Sunday, March 17, 2024

"His Forehead Rested in a Pool of Blood, Surrounded by the Tiny Browning Footprints of the Flies"

"I, Gardener."
By Allen Kim Lang (born 1928; FictionMags HERE; ISFDb HERE; SFE HERE.)
First appearance: Fantastic Science Fiction Stories, December 1959.

Reprinted in Fantastic, April 1969.
Short short story (7 pages).
Online at SFFAudio (HERE) and The Luminist Archives (HERE; go to text page 89).


   "'I was imperfect,' he said."

It has been noted many times that we often fool ourselves into thinking we exercise mastery not only over nature but also ourselves because of our inventions, which will serve to save us from our own folly. But wasn't it a genius inventor who cautioned, "You may live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension"? Because that's just what our narrator is about to experience . . .

Main characters:
~ The narrator (unnamed):

  "I had flown to Boston to sign Doctor Axel Ozoneff to a contract with my new fall television show, 'Point of View'."
~ Doctor Axel Ozoneff:
  ". . . a writer whose byline appeared on the Contents page of a dozen magazines and journals regularly as their copyright notice, and a poet of considerable skill, Dr. Ozoneff 
was besides something of a television personality."
~ The gardener:
  ". . . stared at me as though gauging my sincerity; then he looked for a moment as though his leather face might bend into a smile."

References and resources:
- "a cadre of intellectual fuglemen":
  Formerly a military term that has been broadened: "These days it is used for a person who is a staunch advocate, a cheerleader, a publicist, or a mouthpiece." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "a mystery figure in a Navaho sand-painting":
  "There are 600 to 1,000 different traditional designs for sandpaintings known to the Navajo. They do not view the paintings as static objects, but as spiritual, living beings to be treated with great respect. More than 30 different sandpaintings may be associated with one ceremony." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "the taxi drive from Logan International Airport":
  A very active place: "[Logan is] an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partially in Winthrop, Massachusetts. It opened in 1923, covers 2,384 acres (965 ha), has six runways and four passenger terminals, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the largest airport in both the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the New England region in terms of passenger volume and cargo handling as well as the busiest airport in the Northeastern United States outside the New York metropolitan area. The airport saw 42 million passengers in 2019, the most in its history." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "the sting of the lilies' sermon missed me":
  A lot of symbolism has been attached to lilies: "In the Victorian language of flowers, lilies portray love, ardor, and affection for your loved ones, while orange lilies stand for happiness, love, and warmth. Lilies are the flowers most commonly used at funerals, where they symbolically signify that the soul of the deceased has been restored to the state of innocence." (Wikipedia HERE.) Is the gardener hinting at something sinister with his comments?

- "why the poet sang his dream of the land where they [lemon-trees] grow":
  A reference to "Mignon" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. (Poetry Nook HERE.)

- "Radioisotopes?":
  "A radionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope or radioactive isotope) is a nuclide that has excess numbers of either neutrons or protons, giving it excess nuclear energy, and making it unstable. . . . Unplanned exposure to radionuclides generally has a harmful effect on living organisms including humans, although low levels of exposure occur naturally without harm. The degree of harm will depend on the nature and extent of the radiation produced, the amount and nature of exposure (close contact, inhalation or ingestion), and the biochemical properties of the element; with increased risk of cancer the most usual consequence." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "Squamous epithelium!":
  "Squamous cells have the appearance of thin, flat plates that can look polygonal when viewed from above. Their name comes from squāma, Latin for 'scale' – as on fish or snake skin. The cells fit closely together in tissues, providing a smooth, low-friction surface over which fluids can move easily." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "The wall of the First Law":
  Supposedly an insuperable prohibition devised by Isaac Asimov: "The First Law: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm."
 (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "mysteries and science-fiction and textbooks and essays":
  What person could produce such prodigious works? "A prolific writer, he [Isaac Asimov] wrote or edited more than 500 books. He also wrote an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. Best known for his hard science fiction, Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as popular science and other non-fiction." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "I am his creature, sir":
  "Victor Frankenstein builds the creature over a two-year period in the attic of his boarding house in Ingolstadt after discovering a scientific principle which allows him to create life from non-living matter. Frankenstein is disgusted by his creation, however, and flees from it in horror. Frightened, and unaware of his own identity, the monster wanders through the wilderness. . . . Enraged, the creature feels that humankind is his enemy and begins to hate his creator for abandoning him. However, although he despises Frankenstein, he sets out to find him, believing that he is the only person who will help him." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- One of the characters in our story easily passes Nilsson's Employment Test: "A machine performs an economically important job at least as well as humans in the same job." (Wikipedia HERE and HERE.)
- Our latest encounter with Asimov and his Laws concerned his story "Mirror Image" (HERE).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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Wednesday, March 13, 2024

