Harl Vincent

---------------------------------------------- Truly great master of pulp space adventure, perhaps on par with Edmond Hamilton in dynamic and colorful plots, often with lovely dash of romance. Clean, pure fun - his stories are hard to find, though, as they hardly ever been reprinted (as of 2013). Quintessential author of the Thirties "Wonder Years" of Science Fiction. Wikipedia - link SF Encyclopedia - link Here are some of the stories that we've read and rated so far: ---------------------------------------------- "The Barrier"  Amazing Stories, Sep 1934 --/ cool sf story --/ rare find "The Challenge From Beyond" (round-robin story) © 1934, Fantasy Magazine --/ cool sf story --/ wonder award --/ rare find "The Doomsday Planet" (nv) © 1964, Tower Books --/ cool space sf novel --/ wonder award "The Lethal Planetoid" © Spaceway Stories, 1947 --/ fourth place space sf story --/ wonder award --/ adventure award --/ wonder award --/ rare find "Neutral Vessel" © 1940, Astounding Stories, Jan --/ fourth place space sf novella --/ adventure award: "Speed" in space --/ emotion award: noir --/ shock value --/ rare find ---------------------------------------------- "The Plane Compass" © Astounding, Jun 1935 --/ cool sf story --/ wonder award Pretty standard pulp fare with the mad scientist scheming some sinister inter-dimensional plots, but that's the cheesy pleasure of it. Nice adventure, with campy romantic interest, and the other interest being, who will fall into the dimensional oblivion never to return. I think this story did the exact same thing, too... Fell into the cracks of time never to be reprinted again? review: 10-Jul-06 (read in 2006) ---------------------------------------------- "Rex" © Astounding Stories, Jun 1934 --/ cool sf story --/ wonder award --/ rare find ---------------------------------------------- "Thia of the Drylands" © Amazing Stories, Jul 1932 --/ third place space sf novella --/ wonder award --/ adventure award --/ romance award --/ rare find I loved this spectacular, colorful, dynamic romp in outer space and through the moody landscapes of classic "space opera" Mars. This short novella has almost as much energy and as many plot twists as "Total Recall" Hollywood movies (though original Philip K. Dick story, of course, is unassailable in its quality and holds very much its own). Where this briskly-told novella truly shines, though, is in the romance category. Thia of the Drylands joins the ranks of the most bewitching and lovely Mars-based "princesses" (though she can also be very contemporary lady), and the engaging story of our main hero fighting against his disability while wading through various corporate and political evil schemes (some of which evoke Holocaust imagery, quite a morbid premonition) - this full-bodied story is so masterfully told that I have to make comparisons with the best of Edmond Hamilton himself. Find this rare marvel of space adventure and enjoy the best that pulps of the Gernsback Era had to offer. review by Avi Abrams: 25-Jan-2013 (read in 2013) ----------------------------------------------

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