FA NI TASY REV It VV Vol. III. No. 15 ONE SHILLING SUMMER'49 EXTENSION In discussing the disproportionate production costs which hamper any publishing venture catering for a limited circle of readers, Mr. August Derleth, editor and publisher of The Arkham Sampler, announces the imminent suspension oI that valuable periodical. Which prompts us to point out that, had it been launched as a proflt-making proposition, Fantasy Review would long since have given up the struggle. Only the continued support of its advertisers-which made it possible in the flrst place-has enabled ii to survive and' encouraged by the tangible entirusiasm of its comparatively small number of subscribers, develop into somet'hing more substantial than it was in its first two years of life. The letters we have published since its enlargement give evidence of the desire of its readers for more frequent publication; and we wish we were in a position to respond to this demand. Instead of which, due to production difficulties which we are powerless to resolve at present. $e have to announce that it becomes necessary for us to issue Fa.ntasy Review a,t quarterly intervals, as a temporary measure. OnIy thus can we contrive to maintain both the standard of contents and regularlty of appearance which have made its reputation, and at the same time embark on the further development which is essential to its progress in other respects. At first sight, this might seem a retrogressive step. But although subscribers must now wait longer for each lssue' they wi]I soon be aware of the improvements which the less frequent publishing schedule will permit us to introduce as from the next (Autumn, '49) issue, which will see a modiflcation in the title of this journal the better to convey the greater seope of its a$icles and features. With the subsequent issue, we intend to add still more pages to the magaiine, without an}' alterdtion in the price or the subscription rate, except insofar as this will now be based on publication of four issues a year, the period of exisiing subscriptions being extended accordingly. You will help to ensure the restitution of the bi-monthly schedule, which we shali resume at the earliest opportunity' if you can persuade a friend of the value of placing a subscription at the reduced rate, immediately. For as soon *u rr" assured of the'maximum circulation we can expect "" it is all the time increasing, if slowly-we can -andestablish Fantasy Review on a basis sound enough to ensure its fuiure unequivocally. THE EDIMR 2 FANTASY

THE " IONCON "

TABOO OR NOT TABOO ? A Bad Day for Magazine Editors It was the warmest Easter ever of fantasy, had been cooked uP bY the known. The famous shadow of St. CommiLtee especiaUy to provide - an Paui's might have been a sanctuary opportunity for visitiig fans to air their from the fierce sun which beat down on o€t Deeves. This much Chairman St. Martins Ie Grand, had it not been watter Giliings admitted, hardly ex- as good as deserted. The windows of nectins that the mover of the resolu- the upper room of "The Raglan," usual fion, story-writer William F. Temple, haunt of busy City men, were open to would flre most of his broadside at admit a slight breeze. But the atmos- him. phere was sti[ heated: some seventy He also had to take the blame when fans lvere assembled for the "Loncon," the motion was attacked, by those both first Convention of the new British for and against it, as semantically mis- Science-Fantasy Society, and were leading as van Vogt's "World of earnestly discussing a vexatious topic NuII-A," and when he tried to clarifY editorial policies of their favour- its grandiose phrases, was further as- -theite magazines. sailed for exceeding his prerogative by The scathing comments directed at interpreting the issue he confessed to science flction editors in general, and having broached in intentionally loose one or two in particular, were not en- terms. But at least two-thirds of the tirely serious in intent, however. The assembly flnally gathered sufficient resolution before the conference, con- drift of the resolution to vote on it, demning adherence to rigid policies as with the resuit that almost three times detrimental to the proper development as many showed their disapproval of editorial taboos as were prepared to accept what editors were pleased to give them in accordance with their parti- FANTASY REYIEW cular policies. As Guest of Honour, author TemPle A Journal fof Readers, Writers and took full advantage of the privilege to Coliectors of Imaginative Fiction indulge in some typically plain speak- QUABTERLY: ONESHILLING ing laced rvith the ironic humour he infuses into his writings+. Having been Editorial, Advertising and Pub- practicatly into the lime- lishing Oftce: 115 Wanstead Park shanghaied Road, Ilford, Essex. light he had successfully avoided for years, he delivered a withering im- Subscription rates: In Great pre- (except neachment of the editor who had Britain and Dominions work in Tales of Wonder Canada) 4l- per yeat. Single copies Sented his flrst 1/-, post free. In Canada and the and who now sat helpless beside him' U.S.A., $1.00 per year. Single In lauding him by way of introduction, copies, 25c., post free. Chairman GiilinCs had reminded the Yol. 3, No. 15 Summer meeting that bhe rising star Editor '49 Merwin had boosted in Thrilling Ertitor: Walter Gillings. Wonder was no newcomer to science Associate Editor"s: John Carnell, flction, any more than Arthur C. Clarke, J. Michael Rosenblum, D. R,. Smith, patiently Arthur F. Hillman, FYed C. Brown, who also sat beside his old Ftank Edward Arnold, J. O. New- *Especiaily those in fan magazines. In man, A. Vincent Ciarke. Novae Terrae, progenitor of New Worlils, pre.war A me ri c an Correspondents: he lampooned his friends of days (New in a series on "The British Fan in IIis David l(ishi York), Forrest year's J. Ackerman (Hollywood), S a m Natural Haunt." Following last Moskowitz (Newark, N.J.), B o b "Whitcon," he reported on it in a sou- Tucker (Bloomington, I1l.) venir booklet in a way that had every- body in flts. REVIEW 3 stablemate, Temple, prepared to lend balanced view at all. Actualy, their weight to the assault on all editors job should be to pick the best of what who tended to become hidebound. the authors offer, not demand that they Far from expressing undying grati- qrrite this or that kind of story to suit tude to the man who had published their own idea^s of what readers want." his "The Smile of the Sphinx" and Seeking to justify editorial policies, other early stories, ten years before, R.A.F. officer Harry Kaye, who had Temple depicted Gillings as a conser- thrashed out such matters with Temple vative satyr who had declined to accept before in the days of the S.F.A.. con- anything which did not conform with trasted the thoughtful. adulb content of his conception ol what a British public Astounding with the "guff and bilge" unfamiliar with magazine s-f could of Amazing and Planet Stories, while appreciate. Instead of encouraging stressing the necessity of catering for new ideas, he had presented an endiess an audience of regular readers who succession of "mena,ces," in spite of the would keep lhe magazine running what- fact that "The Sphinx," which he had ever the type of stories it featured. experimented with dubiously, had Editors, he considered, might experi- proved quite popular. With the post- ment here and there, but were wise to war Fantasy, he prepared to pursue keep within deflnite bounds if they much the same course, but it had only wished to maintain subscriptions. lasted three issues-and no wonder, Seconding the motion, author Clarke Temple added grimly. admitted the wisdom of a consistent IIe then proceeded to blister the re- editorial policy, so long as it did not vived New Worlds, a copy of which re- become rigid. He declined to dispute posed beneath a vase of dafiodils on the right of an editor to edit, but the table before him. Editor John objected to "tire policy of having a Carnell ("I don't know why he calls policy for policy's sake." If after read- himself John-his real name is Ted") ing a magazine for a year you could not was not present to defend the charge, distinguish one issue from another. it which he had half-anticipated, Ievelled was okrvious that its policy had become by Temple at the sameness of its con- too set. He thought Astounding had tents: he was down with vaccination become so stereotyped that the stories fever following early preparations for left no impression in the mind; whereas his trip to U.S. to attend the World Thrilling Wonder had developed a" Science Fiction Convention. But Tem- much wider fi.eld---€nabling him to sell ple was merciless. All but one of the to Editor Merwin such a storv as stories, he pointed out, was about deep "Against the FaU of Night," after its space or space-ships, and reading be- rejection by Campbell. " Even a good tween the lines, he saw the same thing policy may tum out to be a bad one if happening in the next issue.f Once it iasts too long," he decided. again they were going to be deprived of Supporting Lieutenant Kaye was a really liberal magazine; yet this was R,.A.F. recruit Kerry Gaulder, also an enterprise in which British fandom lately recruited to fandom, who argued was actively interested, and he urged that editors were completely at the them "not tc let him get away with ii." mercy of their authors. In defence of While venting most of his spleen Gillings, he pointed out that in the days upon home products, Temple kept a of Tales of Wonder the ,'menace', story harsh word or two for the American was still the fashion: it was not until magazines, whose editors he dismissed the '40-'45 period that stories became as mere cogs in a machine, at the same more varied in theme. He doubted if time crediting them wiih a certain there had yet been a magazine with a amount of elasticity. "They swing truly rigid policy (cries of ,,Oh!', from from one direction to another, every anti-Amazing fans with the Sha.ver now and again, so that it's diffcult for Mystery in mind); though he admitted the poor author to keep pace with their of rigid cover policies, in which con- changing moods. Editors as a whole nection he looked forward to the over- are extremists; they don't have a throw of Mr, Bergey. While commending Astounding for fHe omitted to mention Editor Car- having developed nell's "warning" to readers New a type of ltory that wlrich deserved to rank with the best of Worltls would "from time to time experi--ever ment with difierenb types of stories, litgrature in other flelds, combined pursuing a policy of publishing the best with an intelligent appeal which put it British science fiction available." in a class by itself, he conceded that 1i FANTASY Startling and Wondor' with their inter- mediate policies, had presented some good material tvhlch did not requii-e IN THE NEXT ISSUE much efforb to appreciate. Of late, however, Astounding had lost whatever policy it had, which was why it had The Magnificent Shiel degenerated and its authors had run MORSE drv of new ideas. "What we need to- by A. REYNOLDS day is not more or iess policy, but more authors with more fertilitY." Germany's tt0aPtain Future" An animated discussion opened with LEY the argument that absence of a clear- by WILLY cut policy only ieft the reader be- wildered; whether intelligent or not, he Things That Didn't Come needed a guide to a magazine's con- tents. or he would be reluctant to buy. by WALTER GILLINGS Resenting the dismissal of Planet Stories as "just a tag," a loyal reader pointed out that it had featured many Ray Bradbury's prime pieces. An for those who were already able to of forms. oldster who had been reading science annreciate'lvlember its better flction since the days of Frank Reade A1thr.r.r Williams suggested announced that he would oppose any that if they were to lay dorvn some ob- iect consisient with their own attitude editorial policy which attempted to it- educate himi he read lor amusement iowalds the apptication of science only. The final coniention was that self, they mlght, clarify their own ideas as weII as make their purpose clear to any new trends which might better up fantasy-flction were inevitably re- -thenotential members. This brought strained by a too tight hold on question of whether s-f was b€st editorial reins; and after some argu- propasated in the old Gernsbackian ment over the terms of the resolution, inanner, as "sugar-coated science." or it was car-ried by an overwhelming mrrelv as a specially infriguing form majority. of lildrature-a form which' it seemd tc the critics, might reasonably succeed by the. detec- SCIENGE OR LITERATURE ? to the position occupied tive story to-day, suggestlng tnat lts Report.s on the Progress of the virtues lav more in its capacity to pro- Science-Fantasy Society were presented vide relaiation bhan education' by Secretary Frank Fears, Committee- Member B. L. Sandfleld found readY man A. Vincent Clarke, and Treasurer support for his contention that the Owen Plumridge. These led to a desul- sobietv should be concerned with the tory debate on the approach it should nlace 6f s-f in literature rather than its adipt in pursuing its obiectives, which icientific or political significance. had been defined in a seven-point policy Agreeing, auttror Clarhe doubted if Most of its own on its inauguration. a,nyone ever believed the purpose -of s-f pertinent of these points are the en- was to spread science, and held that it couragement of ali fan efforts in the was justifled in defying science so long shape of news-sheets and "fanzines," as it qualified as literature. the promotion of international corres- ninatly,' Member WiUiams contented pondence, the fostering of local groups himself with an admonition to tJre in flve main areas, and the publicising Committee to keeP the matter of the of fantasy-fiction to efiect its recogni- Society's aims well in mind as they pro- tion "as a separate form of literature." ceeded. Whereupon the delegates broke The cue for the discussion emanated, up to inspect the tasty collector's items in the flrst place, from Chairman Gii- displayed on all sides for auction later; lings, who in his introductory address while those who felt inclined indulged had urged the new Society to set out in a bout of "Twenty Questions" with with clear ideas of the purpose for ik objects selected from the annals of fan- existence, if they wanted it to avoid tasv and 'Sandy' Sandfleld as Question the fate which had overtaken its fore- Malfer. The hall echoed to the sten- bears. What they had to decide, he torian bellow of Charles Duncombe thought, was whether they were going when, in due course, he discharged the to make more science fiction fans or duties of auctioneer, assisted by Ted concentrate on the improvement of s-f Tubb. REVIEW 5 Wa,Iter Gilling:s' FANTASIA Saturday Review of Literature (whose Assoeiate Editor, Harrison smith' is ..enthusiastic reader of science flction and fantasy . . . who says . . . that the magazines bewiider him") considered "The S-I' Phenomenon in Literature" in article by Claile Holcomb focussing on Astounding,s "leadership in the . fleld," Editor campbeil's atomic prophecies, Stolies by contributors Heinlein, Asimov, Cartmi]I' Tenn' etc.' illustrating typical themes . . . Reviewing Stanley G. Weinbaum's "A Martian Odyssey and Otheis"' (Fantasy Press, $3.00), Time reproduced artist Donnell's end-papers, reported on "hUngry fans" and fanzines, culrent "speculation about the Ieasons for the s-f fad', . . . ,qrifrur L@ Zagat, veteran Wonder coitlibutor wito made come-back in Asto'unding-unsuccessfully-Iast year, died at 53 . . . Arthur J. Burks to address world s-F convention on "Lost Races of the Amazon" . . . science flction exhibit by Los Angeles S-F Society at local hobby show, valued at $500, televised shasta Publishers will issue complete "future history" series of Robert A. Ileinlein, including four new novels to flll gaps in Astounding chronology. Titles: "The Man Who Sold the Moon," "The Green Hills of Earth," "If This Goes On," "Methuselah's Children," "The Endless FYontier" . Another Heinlein (Anson x{acDonald) story, "Sixth Column," to appear in expanded version from Gnome Press, who wili also reprint George O. Smith's interplanetary, "Pattern for Conquest," from Astounding' followed by William Gray Beyer's Argosy serial, "Minions of the Moon" . . . Fantasy Publishing Co. wiu present Rene LaFayette's Unknown frolic. "The Indigestible TYiton," as "TTiton," by L. Ron Hulrbard Frederic Brown's recent Startling novel, "What Mad Universe?" forthcoming from Dutton, New York; WiIl Stewart'$ "seetee Shock," just serialised by Astounding, to see book publication from Simon and Schuster in due course . Street & Smith caused sensation in publishing worid by scrapping all their pulp fiction mags. except-mercifully for us-Astounding Science Fictiort said to be only one paying ofi. Which means there']I be no Unknown revival-unless it reappears es a slick . New Dutch s.f. mag., Fantasie en Wetenschap (Fanta.sy & Science)' which started out as pocket-sized monthly rvith cover showing spaceship nearing Moon, editorial proclairning "ttrat which is flction today is fact tomorrow," serial titled "The Moon Mystery," science articles and all, suspended after only four issues . . Having reprinted stories from all America's fantasy mags. except Astounding, Mexico's Loe Cuentoe f'antasticoe folded up with No. 13 . . . . With its third issue, resuscitated Super Science Sto,ri€s brings back Neil R. Jones' "Professor Jameson" stories inaugurated by Arnazing, later featured by Astonishtng, in new series . New book publishing venture backed by ex-Wontler editors Leo Margulies, Oscar J. Friend, to issue volume of " Hall of Fame " stories from Startlina Mort Weisinger, one'time Maxgulies' assistant, now freelancing, wrote in Writer's Digest on "My First Hundred Articles," told how he had specialised in interviewing specialists, been christened by his wife "T'lre Screwball Boswell" .Maxy Elizabeth Counselman, Weird Tales sialwart, writing in The Author and Journalist on "Tlre Ideai Place to Write," confessed that "The Twister" (Jan. '40) was "dictated when I drove from Alabama to Virginia one night in a blinding rainstorm, with my mother and four Persian cats" Amarillo (Texas) Daily News ran half-page story on Jack Williamson, "science Fictioneer (Who) Writes of Buck Rogers World," described him as "extraordinarily quiet, shy and self-effacing, more like a Southwestern cowboy with an inferiority complex than a successful writer of imaginative tales" Nelson Bond addressed Virginia bibliophiles on James Branch CabeU, dlsplayed hls first editions of Ca ell's works at local university . . Centenary of Edgar Allen Poe's death to be commemorated by exhibition at New York Public Libra.ry, Broadway play based on his life . Another Broadway play, "The Innocents," derived from Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw," reprinted with lesser-known works in "The Ghostly Tales of Henry James" (Rutgers Univ., $5) Algemon Blackwood contributing to new Londolr Mrstery Ma'gazine, occasional 128pp. quality production featuring flction and articles for mystery lovers; also talking on Women's Hour as $/ell as television. Said C. A. Lejeune in The Observer: "I have found the only way to escape the spell of Mr. Blackwood is to go to bed before he arrives" . . Please turn to page 29 FANTASY

