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Swordsmen in the Sky
CONTENTS: ~ ~~ ~ Swordsman Of Lost Terra [Poul Anderson];
People of the Crater [Andre Norton];
The Moon That Vanished [Leigh Brackett];
A Vision of Venus [Otis Adelbert Kline];
Kaldar, World of Antares [Edmond Hamilton]
Cover art by Frank Frazetta.
People of the Crater [Andre Norton];
The Moon That Vanished [Leigh Brackett];
A Vision of Venus [Otis Adelbert Kline];
Kaldar, World of Antares [Edmond Hamilton]
Cover art by Frank Frazetta.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
1 person is currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Donald A. Wollheim
295 books34 followersDonald Allen Wollheim was a science fiction writer, editor, publisher and fan. He published his own works under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell.
A member of the Futurians, he was one of the leading influences on the development of science fiction and science fiction fandom in the 20th century United States.
In 1937, Wollheim founded the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. The first mailing was distributed in July of that year and included this statement from Wollheim: "There are many fans desiring to put out a voice who dare not, for fear of being obliged to keep it up, and for the worry and time taken by subscriptions and advertising. It is for them and for the fan who admits it is his hobby and not his business that we formed the FAPA."
Wollheim was also a member of the New York Science Fiction League, one of the clubs established by Hugo Gernsback to promote science fiction. When Wollheim published a complaint of non-payment for stories against Gernsback, Gernsback dissolved the New York chapter of the club.
Wollheim's first story, "The Man from Ariel," was published in the January 1934 issue of Wonder Stories when Wollheim was nineteen. Wollheim was not paid for the story and when he began to look into the situation, he learned that many other authors had not been paid for their work, publishing his findings in the Bulletin of the Terrestrial Fantascience Guild. Gernsback eventually settled the case with Wollheim and other authors out of court for $75, but when Wollheim submitted another story to Gernsback, under the pseudonym "Millard Verne Gordon," he was again not paid. One of Wollheim's short stories, "Mimic" was made into the feature film of the same name, which was released in 1997.
He left Avon Books in 1952 to work for A. A. Wyn at Ace Books. In 1953 he introduced science fiction to the Ace lineup, and for 20 years edited their renowned sf list. Ace was well known for the Ace Doubles series which consisted of pairs of books, usually by different authors, bound back-to-back with two "front" covers. Because these paired books had to fit a fixed total page-length, one or both were usually heavily abridged to fit, and Wollheim often made many other editorial alterations and title changes — as witness the many differences between Poul Anderson's Ace novel War of the Wing-Men and its definitive revised edition, The Man Who Counts. It was also during the 1950s he bought the book Junk by William S. Burroughs, which, in his inimitable fashion, he retitled Junkie.
In 1965 Wollheim published an unauthorized Ace edition of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien in three volumes — the first mass-market paperback edition of Tolkien's epic. This was done because Wollheim believed the Houghton Mifflin hardcover editions failed to properly assert copyright. In a 2006 interview, Wollheim's daughter claimed that Tolkien had angered her father by saying that his magnum opus would never be published in so ‘degenerate a form’ as the paperback book. However, Tolkien had previously authorized a paperback edition of The Hobbit in 1961, and eventually supported paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings and several of his other texts. In any case, Ace was forced to cease publishing the unauthorized edition and to pay Tolkien for their sales following a grass-roots campaign and boycott by Tolkien's U.S. fans. In 1993 a court found that the copyright loophole suggested by Ace Books was incorrect and their paperback edition found to have been a violation of Tolkien's copyright under US law.
After leaving Ace he founded DAW Books in 1971, named by his initials, which can claim to be the first mass market specialist science fiction and fantasy fiction publishing house. In later years, when his distributors, New American Library, threatened to withhold distribution of Thomas Burnett Swann's Biblical fantasy How are the Mighty Fallen (1974) because of its homosexual con
A member of the Futurians, he was one of the leading influences on the development of science fiction and science fiction fandom in the 20th century United States.
In 1937, Wollheim founded the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. The first mailing was distributed in July of that year and included this statement from Wollheim: "There are many fans desiring to put out a voice who dare not, for fear of being obliged to keep it up, and for the worry and time taken by subscriptions and advertising. It is for them and for the fan who admits it is his hobby and not his business that we formed the FAPA."
Wollheim was also a member of the New York Science Fiction League, one of the clubs established by Hugo Gernsback to promote science fiction. When Wollheim published a complaint of non-payment for stories against Gernsback, Gernsback dissolved the New York chapter of the club.
Wollheim's first story, "The Man from Ariel," was published in the January 1934 issue of Wonder Stories when Wollheim was nineteen. Wollheim was not paid for the story and when he began to look into the situation, he learned that many other authors had not been paid for their work, publishing his findings in the Bulletin of the Terrestrial Fantascience Guild. Gernsback eventually settled the case with Wollheim and other authors out of court for $75, but when Wollheim submitted another story to Gernsback, under the pseudonym "Millard Verne Gordon," he was again not paid. One of Wollheim's short stories, "Mimic" was made into the feature film of the same name, which was released in 1997.
He left Avon Books in 1952 to work for A. A. Wyn at Ace Books. In 1953 he introduced science fiction to the Ace lineup, and for 20 years edited their renowned sf list. Ace was well known for the Ace Doubles series which consisted of pairs of books, usually by different authors, bound back-to-back with two "front" covers. Because these paired books had to fit a fixed total page-length, one or both were usually heavily abridged to fit, and Wollheim often made many other editorial alterations and title changes — as witness the many differences between Poul Anderson's Ace novel War of the Wing-Men and its definitive revised edition, The Man Who Counts. It was also during the 1950s he bought the book Junk by William S. Burroughs, which, in his inimitable fashion, he retitled Junkie.
