Unknown

by Stanley Schmidt (Editor), L. Sprague de Camp (Contributor), Theodore Sturgeon (Contributor)

This collection of exuberant, wacky fantasy tales features works by L. Sprague de Camp, Theodore Sturgeon, Fletcher Pratt, Fritz Leiber, and Henry Kuttner.

Genres: Fantasy, Anthologies

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1988

About the author

Stanley Schmidt is an American science fiction author. Between 1978 and 2012 he served as editor of Analog Science Fiction and Fact magazine.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unknown was a fantasy magazine edited by John W. Campbell, Jr., who is generally regarded as the father of modern science fiction. Unknown, which was known as Unknown Worlds during some of its short history, was founded in 1939 and its run ended due to the war-time paper shortage in 1943. There were dozens of sf magazines extant, but Unknown was the only straight fantasy magazine of the time. This volume appeared a year before before Schmidt's longer anthology Unknown Worlds: Tales From Beyond and contains nine stories, most from authors who also had stories in that book. This one seems slanted more to the humorous side of the genre. The authors include Malcolm Jameson, Fredric Brown, Robert Bloch, L. Sprague de Camp, Lester del Rey, Henry Kuttner, and Theodore Sturgeon, but my two favorites are Fritz Leiber's Smoke Ghost and The Compleat Werewolf by Anthony Boucher.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unknown, an anthology edited by Stanley Schmidt, collects nine fantasy stories originally published in Unknown magazine between 1939 and 1942. The magazine was known for mixing supernatural elements with humor, irony and a touch of the absurd. This selection reflects that range, with a few brilliant highlights and some that didn’t hold my interest. Here are my short reviews for each story.

My Favorites: The Compleat Werewolf, Even the Angels and The Angelic Angleworm.

The Compleat Werewolf (1942) by Anthony Boucher.
A teacher discovers he can turn into a werewolf, but turning back is the tricky part! Cool plot, just loved it. 5 stars.

The Coppersmith (1939) by Lester del Rey.
A poor coppersmith elf leaves his homeland to escape the spreading coal smoke in the big cities and the elves' lands. On his journey, he struggles to find work, but when his skills finally find use, he is faced with a dilemma. 3 stars.

A God in a Garden (1939) by Theodore Sturgeon.
Kenneth always seems to lie to his wife, almost out of habit, which angers his wife Marjorie. While digging a lily pond in the garden, he stumbles upon an ugly idol stuck in the ground. Will this idol bring any good? Light horror/scare, didn't like the happy ending. 3 stars.

Even the Angels (1941) by Malcolm Jameson.
A short, sharp satire about Herbert P. McQuigley, who’s wrongfully condemned to Hell and decides to take the matter up with Heaven’s court system. Imagine a bite-sized, 1940s-style Good Omens, where angels are bureaucrats and justice is a matter of paperwork and pride. Clever and fun. 4 stars.

Smoke Ghost (1941) by Fritz Leiber.
This was a vague black smudge with anxiety. 2 stars.

Nothing in the Rules (1939) by L. Sprague de Camp.
A short story about a swimming competition, loopholes, fishy competitors, and: "Fresh water makes me—like what you call drunk". 2 stars for a dive without a splash.

A Good Knight's Work (1941) by Robert Bloch.
This started off great, with some fine one-liners and an interesting introduction to our main character. But when a knight of the Round Table appears, the story drifts off and becomes somewhat dull. Explaining the events away as drunkenness is getting old too... 2.5 stars.

The Devil We Know (1941) by Henry Kuttner.
I reread this one, since my mind drifted off too many times during the first read. We should know by now, never trust a demon's plans. 3 stars.

The Angelic Angleworm (1942) by Fredric Brown.
A series of unexplainable events leaves Charlie thinking he is going mad! He needs to figure out what is happening and whether there's a connection between the events, before they keep him in the madhouse. This story kept me turning the pages, and I did not see the ending coming. 5 stars!

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A selection of stories from the excellent fantasy magazine originally titled Unknown and later Unknown Worlds. There are nine stories, most of them comic. "The Compleat Werewolf" by Anthony Boucher, "A God in a Garden" by Theodore Sturgeon, "Nothing in the Rules" by L. Sprague de Camp, "Even the Angels" by Malcolm Jameson, and "A Good Knight's Work" by Robert Bloch are all intended to be funny; the only one I don't particularly like is the Jameson.

"The Coppersmith" by Lester del Rey is about an elf trying to make a living in the modern (at that time) USA. (I think the "elf" seems more like a traditional brownie.) Fredric Brown's "The Angelic Angleworm" is a longer, more complicated story that, much as I usually like Brown's work, seems to me to be deeply flawed, both in the logic of the solution and in the unlikelihood that the main character could have figured it out; additionally, the action that character takes when he is in despair seems inappropriate for what is essentially a comic story.

Then there are two horror stories, "The Devil We Know" by Henry Kuttner and "Smoke Ghost" by Fritz Leiber. They are both effective. The Leiber is justly regarded as a classic in its field.

The one real problem with this book is that there have been other, better anthologies of material from Unknown/Unknown Worlds, including one by the same editor, Stanley Schmidt.

[Keith Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun anthology featuring Fantasy stories done in the lighthearted clever style typically featured in Unknown magazine.