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Unique Tales, v. 1, issue 1, June 1937

Page 9

UNIQUE TALES                       9

good?' He then proceeded to answer that query as follows: "Because they have a plot to them, a decent, human interest story," and I am inclined to agree with him. Isn't it true that the average story has "evolved from the maximum human interest to the minimum?" he continued. "It can all be summed up in the fact that the newer stories are becoming more crowded and faster in motion. They allow no time for description of simple acts, and can only give a barren story." Take heed, you authors, from one who has followed s-f from "the good old days."
   Here's an item that I happened to come across, and, while I don't believe it myself, I'll pass it along to you for Meditation. You will recall that the appearance of the first Science-Fiction magazine was something entirely different from anything else on the stands. It soon attained a fairly large circulation, chiefly because of its novelty. Now, eleven years later, the number of s-f magazines is the same as it was in 1930, but two of them are issued less often, there are no Quarterlies, and the circulation of none of them is equal to what it was at that previous date. That should prove something-but what? Does it mean that the success of s-f magazines was founded solely on the fact that they were unique; that s-f was merely a flash-in-the-pan project that is to fall through? I hardly think so. It seems to me that the answer lies elsewhere, and yet...
   Do you remember the stories of a few years back when a scientist-who had, incidently, a few human traits-was able to create some new energy, such as releasing the power from the atom, and either finish up with what he had expected or, if something went wrong, be responsible for no more damage than a local explosion, rather than the universal catastrophes which are inevitable in today's writings? I'll say no more on the subject; you are free to consider the

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UNIQUE TALES 9 good?' He then proceeded to answer that query as follows: "Because they have a plot to them, a decent, human interest story," and I am inclined to agree with him. Isn't it true that the average story has "evolved from the maximum human interest to the minimum?" he continued. "It can all be summed up in the fact that the newer stories are becoming more crowded and faster in motion. They allow no time for description of simple acts, and can only give a barren story." Take heed, you authors, from one who has followed s-f from "the good old days." Here's an item that I happened to come across, and, while I don't believe it myself, I'll pass it along to you for Meditation. You will recall that the appearance of the first Science-Fiction magazine was something entirely different from anything else on the stands. It soon attained a fairly large circulation, chiefly because of its novelty. Now, eleven years later, the number of s-f magazines is the same as it was in 1930, but two of them are issued less often, there are no Quarterlies, and the circulation of none of them is equal to what it was at that previous date. That should prove something-but what? Does it mean that the success of s-f magazines was founded solely on the fact that they were unique; that s-f was merely a flash-in-the-pan project that is to fall through? I hardly think so. It seems to me that the answer lies elsewhere, and yet... Do you remember the stories of a few years back when a scientist-who had, incidently, a few human traits-was able to create some new energy, such as releasing the power from the atom, and either finish up with what he had expected or, if something went wrong, be responsible for no more damage than a local explosion, rather than the universal catastrophes which are inevitable in today's writings? I'll say no more on the subject; you are free to consider the