Spacewreck: Ghostships and Derelicts of Space (Terran Trade Authority Handbook) by Stewart Cowley

Spacewreck: Ghostships and Derelicts of Space (Terran Trade Authority Handbook) Reviews

• 
  Andrew

  Okay now if there is EVER a book that screams nostalgia this is it. I cannot begin (well I guess I sort of am already) to say what this book means to me.
  
  Okay the book is old, 1979 to be precise, the art is varied to say the least and the content well a little shaky but I DO NOT CARE.
  
  I first saw this in a 1980s department store, one that we would go to every christmas to spend our christmas gift vouchers and yes it was all very stereotypical. However because it was the 80s and pretty much a closed environment my brother and I were let loose to explore - and yes they had a book department.
  
  They had a copy of this book which I instantly galvanised to, imploring my parents to let me buy it. Sadly to no avail they said it was too old for me (and too expensive) so sadly I had to walk away form it (although I did do my best to try and read most of it) seemingly to never see it again.
  
  Now years later I have a copy of the same book - okay its not as in such good a condition and I guess some of the "wow" factor has worn off and like I say shows it's age but still the memories still come flooding back and the sheer fun of it (even if it is a collection of crashed and wrecked space ships). The text is really just a series of contrived pieces to justify the choice of artwork but who cares. I guess we all have our white whales and over the years, in book format at least I have collected my fair share of them, but in this case, for once I finally found it. I am suddenly a very smug 10 year old all over again.
• 
  Alan Heal

  One of those books you pick up on a whim as a pre-teen and which haunts you until mid-adulthood. I recently *had* to buy another copy of this. Some sense-of-wonder-provoking images in here, tied together with some poignant storylines.
• 
  Matthew

  The artwork is amazing.
• 
  Andrew

  Like the other books in the Cowley/TTA series I've had my copy of 'Spacewrecks...' for decades, first getting hooked on them in the late 70s. This entry and others from the author are hardly deep and meaningful sci-fi with detailed characterisations and complex plots. They are a series of very short stories framed around science fiction art of the period, contextualised within a 'Star Trek' like universe with a human-led organisation expanding throughout the galaxy. Therein lies the real value of this book and otehrs by Cowley; the artwork of the illustrations is always enjoyable, and the 'Terran Trade Authority' construct is well put together with some degree of complexity and potential for further work.
  
  As for the individual stories, when Cowley produces longer narratives he does reasonably well. 'The Warworld of Alshain' and 'Children of the Gods' are quite acceptable short stories, whilst 'A Deadly Eden' has definite echoes of 'Star Trek'. There are plenty of occasions where the reader can observe that Cowley has shoe-horned his writing around the image he has adopted for his story, and one glaring example where he or his editors missed the mark.
  
  It must also be said that Cowley does not populate his short stories with memorable characters. In fact there are only really two figures named in the book, and of these only one has any back story, any semblance of development. I don't think it's fair to be too censorial of the author for this; it may be argued that space and the fictional ships he writes about are the real characters, plus he has written a collection of short stories focused on sci-fi art. You can only really talk about how well he uses his palate, and Cowley does a very handy job. However if you want more detailed character exposition go somewhere else.
  
  In summary, I enjoyed this book because of its illustrations, because of the manner in which Cowley has used these to create an interesting science fiction universe, and because it forms one long-held part of my personal library.
• 
  Joshua

  When Man challenged the elements in his attempts to conquer the oceans of Earth his successes were qualified by tragedies. Similarly throughout space are scattered grim reminders of his failures.
  
  A collection of short sci-fi stories about space wrecks, both human and alien, and the exploration of deep space.
  
  What I liked:
  
  - some very engaging stories, ranging from tragic to creepy.
  
  - the dispassionate narrative truly fits the book.
  
  - amazing artworks all over.
  
  What I didn't like:
  
  - a few stories fall flat or feel too long compared to others.
  
  - a couple stories break the narrative style going through their characters' minds and wishes, and it feels out of place.
  
  Final thoughts:
  
  A lovely way to spend a few days , reading through the (usually very) short stories while glancing at the pretty art felt great. I wasn't expecting much from the stories themselves but I must say they were quite engaging overall, the variety in what's on offer was an expecially welcome surprise.
  
  Please note all my reviews follow Goodreads' descriptions of their star ratings, so 1=did not like 2=was ok 3=liked it 4=really liked it and 5=it was great! Story collections are rated by rating each story individually and taking an average of all results.
• 
  Michael Sypes

  I read the first two books many, many years ago, and finally obtained a copy of this one, long out of print. Unfortunately, I can't say it maintains the high level of quality that my memory holds of those others, and so is rather disappointing. The stories are at times interesting, but the voice in consistent. Sometimes they are, as I expected, told with the dispassionate voice that a Terran Trade Authority handbook should have, but others are far too intimate, providing details and points of view that no bureaucrat would ever give. That spoils the mood and destroys the overlying story/history that the other books provided.
  Most of the artwork is still quite good, by the same artists as before.
  I'm glad I was able to add this to, and complete my collection, but equally glad I didn't spend a fortune to get it.
• 
  Dylan Graham

  I would honestly try to find this book for the pictures alone! Each picture or pictures of a crashed or abandoned derelict ship is accompanied with a short story (ranging from super short to a bit longer) that details how it ended up where it was. It’s written almost in a handbook or encyclopedia type of fashion and has a really interesting feel to it!
• 
  Benjamin Fasching-Gray

  I didn't really read it, mostly skimmed the text and bugged out on the art. Awesome concept. I might take another crack at the goofball prose in it in the future.
• 
  Annette Lyn

  I think the Love Death & Robots “Beyond the Aquila Rift” episode may have been directly inspired by this fantastic lil picture book. At any rate, I could not have enjoyed it more.
• 
  M. Spencer

  Absolutely lovely book with some enjoyable, if sketchy, stories to accompany the artwork.
• 
  Steven Allen

  My favorite maternal aunt gave me this book for Christmas when I was 10. The book was brand new, and I poured over the glorious pictures. My aunt knew that I liked SciFi very much having been encouraged by my favorite paternal uncle (see a pattern?) to read authors such as (listed in no particular order): ERB, Heinlein, Herbert, Norton, and Asimov. This book has survived in my collection despite numerous military moves across the nation, and the Great Apartment Flood of 1995. I have always wished to collect the rest of the series, without spending a small fortune - perhaps with internet shopping that might be possible.
• 
  Jeremy

  An interseting book written like some sort of historical document or archaeological notes. It reads like a who's who of space derelicts, like a modern day book on sunken sailing ships. Its not really a story in the classical sense, but its an interesting glimpse of how authors of the 70's viewed our future voyages into space and the sort of things we might encounter. It could also be helpful for those looking for inspiration for sci-fi role playing material.
• 
  Mike

  This was the one Terran Trade Authority book that I had never read. It seems to be fairly rare these days, but I was able to find a copy via interlibrary loan. Like the rest of the series, it's great fun. Lots of strange encounters on the edge of known space, crews disappearing from vessels with no explanation, all that stuff. Illustrated with classic science fiction art from the 1970's and 80's.
• 
  Michael

  I loved these books as a youngster, I remember checking these out from the library over and over again.
• 
  Curtiss

  Another of Cowley's clever incorporations of various science fiction artwork into a storyline.