Golden Years.

 "I first read science fiction in the old British Chum annual when I was about 12 years old."

A. E. Van Vogt, The Weinberg Interview

From a scholarly perspective, the Golden Age of Science Fiction is considered to run from 1938 to 1946, at least in the United States, and at least according to Wikipedia.

However, there's an alternate position. Reactor Mag (née tor.com) recently reminded us that many years ago, SF fan Peter Scott Graham commented that "The golden age of science fiction is 12."  (Alternate versions cite 13, but still.)*  It feels like one of those facile statements that would look good on a t-shirt, but it's easy to see the point that Mr. Graham was making.

Glibness aside, let's for a moment take it as a definitive measurement, in terms of what novels came out in 1973, when I was 12?  To be fair to all parties, we'll let the clock run to the end of 1974, since my birthday is in September.

A little research reveals a surprisingly prestigious lineup. 

1973 saw the publication of the following classic novels, featuring some of the most famous science fiction authors, almost all of which have a place in my little library at home:

• The Man Who Folded Himself, by David Gerrold
• Bloodhype, by Alan Dean Foster
• Crash, by J. G. Ballard
• Hiero's Journey, by Sterling E. Lanier
• The People of the Wind, by Poul Anderson
• Protector, by Larry Niven
• Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke (which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel)
  
• Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers, by Harry Harrison
• Time Enough for Love, by Robert A. Heinlein
• To Die in Italbar, by Roger Zelazny
• Sky Pirates of Callisto, by Terry Carr
• And a trio of Antares/Scorpio novels: The Suns of Scorpio, Swordships of Scorpio, and Warrior of Scorpio, by Kenneth Bulmer writing as Alan Burt Akers

1974 does just as well in terms of classics and well-known names:

• The Centauri Device, by M. John Harrison**
• Dhalgren, by Samuel R. Delaney
• The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hugo for Best Novel) ***
  
• The Fall of Chronopolis, by Barrington J. Bayley
  
• The Godwhale, by T. J. Bass
  
• The Land Leviathan, by Michael Moorcock
• Icerigger, by Alan Dean Foster
• The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
• Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, by Philip K. Dick
• The Last Canadian, by William C. Heine
  
• The Mote in God's Eye, by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven
  
• Inverted World, by Christopher Priest
  
• A Song for Lya, by George R. R. Martin
  
• And three more by Alan Burt Akers/Bulmer: Prince of Scorpio, Manhounds of Antares, and Arena of Antares****

It's a bit surprising to see that each of these lists covers a single year, it's such a wide-ranging selection of authors and styles.  Some of my favourite books are represented here, which certainly feels like proof of concept for the whole "golden-age-is-12" hypothesis - and, a bit sadly, it all makes me aware of the fact that it's been 50 years since I was 12, which puts me squarely in the silver age, at least in terms of hair colour.

- Sid

* There's a surprising amount of debate regarding this simple statement, which has been attributed to several people and several dates over the years.  Short answer, very probably Peter Scott Graham, and somewhat probably around 1960.

** Not well known, but definitely one of my top ten favourite books, along with his 1971 novel, The Pastel City.

*** And, AND, she also won best short story for The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas in 1973, another classic entry for the Golden Age score card.

**** If anyone is surprised to see six of these novels over a two year period, you probably haven't read any of them. They're enthusiastic pastiches of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars series that have an entertaining creative life of their own - they're probably not for everyone, but I have fond memories of discovering the series.  Honestly, I suspect that Kenneth Bulmer could knock one of them off in two or three months without breaking a sweat.

"Warriors for the working-day."

I was saddened to discover that talented science fiction and fantasy author David Drake had passed away on December 10th of last year at the age of 78 - saddened and a bit surprised that, in spite of his prolific and noteworthy career, it had taken almost a month for me to hear about his passing. 

Drake was one of my favourite authors. His books were eminently readable - they may not have explored great philosophical issues, but their strong foundation in realism and historical research gave them a weight and believability that appealed to me.

I always felt that Drake was a guilty pleasure - so many of his books were set in a military framework, and by and large the science fiction community tends toward the pacifist. This viewpoint was reflected in his early struggles to sell short stories that were rooted in his personal experience of combat while serving in Vietnam. Eventually he was able to find a market for the gritty realism of his Hammer's Slammers series, which told the story of a far-future mercenary regiment from a wide range of perspectives. 

After he gained a foothold in the market with the Slammers stories and novels, he demonstrated his range as a writer by creating a multitude of fictional worlds: the Northworld Trilogy, the Reaches books, the Tom Kelly and Venus novels, and his fantasy series Lord of the Isles, and The Books of the Elements, along with a variety of one-off novels, such as The Forlorn Hope, Redliners, Old Nathan and The Dragon Lord. 

Drake also collaborated on the General series with S. M. Stirling, providing a plot outline for the original five books that Stirling then completed, an approach which he repeated with Eric Fint and the Belisarius novels.

In addition, Drake created what I would consider to be his own subgenre of science fiction: Romans encountering aliens. Although this has an unfortunate Cowboys Vs. Aliens feel to it, the three novels that used this concept - Ranks of Bronze, Birds of Prey and Killer, along with the short story collection Vettius and His Friends - convincingly created storylines in which the Romans come out on top when confronted with extraterrestrial opposition, proving that technology doesn't necessarily provide superiority. 

At the time of his retirement from writing due to health issues in November of 2021, Drake had completed 13 novels in his Republic of Cinnabar Navy (RCN) series, which featured the adventures of Daniel Leary, an officer in the RCN, and his companion Adele Mundy, who goes from being a librarian to a member of the espionage branch of the Republic.  Leary is Drake's Horatio Hornblower, a young officer who advances his naval career through a combination of cleverness, bravery, aggression and charm, in spite of his estrangement from his highly placed father, Speaker Leary of the Republic.  

The RCN books are well-written, well researched stories, rooted in actual historical events that Drake cleverly translates into the world of the Cinnabar Navy and its interstellar encounters with the Alliance of Free Stars.  I sincerely hope that no one decides to find another writer to finish the series - or add to any of Drake's other stories, for that matter.  They could try, but it would be impossible to find a match for the talent, experience and intellect that made David Drake such a great author - and a great loss. 

- Sid

Chef Who.

Idris: Are all people like this?
The Doctor: Like what?
Idris: So much bigger on the inside.

The Doctor's Wife, Doctor Who

I just received  the above late-arriving Christmas from my sister-in-laws Lisa and Stefanie - I am always touched that anyone would care enough to find something that so perfectly matches my interests in life.  Thank you so very much!

- Sid