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IF Worlds of Science Fiction, 1970 July-August
"The author's upbeat, positive tone is refreshing and his enthusiasm about his topic is contagious." -- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review)
Pssst Do you know the difference between a code and a cipher? Can you tell a St. Cyr slide from a Cardano grille? Did you know that the discovery of a substitution cipher caused Mary Queen of Scots to lose her head? Don't look now, but packed into this practical field guide is everything a young person needs to know about the art of concealment - making and breaking codes, mastering cipher systems, and experimenting with secret writing. Offering plenty of hands-on practice sessions, tips for creating a code-making kit, sidebars on secret codes in history, and an amusing pair of spies to illustrate techniques, Paul B. Janeczko's tantalizing TOP SECRET won't stay a secret for long.
Pssst Do you know the difference between a code and a cipher? Can you tell a St. Cyr slide from a Cardano grille? Did you know that the discovery of a substitution cipher caused Mary Queen of Scots to lose her head? Don't look now, but packed into this practical field guide is everything a young person needs to know about the art of concealment - making and breaking codes, mastering cipher systems, and experimenting with secret writing. Offering plenty of hands-on practice sessions, tips for creating a code-making kit, sidebars on secret codes in history, and an amusing pair of spies to illustrate techniques, Paul B. Janeczko's tantalizing TOP SECRET won't stay a secret for long.
- GenresScience Fiction
164 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1970
22 people want to read
About the author
Ejler Jakobsson
61 booksEjler Jakobsson (1911–1984) was a Finnish-born science fiction editor.
Jakobsson moved to the United States in 1926 and began a career as an author in the 1930s. He worked on Astonishing Stories and Super Science Stories briefly before they shut down production due to paper shortages. When Super Science Stories was revived in 1949, Jakobson was named editor until it ended publication two years later. Jakobsson returned to editing in 1969, when he took over Galaxy and If, succeeding Frederik Pohl. He worked to make the magazines more contemporary with the help of Judy-Lynn del Rey and Lester del Rey. He left the magazines in 1974 and was succeeded by Jim Baen.
Jakobsson moved to the United States in 1926 and began a career as an author in the 1930s. He worked on Astonishing Stories and Super Science Stories briefly before they shut down production due to paper shortages. When Super Science Stories was revived in 1949, Jakobson was named editor until it ended publication two years later. Jakobsson returned to editing in 1969, when he took over Galaxy and If, succeeding Frederik Pohl. He worked to make the magazines more contemporary with the help of Judy-Lynn del Rey and Lester del Rey. He left the magazines in 1974 and was succeeded by Jim Baen.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 10, 2020
Another typical newsstand offering of its day, this volume hits the mark more often than not. It opens with "Second-Hand Stonehenge" by Ernest Taves, one of those short stories which reflects the era in which it was written, exuding a 60s ethos which lends a certain nostalgic charm. The plot may be a bit hackneyed, but the author imbues this tale with just enough humor to rescue it from tedium. And, to be fair, its plot points were probably fresher a half a century ago.
Larry Eisenberg's "The Fifth Planet" comes off as too inconsequential to make much of an impact. The author fails to persuade us to suspend our disbelief, with one too many plot twists packed into too short (read "poorly-developed") a tale. Whether it's simply a perfunctory effort on the author's part, or whether it's a case of the premise failing to translate into a fully-formed story (or both) remains open to debate.
Exuding a cynicism which would make Stephen Baxter proud, "Time Piece" by Joe Haldeman examines the implications of relativistic travel on a lowly foot-soldier in an interplanetary war. It is a fairly meditative short story which explores its subject with an aloofness which (unlike Baxter) creates an unsettling ambiance. The plot, such as it is, is rendered inconsequential by the study in psychology which it is wrapped around. It was difficult, even in 1970, to bring something new to a tale about "time travel," but Haldeman hooks the reader from the start and never lets go.
"Equals Four" by Piers Anthony is one of several short stories which appeared in various publications during the late 60s and early 70s which led to the excellent and unusual novel "Prostho Plus" in 1971. As such it has the character of an episode, a tidbit, and speaks to the richness of Anthony's concept for a full-length tongue-in-cheek tale about a galactic prosthodontist. While that may seem like an unlikely subject for a science fiction story, it is precisely its idiosyncrasy which is its strength. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more bizarre premise for speculative fiction, and while this short story is not as effective as the full-length novel would turn out to be, it is still an ingenious, if light, flight of imagination.
