Nov 24
Click for full imagePerry Armstrong Comments: “I searched to see whether this Sheckley cover had already been posted, and was amazed to find only – three – Sheckley covers thus far featured on Good Show Sir! Given the sheer awesomeness of numerous Sheckley covers, I find your lack of Sheckley covers disturbing, and hope this Sheckley cover goes some way towards rectifying the situation. Sheckley cover.
Published 1979
(Average: 8.63 out of 10)
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November 24th, 2015 at 12:52 pm
Those heads, arms and legs in his fist don’t add up.
November 24th, 2015 at 1:38 pm
We’ve all had nightmares about Jeff Foxworthy, but they were never like THIS.
November 24th, 2015 at 2:24 pm
I think the face in the helmet is supposed to resemble Sheckley himself. The cover is one of a lot of self-consciously schlocky things Penguin inflicted on SF in the late 70s.
The plot is a simple story of a prison planet where you climb the pecking-order to survive, so not really represented here. (Then the end gets all metatextual in a way that would become fashionable decades after the late 50s publcation of the original).
This is about the best cover this novel got. (At least in English. I rather like the German Bruna one).
November 24th, 2015 at 2:40 pm
I also question the utility of spiked knuckle-dusters on a space-suit. Is he a wicket-keeper?
November 24th, 2015 at 2:55 pm
So he gives himself a four star rating? And that famous Siskel and Ebert one fist of naked people up?
November 24th, 2015 at 2:59 pm
@Tat Wood – Well I suppose you might be right about the resemblance between the helmet face and the author.
BTW, if anyone has that Sphere cover, send it in.
@THX1138 – On this site, that’s a 4 out of 10. Not so good (bad).
November 24th, 2015 at 3:22 pm
@Tat Wood 3—the novel (or at least the cover) was also a pioneer in its use of gap analysis as a mode of representation.
November 24th, 2015 at 3:35 pm
In space no one can hear…..whatever is going on with this cover. And those baby tings should have been ramped up about 150%.
November 24th, 2015 at 3:47 pm
So in this “Status Civilization”, the sign of higher status is an armored suit that elongates your neck (like on some African tribeswomen)?
Sociologically fascinating, but physiologically unsound.
November 24th, 2015 at 5:06 pm
@Tat Wood: So this book isn’t about a giant cosmonaut who eats people?
November 24th, 2015 at 5:18 pm
GI Joes
GI Joes
Squish their heads into their toes
On the land, on the sea, and in space
I wouldn’t trust a helmet that appears to be attached with a belt.
November 24th, 2015 at 7:35 pm
Originally a cover for the more horrifying Chase and Then Ream Her. 😐
November 24th, 2015 at 8:24 pm
“The more you tighten your grip the more assorted rubbery body parts will slip through your fingers”
November 24th, 2015 at 9:54 pm
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart goes mad and murders the UNIT staff using the Master’s tissue compressor. And strips the uniforms off their tiny lifeless bodies. Well, I said he went mad.
November 24th, 2015 at 10:23 pm
@Ray P: you’re saying that this is what Cyber-Brig looks like with the facemask off?
November 24th, 2015 at 11:24 pm
@Ray P/Tat Wood: I initially typed ‘I like these ideas better than canon Cyber-Brig’, then realised I’d just used the phrase ‘canon Cyber-Brig’ and felt sad…
November 24th, 2015 at 11:51 pm
Cyber-Brig gives small arms demonstration.
November 25th, 2015 at 4:26 pm
@Ray P: I feel so disappointed I didn’t come up with that idea myself. Your comment makes me laugh.
Although perhaps this is the Brig’s evil alternate.
November 25th, 2015 at 5:51 pm
@Anna T: Where’s his eyepatch?
On second thoughts, I’d rather not know.
November 25th, 2015 at 9:52 pm
All I hear in my head is this big dirty english laugh. This cover is amazing.
November 26th, 2015 at 11:19 am
@Anna T. ,Tat Wood: So, no more goatees or eyepatches for evil twins? Instead they have a Burt Reynolds mustache then, maybe? And a missing tooth and a spacesuit with studs on knuckles..?
November 26th, 2015 at 5:00 pm
“Ha Ha Haaa – with the hydraulic Cuban heels in this space-suit I will finally be taller than Daryl Hall!”
November 28th, 2015 at 2:23 am
The love child of Stalin and Alfred E. Newman in his holiday spacesuit with tbe gold stars and red Christmas trees.
February 25th, 2016 at 10:58 am
@Ictwice: “What me oppress?”
January 25th, 2017 at 2:00 am
Terry-Thomas TOLD them that doing a sci-fi project would drive him mad.
And lo. Barbie and Ken were never the same.
(Canonical Cyber-Brig.)
May 16th, 2017 at 7:47 am
When Trump presented his new head of the CIA, people began to get seriously worried.
August 14th, 2017 at 3:30 pm
The status of civilization… I’ll get back to you.