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Great Science-Fiction & Fantasy Works
Science-fiction & fantasy literature: a critical list with discussions.
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This is a brief discussion of Hugh Cook and, of course, of some speculative-fiction books by Cook.
This discussion and list does not necessarily include every book by Cook: it includes only those books that I both know and like. Just as with the author list itself, omission of a particular item may mean I didn’t think highly enough of the omitted item, or it may simply mean that I have not yet sufficient familiarity with it. (In a very few cases, I have listed some books merely on the strength of my opinion of the author: all such books are clearly marked below, as throughout these lists, with a hash mark (#) before the title so you know what’s what.)
I don’t pretend that this discussion is a deep analysis. My intent is no more than to give you a rough idea of what kinds of tales Cook tells, how those tales are usually told, and what makes them and Cook worthy; in sum, to help you rank Hugh Cook (and the works by Cook listed here) on your personal literary “to do” list.
A Few Words About Hugh Cook
Note! Speculative-fiction author Hugh Cook, the subject here, should not be confused with the Canadian novelist of the same name.
Regrettably, I have not yet had an opportunity to write an essay on this author, but the “Other Resources” section below will lead you to some information about the “Notable Books” listed farther down this page.
For an author now not much remembered, there is a remarkable quantity of material on the web…much of which bemoans that perhaps unjust obscurity. Here is a sampling:
Hugh Cook: his own site, still up (Cook died in 2008); it offers free online access to a number of his works.
The Wordsmiths and the Warguild (also issued in the U.S. as two separate, individually named volumes, The Questing Hero and The Hero’s Return, a cheapjack approach I deprecate)
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