Back
in NEBULA 22 I invited you to send me your
definitions of Science-Fiction. As that issue has,
at the time I'm writing this, only just reached the stands, the postmen
have not yet started to totter up the path, bowed down under the weight
of mail. . .
However,
another correspondent to whom I'd outlined the point of the
dictionary-definition of the word "science" has come back
with a point I'd rather glossed over, and that is that acceptance of the
complete definition of "science" could take us too far the
other way; instead of narrow, clearly-defined "personal"
meanings to the term "science-fiction" we would have a
"blanket" coverage that would include practically
everything. The efforts of a farmer to breed a slightly better strain of
milchcow, love-interest provided by his attachment for the daughter of
the squire; action in the form of the farmer's battles with his opponent
(same squire, to keep it simple) who is ag'in these newfangled methods
of artificial insemination. Light relief provided by Joe, who spends his
time muckin' out the byre and falling into his labours. . .
Somehow,
I can't see myself enthralled in such a yarn as a science-fiction story,
but my correspondent is perfectly correct in pointing out that
acceptance of the full definition of "science" would also mean
acceptance as science-fiction stories with even less claim to our
interest than the above "possible ". At the same time, he also
agrees with me that the present limited definition in common use is not
enough. It is not possible to limit the "science " in "science-fiction " to a few, or even to all, of the physical and/or
applied sciences.
Accordingly,
and with malice aforethought, I therefore recommend as the best book on
the "science fiction" market at the moment Groff and Lucy
Conklin's THE SUPERNATURAL READER (Cassell, 349pp, 16/-). The
name of Groff Conklin and the term "s-f anthology" were almost
synonymous a few years ego; let us hope that this title may be the first
of several more expertly chosen anthologies of "borderline"
literature.
Let me
firstly assure you that "supernatural" doesn't mean
"ghosts", in this instance. It means things like Ted
Sturgeon's SHOTTLE BOB (that story does include ghosts, true, but not of
the normal kind) and Herb Paul's THE ANGEL WITH PURPLE HAIR (which
includes a very charming lady angel who thinks nothing of a visit to a
cocktail bar). On the other side, and from another era, Groff (or Lucy)
has selected F. Marion Crawford's FOR THE BLOOD IS THE LIFE, a
straightforward and spine-chilling vampire story, and THE MOONLIT ROAD,
a smooth and rather terrifying short by Ambrose Bierce. Changes on the
story of King Midas are rung by Charles R. Tanner in ANGUS MACAULIFFE
AND THE GOWDEN TOOCH, and Ray Bradbury's private brand of almost-horror
is represented by THE TOMBLING DAY. Other contributions (there are
twenty-seven in all) include Will Jenkins, A. E. Coppard, Fitz-James
O'Brien, " Saki ", Edgar Pangborn, M. R. James, Stephen
Grendon. . . If you don't insist on "practical science" let me
recommend you try this cocktail of the borderline sciences of mythology,
magic and psychic phenomena, well-stirred with a swizzle-stick of
writer's craft.
OPERATION:
OUTER SPACE by Murray Leinster (Grayson and Grayson, 190pp, 10/6)
belongs to the space-opera class. Well-written, fast-moving, it makes no
pretence to be anything but an action story with a cosmic background.
Jed Cochcrane, publicity man, is bulldozed into the job of making a name
for a "scientist", Dabney. Dabney has a certain influence
with the firm employing public-relations expert Cochcrane, and so
Cochcrane gets the job pushed onto him. Jed soon discovers Dabney is no
scientist—Dabney is not anything much but a bundle of neurotic
tendencies—and that Dabney's discovery (a means of sending
faster-than-light messages from the moon to Terra, and back) has been
"bought" from the real discoverer, Jones. The discovery, as
such, is currently worthless. Mankind, not having got further than
the moon, is not worried about sending
messages ftl. But when Jed takes over, and gets on the line of
"if messages, why not...? " things start to develop, and
before long we have Jed, Jones, and some other folk (including Babs,
Jed's secretary, in the story for romance) taking off in a made-over
space-ship for a short tour of the universe. There are dramatic
interludes, some really excellent scenes when Jed is fighting to get
support—financial and otherwise—for his FTL ship, emotional
highspots, and although the real antagonist in the story is the universe
and the limits it places on man's endeavours, Mr. Leinster has set up
Mr. Dabney as nasty little niggler, hanging around grabbing off kudos
but making sure of avoiding all blame for failure, for the benefit of
those readers who need a personality to hate. Mr. Dabney equates with
Mr. Universe (or Mother Nature) on a personal level. I wonder if this is
why some otherwise excellent stories seem to misfire—must we always
have a personalised opponent as well as the "real" one?
Anyway, philosophical considerations by the way, this is a good and
exciting yarn. Recommended for all space-opera fans.
THE
TREMBLING TOWER by Claude Yelnick (Museum Press 160pp, 10/6) is a
translation from the French. It bears some resemblance to Eden
Phillpotts' ADDRESS UNKNOWN, but lacks most of the sociological and
philosophical argument which made up the larger part of the latter.
Christmas in a lighthouse, and a storm wrecks a Norwegian vessel—one
sailor survives and is rescued by the two keepers. The lighthouse is
subject to some influence which is causing "vibrations", and
there is some doubt whether these are caused by a material or a
supernatural influence; the underkeeper favours the supernatural, and
keeps referring to "the Ankou", —death, or the bringer of
death. About halfway through the book the influence has developed to the
point where it effects light, and Olaf, the Norwegian, had advanced a
theory that the influence is caused by "the Others" someone
"outside" (shades of Lovecraft?). Olaf tries to get into
communication with the Others, and there follows a series of experiments
culminating in communication, during which the Others
announce they are vibrations, and the
vibrations men make are disturbing and hurting them, and man will cease
hurting them, and man will cease to make them or else. One of the Others
turns out to be Maria, the love of the lighthouse keeper who had
vanished some years before, and of whom he was believed to be the
murderer.
Although
well written, this book is not likely to
appeal to the modern science-fiction reader. I would recommend it to the
older "fans" who can still re-read early Science Wonder
Stories, 1929 vintage Weird Tales, and similar material with enjoyment.
But the plot content has the making of a short-story in the modern usage
of sf, and those of you who can't qualify as above will probably find it
too slow for pleasant reading.
On the
paperback front, Corgi have issued Arthur C. Clarke's celebrated THE
CITY AND THE STARS, at 3/6. And from Penguin come a couple of Thorne
Smith humourous fantasies, THE NIGHT LIFE OF THE GODS and TOPPER
TAKES A TRIP, at 2/6 each.