GEOFFREY GILES, interviewing RAY BRADBURY, tells the story of the 'teen-age fan who became Fantasyts Prodigy

Fantasy-fictioneer Robert Bloch re- of the O. Henry Memorial Awards cently defined "the seven ages of fan," volume, having been recognised for tracing the career of the typical addict their craftsmanship in the wider through all the stages of his increas- sphere of short story writing. :fhe best ing activity, from reading and collect- of his macabre pieces were assembled ing magazines to writing for the fan by Arkham House under the fitle, journals, thence through authorship to "Dark Carnival,"* a coilection which become, possibly, publisher of a "pro." has lately been republished in England. Bloch himself ls one who has followed The excellent notices which this re- this road at least as far as to become ceived from British criticsi has now led one of the most successful authors in to his appearance in the English the fi.eld. Another is Ray Bradbury, per- Argosy, which recently reprinted "The haps the perfect example of the teen- Crowd" from Weird Tales and will fo - age fan matured into a writer who low it with several ottrers. has brought to the science-fantasy and genius, Like Btoch, Bradbury has reached the horrol story a touch of and larger American audience ttrough the whose work has evoked the praises of presentation of qome of his weird fales staid critics on both sides of the Atlan- r "The Screaming V/oman," "The tic. Meadow," "Summer Night" and others) StiII in his twenties, Raymond Doug- on the radio programme, "Suspense." las Bradbury has achieved this unique It was in this sphere that he actually success in what, to nlost struggling made his debut, long before he authors, seems an impossib y short appeared in print. He was a twelve- period. It is no more than eight years year-oid hopeful, living in Arizona, since he made his professional debut when he fulfllled a rash boast he had in Super Science Stories at the age of rnadc [o his classmates by crashing the 2L. Now he has to his credit nearly locai radio station and pestering the seventy stories published in the fantasy officials into letting him read the magazines, from Gaptain Future to funnies to the studio's child listeners Weird Tales, and another dozen or in a mock German accent. He also took more in defective story pulps. But it bit parts and looked after sound is not the quantity of his stories which effects-until he ofiered to write scripts is so impressive as their quality; hence, for them and they sent him packing since he graduated inevitably to the ofi to his lessons. slicks, he has also appeared in such leading publications American Among his buddies at that time was as The of Mercury, Mademoiselle, The New one who had a huge collection Yorker, Harper's Magazine, the Cana- Amazing and Wonder Stories' on which dian Maclean's, Collier's and Charm. xReviewed r47. Besides being presented in several FE Aug-Sep. fantasy anthologies ("The Sleeping and fBooks of To-ilay appraised his "un- the Dead," "Who Knocks?" "Strange rivalled ability to make flesh creep and Ports hair to rise," found his stories "as good in of Call," and others), his tales modern literature as was Edgar Allen have been included in the '46 and '48 Poe's honific output in the 19th century." editions of "The Best American Short For other critics' reactions, see FR Feb.- Stories" and tJre '47 and '48 editions Mar. '49. REVIEW 7 fed the vivid imagina- on "How to Become a Sci-Fie Fan," and voung Bradbury the [ion i't-,lctt had been nurtured by much various bits of doggerel which norine ovel Bui't'oughs stories and author is norv inclined to regard as lBucf Rogett" cartoons. Until then he among the skeletons in his cupboard. sncweO signs of becoming an artist At the time, though, he revelled in iather than a writer, though from the them, as fans do in a]t their works. By flrst his . cleations had an horriflc '39 he had reached the stage of issuing oualitv: he lemembers a cmyon draw' his own fan rl-;ra;gazine, Futuria Fan' fiE of a skeleton with n'Irich he tried tasia, a "science Circle" publication to scare his parents and fhe little girl resplendent in green ink, boasting cover next door-without success. His early iltustrations bY Han(ne) s Bok and encounter witll Paui's illuslrations irr- stories by Lyle Monroe (Robert Hein- fluenced hls juvenile hand towards Iein), Henry Kuttner, Ross Rocklynne scahr \{artians and rogket-ships, to the and J. Harvey Haggard, with Poems desnair of Leachers who tried to discip- and pieces by editor Bradbury under lint his scrawls; while the Ta!'zan ca!- pseudonyms such as Rcn Reynolds and tccns and Dick Calkins' interplanetary bcug Rogers. Before it died after only strips also left their mark. fonr issues, it also puttlished his But r.r'riting and publistring were in' original velsion of "The Fendu1um" the blood; Iiis grandfather, and his which. with Lhe collaboration of Henry father before him, trad earned their Hasse, scalted him ofi on his Pro- living that way. When at length he fessional writing caleer in Super startid writing sequels to Burroughs' science (Nov' '41) two years later' Martian bales, because he couldn't The feitow fans of the RaY Bradbury afford to buY them (it was the days of of those days remember him, too, as an the Depresslon), he Put his flair for exasperating youth who used to imitate illustration to good use. But he was the late W. C. Fields and Adoif llitler' more satisfied with the stories. "They When he wasn t indulging in his crazy were verv good," he assured me. "That's antics on club nights or producing his if the enlriies in an old diary of mine fan-mag.. he sold newspapers on the are anytlling to go bY." street cbrner. None of them suspected Those first efforts were Produced on that the pesky kid with his broad, a tov trpewritet', from which he Pro belching humonr had serious literary eresied-io dictating his stories to the ambitions, rvhich he was determined to daughter of the house next door, where realise by constant, daily writing: frag- thet had a proper machine on which menls of descriptive and diaiogue' she-typed bhem for him. That was when scenes and sequences, simple impres- the Bradburys had moved to Los sions-bits and pieces, amounting to a AnEeles. It was not until he was seven- coupte of million words, which he even- teen that he bought his own typewriter tuallv burned on his wedding eve a with the lunch money he had saved year ago. The burning being not so and, while still at high school, started much in celebration of fhe acquisition to send his MSS. to Harper's and the of a bride as of a standard of writing Atlantic as well as Weird Tales and he had attained long before, and on AstoundinS, from whom he continued which he has improved until he now to get them back for another three stands head and shoulders above the years after that. majority of his competitors in the fleld. FANMAG. EDITOR But he freely acknowledges the en- the In the meantime, the Young aspirant couragement he received from for literary fame became an active writers to whom he submitted his flrst member of the thriving fantasy fan- complete pieces for criticism: Jack Wil- dom of L.A., to whose mimeograPhed liamson, Leigh Brackeft, Edmond Ham- magazines he was a frequent contri- ilton, Heinlein and l{uttner were others butor. His first appearance in this field who helped him in his formative days. was a 500-worcl science flction story Yet, although his stories in the fantasy called "Hollerbochen's Dilemma," pub' magazines are distinguished for a nov- tished in Forrest J. Ackerman's lmagF elfy of treatment which makes familiar nation (Jan, '38). Aided and abetted by themes seem startlingly new, he will America's Fan No. 1, who little realised also admit that he has not read any of that he was stencilling incipient genius, these magazines for flve years. Instead 'l-re turned out pun-packed articles for he spends his leisure hours with Hem- the club olgan of the Los Angeles Sci- ingway, Steinbeck and other authors ence Fiction League, inclttding a piece of the modern American school; with 8 FANTASY de Balzac and Ambrose Bierce, too-but he has never read a word of Blackwood, Coming in FANTASY REVIEW: Machen, Chambers or Coppard for fear of unconsciously emulating them. An lnterview with "I beLieve that a writer can achieve most in his chosen fleld bY studYing JAGK WILLIAMSON what has been done in othbrs," he ex- plained. "His outlook will be all the HUGO GERNSBAGK, lresher if he turns his mind into oppo- Pioneer of site channels for relaxation. There's nothing snobbish in my attitude to- Scientifiction wards the fantasy mags.-I just don'b read them to ensure that I'm not un- wittingly influenced by my fellow con- Fol the future, he plans to publish a tributors. I don't confine myself to fan- novel as well as more short story vol- tasies, now, but I still write them be- umes, and he has an itch to turn PlaY- cause I've always liked them and I wright. "I feel I have some way'!o go think a sincere feeling for the sort of before I do any really good work, and stuff you write makes a big difierence I pray every night that I shan't die too to your work. soon.t' His method of working is un' "My experience is that if you Put usual: he has about twenty stories in artistic worth abovs rates, you can nroduclion at the same time, and works build a reputation for sincerity in your bn them according to his mood of the special fieid which will bring its own moment. If he tires of one, he drops it rewards when you branch out later. At and turns to another. It takes between the same time, it's important to de- three and six months for him fo finish velop your own individuality, to avoid a story this way, but he finds there is slanting your stories to fit a particular generally a tale to flt his mood, and he market. If you have put your best into can push forward even when ideas a piece, you shouldn't be afl'aid to try don't come easily. Five to eight hours it on any market." a day, flve days a week, he is at his typewriter, working on something. VAMPIRES FOR MILADY Fiction writers, he believes, are As evidence Bradbury instanced a emotionalists rather than thinkers or s-f story, "The Long Years," which, disseminators of ideas. "It's not logic though he was prepared to see it end up that makes a successful story, no1' in a pulp magazine, actually sold to beautiful thinking or intellectual ap- Maclean's at twenty times the price he peal. Though these elements are all expected. Similarly, he sold to Harper's present, the story succeeds mainlY and Mademoiselle two variations on the through its appeal to the emotions. vampire theme wtrich were hardly in Many of the best stories are weak jn line with their usual requirements. In plot and idea, often implausible in their '42, he doubled the sales he had made treatment. They're great because they in his flrst successful year; in the next get under the reader's skin and make two years he kept up this rate of pro- him react sympathetically with the gression, and in the last yean or two characters." not a month has passed without his Apart from their literary quality, appearing in one or more of the fan- however, the irresistible appeal of tasy pulps, notably in Thrilling Won' Bradbury's stories for the fantasy der, Planet Stories and Weird Tales. reader lies in the fact that his charac- Astounding has featured him only once ters are often so much like themselves, ("Doodad": Sept. '43), and his only particularly when they were in their piece for Unknown Worlds, "The Emis- 'teens, fuII of dreams which had yet to sary," flnished up in "Dark Carnival." be dissipated. Besides the themes of Two of his slick tales including psychological obsession and strangely "Homecoming," which gained- him an streamlined supernaturalism wibh O. Henry award-have been reprinted which he plays on their emotions, he in Avon Fantasy Reader, and his com- reflects in many of his tales a wirstful ing collection, "The Illustrated Man," nostalgia for childhood, with all its representing a cross-section of all his imaginative freedom, which must in- work, will bring more of his better fluence the typical fantasy fan as much pieces from the mundane magazines as it does Bradbury himsef-the tlpi- within the reach of his fantasy-loving cal fanLasy fan who has grown up to readers. implison his dreams on paper. REVIEW

