Magazine Review: If May 1961 managing editor Frederik Pohl If was a science fiction magazine that ran from 1952 to 1974. It was considered a “second tier” magazine due to frequently low sales, but that should not be confused with “second-rate.” By 1961, If had become a sister magazine to Galaxy, publishing in alternate months. Under editor… Continue reading Magazine Review: If May 1961
Tag: aliens
Book Review: Space Opera
Book Review: Space Opera by Jack Vance It’s not that Roger Wool doesn’t want to work, as such. It’s that he doesn’t want to be tied down to a single job day after day, the same desk in the same office. And he’s too well-bred for most work that involves wandering from place to place… Continue reading Book Review: Space Opera
Book Review: Octavia’s Brood
Book Review: Octavia’s Brood edited by Adrienne Maree Brown and Walidah Imarisha One of the many uses of science fiction is to talk about current issues in a speculative setting. One can posit a world in which current trends have become exaggerated to dystopian levels, or where a solution has been found to a current… Continue reading Book Review: Octavia’s Brood
Magazine Review: Galaxy Science Fiction July 1951
Magazine Review: Galaxy Science Fiction July 1951 edited by H.L. Gold Galaxy lasted from 1950 to 1980 as a digest-sized science fiction magazine. Originally published by an Italian firm trying to break into the American market, the magazine was noted for its emphasis on stories about social issues and its comparatively sedate covers. (“Fourth of… Continue reading Magazine Review: Galaxy Science Fiction July 1951
Book Review: Three In One
Book Review: Three In One edited by Leo Margulies According to the introduction by the editor, this book came about because there were three long science fiction stories in the to-publish pile, too long for short-story collections but too short to be their own paperback. The cover by Emsh is a good choice with the… Continue reading Book Review: Three In One
Comic Book Review: Ambassador of the Shadows
Comic Book Review: Ambassador of the Shadows by Jean-Claude Mézières and Pierre Christin The universe is vast, and intelligent life has arisen on many worlds. Over millennia, these different lifeforms have spread out from their points of origin and met each other. Sometimes, these meetings have led to friendly interaction, sometimes they have ended in… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Ambassador of the Shadows
Magazine Review: Science Fiction Stories January 1960
Magazine Review: Science Fiction Stories January 1960 edited by Robert A.W. Lowndes Science Fiction Stories was a minor SF magazine published as Science Fiction starting in 1940, then under a couple of different titles until 1943 when it and its stablemate Future Fiction were cancelled due to paper costs. It was revived in 1950 and ran until… Continue reading Magazine Review: Science Fiction Stories January 1960
Book Review: The Big Time | The Mind Spider and Other Stories
Book Review: The Big Time | The Mind Spider and Other Stories by Fritz Leiber Have you ever noticed that something isn’t in the place you last remembered putting it? That an event you remember happening one way is described as happening a different way in the history books? Perhaps you have suddenly felt that… Continue reading Book Review: The Big Time | The Mind Spider and Other Stories
Audio Review: The Adventures of Luke Skywalker
Audio Review: The Adventures of Luke Skywalker Most Star Wars fans are aware that director George Lucas based much of the look and feel of the first movie on classic Hollywood films and especially the thrilling chapter serials. But have you ever considered what A New Hope would sound like if it were a big-budget film made in… Continue reading Audio Review: The Adventures of Luke Skywalker
Book Review: The Book of Andre Norton
Book Review: The Book of Andre Norton edited by Roger Elwood Andre Alice Norton (1912-2005) was a prolific author, best known for her science fiction and fantasy novels marketed to the young adult sector. (I’ve previously reviewed her 1960 book Storm Over Warlock.) Her output of short fiction was much less, but enough good stories were… Continue reading Book Review: The Book of Andre Norton