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Fan-Atic, v. 1, issue 3, May 1941

Page 8

FAN-ATIC, Vol 1, No 3.   May 1941.   Page 8.

"AS THE WIND LISTETH, SO WANDERETH MY THOUGHT."
by D. S. Thompson.
We recently received a copy of the #1 issue of PROFAN, a ten-page mimeoed fanzine, put out by Donald H. Tuck, of 17 Audrey Street, North Hobart, Tasmania. PROFAN is dedicated to the discussion of the pro mags, according to the editorial in the first issue. In this respect, the Tasmanians are seriously handicapped, since, apparently, they are cut off completely from all the American pro publications in the fields of fantasy and science fiction. At least, that is the way we understand it --- they cannot even accept gift copies of American magazines. If we are wrong about this, --- well, we are wrong, that's all. ((See the editorial. - ye eds.)) At any rate, Tuck would like very much to get some material from the U S A on the current promags. Also, he is anxious to exchange with American fanzines. In this last respect, some of the fanzines publishing good fan fiction -- the work of such writers as H. A. Ackerman, Basil Wells, Lou Goldstone, and Duane Rimel, to name a few whose names occur to me at the moment, -- would help a lot to fill the void left by complete absence of the pro mags. Tuck will also gladly accept subscriptions, at the rate of six cents for a single issue, or three for fifteen cents. Since the postage is three pence, or about 5 cents, there could scarcely be any profit in a fifteen cent subscription.
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We (The Sage of Salt Creek and I) can't work up much enthusiasm over the general type of story featured in STIRRING SCIENCE. We think these stories are almost always well written. Many of them present new and interesting ideas. They are written in fan style. But still, we aren't any too fond of them, and we think we know the reason. It is the endings. We don't like those endings. As an outstanding example of this type of story, we give you Winterbotham's "Jitterbug." We thoroughly enjoyed "Jitterbug" --- all but the last ten lines. When Professor Erkle changed into a big brown rat, what had started out to be a very good science fiction story suddenly became, for us, a very silly fantasy. We (the Sage and I) have the old-fashioned idea that the ending of a story, especially, a science fiction story, should be a logical, even an inevitable, outcome of all that has gone before. We even like that kind of ending in a fantasy, an ending, for example, like the ending of Jameson's "The Man Who Loved Planks," in the March WEIRD TALES. Well, we have no quarrel with the many fans who are delighted with the very thing that we deplore. Also, we think Wollheim is to be congratulated for trying something entirely novel. But we thought "The Pioneer" and "The Silence" were the best stories in June SSS, and one reason for our choice is that the endings were orthodox.
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Are you one of the readers of this column (yeah, we mean readers, not reader, because we know of two who actually read the first installment) who wondered about that use of "wandereth" in the heading modifying "thoughts"? It should be "wander", of course. Well, we called this thing simply "As the Wind Listeth, ...." Editor Beling added the "so wandereth my thoughts." Didn't you CAB? Of course you did. And Damon Knight called us to ask for it --- Oh, very politely, but none the less firmly. ((Sorry Don. But you added it. eds.)) (p 12)
WASHINGTON IN 42 !!!

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FAN-ATIC, Vol 1, No 3. May 1941. Page 8. "AS THE WIND LISTETH, SO WANDERETH MY THOUGHT." by D. S. Thompson. We recently received a copy of the #1 issue of PROFAN, a ten-page mimeoed fanzine, put out by Donald H. Tuck, of 17 Audrey Street, North Hobart, Tasmania. PROFAN is dedicated to the discussion of the pro mags, according to the editorial in the first issue. In this respect, the Tasmanians are seriously handicapped, since, apparently, they are cut off completely from all the American pro publications in the fields of fantasy and science fiction. At least, that is the way we understand it --- they cannot even accept gift copies of American magazines. If we are wrong about this, --- well, we are wrong, that's all. ((See the editorial. - ye eds.)) At any rate, Tuck would like very much to get some material from the U S A on the current promags. Also, he is anxious to exchange with American fanzines. In this last respect, some of the fanzines publishing good fan fiction -- the work of such writers as H. A. Ackerman, Basil Wells, Lou Goldstone, and Duane Rimel, to name a few whose names occur to me at the moment, -- would help a lot to fill the void left by complete absence of the pro mags. Tuck will also gladly accept subscriptions, at the rate of six cents for a single issue, or three for fifteen cents. Since the postage is three pence, or about 5 cents, there could scarcely be any profit in a fifteen cent subscription. --------------- We (The Sage of Salt Creek and I) can't work up much enthusiasm over the general type of story featured in STIRRING SCIENCE. We think these stories are almost always well written. Many of them present new and interesting ideas. They are written in fan style. But still, we aren't any too fond of them, and we think we know the reason. It is the endings. We don't like those endings. As an outstanding example of this type of story, we give you Winterbotham's "Jitterbug." We thoroughly enjoyed "Jitterbug" --- all but the last ten lines. When Professor Erkle changed into a big brown rat, what had started out to be a very good science fiction story suddenly became, for us, a very silly fantasy. We (the Sage and I) have the old-fashioned idea that the ending of a story, especially, a science fiction story, should be a logical, even an inevitable, outcome of all that has gone before. We even like that kind of ending in a fantasy, an ending, for example, like the ending of Jameson's "The Man Who Loved Planks," in the March WEIRD TALES. Well, we have no quarrel with the many fans who are delighted with the very thing that we deplore. Also, we think Wollheim is to be congratulated for trying something entirely novel. But we thought "The Pioneer" and "The Silence" were the best stories in June SSS, and one reason for our choice is that the endings were orthodox. -------------- Are you one of the readers of this column (yeah, we mean readers, not reader, because we know of two who actually read the first installment) who wondered about that use of "wandereth" in the heading modifying "thoughts"? It should be "wander", of course. Well, we called this thing simply "As the Wind Listeth, ...." Editor Beling added the "so wandereth my thoughts." Didn't you CAB? Of course you did. And Damon Knight called us to ask for it --- Oh, very politely, but none the less firmly. ((Sorry Don. But you added it. eds.)) (p 12) WASHINGTON IN 42 !!!