[Quartet; ?; 0704312395; $?] [BB]
[Berkley; 1985; 042507708X; $3.50] [BB]
On Blown and Image
of the Beast:
- Shapechanging aliens masquerading as human in a pair of novels that PJF apparently wrote
for a shortlived porno publisher. Completely over the top bodily transformations, and a
most unusual method of intergalactic travel. Saturation:
+ : definitely 'For those who like transformations by the gross'. Emphasis on gross.
Dear me. -77
[Ace; ?]
[Ace; ?]
On Dayworld and Dayworld Rebel:
- [Result: PE.] Very remarkable self-induced
mental transformations. A fellow learns how to totally change his personality every day of
the week to fit his seven undercover identities (he's sort of a spy for a rebel
organization), and in the end winds up practically schizophrenic. In the sequel Dayworld
Rebel, all six of his carefully planned and self-created personalities mysteriously
vanish, along with his original self, and he becomes an eighth man, who doesn't remember
anything about his earlier activities, thus can't be tortured out of the information. -75
[To Your Scattered Bodies Go:
Berkley; 1971; 0425043142; $1.95] [BB] [BBT]
[The Fabulous Riverboat: Berkley;
1971; 0425048179; $2.25] [BB] [BBT]
[The Dark Design: Berkley; 1977;
0425050270; $2.50] [BB] [BBT]
[The Magic Labyrinth: Berkley; 1980;
0425048543; $2.75] [BB] [BBT]
[Gods of Riverworld: Berkley; 1983;
042507448X; $3.50] [BB] [BBT]
- SF; not read. -11
- Significance: -. Marginally on topic. Everyone
who ever lived on Earth is resurrected simultaneously on another planet, which lets the
author write a story with all his favorite historical characters. Anyone who dies on this
planet is immediately resurrected at an arbitrary location on the same world. -42
[TOR; 1985; 0812523970; $4.99] [BB]
- [Cause: AS Result: ST/GC.] About a device that
can take a person's semb (I translate this as soul) and place it into some other body.
There is a megalomaniacal semb who takes over several bodies including the hero's
girflfriend/wife. The hero is in turn placed in a woman's body at the end. Pretty
fast-paced and good reading. -86
- Rating: 2 Cause: AS. A machine capable of
contacting the dead is made. Essentially, everyone either wants to get their hands on it,
or destroy it. The only problem is, a dead soul has taken over the body of the man
controlling it, and is offering immortality to anyone who can pay (by stealing other
people's bodies.) I've seen a description of it as 'written faster than he could think.'
Not spectacular. Reprints exist, although I don't know why. -91
[Hale; 1986; 0709026404; UK8.95] [BB]
- Rating: 3 Cause: MA Result: MU/GC Significance: +
Description: + Saturation: 0. A dying male photographer takes over a young secretary's
body during parapsychology experiments. The book chronicles the interloper's attempts to
keep the girl's spirit out while appearing normal to those around him/her. The author is a
practising witch (according to the blurb) and Craft themes appear in the story. Unusually
for fantasy, the entire plot is set in and around modern Dublin. -94
[Ace double including The Prism: Ace; 1968; 020-08051-060; $.60]
- [Cause: GM Result: BX/RM?.] Highly readable
old novel in which most of the human race is exterminated by aliens, and the survivors
decide to evolve (by genetic manipulation) into a race that can fight back. -42
[1:Magician: Apprentice:
Bantam Spectra; 1986; 0553255754; $3.50] [BB] [BBT]
[2:Magician: Master: Bantam Spectra;
1986; 0553256467; $3.50] [BB] [BBT]
[3:Silverthorn: Bantam Spectra; 1986;
0553270540; $3.95] [BB] [BBT]
[4:A Darkness at Sethanon: Bantam
Spectra; 1987; 0553263285; $3.95] [BB] [BBT]
[5:Prince of the Blood: Bantam
Spectra; 1990; 0553285246; $4.95] [BB] [BBT]
- [Cause: MA Result: BX/AN.] One of the heroes
is transformed from a normal mortal into a dragon-lord, another becomes one of the most
powerful mages ever. This was a pretty popular series when it came out. -36
[Blood River Down: TOR; 1986;
0812537858; $2.95] [BB] [BBT]
[Web of Defeat: TOR; 1987; 0812537874;
$2.95] [BB] [BBT]
[Agnes Day: TOR; 1987; 0812537890; $2.95] [BB] [BBT]
- [Result: BX/AN.] Rating: 3 Cause: MA. I don't know if this is a
spoiler or not, but the white duck in question is the sister of the hero, who has been
turned into a duck by the evil wizard to be used as a sacrifice. Sort of a silly series,
but not too bad. -91
[Harlequin; 1995; 0373270542; $?] [BB]
- [Result: LY.] Lycanthropy. -154 (98/02/13)
- Harlequin romance novel; Silhouette Shadows, #54. -Ph
[Baen; 1991; 0671720805; $4.95] [BB]
[?]
