![[May 6, 1970] Wondrous and Astounding (<em>The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One</em>, Part One)](https://galacticjourney.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/SCNCMVLM161970-516x372.jpg)
by Brian Collins
For those who don’t know, the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) was founded five years ago in what would become the first successful attempt at forming a professional writers’ association for science fiction writers—at least here in the States. With the SFWA came the Nebula, an award made to be on par with the Hugo in terms of prestige, but voted on by SFWA members rather than Worldcon attendees; in other words, an award by authors for authors. SF in the American “pulp” tradition (as differentiated from SF of the H. G. Wells sort) has been around for not quite 40 years, and those of the older generation have clearly taken on a retrospective attitude as of late. If the New Wave asks where SF might be heading, then those who’ve been in charge of the SFWA, including Damon Knight and Robert Silverberg, are now asking where SF has been.
We thus have a massive reprint anthology, published by Doubleday in a rather colorful hardcover edition, called The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One. It is, as far as I can tell, the largest SF anthology since Dangerous Visions, running 560 pages. We don’t often cover reprint anthologies at the Journey, but this one is a huge endeavor, and since most of the stories included predate the Journey it would be negligent to not cover it. It’s also such a long book that we have no choice but to split the review into multiple parts. Now, many of these stories are actually not new to me, although this knowledge does little to help me when it comes to evaluating some three decades of short SF.
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, edited by Robert Silverberg
Introduction, by Robert Silverberg
Silverberg was President of the SFWA in 1967-68, incidentally around the time when his return to writing SF hit many readers in full force. He explains, as editor of this anthology, the method behind the madness with regards to voting for what stories would be included, followed by what Silverberg included at his own discretion to round out the book. SFWA members, being professionals, are of a certain age or older, but they were asked “to keep historical perspective in mind” with what they should pick. The idea, to paraphrase Silverberg, was to present a rough chronology of the American (as in published in the US, not necessarily written by an American) short SF story from the 1920s to 1964, the year before the SFWA was founded. The top 15 stories to get the most votes were included, while the rest are a mix of the next 15 runners-up and stories Silverberg picked himself.
A projected second volume will include stories that were too long to fit into Volume One, so presumably it will focus on novellas and long novelettes. Time will tell if said volume will come to fruition.
No rating.
A Martian Odyssey, by Stanley G. Weinbaum
When Weinbaum’s first SF story hit the July 1934 issue of Wonder Stories, it apparently came to readers as a revelation. Weinbaum became a star practically overnight, and then died just a year and a half later. “A Martian Odyssey” is in some ways horribly dated: in addition to emphasis on pulpy exploration of a much-inhabited Mars, the human characters are walking stereotypes. Jarvis, the American of the bunch, is only slightly less flat than his goofy-sounding comrades. Assuming you’ve read “A Martian Odyssey” before, though, you know you’re not here for the astronaut trying to make his way back to the ship, but rather the colorful alien life he encounters. The most memorable of all these aliens is, of course, Tweel, an ostrich-like creature who befriends Jarvis.
Weinbaum’s story was so popular, and he seemed to like his own creations enough, that he wrote a sequel. It’s hard to blame him, assuming your heart has not yet turned to stone. “A Martian Odyssey” reads poorly if taken seriously, but really it is not meant to be. This is a story for the young at heart. Those who are looking for creatively realized aliens in their SF can't do much better than Weinbaum.
Four stars.
You and I know Campbell for—let’s say other things. But 35 years ago, he was in fact two of the most popular writers in the field. “Twilight” appeared in the November 1934 issue of Astounding Stories (now Analog), and was the first under Campbell’s “Don A. Stuart” pseudonym. The premise is simple: a man from the 31st century accidentally jumps ahead millions of years before landing in 1932. The framing narrative is inelegant, even by the standards of the time: we’re treated to one narrator before quickly switching to a different one, who then relays the man’s story in a second-hand fashion. What made “Twilight” special at the time was that it was one of the first mood pieces in genre SF writing, having much more of an emphasis on describing the decline of this far future than on plot or characters. The problem is that time really has devoured what once made “Twilight” special, revealing how painfully stilted Campbell’s style was at the time.
