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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 Douglas Bell and, of course, of some speculative-fiction books by Bell.
This discussion and list does not necessarily include every book by Bell: 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 Bell tells, how those tales are usually told, and what makes them and Bell worthy; in sum, to help you rank Douglas Bell (and the works by Bell listed here) on your personal literary “to do” list.
A Few Words About Douglas Bell
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.
Note, however, what some respectable others have said:
Terry Pratchett: This book is intelligent, wise and full of heart. Read it and realize that maybe there’s hope after all…
Gene Wolfe: …it is a good piece, I would have been very happy to have written it…
Robert Jordan: …a stunning new voice!
And Bell was a nominee for the 1991 Philip K. Dick Award.
Bell seems to have written only the one novel, and—despite the quality of praise it earned in notable quarters—both he and the book seem to have disappeared beneath the waters of obscurity. (And the non-distinctiveness of his name doesn’t help in searching for material about him.) There is, in short awfully little.
I did find a very brief Biography at the Worlds Without End site, which does show him as the author of Mojo, but all evidence strongly suggests that that is not the Douglas Bell who wrote Mojo, and the biography there is irrelevant to the writer.
So this is how sad it is: these are (not counting duplications and for-sale offers) all the pages I could find even remotely touching on this book; none of them tell us anything about the author.
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