What fantasy/sci fi book first ignited your imagination as a kid?

[Jonathan]

Jim wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "...It's an absolute mess, but I just cant throw it out and buy a new one. "

Treasured books! I have a few like that, too. I think one is "Tunnel In The Sky". Small world.
:)"

We're obviously both gentlemen of discriminating taste, or we're cheap and don't want to buy new books. You know what? Let's go with the first one.

[Jim]

Definitely go with the first one. I have reading copies of the old, dead ones. Some I kept just because I love the old covers. For instance, . According to GR, this is a new cover, but for years the book wasn't available. It's an old one of my father's from the 50's, I think.

[Phil]

For me, Fahrenheit 451 will always be the true cover of this book, even if it's a bit goofy. (Shirtless with slacks? Either go loincloth or put your Oxford back on!)

[Bobby]

Phil wrote: "For me, Fahrenheit 451 will always be the true cover of this book, even if it's a bit goofy. (Shirtless with slacks? Either go loincloth or put yo..."

Hahahahahahaha...that's great, dude.

I get really hung up on covers, too. I will buy extra copies of a book if it has a cover I like a lot. I won't buy a book if it says "And now a major motion picture" or some such or the cover is a still from the movie.

[Jonathan]

Yeah Jim, I agree I love the old artwork, maybe it's sentimental but for me they're awesome. The Heinlein covers were pretty straightforward usually which as a kid was kind of helpful. "This is what's in the box little fella, so go ahead an open it" sort of thing.

But then there were covers for authors like A.E. Van Vogt that were totally trippy as balls. At least for an early teenager. I remember the covers for The Weapon Shops of Isher and Slan and they were definitely not telling you what was in the box, but if you were feeling brave you could open the box and see for yourself. I think I've still got my Weapon Shops copy around here somewhere.

Like Phil and Bobby were saying about true covers of books. For me Citizen of the Galaxy will really only ever have one perfect cover and that's the cover of the one I first read.

[Jim]

I agree, Jonathan. Van Vogt's & sucked me in originally. Both old favorites.

[Bobby]

Jim wrote: "I agree, Jonathan. Van Vogt's & sucked me in originally. Both old favorites."

Jim, were you the guy we were both commiserating on the Frazetta covers for the Conan books that we loved so much? Like or or .

[Jim]

Yes, that was me. I love Frazetta's work & have several books of his artwork such as . They're full of plates of his works, close-ups of a few, & some biographical info. It's enthralling to look through them & see where he created a defined muscle with a single brush stroke - the canvas showing through on one side, the paint humped on the other creates the color difference & depth.

It's especially neat to compare his work to other artists like . Similar subjects, completely different methods. Vallejo used oils, but did them in layers with tissue paper & lacquer for a really smooth effect. It's good, but I like Frazetta's rawness better. Vallejo went on to use acrylics more & then got into comics. I have another excellent book . It's full of Xmen & stuff they've done. Bell does a lot of 'silver' & never uses silver paint. It's really wild to see how she creates the color without ever using it.

[Bobby]

Jim wrote: "Yes, that was me. I love Frazetta's work & have several books of his artwork such as . They're full of plates of his works, close-ups of a few..."

Oh yes. I have the first five of those Frazetta books. They're amazing. And I feel the exact same way in regards to Boris Vallejo. Frazetta always had a visceral impact on me in a way that Boris never approached. But it was really about what Frazetta was bringing to the table and not what Boris was missing. Boris is very good. Frazetta was the man.

Another great piece of visual art, I don't know if you ever read or saw (Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus), it's just pencil work but it is absolutely magnificent.

[Jonathan]

Yeah Jim, those covers blew my mind. Here's the one that sucked me into Isher, and I've still got it somewhere

As far as what Bobby was saying, I think Frank Frazetta was really one of a kind.

When I was growing up I think his and Boris Vallejo's covers really drew me in.

Not to be too immature (though that pretty much is my default setting) as a young boy with no internet, the women on some of those covers were, well lets call them intriguing, and probably either warped or shaped my view of what a woman should be, for better or worse.

I'm constantly on the lookout for an Amazonian type woman who's good with a sword, which is hard to come by in los angeles.

One of the series I read as an early teen was The Dragonlance chronicles and the guy who did those covers was a man by the name of Larry Elmore. Totally different style than Frazetta and Vallejo, but sort of touches back to how a cover can help draw a real emotional attachment to a book.

