I haven’t used Goodreads much, but I’m beginning to see that’s a mistake. It truly is a marvelous resource for those looking for a wide range of opinions about books — especially those that have been out of print for decades. For example, here’s a small sample of reviews for R. A. Lafferty’s gonzo space-pirate novel Annals of Klepsis, published as an Ace paperback original in 1983. First up is Andrew:

A surrealistic apocalypse from a master of surreal apocalyptic fantasy. Lafferty’s novels function with the logic of a Bugs Bunny cartoon written by Kafka.

Astonishing how on-point that is a 2-sentence review. Here’s a snippet from a much more in-depth review by Printable Tire.

The book’s setting is sort of a blend of science fiction, in that it takes place on another planet, with “zap guns” (not called that) and everything, and fantasy, in the way Alice in Wonderland is fantasy. The very loose sprawling story takes place on Klepsis, a pirate planet, who for the last 200 hundred years has been in a state of pre-history, a state of legend. One of the thousands of things Lafferty postulates is that all pre-history and pre-legend does not take place in linear time, but because it is pre-history it all takes place at the same time; thus Hercules was a contemporary of Achilles, and thus the proportion of ghosts in this book.

And finally, here’s a sample from my favorite Goodreads review, from Raymond St.

[Click the images for Lafferty-sized versions.]

As a kid, I read only fantasy and sci-fi short stories. I read anthologies, never paying attention to author names. Upon reaching a certain amount of years and bodily hair, I moved to books. I stumbled across a lunatic wonder called Apocalypses.

Working backwards in thought, I was able to identify stories years past that must have been written by Lafferty. The style-characteristics were consistent:

1) they moved freely outside all lines.
2) they were funny and weird, yet comprehensible; even eloquent.
3) They were marvelously crafted, always my latest favorites.

Annals of Klepsis is:

1) A short novel about a mad planet of peg-legged Irishmen.
2) A deep analysis of the concepts of history and reality within social paradigms.
3) A dream shared by escaped asylum inmante sitting next you on the bus.
4) All of the above. <— correct answer

…The shear power of imagination and ‘I don’t care what anyone else thinks’ is seldom seen in fantasy. Anyone looking for it? Go visit Klepsis: planet of peg-legged Irish pirates.

Check out all the reviews at Goodreads here.

Our previous coverage of the great R.A. Lafferty includes:

R.A. Lafferty: An Attempt at an Appreciation by Matthew David Surridge
The Hilarity of the Strange: The Man Underneath: The Collected Short Fiction of R. A. Lafferty, Volume 3 by Steve Case
Vintage Treasures: Nine Hundred Grandmothers by R.A. Lafferty
R.A. Lafferty Literary Estate For Sale

Annals of Klepsis was published by Ace Books in August 1983. It is 212 pages, priced at $2.50. The cover is by Jim Gurney. It has been reprinted precisely once, by Wildside Press in 2001; it is now out of print. Gateway / Orion released an ebook version in the UK in 2016. I purchased the unread copy above as part of a collection of 16 vintage paperbacks I bought on eBay last month for $8.50.

See all our recent Vintage Treasures here.