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Horizons, v. 2, issue 2, whole no. 6, December 1940
Page 11
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HORIZONS A YEAR OF UNKNOWN work in the Munsey reprint magazines. His illustrations there are almost invariably too crowded. This is perfect. (And by the way: if this was sold at the Chicon and the owner has thoughts of disposing of it, would he contact us? To obtain it at a sane price would please us no end.) The yarn itself: excellent. To read this is almost to forget the meaning of the words, they swing along so nicely. Oh, for a few more of these fables! CALL OF DUTY: Can't remember much about this, but it didn't appeal as particularly outstanding. THE PSYCHOMORTH: This is another of those "almost-great" ones, but lacks something. Campbell, I think, calls it the "jigger quality", or something of that sort. Still, it was thoroughly enjoyable, and a good example of the type of fiction Unknown should strive to obtain. WHEN IT WAS MOONLIGHT: Didn't get the praise it deserves. A bit too "weird" some will say for Unknown, of course, but that doesn't make much difference. Wellman's style in this yarn is curiously like that of Theodore Roscoe, Argosy's best writer, and it's precisely the kind of story Roscoe would write were he trying to sell to Unknown. The yarn needed a little more elaboration, perhaps, for the style was hardly profound. Order of liking for this issue: The Wisdom of an Ass, When It Was Moonlight, Death's Deputy, The Psychomorth, Call of Duty. The poem much better than last issue's. Editorial unimpressive. Markham's letter the only one worth reading. Some of the West Coast fans should hunt him up and get an interview. March: Cover. Stinks. Exceeded in putridness by only some of Amazing's. How Cartier could come to this state is a great enigma. ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS in tote: Well, it's hard to decide. Reading it over a period of time, as we did, probably kept it from being uniformly intriguing. Sooner or later we'll get the will-power to save serials, but we've been unable so far except in the case of Gray Lensman. The yarn in question is at least typically Unknown and not in the least bad. THE BLACK FARM: Great Jehosophat! Another thing: this is the first of the year that we just couldn't put down until the end, and very few yarns get that distinction. There's little to be said about this, except that there should be more like it. Someday we'll start to write them. PHILTERED POWER: Another "skimmed-through". After plowing through the first three or four pages, there wasn't much left to do but count the pages to the end and yawn. We don't like Unknown yarns treated in this manner, in the Nelson Bond tradition, or in any other goofy manner except that of L. Spraguade Camp. THE LIVING GHOST: Foolish. Even the best of us make mistakes sometimes. GATEWAY: Not bad at all. This issue of Unknown seemed to be a sample of every type of writing and plot it features -- just plain fantasy like this, back into mythological days as in the Dunn serial, modern ghosts, secret formulas which do odd things, brooding horror, and a little of everything else. Also not a particularly good issue, it's a good example of what to expect in the magazine. DERM FOOL: Here's the exception that proves a rule, or something. We said we didn't like goofiness except when done by de Camp, and we don't. But a little of this sort of thing once in a while could be enjoyable, as long as it doesn't get slapstick or in the Fantastic Adventures tradition. Order of preference: The Black Farm, Gateway, On the Knees of the Gods, Derm Fool, and nothing to choose between the other two yarns. The editorial is slightly better but still not much. Letters are much better. But why do so many of the letter-writers to Campbell's magazines overuse so horribly "lovely"? Everything they like is "lovely". Even Campbell himself does it. April: Cover: still not good, but better as a study in one color than February's. The blue at the bottom conveys the impression of wetness much better than the green. THE INDIGESTIBLE TRITON: Is LaFayette Hubbard? He -- LaF -- is mentioned in L. Ron's Typewriter in the Sky, and the styles are somewhat similar. It's plain he must be some author. This story we thought entirely too long, just goes on and on and on and then keeps going and never really got anywhere. Pretty fair entertainment and excellent in most other magazines, but it suffers compared to Unknown's novels. HE SHUTTLES: For once, a story lives up to JWC's wild enthusiasm. Out of all the stuff that appears in Unknown, we prefer this type of a story on the whole. Furthermore, we don't like happy endings for Unknown
