by Gideon Marcus
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Joyeux Noël
Another year has gone by, and what fun it has been to continue our annual tradition of offering up the very best science fiction. This is the real payoff of the Journey, I think. When we can take all of the year's harvest, throw it into the thresher and get rid of all the chaff. What's left is nothing but good SF, from start to finish.
And what better time to offer this bounty than right before Christmas? So grab yourself a mug of your favorite warm beverage (unless you're antipodal, in which case I recommend a Dacquiri, iced punch, or pop) and get ready to enjoy weeks' worth of fine entertainment — and learn why this edition of the Stars has its unusual title!
The 1965 Galactic Stars
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Best Poetry
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Nabodinus, by L. Sprague de Camp
There were very few poems to choose from this year, but this one, in which an archaeologist meets a ghostly colleague of ancient vintage, is good.
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Best Vignette (1-9 pages):
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Everyone's Home Town is Guernica, by Willard Marsh
In which a kitten becomes the emblem of a starving artist's soul.
Girl with Robot and Flowers, by Brian Aldss
A beautifully metatextual piece about the science fiction story creation process.
The Switch, by Calvin Demmon
Sometimes it's best to let sleeping professors lie!
Thelinde's Song, by Roger Zelazny
Do not speak the name of Jelerak, the young sorceress sings…
Honorable Mention:
The Walking Talking I-Don't-Care Man, by David R. Bunch
Eyes do More than See, by Isaac Asimov
In One Sad Day, by George Collyn
The Music Makers, by Langdon Jones
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There were no 5-star vignettes this year, but many good ones for many different tastes spread across a wide number of magazines.
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Best Short Story (10-19 pages):
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"Repent, Harlequin!" said the Ticktockman , by Harlan Ellison
Time is not on your side…
Balanced Ecology , by James H. Schmitz
Conservationists take heart: sometimes the kids get a little help from their planet.
Over the River and Through the Woods , by Clifford D. Simak
The strange young visitors seem lost in the 19th Century, but they sure do feel like family.
Honorable Mention:
The Wall, by Josephine Saxton
The Liberators, by Lee Harding
Test in Orbit, by Ben Bova
Come to Venus Melancholy, by Thomas M. Disch
The Life of Your Time, by Michael Karageorge (Poul Anderson)
Traveller's Rest , by David Masson
Becalmed in Hell, by Larry Niven
Jabez O'Brien and Davy Jones' Locker , by Robert Arthur
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, by Fredric Brown and Carl Onspaugh
Bright Eyes, by Harlan Ellison
Wrong-Way Street, by Larry Niven
The Sixth Palace, by Robert Silverberg
On the River , by Robert F. Young
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Another torrent of short stories, and I didn't have the heart to prune it much since tastes vary so widely among the recommenders. But all of them are good. Sadly, you can really see the paucity of women-penned publications this year.
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Best Novelette (20-45 pages)
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No Different Flesh, by Zenna Henderson
A virtually unanimous Journey choice — the best story of The People yet (and that's saying something!)
Shall We Have a Little Talk?, by Robert Sheckley
Subjugating the natives starts with learning the language — lots of luck, pal!
The Overworld, by Jack Vance
To the ends of a Dying Earth in search of a dream-inducing artifact.
Honorable Mention:
Greenslaves, by Frank Herbert
Man in His Time, by Brian Aldiss
Four Ghosts in Hamlet, by Fritz Leiber
The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth, by Roger Zelazny
Three to a Given Star, by Cordwainer Smith
Escape from the Evening, by Michael Moorcock
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The winners are all veterans who burst on the scene ~1950, but the honorable mentions are split 50/50 with the subsequent wave.
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Best Novella (46+ pages)
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Vashti, by Thomas Burnett Swann
Of Xerxes' queen Vashti, and the Greek Ianiskos who follows her into exile…
Stardock, by Fritz Leiber
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser brave the frozen wastes to find a treasure.
World of Ptavvs, by Larry Niven
To defeat a billion year old telepath, a Earthman must become the alien.
Honorable Mention:
On the Storm Planet, by Cordwainer Smith
The Saliva Tree, by Brian Aldiss
The Inner Wheel, by Keith Roberts
Mindswap, by Robert Sheckley
Lone Zone, by Charles Platt
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This is always a tough category as many novellas are truncated novels (I understand an expanded Ptavvs will be released next year). That said, Vashti was pretty universally praised. and it's hard to argue with Fahfrd and the Gray Mouser if you like fantasy…
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Best Novel/Serial
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…And Call me Conrad, by Roger Zelazny
Hemmingway-esque tale of an immortal fighting a guerrila war for the soul of a post-atomic humanity.
