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Phanteur, issue 5, May 1948
Page 11
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11 PHANTEUR 11 ----------------------- The Postmailings. A PREMONITION OF DISASTER -- Well, there are some points worth considering here, if this isn't just tongue-in-cheek stuff; frankly, I'm not much worried. CANADIAN FANDOM -- With such huge publication, and with the additional burden of running the TORCON, I guess there can be no criticism of Taylor and McKeown for putting their outstanding subzine into FAPA to meet activity requirements. It is a remarkably good 'zine; one of the best; glad I got a chance to see it. I'll probably subscribe, since it probably won't appear in FAPA again. Top item is Cameron's "The Production of Radioactive Tracers." -- Les, please show me how to do that trick; I mean, "point the finger of uplifted eyebrow." I'm slightly baffled. I don't think you make your point, either; there is more to the Shaver business to condemn than mere bad fiction; I needn't point out what, as that has been done many times before. But for an editor to state that his published fiction is unequivocally true, and for a writer to start a story in the trite but time-honored manner, "nobody will believe this, but..." are two different things. As for the Shaver style, that I wouldn't know about; I haven't read his stuff, … which doesn't prevent me from legitimately criticizing the presentation of the stories as "true". Can't prove Palmer wrong! Well, at least, many of the details are contrary to established scientific fact. -- William, I will not agree that Shadow over Innsmouth is even good, let alone a masterpiece. I waded through it once; I won't again. -- "The Machine Stops" is a book I want to read. -- If Steiguer is "terrific" what makes you think he would fit in Am. S.? -- All in all, this issue of the fine Canadian 'zine has been a real pleasure to read. FAPA ORACLE -- Welcome, you make interesting noises. I miss the missing Brain Trusters, too; occasionally they discussed something that I could dig into. But critical literary review, of the type indulged in by Blish, Ladd, etc., in which they go into origins, models, derivations of style, and comparisons with 43 other practitioners of the same art, don't interest me much, so I can't argue with them. And the business of muddling around with various schools of philosophy seems even more futile and unrewarding, so that is out, too. General Semantics and Symbolic Logic are fine, but I haven't yet finished even half of Korzybski, and don't know a thing about symbolic logic, so I can't discuss these subjects very well. We used to tear into such things as Homo Futuro, certain phases of linguistics, and a lot of other stuff, but we seem to have exhausted them for the nonce. Maybe you can start something. Incidentally, your entire editorial is neatly summed up in the quote from White at the bottom of page 4. -- The heading "The PHANTEUR Opines" was intended to be heavily humorous; maybe it wasn't; but in any case, it may appear again, if I have something to say that seems to fit under the heading. -- "Orpheus" would seem to be a book I'd like to have -- and to read, if I ever found the time. A historian of religions could interest quite as much, I think, as a Biblical critic could bore me. -- Your comment on the bed-pan item is the most pertinent and effective I've seen -- and that thing deserved all the condemnation it got. -- Your wonderment as to whether there is such a thing as the FAPA anymore is certainly justified. -- Your "top ten" brought to mind the extreme variation in the appraisal of Lex Phillips's "An Enemy of Knowledge." I placed it about as you did. -- On the basis of this first issue, I think I'm likely to find Oracle one of my consistent favorites; at the same time, if all the material is to be presented in the general form of the Speer Mailing Reviews (which I usually like very much) I'm going to find it hard to find much to say concerning it. ("it," is supposed to have Oracle related to it, someway.) BEDFAST ABED AND BORED DISTURBING ELEMENT BROWNOUT PNEUMO ANTIPOSTMAILER ASP, HALF-ASP, PARASITE FANTASY AMATEUR JR. (Cont. bottom p. 12) This mess of persiflage no doubt served its purpose, whatever that was. -- I don't imagine Speer expected you to get "hundreds of letters" from Amsg. readers; I'm sure I didn't; I'd say ten would be a lot of to expect, judging from the experience of fanzine eds in Startling reviews of the past. -- What inspired the lone indian maiden in ASP, as if I don't know. -- I don't think he Ashley Influence has weakened; you
