Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
Post Nuclear Holocaust setting in Southern California, in a hellish world shattered by nuclear war decades before. Several surviving police states have emerged in place of the former US. Hurricane-force winds above five hundred feet prevent any sort of air travel from one state to the next, and sudden, violent, and unpredictable storms make day-to-day life a mini-hell. "Hell" Tanner, a convicted killer and the last Hell's Angel alive, (yeah, baby!) is offered a full pardon in exchange for taking on a suicide mission - a drive through "Damnation Alley" across a ruined America from Los Angeles to Boston — as one of three vehicles attempting to deliver urgently needed plague vaccine.
The movie, although cheesy by todays standards, was pretty good in my opinion. Although it veered so far away from what Zelazny wanted, he demanded they remove his name from the titles. Still, worth seeing, and the novel is great.The Furies - Kieth Roberts
After a joint underwater nuclear test between Russia and America, giant wasps are released on Earth, with telepathic abilities. Left in the ruins of a shattered country, Great Britan fights back as the wasps slowly enslave mankind.On The Beach - Nevil Shute
Post Nuclear War (are you starting to see a pattern here or what!) and the entire world has been devastated. The only survivors are in untouched Australia, but that won't last long: The fallout is heading their way & they only have a small window of time to live their lives before they die of radiation poisoning. What would you do if you could count off the remaining days of your life? How would you spend it?I See By My Outfit - Peter S. Beagle
In 1963, Peter S. Beagle and his best friend Phil crossed the United States on motor scooters — not motorcycles, motor scooters — starting from the Bronx in New York and going all the way to Menlo Park in California, just south of San Francisco. It was epic. Not the sort of thing you forget, if you survive it in the first place. Steve Perry loaned me this, and at first I was a little hesitant to read it because of the comparisons to Kerouac's "On The Road", and to be honest, I'm not a big fan of the whole "beat generation" off-the-cuff poetry scene. I mean, it's okay, but not my cuppa tea, you follow me.I'm glad I finally started it...It's great so far. It pulls you in, and after the first chapter you're ON. If you have had a friend you counted as the closest friend ever in your life, then you'll easily identify with Peter and Phil: They interact as only the closest of friends do, sharing everything and experiencing the world.
The Science Fiction Handbook - L. Sprague De Camp
This book is great, and if you are an aspiring Science Fiction author like myself, I HIGHLY recommend grabbing a copy...Which might not be easy, since it's out of print. If you look hard enough, you can find some from $3.00 to $400.00, depending on what shape you want it in. A close friend of mine loaned me his copy, and I have been on a mission to get a good hardback edition ever since (just got it...Set me back $40.00, but it was worth it).De Camp goes over the history of written science fiction and the impact one era has had on the next, from the early 1800's up through 1976, when the book was published. This in no way dates it, as I found the various points and examples De Camp uses insightful and relevant. The actual publishing advice might be off kilter nowadays, but it doesn't detract from the book itself: Grab a copy if you can. You wouldn't believe how much of an effect this information will have on your writing.
Astounding Science Fiction, October 1953 - Various Authors
Just got it...I'll let you know.
6 comments:
Damnation Alley was a hell of a ride, all right. The Iditarod in armored cars.
I actually liked the novella version better (it's hard to find). It was tighter and seemed more to the point. Zelazny was one of the few authors who could really deliver at that length-- a lot of his best novels were originally published as novellas and for the most part I don't think they really improved at novel-length. On the other hand, I doubt if he would have ever made a living writing novellas.
is that Astounding Sci Fi mag the origianl place for that art?
cool!
Enjoy the words.
I new you would love that book Bobbe.
Rest assured I am as jealous of your hardback edition as you are of my paperback that found accidentally and paid 6 bucks for. :)
I picked up Damnation Alley after seeing it again in the Museum when we were there.
I gotta be honest though, I struggled to finish it. Maybe it's just not my favorite style I guess.
Three words:
Lord of Light ...
Hey man;
I read "On The Beach" about twenty years ago-- You will love it, and there is a Washington State connection in the book!
--John at Dojo Rat
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