by Gideon Marcus
On the small screen
A few weeks ago, President Johnson signed into effect the Public Broadcasting Act. Its purpose, among other things, is to turn a decentralized constellation of educational stations and program producers into a government-funded network. It's basically socialism vs. the vast wasteland.
Given the quality of programming I've seen produced by National Education Television, particularly on independent station KQED-San Francisco (e.g. "Jazz Casual" and "The Rejected"), I am all for this move. Indeed, I've recently come across a show that has really sold me on public television.
NET Journal is a series on political matters of the day. In December, they had a program that showed the results of a week-long workshop in which 12 affluent young men and women of a multitude of ethnicities lived together and discussed their prejudices. What they determined was surprising to them, and maybe to us. As we saw in the film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, even in the most bleeding heart liberal, there is prejudice; and it's not just directed from whites to minorities.
This week, we caught an interview with four journalists in Saigon. Recently, LBJ and General Westmoreland have been cheerleading the effort in Vietnam, saying that the three-year commitment of half a million troops is bearing fruit. The South Vietnam-based journalists dispute this rosy view. They say progress has been slow, that the South Vietnamese army is hopelessly corrupt and must be reformed from the head down if it is to operate effectively without American support, and that we are not engaged in "nation-building" because there is currently no nation. The elections are meaningless so long as there be no real choices to be made, so long as bribes and payoffs accomplish more than the rule of law.
Withering stuff. Next week, the program will be on draft-dodgers.
On the small page
Galaxy Science Fiction is also an exellent, long-running source of information and entertainment. This month's issue is a particularly good example.
by Jack Gaughan
A Tragedy of Errors, by Poul Anderson
Anderson has established a reputation for producing some of the "hardest" SF around, laden with astrophysical tidbits. On the other hand, his quality varies from sublime to threadbare. Luckily, his latest novella lies far closer to the former end of the scale.
Tragedy takes place in what appears to be the far future of his Polysotechnic League history. The loose interstellar confederation of planets became an empire and subsequently went into decline a la the worlds in H. Beam Piper's Space Viking universe and Asimov's Foundation setting. I really like these "after the fall" stories of folks trying to patch a polity back together, maybe better than it was before.
by Gray Morrow
This particular story is the tale of Roan Tom, Dagny, and Yasmin, the crew of the merchant-pirate Firedrake. Their ship is in desperate need of repairs, and the only planet within range of the married trio is a Mars-sized world around a swollen orange sun. Luckily, said world was once a human colony of the Empire and thus may have the resources needed to fix a starship.
Unluckily, the planet has been recently plundered by pirates, and the inhabitants do not take kindly to strangers–especially ones that call themselves "friends."
There's a lot to like about this riproaring tale of aerial maneuvers, overland evasion, and fast-talking diplomacy. For one, two of the main characters are women, and highly competent ones at that. Moreover, it is an ensemble cast, with each of the three coming into the spotlight for extended periods of time.
There is also a mystery of sorts, here…or several, really, all woven together: how does this undersized planet have an atmosphere? Indications are that this is a young world, but why, then, does the dense planet have so little surface metal? And why is the star so unstable, prone to devastating solar storms that play hell with the planet's weather? Solving this astronomical puzzle proves key to addressing the Firedrake crew's more immediate problems.
Of course, you have to like detailed explanations of stellar and planetary parameters and phenomena. I personally love this sort of thing, but others may find their eyes glazing. On the other hand, there's plenty to enjoy even if you decide to let the science wash over you. The sanguine antics of Roan Tom, the determined toughness of Dagny, the more refined and tentative brilliance of Yasmin. These are great characters, and I'd like to see more of them.
Four stars.
The Planet Slummers, by Terry Carr and Alexei Panshin
A pair of young thrift store bargain hunters are, in turn, scooped up by a pair of alien specimen collectors. I think the story is supposed to be ironic, or symbolic, or something.
Forgettable. Two stars.
Crazy Annaoj, by Fritz Leiber
by Jack Gaughan
Ah, but then we have the story of a different couple: a superannuated trillionaire and a dewy (but flinty) eyed young starlet. There's is a love fated for the ages, but not the way you might think.
Just a terrific tale told the way only Leiber (or maybe Cordwainer Smith) could tell it.
Five stars.
Street of Dreams, Feet of Clay, by Robert Sheckley
by Vaughn Bodé
Imagine moving to the city of the future: clean, architecturally pleasing, smog-free, crammed with creature comforts. Now imagine the city is run by a computer brain…with the personality of a Jewish mother.
Bob Sheckley is Jewish, so I suspect he didn't have to strain his imagination much for this one. Droll, but a little too painful and one-note to be great.
Three stars.