In 1965 Wollheim published an unauthorized Ace edition of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien in three volumes — the first mass-market paperback edition of Tolkien's epic. This was done because Wollheim believed the Houghton Mifflin hardcover editions failed to properly assert copyright. In a 2006 interview, Wollheim's daughter claimed that Tolkien had angered her father by saying that his magnum opus would never be published in so ‘degenerate a form’ as the paperback book. However, Tolkien had previously authorized a paperback edition of The Hobbit in 1961, and eventually supported paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings and several of his other texts. In any case, Ace was forced to cease publishing the unauthorized edition and to pay Tolkien for their sales following a grass-roots campaign and boycott by Tolkien's U.S. fans. In 1993 a court found that the copyright loophole suggested by Ace Books was incorrect and their paperback edition found to have been a violation of Tolkien's copyright under US law.
After leaving Ace he founded DAW Books in 1971, named by his initials, which can claim to be the first mass market specialist science fiction and fantasy fiction publishing house. In later years, when his distributors, New American Library, threatened to withhold distribution of Thomas Burnett Swann's Biblical fantasy How are the Mighty Fallen (1974) because of its homosexual con
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 11, 2017
Swordsmen in the Sky: My favorite fantasy collection of all time. This is the collection that, more than anything, made me want to write Sword & Planet stories. Contains: Swordsman Of Lost Terra by Poul Anderson, People of the Crater by Andre Norton, The Moon That Vanished by Leigh Brackett, A Vision of Venus by Otis Adelbert Kline, and Kaldar, World of Antares, by Edmond Hamilton
June 28, 2021
Swordsmen in the Sky is a dandy little anthology of sword&planet stories that Wollheim edited in 1964. The book has a nice Frank Frazetta cover and each story a good Jack Gaughan illustration. The two oldest stories first appeared in 1933, a short Burroughs pastiche by Otis Adelbart Kline called A Vision of Venus and Kaldar, World of Antares by Edmond Hamilton, which was the first of his Merrick series. The newest story is Swordsman of Lost Terra by Poul Anderson, from a 1951 issue of Planet Stories. It also includes People of the Crater by Andre Norton from 1947, which I believe was her first published story, and my favorite of the quintet is The Moon That Vanished by Leigh Brackett from 1948. It's altogether a delightful little volume for fantasy fans.
December 7, 2023
If you like older classic SiFi stories this is a good collection to read. Here is my breakdown of the stories. The Andre Norton is my least favorite but then I am not a big Norton fan, still a good read. The Leigh Brackett & Edmond Hamilton stories come in 2nd and a very good reads from those writers. The Poul Anderson is my favorite but then I am a big Anderson fan. The 6 page Otis Albert Kline story isn't really worth rating. Recommended
January 20, 2024
After such a long time searching locally I have finally found my own copy of this book. I actually found it on eBay for a very reasonable price and the seller was local! Local like in the same small town. Ecstatic!
As a long time fan of Frazetta, I have to say that the cover Rocks! Although the title is mostly a misnomer, I enjoyed every story. Swordsman of Lost Terra by Poul Anderson is probably my favorite with it's post apocalyptic setting. People of the Crater by Andre Norton is a lost world story. Not my favorite Norton, but I would like to continue the story in Garan the Eternal. The Moon that Vanished by Leigh Brackett was a cool flight across Venus. A Vision of Venus by Otis Adelbert Kline was condensed fluff. And finally, Kaldar, World of Antares by Edmond Hamilton was the only Sword and Planet story in this collection. I wondered how much of an influence Hamilton might have been on Bulmer's Dray Prescott series because of the title and subject of the story. I would also like to continue this adventure in Kaldar, World of Antares.
Overall, a light and fun read. Recommended!
As a long time fan of Frazetta, I have to say that the cover Rocks! Although the title is mostly a misnomer, I enjoyed every story. Swordsman of Lost Terra by Poul Anderson is probably my favorite with it's post apocalyptic setting. People of the Crater by Andre Norton is a lost world story. Not my favorite Norton, but I would like to continue the story in Garan the Eternal. The Moon that Vanished by Leigh Brackett was a cool flight across Venus. A Vision of Venus by Otis Adelbert Kline was condensed fluff. And finally, Kaldar, World of Antares by Edmond Hamilton was the only Sword and Planet story in this collection. I wondered how much of an influence Hamilton might have been on Bulmer's Dray Prescott series because of the title and subject of the story. I would also like to continue this adventure in Kaldar, World of Antares.
Overall, a light and fun read. Recommended!
August 5, 2025
Swordsmen in the Sky is a fantastic science fantasy anthology with stories by Poul Anderson, Andre Norton, Leigh Brackett, Otis Adelbert Kline, and Edmond Hamilton. All of these authors were first reads for me, despite owning books by Anderson, Norton, and Brackett. I read Brackett’s novelette in this anthology a few years back to celebrate her birthday, but I reread it again when I decided to read the entire anthology. My inspiration for this read was a recent Swords & Wizardry campaign that I started playing based in a homebrew world that emphasizes the science fantasy of advanced technology that gets lost every millenia as the world goes through cycles of destruction and rebirth.
All of the stories feature maidens being rescued and all of the stories have a strong emphasis on romance. There is lots of fighting, too, although not always swordplay. There are some guns, a rod of disintegration, and magical/technological bagpipes.
