OPUS#235 What's It Like Out There?

by

OPUS: #235
Title: What’s It Like Out There?
Author: Edmond Hamilton
Year: 1952
Type: novelette
Note: original title: Colonists of Mars
“When Haddon returned from the expedition and went to visit the families of his dead buddies; they all asked …”
「　（ワンダー・ストリーズ編者者のホーニグは新鮮で独創的なアイデアに重点をおく”新方針”のせいで、エドモンド・ハミルトンの傑作を逃がすはめになる。ワンダー・ストリーズ前編集者の）ラッサーの要求するリアリズムよりもさらに迫真の筆致で、過酷な火星への決死の探検を描いている。これほどの情感とリアリズムの物語はめったになかったのだが、ホーニグは独創的でないとの判断で、この作品を採用しなかった。「火星の植民者たち」は、陽気な宇宙驚異物語を特色とする＜アスタウンディング＞にはそぐはないし、＜アメージング＞に載せるには内容が悲惨すぎたが、＜ワンダー＞にとって申し分のない作品だったはずだ。ところが、原稿はハミルトンの引き出しの最下段にしまいこまれ、それから十二年後もあとにやってようやく陽の目をみる。＜スリリング・ワンダー・ストリーズ＞の一九五二年に十二月号に、「向こうはどんなところだい？」と改題のうえ発表されたこの作品は、大きな賞賛で迎えられた。」 – マイク・アシュリー著; 牧眞司訳『SF雑誌の歴史 : パルプマガジンの饗宴』（東京創元社, 2004.7） p. 109
「マインズはハミルトンの作品にふれて、こう述べている。「＜＜キャプテン・フューチャー＞＞シリーズから大きく隔たったており、別な作家の作品だとだれもが思うはずだ」。皮肉なことに、この作品は二十年近く前に同じ雑誌で没になっている。当時の編集者チャールズ・オーニグは、独創性に欠けると判断したのだ。さらに＜アメージング・ストーリーズ＞でも＜アスタウンディング・ストーリーズ＞でも陰惨だという理由で没になっている。ようやく陽の目を見たときは、宇宙の実際の恐怖を描いた、真正なリアリズムの物語だというふれこみだった」- マイク・アシュリー著 ; 牧眞司訳『SF雑誌の歴史：黄金期そして革命』（東京創元社, 2015）p. 29
“Alongside his promotion of ‘The Lovers’, Mines also urged readers to check out the December 1952 Thrilling Wonder Stories, which featured ‘What’s It Like Out There?’ by Edmond Hamilton (December 1952). Mines mentions the story in the same editorial which introduced ‘The Lovers’, where he added: ‘it is so far removed from his Captain Future stories as to convince anyone that it is the work of a different writer’ – Ashley, Mike, Transformations : the story of the science-fiction magazines from 1950 to 1970, Liverpool University Press, 2005, p. 15.
Publications:

  • Thrilling Wonder Stories, Vol. 41, no. 2, December 1952, (Dec 1952, ed. Samuel Mines, publ. Standard Magazines, Inc., $0.25, 148pp, Pulp, magazine),  pp. 66-80. Cover: Walter Popp; Illust : Orban
  • The Best from Startling Stories, (1953, ed. Samuel Mines, publ. Henry Holt, $3.50, xii+301pp, hc, anth) Cover: Alex Schomburg
  • Startling Stories, (1954, ed. Samuel Mines, publ. Cassell & Company Ltd., 12/6, 301pp, hc, anth)
  • Moment Without Time, (Mar 1956, ed. Samuel Mines, publ. The Science Fiction Book Club [UK], #19, xii+301pp, hc, anth)
  • A Century of Science Fiction, (1962, ed. Damon Knight, publ. Simon & Schuster, $4.95, 352pp, hc, anth) Cover: H. Lawrence Hoffman
  • A Century of Science Fiction, (Jul 1962, ed. Damon Knight, publ. Simon & Schuster / SFBC, $1.90, 352pp, hc, anth) Cover: H. Lawrence Hoffman
  • A Century of Science Fiction, (1963, ed. Damon Knight, publ. Gollancz, 21/-, 352pp, hc, anth)
  • A Century of Science Fiction, (Feb 1963, ed. Damon Knight, publ. Dell, #1157, $0.75, 384pp, pb, anth)
  • Treasury of Great Science Fiction Stories, Number 2, (1965, ed. Jim Hendryx, Jr., publ. Popular Library, Inc., $0.50, 100pp, Pulp, magazine) *slightly expanded
  • Science Fiction for People Who Hate Science Fiction, (1966, ed. Terry Carr, publ. Doubleday, $3.95, 190pp, hc, anth)
  • A Century of Science Fiction, (1966, ed. Damon Knight, publ. Pan, #T19, 6/-, 446pp, pb, anth)
  • Science Fiction for People Who Hate Science Fiction, (1968, ed. Terry Carr, publ. Funk & Wagnalls, #F47, $0.95, 190pp, pb, anth) Cover: Bob Korn
  • Science Fiction for People Who Hate Science Fiction, (1968, ed. Terry Carr, publ. Funk & Wagnalls, #F47, $0.95, 190pp, pb, anth) Cover: Bob Korn
  • A Century of Science Fiction, (1971, ed. Damon Knight, publ. Gollancz, 0-575-00817-2, 349pp, hc, anth)
  • A Century of Science Fiction, (1972, ed. Damon Knight, publ. BCA – Book Club Associates, 352pp, hc, anth)
  • What’s It Like Out There? and Other Stories, (1974, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Ace, #88065, $0.95, 320pp, pb, coll)
  • Explorers of Space, (Apr 1975, ed. Robert Silverberg, publ. Thomas Nelson, 0-8407-6439-1, $6.95, 253pp, hc, anth) Cover: Frank Alois
  • The Best of Edmond Hamilton, (Apr 1977, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Nelson Doubleday / SFBC, #1561, $2.98, xvii+334pp, hc, coll) Cover: Don Maitz
  • The Best of Edmond Hamilton, (Aug 1977, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Del Rey / Ballantine, 0-345-25900-9, $1.95, xviii+381pp, pb, coll) Cover: H. R. Van Dongen
  • The Road to Science Fiction #2: From Wells to Heinlein, (Feb 1979, ed. James Gunn, publ. Mentor / New American Library, 0-451-61859-9, $2.50, 535pp, pb, anth)
  • The Road to Science Fiction #2: From Wells to Heinlein, (Feb 1979, ed. James Gunn, publ. Mentor / New American Library, 0-451-61736-3, $2.50, 535pp, pb, anth) Cover: Paul Stinson
  • The Future in Question, (Feb 1980, ed. Joseph Olander, Martin Greenberg, Isaac Asimov, publ. Fawcett Crest, 0-449-24266-8, $2.50, 381pp, pb, anth) Cover: Richard Powers
  • Wide-Angle Lens: Stories of Time and Space, (Jul 1980, ed. Phyllis R. Fenner, publ. William Morrow, 0-688-22241-2, $8.95, 223pp, hc, anth)
  • Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Treasury, (Mar 1981, ed. Joseph Olander, Martin Greenberg, Isaac Asimov, publ. Bonanza Books / Crown Publishers, 0-517-33635-9, $6.98, 786pp, hc, anth) Cover: Don Dixon
  • The Great SF Stories #14 (1952), (Jan 1986, ed. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg, publ. DAW Books, 0-88677-106-4, $3.50, 352pp, pb, anth) Cover: Tony Roberts
  • The Road to Science Fiction Volume 2: From Wells to Heinlein, (Oct 2002, ed. James Gunn, publ. Scarecrow Press, 0-8108-4439-7, $32.50, 509pp, tp, anth)
  • The Best of Edmond Hamilton, (Nov 2010, Edmond Hamilton, publ. Phoenix Pick, 978-1-60450-489-7, $14.99, 348pp, tp, coll)
  • The Road to Science Fiction #2, (date unknown, ed. James Gunn, publ. Mentor, 0-451-61859-9, $2.75, 535pp, pb, anth) Cover: Paul Stinson
  • Science Fiction for People Who Hate Science Fiction, (date unknown, ed. Terry Carr, publ. Funk & Wagnalls, #F47, $0.95, 190pp, pb, anth) Cover: Bob Korn

ebook: http://www.unz.org/Pub/ThrillingWonder-1952dec-00066