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Horizons, v. 7, issue 4, whole 27, June 1946
Page 8
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RECENT TRENDS IN SCIENCE FICTION by Thomas S. Gardner III. Thrilling Wonder Stories, Startling Stories and the Ghost of Captain Future. Life Magazine featured a woman in England who refused to grow up. This woman played with dolls, dressed like a ten year old even after she had married and had had children. Emotionally the woman refused to face reality. We have somewhat the same thing in the field of Science Fiction in the Standard magazines of Thrilling Wonder, Startling Stories, and Captain Future. The Standard magazines have a good distribution and a fairly regular sale, judging by the magazines on the stands. Let us examine them in detail! First of all, let us kick strongly against the proof reading of these magazines. Either the proof reader does not know the difference between such things as lavatories and laboratories, or he has a peculiar sense of humor. In place after place, the result of sloppy proof reading shows up. We probably cannot comment upon the grade of paper, because of the conditions caused by the war, but it is inferior to Astounding and Famous Fantastic Mysteries most of the time. Ever since Standard took over Wonder, the quality has slowly slumped. Very poor humorous stories appear in it from time to time. The reader's department is so wacky that at least two readers whom I know have ceased to read it, all because of the silliness of Sergeant Saturn. It is possible that the amiable Sergeant doesn't care to keep up his readers' interest or increase their number, but I strongly suspect that Standard has deliberately adopted a policy of trying to put out a juvenile magazine, and really believe that the crap the Sergeant bestows appeals to the juvenile mind. I have taught elementary, junior high, and high school in earlier days, and I do not believe that young people appreciate such put-on of silly humor and foolishness. Juveniles like to think that they are adults in miniature, and consequently like to be treated on a serious, though more elementary level, than adults. Wonder has been going down by cycles ever since it was purchased. One of the better issues was December, 1938, which features Kuttner, Simak, Binder, Garth, Cummings, Stanley and Helen Weinbaum, and Hamilton. All of these stories were at least average, but it is seldom that an issue today is average all the way through, although every now and then an interesting little story is published- for example, Will Carver's "You'll See a Pink House" in the Winter, 1945, issue. About ten per cent of Thrilling Wonder Stories makes good reading, and the rest ranges from mediocre to poor. Some of the series were interesting, like the Hollywood on the Moon and the Gerry Carlyle stories, together with the "Viz" stories by Binder under his Giles alias. In fact, during the past six or seven years a high percentage of good science fiction has been printed, but the averageness of the majority detracts from the good too much. Startling Stories started out with a bang featuring Weinbaum's "Black Flame", but has never quite lived up to the high level of the first year. Some of Binder's and Hamilton's novels tried to meet the high standard of Weinbaum's and almost succeeded. Of the scores of novels published during the past few year in Startling one fault overlay many They were or appeared to be formula- written in this respect: the story had to start in the present time and jump by hook or crook to the future. Oftentimes the jump was by means extraneous to the story and rather boring. The general science level in all the Standard science fiction magazines is pretty low. The authors do not have the training of Astounding's authors, as a rule, nor do they have an editor who knows very much science, nor proof-readers who can carry their end. Weisinger was definitely superior to the present editor of this group, particularly when he had plenty of time to devote to his editing.
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RECENT TRENDS IN SCIENCE FICTION by Thomas S. Gardner III. Thrilling Wonder Stories, Startling Stories and the Ghost of Captain Future. Life Magazine featured a woman in England who refused to grow up. This woman played with dolls, dressed like a ten year old even after she had married and had had children. Emotionally the woman refused to face reality. We have somewhat the same thing in the field of Science Fiction in the Standard magazines of Thrilling Wonder, Startling Stories, and Captain Future. The Standard magazines have a good distribution and a fairly regular sale, judging by the magazines on the stands. Let us examine them in detail! First of all, let us kick strongly against the proof reading of these magazines. Either the proof reader does not know the difference between such things as lavatories and laboratories, or he has a peculiar sense of humor. In place after place, the result of sloppy proof reading shows up. We probably cannot comment upon the grade of paper, because of the conditions caused by the war, but it is inferior to Astounding and Famous Fantastic Mysteries most of the time. Ever since Standard took over Wonder, the quality has slowly slumped. Very poor humorous stories appear in it from time to time. The reader's department is so wacky that at least two readers whom I know have ceased to read it, all because of the silliness of Sergeant Saturn. It is possible that the amiable Sergeant doesn't care to keep up his readers' interest or increase their number, but I strongly suspect that Standard has deliberately adopted a policy of trying to put out a juvenile magazine, and really believe that the crap the Sergeant bestows appeals to the juvenile mind. I have taught elementary, junior high, and high school in earlier days, and I do not believe that young people appreciate such put-on of silly humor and foolishness. Juveniles like to think that they are adults in miniature, and consequently like to be treated on a serious, though more elementary level, than adults. Wonder has been going down by cycles ever since it was purchased. One of the better issues was December, 1938, which features Kuttner, Simak, Binder, Garth, Cummings, Stanley and Helen Weinbaum, and Hamilton. All of these stories were at least average, but it is seldom that an issue today is average all the way through, although every now and then an interesting little story is published- for example, Will Carver's "You'll See a Pink House" in the Winter, 1945, issue. About ten per cent of Thrilling Wonder Stories makes good reading, and the rest ranges from mediocre to poor. Some of the series were interesting, like the Hollywood on the Moon and the Gerry Carlyle stories, together with the "Viz" stories by Binder under his Giles alias. In fact, during the past six or seven years a high percentage of good science fiction has been printed, but the averageness of the majority detracts from the good too much. Startling Stories started out with a bang featuring Weinbaum's "Black Flame", but has never quite lived up to the high level of the first year. Some of Binder's and Hamilton's novels tried to meet the high standard of Weinbaum's and almost succeeded. Of the scores of novels published during the past few year in Startling one fault overlay many They were or appeared to be formula- written in this respect: the story had to start in the present time and jump by hook or crook to the future. Oftentimes the jump was by means extraneous to the story and rather boring. The general science level in all the Standard science fiction magazines is pretty low. The authors do not have the training of Astounding's authors, as a rule, nor do they have an editor who knows very much science, nor proof-readers who can carry their end. Weisinger was definitely superior to the present editor of this group, particularly when he had plenty of time to devote to his editing.
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