Customer Reviews (10)

Short, leisurely outline
Given the high concept plot, a munitions dealer contracts a black magician to loose all the demons of hell for one night, surprisingly little happens in this short work. That it is actually enjoyable is due to the skill and craft with which Blish writes hisprose.

The author states in the foreword he wanted to treat magic as if it were a rigorous discipline in the mold of science or engineering and he succeeds. However this makes the scenes of ritual magic detail heavy and tedious. Nor is their any real build up of tension in the book as you would expect with such a catastrophic event being asked for.

The reason for this is probably the lack of conflict. Though the forces of good appear, and are even represented with an observer, Father Domenico, at the lair of Theron Ware the magician, due to a Covenant between the higher powers he can do nothing but ask Ware not to do it.

The idea is a good one, the execution Blish chose just wasn't that appealing. However the prose is. Blish writes it tightly, and the characters are actually interesting given the little that happens. You'll be left vaguely unsatisfied though as the book doesn't really deliver what it promises. As one reviewer mentions, it really takes place in only two locations and all the demonic carnage happens off page.

Almost as if this was an outline of a longer work, or a novella with a novel screaming to get out.

Black Easter Hype
1968 was a dark year. Robert Kennedy was assassinated and the world was still in shock over Martin Luther King's senseless murder. Hippies rioted at the Democrat's convention in Chicago, Charles Manson had begun his murderous rage, Vietnam was a debacle, the Cold War was still on and it seemed the world (humanity calls home) was on a downward spiral headed to bummerland.
In 1968, James Blish was writing disposable Star Trek "fan-novels" and was (pretty much) considered the"poor man's" Aurther C. Clark-- when he published the second novel (Black Easter) of his trilogy "After Such Knowledge". "Black Easter" remains a touchstone compendium of that nasty year.
No other sci/fi/horror author, before or since, has captured the paranoia of a particular time with such supernatural, black magic volcanism.
Warning: The book feels dated but why grouse.
Violent, debauched, corny and utterly fascinating, "Black Easter" will give every fan of densely plotted intelligent horror more than a few chills.

Hell's Showing Its Age
This isn't a bad book by any means, but it's very period (one gets the impression the author desires to shock, but, almost 40 years later, there's nothing here to ruffle your maiden auntie's delicate feelings, I assure you.)

The book is brief, and tells a simple tale: a gentleman hires a magician to perform a task (after two earlier trials).There, that's it, that's the plot.Nowadays (not that now is better, but we're used to Now) that would be the set-up to the plot ... the book ends just as things are about to get interesting.

There is a sequel, the Day After Judgement, which picks up immediately afterward but which also somewhat disappoints.

Another fault--well, not a fault necessarily, but certainly a less-engaging choice--is that the horrors one might expect in a book about black magic are entirely played offstage, and only referred to.Imagine a Lord of the Rings with passages like "two weeks later they decided to go through Moria, where Gandalf died, unfortunately, fighting a Balrog.Still, with Lothlorien ahead, the Fellowship was somewhat optimistic."It's not a good thing.

There is a demon fashion-show/parade near the end which is worth a chuckle, but it's still not scary.

Blish' A Case of Conscience is much more compelling reading, so go there instead--unless you're a completist, or in the mood for a brief, non-unnerving look at the dark arts, circa 1967.

Note: a 3 star ranking from me is actually fairly good; I reserve 4 stars for tremendously good works, and 5 only for the rare few that are or ought to be classic; unfortunately most books published are 2 or less.

A meticulous and powerful look at magic
This is a thesis novel in the sense that its events seem to have been carefully thought out before Blish even began to write the book - from the first page to the last, he leads the reader towards a powerful and inevitable conclusion. This isn't a work which should be read for `plot surprises', but rather for its tight structure: Blish looks at magic with precise, almost clinical attention; as he set out to do in writing this work, he strips the book of extraneous details and instead confines himself to a select few questions and themes. The four main characters - Black magician Theron Ware, monk and White magician Father Domenico, weapons-maker Baines and his assistant Jack Ginsberg - all play clearly defined roles, each providing the reader a different point of view from which to evaluate what is being said and done. This is a difficult but memorable book.

Brilliant, Pungent, Satanic Fun
First off, the fact that this is such a brilliant, pithy, amazingly tight little tome is doubly amazing when one realizes that the quite gifted Mr. Blish also wrote novelizations of Star Trek episodes. Ah well, even the best have to pay rent.

Second, there is no finer fictional chronicle of diabolism, either ancient or modern, in English, and none that I know of in most of Earth's other tongues. Each of Blish's characters is deftly crafted with a minimum of prose, a compliment which can extend to the rest of this slight and delicious book; Blish accomplished in a few pages what today's pompous and prolix authors take hundreds of pages to say...Stevie King, though the man can write when he wants to, comes to mind.

Finally---and a mild criticism---while it is delightful that Blish takes care to present Malefica as a discipline, it is (or was, for when I first read this I was merely thirteen) somewhat disenchanting to see that Blish gets most of the Satanic formulae, Latin incantations, and demon summoning paraphernalia hopelessly wrong. I have since found older grimoires to draw upon, though, and Black Easter is a work of fiction, so no victim, no foul.

All in all a devilishly clever and delightful book; for more nastiness pick up The Day After Judgement, which is actually the third in a trilogy (the first of which was After Such Knowledge). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great science fiction
I read this book many years ago and have never forgotten it.I think it is one of the best science fiction novels I have ever read.I am not normally a huge fan of science fiction but this book is truly great.Anyone who likes science fiction will love this book.It is also just a great depiction of the human condition. ... Read more

Product Description
Long out of print, the science fiction masterpiece by Hugo Award winning writer James Blish

Originally published as four volumes nearly fifty years ago, Cities in Flight brings together the famed "Okie novels" of science fiction master James Blish. Named after the migrant workers of America's Dust Bowl, these novels convey Blish's "history of the future," a brilliant and bleak look at a world where cities roam the Galaxy looking for work and a sustainable way of life.

In the first novel, They Shall Have Stars, man has thoroughly explored the Solar System, yet the dream of going even further seems to have died in all but one man. His battle to realize his dream results in two momentous discoveries-- anti-gravity and the secret of immortality. In A Life for the Stars, it is centuries later and antigravity generations have enabled whole cities to lift off the surface of the earth to become galactic wanderers. In Earthman, Come Home, the nomadic cities revert to barbarism and marauding rogue cities begin to pose a threat to all civilized worlds. An armada of renegade cities attempts to destroy Earth, their ancient birthplace. In the final novel, The Triumph of Time, history repeats itself as the cities once again journey back in to space making a terrifying discovery which could destroy the entire Universe. A serious and haunting vision of our world and its limits, Cities in Flight marks the return to print of one of science fiction's masterpieces.Amazon.com Review
Cities in Flight is an omnibus volume of four novels, originally published between 1955 and 1962, two of which are fix-ups of pieces that first appeared in various magazines in the early '50s. Despite having been conceived more than 50 years ago, and produced in episodic fashion, they stand head and shoulders above most SF available today.

In They Shall Have Stars, humankind's will to explore space is renewed with the advent of two discoveries: anti-gravity (the "spindizzy" machines) and the key to almost eternal life (anti-agathic drugs). By A Life for the Stars, centuries have passed and most of the major cities have built spindizzies into their bedrock and left earth, cruising the galaxy looking for work, much like the hobos of the Depression Era. Earthman, Come Home, told from the perspective of John Amalfi, the major of New York, was the first-written of the novels and--although not as tightly woven as the other segments--is still a masterly work. Blish gives the same weight and authority both to the sweeping cultural change wrought and suffered by the cities, and to the emotional growth of a man who is several hundred years old. We stay with Amalfi for the final episode, The Triumph of Time. New York is now planet-bound in the Greater Magellanic Cloud, but when Amalfi learns of the impending destruction of time itself, he is forced into space one more time, to take a last, desperate chance. The novel ends, literally, with a bang.

Despite the occasional, inevitable anachronism, such as vacuum tubes, Cities in Flight stands up remarkably well to modern reading. The novel's political and literary sophistication was unmatched in its time; there is very little to rival it even today. For most readers of a certain age, this was probably the first SF they encountered that was written from a mature standpoint and adult sensibility. The fact that Blish also manages to tell a fabulous, galaxy-spanning adventure tale makes this essential reading. --Luc Duplessis ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

A bit dated technologically but a masterful piece of work nonetheless!
My review title really says it all. It gave me much the same enjoyment that the original Star Wars did (in the sense of flitting around the universe having adventures (both traditional and more entertainingly - political). Quite simply, it's just a lot of fun. Not too many characters, which means it stands entirely on plot and good (intriguing) ideas. Gets a bit plain towards the end but I'd recommend it to anyone who likes good old fashioned space journeys to "strange new worlds" (the astute reader will feel the same heady adventurism of 'Foundation's Edge' and 'Foundation and Earth' by Asimov).

