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Fantascience Digest, v. 2, issue 5, July-September, 1939
Page 14
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FANTASCIENCE DIGEST Page 14 SCIENCE FICTION The year started off with a Burroughs stf. yarn, "CARBON OF VENUS." Not much need be said about this, for if you like Burroughs it was great, and if you don't like him ..... well, it was just one of those things. And following it up in this department was more Burroughs: to wit, "THE RED STAR OF TARZAN". No use to say anything about this. As a welcome (at least to me) relief from these came "I'D CLIMB THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN" by Borden Chase. This wasn't exactly stf. in the strictest sense of the word, being more concerned with a menace to civilization; however, there was a mysterious ray in it, plus suggestions of a weird nature All in all, the finest straight stf. serial of the year in ARGOSY. As for short stories and novelettes complete in one issue that were in this class, "FEATHERFINGERS" perhaps heads the list. Extremely humorous. "THE MATCHLESS MR. MALLET" was in the same classification, although something of a hoax yarn. The only other stf. yarn of the year was "ISLAND IN THE SKY" by Arthur Leo Zagat; less outstanding than I had hoped, but at the same time thoroughly readable. All in all, it was a rather skimpy fare of stf., but in fantasy and weird was where ARGOSY shone. As witness: WEIRD FICTION First of all, four of the yarns in the group may be dispensed with at one fell swoop, being of a series. They were: "PERSEUS HAD A HELMET," "THE ENCHANTED MUG," "THE PIG WAS IN THE PARLOR," and "DEATH HAD A PENCIL". They varied from the sublime to the ridiculous, or nearly so, being straight fantasy. All by Richard Sale, they were well worth reading, especially if done all at one sitting. My own favorite of the bunch is the second in the list. Two more of the stories can be grouped together, being of a somewhat similar fantastic nature, though entirely unconnected. These are "NYMPHS, PROFESSOR" and "MR. PRIMROSE GOES TO THE DEVIL". I thought these were very good and would have been perfectly suited for UNKNOWN. If the author, Wm. Templeton, is really that and not someone else under false whiskers, Mr. Campbell should get hold of him. "BLACK WINGS BY NIGHT" was listed in the magazine as a ghost story, but I hardly considered it that. "BELLS ACROSS THE VALLEY" was a fine little yarn, but one which just squeezed in the listing as fantasy by the skin of its teeth. Rather, it was almost stf. "KARPEN THE JEW" was a powerful short story of the Wandering Jew (how that fellow does get around!) and "I'LL BE GLAD WHEN YOU'RE DEAD" a most macabre little blood-thirsty thing, in a complicated dialect. Paul Ernst had an exceptionally fine story about a ghost town and its inhabitant; one that has lingered in my memory as much as any other yarn of the entire year. Saving the best for last, I've not mentioned two fantastic serials. One of these needs no introduction to anyone -- being none other than the far-famed "SHIP OF ISHTAR"; unfortunately, I understand, in a much condensed version. Of course this was greeted with loud huzzahs by everyone; and to at least one fan it lived up to his expectations. This incidentally, was voted the most popular story that ARGOSY has ever printed! And, finally, there was a story I hesitate, almost,
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FANTASCIENCE DIGEST Page 14 SCIENCE FICTION The year started off with a Burroughs stf. yarn, "CARBON OF VENUS." Not much need be said about this, for if you like Burroughs it was great, and if you don't like him ..... well, it was just one of those things. And following it up in this department was more Burroughs: to wit, "THE RED STAR OF TARZAN". No use to say anything about this. As a welcome (at least to me) relief from these came "I'D CLIMB THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN" by Borden Chase. This wasn't exactly stf. in the strictest sense of the word, being more concerned with a menace to civilization; however, there was a mysterious ray in it, plus suggestions of a weird nature All in all, the finest straight stf. serial of the year in ARGOSY. As for short stories and novelettes complete in one issue that were in this class, "FEATHERFINGERS" perhaps heads the list. Extremely humorous. "THE MATCHLESS MR. MALLET" was in the same classification, although something of a hoax yarn. The only other stf. yarn of the year was "ISLAND IN THE SKY" by Arthur Leo Zagat; less outstanding than I had hoped, but at the same time thoroughly readable. All in all, it was a rather skimpy fare of stf., but in fantasy and weird was where ARGOSY shone. As witness: WEIRD FICTION First of all, four of the yarns in the group may be dispensed with at one fell swoop, being of a series. They were: "PERSEUS HAD A HELMET," "THE ENCHANTED MUG," "THE PIG WAS IN THE PARLOR," and "DEATH HAD A PENCIL". They varied from the sublime to the ridiculous, or nearly so, being straight fantasy. All by Richard Sale, they were well worth reading, especially if done all at one sitting. My own favorite of the bunch is the second in the list. Two more of the stories can be grouped together, being of a somewhat similar fantastic nature, though entirely unconnected. These are "NYMPHS, PROFESSOR" and "MR. PRIMROSE GOES TO THE DEVIL". I thought these were very good and would have been perfectly suited for UNKNOWN. If the author, Wm. Templeton, is really that and not someone else under false whiskers, Mr. Campbell should get hold of him. "BLACK WINGS BY NIGHT" was listed in the magazine as a ghost story, but I hardly considered it that. "BELLS ACROSS THE VALLEY" was a fine little yarn, but one which just squeezed in the listing as fantasy by the skin of its teeth. Rather, it was almost stf. "KARPEN THE JEW" was a powerful short story of the Wandering Jew (how that fellow does get around!) and "I'LL BE GLAD WHEN YOU'RE DEAD" a most macabre little blood-thirsty thing, in a complicated dialect. Paul Ernst had an exceptionally fine story about a ghost town and its inhabitant; one that has lingered in my memory as much as any other yarn of the entire year. Saving the best for last, I've not mentioned two fantastic serials. One of these needs no introduction to anyone -- being none other than the far-famed "SHIP OF ISHTAR"; unfortunately, I understand, in a much condensed version. Of course this was greeted with loud huzzahs by everyone; and to at least one fan it lived up to his expectations. This incidentally, was voted the most popular story that ARGOSY has ever printed! And, finally, there was a story I hesitate, almost,
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