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John W. Campbell



Marvelous writer of epic super-science space adventures in the 1930s and the father of the Golden Age of Science Fiction in the 1940s.
Pen-names: Don A. Stuart, Karl Van Campen

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"All"
(as by Don A. Stuart)
© Astounding, 1939 unpubl.
The Space Beyond, 1976
--/ cool sf novella
--/ rare find

"Atomic Power"
(as by Don A. Stuart)
© Astounding Stories, Dec 1934
--Groff Conklin's story selection
--/ fourth place sf story
--/ wonder award
--/ idea: galaxies spinning away
--/ awesome scale
--/ rare find

"The Battery of Hate"
(also as "Uncertainty")
© Amazing, Nov 1933
--/ fourth place space sf novella
--/ wonder award
--/ awesome scale


"The Black Star Passes" (nv)
(Arcot, Wade & Morey)
© Amazing Stories Quarterly, Fll 1930
novel: Fantasy Press 1953
--/ third place space sf novel
--/ wonder award
--/ awesome scale


"Blindness"
(as by Don A. Stuart)
© Astounding, Mar 1935
Who Goes There?, 1948
--/ cool sf story
--/ idea award

"The Brain Pirates"
(Penton & Blake)
© Thrilling Wonder Stories, Oct 1938
The Planeteers, Ace 1966
--/ fourth place space sf story
--/ wonder award
--/ style award
--/ adventure award


"The Brain Stealers of Mars"
(Penton & Blake)
© Thrilling Wonder Stories, Dec 1936
Wonder Story Annual, 1952
The Planeteers, Ace 1966
--/ second place space sf story
--/ humour award
--/ idea award
--/ wonder award
--/ style award
--/ adventure award


"Cloak of Aesir"
(as by Don A. Stuart)
© Astounding, Mar 1939
Cloak of Aesir, 1952
Who Goes There? 1955
--/ cool sf novella

"The Double Minds"
(Penton & Blake)
© Thrilling Wonder Stories, Aug 1937
Fantastic Story Magazine, Win 1954

The Planeteers, Ace 1966
--/ third place space sf story
--/ idea award
--/ wonder award
--/ style award
--/ adventure award


----------------------------------------------



"The Escape"
(as by Don A. Stuart)
© Astounding Stories, May 1935
Cloak of Aesir, 1952
--/ cool sf story

"An odd love story forms the core of "The Escape," where a brave new world relies on neural coercion to enforce matings." I found this story not to the usual Campbell standards, but still engaging. "The Cloak of Aesir" collection in general left me unmoved, mostly because Campbell adopts a more dry, academic, flat narrative style in these stories. Which is strange, considering that he usually chose the pen-name Don A. Stuart to go with his more emotional, atmospheric pieces, such as "Twilight" or "Night".
review: 08-Aug-06 (read in 2005)

----------------------------------------------

"Forgetfulness"
(as by Don A. Stuart)
© Astounding, Jun 1937
Cloak of Aesir, 1952
--Pre-1940 short fiction All-Time Poll /6
--/ fourth place sf story
--/ wonder award
--/ idea award


"The Immortality Seekers"
(Penton & Blake)
© Thrilling Wonder Stories, Oct 1937
The Planeteers, Ace 1966
--/ fourth place space sf story
--/ wonder award
--/ adventure award


----------------------------------------------



"Interference on Luna"
(Cosmos Series)
© Science Fiction Digest, Jul 1932
Fantasy Magazine, Dec 1934

Perry Rhodan, Ace Books
--/ fourth place space sf series
--/ wonder award
--/ awesome scale
--/ rare find

Unreal... This is simply the most unique event in history of science fiction, the collaboration between the brightest stars in the field, some at the beginning of their career, some at the peak of their powers. The list of writers is a shining "all-star" galaxy in itself. The fiction is... well, it's certainly big-scale, brimming with grand conflict, ridiculous science, unpronounceable names and places, and more BANG that you ever encountered between soft book covers - testing, in fact, the limits of reader's imagination and believability. Impossibly hard to find today, "Cosmos" spanned the issues of "Science Fiction Digest", and then "Fantasy Magazine" (the installments were not printed in the issues themselves but as a separately-bound supplements).

Personally I liked the "Last Poet" part of the serial and the crazy, absolutely delirious space battle extravaganza contributed by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach. A multi-dimensional "Wrongness of Space" anomaly attacks our system; a bunch of alien menaces and mad scientists pop out of every wrinkle of time and space, flying around (some may say chaotically) and driving the serial to its bang-up finish - good old Edmond Hamilton destroying planets Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus with an atomic disintegrator ray in his "Armageddon in Space". In other words, "The Cosmos" series is well worth searching out, it's a monumental literary artifact from the "wonder pulps" era, quite enjoyable even to this day.

