£ LAN'S LANTERN 24 S

A cprederik cPohl Special

LAN'S LANTERN 24 E~

Frederik Pohl .drawing by Eva Victorof Front Cover Table of Artists

Tables of contents, artists, colophon, ...... 1 Terry Jeeves — 1,4 - Diana Stein -- 7 Frederik Pohl...... Lan...... 2 Phil Tortorici- 5 Eva Victorof — Cover Frederik Pohl: Literary Agent .... Larry Nowinski ..... 3 Alan White -- 8, 10 Beyond The Blue Event Horizon — A Book Review Jean Lamb...... 4 DEDICATION Thanks, Mr. Pohl ...... Timothy Nowinski .... 6 To Maia, Some Comments on Frederik Pohl .... David Palter ...... 7 as always;

To Fred...... Gregory Benford .... 7 To Fred and Sprague, May they give us A Conversation with Fred Pohl.... Lan ...... 8 another fifty years of reading pleasure. Addresses of the Contributors ...... 10

Why You Are Receiving This

You have a contribution (art, article) in this Lan’s Lantern #24 is published and edited by George issue . You've sent me a contribu ­ "Lan" Laskowski, 55 Valley Way, Bloomfield Hills, MI tion (to be published in a 48013 USA. Phone: (313) 642-5670. Lan's Lantern is future issue) . available for articles, art, letters (calls or post­ Loc received (to be pub­ cards) of comment, even money (US$2), and the whim of lished next issue). the editor. The opinions expressed are those of the Trade contributors, and may or may not be those of the edi­ We're in an apa together. tor. This is Lantern Publication #10, a division of I would like you to con­ tribute to the next special LanShack Press Unlimited. Lan's Lantern #24 is copy­ issues (1988: on William F. right (c) November, 1987, by George J Laskowski Jr., Temple, Lester del Rey and Arthur C. Clarke; 1989: except where otherwise noted. Contributions (art, art­ Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Fritz Leiber, Ted icles, reviews, letters) become the property of Lan ­ Sturgeon, A. E. Van Vogt). Shack Press, but will be returned upon request. All This is your last issue un­ rights return to the contributors upon publication. less you send me something. FROM THE EDITOR GFrederik ^Pohl (RAMBLINGS 24.2)

Frederik Pohl. I've known the man almost as his novels — Preferred Risk, long as I've been in fandom, for Drunkard's Walk, Wolfbane, The almost twelve years. The first Age of the Pussyfoot, and others. time we met was at a CONFUSION in These were all right, but his Ann Arbor. Shortly after that we writings after an extended period were both at a meeting of the as editor of Galaxy and If were ’ Science Fiction Research Associa­ better. Man Plus, Gateway, and tion. I was one of the few fans Jem are among my favorites. s there, and that gave us a bond In his extensive travels * that the other people didn't around the world, Fred has been have. gathering SF authors from a var­ On and off for the past twelve iety of countries to join WSF — years we have encountered each World Science Fiction, an inter­ other, usually just saying hello, national organization of SF writ­ sometimes pausing to talk longer. ers. Fred has tried to be accom­ The most time I spent with Fred modating to fans. I've asked him was at one of Jim Gunn's SF on several occasions to write an Teachers' Seminars. I spent three article of appreciation for my weeks in intensive study of sci­ special issues. Unfortunately he ence fiction, talking to other has been too busy writing and readers and teachers, to authors traveling, to do so. However, he and editors, Fred among the likes was able to write a piece on L. of George Scithers, Ted Sturgeon, Sprague de Camp. Jayne Tannehill, Thomas Disch, In preparation for this spe­ Lloyd Biggie, Gordon Dickson and cial issue of Lan's Lantern I James Gunn himself. It was like a asked Fred if I could interview three-week-long convention. And him. We arranged to meet on Sun­ Fred was part of it. day of WINDYCON in November of He talked about stories. He 1986. He had to fly in from Phil­ talked about the John W. Campbell adelphia where he was a special Award for Best Novel (Thomas guest at PHILCON for their 50th Disch won that year for On Wings anniversary. I can't say that I of Song), about editing, about know of too many authors who introducing SF to young people. would make that effort. (To be He mentioned his own writing hab­ honest, I think he wanted to its — four pages a day, minimum. hurry home to be with his wife, Sometimes they were good, some­ Betty Ann Hull, who couldn't go times not. What counted was that with him to PHILCON.) he was doing some writing every Fred and I haven't sat and day — and in four months time he talked very often, but when we would have a good-sized novel. Or do, it's a pleasure. The novel several short stories. Or a few The Way the Future Was which con­ novellas. He took his typewriter tains his memoirs, is a delight «• #24 to read, but he has so many more

wherever he went. Indeed, as I passed his room one morning, I stories to tell in person. Get heard the clack of typewriter him talking, and you'll laugh un- ’ keys. til your sides ache, or cry, or Lantern I've found his writing ex­ argue, or become thoughtful at s

