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Scientifictionist, v. 1, issue 6, August-October 1946

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AMONG THE CLASSICS -- IV
by Norman Stanley

Five Stories by G. Peyton Wertenbaker

THE MAN FROM THE ATOM -- Amazing Stories, Vol. 1, Nos. 1,2 (April, May, 1926)
When the first issue of Amazing hit the stands just twenty years ago, the scientifictionists of that day found it to contain, in addition to tales by such notables as Wells, Verne, Poe, England and Hall, a somewhat unprepossessing short story by an unknown, G. Peyton Wertenbaker. The second issue saw Wertenbaker on hand under the same title as its forerunner and was preceded by a synopsis of the first story, so that it was, in effect, the second part of a serial. 
As the title suggests, THE MAN FROM THE ATOM is a tale of size-change, a subject with which, thanks to the diligence of Ray Cummings and many others, the modern fan is well acquainted, even unto the point of boredom. Possibly the jaded reader of today would not be overly impressed by this early effort of Wertenbaker along this line. In literary style it compares but poorly with the author's excellent work of several years later. In several ways, however, it foreshadowed that which was to come. Present, for example, if somewhat crudely done, is the nostalgic mood which Wertenbaker used most effectively in his later stories. Also, as with all his stories, the narration is in the first person.
A work of science-fiction, however, cannot be judged adequately by the ordinary criteria of literary style alone. It is often true that a poorly written science fiction story may still have considerable appeal, and hence merit, by virtue of the novelty or imaginativeness of the ideas it contains. I believe this can be said of THE MAN FROM THE ATOM. While most of the ideas in this story are familiar to us through their frequent use by later authors, the combination which Wertenbaker uses in his story still remains distinctly unusual. In contradistinction to Cummings' GOLDEN ATOM series, the "atom" from which Wertenbaker's character, Kirby, emerges is the earth itself, while his journey is to a macrocosmic world and thence back to a distant world of our own size order. The description of Kirby's journey up through size, of how the earth seemingly shrinks to a ball beneath his feet and the universe of stars swirls into minuteness about him, is exceedingly well drawn and was for your reviewer the high point of the tale. The relativity of time in size-change is the true theme of the story, however. In Speer's decimal system if would take auxiliary classifications under time-travel. Kirby, on attaining the macrocosmic world (of which we are told little), seeks to return to earth, but realizes on attempting this that the few hours he has spent in the macro-universe have represented a trillion centuries on his former time-scale, during which time the earth and solar system have perished. Though he returns to his own universe it is in the far future and on the planet of another sun that he finally comes back to his proper size. 
In the "sequel" we are told of Kirby's adventures in this future world, wherein he is captured and exhibited as a lower species of animal by the highly evolved humanoid natives of the planet. Evolution has followed a peculiarly lopsided course with these people, among whom the men are all emotionless Titans of intellect while the women are of a far lower order of development and only slightly in advance of earthlings. These men are little interested in such a primitive creature as Kirby. One of the women of the race, however, learns his language and his story. Through her intercession he learns it is after all possible for him to return to earth and his former era. This is accomplished by his again going into the macro-universe to return in a still more distant future when, due to the cyclic nature of time, the earth and its inhabitants that he knew will have come into existence again, an instance of the "Eternal Cycle" theme later to be used by Weinbaum, Hamilton, and other writers. Kirby remarks on how fantastically improbable it is that he should

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AMONG THE CLASSICS -- IV by Norman Stanley Five Stories by G. Peyton Wertenbaker THE MAN FROM THE ATOM -- Amazing Stories, Vol. 1, Nos. 1,2 (April, May, 1926) When the first issue of Amazing hit the stands just twenty years ago, the scientifictionists of that day found it to contain, in addition to tales by such notables as Wells, Verne, Poe, England and Hall, a somewhat unprepossessing short story by an unknown, G. Peyton Wertenbaker. The second issue saw Wertenbaker on hand under the same title as its forerunner and was preceded by a synopsis of the first story, so that it was, in effect, the second part of a serial. As the title suggests, THE MAN FROM THE ATOM is a tale of size-change, a subject with which, thanks to the diligence of Ray Cummings and many others, the modern fan is well acquainted, even unto the point of boredom. Possibly the jaded reader of today would not be overly impressed by this early effort of Wertenbaker along this line. In literary style it compares but poorly with the author's excellent work of several years later. In several ways, however, it foreshadowed that which was to come. Present, for example, if somewhat crudely done, is the nostalgic mood which Wertenbaker used most effectively in his later stories. Also, as with all his stories, the narration is in the first person. A work of science-fiction, however, cannot be judged adequately by the ordinary criteria of literary style alone. It is often true that a poorly written science fiction story may still have considerable appeal, and hence merit, by virtue of the novelty or imaginativeness of the ideas it contains. I believe this can be said of THE MAN FROM THE ATOM. While most of the ideas in this story are familiar to us through their frequent use by later authors, the combination which Wertenbaker uses in his story still remains distinctly unusual. In contradistinction to Cummings' GOLDEN ATOM series, the "atom" from which Wertenbaker's character, Kirby, emerges is the earth itself, while his journey is to a macrocosmic world and thence back to a distant world of our own size order. The description of Kirby's journey up through size, of how the earth seemingly shrinks to a ball beneath his feet and the universe of stars swirls into minuteness about him, is exceedingly well drawn and was for your reviewer the high point of the tale. The relativity of time in size-change is the true theme of the story, however. In Speer's decimal system if would take auxiliary classifications under time-travel. Kirby, on attaining the macrocosmic world (of which we are told little), seeks to return to earth, but realizes on attempting this that the few hours he has spent in the macro-universe have represented a trillion centuries on his former time-scale, during which time the earth and solar system have perished. Though he returns to his own universe it is in the far future and on the planet of another sun that he finally comes back to his proper size. In the "sequel" we are told of Kirby's adventures in this future world, wherein he is captured and exhibited as a lower species of animal by the highly evolved humanoid natives of the planet. Evolution has followed a peculiarly lopsided course with these people, among whom the men are all emotionless Titans of intellect while the women are of a far lower order of development and only slightly in advance of earthlings. These men are little interested in such a primitive creature as Kirby. One of the women of the race, however, learns his language and his story. Through her intercession he learns it is after all possible for him to return to earth and his former era. This is accomplished by his again going into the macro-universe to return in a still more distant future when, due to the cyclic nature of time, the earth and its inhabitants that he knew will have come into existence again, an instance of the "Eternal Cycle" theme later to be used by Weinbaum, Hamilton, and other writers. Kirby remarks on how fantastically improbable it is that he should page 4