Campbell wrote a sequel, “Night,” although I’ve never read it.
Three stars.
Helen O’Loy, by Lester del Rey
It’s 1938, and not only has Campbell taken over as editor of Astounding, but he changed the name from Astounding Stories to Astounding Science Fiction. Lester del Rey was an up-and-coming writer at the time, whose “Helen O’Loy” was published in the December 1938 issue. Not only have I read this one before, but have even gotten into civil arguments with feminists over the story’s merits. No doubt there’s a sexist angle, with Helen being an android who looks and acts like the “ideal” housewife. What’s more forward-looking, and indeed more memorable, is the friendship between our leads, Phil and Dave, with Phil narrating. This is, on the one hand, a predictable and sentimental love triangle, but the fact that Phil and Dave’s friendship remains anchored despite their shared love of Helen means that while “Helen O’Loy” may not be that convincing in its romance, it’s surprisingly touching in its depiction of male friendship. It helps that del Rey does not waste the reader’s time with developing these characters.
A light four stars.
The Roads Must Roll, by Robert A. Heinlein
Heinlein has been exceedingly popular for the past 30 years, although the Heinlein of 30 years ago is quite different from the man we know now. “The Roads Must Roll” appeared in the June 1940 issue of Astounding, and is an entry in what became known as Heinlein’s Future History. It’s vast in scope, and what it lacks in character psychology or even practical believability (a future America wherein mass transit happens on massive conveyor belts sounds ridiculous now, and possibly even to readers at the time), it compensates with genuine speculation. This one has been reprinted multiple times already and has even been adapted for radio more than once, although I’ve never been able to wrap my head around why it stood above a few other early Heinlein stories that I think are superior.
Another curious note is that “The Roads Must Roll” is bound nowadays to spark conversation, not for its ambitious if exposition-heavy depiction of the future, but for its overt anti-union sentiments. Heinlein was a New Deal Democrat at the time, but one would not guess this from the story’s politics.
A high three stars.
Microcosmic God, by Theodore Sturgeon
The premise of a mad scientist who plays God was not new, even in 1941, but there are few stories, even today, that have the same level of zest and playfulness as Sturgeon’s “Microcosmic God,” from the April 1941 issue of Astounding. Sturgeon was very young at the time, and at this point he had mostly stuck to writing fantasy rather than SF; so it might’ve surprised readers who picked up that issue of Astounding that Sturgeon managed to write such a masterpiece of SF. James Kidder, the mad scientist in question, is actually not the villain of the story, but rather his banker, the vicious capitalist Mr. Conant, who takes advantage of Kidder’s talents. The race of microscopic people, whom Kidders calls Neoterics, are merely the icing on the cake.
Sturgeon has since written stories that are more heartfelt, or more sophisticated, or more perceptive of the human condition; but arguably, for sheer entertainment value, he has never topped “Microcosmic God.”
Five stars.
You and I both know the Good Doctor, although he has written very little SF as of late. Asimov was barely out of his teens when he wrote “Nightfall,” which appeared in the September 1941 issue of Astounding. The story of how Asimov came to write “Nightfall” is almost as famous among fans as “Nightfall” itself. Given its placement in the top 15 among SFWA voters, its inclusion was mandatory, although I’ve never found “Nightfall” to be that good. We all remember the premise and the ending it gives way to, which are both unforgettable, but truth be told, it also shows signs of a young writer who hasn’t quite found his voice yet. What we think of as Asimov’s trademark conciseness of language when it comes to his fiction isn’t here, nor is his rigorousness when it comes to SFnal implications. You can poke a few logical holes in the world of “Nightfall” if you feel like it.
