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Fantasy Aspects, issue 2, November 1947
Page 25
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Before we go any farther, though, I'd like to enter another, more general, dissent to the immortality theme, as typified by this story. Nearly all the authors of Astounding, Startling, etc., who write of longevity assume physical methods of attaining it, much as short radiations, radioactive salts, and the like. Now we are beginning to see our way out of the woods, or at least can perceive some glimmerings of light, in the biological field, and the mass of information now at hand on longevity indicates that aging is primarily a chemical process, the rate of which can be affected and controlled by a chemical means. The only piece of work on radiation on this field is that young cells emit ultraviolet light in greater degree than do the old cells, and this is probably an effect rather than a cause. STF writers are getting behind the times; they ought at least to bring the basis of their speculations up to date. But to return to Hamilton; the two fallacies of major importance that we have just brought out would seem to put his story behind the eight ball. Does it though? Now that I have cussed the story out so thoroughly, am I being paradoxical when I say that I enjoyed it very much? I think not. The action of the story is well plotted, the characters are well drawn, and the plot is basically good, even though wacky from the logical and scientific viewpoints. Except for the introduction which is really not an essential element in the main plot, the story is no rehashing of any cut and dried formula. There is an excellent surprise twist to the plot; the story tells of an uprising engineered by a group of normal men against the tyranny of the Second Men who have refused to permit the gift of immortality to be conferred on the normal population while reserving it for themselves. Yet we discover at the end that the Second Men are really not such a villainous tribe, and that their seemingly harsh dictum is actually for the good of the normal species. For if immortality were to be universally permitted this would lead to the eventual doom of mankind at the hands of its children, who would be the genuinely evil Third Men. The Third Men are pictured as brilliant, but unstable, paranoids, whose ascendency would bring strife and misery to the galaxy. Hamilton disposes of them very cleverly by introducing a weapon which strikes at their unstable minds and converts them to impotent schizophrenics. The Fourth Men turn out to be no menace, once the conflict among the preceding species is resolved. They are completely beyond human motivations and prefer to withdraw entirely from the galactic scene to go on to ends which only they can envision. So there is still enough meat in the story to permit one to enjoy it despite its failings. I believe that it will rate easily among the first dozen best novels published in Startling since its inception. Hamilton is perhaps better remembered for the ----(Page 25)----
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Before we go any farther, though, I'd like to enter another, more general, dissent to the immortality theme, as typified by this story. Nearly all the authors of Astounding, Startling, etc., who write of longevity assume physical methods of attaining it, much as short radiations, radioactive salts, and the like. Now we are beginning to see our way out of the woods, or at least can perceive some glimmerings of light, in the biological field, and the mass of information now at hand on longevity indicates that aging is primarily a chemical process, the rate of which can be affected and controlled by a chemical means. The only piece of work on radiation on this field is that young cells emit ultraviolet light in greater degree than do the old cells, and this is probably an effect rather than a cause. STF writers are getting behind the times; they ought at least to bring the basis of their speculations up to date. But to return to Hamilton; the two fallacies of major importance that we have just brought out would seem to put his story behind the eight ball. Does it though? Now that I have cussed the story out so thoroughly, am I being paradoxical when I say that I enjoyed it very much? I think not. The action of the story is well plotted, the characters are well drawn, and the plot is basically good, even though wacky from the logical and scientific viewpoints. Except for the introduction which is really not an essential element in the main plot, the story is no rehashing of any cut and dried formula. There is an excellent surprise twist to the plot; the story tells of an uprising engineered by a group of normal men against the tyranny of the Second Men who have refused to permit the gift of immortality to be conferred on the normal population while reserving it for themselves. Yet we discover at the end that the Second Men are really not such a villainous tribe, and that their seemingly harsh dictum is actually for the good of the normal species. For if immortality were to be universally permitted this would lead to the eventual doom of mankind at the hands of its children, who would be the genuinely evil Third Men. The Third Men are pictured as brilliant, but unstable, paranoids, whose ascendency would bring strife and misery to the galaxy. Hamilton disposes of them very cleverly by introducing a weapon which strikes at their unstable minds and converts them to impotent schizophrenics. The Fourth Men turn out to be no menace, once the conflict among the preceding species is resolved. They are completely beyond human motivations and prefer to withdraw entirely from the galactic scene to go on to ends which only they can envision. So there is still enough meat in the story to permit one to enjoy it despite its failings. I believe that it will rate easily among the first dozen best novels published in Startling since its inception. Hamilton is perhaps better remembered for the ----(Page 25)----
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