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Spaceways, v. 3, issue 4, May 1941
Page 19
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SPACEWAYS 19 BEACON LIGHT er was much better; their number of stories was greater, inside illustrations better, and departments had been added. And, while small, The Visagraph showed personality from the first which made the fans feel that, despite his seeming inexperience, editor Reiss was one swell guy who was doing the best he could and learning fast. The trend of the magazine has shown this to have been true. Planet Stories is a success, is well liked generally, despite the fact that no real classics have come from its pages. And incidentally, another interesting thing about the magazine is that you rarely, if ever, notice it has only 128 pages for 20c. There's fibre in those 128, real solid fibre. I didn't mention it above, but now we're off on Amazing Stories, chum. This periodical has probably been more roundly castigated by fans than any other, even the supersexy Marvels of 1938. Yet it seems to have gone over. The reason, I think, is this: Amazing cannot be really considered to be a stf magazine as fans understand the term. Do we find the fans, for the most part, wasting their energies in castigation of the comic magazines? no. They won't waste their time on such. But Amazing--the title deceives. You see, it was the very first stf title, and no one can forget that. It makes for connotations dear to the heart of the stf enthusiast of yore. If it had any other title, it might be ignored for the most part. yet, the situation is this. Amazing is nothing more than a magazine of comic strip continuities in slightly more elaborate form. It has the same tempo of the comics, the same type of story and situation and the same careful avoidance of anything "over the reader's head". Some of its stories can be enjoyed; so can some comic strips. And while the general run of comics hit a certain (mental or actual) age level, Amazing goes after the next age-level. To the real fan and lovers of imaginative literature it is the veriest dung. But to the ordinary persuer of Superman, Buck Rogers, etc., it's hot stuff. Let's pause now for station identification. Beacon Light, in case you are interested, is a more or less composite of a number of things. Your cynic is in pretty close touch with people who are in really close touch with editors, authors, artists, publishers, etc. We don't divulge sources of information,and I'm going to continue to be extra careful about rumors and such. We may indulge ourselves in a prediction or so at times, but don't let it throw you. And since I mentioned predictions, let me make myself perhaps ridiculous and perhaps famous by predicting without further ado that Stirring Science Stories is going to be a phenomenal success. I've heard rumors about how that first issue sold, and, discounting a good half as one should in the case of rumors, it's still amazing. But let's talk about people for a while. New authors, for example. You know perhaps that Campbell's genius, Robert A. Heinlein, has a sort of chronology of all of his stf tales. They all fit into a definite pattern of future history that he has worked out very carefully and precisely. Many of his characters carry over from one story to another. And Campbell is going to publish that chronology soon so that the readers can get a full vista of it all: something to look forward to. However, Heinein isn't alone in this, even among new writers. Take Hugh Raymond, a newcomer of 1941. Raymond has, more or less unconsciously, I think, already started to do this. "He Wasn't There" is more of fantasy than stf, but does deal with a bit of prediction about the immediate future. "Power" is more definite, and can be placed, perhaps, soon after unpleasant vision-scenes of "He Wasn't There". "Rebirth of Tomorrow" takes place in the more distant future while "The Last Viking" is the furthest along to date. I understand that he's planning a tale which will more orless bridge the gap between "Power" and "Rebirth of Tomorrow". There are one or two coming up, I believe, which are outside the pattern. Here's one reader who hopes Raymond will make a real serious go of it. Another newcomer whose tales fit into a general pattern is Jim Blish. While he doesn't make any real set of predictions, there is a unity about his yarns much in the manner of the unity in the bur- (concluded on page 24)
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SPACEWAYS 19 BEACON LIGHT er was much better; their number of stories was greater, inside illustrations better, and departments had been added. And, while small, The Visagraph showed personality from the first which made the fans feel that, despite his seeming inexperience, editor Reiss was one swell guy who was doing the best he could and learning fast. The trend of the magazine has shown this to have been true. Planet Stories is a success, is well liked generally, despite the fact that no real classics have come from its pages. And incidentally, another interesting thing about the magazine is that you rarely, if ever, notice it has only 128 pages for 20c. There's fibre in those 128, real solid fibre. I didn't mention it above, but now we're off on Amazing Stories, chum. This periodical has probably been more roundly castigated by fans than any other, even the supersexy Marvels of 1938. Yet it seems to have gone over. The reason, I think, is this: Amazing cannot be really considered to be a stf magazine as fans understand the term. Do we find the fans, for the most part, wasting their energies in castigation of the comic magazines? no. They won't waste their time on such. But Amazing--the title deceives. You see, it was the very first stf title, and no one can forget that. It makes for connotations dear to the heart of the stf enthusiast of yore. If it had any other title, it might be ignored for the most part. yet, the situation is this. Amazing is nothing more than a magazine of comic strip continuities in slightly more elaborate form. It has the same tempo of the comics, the same type of story and situation and the same careful avoidance of anything "over the reader's head". Some of its stories can be enjoyed; so can some comic strips. And while the general run of comics hit a certain (mental or actual) age level, Amazing goes after the next age-level. To the real fan and lovers of imaginative literature it is the veriest dung. But to the ordinary persuer of Superman, Buck Rogers, etc., it's hot stuff. Let's pause now for station identification. Beacon Light, in case you are interested, is a more or less composite of a number of things. Your cynic is in pretty close touch with people who are in really close touch with editors, authors, artists, publishers, etc. We don't divulge sources of information,and I'm going to continue to be extra careful about rumors and such. We may indulge ourselves in a prediction or so at times, but don't let it throw you. And since I mentioned predictions, let me make myself perhaps ridiculous and perhaps famous by predicting without further ado that Stirring Science Stories is going to be a phenomenal success. I've heard rumors about how that first issue sold, and, discounting a good half as one should in the case of rumors, it's still amazing. But let's talk about people for a while. New authors, for example. You know perhaps that Campbell's genius, Robert A. Heinlein, has a sort of chronology of all of his stf tales. They all fit into a definite pattern of future history that he has worked out very carefully and precisely. Many of his characters carry over from one story to another. And Campbell is going to publish that chronology soon so that the readers can get a full vista of it all: something to look forward to. However, Heinein isn't alone in this, even among new writers. Take Hugh Raymond, a newcomer of 1941. Raymond has, more or less unconsciously, I think, already started to do this. "He Wasn't There" is more of fantasy than stf, but does deal with a bit of prediction about the immediate future. "Power" is more definite, and can be placed, perhaps, soon after unpleasant vision-scenes of "He Wasn't There". "Rebirth of Tomorrow" takes place in the more distant future while "The Last Viking" is the furthest along to date. I understand that he's planning a tale which will more orless bridge the gap between "Power" and "Rebirth of Tomorrow". There are one or two coming up, I believe, which are outside the pattern. Here's one reader who hopes Raymond will make a real serious go of it. Another newcomer whose tales fit into a general pattern is Jim Blish. While he doesn't make any real set of predictions, there is a unity about his yarns much in the manner of the unity in the bur- (concluded on page 24)
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