Transcribe
Translate
Scientifictionist, v. 1, issue 5, June-July 1946
Page 9
More information
digital collection
archival collection guide
transcription tips
SCIENTIFICTION IDEA CORNER by Walter Coslet For a change, our Idea Corner, will, this time, be on a much more informal basis. This is perhaps the result of Lyon's letter last issue where he states, "IDEA CORNER was good as usual, but eventually, looking in the pros will wear out and something new will have to be added. The P-Z index was a good variation." I am not exactly inclined to agree with him, as to the wearing out of observations on the pros. There are plenty of ideas in stf and we'll find sufficient variations to keep them from getting in a rut. Perhaps you've noticed that each IC has had an entirely different style. #1 picked a few examples (mostly late ones) on a subject and discussed them fairly exhaustively. #2 was completist. #3 attempted to cover the field quite widely but discussed the variations in a very condensed manner. And in #4 we are going to discuss very few stories. But first an apology. We intended to have a guest-written IC last time but it did not appear in time. This same arrangement is in effect for this issue: we still haven't received the thing. Well, maybe next time... Plans are going ahead, however. A "hash" IC is in process of completion. Already, the effort has been contribued to by five fans. If you would like to add your bit, by all means write in and we'll send you the mss. as it stands. We would like to have it carried to such length that it will be necessary to divide it into a couple of Idea Corners, inasmuch as it covers two somewhat related fields. # # # # # The idea to be discussed this time is one that occurred to me long before I ever ran across a story based upon it. In short, here is the form it took in my mind: Civilization has advanced to the point where it covers two or three galaxies. Exploring squadrons are being sent out to other galaxies. Finally, upon perfection of an ever speedier space-motor, a squadron is sent out to a yet more distant galaxy. When they arrive, the explorers discover that the entire galaxy and everything native to it exists in reverse time. The "visitors", of course, continue on in time normal to them, but everything native to the alien galaxy continues in a time headed exactly the opposite direction. From here on, the idea gets into difficulty. Naturally the inhabitants of the alien galaxy will know all about the visitors because this will be their last contact with them. But that brings up the problem: Why didn't the aliens continue their intercourse with humanity into our past? Of course, the issue might be dodged, but that would only lead to dissatisfaction. Nor is that the only problem. Truly, this is an idea that has rarely been handled by authors, and most of them have apparently used other phases of the idea. The June 1936 issue of Astounding Stories contained Nat Schachner's REVERSE UNIVERSE which may have been somewhat along this line. I have been unable to obtain a copy of that ish to check for sure; but information gleaned from the Sept. 36 Brass Tacks indicates the story suggested that a spaceship passing the speed of light would turn around in the time stream. It also seems that the story was not outstanding, in that Schachner ran into a lot of problems which he was more or less unable to handle satisfactorily. Then there is Jack Williamson's MINUS SIGN (Nov. 24 ASF), done under the pen name of Will Stewart, which presents the phase where a planetoid from a reverse-time galaxy invades our solar system and collides with a contra-terrene asteroid, to the total annihilation of both. Here, however, we find that anything from normal time entering the sphere of influence of the invader switches over to reverse time -- and we are even presented with a time-sensitive mutant to get badly muddled in the process. The result, when they leave the invader, is that they make a circle in time. Also, material taken from the invader switches to our time-direction. It would seem more logical that reverse-time matter would be contra-terrene, and that, doubtless would clear up a number of problems, but no one seems to have used that idea yet. The main trouble, however, with Williamson's entire idea is the turning point, for it is patently impossible to turn in time without two objects occupying the same point at page 9
Saving...
prev
next
SCIENTIFICTION IDEA CORNER by Walter Coslet For a change, our Idea Corner, will, this time, be on a much more informal basis. This is perhaps the result of Lyon's letter last issue where he states, "IDEA CORNER was good as usual, but eventually, looking in the pros will wear out and something new will have to be added. The P-Z index was a good variation." I am not exactly inclined to agree with him, as to the wearing out of observations on the pros. There are plenty of ideas in stf and we'll find sufficient variations to keep them from getting in a rut. Perhaps you've noticed that each IC has had an entirely different style. #1 picked a few examples (mostly late ones) on a subject and discussed them fairly exhaustively. #2 was completist. #3 attempted to cover the field quite widely but discussed the variations in a very condensed manner. And in #4 we are going to discuss very few stories. But first an apology. We intended to have a guest-written IC last time but it did not appear in time. This same arrangement is in effect for this issue: we still haven't received the thing. Well, maybe next time... Plans are going ahead, however. A "hash" IC is in process of completion. Already, the effort has been contribued to by five fans. If you would like to add your bit, by all means write in and we'll send you the mss. as it stands. We would like to have it carried to such length that it will be necessary to divide it into a couple of Idea Corners, inasmuch as it covers two somewhat related fields. # # # # # The idea to be discussed this time is one that occurred to me long before I ever ran across a story based upon it. In short, here is the form it took in my mind: Civilization has advanced to the point where it covers two or three galaxies. Exploring squadrons are being sent out to other galaxies. Finally, upon perfection of an ever speedier space-motor, a squadron is sent out to a yet more distant galaxy. When they arrive, the explorers discover that the entire galaxy and everything native to it exists in reverse time. The "visitors", of course, continue on in time normal to them, but everything native to the alien galaxy continues in a time headed exactly the opposite direction. From here on, the idea gets into difficulty. Naturally the inhabitants of the alien galaxy will know all about the visitors because this will be their last contact with them. But that brings up the problem: Why didn't the aliens continue their intercourse with humanity into our past? Of course, the issue might be dodged, but that would only lead to dissatisfaction. Nor is that the only problem. Truly, this is an idea that has rarely been handled by authors, and most of them have apparently used other phases of the idea. The June 1936 issue of Astounding Stories contained Nat Schachner's REVERSE UNIVERSE which may have been somewhat along this line. I have been unable to obtain a copy of that ish to check for sure; but information gleaned from the Sept. 36 Brass Tacks indicates the story suggested that a spaceship passing the speed of light would turn around in the time stream. It also seems that the story was not outstanding, in that Schachner ran into a lot of problems which he was more or less unable to handle satisfactorily. Then there is Jack Williamson's MINUS SIGN (Nov. 24 ASF), done under the pen name of Will Stewart, which presents the phase where a planetoid from a reverse-time galaxy invades our solar system and collides with a contra-terrene asteroid, to the total annihilation of both. Here, however, we find that anything from normal time entering the sphere of influence of the invader switches over to reverse time -- and we are even presented with a time-sensitive mutant to get badly muddled in the process. The result, when they leave the invader, is that they make a circle in time. Also, material taken from the invader switches to our time-direction. It would seem more logical that reverse-time matter would be contra-terrene, and that, doubtless would clear up a number of problems, but no one seems to have used that idea yet. The main trouble, however, with Williamson's entire idea is the turning point, for it is patently impossible to turn in time without two objects occupying the same point at page 9
Hevelin Fanzines
sidebar
