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Fantasy Commentator, v. 1, issue 9, Winter 1945-1946

Page 206

206
FANTASY COMMENTATOR

ors. Eugene Ascher has had published by this London firm both a novel and a set of short stories featuring a sort of occult criminologist of the John Silence variety. They are, respectively, The Grim Caretaker (no date; 49pp; 16 x 10cm; 9d.) and Uncanny Adventures (no date; 49pp; 17 x 10 1/2cm; 9d.). Justin Atholl is likewise represented by two titles: Land of Hidden Death (no date; 50pp; 16 1/2 x 10 1/2cm; 9d.), about an Incan survival, and The Grey Beast (no date; 48pp; 17 x 10 1/2cm; 9d.), which is labelled "an eerie vampire thriller." The Gamma Ray Murders by Preston Yorke (no date; 128pp; 18 1/2 x 12 1/2cm; 2/-) flaunts a cover (drawn by T.F. Cook) showing a corpse lying under a table littered with odd parts of an apparatus, with airplanes a blue ray in the background. The story is not too bad---about a gang, a master-mind, and a ray that can put electrical equipment out of operation over a considerable area. In Tales of Terror and the Unknown: Gripping Stories by Master Writers (no date; 96pp; 18 x 12 1/2cm; 2/-), besides some miscellaneous ghost and crime stories, there is included "The Letter" by Michael Hervey, a tale based on the theories of J.W. Dunne, and "Strange Ancestors," an interplanetary story by the same author. Hervey, incidentally, has been publicized by the slogan "If you're nervy, don't read Hervey!" The paper used for this volume is very bad, being thick, coarse and dark gray, like a poor quality of wrapping paper. Tales of Mystery and Surprise (no date; 32pp; 16 x 10 1/2cm; 6d.) contains three science-fiction stories, concerning respectively a man who saw the future, the invention of an anti-gravity machine, and a man who grew younger as the result of taking an indigestion mixture. Finally, Arthur Armstrong's "Brain Machine," a tale describing a machine for exchanging brains, may be found in Tales of Murder and Mystery (no date; 50pp; 16 x 10cm; 1/-).

A certain H. Kaner has authored some booklets of short stories some of which are fantastic in theme; they are for the most part published by himself, and the level of writing is not high. Squaring the Triangle and Other Short Stories (Llandudno: H. Kaner, no date; 64pp; 24 x 18cm; 2/6) includes two tales of the future. Fire Watcher's Night (Llandudno: H. Kaner, no date; 56pp; 18 x 12cm; 1/6) contains "The Professor's Drug," which tells of a drug intended to induce "perfectly logical reasoning." Hot Swag (London: Brown, Watson, Ltd., no date; 64pp; 18 x 12 1/2cm; 1/6) includes a life-after-death story, "Life Beyond."

One of the Polybooks consists of a reprint of Sheridan Le Fanu's well-known Green Tea (London: Todd Publishing Co., 1943; 16pp; 13 1/2 x 21 1/2cm; 6d.). The same firm has issued Peter Rugg: the Missing Man (1943; 16 pp; 21 1/2 x 13 1/2cm; 6d.), a story on "Rip Van Winkle" lines. Two other Polybooks are by Claude Houghton: Three Fantastic Tales (1943; 16pp; 21 1/2 x 13 1/2cm; 6d.), a collection of fantasies which had previously appeared in a very limited---and expensive---edition; and The Man Who Could Still Laugh (A Story of the Future) (1943; 16pp; 18 x 12cm; 6d.) which is a tale of another dictatorship in the future.

The Todd Publishing Company has also been responsible for the issuance of a considerable number of paper-back reprints of Wells' short fantasies. Their Bantam Books series included "The Land Ironclads," "The Country of the Blind," "The New Accelerator" and "The Empire of the Ants". In the above-mentioned set of Polybooks there appeared "The Man Who Could Work Miracles," "The Truth About Pyecraft" and "The Country of the Blind". Why the last tale should appear in both series in not explained. Each title is nicely produced, and has an interior-cover illustration. Bantam Books also include The Black Cat and Other Stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Wells' Time Machine has also seen a shilling edition, under the Poynings Press masthead.