Lee Harding's "The Communication Machine" would be just another ho-hum story about technologically-induced ESP were it not for two things. First, and most notable, are several very thinly-veiled references to homosexuality as a normative behavior, references which were definitely not normative when this story was published in 1970. This is especially remarkable given the often misogynistic and patriarchal tone of much early science fiction. Second is the unexpectedly brutal ending, which I, for one, could not possibly have foreseen based on the bulk of this story.
"What's Become of Screwloose?" by Ron Goulart gets bogged down in garbled, overly-clever exposition and a hackneyed plot. Deliberately eschewing Asimov's Law of Robotics, it's a rather uninspired study which explores the indistinct lines between humans and robots (or, in this case, an android), a subject which has been treated more effectively before and since. This is the weakest piece in this volume.
Neal Barrett, Jr. contributes "Grandfather Pelts," another slight, if not disastrous, effort. It tells the tale of a ne'er-do-well in pursuit of his ultimate contraband. The author earns points for his imaginative depiction of an extraterrestrial culture, and the humor which is threaded through this tale is another selling point. But he loses just as many points for clumsy execution and a foreseeable ending.
The second half of "The Misspelled Magician," by David Gerrold and Larry Niven, does not disappoint, even if it fails to entirely tie up some of the loose ends presented by its first half. This is not as problematic as it might have been: the reader is, indeed, asked to speculate, but all the other elements of the story are handled so deftly that this ambiguity only enhances the overall effect. This story -- it's not quite a novella -- would be of interest to students of cultural anthropology. Without providing any spoilers, the authors explore the use and meaning of magic in so-called "primitive" cultures, and its relation to modern-day science. They drive home the point that the dividing line between magic and science is not nearly as sharp and focused as we, in our ostensibly enlightened state, would have it. The climax of this tale is exhilarating, and also a bit harrowing, but, in any case, entirely satisfying as a cautionary tale addressing the hubris of our modern age.
"Dark, Dark, the Dead Star" by George Zebrowski and Jack Dann is a vignette which waxes poetic in the manner of Bradbury. It is an effective and brief meditation on the nature of life itself and why we cling so desperately to it, as told by the unlikely survivor of a mishap in space. Although this may be filler, it is high-grade filler.
Larry Eisenberg's "The Fifth Planet" comes off as too inconsequential to make much of an impact. The author fails to persuade us to suspend our disbelief, with one too many plot twists packed into too short (read "poorly-developed") a tale. Whether it's simply a perfunctory effort on the author's part, or whether it's a case of the premise failing to translate into a fully-formed story (or both) remains open to debate.
Exuding a cynicism which would make Stephen Baxter proud, "Time Piece" by Joe Haldeman examines the implications of relativistic travel on a lowly foot-soldier in an interplanetary war. It is a fairly meditative short story which explores its subject with an aloofness which (unlike Baxter) creates an unsettling ambiance. The plot, such as it is, is rendered inconsequential by the study in psychology which it is wrapped around. It was difficult, even in 1970, to bring something new to a tale about "time travel," but Haldeman hooks the reader from the start and never lets go.
"Equals Four" by Piers Anthony is one of several short stories which appeared in various publications during the late 60s and early 70s which led to the excellent and unusual novel "Prostho Plus" in 1971. As such it has the character of an episode, a tidbit, and speaks to the richness of Anthony's concept for a full-length tongue-in-cheek tale about a galactic prosthodontist. While that may seem like an unlikely subject for a science fiction story, it is precisely its idiosyncrasy which is its strength. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more bizarre premise for speculative fiction, and while this short story is not as effective as the full-length novel would turn out to be, it is still an ingenious, if light, flight of imagination.
Lee Harding's "The Communication Machine" would be just another ho-hum story about technologically-induced ESP were it not for two things. First, and most notable, are several very thinly-veiled references to homosexuality as a normative behavior, references which were definitely not normative when this story was published in 1970. This is especially remarkable given the often misogynistic and patriarchal tone of much early science fiction. Second is the unexpectedly brutal ending, which I, for one, could not possibly have foreseen based on the bulk of this story.