"Three Measly Little Miles!"

"Old Fireball."
Kerry Dale No. 1.
By Nat Schachner (1895-1955; Wikipedia HERE; ISFDb HERE).
Illustrated by Schneeman (1912-72; ISFDb HERE).
First appearance: Astounding, June 1941.
Novelette (27 pages, 2 illos).
Online at The Luminist Archives (HERE; go to text page 79).
(Note: Text slightly faded.)
(Parental caution: Some harsh language.)

   "As space became less of a thing unknown, and law and order took the place of the old scramble for new worlds, however, codes were established, spheres delimited and space law came into being."

A contract is a contract, and you're well-advised to read the fine print. A battle of wits and wills erupts between the umbrageous owner of a huge space corporation and a normally smart young lawyer who injudiciously forgets about the fine print and gets himself in a bind. Ultimately the question becomes whether the younger guy will be able to outsmart the corporate magnate before said captain of industry goes toes up . . .

Main characters (in order of appearance):
~ Simeon Kenyon:
  "Old Fireball was his nickname because of his habit of staging explosions on the slightest provocation."
~ Sally Kenyon:
  "She was mighty easy to look at."
~ Kerry Dale:
  "It was quite a comedown—from legal light to cargo wrestler. But what the hell! It was a job; and his funds were out."
~ Roger Horn:
  ". . . that smug old fossil."
~ Jem:
  "He shoved suddenly; and Kerry, off balance, went flying into the hold."
~ Captain Zachariah Ball of the Flying Meteor:
  "'Put this blasted swab into the brig,' he roared, 'without food or water until he's ready to work. And if he bothers me again, I'll make rocket fuel of him'."
~ Jericho Foote:
  "He must of spent a cool hundred thousand on that expedition of his alongside. All he brought back for it was a beautiful chart of that whole sector of space."
~ Jake Henner:
  "There wasn't anything left tuh bring back tuh bury, so I sorta registered the rock for his sake, me bein' sentimentallike."
~ Bellamy:
  "'They . . . they wouldn't have met,' Bellamy went on unhappily."