Other miscellaneous paper-backs include Two Famous Stories: "Justice" & "The Rat" (London: Books of Today, Ltd., no date; 36pp; 18 1/2 x 13cm; 1/-), two excellent tales reprinted from the author's New Gods Lead (1932). The Battle of the Singing Men by Gerald Kersh (London: Staples & Staples, Ltd., 1944; 61pp; 18 x 12 1/2cm; 1/6) includes "Prometheus," a story of prehistoric man. The New Saxon

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206 FANTASY COMMENTATOR ors. Eugene Ascher has had published by this London firm both a novel and a set of short stories featuring a sort of occult criminologist of the John Silence variety. They are, respectively, The Grim Caretaker (no date; 49pp; 16 x 10cm; 9d.) and Uncanny Adventures (no date; 49pp; 17 x 10 1/2cm; 9d.). Justin Atholl is likewise represented by two titles: Land of Hidden Death (no date; 50pp; 16 1/2 x 10 1/2cm; 9d.), about an Incan survival, and The Grey Beast (no date; 48pp; 17 x 10 1/2cm; 9d.), which is labelled "an eerie vampire thriller." The Gamma Ray Murders by Preston Yorke (no date; 128pp; 18 1/2 x 12 1/2cm; 2/-) flaunts a cover (drawn by T.F. Cook) showing a corpse lying under a table littered with odd parts of an apparatus, with airplanes a blue ray in the background. The story is not too bad---about a gang, a master-mind, and a ray that can put electrical equipment out of operation over a considerable area. In Tales of Terror and the Unknown: Gripping Stories by Master Writers (no date; 96pp; 18 x 12 1/2cm; 2/-), besides some miscellaneous ghost and crime stories, there is included "The Letter" by Michael Hervey, a tale based on the theories of J.W. Dunne, and "Strange Ancestors," an interplanetary story by the same author. Hervey, incidentally, has been publicized by the slogan "If you're nervy, don't read Hervey!" The paper used for this volume is very bad, being thick, coarse and dark gray, like a poor quality of wrapping paper. Tales of Mystery and Surprise (no date; 32pp; 16 x 10 1/2cm; 6d.) contains three science-fiction stories, concerning respectively a man who saw the future, the invention of an anti-gravity machine, and a man who grew younger as the result of taking an indigestion mixture. Finally, Arthur Armstrong's "Brain Machine," a tale describing a machine for exchanging brains, may be found in Tales of Murder and Mystery (no date; 50pp; 16 x 10cm; 1/-). A certain H. Kaner has authored some booklets of short stories some of which are fantastic in theme; they are for the most part published by himself, and the level of writing is not high. Squaring the Triangle and Other Short Stories (Llandudno: H. Kaner, no date; 64pp; 24 x 18cm; 2/6) includes two tales of the future. Fire Watcher's Night (Llandudno: H. Kaner, no date; 56pp; 18 x 12cm; 1/6) contains "The Professor's Drug," which tells of a drug intended to induce "perfectly logical reasoning." Hot Swag (London: Brown, Watson, Ltd., no date; 64pp; 18 x 12 1/2cm; 1/6) includes a life-after-death story, "Life Beyond." One of the Polybooks consists of a reprint of Sheridan Le Fanu's well-known Green Tea (London: Todd Publishing Co., 1943; 16pp; 13 1/2 x 21 1/2cm; 6d.). The same firm has issued Peter Rugg: the Missing Man (1943; 16 pp; 21 1/2 x 13 1/2cm; 6d.), a story on "Rip Van Winkle" lines. Two other Polybooks are by Claude Houghton: Three Fantastic Tales (1943; 16pp; 21 1/2 x 13 1/2cm; 6d.), a collection of fantasies which had previously appeared in a very limited---and expensive---edition; and The Man Who Could Still Laugh (A Story of the Future) (1943; 16pp; 18 x 12cm; 6d.) which is a tale of another dictatorship in the future. The Todd Publishing Company has also been responsible for the issuance of a considerable number of paper-back reprints of Wells' short fantasies. Their Bantam Books series included "The Land Ironclads," "The Country of the Blind," "The New Accelerator" and "The Empire of the Ants". In the above-mentioned set of Polybooks there appeared "The Man Who Could Work Miracles," "The Truth About Pyecraft" and "The Country of the Blind". Why the last tale should appear in both series in not explained. Each title is nicely produced, and has an interior-cover illustration. Bantam Books also include The Black Cat and Other Stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Wells' Time Machine has also seen a shilling edition, under the Poynings Press masthead. Other miscellaneous paper-backs include Two Famous Stories: "Justice" & "The Rat" (London: Books of Today, Ltd., no date; 36pp; 18 1/2 x 13cm; 1/-), two excellent tales reprinted from the author's New Gods Lead (1932). The Battle of the Singing Men by Gerald Kersh (London: Staples & Staples, Ltd., 1944; 61pp; 18 x 12 1/2cm; 1/6) includes "Prometheus," a story of prehistoric man. The New Saxon