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Dropping another comment to suggest The Best of Damon Knight for a future episode! A pretty good selection of his stories, including his famous Twilight Zone episode.

Excellent discussion! When I started collecting 30's Astoundings, Gallun was the author who stood out to me the most. So much of his (excellent) stuff has never been reprinted.

Hothouse really grows on you, I found. One keeps thinking about it way past when you finish it and go on to other books.

Just found your channel, thanks for the great content. I completely agree with you on the book club editions...still shocked at how inexpensive they are, even when they have the same amazing art work as "true" first editions.

I'm really interested on hearing what you think of the Gallun article. De Camp has been very entertaining so far, lol. Great haul.

I love that edition of Ragged Astronauts. In my head Cannon it is a tie in to Old Warhammer 40K books.

If you liked previous Silverberg books, then you'll find similar themes in his collection Feast of Dionysus. Silverberg has long been one of my favorites. Whenever I encounter an SF book that isn't as good as advertised, I can always follow-up with a yet to read book by Silverberg (or sometimes a re-read) to restore my faith in the genre. Thankfully, Silverberg was very productive, so there's a lot of titles by him to choose from.

HAL!!! ❤

Haven’t read Saxon either but I like the livery for the series.

I found that same edition of Clarke’s “The Space Dreamers “ a few years ago, and was ,like you, initially delighted and confused, until I discovered I already had it under the title “ Prelude to Space” . A query to the Outlaw Bookseller soon settled its hash! Nice haul!

The Ragged Astronauts is my second favourite novel by Bob Shaw...and sometimes I think of it as perhaps my top favourite by him; a re-read of Orbitsville a few years ago, has only made things tougher when it comes to ranking his novels. I still loved Orbitsville, but re-reads can highlight a few flaws, decades later. Bob Shaw has two trilogies - the Orbitsville trilogy, and the Land and Overland books, consisting of The Ragged Astronauts, The Wooden Spaceships, and The Fugitive Worlds. I read The Ragged Astronauts when the paperback first appeared on the shelves in Toronto, and the same goes for The Wooden Spaceships. But The Fugitive Worlds eluded me for years - until I saw a used Baen paperback and snatched it up. So I read that one quite later than the other two, and not as an Orbit edition. Everyone reacts differently, but with both the trilogies, I feel the first book is the best offering. The Orbitsville Sequel - Orbitsville Departure - seemed to be merely a highly enjoyable action-adventure story, with none of the sublime feel of Orbitsville. I didn't have anything to think deeply about, and the original Orbitsville novel has, for me, a strong allegorical facet to it that had - has - a profound impact on me. Then came Orbitsville Judgement - all the Orbitsville books have big gaps between when they were published - and I remember starting it while riding the bus, and being just so overjoyed to be back "on Orbitsville" one last time. That book is called Orbitsville Judgement, and Bob Shaw went back to more cosmic ideas, larger concepts, larger reasons for Orbitsville's exitsence in the first place - and though I still prefer the first book, and guess many Orbitsville fans might have been taken by surprise when it comes to what Orbitsville Judgement does, I came out of it content and feeling the story had truly ended. As far as the other trilogy: The Ragged Astronauts blew me away, and The Wooden Spaceships did not quite blow me away, but had close to the same vibrant energy as the first book. I think a problem Shaw faced was that a lot of the Sense of Wonder naturally established by anything to do with the balloon trips of the first book, mixed with the rules of the two planets with atmospheres that barely overlap, becomes just a wee bit "business as usual" in any further books. That said, I think Ragged Astronauts and Wooden Spaceships are a dynamic duo...whereas I feel The Fugitive Worlds to be a rather rushed and weary final book. It was a decent read; I don't know if Shaw was dealing with serious health issues when he was writing it, or was just finishing up with worlds and characters he had already become a bit ambivalent to. All these books in both sagas tend to jump ahead, significantly, from where the previous one left off; this means they function quite well as stand-alone experiences for a reader...but it does help to read them in order, even though leaving time between each book doesn't cause the kind of problems that happen when books in series are tightly linked in time.

