FROM THE SCIENCE FICTION SHELVES

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31113, 16 July 1966, Page 4

FROM THE SCIENCE FICTION SHELVES

October the First is Too Late. By Fred Hoyle. Heinemann. 200 pp. Fred Hoyle, the eminent British astronomer, has already achieved distinction as a science fiction writer of considerable ability, and his latest novel in undeniably his best yet Indeed, it is one of the best science fiction novels of the last 12 months. A characteristic of Mr Hoyle is his lucid, down-to-earth style, employed here in a profound discussion of the significance of time and the meaning of consciousness; a discussion which Mr Hoyle says is to be taken seriously. But most important, the tale which is woven around the concepts developed does not suffer in the least from the philosophical content. The story is told in the first person by a young English composer and musician, who as a consequence of his undergraduate friendship with a brilliant mathematician and physicist, finds himself deeply involved in a series of extremely strange temporal changes which overtake the Earth. As a result, he finds himself “travelling through time” (although not with the aid of a time machine) to places as far apart as Ancient Greece and the far-distant future when the Earth is cold and dead. The end of the novel is a little depressing, as can be expected of a work which views pessimistically the future of man; but even then, “October the First is Too Late” is an enthralling and stimulating book. All Flesh is Grass. By Clifford Simak. Gollancz. 260 pp. The pastoral theme which pervades the writing of Clifford Simak, and the semimysticism of an earlier fantasy, “Ring Around the Sun,” are again present in his latest novel, “All Flesh is Grass.” This is a companion work to the earlier novel in that it employs the idea, which first appeared in “Ring Around the Sun," of a succession of Earths existing immediately adjacent to each other, but separated by a fraction of a second in time. The hero is Brad Carter, an unsuccessful small-town businessman who unwillingly becomes the spokesman for mankind in its negotiations with the aliens who, far from being the tentacled monsters of “pulp” science fiction, are the supremely imaginative Purple Flowers, a highly intelligent sentient plant that inhabits the world immediately adjacent (in time) to our own Earth. It all starts when an impenetrable barrier is created, surrounding the village of Millville; and there are the enigmatic messages which come over the telephones without cords or dials. All this leads to man’s first contact with an alien unlike any th-t he had anticipated, and from a world terrifyingly close in both space and time. In addition to Mr Simak’s lyrical treatment of rural settings is his preoccupation with time, a subject that, because of man’s ignorance of it, lends itself readily to imaginative treatment. In “All Flesh is Grass,” Mr Simak conclusively proves that it is unnecessary to go beyond the Earth to provide most of the trappings so beloved of science fiction writers. This is a novel which deserves a place in any science fiction collection.

The Star Fox. By Poul Anderson. Gollancz. 274 pp.

Space adventure stories provide light relief from more serious science fiction, and Poul Anderson could reasonably be expected to write an exciting and invigorating story of this kind. But “The Star Fox” is disappointing, especially from a writer with the ability of Mr Anderson. The usual trappings are

present—F.T.L. (faster-than-light drive), laser guns and space battles between man and alien —but the plot is basically a conventional one, and many of the events related are hackneyed, although the treatment is competent The plot concerns Earthmen and the Aleriona, whose (“spheres of influence” in ‘space have met. The Aleriona (have captured the Earth out- ! post New Europe, claiming that all the inhabitants have ‘been killed. The World J Federation on Earth wants peace at any price, but some men, such as the ex-Navy Captain. Gunnar Heim, believe that the Aleriona must be stopped at once. Discovering that the inhabitants of New Europe have not all been killed, he outfits a ship and travels to the vicinity, where he engages in a guerrilla war in space against the ships of the Aleriona. Had Mr Anderson confined himself to relating the exploits of Heim the privateer, instead of devoting such a large portion of the novel to Heim’s preparations for the guerrilla war, he might have produced a more balanced and exciting work. But even with these faults, it is still a reasonably good adventure story, though likely to be disappointing to readers knowing Mr Anderson’s work. Plague From Space. By Harry Harrison. Gollancz. 207 PPHarry Harrison is a consistently able writer of science fiction, and his most recent novel, “Plague From Space,” is enthralling, vivid and most entertaining. The plot is credible, the characters well-drawn, and the construction superbly balanced. Love interest in science fiction is sometimes introduced for no other reason than the author’s belief that his readers demand it, but in “Plague From Space,” the love interest is skilfully presented as an integral part of the story, and is commendably free of cloying sentimentality. The story is of a plague, Rand’s disease, which is brought to Earth by a spaceship returning from Jupiter. The effects of the plague, and

the inability of doctors to discover a cure, are related with terrifying credibility. The story derives much of its impact from the very real possibility, unless careful precautions are taken, of an alien virus being brought to Earth by a returning spaceship. The ease with which the thin veneer of civilisation is stripped from the masses, who are impotent in the face of a crisis far bigger than they, is also terrifying in its implications. “Plague From Space" is excellent science fiction, and a worthy successor to Mr Harrison’s "Bill, The Galactic Hero.” The Eighth Galaxy Reader. Edited by Frederick Pohl. Gollancz. 248 pp. These 12 stories, selected from the “Galaxy” magazine during the last five years, are representative of the best work done in science fiction over the period. There are a few editors of anthologies who have impeccable taste, so that the book buyer need look no further than the editor’s name to be assured of excellent reading—Mr Pohl is such an editor. Of particular note in this collection is that nearly half of the stories are humorous. Although still in its infancy, humorous science fiction presents limitless opportunities to the social satirist, and Albert Bermel’s “The End of the Race,” which takes a hilariously provocative tilt at peace talks and disarmament conferences, is a fine example of writing in this vein. The pungent wit of C. C. MacApp's "And All the Earth a Grave” is also notable. The conventional space stories are represented by Hal Clement’s “Hot Planet,” a story of an exploratory team on Mercury, and “Final Encounter,” in which Harry Harrison paints a depressing picture of the search for intelligent life elsewhere in our galaxy. In contrast to these is “Dawningsburgh” by Wallace West, a poetic and touching story of the “invasion” of Mars by tourists from Earth. This is an enjoyable anthology which can be recommended to the collector of science fiction anthologies.