Fred Saberhagen
It wasn’t too much of a shock to find out that another of the old guard has passed on - I had the impression he’s been ill or frail for some time…
The first book of his I remember reading was The Golden People, which was half of an old Ace Double back in the 60s and, I see now, was his first novel! I re-read it several times back then. The other early highlight for me was the trilogy of The Empire of the East; I borrowed them to read as they came out in paperback and bought the big omnibus when it came out years later.
I read a few other stories by him over the years but the only one I still have is The Veils of Azlaroc, which was pretty strange! I have to admit I didn’t really take to much of his work - Berserkers, Swords or Dracula spin-offs - but his single novels appealed more…
I see that his final novel is listed as an Empire of the East book, rather than a Swords or Lost Swords book, so I may try that - or I’ll pull Azlaroc off the shelf at home and read that…
edited to add:
Actually, rather than re-read anything, I noticed that he has a story (co-written with Jane Lindskold and quite possibly his last) in an anthology I had just received - Man vs Machine edited by John Helfers and Martin Greenberg.
It’s called Servant of Death and is a coda, I suppose, to Berserker Man and is about Vivian Travers (whom I assume was in Berserker Man).
I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone, but it did seem an appropriate end to his career.
May he rest in peace.
