Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 50 — page 138: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION feel better—and give us some more non-fiction. Warning: Do not get too ambitious at feeding non-fiction to Canadians. Canadians, like most, are escapists at heart. Let us see a prudent increase in the non-fiction. You know there was something quite charming in Mary Hell’s which smacks lightly of Verdi. It was not space opera carried to the usual extreme; it was not detective fiction, nor true romance; it was ‘not too sentimental. It could have been done better—it could also have been done worse. I can feel no qualms at calling it the best story of your May issue, and one of the many best I have read. Say! You know, with a little polish, a little grace, and a little better writing, Mr. Temple is going to become a good writer: that was second best in your issue. My pet love is ESP. And it pains me terribly to see writers make such a pot pourri (and I mean a rotten hash) out of it. Despite the most fervent attempts of scientists to bring out to its fullest extent this fascinating power, only the most unconvincing of results have—well, resulted. And yet one writer expects me to believe in a completely psychic group of people: yea, not in the year 5491, but rather now, in the year 1954! Heaven forbid! As physics is a science, and in stf we attempt to perceive probabil- ities according to the laws of physics; as biology is a science, and in stf we attempt to perceive probabilities according to the laws of biology; as psychology is a science, and we try to perceive probabilities in behaviour accord- ing to the laws of psychology; so psiology is a science: and in stf we should at least pay a little attention to the work of men who have spent 137 their lives attempting to formulate the laws of this science—if we are going to explore clairvoyance in space, let us first examine the work that has been done in the investiga- tion of the distortion (semantic and otherwise) of the elements of the object perceived. It’s a great magazine, so keep up the good work. So help me if you ever leave science fiction, then so shall I, but in another direction. Errol Pritchard, 177-24th Avenue East, Vancouver 10, B.C., Canada. The kind of letter we like to see, Errol, though we'd take you up ona few points: a, we don’t think Cana- dians as a whole are more escapist than others;.b, psiology is not a science, yet, though it tries hard to be; nevertheless we agree about the necessity for a serious approach to ESP; c, don’t be rash about leaving science fiction; there are other good magazines around, UP DOWN UNDER As an Australian fan I’m afraid we can’t boast of a really good S.F. Mag. but yours seems to have taken the place, as far as I’m con- cerned, of any other mag. in the world. English authors give you good, straight-out science fiction. The inclusion of short stories, I think, is splendid. All in all you have a trend towards something different, and that is a good sign. M. G. Pettingill, Box 276, Millicent Road, Mt. Gambien, South Australia. Thank you for your kind remarks, Mr. Pettingill. We are glad you like us so much, And we hope it stays that way. Write again. comiclooks.cormn