Bryce Walton

Pen-names: Paul Franklin, Kenneth O'Hara, Dave Sands ---------------------------------------------- Bryce Walton "The City of the Singing Cubes" © Out of This World Adventures, Dec 1950 --/ cool sf story --/ rare find Destructive sound waves and somber music as a psychological weapon on a planet of the mysterious cities and pulsing cubes. The alien benign civilization quickly learns the ropes of warfare from the contact with human minds. Neat little (absolutely typical, in a solid Eric Frank Russell style) morality tale. review: 10-Jan-07 (read in 2007) ---------------------------------------------- "Doomsday 257 A.G.!" © Planet Stories, May 1952 --/ cool sf novella --/ wonder award --/ awesome scale --/ rare find "Dreamer's World" © IF, May 1952 --/ fourth place sf story --/ wonder award --/ rare find "The Green Dream" © Planet Stories, Win 1949 --/ cool sf story --/ wonder award --/ rare find "The Happy Herd" © IF, Oct 1956 --/ cool sf novella --/ wonder award --/ style award --/ rare find "Martian Nightmare" © Planet Stories, Jan 1951 --/ cool sf story --/ wonder award --/ rare find "Moon Of The World" © Fantastic Story, 1954 --/ fourth place space sf story --/ wonder award --/ rare find ---------------------------------------------- "Prisoner of the Brain-Mistress" © Planet Stories, Sum 1946 --/ cool sf novella --/ wonder award --/ rare find Oh my gosh, did you notice the titles in this pulp issue?? An epitome of cheese for some, and a quintessence of pulp "delirium" for others, it masks quite a wide range of quality. Bryce Walton whipped out his double-shooter and (grinning widely, with carefully measured cynicism) unloaded on a reader a barrage of cliche ideas, simple-minded adventures, heroes "par excellence" and dames "magnifique", shooting up an army of crazed robots along the way. It's useless to debate his ultimate intent in writing this story. Sell it. Get money. Load the double-shooter again. review: 28-Jul-06 (read in 2002) ---------------------------------------------- "To Each His Star" © 1952, Space Stories --/ fourth place space sf story --/ wonder award --/ style award --/ rare find "Too Late For Eternity" © Startling Stories, Spr 1955 --/ cool sf story: genders "Troubling of a Star" © 1964, Venture Science Fiction --/ cool sf story --/ wonder award --/ rare find ---------------------------------------------- "The Ultimate Gift" © Fantastic, Jan 1967 --/ cool sf story --/ shock value One of the best pulp writers at the end of his career... the Force is not with him any more, though. In this forgettable and flat tale the aliens kill on sight, all because of humans trespass their sacrificial code. Some gruesome envoy dismemberments, too. ---------------------------------------------- "When Better Budgies Are Built" © Fantastic Adventures, Nov 1952 Fantastic, Aug 1968 --/ fourth place sf story --/ wonder award --/ idea award --/ style award --/ rare find ----------------------------------------------

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