James Nicoll Reviews

John M. Ford’s science fantasy Starquest is an extremely early roleplaying game, found only in the pages of the July 1979 Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine¹. The game was presented within an article titled On Evenings Beyond the Fields We Know, which as you all know was my introduction to the very concept of roleplaying games (which Mr. Ford for some reason called ​“rôle-playing games”).

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John M. Ford’s 1983 The Dragon Waiting is a World-Fantasy-Award-winning standalone alternate-history fantasy.

Byzantium prevails! True, centuries ago a huge swath of western Europe slipped out of the imperial grasp. But the vampire-dominated empire is patient and it is again expanding westward, slowly and inexorably. 

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1987’s How Much for Just the Planet? is a standalone comic Star Trek tie-in novel by John M. Ford. 

The dilithium-rich world Direidi is too close to both the Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. Inevitably, one great power or the other was bound to stumble across the potentially valuable world. As it happened, Klingon and Federation survey vessels discovered the world simultaneously.

Time for Direidi’s Plan C to be put into action.

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John M. Ford’s Growing Up Weightless is a standalone coming-of-age novel. 

If Luna had an Age of Heroes, that era is long over by Matt Roney’s time. Independence from Earth was won decades ago. Geniuses gave humans starflight; by Matt’s era, interstellar travel is mundane. All of the interesting things have been done by previous generations. What is a teenager to do with himself? 

To be honest, Matt does have a wealth of opportunities. So many that he cannot decide. Nor is it clear that any of them will offer him the independence and self-esteem he craves. 

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(Added November 2019)

The reasons given in this review for Ford’s work being out of print are wrong. I apologize for the error.

The actual reason can be found here.

1982’sThe Princes of the Air wasJohn M. Ford’s second novel. His first novel, 1980’s Web of Angels(which I wish I had reviewed, because then I could link to thereview) was a cyberpunk novel. ThePrinces of the Airwas a space opera of manners. Ford’s reluctance to stick to aspecific genre is only one of the reasons he is not better known.

Orden,David, and Theo had sufficient talents to have spent their livesworking up to ever more complicated con games … that is, until theforces of the law fell on them and consigned them to whatever fatewaits the criminal classes in a star-spanning empire. Orden evadedthis fate by entering the diplomatic service, an alternative careerpath for those blessed with a gift of gab and an eye for a good con.His friends David and Theo parlayedpractice on simulated, video-game starships into crewing the realthing.

Anyprudent person in Orden’s position would have maintained a lowprofile in a minor position. Ambitious Orden brought himself and hisfriends to the attention of the Queen.

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(Added November 2019)

The reasons given in this review for Ford’s work being out of print are wrong. I apologize for the error.

The actual reason can be found here.

If I had been more on the ball, I’d have had this review ready in timefor 25 September, the ninth anniversary of John M. Ford’s death. Fordwas an author’s author, beloved by the literati, someone who didn’t condescend to the reader by making his textseasy to read. That, and a habit of drifting from genre to genre, lefthim more obscure than he deserves. Although no more obscure than lazyreaders deserve.

Tomake matters worse, although he had long been in ill-health (in theUS, no less), Ford never got around to choosing a literary executor. Due to barbaric laws that grant no inheritance rights tosignificant others to whom one is not legally married, the rights tohis books are held by his blood kin. They didn’t approve of hiscareer and have not, the last I heard, allowed any outof-print-material to be reprinted. 

Iseriously considered reviewing John M. Ford’s 1993 juvenile GrowingUp Weightlessto get the taste of Luna:New Moonout of my mouth … but I was already in a bad mood. Thinking aboutwhy GrowingUp Weightlessis out of print would have just made it worse. So I decided to reviewhis 1997 collection, FromThe End of the Twentieth Century,one of three works by Ford that I believe are still in print. (Seethe end of this review for a list.)

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