“Swordsman of Lost Terra” by Poul Anderson is a tale written akin to Celtic/Gael mythology. But the story takes place on a tidally locked planet where there is a permanent side in light and a permanent side in darkness, with some areas in perpetual twilight. The world is a far future post-apocalypse where the advanced technology of the past is mostly lost. But other than those elements, the story is very much sword & sorcery.
“People of the Crater” by Andre Norton. I’ve read people describe this story as a lost world-type tale since the story takes place in a crater in the Antarctic, though the crater is a temperate zone, filled with a hidden civilization and warring tribes. The strangeness of the people (descendants of aliens) and the various creatures (e.g., intelligent lizardfolk and giant bees) felt more otherworldly than what I typically think of as a lost world. The strange people also have unusual technology such as healing rays and a rod of disintegration.
”The Moon That Vanished” by Leigh Brackett. This story takes place on Venus and focuses on a psychologically distraught ship captain who is persuaded to lead two Venusians across the sea to a radioactive mist that gives god-like powers to those in its midst. However, to seek out the mist is considered sacrilege on Venus, and a cult will do anything it can to prevent people from finding it.
“A Vision of Venus” by Otis Adelbert Kline. This story is very short, focusing on a Venusian out on a mushroom-hunting expedition in his flying craft. Things go awry and the Venusian faces danger and daring. It’s light fare and a nice break after Brackett’s rich story.
Kaldar, World of Antares by Edmond Hamilton. This is a fun tale of high adventure. There is a transporter, light swords, light guns, flying ships, metal mountains, metal pyramid buildings, spider-men who shoot poison-spray from tubes, and a metal hive honeycombed with lots of passageways and rooms of the spider-men. What’s not to like?
All of the stories feature maidens being rescued and all of the stories have a strong emphasis on romance. There is lots of fighting, too, although not always swordplay. There are some guns, a rod of disintegration, and magical/technological bagpipes.
“Swordsman of Lost Terra” by Poul Anderson is a tale written akin to Celtic/Gael mythology. But the story takes place on a tidally locked planet where there is a permanent side in light and a permanent side in darkness, with some areas in perpetual twilight. The world is a far future post-apocalypse where the advanced technology of the past is mostly lost. But other than those elements, the story is very much sword & sorcery.
“People of the Crater” by Andre Norton. I’ve read people describe this story as a lost world-type tale since the story takes place in a crater in the Antarctic, though the crater is a temperate zone, filled with a hidden civilization and warring tribes. The strangeness of the people (descendants of aliens) and the various creatures (e.g., intelligent lizardfolk and giant bees) felt more otherworldly than what I typically think of as a lost world. The strange people also have unusual technology such as healing rays and a rod of disintegration.
”The Moon That Vanished” by Leigh Brackett. This story takes place on Venus and focuses on a psychologically distraught ship captain who is persuaded to lead two Venusians across the sea to a radioactive mist that gives god-like powers to those in its midst. However, to seek out the mist is considered sacrilege on Venus, and a cult will do anything it can to prevent people from finding it.
“A Vision of Venus” by Otis Adelbert Kline. This story is very short, focusing on a Venusian out on a mushroom-hunting expedition in his flying craft. Things go awry and the Venusian faces danger and daring. It’s light fare and a nice break after Brackett’s rich story.
Kaldar, World of Antares by Edmond Hamilton. This is a fun tale of high adventure. There is a transporter, light swords, light guns, flying ships, metal mountains, metal pyramid buildings, spider-men who shoot poison-spray from tubes, and a metal hive honeycombed with lots of passageways and rooms of the spider-men. What’s not to like?
October 26, 2012
Notable for containing some rarely-reprinted stories. In particular, "Kaldar, World of Antares" is the first of the Stuart Merrick adventures and is only otherwise available in an expensive hardcover collection.
This is a selection whose diversity belies the (awesome) title.
"Swordsman of Lost Terra" is written in a heavier, more literary or epic style, touched with strangeness. Its setting is not revealed until well into the story.
"The People of the Crater" is more of a lost-land scientific romance, in the vein of The Moon Pool.
"The Moon That Vanished" is much less of a swashbuckle. Its conflicts are less overt and more internal than is usual for this style of story.
"A Vision of Venus" is a confection.
"Kaldar, World of Antares" glories in its ridiculous and is about as sword-and-planet as you can get. Still, I find it hard to argue with a story that instantly electron-teleports its protagonist willy-nilly to a planet around a distant star, battles with "light-swords" the spider people villains who use "darkness generators", travels around in flying boats that annihilate the air before them and are propelled by air pressure into the resulting vacuum, and finally is retrieved two days later (Earth time) by a reverse transporter from the same location on that planet. The preposterousness multiplies until your disbelief gives up and wanders off.
This is a selection whose diversity belies the (awesome) title.
"Swordsman of Lost Terra" is written in a heavier, more literary or epic style, touched with strangeness. Its setting is not revealed until well into the story.
"The People of the Crater" is more of a lost-land scientific romance, in the vein of The Moon Pool.
"The Moon That Vanished" is much less of a swashbuckle. Its conflicts are less overt and more internal than is usual for this style of story.
"A Vision of Venus" is a confection.
"Kaldar, World of Antares" glories in its ridiculous and is about as sword-and-planet as you can get. Still, I find it hard to argue with a story that instantly electron-teleports its protagonist willy-nilly to a planet around a distant star, battles with "light-swords" the spider people villains who use "darkness generators", travels around in flying boats that annihilate the air before them and are propelled by air pressure into the resulting vacuum, and finally is retrieved two days later (Earth time) by a reverse transporter from the same location on that planet. The preposterousness multiplies until your disbelief gives up and wanders off.