’ tremely interesting. I recall one of his personal stories. checking out of the library a I'm glad to know Fred Pohl. I hope to get to know him better as /Lan collection of his short stories

we both continue our journey 2 when I was about 14. They were good, very good. I moved on to through fandom. GFrederik ^Pohl by Larry Nowinski GLiteraW ^Agent Although Frederik Pohl says haven't been tried before and vociferously in his memoir, The still be able to make a sale was Way the Future Was, that he has heavenly. no desire to be a literary agent, As a result, Pohl got a lot of and on some days wishes that he very good stories, many of which could remove that block of time appeared in the anthology he ed­ from his life, I think it was an ited, Star Science Fiction. Work­ important time for the SF field ing under Ian Ballantine's direc­ that he was an agent. tion for his paperback line, Bal­ Mr. Ponl wanted stories he lantine Books, Pohl was able to could sell, stories that were ask writers to submit stories for good enough to sell. Writers did this original anthology, the not always write good stories — first of its kind, and many did. many times only competent ones, Again, the writers stimulated and oft-times poor ones. To make their literary and science fic­ things easier for the writers to tional imaginations and came up write without tying them down to with some very good stories. specific formulas or aiming for Frederik Pohl was also able to particular markets, Pohl arranged bring new talent into the field. to buy whatever they wrote, and When he can take the credit for find the market for them after­ the likes of Robert Sheckley and ward. Could you imagine the free­ A. J. Budrys being published, he dom a writer had with this ar­ has a right to a certain amount rangement? He could al low his of pride. And getting Isaac Asi­ imagination to soar, write things mov's first novel published? that he wanted, and stretch the Which agent nowadays would like limits of his craft, style and to have that in his credits! Or abilities. He was assured of some being responsible for getting sort of remuneration. Jack Williamson's The Humaniods This might not sound like much into hardcover book form for the in today's market, when so much first time! garbage seems to be pub]ished The unfortunate thing about under the heading "Science Fic­ Pohl's methods was that he needed tion", but back in the late for­ a large outlay of capital to make ties and early fifties, this was it work. He had some, but in the like a dream-come-true for those end he overstretched his re­ writers. Too many times a writer sources and had to quit. He paid would like to stretch himself but off his writers and let them go, couldn't because he needed money making cash settlements with many to make ends meet that month. of them. This left him with a Even if he was married and his debt of some §30,000, not a small wife worked, he still had to do chunk of money, particularly in 5 something to add to the household the fifties. co" income. Writing to formulas was Pohl then turned to his first Lantern one way, becoming a "hack" and love, writing, to earn the money writing for series or writing-to- and pay back that debt. It took

order was all well and good, but him nearly ten years to balance the talents he has can atrophy if everything. He took the respons­ #24/ not used. Knowing that any compe­ ibility and never once considered

tent story he turned out would be filing for bankruptcy. 3 bought was a comfort, and knowing I think that says more about that he could try things that the man than anything else. /f a n 'sLantern #'Zh head known group not before his Horizon cerned got this that very disappeared the race pending Corporation an first miums those in last ious leaving Arkansas author 1981. Ex

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And they're not exactly the Heechee may be trying to contract Waltons. Peter Herter, the old­ the universe and start another est, is an ex-Hitler youth with Big Bang to remake the universe delusions of grandeur (which he more to their liking — and the sensibly keeps to himself). Lur- only good place to survive that vy, his daughter, is a pilot who kind of mess is another black wants a successful mission above hole. Of course, he throws in a all else. Her husband Paul Hall nasty little surprise right at is a structural engineer who's the end of the4 book, but I'm not wondering wny he ever came along going to give that one away. in the first place. Janine, Lur- Although this book really vy's half-sister, is fourteen doesn't have the impact that years old and is ready to give Gateway had — the many view­ Lolita a run for her money. points of this book are not as It's hard to talk about this intensive as the single one of book without giving away too much Gateway — it's nothing to sneeze of the plot. Some of the concepts at either. I personally would such as a program called Full recommend that anyone interested Medical, however, deserve further would read both books. They're examination. A mechanical monitor worth it. is present at all times to check on the person's current condi­ tion. The client is put together piece by piece if necessary if an accident occurs, and expleins why Peter Herter is still alive. It's the closest thing to immortality •ftecaitf 1m w am w around, even if the cost makes TH5 POST » Blue Cross look like a band-aid. dSARlklfc HOOS^-UIK) A STARSHIP Another thing the author has TO CONTEST* fun with is the way a computer can be programmed to display var­ ious personas. One of them, "Al­ bert Einstein", does most of the scientific explanations, as Rob­ HAD inette Broadhead is just as tech­ nologically innocent as the rest of us. Although our hero is in­ tellectually aware of the comput­ er's programming, emotionally he treats the computer personas as real, especially his psychiatrist persona "Sigmund Freud". All these personas are controlled by his wife through the command program "Polymath" (which makes an's L it very easy for her to keep

