NEBULA NOMINEE'S "FANTASY MASTERPIECE"
Nebula nominee Ross Rocklynne's awe inspiring cosmic masterpiece, People of the Darkness is a science fiction classic of "vast, nebula-like beings and follows their life courses through billions from galaxy to galaxy." (The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction) Rocklynne was nominated for the Nebula in 1972 for his novelette, "Ching Witch!," and People of the Darkness showcases his talents at their best. SF historian/critic Sam Moskowitz lauds Rocklynne as "a successful exponent of telling the story from the viewpoint of the alien," and hails People of the Darkness as a "fantasy masterpiece of intelligent spiral nebula." In this book you will encounter one of the most amazing casts of characters in all of science fiction -- and not a single one is a human! You will meet Darkness, who rebelled against the ancient teachings of his people and set off on an impossible quest for other realms and other intelligent life. Sun Destroyer, whose delight was to demolish the solar systems other of her kind built the same way a kid kicks over someone else's sandcastle -- until she met Darkness. Yellow Light, offspring of Darkness and Sun Destroyer, who renewed his parents' quest for other realms and beings, but whose destiny was to found a new, vital race to replace the dying People of the Darkness. And, finally, Devil Star, whose act of defiance would paradoxically make him his people's guardian -- and the one who finally solved the secrets of life and death. Plus a hoist of other characters, Darting Green Ray, Swift, Star Dust, Great Red Sun, Dark Fire -- and the Oldster. It's no wonder the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction writes that Rocklynne, "who specialized in space opera constructed around ingenious scientific problems," possessed "one of the most interesting ... florid imaginations of his time," and the SF Source Book cautions "his work should not be judged by the standards of his pulp contemporaries." While Ray Bradbury hailed Rocklynne's writing as "Unusual and unexpected" and says, "I liked People of the Darkness!"
