Past Master (novel)

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**Title** **Past Master**
Cover of first edition paperback
Author	R. A. Lafferty
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Variously described as science fiction, or dramatic fantasy
Publisher	Ace Books
Released	1968
Media type	Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
Pages	191 pp (first edition, paperback)
ISBN	ISBN 0-441-65303-0

Past Master is a novel by science fiction writer R. A. Lafferty. It was first published in 1968, and was nominated for the 1968 Nebula award (Rite of Passage won) and the 1969 Hugo award (Stand on Zanzibar won)^[1]. It is generally categorized as part of the New Wave of science fiction.

1 Plot introduction
2 Release details
3 References
4 External link

[edit] Plot introduction

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Past Master is set in the year 2535 on the world of Astrobe, a utopian Earth colony that is hailed as Golden Astrobe, "mankind's third chance" after the decline of the Old World and New World on Earth. Despite idealistic intentions, it is suffering moral and social decline that may be terminal for both Astrobe and the human race. In an attempt to save their dying civilization, its leaders bring Thomas More (or perhaps a copy of him) from shortly before his death in the year 1535 to be the president of Astrobe. More struggles with whether to approve of the Astrobian society. He notes its possible connections to his own novel of Utopia, but his judgements are ultimately quite subtle and lead him into conflict both with destructive cosmic forces on Astrobe and with its leaders who thought him a mere figurehead who could be manipulated.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Release details

Lafferty, R.A. [1968] (1968). Past Master, First (in English), New York, USA: Ace Books, 191 pages. OCLC: 10835111.
Lafferty, R.A. [1968] (1968). Past Master (in English). New York, USA: Ace Books, 248 pages. OCLC: 3838861.
Lafferty, R.A. [1968]. Past Master (paperback), Reprint of Ace edition as part of The Garland library of science fiction (in English), New York, USA: Garland Pub., 191 pages. ISBN 0-8240-1421-9; OCLC: 1693870.
Lafferty, R.A. [1968] (1968). Past Master (softcover), Reprint of first Ace Books? (in English), London, England: Rapp & Whiting, 191 pages. OCLC: 17697.
Lafferty, R.A. [1968] (1970). Past Master (in English). London, England: Science Fiction Book Club, 191 pages. OCLC: 2014876.
Lafferty, R.A. [1968] (1981). Astrobe, der goldene planet (paperback), Deutsche erstausgabe (in German), München; Zürich: Droemer Knaur, 207 pages. OCLC: 70117779.
Lafferty, R.A. [1968] (1982). Past Master (softcover), Ace reprint (in English), New York, USA: Ace Books, 248 pages. ISBN 0-441-65303-0; OCLC: 8713622.
Lafferty, R.A. [1968] (1993). Tomasu Moa no daiboken: pasuto masuta (paperback), Inoue, Hiroshi,; 1954- (translator), Shohan; part of the Seishinsha bunko series (in Japanese), Tokyo: Seishinsha, 379 pages. ISBN 4-87892-030-0; OCLC: 50672738.
Lafferty, R.A. [1968] (1999). Past Master, Wildside reprint (in English), Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, USA: Wildside Press, 248 pages. ISBN 1-880448-99-8.