''The Black Star Passes'' is a
fixup
A fix-up (or fixup) is a novel created from several short fiction stories that may or may not have been initially related or previously published. The stories may be edited for consistency, and sometimes new connecting material, such as a frame s ...
of
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
short stories by American author
John W. Campbell Jr. It was first published in
1953
Events
January
* January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma.
* January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo.
* January 14
** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...
by
Fantasy Press
Fantasy Press was an American publishing house specialising in fantasy and science fiction titles. Established in 1946 by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach in Reading, Pennsylvania, it was most notable for publishing the works of authors such as Robert A. Hei ...
in an edition of 2,951 copies. The book is the first in Campbell's Arcot, Morey and Wade series, and is followed by the novels
Islands of Space and
Invaders from the Infinite
''Invaders from the Infinite'' is a science fiction novel by American writer John W. Campbell Jr. It was simultaneously published in 1961 by Gnome Press in an edition of 4,000 copies and by Fantasy Press in an edition of 100 copies. The book wa ...
. The stories originally appeared in the magazines ''
Amazing Stories
''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances i ...
'' and ''Amazing Stories Quarterly'', and were "extensively edited" for book publication, with Campbell's approval, by
Lloyd Arthur Eshbach
Lloyd Arthur Eshbach (June 20, 1910 – October 29, 2003) was an American science fiction fan, publisher and writer, secular and religious publisher, and minister.
Biography
Born in Palm, Pennsylvania, Eshbach grew up in Reading in the sa ...
.
Everett F. Bleiler
Everett Franklin Bleiler (April 30, 1920 – June 13, 2010) was an American editor, bibliographer, and scholar of science fiction, detective fiction, and fantasy literature. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he co-edited the first "year's best" ...
, ''Science-Fiction: The Gernsback Years'', Kent State University Press, 1998, p.52 reviewer
Groff Conklin
Edward Groff Conklin (September 6, 1904 – July 19, 1968) was an American science fiction anthologist. He edited 40 anthologies of science fiction, one of mystery stories (co-edited with physician Noah Fabricant), wrote books on home improvemen ...
described the stories as "three creaking classics . . . fun to read,
utrococo antiques
ithoutbelievable characters, human relations, even logical plots."
Boucher and
McComas dismissed the book as "a hopelessly outdated set of novelets . . . of concern only to those who wish to observe the awkward larval stage of a major figure in science fiction."
P. Schuyler Miller
Peter Schuyler Miller (February 21, 1912 – October 13, 1974) was an American science fiction writer and critic.
Life
Miller was raised in New York's Mohawk Valley, which led to a lifelong interest in the Iroquois Indians. He pursued this as ...
described the stories as "old-fashioned fun which
ampbellno longer takes any more seriously than you need to."
The anthology has been described as representing a more "mainline" (classic science-fiction) treatment of Venus, compared to the
planetary romance
Planetary romance is a subgenre of science fiction in which the bulk of the action consists of adventures on one or more exotic alien planets, characterized by distinctive physical and cultural backgrounds. Some planetary romances take place ag ...
genre, in which it featured prominently at that time.
Contents
* Introduction
* "Piracy Preferred"
* "Solarite"
* "The Black Star Passes"
References
Sources
*
*
*
External links
*
Project Gutenberg*
Podiobooks.comaudio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black Star Passes, The
1953 short story collections
Science fiction short story collections
Fantasy Press books