References and resources:
- "many and Homeric were the legal tilts and battles":
  "Homeric": A reference to the poet Homer and his magnum opuses, The Iliad and The Odyssey. (Wikipedia HERE.) "tilts": Contests usually called "jousting." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "the dangers of the Belt":
  Science fiction writers fell in love with the Asteroid Belt a long time ago. (Wikipedia HERE and HERE.)
- "the government of Mars":
  In those days Mars was a stylized version of the Sahara. (Wikipedia HERE and HERE.)
- "Ceres, Pallas, Vesta, and Juno":
  Not nearly as hospitable as many SFF authors have imagined: Ceres (Wikipedia HERE), Pallas (Wikipedia HERE), Vesta (Wikipedia HERE), and Juno (Wikipedia HERE).
- "the web-footed natives of Venus":
  Our author adopts the swampy version of the mysterious planet. (Wikipedia HERE and HERE.)
- "the Ganymedan hoosegow":
  So far the biggest known moon in the Solar System. (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "not far from Jupiter itself":
  Some wag has said that the Solar System consists of the Sun, the planet Jupiter, and a bunch of debris; over 1,300 Earths could fit inside Jupiter. (Wikipedia HERE and HERE.)
- "the first gold stampedes on Earth to California and the Klondike":
  It's reasonable to assume that gold fever will move out into space when humans do. (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "he formed holding companies":
  "A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own stock of other companies to form a corporate group." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "the law of inertia":
  In our story Kerry Dale puts a lot of faith in inertia. (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "a little space knockabout with a cruising range to the Moon":
  An extrapolation from maritime usage: "a small yacht or dinghy."
- "a still-unexplored Saturn":
  And still the most spectacular of the Outer Planets; some would say it's the prettiest one in the System. (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "The new atom-smashers that powered the world's work":
  An optimistic expectation. (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "the elements of its orbit":
  "Evolution of the orbital elements takes place due to the gravitational pull of bodies other than the primary, the nonsphericity of the primary, atmospheric drag, relativistic effects, radiation pressure, electromagnetic forces, and so on." (Wikipedia HERE.) It's that "and so on" that has Kerry worried.
- "do something, do anything, to shift that infernal bit of rock away":
  Moving space mountains around can have dire consequences. (Wikipedia HERE and HERE; see especially "Deflection technology concerns.")
- About the significance of Simeon Kenton's first name, see (HERE).
- "I got me a fine, too":
  In some jurisdictions it's common practice. (Wikipedia HERE.)
- The premise of possibly getting hit by a big space rock became the story starter for two 1960s TV series episodes: (WARNING! SPOILERS! HERE) and (WARNING! SPOILERS! HERE).
Previous story:
- There were only two novelettes in this series: No. 1, "Old Fireball" (above) and No. 2, "Jurisdiction" (ONTOS HERE), later combined in a fix-up novel. Since "Jurisdiction" 
heavily references events in "Old Fireball," we recommend that you read "Old Fireball
first.

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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Monday, March 11, 2024

"You Value Your Job, Boy, Don't You Do Any Detecting"

THE other day we featured a story by a prolific but relatively obscure pulpster. Today we're highlighting what looks like his last published story, this one entitled . . .

"Manners with Murder."
By Richard Howells Watkins (1895-1980; FictionMags, 2 pages HERE).
First appearance: Bestseller Mystery Magazine, May 1959.
Short story (9 pages).
Online at The Luminist Archives (HERE; go to text page 100.)

   "Sam looked down. It was the first time he had been introduced to a corpse."

She killed him. All the evidence says she did it. Even she says she did it. Case closed. But a smart sheriff's deputy isn't convinced; against his boss's orders he'll have to do some fancy "detecting" to prove otherwise . . .

Principal characters:
~ Cliff Raven:
  "His lean, courtly features made him look as if he belonged in these elegant surroundings, though the front of his head struck a sour note."
~ Clare Barrett:
  "I did kill him, of course."
~ Deputy Sheriff Sam Robbins:
  "What I mean, ma'am—don't talk. You need a lawyer, right fast."
~ Sheriff Ben Dunn:
  ". . . uttered a moan. With Ben, a bird in his cage was always worth two in the bush."
~ Hector Friend:
  ". . . a shrivelled, clever little man with large hands . . ."
~ Gabby Gelch:
  "You'll never get away with this!"
~ Ginny Wilding:
  "Ginny's alibi wouldn't crack."

References and resources:
- "Cape Canaveral, far up there to northward":
  At the time of our story, the Space Race was getting started, and that part of Florida was just beginning to swarm with Yankees; see Wikipedia (HERE).
- "plainly was no Sarah Bernhardt":
  Her name became synonymous with the acting profession; see Wikipedia (HERE).
- Our previous meeting with Deputy Sam Robbins and Sheriff Ben Dunn was (HERE).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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Saturday, March 9, 2024

"We Got an Open an' Shut Case Against Him"

"The Monkey Wrench Murder."
By Richard Howells Watkins (1895-1980; FictionMags, 2 pages HERE).
First appearance: Esquire, August 1944.
Short short short story (5 pages).
Online at Archive.org starting (HERE; text pages 28-29) and finishing (HERE; text pages 134-136).

