Monthly Archives: November 2020

L. Sprague de Camp Seeks “Employment”

Leave a reply

L. Sprague and Catherine Crook de Camp

Today, November 27, is the birthday of L. Sprague de Camp (1907-2000). I had the pleasure of meeting Sprague and his lovely wife Catherine on several occasions after they moved to Plano, Texas in the 1990s. They attended some of the local conventions.

I am more than well aware that de Camp isn’t exactly popular in Robert E. Howard fandom because of how he portrayed Howard in his biography Dark Valley Destiny.

But this is my science fiction blog, not my fantasy blog. L. Sprague de Camp wrote plenty of science fiction, especially early in his career. I think he was a better short story writer than novelist, but that’s just me. I’m going to look at one of de Camp’s early science fiction stories today. Continue reading →

Fred Pohl’s “The Day the Icicle Works Closed”

1 Reply

Today, November 26, marks the birth of Frederik Pohl (1919-2013). Pohl was one of the first writers I read when I began reading adult science fiction. The Best of Frederik Pohl was one of the first books I bought when I joined the Science Fiction Book Club, maybe the very first. Pohl had a dark and cynical veiwpoint, it was nothing compared to his friend and sometime collaborator, C. M. Kornbluth.

Today I read “The Day the Icicle Works Closed”. First published in the February 1960 issue of Galaxy, this is one of Pohl’s best stories. It was included in both The Best of Frederik Pohl and Platinum Pohl The Collected Best Stories, which is where I reread it for this post. Continue reading →