If you have a cat, you know what impediments to constructive activity they can be. Perhaps you're purposefully striding to your next chore; the cat will rub up against you or flop on the floor in a coy manner, and you will have no choice but to stop and give it a good petting. Maybe you're trying to read or, say, type up an article related to science fiction; said cat will purr alluringly, magically appearing under your hands, rendering keys or pages quite inaccessible.
There are worse fates, I suppose.
Luckily, I had the force of will to extricate myself from feline obstruction. It only took about 45 minutes! And now, without further delay, I can tell you all about the revived IF Science Fiction magazine.
Six months ago, I lamented that no sooner had I rediscovered IF, daringly helmed by Damon Knight, than the magazine folded. Imagine my pleasure upon learning that IF had not been discontinued but merely sold. In fact, looking at the masthead, I found that the new editor is H.L.Gold! It looks as if IF is going to be Galaxy's sister publication appearing in alternate months. This effectively makes Galaxy a monthly again. IF is only 130 pages long, while Galaxy is 196. This puts the average number of pages at 163, which is a good length for a monthly digest. Hurrah!
But the real question is whether or not the quality of Galaxy #2 is up to the standards of the original. After all, there is no Willy Ley article to look forward to. On the other hand, it looks like Fred Pohl will be a regular feature submitter, and a quick glance at the names of writers appearing inside (Rosel George Brown!) is encouraging.
So stay tuned. I'm afraid festivities in celebration of our nation's 183rd birthday preclude me from telling you about the July 1959 IF just yet. But I'll be back in three days with a full report. In the mean time, why don't you pick up a copy, and we can explore this new magazine together.
If you are from the United States of America, Happy Independence Day! If you're from the United Kingdom, no hard feelings. And if you're from anywhere else, Happy July 4th (or July 5th) of No Particular Consequence!
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