GALAXY SF – August 1967. Editor: Frederik Pohl. Cover artist: Dember. Overall rating: ***

ROBERT SILVERBERG “Hawksbill Station.” Novelette. Reviewed separately and appearing here. (4)

ROGER ZELAZNY “Angel, Dark Angel.” Dark Angels bring death to individuals who threaten the stability of galactic society, Of what significance is Sensibility? (2)

K. M. O’DONNELL “We’re Coming through the Windows.” A letter to Mr. Pohl about a time-machine. Funny but hopeless. (1)

R. A. LAFFERTY “Ginny Wrapped in the Sun.” Reversible evolution, told Lafferry-style. Is this based on an Asimov article? (3)

RICHARD WILSON “9-9-99.” Letters between the last two men on Earth, about a bet that can’t be paid off. (2)

H. H. HOLLIS “Travelers Guide to MegaHouston.” Non-fact article. The domed city of the future has its roots today in the Astrodome and the US pavilion at Expo76. Not very interesting. (1)

TED THOMAS “The Being in the Tank.” A strange man appears in the works of a hydrazine plant. Why didn’t this appear in Analog? (2)

LINDA MARLOWE “Hide and Seek.” Population controlled by a children’s game. (3)

MIRIAM ALLEN deFORD “The Great Stupids.” Discrimination because of age, and how to combat it — with soda pop. (2)

POUL ANDERSON “To Outlive Eternity.” Serial; part 2 of 2. Review to be posted here soon.

EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS – Tarzan and the Forbidden City. Tarzan #20, Ballantine U2029, paperback; 1st printing thus, March 1964. First published in rather different form in Argosy as a six-part serial under the title The Red Star of Tarzan. March 19, 1938 – April 23, 1938. The story is a revised version of the radio serial, “Tarzan and the Diamond of Asher,” written by Rob Thompson in 1934. First hardcover edition: ERB Inc., September 15, 1938. Many reprint editions.

   Tarzan is asked by his friend Paul d’Arnot to help Brian Gregory’s father and sister in their search for the lost explorer. They have a map he sent, and a description of the lost city of Ashair, which contains the fabulous Father of Diamonds. Others know of the diamond, however, and are determined to get there first. An uncountable number of kidnappings, captures, and other forced separations keep the party divided and working to save the rest, until final victory.

   There is same formula here that Burroughs is famous for, but the buildups often lead to quick letdowns, or nowhere at all, as if he [Burroughs] were a bit tired of it. Tarzan is a superman – without him the group would have been quite helpless, facing total disaster by the second chapter. Flashes of surprising humor shine occasionally, with apt comments on religion (page 134) and Hollywood (page 176). Not to be read critically.

Rating: ***

ELLERY QUEEN – The Last Man Club. Pyramid R-1835, paperback; 1st printing thus, July 1968. Both stories were originally published as Better Little Books in 1940 and 1942, respectively. Both are novelizations of radio plays.

   Not all of the recent assortment of EQ reprints, of which this is one, are listed with rest of Ellery Queen’s works, and it is not surprising. The writing is distinctly substandard, although the first story does have appeal as a problem in deduction. The print is large, and there aren’t many pages [127], so 50¢ is an exceeding high price for this book.

Overall rating: **½
      —-
“The Adventure of the Last Man Club.” A hit-and-run accident witnessed by Ellery and Nikki leads them to believe a murderer is striking the survivors of an unusual club formed twenty years before. A trust fund of $120,000 to be divided equally if the killer’s obvious goal. A poisoned cordial bottle provides Ellery with the necessary clue.

   A clever and unexpected twist that occurs as the would-be killer is revealed makes the story better than it would otherwise be. Color-blindness is the key, but mailboxes are no longer painted green.    ***½
      —-
“The Adventure of the Murdered Millionaire.” A murdered stockbroker’s gum-chewing habit gives away the killer’s identity in this one, as a baseball scorecard pinpoints his whereabouts the previous afternoon.