As Others See Us IMAGINATION RUNS WILD By RICHARD B. GEHMAN Articles on the increasing trend to- cations as the Saturday Evening Post wards fantasy-fiction Gontinue to and HarT€r's have run stories about appear in the American press, This vampires and interplanetary intrigue, recent survey* of the enlarging field- and ihe Amertcan Scholar, with an and of those who havo grown up with arlicle by Halrison Smith, has made it-is by the former editor of the Oak note cf "The Rise of Fantasy in Litera- Ridge ,ro{.rrnal, official organ of the ture." atomic bomb project, who attempts Readers of fantasy fiction, like to explain tlre p'henomenon in terms readers of detective fiction, come from of to-day's frustrations coupled with ali classes and occupations. But, un- current technological advances, Iike rvhoCunit fans, they seem to be infected with a virus. They read, re- Recently, in New York, a ma,n walked read anC analyse stories with the zeal into a bookshop and asked for "The of scholars traoking down the key Outsider and Others," published in '39 produced word in a Shakespeare play. They at five dollars. When it was correspcnd with other sufferers, some- he glanced at the price and, without times in letters running to twelve blinking, sat down and wrote a cheque pages. They snip favourite stories out for sixty dollars. He considered this a of magazines and bind them into their bargain-the book often had brought a own private anrhologies. They also hundr"ed. publish magazines-fanzines, as some- "The Outsider" is a collection of one (who reads Time, no doubt) has stories by the Iate H. P. Lovecraft, a calied them. writer esteerned by readers of fantasy One bibliography of fan magazines flction. That it sells to-day at twelve reoen1,ly listed mcre than a hundred times ihs published price, and more, is titles, adding apclogetically that several informative. It is also informative that more may since have come inio being. another New York bookseller has a Some of them are The Nucleus, T'ho stading order from a Pittsburgh Sclenoe Fiction Savant, Fan-Dango, minister for every fantasy item that Walt's Wramblings, Fandomania, We comes in; that a Pasadena manufac- Just Had To Do lt, and Have at Thee, turer keeps his collection of about two Knayes! Their contents run flom un- thousand volumes in a concrete vault blushing adoration to minute critical with four-foot walls; and that a drug- analysis, and their editorial tone falls store in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, selis out somewhere between Partisan Review 150 copies of Astoundlng Science and Modern Screen. The articles may Fiotion within three days of its pub- confain such sentences as "Love that lication each month. Lovecraft!" or "Bradbury's creations The fact is that fantasy fiction has illustrate the phenomenon of a child- come into its orvn; it has been a rapidly Iike perception projected through the expanding literary fad, perhaps even a sensibility of an agile, adult imagina- trend. since shortly before the end of tion." World War II. During the past three A substantial body of peripheral and years, trade publishers have brought complementary work, more or less out more than fifty anthologies and scholarly, has grown up. A history of novels of science flction and fantasy, science flction, "Pilgrims Through and flve new publishing houses devoted Space and Time," by J. O. Bailey, is exclusively to the genre have sprung selling steadil;'; so is Lovecraft's sllr- up. Twenty-odd magazines in the field vey of "Supernatural Hor:ror in Litera- are enjoying unprecedented circulation ture." "T'he Checklist of Fantastic booms; such relatively cautious publi- Literature," edited by Everett F'. xoondensed from The New Republic, Bleiler, lists some 6.000 titles and is 40 Easl 49th Street. New York. 1?. U.S.-{. the resnlt of seven years' research by 10 FANTASY several men. publications to cease using the words Most of the famous writers in historv "atom" and "nuclear physics,, the have had a crack aL either science oi science fi.ction magazines escaped the fantasy fictron at 1ne time or another.. silencer. It was felt that their readers The "Checklist', also reveals an imDos- might become suspicious if the terms ing number of writer.s whose oulput suddenly disapp€ared. consisted of almost nothing but science Today, science flction or fantasy. Predecessors fiction still deals in of to- subjects which were popular in Wells' day's super.-imaginative flction were t!me. Not many b.eing writt€n as early as new ones have come Lhe middle oI alorg, although A. E. van has the seventeenth century; Lhe locales, Vogt characters wlitten two books in which the action and subjects have changerl is based on non-Aristotelian as man has advanced his knowledge. logic, and As a- story by WiUiam Tenn has suggested well as lvonderfui machines and voyages the existence of a sort of fuluristic to unexplored lands and other "Erector" set for children, the ,,Bild- planets, early tales were concerne.l A-Man with the creation of life, longevity, I{it.""^ After the announce- mes- ment of the atomic bomb, the stories merism, alchemy, strange beings from took an ominous, gloomy dimensions beyond and turn. the third, They now incline to presuppose a scientific plinciples appiied in the de- Third Fourth tectlon of crirne. or World War. in- which all civilisation will be destroyed. They As communication and industrv be_ deal with mutants came m_ore highly developed, created bv radici- the- idea activity. and sometimes with supe|men of world catastrophe began fo appear. whose full powers Mary Shelley wrote of ,,The have been attained Last Man,, with the help of atomic energy. Fan- left alive in the world of the twentv- tasy flction, flrst century after a great plague on the other hand, has had remained pretty much the same as it virtually destroyed civilisation. Edgar aiways Allen Poe .was also interested was; it is limited not by know- in lhe Iedge but by free play of the iinagina- idea of ihe end of the world beinE caused tion. If anything, it has become more by a collision with a comet-, horrible and unbelievable. which later becarrre familiar fare. He and his Although fantasy flction was always disciple, Jules Vel'ne, were Der- popular haps the rrrost impol tant of the n-ine- in England and in Ftance, it teenth century writers. poe's work didn't €et a foothold in this country was not confined to stories of horror until about twenty-five years ago. The and the supelnatural; he was also fas- old Harpe/s, Munsey's and Argosy would now and again print a story of cinated by aeronautics, the transmuta- ,23. tion of metals, robots, this lype, but it ivasn't until i,ith and travel to founding the centre of the Earth. Verne based the of Weird Tales, foilowed many of his tales on inventions and by Amazing Stories, that writers began theories which were already being to find a real outlet in America. sqeculated upon seriously Howard Phiilips Lovecraft was the first by scientists. notable modern practitionert. His reputation as a propfret thus was A shy, not as firmly grounded as many believe. sensitive recluse, who lived alone in an The Industrial Revolution had a Dro- *"Child's (Astounding, found effect upon science flction, and Play" Mar. '4?). to some extent upon fantasy. Each tMr. Gehmann's self-confessed difn- new invention, as it cut ofi an avenue culty in distinguishing science flction for prophetic stories, also suggested from weird fantasy. which ne lumps to- ne',v possibilities to writers who, with geLher under the "broad phrase" of "science-and-fanlasy." has odviously the advent of H.c. Wells, began to ,.nfluence led branch out considelably. Utopian flc- him into mistaking the of Love- tion had aiways been popular, craft on the modern weird tale for an but equal influence developmeni Welis gave it a currency never before in the of attained. -'ear': science fiction, to which he contributed So, in the early of this litUe compared with his work in the c9ntu1V, new themes boga:r to replace supernatural and horror field. Thoueh the old. Writers became absorbed with the Cthulhu Mythos may rank as -a evolution, in machines to defy gravita- science-fantasv concept, ;he names of tion, photo-synthesis, relativity, tele- such American writers as GeorEe Allan pathy and, of course, atomic €nergy. England, Garrctt P. Serviss. Victor Fl,orrs- The last was so common in science flc- seau and Austin Hall, who followed in the tion before wake of Wells and other British (,x- the rvar that when the ponenk of true science flction, are much Nationai Censorship Board asked all more applicable in this connecfion.-Ed. REV I EW 11 o1d dark house in Providence, Rhode of the times. The citizen to-day feels Island, he was influenced to some ex- confused and impotent, and many tent by the eighteenth-century writers science-fantasy stori€s present a hero of "Gothic" novels, and by Poe and who operates outside organised society, Dunsany. As fantasy writers go, his cutting across all barriers, untouched output was not large; he published by larvs by virtue of his very existence. only one smail book in his lifetime*, Cerbainly this must be a subconsciously and most of his stories never reached attractive idea to the millions who feel an audience beyond that of Weird that the ccmplexities of the modern Tales. But in creating the "Cthulhu world are stifling them and their Mythos," a series of legends concerned activities. with cosmoiogy and pretristoric races, But rvhat is by all odds the most he provided himself and other writers likely reason is also the most frighten- with material to draw upon for years ing. Much of the cureni science- to come. fantasy is concerned with Utopian One of these writers, August Derlett\ soaieties of the future. It may be that might be called the man most respon- people to-day, disturbed by the threat sibie for the current craze. Not con- of war, of domestic insecurity and dis- tent with founding Arkham House to contentment, feel a kind of nostalgia publish the work of Lovecraft and for the safety the future must repre- other authors, he has collected several sent. It may be that they are eager of the anthoiogies which have come to embrace a world where wars, high from other publishers in the past two prices and racial inequalities do not years. The newcomer to fantasy flc- exist-a world thaf exists onlv in flc- tion who wants to fi.nd out what it's all [ion-as a l

The Story of 'Wonder' By TH)MAS SHERIDAN THE GREAT OFFENSIVE How Gernsback Organised Fandom One of the most notable of America's SFL." Only when the mag. gave up the ea.rly fan-mags., which are now rare col- struggle, early in ,36, did Hor-rrig have to lector's items, was The Fantasy Fan, vacate the Managing Editcr's which ,35 chair and between '33 and tried bravelv leave bhe destinies of the SFL to the to champion the special cause of weird mercies of Wonder's new owners. For fiction, assisted by contributions from three years he remained in the back- such top-liners as H. P. Lovecraft, Clark ground, but leturned Ashton in the Spring of Smith, Robert E. Howar:d and '39 as editor of a new magazine, SciCnce August Derleth, only to give up when it Fiction, in which he revived The Fan. discovered there were not enough genu- lasy lan as a special supplement, and ine enthusiasts to support it. It was the for whose publishers he also launched editor of this, Charles Derwin Hornig, Future Fiction and Science Fiction who suddenly found himself, at the agl Quarterly. All three are now extinct. of 17, entrusted with managing the edi- Like the Science Fiction League . .. torship of Wonder Stories and the im- But it great plementing was a idea while it lasted. of the "New Story" policy even if it failed to save Wonder from with which it sought to stimulale it! the financial troubles it had got into flagging sales at the end of '38. during the depression, when- (so it The story goes that, when Literary frankly informed its readers) it in- Editor David Lasser severed his connei- vested "a small fol'tune', in makine tion with the Gernsback publications in changes in format which only resulted those production difficuit days wtren in a loss in sales. The League was an_ costs had to be kept to a minimum, a other of Gernsback's schemes for build- copy of the first issue of The Fantasy up circulation Fan ing by appealing to the on Gernsback's desk immediately best instincl,s of his readers, who were suggested to his shrewd mind an all propagandists at heart, capable of answer to the problem of flnding a new converting others assis[ant to science fiction if whose knowledge of fantasy- only they could be instilled with the fiction, coupled with a journalistic flair, proper missionary spirit. Not just for was sufficient to equip him for the post. one week in tho year, year Hornig, young but all.Weeli the a idealist who during the round. For "Science Fiction did war went to prison for his absolute not seem to go over so pacifism, thus ',vell when we became the first fan-mag. sponsored it in 1930,,, was the confes- editor to be elevated to the status of sion four years .,Whv professional later. And: must editorship-and, incident- s-f fans set a week aside . . , to lpread ally, 16 the assistant secretaryship of the gospel, anyway? The enthusiastic the Science Fiction League, which fan will boost it every day in the year, Wonder organised soon afterwards in a wnenever he is given the opportunity.,' further attempt to capture the interest So, instead of stickers lampposts of new for 'Thoughreaders. and walls, it became lapel bLitions, Hornig's appointment must official SFL notepaper, envelopes ,.essentials', and have chagrined older fans with more seals, and similar for active than his three years' acquaintance with membership of an organisatiOn pledged-science tle medium, in due Course Fantasy 'to.enhanc,e the popularity of Magazine, dedicating a special issue to ncrlon (and) to increase the number of Wonder, commended Gernsback for his its-Ioyal followers by converting poten_ "courageous move in choosing . an tlal advocates to the cause." inexperienced According but active young s-f fan to Crusader-in-Chief Gernsback, wh6 to replace . . . Lasser,,, and pronounced dropped judgment the first hint of the great of- his "vindicated . . . by the flne fensive in the April ,34 issue, ,,the time progress Mr. Hornig has made with the (was) auspicious to co-ordinate all ... magazine,_ notably in his New Story interested policy .. . into one comprehensive and his capable ttirecting of thb international group.,' Nex[ month's REVIEW 13 authors-Eando Binder, Edmond Ham' ilton, Dr. David I{. Keller, P. Schxyler Miller, Clark Ashton Smith, R. F. Stalzl two leading fans: Forr€st J. Ack- -andermarl of Los Angeles, and Jack Dar- row, of Chicago. On enrolling, memb€rs received a printed certiflcate and a lapel button (guaranteed not to tarnish for two vears), both bearing the official SFL emblem of a rocket-ship blasting through space, as depicted by the world- famous Faul. The same design be- decked the letter-heading and other aids to correspondence available to members, who were exPectcd also to promote the principles of the League by i'oersonal solicitalion" (i.e., a peFtalk) vihenever they could buttonhole a victim. The League Emblem Thev were further encouraged to band tlhemselves together in local Chap- flve-page blurb dinned home the fact ters, the flrst of which was established thatl atthough there were "literally in Brooklyn bY George Gordon Clark hundreds of ihousands of adherents of (Member No. 1), to be followed bY s-f throughout the civilised world," the others in many parts of the U.S.A.' in m-ovement was still in its infancy. "The England (Leeds, Nuneaton, Barnsley)' nublic, and indeed many parents' still Scotland (Glasgow), Ireland (Belfast)' iook upon s-f as something borderingon and Sydney, Australia. BY the time a mixiure of dime novels and Nick VVonder reached the end of its tether Carter stories ... (They have) as yet under Gernsback, after two years pro- not discovered the great and funda- gress, the League boasted 36 Chapters mental truth that s-f is highly educa- and 1,200 members. Among the 75'000 tional . .." readers the magazine claimed when it The purpose of the SFL' therefore, started, this total was hardly impres- was to-"spread the cult and art of s-f sive, but the world-wide ramiflcations of in the most energetic manner," so that the organisation could not be denied: a "the public at large should begin to Shanghai Chapter was ProPosed, and know the beneflts of s-f and be turned eventually the gospel had spread to trn- from meaningless detective and love dia. Eariy it was reported that "hun- trash to the elevating and imaginative dreds" of fans all over the globe, whose literature" which such magazines as ages ranged from 12 to 50 and whose lYonder dispensed. The revolution was oCcupations were varied enough to in- to be accomplished "by word of mouth clude embalmers and epigenecists, had in the school and classroom," by getting lent their support; and no sooner were new readers for the s-f magazines, and a few Chapters organised than their inducing motion picture colporations' members were busy holding meetings' newspapers and radio stations to fea-' discussing space travel, building lib- ture science-fantasy. To clinch the raries, publishing fan-mags., showing maLter, the sponsors of the L€ague arL fantasy fllms, and, just for a change' nounced their conviction that s-f was -playing basketball. "something more than literature. They "There is to be no competition be- sincerely believe that it can become a tween Chapters-they are to cGoper- world-force of unparalleled magnitude ate": so the order went forth, vrith the in time to come. And for that reason anticipatory hint that "perhaps after a they have lent their names to the move- while we will have a grand convention ment, in the hope that it may blossom somewhere, with delegates from the into something that will endure in the various Chapters." Members and non- good future and that ',riU flre with enthusi- members alike derived a deal of asm future generations." interest and amusement from the close- With Gernsback himself as Secretary ly plinted progress reports in Wonder's and Hornig as his assistant, doing all Snl, department, where members ad- the executive work, the League started vanced bright-and not-so-bright- ofi proudly headed by eight Executive ideas for the furtherance of the Directors consisting of six famous League's aims. One, for instance, sug- l4 FANTASY gested it should "do its Part in ourite author, the future of s-f, space- purifying s-f by condemning rveird travel, and the destiny of man. A mini- stories"; but the Directors drew the line mum grade of 709/, was requlred to pass at that, flnding that "weird fiction has for the degree of B.Stf. (Bachelor of its place in literature just as much as Scieniifiction), after which the success- s-f." A more constructive notion came fu1 graduates were entitled to sit for from Directnr Schuyler Miller, who ad- their Master's degrce by writing a vanced the project of a compretrensive thesis of 5,000 words on the educational Bibliography of Science Fiction. Ttris value of s-f and its aid to "the improve- was not proceeded with, however, bY ment of civilisation"-provided they special request of Professor J. O. had published at least one story in a Bailey, "who asks us to wait until his s-f mag., had helped to produce a fan- bibllography . . . is completed, b€fore we mag., or were Directors or Honorary go ahead and publish one of our own": N{embers of the SFL. To qualify fur- the flrst intimation of the work whose ther for the honour of a Doctorate, an preparation was to outlast the SFL by M.Stf. was required to trave authored at least two years.* five published stories. Another (Los Angeles) member's am- Only 45 members entered for the first bitious plan was designed to persuade test, which appeared in the Jan. '35 one of the big flim studios to make issue; of these all but three gained their three or more fantasy movies a year, B.Stf. and First Class or Ace Member- "such pictures to be known as SFL Pro- ship cf the League. Among them were ductions." With an eve to the insuffici- editors-to-be Robert W. Lowndes, ent response fo a petition for more Raymond A. Palmer and Donald A. science fiction movies sponsored by Woliheim. No. 1 Fan Ackerman, Wonder in '31-32, the Directors thought r.r'ho set many of the questions it mightn't be a ba.d idea-if Membel in the second test, was among the first No. 135 could rustle up at least 10,000 three with a pass of 97%. In the sec- signatures, which might take a couple ond test (Jul. '35), only one entrant out of years. Undaunted, the movie-minded of 32 failed; three of the graduates member continued his agitations, but were English fans and one Australian. it was slorv, disheartening work. There Dr. I{eller was pronounced the most was a qui.cker, more deflnite response to popular author as the result of both the the proposal of Member Alvin EarI first and second tests; while more than Perry for the granting of science fiction half of the successful candidates in the "degrees" to graduates of a "University initial examination discreetly voted of I'antastic Fiction"; author Thomas Wonder Stories their favourite mag. in S. Gardner promptly took up the idea, spite of the rise of the new, fremaine- '"vhich solidifled into the most amusing edited Astounding. Almosl all were diversion the League ever offered its emphatic about the promising future of members-a series of Science Fiction s-f in general, if only because of the Tests which enabled them to display SI'L'S "awakening the country to the their knowledge of the medium and existence and value of science flction." The results of the third test, pub- gain some slight distinction thereby. '36 Each test was in seven parts, of lished in the Feb. issue, were never rvhich four comprised 100 questions on to be made known, however. After one s-fi, the iast being a quiz in simple more issue, the Gernsback Wonder dis- sciencei. In Part 5, the candidatehadto appeared from the stands where it had write a 250-word essay on each of two been flghting a losing battle; and al- subjects: e.g., his friends' reaction to though the organiMtion was continued s-f; the plot of his favourite story; by the new Thrilling Wonder, somewhat time-travel. For the rest, he had to give less space and executive zeal were de- his opinions on such matters as his fav- voted to it, in spite of evidence of thriv- ing activity among its more potent x"Pilgrims Through Space and Time" Chapters. In fact, by that time, having (Argus, New York), reviewed Oct.-Nov. awakened in ifs members an awareness '47 issue. of their own potentialities, the SFT, had tExamples: Name two authors who use rwho served its real purpose. Fandorn on p€n-names. was the flrst editor of both sides of the Atlantic was so full of Astounding Stories? The Space Guard own impetuous schemes and com- stories r,vere written by What its was ScooIIs? petitive endeavours that it was best left iSpecimen questions: What is heaw alone to accomplish its ends, of which water? How many moons has Venus? it was.nevel' quite certain. What are rotifers and spirogyra? (To be oontinued). -. REVIEW 15

