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Scientifictionist, v. 2, issue 1, November 1946-January 1947
Page 20
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BOOK REVIEW by A. Langley Searles Escape on Venus, by Edgar Rice Burroughs Recently, out of curiosity, I read the latest Burroughs opus, Escape on Venus, which is composed of Ziff-Davis acceptances strung together into a sort of novel. Why I read this, I don't exactly know; perhaps in part out of sheer curiosity (since I'd not touched any of Edgar Rice's work for some years now). Perhaps in part because I cut certain avocational teeth -- now loosening a trifle -- on the first two novels in the Venus series, enjoying them immensely. Anyway, I encountered nothing of striking interest, nor can I say that Burroughs (as many fans -- Wollheim, for example -- think) is a poorer writer than he used to be. The trouble is that the fans are growing up, learning to appreciate better prose; Burroughs is still writing about the same way he did twenty years ago. I'd say that he improved definitely from 1912, when he started, up to, say, 1923 or so, reaching a mild peak of quality with the "Moon Maid" trilogy. From then on he coasted; and Escape on Venus shows him still doing so, coasting along easily but by no means tobogganing down out of sight. Escape -- to save you the trouble of reading it -- deals with Carson's varied adventures on Venus, a new civilization (the latter term referring more to the etymologic root "city" than to culture) being encountered every few chapters by means of Carson's anotar, as the first airplane to be seen on Venus is called. Duare, his mate, gets lost occasionally, and her rescues provide excuse for several varied exhibitions of Carsonian heroism. On an absolute basis, I'd say that this book was the worst of the entire Venus series. It's only too obviously strung together from what originally were novelettes, for one thing; as a whole it impresses one as disconnected. Pirates on Venus and Lost on Venus were unquestioned novels, structurally. And with the disconnection comes haphazard motivation: I believe that all of the adventures in this latest epic are caused by the anotar's becoming disabled at the appropriate moments, which becomes tiresomely repetitious after a while. All in all, the book is definitely not worth getting, unless you're a completist or have philanthropic friends who toss volumes your way gratis. -------------------------- FOR 'EM AND AGIN 'EM (continued from page 19) thing by Brazier about "The Great Fog". That's what I thought too. I'm in favor of a supplementary list of book s-f from Laney is he knows any more really good ones. A definitive checklist would be pointless, since some book s-f is at least as bad as the worst hack pulp tales every printed. Also I heartily second that suggestion of an article on pseudonyms. I certainly can't share your enthusiasm for Technocracy and will probably elaborate on the subject if it comes up in the letter column again, but I strongly approve of your reprinting futuristic or esseffish items from Technocrat sources, such as that one on cities of the future in #4. Incidentally, it rather appears that Palmer is now -- yet or again -- active editor of Amazing. How about digging up the facts on his reported crack-up for your readers? [We're now doing just that. Our report will appear next issue. -- ed.] And I'd like to raise one embarrassing question (it embarrasses me, too): What would have happened to "Agharti" if it had been submitted to Campbell rather than Palmer? And yet the story is vastly superior to "The Chronicler" and others Campbell has used. C. Burton Stevenson, 521 E. Moore, Phoenix, Arizona. ------------------------- EDITORIAL RAMBLINGS: The delay this issue was caused by the failure of Erik Thomassen to send in his pro reviews. Sorry, but it was unavoidable. Scientifictionist is edited and published by Henry Elsner Jr., at 13618 Cedar Grove, Detroit 5, Michigan. Subscription rates: 10c per copy, 3/25c, 13/$1.00. Published whenever time and material will allow. Vol. 2, No. 1, November 1946-January 1947. An "X" here indicates your subscription has expired with this issue. Scientifictionist is a frontier publication of which the others are: Psycho, Googol, TH//////// and Ember. Sorry, no fiction or advertisements accepted. page 20
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BOOK REVIEW by A. Langley Searles Escape on Venus, by Edgar Rice Burroughs Recently, out of curiosity, I read the latest Burroughs opus, Escape on Venus, which is composed of Ziff-Davis acceptances strung together into a sort of novel. Why I read this, I don't exactly know; perhaps in part out of sheer curiosity (since I'd not touched any of Edgar Rice's work for some years now). Perhaps in part because I cut certain avocational teeth -- now loosening a trifle -- on the first two novels in the Venus series, enjoying them immensely. Anyway, I encountered nothing of striking interest, nor can I say that Burroughs (as many fans -- Wollheim, for example -- think) is a poorer writer than he used to be. The trouble is that the fans are growing up, learning to appreciate better prose; Burroughs is still writing about the same way he did twenty years ago. I'd say that he improved definitely from 1912, when he started, up to, say, 1923 or so, reaching a mild peak of quality with the "Moon Maid" trilogy. From then on he coasted; and Escape on Venus shows him still doing so, coasting along easily but by no means tobogganing down out of sight. Escape -- to save you the trouble of reading it -- deals with Carson's varied adventures on Venus, a new civilization (the latter term referring more to the etymologic root "city" than to culture) being encountered every few chapters by means of Carson's anotar, as the first airplane to be seen on Venus is called. Duare, his mate, gets lost occasionally, and her rescues provide excuse for several varied exhibitions of Carsonian heroism. On an absolute basis, I'd say that this book was the worst of the entire Venus series. It's only too obviously strung together from what originally were novelettes, for one thing; as a whole it impresses one as disconnected. Pirates on Venus and Lost on Venus were unquestioned novels, structurally. And with the disconnection comes haphazard motivation: I believe that all of the adventures in this latest epic are caused by the anotar's becoming disabled at the appropriate moments, which becomes tiresomely repetitious after a while. All in all, the book is definitely not worth getting, unless you're a completist or have philanthropic friends who toss volumes your way gratis. -------------------------- FOR 'EM AND AGIN 'EM (continued from page 19) thing by Brazier about "The Great Fog". That's what I thought too. I'm in favor of a supplementary list of book s-f from Laney is he knows any more really good ones. A definitive checklist would be pointless, since some book s-f is at least as bad as the worst hack pulp tales every printed. Also I heartily second that suggestion of an article on pseudonyms. I certainly can't share your enthusiasm for Technocracy and will probably elaborate on the subject if it comes up in the letter column again, but I strongly approve of your reprinting futuristic or esseffish items from Technocrat sources, such as that one on cities of the future in #4. Incidentally, it rather appears that Palmer is now -- yet or again -- active editor of Amazing. How about digging up the facts on his reported crack-up for your readers? [We're now doing just that. Our report will appear next issue. -- ed.] And I'd like to raise one embarrassing question (it embarrasses me, too): What would have happened to "Agharti" if it had been submitted to Campbell rather than Palmer? And yet the story is vastly superior to "The Chronicler" and others Campbell has used. C. Burton Stevenson, 521 E. Moore, Phoenix, Arizona. ------------------------- EDITORIAL RAMBLINGS: The delay this issue was caused by the failure of Erik Thomassen to send in his pro reviews. Sorry, but it was unavoidable. Scientifictionist is edited and published by Henry Elsner Jr., at 13618 Cedar Grove, Detroit 5, Michigan. Subscription rates: 10c per copy, 3/25c, 13/$1.00. Published whenever time and material will allow. Vol. 2, No. 1, November 1946-January 1947. An "X" here indicates your subscription has expired with this issue. Scientifictionist is a frontier publication of which the others are: Psycho, Googol, TH//////// and Ember. Sorry, no fiction or advertisements accepted. page 20
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