- [Cause: GM.] Another oldie-but-goody featuring
genetic manipulation. -42
[Leisure; 1985; 0843922753; $3.95] [BB]
[Ballantine; 1992; 0345375750; $?] [BB]
- Rating 4 Cause: AX Significance: 0 Description: -
Saturation: -. Second in the "the damned" series, in which humans are at war
with a collection of aliens. The aliens have raised a group of humans to be soldiers for
them, and as part of the plan to keep them loyal surgically altered them at birth to
resemble another allied race. When they are finally used in battle, one is captured and
"restored" to human form. The other books in the series are: #1 A Call to
Arms and #3 The Spoils of War. The Spoils of War has more
of these altered humans in it. -103
[Warner; 1984; 0446320277; $2.95] [BB]
[Icerigger: Del Rey; 1978; 0345227996;
$1.95] [BB] [BBT]
- Summer/winter climate adaptation. -22
[Warner; 1986; 0446327698; $3.50] [BB]
- [Cause: MA Result: BX/AN.] Foster's
Spellsinger [series] has some shape changes, especially in the book Paths of the
Perambulator. These are all magical changes, but the books are fun to read. -44
[Ballantine; 1991; 034531980X; $3.50] [BB]
- Man isolated on alien world. Taken in by silicon based life forms that consider body
shape and function as just changeable tools for housing self. [Transformation:] Repair of
damaged body by aliens who believed in returning function but could not and see no need to
keep repaired organs the same as original. Worth a read; Foster writes readable books but
is a hack who seems to write to pay the bills. Rating:
3 Cause: AX Significance: 0 Description: 0. -159
(98/02/14)
[Transformer: DAW; 1983; 0879978147;
$2.50] [BB] [BBT]
[The Morphodite: DAW; 1981;
0879976691; $2.75] [BB] [BBT]
On series:
- Must read to appreciate. -22
[Diamond; 1993; 1557738866; $4.50] [BB]
[Del Rey?; 1988?; $?]
- [Cause: GM Result: BX/RM?/PE.] It examines the
implications of a total breakthrough in genetic engineering such that absolutely any
lifeform may be designed to order, from trees that grow into houses or cover an acre and
produce a hundred kinds of fruits and vegetables, to animals more intelligent than humans.
Further, tailored viruses can change a given human in a matter of months to be any desired
shape, age or other characteristics and a couple of characters go through this. Also, the
technique can totally reprogram enemies into friends. There is a nice discussion at the
very end on the whether the use of transformation should be limited so that evolution is
not tossed aside as a technique, or whether it will only complement evolution and speed it
up. -106
[?]
[?]
On both of the above:
- [Result: BX/GC/RM/MT.] ... excellent books by
C.S. Friedman. The evil protaganist feeds off the fear of others and can and will assume
the form of their worst fear. Also, the alien race on Erna have been transformed into
sentient creatures by the collective fears of the humans. In Night, a man who
possesses other creatures' bodies also takes over a little girl. Excellent series. -100
[DAW; 1991; 0886774446; $6.99] [BB]
- Rating: 4 Result: VA/SC(Alien) Significance: 0
Description: 0 Saturation: 0. SF; vampire & alien ability. Very worthwhile read.
It really does involve what is essentially a vampire, even if it is not in any way a
vampire story. -11
- ...Recent; also about a vampire type person who has several transformations, each more
complex than the last... -21
- The description that was given left out the setting: alien conquest of earth--story is
set in space--has nothing to do with vampires! -46
- The protagonist is suffering from century-old memories and his ability to transform into
any shape. He's forced to transform into the alien conquerors of Earth, the Tyrr, in order
to save himself. Another excellent book. -100
- [Result: LY.] Lycanthropy. -154 (98/02/13)
[Here Be Demons: Ace; 1988;
0441327974; $3.50] [BB] [BBT]
[Demon Blues: Ace; 1989; 0441143091; $3.50] [BB] [BBT]
[Hooray for Hellywood: Ace; 1990;
0441342817; $3.50] [BB] [BBT]
On Here Be Demons and Demon Blues:
Where to from here?
Copyright © 1993-2000 Phaedrus /
Books E 
Transformation Stories List
Blown {/77,154/} [BBT]
Image of the Beast {/77/64} [BBT]
Forcible Entry {94//} [??] [BBT]
Fangs {/87,Ph/} [BBT]