Sat 17 Aug 2024
SF Diary Review: IF SCIENCE FICTION August 1967.
Posted by Steve under Diary Reviews , Magazines , Science Fiction & Fantasy[2] Comments
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.
August 18th, 2024 at 6:09 am
The Blish did little for me but I’ve always found his writing hit-or-miss for me, with the hits being very high and the misses being very meh. This issue came out at a time when I would eagerly devour any Retief or Berserker story. I began to fall away from them a few years later. Don’t know why; perhaps too much of the same-old same-old. Farmer’s entire Riverworld concept also had a very strong hold on me then. I think the late 60s was my personal “Golden Age” of science fiction.
August 18th, 2024 at 3:55 pm
My thoughts on the Blish story are coming up soon. This may be too much too soon to say, and if it is, I apologize. I rated it 2 and a half stars, with more to say (the good stuff) later.
On the whole, I’m with you on just about everything you say, Jerry, including going from “devouring” Laumer and Saberhagen to “too much of the same-old same-old.”
Otherwise, what a solid issue, with all of the non-serial fiction getting 3’s, all the way through.