Full-bodied red wine when all you want is a crisp rosé
I knew from the on-set that I couldn't digest the entirety of Cities in Flight in one sitting, as it was composed of four separate but chronological books. Therefore, I read the book in four steps, which took the better part of eight months interspersing it with other fiction and science fiction reading. I could just never really get into any of the book other than the initial start: They Shall Have Stars. Thereafter, each story had its own troublesome adventure, clash with ideals and its eventual dry conclusion. I was definitely now bowled over by this collection. Terry Pratchett once said of the series: `This is the real heady wine of science fiction.' Well, I don't like wine so much and when I do drink it, I like it to be a cool, crisp chardonnay or rosé... but a full-bodied red wine like Pratchett infers.

Blish insistently overuses the comma and semi-colon to such an extent that sentences drag on and on, much like that of Kafka. At least Kafka had a certain charm or uniqueness to his writings whereas Blish just drones on and on. Another random but irritating aspect of Blish's idiosyncratic writing in Triumph is his overuse of Latin quips. I've never studied Latin so I haven't a clue as to what most of the quips were about. The dialogue is rarely ever taken past of the point of being a degree above freezing point, making the reading even more dragging; as if the rambling paragraphs between the dry dialogue wasn't torture enough. Still, Blish manages to slip in a few wondrous ideas of the ultimate fantasy of human space flight and the plights which humans may face beyond our own little star. His consistent use of physics is a fun frolic but not to be taken too seriously as the characters still use some archaic technology.

It's remarkable that Clarke had the amazing vision to apply his knowledge in science to dream up the geostationary satellite and the space cable, among other things. He brought a true wonder to the world which made people wonder in awe that these new inventions may just be within their grasp. At the opposite end of the spectrum lay Blish, whose characters still use slide-rules (Pg 584: `Amen! Can I borrow your slide-rule? I've got a few setting up exercises I'd better start on right now.') and vacuum tubes (Pg 587: `...there was a single spearpoint of yellow-orange which was only the heater of a vacuum tube smaller than an acorn.') He constricted himself to such old technologies but still dabbled in the higher end of science and physics with anti-particles, particle waves and galactic formation.

Book 1: They Shall Have Stars - 4/5 - A lull in the space program spawns an idea in which `crackpots' must be hired in order to delve into unexplored regions of science. The government thereon sponsors the exorbitant cost in order to take humankind to new levels. In sci-fi culture, it is widely known that the two discoveries found which will send humankind beyond the lonely confines of the earthly orbit are the spindizzy (the anti-gravity device) and ascomycin (the anti-agathic [or anti-mortality] drug). The lead-up to these discoveries is shrouded in mystery but at the same time is also lightly exposed to play into the hands of the government's agenda. Written with outstanding intelligence and focused maturity, James Blish presents (in the 1960s era) a new format of science fiction which eclipses the fiction of the same era (including his peers Asimov and Pohl). The science is thick enough to satisfy any hard sci-fi reader and also inventive enough to titillate the consumer of speculative fiction. The story may be fairly short but it provides a solid bootstrap to the universe which Blish has created, which I have yet to read but have much anticipation on continuing the series. Its sheer ingenuity condensed into the number of pages leads to its dryness and abbreviation of finer points.

Book 2: A Life for the Stars - 4/5 - A great amount detail about the Exile history from Earth, the mechanisms of the Cities and about general life onboard has been written. The reader follows Chris from his humble upbringing in Pennsylvania to his unwilling assignment on the City of Scranton to his bright-eyed transfer to the City of New York. Besides the enlightening detail about the Cities in Flight universe, Blish makes a brilliant attempt to impose a dark shadow over the morale of the passengers (as opposed to the Citizens) and also of the pessimism of the people. Some Cities can't find a contract on a planet as many of the closer moons and heavenly bodies have already been speculated. The City of Scranton and the City of New York must look far into deeper space to find a toehold for their existence. Little did either City know just how their fates would intertwine. The only negative phase of this book is the transparent and seemingly forceful portrayal of Chris as being a self-motivated and self-stylized plot thickener. He congers up simple plots which lay a thick plot foundation but which feel as desperate attempts to shake up the establishment of the wonderfully creative City idea. When the Cities stray planet-ward, the plot tends to become self-centered on Chris and suffers a sense of silliness.

Book 3: Earthman, Come Home - 3/5 - Earthman doesn't follow suit (even though it was the first story written) with the rest of the series. Firstly, Earthman is much longer and is split into nine chapters, which is strange considering that the third book is pretty much just a consolidation of four stories. The linking between each story is strained with effort on part of Blish. The strain is hard to bear as the book is laden with too much dialogue. Typically, it's more difficult for readers to pay attention to a plot with little dialogue and much description. Blish managed to fail in holding my attention as the excessive dialogue was as dry as the pages they were printed on. I found the logic of the plot to be all within the skull of the Mayor. He sets every plot and sub-plot with information and foresight only known to him. There's a certain amount of clairvoyance involved. Watching the result of the Mayor's preplanning is what keeps the book from slipping into a 2-star reading and hence off my shelf and to the second-hand book store. But trying to predict what the Mayor is thinking, what harebrained schemes he will come up with and what path his madness will follow is impossible. It's unpredictable and frankly a tad off the wall.

Book 4: The Triumph of Time - 3/5 - Within the first conflict, the City is taken under hostage by religious extremists who protest over New Earth's use of the philosophy called Stochasticism. The conflict is quickly resolves through some quick wit reminiscent of the classic problem/solution sort of science fiction back from the 50s and 60s. The plows forward into the second and more interesting conflict- that with the realities of a parallel anti-matter universe and the coming of the end of the universe by June 3rd, 4104. It's only in the last forty or so pages that the story really begins to pick up pace because the first eighty pages had me putting the book up and down like no tomorrow as I was beginning to doubt Blish's grand finale. The finale is chalked full of based-on-reality physic and hypothetical physics, too, where the cast find that their fate is drawing ever so closer. The implications of their actions are a fantastic conclusion to a somewhat lengthy, yet important, but also rather dry series.

Imagination in Flight
One of the best of science-fiction epics, taking an intriguing theme -- what if you could take working cities into space intact instead of confining people into a starship -- and dramatizing it in various forms: a satire on McCarthyism, a Heinleinesque juvenile describing space travel, political intrigues, and a final apocolyptic ending where the hero dies, but in triumph.

He gives credibility to much of the story by fleshing out details.He doesn't just conjure up an immortality drug or an interstellar drive; he makes a drama out of how they were developped.How do future schools work?How does the city allocate scarce immortality drugs?How do you separate powers to keep anybody from becoming dictator of a city?

The main problem with the novel is that the stories were originally written separately and out of order, and it shows.Two pages after Chris'striumphant promotion to be Amalfi's assistant, we are abruptly told that he was executed for incompetence! (The two scenes were written 8 years apart and in reverse order).Later Dee mentions that decades have passed since she came on board -- when did that time pass?

Part III (Earthmen come home) is the earliest part written and betrays Blish's lack of experience early in his career.As sci-fi critic Damon Knight pointed out long ago, Blish sometimes lost of track of his situations: on two occasions Amalfi flies New York to the most isolated parts of the galaxy that he can find (a galactic rift, and later the Magellanic Clouds), then shows no surprise when everybody else shows up.And what starts off as neat intrigue ends in a crude bloodbath -- four times, because there were four short stories.

Also the whole "hobo" parallel (comparing the flying cities to Depression-era migrants) is not only unconvincing, but almost incomprehensible to readers in the 1970s or later.Fortunately one can ignore it.

Basicly this story is greater than the sum of its parts.

A Strangely Prophetic Novel
I first read "Cities in Flight" back in the 70s.I agree with some of the other reviewers that the plot, characterization, and consistency of the novels was flawed--so I won't rehash those points here.Despite this, I thought Blish came up with a rather novel and breathtaking vision of the future.I was also struck by the political forces that created the Okie culture.Specifically, I was intrigued by the idea that the pressures of the Cold War was slowly forcing the US to become as totalitarian as the Soviet Union.This political transformation would serve as a prelude to the creation of a world-wide, Bureaucratic (socialist) state.According to Blish, this global entity resulted in repression and permanent economic depression.The only way to gain freedom was to use spaceflight to leave Earth behind.As a result, the State deemed spaceflight technology because it provided an escape route.Despite these restrictions, the technology was rediscovered and whole cities took the opportunity to literally lift off into space.Eventually, this trend caused the Bureaucratic State to collapse of its own weight. With the Soviet's losing the Cold War and democracy breaking out all over in the 80s & 90s, it seemed like Blish's political predictions would remain in the realm of fiction.

Less than twenty years later, I'm not so sure anymore.The whole world seems to be moving toward a global, essentially socialist, order.In particular, power will be concentrated in the hands of elite bureaucrats who will make decisions for the rest of us "for the common good".The older I get, the more things seem to be accelerating in that direction.As a result, I think its possible that Blish's predictions are coming true.There will be a global, Bureaucratic state, though it will not come about in the way he foresaw.Likewise, the only way to be free will be to leave Earth and colonize other planets.It will essentially be back to to future--we will need to become pioneers again to reclaim our lost heritage.In this manner, I think Blish has provided us with a blueprint for how our freedom may one day be regained.