The Sundered Worlds, by Michael Moorcock
The psychic Renark to seek out the problem must go to the Sundered Worlds outside the normal rule of time and space to save humanity — and the whole of reality!
The Blue Monkeys, by Thomas Burnett Swann
Ajax against the Minotaur — another myth come to life by the inimitable Swann.
Honorable Mention:
Of Godlike Power, by Mack Reynolds
The Weirwoods, by Thomas Burnett Swann
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch , by Phillip K. Dick
The Rithian Terror, by Damon Knight
The Ballad of Beta-2, by Samuel R. Delany
Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb , by Phillip K. Dick
Bill, the Galactic Hero , by Harry Harrison
Stormbringer, by Michael Moorcock
The Genocides, by Thomas M. Disch
The Squares of the City, by John Brunner
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Swann is definitely a winner with his myth-inspired tales, Zelazny is hit or miss, but he hit it with Conrad, and Moorcock is a rising star to watch!
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Science Fact
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The Man who Discovered Atlantis, by Robert Silverberg
Paul Schliemann was so desperate to live up to the Schielmann name that he hoaxed finding the Lost Continent.
Death in the Laboratory, by Isaac Asimov
Fluorine is a killer…
The Land of Mu, by Isaac Asimov
The subatomic world keeps getting weirder and weirder.
Honorable Mention:
The Space Technology of a Track Meet , by Robert S. Richardson
With a Piece of Twisted Wire… , by Harry Harrison
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The Harrison is from a fanzine, SF Horizons. Silverberg makes his first appearance in this category this year, and Asimov is a perennial. Richardson is always a highlight when he appears in Analog.
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Best Magazine
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New Writings in Science Fiction 3.25 stars, 2 Star nominees
F&SF 3.1 stars, 15 Star nominees
Fantasy 3.07 stars, 2 Star nominees
Worlds of Tomorrow 3.05 stars, 2 Star nominees
Science Fantasy 3.03 stars, 5 Star nominees
New Worlds 3.02 stars, 6 Star nominees
Galaxy 2.83 stars, 7 Star nominees
Analog 2.76 stars, 4 Star nominees
Amazing 2.61 stars, 2 Star nominees
IF 2.57 stars, 0 Star nominees
Gamma 1.7 stars, 0 Star nominees
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F&SF shows strong now that Davidson is gone. Sadly, this may be the last time we see Fantasy so high up with departure of Cele Lalli. Amazing will suffer, too. The British magazines are all mid-to-upper tier this year while Pohl's triplets are dependable if not extraordinary.
And then there's Gamma, which blessedly ended its short run this year.
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Best author(s)
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Thomas Burnett Swann
Turning fable into fantasy, Swann has definitely made his biggest impact so far this year. Runners up for best author include Roger Zelazny, Phillip K. Dick, and Larry Niven.
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Best Artist
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John Schoenherr continues to impress with his starkly beautiful work, singlehandedly elevating the otherwise mediocre Dune. This is another unanimous Journey decision.
Honorable Mention:
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Best Dramatic Presentation
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A spy thriller set in the galactic capital.
Maybe it's just Jessica's reviews that sell it, but I'm enjoying what I get to see of this show.
Honorable Mention:
The 10th Victim
Incubus (starring William Shatner and entirely in Esperanto!)
Repulsion
Out of the Unknown
and, of course,
The Journey Show. The best fifteen hours in science fiction television, I think! I hope it gets the nod for a Hugo next year…
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Best Fanzine
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A nice mix of articles and stories by pros, semi-pros, and fen.
Honorable Mention:
And, of course, three time Hugo Finalist Galactic Journey. Perhaps this will be the year we finally appear on the official ballot. With your help, anything is possible…
That's a wrap! All in all, I think 1965 was not quite as strong as last year, and the dearth of women is really quite alarming. I'd like to think this is a statistical blip, like the solar 11 year cycle, and that things will improve from here on out.
In any event, even a weak year yields a lot of stuff that breaks the Sturgeon barrier. As you catch up on your back reading, do feel free to drop us a line and tell us what you think of each piece. It's the community that really makes the Journey (and the Stars) shine!
Overall I agree a good year but not amazing. I found it about equal overall to last year. New Writings and New Worlds (which I would put much higher personally) I think are better but Galaxy has declined and Amazing & Fantastic suffer significantly from the loss of CeCe Lalli. On the books side got some more great stuff from Moorcock and Delany but there was also a lot of forgettable filler being pushed out by the paperback publishers.
Poetry has been really bad of late in the magazines and not much better in books (see The Wizard of Lemuria).
Definitely best thing for me, though has been TV drama in the UK. Newman and Attenborough are stepping up their game and having a lot of high quality productions.
Onward to 1966!
I can't argue with any of the choices. It's nice to see a decent balance among hard SF, New Wave, and fantasy.