Customer Reviews

Frank Kelly Freas: The Art of Science Fiction

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The many paintings and drawings printed in this book have appeared as covers of science fiction and fantasy magazines and books, and occasional in other venues, from the 1950s through the most of the 70's. This book is made of good quality paper and ink - I bought my copy in 1977, and today in 2005 the colors are holding up quite well. Amazingly, no bent corners or pages falling out.

This excellent Hugo-winning illustrator doesn't just show his works, but tells stories about them - his struggles to break into the field, pestering art directors and editors, John Campbell prominent among them. He tells of the difficulties and delights of particular artworks. Excerpt: "By the time i finished, about four AM, I was half blind and totally exhausted. I didn't give two hoots in hell what the painting looked like." Across on the facing page is the full-page size painting - most of his works are reproduced full-page with no margins, in some cases shown larger than the orginal work - and you won't care how many hoots he gave, for the painting is rich in detail, tells of time passing, aging, progression of character, and a vast black sky with but two sparkling stars that makes a mood i wouldn't know how to put in words. Many of his images, while physically static as dried ink on paper, do evoke a sense of motion, of spirited interaction. He is a great character designer, too.

If you are an artist, art student, or art admirer, this is an educational book. For one painting, he explains why the swarm of stars swooshed diagonally the way it does, why the rocket exhaust has a large rounded flare to pacify an otherwise abrupt sense of motion. The book ends with a Soapbox, what we might call a rant these days, intelligently written, about what an artist (or art student) should know - how to tell a story visually, to understand colors, light and shadow. Some points he makes include that good art comes out of an alchemy of freedom and discipline, and that a professional artist must reach beyond personal concerns, but reflect the preoccupations of the era.

This book contains all the best, plus the inspiration behind the illustration, written by Mr. Freas himself. The art of this talented man ranges from the nymphette-type babes-in-space to spacemen to aliens to robots with conscience. A must for anyone who is interested in his art & science fiction in general, since he has illustrated for umpteen sci-fi legends, including Weird Tales & Isaac Assimov...now, if only it were still in print!