Ancient Rockets: Treasures and Train Wrecks of the Silent Screen

By Kage Baker

From Metropolis to the pre-Technicolor Oz, take a fantastical journey through the wildest frontiers of the silent films of the silver screen.

Ancient Rockets brings you the earliest (and cheesiest) special effects, the best and worst directors, the tour de forces and the utter trainwrecks. Forty-nine cinematic odysseys will take you on A Trip to the Moon and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, swinging upon jungle vines with Tarzan and into the terrifying laboratory of Dr. Frankenstein, from The Adventures of Prince Achmed all the way to Modern Times.

These are the pinnacles and the pitfalls of science fiction’s silent movies as affectionately viewed by Kage Baker (the Company series) with acerbic wit and historical acumen. Ancient Rockets presents the mad scientists, terrifying fiends, flimsy plots, and glorious landscapes that have inspired generations of fans and filmmakers alike.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tachyon Publications
• Release date: Aug 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9781616961138

Kage Baker

Kage Baker was an artist, actor, and director at the Living History Centre and taught Elizabethan English as a Second Language. Her books include In the Garden of Iden, Sky Coyote, and Mendoza in Hollywood, among many others. Born in 1952 in Hollywood, she lived in Pismo Beach, California, the Clam Capital of the World. She died on January 31, 2010.

Reviews for Ancient Rockets

[datrappert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you think a book about silent horror and science fiction films would be boring. Baker, whom honestly I had never heard of despite her considerable accomplishments, pulls a neat trick by giving each film its due while also being incredibly funny from first review to last--which is made even more remarkable since the last was written hardly a month before her death from cancer. You'll be happy to find that many of these films are available in good versions on services such as Kanopy that you probably have access to through your library. This quick read is a real eye opener and a joy from start to finish. Don't miss it.