''People of the Talisman'' is a

science fantasy Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as being scientif ...

novel by American writer

Leigh Brackett Leigh Douglass Brackett (December 7, 1915 – March 18, 1978) was an American science fiction writer known as "the Queen of Space Opera." She was also a screenwriter, known for ''The Big Sleep'' (1946), '' Rio Bravo'' (1959), and '' The Long Goo ...

, set on the planet

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

, whose protagonist is

Eric John Stark Eric John Stark is a character created by the science fiction author Leigh Brackett. Stark is the hero of a series of pulp adventures set in a time when the Solar System has been colonized. His origin-story shares some characteristics with feral ...

. This story was first published under the title ''Black Amazon of Mars'' in the

pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...

Planet Stories ''Planet Stories'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine, published by Fiction House between 1939 and 1955. It featured interplanetary adventures, both in space and on some other planets, and was initially focused on a young readership. ...

'', March 1951. In 1964, after a total revision and expansion, it was republished as ''People of the Talisman'', as one part of an

Ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

Double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

novel; its companion was another expanded Eric John Stark story, ''

The Secret of Sinharat ''The Secret of Sinharat'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Leigh Brackett, set on the planet Mars_in_fiction#Mars_in_fiction_before_Mariner, Mars, whose protagonist is Eric John Stark. The novel is expanded from the novella "Queen o ...

''. The expansion has sometimes been attributed to Brackett's husband,

Edmond Hamilton Edmond Moore Hamilton (October 21, 1904 – February 1, 1977) was an American writer of science fiction during the mid-twentieth century. Early life Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was raised there and in nearby New Castle, Pennsylvania. So ...

/ref> For ''People of the Talisman'', there may be some internal evidence to support this suggestion. In 1982, it appeared, again together with ''The Secret of Sinharat'', under the title ''Eric John Stark, Outlaw of Mars''. In 2005 the original Planet Stories version was republished in ''Sea-Kings of Mars and Otherworldly Stories'', Volume 46 in the Gollancz ''

Fantasy Masterworks Fantasy Masterworks is a series of British paperbacks intended to comprise "some of the greatest, most original, and most influential fantasy ever written", and claimed by its publisher Millennium (an imprint of Victor Gollancz Sir Victor Gollan ...

'' series. It appeared the same year in the collection ''Stark and the Star Kings'' (Haffner Press).

Characters

, a mercenary fighter, born on Mercury, looking for trouble in northern Mars. *Camar, a Martian thief of the northern city of Kushat. *Ciaran, lord of the barbarian tribe of Mekh, who keeps some secret forever hidden behind his mask. *Thord, captain of Mekh, servant of Ciaran. *Otar, of Kushat, counselor and servant of Ciaran. *Lugh, officer of the guard of Kushat. *Rogain, nobleman of Kushat and Commander of the City. *Balin, a thief of Kushat. *Thanis, Balin's sister. *Ban Cruach, a hero of ancient Mars, standing forever at the Gates of Death in the Norland wilderness. Planet Stories March 1951 cover

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:People Of The Talisman 1964 American novels 1964 science fiction novels 1964 fantasy novels Novels by Leigh Brackett Novels set on Mars Works originally published in Planet Stories