July 7, 2021
This is a nifty little collection of four novellas (or novelettes, I didn't do a word count) and a short story. The stories were squarely in the speculative fiction genre (or sub-genre) known as science fantasy, of which there is a Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science.... Wikipedia provides a good overview of the genre as it exists, but neglects to inform how or why it came to exist. In the 1940s and 1950s there were a lot of writers who really wanted to write fantasy, and therefore did so. But fantasy wasn't being published much at that time. What's a writer to do? Why, disguise the fantasy story as science fiction of course! That was getting published left and right. So you just rewrite your fantasy story by throwing a spaceship, offworld alien, or technogizmo into it and voila, you've made a sale and get paid. The wife and kids eat; you get to keep on typing. How great is that?
These particular stories are all very early examples of the genre. They're mostly from big name authors just getting their start and they show it. They're of interest to me. I love the sub-genre and these authors are some of my faves. But truth to tell, these stories wouldn't interest most modern readers in the slightest. They're not well written from a craft standpoint, making them hard to follow at times. They're predictable and rather monotonous too. They're the baseline later writers of the sub-genre would build and improve upon. All the stories were taken from magazines that published a lot of science fantasy, so lovers of that sub-genre should take note.
Swordsman of Lost Terra
Poul Anderson
Planet Stories, November 1951
This is my favorite story in the collection. It's about a group of refugees from a tribe (that sounds like a Scots Highland clan or three) who go on a journey to locate a new home and of the friends and allies they make en route. The battles and the interactions of the characters, including the love story, are really well done. So is the worldbuilding. Anderson wrote 13 stories for Planet Stories between 1950 and 1955, of which this is the seventh. This was written very early on in his career. In a years later interview, he sounds embarassed about these stories. He says he wrote them because they were easy to write quickly, didn't require a lot of thought or revision, and he needed the fast cash. Was he just being modest? If the other twelve are anything like this one, Anderson had nothing to be embarassed about. This was a truly great read. I wish he had made it a novel by developing some of the plot points more.
People of the Crater
Andre Norton
Fantasy, Issue #1, July 1947
This novella was Norton's first published science fiction (or fantasy for that matter). She had written a version of this story and its sequel in the mid-1930s and had been trying to sell them as two stories for years when she finally landed this one. The people at Fantasy #1 took this one and probably requested some revisions to the sequel. Andre might have declined to make the revisions. So the sequel, which was actually a prequel didn't see print until 1969/70. Anyway, this story stands alone. Or at least that's what the magazine editors who published it must have thought. Wollheim must have agreed because he republished it by itself in 1964. I don't agree. This story really needs its prequel in order to make sense. The story as it stands here is about a war veteran pilot from the near future who accepts a comission to fly an exploratory mission over a mysterious mist-enshrouded crater in Antarctica. He crashes and finds a lost civilization populated by visitors from another world. Soon he becomes enmeshed in their problems and struggles to throw off the yoke of a would-be tyrannical dictator. It's a good story as far as it goes, but you always know you don't have the whole story. Because it was so early on in Norton's career there are some craft problems and wierd introductions to characters never seen again and characters brought in from the sequel as if they'd already been introduced to the reader. It can be confusing if read in isolation.
The Moon That Vanished
Leigh Brackett
Thrilling Wonder Stories, October 1948
Between 1940 and 1948, Brackett published in various magazines a series of nine stories set on Venus, of which this is the ninth story. The eighth was a team-up story with Ray Bradbury (Lorelei of the Red Mist) which certainly interests me in finding. Anyway, this story was okay, but a bit of a chore to finish, like all Leigh Brackett stories are (for me). It's about a man who partially saw the Moonfire of a Venus moon and this drove him partially crazy. But everyone wants this Moonfire because it allegedly can give one the powers of a god. So this couple engages the half-crazy man to set sail for them and take them to this Moonfire place. The story gets interesting when the couple becomes a love triangle. The Moonfire aspect sort of gets lost there for a while as we see how this triangle resolves, but Brackett returns to it by the end. This story, like I said was okay, but must have been past its prime even for 1948. Brackett never revisited this series to write another Venus story.
A Vision of Venus
Otis Adelbert Klein
Amazing Stories, December 1933
An assistant editor of Weird Tales and frequent contributor of stories to the magazine I should have heard of this fellow, but until now I hadn't. This short story, only seven pages long and therefore out of place with the other much longer four, is not memorable in the least. An Earth scientist in telepathic communication with a Venusian watches on as the Venusian searches for a nearly extinct fungus on Venus. The excitement of the story is supposed to be in the description of the alien world. Reads like a travelogue. It reminds me of bad Edgar Rice Burroughs. At least its short. Some of these type stories could go on and on.
Kaldar, World of Antares
Edmond Hamilton
The Magic Carpet Magazine, April 1933
The protagonist, Stuart Merrick, is offered a chance for teleportation to a world orbiting the star called Antares. A group consisting of the world's foremost astronomers makes the offer and Merrick accepts. On this other world Merrick becomes a great figure and a renowned warrior, but is then transported back to Earth to make his report. Sound familiar? It's basically the plot of John Carter of Mars only the sending mechanism is a little different. It's fun in the same way the Burroughs book is fun, only this story is very derivative and missing some of the Burroughs panache.
All in all, this collection is good for showing the baseline for the science fantasy sub-genre, but I think more can be obtained by reading the Burroughs classics in the genre. These authors, with the possible exception of the first two, add nothing of real value to what Burroughs already accomplished. If you see it in a used book store for a dollar or two, I'd pick it up. It can be a fun diversion for a time. Just temper your expectations.
Oh, almost forgot to mention: that's a Frank Frazetta cover I hadn't seen before. Cool! Only it deserves a bigger canvas than a paperback cover.