For Your Information: Epitaph for a Lonely Olm, by Willy Ley
This is a pretty dandy story about a sightless cave salamander that lives its whole life in the water, thus eschewing the amphibian portion of its nature. Thanks to this creature, we have the concept of "neoteny"–the retention of juvenile traits for evolutionary advantage. The blind, pale beast also ensured the fame of Marie von Chauvin, a 19th Century zoologist.
Four stars.
Sales of a Deathman, by Robert Bloch
by Jack Gaughan
How do we combat the exploding birth rate? By making suicide sexy, thus exploding the death rate!
Bloch's modest proposal would be better suited to a three line comedy routine than a several-page vignette. Three stars.
Total Environment, by Brian W. Aldiss
by Jack Gaughan
Crammed into a ten-story self-contained habitat, 75,000 persons of Indian descent live a life of increasing desperation and squalor. At first, we are given to believe that the settlement is a natural response to the crushing pressure of overpopulation. As it turns out, the Ultra-High Density Research Establishment (UHDRE) is actually a deliberate experiment in inducing psychic abilities through exposure to unique pressures. Just 25 years ago, the site had a population of only 1500. Now, teeming to bursting, the hoped-for psionic adepts are appearing–and an empire in a teapot is arising on UHDRE's Top Deck to take advantage of them.
Aldiss writes a compelling story. One thinks it's just the second coming of Harrison's Make Room! Make Room! until it isn't. In some ways, this actually hurts the story, causing it to lose focus. On the other hand, the setting is so well-drawn, and the situation suspenseful enough, that it still engages and entertains.
Four stars.
How They Gave It Back, by R. A. Lafferty
by Gray Morrow
The last mayor of Manhattan finds The Big Apple isn't worth the bother, now that it's degenerated into a ruined, gangland state run by a quintet of bandits. Thankfully, the original owners will buy it back–for its original fee.
Again, this might have made a humorous short bit. As is, you see the punchline from the first words (the title and illo help), and the slog isn't worth the ending.
Two stars.
The Big Show, by Keith Laumer
by Wallace Wood
Last up, a frothy adventure featuring a TV star recruited to infilitrate the last cannibal island in the South Pacific to thwart a nefarious Soviet scheme. This is yet another in the recent spate of stories involving total sensory television in which hundreds of millions viscerally experience the lives of actors.
Unlike Kate Wilhelm's or George Collyn's spin on the subject, Laumer doesn't do very much with the gimmick. Instead, it's another of his midly amusing but eminently forgettable yarns.
Two stars.
Summing up
Despite a sprinkling of clunkers, the latest Galaxy delivers the goods. Two good novellas, a fine nonfiction piece, and an excellent Lieber short would have filled F&SF nicely. So just pretend that the other stories don't exist and enjoy the good stuff.
And then tune in to NET Journal the next few weeks while you wait for the next issue!
The Aldiss seems up my alley. I love an overpopulation story.
I'm interested in your thoughts!
I read the Aldiss story recently and largely agree with the GJ reviewer. The world building is the most compelling part of the story. Aldiss even makes uses of an intriguing narrative structure, splitting the story between snippets of a report by one of those responsible for the experiment (an observer) and the tale of the inhabitants of the experiment (the test subjects). That said, the central conceit of the experiment is so ludicrous, it would—for instance— warm the cockles of John W. Campbell jnr’s withered heart.
I feel like this issue illustrates the problem with your "average score" concept. I'd rather have one five star story, and two four star ones — especially when they are long — and the rest dreck than a collection of 3 to 3.5 star stories.
That said, I haven't read that Leiber story! I'll need to get to it!
That's why we issue the Galactic Stars every year!
Thanks for reading!
I have to say I find it useful from an economic standpoint. An issue of a Pohl magazine over here costs 3/6. Year's Best collections and paperback novels usually cost around 5/.
As such if it is only the serials and an occasional piece of short fiction that is worth reading why should I bother to pick it up when I can instead wait a year or so and get a couple of nice paperbacks containing all that is worth reading from that year.
I do like to support more SF publishing but with inflation being what it is in 1968, I have to make choices of where I put my pennies, and often I feel I get more value for money from what Ace and Ballantine puts out, then I do from Mr. Pohl.
I don't know if it's due to the general quality of both Pohl-run mags of late, but every time I found myself thinking a story was good here, I questioned my judgment. Glad to see it wasn't just my imagination.
The Anderson was very strong. He might have been able to pare it down here or there, but it's one of the best things he's written in a while. I don't know about the astrophysics, but the handling of the formation of dialects in isolated communities was very well done.
I might give "Planet Slummers" a third star, but only just barely. I have a feeling for what the authors were trying to do, but they didn't really get there. Both are capable of much better.
