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WoGF Review: Earthblood & Other Stories by Keith Laumer and Rosel George Brown
Christine Bellerive (cmbellerive) is an omnivorous reader who devours literary and genre fiction alike. When she’s not reading, she’s editing other people’s books — and writing a fantasy novel of her own. Her other interests include stringed instruments and hunting dogs of the American South. She blogs at Strange Quarks.
Editor’s note: This review was submitted on May 30 and counts for May. It just took a few days to get it posted.
I wanted to pick up some 60s sci-fi as part of the Women of Genre Fiction reading challenge; I chose Earthblood somewhat at random. Rosel George Brown (1926-67) published only a couple dozen short stories and a few novels before her career was tragically cut short by illness. This particular novel was a collaboration with Keith Laumer. Creative collaboration, like sex, is a complicated art form, and no two partners do it quite the same, so to sort out exactly how much of the book is Laumer and how much is Brown would be impossible. I won’t try; I’ll just review the book as one complete whole. However, if you skip to the end, the 2012 Baen reprint also includes some of Brown’s short stories! Win.
Roan is the only pure-blooded human being (“Terran”) that anyone on his home planet Tambool has ever met. He arrived on the planet as a frozen embryo, where he was purchased, gestated, and brought up by the alien couple Raff and Bella. He grew up among various alien races, yearning to discover his roots; but centuries ago the Niss laid siege to planet earth and no one has crossed their blockade since. No one’s even sure where earth was, anymore, or if there are any other pure humans left in the universe.
