Abram T's page

Hey! I just wanted to draw attention to an author that virtually nobody has heard of: Doris Piserchia.

Though she has authored many strange, wonderful and now out-of-print novels, folks who mine for the best of forgotten things agree that A BILLION DAYS OF EARTH is one of her greatest. Let me give you a little run-down of it:

In the far distant future, human beings have evolved into aloof, indolent creatures with incredible psychokinetic powers, and are called "gods" by those who have taken man's place in creating culture and running civilization. These new men are very close in appearance to homo sapiens, but there are some notable differences -- they have evolved from rats and dogs, after all. Chief among these is their lack of developed hands; to get over this handicap, most of them wear ingenious mechanical hands over their paws. It's all business as usual -- cults, college, corrupt politicians, pointless raids on sentient cat-bees -- until Sheen, an ego-devouring entity of silvery liquid, flows up from the bowels of the earth to take what's his. Has the apocalypse arrived? What role will Rik the rat-man play in determining the fate of the world?

This novel is full of action, emotion and so much vivid weirdness that you can barely get through a page without exclaiming "Zounds! How cool and creepy is that?" You also get a liberal dose of Piserchia's dry, dark humor (which is right up my alley).

Piserchia has also authored a number of other notable works, including MISTER JUSTICE, a fantastic tale of a masked, time-traveling vigilante, the government agents who want to take him down, and the superhuman criminal syndicate he wants to smash. Though most people who read the book agree that it's terrific (Clute and Nicholls even gave it an unqualified thumbs-up in their ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE FICTION), what's in print is only HALF OF THE STORY! Ace didn't want it all because it would make the ACE DOUBLE they aimed to compile too fat on one side. Just sayin' . . . it sure would be cool to get to read the whole thing.

Here's a couple of interesting tidbits: 1.) In a 2000 fan interview, she commented that she had a few unpublished books she'd like to see in print (including the rest of MISTER JUSTICE), but she just didn't know how to go about it since she lost track of all her old publishing contacts; 2.) Piserchia had a story slated to appear in THE LAST DANGEROUS VISIONS, but as we all know, the legendary "anthology on the edge of forever" never came to be.

I know you're a busy man, Mr. Mona, and I commend you for the marvelous reprints of Kuttner, Wellman, Merritt and the others, but if you get a chance, please at least take a peek at A BILLION DAYS OF EARTH. The last I heard, Ms. Piserchia is still alive but is really getting up there in age (born 1928). It would be terrific if Paizo could host a revival of her fiction.

This is a little behind the times, I know, but YES, EMPHATICALLY YES, I would buy and read a book about Jameson and his tentacled, cone-headed cyborg buddies! Man, that sounds great!

By the way, I just got my SECRET OF SINHARAT -- it was so freaking awesome! I'm gonna start on the PEOPLE OF THE TALISMAN in a minute . . . I know you said might do more Brackett, so if you do, make sure to stick ENCHANTRESS OF VENUS (CITY OF THE LOST ONES) in with RHIANNON; it's pretty short, and it's not included in the big Haffner omnibi!

Preface: I had already posted this message under Secret of Sinharat, not knowing that you guys had a dedicated request thread! Sorry for the duplication!

First, let me say that I am utterly *freaking* thrilled that all these classic planetary romances and weird fantasies are getting a second life via Paizo; I've already purchased the two C. L. Moore volumes and it is likely -- very, very, very likely considering my fantastique-oriented bibliophilia and my acute money-incontinence -- that I will buy all the current PS volumes and continue buying them as they come out.

Now, I would like to throw some recommendations for the PS line at you. I know that some of these may have already been suggested, and there's a possibility that they don't dovetail with the theme you've chosen for PS, but hey -- what can it hurt? If enough people yell loud enough for something . . .

Sword of Rhiannon
(I'm trying to build up the ultimate Leigh Brackett collection. Haffner's helping me with the short stuff. Can Paizo give me a hand with the novels, and so give me further assistance in my mad quest to utterly drain my bank account?)

The Dwellers in the Mirage -- A. Merritt
(An incredible, psychadelic fantasy about the reincarnation of a mighty Uighur warrior/godling who goes gold prospecting with his best friend, Cherokee mystic Jim Two Eagles, ends up finding a hidden magic city in the Alaskan hills and eventually confronts a freaky, black-tentacled god-thing from another dimension. Actually, a lot of Merritt's stuff needs back in print, man! He didn't write very many, so check 'em out! )

Citadel of Fear -- Francis Stevens
(Two adventurers enter a remote valley in Mexico that ultimately leads them to the lost city of Tlapallan, the land of Quetzalcoatl, which is perched above a fiery lake! The heroes become involved in a conflict between the devotees of Quetzalcoatl and those of Nacoc-Yaotl, who may even BE his own living statue! Guys go nuts! Some 1st-world dude learns about making artificial life from Tlapallan, and starts makin' him some monsters! It's a wham-bop-pow finish between monsters and people and everything else! This book has never seen a trade paperback or hardcover printing to my knowledge. Pity!)