track of him). Pohl also speculates that Lantern there is a black hole at the center of our galaxy, conjectur­

ing that the amount of known mass in the universe is not enough to / 4 z # fit the otherwise-successful Big

Bang theory and that the postu­ 5 lated black holes may have the missing mass. Pohl supposed the 'ffianks, £Mr. cPohl

from Timothy Nowinski

It was a dark and stormy light-heartedness to them. His night. novel written with Cyril Korn- Wei], it was, really. I got bluth, The Space Merchants was home from work and picked through fun to watch unfold. I always the mail that had come, and two secretly hoped for a sequel, and books were in a box from the recently one has appeared. It was Science Fiction Book Club. The as much fun as the first one, one I remember — the one I sat though it's too bad that Korn- down to read — was Man Plus by bluth wasn't alive to help Pohl Frederik Pohl. Yes, I barely along with it, or at least to see remembered to put a TV dinner in what he did in extending the the oven, much less eat it, so story. engrossed I was in the story. The other stories written with A man designed to ]ive and Kornnbluth were very good. And survive on Mars! Yeah, that was a those done with Jack Williamson damn good plot. So it sounded a were excellent. The juveniles little hackneyed; it was still those two wrote together were good, and it made my dreams very appealing, and I'd let any rather strange that night. kid read those at any time. Man Plus was not the first Some of the books I bought Pohl story I had read, but it because of Pohl's name turned out says something about his writing. to be anthologies he edited. It takes a person in, it drags Those Star readers were very him along and makes him inter­ impressive; it makes me wonder ested in what's going on. The how many new writers he started same thing happened to me with on their way to being published Gateway. And Jem. authors. God, was Jem depressing. So Of the other "Pohl books" I was his disaster novel Syzygy. picked up, some were novels, some And Terror. I wondered why his were collections of his short later novels were like that. May­ stories. I was very pleased to be something happened in his life find he had versitility using the to make him bitter and that came story length. I dislike authors through in his writing. But the who pad books, who write a tri­ rest of the Heechee books were logy when they have barely enough #24

fine. So I figured that he is story for a single novel, let a­ just following trends or extrap­ lone three. Pohl hasn't done olating the thencurrent trends that. He's done the reverse. And toward disaster. Starburst is a good case in Lantern

I don't recall which of Pohl's point. stories I read first. I do know I was doing a lot of overtime that at one point I started pick­ at work when Starburst came out.

/ l a n 's ing up his books because of his I checked it out of the 1ibrary

6 name. Many of the early short to read, and didn't have time to stories seemed to have some finish it before I had to return it. Yes, I wanted to finish it, I was acning to finish it, but I came home from work too tired to To eFred concentrate on anything more strenuous than some vegetable From Gregory Benford matter from the TV. So only half-finished with it, I took Fred Pohl is arguably the most Starburst back to the library. brilliantly representative of all The next day came the offer from American SF writers. He spans the SFBC for a copy. Two months the entire evolution of SF in later, I finished it, rereading this country, and has steadily the first part again. evolved with it to rank with the With that novel, Pohl did best, and certainly the broadest. something that few authors can do From early pulp cardboard, he has well — take a short story they learned and grown, and had two have written and find enough novas of innovative eruption: the threads in it to expand it into a mid-1950s, with Kornbluth, and novel. From "The Gold at Star­ then as the synthesis of New Wave bow's End" to Starburst is a nice lit'ry values and hard SF, with leap, and a logical enough devel­ Gateway and Man Plus in the mid- opment that it's hard to believe 1970s. No one else has managed that it had been a short story such a repeated remolding at the first. highest level. He embodies the So thank you, Mr. Pohl, for practical American attention to giving me so many pleasant hours how things happen (whether they of reading. I haven't read all be matters of financial sleight- your books, yet; I still have a of-hand, engineering, astrophys­ few on the shelf waiting to be ics or ward politics) with a cracked. Cool War, Black Star worldly knowledge of our all-too- Passing, The Coming of the Quan­ common cultural myopia. There's tum Cats, plus some rather early nobody else like him on the plan­ nove1s (Age of the Pussyfoot, et, and he keeps getting better. Drunkard's Walk and a few others) and the collections will have to wait till I get through this with new one — Chernobyl.

