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Fantasy Commentator, v. 1, issue 5, Winter 1944-1945

Page 70

Before we are too deeply engrossed with happenings in the new year let us cast a brief glance backward, and note those new books of imaginative fiction which have appeared since Fantasy Commentator's last issue. Erwin Lessner's Phantom Victory (Putnam's, $2 1/2) gives the fictional history of a fourth German reich, 1945-60, which materialized because of a mismanaged peace---it is admit-tedly a warning book, but is interestingly written. Probably still fresh in the minds of many through its Saturday Evening Post serialization is William G. Bey-mer's 12:20 P.M., wherein Hitler is finished off by as neatly a devised trick of psychic telepathy as you could imagine; this novel may be had for $2 1/2 from Whit-tlesey House. Interesting also is P.C. Wren's Rough Shooting (Macrae-Smith, $2 1/2); about one-third of its length is devoted to short stories of the supernat-ural, some passably entertaining. Tall Tale America, by Walter Blair (Coward-McCann, $2 1/2), a a humorous history of legendary American heroes, such imaginary characters as Paul Bunyan among them. The worst volume of 1944, as far as your editor is concerned, is John J. Meyer's Immortal Tales of Joe Shaun; this book appeared two years ago under the title Try Another World---and in its new Caryl-dale Press disguise it is as bad as ever. I'll call Joe Shaun the poor man's Captain Future, and let it go at that...

Creative Age Press has still copies of Thoughts through Space, Sir Hu-bert Wilkins' and Harold Sherman's detailed study of long-range telepathic re-search, at $3; and Eileen J. Garrett's Telepathy is likewise still in print, at $2 1/2. The latter volume will be reviewed in a forthcoming issue of this magazine. From the same publishers has recently come The Sun and the Moon, by Judith Cape, which should be of special interest to those readers who are intrigued with the novels mentioned in "Space-Time in Literary Form," to be found elsewhere in this number. Miss Cape treats of an individual's strange states of consciousnes, us-ing as her central theme matter found previously in the work of the novelist March Cost; this is originally and individually treated, however.

If the life of a brilliant fantasy-writer of the last century, appeals to your taste, try the biographical Fitz-James O'Brien, by Francis Wolfe. This is but $2, from the University of Colorado Press. And Aldous Huxley's Time Must Have a Stop (Harper, $2 3/4) deals briefly, but very interestingly, with life after death in its later chapters.

Two volumes from Britain in the imaginative genre may also be briefly noted: Island Sonata (Dakers, 9/6) is a highly imaginative treatment of the last days of Atlantis, done in Marjorie Livingston's luxuriant style, and well spiced with trappings of the author's mystical erudition. Fly, Envious Time (Davies, 7/6) is an ironical fantasy---told in diary form---of successive generations in the years 1937, 1979 and 1999. Lou King-Hall is the author.

For the benefit of new readers, it should be explained here that the pagination in Fantasy Commentator is consecutive from issue to issue within a giv-en volume, for the benefit of those who like to bind their copies for permanent filing. Though there are but few back copies of past numbers on hand, these may be reprinted should there be a marked demand. Let me know if you're interested.

And a word or two about our no-fiction policy is doubtless in order before signing off. Frankly, your editor thinks that writing imaginative fic-tion, while somewhat related to reading in the field, is nevertheless not nearly so as is the medium of the descriptive and critical article. Most readers have followed the field for years, and are, indeed, veritable experts on many of its phases. So many people can write fictional fantasy---it takes comparitively lit-tle background to do that---but not everybody can write about it. Those who can are the readers of fantasy, the fans themselves. They alone are most capable, most-well-fitted for the task. Why don't more of them try their hands at seri-ous articles? I don't know, myself' certainly more of them should!

Saving...

Before we are too deeply engrossed with happenings in the new year let us cast a brief glance backward, and note those new books of imaginative fiction which have appeared since Fantasy Commentator's last issue. Erwin Lessner's Phantom Victory (Putnam's, $2 1/2) gives the fictional history of a fourth German reich, 1945-60, which materialized because of a mismanaged peace---it is admit-tedly a warning book, but is interestingly written. Probably still fresh in the minds of many through its Saturday Evening Post serialization is William G. Bey-mer's 12:20 P.M., wherein Hitler is finished off by as neatly a devised trick of psychic telepathy as you could imagine; this novel may be had for $2 1/2 from Whit-tlesey House. Interesting also is P.C. Wren's Rough Shooting (Macrae-Smith, $2 1/2); about one-third of its length is devoted to short stories of the supernat-ural, some passably entertaining. Tall Tale America, by Walter Blair (Coward-McCann, $2 1/2), a a humorous history of legendary American heroes, such imaginary characters as Paul Bunyan among them. The worst volume of 1944, as far as your editor is concerned, is John J. Meyer's Immortal Tales of Joe Shaun; this book appeared two years ago under the title Try Another World---and in its new Caryl-dale Press disguise it is as bad as ever. I'll call Joe Shaun the poor man's Captain Future, and let it go at that... Creative Age Press has still copies of Thoughts through Space, Sir Hu-bert Wilkins' and Harold Sherman's detailed study of long-range telepathic re-search, at $3; and Eileen J. Garrett's Telepathy is likewise still in print, at $2 1/2. The latter volume will be reviewed in a forthcoming issue of this magazine. From the same publishers has recently come The Sun and the Moon, by Judith Cape, which should be of special interest to those readers who are intrigued with the novels mentioned in "Space-Time in Literary Form," to be found elsewhere in this number. Miss Cape treats of an individual's strange states of consciousnes, us-ing as her central theme matter found previously in the work of the novelist March Cost; this is originally and individually treated, however. If the life of a brilliant fantasy-writer of the last century, appeals to your taste, try the biographical Fitz-James O'Brien, by Francis Wolfe. This is but $2, from the University of Colorado Press. And Aldous Huxley's Time Must Have a Stop (Harper, $2 3/4) deals briefly, but very interestingly, with life after death in its later chapters. Two volumes from Britain in the imaginative genre may also be briefly noted: Island Sonata (Dakers, 9/6) is a highly imaginative treatment of the last days of Atlantis, done in Marjorie Livingston's luxuriant style, and well spiced with trappings of the author's mystical erudition. Fly, Envious Time (Davies, 7/6) is an ironical fantasy---told in diary form---of successive generations in the years 1937, 1979 and 1999. Lou King-Hall is the author. For the benefit of new readers, it should be explained here that the pagination in Fantasy Commentator is consecutive from issue to issue within a giv-en volume, for the benefit of those who like to bind their copies for permanent filing. Though there are but few back copies of past numbers on hand, these may be reprinted should there be a marked demand. Let me know if you're interested. And a word or two about our no-fiction policy is doubtless in order before signing off. Frankly, your editor thinks that writing imaginative fic-tion, while somewhat related to reading in the field, is nevertheless not nearly so as is the medium of the descriptive and critical article. Most readers have followed the field for years, and are, indeed, veritable experts on many of its phases. So many people can write fictional fantasy---it takes comparitively lit-tle background to do that---but not everybody can write about it. Those who can are the readers of fantasy, the fans themselves. They alone are most capable, most-well-fitted for the task. Why don't more of them try their hands at seri-ous articles? I don't know, myself' certainly more of them should!