A Classic of Pure Science Fiction
I have two copies of Cities in Flight, one a paperback, the other the hardback version of this one.I use the paperback to wear out and the hardback to archive on my bookshelf, next to the Michener, Asimov, Bradbury and Hemingway.

There are complaints that some of the science is wrong or outdated.Though the machine technologies in the stories seem quaint in our post-industrial era, I disagree that the science is bad.Blish was a scientist himself, and as a critic was a firm believer that the science part of the fiction be valid, if not curently possible, all science fiction's being speculative.What strikes me is Blish's anticipating anti-matter machines and matter-anti-matter parallel universes over 60 years ago.Only today I read an article in mainstream media, about anti-matter, which read like a tribute to Cities in Flight.

There are also complaints that there aren't enough women.Though in Blish's time affirmative action in fiction had not yet reached today's wretched excess, I think it's still quite possible to imagine a world, even in the far future, where the protagonists are still largely men, as benighted as such a world might seem to today's superior sensibilites.

As other have said, this is adult sci-fi, which deals with hard science and its impact on future humans.No space cowboys here, though if written today, some of the usages like Oakies and hobos and spindizzies might be updated.

The subject here is no less than the fate of the universe and the humans in it.For me, this is ultimate science fiction, for it deals with the ultimate question.As such, I honestly don't think it's a conceit to place Cities in Flight alongside the New Testament and the Mahabharata, for they all conclude with an apocalypse. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

More Black Comedy than Horror
On the front page of my edition of James Blish's "Devil's Day," there is a dedication to C.S. Lewis.After doing quick research on Blish himself, I found that Blish, a lifelong agnostic, was buried as an Anglican.Blish was no Lewis, not because of ability, since Blish was a better writer of popular prose, but because he's not very orthodox.For me this makes for better reading, since Blish seems the more ambitious writer, pushing the envelope like a good science fiction writer should.On the other hand, anyone who has read "Devil's Day," would have to believe that such a writer of ideas would never allow himself to be buried in a Christian manner unless that was exactly where he was at as he neared death.It seems Blish went with Pascal's gamble after all.

"Devil's Day" is not really a horror novel (actually two: "Black Easter" and "Day of Judgement," though read back to back, they do seem to be intended as one novel).Oh, you have black magic, demons, sex with succuba, and all Hell breaking loose.But the overall effect, black comedy, is more reminiscent of Richard Condon ("The Manchurian Candidate") than Stephen King.Horror does have its moments however.Early on in "Black Easter," the sheer knowledge of Black Magic displayed by Blish (through his magician Theron Ware) had me feeling uncomfortable - I felt like I was at a Black Mass, or at least hanging out with folks who do.But the humor behind the book(s) is soon enough on display.Particularly fascinating for horror buffs is the parade of demons being called forth.What a crew!And not to be missed is Satan's speech at the end of these two novels.It's a speech worthy of Dante, and that says something right there about the ambition of Blish - and, amazingly, he pulls it off.

Briefly, the first novel, "Black Easter" sets the stage, with military industrialist Baines contracting out deaths from black magician Ware.But this is just to prove - to Baines - that magic works. Baines is bored with the state of the world and wants to shake things up a bit.If magic works, and Hell exists, he would like to let loose the demons of Hell for a night out on the Town.(Such an event should also help business.) Ware, prideful as Faust, likes a challenge.Also into the mix are Father Delmonico, a Catholic monk and white magician, and Jack Ginsberg, a horny factotum for Baines.In the more manic book two,"Day of Judgement," various Pentagon zanies show up for the confrontation with Dis, suddenly discovered by satellite in Death Valley.All of this busy weirdness recalls "Dr. Strangelove" - but with a theological twist.I've probably said too much already, but definitely give this one a try.

What Brief Armageddon?
The two books Black Easter and The Day After Judgement are combined to make a whole in this edition. My reviews for each follow:

Black Easter
3 stars
Given the high concept plot, a munitions dealer contracts a black magician to loose all the demons of hell for one night, surprisingly little happens in this short work. That it is actually enjoyable is due to the skill and craft with which Blish writes his prose.

The author states in the foreword he wanted to treat magic as if it were a rigorous discipline in the mold of science or engineering and he succeeds. However this makes the scenes of ritual magic detail heavy and tedious. Nor is their any real build up of tension in the book as you would expect with such a catastrophic event being asked for.

The reason for this is probably the lack of conflict. Though the forces of good appear, and are even represented with an observer, Father Domenico, at the lair of Theron Ware the magician, due to a Covenant between the higher powers he can do nothing but ask Ware not to do it.

The idea is a good one, the execution Blish chose just wasn't that appealing. However the prose is. Blish writes it tightly, and the characters are actually interesting given the little that happens. You'll be left vaguely unsatisfied though as the book doesn't really deliver what it promises. As one reviewer mentions, it really takes place in only two locations and all the demonic carnage happens off page.

Almost as if this was an outline of a longer work, or a novella with a novel screaming to get out.

The Day After Judgement
3 stars
Similar to the earlier Black Easter, this is a slow-paced book where most of the action is left offstage in favor of allowing us to see how the main characters react when they are removed from the action.

There is one good bit of action, the failed attack on Dis by the U.S. Military is described in detail. Despite plot summaries, what this book really is is a question. The question being what happens if/when God is removed, can the vacuum stay, or must something else take the place and fill the vacuum?

This is more Paradise Lost and less end of the world thriller. Reading it knowing that will allow you to enjoy it more than if you were expecting an action filled apocalypse.

As in the first novel, Blish crafts this one well. It is tightly written, though again there is really no tension that builds. Very clinical, very removed observation of catastrophe and the characters. It was an interesting choice he made to do it that way, maybe not the most appealing, but viable and interesting.

Memorable and thought-provoking
I read this book when it first came out, but forgot the title and the name of the author.It's been bugging me for years, because I often think of the story and characters.Today, I finally hit on the right search keywords, so now I'm going to get a used copy to replace the one that I haven't seen in years.

I was particularly struck by the attention to detail concerning the difficulties of being a sorcerer.Blish started from the premise that the rituals in old grimoires were would actually work, but only if followed accurately.The sorcerer must forge his own knife, for example...And the whole field doesn't lend itself to experimentation, so you can never be sure which unpleasant-to-obtain ingredients are really necessary.

By setting the groundwork so effectively in the first part of the book, he really grabbed my attention for the subsequent rather rather wild story of the aftermath of unleashing a group of demons to do whatever they wish for one night.

The ending is not really what you'd expect, either.I don't want to ruin the plot for anyone, so I won't go into detail, but I definitely would not recommend this book for someone with rigid theological views.Blish's conclusions are a bit reminiscent of Heinlein.

Faust ain't got nothing on this modern retelling
The late James Blish was interested in what made humans "go," and he used his position as a writer of paperback science-fiction to examine the underpinnings of human desire.In this one, a man is so greedyfor illicit profits that he contracts with a sorcerer to call up EVERYdemon he's signed a blood contract with, more than seventy in all, to stirup conflict and violence.Well-researched where it comes to the diabloicmaterial and believable where the human interactions are concerned. Originally written as two novels, which must have been very short indeed --my combined volume is very slim and wouldn't do to level a wobbly table. Enjoyable both by those with an established interest in the occult andthose who are simply interested in a good read.

Mephistopheles would be proud!
I'll give it one giant upside down 5 Pointed Star ... Read more

Product Description
This title has fewer than 24 printed text pages. Forsyte's Retreat is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Winston K. Marks is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Winston K. Marks then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

While sometimes flawed, the adaptations by Blish helped keep the Star Trek flame alive
The set of adaptations of the episodes of the original series by Blish served a fundamental role in the growth of the Star Trek phenomenon. After the original series ended its' three year run, the usual fate would be to be a significant curiosity, but still a curiosity. However, the adaptations helped to feed the flame, being the first books to be published in what has become a major "Enterprise."
The episodes adapted in this volume are:

*) Patterns of Force
*) The Gamesters of Triskelion
*) And the Children Shall Lead
*) The Corbomite Maneuver
*) Shore Leave

As was the case with the others, the authors take some poetic license with the material, altering some of the dialog and scenes to reflect the print medium. As a fan of the show, there are times when I think it diminishes the story and other times when I think it enhances it. This volume is a bit different from the others in that Blish died before it was completed, so some of it was written by J. A. Lawrence (Mrs. James Blish). To me, there was a clear change in the style and in my opinion for the better.
Star Trek fans love all things Trek, and I am one of the originals. I loved these books when they first started coming out in, purchasing them as soon as they appeared on the racks. While they have their flaws, they were a harbinger of the great things that were to come.

