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Final Encounter |
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| Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Robot Slaves |
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Final Encounter first published in Galaxy magazine, 1964 (?). Anthologised in: Eighth Galaxy Reader (edited by Fred Pohl), 1965; Two Tales and Eight Tomorrows (all by Harry Harrison, published by Victor Gollanz 1965, Bantam 1968 and Sphere 1976); Galactic Empires Volume 2 (edited by Brian Aldiss), 1976.
Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Robot Slaves first published by Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1989.
For some years, I found myself regularly surprised by Harry Harrison. It seemed that, each time I came across another of his stories, I encountered a different author. What I was actually discovering was an extremely versatile, witty and accomplished writer. Harrison can produce frothy japes, all-out space opera, fast-paced thrillers, disturbing and thought-provoking psychodrama, and just about everything in between. While most of his output is mainstream SF, he has also written some excellent conventional novels.
In Final Encounter, humanity has been exploring the galaxy for thousands of years, but has yet to encounter extra-terrestrial life. A survey team comes across a strange artefact, and wonder if they are to make history. The team consists of a husband and wife, Gulya and Tjond, who have joined shipmaster Hautamaki. The latter is from the Men, a planet-wide purely-male society. The Men, always capitalised, have a very high regard for the male body, so clothes are taboo. Even their spacesuits are transparent. The extract relates the first meeting between Hautamaki and his new shipmates.
Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Robot Slaves is, at first sight, a simple potboiler of a story about a silly collection of improbable characters. Actually, like Harrison's other "Bill, the Galactic Hero" books, there is a wealth of detail, and several levels of parody involved. It would take a book-length commentary to disentangle all the references, spoofs and asides. Unless one is easily offended, the story is entertaining. The nudity is minimal, being almost a blink-and-miss-it reference. But I thought it was worth noting, having produced this page to report on Final Encounter.
Ratings
(ratings for "Nudity" and "Naturist nudity" apply only to Final Encounter):
| Nudity | Naturist nudity | A good read? |
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Last updated 2004 February 28.
Images Copyright © various authors, photographers, graphic artists, illustrators and publishers
Other content Copyright © author Tim Forcer
