Oh no!

May 6, 2005 11:08 AM

Robert Sheckley, the science fiction author, has been taken ill in a hospital in Kiev. Here is an interview, an appreciation by James Sallis of the Boston Globe and a few short stories from the SciFiction archives: The Prize of Peril, Protection, Cordle to Onion to Carrot, Bad Medicine and A Wind Is Rising.
posted by Kattullus (12 comments total)

Shit, I love that dude. Doesn't look good for him. Shit.
posted by Divine_Wino at 11:30 AM on May 6, 2005

damn damn damn, not surprising I guess, but still... damn. He is one of the best short story writers I have encountered
posted by edgeways at 12:01 PM on May 6, 2005

I still carry images from reading his stories 35 years ago. I still have the feeling his stories gave me. Good luck to him in his future endeavors.
posted by pointilist at 12:33 PM on May 6, 2005

I, too, read Sheckley's wonderful fiction in my teens and it innoculated me with a life-long taste for science fiction. Please read the short stories Katullus links to.
posted by mojohand at 1:37 PM on May 6, 2005

Ditto. I read Mindswap when I was in Grade 8 and I've never been quite the same... I can still remember passages verbatim. I too wish him the best.
posted by jokeefe at 1:41 PM on May 6, 2005

Damn. Good luck to him: one of the best and funniest writers ever.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 1:51 PM on May 6, 2005

Ditto what everybody else said. I love his writing and hope he pulls through.
posted by languagehat at 1:56 PM on May 6, 2005

I'm currently in my OTR phase; obsessed with listening to "Old Time Radio" shows I find online. It started with SIRIUS, but I got tired of it futzing out and loosing antenna lock at the precise moment Nero Wolfe was gonna unmask the villain -- so I started collecting mp3 files.

Sheckley's stuff is prominent; particularly on shows like "X-Minus One". And it holds up well.
posted by RavinDave at 9:51 PM on May 6, 2005

Well, crap. Sheckly is one of the best of all time in the genre - the thinking man's author.

"Cordle to Onion to Carrot" has been a guiding philosophy in my life for some time now.
posted by insulglass at 5:23 AM on May 7, 2005

Wouldn't you know that this would be my first post. "Options" inspired my screen name. My favorite is Dimensions of Miracles. I believe that Doug Adams liked it as much as I do, seeing as "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" is clearly a homage. He's a one my all time favorites.
posted by Carmody'sPrize at 9:56 AM on May 7, 2005

My only real claim to fame is that my mom used to work for Bob Sheckley back in the 80s. I'm glad to have met the dude and I've always enjoyed his work. It sucks that his health is failing, he's a really decent guy.
posted by majick at 2:36 PM on May 7, 2005

Man, as a kid I read a lot, LOT of Sheckley -- Notions: Unlimited; Untouched By Human Hands, etc. etc. -- I could nerd out for like a week talking about Life Boat Mutiny alone. My father was a fan too and found a mother load of pristine Sheckly pulp books at that famous big used bookstore in Seattle or Portland -- he bought 'em all and presented them to me in a big Tupperware bin.
posted by Toecutter at 5:30 PM on May 7, 2005