Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition — page 60: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

58 country. He follows that aim doggedly and ruthlessly but humanly, a predator in a land of predators. But when he at last realizes the hopelessness of his situation, he does the only thing a decent human being coulddo... Inevitably this book calls to mind L. Ron Hubbard’s classic “Final Blackout.” If its realism runs more to formula than that grim book, its people are more real and heel or not, Gary is always a more sympathetic protagonist than the Lieutenant. If Tucker keeps this up, he will have the competition on the ropes. OUTPOST MARS, by Cyril Judd. Abelard Press, New York. 1952. 268 pp. $2.50 _ Why Cyril Kornbluth—who gave us “Takeoff” last spring—or Judith Merril—who has had two intelligent anthologies to her credit during the year—need to combine forces as “Cyril Judd” is anyone’s guess. This much must be admitted, though: neither loses a bit in the combination. “Outpost Mars” was serialized in Galaxy as ‘““Mars Child” in 1951. It’s a sound and relatively simple story of the struggles of a young colony to establish itself on a_ self-sustaining basis, free itself of its ties to Earth, and become truly Martian. Above all, it is the story of the efforts of these young people to bring forth a “Mars child” who will live—live without an oxygen mask, without any artificiality, as the first of a new race of planet- conquering men. Dr. Tony Hellman, head of the little Sun Lake colony, has other prob- : ; : ea FF, 4 ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION lems to worry him. The Sun Lake laboratory keeps the colony going on a precarious basis while its people try to create new crops which will make them independent of food from Earth. Across the Rimrock Hills is the ruth- less Brenner who claims that someone in Sun Lake has stolen a hundred kilos of deadly marcaine—priceless to Earth medicine, and to drug addicts. If the shipments of radioactive iso- topes which the Colony is shipping to Earth are opened, searched, and repacked, they will miss the next rocket—and Sun Lake will collapse. In the midst of the trouble, Sun Lake is blessed with a visit from the planet-trotting journalist, Douglas Graham, whose story may save or ruin Sun Lake’s efforts to create a self-sustaining colony. on Mars. An hysterical mother begins to see Martian dwarfs, straight out of a TV show, avid to kidnap Earth children ,as little people have been in legend since the dawn of history. And at the climax, little Sunny is stolen... There’s. nothing pretentious or cosmic’ about the plot—good, old- fashioned greed and villainy up against a crowd of likable but humanly fallible people who share a seemingly hollow dream. I’m a little unhappy about the marcaine angle, which seems unnecessary—but I suppose Brenner would have been too unmitigated a stinker if his drugs hadn’t been stolen and he had been harassing Sun Lake out of sheer cussedness and avarice. I think you'll like ‘‘Outpost Mars.” It’s the kind of book which wins converts to science-fiction among general readers. COA COMMGODOOKS