Wrecking the Worlds

There's something about summer and space opera. Maybe it is because I first encountered some of the space operas of John W. Campbell, Jr. and E.E. "Doc" Smith in the summer, or the time I took the whole Lensman series with me on a camping trip (also summer) or the time I found a bunch of Fantasy Press originals of Campbell and Smith...in the summer...in any case, summer is the time for space opera.

It's time for crashing suns and planet stories!

Edmond Hamilton: Crashing Suns (Baen Books; 2008; ISBN 978-1-4014-0319-5; cover by Doug Chaffee).

Made up of: Crashing Suns; The Star Stealers; Within the Nebula; The Comet Drivers; The Cosmic Cloud.

Separate read: The Sargasso of Space.

Counts as six entries in the 2010 Year in Shorts.

See this earlier review for my previous thoughts on the Interstellar Patrol stories. Even more fun this time around! Edmond "World-Wrecker" Hamilton rules!

Leigh Brackett: Beyond Mars (Baen Books; 2008; ISBN 978-4-413-15901-2; cover by Doug Chaffee).

Made up of: No Man's Land in Space; Child of the Green Light; Outpost on Io; The Halfling; The Dancing Girl of Ganymede.

Black Amazon of Mars.

Leigh Brackett: Martian Quest (Baen Books; 2008; ISBN 978-1-8938-8711-4; cover by Doug Chaffee).

Made up of: Martian Quest; The Treasure of Ptakuth; The Water Pirate; The Sorcerer of Rhiannon; The Veil of Astellar; The Beast-Jewel of Mars; The Last Days of Shandakor; Mars Minus Bisha; The Road to Sinharat; Purple Priestess of the Mad Moon.

Counts as thirteen entries in the 2010 Year in Shorts.

Several entries from Leigh Brackett's contributions to the Planet Stories magazine, mostly strange transplants of carny tales, Western tales, noir tales with their serial numbers filed off and a new coat of paint slapped on. Fun stuff, and it was very strange to read The Dancing Girl of Ganymede. Hmmmm...androids...hiding from the law...being hunted down...they just want to live...where have I run across this plot (//cough cough// Blade Runner //cough cough//) before?