The Traveller Novels of Jefferson P. Swycaffer

Viktor Kuprin · Jan 20, 2008

The Traveller science fiction role-playing game inspired novels of Jefferson P. Swycaffer and their covers are the subject of my latest blog at http://Kosmosflot.blogspot.com.

Here are the great covers:

Tom · Jan 20, 2008

Who Illustrated those covers?
I would love to see their galleries

Viktor Kuprin · Jan 21, 2008

Unfortunately, other than some miniscule initials on the covers, I don't think the artists are credited, and I've since returned the books back to the original lending libraries all over the US. When they were published back in the 80s, cover artists often didn't get any byline.

The Warsprite book must have gotten great distribution here in central Indiana because I remember seeing that cover everywhere: at bookstores, news stands, even drugstores, back when science fiction and other genre books were actually sold in pharmacies and other non-bookstore locations.

But like so many books from the 80s, this series shows its age of origin and is somewhat dated. Computer terminals link to individual mainframes, no mobile communicators of any kind, etc.

One oddity that's now clearly outside the Traveller game canon is Swycaffer's description of jumpspace as being a "blood red" dimension entered via slash-like portals that must be physically big enough for the starships to fit through!

Tom · Jan 21, 2008

Viktor Kuprin said:
The Traveller science fiction role-playing game inspired novels of Jefferson P. Swycaffer and their covers are the subject of my latest blog at http://Kosmosflot.blogspot.com.

Here are the great covers:

WarSprite Cover art by
Jeff Easly