Among the Mogazines with KENNE fH SHIER .NEW WORIDS'MAKES NEW READERS There's good news of New Worlds' nosbalgia; it's a change to read a the fourth issue of which has proved nice simple tale these days. successful enough to warrant its new "Dhactwhu!-Remember?" by Wilfred owners-that's us!-going ahead wlth Owen Morley and Jacques De Forest a fifth, which is scheduled to appear Erman, set us wondeting who they next September. The intention is to were rathel than what would happen pubtish on a quarterly schedule hence- to the lost l'aces of the Earth: and in forth-until it can be issued bi- "I, Mars" Ray Bradbury proved a good monthly. The next number will deal. less plausible than usual. Of the feature another John I{. Aiken story, rest, f [ked Peter Reed's "Delusion "Cassandra," the long-promised sequel Drive," concerning a method of space- to "Dragon's Teeth," which came out travel; the other two shorts being "AII on top in No. 3. John Beynon will re- Onr Yesterdays," by John Wade appear with a tale of dying Mars, Farrell, in rvhich a girl alters the "Time to Rest"; Peter Phillips, who future, and James Mccreigh's "Dark- has made such a hit in Astounding' side Destiny," another first-trip-to-the will contribute "Unknown Quantity," a Moon. robot story; and F. G. Rayer will b€ Though neither Wonder nor Start- presenL with "Necessity." an inter- ling teUs ns who does their covers planetary. Another new British writer, lately, I suspect a new artist in the Sydney Bounds, will make his bow case of the June Wonder! the lady is with "In Another Place." too well clothed and too much in the Editor John Carnell hopes to intro- background for Bergey. The story duce several improvements in this it illustrates, Leigh Bmckett's "Sea- issue, especially in the art-work, which Kings of Mars," is of the sort that leaves plenty of room for it. But on must please those who don't care for the whole the revivif,ed New Worldi gadgetry and don't mind a bit of has been much appreciated both by mysticism; more truly fantasy than its erstwhile fans and the new readers science flction. In "The Alien it has captured. Long life to itl Machine," Raymond F. Jones has a new For a bi-monthly mag., January to twist on the idea of a superior class April is a pletty long stretch; but assisting a lesser towards communica- Super Science Stories is still fighting tion. I got a few laughs out of Arthur against printing delays, so we're told. J. Burk's tale of weather control, The second issue stands up better, "White Catastrophe," which is reaily both f|om the point of view of its good s-f ; while among the shorts, readability and story+ontent, though Fredric Brown's "Mouse" proved most Lawrence's covei: is a masterpiece of unusual. chorine-and-BEM technique without Lead story in the latest (August) the slightest reference to anything in- Wonder is Murray Leinster's "Fury side, as far as I can see. Van Vogt From Lilliput," which is another ailpears with "The Earth l(illers," a variant on the old, o d theme made fairly lengthy piece with a complex famous by C.ummings. Next in line is plot about atom bombs blasting the "The Lion of Comarre," tale of a lost U.S. and everybody accusing everybody city of the far fuiure which Arthur C. else. John D. McDonald's "Death Clarke wrote originally for Fan- Quotient" also concerns the final war, tasy, but which couldn't happen here. with America holding out for freedom Van Vogt also appears with "Project against the rest of the world. BuN the Spaceship,," in which the idea of getting arrival of visitors from Outside, who off the Earth becomes cornplicated by want to blow up the Earth, results in the political situation. Looks like a its salvation. vicious circle . . . John D. MacDon- "Son of the Stars," by F. Orlin Tre- ald's "Amphiskios" is a quite clever maine, gave us a slight touch of t'reatment of the time-travel concept; 16 FA NTASY among the shorts are pieces by William ett's "Queen of the Martian Cata- F. Temple, Cleve Cartmill and-natur- combs" leaves me unmoved, in spite of ally-Ray Bradbury. the gaudy cover picture. In fact, these You'll note a difference in the print- tales of space-ships, rayguns and ing of this issue--not exactly an im- swordflghts only confuse me. If you provement. But the cover, though have a raygun, why fence with svqords? colourful as ever, has again an un- Or have I no sense of srvashbuckling? usual touch: a great blue hand grasps Anyway, it was good to get down to a couple of manikins, and a brawnY the June Astounding and the second male leg is the sole piece of limb- part of Hal Clement's "Needle," a tale appeal! Next issue, old-timer Wallace of pure deduction without any super- West returns with "The Lure of wcapons or fanciful accessories which Polaris," Miss Bra.ckett is back with kept me vastly inter€sted. I shall be "The Lake of the Gone Forever," and surprised il this intelplanetarv detec- Splague de Camp introduces "The tive story doesn't plove one of the most Hibited Man." popular of the year. I{ardly less in- tliguing was Philip Latham's factual TIre latest (July) Startling features piece "Fire in the Heavens," a George O. on "The Aphrodite Project," Smith novel in which Earth is menaced which Edito| Campbell claims as a by a solar flare-up. Margaret St. Clair scoop and for which Bonestell has tells the tale of "The Sacred Martian done a very tasty cover. Rene LaFay- Pig"; Rene LaFayette's "Conquest of ette's Old Doc Methuselah was up to Space" series continues with "The Un- scratch in "A Sound Investmenf," but willing Hero," who goes on a rescue I couldn't make much of Van Vogt's mission to Vega; and Henry Kuttner's "The Green Forest"; Theodore Stur- story of "Hollywood on the Moon" geon's "Minority R,eport" was muclr comes out fol' an airing in the Hall of more satisfying. Ne'n'comer James H. Fame after eleven years. Ray Brad- Schmitz has done the feaLnre tale, "Agent of Vega," in the July issue, bury is here again with "The Lonely just Ones." and Arthur Clarke with "Tlans- arrived, in which Clifiord D. cience," a new piece. "The Only Thing Simak returns with another novelette, We Learn," by C. M. Kornbluth," gets "Eternity Lost." Among the shorts are a new slant on intergalactic war; and "The Animal Cracker Piot," which Willy Ley continues his article series could only be by de Camp, and "Adap- on "The Ftoad to Space Travel" by dis- tation," with rvhich our veteran British cussing the space station. writel John Beynon makes his debut in I found Editor Sam Merwin's "For- the Magazine for More Mature Minds. gotten Envoy," in the May issue, as Though there's a lot to be said for acceptable as he did: he should sell Avon Fantasy Reader, whose No. 10 himself some mole stories. September issue reprints those memorable Amaz. brings a Kuttner novel, "The Portal in ing pieces, IYancis Flagg's "The Men- the Picture," concerning a dimensional tanicals" and Dr. Miles J. Breuer's world in which science and magic are "The Gostak and the Doshes." In the mixed also, in the roprint weird department are Robert E. How- all up; ard's "A Witch ShaU be Born," MaI- department, Arthur K. Barnes' nrst polm tale of Gerry Carlyle, "The Hothouse Jameson's "Vengeance in Her Bones," and Lovecraft's "Statement of Planet." pity The best of Planet Stories' Summer Randolph Carter," with others. A number, far I'm concerned, is this magazine doesn't appear as often as as as Amazing Stories, whose July issue "Stalemate in Space," by Charles L. presents Harness, u'hich you'll find very inter- a mixture of magic, blood and battle by Richard S. Shaver, 'rExiles of esting reading if you'll take the trouble piece, to get into it, properly. AUred Coppel's the Elfmounds"-a non-Cavern Starbusbers" has the same char- but no more acceptable. "Coffin of "The Hope," by Lee Francis is all mutants- actels as his previous story in a slightly promise different set-up: the Solar Federation is after-the-next-war, with the of threatened once more, and the rip- a new Adam and Eve emerging. G. L. go Glegget's "Mystery of the Cat's Back" roaring space heroes out to blast the good villain. Among the shorts, C. J. Wed- might have been if it hadn't tried Iake's "Peril Orbit" and Margaret St. to be funny, and Ruppert Carlin's whacky tale of "Why the Sky is Blue" Clair's "Garden of Evil" have some get slight originality, and "The Madcap is a bit too whacky for me-I don't Metalloids," by W. V. Athanas, may it. laise a smile or two. But Miss Brack- Please turn to Page 19 REVIEW TI About Books By Geoffrey Giles AtL ON ONE SHETF To conflne :r science ficiion library Stapledon's "Last and First Men," to a single shelf of books can be more "Star Maker" and Sirius"; Iluxley's of a problem than that which confronts "Brave New World," Fowler Wlight's those enthusiasts who boast of collec- "The World Below," Conan Doyle's tions of 2,000 volumes fllling their cup- "The Lost World," van Vogt's "Slan," boards to overflowing. But if you were John Taine's "Before the Dawn," comp€lled to live in a caravan and get Philip Wyiie's "The Gladiator," Erle rid of ali your books but a score, which Cox's "Out of the Silence," Wil]iam would you choose to hang on to? Or, Sloane's "To Walk the Nlght," Camp- if you wanted to persuade an interested bell's "Who Goes There? and Other friend of all the delights to be had Stories"; and the three anthologies, from science fi.ction without pufting "The Best of Science Fiction" (Groff him to too much expense or giving him Conklin), "Adventures in Time and the run of your library for ever, what Space" (Healy and Mcoomas), and twenty books would you recommend "Strange Ports of CalI" (August Der'- to him? Ieth). The Arkham Samp,ter L.ras performed It is immediately noticeable that the a useful seryice by presenting an work of British writers is weII to the answer to this double questionx in the fore, and that Jules Verne is com- form of a symposium in which six pletely eclipsed by Wells and Conan authols, two magazine editors and four Doyle among the pioneer exponents. fantasy fans have combined to suggest llowever, he has not been entirely the makings of a basic science fiction overlooked. In ruling out Huxley as library. The authors contributing to unfi.t to represent to-day's science the symposium were David H. I(eller, flction, Mr. Moskowitz includes both P. Schuyler Miller, Theodol'e Sturgeon, Wells and Verne as having left their A. E. van Vogt, Donald Wandrei and mark on the medium, and finds "A Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner and C. Journey to the Centre of the Earth" L. Moore). Of four magazine editors rvarlanting a place in his basic library. approached, only Sam Merwin Jr. of So does Editor Merwin; while Dr. Thrllling Wonder and Paul L. Payne of Keller and van Vogt both plump for Planet Stories responded; while the Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the fan experts singled out to assist wele Sea," and Schuyler Miller and Wandrei Everett Bleiler, editor of the "Check- still deligirt in "From Earth to the list," A. Langley Searles of Fantasy Moon" as the flrst of the senuine inter- Commentator, Forrest J. Ackelman planetaries. and Sam Moskowitz. A1l were asked to give a maximum of twenty science A PLACE FOR VAMPIRES liction titles which thev considered essentiai to a basic library, with the Not that Verne is by any means the reasons for their choices. Their replies most antediluvial part of the deposit. Dr. I(eller starts with More's "Utopia," covered a surprising range of titles, proceeds Paltock's "Peter new and old, well-known and not so to Wilkins," well-known, including some which and includes Sue's "The Wandering seemed to rank as weird fiction or pure Jew" and Twain's "Yankee at the fantasy, and quite few non-fiction Conrt of I{ing Arthur" before he a asr:ends to such contemporary exam- titles. When analysed, horvever, it ples became apparent that seventeen titles as E. M. Forster's "The Machine are sufficient to form ," representative Stops," Doyle's "When the Earth selection of science fiction for inclu- Screamed" and Alexander Laing's sion in any general library or serve as "The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck." a basis for the uninitiated reader who Besides favou$ng Bellamy's "Looking Backward," Schuyler Miller shares wants to sample the field. pseudonymous pre- These titles are Wells' "Short with the Padgett a ference for Mrs. Shelley's "Ftanken- Stories" and "Seven Famous Novels": stein"; and Mr. Merrvin throws in *In the Winter '49 "All Science Fiction" Bulwer-Lytton's "The Haunted and the issue, Haunters" with "The Ingoldsby 18 FANTASY Legends." He insists, like Padgett, in including several other weird fantasies: Endore's "Werewolf of Paris," Machen's "Strange Roads," and David Garnett's "Lady Into Fox," whictr serves with Thorne Smith's "Night Life of the Gods" to cater for his sense of humour. Padgett even lists such frankly Gothic items as Stoker's "Dracula" and Peake's "Titus Groan," with the works of CabeU, Eddison, Hodgson and others, on the ground that "Dr. James had antiquarianism, which slides from science over toward art, and I think fantasy and sclence flction are equally fluid." Lovecraft, then? Of course; though he doesn't get among the flrst twenty, except by courtesy of Mr. Derleth, whose anthoiogy includes "At the Mountains of Madness," the choice of Dr. Keller and Mr. Wandrei, who plumps for "The Outsider and Others." The Master's other accepted s-f classic, "The Shadow Out of Time," gets a place on the shelves of Messrs. Bleiler and Searles, at least. Commentator Searles, incidentally, is the only one FORREST J. ACKERMAN who seems have picking to found the The PooI" him . . easy-"because of the relatively few "Moon bores , outstanding efforts there are to choose Mastered Time." With Editor Payne from." He has exceeded his allowance to support them, Moskowitz and Acker- of volumes, but has kept strictly to man endorse Balmer and Wylie's "flction treating unrealised scientiflc "When Worlds Co).Iide"; Editor Merwin extrapclations which have positive backs Ackerman's choice of Taine's probability of actualiy occurring," and "The Time Stleam," and the fans com- declares his twenty-four titles the bine to do justice to Weinbaum with whole of "the cream of the genre." "The New Adam," "Darvn of f'lame" Scorning Fowler Wright as dull and and "The Black Flame." The last title Shiel as clever-clever, he includes and "Slan," van Vogt himself assures Beresford's "The (Hampdenshire) us; are the two best in the fleld for Wonder"' with Stapledon's "Odd John" wom€n leaders; he also records tris and "The Flames," takes in Forester's own vote for "The World of NUU-A," "The Peacemaker," and adds a rare and tells us how he would have im- item in Austin T. Wright's "Islandia." proved on Trevarthen's "World D," Among his anthologies is Van Doren rvhich I would certainly have on my Stern's "Travellers in Time"; of the list. But I '"vould think twice about magazine classics, he shares with Mr. Mcleod Winsor's "Station X," which Mosko.witz an admiration for Serviss' he read twenty times or more in "The Se:cnd Deluge," and with Amazing before discovering it had Schuyler Miller a taste for de Camp's appeared in book form in '19, "Lest Darkness FaU." Stapledon's "Darkness and the Light" is as essen- KORZYBSKI AND KINSEY tial to him as to Mr. Ackerman, though Although he admits "it bored me he excludes the "juvenilia" of Edgar stiff," Mr. Ackerman further agrees Rice Burroughs and Ray Cummings with van Vogt about the inclusion of which is permitted by two of his fellow Merritt's "The Moon Pool," if only by fans and authors l{eller and van Vogt. virtue of its general adulation, He Burroughs' "The Master Mind of would also include Gernsback's "Fialph Mars" is recommended by Ackerman 724C41+," out of deference to the and van Vogt, \ryhile Moskowitz favours Great Hugo, and Wells' "Star- "The Land That Time Forgot" and Begotten," which all fans think is Cummings' "Girl in the Golden Atom," dedicated to them. An unexpected and Dr. Keller fancies "The Man Who addition, however. on his part, is the REVIEW 19 recent British Utopia by Peter Martin, Moskowitz think his "spacehounds of "Summer in 3000." But thele are more IPC" worthy of inclusion, though questionable items among the non- Ackerman was forced to pass it up. fiction titles which foul of the selec- Dr. I{eiler flnds "Triplanetary" more tors insist on including. After ofiering deserving as "a space opus ol heroic George Gamow's collection of stories, dimensions," but van Vogt prefers "Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland," and "Sky'lark Th.ree" and "Galactic patrol." Capek's "War With the Newts," Mr. Unlike myself, he also finds that other Sturgeon puts forward Korzybski's Smith, Geo. O., "vbry readable," and so "Science and Sanity" with "The Books considers "Venus Equilateral" basic of Charles !'ort" and the Smyth for big brains. But I would approve Report, which seem reasonable enough his choice of Hubbard's "Final Black- as basic stuff; but the l{insey Report out," which Moskowitz endorses. even is another matter, which might divert if Searles and Schuyler Miller had to our attention from more pertinent discald it to make room for such items volumes or give our uninitiated readel as Coblentz's "When the Birds Flv an entirely wrong idea. South' and Heinlein's "Space Cadet.;' More appropriate non-fiction items And I would agree with Moskowitz on are Ley's "Rockets" and Campb€U's del Rey's "And Some Were Human," "The Atomic Story," suggested by van frorn which Dr. Keller has extracted Vogt; and Furnas' "The Next Hundred "Nerves." Years," Mumford's "The Story of But, thank goodness, I have no Utopia," and the volumes of Jeans and need to limit my library to twenty Eddington offered by Mr. Payne, to volumes; and I doubt if there is any which Mr, Wandrei adds another fantasy fan who would. Even if he formidable tome, Einstein's " Theory of lived in the smallest apartment, he Relativity." But he makes up for it wonld still find room for his horde by remembering Clark Ashton Smith's uncier the bed, and take up the floor- "Out of Space and Time." boards to make space for more rather "Skylark" Smith is not so easily than part with the books he has come overlooked. Both Schuyler Miller and to love the best.

