Fantastic Universe/Volume 08/Number 3/Universe in Books
universe
in
books
by . . . Hans Stefan Santesson
Don't miss Lester Del Rey's excellent Nerves (Ballantine Books, 35 cents). Described as "an explosive story of danger in a peacetime atomics plant," it is, more than that, an effective story of the impact on these men of threatened disaster. A new and highly unstable radioactive isotope is out of control and—within hours, unless these men succeed—half a continent may be wiped out in the worst peacetime disaster in the atomic age. Del Rey, one of the field's ablest writers, should be remembered for a long time for this portrait of men racing Deatlr in a very near future. Recommended.
M. K. Jessup's The u f o Annual (Citadel, $4.95) is a compendium of current reports, UFO sightings, and of scientific data relating to UFO either directly or indirectly. It is planned that the UFO Annual "is and will be the nearest thing to date to a 'central clearing house' for any and all UFO reports and investigations."
It is pointed out that this is necessary in order to balance the inability of the Press—deliberate or otherwise—to separate fact from fiction or hoax. A focal point is needed for "individual sightings, observations, analyses and even hypotheses." There is need for a UFO Annual, Editor Jessup further points out, "because no other medium is assembling scientific data and discourse pertinent to UFO operations, and making it easily available to all of the people seriously interested in UFO."
The sightings and other reports, day after day, week after week, here and abroad, convincing and less convincing, add up to impressive accumulated evidence of both world interest in and obvious existence of what have come to be described as UFO. While Dr. Jessup, also author of The Case For the UFO, is, as he admits, often "generous with comment," and has perhaps been a little less than selective in the case of some reports, the result is still an authoritative addition to the material in this field.
Harold Mead's The Bright Phoenix (Ballantine Books, 35 cents), is a disturbing excursion into a post-Catastrophe future where an authoritarian state dominates the thinking and the mores of the times. Reflecting a somewhat less than optimistic school of thinking within Science Fiction, Mead, an English writer not previously published here, describes a "perfect" State, worshipping at the Shrine of the Human Spirit, the citizens of the State dedicated to the mission of resettling the devastated areas of the world.
The State Hymn says—
"Lead us, Human Spirit, lead us.
To the peace that we would see.
Guide, inspire, condition, feed us
That perfected we may be;
That the world may take redemption
From man manifest in thee."
The difficulty lies in the fact that the human spirit has certain less than admirable qualities.
This world of the Spirit of Man is a strange world of light, of dedication to the "Spirit of Man that alone arose from the ashes of man's folly," and of shadows for the dissenters who "have to be cleansed from the past that still besmires them." John Waterville finds himself in eventual and very definite opposition to this State and to the types created by it. Ballantine Books, who as I have said in former columns—have repeatedly published interesting and provocative material in this field, have done so with this novel that compares, in stature and tempo, with John Wyndham's Rebirth. Recommended.
Albro Gaul's The Complete Book of Space Travel (World, $4.95) is a basic introduction to the problems and facts essential to the world of the day after tomorrow, the era of Space Travel. Dealing with the problems space travelers will have to contend with, Gaul discusses the physical and biological conditions within the spaceship in flight, the difficulties to be surmounted in building the ship, the training of the prospective space pilot, and the problems of space travel itself including the very real problems of navigating in space.
The book is illustrated by Virgil Finlay.
Sam Moskowitz's Portfolio of Early Spaceships 1638-1929, a part of the Gaul book, will interest many readers. Former Managing Editor of Science Fiction Plus, Moskowitz, has assembled an interesting group of illustrations from the days of Cyrano de Bergerac's famous Voyage to the Sun, to Jules Verne and early Gernsback.
Gray Barker's disturbing They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers (University Books, $3.50), describes the silencing, one by one, of leading figures among flying saucer researchers who challenge official denials that saucers come from outer space. Three men in dark suits visit one of these researchers, who abruptly withdraws from saucer research. Strange things happen to other researchers. Barker asks WHY?
Perhaps the first book to describe the personalities of the men and women active in Saucer Research. They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers will undoubtedly cause a certain amount of discussion. Quite frank in his description of these men and women, Barker also discusses theories of various researchers and possible explanations of much of what has happened. Interesting.
THE STORY BEHIND THE COVER. . .
Even as on Earth the desert-dwelling aborigines perform their rain-making dances, so similarly on wetly steaming Venus the natives perform their dry-making dances. While this may not be "scientific" in the gadget-and-gimmick sense, it's much more picturesque than Venusian machinery, which— due to unfavorable atmospheric conditions— cannot be left exposed, but is covered by protective sheathing and therefore looks somewhat like the dustcatching insides of an early pre-atomic age. The Venusians describe this as draco-pixll. . . .
But that's another story. . . .
The girl caught in the swirl (and liking it) is a fair tourist from Earth of course, happily posing for our lensman in the latest (3466 A. D.) touring-costume.
ENJOY VIVACIOUS VACATIONS ON VIVID VENUS!
—Hecticolor Snapimage by Hannes Bok
(Courtesy Interstellar Travel Service)