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11 PHANTEUR 11 ----------------------- The Postmailings. A PREMONITION OF DISASTER -- Well, there are some points worth considering here, if this isn't just tongue-in-cheek stuff; frankly, I'm not much worried. CANADIAN FANDOM -- With such huge publication, and with the additional burden of running the TORCON, I guess there can be no criticism of Taylor and McKeown for putting their outstanding subzine into FAPA to meet activity requirements. It is a remarkably good 'zine; one of the best; glad I got a chance to see it. I'll probably subscribe, since it probably won't appear in FAPA again. Top item is Cameron's "The Production of Radioactive Tracers." -- Les, please show me how to do that trick; I mean, "point the finger of uplifted eyebrow." I'm slightly baffled. I don't think you make your point, either; there is more to the Shaver business to condemn than mere bad fiction; I needn't point out what, as that has been done many times before. But for an editor to state that his published fiction is unequivocally true, and for a writer to start a story in the trite but time-honored manner, "nobody will believe this, but..." are two different things. As for the Shaver style, that I wouldn't know about; I haven't read his stuff, … which doesn't prevent me from legitimately criticizing the presentation of the stories as "true". Can't prove Palmer wrong! Well, at least, many of the details are contrary to established scientific fact. -- William, I will not agree that Shadow over Innsmouth is even good, let alone a masterpiece. I waded through it once; I won't again. -- "The Machine Stops" is a book I want to read. -- If Steiguer is "terrific" what makes you think he would fit in Am. S.? -- All in all, this issue of the fine Canadian 'zine has been a real pleasure to read. FAPA ORACLE -- Welcome, you make interesting noises. I miss the missing Brain Trusters, too; occasionally they discussed something that I could dig into. But critical literary review, of the type indulged in by Blish, Ladd, etc., in which they go into origins, models, derivations of style, and comparisons with 43 other practitioners of the same art, don't interest me much, so I can't argue with them. And the business of muddling around with various schools of philosophy seems even more futile and unrewarding, so that is out, too. General Semantics and Symbolic Logic are fine, but I haven't yet finished even half of Korzybski, and don't know a thing about symbolic logic, so I can't discuss these subjects very well. We used to tear into such things as Homo Futuro, certain phases of linguistics, and a lot of other stuff, but we seem to have exhausted them for the nonce. Maybe you can start something. Incidentally, your entire editorial is neatly summed up in the quote from White at the bottom of page 4. -- The heading "The PHANTEUR Opines" was intended to be heavily humorous; maybe it wasn't; but in any case, it may appear again, if I have something to say that seems to fit under the heading. -- "Orpheus" would seem to be a book I'd like to have -- and to read, if I ever found the time. A historian of religions could interest quite as much, I think, as a Biblical critic could bore me. -- Your comment on the bed-pan item is the most pertinent and effective I've seen -- and that thing deserved all the condemnation it got. -- Your wonderment as to whether there is such a thing as the FAPA anymore is certainly justified. -- Your "top ten" brought to mind the extreme variation in the appraisal of Lex Phillips's "An Enemy of Knowledge." I placed it about as you did. -- On the basis of this first issue, I think I'm likely to find Oracle one of my consistent favorites; at the same time, if all the material is to be presented in the general form of the Speer Mailing Reviews (which I usually like very much) I'm going to find it hard to find much to say concerning it. ("it," is supposed to have Oracle related to it, someway.) BEDFAST ABED AND BORED DISTURBING ELEMENT BROWNOUT PNEUMO ANTIPOSTMAILER ASP, HALF-ASP, PARASITE FANTASY AMATEUR JR. (Cont. bottom p. 12) This mess of persiflage no doubt served its purpose, whatever that was. -- I don't imagine Speer expected you to get "hundreds of letters" from Amsg. readers; I'm sure I didn't; I'd say ten would be a lot of to expect, judging from the experience of fanzine eds in Startling reviews of the past. -- What inspired the lone indian maiden in ASP, as if I don't know. -- I don't think he Ashley Influence has weakened; you
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