These particular stories are all very early examples of the genre. They're mostly from big name authors just getting their start and they show it. They're of interest to me. I love the sub-genre and these authors are some of my faves. But truth to tell, these stories wouldn't interest most modern readers in the slightest. They're not well written from a craft standpoint, making them hard to follow at times. They're predictable and rather monotonous too. They're the baseline later writers of the sub-genre would build and improve upon. All the stories were taken from magazines that published a lot of science fantasy, so lovers of that sub-genre should take note.
Swordsman of Lost Terra
Poul Anderson
Planet Stories, November 1951
This is my favorite story in the collection. It's about a group of refugees from a tribe (that sounds like a Scots Highland clan or three) who go on a journey to locate a new home and of the friends and allies they make en route. The battles and the interactions of the characters, including the love story, are really well done. So is the worldbuilding. Anderson wrote 13 stories for Planet Stories between 1950 and 1955, of which this is the seventh. This was written very early on in his career. In a years later interview, he sounds embarassed about these stories. He says he wrote them because they were easy to write quickly, didn't require a lot of thought or revision, and he needed the fast cash. Was he just being modest? If the other twelve are anything like this one, Anderson had nothing to be embarassed about. This was a truly great read. I wish he had made it a novel by developing some of the plot points more.
People of the Crater
Andre Norton
Fantasy, Issue #1, July 1947
This novella was Norton's first published science fiction (or fantasy for that matter). She had written a version of this story and its sequel in the mid-1930s and had been trying to sell them as two stories for years when she finally landed this one. The people at Fantasy #1 took this one and probably requested some revisions to the sequel. Andre might have declined to make the revisions. So the sequel, which was actually a prequel didn't see print until 1969/70. Anyway, this story stands alone. Or at least that's what the magazine editors who published it must have thought. Wollheim must have agreed because he republished it by itself in 1964. I don't agree. This story really needs its prequel in order to make sense. The story as it stands here is about a war veteran pilot from the near future who accepts a comission to fly an exploratory mission over a mysterious mist-enshrouded crater in Antarctica. He crashes and finds a lost civilization populated by visitors from another world. Soon he becomes enmeshed in their problems and struggles to throw off the yoke of a would-be tyrannical dictator. It's a good story as far as it goes, but you always know you don't have the whole story. Because it was so early on in Norton's career there are some craft problems and wierd introductions to characters never seen again and characters brought in from the sequel as if they'd already been introduced to the reader. It can be confusing if read in isolation.
The Moon That Vanished
Leigh Brackett
Thrilling Wonder Stories, October 1948
Between 1940 and 1948, Brackett published in various magazines a series of nine stories set on Venus, of which this is the ninth story. The eighth was a team-up story with Ray Bradbury (Lorelei of the Red Mist) which certainly interests me in finding. Anyway, this story was okay, but a bit of a chore to finish, like all Leigh Brackett stories are (for me). It's about a man who partially saw the Moonfire of a Venus moon and this drove him partially crazy. But everyone wants this Moonfire because it allegedly can give one the powers of a god. So this couple engages the half-crazy man to set sail for them and take them to this Moonfire place. The story gets interesting when the couple becomes a love triangle. The Moonfire aspect sort of gets lost there for a while as we see how this triangle resolves, but Brackett returns to it by the end. This story, like I said was okay, but must have been past its prime even for 1948. Brackett never revisited this series to write another Venus story.
A Vision of Venus
Otis Adelbert Klein
Amazing Stories, December 1933
An assistant editor of Weird Tales and frequent contributor of stories to the magazine I should have heard of this fellow, but until now I hadn't. This short story, only seven pages long and therefore out of place with the other much longer four, is not memorable in the least. An Earth scientist in telepathic communication with a Venusian watches on as the Venusian searches for a nearly extinct fungus on Venus. The excitement of the story is supposed to be in the description of the alien world. Reads like a travelogue. It reminds me of bad Edgar Rice Burroughs. At least its short. Some of these type stories could go on and on.
Kaldar, World of Antares
Edmond Hamilton
The Magic Carpet Magazine, April 1933
The protagonist, Stuart Merrick, is offered a chance for teleportation to a world orbiting the star called Antares. A group consisting of the world's foremost astronomers makes the offer and Merrick accepts. On this other world Merrick becomes a great figure and a renowned warrior, but is then transported back to Earth to make his report. Sound familiar? It's basically the plot of John Carter of Mars only the sending mechanism is a little different. It's fun in the same way the Burroughs book is fun, only this story is very derivative and missing some of the Burroughs panache.
All in all, this collection is good for showing the baseline for the science fantasy sub-genre, but I think more can be obtained by reading the Burroughs classics in the genre. These authors, with the possible exception of the first two, add nothing of real value to what Burroughs already accomplished. If you see it in a used book store for a dollar or two, I'd pick it up. It can be a fun diversion for a time. Just temper your expectations.
Oh, almost forgot to mention: that's a Frank Frazetta cover I hadn't seen before. Cool! Only it deserves a bigger canvas than a paperback cover.
April 25, 2018
wrote one review already, and as often happens in the Goodreads app, it failed to post. not rewriting the whole thing again. here's a summarized version:
Anderson - probably the strongest tale in the whole book, definitely the most lyrical w/a great hero, lots of swords
Brackett - exciting tale and locale, good characters, sort of ends in a whimper
Norton - my favorite story, exciting, harrowing, energetic, mysterious, ends with a slight rush and disappoinment
Kline - weak story, wondering why it appears in this title; voyeuristic fluff, no swords
Hamilton - hahahahahaha, to be fair, high energy high stakes high adventure - all demolished by extremely laughable science and weaponry hahahahaha. this leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
last 2 stories almost kill this book. If it were just the first 3, I'd give this 4 stars. Maybe: just read chapter 1 of story 1 in KEW's EOVI and it blows away every word in this book.
