Books by Leigh Brackett

Born of Earth parents. Raised on Mercury. Mercenary on Mars and Venus. Warrior of the Solar System. "For hours the hard-pressed beast had fled across the Martian desert with its dark rider. Now it was spent. It faltered and broke stride, and when the rider cursed and dug his heels into the scaly sides, the brute only turned its head and hissed at him. It stumbled on a few more paces into the lee of a sandhill, and there it stopped, crouching down in the dust."Eric John Stark is Leigh Brackett’s dark-skinned freedom fighter, a relentless hero who clashed with armies and rulers, sorcerers and ghosts, survived myriad hellish landscapes and deadly-strange beasts, across an exotic and dangerous solar system.The Mercurian collects three of Eric John Stark’s earliest Planetary Adventures: Queen of the Martian Catacombs, Black Amazon of Mars, and Enchantress of Venus.

Mars is a dying old world, full of evil tyrants and decaying cities where crime and malevolence run rampant.Eric Stark is an outlaw in this savage world. Orphaned on Mercury and raised by native tribes there, he is hunted by the law, betrayed and wanted by warlords and may hold the fate of Mars in his hands.Leah Bracket's Eric Stark stories are some of the finest examples of mid-twentieth century romantic adventures in science fiction. She had this unique ability to inject a certain pathos and sensitivity into her characters and situations which made her books stand out within this sub-genre.Leigh Brackett (December 7, 1915 to March 18, 1978) was an influential writer during the Golden Age of science fiction and one of the pioneers establishing women as a serious force in the field. She has been referred to as the Queen of Science Fiction and her works include the classic The Long Tomorrow as well the Eric Stark books which are a prime example of the romantic adventures of the Golden era.Leigh was also a highly respected screenwriter and her credits include Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.In 1931 she married Edmond Hamilton, another early icon of the genre who died in 1977.

A FICTION HOUSE PRESS REPRINT: Grimly Eric John Stark slogged toward that ancient Martian city-with every step he cursed the talisman of Ban Cruach that flamed in his blood-stained belt Behind him screamed the hordes of Ciaran, hungering for that magic jewel-ahead lay the dread abode of the Ice Creatures-at his side stalked the whispering spectre of Ban Cruach, urging him on to a battle Stark knew he must lose!

A stunning novel of a post-nuclear world by one of SF's early greats. Introduction by Pat Cadigan.