Book Review: The Pastel City

Book Review: 'The Pastel City' by M. John Harrison

5 / 5 Stars

I remember picking up the Avon Books 1976 paperback edition of The Pastel City back when it first was published. It stood out from the other paperbacks on the shelves of Gordon's Cigar Store due to its unusual green color scheme (historically US paperback publishers shied from using green as they considered it a 'slow selling' color) and the outstanding cover illustration by the well-known artist Grey Morrow.

At 157 pp, The Pastel City was a quick, but very rewarding, read. At the time I thought it was one of the best sf novel's I'd ever read.

In 1976 there was no such thing as the internet, nor Google, so I had no real idea of who Michael John Harrison was, or that The Pastel City was his first novel, released in the UK in 1971 by the New English Library with yet another fine cover illustration, this one by Bruce Pennington. 

Over the years I've read additional works by Harrison, including the other volumes in the 'Viriconium' series, as well as his short stories (of which Running Down and The New Rays are among the best).

But upon re-reading The Pastel City several times over the intervening years, and most recently just a few days ago, I remain firm in my belief that this novel is one of the best sf novels ever, and a good candidate for the best sf novel of the 1970s.

The plot and setting of the novel also have well stood the test of time. Harrison used a straightforward plot for The Pastel City: when an army of barbarians descend into the Southlands on a mission of conquest, a group of aristocrats, known as the Methven, and led by swordsman and poet Lord tegeus-Cromis, band together and fight for the existence of their Queen and the fate of the Pastel City, Viriconium.

Their efforts are complicated by a sinister development: the barbarians have resurrected a long-buried technology and pressed it into their service. But such weapons have the unpleasant habit of eventually turning on their owners...........

There are any number of things that make The Pastel City stand out. One is its inventive use of metaphors, similes, and poetic phrases. At the time the book first was published such things were becoming part and parcel of the New Wave movement, and their appearance in sf novels was by no means unusual.

However, unlike so many instances when metaphor and simile and 'purple' prose came across as obtuse and self-indulgent for too many authors, Harrison employs them with care and deliberation, and the result is that the prose in The Pastel City stands as a fine example of how the stylistic ideologies of the New Wave era could be used in rewarding manner.

The concept of Entropy in its broadest sense was very much in fashion during the early years of the New Wave movement and unsurprisingly Harrison incorporates it into The Pastel City. 

But again, where many sf authors, like Brian Aldiss, sought to mimic J. G. Ballard in their treatment of entropy, often with underwhelming results, Harrison is much more thoughtful in evoking the theme within the pages of his novel, using descriptive passages to imbue The Pastel City with sensibility that recalls, but does not copy, Ballard.

Summing up, The Pastel City showcases the best aspects of the New Wave movement and stands the test of time as a great sf novel. This is a book that belongs on everyone's shelf.

Rick Griffin

Rick Griffin
by Gordon McClellan
Last Gasp, 2002

'Rick Griffin' (100 pp), an overview of the renowned graphic artists' work, was published by Last Gasp in 2002. It's an authorized reprint of the volume first released by Paper Tiger in 1980.

Copies of the book (which is out of print) have been targeted by speculators, who have asking prices that start at $99 and go on up. I was fortunate to find my copy for only $5.

Rick Griffin (1953 - 1991) was the most gifted of all the artists participating in the underground comix and 'psychedelic' art movements of the late 60s and early 70s. Griffin grew up in Southern California and embraced its surfer culture, learning to surf at age 14 and contributing the comic strip 'Murphy' to Surfer magazine while still in high school. After graduating, Griffin was a staffer for the magazine before embarking on a peripatetic lifestyle that saw him traveling and surfing to one memorable destination after another.

By the mid-60s Griffin had moved to San Francisco and established himself as the most sought-after artist for the burgeoning rock concert poster scene. A number of his more famous posters are reproduced here in this volume.

Also represented in 'Rick Griffin' are some of the stories Griffin did for underground comix, as well as examples of his typography, including his famous logo for the magazine Rolling Stone. 

What makes Griffin's work all the more impressive is the fact that in 1964, a car he had hitch-hiked a ride in wound up crashing due to the erratic state of the driver. Griffin was thrown from the vehicle, and his face struck the ground, leaving him with a detached eyeball and facial injuries that took two years of plastic surgery to repair. So all of his meticulous artwork was done with only one eye (!).

During the late 70s and 80s, Griffin's reputation earned him commissions for record album covers, movie posters, and other advertisements, some of which are reproduced in the pages of 'Rick Griffin'.

As a result of his conversion to Christianity in 1970, Griffin also created impressive graphic art, based on the Bible, for a book / tract titled The Gospel of St John.

Griffin's tragic death in August, 1991 in a motorcycle accident in Petaluma cut short his career just as he was making significant inroads into the world of gallery-based fine art.

Summing up, if you come across a copy of 'Rick Griffin' for an affordable price, by all means grab it. It's something that belongs on the bookshelf of anyone devoted to the art of the psychedelic era, underground comix, and the pop culture of the 60s.

Metal Hurlant: The French comic that changed the world

Metal Hurlant: The French comic that changed the world
by Tom Lennon

A well-written and well-illustrated article about the founding of Metal Hurlant magazine and its influence on pop culture, by British freelancer Tom Lennon.

