Tag Archives: Science Fiction and Fantasy

An Almost Complete Collection

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve been a fan of the always original science fiction works written by Philip K. Dick since I was a child. So I found the recently release Folio Society limited edition complete collection of 118 short stories intriguing. As usual, … Continue reading →

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Don’t Panic : The Answer Is Still 42

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The indie publisher Unbound is preparing to release the crowdfunded book  42: The Wildly Improbably Ideas of Douglas Adams, featuring unseen notes, scripts and ideas from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy author. The book consists of excerpts from 67 boxes full of notebooks, letters, … Continue reading →

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A Specter is Haunting Texas

Posted on February 22, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The constant news stories this past week about the pitiful state of the State of Texas reminded me of the little known post-apocalyptic science fiction satire by the way under appreciated author Fritz Leiber. In the very dark, but humorous … Continue reading →

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Predicting The Future

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

The late American author Octavia Butler died nearly 15 years ago, but the disturbing plague year that is coming to a close has resulted in a renewed interest in her books. Her Parable books were especially popular in 2020, with … Continue reading →

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Dune, Now and Then

Posted on September 14, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Science Fiction fans around the world—myself included—were excited to see the first trailer for the new Dune film last week. (see below)Although I enjoyed the first cinematic interpretation of Frank Herbert’s interstellar saga, like many I found David Lynch’s version lacking in … Continue reading →

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The Parable of the Author

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I am not a big re-reader of books, but at the start of the pandemic I picked-up a copy of Octavia Butler’s The Parable of the Sower. If you are not familiar with the novel, it was published in 1993, but was … Continue reading →

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The rockets came like locusts.

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Like many antiquarian book collectors, I tend to focus on old first editions and elaborately bound illustrated books. Doing so can result in overlooking wonderfully illustrated paperbacks and re-issues such as this terrific 1979 edition of Ray Bradbury’s science fiction … Continue reading →

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La Guerre des Mondes

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

During the past week, I stumbled on three different references to H. G. Wells’ iconic science fiction novel  The War of the Worlds, including a new French-British television  series (which was mediocre at best). The early sci-fi classic was originally … Continue reading →

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Conquest of Mars

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Here is copy number 55 of the first edition of Edison’s Conquest of Mars by Garrett P. Serviss. There were only 1,500 copies in the first edition, and only 1,450 of those were offered for general distribution. Serviss, an astronomer, wrote Conquest in 1898; … Continue reading →

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Older Than the Moon

Posted on January 11, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

“Before the moon I am, what a woman is, a woman of power, a woman’s power, deeper than the roots of trees, deeper than the roots of islands, older than the Making, older than the moon.” – Ursula K. Le Guin, from Tehanu: … Continue reading →

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