----------------------------------------------




"The Invaders"

(as Don A. Stewart)
© Astounding, Jun 1935
--/ cool sf story
--/ wonder award
--/ shock value

This has been a bit of a surprise: Don A. Stewart supposed to be lyrical and somewhat poetic alter-ego of John W. Campbell, but certainly not in this story, which is a gritty account of invasion by cannibalistic aliens, who take human specimens for grizzly scientific anatomy investigations. In times, the story seemed to be shocking just for the sake of it, and in this respect belongs more in "Marvel Tales"-like pulp. Certainly an oddity, no wonder it was not often reprinted.
review: 25-Dec-07 (read in 2007)



----------------------------------------------

"Invaders from the Infinite" (nv)
(Arcot, Wade & Morey)
© Amazing Stories Quarterly, Spr 1932
book: Fantasy Press, 1961
--/ third place space sf novel
--/ wonder award
--/ awesome scale


"Islands of Space" (nv)
(Arcot, Wade & Morey)
© Amazing Stories Quarterly, Spr 1931
book: Fantasy Press, 1956
--/ third place space sf novel
--/ wonder award
--/ awesome scale


"The Last Evolution"
© Amazing, Aug 1932
The Best of John W. Campbell, 1976
--/ third place space sf story
--/ wonder award
--/ awesome scale


"The Machine"
(as by Don A. Stuart)
© Astounding, Feb 1935
Cloak of Aesir, 1952
--/ cool sf story
--/ idea award

"Marooned"
(as by Karl Van Kampen)
© Astounding, 1937 unpubl.
The Space Beyond, 1976
--/ fourth place space story
--/ wonder award
--/ adventure award
--/ rare find


"Megapolis" (nf)
© Astounding, Feb 1948

"The Mightiest Machine" (nv)
© Astounding, Dec 1934
novel: Ace Books, 1964
--/ third place space sf novel
--/ wonder award
--/ awesome scale


"Night"
(as by Don A. Stuart)
(sequel to "Twilight")
© Astounding, Oct 1935
Who Goes There?, 1948
--Pre-1940 short fiction All-Time Poll /5
--/ fourth place sf story
--/ style award
--/ wonder award
--/ emotion award


"Other Eyes Watching" (nf)
© Astounding, Feb 1937

"Piracy Preferred"
(Arcot, Wade & Morey)
© Amazing, Jun 1930
The Black Star Passes, 1953
--/ cool space sf novella
--/ wonder award
--/ awesome scale


"The Planeteers" (coll)
(Penton & Blake)
© Ace Books Double, 1966
--/ FIRST place space sf collection
--/ second place space sf series

--/ wonder award
--/ style award
--/ adventure award


"Solarite"
(Arcot, Wade & Morey)
© Amazing Stories, Nov 1930
The Black Star Passes, 1953
--/ cool space sf novella
--/ wonder award
--/ awesome scale


"The Space Beyond" (nv)
© Amazing Stories, 1937 unpubl.
The Space Beyond, 1976
--/ cool sf novella

"The Tenth World"
(Penton & Blake)
© Thrilling Wonder Stories, Dec 1937
The Planeteers, 1966
--/ second place space sf story
--/ wonder award
--/ style award
--/ adventure award


"Twilight"
(as by Don A. Stuart)
© Astounding, Nov 1934
Who Goes There?, 1948
--short fiction : 1971 Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll /21 (tie)
--Pre-1940 short fiction All-Time Poll W (tie)

--/ third place sf story
--/ style award
--/ wonder award


"The Ultimate Weapon" (nv)
(also as "Uncertainty")
© Amazing, Oct 1936
novel : Ace Books, 1966
--/ fourth place sf novel
--/ wonder award
--/ awesome scale


"Uncertainty"
(also as "The Ultimate Weapon")
(also as "The Battery of Hate")
© Amazing, Oct 1936
novel : Ace Books, 1966
--/ fourth place sf novel
--/ wonder award
--/ awesome scale


"The Voice of the Void"
© Amazing Stories Quarterly, Sum 1930
Amazing Stories, Aug 1966
--/ third place sf story
--/ wonder award
--/ awesome scale


"When The Atoms Failed"
© Amazing Stories, Jan 1930
Great SF Classics, 1967
--/ cool sf story
--/ rare find

"Who Goes There?"
(as by Don A. Stuart)
© Astounding, Aug 1938
Who Goes There?, 1948
--Pre-1940 short fiction All-Time Poll W (tie)
--short fiction : 1971 Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll /26 (tie)
--novella : 1999 Locus All-Time Poll /6 (tie)

--/ second place sf novella
--/ wonder award
--/ adventure award
--/ style award
--/ idea award


"Who Goes There?" (coll)
© 1949, Arkham House
--1949 Arkham Survey /13 (tie)
--book : 1952 Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll /5
--book : 1956 Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll /13 (tie)

--/ third place sf collection
--/ wonder award

------------------------

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