While sometimes flawed, the adaptations by Blish helped keep the Star Trek flame alive
The set of adaptations of the episodes of the original series by Blish served a fundamental role in the growth of the Star Trek phenomenon. After the original series ended its' three year run, the usual fate would be to be a significant curiosity, but still a curiosity. However, the adaptations helped to feed the flame, being the first books to be published in what has become a major "Enterprise."
The episodes adapted in this volume are:

*) Patterns of Force
*) The Gamesters of Triskelion
*) And the Children Shall Lead
*) The Corbomite Maneuver
*) Shore Leave

As was the case with the others, the authors take some poetic license with the material, altering some of the dialog and scenes to reflect the print medium. As a fan of the show, there are times when I think it diminishes the story and other times when I think it enhances it. This volume is a bit different from the others in that Blish died before it was completed, so some of it was written by J. A. Lawrence (Mrs. James Blish). To me, there was a clear change in the style and in my opinion for the better.
Star Trek fans love all things Trek, and I am one of the originals. I loved these books when they first started coming out in, purchasing them as soon as they appeared on the racks. While they have their flaws, they were a harbinger of the great things that were to come.

error correction
The image shown here is WRONG for this edition of the book. The image must be from a later edition.

7 stories: six from season 2, one from season 3
First published in 1969, these short stories are Blish's adaptations of the screenplays of various episodes from the original series. The episodes aren't sorted into books according to either chronological order or identity of screenwriter.

"The Trouble with Tribbles" (episode 42, season 2, screenplay David Gerrold, who's doomed to be remembered for this one creation, despite his subsequent career.) Under the terms of the Organian Peace Treaty ("Errand of Mercy"), the dispute between the Federation and the Klingon Empire over Sherman's Planet must be settled by ceding the planet to the party that can make the most effective use of it. As ENTERPRISE deals with an assignment of transferring high-yield grain to Sherman's planet, Lt. Uhura acquires a tribble as a pet from free-lance trader Cyrano Jones, who omits a few crucial details about the little furrball. Nice comedy, as opposed to the-universe-is-at-stake drama.

"The Last Gunfight" (episode 56 "Spectre of the Gun" "The OK Corral", first of season 3, screenplay Gene L. Coon as Lee Cronin). (The use of the Cronin name seems generally to be a bad sign, "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" being the exception.) Kirk ignores the Melkotians' first, reasonable request to go away, and beams down to Melkot, whereupon the Melkotians take steps; as the mist clears, the away team finds themselves cast as the losing side of the gunfight at the OK corral. Unsure as to whether real history is at risk - the Melkots might have time travel, after all - the away team is caught between survival and possibly derailing the course of history.

"The Doomsday Machine" (episode 35, season 2, screenplay Norman Spinrad). ENTERPRISE answers a distress call from its sister ship CONSTELLATION, to find it badly damaged with only one survivor: the commanding officer, Commodore Matt Decker, who evacuated his crew to a nearby planet after tangling with a giant planet-killing weapon - only to watch helplessly as it then destroyed the planet. Someone somewhere once created this unstoppable weapon and turned it loose on the universe - and the Rigel colonies will be next if ENTERPRISE and CONSTELLATION can't devise a solution. (Decker's son appears in STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE years later.)

"Assignment: Earth" (episode 55, last of season 2, screenplay Gene Roddenberry and Art Wallace) Intended as a pilot for a spinoff series, which I think would have been very interesting. ENTERPRISE has used the 'slingshot' time-travel technique discovered from an earlier episode to travel to 20th-century Earth for historical research, but while there they've intercepted a transporter beam of tremendous range to meet the quite human Gary Seven and his cat, Isis. Gary Seven claims that his alien superiors raise and train human agents to try to steer Earth's history, and that of other developing worlds, out of harm's way - but he can't afford to delay while ENTERPRISE checks his bona fides. See the novel ASSIGNMENT: ETERNITY for more of the characters.

"Mirror, Mirror" (episode 39, season 2, screenplay Jerome Bixby). Beaming up during an ion storm from a failed negotiation with the Halkans, the away team - Kirk, Uhura, Scott, and McCoy - find themselves in an alternate-universe ENTERPRISE, where the Federation is an evil empire in which a Fleet career depends on watching your back. (Quite interesting, actually; I wish they'd done more with this.) Fortunately, Spock looks different enough that they immediately realize something's wrong, and manage to cover themselves long enough to explore their situation.

"Friday's Child" (episode 32, season 2, screenplay Dorothy C. Fontana) (Title comes from a Mother Goose rhyme, although the Friday's child segment seems a non-sequitur here.) Capella IV is to be the scene of one of those sleazy little non-wars the Klingons and the Federation play out around the edges of the Organian Peace Treaty, as the Klingons try to disrupt the ENTERPRISE's treaty negotiations with Teer Akaar. When Akaar is killed in an uprising, the away team interferes with the local custom demanding the death of his pregnant widow Eleen to secure the succession - and as ENTERPRISE itself has been decoyed out of the area, the team must flee cross-country, Eleen in tow. (Blish changes Eleen's ultimate fate, and adds an interesting touch that the original episode couldn't have handled.)

"Amok Time" (episode 34, season 2, screenplay Theodore Sturgeon as Edward Hamilton Waldo). This episode introduces Vulcan marriage customs, which aren't the rather clinical arrangement Kirk privately would have expected, and which Vulcans don't willingly discuss - but Spock hasn't got a choice, when McCoy notices his deteriorating health. (Vulcans normally serve only on all-Vulcan ships; Spock is a very rare exception.) Upon reaching maturity, every adult Vulcan male experiences pon farr every few years - a hormonal state controlled by Vulcan culture through a system of arranged marriages. Spock *must* return to Vulcan to complete the ceremony of marriage-and-challenge with his betrothed, T'Pring - or die. (Diane Duane in the novel SPOCK'S WORLD addressed some of the loose ends of this in a very interesting way.)

Star Trek 3 - The series finest encapsulated
7 episode summarized, The trouble w/ Tribbles, The Last Gunfight, TheDoomsday Machine, Assignment : Earth, Mirror Mirror, Friday's Child &Amok Time. Originally printed in 1969 by Bantam Books. ... Read more

Product Description
I named this 3-story compilation “Extreme Vintage Sc-fi,” because these three hardcore pulp tales of lost masterpiece are some of the best of those written about far off worlds, futuristic societies and new wars and all their adventures and horrors.

These tales have punch, story, plot, characters and speculative premises that make you think while you are taken by the hand on new, excitingand sometimes bizarre adventures into a yet-to-be future.

Enjoy!

Chet Dembeck
Blue Deacon Publishing
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great classic sci-fi!
Tthis 3-story compilation "Extreme Vintage Sc-fi," lives up to its name because these three hardcore pulp tales are some of the best written about far off worlds, futuristic societies and yet-to-come wars.

These tales have punch, story, plot, characters and speculative premises that make you think while they take you by the hand to new, exciting and sometimes bizarre adventures into a probable and possible future.
Enjoy!
... Read more

Product Description
Father Ruiz-Sanchez is a dedicated man--a priest who is also a scientist, and a scientist who is also a human being. He has found no insoluble conflicts in his beliefs or his ethics . . . until he is sent to Lithia. There he comes upon a race of aliens who are admirable in every way except for their total reliance on cold reason; they are incapable of faith or belief.

Confronted with a profound scientific riddle and ethical quandary, Father Ruiz-Sanchez soon finds himself torn between the teachings of his faith, the teachings of his science, and the inner promptings of his humanity. There is only one solution: He must accept an ancient and unforgivable heresy--and risk the futures of both worlds . . .Amazon.com Review
The citizens of the planet Lithia are some of the most ethical sentientbeings Father Ramon Ruiz-Sanchez has ever encountered. True, they have noliterature, no fine arts, and don't understand the concept of recreation,but neither do they understand the concepts of greed, envy, lust, or any ofthe sins and vices that plague humankind. Their world seems darned nearperfect. And that is just what disturbs the good Father.

First published in 1959, James Blish's Hugo Award-winning A Case ofConscience is science fiction at its very best: a fast-paced,intelligent story that offers plenty of action while at the same timeexplores complex questions of values and ethics. In this case, Blish hastaken on the age-old battle of good vs. evil. Lithia poses a theologicalquestion that lies at the heart of this book: is God necessary for a moralsociety? The Lithians are nothing if not moral. Not only do they lack theseven deadly sins, they also lack original sin. And without any sort ofreligious framework, they have created the Christian ideal world, one thathumans would be eager to study and emulate. But is it too perfect? Is it infact, as Father Ruiz-Sanchez suspects, the work of The Adversary?And whatrole does Egtverchi, the young Lithian raised on Earth, play? Is he aninnocent victim of circumstance, or will he bring about the Dies Irae, the day of the wrath of God, upon the earth? The fate of two worlds hinges on the answers to these questions, and will lead to an ancient earth heresy that shakes the Jesuit priest's beliefs to their very core.