SOME COMMENTS ON

FREDERIK POHL

by David Palter

Frederik Pohl, if he had never 5 s written anything after his 1950's satirical collaboration with Lantern Cyril M. Kornbluth, would still have been remembered forever as one of the all-time great SF writers. Yet he has gone on to #24/ write a whole slew of astonish­

ingly good novels in the 70s and 7 80s. He is a treasure. A CONVERSATION WITH GFrederik GPohl

Conducted by Lan

Fred Pohl is a writer, a fan, various Futurians collaborated to an editor. He was al] these write stories." things and more in his earlier Fred himself wrote with vari­ days, but now he remains a fan, ous combinations of the Futurians writing is what he does, and an to produce not very memorable editor is what he is on occasion. stories. His first published We have talked briefly at piece was a poem, "Elegy to a various conventions. At WINDYCON Dead Planet: Luna". in November of 1968, we met in "I wrote the poem in 1935. the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Sloane [editor of Amazing] accep­ Woodfield and discussed his car­ ted it in 1936. It was published eer. Drawing on those conversa­ in 1937. And I was paid for it in tions, material in his memoirs, 1938 . The Way the Future Was (Del Rey/ "Funny thing. I never had Ballantine, 1978), and Damon another line in Amazing, from Knight's The Futurians (John Day, that day to this." 1977), I've put together this In 1939, at the age of 19, collage of Fred Pohl. Fred became ghod. He was ap­ Fred found fandom at age 15 pointed the editor of two SF when he joined the Brooklyn magazines: Super Science Stories chapter of the Science Fiction and Astonishing Stories. Because League. He moved from one club to of a shoestring budget, he tapped another, editing the fanzines the Futurians for stories and that each published. This sort of fanac carried over to his work on the Flatbush Young Communist Yel1 , the newsletter of his chapter of the Young Communist League. Fred was the only one to use his own name; all other contributors used party names. He quit the League in 1940 when the Germans marched on Paris. His fannish writings weren't very good, Fred admits. "Of all # 2 t

the fanzines I published and edited, my favorite was Mind Of Man. i really got some good discussion going in that one. Lantern

