F. M. Busby

"Backup System" © IASFM, Oct 1981 --/ cool sf story "First Person Plural" © Universe # 10, 1980 --/ cool sf story "I Am Going To Get You!" © Fantastic, Mar 1974 "If This Is Winnetka, You Must Be Judy" © Universe # 5, 1974 ---------------------------------------------- "The Long View" (nv) (Rissa Kerguellen series 2) © 1976, Berkley / Putnam Some maintain that this is a fun space opera, but I say that it heralds the arrival of many overlong pointless mass-market epics, without the necessary sense of grandeur, true glory, or even the basic sense of wonder. This trilogy still has quality, and some signs of aforementioned "senses", but it still shows the coming decline of space adventure in paperbacks. review: 18-Jul-06 (read in 1986) ---------------------------------------------- "Proof" © Amazing, Sep 1972 ---------------------------------------------- "Rissa Kerguellen" (nv) (also as "Young Rissa" and "The Long View") (Rissa Kerguellen series) © 1976, Berkley / Putnam This is undeniably "a cult series", as it even has a fan website specially dedicated to it. Just as "sword & sorcery" sub-genre dubiously reigned in the 70ties fantasy, so large-scale "BattleStar Galactica"-type paperbacks flooded the shelves of science fiction. I can understand all the rage around Rissa Kerguelen, though - just think, "at five, they slaughtered her parents and doomed her to slavery. At seventeen, she escaped from Earth as a million-dollar fugitive. At eighteen, she commanded an army in outer space." Perfect feminist vehicle, told with broad strokes on a big canvas (read - with tons of pages, unnecessarily added between gaudy front and back covers) I will suspend my judgment on this one, as it merits certainly more than just a place in a venerable (or vomitable?) "Battleship Earth" category. review: 18-Jul-06 (read in 1986) ---------------------------------------------- "Tell Me All About Yourself" © New Dimensions # 3, 1973 --/ cool sf story "Wrong Number" © IASFM, Sep 1981 ---------------------------------------------- "Young Rissa" (nv) (also as "Rissa Kerguellen") (Rissa Kerguellen series 1) © 1976, Berkley / Putnam It's definitely better than similar offerings from Piers Anthony, at least it has believable characters - still, only marginably readable for me. I try to stay away from the epic "bricks" or trilogies, although I can understand the hype around this one, and its singular place in the development of space opera sub-genre in the Seventies. Think of "Star Wars" with strong female protagonist - like Heinlein's passionate "Friday" - written with "Dumarest of Terra" E. C. Tubb sensibilities and a similar level of writing. review: 18-Jul-06 (read in 1986) ----------------------------------------------

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