Anderson - probably the strongest tale in the whole book, definitely the most lyrical w/a great hero, lots of swords
Brackett - exciting tale and locale, good characters, sort of ends in a whimper
Norton - my favorite story, exciting, harrowing, energetic, mysterious, ends with a slight rush and disappoinment
Kline - weak story, wondering why it appears in this title; voyeuristic fluff, no swords
Hamilton - hahahahahaha, to be fair, high energy high stakes high adventure - all demolished by extremely laughable science and weaponry hahahahaha. this leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
last 2 stories almost kill this book. If it were just the first 3, I'd give this 4 stars. Maybe: just read chapter 1 of story 1 in KEW's EOVI and it blows away every word in this book.
February 2, 2011
First of, isn't this one of the coolest possible titles for anything? Swordsmen in the Sky just sounds so awesome and full of promise. And it delivers, let me tell you!
The opening story is "Swordsman of Lost Terra" by the talented Poul Anderson. And it's amazing. Hands down one of the best short stories I've ever read by any author. Anderson creates such a vivid world populated by interesting (although admittedly maybe somewhat clichéd) characters. It just holds so many great ideas this could easily have been a novel, or maybe even a series of novels. This story alone is worth the price of admission.
"People of the Crater" by Andre Norton is next. A good solid yarn about a hidden world in the arctic. Not bad, but not great either. Feels a bit paint by numbers. Has a couple of interesting ideas, but nothing that really jumps of the page.
I'm ashamed to admit I had never read anything by Leigh Brackett, despite the fact that her name has been on display in my living room in bold lettering on my The Empire Strikes Back poster for years. And I'm even more ashamed to admit I assumed Leigh Brackett was a man, as did Howard Hawks apparently... Anyway, I was deeply impressed by "The Moon that Vanished". What an amazing story! Great characters, a wonderful world and adventure that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I'm a convert and I will definitely be reading more of her work!
Otis Adelbert Kline's "A Vision of Venus" is the weakest story in this volume. Pulp clearly written for a quick buck. It reads a bit like a fairytale, but not a very good one. And the opening is very redundant and has absolutely no function other than perhaps comply to the rules of writing this type of fiction in that era. No need to skip it though, as you'll finish it in under 15 minutes.
The final tale "Kaldar, World of Antares" by Leigh Brackett's husband Edmond Hamilton, is another one worth reading. It's not as good as the Anderson or the Brackett story presented here, but still fun. Again, this one seems a bit paint by numbers and the characters aren't really that interesting, but some great ideas make this well worth the trouble.
All in all, this is a great collection! If you're interested in Sword and Planet or Sci-Fi in general, pick this one up. The Poul Anderson story alone is worth hunting this one down!
The opening story is "Swordsman of Lost Terra" by the talented Poul Anderson. And it's amazing. Hands down one of the best short stories I've ever read by any author. Anderson creates such a vivid world populated by interesting (although admittedly maybe somewhat clichéd) characters. It just holds so many great ideas this could easily have been a novel, or maybe even a series of novels. This story alone is worth the price of admission.
"People of the Crater" by Andre Norton is next. A good solid yarn about a hidden world in the arctic. Not bad, but not great either. Feels a bit paint by numbers. Has a couple of interesting ideas, but nothing that really jumps of the page.
I'm ashamed to admit I had never read anything by Leigh Brackett, despite the fact that her name has been on display in my living room in bold lettering on my The Empire Strikes Back poster for years. And I'm even more ashamed to admit I assumed Leigh Brackett was a man, as did Howard Hawks apparently... Anyway, I was deeply impressed by "The Moon that Vanished". What an amazing story! Great characters, a wonderful world and adventure that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I'm a convert and I will definitely be reading more of her work!
Otis Adelbert Kline's "A Vision of Venus" is the weakest story in this volume. Pulp clearly written for a quick buck. It reads a bit like a fairytale, but not a very good one. And the opening is very redundant and has absolutely no function other than perhaps comply to the rules of writing this type of fiction in that era. No need to skip it though, as you'll finish it in under 15 minutes.
The final tale "Kaldar, World of Antares" by Leigh Brackett's husband Edmond Hamilton, is another one worth reading. It's not as good as the Anderson or the Brackett story presented here, but still fun. Again, this one seems a bit paint by numbers and the characters aren't really that interesting, but some great ideas make this well worth the trouble.
All in all, this is a great collection! If you're interested in Sword and Planet or Sci-Fi in general, pick this one up. The Poul Anderson story alone is worth hunting this one down!
January 22, 2024
A good but not great -- that is, typical -- collection of sword & planet stories with a very sword & planet-y title. There are five stories: two standouts and three rather meh.
First, the meh: "People of the Crater" by Andre Norton, "A Vision of Venus" by Otis Adelbert Kline, and "Kaldar, World of Antares" by Edmond Hamilton. These suffer from shallow world building and packed minor wallops. Andre Norton especially managed to confirm a long-developing opinion of mine that she is a deeply, comprehensively mediocre writer. This story tosses around sci-fi concepts without much development and the entire story depends on a plot twist that, yes, did surprise me, but didn't interest me. In fact, it's funny how much her story anticipates some of the plot beats of the Star Wars saga. That's not a compliment, btw.
