Sat 25 Mar 2023
SF Diary Review: ANALOG SCIENCE FICTION – May 1967.
Posted by Steve under Diary Reviews , Magazines , Science Fiction & Fantasy[3] Comments
ANALOG SCIENCE FICTION May 1967. Editor: John W. Campbell. Cover art: Kelly Freas. Overall rating: ***
RICHARD GREY SIPES “Of Terrans Bearing Gifts.†Novelette. Quite predictable Analog story of warlike planet defeated by traders from Earth, bringing psionic inventions, especially so since the story begins with the ending. Adequate but annoying. (2)
CHRISTOPHER ANVIL “Experts in the Field.†Another Analog type – bringing in an outsider to solve a problem. This time, that of a culture without a spoken language. (3)
BOB SHAW “Burden of Proof.†Slow glass (*) has another possible use: evidence in a court of law. Excellent idea; good development here. (4)
MIKE HODOUS “Dead End.†Earthmen trick a planet of centaurs into accepting a false FTL drive, Too much scientific terminology thrown around. (2)
HARRY HARRISON “The Time-Machined Saga.†Serial; part 3 of 3. See review of complete novel soon.
(*) From an online website: “Slow glass was an amusing scientific toy. Light traveled through it so slowly that, looking through a pane of it, you might see what had happened five minutes ago on the other side — or five years.”
March 25th, 2023 at 7:36 pm
Certainly worth it for the Harrison serial and the Shaw Slow Glass story. Shaw is too little read these days.
March 25th, 2023 at 8:39 pm
I never had the time to read Bob Shaw as much as I should have, but my impression of him was that not only was he a very talented writer, but that he had all kinds of ideas bouncing around in his head all the time.”Slow glass” was only one of them.
January 4th, 2024 at 11:22 pm
[…] Interest.†About 12 pages summarizing “Experts in the Field†(Analog, May 1967; reviewed here) plus [four more with] a new ending. […]