In 1937, he settled in with s ’ the Futurians. "I was impressed with the

/L an people in the club. Some were

8 very good writers. Don Wollheim had already sold fiction and art; his wife at the time was "I really don't want the taking art classes, and he asked stories to be that way, but they her friends for illustrations. still turn out like that. There The magazines were marginally are some books, like Jem that I successful until World War Two am compelled to write because put the pinch on supplies. they interest me, and this could Since those early days, Fred not logically have been written has edited many magazines and in any happy way. If you think books, including the Star Science about one possible direction that Fiction series, Galaxy and IF, the future will take for the International Science Fiction, world we live in today, like the and several anthologies. He is struggle over resources postu­ proud of the work he did for Star lated in Jem, and the political and Galaxy/IF. For the latter battling of nations, there isn't pair, he took tottering sales and any happy ending. If that trend turned them into successes, from continues, we're all dead. bi-monthly to monthly, with in­ "When I was editing Galaxy, credible stories. Fred should be Robert Silverberg was writing his proud. The number of awards suicidal stories about the earned by the writers during his future, talking about the grim, editorship surpasses most of the gritty existence of the next other magazines. For award-win­ couple of hundred years. I sent ning novels whose first appear­ him a check for one of them, and ance were in the magazines, included a note: 'For Christ's Galaxy still holds the record sake, cheer up. Think of some­ (see "Who's Winning Science Fic­ thing happy!' After Jem was pub­ tion's Awards?" by Robert Sabella lished, I got a card from him in the upcoming Lan's Lantern saying, 'Glad I converted you.'" #25) . However, throughout The Way "I enjoyed editing — I still the Future Was, Fred notes how do. You put more time into that things have changed. Where he sort of job, and you get a regu­ grew up, where the Futurians met, lar paycheck. It's smaller than the places he's lived, all of selling a couple of novels a them have changed for the worse. year, but its steady work." His favorite movie of all time is As a writer, Fred Pohl has Things To Come, mainly because of tried many different styles and its optimism; things will get genres. Poetry, horror and mys­ better. It seems as though real­ tery, even mainstream. His at­ ity has tarnished those feelings. tempted novel about the advertis­ I too hope, as Fred does, that ing business in New York didn't the visions of the future he has work out, but many of the ideas extrapolated do not come to pass. were carried into The Space Mer­ "I don't mean my stories to be chants written by him and Cyril predictions, and I have some Kornbluth. He has also written optimism about the future, though advertising copy, which gave him I can't account for it — I can't £ the inspiration and bnackground think of any reason to be optimi­ D for the novel. "One likes to flex stic, but I'm hopeful it will all one's muscles on a new form," work out. Fred says, "and also one likes to "Somebody asked Ray Bradbury eat." if his stories were predictions, One notable trend about Fred's and he replied: 'I'm not trying writing is that his recent work to predict the future; I'm trying is very depressing. Fred himself to prevent it.' I feel the same is far from being a depressing way. We all can do something a­ person. When I asked him about bout the future. One of the great \D this, he replied: things about science fiction is that if you read enough of it, you have a shopping list of all possible futures. And if you know the possibilities, you can make good choices." Fred reads for fun and infor­ mation. He is the Encyclopedia Britannica*s source expert on the Roman Emperor Tiberius. He learned number theory on his own. Although he never finished high school, Fred has learned every­ thing he needed because he could read. Fred continues to travel "One of the interesting things around the world, making contact about reading fiction is that it with authors in foreign countries can stimulate you to think. Sci­ for World SF. This international ence fiction in particular makes organization has about 100 mem­ you look at things differently. A bers in 32 different countries. game I play is to think about In spite of his travels (or maybe what comes after a story I just because of the inspiration gained finished. It's one way of getting from them), he continues to write ideas and inspiration for and publish. When I talked to him writing." in 1986, he was getting ready to When I asked about where he travel to the Soviet Union to got his ideas, he said that they visit the Chernobyl area for the mostly came from daydreaming. "In novel published this year: Cher­ the morning, sometime after the nobyl . He is also collaborating second cup of coffee when the with Jack Williamson on a novel brain kicks into gear, the ideas called Land1s End which should be start coming." out soon. And he has several more I asked him about the license in the works. plate on a car I saw in the When asked about these past parking lot. "The one with 'MAN fifty years, Fred replied: PLUS'? That's my wife Betty's They've been fun I hope the car " next fifty are as enjoyable."

COCTHIBUTOKJ poul Anderson 3 Las Palomas Orinda* CA 94563 ft Gregory Benford Physics Dept Terry Jeeves Lloyd Penney Phil Tortorici University of California PO Box 57487 Irvine* CA 92717 56 Red Scar Drive 412-22 Riverwood Parkway Newby Toronto* Ontario West Palm Beach Florida 33405 Nark Blackman Scarborough YO12 5RQ CANADA N8Y 4E1 1745 E. 18th St. 4A ENGLAND Frederik Pohl Eva Victorof Brooklyn* NY 11229 275 Rossini Blvd #2^ Jean Lamb 855 South Harvard Dr

Windsor* Ontario 4846 Derby Place Palatine* IL 60067 Joanne Bloom Klamath Falls* OR 97603 CANADA N8Y 2Y9 212 Wedrick Dr. Warsaw* IN 46580 Julius Schwartz DC Comics Inc. Alan White Colin P. Langveld 455 E. 7th* Sp. 4 9 Lisleholme Road* 666 Fifth Avenue Robert Coulson San Jacinto* CA 92383 Lantern 2677W - 500N West Derby* New York* NY 10103 Hartford City* IN 47348 Liverpool L12 BRU s

’ Merseyside Diana Stein Nark Evans UNITED KINGDOM 1325 Key West 1809 Arcadia Trop, Ml 48083 Obetz, OH 43207 Larry Nowinski Tim Nowinski David Thayer lO/Lan Cathy Howard Addresses withheld 7209 DeVille Drive PO Box 70104 by request No. Richland Hills Louisville* KY 40270 Texas 76180 David Palter Ben Indick 137 Howland Ave. John W. Thiel 428 Sagamore Toronto* Ontario 80 North 19th Teaneck* NJ 07666 CANADA N5R 3B4 Lafayette* IN 47904