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Dream Quest, v. 1, issue 1, July 1947

Page 12

DREAM QUEST     12

HEINLEIN IN THE POST
by Gilbert Swenson
WE get the Post at our house, and we were just as surprised, I imagine, as the rest of the scientifictionists when the Bebruary 8 issue arrived, with the name of Robert A. Heinlein on the contents page, and a note and photo on the "Keeping Posted" page. Naturally, it was a pleasant surprise -- we looked for a wide popularization of stf, since the Post has a really immense circulation. After a reading of the story and a subsequent one, we have begun to wonder.

Naturally, the inclusion of any kind of stf in a slick like the Post would have been welcome, since no slick has ever published any stf worth noting before, and that which has been published is all mainly borderline material; while here was true stf in the grandest tradition, namely the interplanetary tale. And Heinlein was always a favorite author, with such magnificent pieces as "Methusela's Children," "Universe," and "Common Sense" to his credit. Yes, we were really pleased. We expected great things from an author with so magnificent a background as Heinlein. Unfortunately, we were disappointed.

The first story, "The Green Hills of Earth," has as its theme Rhysling, the Blind Singer of the Spaceways, mentioned in the old Heinlein future history in ASF years ago. The story is tied in directly with the Heinlein mythos -- mention is made of D. D. Harriman, hero of "Requiem." There, however, the similarity of this tale to the magnificent pieces of yore ceases. The great skill of the prewar Heinlein seemingly is gone. I am tempted to compare the style of this short to the style used so ineffectively by Heinrich Hauser in his history of the future, "Titans' Battle." That is just what "The Green Hills" reads like -- history. The plot of the story is that Rhysling, great blind bard, died a hero's death by repairing the automatic engines and allowing the radioactive rays to kill him. This could have made a magnificent (for Planet) if slightly insipid plot, if handled right. The writing just wasn't good enough to make the plot jell. We wonder if this might not put stf in more of a bad light with the Post's readers than any possibility it might have had of popularizing stf.

Heinlein later -- in the April 26 issue, to be exact -- landed another space tale in the Post's hallowed pages. This one was called "Space Jockey." The most that can be said for it was that it at least had a plot. while the other one didn't. Can this be Heinlein? The heartrending happenings in "Space Jockey" concern a spaceman who has a doting wife who constantly worries him by worrying about him. She is afflicted with spaceophobia; you know the kind, weeping about their husbands' adngerous work. The poor guy, pity his unfortunate fate, is faced with the possibility of having to take a ground job. Then along comes the young son of the Big Boss into the control cabin of the ship when she is on the earth-moon run, and just about wrecks things. Of course, our hero brings her in safely, and straightens out everything with the little woman. If you care enough to find out how he does it, visit a second hand store. This might have rated slight praise for its writing quality had it appeared in PLANET. As it is -- phooey.

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DREAM QUEST 12 HEINLEIN IN THE POST by Gilbert Swenson WE get the Post at our house, and we were just as surprised, I imagine, as the rest of the scientifictionists when the Bebruary 8 issue arrived, with the name of Robert A. Heinlein on the contents page, and a note and photo on the "Keeping Posted" page. Naturally, it was a pleasant surprise -- we looked for a wide popularization of stf, since the Post has a really immense circulation. After a reading of the story and a subsequent one, we have begun to wonder. Naturally, the inclusion of any kind of stf in a slick like the Post would have been welcome, since no slick has ever published any stf worth noting before, and that which has been published is all mainly borderline material; while here was true stf in the grandest tradition, namely the interplanetary tale. And Heinlein was always a favorite author, with such magnificent pieces as "Methusela's Children," "Universe," and "Common Sense" to his credit. Yes, we were really pleased. We expected great things from an author with so magnificent a background as Heinlein. Unfortunately, we were disappointed. The first story, "The Green Hills of Earth," has as its theme Rhysling, the Blind Singer of the Spaceways, mentioned in the old Heinlein future history in ASF years ago. The story is tied in directly with the Heinlein mythos -- mention is made of D. D. Harriman, hero of "Requiem." There, however, the similarity of this tale to the magnificent pieces of yore ceases. The great skill of the prewar Heinlein seemingly is gone. I am tempted to compare the style of this short to the style used so ineffectively by Heinrich Hauser in his history of the future, "Titans' Battle." That is just what "The Green Hills" reads like -- history. The plot of the story is that Rhysling, great blind bard, died a hero's death by repairing the automatic engines and allowing the radioactive rays to kill him. This could have made a magnificent (for Planet) if slightly insipid plot, if handled right. The writing just wasn't good enough to make the plot jell. We wonder if this might not put stf in more of a bad light with the Post's readers than any possibility it might have had of popularizing stf. Heinlein later -- in the April 26 issue, to be exact -- landed another space tale in the Post's hallowed pages. This one was called "Space Jockey." The most that can be said for it was that it at least had a plot. while the other one didn't. Can this be Heinlein? The heartrending happenings in "Space Jockey" concern a spaceman who has a doting wife who constantly worries him by worrying about him. She is afflicted with spaceophobia; you know the kind, weeping about their husbands' adngerous work. The poor guy, pity his unfortunate fate, is faced with the possibility of having to take a ground job. Then along comes the young son of the Big Boss into the control cabin of the ship when she is on the earth-moon run, and just about wrecks things. Of course, our hero brings her in safely, and straightens out everything with the little woman. If you care enough to find out how he does it, visit a second hand store. This might have rated slight praise for its writing quality had it appeared in PLANET. As it is -- phooey.