Various

“ The Ackerman-Smith controversy assumes all the aspects of a mad comedy. To assail and reprehend the writings of Clark Ashton Smith is as preposterous and futile as a dwarf transporting a huge mountain peak upon the tip of his tiny finger. ”

“ Have your hero a tall, slim, cold, grey-eyed chap, with an iron jaw, and a sturdy body. He also must know all there is to know about everything. Now for the heroine; she must be a small, slim blond, blue-eyed, and be a scientist's daughter. That's the big point in originality. Nobody has ever thought of her being a scientist's daughter before. Now next comes the villain. He must be tall, dark, with snapping black eyes, and a brush across his upper lip. He must have an impossible name that no one can pronounce, including yourself. I would suggest someone who desires to have world domination. ”

“ Merritt's 'Snake Mother' and 'Moon Pool,' and Taine's 'Time Stream.' Ackerman's objections to this were particularly obnoxious to me, as I thought it one of the best stories ever written. Certainly, there should be something more to science fiction than rays, machines, villains, heroines (composed of lipstick and leg, as Mr. Barlow rather bitterly expresses it) , as has been stressed so greatly of late. There should be an element of fantasy, strong characters, and a well-developed plot in addition. ”

“ Children will always be afraid of the dark, and men with minds sensitive to hereditary impulse will always tremble at the thought of the hidden and fathomless worlds or strange life which may pulsate in the gulfs beyond the stars, or press hideously upon our own globe in unholy dimensions which only the dead and the moonstruck can glimpse. ”

“ The first thing to remember in writing a science story is originality. You must have that, so the first things to select for your brain-child is a hero, heroine, and villain. No plot is needed. Or, if you desire one, that can be thot up after the story is finished. ”

“ When to this sense of fear and evil the inevitable fascination of wonder and curiosity is superadded, there is born a composite body of keen emotion and imaginative provocation whose vitality must of necessity endure as long as the human race itself. ”

“ It has always existed, and always will exist; and no better evidence of its tenacious vigour can be cited than the impulse which now and then drives writers of totally opposite leanings to try their hands at it in isolated tales, as if to discharge from their minds certain phantasmal shapes which would otherwise haunt them. ”

“ The villagers went about their various tasks, and within the tiny market-square the spice-vendors and the people from the hills with their exotic burdens of gay fruits created a pleasant hum of busy occupation. Sleeping dogs lay contentedly in the warm sunlight, and the squat beasts of burden ambled about peacefully upon their six clawless paws, their grotesque faces slit with toad-like grins. ”

“ Though he declares he is not modest, he cannot be convinced that he has done anything unusual. It is his courage and determination that has carried the 'Science Fiction Digest' through the rough spots of its career, and it is stern judgement that selects the articles and stories which so please the readers of SFD, or FANTASY Magazine, as it will be called. ”

“ Because we remember pain and the menace of death more vividly than pleasure, and because our feelings toward the beneficent aspects of the unknown have from the first been captured and formalised by conventional religious rituals, it has fallen to the lot of the darker and more maleficent side of cosmic mystery to figure chiefly in our popular supernatural folklore. ”

“ THE FANTASY FAN
THE FANS' OWN MAGAZINE
Editor: Charles D. Hornig
(Managing Editor: Wonder Stories)
137 West Grand Street, Elizabeth, New Jersey
OUR READERS SAY
"The second number looks to me even more interesting than the first. Smith's tale was splendid. The remunerative editors were certainly fools to turn it down. Glad to see that a number of readers are showing up Ackerman. People like Ackerman are peculiarly ridiculous—one can plainly see that this type of thing is merely egotistic and a gesture to call attention to themselves. However, most people out-grow this stage. ”

“ Throw in a few space ships, a couple fights, a shot in the dark, four or five corpses, a high official who turns traitor, a last flight for help, and end it up with a lone man battling hundreds. Mix thoroughly, and type out on paper, forgetting to double space your lines, as all editors request that you doublespace, thereby showing them that you are really original. ”

“ No plot is needed, as mentioned in paragraph one, but if you want one, read one of Grimm's Fairy Tales, and borrow a plot. It makes no difference what kind, as they are all fairy tales, anyway. As a final bit of advice, fold the manuscript several times, and send it to the editor with no enclosed postage for its return. ”

“ Mr. Glasser is attempting to make a living at writing—and isn't doing so bad at it. The editor prefers to call him "the Arthur J. Burks of the younger generation." He has sold stories to dozens of magazines, including science fiction.
"The second issue was swell. I'd like to see more stories by Clark Ashton Smith in future issues of the mag. Yep, 20 pages of excellent articles and stories."—Ted Lutwin. ”

“ SEQUELS—BY POPULAR DEMAND
by Walt Z. Russjuchi
Part Three—Conclusion
Science Wonder Stories (now Wonder Stories) published a 2-part serial by Edwards in 1930, "A Rescue from Jupiter," and its sequel, "The Return from Jupiter," appeared the following year.
Many characters have been so liked that their author creators have written a number of sequel-stories around them in which they are plunged into a series of exciting adventures. The most popular are Keller's Taine of San Francisco, Meek's Dr. ”