Now, the standouts: Poul Anderson's "Swordsman of Lost Terra" is set on a planet definitely not earth, unless it is earth far distant in time. We know this because the planet is tidally locked, and the action takes place in the twilight and dark parts of the globe. With that slim sci-fi element dropped in, the story as a whole works like a straightforward sword & sorcery story. We get battles and heroics and a bit of magic; a solid effort s&p fans will enjoy. Then there's "The Moon that Vanished" by the Queen herself, the incomparable Leigh Brackett. Here all the good stuff of s&p are brought to bear: a complex anti-hero who rises to the occasion, a love triangle, a villain, a sailboat race, and fire from the gods. Brackett never disappoints, and like her hero, she really saves the day for this anthology. BRACKETT IS BEST.
First, the meh: "People of the Crater" by Andre Norton, "A Vision of Venus" by Otis Adelbert Kline, and "Kaldar, World of Antares" by Edmond Hamilton. These suffer from shallow world building and packed minor wallops. Andre Norton especially managed to confirm a long-developing opinion of mine that she is a deeply, comprehensively mediocre writer. This story tosses around sci-fi concepts without much development and the entire story depends on a plot twist that, yes, did surprise me, but didn't interest me. In fact, it's funny how much her story anticipates some of the plot beats of the Star Wars saga. That's not a compliment, btw.
Now, the standouts: Poul Anderson's "Swordsman of Lost Terra" is set on a planet definitely not earth, unless it is earth far distant in time. We know this because the planet is tidally locked, and the action takes place in the twilight and dark parts of the globe. With that slim sci-fi element dropped in, the story as a whole works like a straightforward sword & sorcery story. We get battles and heroics and a bit of magic; a solid effort s&p fans will enjoy. Then there's "The Moon that Vanished" by the Queen herself, the incomparable Leigh Brackett. Here all the good stuff of s&p are brought to bear: a complex anti-hero who rises to the occasion, a love triangle, a villain, a sailboat race, and fire from the gods. Brackett never disappoints, and like her hero, she really saves the day for this anthology. BRACKETT IS BEST.
February 19, 2024
This is an interesting collection of short stories from the 30's to the 50's, including Poul Anderson's "Swordsman of Lost Terra," Andre Norton's "People of the Crater," Leigh Brackett's "The Moon That Vanished," Otis Adelbert Kline's "A Vision of Venus," and Edmond Hamilton's "Kaldar, World of Antares."
My favorite, far and away, was the Brackett story, which was gorgeous. This story was set on a Venus that felt as if it had spilled from a tropical painting: diffused light, torchlight, storms at sea, raging water, and then an impossibly bright lure that I'm still thinking about afterward.
My least favorite was the shortest, Kline's "A Vision of Venus," which gave a much less cinematic view of planetary adventure. What happened to Dr. Morgan? This read more like a cartoon, complete with swooning heroine and heroic botanist.
Hamilton's "Kaldar" was thoroughly enjoyable, reading like a literary MST3K flick, complete with dramatic air battles, giant spider people, and planetary travel with just a backpack, khakis, and a revolver. I particularly enjoyed the crimson fungi, which were both tiger and forest, and the city of the spider people, which felt like a terrifying hotel of alleyways and gave me shudders. The planetary travel aspect felt very much like a videogame, despite the almost century between publication and my reading and I could see this becoming an animated movie with just a few tweaks.
I really enjoyed the bagpipe of doom in "Swordsman" and the way that Anderson built societies in sentences, creating a lived-in world in which the threats loomed. Not as much of a fan of the relationship in the story in which the protagonist was willing to stay with Queen Good Enough for Now (who saved his bacon and set herself a goal to convince him stay--urgh) but at any moment might leave for his One True Love back home. Although, let's be honest, if this had been expanded into a novel that aspect wouldn't have kicked me out of the story completely because Anderson's Twilight Land was mesmerizing as a setting and I wanted to visit the Lake of Killorn with Kery.
"People of the Crater" was fine. When I originally picked up this book I had thought most of the stories were published around the time the collection itself was published (1964). This story was originally published in the fifties and the protagonist was a destitute pilot from a future world war which eerily seemed like a reference to Vietnam (and which I assumed was until I looked at the publication date) who was hired for an Antarctic expedition. This was my first lost-world-under-the-ice story! Er...spoilers? This felt a little like there was too much going on for the length and what was happening felt cribbed from a thousand other stories...it just didn't resonate with me. YMMV.
Overall, I had fun with this, both groaning at the characters and creeping through hotel alleyways to avoid spider-people and visiting variations on Venus.
My favorite, far and away, was the Brackett story, which was gorgeous. This story was set on a Venus that felt as if it had spilled from a tropical painting: diffused light, torchlight, storms at sea, raging water, and then an impossibly bright lure that I'm still thinking about afterward.
My least favorite was the shortest, Kline's "A Vision of Venus," which gave a much less cinematic view of planetary adventure. What happened to Dr. Morgan? This read more like a cartoon, complete with swooning heroine and heroic botanist.
Hamilton's "Kaldar" was thoroughly enjoyable, reading like a literary MST3K flick, complete with dramatic air battles, giant spider people, and planetary travel with just a backpack, khakis, and a revolver. I particularly enjoyed the crimson fungi, which were both tiger and forest, and the city of the spider people, which felt like a terrifying hotel of alleyways and gave me shudders. The planetary travel aspect felt very much like a videogame, despite the almost century between publication and my reading and I could see this becoming an animated movie with just a few tweaks.
