Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. November-December 1978.
Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine Nov-Dec 1978 is rated 57%.
AVERAGE STORY: 3.14
14 Stories : 0 great / 6 good / 4 average / 4 poor / 0 DNF
It is not my intention to start reviewing old issues of Science Fiction magazines. It doesn’t do much of a service to my readers and the quality of stories is likely lower than curated volumes. This reading was inspired by Rich Horton, Editor of some great Best of the Year Collections, who posted on Facebook about reading SF stories published in your birth year and month. That was November 1978 for me, and Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine has always been my favorite SF magazine.
Unfortunately this was very early in this magazines life. If this issue is indicative of this era, it was not yet the superb magazine that it would eventually become.
It seemed to rely on the specific personality and tastes of Asimov himself and not the good ones. This issue is overflowing with very stupid pun and punchline stories, with no purpose beyond being a joke. There are also an abundance of “puzzle stories,” including some that don’t give the solution until the next issue.
This issue also had a very significant number of “first ever sale” stories from writers who wouldn’t amount to much. I didn’t recognize the names at all. Perhaps Isaac Asimov envisioned himself as filling the role of John Campbell and nurturing young writers, or maybe these were authors you could get on the cheap.
There are some good things here that aren’t stories: a very nice profile on the life and work of Illustrator George Edward Barr, a long Book Review section by Charles N Brown, and a grumpy editorial by Asimov where he criticizes Close Encounters of the Third Kind and laments working as a critic.
But those are slim pickings and I don’t recommend seeking out this issue.
Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine Nov-Dec 1978 is rated 57%.
14 Stories : 0 great / 6 good / 4 average / 4 poor / 0 DNF
How do I arrive at a rating?
“The Tryouts” by Barry B. Longyear
Good. Interesting premise - a world founded by a crazy spaceship full of entertainers - with just enough story to barely keep interest.
“The Enumerators” by E. E. Roberts
Poor. Yuck. A pun-based story about dealing with a bird-like aliens.
“The First Star” by J. P. Boyd
Average. A sickly young man finds purpose and challenge in his skill of building powerful spyglass and discovers something in the sky.
“As Chemist to Chemist” by Isaac Asimov. 1970
Good. Just a puzzle story by Asimov, but he was always very good at this.
“The Man with the Eye” by Phyllis Eisenstein
Good. A slight romance story between a woman and a man whose eye affects the world around him.
“On the Q167 File” by John M. Ford
Poor. A fake science article that confusing expands on the ‘monkeys at typewriters’ theory.
“The Last Master of Limericks” by Garry R. Osgood
Average. Two sentient planetary military AIs argue and fight.
“Errata Slip Nubmer Two” by Edward Wellen
Poor. Updates to the Encyclopedia Galactica.
“One More Time” by Jack Gaughan
Good. Time traveler tries to help his own father become more successful.
“Malice in Wonderland” by Glen M. Bever
Good. Funny rejection letters to proposed Sci-Fi movie scripts.
“Out of Quarantine” by Barry N. Malzberg and Bill Pronzini
Average. After being alone on an asteroid mining mission, a man’s first stop is the bar.
“By the Hours in a Day” by Kerstin Lange
Average. Custom robot is ordered to be an exact duplicate of an existing person.
“A Growing Concern“ by Arnie Bateman
Poor. Another stupid pun story. This time about plants.
“Farside Station” by Jack Williamson
Good. A religious order hires a team to travel across Medea in search on an alien species that they believe holds humanities future. A very smart and detailed bit of world building, that is hampered by very stock pulpy characters. Easily the magazine’s best story.
