Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Galaxy Science Fiction, March 1951


An average issue for its time. The delRey’s story was badly overlong, otherwise the stories fair fairly readable.

The Wind Between the Worlds • novelette by Lester del Rey

The earth has joined an interstellar alliance of matter transfers network. There is an accident, and the matter transmitter starts to pump air at a very high pressure to another world. It seems impossible to stop the cascade. A badly overlong story about the value of cooperation and trust. **+
The Other Now • shortstory by Murray Leinster
A man has bereaved recently after his wife died in a freak traffic accident. He notices that there are fresh cigarette stumps on an ash tray the wife usually used. Also, her diary seems to get new entries – detailing the sorrow of a wife who has lost her husband. A fairly good story, but could have been longer with more details. ***+
Good Night, Mr. James • novelette by Clifford D. Simak
A man comes aware of himself on a yard. Slowly he starts to remember that he is trying to catch a dangerous alien animal. There are a few surprises in the story, none of them very surprising. Wouldn’t there be SOME sort of controls which kind of animals can be brought to Earth? A fairly dated tale. ***-
Socrates • shortstory by John Christopher
Man stops an owner from killing a misshapen puppy. He offers to buy it and owner agrees to keep it for a while. A few weeks later he comes to get the dog. The owner refuses to give the dog as it has turned out to be extremely intelligent and easily trained. He starts to use the dog as show dog on a theater circuit, and later starts to treat it really badly. But dogs tend to be loyal…A fair, but sad story, another one which was too short. ***

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