   "The wrench had Chris's name burned on the handle."

For a chubby guy, our prime suspect in the murder of a sightseeing boat owner can be 
very slippery indeed. An ill-advised phone call, though, could signal the end of his few 
brief moments of freedom—and his life . . .

Main characters:
~ Fred Pieta:
  "Paul Novack's body had been found by Fred Pieta, Cuban deck hand and helmsman for Novack."
~ Matt Bond:
  ". . . the boatyard owner, had helped Sheriff Ben Dunn in dragging around the Seminole for clues."
~ Deputy Sam Robbins:
  "I was hoping Ben Dunn might take me on again."
~ Mary Tucker:
  "'There's been a murder.' Her words poured out. 'How can they think Chris killed a man, Sam?'"
~ Sheriff Ben Dunn:
  "Don't start that on me. Let the judge worry. You go get him. No funny business."
~ Deputy Tom Chester:
  ". . . frowned. 'I'd take escaping right unkindly,' he warned and touched his .38."
~ Chris Aeland:
  ". . . didn't look poured into his pants and shirt; he looked as if his clothes had been shrunk onto him by some new process."

Resources:
- FictionMags's thumbnail about Richard Howells Watkins: "Journalist, originally from New York; also wrote mystery novels. Lived in Riverside, Connecticut." Howells's short story writing career started in a 1919 issue of Detective Story Magazine and ran all the way to 1959. In addition to Sam Robbins and the sheriff's department of Colusa County, his other series characters were Outrageous O'Smith (Argosy, 1933-34), Silver Skull (DFW, 1933-34), and Patrolman Pete Slocum (DFW, 1934).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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Thursday, March 7, 2024

UPDATE: Joe Haldeman's THE FOREVER WAR

Added The Luminist Archives Analog and Amazing Stories links (HERE) to these segments of the story:
  - "Hero"
  - "We Are Very Happy Here"
  - "The Best of All Possible Worlds"
  - "End Game"
  - "You Can Never Go Back."

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

"This Was the Most Thorough Search in the Long and Honorable History of Spy-Catching"

AS AMAZING as it may seem, there actually is a solution to the problem of . . .

"The Little Spy."
The Puzzle Club No. 1.
By Ellery Queen (1905-71 and 1905-82; FictionMags, 4 pages HERE).
First appearance: Cavalier, January 1965.
Reprinted in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine (EQMM), September 1966; Ellery Queen’s Anthology #33, Spring/Summer 1977; and Murder in Mind (1967).
Short short story (8 pages in text).
Online at The Luminist Archives (HERE; go to text page 213).

   "Ellery was pulling on his nose, a sure sign of deep cerebration."

Usually Ellery Queen (the editor) throws a "CHALLENGE TO THE READER" with an expectation that the solution won't be easy, assuming you even arrive at one. In today's 
story, though, the sabot is on the other pied as Ellery Queen (the detective) is himself 
challenged to solve the problem of how a spy under the greatest scrutiny imaginable 
could ever hope to smuggle secret war plans to the enemy . . .

Principal characters:
~ Ellery Queen (the detective):
  ". . . Wednesday evening found him, at 7:30 to the tick, pushing the bell of a penthouse foyer in the nobbiest reaches of Park Avenue."
~ Syres:
  ". . . one of the ten wealthiest men in the United States."
~ Darnell:
  ". . . who was being mentioned frequently these days for the next opening on the Supreme Court."
~ Dr. Vreeland:
  "Other people meet regularly to play bridge. We meet to mystify each other . . ."
~ Emmy Wandermere:
  ". . . a wisp of a woman with shocking blue eyes and the handclasp of a man."
~ Dr. Arkavy:
  ". . . the Nobel Prize winning biochemist . . ."
~ J. Aubrey Tarleton:
  "A spic-and-span, courtly old gentleman out of a long-dead age."
  
