Review of "If: Worlds of Science Fiction, March, 1954"

Review of

If: Worlds of Science Fiction, March, 1954

Four out of five stars

 As a person with a lifelong interest in science fiction, I enjoy occasionally going back in time and reading stories published in the 1950’s. It is considered by some, Robert Silverberg in particular, that it was the golden age of science fiction. His arguments are that it was at this point where the quality dramatically improved and the market expanded. There was a significant increase in the number of stories, many of which appeared in magazine format.

 The stories in this issue can all be considered as packed close to the mean in terms of the quality for the time of publication. Slightly above the others in quality is “The Ambassador,” by Sam Merwin, Jr. There are two primary plotlines, the first is that there are significant populations on Earth and Mars and there is a spirit of rebellion growing on Mars. Much of this is due to the trade practices of Earth, forcing the Martians to purchase goods manufactured on Earth that they don’t want or need. Given that England is one of the major culprits of this practice, students of history will recognize the similarity.

 The second plot device is that the people of Earth have grown heavily dependent on the output from computers. They believe so much in the digital word that there is incredible astonishment when a computer prediction turns out to be wrong. Zalen Lindsay is the Martian Ambassador to the Second United Worlds Congress and there is plotting and intrigue everywhere. One of the best features of the story is that a human female serves as an efficient bodyguard/secretary. The bodyguard part was unusual for the fifties, even in science fiction.

 “Time Fuze” is another good story. Humans have mastered an ultradrive that allows them to travel to the stars. However, their theoretical understanding of the mechanism is woefully inadequate with severe consequences.

 Although none of the stories really grabbed my brain very tightly, I did enjoy this look back into a time when science was moving fast and the trends in literature hopped on for the ride.