A Case of Conscience is a brilliant piece of storytelling, and it packsa lot into a scant 242 pages. Most readers will probably finish the book inone sitting, unable to stop until the spectacular denouement.But the questions posed by this little-known gem will stay with you for days afterward. --P.M. Atterberry ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

Early look at philosophical SF
Very interesting look at the future, from a late 1950's, early 1960's perspective. The heart of the book is a moral crisis introduced by an alien race with perfect morals but no belief in a god. Also interesting to look at as a first contact novel from a time that was less xenophobic and more nuclear disaster preoccupied.

An Interesting Failure
I like a good novel of ideas now and again and can become annoyed with books that are devoid of ideas.The novel of ideas tends to suffer from certain problems.Most are not especially well written .Novelists of ideas tend to think of their ideas as being so important that literary style doesn't matter.Characters tend to be paper thin projections rather than live beings.Even plots tend to be subordinate to the message.A Case of Conscience suffers from all these problems.The style is to use a reviewer cliche ,workman like, at best.The characters are implausible and thinly drawn.The plot is a little hard to follow at points.I'll admit I'm not sure what happens at the end .
There is a very revealing dialogue at one point in the novel between the four scientists who are pivotal characters.Two of these men sound like complete idiots. One can not imaginethese men being assigned to an interplanetary mission whose purpose is to decide a planets future.I realize not all scientists are cultural sophisticates but these two sound like they just fell off the turnip truck.One is a low rent Dr.Stangelove who has no curiousity about the fascinating creatures they have found on the planet, he just wants to get on with bulding bombs.The man is a cretin.Then there is a great mathemetician, who announces that outside his speciality he don't know from nothing.So what is he doing on this mission?Sorry but this is ridiculous.The other two scientists are a little more plausible in that they don't sound stupid or completly nuts.It's Ruiz-Sanchez who becomes the focal point of the novel.Sanchez is a Catholic priest and all around intellectual.Unfortunately he is also an extremely unsophisticated thinker.So while this dialoguge winds up raising any number of intersting issues, it doesn't do them justice because the characters are so superficial and muddled.
One might have expected Sanchez to be a serious exponent of Catholic thought.Instead he sounds like someone who might teach biology at Oral Roberts University.That is he sounds like a not especially learned creationist - fundamentalist.The notion that he's Jesuit intellectual is a joke.Someone of his training and background would likely have responded to what the men find on Lithia in two ways.One he could conclude that his Christian prejudices are basically bunk and the Lithians high moral strandards are proof that say John Stuart Mill had it right, you don't need to be a Christian to act like one.Two,more likely ,that the Lithians are proof of the existence of natural law which exists even where the incarnation has not taken place.Thus the Lithians are akin to virtuous pagans.Why he comes up with the cockamamie notion that these creatures are Satans spawn is not satisfactorily addressed.
The virtue of this novel is that it does get you thinking.The key problem is you wish James Blish had given you better food for thought.

Like a movie with a promising trailer
Father Ruiz Sanchez is catholic priest 50 light years away from Earth. He and his companions have discovered a utopian planet with no violence, no money, no slavery and no God. A case of Eden on the surface, but... what is really lurking underneath? Don't miss Case of Conscience coming soon from Sony Pictures.

Promising ah?

But no. Despite the Hugo, despite the introduction by Greg Bear, despite the good intentions, Case of Conscience does not deliver. This starts from a very basic fact, that religion and science fiction are like water and oil. They don't mix well, and they never will. Even in this case, however, I'd appreciate reading about Father's Sanchez internal struggle against what he believes is the Adversary on the planet Lithia, which makes the book interesting for 60 to 70 pages. But suddenly, we are off to Earth, to get directions from headquarters at Rome. At the same time, some new characters are introduced, some old, dull characters are given more pages and after a description of a bleak Earth and a weird party, the novel ends not with a whimper, but with a real bang.

Had it ended with a whimper, it might have been something else.

Reads More Like an Intellectual Exercise than a Novel
I wanted to like A CASE OF CONSCIENCE, which attempts to tackle a lot of interesting theological issues in an SF context.Unfortunately, after a decent beginning, this novel stumbles badly in its second half as Blish forgets his obligations as a storyteller.As another reviewer pointed out, this novel ultimately goes into too many different directions at once, and it eventually loses narrative coherence.It also doesn't help that all of the book's characters are dry as sawdust, and for the most part talk as philosophers and intellectuals, rather than real people.

A CASE OF CONSCIENCE won the 1959 Hugo Award, which is why I read it.I'm guessing it won because of its provocative subject matter (religion v. science, one-world government, etc.) as opposed to the quality of the plotting and characterization.While the novel is indeed thematically cutting edge, a good novel requires more than interesting themes -- it requires a good story as well.Since this novel lacks that essential ingredient, I can't recommend it.

Awful
For those interested in the intersection between Christianity and the science fiction of the late 1950s, this novel makes an intriguing companion piece to A Canticle for Leibowitz. On its own terms, considered as an SF novel, I found itsimply dreadful, with no sufficient excuses to be found on the basis of its age.

The story begins as follows: Ramon Ruiz-Sanchez, a Jesuit priest and biologist, is one of a party of four scientists investigating a newly discovered planet and its race of technologically advanced, though pre-spaceflight, aliens. The aliens are the first intelligent beings to be found in man's travels through the galaxy. The first howler in the novel is that these four men, none of them educated in the possibilities of communicating with intelligent aliens, are charged with deciding whether the planet should be opened to further investigation. It's only because the four end up tied in their decision that the planet isn't declared "closed" forever. Apparently the planet is being treated like any other prospect for a "way-station" or for mining exploitation: If the plant and animal life isn't too dangerous, and if the environment and mining prospects are favorable, the planet will be opened. If not, -- whadevah --we'll go find another planet. The existence of the first known alien civilization isn't reason enough to treat this planet any differently from a lifeless asteroid.

Sanchez would like to see the planet closed, because he believes it's a construction of the devil. Literally. The native aliens have no crime or war or apparent misbehavior of any kind, and neither do they have any religion or supernatural beliefs whatsoever. So obviously, Sanchez deduces, they must be a trick, created by Satan to convince mankind that goodness is possible without God.

This is actually one of the more consistent and rational pieces of human motivation in the novel. If one accepts that a future scientist could believe, literally and utterly and unquestioningly, all of the tenets of Christianity, complete with Adam & Eve, the garden of eden and a devil with a pointy tail, then his arguments that the planet must be a construction or illusion (the distinction is important within the story) of the devil are quite logical. Infinitely more logical and believable, for example, than the notion that a religious nut-job like this would be given 1/4 of the deciding power as to whether the planet and race should be open to human study.

Meanwhile, one of the alien race is sent back to Earth as an egg. He quickly grows to adulthood, and thanks to his somewhat Stranger in a Strange Land personality, becomes a TV celebrity, a popular voice among the many disaffected of Earth's citizens. And there are many disaffected citizens, because most of the population are forced to live underground in dreary and unnatural conditions. During the Cold War, the human race abandoned the surface and rebuilt its cities underground in hopes ofsurviving an imminent nuclear war that never happened. Thanks to a world-government, the threat of war has been gone for many decades, but still mankind lives in its underground "shelter state" because... um... because... because the plot calls for it, that's why. This is perhaps the second biggest howler of irrationality in the book, but there are countless others. In the behavior of individuals, of groups, of crowds, of the government, of the culture as a whole, it's an exception for any of them to do anything that makes the slightest sense.

In the end, Sanchez performs an exorcism on the entire alien planet via telescope. It's a hallmark of this book that this supremely irrational and downright goofy performance is one of the more logical and understandable acts in the novel.

James Blish is generally considered one the "greats" of early SF. Based on this novel, and the short stories of his that I've read, I don't understand why. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Weak episodes make it impossible to create an exciting book
My interest in the adapatations of the episodes of the original Star Trek series by James Blish largely rises and falls with my opinion of the episodes. Unfortunately, this book contains adaptations of what I consider the two worst episodes in the series. "The Alternative Factor" where the Enterprise crew encounters two versions of Lazarus, one mad and the other fighting the madman, is in my opinion the worst episode. It is foolish, scientifically inaccurate and requires Kirk and his senior officers to be stupid.
"The Omega Glory" is a very simple-minded attempt to transfer the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union to another planet. The idea that there would be another planet with a nation with the same constitution, pledge of allegiance and flag as the United States is ridiculous beyond words. I consider it the second worst episode of the entire series.
The complete list of episodes adapted in this book is:

*) The Alternative Factor
*) The Empath
*) The Galileo Seven
*) Is There in Truth No Beauty?
*) A Private Little War
*) The Omega Glory

My ranking of "The Empath" is only slightly higher than what I give the other two already mentioned, so Blish had very little to work with in this book.
While Blish does succeed in making the stories somewhat interesting, the lack of initial material means that this book was most likely doomed from the start.