I've sold a few copies of that Arthur Barnes, and it always sells thanks to the wild cover art. I hope it's a good book too! 🙂

Hello

If you havent read this yet, check out a book called "Second Angel" by Phillip Kerr. Its synopsis will make you roll your eyes because its seems like itll be the same ol' dystopian future...plague.. blah blah blah. Nope. Not at all. Its one of the best books ive ever read. Incredibly smart story and its written very well. I cannot recommend it enough

Asher's Universe is second to none in ideas. Very few science-fiction writers get that (above all else) science fiction is about wild ideas.

Good video, I listened twice.

I love and envy your bookshelves, and the LEGO spaceship is awesome. Great video.

🚀🪐 Love the spaceship!! Nice job with the hangar bay. Were you ever into model building? One of my teenage hobbies was constructing and painting SF model kits.

I would put Robert silverberg in my top 5 favourite authors . He has written so many books that are just fabulous and the short stories are mind blowing classic stuff to be sure.

Great library. Best wishes and happy reading to you from Lancashire, England.

Was gonna say that you should try Downward to the Earth. So freaking good. The Book of Skulls is great as well but not really SF. Sort of but more just a road trip story with four guys, friends going through a weird scenario. They're searching for immortality.

That final shot of the lego project was giving me "Silent Running" vibes. Loved the update, and the long form Space Vampires review. Thank you for mentioning "Philoctetes" - I'm not sure I've heard of this reference before. (Other than in the book.) Either way, totally forgot it. I'm torn; Silverberg hasn't been hitting me the way he's been hitting the rest of the BookTube community. Of course, Clark Ashton Smith apparently hasn't been hitting you as much as he did me, so, to each his own. I thought you'd dig CAS's understated (subversive?) sense of humor - a self deprecating subtext. And (of course) his unparalleled prose. That collection has some really good ones; I particularly like the Malygris stories when feeling insomnia. I love the offhand reference to the Heavy Metal (magazine) age's #2 man: Richard Corben! I assume you're making a joke, but If you don't know about him, look up "Den" or "RanXerox." I have also toyed with how to display some cool old SF digests. If you want to go more "Man-cave" than "Living Room" there are mylar(?) wall hanging pockets that come in different sizes & configurations, that are amazing for covering different shaped spaces, but I don't know the company. Of course, THAT much wall space may be better served with bookcases. Wow, that's a LOT of comment for someone who isn't *actually* insane. Lots of interesting stuff this vid. Good luck with the reading & sleeping. Be well.

Colin Wilsons The Space Vampires became the film Lifeforce (1985). Not very well received at the time but would be a blockbuster in todays destitute market.

I don’t consider Silverberg “New Wave”. He’s pre-NW who happened to write his best books during the NW.

I'm glad you liked Silverberg! Try The World Inside or Tower of Glass to explore weirder topics. Definitely was curious about the Brodart covers. Maybe I'll order some. Good to know the size difference between BCE and other editions. Fantastic Lego design!

Good to see you reading more. Yeah, Silverberg seems to have an efficiency of prose. Love the lego spaceship too.

Downward to the Earth is one of my favourite books ever and I liked The Man in the Maze too. Looking forward to the next best of video.

Your ship looks mint!!!! Super fresh. My Shelves are fighting a three way with books and decor. I am planning to expand the library into my TV Room

Cool lego spaceship!! I need to read more Silverberg. I'll be interested to know what you think of the Empire of Fear. 🧛‍♂️

Did you get to check out Aegeon and Bizarchives magazines?

Downward to the Earth is Silverberg's best book in my opinion. I'd recommend Hawksbill Station. It has a similar vibe as Downward and Man in the Maze.

Hi, great video and not just because you cover two of my favourites: Messrs Silverberg and Stableford. I second Steve's advice on Silverberg, though the later books are far from shabby and there are early gems like Master of Life and Death. The delight I felt on discovering The Empire of Fear is one of my fondest bookshop memories, back in the day. It was for me the start of a renaissance for Brian that gave us The Werewolves of London and The Angel of Pain.

