking to find a lost friend he thinks is in trouble, and ends up fomenting a slave rebellion, among other things. 4 out of 5 http://www.archive.org/details/EnchantressOfVenus
Continue reading about Enchantress Of Venus – Leigh Brackett
The wizard Franga is getting his arse handed him by Jirel so badly he has to summon help. The man, time and place he chooses to pick is Northwest Smith, having a quiet drink and convo in the future. Northwest, of course, intrigued enough to step through a strange gate into the past is more [...]
Eric John Stark has to deal with plotting by the last of the serial immortals of Sinharat. 4.5 out of 5 http://www.archive.org/details/Planet_Stories_Volume_4_Number_3_
Continue reading about Queen Of the Martian Catacombs – Leigh Brackett
An anthology that features the three Eric John Stark novellas, the Star Kings novel and fix-up, and the crossover story Stark and the Star Kings – the only time that the two writers worked together. Brackett of course is far the superior talent, but the Star Kings stuff is diverting enough. The three Brackett stories [...]
Continue reading about Stark and the Star Kings – Leigh Brackett and Edmond Hamilton
Need a twin Nipe stopping Superman. 3.5 out of 5 http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/3/0/7/4/30742/30742-h/30742-h.htm
Continue reading about Anything You Can Do – Randall Garrett
Mars Convict FTL Machine communication torture. 3.5 out of 5 http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/30728
Excerpts of bloody space axe work and Kinnison Mentor upgrades. 3.5 out of 5
An advanced offshoot of humanity keeps mostly to itself. The mostly of course is good, otherwise you’d have not much of a plot for a novel if no-one ever went off the reservation and/or did bad things. Plus, of course, your super people can have secrets of their own that they are not too keen [...]
Continue reading about The Gameplayers Of Zan – M. A. Foster
Heslet Quillan in the middle of guns and gangster, on an old space resort. 3.5 out of 5 Lion Loose – James H. Schmitz http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/3/0/4/9/30493/
Red and company are stuck. First interdicted, and crashed, and a risky manoeuvre with a black hole is required to get away. Which promptly involves ‘crashing’ again, depending on how harsh you are on the ‘any landing you can walk away from’ type thing. Still, it means no spaceflight until they get it fixed. This [...]
Got your time travel possibilities space opera here, complete with Big Dumb Object to go along with our favorite mutant Strontium Dog vampiress. Red wants to find out what is up with the whole chrono-research thing her opponents are up to – particularly when it involves the corpse of her future self. This particular future [...]
‘These, she told herself definotely, were powers one should treat with respect! Better rattle through law school first; then, with that out of the way, she could start hunting around to see who in the Federation was qualified to instruct a genius-level novice in the proper handling of psionics . . .’ Of course, this [...]
An oddball ridiculously rich guy with a fetish for American West recreation wants to hire Johnny Alpha, Middenface, and a handful of other Strontium Dogs to hunt down the man who killed his wife and children. A not so magnificent seven, if you like – even if one is a Siamese twin with the ability [...]
The book begins with a flashback to Johnny Alpha’s time at school, with his big sister looking after him. Now, the tables are turned, as a scheme to get them to somewhere they could live anonymously by her husband has gone badly wrong. Her cryofrozen body has been hijacked, and the spousal unit comes across [...]
The old two level tie-in caper. Apparently this is a novelisation of a video game, which is itself of course based on a comic. In fact, a bit of an origin story, briefly showing the young GI solders in training, until they are sent on their first mission. Which rapidly becomes a complete clusterfuck. Rogue’s [...]
This is an omnibus of the three Nikolai Dante novels: The Strangelove GambitImperial BlackHonour Be Damned Nikolai Dante had a mentor – James Di Grizoz, apparently a very slippery thief. Not slippery enough to get past the Tsar forever, apparently, unlike his protege. There are also eggs, and eggs – the particular Faberge in this [...]
Nikolai Dante had a mentor – James Di Grizoz, apparently a very slippery thief. Not slippery enough to get past the Tsar forever, apparently, unlike his protege. There are also eggs, and eggs – the particular Faberge in this volume is a genetic engineer – and has an elite finishing school for girls at his [...]
Continue reading about The Strangelove Gambit – David Bishop
1. Old yellow sportyish numbers can be more than they seem. 2. Beautiful girls may not be shallow, but also may be juvenile delinquent mechanics. 3. Don’t sell family heirlooms with alien encoded information in them. 4. Make your mum look after the bloody chihuahua. 5. If it can fly, it might be very bad. [...]
Vampire$ slayer scenario not alien to Judas. 4 out of 5 http://media.rawvoice.com/escapepod/media.libsyn.com/media/escapepod/EP222_Infestation.mp3
Superhuman power experiment failure worlds collide. 3.5 out of 5
Continue reading about Wilderness Were Paradise Enow – H. G. Stratmann
Hawk Carse’s Iapetan pirate revenge. 2 out of 5 http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/3/0/3/0/30307/30307-h/30307-h.htm
Hawk Carse, and your brain transplanting mad scientist type. 2.5 out of 5 http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/3/0/3/0/30303/30303-h/30303-h.htm
Continue reading about The Passing Of Ku Sui – Anthony Gilmore
http://timetravelershow.com/2006/08/21/show-notes-for-episode5/ When Anthony is born, he uses his abilities to transport his whole town to somewhere else. After that, everyone is extremely careful around him, as when he comes across something he doesn’t like his extreme powers of transmutation and transfiguration can do bad things, and he is also somewhat telepathic and has degrees of [...]