   It’s too simple a puzzle, and bad writing shows too clearly. Did EQ actually write this? On page 98, Doc Prouty is dusting for fingerprints. Since he is the medical examiner, what indeed is going on?    *½

PHILIP JOSE FARMER – The Felled Star. Serialized in If SF, July-August, 1967. Combined with the serial “The Fabulous Riverboat” (If SF, May-June 1971) into the second Riverworld novel, The Fabulous Riverboat (Putnam, hardcover, 1971).

   Continuing the Riverworld series, we now follow the adventures and dreams of Sam Clemens as he and a shipful of Viking warriors [as they] sail upstream in search of a mysterious tower reportedly seen in the polar regions. One of the Ethicals intervenes again, to cause a meteorite to fall, promising a source of much-needed iron.

   The story does not end, and cannot stand by itself; hence the low rating. Who couldn’t it be told at once? Farmer’s Sam Clemens has only faint resemblance to the historical Mark Twain, though no doubt the facts of his life are correct. Some comments [are included] on the human condition, reflections on life by Clemens, etc.

Rating: ** ½.

IF SCIENCE FICTION. August 1967. Editor: Frederik Pohl. Cover artist: Gray Morrow. Overall rating: ***

JAMES BLISH “Faust Aleph-Null.” Serial: part 1 of 3. See report following that of the October 1967 (yet to come).

ROGER DEELEY “The Trouble with Vegans.” First story. They are very clever smugglers. An old joke retold. (3)

KEITH LAUMER “Clear As Mud.” Novelette. Retief and Magnan are Terran representatives on a planet where mud volcanoes are a bad problem. And the complications arise. Fun. (3)

FRED SABERHAGEN “The Winged Helmet.” Novelette. Sequel to “Stone Man” in the May issue of Worlds of Tomorrow. The berserkers’ attacks through time are concentrated on individuals who control a great deal of the planet’s destiny. King Ay of pre-civilized times is killed, and a replacement has to be sent to maintain history. The ending is not satisfying; there may be more to come. (3)

BURT K. FILER “Paint ’em Green.” The search of “effects machines” by Terran governments brings about interference by outside interests, for a second time. (3)

PHILIP JOSE FARMER “The Felled Star.” Serial; part 2 of 2. Report on complete story to appear here soon.

WEIRD TALES January 1949. Editor: Dorothy McIlwraith. Cover artist: Lee Brown Coye. Overall rating: *½.

ALLISON V. HARDING “Four from Jehlam.” Novelette. An ancient Indian woman’s curse follows four Englishmen back home and to their not unexpected deaths. Not very well written. (1)

EVERETT EVANS “Food for Demons.” A demon inside one professor’s head feeds on the minds of others. (2)

FRANK GRUBER “The Thirteenth Floor.” Standard tale of non-existent floor in a large department store. (2)

SNOWDEN T. HERRICK “Open Season on the –bottoms.” People whose last names end in “bottom” start disappearing. (0)

JOHN D. MacDONALD “The Great Stone Death.” The great stone lizard attacks two outdoorsmen; one escapes. (1)

HAROLD LAWLER “Lover in Scarlet.” A skeleton in a scarlet cloak. (0)

ROBERT BLOCH “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” A magician’s assistant tries to saw a girl in half, and succeeds! (2)

ERIC FRANK RUSSELL “The Big Shot.” At his time of reckoning, Rafferty finds that his final judge is himself. (4)

STEPHEN GRENDON “Balu.” A boy’s strange Egyptian cat knows the secret of transformation to human form. (1)

MARY ELIZABETH COUNSELMAN “The Bonan of Baladewa.” An old Javanese musician calls of the spirit world to avenge his daughter’s death. (1)

ROBERT HEINLEIN “Our Fair City.” Novelette. A reporter uses the talents of a friendly whirlwind to expose the corruption of City Hall. Farce. (2)

HARRY HARRISON – Deathworld 3. Dell #1849, paperback original; 1st printing, May 1968. Cover art: John Berkey. Ace, paperback, 1987. Serialized earlier in Analog SF, Feb-Mar-Apr 1968, as The Horse Barbarians.