Fritz Leiber has been turning out some of the best work of his career in the last couple of years. It probably wouldn't have gotten that fifth star from me, but only because it didn't really make me keep combing back and thinking about it once I'd finished the story.
Bob Sheckley went away from science fiction for a little while a few years ago, and he just hasn't been as good as he once was since he came back. He's lost his groove. I might have liked this one a little better if I'd read the city as a Jewish mother. Instead, I saw nagging wife, and that made it worse.
One of the best articles Willy Ley has done in quite a long time. Nothing more to add, really.
The Bloch was disappointing. It was probably meant as a satire of modern advertising and maybe the mortuary business as well. At least it wasn't about Jack the Ripper.
The Aldiss was pretty good, though for my taste it needed to be a little shorter or a lot longer — like novel length. He also gave too much of it away at the beginning; it's too clear that the project is going to be shut down by the end.
The Lafferty was not a good story, not even for those who like Lafferty.
The Laumer, for me, felt like one of his typical adventure stories, precariously balanced between serious and comic modes. Another one that's probably meant to be satirical without achieving the desired effect.
I'm more forgiving of middling Anderson than some others so of course I'll check out what is supposedly GOOD Anderson. And it's hard to Leiber to do wrong, but five stars? Will have to add that to my to-read list.
Very nice late sixties art on the Galaxy cover. I like the way it's easy to perceive the artistic tools in use.
I don't think the worthy programming effort paid off with what it was aiming to do.
Nice to see the Wallace Wood illo. He's never been at a loss for what to put in his pictures and to achieve a balance with all of it.
Anderson is a prolific author who I find has occasional moments of greatness tempered by a lot of mediocrity. However it is enough for me to keep checking him out (Three Hearts and Three Lions is on my bedside table. This I think is on the better ide of Anderson's work, although I wouldn't give him more than 3 stars myself as I felt I could be cut down more and I am stingy with my stars!
The Car/Panshin collaboration is indeed forgettable.
Good old Fritz Leiber really knows how to churn out these great short pieces better than anyone currently working.
Robert Sheckley, on the other hand, doesn't seem really know how to produce much good at the moment. Probably been close to a decade since I can recall picking up anything great by him.
I thought the Bloch was interesting. I actually think this should be larger, not shorter. A short novel in the style of Space Merchants for this could be really strong.
I have bee finding Aldiss of late has been doing some of his better work outside of New Worlds. It think it is because he doesn't feel quite so much of a need to be "with it". Whilst I accept some of the slight criticisms of this I really liked Environment and I think it is my favourite piece of the issue. I also think it could work very well as an adaptation, maybe the BBC could pick it up for another season of Out of the Unknown?
I rarely like Lafferty so I had no chance with this one.
I thought the Laumer was really bad. As you noted, it is a theme a lot of people seem to be getting on, but doesn't do anything with it and it goes on for ages.
It looks like the next Galaxy issue is trying to go back to the 1940s for some reason? I will have to see if it is worth picking up before I part with my pennies (although I do enjoy Ross Rocklynne more than most).
FWIW, JAZZ CASUAL has been provided to the National Educational Television network by KQED, rather than WGBH–the host, Ralph Gleason, co-founded the Bay Area rock-music tabloid ROLLING STONE last year. Some stations, such as those in southern and more conservative states, have been complaining that NET is Too Provocative and Left-Leaning and Centralized as it is, as the central NET offices mail out various tapes from stations and other producers, with the first live, "in-pattern" NET network series beginning late last year, PBL, short for PUBLIC BROADCAST LABORATORY, also drawing complaints for "controversial" content (perhaps in part why it's slotted against THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR on CBS–lets the Hippies focus their attention on Sunday night fare). I imagine the Ford Foundation, the largest single source of funds for the public network, is tugging at its collar a bit, and it's notable that the 1961 import of THE AGE OF KINGS from the BBC for NET in was underwritten by Standard Oil of NJ, the "Humble"/Esso folks. I strongly suspect any new replacement for NET, more dependent on a tax stipend, will also mean more corporate underwriting and a greater dependence on local fundraising by and for stations than even what tends to happen today, and probably demand greater decentralization than we see today. It would be a shame to see such interesting fare as NET PLAYHOUSE (with its occasional fantasticated or surreal content) go by the wayside, and have to depend on imports, even those as good as THE FORSYTE SAGA, also in the pipeline from BBC last year to be seen on NET, for broadcast drama…
Oh, I think you're right. It's been so long, I couldn't remember what station Ralph broadcast out of. Great show, though. I miss it. They had Cannonball Adderley on, and it sounded just like the record he cut with Nancy Wilson. I taped the show and dubbed the selections to cart, which played on KGJ for a while.
Dropping the blog conceit momentarily, the most doorbusting contribution WGBH made to NET back when was THE FRENCH CHEF with Julia Child…