SF Signal: The Most Eagerly Awaited and Long Overdue SF/F Books

The Most Eagerly Awaited and Long Overdue SF/F Books

Texas Best Grok has posted a comprehensive list of long overdue science fiction books. Here, "long overdue" means it was promised and/or announced a really long time ago, but has yet to see publication.

Here's the abbreviated list, minus the ones that have seen publication since originally posted in 2005. Do check out the original post for the latest updated information and details.

The Star Conquerors by Ben Bova
Cyteen II by C.J. Cherryh
Mars Brat by Arthur C. Clarke
The Last Theorem by Arthur C. Clarke
Childe Cycle by Gordon R. Dickson
Demon With a Glass Hand by Harlan Ellison
Blood and Vic by Harlan Ellison
Space Pirates by Gentry Lee
Unnamed Novel by Gentry Lee and Arthur C. Clarke
The Ghost Ships by Larry Niven
Inferno (updated version) by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Purgatorio by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
The Moon Bowl/Moonmites by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Michael Flynn
Solar Queen II omnibus by Andre Norton
Falkenberg on Kennicott by Jerry Pournelle
Mamelukes by Jerry Pournelle
Spartan Hegemony by Jerry Pournelle
The Return of the Space Viking by Jerry Pournelle
Unamed Novel by E.E. "Doc" Smith
Irontown Blues by John Varley
Heaven Chronicles by Joan Vinge
Sector General omnibus (title uknown) by James White
Seed Ship by Jack Williamson
The Stellar Convergence by Jack Williamson

Not to pile on Harlan, but what about adding The Last Dangerous Visions to that list?

Also, I believe the last volume of The Childe Cycle by Dickson was published last year--called Antagonist, and completed after Dickson's death.

Posted by John Joseph Adams on Tuesday November 13, 2007 at 6:42 AM

Is it fair of them to list books by authors like Williamson, who are now deceased? Unless they have evidence that a publisher is sitting on a finished manuscript, that seems like a cheap shot to me.

Posted by Michael A. Burstein on Tuesday November 13, 2007 at 7:00 AM

Here is another title that could be added to this list. Fragments by Michael Kube-McDowell the sequel to his 2002 novel titled Vectors. At the end of Vectors is a very brief excerpt from Fragments that states it will be published in 2003 and Locus stated this as well. Alas, it has never been published and no mention of it has been made on his website. However, more than a year ago Michael responded to my inquiry and he said that the book's existence with the publisher was in limbo. I have not heard anything more since then and still nothing is listed on his website. Does anyone else have a more recent update to this?

Posted by Lee Pfahler on Tuesday November 13, 2007 at 8:23 AM

I understand that Purgatorio is going to be named Inferno II instead and according to Pournelle's blog, will be finished Real Soon Now.

I just hope they tone down the politics. I liked The Burning City just fine until the book inexplicably went onto a rant about the IRS.

Posted by Paul on Tuesday November 13, 2007 at 9:46 AM

"Is it fair of them to list books by authors like Williamson, who are now deceased? Unless they have evidence that a publisher is sitting on a finished manuscript, that seems like a cheap shot to me."

Believe me, no cheap shot was intended. I've been a life-long fan of Jack Williamson, have several books autographed by him, posted a long tribute (several) at my old website when he passed, have bought everything that Haffner Press has come out with, etc.

The posting was an attempt to find out what happened to various titles. If you read the original posting you'll see that Stephen Haffner, the Big Poohbah of Haffner Press (his title, not mine) helped me in tracking down the status of the titles.

No disrespect was meant towards Williamson. Or Heinlein. Or Dickson. Or anybody else for that matter!

Posted by Fred Kiesche on Tuesday November 13, 2007 at 10:00 AM

Fred, the main reason I was concerned about the Williamson listing is that regarding one of his books, it reads, "Announced in Locus, but given Jack Williamson's age and health, I don't know if we'll ever see it." If this post was updated for 2007, maybe a note ought to be added there as well. Right now, it reads as if the poster is unaware that Williamson is deceased -- and, as you just pointed out, that's clearly not the case.

Posted by Michael A. Burstein on Tuesday November 13, 2007 at 10:05 AM

Could we ad the conclusion to the "Wheel" books by Robert Jordan to the list?

One also wonders if the delays are due to the publishers rather than the authors.

Posted by Derek on Tuesday November 13, 2007 at 3:37 PM

"Per C.J. Cherryh's website,she has just sent Cyteen II to her publisher."

Please take a look at the original posting...you'll see that I talk about that in my 2007 updates to my original posting.

"Could we ad the conclusion to the "Wheel" books by Robert Jordan to the list?"

I didn't really cover fantasy (otherwise I would have mentioned George R. R. Martin!). I just don't read nearly the amount of fantasy as I do SF and non-fiction. From what I recall reading after Jordan's death, it seemed like most of the final book in his mega-epic is finished, and there are enough notes, recorded conversations, and the "group memory" of his wife and assistant (assistants?) to finish it.

Now, that Martin fella...I'm not sure when we'll see the end of that shaggy dog story!

Posted by Fred Kiesche on Tuesday November 13, 2007 at 4:42 PM

The funny thing about my posting when I had done it in 2005: It derived from a list that I had been keeping since the early 1980's, when I saw a note in "Space Viking" that Pournelle was working on a sequel.

Earlier versions of the list included one "Castle of the Otter", which is how "The Citadel of the Autarch" (fourth book in Wolfe's "New Sun" tetralogy) was reported by Locus at one point.

Wolfe eventually came out with a book with that title. As well as the real book. That's probably the only time an item on the list was checked off...twice!

Posted by Fred Kiesche on Tuesday November 13, 2007 at 4:45 PM

If I remember correctly, every one of James White's "Sector General" books except the very last one already has been collected into an omnibus, so I don't see how that could possibly be a missing book.

And "Doc" Smith is highly unlikely to be beginning any untitled projects at this point in his death.

Posted by Andrew Wheeler on Tuesday November 13, 2007 at 8:39 PM

According to Amazon and Wikipedia, there are three SG omnibus editions:

Beginning Operations (published in 2001, contains Hospital Station, Star Surgeon, Major Operation)

Alien Emergencies (published in 2002, Ambulance Ship, Sector General, Star Healer)

General Practice (published in 2003, contains Code Blue: Emergency and The Genocidal Healer)

...and the following standalones, not in any omnibus:

Double Contact
Mind Changer
Galactic Gourmet
Final Diagnosis

So depending on how generous they are, they could do one or two more omnibus editions. Of course, the reason for a lack of omnibus might be that these last four are still in print (AFAIK). So maybe they are waiting for stock to be exhausted.

As for "Doc" Smith...if Heinlein can "write" two books after his death, why not one from the "Doc"! All we need to do is to find a Lens and contact his essence...

Posted by Fred Kiesche on Wednesday November 14, 2007 at 12:29 PM