Magazine Review: Science Fiction Adventures May 1953

Magazine Review: Science Fiction Adventures May 1953 edited by Philip St. John Science Fiction Adventures was a short-lived digest-sized magazine, running from 1952 to 1954. It was aimed at slightly younger readers, and edited by Lester del Rey under a pseudonym. Apparently, there was a dispute over payment, and del Rey quit as of 1954… Continue reading Magazine Review: Science Fiction Adventures May 1953

Magazine Review: High Adventure #170: Best of Science Fiction Stories

Magazine Review: High Adventure #170: Best of Science Fiction Stories edited by John P. Gunnison This volume of the long-running pulp reprint magazine dips into the pages of Science Fiction and Science Fiction Stories, a magazine that ran from 1939 to 1943 with the last two issues being under the latter name. As so often… Continue reading Magazine Review: High Adventure #170: Best of Science Fiction Stories

Magazine Review: High Adventure #168: Wonder Stories

Magazine Review: High Adventure #168: Wonder Stories edited by John P. Gunnison This issue of pulp reprints gets its content from Wonder Stories November 1930 (when it was still edited by Hugo Gernsback) and Thrilling Wonder Stories December 1942 (after Gernsback had been bought out by the Thrilling Group.) As you might imagine, this means… Continue reading Magazine Review: High Adventure #168: Wonder Stories

Book Review: Nova 2

Book Review: Nova 2 edited by Harry Harrison In the introduction to this 1972 anthology, Mr. Harrison talks some about the internationalization of science fiction beyond North America and Western Europe. In recognition of this growing trend, he’s included a Brazilian author’s story. “Oh, and we have one story by a woman.” In reality, there… Continue reading Book Review: Nova 2

Book Review: The Pocket Book of Science Fiction

Book Review: The Pocket Book of Science Fiction edited by Donald A. Wollheim In the introduction to this 1943 anthology, Donald A. Wollheim talks about “the theory of outrageous hypotheses” which helps science progress by asking, “this is not true but what if?” These ten stories are most assuredly fictional, but point to places to… Continue reading Book Review: The Pocket Book of Science Fiction

Book Review: Escape from Earth: New Adventures in Space

Book Review: Escape from Earth: New Adventures in Space edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois Per the introduction, in the Fifties and Sixties, many young science fiction fans’ introduction to the genre was “juveniles”, books aimed at an age above “children’s” but not quite “adult.”  In the 1970s or so, this category was re-labled… Continue reading Book Review: Escape from Earth: New Adventures in Space

Book Review: The Best of Planet Stories #1

Book Review: The Best of Planet Stories #1 edited by Leigh Brackett Planet Stories was a pulp science fiction magazine that ran from 1939-1955.  Its specialty was “space opera”, exciting tales of adventure set in the future and on other worlds, full of square-jawed heroes, scantily clad damsels and bug-eyed monsters.  Not always the most… Continue reading Book Review: The Best of Planet Stories #1

Comic Book Review: Essential Killraven Vol. 1

Comic Book Review:  Essential Killraven Vol. 1 by various In the far future Earth of 2018, the Martian invaders rule.   Having learned their lesson from their last attempt, this time the Martians immunized themselves against Earth diseases, and neutralized the humans’ nuclear stockpiles before landing.  Scattered free humans scrabble for survival in the ruins of… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Essential Killraven Vol. 1

Book Review: How We Came to Know the Cosmos: Space & Time

Book Review: How We Came to Know the Cosmos: Space & Time by Helen Klus Disclaimer:  I received a download of this book through a Goodreads giveaway to facilitate this review.  No other compensation was requested or offered. The universe is very large, while humans are very small.   We inhabit only an infinitesimal fraction of… Continue reading Book Review: How We Came to Know the Cosmos: Space & Time

Magazine Review: Other Worlds April 1952

Magazine Review: Other Worlds April 1952 edited by Raymond A. Palmer Other Worlds was a science fiction digest-sized magazine that began publication in 1949.  Raymond A. Palmer was both the publisher and editor, and thus had a freer hand in choosing what to put in the magazine than most pulp editors.  Mr. Palmer (whose name… Continue reading Magazine Review: Other Worlds April 1952