AMONG THE MAGAZINES-Continued from poge 16 June Amazing was much better. oihers. In the May issue, besides Alli- Though Alexander Blade's "Dynasty son V. Harding's second story of "The of fhe Devil" was onlv resurrected Damp Man" (tire same story, ieally, but Ghengis Khan, atnm bombs and spies with a difierence), I liked Harold Law- and men-who-can't-be-kiUed, George lor's "The Door Beyond," Carl Jacobi's Grauman's "Supermen, Incorporated" "Mattirew South and Company," and proved an excellent storv with an in- Anthcny Boucher's "The Scrawny triguing lheory on the Flying Saucers One.' But I do not care lor the hodge- and a neat idea on split minds. Robert podges of irrevelant detail which we get M. Williams' "The Land of the colden in this magazine by way of decoration. Men" might have been longer; Guy Though they are by several artists, they Archette's "Twisted House" made good add little to the contents, and it would use of the co-existent universes theme, be better if some attempt was made to and Ruppert Carlin's "I Murdered really illusflate the stories. You," though short, was very well M. P. Shiel's best-known novel, "The done. "Death's Double," by Grover Purpie Cloud," gets another reprinting I{ent, a black magic tale of witch dolls, in Famous Fantastic Mysteries for was fairly enjoyable, too. June, which also contains a short story Matt Fox's cover for JuIy Weird Tales by Stanley Mullen, "Mifror Maze;' is about as hideously sadistic as any Next (Aug.) issue will present E.Charles I've ever seen, and only makes me sigh Vivian's classic, "The Vallev of Silent for Mrs. Brundage's nudes of long ago. Men." That rarity of scieirce flction, Fredric Brown leads off with a story of "Between Worlds," by Garl'et Smith, is paranoia, "Come and Go Mad"; Ewen available in the July Fantastlc Novels, Whyte contributes "The Masher," the in the Mav number of which I was tale of a stl'ange plague, and there are thoroughly' engrossed by Victor Rous- €ight shorts by H. Russell Wakefleld, seau's tale of a subterranean domain Stanton A. Coblentz, Robert Bloch, Sea- beneath the Australian desert, "The bury Quinn, Fritz Leiber Jff, and Eye of Balamok." 20 FANTASY Boolr R,eviews Mr. Derleth's Doctrine THE OTHER SIOE OF THE MOON, of East Lupton," from Thrilling Won. selected and with an Introduction bv der. Wrifing over a period of thirty August Derleth. Pellegrini, New years in this and other fi.elds, he has York. $3.75. constantly adapted his technique to Reviewed by Arthur F. Hillman suit the swift-changing tempo of the It is symptomatie of the growing times, and deserves special commenda- popularity science tion for tlre chameleonic abilitv which of flction that the has enabled tum survive founder of Arkham House, who was to ambng the onc€ concerned tclt Len science nctionists. Another wholly with the weird, who graduated should turn his attention as a compiler has from one decade to of anthologies the next with equal facility is Ftank to the other side of Belknap Long, here represented by fantasy. Let us say at once that this ,'The second. collection of "masterpieces" in thab unusual robot story, world the genre is a worthy successor to his of Wuikins." previous science fi.ction anthology, In contrast we find two stalwarts of "Strange Ports of Cali,"* to which it is the old school whose technique has intended to provide supplementary never materially altered. H. P. Love- reading, and that it fully upholds the craft's "Beyond the Wall of Sleep" and standard of literary quality rvhich he Clark Ashton Smith's "The Citv-witfr of maintained throughout the compilation Singing Flame" rhele publishea of his four weird story volumest. For its sequel as one complete story) found whichever sectlon of the fleld he is great favour with a previous genera- dealing with, Mr. Derleth's flrst con- tion of readers; but the undeniable sideration is quality: indeed, it seems quality of their work preserves their it is lo be his sole consideration. popularity even among ttre more imme- To anyone who expects a selection diate offerings of P. Schuyler Miller, such as this to be governed by a cen- Nelson Bond and Lewis Padgett. One tral theme, the absence of any cohesive of the greatest enigmas of modern element tends to be disconcerting, in science flction is also present: A. E. van spite of the overall excellence of the Vogt, whose earlier work was so bril- tales. They range from that Victorian liant, would seem in his latest stories period piece, Wells' "The Star," to to have pursued complexity beyond the Theodore Sturgeon's product of the bounds of conrmonsense. It is still Atomic Age, "Memorial." For Mr. Der- difficult for a rational observer to leth has never been one to bow to the understand the fanatical adulation exigent demands of Time. He makes heaped upon his "Null-A" efforts; but his selections with as little regard for in "Vault of the Beast" and "Resurrec- chronology as for their style, plot and tion" (formerly " The Monster ") Mr. composition-except in so far as these Derleth has wisely chosen two of his factors aflect that all-important more compact and Iess baffiing tales. criterion of literary merit, in which Ray Bradbury, whose meteoric rise respect he never errs. Or does he? to prominence has been the sensation Ttre roster of contributors numbers of the late '40's in this ever-changing several who deserve more than the field, is encountered here with two of passing comment which we must give his last year's pieces, "Pillar of Fire" them here. It is good, for instance, to and "The Earth Men." The former see the veteran Murlay Leinster, as he contains elements of his best work in is more familiarly known, represented a most outr6 plot, while the other puts by two stories: "Symbiosis," which that much-maligned planet Mars in an appealed in Collier's under his own entirely fresh aspect. For the rest we name, Will F. Jenkins, and "The Devil have Donald Wandrei and four British writers: Lord Dunsany, John D. Beres- i Tleviewed fn, Aug.-Sep.' 48. ford, Gerald I(ersh, and Eric I'rank 1 "Sleep No More," "Who Knocks?" Russell. I{ersh's "The Monster," culled "The Night Side," and "The Sleeping and from the Satevepost, is the tale of a the Dead." man blown back in time by the Hiro. REVIEW 2r shima explosion fuli of undertones of writing at the expense of emotion which rouse every humane instinct. and feeling. None will gainsay that Russeli's fantasy of "Spiro," the Weinbaum's "A Martian Odyssey" and Martian mimic, is one which was re- Williamson's "The Legion of Space," vised for Weird Tales after appearing for example, represent two of the originally in Tales of Wonder, and is brightest gems in science flction's dia- well worth readlng again. dem; yet neither are literature or have The product of the assembly of these any pretensions to literate values, and twenty pieces is essentially a melange, under Mr. Derleth's dictum they would if a very tasty one. They have all been be debarred from his antho ogies, con- chosen, very deliberately, to conform signed to the limbo of the forgotten wifh Mr. Derleth's now famous doc- Iegendries where lie all Loo many pieces trine that literarv value must come deserving of a kindlier fate. Let us, first and science dction second. This thelefore, hope that Mr. Derleth may be a good doctrine, but it is also a will become aware of the bog into dangerous one. For bhe claims of which the wiII o' the wisp of "litera- "literature" can stultify science flction, ture" may lead him, before he ventures and one may attain a high standard too far in his new fleld.

And the Green Gross Grew o . . GREENER THAN YOU THINK, by down great rivers between levees, who Ward Moore. Gollancz, Lcndon. 12l6*. send our sewage out to sea, who idly Reviewed by John Beynon watch the hills eroded, the oil burnt carelessly away, who cheat the balance The Grass, cynodon dacLylon, already of nature to the very end by burrring or a bane to gardeners, underwent a muta- embalming our bodies, and who only tion at the hands of Albert Weener. begin to think afterwards. And why not? Albert Weener is, as the you The Grass grows. It grows over author remarks, all of us; and iJ houses. across suburbs. into Los An- were loaded up with a heavy tank of geles, across Hollywood, Cali- what you thought was a new kind of out into glass fornia. There are efforts to stop it, fertiliser, would you trudge miles sorts efiort-too little into the country on the chance of per- familiar of and you too late. At Iast the conquests of the suading a farrner to use it, or would Gl'ass are large enough to arouse real collect a few easier dollars by trying it determination. This time it is on the on the first needy-looking lawn? So grand scaie, and the Grass is sfopped. did Aibert-and from that time there There is nation-wide rejoicing, a writ- was no stopping the Grass. ing-ofi of the grass-and most of Cali- Since there are many things already fornia. But the wind blows, and on it in this world that there is no stopping, travel the seeds Rearward actions you will deduce that "Greener Than begln again, and fail again. More is You Think" is sati-re, and satire on a rvritten ofi. A pity-still, it's a large considerabie scale. Josephine Ftancis world, and the Grass is a long way from is not only the lady who invented the everyone else. It's America's trouble. Metamorphiser for Albert the salesman Maybe America will have io be written to put to use; she is also the atomic off, too. That's a pity as well, of course physicist cerebrating in the laboratory the world got along right presenting poli- all and the results to our -still,without America for quite a time . . . ticians. Albert himself is not simply the unintelligent instrument of fate; he The Grass continues to advance, more is the opportunist, the man rvho rav- ravenous, more adaptable. Tly to cut ages the folests without planting, the it, it enmeshes your blades; poison rapes leaves won't reach the roots. Burn it, you farmer who the land and ground; it a dustbowl. The people who struggle, only burn the stems above regionally and factionally, against the atom-bomb it, you produce a crop of Grass, writing off loss after loss to it new mutations. It marches-and men yet refusing to see the inevitable end, retreat . . And because it is Mr. are us-the people who let the silt go Iloore's book, they don't retreat as a nice battle-line of stout-hearted heroes; *Previously published in an American they go as a stumbling, pilfering, self- edition by Sloane, New York ('4?). securing rabble, stiU grasping for the 22 FANTASY bubble-fortune in disaster's face-and able to make anything of her on prac- refusing to recognise the face. tical grounds,'one has come to the con- It is a iong book, in which there is clusion that she is some kind of esoteric plenty of room for Mr. Moore's consid- sphinx, so that makes her memorable, erable cast of characters, customs, in- too. stitutions and usages to satirise them- For a combination of thriller and selves; and they do it in a way which satire, "Greener Than You Think" is makes a number of them reallY mem- up among the masterpieces: it reminds orabie. If Miss Francis' name slips one that some books go on being read- quickly out of the memory, she herseif able while most perish after a year or will not, Mr. W. R. Le ffacasd, that so on the library shelves. "This," say great editor, that geyser of scurrilous the publishels, "is, unquestionably, a but perceptive rhetoric, that fountain potential best-se11er." Well, to each his of radioactive abuse, will definitely be dreams: to the publisher his reveries of remembered. The early demise of the best-sellers, but to the feminine read- scarcely less eloquent I'eporter, Jackson ing public (which makes best-sellers) Gootes, will remain a matter for regret. the blissful ccntemplation of Love. Mr. General Thario, growing more coherent Moore is certain to Please many as his ch,ronic alcohol deflciency is thousands of readers, but the young remedied, growing also to flnd that op- women who are kept perfectly haPPY portunism is not enough, is no maYflY by fairy stories done in a monotony of creation, either. Intriguing is the lady pallid beCroom-pink will look aimost in one never quite meets: after her first vain for this coloul among the prevail- significant appearance on p. 119, she ing green. So one wishes it a ionger just breaks water here and Lhere. Un- Iife-that of a steaCy-seller.

DeCamp At His Whackiest LEST DARKNESS FALL, bY L. plunge into fantasy. The former de- Sprague de Camp' Prime Press, Phila- mands only observation-and perhaps delphia. $3.00. titeracy-while the latter also requires not only controlled imagination but the Reviewed by ,lohn K. Aiken capacity for integmted thought. Nor is It is easy to jump to the conclusion the problem lightened by the introduc- that fantasy must be easy to write. For tion of the comic or, as we now call it' so it is-with no stipulation as to qual- whacky element. In an obvious satire, ity. It is as easy for a writer to con- inconsistencies may be passed as satiri- ceive of a planet composed of rubber, cal touches. To attempt comedy in on which the elastic inhabitants "straight" fantasy is asking for trouble, bounce about in an atmosphere of pure because flippancy is almost unavoid- spoofium, as it is for a critic to imagine able. and flippancy is deadlY. wistluily that his pen has changed to a When Mr. de Camp decided to write seven-foot scimitar and that he has a the story of a twentieth centul'y Ameri- free hand to use it to start a new and can, precipita,ted into sixth century strictly pragmatic school of criticism. Rome, who tries single-handed to avert Bub as to plausible fantasy. that is an- the twiiight of barbarism which he other matter. The fabric of a realistic knows is about to faII, and to make a novel is tough enough not to be unduly comedy of it, he was asking for trouble. distorted by minor inconsistencies; in a on the other hand, back in '39 when fantasy, a quite trifling inconsistency this novel flrst appeared in Unknown' or error of judgment on the author's he was one of the most accompiished part may bring the whole frail struc- of the Campbell clan of writers with ture of credibility tumbling down. an established reputation for a humor- In spite of the fact that there are ous vein, and at the top of his form, available a wtrole infinity of unknowns, He was, therefore, likely to put up a improbabilities and impossibilities, it is good flght with his self-imposed difr- much less easy to give real verisimili- culties. That in this flght he was out- tude to any of these than to do the standingly successful may be judged same for a tram-ride on a wet Sunday by the results. One of the most afternoon in Manchester. llrr this unanimously-praised stories ever to reason, the really lazy writer is well- appear in Unknown, "Lest Darknqss advised to stick to realism rather than Fall" has long since seen one edition REVIEW 23

in book form*, and been taken rela- whole book sparkles with human beings tively seriously even by such blasd (of whom surely the mcst appealing is periodicals as Th€ New Yorker. the banker Thomasus with his plaint of The basis of the success of the tale "Do you hear that, God?") and with lies in hard work. The historical back- richly-conceived comic and adventurous ground is no sketch, but a consistent incident. The comedy is well within and detailed-albeit unobtrusive-pic- bounds, however, and the adventures ture, clearly the result of careful follow not too hard upon one another's research. The dovetailing of historical heels. fact into fictional incident has been so Since ik flrst appearance, ,,Lest neatly done that not a chink is visible, Darkness Fali" has been lengthened, at least to a reader with no more than one or two loose ends being tied up and average knowledge of classical history. more feminine interest added. It is To which category belong such matters questionable whether the latter was as the sbate of the Roman soap indus- really necessary, but little harm has Uy or of local religious feeling, or the been done, and the book is enouEh of physical attrlbutes of Belisarius' wife. a delight that one should be gaitetut is neither here nor there: they carry for anything which lengthens it. And conviction. when at the end we find Martin But however essential such thines Padway, conqueror of the Fbanks and a-re, they are. after all, secondary io the Greek Imperialists, ,,inventor" of the main business of plot and charac- printing and telegraphy, distilter, ter, and it is here that Mr. de Camo foundryman and pap€rrnaker, planning scores his major triumph. Granted an expedition to "discover,, the Wes- the main premise that the thing could tern Continent for the sake of a litile happen at all, there is nothing iurther weed called tobacco, we heave a grate- to vex one's incredulity. More, the ful _sigh and say, "When are you going *Holt, to do it again, Mr. de Camp?,' New York: '41. Do you hear that, cod?

The Versatil ity of Sturgeon WITHOUT SORCERy: Thirteen tales stories approximate to good hors by Theodore Sturgeon, with an Intro- d'ceuvres, primc the sort which are almost duction. by Ray Bradbury. a meal in themselves; and Mf. Stur- Press, Philadetphia. $8.00: geon-who has. we believe, a weakness Iieviewed by Kemp McBonald for smorrebrod and such-should agree Short story writers, as a rule, do not thai it is difficult to pay a miniaturist coilect very weil. They have developed a higher compliment. By a most un- their own style, found the theme and usual velsatility of mood and subject methods which suit them best, and and a highly personal feeling for settled down to use them; and to read language, he has produced a collection a succession of stories so related but of tales which is satisfying as such, diflering in characters and locale is and which can be read straiehi akin to eating a massive meal whose through with no diminution in enj-oy- nurnerous dishes are all concocted of ment-the reverse, in fact-as story the same basic foodstuff. Of the over- succeeds story. ripe Camembert of I{. P. Lovecraft, the Every shade of fantasy is here, from erotically spiced and honeyed wine ol the grim and logical prophecy of Clark Ashton Smith (rather thin on "Memorial" to the esoteric horror of thc. palate), or the thrice-baked crack- the celebrated "It"; from the irres- nels of his namesake George O. (ex- ponsible humour of "Brat" to the traordinarily di.mcult to swaliow, and straight but brilliantly original science lacking in nutriment), it is a question fiction of "The Microcosmic God," of personal taste which is the worst also justly famed among those who r-hen constituting the only item on have followed his decade's work with the memr. Ail are pretty bad; and yet, interest in Astounding and Unknown, in a well-balanced assortment, all can Then there are tales such as "Shottle be quite tolerable. Bop" and "Tho Ultimate Egoist," In this equation of the astronomic which simply defy classiflcation. In to the gastronomic, Mr. Sturgeon's these, as in the more mectlanistic 24 FANTASY "Artnan Process" and "Two Percent Now Avoiloble Inspiration," there is a tendency to sacri.flce credibility to humour or the chance of an unforeseen twist (occa- sionally, one so ttnforeseen that the author himself was taken by surprise), but, much can be forgiven such exuber- TRITON ance and ingenuity. TIre inclusion of two of his rliest gy L,RON HUBBARD pieces, the "Ether Breather" episodes, comparatively slight and fliPPant The mad, magical tale of a though they are, provides an excellent man's misadventures in the record of just how much Mr. Stur- realm of Neptune. L6l6 geon's technique has developed be- iween these and the aPtly-titled "Maturity," the most recently-r,vritten and cer'lainly the best piece in the WORLDS OF whole collection. Even apart from its profcund and distulbing theme (much more fully ,worked out, incidentallly, WONDER than in the Astounding version), this OLAF STAPLEDON story wouid take precedence by virtue By of its amazing but, in the context, per- The presentation of "Death fectly justified display of I'erbal flre- into Life," "Old Man in New works. If we know little else about World" and "The Flames" in him'x-, we know that Mr. Sturgeon one vojume. 16/6 takes a real delight in wolds and has come to use them as well as any fantast in the field, The volume might have been streng- thened-as lengthened-lcy ihe addi- PLANETS OF tion of, for example, "Killdozer" and "Medlrsa," or by their substitution for a couple of the more frivolous items; ADVENTURE but as soon as such a speculative chink is opened a dozen titles are By BASIL WELLS ciamouring for admission. "Good lord!" you exclaim, running through Fifteen stories of science, your flles of magazines. "Sburgeon mystery and adventure on wrote that, did he? And that-and Earth and other worlds. 16/6 that-and that. fs there nothing the guy can't do?" In fact, a second col- lecfion is clearly necessary. Mean- while, weaknesses or no, this is the DEATH'S DEPUTY most distinguished personal anthology, in or out of fantasy, that we have seen By L.RON HUBBARD for a very long time. The grim and powerfui story *Though he corresponds with a few of a man accursed. 16/6 other fantasy writers, including British A. Bertram Chand]er, Sturgeon is some- thing of a mystery man in the field. In his Introduotion to this volume, Ray FANTASY PUBLISHING Bradbury gives the impression that he GOMPANY, INC. is difficrilt to meet, expressing the hope that he will one day flnd him writing 8318 Avalon Boulevard, beneath some secluded bridge, having spotted his hiding-place "by th€ pure Los Angeles, 3, Gal', U.S'A. shining light of his viscera making a lisht "meadowtou can see across the furthest British Representative : nlEht and hi11." He has Scot- tidh connections, but lives in New York- E. J. GARNELL which did not prevent him winning a Road, Plumstead' €250 short storv contest run by Britain's 17 Burwash Arcosy two vears ago, with a weird tale London, S.E.l8 entitted "Bianca's Hands." REVIEW 25 A Multiplication of Skylorks SKYLARK OF VALERON, bY Edward Valeron" is again globular, but it is no E. Smith, Ph.D. Fantasy Press, less than a thousand kilometres in dia- Reading, Pa. $3.00 meter and starts its flight from a point R, Smith much more remote from Earth than Revierved by D. the cosmologists of to-day would con- It is said there was once a royal sider possible in the amount of space sucker vr'ho undertook to pay for the they allow for the universe. shoeing of his horse at the rate of one There is a similar extension of what penny for the flrst nail, twopence for one must, in cold blood, regard as the second, fourpence for the next, and absurdity in the progressive enlarg€- so on, thus learning the hard way that ment of Seaton's mental powers from once you start multiplying the size of an ordinarily brilliant research chemist things progressively the result soon to the Big Brain of the Universe, becomes too big for comfort. The backed bv a mechanical brain contain- "skylark" series, of rvhich this is the ing some one and a half million cells third and last member, is another which he has constructed in a few days. illustration of the same law. Our hero, But fortunately, perhaps, there is little Seaton, started ofi, in "The Skylark of incentive to cold-blooded analysis of Space," in a globular space-ship forty the story by those who enjoy reading of feet in diameter on a fairly lengthy strange adventures with bizarre trip ttrrough intersteuar space. In peoples and of warfare on a scale com- ''Skylark Three"* he finished far out in mensurate with the immensely deve- intergalactic space in a vessel some loped physical sciences postulated by two miles long. The "Skylark of Dr. Smith. They will be too fascinated to stop *Reviewed trR, Dec. '48-Jan. '49. and quibble as they follow Seaton and

