Autumn Angels

This strange novel-parable launched Cover%E2%80%99s long SF career in 1975. A repulsive demon, a black-derbyed lawyer, and a white-suited fat man plot to bring morbid depression to their race of godlike men, giving them purpose to master the universe. Their instrument is a pathetic crawling bird, whose heart-aching song of lament at its inability to fly causes listeners to feel anger and disappointment. Out of this quirky start, Cover swirls a phantasmagoric slew of allusions, quasi-references, and escapist "sampling" into something Harlan Ellison%E2%80%99s introduction calls "entertainingly meaningful." Since most of Cover%E2%80%99s playful tweaks of golden-age SF have become befogged by time, this resurrection of his debut novel may mean little to today%E2%80%99s readers. However, students of history and graying aficionados will drink in the obscure details of the "glory days of SF" in the supplementary materials, which include Ellison%E2%80%99s original 1975 introduction, A.A. Attanasios%E2%80%99s 2005 introduction, and Cover%E2%80%99s own long afterword. (Apr.)