A Bertram Chandler - Grimes-San and the Naked Lady - The Mentor No: 24

The Mentor [No:24 Mar 1978]

(Cover Virgil Finlay)

The Mentor No: 24 - Mar 1978

Article

Grimes is multilingual — which his creator most certainly is not. The stories featuring him have been translated into all languages from Japanese to Russian, the long way around the world. Normally I have little or any direct contact with my foreign publishers. Messrs. Hayakawa in Tokyo are the exception.

Before the first book THE ROAD TO THE RIM — was even translated they were writing to no and, even, calling me long distance, mainly about the illustrations. The Hayakawa paperbacks are very well produced, with bright covers and about six interior black and white illustrations. You can almost follow the story by looking at the pictures. Some of these adhere very closely to my own ideas, others are decidedly off the beam. The Mannschenn Drive, for example... I tried to explain what it looks like over the telephone but the artist’s conception of that weird machine is nothing at all like mine. And there’s the full dress uniform worn by officers of the Survey Service on ceremonial occasions. What I have always had in mind is a rig vary similar to the full dress of the Royal Navy - a cocked hat, a frock coat, sword belt and sword. At no time did I think necessary to specify the colour of waistcoat and trousers. But more than once Grimes has appeared in the illustrations in a sort of hybrid attire — the frock coat, the cocked- hat and the sword worn over a plain grey waistcoat and striped grey trousers... Sort of half naval officer and half diplomat.

I received in the mail today copies of the two latest Hayakawa/Rim Worlds novels — SPARTAN PLANET (FALSE FATHERLAND) and THE INHERITORS. I rather gained the impression that the artist had really enjoyed himself wit both books. In SPARTAN PLANET he had a lot of fun the the anachronisms — Spartan hoplites, carrying automatic rifles, standing guard over Grimes’ grounded space vessel while overhead sails one of the airships of the Spartan Navy. I’ve one very minor whinge about the interior pics. Maggie Lazenby — who, as a full commander, actually outranked Grimes, has been demoted to lieutenant. And Grimes, although only a lieutenant commander, has scrambled egg on the peak of his cap. Furthermore it is not a mere commander’s scrambled egg it’s an admiral’s scramble egg. And I resent his wearing more scrambled egg than I, his creator, am entitled to!

In THE INHERITORS Maggie is back in correct uniform with three full stripes on her sleeves or shoulderboards. The Morrowvians are all wearing their correct uniform; if you’ve read the book you’ll remember that Morrowvia is a world with no nudity taboo and a climate conducive to naturism. I was disappointed to find that in the only picture in which Drongo Kane appears he has hic back to the camera. On the other hand, the Dog Star Line’s Captain Danzellan is just how I myself visualised that portly dignified shipmaster.

But it was the cover that made my day.

I’ve been writing full length novels for about twenty years — tempus don’t half fugit! — and I’ve always wanted to have an undressed blonde on the Jacket. Everybody else had them, but never me. In the case of THE BITTER PILL Dennis Wren actually asked me what I wanted as a cover picture and I told him, Did I get it? No. I got a rather boring photograph of the Earth as seen from space.

And now, at long, long last...

A dark—skinned, silver—haired, indubitably mammalian wench with, in the background, a snarling cat’s face and with the shadow of a rocketship railing over the girl’s naked body.

Just under a week age I saw my first streaker — a girl, nude save for her sandals, walking quite unconcernedly up and down Macleay Street in Kings Cross. Today I got my first book with a naked blonde on the cover.

Things come in threes.

I wonder that the third big (and Happy) surprise will be.

A Bertram Chandler
Grimes-San and the Naked Lady

Dreaming Again

The Mentor No: 24 - Mar 1978