Bob Silverberg
VOODVORK
OUT ...
I. The Most Widely-Distributed SF Story Of All Time! The New York Daily News is running a stf serial by Edwin Balmer (co-author of "When Worlds Collide") called "The Prize Beyond Price" which has seen 43 installments since Sept 24 and which shows no signs of reaching a halt. Since the News reaches 2 million people a day, 43 installments means the story's been printed 86 million times -- doubtlessly the greatest distribution any s-f story has ever had.
The story itself is a melange of intrigue, spy adventure, cold war diplomacy, and oh yes -- stf. The science element as far as a random sampling could show (I haven't read it) is the existence of the "Prize Beyond Price" a longevity serum or something, which manages to make 70-year-olds look like 40. Probably the serial will end in a week or so, running to more than 50 installments.
II. Recommended reading: In the recent promags, items I've liked are "Beware, The Usurpers" (Nov. Imagination) and "Puppet Masters" (Galaxy, Sept. Oct. Nov.) I think "Puppet Masters" and "Mars Child" are the two best novels of the year with "Star Watchers" third; here's a vote for "Tyrann" for worst book-length of the year. As for novelettes, GSF predominates, tho I liked "Untitled Story" (aSF Sept.) and "Hydra" (New Worlds #10) ... no short stories were stickouts but the general caliber of the under-5000 crop was good. "Beyond the Walls of Space" is probably the poorest story of the year (AS Nov.). Outstanding mags of 1951 were Galaxy, F&SF, aSF, and SS with F&SF the most welcome surprise of the year. AS has the cellar all to itself, and Future, Planet, SFQ, Marvel, Avon SF Reader, and 10-Story Fsy (all one of it) are in the below average class.
III. The Philcon: That event will be covered elsewhere in this issue, but I'd like to squeeze in a line or two about it. Pros were predominant with Jack Williamson, Ted Sturgeon, Milt Rothman, and Sprague de Camp on hand. Editors present included Mary Gnaedinger, and Jerry Bixby. Publishers present were Korshak, Jim Williams, Greenberg, and Eshbach, and dealer Unger was there also. Of the 75 present at least half might have been classed pros. The NY contingent of 5 fans came down by bus and returned that night. Next convention: The Fan-Vet Con on April 20 in New York.
IV. Startling News: Some info from Jerry Bixby, whose title is Associate Editor of the Standard s-f group and whose duties are a lot bigger ... SS, the monthly will run no serials. Neither Bixby, nor editor Mines nor the company bigwigs like serials. As a matter of fact Startling can't even get enough short novels, let alone book-lengthers -- and as a result SS will begin alternating novels with novelettes, one issue having a 40,000 worder and one issue having two 20,000 worders, as soon as the present crop of novels is used up. Forthcoming novels in SS are: "Vulcan's Dolls" by Margaret St Clair (Feb); "Well of the Worlds" - Kuttner (March); "Glory That Was" - de Camp (Apr.). The deCamp story will also appear in hard covers from FPCI. Other deC books out shortly are "The Atlantis Theme in History and Literature" and "Lands Beyond".
Bixby also stated that TWS will continue its policy of short novels and novelettes, bi-monthly, and that FSM will feature in forthcoming issues "A Million Years To Conquer" (Kutner) and "A Yank At Valhalla" (Hamilton). The 1952 Wonder Annual (Dec) will have an abridged version of "The Death of Iron" by SS Held from Wonder Stories of 1932 and the Annual will not be as big as last year's 162 pp. The year before WSA was 194 pages.
V. Pocket books: New paperbacked items include "Post Fantasy Stories" (Avon), a collection of nine stf stories from the SatEvePost. No Heinlein. Also out is "Burn Witch Burn" another in Avon's Merritt edition. Passing Note: this is the third time that Avon has imprinted the Merritt stories: pb in 1942; Murder Mystery Monthly edition the same year and through till 1946, and now a new edition of the pbs. All of these stories have been reprinted in FFM and FN at least once and several times twice also ... and several were reprinted in Argosy in 1938. Mrs. Merritt must not be a poor woman.
Watch for these pocketbooks, which are rumored to be in preparation: "Starmaker" by Stapledon (Avon); "Voyage of the Space Beagle" by van Vogt (Signet); also a Bantam Bradbury collection due in November.
VI. Fanzines: Best one that's come in in the past month is Rhodomagnetic Digest, which is the all-time tops in format as far as I've seen ... reproducted by multilith in colors and with a high grade of material. I liked it better when it was large-size but in digest-size it's still the top-quality production of today. 30¢ a copy, 10/$2.50, from the Elves', Gnomes', and Little Men's Science-Fiction, Chowder, and Marching Society, 2524 Telegraph Ave., Berkley 4, Calif.
VII. Want Ad: I don't think Lee Hoffman approves of her columnists' using column space to advertise their mag wants, so I won't say that I need these Astoundings to complete my file, and will pay $$$ for them: Nov.1930, Oct '33, May '34, Mar '36, apr, may, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, '40 and a few others.
------ Bob Silverberg
Data entry by Judy Bemis
Updated June 17, 2001. If you have a comment about these web pages please send a note to the Fanac Webmaster. Thank you.