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Diablerie, v. 1, issue 3, March 1944

Page 14

14

de Camp and Hubbard in Unknown - - their more important works contained therein will be brought into the discussion later.
   Anyone who has read Hubbard's first, The dangerous Dimension, undoubtedly recalls it. Fresh, entertaining, and complete, it remains one of the more amusing science fiction tales. Two years later Hubbard came back to this same style and type with The Professor Was a Thief, and showed that, as a stfiction writer, he had progressed immensely; which was quite natural, for Hubbard was no longer feeling his way forward in the fantasy field - - he was definitely established.
   There is the same feeling, only on a much greater scale, when one considers and compares The Tramp and the overwhelming Final Blackout. Both essentially character studies, The Tramp is admirable while Final blackout towers titanically over all fantasy. One sees in the Lieutenant much of what there was in Doughface Jack, surprisingly - - an outcast, fleeing from a world that has forsaken him, twisted by his environment, at the same time the product of that environment. The greatness that was denied The Tramp because of either hurried or careless handling Hubbard poured into Final Blackout - - the perfect instance of careful, precise handling, complete grasp of subject matter, thoughtfully developed character. Henry Mudge, too, in an unforgettable character, but Hannibal Pertwee, the little professor who was - - A Thief, is an even finer characterization. His pathetic love of little things somehow brings us closer to life - - real life, I mean, not the pseudo-reality of Johnny Black and Professor Methuen.
   Thinking back, then, we begin to sense that quality which makes Hubbard so unforgettable: no matter how trivial the story, how hurried the handling, a Hubbard tale always means something, always leaves something in the reader besides a few raw thrills or deep belly laughs.
   Not that belly laughs aren't wonderful things and that raw thrills don't round out a day of reading. But they don't remain.
   There are those who say that if you have read one de Camp story you have read them all, and there are those who say he is the most refreshing and original writer in the whole field of fantasy and science fiction. Perhaps there is more than a little truth in each viewpoint; but after all, one cannot dismiss an author with de Camp's reputation with a simple statement like that. To the initiate, that would be unfair; to the old-timer, pointless.
   De Camp's first science fiction story - - to my knowledge, at least - - was The Isolingauls. Here, in a nutshell, is de Camp. Original idea, lackadaisical development, slapstick situations, humor - - though he had not yet reached full capacity - - and a style envoking immense relaxation in the reader. But when the reader has finished, something is - - missing: good, natural denouement.
   Next came the first of the Johnny Black series, The Command. This one went over with a bang, so to speak, and this popularity led to the development of the series.
   No doubt about it, the Johnny Black stories were funny. Here was de Camp at his best; here, one felt, was an author in his glory, gaily slapping daubs of literary paint here and there with all the carefree recklessness of a slapstick comedian. Of them all, The Emancipated was probably the best.
   But there is more to de Camp than this carefree idiocy. In L Sprague one senses a keen mind, beyond all doubt: For the first time this was (next page)

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14 de Camp and Hubbard in Unknown - - their more important works contained therein will be brought into the discussion later. Anyone who has read Hubbard's first, The dangerous Dimension, undoubtedly recalls it. Fresh, entertaining, and complete, it remains one of the more amusing science fiction tales. Two years later Hubbard came back to this same style and type with The Professor Was a Thief, and showed that, as a stfiction writer, he had progressed immensely; which was quite natural, for Hubbard was no longer feeling his way forward in the fantasy field - - he was definitely established. There is the same feeling, only on a much greater scale, when one considers and compares The Tramp and the overwhelming Final Blackout. Both essentially character studies, The Tramp is admirable while Final blackout towers titanically over all fantasy. One sees in the Lieutenant much of what there was in Doughface Jack, surprisingly - - an outcast, fleeing from a world that has forsaken him, twisted by his environment, at the same time the product of that environment. The greatness that was denied The Tramp because of either hurried or careless handling Hubbard poured into Final Blackout - - the perfect instance of careful, precise handling, complete grasp of subject matter, thoughtfully developed character. Henry Mudge, too, in an unforgettable character, but Hannibal Pertwee, the little professor who was - - A Thief, is an even finer characterization. His pathetic love of little things somehow brings us closer to life - - real life, I mean, not the pseudo-reality of Johnny Black and Professor Methuen. Thinking back, then, we begin to sense that quality which makes Hubbard so unforgettable: no matter how trivial the story, how hurried the handling, a Hubbard tale always means something, always leaves something in the reader besides a few raw thrills or deep belly laughs. Not that belly laughs aren't wonderful things and that raw thrills don't round out a day of reading. But they don't remain. There are those who say that if you have read one de Camp story you have read them all, and there are those who say he is the most refreshing and original writer in the whole field of fantasy and science fiction. Perhaps there is more than a little truth in each viewpoint; but after all, one cannot dismiss an author with de Camp's reputation with a simple statement like that. To the initiate, that would be unfair; to the old-timer, pointless. De Camp's first science fiction story - - to my knowledge, at least - - was The Isolingauls. Here, in a nutshell, is de Camp. Original idea, lackadaisical development, slapstick situations, humor - - though he had not yet reached full capacity - - and a style envoking immense relaxation in the reader. But when the reader has finished, something is - - missing: good, natural denouement. Next came the first of the Johnny Black series, The Command. This one went over with a bang, so to speak, and this popularity led to the development of the series. No doubt about it, the Johnny Black stories were funny. Here was de Camp at his best; here, one felt, was an author in his glory, gaily slapping daubs of literary paint here and there with all the carefree recklessness of a slapstick comedian. Of them all, The Emancipated was probably the best. But there is more to de Camp than this carefree idiocy. In L Sprague one senses a keen mind, beyond all doubt: For the first time this was (next page)