The Book of Ptath -- A. E. van Vogt
(The Great God Ptath, thrice greatest Ptath, he whose strength is unlimited, who tires not, and knows no fear, rules mightily over the world of 200,000,000 A.D.! However, to keep flowing a steady infusion of human experience and spirit so that he doesn't fall out of touch with his mortal subjects, he "submerges himself in the race," reverse incarnating himself into the bodies of people of the past, sharing their triumphs and sorrows. But while he is doing this, one of his Goddess-wives, Golden Ineznia, pulls a vile trick on him! Can Holroyd, a WWII tank commander in whom Ptath was living, save the day after he is zapped, shocked and unknowing, into the mighty body of 200,000,000 A.D. Ptath? Maybe it's just me, but I *loves* da van Vogt! What about you guys?)

To my knowledge, all three of these fantasy classics are out of print. However, Merritt and Stevens have seen a *limited* resurgence in popularity. Merritt's The Moon Pool and it's sequel, The Metal Monster, are back in business via small and academic presses. Most of Francis Stevens shorter works are available from the Bison Frontiers of the Imagination series and Sense of Wonder press has published Claimed, one of her novels, at the recommendation of Forry Ackerman. If you guys think these two authors are good for ya, you better strike before the (relatively) hot iron cools!

Thanks again for the cool reprints!

First, let me say that I am utterly *freaking* thrilled that all these classic planetary romances and weird fantasies are getting a second life via Paizo; I've already purchased the two C. L. Moore volumes and it is likely -- very, very, very likely considering my fantastique-oriented bibliophilia and my acute money-incontinence -- that I will buy all the current PS volumes and continue buying them as they come out.

Now, I would like to throw some recommendations for the PS line at you. I know that some of these may have already been suggested, and there's a possibility that they don't dovetail with the theme you've chosen for PS, but hey -- what can it hurt? If enough people yell loud enough for something . . .

Sword of Rhiannon
(I'm trying to build up the ultimate Leigh Brackett collection. Haffner's helping me with the short stuff. Can Paizo give me a hand with the novels, and so give me further assistance in my mad quest to utterly drain my bank account?)

The Dwellers in the Mirage -- A. Merritt
(An incredible, psychadelic fantasy about the reincarnation of a mighty Uighur warrior/godling who goes gold prospecting with his best friend, Cherokee mystic Jim Two Eagles, ends up finding a hidden magic city in the Alaskan hills and eventually confronts a freaky, black-tentacled god-thing from another dimension. Actually, a lot of Merritt's stuff needs back in print, man! He didn't write very many, so check 'em out! )

Citadel of Fear -- Francis Stevens
(Two adventurers enter a remote valley in Mexico that ultimately leads them to the lost city of Tlapallan, the land of Quetzalcoatl, which is perched above a fiery lake! The heroes become involved in a conflict between the devotees of Quetzalcoatl and those of Nacoc-Yaotl, who may even BE his own living statue! Guys go nuts! Some 1st-world dude learns about making artificial life from Tlapallan, and starts makin' him some monsters! It's a wham-bop-pow finish between monsters and people and everything else! This book has never seen a trade paperback or hardcover printing to my knowledge. Pity!)

The Book of Ptath -- A. E. van Vogt
(The Great God Ptath, thrice greatest Ptath, he whose strength is unlimited, who tires not, and knows no fear, rules mightily over the world of 200,000,000 A.D.! However, to keep flowing a steady infusion of human experience and spirit so that he doesn't fall out of touch with his mortal subjects, he "submerges himself in the race," reverse incarnating himself into the bodies of people of the past, sharing their triumphs and sorrows. But while he is doing this, one of his Goddess-wives, Golden Ineznia, pulls a vile trick on him! Can Holroyd, a WWII tank commander in whom Ptath was living, save the day after he is zapped, shocked and unknowing, into the mighty body of 200,000,000 A.D. Ptath? Maybe it's just me, but I *loves* da van Vogt! What about you guys?)

To my knowledge, all three of these fantasy classics are out of print. However, Merritt and Stevens have seen a *limited* resurgence in popularity. Merritt's The Moon Pool and it's sequel, The Metal Monster, are back in business via small and academic presses. Most of Francis Stevens shorter works are available from the Bison Frontiers of the Imagination series and Sense of Wonder press has published Claimed, one of her novels, at the recommendation of Forry Ackerman. If you guys think these two authors are good for ya, you better strike before the (relatively) hot iron cools!

Thanks again for the cool reprints!