Fall has definitely showed its head the past couple of days. Today it's been rainy and windy and the temperatures have been around 10 degrees C. I was out briefly this morning, doing a bit of shopping. Thanksgiving dinner supposed to be tonight, some nice pork and roast veggies.
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| Mothra vs Godzilla (1964) |
My Ongoing Look at my Favorite Authors - Phyllis Gotlieb
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| Phyllis Gotlieb |
"1 • Tauf Aleph • (1981) • novelette
22 • Sunday's Child • (1977) • novella
65 • The Military Hospital • (1971) • short story
80 • Gingerbread Boy • (1961) • short story
95 • Blue Apes • (1981) • novelette
131 • Phantom Foot • (1959) • short story
148 • A Grain of Manhood • (1959) • short story
160 • Ms & Mr Frankenstein • (1975) • poem
164 • Was/Man • (1978) • poem
166 • Son of the Morning • (1972) • novella"
My review - "I'm not a big fan of short stories, but I must say that Phyllis Gotlieb has managed to pull me in to her stories very quickly. She has a nice style about her and her stories were interesting and each different and unique in its own right. Highly recommended. (4 stars)"
"Kingdom Of The Cats his is the third and final book in the Starcats series by Canadian science fiction writer, Phyllis Gotlieb. I've enjoyed the series and other books by Gotlieb very much. She has a unique take on the Science fiction novel.
I had issues with Kingdom of the Cats even as I ultimately enjoyed the whole of the story. It was very complex, which in itself is not a bad thing. What I mean is that it was often difficult to ascertain where in the universe we were at a particular time and who was speaking or performing actions or who even the heck they were.
As I mention, complexity is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact, it can make you pay more attention to the story, which was the case for me.
So there, now what was the story about? A group of Starcats, including Emerald and Etrem and 'the twins' come to the Earth and are placed in what I presume is the Grand Canyon. A catastrophe occurs, in which the majority are killed by a secret band and they are skinned as well. The rest of the story focuses on the investigation; by the Cats, Earth police and GalThree investigators. As well, we have a situation on a separate planet, where smugglers are killing and stealing special pearls. Into the mix as well is the Quemedon being who was responsible for locating the Cats on their planet and who has influenced their lives in both of the initial stories' A Judgment of Dragons and Emperor, Swords, Pentacles.
Once you wrap your mind around the complexity, if you are able to, you find a rich, interesting story, with more history of the Cats, fascinating, sympathetic character and lots of action. Well worth trying, but if you want to, you should read the stories in order to gain a familiarity with the Cats and their lives and friends. (3.5 stars)"
"All is not well on Qsaprinel. The normally peaceful world, ruled by crustacean-like creatures blessed with a dry wit and the philosophical good sense of a Mahatma Gandhi, has suddenly turned up "Classified" on all Federation records. Duncan Kinnear isn't an important Federation investigator—but then Qsaprinel isn't an important planet. Besides, Kinnear has a modest record of success in odd jobs where even the problem is unclear, to say nothing of the solution. And. he has some unlikely allies: the big red cats called Ungrukh—dangerous, telepathic. and fiercely loyal to their friends. Kinnear saved their world; they will help him save this one—even though the natives do look more like crayfish than one normally expects of a race of philosophers, and are not good to eat. With the help of a psychic reader of Tarot cards and a chilling rumor about mutant humans (not inclined even slightly toward philosophy) on Qsaprinel, Kinnear and company are on their way." (3 stars)
"It’s all-out combat,
Man and Mutant vs. Machine in a gigantic battle for survival and control
of GalFed’s trash planet, Barrazan Five, also known as Dahlgren’s
World. Years ago, geneticist Dahlgren arrived on the planet with 100
humans and 1,000 ergs. Then the robot-ergs, their intelligence expanded
by Dahlgren’s experiments, rebelled and slaughtered their masters. Now
it’s a war for possession of Dahlgren’s World, a brutally hot, highly
radioactive and barely habitable jungle in space. On one side of the
conflict are the ergs, who have evolved into sophisticated artificial
intelligences. They are opposed by the mutants, including a talking
goat, a mothering gibbon, and a four-armed youth. The mutants are allied
with the remaining humans, including Shirvanian, a crybaby boy prodigy
who can communicate telepathically with machines and may be man’s last
hope for regaining control of the planet.
And then there is the
creator, Dahlgren himself ... and a game of chess unlike any other, with
the fate of a planet and a people as the stakes." (3 stars)
"A nuclear accident ravages a small town outside of Chicago, resulting in a government quarantine isolating it from the rest of the world. A generation later, with the quarantine still in place, strange mutations have affected the minds of the town's children -- mutations which could either spell the next stage in human evolution, or something far more sinister. As the children's psychic powers begin to manifest themselves in more demented and destructive forms, the kids escape their compound. Now it is up to Shandy Johnson and her friends to track down the runaways. Possessing similar powers, Sandy and her friends find themselves facing increasingly frightening confrontations with their escaped peers. First published in 1964 and again in 1978, Sunburst has lost neither its edge nor its relevance. Predating the near-misses and disasters at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, Gotlieb reminds us of the tremendous forces we have at our fingertips -- powers that humans use daily but do not fully comprehend." (4 stars)
6. A Judgment of Dragons (Starcats #1 / 1980).
"Canadian writer/ poet, Phyllis Gotlieb has written some of my favourite SciFi stories, especially Sunburst. A Judgment of Dragons contains four short stories featuring the giant red cats from the planet Ungruwarkh, the male, Kreng and his telepathic mate, Prandra. Unfortunately, the first story, Son of Morning, was also contained in another book of short stories I'd already read, Son of Morning and Other Stories, but it was still nice to be reintroduced to Prandra and Kreng with that story and then to continue with three other stories featuring the irrepressible pair; The King's Dogs, Nebuchadnezzar and A Judgment of Dragons. The four stories could just as easily have been one novel as the stories follow on one after the other as the two cats go to GalThree (AKA Earth) so Prandra can learn to use her esp powers better and they can obtain assistance from the Federation in helping the planet Unruwarkh become more self sufficient. Prandra and Kreng are wonderful characters, grumpy, loving and just fun to read about. Each story is almost a mystery, as the two find themselves in situations that need resolution. The supporting cast; Espinoza, an esp brain who accompanies the in the first story, Kinnear, a blunt security official in the 2nd and 4th stories and others, are all excellent as well. The stories were very enjoyable and just added to my love of Gotlieb's writing. Check her out. (4 stars)"
I have to find more of Gotlieb's stories. She has written a few more. Her complete catalogue can be found at this link.
Enjoy your week. Stay safe.
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