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Yhos, whole no. 13, 1944
Page 5
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cerns an immortal man, who does not know the process of his immortality (!) & his influence on the Earth in the far distant future. VanVogt's series of five stories concerning the empire have been considered by experts as far superior to most stf. Now the extraneous part of this novel was the useless introduction of the spider people, their philosohpy of meaningless mumbo-jumbo supernaturalism such as "engraven on the sphere" etc. Their bringing to life of the dead characters had no place in the plot except in its sentimental value. The metaphysical aspects of this story just kept it from rating with me as one of the ten best in the latest ten years. Anson MacDonald's (Heinlein) "Beyond this Horizon" (Apr & May 42) was a super stf story & rates among the first ten in spite of its supernaturalist, metaphysical stuff! The introduction of the old problem of the soul, & what happens to it on death, & the solution in the conventional manner of rebirth in children reminds one of India, Tibet, hooded lamas, etc. Of course the central character was dissatisfied with the solutions offered to life, & the theme of his seeking one led into the story. However, do we have to go back instead of forward for explanations? The proof offered via a telepath was clever but hardly convincing to a scientist. Too bad MacDonald feels it necessary to project his own doubts into a story, as on a psychological basis the story gives that impression. Also the solution is hardly consistent with established data. In spite of that, the story was excellent. In his "Waldo", the supernatural elements are also evident. No doubt this excellent authot is projecting mental conflicts into fiction, but will the solutions in fiction satisfy a hard-headed human being? Other stories also show the insidious elements of metaphysical reasoning in them. The second, & only other trend I wish to bring up is that so
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cerns an immortal man, who does not know the process of his immortality (!) & his influence on the Earth in the far distant future. VanVogt's series of five stories concerning the empire have been considered by experts as far superior to most stf. Now the extraneous part of this novel was the useless introduction of the spider people, their philosohpy of meaningless mumbo-jumbo supernaturalism such as "engraven on the sphere" etc. Their bringing to life of the dead characters had no place in the plot except in its sentimental value. The metaphysical aspects of this story just kept it from rating with me as one of the ten best in the latest ten years. Anson MacDonald's (Heinlein) "Beyond this Horizon" (Apr & May 42) was a super stf story & rates among the first ten in spite of its supernaturalist, metaphysical stuff! The introduction of the old problem of the soul, & what happens to it on death, & the solution in the conventional manner of rebirth in children reminds one of India, Tibet, hooded lamas, etc. Of course the central character was dissatisfied with the solutions offered to life, & the theme of his seeking one led into the story. However, do we have to go back instead of forward for explanations? The proof offered via a telepath was clever but hardly convincing to a scientist. Too bad MacDonald feels it necessary to project his own doubts into a story, as on a psychological basis the story gives that impression. Also the solution is hardly consistent with established data. In spite of that, the story was excellent. In his "Waldo", the supernatural elements are also evident. No doubt this excellent authot is projecting mental conflicts into fiction, but will the solutions in fiction satisfy a hard-headed human being? Other stories also show the insidious elements of metaphysical reasoning in them. The second, & only other trend I wish to bring up is that so
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