Flandry gets into to grass roots work on a planet with some nasty conditions, and ends up in deadly shipboard combat, all with the help of a local woman. 3.5 out of 5 http://leighdbrackett.wordpress.com/about/anderson-poul-dominic-flandry-we-claim-these-stars/
Continue reading about We Claim These Stars! – Poul Anderson
Space Musketeer subterfuge. War is brewing between the Alliance and the League. John Thorn and his two mates decide to fake outlaw status to see what they can do to help the Alliance. However, getting into trouble, this means falling in with the space pirate Companions and their leader, Lana Cain. So, it is some [...]
Continue reading about The Three Planeteers – Edmond Hamilton
Running with a pack of females is Northwest Smith, fading in and out of a lost, cursed land, but there are hunters around. 4 out of 5 http://leighdbrackett.wordpress.com/about/moore-c-l-northwest-smith-11-werewoman/
“”But he’s Alexander! He’s X Free type super!” “Not yet. He’s still a baby.” “But a superbaby.” 3.5 out of 5 http://henrykuttner.bravehost.com/Kuttner,%20Henry%20-%20When%20the%20Bough%20Breaks.html
Continue reading about When the Bough Breaks – Henry Kuttner
Telepathic cabal with unbreakable communication presents a serious problem. 4 out of 5 http://henrykuttner.bravehost.com/Kuttner,%20Henry%20-%20Three%20Blind%20Mice.html http://www.wowio.com/users/product.asp?BookId=4767
Mutant telepaths don’t need barbers, and don’t bother challenging them to knife fights. The kids can be tricky to get right. 3.5 out of 5 http://www.wowio.com/users/product.asp?BookId=4767 http://henrykuttner.bravehost.com/Kuttner,%20Henry%20-%20The%20Piper’s%20Son.html
Mistrust between the groups of mutant telepaths and others intensifies. 3.5 out of 5 http://henrykuttner.bravehost.com/Kuttner,%20Henry%20-%20The%20Lion%20and%20the%20Unicorn.html http://www.wowio.com/users/product.asp?BookId=476
Continue reading about The Lion and the Unicorn – Henry Kuttner
The telepath conflict evolves into a desperate fight to stop a killer virus. 3.5 out of 5 http://henrykuttner.bravehost.com/Kuttner,%20Henry%20-%20Humpty%20Dumpty.html http://www.wowio.com/users/product.asp?BookId=476
Sam Reed is a normal human on Venus, a society ruled by immortals – or very long-lived people that dwell in cities that are proof against the outside Venusian life. He isn’t happy with this lot and when old enough, sets out to change things completely – but those who have lived for hundreds of [...]
Playing with the inferior sapiens. 2.5 out of 5 http://henrykuttner.bravehost.com/Kuttner,%20Henry%20-%20The%20Children’s%20Hour.html
Telepath battles and strategy. 3.5 out of 5 http://henrykuttner.bravehost.com/Kuttner,%20Henry%20-%20Beggars%20in%20Velvet.html http://www.wowio.com/users/product.asp?BookId=476
“YOU DID WELL, SMALL PERSON! VERY WELL! YOU’VE PLAYED YOUR PART IN THE GAME, BUT NO PLAYER LASTS FOREVER. NOW YOU’VE BEEN BEAUTIFULLY TRICKED; AND WE SHALL SEE THE END! What manner of klatha hooks, the captain thought carefully, were needed to nail down a giant-vatch? Flash of heat like the lick of a sun [...]
Continue reading about The Witches Of Karres 12 – James H. Schmitz
“He did have, the captain acknowledged cautiously, a very strong interest in the Worm World. Where was it? For a moment he received the impression of a puzzled lack of comprehension in the vatch. WHERE IS IT? the great voice rumbled then, surprised. IT IS WHERE IT IS, SMALL PERSON! So the captain realized that [...]
Continue reading about The Witches Of Karres 10 – James H. Schmitz
“The captain pressed Goth’s buzzer. “Why would you shoot through the door?” he asked. “Because,” Hulik said, “there’s some beast loose on the ship.” “Beast?” he repeated, startled. Goth’s face appeared in her screen, pop-eyed, nodded at him, disappeared. “Beast. Creature. Thing! Monster!” Hulik seemed to be speaking through hard clenched teeth. “I saw it. [...]
Continue reading about The Witches Of Karres 07 – James H. Schmitz
“”That is what is bothering me,” Sedmon agreed. “If Captain Pausert, alias Captain Aron, is in fact a witch, I want no trouble with him or his ship.” “And if he isn’t?” “The girl almost certainly is of the witches,” the Daal said. “But I might be inclined to take a chance with her. Even [...]
Continue reading about The Witches Of Karres 05 – James H. Schmitz
“Where was the Worm World, dread Manaret? None knew. Some thought it was concealed near the heart of the Chaladoor, in the Sea of Light. Some believed it lay so far to Galactic East that no exploring ship had ever come on it—or if one had, it had been destroyed too swiftly to send back [...]
Continue reading about The Witches Of Karres 04 – James H. Schmitz
“”What were you thinking about?” Goth inquired. “I was thinking,” said the captain, “that as soon as we’re sure you’re going to be all right, I’m taking you straight back to Karres.” “I’ll be all right now,” Goth said. “Except, likely, for a stomach-ache. But you can’t take me back to Karres.” “Who will stop [...]
Continue reading about The Witches Of Karres 02 – James H. Schmitz
“The captain stood motionless. Just one glimpse had been given him of what seemed to be a bundle of twisted black wires arranged loosely like the frame of a truncated cone on—or was it just above?—a table in the center of the cabin. Above the wires, where the tip of the cone should have been, [...]
Continue reading about The Witches Of Karres 01 – James H. Schmitz
