Say all you want about Harlan Ellison (though you might want to be circumspect when you’re saying it to me) but all you can say about Tim Kirk’s LDV illustrations is –
PHENOMENAL
(look it up in a Thesaurus: just about every synonym in there from “Extraordinary” to “Superalitve” is an acceptable substitute).
Kirk created these drawings when Harlan was still, ummm, wrestling with himself, over the book.
Now that J.Michaael Straczynski has taken over the estate and begun publishing various volumes, including a “new” edition of LDV.
Now we get to see all of those Tim Kirk illustrations that were supposed to make up the header of each individual story.
Nightmares To Come was announced as a Kickstarter (which I happily contributed to) and now I have the book.
Not only do I have the book, but I got two inserts, Tim Kirk signatures AND a tiny, hardback but pocket-sized edition of Ellison’s “Bug Fuck” as well.
WOOT!
Of course, it helps to be able to read the story and then look back at the illo (which of course was the original intention), but this volume really adds to nearing total completion on the LDV story.
Not to mention the art.
If you are an SF art fan, an Ellison fan, a Joe Straczynski fan, an LDV fan, an anthology fan, a science fiction literary history fan, or just plain like a unique take on those subjects as found in illustration, you’ll want to pick up a copy of NIGHTMARES TO COME.
Steve Davidson is the publisher of Amazing Stories.
Steve has been a passionate fan of science fiction since the mid-60s, before he even knew what it was called.
