Friday, October 21, 2022

Paperback 1062: Tama, Princess of Mercury / Ray Cummings (Ace F-406)

Paperback 1062: Ace F-406 (PBO, 1966)

Title: Tama, Princess of Mercury
Author: Ray Cummings
Cover artist: Podwil

Condition: 9/10
Value: ~$10

Best things about this cover:
  • Carving Jack O' Lanterns is a bloodsport on Mercury
  • Monster looks surprised to find out that the "princess" has blood-tipped wings and a big fucking dagger
  • I relate to the dude on the ground pointing and going "oh hell no, I don't want any of this, run away!"
  • Author Tama Janowitz is now not the only Tama I've ever heard of
Best things about this back cover:
  • Guy Palisse, Space-Explorer—gonna get some business cards made up and just hand them out to everyone I meet
  • Guy Palisse, Space-Explorer / President, Bolton Flying Cube, Inc.
  • Move over Gay Talese, it's ... Guy Palisse!
  • "...warded off war between the two worlds" is a terrible mumbly mouthful
  • Guy Palisse and the Frenzied Mercurians were the toast of New York's early-80s post-punk scene
Page 123~
The infuriated, reckless girls hurled themselves down like frenzied birds.
Is anyone on Mercury *not* frenzied? Seems like a stressful place to visit. Probably gonna take my Flying Cube somewhere else this summer.  

~RP

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4 comments:

  1. DemetriosXOctober 22, 2022 at 3:03 AM

    I was thinking this seemed awfully old-fashioned for 1966, and I was right. Cummings was an old pulp author and nine years dead when this book came out. The story was originally serialized in Argosy in the early 30s. I can't imagine there was much demand for Cummings' work, although there was a sort of minor retro movement in SF in the mid-60s.

    Podwil did his share of paperback covers in the 60s and early 70s, but I can't say I'm terribly impressed. I guess it's a step up from the abstract stuff that was starting to dominate, but not much. All those squiggles that are probably supposed to be the texture of the rock are pretty bad, especially the curvy bits of the orange thing's head. And I have no idea what's going on with that blue blob on the white thing.

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  2. Rex ParkerOctober 22, 2022 at 9:13 AM

    I agree on every count except Iike the design and dynamic quality of (what I assume to be) Tama herself

    ~RP

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  3. Rex ParkerOctober 22, 2022 at 9:14 AM

    *I like

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  4. DemetriosXOctober 23, 2022 at 2:51 AM

    I'll give you that, but it's basically just a Rolls Royce hood ornament.

    ReplyDelete