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Ad Astra, v. 1, issue 5, January 1940

Page 9

AD ASTRA     Page 9.

displeasure. One story of his, "Washington Nocturne", a story of the Unknown Soldier, which appeared in the May,1939,issue of Weird Tales, which attacked both Facism and Communism, was particularly unpopular with fellow travelers and followers of European dictatorships. The Communists accused Quinn of being a Fascist, the Fascists accused him being a Communist. Nearly a year after the story's publication,people of these political beliefs are still writing to Weird Tales, bitterly denouncing Qunn and suggesting that he has outlived his popularity as a writer, which is absurd. He has also received many abusive and insulting letters, from the same sort of Reds, and Parlor Pinks, saying that he isn't fit to contribute to Weird Tales, some of them go so far as to "make it so hot for him" that he'll be glad to stop writing.This will give you an idea of what a writer finds himself up against in these days of conflicting "isms". But it is to the credit of Seabury that these threats haven't stopped him from what he feels is right.
THE END

AD ASTRA'S BOOK REVIEW SECTION   by  Erle Korshak

"THE PRINCESS OF ATVATABAR
by William R. Bradshaw
Printed by J.F. Douthitt[?], New York City; 1892.

The interesting part of this book, is that there are few collectors who possess a copy of this, one of the best of its kind ever written.
As a book it is a unique item to have. A large sized affair, with a very thick cover, the title in gold lettering. The interior is profusely illustrated with over fifty full page illustrations, all of which deal with the fantastic. In the preface, the author speaks of his combining the best features of Verne, Wells, Haggard, Stevenson, and Lytton[?] into a super-fantasy, with realistic descriptions.
The story itself is keenly interesting,for it is one of the first stories to use the inner-world plot, much like Burroughs later did in his Pellucidar Stories. In this tale, a group of explorers in search of adventure sail to the North Pole. When they arrive there, they are caught in a great storm which brings the uncontrolable ship into a huge ice cavern. From then on they travel down an underground river and arrive at the inter-world, Atvatabar. The people of this land are very far advanced in many sciences and arts, yet [[?]] without modern weapons and the like, for they still use,what are to us,ancient implements and clothes of 2000 years ago. However, they have already perfected super trains, a type of rocket ship, rays, flying belts, robots, and many other marvelous devices.
Lexington, the hero and leader of the Polar Expedition, falls in love with Lyonne, the high-priestess. The Magicians and Priests don't favor the newcomers to their land and subsequently declare war. But the explorers win, and the story comes to an end as Lexington and Lyonne are crowned King and Queen of the Inner-world.
The story is a most remarkable one when ingenuity and newness of plot are taken into consideration, for the book was written in the beginning of the 90s, it being a forerunner to many themes in science fiction now in common use.                                 EK

(Mr. Korshak advises that the above book is for sale and quotes readers of AD ASTRA the special price of $5. See advertisement page,-Editor-.

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AD ASTRA Page 9. displeasure. One story of his, "Washington Nocturne", a story of the Unknown Soldier, which appeared in the May,1939,issue of Weird Tales, which attacked both Facism and Communism, was particularly unpopular with fellow travelers and followers of European dictatorships. The Communists accused Quinn of being a Fascist, the Fascists accused him being a Communist. Nearly a year after the story's publication,people of these political beliefs are still writing to Weird Tales, bitterly denouncing Qunn and suggesting that he has outlived his popularity as a writer, which is absurd. He has also received many abusive and insulting letters, from the same sort of Reds, and Parlor Pinks, saying that he isn't fit to contribute to Weird Tales, some of them go so far as to "make it so hot for him" that he'll be glad to stop writing.This will give you an idea of what a writer finds himself up against in these days of conflicting "isms". But it is to the credit of Seabury that these threats haven't stopped him from what he feels is right. THE END AD ASTRA'S BOOK REVIEW SECTION by Erle Korshak "THE PRINCESS OF ATVATABAR by William R. Bradshaw Printed by J.F. Douthitt[?], New York City; 1892. The interesting part of this book, is that there are few collectors who possess a copy of this, one of the best of its kind ever written. As a book it is a unique item to have. A large sized affair, with a very thick cover, the title in gold lettering. The interior is profusely illustrated with over fifty full page illustrations, all of which deal with the fantastic. In the preface, the author speaks of his combining the best features of Verne, Wells, Haggard, Stevenson, and Lytton[?] into a super-fantasy, with realistic descriptions. The story itself is keenly interesting,for it is one of the first stories to use the inner-world plot, much like Burroughs later did in his Pellucidar Stories. In this tale, a group of explorers in search of adventure sail to the North Pole. When they arrive there, they are caught in a great storm which brings the uncontrolable ship into a huge ice cavern. From then on they travel down an underground river and arrive at the inter-world, Atvatabar. The people of this land are very far advanced in many sciences and arts, yet [[?]] without modern weapons and the like, for they still use,what are to us,ancient implements and clothes of 2000 years ago. However, they have already perfected super trains, a type of rocket ship, rays, flying belts, robots, and many other marvelous devices. Lexington, the hero and leader of the Polar Expedition, falls in love with Lyonne, the high-priestess. The Magicians and Priests don't favor the newcomers to their land and subsequently declare war. But the explorers win, and the story comes to an end as Lexington and Lyonne are crowned King and Queen of the Inner-world. The story is a most remarkable one when ingenuity and newness of plot are taken into consideration, for the book was written in the beginning of the 90s, it being a forerunner to many themes in science fiction now in common use. EK (Mr. Korshak advises that the above book is for sale and quotes readers of AD ASTRA the special price of $5. See advertisement page,-Editor-.