References and resources:
- "a living room vast enough for a hidalgo's rancho":
  "In literature the hidalgo is usually portrayed as a noble who has lost nearly all of his family's wealth but still held on to the privileges and honours of the nobility. The prototypical fictional hidalgo is Don Quixote, who was given the sobriquet 'the Ingenious Hidalgo' by his creator, Miguel de Cervantes." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "any other association in gamesmanship":
  "Gamesmanship is the use of dubious (although not technically illegal) methods to win or gain a serious advantage in a game or sport. It has been described as 'Pushing the rules to the limit without getting caught, using whatever dubious methods possible to achieve the desired end'. It may be inferred that the term derives from the idea of playing for the game (i.e., to win at any cost) as opposed to sportsmanship, which derives from the idea of playing for sport." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "to do his bit for Uncle Sam":
  "Uncle Sam (which has the same initials as United States) is a common national personification of the federal government of the United States or the country in general. Since the early 19th century, Uncle Sam has been a popular symbol of the U.S. government in American culture and a manifestation of patriotic emotion." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "an ex-civil servant":
  "In the United States, the federal civil service was established in 1871. The Civil Service is defined as 'all appointive positions in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of the Government of the United States, except positions in the uniformed services.' (5 U.S.C. § 2101). In the early 19th century, government jobs were held at the pleasure of the president—a person could be fired at any time. The spoils system meant that jobs were used to support the political parties. This was changed in slow stages by the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 and subsequent laws. By 1909, almost two-thirds of the U.S. federal work force was appointed based on merit, that is, qualifications measured by tests." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "a Colonel Blimp mustache":
  "Colonel Blimp is a British cartoon character by cartoonist David Low, first drawn for Lord Beaverbrook's London Evening Standard in April 1934. Blimp is pompous, irascible, jingoistic, and stereotypically British, identifiable by his walrus moustache and the interjection 'Gad, Sir!'." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "his collection of eighteenth century miniatures by Richard Cosway and Ozias Humphry":
  "Miniature art includes paintings, engravings and sculptures that are very small; it has a long history that dates back to prehistory. The portrait miniature is the most common form in recent centuries, and from ancient times, engraved gems, often used as impression seals, and cylinder seals in various materials were very important." (Wikipedia HERE.) 
  "Richard Cosway RA (1742–1821) was a leading English portrait painter of the Georgian and Regency era, noted for his miniatures." (Wikipedia HERE.)
  "Ozias Humphry (or Humphrey) RA (1742–1810) was a leading English painter of portrait miniatures, later oils and pastels, of the 18th century." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "shortly before D-Day":
  About twenty years before our story: "The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day, it is the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the liberation of France, and the rest of Western Europe, and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- The Puzzle Club stories have passed through several hands (FictionMags data):

Frederic Dannay & Manfred B. Lee:
  (1) "The Little Spy," (ss) Cavalier #139, January 1965, as by Ellery Queen (above)
  (2) "The President Regrets," (ss) The Diners Club Magazine, September 1965, as by Ellery Queen
  (3) "The Three Students," (ss) Playboy, March 1971, as by Ellery Queen
  (4) "The Honest Swindler," (ss) The Saturday Evening Post, Summer 1971, as by Ellery Queen
  (5) "The Odd Man," (ss) Playboy, June 1971, as by Ellery Queen.
Josh Pachter:
  (6) "The Adventure of the Red Circles," (ss) Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, January/February 2020
  (7) "Their Last Bow," (ss) Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, January/February 2022.

- Our most recent EQ story was "Terror in a Penthouse" (HERE).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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Tuesday, March 5, 2024

UPDATE: Posting for "The Scientist and the Bagful of Water"

In "Resources" added The Luminist Archives AHMM links (HERE) to the following Arthur Porges stories:
   (1) "The Scientist and the Two Thieves"
   (2) "The Scientist and the Time Bomb"
   (3) "The Scientist and the Platinum Chain"
   (4) "The Scientist and the Exterminator"
   (5) "The Scientist and the Stolen Rembrandt."