Hawkworld by Tim Truman

Hawkworld
Tim Truman (artist and writer)
Alcatena (inks)
Sam Parsons (colors)
DC Comics, 1991 

This trade paperback compiles the three issues of Hawkworld published by DC from August - October 1989, and features an Introduction by DC editor Mike Gold.

Hawkworld is basically Truman's take on a postmodern origin story for the Hawkman character first introduced into comics in 1940. It was well enough received to motivate DC to issue an ongoing series a year later, also titled Hawkworld, that ran for 32 issues until falling victim in Spring 1993 to the Great Comic Book Crash then unfolding.

The story is set on the planet Thanagar, where the elite live in luxury and splendor among the high towers of the city; aided by artificial wings and anti-gravity belts, they can fly like the eponymous birds of prey.

The Thangarans have enslaved a bewildering variety of alien races, representatives of which are obliged to work as slaves and servants in the high towers, while many more are condemned to live in strife and squalor in the slums occupying ground level.

The lead character, Katar Hol, is the son of a Thanagar aristocrat and a new recruit to the police force, where his skills and courage make him a man with a bright future. However, Katar Hol's exposure to the brutal tactics used by the police against the aliens of the ground warrens causes him a crisis of conscience.

As Hawkworld unfolds, Katar Hol finds himself forced to make a decision: remain indifferent to the plight of the Underclass, or become a Social Justice Warrior. Of course, Hol chooses the latter option, and finds himself drawn into a violent conflict with the corrupt and amoral leaders of the police force and the planet Thanagar itself..........

I found Hawkworld to be one of the better reboots of a DC comics superhero to be initiated in the late 80s and early 90s. Truman's plot is somewhat predictable - after all, this is DC comics, not 2000 AD comics - but it avoids becoming overly complicated, and doesn't belabor the Social Justice theme.

As is always the case with Tim Truman comics, it's the artwork that makes Hawkworld stand out. Ably assisted by inker Alcatena, and his longtime collaborator colorist Sam Parsons, Truman serves up some impressive draftsmanship that lifts the series above the usual superhero fare. 

Truman has a knack for drawing monsters and the presence of a potpourri of aliens within the pages of Hawkworld gives him an excuse to outdo himself with variations on reptiles, primates, and birds, and even has a tentacled monstrosity thrown into the mix in the book's closing pages. 

Summing up, Hawkworld stands the test of time as one of the better DC titles of its era. Hawkman fans, Tim Truman fans, and those who appreciate good graphic art will want to pick up a copy.

Book Review: The Goblin Reservation

Book Review: 'The Goblin Reservation' by Clifford D. Simak

2 / 5 Stars

‘The Goblin Reservation’ first was published in 1968; this DAW Books version (160 pp) was published in May 1982 and is DAW Book No. 482. The cover artwork is by Kelly Freas.

The novel is set in the future, when interstellar travel is routine due to the introduction of teleportation. Aliens from all over the galaxy come to Earth to attend university at the College of Supernatural Phenomena in Wisconsin. There they mingle with the Terran creatures of folklore and myth (like the eponymous goblins, trolls, banshees, etc.), who - by some process Simak never really explains – have been made ‘real’ and interactive with the world around them.

As ‘The Goblin Reservation’ opens the lead character, a faculty member of the College named Peter Maxwell, returns from a teleportation trip gone badly wrong. Instead of arriving at the Coonskin planet, his intended destination, Maxwell instead found himself on a Crystal planet peopled by strange beings who apparently hold knowledge of the history of the existence of the universe. Even as he struggles with his half-remembered experiences on the Crystal planet, Maxwell's is further bewildered to learn that ‘another’ Peter Maxwell had returned a month earlier to the College – and been killed under suspicious circumstances.

As Maxwell tries to determine where his doppelganger came from, he stumbles upon drama and intrigue surrounding a mysterious alien artifact, its sale to the highest bidder, and access to the greatest body of knowledge the Universe yet holds. Resolving these mysteries will require the counsel of the elder creatures of the Goblin Reservation………..if they are willing to assist him, that is………

‘The Goblin Reservation’ is the first Simak novel I’ve ever read. For one reason or another, he is one of those sf authors from the 60s and 70s that I’ve never really felt much urgency in seeking out. After finishing ‘The Goblin Reservation’ I have to say I don’t see an overwhelming need to try other Simak novels.

The trouble with ‘Reservation’ is not that it’s poorly written – in fact, by the standards of mainstream sf of the late 60s, it’s actually reasonably well written. But it stands as a spiritual forerunner to the ‘humorous sf’ of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, and that’s a genre I never really have warmed to.

Much of the narrative of ‘Reservation’ is structured around lengthy conversations in which Peter Maxwell engages in witty banter with Alley Oop, the 1930s comic strip ‘Caveman’ character; a ghost; a swell dame named Carol; and Carol’s pet sabre-tooth cat, Sylvester. This is fully as cheesy as it sounds.

Interspersed with these humorous motifs are segments in which Simak introduces wide-eyed sci fi tropes such as time travel (giving Simak the chance to write a passage in which William Shakespeare joins Maxwell’s party at a tavern for some ale-drinking and lively conversation), the Big Bang, evolving Universes, and duplicitous aliens. These traditional sf tropes meld awkwardly – if at all - with the narrative’s more cutesy episodes, giving the book a contrived character that seems dated and unrewarding.

Summing up, if you’re a fan of the comical sf of Ron Goulart, Douglas Adams, and Terry Pratchett, then ‘The Goblin Reservation’ likely will be a rewarding read. But all others can pass.