The Best of John Russell Fearn vol. 1, edited by Philip Harbottle

First published in 2001; revised digital edition published by Endeavour/Venture Press on December 31, 2015

Over the years, I’ve managed to read quite a bit of early science fiction. Like modern science fiction, much of it is dreadful, but some of it is quite good. This story collection was my first exposure to John Russell Fearn. The stories were first published between 1934 and 1939. I would put three of these stories in the “quite good” category. While the stories have a 1930s feel, they have retained their entertainment value. An introduction to the volume explains how and why the content and style of Fearn’s stories evolved over time.

The seven stories are:

“The Man Who Stopped the Dust” - A renowned inventor who is past his prime resolves to put an end to dust. Rather than making a huge vacuum cleaner, he invents a gadget that destroys the electrons in dust molecules. The effects of his little experiment are unfortunate. This is a clever story about a well-meaning scientist who screws up, a seeker of vengeance who causes more harm than he desired, and an amateur scientist who ponders the problem that threatens to devastate the planet -- to whom no one will listen, particularly his vacuous wife. The ironic ending caps an enjoyable story about hubris and unintended consequences.

“Deserted Universe” - Alien visitors to Earth discover an unpopulated planet. Their investigation reveals that a psychologist who kept his brain functioning after his body’s death was able to answer the ancient question of “is there life after death”? An apparatus allowed an engineer to perceive the psychologist’s view of the afterlife, revealing the true and unexpected nature of humankind. This is a clever story, a twist on Rapture stories that is a good deal more thought-provoking than a large chunk of what passes for modern science fiction. In a way, it is another story of hubris, envisioning the consequences that come from striving to know the unknowable.

“Experiment in Murder” - Not really science fiction but with a paranormal introduction, this is a fairly ordinary story about a man who does a dastardly deed under the influence of hypnosis. It is the shortest and least satisfying story in the collection.

“Wings Across the Cosmos” - A very heavy alien the size of a walnut plunges into a man’s garden, apparently having fallen from outer space. The alien behaves like an ill-tempered snapping turtle. When the gardener begins to experience an evolution of his physical form, he also comes to appreciate the walnut turtle. There isn’t much depth to this short, forgettable story.

“The Circle of Life” - Volcanoes, earthquakes, and storms are crippling the Earth. The explanation has something to do with a girl’s ring and an ancient race. The story has less literary merit than some of the others. It’s tainted by melodrama and has a dated feel.

“Thoughts that Kill” - The last 500 humans, highly evolved, decide to invade Venus and wipe out its native life. While told in overwrought prose, the story teaches another good lesson about the danger of hubris.

“Debt of Honor” begins with the first human space traveler’s death on Mars. He unwittingly causes a catastrophe. Twenty years later, his son has an opportunity to reverse the fate of Mars -- although the opportunity may be more of an ultimatum. Does the young man have a duty to travel to Mars, leaving Earth behind forever? His attraction to a young woman interferes with rational thought (doesn’t it always?), leaving love versus duty as the moral dilemma that the young man must confront. The twist ending doesn’t come as a surprise, but it’s fun.

The first, second, and last stories are quite good. The sixth is pretty good. The others are mediocre. Readers with an interest in the history of science fiction will find this collection of greater value than readers who are only interested in reading entertaining sf stories.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS