Robert Moore Williams' "The Sound of Bugles" (short story)

Adventure involving a well intentioned human researcher & a greedy human villain - both trying to figure out how Martians are able to literally create material things out of thin air. Villain will die trying; scientist will learn that their technique cannot be replicated by humans because it involves biological capability we lack, & that he's dealing with super-beings.

Collected in.

1. Donald A Wollheim (ed)'s "Adventures on Other Planets".

Fact sheet.

First published: Startling Stories, September 1949.
Rating: B.
Related: Stories of Robert Moore Williams.

Everett F Bleiler & T E Dikty (eds)' "The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1949" (anthology): Annotatated table of contents & review

According to Wikipedia, "It was the first published anthology to present the best science fiction stories for a given year. The stories had originally appeared in 1948 in the magazines".

Several well known classics here. I seem to have read several of these years back; currently reading just the half dozen unread ones.

Table of contents.

1. [ss] Ray Bradbury's "Mars is Heaven!" (A); download radio adaptation; Planet Stories, Fall 1948.
2. [novelette] Henry Kuttner & C L Moore's "Ex Machina" (as by Lewis Padgett); Astounding, April 1948: One of the funny Galleghar stories. I read it long back; don't recollect much now.
3. [ss] Murray Leinster's "The Strange Case of John Kingman" (A); Astounding, May 1948: First contact, but no space ships, no space travel, not even any obvious aliens...
4. [ss] Erik Fennel's "Doughnut Jockey"; Blue Book, May 1948: Don't recollect anything now.
5. [ss] Martin Gardner's "Thang" (C); download: Big fish eats smaller one; & is food to even bigger one...
6. [ss] John R Pierce's "Period Piece" (as by J J Coupling) (A); Astounding, November 1948: A modern man in 31st century makes a curious discovery.
7. [ss] Fredric Brown's "Knock" (A); download text/radio adaptation; Thrilling Wonder Stories, December 1948: A smart man reclaims earth from invincible aliens.
8. [novelette] Poul Anderson's "Genius" (B); download radio adaptation; Astounding, December 1948: When lab "animals" were observing their experimenters...
9. [novelette] Ray Bradbury's "And the Moon be Still as Bright" (A); download radio adaptation; Thrilling Wonder Stories, June 1948: Some Mars colonists are feeling guilty...
10. [ss] Isaac Asimov's "No Connection"; download; Astounding, June 1948: Planning a second taking of Americas, from across the pond...
11. [novelette] Wilmar H Shiras' "In Hiding" (A); Astounding, November 1948: A young boy who's "different" is forced to conform...
12. [novelette] Henry Kuttner's "Happy Ending" (A); Thrilling Wonder Stories, August 1948; humor: When a man got what he "desired"!

Fact sheet.

First published: 1949.
Related: Works of Everett F Bleiler; anothologies & collections; fiction from 1940s.

Rog Phillips' "The Can Opener" (short story, weird physics, free): Opening a can without puncturing it!

This is one of those "mysterious man with a mysterious gadget in our middle" stories. Readable enough.

Story summary.

Joe had a colleague in office - a colleague who always brought 3 cans of food for lunch. And he kept 3 can openers in his drawer. One day, Joe noticed something peculiar. These can openers could get food from the cans without actually puncturing them!

Further investigation of it keeps getting weierder & weirder...

See also.

1. Henry Kuttner & C L Moore's "The Proud Robot": This hilarious story features perhaps the science fiction's most famous (beer) can opener as its main gadget.

Fact sheet.

First published: Fantastic Adventures, January 1949.
Download full text as part of the scans of the magazine it originally appeared in.
Rating: B.
Related: Stories of Rog Phillips.

"Fantastic Adventures", January 1949 (ed Raymond A Palmer) (magazine, free): Annotated table of contents & review

This magazine seems to be a combination of science fiction & fantasy. I'm posting this only because of stories of Rog Phillips.

Table of contents (best first, unread last).

1. [ss] Rog Phillips' "The Can Opener" (B): Opening a can without puncturing it!
2. [novella] Chester S Geier's "The Return of Sinbad": "A giant bord swooped out of the sky over Bagdad--& carried Bade to a land of enchantment".
3. [novelette] A Morris' "The Devil of Doom": "Mota gloated from his throne--for would not Talat soon die in the pit of the giant toad?"
4. [novelette] Henry Bott's "The Hammer on the Moon" (as by Charles Recour): "Jim Benton piloted the first space ship to the Moon, & found it inhabited -- by Earthmen!"
5. [novelette] George Reece's "The Guy, Satan, Sends Me!": "Slim & the Devil got along famously. And why not? Hot music was made to order -- in hell!"
6. [ss] Rog Phillip's "Unforeseen" (as by Roger P Graham): "The robots were built for one purpose: with mankind doomed, somebody had to live on..."

Fact sheet.

Labeled: Vol 11 No 1.
Download scans as a CBZ file (via Carlo@pbcans), or as part of this larger package. Related: Stories from old "pulps", 1940s.

Jack Vance's "The Sub-Standard Sardines" (novelette, detective): Uplifted animals don't necessarily behave as uplifters wish

Karamor runs a sardine fishing & canning company with a partner - on a virgin water world called Chandaria with little native life. A partner who once offered to buy out his stake.

Now a batch of canned sardines has arrived from his factory to earth, but the batch is contaminated. And contamination could not have happened after the batch left the canning facility. Something fishy is going on at the factory.

He'll hire a detective, Magnus Ridolph, to figure out. And what an unusual setup he'll uncover!

Fact sheet.

First published: Startling Stories, January 1949.
Rating: A.
Related: Stories of Jack Vance.

Kris Neville's "Cold War" (short story, cold war): US military superiority is a double edged sword...

US is the only country with space stations - 9 of them. Only, they aren't the kind we understand by space station today. They're military bases, always ready to attack by nuclear weapons any point on the earth. In fact, they did attack a Russian rocket when Russians tried getting to space.

But US president is facing a dilemma. While this gives US enormous power in world affairs, the military men manning the stations are going literally mad one after another; stress of the job, so much power at their fingertips, is throwing them bonkers. What should the president do?

Collected in.

1. John W Campbell, Jr (ed)'s "The Astounding Science Fiction Anthology".

Fact sheet.

First published: Astounding, October 1969.
Rating: B.
Among the stories edited by John Campbell for Astounding/Analog.
Related: Stories of  Kris Neville.

Eric Frank Russell's "The Glass Eye" (short story, alien invasion)

It has been quite some time since I saw a really good story of Russell; this one breaks the jinx. It's as good as anything by Russell at this story length.

Story summary.

Two arrogant "Sagittarian" invaders, Qvord & Eenif, have finally discovered Earth, & want it. So they plan to soften up the inhabitants for slavery, before masters arrive in hordes.

Near the end of the week long softening, they'll finally face the horror...

Notes.

1. Title refers to a camera lens, employed as a weapon by humans.

Fact sheet.

First published: Astounding, March 1949.
Rating: A.
Among the stories edited by John Campbell for Astounding/Analog. 
Related: Stories of Eric Frank Russell (annotated list).

Murray Leinster's "The Black Galaxy" (novel, space opera, free): Accidental human hero takes on murderous aliens

This is a very pulpish story; easy quick read, though.

Story summary.

The first human interstellar ship, Stellaris, still half finished, accidentally takes off due to a short circuit - with the hero & ship's designer, Rod Cantrell, on board with his girlfriend Kit. Plus some workers who didn't go out during lunch time.

They'll have major adventures hunting an alien race of murderous barbarians. Barbarians that wait for civilizations to mature, then come kill the whole world with a death ray & do the lootings!

Fact sheet.

First published: 1949.
Download full text from Internet Archive.
Note: The 1954 novel version I've linked is either an expanded form of a novella of the same title that first appeared in Startling Stories, March 1949, or the same novella published as a novel. I'm not sure.
Rating: B.
Related: Stories of Murray Leinster; Space opera fiction.

Theodore Sturgeon's "What Dead Men Tell" (novelette, puzzle, free): Need to pass test to join immortality brigade

I've mixed feelings about the works of Sturgeon: while he's given a couple of superb stories for grown ups ("More Than Human", "Microcosmic God" (download comic book adaptation)), most of his work seems to be adventures targeted at 12 year olds: "It!" (download comic book adaptation), "Killdozer" (download text as part of a  larger package), this story ... I could name a half dozen others if I looked up my notes. Nothing wrong with writing for young audiences, only it's difficult to figure out the target profile without actually reading the story!
Note: Original short story version of "More Than Human", "Baby is Three", is also online as part of one of the magazine scans I've linked in the past (I've personally read only the novel version).

Central idea here is a variant of the ancient Sanskrit story of the enchanted pool from Mahabharat: someone vastly more powerful is going to kill the protagonist unless he "correctly" answers certain questions, mostly of a moral nature. In this story, moral questions are mixed with some physics & mathematics questions too.

Story summary.

A group of responsible immortals are out recruiting, & Hulon looks like a likely candidate. So they approach him with the offer: if he passes a test, he joins their ranks; else he'll be killed because he will know too much.

Test comprises lonely walk through a tunnel with curious topological & gravitational properties. Death awaits him here, & when he thinks he's conquered it, he will be asked certain questions that he must correctly answer.

Quotes.

1. "What is basic is important.
   
   What is basic is simple.
   
   So what is complicated isn't important. It might be interesting or exciting--it might even be necessary to something else that's complicated--but it's not important."
2. "People think if it's bigger, it's better. They think if a little is good, a lot has just got to be wonderful. They can see the sense of balance in a diet or in bridge, but they stop too easily at things like that, & don't try to balance enough other things. Or enough other kinds of things".

Fact sheet.

First published: Astounding, November 1949.
Download full text as part of the scans of Astounding issue it originally appeared in.
Rating: B.
Among the stories from Analog/Astounding issues edited by John Campbell.
Related: Stories of Theodore Sturgeon; immortality fiction.

A E van Vogt's "Final Command" (short story, revolution, free): A man helps contain a revolution by robot slaves

A world where robots are as smart as humans, do most chores, & are looked down upon by men as trash. Barr, one of the smartest of robots, has organized an underground movement: at an appointed hour, robots will do a general massacre of humanity - to pave the road towards glorious robot future.

Marknell, a man, has seen the danger in time, & will gently ensure the massacre is called off, & that steps are taken to ensure the robots begin getting the respect they deserve in human society.

Fact sheet.

First published: Astounding, November 1949.
Download full text as part of the scans of the Astounding issue it originally appeared in.
Among the stories of Astounding/Analog issues edited by John Campbell.
Rating: B.
Related: Stories of A E van Vogt.

Lester del Rey's "Over the Top" (short story, war, free): Men go to war, unless distracted!

This is of a class of war stories that don't have an actual war - just a build up towards it. Then a wise man, or circumstances, create a distraction so people can channel their excess energies in a different direction! Probably the best I've seen of this class so far is Fritz Leiber's "Wanted--An Enemy".

Story summary.

Dave Mannen, a midget, is the sole man aboard the first human ship to Mars. He will land, but with a minor shipwreck that makes take-off impossible but life support systems intact. He has a few weeks of air, after that end. Oh, and he'll soon befriend a "Martian farmer" too.

This event - a man in distress in a dramatic situation - brings enemies together on earth. So a repurposed Soviet missile will land supplies for this US man - so he can fix the ship & return.

But the man in distress is seeing more than all humanity is seeing back on earth, & has a plan that will keep humanity distracted a little while longer...

Collected in.

1. John W Campbell, Jr (ed)'s "The Astounding Science Fiction Anthology".

Fact sheet.

First published: Astounding, November 1949.
Download full text as part of the scans of Astounding issue it originally appeared in.
Rating: A.
Among the stories from Astounding/Analog issues edited by John Campbell.
Related: Stories of Lester del Rey; Mars in fiction; Tuesday Classics.

"The Magazine of Fantasy", Vol 1 No 1 (Fall 1949) (eds Anthony Boucher & J Francis McComas) (magazine, free): Annotated table of contents

This is the inaugural issue of F&SF, subtitled "An Anthology of the Best Fantasy Stories, Old and New", & the only issue that carries this title. Next issue will be named "The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction".

Scans of the magazine in the form of a CBR file are available online as part of a larger package.

Publisher, Lawrence E Spivak, in his introduction tells us of the magazine's focus: "whatever our senses may reject, but our imagination logically accepts." His invitation to authors solicits material "sufficiently out of this world to contradict the laws of man's logic -- while adhering firmly to a freshly created logic of their own."

Note that this is not all-original; it includes reprints, in addition to original fiction.

In the past, I've read at least two of the stories - "Private--Keep Out!" & "The Hurkle is a Happy Beast" - but don't remember much of the either. Later, I think, is widely anthologized.

Table of contents (11 stories).

Where I'm aware of alternate download links for individual stories, I include that too. Links on author, publisher, or year fetch more matching fiction.

1. [original] Cleve Cartmill's "Bells on His Toes": "broad farce-fantasy".
2. [reprint] Perceval Landon's "Thurnley Abbey"; download; Raw Edges (collection), 1908: "plausible cold terror". "merely one of the three most terrifying stories in the English language." "in the supernatural field, things are not always what they seem ... or even what they seem not to be."
3. [original] Philip MacDonald's "Private--Keep Out!".
4. [reprint] Fitz-James O'Brian's "The Lost Room"; download; Harper's Magazine, September 1858.
5. [original] Theodore Sturgeon's "The Hurkle is a Happy Beast".
6. [original] Anthony Boucher' "Review Copy" (as by H H Holmes): "supernatural vengeance".
7. [reprint] Guy Endore's "Men of Iron"; 1940 (where?): "social irony". "the implications of the machine age".
8. [reprint] Stuart Palmer's "A Bride for the Devil"; 1940 (where?): "horrible hilarity".
9. [reprint] Oliver Onions' "Rooum"; download; The Fortnightly Review, December 1910: "the story of the craneman Rooum, the lone wolf of the construction world who was never quite alone."
10. [reprint] Richard Sale's "Perseus Had a Helmet"; Argosy, 5 February 1938: "border-line humor". "somewhere on the borderline between logical crime & a world gone mad."
11. [original] Winona McClintic's "In the Days of Our Fathers": First published story of the author.

Related: Fiction from F&SF/1940s.

L Sprague de Camp's "Finished" (short story, free): Knowledge finds a way around "sanctions"

Readers in India might identify with it rather strongly; country has often been in this situation.

Going by a lot of events in India in the last 2 decades, I've come to believe that technological blockade ("sanctions") is actually good for the "victim" country - but only after it stops sulking & looks coolly at the opportunity.

Story summary.

A star faring humanity. Krishna is a backward planet. Earth-controlled worlds are technologically advanced. There is a technological blockade in place - against Earth's knowledge transfer to Krishna.

This is the story of Prince Ferrian bad-Arjanaq, ruler of Sotaspe - one of the countries on Krishna. His unsuccessful attempt to smuggle technical books from Earth, which provides much of the drama in the story. And his eventual realization that his people are quite capable of building knowledge & gadgets on their own, if only the right incentives & attitudes are supplied...

Fact sheet.

First published: Astounding, November 1949.
Download full text as part of the scans of the Astounding issue it originally appeared in.
Among the stories of Astounding/Analog issues edited by John Campbell.
Rating: A.
Related: Stories of L Sprague de Camp.

"Astounding Science Fiction", October 1949 (ed John W Campbell, Jr) (magazine, free): Annotated table of contents

Scans of this magazine in CBR format are online as part of a larger package.

Table of contents.

1. [novelette] Chan Davis' "The Aristocrat": "Elder Steven had a job to do - a hard, thankless task for a man born sick in a sick world. And it was doubly hard to see which way progress lay - for either side!"
   
2. [novelette] L Ron Hubbard's "The Automagic Horse": "The only professional miracle-makers today - to whom making science-fiction come true is a run-of-the-mill assignment - are not in laboratories. But there was one who wanted that lab -"
3. Raymond F Jones' "Production Test": "This is the story of a spacesuit - a fine, practical discussion of the impracticability of mere theoretical checks on how things ought to work!"
4. Poul Anderson's "Time Heals": "It's a safe bet that, eventually, men will find a cure for all diseases; if only a sick man could wait long enough, time would, indeed, heal. But it can also hurt -"
5. Kris Neville's "Cold War".
6. E L Locke's "The Finan-seer": "When Professors try tackling the wall Street professionals, a good job of trimming is to be expected."
7. Katherine MacLean's "Defense Mechanism": "Telepathic power would be a wonderful gift - or is it? There might be some question as to whether it, & its possessor, could survive, after all ..."

See also.

1. Fiction from Analog/Astounding (only issues edited by Harry Bates, John Campbell).
2. Stories written by John Campbell.
3. Fiction from old "pulp" magazines.
4. Fiction from 1940s.

"Astounding Science Fiction", Vol XLIV, No 3 (November 1949) (ed John W Campbell, Jr) (magazine, free): Annotated table of contents

Scans of this magazine in CBR format are online as part of a larger package.

This is the famous Astounding issue whose contents 'were "predicted" by a letter from a year prior in the Nov 48 issue.' 

Asimov's story is the original magazine version (with a less well-known title) of "Second Foundation", the third novel in the original Foundation trilogy.

Table of contents.

My rating is in brackets. Where I have a separate post on a story, link on story title goes there. Link on author fetches more works of author.

1. [serial - part 1/3] Isaac Asimov's "... And Now You Don't" aka "Second Foundation": "It was an inevitable - but not quite inescapable conflict. The First Foundation HAD to find the Second Foundation; the Second Foundation HAD to prevent it - or die!"
2. [serial - part 1/2] Robert A Heinlein's "Gulf": "The enemy wanted those films, & they were playing for keeps, with no holds or costs barred. The government agent had to get them through. But - where did the fat man with the talking cards fit in ... ?"
3. [novelette] Theodore Sturgeon's "What Dead Men Tell" (B): "It's a curious thing that a corpse - a remarkably noticeable object - can be overlooked so easily. One tends to shy away, even when it has a message to deliver -"
4. [ss] Lester del Rey's "Over the Top" (A): "The first man on Mars - in a ruined rocket - was in a fine impartial position to listen to the insanities of Earth building up another war. Surely, he, of all men, could do least about it, & was least concerned!"
5. [ss] A E van Vogt's "Final Command" (B): "Most wars arise because enemies do not understand each other. But this time the enemy didn't know who they were fighting!"
6. [ss] L Sprague de Camp's "Finished" (A): "Most men are finished when they're dead. It's a very unusual king - or very unusual circumstances - that can bring his people knowledge & advancement when he's been dead for years!"
   
   This story is part of the series called "Viagens Interplanetarias" 

See also.

1. Fiction from Analog/Astounding (only issues edited by Harry Bates, John Campbell).
2. Stories written by John Campbell.
3. Fiction from old "pulp" magazines.
4. Fiction from 1940s.

Robert A Heinlein's "Delilah and the Space-Rigger" (short story, hard sf, humor, free): Ensuring sex-neutral employment opportunities

Hard sf & humor - that's an odd combination. But Heinlein manages it well.

Story summary.

A geosynchronous space station ("Space Station One") is being built, with a several hundred men construction gang headed by "Tiny" Larsen. Partway through, a new radio operator arrives - one G Brooks McNye. Only it turns out to be a woman (G for Gloria) - the first woman on the crew, sending Larson into fits.

Some funny episodes, a revolt of crew, & Larson will see a solution that doesn't discriminate based on sex...

Notes.

1. What does "Delilah" of the title stand for? It's not the name of anything in the story. Is it some mythological woman who seduces hard working men, like Menka in Indian tales?
   

Fact sheet.

First published: Blue Book, December 1949. [via Wikipedia]
Download full text from Webscription.
Download script of a play based on this story.
Rating: A.

Related.

1. Stories of Robert Heinlein.
2. Stories about space stations.
3. Tuesday Classics.
4. Fiction from 1940s.

Free fiction: A few pulp magazines

All at Internet Archive in multiple formats:

1. Dynamic Science Fiction: January 1954 (download).
2. Wonder Stories: August 1934 (download).
3. Planet Stories: Summer 1949 (download), November 1950 (download), Spring 1955 (download).
   
   November 1950 issue includes a Mitky Mouse story of Fredric Brown. Not the lovely original, though - it appears to be a sequel.
4. Super Science Stories: May 1940 (download), January 1941 (download).
   
   January 1941 issue has PDF of nearly 100 MB; I've not checked other formats. All other issues have PDF of reasonable size.

Related: "Pulp" magazines.

Fredric Brown's "Mouse" (short story, alien invasion, free)

A few days after the little alien ship with a dead mouse as the sole passenger landed in the middle of a city, widespread destruction began happening world over - assassinations of heads of governments, bombings of population centers, ...

Bill Wheeler has an idea that landing of the ship is somehow linked to increasing chaos. In fact, he seems to have an idea of how exactly...

See also.

1. Key plot element of the story is similar to John W Campbell, Jr's "Who Goes There?" But Campbell's version is both longer & more of a thriller (or horror, depending on tastes).
   

Fact sheet.

First published: Thrilling Wonder Stories, June 1949.
Rating: A.
Download full text from Internet Archive.
Included in Ellen Datlow's Sci Fiction Classics.
Related: Stories of Fredric Brown.

Clifford D Simak's "Eternity Lost" (novelette, immortality): A lawmaker considers himself above law

The most interesting thing about this story is the weird emotions it invoked: it made me sympathize with one of the most despicable kind of politician - one who thinks the laws (s)he makes are only for ordinary people; he himself is above law. We have just too many such in India; I guess most democracies will have their share.

Story summary.

This future earth has rejuvenation treatments called "life continuation" - a single treatment gives you youthfulness & extends your life by a century. But it cannot be widely made available, because earth doesn't have resources to support so many long lived people.

So only a few important people receive the treatment, & repeatedly - "those persons who are in the unique position of being able to materially benefit the human race." No prizes for guessing who the privileged ones are.

Officially, there are strict rules for determining who's important enough; but what are the rules for if they cannot be bent?

One of the men who has received this treatment 5 times is Senator Homer Leonard, an elected politician representing some US constituency in World House of Representatives in Geneva. He was the key legislature when current rules for determining beneficiaries of rejuvenation treatments were framed.

It's time for his next treatment. It's his (political) party that has been sponsoring him for treatment so far, declaring him important enough. Now, finally, they're not going to sponsor him. He's guessing the reasons have to do with his decreasing ability to get votes.

Because of his inside knowledge, he suspects that even immortality treatments are available. But they're not given to anyone known - limited resources on earth, etc. An (apparently) publicly funded organization called Extrasolar Research is looking for earth-like worlds among the stars - may be someday everyone will have immortality. And he has a suspicion such an alternate earth is about to be found - probably before his next rejuvenation is due. If only he could get it this one last time!

He will make pathetic (& unsuccessful) efforts at getting the treatment; in the process, we get a view of how much ordinary people resent the recipients of this treatment.

Eventually, angry with his party & to score some political points, he makes a press announcement that he go for any more rejuvenation treatment - something that no beneficiary has ever done before. But there is one little thing he'd not found in time - he wasn't really out of favor. Not only is immortality treatment available, an alternate earth has been found & he was chosen among the early colonists - only he's lost his chance, through his own stupidity.

Collected in.

1. Isaac Asimov & Martin H Greenberg (Eds)' "Isaac Asimov Presents Great SF Stories 11 (1949)".
2. John W Campbell, Jr (ed)'s "The Astounding Science Fiction Anthology".

Fact sheet.

First published: Astounding, July 1949.
Rating: A.
Listed among the stories from John Campbell's Astounding/Analog.
Related: Stories of Clifford D Simak; immortality/rejuvenation treatments in fiction.

Henry Kuttner & C L Moore's "Private Eye" (as by Lewis Padgett) (novelette, crime)

A world where we have a device that can see & hear things happening anywhere in the past - upto a range of some 50 years. Cops use it in investigations. But they cannot see inside your mind - they can only observe your external actions.

How do you kill someone & get acquitted, in spite of the fact that cops will see & hear everything you did - including in your life before the crime? That's what Sam Clay will do in this story. Very good read.

Story is a bit longer than necessary, & drags on after acquittal. Parent/child relations is a theme in many stories of Kuttners'. It usually takes the form: "Children will do things that parents cannot; will go places where parents cannot. And that is the cause of much parental heartburn." It comes out most strongly in "Absalom", & is a major theme in "Mimsy Were the Borogoves" & "When the Bough Breaks".

Here we have an variation of "Absalom": Both stories feature a father acting in a way that is not in the interests of the child, though probably with good intentions (from father's point of view). In "Absalom", son is too strong, & there are tragic consequences for father. Here, child is weak, & there are tragic consequences for the child.

Notes.

1. I think there is an Alfred Bester novel with an even more stringent constraint on getting away with murder - telepathic society can know murderer's intentions before hand. But I haven't read it beyond first few pages, & cannot recollect the name.

Fact sheet.

First published: Astounding, January 1949.
Rating: A.
Listed among the stories from John Campbell's Astounding/Analog.
Related: Stories of Henry Kuttner, C L Moore. As by Lewis Padgett.

Henry Kuttner & C L Moore's "See You Later" (as by Lewis Padgett) (novelette, humor): It doesn't pay to enlist Hogbens in a bad deed!

Indian readers will find the plot very familiar - there are innumerable local stories, including many ancient Sanskrit ones, on the general idea: A demon, or occasionally an evil man, goes through a lot of pain to please some specific god. It's time for boon. He seeks a boon that will make him some kind of a despot. But god is smart. The boon is granted literally, leaving a loophole that will backfire on would-be despot at the critical hour.

