Friday, September 20, 2013

Paperback 698: Vulcan's Hammer / Philip K. Dick // The Skynappers / John Brunner (Ace Double D-457)

Paperback 698: Ace Double D-457 (PBO/PBO, 1960) 

Title: Vulcan's Hammer / The Skynappers
Authors: Philip K. Dick / John Brunner
Cover artists: Ed Emshwiller / Ed Valigursky

Yours for: Not for sale

AceD457

Best things about this cover:
  • Bang bang Vulcan's space-age hammer came down upon his head
  • Prototypes for the robot in "Short Circuit."
  • I think a double-flashlight pincer hammer would actually be a pretty cool tool. 
  • I like to think they're little styling hammers, making our hero look fabulous.

AceD457.2

Best things about this other cover:
  • A nice visual representation of what happens Every Time I try to peel a hard-boiled egg.
  • That's some pretty sweet quintessential '60s sic-fi goodness. Best rockets always look like they came out of a kit and have a maximum of 8 parts, total.
  • They kidnapped the sky! Or else they nap on planes, not sure.

Page 123~ (from "Vulcan's Hammer")

Halfway across the Atlantic they passed an immense swarm of hammers streaking toward helpless, undefended North America.

Other continents had presciently installed anti-Vulcan's Hammer technology decades earlier. Silly North Americans.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Tumblr]

3 comments:

Jean said...

That is some pretty excellent SF goodness, there.

Zichao said...

For me this is possibly the best page 123 ever. Sure, it's not actually "frank" and gramatically it makes sense, but there's something about the combination of bland + inane + utterly fucking batshit that does it for me.

Anonymous said...

I used to love Ace Doubles. Still do.