"What's Become of Screwloose?" by Ron Goulart gets bogged down in garbled, overly-clever exposition and a hackneyed plot. Deliberately eschewing Asimov's Law of Robotics, it's a rather uninspired study which explores the indistinct lines between humans and robots (or, in this case, an android), a subject which has been treated more effectively before and since. This is the weakest piece in this volume.
Neal Barrett, Jr. contributes "Grandfather Pelts," another slight, if not disastrous, effort. It tells the tale of a ne'er-do-well in pursuit of his ultimate contraband. The author earns points for his imaginative depiction of an extraterrestrial culture, and the humor which is threaded through this tale is another selling point. But he loses just as many points for clumsy execution and a foreseeable ending.
The second half of "The Misspelled Magician," by David Gerrold and Larry Niven, does not disappoint, even if it fails to entirely tie up some of the loose ends presented by its first half. This is not as problematic as it might have been: the reader is, indeed, asked to speculate, but all the other elements of the story are handled so deftly that this ambiguity only enhances the overall effect. This story -- it's not quite a novella -- would be of interest to students of cultural anthropology. Without providing any spoilers, the authors explore the use and meaning of magic in so-called "primitive" cultures, and its relation to modern-day science. They drive home the point that the dividing line between magic and science is not nearly as sharp and focused as we, in our ostensibly enlightened state, would have it. The climax of this tale is exhilarating, and also a bit harrowing, but, in any case, entirely satisfying as a cautionary tale addressing the hubris of our modern age.
"Dark, Dark, the Dead Star" by George Zebrowski and Jack Dann is a vignette which waxes poetic in the manner of Bradbury. It is an effective and brief meditation on the nature of life itself and why we cling so desperately to it, as told by the unlikely survivor of a mishap in space. Although this may be filler, it is high-grade filler.
April 3, 2025
Thomas Gridley has purchased a full-scale model of Stonehenge, which has driven his wife off to greener pastures, and he and his divorced friend Bill complete it on Round Hill. To his surprise it draws aliens to Earth and a relationship develops with one of them in “Second-Hand Stonehenge” by Ernest Taves. A trainee psychiatrist examines a patient at Piltdown Hospital who claims to know what happened to “The Fifth Planet”. His delusions may however have some basis in fact in Larry Eisenberg’s tale. Joe Haldeman gives us an early examination of the effects of time dilation and war in “Time Piece”, a theme he will return to again in The Forever War, and Piers Anthony’s interstellar dentist, Dr. Dillingham, must prove the worth of the Dental University to the Hobgoblins while searching for a suitable assistant and under the watchful eye of his personal robotic Jann. “Equals Four” is good fun. Bedford’s life work is “The Communication Machine”, a device connecting mind to mind. When he shares it with an old schoolmate, noted poet Thorpe, the death of the arts seems imminent in Lee Harding’s story. Ron Goulart gives us a typically frenetic gonzo tale of a missing heiress, homicidal household appliances and an overprotective android in “What’s Become Of Screwloose?” The wizard Shoogar and headman Lant manage to break into Purple’s spaceship where they wreak havoc in the conclusion of “The Misspelled Magician” by Larry Niven & David Gerrold. Lots of in-jokes for the fen and I’ve reviewed the novel version (The Flying Sorcerers) in detail elsewhere. Inveterate smuggler Klaywelder makes the mistake of his life when he tries to steal “Grandfather Pelts” from the natives of Pharalell IV in Neal Barrett Jr.’s quirky tale, while Jack Dann & George Zebrowski have a spacefarer inexplicably rescued from certain death after his ship explodes in “Dark, Dark, The Dead Star”. Not a bad issue.
March 16, 2017
This is another classic IF Worlds of Science Fiction book. I've said it before and I will say it again. I love these IF Worlds books. They are just super. They have so much fun and imagination in their pages, as well as sometimes being creepy or chilling or atmospheric, depending on the page. They really bring the whole world of science fiction to life and bring it into your mind and your house and your world. I really enjoyed this book a lot.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews