Author Jack Chalker suffered congestive heart failure last week.

[Khephra]

SF author Jack Chalker suffered congestive heart failure last week, and is hospitalized. • Details at Eva Whitley's site.


It's not looking good, sad to say.


http://www.qis.net/~ewhitley/eva/

[YankeyMCC]

1. Sad news

Mr Chalker was my introduction to Science Fiction novels (I did read Wrinkle in Time stories as a very young kid but they didn't kick off a life long love of reading science fiction like "The Four Worlds of the Diamond" did.)

And my father died of CHF last week.

[Khephra]

2. My sympathy to you and your family

I know Chalker has a ton of detractors, but Well World is and should remain a classic. Truly brilliant writing and concept there. I'll be really sad should he not survive this attack. While Dune was my first SF book, Well World was probably my introduction to sarcastic/smart-assed heroes--and my love for that type of character has remained with me to this day.

[Book Lover]

3. Oh, CHF is a tough one

I have read so much of what he's written, and though I don't care for it now, he was a staple for me for a time. My mother suffered with CHF, and so I know how it can be. My best wishes to him.

on edit: YYankeyMCC, please accept my sympathies.

[Tangledog]

5. How come they wore off for you?

I've read a few of Chalker's books and liked them a lot. But I only happened on him pretty recently, so I don't know if I'll look back years from now and say, "What was so great about that?" With science fiction, that usually only happens with atrocious pulp writing that I was able to accept back then :) , and Chalker is far from a bad pulp writer.

[Book Lover]

6. It seemed to me that

in every novel or novel set that one of the male leads was transformed into a woman. Now, once or twice, OK, but it happened all the time! It just seemed silly. Then again, I haven't opened one of his books in over 10 years - maybe I'd think differently now.

[porkrind]

4. Poor guy, I wish him the best.

It's been so long since I read the "Well World" series, that I can't remember them too well, but I liked "The Wonderland Gambit" series.