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Eclipse, v. 1, issue 1, whole no. 1, February 1941

Page 14

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14 ECLIPSE MUSINGS ON THE PROS ation "horror story." It is a really beautiful little fantasy. "Edge of the Cliff" is beautifully done, but I do not approve of making suicide beautiful. It is scarcely necessary to say that Bok's picture for "The Crystal Bullet" is marvelous, even for Bok. Sudbury has a fine drawing for "Come To Me." For a long time, Palmer has been telling us that he is attempting to introduce science fiction to an entirely new group of readers. In pursuance of this policy, he has featured slam-bang adventure, primarily; -- forceful, entertaining, but not enduring. At the same time, he has claimed that his type of science fiction is the best there is. He could hardly admit that it is inferior, and remain on his job. A good many fans have insisted vehemently that he has been spoofing the fans with both claims. I think I have noticed an "improvement" in AMAZING -- improvement in the sense that it is more like ASTOUNDING, which is what most fans mean by 'improvement'. As evidence, I suggest that you take another look at "Armageddon of J. Schmidt" and "Skidmore's Strange Experiment" in the January issue; "Winking Lights of Mars," "Last Analysis," and "The Accidental Murders" in the February number; and "Phoney Meteor" and "Hok and Gift of Heaven" in the March edition. I believe that any of these stories would be acceptable in ASTOUNDING. I think "Phoney Meteor" would stand out, with a probable second place rating. It is a well-written tale, worked out with great care, and propounding a question which is really significant as regards space travel. The current adventure of Hok, whom I nominate for AMAZING'S top character, despite the popularity of Adam Link, is actually a typical ASTOUNDING story. It deals with the culture of prehistoric man, and is as much concerned with his thought as with his actions. It would rate well in ASF. The February ASTOUNDING reasserts the "top-hole" position of this excellent magazine. The serial, "Sixth Column," picks up momentum rapidly in this second installment. The new "religion," backed up by the scientific genius of the specialists of the Citadel, and led by that master of advertising technique, Major Ardmore, really gets in the hair of the PanAsian invaders. Heinlein comes up with a highly diverting tale of a house built in the form of a developed tesseract, which, during an earthquake, collapses into its "normal" four-dimensional form. Sturgeon presents a picture of what may occur if automatic machinery continues to improve. Biggest surprise, second only to the appearance of Lancelot Biggs in WT, is the presence of Bond's Meg, "The Priestess Who Rebelled," (AMAZING, October 1939; "Judging of the Priestess," FANTASTIC ADVENTURES, April 1940) in ASTOUNDING. The story, "Magic City," certainly belongs in ASTOUNDING. If you haven't read the first story of the series, better look it up. The second wasn't quite so good. "The Best Laid Scheme," is a typical piece of wacky logic in the field of time-travel, as only deCamp can present it. The article on the klystron
 
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