Edward M. Wysocki, Jr.
Edward M. Wysocki, Jr.
Author Researcher
Author Researcher
My Second Book
My Second Book
An ASTOUNDING War
My second book, An ASTOUNDING War, looks at the connections between Science Fiction and World War II. To begin, the effects of the war upon the pulp science fiction magazines of the late 1930s and early 1940s are explored. Then the focus is shifted to Astounding Science-Fiction, the leading magazine of that time. How was the content of Astounding, both fiction and non-fiction, influenced by the war? It was also possible to look in the other direction. What contributions were made to the war effort by those people associated with Astounding? What influence did science fiction have on military and naval technology?
What topics are discussed in An ASTOUNDING War? Consider the following example:
Most people who are a bit familiar with the history of science fiction know about “Deadline.” The story by Cleve Cartmill appeared in the March 1944 issue of Astounding. It involved a war on another planet, in which the combatants were meant to correspond to the Axis and Allies. To be quite frank, it was not a very impressive story. Its claim to fame was its mention of an atomic bomb employing U-235. This naturally attracted the attention of government investigators who were wondering where the author got his information.
What is not generally known is that another vital wartime technology appeared in a story in Astounding in 1943. The story had been written, purchased and scheduled for publication during a period when severe restrictions existed on the publication of such information. Fortunately for the author of the story and the editor of Astounding, by the time that the story appeared, the restrictions had been relaxed somewhat. Consequently, there was no visit from government investigators such as would occur the following year with “Deadline.” No fuss about a story that was just concerned about sending an important message in space.
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REVIEWS
Well-researched, self-published study of how John W. Campbell's Astounding dealt with WWII in both its fiction and nonfiction, as well as the wartime activities of its major authors.
Science Fiction Studies
November 2015
For so long in science fiction there has been a connection of World War II and science fiction but no one has ever written about how the two are connected until now. Wysocki delves into the subject and shows how World War II influenced science fiction and the impact of science fiction on the war. The work is fascinating in how it shows the development of magazines of the genre and how stories came from the war or how they affected the war effort. Included are names of many established writers and others that are not as well known that readers should add to their list of authors. The writing is as if the author is directly talking to readers and has a very nice flow to the very end. "An Astounding War: Science Fiction and World War II" is a wonderful history of science fiction and World War II that no history buff or science fiction fan can afford to miss.
Midwest Book Review
MBR Bookwatch
Gary's Bookshelf
August 2016