Fortunately, Ken Applebaum's comment is no longer really true. Missing footage from Metropolis was discovered in a film museum in Argentina, and Kino has a newly restored version in circulation that is nearly complete. (Lang was reportedly inspired by a visit to New York City in the 1930's.)
The print verion of Metropolis with the Kaluta illistrations is hard to find. But Mike put the illustrations online on his website, at http://www.kaluta.com/pages/metropolis/metbook.html
I created a custom Mobipocket ebook version with the illustrations starting with the HTML version here.
I've read the book a number of times over the years, and get a different take each time. In part, these days, I see it as a story of redemption.
Yoh Frederson is Master of Metropolis. His beloved wife Hel died giving birth to his son Eric. Yoh has sealed himself off from feelings since, seeking to become a precise, efficient machine like those that power his city. Machines don't feel. Machines don't hurt. In the process, he has divorced himself from empathy and the ability to understand the plight of the workers who keep things going.
His chief scientist, Rotwang, has created a robot that can replace the fallible workers. Rotwang too loved Hel, and was a rival for her affections before she married Yoh, so the relationship between the men is complex.
Eric becomes involved with Maria, daughter of a worker and leader of a worker religious sect, and discovers the worker's plight and resolves to help, setting in motion the events of the film.
See the film. Read the book. They complement and illuminate each other.
This is the serialized version of "Uller Uprising", which appeared in Space Science Fiction in 1952. It's a novel written for an anthology published by Twayne Books as a "Twayne Triplet", based on an essay by Dr. John D. Clark postulating a world with intelligent life based on silicon instead of carbon.
It's set in Piper's Federation universe. Uller is colony world run by the Chartered Uller Company. The protagonists find themselves in the middle of a native uprising. The natives are silicon based hermaphrodite humanoids with four arms and a roughly early industrial revolution level of technology.
Piper uses the canvas to retell the Sepoy Rebellion in India in SF terms. It's not the best of his books (that honor probably goes to Little Fuzzy or Space Viking, also available here), but it's a brisk fairly enjoyable read.
Let's see...
Mrs. Clara Moreton is a pseudonym of General Dwight D. Eiosenhower, and Frank and Fanny was written in odd moments while winning World War II, yet the book was published in 1851, and Ike wasn't born until 1890?
The descriptions of Frank and Fanny are equally removed from reality.
Lovely little work of fantasy. Utterly useless review.
I'd give this a higher rating than Parky, though I understand his complaints. At the time it was written, psi abilities were a major theme in SF, with the late John W. Campbell leading the way in stories he chose for Astounding SF/Analog SF.
Part of the problem with Voodoo Planet is length: it was published as half of an Ace Double novel, which had two books, back to back, under the same cover. Because of the format, books tended to be about 45,000 - 50,000 words long to be able to fit. If Andre had more space to play in, I suspect she would have provided more details. (And it's possible she did, and they got cut by the editor.)
It's a nice look at a pretty well realized foreign culture. No, Chief Ranger Asaki doesn't really understand his powers, either: he simply knows that he can do certain things, and is in tune with his environment in a way others aren't.
It isn't Andre's best book, but I don't believe she ever wrote a *bad* one.