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Fantasy Commentator, v. 1, issue 10, Spring 1946
Page 255
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FANTASY COMMENTATOR 255 superman. Taine's style is brilliant throughout. The best of the book supermen is Odd John, which, while not the author's best work, is still magnificent; as always, Stapledon has mastered the idiom of his creation to perfection. Three great short stories vie for next honors, the first well known as a result of The Pocket Book of Science Fiction, and the other two members of that mysterious group that has come to be generally known as "forgotten classics". "Microcosmic God" is a refreshing effort that can be perused innumerable times without tiring the reader, and all of its praiseworthy qualities are brought into sharp focus by its fine concluding paragraphs. Like "Microcosmic God," "The Mental Ultimate" is excellent throughout, intense and gripping in every sentence. "Short Wave Castle" is another tale with a powerful ending, this time gained by a combination of romanticism and nostalgia. "Slan" appears next in quality, very good in toto but slightly marred by a conventional denoument and several needless complexities of plot. It is one of those novels that possesses such an irresistible appeal that one regrets all the more keenly the few faults that rob it of perfection. Although somewhat cheapened by Snaith's attempt to make it a mystery novel, Thus Far remains one of the best efforts in the field. The Wonder is one of those extremely interesting examples that somehow seem to lack a necessary sparkle of inspiration. The action rides along on an even, undisturbed keel, few climaxes or turbulent scenes being encountered. It is well worth reading, however, and Bessford admittedly keeps to a high literary standard from start to finish. "The Rebel Soul" and "Into the Infinite" are notable as being the first above-average items on the superman theme to be published in the "pulps". The sequel, never the less, seems padded and lacks the vigor of the magnificent opening novelette. Last of the outstanding stories in the field are "The Conquerors" and "The Evening Star" of Keller. The fact that the author appears fighting for wordage detracts flow from their quality somewhat; suitable condensation would have helped to strengthen a really great plot. Gladiator is perhaps most disappointing of all. After getting off to a promising start (possibly enlivened by an accent on illicit sex) Wylie's prose and plot finally bog down into stereotyped turgidity. A sensationally overdramatic ending caps the affair in a very sad fashion. As Gladiator is the only extant treatment of the purely physical superman on a major scale, it is regrettable indeed that the author could not subjugate his penchant for sensationalism and raise the novel to the prose level of which he was capable. This is not to infer that the work is outrightly poor---for it is not---but numerous possibilities for improvement do exist. Another novel that is disappointing because inherent potentialities are never completely realized is The New Adam. The main fault here is that an original framework has been covered by formularized "pulp" material. Many readers have by the length, scope and generally entertaining qualities of this work been led to overlook its stereotyped development and commonplace prose. However, the careful critic cannot disregard these facts, however much he may lament the author's inability to summon resources of language fresh enough to match the theme he treats. Weinbaum's reputation rests far more securely on the clever interplay of human emotions he has wedded to a unique idea in "The Adaptive Ultimate." Minimum Man is another great novel that could have been greater had not Marvell diluted his prose with so much political allegory; as a result, the book is neither high-grade satire nor high-grade fiction. Yet another example that could have been better is The Fiery Gate. This proceeds along a quiet (and at times almost prosaic) course, the author dilineating separate intimate incidents in the lives of two persons, considering the limitations he has set himself, he is not unsuccessful... The magnificent backgrounds of "The World of A" and "The Changeling" are both badly marred by the author's attempts to overawe the reader; actually these two stories are above average, though when the possibilities of the material are considered much of the latter seems lost.
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FANTASY COMMENTATOR 255 superman. Taine's style is brilliant throughout. The best of the book supermen is Odd John, which, while not the author's best work, is still magnificent; as always, Stapledon has mastered the idiom of his creation to perfection. Three great short stories vie for next honors, the first well known as a result of The Pocket Book of Science Fiction, and the other two members of that mysterious group that has come to be generally known as "forgotten classics". "Microcosmic God" is a refreshing effort that can be perused innumerable times without tiring the reader, and all of its praiseworthy qualities are brought into sharp focus by its fine concluding paragraphs. Like "Microcosmic God," "The Mental Ultimate" is excellent throughout, intense and gripping in every sentence. "Short Wave Castle" is another tale with a powerful ending, this time gained by a combination of romanticism and nostalgia. "Slan" appears next in quality, very good in toto but slightly marred by a conventional denoument and several needless complexities of plot. It is one of those novels that possesses such an irresistible appeal that one regrets all the more keenly the few faults that rob it of perfection. Although somewhat cheapened by Snaith's attempt to make it a mystery novel, Thus Far remains one of the best efforts in the field. The Wonder is one of those extremely interesting examples that somehow seem to lack a necessary sparkle of inspiration. The action rides along on an even, undisturbed keel, few climaxes or turbulent scenes being encountered. It is well worth reading, however, and Bessford admittedly keeps to a high literary standard from start to finish. "The Rebel Soul" and "Into the Infinite" are notable as being the first above-average items on the superman theme to be published in the "pulps". The sequel, never the less, seems padded and lacks the vigor of the magnificent opening novelette. Last of the outstanding stories in the field are "The Conquerors" and "The Evening Star" of Keller. The fact that the author appears fighting for wordage detracts flow from their quality somewhat; suitable condensation would have helped to strengthen a really great plot. Gladiator is perhaps most disappointing of all. After getting off to a promising start (possibly enlivened by an accent on illicit sex) Wylie's prose and plot finally bog down into stereotyped turgidity. A sensationally overdramatic ending caps the affair in a very sad fashion. As Gladiator is the only extant treatment of the purely physical superman on a major scale, it is regrettable indeed that the author could not subjugate his penchant for sensationalism and raise the novel to the prose level of which he was capable. This is not to infer that the work is outrightly poor---for it is not---but numerous possibilities for improvement do exist. Another novel that is disappointing because inherent potentialities are never completely realized is The New Adam. The main fault here is that an original framework has been covered by formularized "pulp" material. Many readers have by the length, scope and generally entertaining qualities of this work been led to overlook its stereotyped development and commonplace prose. However, the careful critic cannot disregard these facts, however much he may lament the author's inability to summon resources of language fresh enough to match the theme he treats. Weinbaum's reputation rests far more securely on the clever interplay of human emotions he has wedded to a unique idea in "The Adaptive Ultimate." Minimum Man is another great novel that could have been greater had not Marvell diluted his prose with so much political allegory; as a result, the book is neither high-grade satire nor high-grade fiction. Yet another example that could have been better is The Fiery Gate. This proceeds along a quiet (and at times almost prosaic) course, the author dilineating separate intimate incidents in the lives of two persons, considering the limitations he has set himself, he is not unsuccessful... The magnificent backgrounds of "The World of A" and "The Changeling" are both badly marred by the author's attempts to overawe the reader; actually these two stories are above average, though when the possibilities of the material are considered much of the latter seems lost.
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