This is nowhere near as interesting as the almost magical first Hogbens story - "Exit the Professor." But it still made an interesting read.

This is the first story in Hogbens series where Atlantis is explicitly mentioned; "grandpaw" was born there! At least I don't recall its mention in other two stories I've read from this series of 5 or 6. We also learn that the little baby is just "four hunnerd years old & big for his age - 'bout three hunnerd pounds"!

Story summary.

Hogbens is a family of very long lived supermen mutants - now living an anonymous existence in some remote place in the US. More details on family in my earlier "Exit the Professor" post. In this story, they play the role of gods in Indian lore.

They've very nasty neighbors - Yancey Tarbell & his 8 boys. During a mischief-causing mission at Hogbens' home (they thought they had stealthily entered to wreck havoc), the boys are accidentally killed - but not through any action of Hagbens. Hogbens are feeling remorse. That's how Yancey, the kid's dad & sole surviving member of family, will get his boon granted.

What does Yancey want? It gets crazy & hilarious. 30 years ago & in a drunken state, he was stepped on at one of the New York suburban train stations. He could not trace the culprit in the crowds to get even. He now wants to get even!

How? He still doesn't know who the culprit was. Well, if the culprit is still alive, he must be one of the humans somewhere on earth!! If dead, he very likely would have married, & had kids. Yancey wants Hogbens to replicate him - one for each human anywhere on earth - men, women, & kids. They will place him "approximately two feet away from each human being." He plans to carry "a big, rusty monkey wrench". Each of his copies will hit corresponding victim with it "on top of the haid"! His copies will then be brought back into his unique current self.

Hogbens grant the wish, with 3 constraints: each avatar will exist for 5 seconds (so he doesn't get beaten back in return), each avatar will be physically "the same size" & "exactly as strong" as the corresponding victim (so he doesn't have to face the more powerful & it's only fair!), & Hogbens are not among the people he's going to hit.

A gadget to enable this is quickly put together - using "a washbasin & some old scrap iron" in "'bout ten minutes"! But before sending Yancey, the narrator Saunk Hogben wants to test the machine. Narrator also takes with him a "stick of firewood" which his avatars will hand out to every befuddled person in the world & "spit right smack in their eye". Saunk returns safely. Now Yancey goes. Each of his intended victim is not only angry, but has just been equipped with a club. "He never even had a chance to swing that monkey wrench. The whole world had got in the fust lick."

Title comes from a little mistake in the replicating gadget. It actually sent the copies a week into future. So their village, included in the adventure, is still quiet. Wait till next week for some local retaliation. "See you later."

Fact sheet.

First published: Thrilling Wonder Stories, June 1949.
Related: All stories of Henry Kuttner, C L Moore (as by Lewis Padgett); Hogben series.
Rating: A

** Arthur Clarke's "The Wall of Darkness" (short story)

Description of life in a strange alternate universe where a single sun shines on a single planet of sentient beings, & where time behaves in a weird way. I didn't find it unreadable, but the core technical concept of the story escaped me.

Fact sheet.

First published: Super Science Stories, July 1949.
Rating: B

Note: Why is this post so short?

Ray Bradbury's "August 1999: The Summer Night" (flash fiction): Why is the world going mad?

Story summary.

It's set on Mars, among Martians introduced in "Ylla".

We learn of impending human visitors - the second expedition after first failed one in "Ylla". But only indirectly, by implication.

Looks like across the Martian cities, people have been singing strange songs in a strange language - "women", "children", & "men". Without understanding, & unable to not sing these strange songs. Musicians are producing strange tunes that they don't understand. Is the whole world going crazy because of their telepathic senses?

Collected in.

1. Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles".
   

Fact sheet.

First published: Arkham Sampler Winter, 1949.
Rating: B
Related: All stories of Ray Bradbury.

Henry Kuttner & C L Moore's "Cold War" (novelette, humor): Reason common cold virus is so tough to eradicate!

This is a Hogbens story - a sequel to "Exit the Professor". This one takes a while to pick up - through first half, I got the impression of too much effort being put into humor. But later half is great.

Story summary.

Only three members of Hogben family of mutant low-profile long-lived & very competent supermen plays a role in this story: Saunk (narrator), "grandpaw", & Uncle "Lem" Lemuel.

Plus we have 3 new key characters: a man named Alderman "Ed" Pugh, his 7 year old son Junior Pugh, & his now dead wife Lily Lou Mutz.

A time machine also plays a key role in the story. It's origins are weird (of course). You see, maw has given a job to Saunk - to sour a milk jug (I guess that's the US equivalent of Indian curd). He doesn't want to do it the usual way because "Cruelty to dumb animals is something I can't abide. Them there little critters work hard enough souring milk the way it is... Paw says they're enzymes. But they can't be. They're too teeny."

Not wanting to be cruel to little critters makes Saunk quickly put together a time machine!! "This here gadget ... will send Maw's cream-jug ahead into next week some time. This weather, don't take cream more'n a couple of days but I'm giving it plenty of time. When I bring it back - bingo, it's sour." It looks like a simple "sled" with telepathic controls; you put stuff on it, & telepathically send it through time!

OK - on with the story.

Lily was a very ugly woman living alone, & often a butt of jokes. Some 10 years ago, a kindhearted Uncle Lem granted her a bewitchment - the ability to "hex" someone (a kind of curse) - causing the victim extreme pain - so she can cope with social rejection. Pugh is also ugly, & so is Junior.

