RIP, James Gunn

James Gunn

James Gunn (1923-2020) passed away on December 23 from congestive heart failure. I apologize for the lateness of this post. I was mostly offline over the Christmas holidays, and I didn’t see the news until recently.  Adrian Simmons wrote an excellent tribute over at Black Gate.

I had the privilege of meeting James Gunn twice. The first time was at a meeting of the Science Fiction Research Association. The meeting was held at UNT. This was the summer I transferred from UNT to UTD, and I was till living in Denton. Along with Gunn, Jack Williamson, Fred Pohl, and the de Camps (among others) were in attendance. (It was the only time I would meet Williamson and Pohl).

I had read Star Bridge, a collaboration between Williamson and Gunn a few years before and was eager to meet the authors. Continue reading

Creeping into Eric Frank Russell’s Tent

Eric Frank Russell (1905-1978) was born today, January 6. His work primarily featured government bureaucracies getting their comeuppance. Tonight’s tale, “Into Your Tent I’ll Creep” is a brief story of an expedition from Altair making contact with Earth. They want to form an alliance because humanity is the only species they’ve encountered that has attained space travel.

But there’s one member of the expedition who has developed a form of telepathy that allows him to read the minds of the dominant life form on Earth. And it isn’t mankind.

To say more would spoil the twist.

“Into Your Tent I’ll Creep” was first published in the September 1957 issue of Astounding. It is currently available in Major Ingredients, a large hardcover collection from NESFA Press. The Best of Eric Frank Russell contains the story, and used  copies are available online for a lower price. Russell’s short fiction isn’t currently in print in electronic format.

Asimov’s “The Dying Night”

Today, January 2, is the birthday of Isaac Asimov (1920-1992). In observance of his birthday, I read “The Dying Night”. It’s a science fiction mystery. I read it in the collection Nine Tomorrows. It doesn’t appear to be in print.

In this story four friends are at a conference, meeting for the first time since they graduated. Ten years have passed and three of them are working at observatories on Mercury, the Moon, and Ceres. The fourth was never able to leave Earth due to a medical condition, and he’s very bitter about it.

He claims to have developed a method of matter transmission, which he is going to present in a couple of day at the conference. Only he dies before he can. One of the three surviving friends is a murderer. The question is which one.

This was a nice little mystery. I’m not sure I buy the psychology behind some of the things the killer does, but Asimov did a good job of putting this one together. I’ve only read a handful of Asimov’s mysteries, but they’ve all been well put together. I’ll have to try to track down more of them.

The Ebb and Flow of Empire: The Van Rijn Method Part II

Earlier this year I started looking at what I’ve called for lack of a better term, the ebb and flow of empire. The last installment of this series was a while back and looked at the first half of The Van Rijn Method, an omnibus of the beginning of Poul Anderson’s future history.

We’ll look at the second half of the book here.

“A Sun Invisible” is a David Falkayn story. In this one he has to deal with an upstart group of invaders.

“The Season of Forgiveness” is a Christmas story. I’ve discussed it elsewhere.

Continue reading

Randall Garrett and Phillip K. Dick

Today, December 16, marks the birth of two outstanding writers, Randall Garrett (1927-1987) and Phillip K. Dick (1928-1982). PKD is still well known and in print nearly 40 years after his death. Randall Garrett not so much. Garrett didn’t write nearly as many novels as PKD did, which is probably part of the reason for that.

Both were original and are worth seeking out. If you like a blend of sf and mystery, then you definitely should track down some Garrett.

I’ve not had a chance to read anything by either of these guys today, but I didn’t want to let the day pass without making a note of it.

RIP, Ben Bova

Science fiction author and editor Ben Bova has passed away from COVID related pneumonia and a stroke. Bova was born on in 1932. He was 88. In addition being the author of a number of series (Grand Tour, Sam Gunn, Orion, among others) Bova had the unenviable task of assuming the editorship of Analog after the death of John W. Campbell, Jr.

Bova’s fiction tended to be hard science fiction, although he wrote quite a bit of humorous sf. He will be missed. Futures Past and Present extends condolences to his family and friends.

L. Sprague de Camp Seeks “Employment”

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”

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

A Trio of Birthdays

I’ve not posted much here recently, but then I’ve not been posting much at Adventures Fantastic, my main blog, either. Work and other concerns, such as fiction writing, but mostly work, have been eating into my time. But I want to acknowledge three birthdays today, October 15. Two of the writers I want to acknowledge are pretty pulpy, while the third is less pulpy but no less enjoyable. Continue reading