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HORIZONS A YEAR OF UNKNOWN work in the Munsey reprint magazines. His illustrations there are almost invariably too crowded. This is perfect. (And by the way: if this was sold at the Chicon and the owner has thoughts of disposing of it, would he contact us? To obtain it at a sane price would please us no end.) The yarn itself: excellent. To read this is almost to forget the meaning of the words, they swing along so nicely. Oh, for a few more of these fables! CALL OF DUTY: Can't remember much about this, but it didn't appeal as particularly outstanding. THE PSYCHOMORTH: This is another of those "almost-great" ones, but lacks something. Campbell, I think, calls it the "jigger quality", or something of that sort. Still, it was thoroughly enjoyable, and a good example of the type of fiction Unknown should strive to obtain. WHEN IT WAS MOONLIGHT: Didn't get the praise it deserves. A bit too "weird" some will say for Unknown, of course, but that doesn't make much difference. Wellman's style in this yarn is curiously like that of Theodore Roscoe, Argosy's best writer, and it's precisely the kind of story Roscoe would write were he trying to sell to Unknown. The yarn needed a little more elaboration, perhaps, for the style was hardly profound. Order of liking for this issue: The Wisdom of an Ass, When It Was Moonlight, Death's Deputy, The Psychomorth, Call of Duty. The poem much better than last issue's. Editorial unimpressive. Markham's letter the only one worth reading. Some of the West Coast fans should hunt him up and get an interview. March: Cover. Stinks. Exceeded in putridness by only some of Amazing's. How Cartier could come to this state is a great enigma. ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS in tote: Well, it's hard to decide. Reading it over a period of time, as we did, probably kept it from being uniformly intriguing. Sooner or later we'll get the will-power to save serials, but we've been unable so far except in the case of Gray Lensman. The yarn in question is at least typically Unknown and not in the least bad. THE BLACK FARM: Great Jehosophat! Another thing: this is the first of the year that we just couldn't put down until the end, and very few yarns get that distinction. There's little to be said about this, except that there should be more like it. Someday we'll start to write them. PHILTERED POWER: Another "skimmed-through". After plowing through the first three or four pages, there wasn't much left to do but count the pages to the end and yawn. We don't like Unknown yarns treated in this manner, in the Nelson Bond tradition, or in any other goofy manner except that of L. Spraguade Camp. THE LIVING GHOST: Foolish. Even the best of us make mistakes sometimes. GATEWAY: Not bad at all. This issue of Unknown seemed to be a sample of every type of writing and plot it features -- just plain fantasy like this, back into mythological days as in the Dunn serial, modern ghosts, secret formulas which do odd things, brooding horror, and a little of everything else. Also not a particularly good issue, it's a good example of what to expect in the magazine. DERM FOOL: Here's the exception that proves a rule, or something. We said we didn't like goofiness except when done by de Camp, and we don't. But a little of this sort of thing once in a while could be enjoyable, as long as it doesn't get slapstick or in the Fantastic Adventures tradition. Order of preference: The Black Farm, Gateway, On the Knees of the Gods, Derm Fool, and nothing to choose between the other two yarns. The editorial is slightly better but still not much. Letters are much better. But why do so many of the letter-writers to Campbell's magazines overuse so horribly "lovely"? Everything they like is "lovely". Even Campbell himself does it. April: Cover: still not good, but better as a study in one color than February's. The blue at the bottom conveys the impression of wetness much better than the green. THE INDIGESTIBLE TRITON: Is LaFayette Hubbard? He -- LaF -- is mentioned in L. Ron's Typewriter in the Sky, and the styles are somewhat similar. It's plain he must be some author. This story we thought entirely too long, just goes on and on and on and then keeps going and never really got anywhere. Pretty fair entertainment and excellent in most other magazines, but it suffers compared to Unknown's novels. HE SHUTTLES: For once, a story lives up to JWC's wild enthusiasm. Out of all the stuff that appears in Unknown, we prefer this type of a story on the whole. Furthermore, we don't like happy endings for Unknown
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