While Lily is now dead, she passed on her genetic mutation to Junior that gives him the ability to hex others. Pugh & Junior now sell a headache remedy, hawking off a mobile van something called "PUGH HEADACHE CURE". Pugh collects a crowd, Junior hexes them causing headache, making the crowd buy the remedy!

Pugh is worried "Junior's the last of his race". That Junior will never be able to find a wife - because of his ugliness & this mutation he has inherited - making his line's end at Junior a real possibility. Wants Uncle Lem to fix it. Uncle Lem doesn't think it advisable - because the required changes will almost certainly kill Junior. Pugh thinks Uncle Lem is bluffing - so he resorts to blackmail. First making junior hex a crowd, then some innocent individual passersby; then hex Uncle Lem & try bargaining with Saunk.

It's this bargaining with Saunk that leads to story's very entertaining conclusion. While Saunk could have easily killed both Pugh & Junior to revive his unconscious Uncle Lem, there is a grandpaw's prohibition against killing on all members of Hogbens family.

So Saunk has a telepathic conference with grandpaw, & is advised to bring Pugh & Junior to Hogbens' den for cure. Pugh is apprehensive, but Hogbens are known to never go back on their word. And what other choice does he have?

In Hogben's den, the Pugh & Junior will be made to stand on the time machine after a minor genetic modification, & sent far far back in time. Grandpaw has met his promise - that line of Pugh will continue a long time. You see, by the time Pugh & Junior return to our time after going through their evolution, they are not human but common cold viruses! Breeding profusely, jinxing everyone they meet, impossible to get rid off, ...

See also.

1. Arthur Clarke's "Cold War": Another humorous story that has nothing to do with US/Soviet stand-off. Apart from title, the two stories have nothing in common.

Collected in.

1. "The Best of Henry Kuttner"

Fact sheet.

"Cold War", short story, review
First published: Thrilling Wonder Stories, October 1949.
Rating: A
All stories by Henry Kuttner, C L Moore; Hogben series.

Hal Clement's "Needle" aka "From Outer Space" (novel, science fiction): Life on an idyll corral island in tropical Pacific

This book marks a departure from all Clement stories I've read:

1. It's likely to be accessible to a broad range of readers - not just those with science background in school. Caveat: I have science background, & may not be the best person to judge this accessibility!
2. It's not set on an exotic world. Much of the story is set on an island in the Pacific - somewhere not far from Tahiti.

Ostensibly, it's a detective story - a criminal on the run is to be nabbed by a cop. But that part of the plot is rather lame. It's better looked at as a general interest story about life on a tropical island.

I suppose you could call this story a juvenile, since much of the plot involves activities of a teenager.

I found the middle third rather slow moving. Not boring while I was reading, but I had to make an effort to pick up the book. After that the story picked up.

Certainly not the best of Clement, but not bad either.

The island.

I don't recall if the name of the island is mentioned.

Author doesn't say it, but it sounded like the island is under US administrative jurisdiction. Very low population - less than 150 families. Main occupation - bio-fuel making; they grow the shrubs, & extract oil from them.

It's a very small island. Dimensions only a few miles along any direction.

The cop & the fugitive.

Now this part is colorful, but it only complicated the story for me.

Cop is called "Hunter"; fugitive is unnamed. Both are parasitic shape-shifting aliens.

They are from an unnamed world where they have been living in symbiotic relationship with another race of intelligent beings. A host lets them live inside his body; in return, they protect the host from harmful microbes, sometimes from accidents, & they also serve as kind of first aid kit for the host in case of physical injury.

Over the course of evolution, they've grown an instinct that is almost sacred scripture - "Do nothing that can harm your host!" Criminal on the run apparently did this; that is why Hunter is chasing him.

They crash on earth - in shallow waters near this island, & in the vicinity of each other. Their ships are damaged beyond repair, but both of them escaped unharmed. At least Hunter was traveling inside its not-normal host - a kind of dog creature of his world called "perit". This host will die on crash. We don't know anything about the traveling host of fugitive.

They figure earth is a lot like their home; they can even eat local food & infect local animals with themselves. Hunter will invade a shark to reach shore & end up killing the shark. Its preferred host is an intelligent creature - since that offers the best chance of survival. After some drama, it will infest 14 year old Robert Kinnaird when he is sleeping on the beach.

Robert/Hunter duo are effectively the heroes of the story.

By themselves, each of these aliens look like a blob of jelly slightly bigger than the size of an average adult human's brain. Yet each is at least as intellectually competent as a human. And their tissue is multi-purpose; e.g., they can create a tentacle & construct an eye at the other end of it at will!

We are given a lot of details about them. The important thing is - they can enter a human through normal pores in our skin, distribute themselves throughout the body in the form of thin tentacles, take whatever food or oxygen they need from host, modify human sensory organs or tap them - so they can sense the world, etc. And, of course, they can communicate with host via normal senses as well as by signaling via specific muscles.

Story summary.

After infecting Robert with himself, Hunter is lying dormant for a while - just studying the insides of the host. Unfortunately for Hunter, Robert studies in a boarding school in far off Massachusetts, & will actually leave the island the next day. Hunter will discover this during the long flight.