Weak episodes make it impossible to create an exciting book
My interest in the adapatations of the episodes of the original Star Trek series by James Blish largely rises and falls with my opinion of the episodes. Unfortunately, this book contains adaptations of what I consider the two worst episodes in the series. "The Alternative Factor" where the Enterprise crew encounters two versions of Lazarus, one mad and the other fighting the madman, is in my opinion the worst episode. It is foolish, scientifically inaccurate and requires Kirk and his senior officers to be stupid.
"The Omega Glory" is a very simple-minded attempt to transfer the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union to another planet. The idea that there would be another planet with a nation with the same constitution, pledge of allegiance and flag as the United States is ridiculous beyond words. I consider it the second worst episode of the entire series.
The complete list of episodes adapted in this book is:

*) The Alternative Factor
*) The Empath
*) The Galileo Seven
*) Is There in Truth No Beauty?
*) A Private Little War
*) The Omega Glory

My ranking of "The Empath" is only slightly higher than what I give the other two already mentioned, so Blish had very little to work with in this book.
While Blish does succeed in making the stories somewhat interesting, the lack of initial material means that this book was most likely doomed from the start.

Adaptations of 6 episodes, 2 from each season
First published in 1974, these short stories are Blish's adaptations of the screenplays of various episodes from the original series. The episodes aren't sorted into books according to either chronological order or identity of screenwriter.

"The Alternative Factor" (episode 21, season 1, screenplay Don Ingalls). Personally, I always think of this episode as 'What of Lazarus?', one of Kirk's final lines. While surveying an uninhabited planet, ENTERPRISE experiences the first of a series of tremendous disturbances, during which apparently everything in existence *ceases* to exist for an instant - and in which Lazarus, a human-appearing alien, appears on the planet. He claims to be pursuing a great evil, although nothing else seems to be around. After he's taken to ENTERPRISE's sickbay, the truth begins to emerge: that there are two apparently identical Lazaruses, one each from a different universe; that one is insane, wanting only to destroy the other; that if they ever meet in either universe, both universes will be destroyed; and that a meeting seems inevitable. Despite the ENTERPRISE's help, the real hero of this story is Lazarus - one of them, at least.

"The Empath" (episode 63, season 3, screenplay Joyce Muskat) ENTERPRISE arrives in the Minaran system to retrieve a research team before the star goes nova; stellar activity forces the ship to leave the away team - Kirk, Spock, McCoy - alone on planet for a time. Except that they're not alone: a previously unknown superpower race, the Vians, have arranged a meeting between the away team and a mute empath, whom McCoy names 'Gem', who can heal with a touch - although she herself must experience the injuries to do so. The away team learns that the researchers have been tortured to death by the Vians for some reason connected with Gem - but the Vians appear detached rather than sadistic, so something more is obviously going on, as the Vians shift their focus to the ENTERPRISE team.

"The Galileo Seven" (episode 14, season 1, screenplay Simon Wincelberg and Oliver Crawford; the latter contributed to "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" and "The Cloud Minders"). An episode designed to reveal character, along the lines of "The Naked Time". The situation: Spock is dispatched with a crew of 6 - including Scotty - aboard the shuttlecraft GALILEO to comply with a standing order to investigate quasar-like phenomena to avoid delaying ENTERPRISE's urgent assignment to deliver medical supplies. A combination of factors brings about the crash of the GALILEO on an uninhabited planet while simultaneously causing ENTERPRISE to lose contact, so the GALILEO's crew with their limited resources must scramble to ensure rescue before ENTERPRISE is forced to leave the area on its medical mission - awaiting the ship's return might be a fatal delay.

"Is There in Truth No Beauty?" (episode 62, season 3, screenplay Jean Lisette Aroeste; see also "All Our Yesterdays"). ENTERPRISE is to transport Medusan ambassador Kollos, his human companion Dr. Miranda Jones, and Marwick, one of ENTERPRISE's designers, to the Medusan home planet. While humans ordinarily cannot bear the unshielded sight of a Medusan, Vulcans - and the Vulcan-trained telepath Dr. Jones - can. Dr. Jones' personal issues come from other sources: jealousy that Spock might potentially be more effective than she at contact with Kollos, and a realization that someone at the ENTERPRISE's formal reception harbours murderous thoughts toward Kollos. A mystery hidden in plain sight, unusual for STAR TREK.

"A Private Little War" (episode 45, season 2, screenplay Don Ingalls and Gene Roddenberry) One of the sleazy little conflicts between the Klingons and the Federation that, taking place through 3rd parties, manages to avoid breaking the letter of the Organian Peace Treaty. Revisiting a low-technology planet he first encountered as a young lieutenant aboard the FARRAGUT, Kirk finds that his old friend Tyree has married Nona, a Kahn-Ut-Tu woman of power and risen to lead his tribe - and that their traditional enemies have acquired superior weaponry from the Klingons, in the form of primitive firearms. Several issues: Nona is ambitious, and very clever both at manipulating others and at acquiring information without losing her mystique. Tyree, peaceful at heart, resists some of her plans, but is largely under Nona's control.

"The Omega Glory" (episode #54, next-to-last of season 2, screenplay Gene Roddenberry). Some similarities to "Miri" (1st season), as ENTERPRISE learns that the crew of the EXETER have all died of a peculiar condition picked up on Omega IV - all except the landing party who remained on planet - and that the crew members who beamed aboard EXETER are now also faced with a choice between death and exile on Omega IV if no cure can be found. Ron Tracey, EXETER's captain, survived - and noting the unusual longevity of the inhabitants of Omega IV, has deduced that the disease naturally prolongs life. Some interesting violations of the Prime Directive occur, as Tracey succumbs to temptation - but he lives to regret underestimating the inhabitants of Omega IV. Interesting points, although encumbered with unnecessary parallel-Earth syndrome.

Good, until something better comes along.
This is one of 12 books that adapt the original Star Trek TV episodes from 1966 to 1968.James Blish wrote these adaptations in the late 1960's and early 1970's and they have been re-released multiple times since then.In some cases Blish was not even using the final televised script, but basing the stories on earlier versions provided to him by Paramount.This impacts the quality of the adaptations, especially in the early books.In addition, reading these is somewhat like reading a Condensed Book, (There are 6 to 10 episodes per book).

Another challenge for those expecting accurate adaptations is that in those days, continuity was not a high priority, especially among Licencing people.Today, Star Treks fans and casual readers alike, would express outrage at such inconsistencies, and Paramount's licencing department would be alot more concerned about top quality.So remember, these books came out almost 30 years ago.

I read them the first time around, and over the years have reread specific episodes when the situation arose.I was never totally satisfied, but resigned myself to the fact that they were all that was available.Today, I find them lacking even more.After reading recent adaptations, for example, the Next Generation's TV episode "Unification", or even earlier ones such as Alan Dean Foster's work on the Logs, I am a firm believer that detailed, accuate, and well-written adaptations of the TV episodes can be written that would be satifactory to the fans.

The big question is "if?". The chances are slim to none that we will ever see new adaptations. The economics just are not there.Bantam, (nor any other publisher for that matter), would not undertake such a thing when they can just re-release these every few years.In addition, with the interest in classic Trek having peaked a couple of years back, along with the proliferation of so many new novels, the sales potential is just NOT there.

Therefore, if you want to read novelized versions of the original TV episodes, then BUY THESE and ENJOY.But keep dreaming "What if?".

Good, until something better comes along.
This is one of 12 books that adapt the original Star Trek TV episodes from 1966 to 1968.James Blish wrote these adaptations in the late 1960's and early 1970's and they have been re-released multiple times since then.In some cases Blish was not even using the final televised script, but basing them on earlier releases provided to him by Paramount.This impacts the quality of the adaptations, especially in the early books.In addition, these are somewhat like reading a Condensed Book, (8 to 10 episodes per book).

Another challenge for those expecting accurate adaptations is that in those days,close continuity was not a high priority, especially Licencing people.Today, Star Treks fans and casual readers alike, would express outrage at such inconsistencies, and Paramount's licencing department would be alot more concerned about top quality.So remember, these books came out almost 30 years ago.

I read them the first time around, and over the years have reread specific episodes when the situation arose.I was never totally satisfied, but resigned myself to the fact that they were all that was available.

Today, I find them lacking even more.After reading recent adaptations, for example, the Next Generation's TV episode "Unification", or even earlier ones such as Alan Dean Foster's work on the Logs, I am a firm believer that detailed, accuate, and well-written adaptations of the TV episodes could be written that would be satifactory to the fans.

The big question is "if?". The chances are slim to none that we would ever see new adaptations. The economics just are not there.Bantam, nor any other publisher for that matter, would not undertake such a thing when they can just re-release these every few years.In addition, with the interest in classic Trek having peaked a couple of years back, along with the proliferation of so many new novels, the sales potential is just not there.

