Dimension 4

by Groff Conklin (Editor), Theodore Sturgeon, E.C. Tubb

4 stories of unique adventure...from interplanetary intrigue to our own planet's possible tomorrows.
4 top writers - Sturgeon, MacDonald, Cartmill, Tubb - in a brand-new collection of fine science-fiction.
Dimension 4 is a window on a weird and wonderful new dimension in reading.

Contents:

"Won't You Walk..." • (1956) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
Sense of Proportion • (1958) • novelette by E. C. Tubb
Trojan Horse Laugh • (1949) • novelette by John D. MacDonald
Some Day We'll Find You • (1942) • novella by Cleve Cartmill

Genres: Science Fiction

159 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1964

About the author

Edward Groff Conklin (September 6, 1904, Glen Ridge, New Jersey - July 19, 1968, Pawling, New York) was a leading science fiction anthologist. Conklin edited 41 anthologies of science fiction, wrote books on home improvement and was a freelance writer on scientific subjects. From 1950 to 1955, he was the book critic for Galaxy Science Fiction.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an anthology of four stories edited by the first premiere sf anthology editor Groff Conklin, who here once again exercised his fondness for having numbers in his titles. Three of the stories first appeared in John Campbell's Astounding SF Magazine, and the shortest of the lot, Sense of Proportion by E.C. Tubb (known best for his long running Dumarest series) appeared in a fine old Scottish magazine, Nebula. The other stories are by John D. MacDonald (yes! he also wrote sf!), Cleve Cartmill, and my favorite is Won't You Walk? by Theodore Sturgeon. There's no real linkage in theme to the collection; Conklin just selected four good, neglected stories and presented them to a new crop of readers.

[Gingaeru · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Won't You Walk?" (1955) by Theodore Sturgeon
6/10
Sturgeon's weakest story I've read to date. It was fine, but I didn't care too much for it. The very idea of the placebo effect offends me.
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Uses of "here and there": 1
Uses of "dim": 4
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Typos/mistakes:
"... an euphoric cloud..." (a)
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"... laugh at him and keep him going on about your business..." (This is one of those strange instances where a random extra word somehow gets thrown in and left there.)
...

"Sense of Proportion" (1958) by E. C. Tubb
7/10
The main character is a scumbag (albeit intentionally so), but the writing is good.
...

"Trojan Horse Laugh" (1949) by John D. MacDonald
4/10
This one overstayed its welcome. It should have ended at the halfway mark, but it just kept going. There's little I find more boring than war.
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Package, package, package...:
"... took out a small package the size of a cigarette package. In each house he left the package..."
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Typos/mistakes:
"For just a fletting second..." (fleeting)
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"He was a small man with too large a head, to frail a body..." (too)
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"And there is foodstuffs in the markets..." (are)
...

"Some Day We'll Find You" (1942) by Cleve Cartmill
4/10
I found this one entirely uninteresting. It ended up being something different from what it began as. It's slightly noir-ish. The political aspects of the story were lost on me, and the characters' motives were vague. The concept of the video calls with the option of wearing variously labeled masks for anonymity (or simply to hide a face that has not yet had makeup applied to it) was very odd.
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The editor said it "should keep you glued to your chair for a mesmerized half-hour or so." I can only speak for myself, but I couldn't read a 55-page (smallish print) story within 30 minutes if my life depended on it. My time was 154 minutes, and I was anything but "mesmerized'; I just wanted it to be over. If editors typically "read" that fast, then it's no wonder they have such poor taste and ignore all the typos...
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"here and there": x1
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Typos:
"... continuance of the present situation will place them in that role, and make very member of this body a murderer." (every)
...

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first of the four stories, "Won't you walk" by Theodore Sturgeon, was a formative reading of my teen years, and taught me the meaning of my first German word, "Zeitgeist."