Old Pulp SciFi

October 2014... Holiday time... and I relaxed with a few downloaded science fiction stories. Turns out, they were mostly short stories and from pulp magazines from the early days of sf... The early days, that is, of my own sf reading.

Interesting memories !

A Martian Odyssey
by Stanley Grauman Weinbaum
copyright 1949
rated 5: readable, but only if there's nothing else

There's an episode of the TV series QI where Stephen Fry tells the story of an Eskimo tribe and their sacred meteorites. The meteorites were the tribe's only source of metal. And were objects of tribal worship.

An American explorer discovers the tribes. Discovers the meteorites. Is amazed. So he steals the meteorites and takes them home to America.

Weinbaum has taken that story and set it on Mars.

Is A Martian Odyssey a warning ? A pointed reminder that relative strength is no excuse for theft of cultural artifacts ? A sarcastic commentary on the ignorance of the explorer with superior firepower ?

Or is it just an example of a 1949 attitude that primitive tribes are there to be exploited.

Stairway to the Stars
by Larry Shaw
copyright 1951
rated 6: read to pass the time

So where are all the aliens ? Oh, they've just banned all contact until we get ourselves into space... Why, banned ? Here's one explanation.

What else is there in this story ? Mad scientist, honest but slow editor, beautiful alien and sneering alien. Alien powers and human responses.

From the introduction, the editor may be a bit of fun at the expense of an actual editor... Which badly loses its point, when all the knowledgeable in-crowd has died of old age.

Just a bit of fun. Enjoyable. Nothing great.

Star Guard
by Andre Norton
copyright 1955
rated 6: read to pass the time

Turns out that this is a complete novel. Thanks to Baen Books and their policy of allowing free download of complete books... As I understand it, Star Guard and Star Rangers were republished, together as Star Soldiers, in 2001.

Earth has entered space -- and found that it is crowded with aliens. Earth people find themselves to be low people on the totem pole...

The bulk of the book is a bunch of sword-wielding humans battling their way across an alien planet. Unbelievable -- but no more unbelievable than any other adventure story :-)

Then we meet the people who are working -- secretly -- to set Earth free. Humans will be forever free... eventually !

Excitement and adventure in a not too challenging plot. Read, enjoy.

Star Rangers
by Andre Norton
copyright 1953
rated 6: read to pass the time

Another enjoyable and unbelievable romp. Less aliens and more... possible... significance. Set in the same universe as Star Guard but many years later...

I think that's right. I was uncertain when I read it. It's now more than a month -- and many books read -- later. Sorry !

What I do remember, is that I enjoy a book which teaches me some history ! March east out of Rome, the Emperor tells his Legion. March east and never stop marching...

And the Star Rangers have a very similar objective. The universe may be falling down around their ears. The Star Rangers know -- and will follow -- their duty.

More meaningful than Star Guard, with less action. I appreciate the efforts of the heroic Rangers. They aim to build a better galaxy, one planet at a time...

It's not great. Just not too bad.

Equation of Doom
by Gerald Vance
copyright 1957
rated 6: read to pass the time

Tough hero, beautiful heroine, evil aliens. A mind-boggling secret which will give ultimate power to its discoverer.

Is the universe ready for such power ?

The plot is slightly complex, with no great surprises. What's the role of the beautiful but dumb stripper ? Unexpected but no real surprise.

Okay, it's not a great story. But it is nice to have a story with a message.

Standard space fare. Fun to read. Perhaps a small cut above the rest.

The Cosmic Express
by Jack Williamson
copyright 1930
rated 7: well worth reading

Well worth reading ?! Well...

Simple, fun, totally cliche plot twist. Was it a cliche in 1930 ?

Then there's the science. Well beyond its time. In fact, well beyond today's science ! Using technology that was only successfully implemented for the construction of the NCC 1701, the USS Enterprise...

The world had been set to rights. Weather is fine, everyone is happy. Life is one long warm happy summer's afternoon... Boring, eh ?!

The hero is bored. So he teleports to a "real" environment. One where he can prove his capability. Where he can succeed by dint of his own hard work !

Of course, a real environment turns out to be much worse than he imagined...

Still, I wonder if the truth would discourage every would-be adventurer ?

Wouldn't it be nice to have just a little bit of excitement ? Can't the weather control managers at least provide the occasional unexpected rainstorm ?

Williamson recognises that Utopia can easily become very boring. Nice. Safe. But boring.

It's unfortunate that he only investigates the other extreme, of constant deadly danger. Then does not consider that it's not really utopia if life is always boring.

In the Year 2889
by Jules Verne
copyright 1889
rated 5: readable, but only if there's nothing else

Rated 5 ? Is that a bit harsh ? Perhaps.

But there is no story.

This is an essay on life and technology of the far future. So Verne may have a great imagination. That doesn't make for a great story.

On the other hand... This story was written more than a century ago. The predictions are imaginative but not great. What we do get...

What we get, is an insight into the thinking of the year 1889. This is what the advanced thinkers of the day were seeing, for their own far future. For that, it is an interesting story.

If it were written today ? There's nothing really bad about it. I would just read it and think, Ho hum.

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