I really enjoyed the bagpipe of doom in "Swordsman" and the way that Anderson built societies in sentences, creating a lived-in world in which the threats loomed. Not as much of a fan of the relationship in the story in which the protagonist was willing to stay with Queen Good Enough for Now (who saved his bacon and set herself a goal to convince him stay--urgh) but at any moment might leave for his One True Love back home. Although, let's be honest, if this had been expanded into a novel that aspect wouldn't have kicked me out of the story completely because Anderson's Twilight Land was mesmerizing as a setting and I wanted to visit the Lake of Killorn with Kery.
"People of the Crater" was fine. When I originally picked up this book I had thought most of the stories were published around the time the collection itself was published (1964). This story was originally published in the fifties and the protagonist was a destitute pilot from a future world war which eerily seemed like a reference to Vietnam (and which I assumed was until I looked at the publication date) who was hired for an Antarctic expedition. This was my first lost-world-under-the-ice story! Er...spoilers? This felt a little like there was too much going on for the length and what was happening felt cribbed from a thousand other stories...it just didn't resonate with me. YMMV.
Overall, I had fun with this, both groaning at the characters and creeping through hotel alleyways to avoid spider-people and visiting variations on Venus.
May 18, 2017
The back cover of this one called out to Edgar Rice Burroughs, and it definitely delivers on giving one 'more' of that style.. not necessarily as good, though. Despite being published in the 60s, the stories are all much older... a couple of them probably are directly ERB riffs.. especially considering the authors.
Swordsman of Lost Terra (Poul Anderson, 1951) - More Conan than ERB.. this could easily be a pastiche storyif one went through the trouble of changing the names and places, though there's nothing terribly remarkable about it to bother.. not his best work.
People of the Crater (Andre Norton, 1947) - Notable because it's her first published work (originally under a male pen name), but nothing much to see.. the most interesting part is her vision of a 3rd World War from 1965-1970 that didn't go nuclear. An ex-fighter pilot goes on an Antarctic expedition and finds a crack in the Earth that leads to another civilization.. nothing of her later good world building, though.
The Moon that Vanished (Leigh Brackett, 1948) - This one is definitely reminiscient of John Carter of Carson of Venus. The hero is alot less heroic to start, but he comes around. Pretty interesting riff on the 'Be careful what you wish for' theme.
A Vision of Venus (Otis Adelbert Kline, 1933) -- Quickie about a botanist on Venus that gets to save the princess.. the kicker is that a scientist on Earth is linked mentally with the Venusian and gets to see what he's doing.
Kaldar, World of Antares (Edmond Hamilton (1933) -- A very direct copy of John Carter.. Merrick gets beamed to Antares, where he accidently becomes king of one race and helps them to fight the other. Higher tech than the Martians, but otherwise very similar. Pretty good for one though, and hey, they have light sabers, so that's always fun.
Worth the quick read, but nothing too remarkable.
Swordsman of Lost Terra (Poul Anderson, 1951) - More Conan than ERB.. this could easily be a pastiche storyif one went through the trouble of changing the names and places, though there's nothing terribly remarkable about it to bother.. not his best work.
People of the Crater (Andre Norton, 1947) - Notable because it's her first published work (originally under a male pen name), but nothing much to see.. the most interesting part is her vision of a 3rd World War from 1965-1970 that didn't go nuclear. An ex-fighter pilot goes on an Antarctic expedition and finds a crack in the Earth that leads to another civilization.. nothing of her later good world building, though.
The Moon that Vanished (Leigh Brackett, 1948) - This one is definitely reminiscient of John Carter of Carson of Venus. The hero is alot less heroic to start, but he comes around. Pretty interesting riff on the 'Be careful what you wish for' theme.
A Vision of Venus (Otis Adelbert Kline, 1933) -- Quickie about a botanist on Venus that gets to save the princess.. the kicker is that a scientist on Earth is linked mentally with the Venusian and gets to see what he's doing.
Kaldar, World of Antares (Edmond Hamilton (1933) -- A very direct copy of John Carter.. Merrick gets beamed to Antares, where he accidently becomes king of one race and helps them to fight the other. Higher tech than the Martians, but otherwise very similar. Pretty good for one though, and hey, they have light sabers, so that's always fun.
Worth the quick read, but nothing too remarkable.
January 7, 2026
If you like early 20th century sci-fi that is very much in the vein of Edgar Rice Burroughs, then you will absolutely love this anthology. They are very short stories (typically in the neighborhood of 30-40 pages) and might seem a bit dated by today's standards (dashing hero rescues damsel in distress), but I really enjoyed the nostalgia of the sci-fi of yesteryear. These stories were written mostly in the 1930s and 40s and it is very interesting to see their take on future technology (early sci-fi writers seemed to have a fascination with life on Mars and Venus). I thoroughly enjoyed all five stories and although they were very different in their own right, they seemed to really belong together in the anthology. And you can see the inspirations that later stories such as Star Trek and Star Wars drew from stories such as these. These stories had transporters and light swords 20 years before it was done in those other stories. Fun read!
January 11, 2024
As much as I hate to admit it, I really struggled with this one. For as much as I enjoy the sword-and-planet milieu and the Frazetta cover art, and some of the works of the contributing authors, this is the kind of "don't make 'em like they used to" that's just hard for me (and perhaps other modern readers) to return to. This is a subsubgenre already beset by convention so to present several works in short story form is to distill something of an indistinguishable mash.
August 21, 2017
A good collection of golden age science fiction stories with a great cover by Frank Frazetta.
February 6, 2023
A lot of fun. Absolutely scratches that Burroughs Barroom itch, as the back cover promises. I particularly liked Brackett's "the moon that vanished" -- hallucinatory and emotional, and Hamilton's "Kaldar" -- sword and planet turned up to eleven with transporter beams, light swords, flying ships, spider-men, etc. (in 1933 no less!). I adore the Frazetta cover as well.
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