Murray Leinster (1896–1975)

Leinster is one of the lesser known writers from the Golden Age of science fiction, which spanned the 1940s-1960s. He was very popular in that era and very prolific, plus he also managed the feat of writing for mainstream magazines such as Argosy as well as the science fiction magazines which were looked down on as 'pulps'.

The stories are a mixture of straight science fiction such as 'Pipeline to Pluto' or more fanciful tales involving time travel by mental control. The key feature of all Leinster's work is the ethical and moral strand in it, with villains often getting their come uppance. In fact, one of his stories is called 'The Ethical Equations' and in it a lowly Lieutenant who has been put in charge of first contact with an alien species aboard a wandering vessel that has entered the solar system has to balance the needs of humanity (and the combination of greed for the aliens' technology with the desire to destroy them to safeguard Earth, shown by his superiors) and the requirement to act in an ethical way for all parties.

As with any stories from this period, the modern day reader has to make allowances for certain attitudes. There doesn't appear to be any obvious racism, but attitudes to women are typical of the time, with female characters being wimpish and irrational. One of the better stories, 'If You Was a Mocklin', is slightly spoiled by this, but is still amusing and with a good twist. Probably the best story is 'The Devil of Eat Lupton', about a tramp who makes first contact with what appears to be the scout for a hostile alien force, and deals with his complete incomprehension and blundering, and the unexpected outcome.

Regarding the cover of the UK edition, presumably a homage to the bug eyed monster sensationalism of pulp era magazines: the story it illustrates is anything but, as the BEM in question is an intelligent creature from a race which has a totally aquatic experience and carnivorous mentality. Nevertheless, this individual overcomes its mindset to interact helpfully with what to it are completely alien creatures, human beings. So Leinster actually subverted the usual pulp stereotype in this story, Dear Profundis.… (més)

Murray Leinster (William Fitzgerald Jenkins) is one of the great names in early Science Fiction, but he also tried his hand at westerns and mysteries, eventually writing hundreds of radio scripts and more than a dozen movie screenplays. He goes so far back that a few of his great stories, such as The Runaway Skyscraper, didn’t even appear in the pulp magazines — because they hadn’t yet been invented!

The Other Now is a later story from the great Leinster, first appearing in Galaxy Magazine in 1951. It’s less that twenty pages, but it will absolutely blow you away. It’s enthralling from the first sentence, and once you realize what may be happening, it’s even more compelling. You have to remember that it wasn’t until 1952 in Dublin that Erwin Schrödinger joked with an audience that his Nobel equations actually were describing alternative realities happening simultaneously. And it wasn’t until 1957 that American Hugh Everett III put forth what would become known as the many worlds theory. Leinster had, of course, dealt with similar themes much earlier, in Sidewise, but here, it was right on the cutting edge of quantum physics.

Jimmy and Jane Patterson loved each other very much, and then tragedy struck, and she was taken from him. Three months later, still lamenting the tragedy, he comes home and something strange happens. Didn’t he already open the door, and shut the door? Finally, he takes a photo, and it shows two doors. But it isn’t until he finds Jane’s diary, and is shocked to discover an entry dated after her death, and the sorrow filled within the entry as she laments his death in the car accident, that he begins to believe.

He tells his friend Haynes, an attorney, what has been happening. Haynes feels for Jimmy, but believes his friend may be going mad — at first. To reveal more would ruin this wonderful experience. Anyone with a romantic bone in their body will love this story, as will anyone who loves the genre, or just a well-written and enthralling short story. I consider this a minor masterpiece. It might seem too sentimental for the harsh world in which we find ourselves trapped nowadays, making it all the more wonderful. Though I picked this up on Kindle, it is available for FREE on Gutenberg, and I highly recommend you rush - don't dawdle - over there as quickly as your fingertips can carry you and download it. You’ll never think of the next drop of rain in quite the same way.… (més)