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Sun Spots, v. 4, issue 3, whole no. 15, February 1941
Page 37
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February, 1941 SUN SPOTS, Page 39 SAMPLINGS By "The Sampler" "The Sampler" will review only stories he likes personally. No claim of "objective" ratings is made The "Warner 1 to 10 system" is used. Not over ten stories rated "10" in 1940. Some which did are "Slan" by Van Vogt; "Final Blackout," by Hubbard; "Half Breeds" by I Asimov; "The Ultimate Salient", by Bond and "The Stars Look Down" by del Ray. "1" is reserved for a story which unintentionally has as many "flaws" as appear in Kaletsky's "Planet of Errors", and which is equally lacking in other respects. No such "story" has appeared in recent years. In general, no story falls between "3". No reprints are reviewed or rated. Reprint mags are rated, however. Ratings given to an entire magazine involve both the length and the rating of each individual story. Failure to review any story does not indicate that it is inferior to those reviewed. Space is limited. ASTOUNDING S.F., Jan. 41. Rating 7.8 . High 8. Low 6. "Doom Ship" Novelette by Harry Walton This story has a double barreled plot. Against the background of an insurance plot to send a worn-out freighter and all its crew except the cpatain and second mate into the sun, runs a tale of Gale Girth, esspace Shup Commander, and now a despised dewlog addict. When the villainous Captain and Mate leave the ship, Garth devises a way to save the crew. The escaping officers leave some dewlog which they have been attempting to smuggle into Mercury. Garth forgets it in the battle to escape the fall into the sun, and then turns it over to the loyal first mate to use as additional evidence against the Captain. He thus makes the second big step on his way to regain on his lost place in the world. Opinion:-- very good. Excellent plot, fine characterization. Rating - 8. "The Mechanical Mice," Novelette by Maurice G. Hugi. A mildly humorous, deftly-told tale. Dan Burman, by means of a time travelling device gets the plans for an incredibly complex mechanical what-is-it, which, after twelve years he completes. He can find no use for it. But the completed mechanism apparently knows what it is for. It proceeds to turn out a swarm of mechanical mice-like devices, some of them workers, and some of them soldiers. These proceed to steal all the watches and similarly delicate mechanisms they can find. Burman and a pal smash the "queen" mechanism. stopping most of the mice, but discover that another, younger "queen" is in existence. They locate this one, smash it, and end the depredations. Opinion:- light, but interesting. Pleasing style. Rating-8. The New serial, "Sixth Column," gives promise of developing into an excellent story, comparable to other recent ASF serials. Ansob MacDonald seems to combine some of the qualities of Heinlein, van Vogt, Hubbard, and de Camp. That may mean something. ASTONISHING STORIES, Feb., 1941. Rating 6.2. High 8, Low 3. "Quicksands of Youthwardness" three part serial, concluded in this issue, written by Malcolm Jameson. The Space-ship Thuben, disabled, drifts into the dark nebula, Amnesion, which has the property of causing amnesia, and lands on the planet Athanata, "Where age is immortal, and youth cannot survive" Athan
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February, 1941 SUN SPOTS, Page 39 SAMPLINGS By "The Sampler" "The Sampler" will review only stories he likes personally. No claim of "objective" ratings is made The "Warner 1 to 10 system" is used. Not over ten stories rated "10" in 1940. Some which did are "Slan" by Van Vogt; "Final Blackout," by Hubbard; "Half Breeds" by I Asimov; "The Ultimate Salient", by Bond and "The Stars Look Down" by del Ray. "1" is reserved for a story which unintentionally has as many "flaws" as appear in Kaletsky's "Planet of Errors", and which is equally lacking in other respects. No such "story" has appeared in recent years. In general, no story falls between "3". No reprints are reviewed or rated. Reprint mags are rated, however. Ratings given to an entire magazine involve both the length and the rating of each individual story. Failure to review any story does not indicate that it is inferior to those reviewed. Space is limited. ASTOUNDING S.F., Jan. 41. Rating 7.8 . High 8. Low 6. "Doom Ship" Novelette by Harry Walton This story has a double barreled plot. Against the background of an insurance plot to send a worn-out freighter and all its crew except the cpatain and second mate into the sun, runs a tale of Gale Girth, esspace Shup Commander, and now a despised dewlog addict. When the villainous Captain and Mate leave the ship, Garth devises a way to save the crew. The escaping officers leave some dewlog which they have been attempting to smuggle into Mercury. Garth forgets it in the battle to escape the fall into the sun, and then turns it over to the loyal first mate to use as additional evidence against the Captain. He thus makes the second big step on his way to regain on his lost place in the world. Opinion:-- very good. Excellent plot, fine characterization. Rating - 8. "The Mechanical Mice," Novelette by Maurice G. Hugi. A mildly humorous, deftly-told tale. Dan Burman, by means of a time travelling device gets the plans for an incredibly complex mechanical what-is-it, which, after twelve years he completes. He can find no use for it. But the completed mechanism apparently knows what it is for. It proceeds to turn out a swarm of mechanical mice-like devices, some of them workers, and some of them soldiers. These proceed to steal all the watches and similarly delicate mechanisms they can find. Burman and a pal smash the "queen" mechanism. stopping most of the mice, but discover that another, younger "queen" is in existence. They locate this one, smash it, and end the depredations. Opinion:- light, but interesting. Pleasing style. Rating-8. The New serial, "Sixth Column," gives promise of developing into an excellent story, comparable to other recent ASF serials. Ansob MacDonald seems to combine some of the qualities of Heinlein, van Vogt, Hubbard, and de Camp. That may mean something. ASTONISHING STORIES, Feb., 1941. Rating 6.2. High 8, Low 3. "Quicksands of Youthwardness" three part serial, concluded in this issue, written by Malcolm Jameson. The Space-ship Thuben, disabled, drifts into the dark nebula, Amnesion, which has the property of causing amnesia, and lands on the planet Athanata, "Where age is immortal, and youth cannot survive" Athan
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