IHREE GREAI IIIIES FROM the prirne press Box 2019, Middlo Oity Station, Philadelphia, 3, Pa-, U.S.A, IEST DARKNESS FALL By L. Sprague de Camp A second edition of one of the author's flnest fantasy stories. A novel concerning an American explorer who steps back in Time to the days of Gothic Italy and attempts to modernise the ancient Romans-with humorous and, sometlmes, dire results. LORDS OF CREATION THE HOMUNCULUS By Eando Binder By Dr. D, H. Keller Flrst book edition of one of A new novelette by one of fan- Argosy magazine's famous serials. tasy's favourite short stcry writers. FORTIICOMING: EXILESOFTIME NOMAD By Nelson S. Bond By George O. Smith AII at l6/6d. each Solc Brltish Representative: l. .1. C A R N E L L, 17 BURWASH ROAD; PLUMSTEAD, LONDON, S.E.18 26 FANTASY his friends into the fourth dimension far as I can see, there is little point in in their flight to escape the annihila- the whole Valeron incident apart from tion which threatens even the mighty the opportunity it ollers Seaton to "Skylark III" under the onslaught of show how noble and clever he can be the Pure Intelligences. The inhabi- when he opens the throttle wide. tants of that strange realm manifest, Thele is an abortive Norlamin sally inevitably, a mild hostility to the inter- against the DuQuesne-controlled Solar lopers and sufier more than somewhat System which seems hardly pertinent. for their temerity in the tooth-and- ff it were not blasphemy, I would sug- claw battles ensuing, until the Seaton gest that Dr. Smith had been padding make it the -ttrroiiehparty proceeds to make its waY back oul this end of the story to normal space to the far- requisite length. I wiil, at least, sa:r" distant galaxy where the humans of that pelhaps his delight in elaborate Valeron are losing their desperate imaginative detail ran away with him. flght against the malauding amceba- One feets, too, that Seaton, towards like Chlorans. Meanwhile those who, the end of the story, lrecomes too irre- like myseif, appreciate the villainy of sistible to provide any furLher dramatic DuQuesne l"ather than the nobility of situations, while DuQuesne overworks Seaton will find that thirty-minute egg his sneer and becomes perceptiblY tiving his flnest hour as he aPPIies haDmy. The sparkle has gone; the paratroop tactics to the task of cap- jcryous nectar poured for our delecta- iuring a flrst-class battleship of the tion from Dr. Smith's ebullient imagi- dreaded Fenachrone from under their nation.has becorne flat, and though repulsive noses. satisfaction comes of flnishing the So far, so good-but we are only bottle we must admit that the flrst sips about half-way through the book, and were the more enjoyable. Yet, enlarge the tempo seems to slow down consid- on its faults as we may, this is un- ably. There is an account of the doubtedly a story, handsomely Pre- Chloran-Valeron disPute from its sented as it is by the publishers, whictr earliest beginnings which seems hardly the devotees of space opera cannot be relevant to the main theme; in fact, as without.

THE HUMANOIDS SEVEN OUT OF TIME By Jack Williamson By Arthur Leo Zagat Book presentation of his recent A time-travel classic of Iong Astounding novel L6l6 standing L6l6 31st of FEBRUARY S.F: BEST OF 1948 By Nelson S' Bond Etlitetl by Bleiler & DiktY A new collection of some of the An anthoiogy of twelve stories. author's best stories 16/6 rSts

A NEW story bY Ro rert A. Ileinlein THE MAN WHO SOLD THE MOON Which is designed to fit into his "future history".series and. precedes "Requiem." 16lG

SIDEWAYS IN TIME INCREDIBLE PLANET By Murray Leinster: L6l6 By John W. Campbell: 16/6 SIXTH COLUMN FIR,ST LENSMAN By Robert A. Heinlein: L6l6 By Edward E. Smith: 16/6 E. ,l' CARNELL 17 BURWASH ROAD, PLUMSTEAD, LONDON' S. E.18 REVIEW n Twenty Years of Fillers NOT LONG FOR THIS WORLD, by with a background of R€naissance August Derleth. Arkham HoLlse, Italy. Tales, too, which like many Sauk City, Wis. $3.00. others in this book are little more than Reviewed by Geoffrey Giles sketches, mere incidents concerning ghostly appearances: 'tis here, 'tis The indnstrious Mr. Derleth has there, 'tis gone! come in for much criticism by some Not all of them have to do with sections of fandom for his attitude to apparitions, but nearly all are about as science fiction as opposed to the type tenuous. PIot, it exists at all, of fantasy to which he has devoted is sadly lacking "vherein development, leav- most of his energies as a writer, a pub- ing the story hanging or ended almost lisher and an anthoiogist. But none, before it has begun. But what can on one side or the other, can say a one expect in a couple of thousand word against his integrity. Rather, his words: and what author would attempt honesty borders on audacity when he to rivet the attention of a reader rvhen offers a third voiume of reprints of his they were to be crammed in beside own tales from the weird magazines announcements probably every bit as and openly declares in a Foreword intriguing? The probability is that that they are not really worth ttre many of these pieces have never been money. read before at all, except by Mr. Der- Not only does he confess that this Ieth's most devoted admirers through collection is "a kind of catch - all," the years, to whom he now offers them consisti ng of stories he cast aside as a cross-section of his work in the when compiling his two earlier collec- f,eld. tionsx, but he proceeds to dra'w the As such, they give the overall impres- corollary that the majority are sion that his output has been-and "mediocre." To convince us of his probably always wiII be, in view of his modesty-or audacity-he assumes facility for "fiIlers"-very pedestrian that "since the majority of my writing indeed. But a few of these tales are in the past two decades is mediocre, much better than the rest, perhaps this is perhaps as it should be." And because they are longer and were not to make quiLe sule that ihose who so hastily produced. At least, without asked for this "prosaic" collection, on any adverts to divert our attention, the strength of the previous two, rve became quite interested in "Mrs. won't ask for their money back, he Lannisfree" and "Saunder's Little points out that most of these thirty- Friend," and "Baynter's Imp" proved two pieces of dross were never intended rnildly amusing. But on the whole we to do more than "take up the slack Iound ourselves in total agreement space between the major stories and with Mr. Derleth. the advertising pages" of the issues of Weird Tales, Strange Stories and Strange Tales in rvhich they originally appeared. Monste rs of The appropriateness of the title of the volume thus becomes very ap- Myth parent; and as a final dare to the reader to tackle its contents at all, Mr. THE CIRCUS OF DR. LAO, by Charles Derleth pronounces these stories "cer- G. Finney. Grey WaIIs Press, Lon- tain to be less long than others for this don. 10i6. world," while trnding it "felicitous that Reviewed by Alan Devereux their author should be the nrst to WaIk up, w.alk up, ladies and gents, recognise their fragile mortality." At and see the Greatest Show that Never least, it is refreshing for us to fi.nd a Was! Here are fabulous mythological writer with so few illusions about his monsters and mermaids, all alive and 'work; especially his early work, in in the flesh! See the great Sea-Ser- which he lecognises his precociousness pent from the ocean's depths, and the as a sixteen-year-old Wisconsin youth Roc's Egg that hatches out right be- attempting to write a whole set of tales fore your eyes! See the lovely Medusa be turned to stone! Ifere we r "Someone in the Dark" (Arkham have-and the only Werewolf bitch in cap- House, f41); ,,Something Near,, ('45). tivity-she metamorphoses nightly! 28 FANTASY Here you can see the CNmera, which this unique book, compounded of hum- has no fundamental ori-Oce, but burns ou-r: fantasy, satire and so many other up its food in its fiery insides! See the subtle elements that it seems to fall Peepshow, for men only, with the nubile into no set category. Indeed, since it Nymphs and erotic Satyrs in a non-stop appeared in its flrst American edition* pedormance; also the Negro Fertility several years ago, it has defled all fan- Dance from darkest Africa-now run dom's attempts to classify it. Whictt away, you boys! No, not you, ladies- may be Just as well. have your fortunes told by the great It can, however, justly be described and viise Apollonius of Tyre, and see as a tour de force of fantasy, of the the spectacular Grand Finale with its kind that appears only once in a blue panorama of living sacriflces of genu- moon. It is, in this respect, compar- ine, guaranteed Virgins to a Brazen able to ceorge MacDonaiC's "Lilith," God! Cabell's "Jurgen," Eddison's "The In fact, about the only fabulous crea- Worm Ouroboros," and the "Pegana" ture missing from this strange assembly Mythos of Dunsany. As in many of is that fourth-dimensional bird wlrich these rarer works, the illustrations form flies backwards in ever-diminishing an essential part in a kind of literaly circles. In addition to the above ex- symbiosis which is dependent on them hibits, there is also a number of grot- for creative imagery. In the Ameri- esque types of humanity infesting the can edition they wei'e done by Artzy- small town in Arizona where Dr. Lao's bashefi; here they are the work of Gor- circus is pitched; and one cannot help don Noel Fish, and have an atmosphere comparilg the monstrosities with the of brutality and t€rror that would verge visitors who come ta gaze upon them, on tlle morbid but for a saving touch so that at the end one is almost Der- of humour. Printed in colour, they are suaded that it is the human types ivho in the best tradiLions of fantastic art. are the creatures of fantasy and the lendi.ng g|ace to a book in which thele exhibits which are really genuine, is poetry as well as grotesquerie. simple and beautiful. Which, we sus- pect, was the purpose of the author of xviking, New York: '35.

G. KEN CHAPMAN (Member of "The Clique") 23 FARNLEY ROAD, SOUTH NORWOOD, LONDON, S.E.25

Exclusive British -Representative ARKHAM HOUSE: Publishers Second-hond Fantasy Sauk City, Wisconsin, U,S,A. All standard Fantasy titles and COMING AUGUST 1949 Short Story Anthologies always - in stock. A. E. VAN VOGA: AWAY & BEYOND Spccialists in the Works of 2rl- Algernon Blackwood, A. E. Cop- H. P, LOVECRAFA: pard, Lord Dunsany, H. Rider SOMETHING ABOUT CA"TS 1618 Haggard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, S. FOWLER W,R,IGHT: Arthur Machen, M. P. Shiel, TTIE TTIRONE OF SATURN 16/6 Olaf Stapledon, H. G. Wells, FRITZ LEIBER, JR.: S. Fowler Wrighb and all mod- GATHER, DAR,KNESS ! T6/6 ern American authors. SPECIAL OFFER Any book searched for without your 10% Discount on all orders booked extra charge. Send us before pubiication date Want Lisk. WE PAY ALI, POSTAGE ANYWHNR,E - SATISFACTION GUARANTDED REVIEW 29 The Judgment of Zoom ADDRESS UNKNOWN' by Eden PhiU- deleterious effect. However, the awful potts. Hutchinson, London. 9'6. revelation does not come until it is Reviewed by Thomas Sheridan. time to precipitate an ending to a Phillpotts story which is more intent on calm, A few years ago Mr. added deliberate consideration of the major to his considerable iist of novels of possibilities m interest to fantasy Iovers a scienLific issues than on their whimsy to which we tcok quite a terms of movement. fancyx. It concerned an intelligent Having pumped our friends of all the iguana which, coming from one of the information he needs to assess us, the Asteroids as an egg, hatched out and vainglorious Zoorn inclines to the con- clusion which invariably is reached by lived its little iife on Ealth without just ever discovering why it had b€en so such characters: that man is a cruellv condemned to the Mad Planet. crazy coot who should rightly be ex- Having spent all but three of ninety ier-rninated before he does himself more years here himseu, Mr. Phillpotts is harm. But even he isn't sure if we still fascinated by the problem of man's shouldn't be given a chance to put our supreme idiocy as it would appear to a planet in order, under the eagle eyes more rational being, and is evidently of his klnd; and the author, in the role not yet certain whether we would seem of non-technical observer. is too to justify our existence. woridiy-wise to presume to answer the question precisely, even if he tends to In this book, instead of a visitor from guilty Hermes arriving to 'tratch our antics, arrive at a verdict of only with a two radio technicians establish con- strong recommendation to mercy. tact \r-ith a world in a remote system, The long, involved discussions give the spokesman of which, though re- him ample opportunity to dispense a joicing in the somewhat inglorious good deal of agreeable philosophy, buf name of Zoom, is a creature too splen- the secret of Zoom's communications did for mere man to look upon. The is never divulged to the outside world television image of one of the men, in spite of a pubiic inquiry into one of who are forced by his attitude of in- their tragic results, after which he rs' finite superiority to regard themselves tires from the ether, presumably to as "misbegotten little twerps," is consider his own verdict in camera. enough to give him convulsions; but Leaving us with the feeling that, in the sight of Zoom has a much more spite of the pearls of wisdom scattered liberally througlrout the book, as a * ,,Saurus" (Murray, Iondon: '38). story, it sadly lacks lustre.

