James Nicoll Reviews

Doris Piserchia’s 1977 Earthchild is a stand-alone science fiction novel.

One day, while Reee — two syllables — and her mother were foraging for food in the strange and hostile ecology of a far future Earth, Reee’s mother fell for an obvious trap and was carried off by Martians. As she was just four years old, Reee should have perished at the teeth and claws of bizarre predators. Fortunately for Reee, Emeroo intervened.

But first! Some necessary background exposition.

Read more ➤

Doris Piserchia’s 1974 Star Rider is a stand-alone science fiction novel. 

Like the rest of her Jakalowar (or Jak¹for short) kin, Jade and Hinx, (her mind-linked, dog-derived mount) can jink(teleport) from world to world at will, carrying their own bubbles of breathable air as well. The entire Milky Way is the Jaks’ playground. The problem is that none of the Jaks have the range to leap to another galaxy. Thus, the hedonist nomads are trapped in one puny galaxy. 

Luckily, the Jaks have Doubleluck. Well, in a sense.

Read more ➤

Doris Piserchia’s 1976 A Billion Days of Earth is a standalone SF novel.

A billion days from now — which translates to some three million years — humanity has become a race of gods. Evolution (as well as genetic tinkering) has resulted in a world filled with super-capable humans and new non-human species … many of which are as smart as humans of our time, if not as smart as the godlike humans. These new species can also be as foolish as humans of our time (which, as we know to our sorrow, can be foolish indeed).

Into this world comes a new predator. 

Read more ➤

Whenever people mention Doris Piserchia to me, I admit that I am aware of her but add that somehow I never got around to reading anything she published during her all-too-brief but prolific career . Had I but looked more closely at the ​“P” section of my library, I would have seen that this was not true. I’ve had a copy of Piserchia’s 1980 The Spinner ever since I didn’t get around to sending back the Science Fiction Book Club’s monthly order card [1]. And I must have read it, because there was a bookmark tucked in the back. Too bad I remember nothing about this book. 

Reread time.

Read more ➤