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Fan Slants, v. 1, issue 1, September 1943
Page 26
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26..................................................................FAN SLANTS if it had had the humorous treatment found in the DeCamp yarns. Many readers probably will like it, but I found it a great disappointment. This issue's redeeming feature was that all five short stories were above average with E. M. Hull's [underlined] The Patient and its neat cancer hypo-thesis perhaps taking first. The interior illustrations are almost excellent this issue, with Williams' drawing for [underlined] Fido taking the hon-ors. Incidentally, Williams somehow reminds me of Kolliker. WEIRD TALES [right side of page] ANY MONTH Nothing much worth reading, except the Lovecraft [underlined] Herbert West series and perhaps a Bradbury yarn now and then. FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES [right side of page] MARCH 1943 [underlined] Ark of Fire, the much vaunted, "The only great science fiction classic". FOOEY! It would make a good movie serial, and that is about all that can be said for it. [underlined] Ark certainly did not rate the beautiful symbolic Finly cover. Not ever having cared for Austin Hall's some-what sentimental and melodramatic style, I naturally did not like [underlined] Into the Infinite although it had a tremendous plot. FFM [right side of page] SEPTEMBER 1943 The only trouble with Finlay's covers is that he does not get e-nough variety into his women. They are all the same; an occasional change in the color of the hair is his only attempt to evade mono-tony. As you have probably seen, this month's cover is lovely indeed. Variety in women or no, the most astounding illustration in the mag is Bok's surrealistic adornment for [underlined] The Yellow Sign by Chambers which is a very worthwhile story---somewhat Lovecratean in construction. But to return to the art: If you hold Bok's picture about a foot away you will perceive two large faces, these of a man and a woman. I didn't notice this untill I had the magazine around for a couple of days. All art work is good, from Manek's poem down to the last illustration for the Iron Star. The new artist Stevens isn't bad. He reminds me more of Maga rian than Finley, however. Some will like C. L. Moore's Doorway Into Time, and some won't. I didn't think it was too bad, althoug Moor did have the being feeling the hem of his robe, or whatever it was, a little too much. Taine's [underlined] Iron Stan of course, is the feature attraction of the issue. It is a perfect stf a dventure tale from start to finish, brilliantly written, with tha t peculiar Taine brand of dry humor presen t throughout. If Ta ine wouldonly write some more, and note be like Merrit----perhaps dying before he has a chance to finish the tales he started, but has not yet completed. ASTOUNDING SCIENCEFICTION [right side of page] JULY 1943 Astounding, L[i]ke Uknown, seems to be going in cycles. The May issue contained nothing notable(except, perhaps, Part 1 of [underlined] Gather, Darkness!) The June issue was slightly better with two worthwhile items: [underlined] Pelagic Spark by Boucher and Part II of [underlined] Gather, Darkness! But the July issue is very, very, good, concluding [underlined] Gather in grand fashion. Leiber's treatment of the domination--through--religion theme was a hundred times better than Heinlein's If This Goes On, although Hein-
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26..................................................................FAN SLANTS if it had had the humorous treatment found in the DeCamp yarns. Many readers probably will like it, but I found it a great disappointment. This issue's redeeming feature was that all five short stories were above average with E. M. Hull's [underlined] The Patient and its neat cancer hypo-thesis perhaps taking first. The interior illustrations are almost excellent this issue, with Williams' drawing for [underlined] Fido taking the hon-ors. Incidentally, Williams somehow reminds me of Kolliker. WEIRD TALES [right side of page] ANY MONTH Nothing much worth reading, except the Lovecraft [underlined] Herbert West series and perhaps a Bradbury yarn now and then. FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES [right side of page] MARCH 1943 [underlined] Ark of Fire, the much vaunted, "The only great science fiction classic". FOOEY! It would make a good movie serial, and that is about all that can be said for it. [underlined] Ark certainly did not rate the beautiful symbolic Finly cover. Not ever having cared for Austin Hall's some-what sentimental and melodramatic style, I naturally did not like [underlined] Into the Infinite although it had a tremendous plot. FFM [right side of page] SEPTEMBER 1943 The only trouble with Finlay's covers is that he does not get e-nough variety into his women. They are all the same; an occasional change in the color of the hair is his only attempt to evade mono-tony. As you have probably seen, this month's cover is lovely indeed. Variety in women or no, the most astounding illustration in the mag is Bok's surrealistic adornment for [underlined] The Yellow Sign by Chambers which is a very worthwhile story---somewhat Lovecratean in construction. But to return to the art: If you hold Bok's picture about a foot away you will perceive two large faces, these of a man and a woman. I didn't notice this untill I had the magazine around for a couple of days. All art work is good, from Manek's poem down to the last illustration for the Iron Star. The new artist Stevens isn't bad. He reminds me more of Maga rian than Finley, however. Some will like C. L. Moore's Doorway Into Time, and some won't. I didn't think it was too bad, althoug Moor did have the being feeling the hem of his robe, or whatever it was, a little too much. Taine's [underlined] Iron Stan of course, is the feature attraction of the issue. It is a perfect stf a dventure tale from start to finish, brilliantly written, with tha t peculiar Taine brand of dry humor presen t throughout. If Ta ine wouldonly write some more, and note be like Merrit----perhaps dying before he has a chance to finish the tales he started, but has not yet completed. ASTOUNDING SCIENCEFICTION [right side of page] JULY 1943 Astounding, L[i]ke Uknown, seems to be going in cycles. The May issue contained nothing notable(except, perhaps, Part 1 of [underlined] Gather, Darkness!) The June issue was slightly better with two worthwhile items: [underlined] Pelagic Spark by Boucher and Part II of [underlined] Gather, Darkness! But the July issue is very, very, good, concluding [underlined] Gather in grand fashion. Leiber's treatment of the domination--through--religion theme was a hundred times better than Heinlein's If This Goes On, although Hein-
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