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Fantasy Commentator, v. 1, issue 10, Spring 1946

Page 256

256
FANTASY COMMENTATOR

"The Avatar" is another unusual item, though it suffers from compression. This is not levelled as a serious criticism, however, since the characteristic stems largely from Gold's cold, analytical writing style. Though flawed by occasional inconsistencies, both "The Smallest God" and "The Terrible Sense" are entertainingly contrived, and make pleasant light reading.

The remaining stories, while enjoyable and diverting for the most part, are of lower quality than those discussed above. "The Nth Man" and "The Intelligence Gigantic" are two examples of this runner-up class; they are readable, but at the same time markedly handicapped by "pulp" characteristics. Similar defects appear in "Little Hercules" and "The Microscopic Giants," though to a lesser extent, the chief fault of this pair being a lack of mature plot-development. "The Man from Hell" contains an excellent plot, but is badly marred throughout. So is "The Iron God," an almost hopelessly hackneyed effort. "Superhuman" could have been excellent, but bears unmistakable signs of hurried composition. Blemished though it is by Schachner's usual habit of painting a villain in the blackest colors and lavishing exaggerated superlatives on his hero, "The Isotope Men" still lingers in the memory because of the unusual idea on which it is based. A story whose plot is similarly dragged down by poor treatment is "The Supermen," though here the idea is by no means original. Kontrol, written in an almost juvenile manner throughout, never rises above the level of mediocrity. The Isle of Lies and "Golden Amazon" series are stories that should be given as wide a berth as possible; read them at your own risk!

In a field as heterogeneous as this, few generalizations of importance can be drawn. Operating against attempts in this direction is also the small number of stories to be found in the categories of classification that have been employed---some boasting but a single tale. (The obvious corollary to this later statement, of course, is that many sections of the field are still very much open to cultivation.) It has already been noted that the fate of the majority of supermen is an early death, which is perhaps a sort of commentary on the cynical beliefs of their progenitors; one may also note the frequency with which the supermen's own creators mete out this fate. While this might possibly arise from the authors' sense of poetic justice, it seems more probable that it is a plausible exigency, only the dabbling scientists themselves being aware of their creations' Achilles heel.

Despite the fact that much classic material first saw print in magazines, there is a certain tragic aspect to the "pulps". Given a fine original idea, this medium will rehash it to its detriment, each reworking being poorer than the one preceeding it. Sometimes---in fact, all too often---a single author is responsible for a series of these reworkings. It seems to be the rule in the realm of supermen, as well as other fictional subjects, that the quality of a work by a given writer is inversely proportional to the number of times he has treated the theme: some authors realize that if attempted carefully it can be done right the first time, but far too many apparently never tire of doing the same task wrong many times. Like the poor, Grub Street is always with us.

Bibliography

Ayre, Thornton, pseud.: see Fearn, John Russell.
Bell, Eric Temple (John Taine, pseud.): "Seeds of Life," Amazing Stories Quarterly, Fall 1931.
Bellem, Robert Leslie: "Short Wave Supermen," Amazing Stories, November, 1941.
Beresford, John Davys: The Hampdenshire Wonder, London, 1911; New York, 1917, as The Wonder.
Bloch, Robert: "Stuporman," Fantastic Adventures, June 1943.
Campbell, Clyde Crane, pseud.: see Gold, Horace L.

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256 FANTASY COMMENTATOR "The Avatar" is another unusual item, though it suffers from compression. This is not levelled as a serious criticism, however, since the characteristic stems largely from Gold's cold, analytical writing style. Though flawed by occasional inconsistencies, both "The Smallest God" and "The Terrible Sense" are entertainingly contrived, and make pleasant light reading. The remaining stories, while enjoyable and diverting for the most part, are of lower quality than those discussed above. "The Nth Man" and "The Intelligence Gigantic" are two examples of this runner-up class; they are readable, but at the same time markedly handicapped by "pulp" characteristics. Similar defects appear in "Little Hercules" and "The Microscopic Giants," though to a lesser extent, the chief fault of this pair being a lack of mature plot-development. "The Man from Hell" contains an excellent plot, but is badly marred throughout. So is "The Iron God," an almost hopelessly hackneyed effort. "Superhuman" could have been excellent, but bears unmistakable signs of hurried composition. Blemished though it is by Schachner's usual habit of painting a villain in the blackest colors and lavishing exaggerated superlatives on his hero, "The Isotope Men" still lingers in the memory because of the unusual idea on which it is based. A story whose plot is similarly dragged down by poor treatment is "The Supermen," though here the idea is by no means original. Kontrol, written in an almost juvenile manner throughout, never rises above the level of mediocrity. The Isle of Lies and "Golden Amazon" series are stories that should be given as wide a berth as possible; read them at your own risk! In a field as heterogeneous as this, few generalizations of importance can be drawn. Operating against attempts in this direction is also the small number of stories to be found in the categories of classification that have been employed---some boasting but a single tale. (The obvious corollary to this later statement, of course, is that many sections of the field are still very much open to cultivation.) It has already been noted that the fate of the majority of supermen is an early death, which is perhaps a sort of commentary on the cynical beliefs of their progenitors; one may also note the frequency with which the supermen's own creators mete out this fate. While this might possibly arise from the authors' sense of poetic justice, it seems more probable that it is a plausible exigency, only the dabbling scientists themselves being aware of their creations' Achilles heel. Despite the fact that much classic material first saw print in magazines, there is a certain tragic aspect to the "pulps". Given a fine original idea, this medium will rehash it to its detriment, each reworking being poorer than the one preceeding it. Sometimes---in fact, all too often---a single author is responsible for a series of these reworkings. It seems to be the rule in the realm of supermen, as well as other fictional subjects, that the quality of a work by a given writer is inversely proportional to the number of times he has treated the theme: some authors realize that if attempted carefully it can be done right the first time, but far too many apparently never tire of doing the same task wrong many times. Like the poor, Grub Street is always with us. Bibliography Ayre, Thornton, pseud.: see Fearn, John Russell. Bell, Eric Temple (John Taine, pseud.): "Seeds of Life," Amazing Stories Quarterly, Fall 1931. Bellem, Robert Leslie: "Short Wave Supermen," Amazing Stories, November, 1941. Beresford, John Davys: The Hampdenshire Wonder, London, 1911; New York, 1917, as The Wonder. Bloch, Robert: "Stuporman," Fantastic Adventures, June 1943. Campbell, Clyde Crane, pseud.: see Gold, Horace L.