Therefore, if you want to read novelized versions of the original episodes, then buy these and enjoy.But keep dreaming "What if?". ... Read more

Product Description
One-Shot (Illustrated Version) by James Blish

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Product Description
First of a series in which Blish adapted the scripts fromt he original Star Trek series into novelette format. Included in this volume:Charlie's Law;Dagger of the Mind;The Unreal McCoy;Balance of Terror;The Naked Time;Miri;The Conscience of the King ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Star Trek, adapted by James Blish
The book was reasonably priced, arrived in a timely manner and was in very good condition. It was meant as a gift and the recipient told me she was delighted to get it. She is a young reader and may appreciate other books by the same author or by Gene Rodenberry the master writer of the series.
Thank you very much, Star reader ... Read more

Product Description
Kirk, Spoc, Bones and the others of the Enterprise find a deadly Eden. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Blish manages to capture a great deal of the tension and action of the episodes
A few years after the original Star Trek series was cancelled, a phenomenon began. Once the series went into syndication it was a staple of the afternoon television fare and a publishing "enterprise" also began. The books where James Blish adapted episodes from the original series were the first steps in the development of what has become an enormous genre.
In this book, Blish adapts the episodes:

*) The Savage Curtain
*) The Lights of Zetar
*) The Apple
*) By Any Other Name
*) The Cloud Minders
*) The Mark of Gideon

None of these episodes even cracks the upper half of my rankings of episodes in the original series. However, Blish makes the paper expenditure worthwhile by engaging in some of his best writing in this series of books. He manages to capture a great deal of the tension and action of the episodes, something that can be especially difficult in a science fiction series. It is still a worthwhile book to read.

Blish manages to capture a great deal of the tension and action of the episodes
A few years after the original Star Trek series was cancelled, a phenomenon began. Once the series went into syndication it was a staple of the afternoon television fare and a publishing "enterprise" also began. The books where James Blish adapted episodes from the original series were the first steps in the development of what has become an enormous genre.
In this book, Blish adapts the episodes:

*) The Savage Curtain
*) The Lights of Zetar
*) The Apple
*) By Any Other Name
*) The Cloud Minders
*) The Mark of Gideon

None of these episodes even cracks the upper half of my rankings of episodes in the original series. However, Blish makes the paper expenditure worthwhile by engaging in some of his best writing in this series of books. He manages to capture a great deal of the tension and action of the episodes, something that can be especially difficult in a science fiction series. It is still a worthwhile book to read.

Adaptations of 6 episodes from seasons 2 and 3
First published in 1972, these short stories are Blish's adaptations of the screenplays of various episodes from the original series. The episodes aren't sorted into books according to either chronological order or identity of screenwriter, and in this case the mix doesn't include any single episode of outstanding quality, so Blish hasn't got a lot of substance to work with.

Note: If you're interested in adaptations based on the animated STAR TREK series, see Alan Dean Foster's Star Trek Log books.

"The Savage Curtain"(episode 77, season 3, screenplay Gene Roddenberry and Arthur Heinemann). Encounter with vastly powerful aliens: the Excalbians, who arrange an experiment to explore the nature of the (to them) alien concepts of 'good' and 'evil' in a death-match competition. On the 'good' side, Kirk, Spock, Lincoln, and Surak of Vulcan (first introduction of the character, who established the Vulcans' pacifist philosophy; see Diane Duane's SPOCK'S WORLD). On the 'evil' side are Genghis Khan, Colonel Green (from Earth's near-future), Zora, and Kahless (who founded the Klingon way of life). (These aren't the real historical figures, but reconstructions based on Kirk's and Spock's perceptions, so history isn't in peril, only Kirk and Spock.)

"The Lights of Zetar" (episode 73, season 3, screenplay Jeremy Tarcher and Shari Lewis) En route to deliver specialist Mira Romaine to Memory Alpha - a respository of knowledge - ENTERPRISE is overtaken by a peculiar 'energy storm' in space causing odd symptoms in random crew members: loss of language, muttering in an unknown language, loss of manual dexterity. Mira (and as it turns out, the rest of the Memory Alpha team) are worst affected - of great concern to Scotty, who's taken with her.

"The Apple" (episode 38, season 2, screenplay Max Ehrlich and Gene L. Coon) The title refers to the apples of Eden: this is one of several episodes exploring the idea of an 'earthly paradise' - peaceful but stagnant. As the natives are long-lived, one of the prices they pay is an Edenlike innocence to keep their population at manageable levels - but who or what is doing the managing? (I appreciate the fact that Blish takes the trouble to address the problem of understanding the alien language without a universal translator cop-out.)

"By Any Other Name" (episode 50, season 2, screenplay Dorothy C. Fontana and Jerome Bixby). The galactic 'barrier' from 'Where No Man Has Gone Before' turns up again, having damaged a scout ship from the Andromeda galaxy beyond repair. The survivors, Rojan and Kalinda, are an advance party seeking to take over the Milky Way as a replacement for their own galaxy, which is becoming uninhabitable; they've taken humanlike form only for convenience in taking over the ENTERPRISE as a replacement for their own ship. However, taking human form has unforeseen consequences...

"The Cloud Minders" (episode 74, season 3, screenplay Margaret Armen, story by David Gerrold and Oliver Crawford) ENTERPRISE is sent to the planet Ardana for a mineral needed on Merak II to counter a devastating plague. The zenite, however, is obtained at great cost in human suffering by miners who never enjoy the fruits of their labor - that being reserved by the aristocrats who live in the cloud cities. Rebels among the miners delay the ENTERPRISE's mission - and upon looking into the matter, the mining conditions are even more dangerous than they seem.

"The Mark of Gideon" (episode 72, season 3, screenplay George F. Slavin and Stanley Adams) The planet Gideon, having previously refused contact, agrees to allow Kirk to beam down alone for treaty negotiations. From ENTERPRISE's point of view, Kirk disappears; from his own, he's lost a few minutes of his memory, and still seems to be aboard ship - an empty mock-up of the ENTERPRISE, containing only a single young woman, a total stranger, although he occasionally sees flashes of a vast crowd of strange faces. [Several plot holes, one being that the aliens' ultimate goal could have been achieved easily with a fair chance of *nobody* from the Federation finding out for quite awhile, if they'd gone about it intelligently. However, the problem is interesting.] ... Read more

Product Description
Presents 24 stories adapted from Star Trek's exciting final season. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

All the 3rd Season Episodes in Print!
Probably the weakest episodes of the 3 seasons are in this the last season e.g. "Spock's Brain" and yet we get here very well-written stories that although are not exactly the same as the episodes themselves, we get a greater understanding of what's happening because of the greater details.Watch the eps and then read this.

James Blish retells the Season 3 episodes of "Star Trek"
In the late 1960s James Blish began writing "The Star Trek Readers," a series of paperbacks in which he adapted the scripts of what was then the late lamented original "Star Trek" series.When first published Blish basically started with what fans voted as the most popular episodes and eventually worked his way through the show's three seasons, although his untimely death forced his widow, Judith Ann Lawrence to finish some of the stories.For the 25th Anniversary editions the adaptations were reorganized so that there were not only three volumes, each representing an entire season.Therefore, "Star Trek: The Classic Episodes, Volume 2" represents the third and final season in 1968-69.

The volume includes a new introduction, "Star Trek in the Real World," by Norman Spinrad and then the third season episodes
are arranged in order of their television appearance: "The Last Gunfight [Spectre of the Gun]," "Elaan of Troyius," "The Paradise Syndrome," "The Enterprise Incident," "And the Children Shall Lead," "Spock's Brain, "Is There in Truth No Beauty?," "The Empath," "The Tholian Web," "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky," "Day of the Dove," "Plato?s Stepchildren," "Wink of an Eye," "That Which Survives," "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield," "Whom Gods Destroy," "The Mark of Gideon," "The Lights of Zetar," "The Cloud Miners," "The Way to Eden," "Requiem for Methuselah," "The Savage Curtain," "All Our Yesterdays," and "Turnabout Intruder."

Blish was a well-known science fiction author, who has won the Hugo Award for his novel "A Case of Conscience," and what he brought to these adaptations was a great ability to flesh out both the characters and the actions.In many ways these adaptations hold up better than the original episodes, where the special effects are less than what an eight-year-old can do on a home computer today.But throughout Blish shows an understanding of both the characters and the Star Trek universe that was being created, which explains why he was also the author of the first "Star Trek" original novel, "Spock Must Die!"

The Orginal James Blish Adaptations!
For those of you that love the classic series; this set of books are the written word version of each episode.Why read the written versions?Well, James Blish provides lots of insight as to what is going through the minds of Kirk, Spock and McCoy along with the orginal crew.In the episode the Alterative Factor James Blish provides a better ending than the questionable one on TV.The novels provide a lot more facts on the crew and background details never metioned in the series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

On juganity 25,000 AD; this story is stranger than most Science Fiction novels.
This strange science fiction novel is not very well known but it is still one of the most interesting and mind boggling science fiction novels that I have ever read. It mixes the paranormal with science fiction and stretches the limits of ones imagination without becoming implausible or scientifically unacceptable. I first read this novel in Swedish when I was young and more recently in English. The Swedish title was "The World of the Birds" or "The Planet of the Birds".