Glad you liked 'The Man in the Maze' - I think you'll find a lot of pleasure in the more Silverberg you read. Stick to the 66-76 period and you won't go wrong. Glad to see your cat has been reading my book!

Glad you enjoyed 'The Space Vampires', Matt- that is a true first edition by the way, have the same edition myself. You will REALLY enjoy 'The Philosopher's Stone', which is the climax of his SF career, really, so you might want to tackle 'The Mind Parasites' next. I'll also very strongly recommend his novella "The Return of the Lloigor" (from 'Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos' edited by August Derleth- there is a video about the story on my channel, shot at one of its locations- Monmouth, in Wales). I've read 70 of Wilson's 120 books- I had a big obsession with him in the late eighties/ early 1990s and although he divides people, he was a fascinating writer- his novels are generally underrated and 'Ritual in the Dark' and 'The World of Violence' are excellent. 'Lifeforce' was the much derided film of 'The Space Vampires' and people love it more for its cheesy charm, but it is horribly miscast when it comes to Carlssen - I enjoy watching it now and then, though, but it has little of Wilson's class in it. It's worth considering that Wilson was a massive fan of Van Vogt- think about how the opening of the book resembles the scenes early in 'Alien' when Kane descends into the egg chamber, then consider how Van Vogt settled out of court for $50,000 with Fox as it was ruled that 'Alien' had indeed plagiarised 'Voyage of the Space Beagle' (particular the third section, "Dischord in Scarlett"). As for M R James, you should simply read EVERYTHING - there isn't much and you can get collected works which contain every story- he is one of the most important figures in the history of Supernatural fiction and you, being a history buff, will love the old English feel of his work. Finally, Wilson always used real mysteries such as the Piri Reis map in his work to stunning effect. Enjoyed the review, my friend!

I'm a fan of Lifeforce (my cousin played the doomed doctor!) so I started reading the book. Boy, it was quite sexist. I haven't finished it yet though. You are a good storyteller. Thanks for this.

I'm glad you published this, you'd mentioned you recorded it in a previous video but didn't think you were going to post it. I said in the comments I would watch it even though you thought it was too rambling. True to my word I watched it. I enjoyed your reviews. The M. R. James story is one I hadn't heard of before & the Space Vampires one I didn't know the film Lifeforce was based on this book. It's a film I've always had a soft spot for even though it has its flaws. It's directed by Tobe Hooper who directed the first poltergeist film, Salems Lot & Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It even has Patrick Stewart in an small early film role. I hope you do a lot more reviews as I enjoyed this one lot 👍,

I've not yet read a full length Wilson novel. I've read a novella (?) length Lovecraftian short story in the mold of the Mountains of Madness, and listened to a number of his speaking engagements/ lectures from my library. I get the feeling at the root of it all were his beliefs about developing human abilities to a super-human level through concentration and personal experimentation. Your in depth treatment of this book really cements that. This seems to be where he's going with all of his stuff in varying flavors & degrees. With no disrespect to the author, I feel a bit like he was a failed cult leader. I'm sure he would've hated that. In more ways than one. According to Mr. Wilson, he was self educated and fought a great deal of classist assumption to earn his way into the public eye as a "Public Intellectual." He was charismatic, had quite a following & wanted to teach people his self discovered techniques (or "Truths") but would not want to be followed blindly. He would've had no respect for people who would look at him as a religious leader, or guru, but he seemed to need a following to survive. Interesting that. I feel like so many of his fictions were like "narrow ended wedges" into his self actualization philosophy - easilly marketed if he pulled an "L Ron Hubbard." Yet he never did. I am not sure if that makes him a hero or a failure. I know his "Self Made Superman" concept makes him popular with conservatives, often re-interpreted as "Eastern Thought w/o the Diversity." Interestingly, when you hear him talk, most of what he said against "the Left" and "Liberals" was completely misguided/ misinformed. I'm not getting political - I'm referring to his perspective in the 60s/70s. Let's not talk politics! Thanks for your awesome review!

Thank you so much for posting this in depth review. People often mention this book in passing, but never share a deeper experience of it. I especially appreciate you finding the MR James story. Did I miss you say it? Was it mentioned in the text of the book, or did you find it through research?