Yet for its faults, this story about a world which has not known the darkness of night in 2,000 years is home to such powerful imagery, with its ending capitalizing on such a sense of existential terror, that it’s hard to discount.
Four stars.
The Weapon Shop, by A. E. van Vogt
![Colour photograph of the December 1942 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. The cover illustration features a great black monolithic building picked out in the coloured lights of its windows in the middle distance. A massive neon advertisement circling the building appears to promise 'Red Death, Green Living, White [..]'. A vast translucent walkway stretches across the sky to the entry situated half-way up the building, and many people appear to be traveling along this path.](https://galacticjourney.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Astounding_v30n04_1942-12_dtsg0318_0000.jpg)
From the December 1942 issue of Astounding, this is actually the second entry in the Isher series, the first being “The Seesaw.” Those who have read The Weapon Shops of Isher but not “The Weapon Shop” as it had originally appeared will find this to be familiar ground. Fara is a decent upstanding citizen in a far-future empire who gets caught in the crossfire between said empire and the weapon shops—teleporting, seemingly magical shops that host all manner of weapons for civilians (cops and military are prohibited), with the infamous slogan: “The right to buy weapons is the right to be free.” Van Vogt’s politics are suspect, but in contrast to Asimov, this is better than his more recent work (his investing in Dianetics utterly derailed his career and seems to have sucked out most of the talent he once had). Whether you agree with the libertarian bent of “The Weapon Shop” or not, it’s a strange and thought-provoking piece that shows this once-great writer in his element.
Four stars.
Mimsy Were the Borogoves, by Lewis Padgett
We now know that “Lewis Padgett” was a pseudonym for the late great Henry Kuttner and his wife C. L. Moore, a husband-wife team who at their best were really something else. “Mimsy” is one of the duo’s best and most haunting stories, being about a set of children’s toys from the far future that get accidentally sent back to what was then the present day, to an unassuming American family with their two kids. “Mimsy” appeared in the February 1943 issue of Astounding, but it could just as well have appeared a decade later in Galaxy, with its observations on the relationship between parents and their children being just as acute, and with Kuttner and Moore having such a fine ear for dialogue. The ending, which I dare not give away, could be seen as grim, transcendent, or most likely both at the same time, depending on one’s viewpoint. The exact scientific rationale for the children’s behavior might now sound quaint, but the implications of their playing are not.
Five stars.
Good, If Unbalanced
Despite the intent of presenting a rough chronology of genre SF in the American tradition, seven out of the first eight stories here are from Astounding, with six of those being from after Campbell took over the magazine. I have no doubt that many members of the SFWA feel they owe their careers to Campbell, and it doesn’t help either that the early ‘40s are considered by some (although not me, who would push the “Golden Age” back a decade to the early ‘50s) to have been the best era of American genre SF so far. Just one look at the table of contents will tell us that this bias in favor of Astounding during its glory days will persist for some time.
What struck me as a bit more conspicuous is the authors so far included, or rather how the stories selected are pretty much all from early in these authors’ careers, when they were quite young and hungry, so to speak. The problem is that some of these people have since gone on to bigger and better things, with these early outings really not showing them in the best light. As much as I love “Microcosmic God,” Sturgeon has since written superior and more mature short stories that are more indicative of his style. I’m sure Asimov will tell you he has written better than “Nightfall.” Del Rey was similarly in his early 20s when he wrote “Helen O’Loy.” “A Martian Odyssey” was Weinbaum’s first SF story, although one could argue he never really topped it. The voters seemed to have prioritized a story’s initial impact over whether the author has since written better.
These are minor gripes, ultimately, because those who are unfamiliar with SF of this vintage will find the contents so far to be (probably) entertaining as well as providing a useful (if biased) timeline for the history of the form. And we’re just getting started.
[New to the Journey? Read this for a brief introduction!]
![[July 22, 1966] Ridiculous! (August 1966 <i>Amazing</i>)](https://galacticjourney.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/amz-0866-cover-665x372.png)