I was at a film festival a few years ago and he was selling prints. One of them was a print of the cover from my edition of dragonlance. I had to buy it. He was very cool and signed it for me. I brought it home framed it and now it hangs over my fireplace.

To have it framed cost about three times as much as the print, but it's really one of my favorite things. Most people find it a bit odd and juvenile, but I love coming home and seeing it over the fireplace and will look at it sometimes three or four times an evening when sitting on the couch.

This is the cover I bought the print of I wouldn't say it's the most amazing cover ever, but again it's the emotional attachment I have to it, and the original series of books that makes it awesome.

[Bobby]

Jonathan wrote: "Not to be too immature (though that pretty much is my default setting) as a young boy with no internet, the women on some of those covers were, well lets call them intriguing, and probably either warped or shaped my view of what a woman should be, for better or worse."

Jonathan, dude, I don't think any of us escaped that! Let that be the reason.

I thank god for my lady because she doesn't mind that I have blown up covers from Marvel Comics and have them framed around my apartment like fine art. Along with album covers and movie posters. Really, I never stopped being fifteen.

I always really liked old school sci-fi as an aesthetic. Simple and "crude" really spoke to me. That's why these were some of my favorites:

and

[Jonathan]

Yeah me too, and I think we can both agree that comic book art just does not get the respect it deserves.

Good to know I wasn't the only one shaped by frazetta. I'm seeing a very nice woman at the moment, tall, fiery red hair, good with a broadsword (I assume) she took one look at my framed cover over the fire place and just shook her head, but didn't say anything. Which so far is the best reaction I've gotten.

I suppose the woman that looks at it and says "Oh my god how did you get Larry Elmore to sign that!" will be the soul mate I seek.

Bradbury always had great covers. I see your R is for Rocket and S is for Space and raise you a Martian Chronicles When I was younger I got most of my books from the used bookstore, this was the cover I saw that made me want to buy it.

[Bobby]

Jonathan wrote: "Yeah me too, and I think we can both agree that comic book art just does not get the respect it deserves.

Good to know I wasn't the only one shaped by frazetta. I'm seeing a very nice woman at th..."

I HAVE THAT COVER(book)! How hilarious is that? The Martian Chronicles is one of the ones I was thinking of when I said that I've bought several different editions just for the covers. I have that one and , , , . I have one other one that's just burgundy but it's an illustrated hard back with gold trimming.

I used to own but I hated that one when I found out it was a TV show and got rid of it.

[Jonathan]

That's funny, small world brother, small world. I remember watching the NBC version when I was really young. I actually re-watched it recently and while I certainly don't think anyone would call it a great adaptation they really made some very cool choices aesthetically in terms of sets and how it was shot. I actually really enjoyed it. I should probably re-read that one soon.

I've done the same thing with books. I've got some great Philip K. Dick covers and I think I have maybe five different foundation series covers from the cool Asimov paperbacks.

[Bobby]

Jonathan wrote: "That's funny, small world brother, small world. I remember watching the NBC version when I was really young. I actually re-watched it recently and while I certainly don't think anyone would call it..."

I work in professional theatre and did an adaptation of The Martian Chronicles with kids. It's very fertile ground for adaptation.

[Jonathan]

That's pretty cool. Must have been an interesting challenge to mount a stage production of Martian Chronicles. And who knows, maybe it even turned some of the kids onto classic sci-fi, which would be great.

[Jim]

Bobby wrote: "Another great piece of visual art, I don't know if you ever read or saw Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein Or the Modern Prometheus by Bernie Wrightson (Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus), it's just pencil work but it is absolutely magnificent."

I love pen & pencil sketches. That is awesome. Reminds me of the old Creepy, Eerie, & Vamperella magazines I used to get.

Frazetta has 5 books? I'll have to check my shelves & correct if I don't have the last 2, but I think I have 4, anyway. I remember the first 3 most vividly. Seems we're on the same page there.

[Jim]

Bobby wrote: "...Really, I never stopped being fifteen...."

I agree. It's part of my charm.
;)

[Gaines]

Among others, one book that ignited a sense of wonder in me when I was a kid was Over Sea, Under Stone. I also have vague memories of The White Mountains; it was probably one of the earliest ones that got me thinking about sci-fi and outer space.

[Greg]

The Dark Green Tunnel was a very early book that my mom read to me when I was 7 or 8.

The Dark Green Tunnel

[Phil]

Greg wrote: "The Dark Green Tunnel was a very early book that my mom read to me when I was 7 or 8.

The Dark Green Tunnel"

Thanks! It looks really cool, and I've never heard of it. I'll have to check it out.