Walter Gillings' FANIASTA poge 5 -Continued from Silent flim of "The Lost World" revived at South Kensington Museum for lecture on prehistoric reptiles inspired by barrage of questions following recent radio serial . . . H. S. ("Moons, Myths and Man") Bellamy lectured AUantis Researchers on "The Moon Capture Theory of Hoerbiger" . Egerton Sykes' plan for expedition to seek remains of Noah's Ark on Mt. Ararat brought accusation from Pravda of intent to "spy on (riussian) territory"-to which he retorted "Rubbish!" in The People . . . Harry Harper, writing in fit-Bits on telepathy, asked: "would You Like to Talk to a Martian?" . . Sunday Graphic ran children's page pic|ure serial by Giibert Dunlop concerning "village of the future" attacked by Lunar invaders . . American Tomorrow had article on juvenile mags. "FYom Deadwood Dick 60 Superman," with reference to Frank Reado Libu.'ary . . . Ley-Bonestell book (see this col., Dec. '4&Jan. '49) to be tiUed "The Conquest of Space," expected from Viking Press, New York, ea,rly Autumn . . . "There Was a Little Man," by Guy a.nd Constance Jones (Random House, $2.50), is tale of leprechaun by "Peabody's Mermaid" duo Peer deserts new political party to finance Moon rockets in "Swift Summer" (Werner Laurie,9/6), flrst novel of Atlantic Award winner J. F. Burke, former fan-mag. (Fan0ast) editor Edgar Rice Burroughs "Taxzal)" tales, now being reprinted at 1/6 by W. II. Allen, to be followed by Martian series . . , "Daughter of the Jungle" presents the screen with female Tarz n, complete with pet eiephant and savage yell . . . Robert Nathan's fantasy, "Portrait of Jennie," nlmed with Jennifer Jones . 30 FANTASY

Readers' Iel,ters on any aspect of fantasy-fiction are Fa,nta,sy welcomed for this feature. Adtlress: The Editor, FANTASY F'orum REVIEW 115, T9anstead Park Road' Ilford' Essex. THE YEAR'S BEST The latest proiect of American fandom, doned. Unless it could be assured of for instituting Fantasy Awards for the greater co-operation than appears to have teit annuat pierformanbes in the flet4 bY been forthcoming in this case, the scheme authors, artists, editors and publishers' obviously could not be proceeded rvith on has been abandoned through inadequate a basis of overall representation, We suoporL. In view of this, aJId of the des[- would welcome other views on the desir- a6uiw ot making such awards, it-might ability of such a project and how it might be w-orth-while for Fantasy Revlew to be undertaken.-Ed.l consider- sponsoring-iu this scheme. brieflv. would amount !o selecling THE SOVIET VIEW the wrii6rs, artists and ol"hers who have I, too, was disappointed by Arthur C. been resporisible for the most useful con- Clarke's reply to the Soviet critics. Ob- trinutions to science and weird flction viously he has done a good deal of aurine eacn year, in par[icular sp.hg{gs research among the magazines in the oi]ctivity-For which riould have to be rigidlv attempt to prove Comrades B. and Z. nlis- deflned. example, rhere might be an taken, but for every example he chose award for the best science flction story another could be selected to support their iiuuliitrea during the year, eiLher. in case, the fundamentaJs of which seem to inaeazine or book form, so long as-It.Is elude him. The issues af stake actually an -original publication. There woutd be lie on a higher plane; for whereas he anoinel awald for Lhe besL piece of-illus- Iooks as the science flction fleld only, the tra[ins, others lor the besL ediLorral per- Soviet authors are viewing it as but one iofra"nces in borh professional and fan of many aspects of American culture, in- circles,"-iii6'i*-i,ra" and so on. cluding alt, science, fiIms and literature mignt take the form of in general. scioG or cerlificates, accompanied per- Ii may seem irrelevant to him, and to haos bv book Prizes; they need not Pe most of fantasy fandom in Britain and moireniv awards, but merely give recog- the U.S.; but Comrades B. and 2., stand- .riiion wnere it is due' There is -no ing well away, can hardly ignore the drjve iA;;; wht'm"ii ihev should not be as hishly to world domination of the present ruiing iiirea, i" way. as the oscars oJ circles in America. In order to "iustify" himd;m. There uould be only one prize this. the current trend of U.S. culture iii- o"e sphere of acrivity, unless two (including s-f) tends more and more to people"-iiv were equally deservinq ot recognr- avoid the concept of the ability of the ^tiori. fne awarding would b-e decided by common man to determine his afiairs in a r:otl conducted by Fantasy Review, noL active co-operation with his fellows. As necessarily"at among its subscribers but -rn a result arises the "hero" idea-very pro- ilid dero targe, Ians Lhroughout the nounced in s-f-where an outstanding iii,rro iiriitipatilns. Fan clubs and other individual (Superman, the Grey Lensman, ilii"i"6.-in.nld 5e willing- to -assis-t"^in etc.) "saves" humanity, as opposed to which case I imagine someLhrng IlKe D.uuu humanity organising to save itseu. This, papers mighr be distributed' among other aspects, is what the Sovief "oiine'"ffil8 ffff;ttntTning is to establish this critics refer to as a fascist tendency. id;;-;J;;-;nnual irxlitution., on as -wide Of Raymond F. Jones' "Ilenaissance," illooii"g aJ possible' Something of tfle which was quoted bY the critics, Mr. kind seems to me [o pe calied-for. at-this Clarke says he does not consider it "mon- it'iee-oi devetopment of Lhe fleld'-John strous" in this respect. Perhaps he is Neiman, Hounslow, Middlesex' too intoxicated with author Jones' would be PIe$q+ imagery to consider the anti-social impli- lFantasv" R'eview indeea- to sponsor such a scheme if iL cations of a machine which determines b€ adniinisLered with the active sup- whether a new-born child shaU live or ;liid gas and ioii-oi ianOom. The originator- of -the die? Shades of the chamber Raymond van mass sterilisation! What an idea to put American Proposal' , young Houten, reports thaL -oul oI twenly-srx into tJre minds of thousands of .iEuiiis'itiotis of publishers and fans imDressionable-the readers! Let us hope that twenty-three indicated wiII- in real world oI the luture no such ib-pr6actieO, planet; iiifi;ss to'discuss the formation of - a network of machines covers this fr;i"rii"iv ewaiOs Committee to operate.the rather, that science is used in the interest scheme-, but onlv three delegates could oe of every new-born babe. expected at the meeting; it was illererore On the other hand, there is much that Ai;;ibd, and the eniire project aban- is worth-while in science f,ction, though REVIEW 31 we need not look as far as the Soviet Union for harsh opinions about it. Let Mr, Clarke canvass his own street rvith a lmportant to Subscribers dozen copies of any s.f. magazine to get a If a zubscription blank is enolosed, normal reaction. ff not so detailed aa the you_ should renew your subsoriptlon Comrades', the ordinarv Englishman's Gt. Britain anil Dominioru- (ex- comments will compensate by their colour cept Canatla): 4/- per year. snd terseness.-Frank Williams. Hish- Canada and U,S.A.: $1,00 per bury, N. 4. year. BETTER, MOUSETRAP immediately. Plea^se note realuced subscription rates: Each issue of Fantasy Review seems to improve over the previous one. I watch anxiousiy to see just how good iL can become. Keep up the good work and the THE BOX world will beat a path to your door.- QUERY Foy W. Loan, Jnr., Washingt-on, D.C., THE SHAVER, MYSTEEY U.S.A. _ What is the great Shaver Mystery? I Thank you for pulting out the greatest have seen several references to it. but publication oI its kind in the world. It is have never been able to discover just absolutely indispensable to any fantasy what it's all about. Enlighten, please.- fan; I know I couldn't do without It.- I'. N. neckless, Greenford, Middlesex. Roger N. Dard, Perth, W. Australia. lThe Shaver Mystery (or Hoax) is the _ I'y" appreciated receiving Fantasy term applied to the idea advanced by Review very much. I've come to reEaril jusr Richard S. Shaver in his tales of "racial it as abouL the only posl-war fanZine memory," that the descendants of an thal's_worLh keeping; in fact, have just Elder Race which deserted the Earbh turned the flrst tweive numbers over io a thousands of years ago, when Lemuria binder to be bookbound. This is a thinE flourished, still exist in secret subter- thar's hitherbo been reserved onlv foi ranean caverns and influence our world such iLems as the o]d Fantasy Mag-azine for good or iU. The stories were featured . and I hope I shall have a whole until recently by Amazing Stories, which series of FR's on my shelves in years to fell into disrepute among science flction come.-Donald A. Wollheim, Editor Avon fans who were expected to subscribe to Fantasy Reatler, New York. the theory on the strength of "proofs" in I don't quite agree with Erle Korshak the shape of letters from readers who when he says that Fantasy Review is heard voices, had dreams, and were better than the old Fantasy Magazine. It generally convinced of the hocus-pocus, won't be, until you break down and run even to an "ancient language" with a some stories. Some Stapledon shorLs, for phonetic basis. Since Amazing: aban- elample, would set you up in fan history doned the peculiar business, which where the publishers of "The Drone," permeated the whole magazine, a Shaver "The Last Poet and the Robots," ,'Nymph Mystery Club has sought to promote of Darkness," etc., now stand.-Harry B. "recognition" of the caverns housing the Moore, New Orleans. La. remnants of the Elder World civilisation, [We should be interested in the views and to republish the Shaver stories in of other readers on this point.-Ed.l book form.-Ed.l

M. P. SHEIL's "The Pur.ple Cloud." SMALL ADVERTS New copy in dust-wrapper of flne Ameri- Special Rate to Collectors:2d. ner can edition. Excellent value: a must word (5c. Canada and U.S,A.); minimirm for all collectors. Bargain pfice at 7/-. 12 wortls. To Traders and others: gd. Der Bernard Hanison, 38, Aberdeen Road, word (?c. in Canada antl U.S.A.) All London, N.5. advertisements in this section must be BAICI( NUMBERS of Fantasy Review prepaid. Box numbers 6il, (15c.) extra. still availabte: Vo]. 1, Nos. 1 and 5; Vol. JOAN GRANT'S "Life as Carola.,' 2, Nos. 7-11, at 7d. (15c.) post free; Vol. "Eyes of Horus," etc, wanted lov Ameri- 2, Nos. 12-14, at 1l- <25c.) post free. Com- can collector ofiering Bok illuatrations. plete your flle while they last.-Fantasy Also. "Outline of Metaphysics."-Box 129, Review (Service Dept.), 115 Wanstead Fantasy Review. Park Road, Iiford, Essex. IVANTED: "Man into Beast" Double- VITEIRD, FANTASTIC end Scientiflc day). Brand-new copy. "The Best in Fiction. Are you on our free monthly Science Fiction," ofler-eil in exchanse.- Mailing List for catalogues of books and Box 121 Fantasy Review. magazines?-S-F Service (Dept. FR), 68 SUBSCRIPTIONS placed for any Victoria Street, Liverpool, 1, England. American magazine. S.a.e. for quotatioir WANTED: American Hoffor Stories. on mag. requted.-Ron Deacon, S Norris Terr.or Tales, Silk Stocking, High Heel,- House, Bramhope Lane, London, S.E. ?. BM/I'RW, London, W.C.l. COLL,ECTOR wants "The Tale of SMALL ADVERTS Terror." bv Edil,h Birkhead (Constable); (Gontinued from Page 31) "The Haunted Castle," by Eino Ilailo (Routledge); "Horace Walpole and the Enslish Novel," bY K. K. Mehrota THE SCIENCE FICTION BOOKMAN: (Biackwell).-Box 125, Fanta,sy Review.- A regular checklist for fanLasy collectors' WE WANT TO BUY Iantasuc and issue-cl with the complimenls of Book- cash wash- weird books and magazines. Prompt man's. 1?46 Columbia Road, N.W', Daid for whole collections or your surplus ington, 9, D.C. Send for your free copy books. List your iLems staling condition bf the current issue. and SET YOUR, OWN PRICE. Alter- R,OCII'ET PR,OPULSION ELEMENTS' natively, send us your books and let us bv Georsc P. Sutton. The basic facts of make d cash offer. If not acceptable, we r6cket piopulsion for those who want to will return the books intact at our own learn ail about this fascinating subject' expense.-De11's, 209i 1i Kirkgate Market, ind a practical reference book for those Bradford, Yorks. *ho ar6 working with rockels now. $4.50 ItrANTED: "The Imaginary Voyage in from R.ocket Associates Inc., Box 29, Glen Prose Fiction," by P. B. Gove (Columbia EUyn, nl., U.S.A. Ilniv. Press); also "The Extraordinary TOMOnROW-The Magazine of the Vovase in French Literalure"' by G. Future, A few copies oI the rare, print-ed Atkinson.-Box 124, Fantasy Review. (16pp.) magazine issueC bY the JOIN Britain's only Society for science fan fiction readers TIIE SCIENCE- Briiiitr Science Fiction Association, now - Details from F. available to collectors: VoI. 2, Nos. 1, 2 FANTASY SOCIETY. and 3. al Ll- \25c.) Posl free' Also R,. I'ears. 6 Ferme Park Mansions, Ferme Fantasy Park Road. Crouch End, N.8. Scientiflction The British good money for un- Nos. 3-?- only, at 1/- (25cJ post BIG MAIII(ET and Review, (Service usual or weird plays. You need experL free.-Fantasv Review Dept.)' My Park Road, Ilford, Essex' theatre knowledge as well as ability. 115 Wanstead oualiflcations are 20 years of acting' pro- WANTED: Clark Ashton Smith's "Out ducing and writing plays. Course of of Space and Time" (Arkham House).- twelvd individual and personal lessons Box 126, Fantasy R'eview. (no duplications) is FOURTEEN GUIN- EXCHANGE Bradbury's " Dark Carni- neS pius youl promise to work hard. val" for de] ReY's "And Some Were Write-now, before my available time is Human."-Box 123, FantasY R,eview. booked.-Sam Bate, 1 Lilac Av., CoveDtry.

SUMMER !999 UITK.NOWN WORLIDS (BRITISI{ EDITION) will be on sale SATURDAY' JULY gth Contents include SOLOMON'S STONE..L. Sprague Camp PR'ESCIENCE. 'Nelson S' Bond FISHERMAN'S LUCK..Frank- Belknap Long Astounding: JUNE 1949 SCINNCD FICTIOIT (BR,ITISII EDITION) IS NOW ON SALE *t rr..rsaacAsimgv GErirrus ADVENT.... Bade LATE NIGIIT FINAL.""r 'Eric "#:loi"i*$Bti F. Russell - ' '. 'William If you have any difficulty in obtaining your copies please communicate with: aTLASl,""JJ:f.,'"st*"1'f,1'#1H:ff'H3$i"1E3

-FANTASY REVIEW, 115 Wanstead Park Road, Ilford, Essex' Published by mit", citlings. printed by Ripley printing society Ltd., Ripley, Derbys. This version of the rnagazine was assembled by Farrago & Farrago using a copy from the collection of the late Harry Turner, who created the cover artwork for the early issues of Fantasy Review.

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