An accident propels the mind of the young astrophysicist John Martels to the 250th century (23,000 years into the future), or the midsummer century. It should be noted, that according to this novel the mind is a complex self aware electromagnetic field. His mind emerges in the brain-case of a future being with a very powerful mind, the so called Qvant.

Human civilization has fallen and risen again many times and both humans and birds have evolved. In the 250th century the birds have evolved into telepathic and intelligent beings who seek to exterminate their main rivals; the humans. Humans (or the human descendents) of the 250th century have great paranormal powers but are death oriented, and have not used their intelligence to develop an advanced civilization; in fact they are not even interested in organized resistance against the birds. John Martel is thrust into a fight for the continued existence of his own mind as well as a fight for the continued existence of the human race of the future, and that is without being able to use his own physical body. In an odd way this novel also succeeded to fuse the reincarnation of the human mind with the rebirth of civilizations.

The book is full of sharp and unusual visualizations and descriptions. If someone would attempt to illustrate this novel it would make some quite interesting art. If the art of Boris Vallejo (example: Dreams: The Art of Boris Vallejo) could be added to this novel I think we would get a very interesting item. I should say that if you are not into otherworldly and strange stories you may want to pick a more typical science fiction novel.

I should add that a common objection to this book is that John Martel being captive in a brain case for so many years with no sensory input except a mostly static scene, should have driven him crazy. To that I say that he was captive in a brain designed for this purpose and the chemical imbalances or neurological adaptations that would cause "crazy" weren't necessarily there. If we can swallow all the implausible stuff in other science fiction novels, why not this? The mother of all implausibilities, the totally implausible and also illogical concept of time travel backwards in time (and place) was not allowed in this book. I should also mention that John Martels was not stuck in the brain case the whole time, that was just a part of the book.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Can the world end?
Similar to the earlier Black Easter, this is a slow-paced book where most of the action is left offstage in favor of allowing us to see how the main characters react when they are removed from the action.

There is one good bit of action, the failed attack on Dis by the U.S. Military is described in detail. Despite plot summaries, what this book really is is a question. The question being what happens if/when God is removed, can the vacuum stay, or must something else take the place and fill the vacuum?

This is more Paradise Lost and less end of the world thriller. Reading it knowing that will allow you to enjoy it more than if you were expecting an action filled apocalypse.

As in the first novel, Blish crafts this one well. It is tightly written, though again there is really no tension that builds. Very clinical, very removed observation of catastrophe and the characters. It was an interesting choice he made to do it that way, maybe not the most appealing, but viable and interesting.

What Stale Hell is This?
This sequel to Black Easter (or second-half of a single work, if you prefer to look at it that way) is especially disappointing.The first volume was brief, and ended just as things were about to get interesting ... which in this volume, they rather failed to do.

Here's the premise: God is dead, and Satan has taken over the earth.The plot then consists of army officers in an underground bunker plotting an ineffective attack, alternating with scenes of Black Easter's protragonists discussing matters, then eventually travelling to Satan's stronghold without incident.

It seems almost incredible to me that given the plot outline (Satan takes over the world, magicians travel to his stronghold) nothing interesting happens--this must be intentional on the part of Blish, it's clearly a choice--so for anyone in the mood for a less lethargic novel, this will likely not satisfy.It's Hell on Earth meets My Dinner with Andre, with duller conversations.

Note: a 3 star ranking from me is actually fairly good; I reserve 4 stars for tremendously good works, and 5 only for the rare few that are or ought to be classic; unfortunately most books published are 2 or less. ... Read more

Product Description
Features 27 stories adapted from Star Trek's landmark first season. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Abridged Episodes
They have key points of the episodes, but not a lot of descriptive detail in the stories.They're like Readers Digest Condensed books for Star Trek.A few things are different than in the television shows, but the main stories behind them hold pretty steady.I bought it used for four dollars, and I think it would have been worth it even if I'd paid full price.

Collection of the Original James Blish Adaptations
James Blish began adapting the stories of the original Star Trek television series in 1967 in a series of 12 books.Bantam books has collected these books into three volumes, reorganizing them in the process.James Blish passed away many years ago, to the great chagrin of his fans, and D.C. Fontana introduces this collection.

This book is the first book of the set.There are 27 stories, representing the first season of Star Trek.Each story has a title page with a black and white picture from the television episode.The title page also lists the writer or writers, the director and guest stars.

James Blish needed to modify some of the stories a little because of the differences between a television show and a written story.However, the stories match the television shows quite well.Blish does explain in the prefaces to the original books, all of which are provided at the beginning of this collection, the kinds of changes he made and the logic behind them.While he was afraid that fans might be upset at the modifications, these books were well-received when they came out, and the original stories remain prized.

These stories range in quality, as did the original television show."The City on the Edge of Forever" was one of the best shows in the first season, with Joan Collins as a beautiful social worker.Many other episodes challenge a viewer's mind."Miri," guest starring Kim Darby, had adults aging rapidly, becoming paranoid and psychopathic.How could McCoy and Spock identify and cure the disease in a one-hour episode?In the "Squire of Gothos," we learn about childhood from a different perspective.In "Devil in the Dark" the crew of the Enterprise discovers a new definition of life, and that life is as protective of its children as we are of ours.There are other stories that were weak, and yet, this television show was the best science fiction available in the 1960s.We treasured each and every show.

Star Trek will forever be one of the ground breaking shows of science fiction.The show was a promise of what was yet to come, and helped to inspire many people to become scientists and engineers.These wonderfully adapted stories, each running about 20 pages or so, are fun to read again, both for fans that saw the shows when they first came out, and for new fans.This book is a wonderful addition to any Star Trek fan's library.Enjoy!

The Brilliant First Season and Now in Print!
Some of the best episodes of all the 3 seasons are in this the first season e.g. "The Menagerie" and "The City on the Edge of Forever" and yet we get here very well-written stories that although are not exactly the same as the episodes themselves, we get a greater understanding of what's happening because of the greater details. Watch the eps and then read this.

James Blish's adaptation of the first season of "Star Trek"
In the late 1960s James Blish began writing "The Star Trek Readers," a series of paperbacks in which he adapted the scripts of what was then the late lamented original "Star Trek" series.When first published Blish basically started with what fans voted as the most popular episodes and eventually worked his way through the show's three seasons.However, for the 25th Anniversary editions the adaptations were reorganized so that there were not only three volumes, each representing an entire season.Therefore, "Star Trek: The Classic Episodes, Volume 1" represents the first season in 1966-67.

The volume includes an introduction by D.C. Fontana, and the prefaces that Blish wrote for his original paperbacks, along with the forward Judith Ann Lawrence wrote for "Star Trek #12." The first season episodes are arranged in order of their television appearance: "Where No Man Has Gone Before," "The Corbomite Maneuver," "The Enemy Within," "The Unreal McCoy [The Man Trap]," "The Naked Time,""Charlie's Law [Charlie X]," "Balance of Terror," "What Are Little Girls Made Of?," "Dagger of the Mind," "Miri,""The Conscience of the King," "The Galileo Seven," "Court Martial," "The Menagerie," "Shore Leave," "The Squire of Gothos," "Arena," "The Alternative Factor," "Tomorrow Is Yesterday," "The Return of the Archons," "A Taste of Armageddon," "Space Seed," "This Side of Paradise," "The Devil in teh Dark," "Errand of Mercy," "The City on the Edge of Forever," and "Operation-Annihilate!"

The most memorable story is "The City on th Edge of Forever," because as Blish notes in his footnote the script for the story different drastically from Harlan Ellison's original version (which Harlan shared with Blish).Blish attempted to preserve what he thought were the best elements of both scripts and freely admitted that he might owe apologies to everybody.Ultimately Blish is forced to go with Gene Roddenberry's televised version, where McCoy is the person who gets accidentally gets injected with cordrazine and it is Kirk who acts to let Edith Keeler die, but he does manage to work in Ellison's original ending where Spock speaks to Kirk about offering the universe for love.For years this was the only indirect look we had at Ellison's original script, which was reprinted in an obscure science fiction collection until he included it in a published diatribe against what Roddenberry did to the episode.

Blish was a well-known science fiction author, who has won the Hugo Award for his novel "A Case of Conscience," and what he brought to these adaptations was a great ability to flesh out both the characters and the actions.In many ways these adaptations hold up better than the original episodes, where the special effects are less than what an eight-year-old can do on a home computer today.But throughout Blish shows an understanding of both the characters and the Star Trek universe that was being created, which explains why he was also the author of the first "Star Trek" original novel, "Spock Must Die!" ... Read more

Product Description
One-Shot appeared in the August 1955 issue of Astounding Science Fiction.

You can do a great deal if you have enough data, and enough time to compute on it, by logical methods. But given the situation that neither data nor time is adequate, and an answer must be produced ... what do you do? ... Read more