During the half term in school, Hunter will quietly learn all it can about human body chemistry, English language, & about our world. Then it will slowly reveal itself to host - initially making the boy panic; they will slowly become friendly. They will conspire to get Robert sent home immediately rather than waiting for remaining half term to end; & will succeed in an unexpected way. That's may be first quarter or a third of the story.

They go back to island. About half year has lapsed since landing, & fugitive could have been anywhere on earth, inside any animal. This hunt is the lame part - they will not only find the fugitive on the island & kill it, they'll find it in a rather obvious host for this kind of story!

Title of the story comes from this hunt - even identifying the animal that is host to fugitive is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

The interesting parts of narrative are where Robert with his many friends go through their daily boyish routines - we are shown the island, places around it, boat repair, boating around the island, ...

Related.

1. All stories by Hal Clement.

Fact sheet.

"Needle", novel, review
Alternative title: "From Outer Space"
First published: Astounding Science Fiction, May/June 1949.
Rating: B

Arthur C. Clarke's "The Lion of Comarre" (novella): A man resists the temptation of eternal pleasure

While this novella length story - among the earliest by Clarke - doesn't rank high in my book, your take might vary. Because the key theme of the story is now popular in cyberpunk - technology to let you eternally dream good dreams!

I have no taste for this theme, but if you like stories of this kind, Clarke presents it in a far more readable way than much of cyberpunk. "Comarre" of title is the machine to enable such dreams; lion refers to a tame lion that behaves like a dog & is actually a distraction in the story.

When introducing it in Collected Stories, Clarke tells us that this story "was written at around the same time as Against the Fall of Night". A rewrite of Against is "The City & the Stars"; I've read only later. Comarre & City share not only a young protagonist dissatisfied in a materially very well off society & who goes on a quest, they also are forerunners to very popular themes in modern cyberpunk. City has a machine where you can store your braindump, possibly with some editing, for safekeeping, & later restore it in a new body!

Story summary.

While presented as utopia, the far future earth of this story sounds like a nightmare to me - (world?) government, running from a space station in earth orbit, is supposed to comprise of good & well intentioned politicians, & government knows so much about you & your genealogy, they can pin point your expected behavior with very good accuracy! And arrange things so you are dissuaded from variant behavior! Though they sometimes fail - particularly if you are really smart & well determined, as is the protagonist in this story.

By the year 2600, craftsmen of all kinds have done their work so well, they are no longer needed. There are almost no engineers in this utopia - since machines do all they could have done. Best minds enter politics! Though some variants are still into sciences. The story is set 500 years later - sometime in thirty-second century.

Richard Peyton III is the young protagonist who wants to study engineering, much to the disgust of his dad & grandpa. During a family argument, he runs away to his friend Alan Henson II in Scientia, a city of science on some remote island in an unnamed ocean.

Alan will show Richard two illegally obtained confidential government reports - each a "character analysis" - one of Richard, other of an ancient legend called Rolf Thordarsen. The two are very similar. We learn that Rolf is Richard's "great-grandfather twenty-two times removed on the direct male line". And apparently both share the curiosity bug!

Rolf apparently was a great engineer who had founded the legendary city of Comarre. Location or fact of Comarre is generally not known, but Alan & his friends have formed a well connected club that has found the location. Government also knows the location & watches its perimeter, though it doesn't interfere with its internal affairs.

Isolated people have found Comarre at regular intervals, but no one who entered this closed city has ever returned. It is generally believed that no harm has come to them, & that they are very happy. Richard is enlisted to go there & investigate on behalf of club. They will help transport him near Comarre at a location where government monitors cannot see them, along with a wireless phone to stay in touch; from there on, he will have to walk.

While walking towards the city, he will encounter many automated warnings meant to dissuade him. But he won't be dissuaded. He will also meet a full grown & well behaved lion wandering around that will effectively become his pet!

Man & the lion reach Comarre - a closed environment - with entry gate open but no one around. Leaving lion there, Richard will go on adventure through the city. Passing through magical transfer gates popular in later science fiction stories, he will reach the interior. A bit baffled, then escorted by a robot to a chamber where he will go to sleep induced by some kind of force fields. And get into eternal pleasant dreams. Comarre apparently can read your mind remotely, figure out what you like, & then give you the right dreams!

But Richard is strong willed. He manages to get out of dream. Makes robots show him around. Awakens a sleeper or two who are angry at him to have awakened them! Figures out Comarre is evil. Bugs robots. Ends up in a sort of control room. Is prevented by a robot that is sort of master maintainer - and not the only one. I don't recall how lion got in to this control room, but he will restrain the robot from interfering with Richard who is hell bent on destroying Comarre.

Some discussion with robot, & the hero has shelved his destruction plans. He will be guided to the office of great Rolf - who had created both Comarre & these master robots, but never went to eternal sleep himself; he had died a natural death. And had entrusted some documents to robot - to be delivered to first man in Comarre who can resist the temptation of eternal pleasures!

It basically tells Richard that sentient robots as competent as humans should be allowed in human society! Rolf apparently had tried doing this but failed. He was hoping lawmakers of a later age will be more willing. So now Richard has a task to do after getting out.

Fact sheet.

"The Lion of Comarre", novel, review
First published: "Thrilling Wonder Stories", August 1949.
Rating: B