Thu 25 Jun 2026
SF Diary Review: VENTURE SCIENCE FICTION – August 1969.
Posted by Steve under Uncategorized[10] Comments
VENTURE SCIENCE FICTION – August 1969. Editor: Edward L. Ferman. Cover art: Bert Tanner. Overall rating: ****
JULIUS FAST “The League of Grey-Eyed Women.” Novel. Published separately later by Lippincott (hardcover, 1970) and Pyramid (paperback, 1971).
This is science fiction, with a subject of top interest in research today – namely the study of the formation of life, chromosomes, RNA, DNA and so on. Searching for a cure for his cancer, Jack Freeman seeks out a doctor at McGill University, but it is the latter’s female assistant who injects him with an experimental formula.
The assistant has her own goals in mind, however, namely to change Jack into the only male capable of helping an organized group of telepathic women carry out what should prove to be a new human race, but one with alienation between individuals eliminated. Very well plotted, the tale includes Jack’s experiences as a wolf, then as a shark. It reminded me of Jack Williamson’s Darker Than You Think.
Rating: ****½
EDWARD WELLEN “With Ah! Bright Wings.” An uninspired story explaining Earth’s pollution problem. (2)
DEAN R. KOONTZ “Demon in the Land.” Germ warfare has backfired in China, and it is up to the US to save them. New wave (I think) stuff that does not succeed. (3)
LARRY EISENBERG “Project Amnion.” Womb training. Story has no point to make. (1)
ROBERT F. YOUNG “Pithecanthropus Astralis.” Cave man and the stars. Is this a warning to us about priorities? (3)
June 26th, 2026 at 10:18 am
I was a fan of VENTURE SCIENCE FICTION but the handwriting was on the wall with the dire fate of digest SF magazines.
June 26th, 2026 at 11:51 am
The magazine has its own Wikipedia page here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venture_Science_Fiction
Quoting from the first paragraph:
“Venture Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, first published from 1957 to 1958, and revived for a brief run in 1969 and 1970. Ten issues were published of the 1950s version, with another six in the second run. It was founded in both instances as a companion to The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Robert P. Mills edited the 1950s version, and Edward L. Ferman was editor during the second run.”
Overall I don’t believe that you could call either run anything more than semi-successful, and personally I don’t believe that the format of this issue — a long novel plus some filler stories — is particularly viable. If a reader isn’t interested in the long story, he’s going to resent paying full price for the short stuff.
Luckily I liked the long novel in this issue, but I may have been the only one. It’s long forgotten now.
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June 26th, 2026 at 1:05 pm
Back in 1991, during an earlier incarnation as a book publicist, I worked on Subtext, one of Fast’s follow-ups to his bestseller Body Language, but honestly never knew, or forgot, that he wrote SF.
A side benefit: while in the Green Room for Fast’s appearance to promote the book on Good Morning America, I met the great Beverly Garland!
June 26th, 2026 at 1:43 pm
Fast had a long career in writing, both fiction and non-fiction, but only one SF novel AND two short stories. He also started his career way back in 1944 editing an SF anthology titled OUT OF THIS WORLD. I may be the only person still alive who’s read GREY-EYED WOMEN.
And if that’s so, I wish I remembered it.
June 26th, 2026 at 2:10 pm
Jerry, We overlapped our comments there a little bit. I do not know why I seem to have rated the short stories as low as I did back then, whether I did them justice or not.
Of the group here, only Dean R. Koontz would catch the eye of any reader today, and this was back when he was just starting. Even though the numbers are low, I read all the stories in every magazine. I can’t do that any more. Those were the days.
June 26th, 2026 at 1:37 pm
Fast was the younger brother of acclaimed novelist Howard Fast (CITIZEN TOM PAINE, FREEDOM ROAD, SPARTAGUS, APRIL MORNING,20 mysteries as “E. V. Cunningham” — at one time Howard Fast was thought to have been the pseudonymous “K. C. Constantine”). In 1946, Julius Fast won the first Edgar awarded for a novel (WATCHFUL AT NIGHT). Previously, he had edited an early (and superlative) science fiction anthology, OUT OF THIS WORLD. He also published non-fiction in a variety of fields; his best selling book was 1971’s BODY LANGUAGE.
The clean-up batters in this issue — Wellen, Koontz, Eisenberg, and Young — were all favorites I would not pass up in the 60s and 70s. I probably would have rated those stories much higher than you did.
June 26th, 2026 at 6:31 pm
I reread the League of Grey Eyed Women today. Last read in 1972 and still remembered because I have grey eyes. I actually liked it. Reminded me of them movie Altered States a little.
June 26th, 2026 at 7:20 pm
I knew I couldn’t be the only one around who’s read the story, but in a funny kind of way, I was hoping I might be. Wasn’t to be, though. Thanks for stopping by and letting me know!
PS: Glad you liked it!
June 27th, 2026 at 10:54 am
I see that Venture is also notable for the first publication of (Theodore) Sturgeon’s Law; they printed several of his stories, and one of Charles Beaumont’s.
June 27th, 2026 at 7:12 pm
Summing up: VENTURE was a very good magazine, on a par I’d say with its companion F&SF, but there just wasn’t enough market for it, for either run.