Froomb! by John Lymington

Froomb! by John Lymington

What a strange cover this is.

This is the long-forgotten science fiction novel Froomb! by John Lymington. We’re very interested in the composition of this artwork, because it looks like it was constructed of real materials and then photographed. There’s some sort of alien creature way off in the distance, and it looks like it was made from paper mache or gold foil or something similar. Some sticks were added to the foreground to perhaps give the illusion that the viewer is hiding in a pile of brush. The whole thing, with the exception of a patch of mud, is out of focus, creating a disorienting feel.

An old Kirkus review says that the unusual title is “an all-purpose word meaning atomic doom.” The reviewer wasn’t a big fan of the novel, describing it as “plastic” and “an utter fizzle.” Apparently, the dialogue is even worse; the reviewer states that it “could use some pills…. cyanide pills.”

According to the synopsis on the back, Froomb! asks some big questions, such as “WAS HE IN HEAVEN OR HELL?” The synopsis also suggests the contents of the book feature both space travel and time travel.

Froomb! by John Lymington

We’re not sure who did the art here, but we do know more about the author of Froomb!

John Lymington is actually one of the pseudonyms of the incredibly prolific John Richard Newton Chance. He also wrote under the names Jonathan Chance (which is basically his real name), John Drummond (which keeps his first name), David C. Newton (Which keeps one of his middle names), and Desmond Reid (which keeps none of his many names). He published more than 150 books before he died in 1983.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x