[June 24, 1966] Increments: World's Best Science Fiction: 1966, edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr

by John Boston Donald A. Wollheim’s and Terry Carr’s World’s Best Science Fiction: 1966—second in this series—is here, so it’s time for the usual pontificating, hand-wringing, viewing with alarm, etc., as one prefers.  This one comes with not one but two blurbs from Judith Merril, their competitor, though the editors say nothing about her anthology … Continue reading [June 24, 1966] Increments: World's Best Science Fiction: 1966, edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr

[March 2, 1966] Words and Pictures (April 1966 IF)

by David Levinson For a lot of people, February tops the list as their least favorite month. In the northern hemisphere, it’s cold and dark, and spring seems a long way off. The only things to break up the monotony are Valentine’s Day, which isn’t for everybody, and (most of the time) Carneval or Mardi … Continue reading [March 2, 1966] Words and Pictures (April 1966 IF)

[December 2, 1965] Superiority Complex (January 1966 IF)

by David Levinson Some people are objectively better at some things than everybody else. Sandy Koufax can pitch a baseball better than almost anybody, and Muhammad Ali is arguably the best boxer we’ve seen in his weight class in a long time. The problem arises when that excellence in a specialized area leads to an … Continue reading [December 2, 1965] Superiority Complex (January 1966 IF)

[October 2, 1965] Gimmickry (November 1965 IF)

by David Levinson When I was a boy, a gimmick was either much the same thing as a gadget or the sort of device a crooked casino owner would use to make sure the roulette wheel comes up 22. These days, of course, it means an ingenious new angle or a trick to draw attention … Continue reading [October 2, 1965] Gimmickry (November 1965 IF)

[September 22, 1965] Foul! (September Galactoscope)

This month's Galactoscope features a mixed bag of mixed bags: one Ace double and one Gamma that barely manages a solitary single… By Jason Sacks We, the Venusians, by John Rackham I picked up the latest Ace Double Novel at my local Woolworth's the other day, and had to share my opinions of the two … Continue reading [September 22, 1965] Foul! (September Galactoscope)

[July 2, 1965] Gallimaufry (August 1965 IF)

by David Levinson A gallimaufry is a kind of stew. Like any stew, it’s composed of a bunch of things thrown together and so has also come to mean any sort of hodge-podge. Since I haven’t been able to come up with some sort of overarching theme this month (and perhaps because, as I write … Continue reading [July 2, 1965] Gallimaufry (August 1965 IF)

[May 2, 1965] FORWARD INTO THE PAST (June 1965 IF)

by David Levinson Science fiction is generally considered to be literature that looks ahead. Much of Western culture also seems to be fairly obsessed with the miracles of progress and moving into a brighter future. Even communism, though less materially oriented, talks a good game about a better tomorrow. But there are also those who … Continue reading [May 2, 1965] FORWARD INTO THE PAST (June 1965 IF)

[April 2, 1965] SPEAKING A COMMON LANGUAGE (May 1965 IF)

by David Levinson The Common Tongue March 7th was the first Sunday of Lent. It's a particularly special event this year as Catholics can now hear mass in their local language, rather than Latin. Pope Paul VI marked the occasion by conducting services in Italian at a small church near the Vatican. Mass in the … Continue reading [April 2, 1965] SPEAKING A COMMON LANGUAGE (May 1965 IF)

[March 4, 1965] OLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLES (April 1965 IF)

by David Levinson “Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it.” – Theodore Roosevelt When Gideon contacted me about taking on the reviews for IF, I took President Roosevelt’s words to heart and said, “Yes.” It’s tougher than … Continue reading [March 4, 1965] OLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLES (April 1965 IF)

[February 6, 1965] Too much of a… thing (March 1965 IF)

by Gideon Marcus Monthly Muchness We're at a bit of a lull here in early February.  Not that things haven't been exciting, but they've been familiar headlines.  For instance, Sheriff Clark and his merry men locked up nearly 3000 Afro-American demonstrators who were marching in Selma, Alabama for their voting rights. In Laos, one of … Continue reading [February 6, 1965] Too much of a… thing (March 1965 IF)