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Arthur Leo Zagat



Pen names: Grendon Alzee, Anton York
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"Back to 20,000 A.D."
(with Nat Schachner)
(20,000 AD series)
© Wonder Stories, Mar 1931
--/ cool sf novella

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"Beyond the Spectrum"
© Astounding Stories, Aug 1934
--/ fourth place sf story
--/ shock value
--/ rare find

Something from outer space turns villagers into zombies (and worse than zombies). Done in a visceral, horror-infused way, this tale is a precursor to movies by George Romero, and such unapologetic gore-fests as "Slither" or Peter Jackson's "Dead Alive" . It has a much creepier tone than any of these movies though, because it leaves the worst parts unseen, only hinted. There is something about blinded people walking around the countryside that is deeply scary - this was in part replicated by Stalin in the 1930s, who turned the whole nation into blinded zombies intent on destroying each other.



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"The Cavern of the Shining Pool"
© Thrilling Wonder Stories, Oct 1937
--/ third place space sf novella
--/ adventure award
--/ wonder award
--/ rare find


"Drink We Deep" (nv)
© 1937, Argosy All-Story
Fantastic Novels, 1953
--/ cool f novel
--/ wonder award
--/ awesome scale
--/ rare find


"The Faceless Men"
© Thrilling Wonder Stories, Apr 1948
--/ fourth place sf novella
--/ wonder award
--/ rare find


"The Lanson Screen"
© Thrilling Wonder Stories, Dec 1936
--Groff Conklin' story selection
--/ cool sf story
--/ wonder award: bubble over NY
--/ rare find

"The Song Of The Cakes"
(with Nat Schachner)
© Oriental Stories, Aut 1931
--/ rare find


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EXPLANATION OF THE RATING SYSTEM:

"SF&F Reading Experience" is part of "Dark Roasted Blend / Thrilling Wonder" family of sites. We try to highlight the most entertaining and rewarding science fiction and fantasy, with emphasis on memorable reader experience, not necessarily general acceptance by the critics. Have fun, and delve into our extensive ratings and reviews!

Most reviews are written by Avi Abrams, unless otherwise noted. Reviews also appear on our unique historical retrospective page Wonder Timeline of Science Fiction. Feel free to submit your own review, if a particular story is not listed here.


All major OFFICIAL AWARDS are highlighted in BLUE
("winner" has a letter "W" by it, otherwise it is a runner-up only)

Our PERSONAL AWARDS (ratings) are highlighted in RED and PURPLE:
--/ first place :
--/ second place :
--/ third place :

--/ fourth place :

--/ cool : (equal to fifth place)
ALL "BEST OF" LISTS ARE LOCATED HERE

These awards are given in the following categories:
- novel :
- series :
- novella :
- story :
- collection :

Also, there are our personal STYLE / GENRE SPECIFIC AWARDS. These reflect the story's content and the lasting impression on the reader:

--/ wonder award
sense-of-wonder, "visual intensity" and inventiveness

--/ idea award
originality of idea / concept

--/ adventure award
exhilarating plot, excitement / action

--/ style award
outstanding literary qualities, inimitable style

--/ romance award
intense and beautiful love / relationships

--/ humour award
funny and cool

--/ emotion award
touching, lasting impression, sensitivity

--/ shock value
altogether wild

--/ awesome scale
mind-boggling; further enhances sense-of-wonder

--/ rare find
very hard to locate, mostly from old pulps, never reprinted, etc.

Again, please feel free to leave your own review or comment under every writer's entry; also recommend us other stories you liked.