   Jason dinAlt convinces some of the inhabitants of the planet Pyrrus (Deathworld 27) to attempt resettling on Felicity. Rich mineral deposits await them, but the native barbarians make the new planet only slightly less unfriendly to new off-world settlers. Their culture is that of warring tribesmen, cities are [restricted] by traditional laws, and death by following the law is [definitely an] obstacle.

   The Pyrrans attempt infiltration of the most powerful clan, led by Temuchin, but they discover that cultural change can come only from within, and that defeat can lead to final victory.

   Too much of the story is spent on the wrong approach, which would be acceptable if bloodshed were an approved form of entertainment. [Worse], Jason has on page 21 a computer capable of providing the necessary conclusions, and it is not until page 167 that it even appears in the story again. The emphasis on fighting and violence is not justified, […] with the latter breaking out over and over again.

Rating: ***

BRETT HALLIDAY – The Violent World of Michael Shayne. Mike Shayne #51. Dell 9334; paperback original; 1st printing, November 1965. Ghost written by Robert Terrall. Cover art by Robert McGinnis. At least one reprint edition.

   Mike Shayne is hired by a senator’s daughter to come to Washington and frighten away a widow intent on blackmail. Senator Hitchcock is chairman of a subcommittee which is investigating the awarding of a big airplane contract, and certain lobbyists could be capable of arranging compromising situations.

   The widow’s background is not entirely clean, enabling Shayne to finish that part of the job easily enough. But he carries his investigations a bit further, murder results, and all his preconceptions are proven wrong.

   Bribery and blackmail in Washington may be real enough, but this book couldn’t convince anyone of it. The characters are standard: unsavory investigators, crooked lobbyists, industrialists willing to look the other way, and one dishonest senator. Shayne works the whole case suffering from lack of sleep, an easy excuse for messing around for as long as he does. If he was confused, pity the reader.

Rating: **½

ANALOG SCIENCE FICTION. August 1967. Editor: John W. Campbell. Cover art by Chesley Bonestell. Overall rating: 2½ stars.

POUL ANDERSON “Starfog.” Short novel. Ranger Daven Laure is assigned the task of returning a lost spaceship and its crew to their home planet. Complications arise since they have some from a strange region of space, a globular cluster, where abundance of stellar matter and sheer closeness of stars make ordinary navigation impossible. Lots of meat for the astrophysicist, but the story fails to inspire the ordinary reader, Quite boring. **

CHRISTOPER ANVIL “Babel II.” The next world crisis will be caused by the inability of scientists in different fields to communicate. Pertinent, and the analogy is apt. (3)

FRANK HERBERT “The Featherbedders.” Novelette. A race of telepathic beings think Earth would be useful for their purposes, but they don’t quite suspect they’re being exploited in turn. (3)

WALT & LEIGH RICHMOND “Cows Can’t Eat Grass.” A stranded space scout uses bacterial symbiosis, such as a cow does, to survive. (3)

MACK REYNOLDS “Depression or Bust.” A national depression is trace from its very roots. The solution” Go back to that family that started it all. Too long. [21 pages]   (2)

HAROLD Q. MASUR – The Legacy Lenders.  Scott Jordan #11. Random House, hardcover, 1967. Bantam, paperback, 1st printing thus, April 1968.

   While representing a friend whose wife had been killed in a traffic accident, lawyer Scott Jordan us involved in another death, a murder which is neatly and carefully tied into the plot as it develops, The driver of the other car had transferred rights in a future inheritance for a fractional value in cash, but not without involving a number of other people in a fraud necessary to obtain the required insurance on his own life, It is the examining doctor’s nurse who becomes too curious and thus jeopardizing her own life.

   A badly written fake-suicide scene detracts for the otherwise tight plotting. The gun mysteriously switched from the right hand to the left, and wrong, hand. And unnecessarily, too, for medical evidence would have immediately indicated murder.

   Masur knows people, though, and New York City, and writes of both extremely well. He also has side comments to provide to lawyers as they are portrayed in TV series: Perry Mason, are you listening? Also, the current arguments of gun vs. auto licensing are reversed here. Masur seems to have a deep-seated grudge against automobiles – not strangely, as a resident New Yorker [city-style].

Rating: ****½