Science Fiction 31 – A Miscellany of S’s and T’s - Stewart, Sucharitkul, Tenn, Tevis, Tiptree & Trout

This entry will cover the rest of my collection of authors whose names start with “S” and all the authors whose names start with “T”.

The first of them under consideration is George R Stewart’s famous post apocalyptic novel Earth Abides. My copy of this book has fallen apart, but is still readable. The novel is regarded these days as a classic of the genre.

Then there is Somtow Sucharitkul’s Starship & Haiku. I can’t say much about this novel or even remember reading it.

Of Men & Monsters is a novel by William Tenn. William Tenn was the pseudonym of Philip Klass an American Science fiction writer known for his satirical stories. Of Men and Monsters is one of only two novels Tenn wrote. He is mainly known for his short stories.

Walter Tevis is one of the most underappreciated master novelists of the 20^th Century. His dystopian novel Mockingbird is one of my all time favorite books. Three of Tevis’ books were made into films – The Hustler, The Color of Money and The Man Who Fell To Earth. Besides Mockingbird and The Man Who Fell to Earth, his Science Fiction opus also includes Steps To the Sun and a collection of short stories, Far From Home.

I appear to have only one book by the mysterious James Tiptree Jr – Star Songs of An Old Primate, a collection of stories. James Tiptree Jr was the pseudonym of Alice B Sheldon who maintained her anonymity for many years. There was a well regarded biography of her published in 2006 by Julie Phillips entitled: James Tiptree, Jr: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon . She sounds to have been an interesting lady.

And finally.., the infamous Venus On The Half Shell by Kilgore Trout

Kilgore Trout is the creation of Kurt Vonnegut and appears in several of his novels.

Phillip Jose Farmer is the real author of Venus On The Half-Shell, though that was kept secret when the book first came out.

Next – Jack Vance