Paperback Fantastic - Volume 1 - Sci-Fi by Justin Marriott (ed)

Once again, Justin Marriott has produced a slick ‘zine, with a cover designed by Bill Cunningham, that takes a good look at a specific genre of paperbacks and comics. This is actually the first of three related products, all devoted to speculative fiction. Here we have a focus on science fiction while the second will tackle fantasy and the third will examine horror paperbacks.

This volume is laser focused (see what I did there?) on the science fiction field. The bulk of the book is allocated to reviews of sci-fi through the ages, covering a wide variety of authors, eras, and styles. Many of the authors represented here are house-hold science fiction names like Silverberg, Asimov, Niven, Moorcock, Norton, Zelazny, etc. but many are names you may be less familiar with. Who knew Don Pendleton wrote "The Guns of Terra 10" before developing a whole new genre with "The Executioner novels"? We get reviews from every kind of sci-fi story out there, from David Brin’s “Startide Rising” to Jean-Claude Forrest’s “Barbarella”, from “Flash Gordon” to “Planet of the Apes”. Hard science fiction is found alongside humorous sci-fi and comics, swashbuckling planetary adventure, and end-of-the world scenarios. Nine different reviewers offer their opinions in thoughtful reviews (Full Disclosure: I’m one of them), but always with an eye for being informative. 

Along with the insightful reviews are a number of “Fantastic Factoids”. These are two-page spreads that spotlight themes or cover artists. These include subjects such as “Moorcock on Mars”, “Andre Norton and Ken Barr” and “Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction”.

A real bonus in this volume (and the next two) is the full color artwork. Almost every review is accompanied by a full color depiction of the cover. Often the covers chosen aren’t necessarily the ones you’ve seen and known from the bookstore shelves, offering a full mix of UK and US covers and even some from other countries. Sometimes, several covers are presented representing different styles and artists for the same book/comic. Additionally, each cover presented includes details of the artist and other facts about the book’s history.

As always, these products offer a great way to get a sampling of a specific genre. Sci-fi fans will soak this up while those who’ve only ever wondered about what this genre is all about will find plenty to whet their appetites. 

Highly recommended.