Customer Reviews

A Martian Odyssey

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My copy is an original 1962 paperback from "The Lancer Science Fiction Library" Lancer Books Inc.

This book contains five stories written by Stanley G. Weinbaum during his short writing career:

1. A Martian Odyssey (1934)
2. The Adaptive Ultimate (1935)
3. The Lotus Eaters (1935)
4. Proteous Island (1936)
5. Brink of Infinity (1936)

All of these stories were great. I liked The Adaptive Ultimate the least, though it was still entertaining. All were of the Sci-Fi or Fantasy genre except "Brink of Infinity" which was more of a mathematical thriller (is that a genre?)

"The Lotus Eaters" is a sequel to "Parasite Planet" (not included in this book but available elsewhere.)

If you like the Sci-Fi/Fantasy of the 30's and before (such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Clifford Simak, Jack Williamson, etc.) you should like these stories.

First of all, this is not a "book", it is a book-on-tape. And second, this book won the MARK TIME GOLD AWARD presented by the Firesign Theatre for "The Best Science Fiction of the Year".Remarkable how these facts are deemed unimportant by some otherwise professional reviewers and how this and other superlative work gets overshadowed by tongue-in-cheek celebrity fodder the Alien Voices people rush to market and the public eats like pablum because of familiarity with the voicesand pictures of the people doing them. This version is true Science Fiction presented in professional style and acted with clarity, reverence to material and with believability befitting works of this stature and beauty.This is a true gem worthy of notice and deserving a stronger look than others of its ilk.From the first minute on it pulls you in and makes you care about Jarvis and his treacherous journey across Martian soil to try to reunite with his crew back on the ship. His encounters with the alien life there make you feel as though you were truly on the journey with him, and Tweel (voiced by a human, I think) becomes a link to the powerful force of adaptability we all possess as human beings in Jarvis. The music gently guides, rather than assault us throughout the story, but also audibly reminds us of the terror inherent on this planet when need arises.From beginning to end, this piece mesmerizes and enchants without resorting to maudlin overexplanation of a character's action. Hats off to Star Quest and their cast, and I look forward to your next venture! Thank You!

A Science Fiction Story

Interplanetary interpersonal communication.


4 out of 5