Weird Tales is generally known as the magazine in which the tale of grue and horror first had its true home, and where it has held sway fro almost thirty years, That sway has not, however, been entirely undisturbed by incursions of a poor relation, science fiction. During the first fifteen years of its existence, Weird Tales published considerable science fiction material, and it is this hulk of matter which I would like to consider in this article.
The type of science fiction featured in Weird Tales differed often and in many ways from that published in her competitors, Astounding Stories, the Wonder duo, and Amazing. The majority of science fiction stories in WT were of the "old school" type; there was not a commensurate growth and upward development in them as there was in other magazines. One of their principal points of difference from other sf was the consistent, and insistent weird treatment accorded sf themes. In many cases they were provided with the same trappings as conventional tales of ghosts and specters and such. Thus, in a science fiction story in the early Weird Tales, there was sure to be a horrible race of BEMs on whatever planet was visited; or if it was a tale of perverted biology or forbidden experiments, the scientist (invariably mad) would simply have to have his laboratory either located on a lonely mountain top where it thundered and stormed constantly or on a lonely stretch of moorland which was perpetually swathed in fog. Sensationalism, the appeal to the fear-emotions, was a trademark of Weird's early sf.
The first science fiction story of note to appear in Weird Tales was published in the magazine's first year. The story was Austin Hall's PEOPLE OF THE COMET, a two part serial in the September and October 1923 issues. Since it was reprinted in book form by FPCI a few years ago, the plot hardly needs detailing here. Worth note, however, is the fact that, involving as it did time-rate differences and theories of the microcosm, the story had an important impact on the rest of the field, and set off a train of similar tales which trickled along for almost twenty years. Regardless of these concepts, the novel was primarily adventure, and as such it was accepted by the readers; it relied for its effect on the feelings of awe and wonder aroused in the readers. It would be safe to say that straight idea science fiction never appeared in Weird Tales, with only one or two possible exceptions.
One of these exceptions is Donald Wandrei's classic study of the ultimate universe, THE RED BRAIN. In it the hope of the universe lies in one brain among the mind-creatures; and the brain is mad.
The first years of Weird Tales were liberally sprinkled with stories on many sf themes; trips to other planets, as in PLANET PARADISE by Dick Fresley Tooker (February 1924); invasions of Earth, as in A. G. Birch's THE MOON TERROR; brain transference, as in THE THING IN THE GLASS BOX by Sewell Peaslee Wright (February 1926). Death rays also abounded; in fact it would be difficult to name one of the themes that were already becoming cliches in the field that was not represented.
Weird Tales can take the credit for the discovery of one of the most popular and prolific writers, Edmond Hamilton. His first story -rejected, rewritten, and accepted -- was straight fantasy; THE MONSTER GOD OF MAMURTH, in the August 1926 issue, remains one of the author's very best. His descriptions of the huge invisible temple and its equally invisible occupant are extremely effective; and the idea of an invisible building, so well developed in this story, was used later by many authors, notably by H. P. Lovecraft and Kenneth Sterling in IN THE WALLS OF ERYX. Hamilton's second story was printed in the issue following his first tale; the second was a serial, ACROSS SPACE, in which he was already developing that flair for manipulating planets and throwing super-science around that was soon to earn him the sobriquet of "world-wrecker" Hamilton. He was virtually the first Weird Tales author to break away from the traditional horror-and-grue treatment of sf themes, although he returned to the old style on occasion. In such stories as THE METAL GIANTS, EXPLORERS INTO INFINITY, THE POLAR DOOM, and THE STAR STEALERS, he approached more closely the type of sf being published by other magazines, to which he was also beginning to contribute. The last-named story was one of those occasions when he returned to the weird treatment; the descriptions of the dark, cone-shaped inhabitants of the dead star are in the best horror tradition. But in this tale, too, the super-scientific attitude was present; the story might be looked upon as a sort of synthesis between the two styles of treatment.
During these early years when Hamilton's stories were making such an impression, other writers were adding their ideas and talents to WT science fiction. John Martin Leahy produced his two excellent novels, DRACONDA, a tale of pioneer flight to Venus, and DROME, a novel of caverned life beneath Earth's surface. The latter title is slated for book publication by FPCI. Another rising author was Nictzin Dyalhis, with his excellent WHEN THE GREEN STAR WANED, (April 1925), the story of an expedition from Venus to save the primitive Earth from alien invaders. There were sequels to this story, THE OATH OF HUL JOK and others, but they were generally less successful than the original story. And Bassett Morgan was around with his endless variations on brain-surgery and transplanting of minds.
Humor was also raising its ill-formed head, principally with b a d l y plotted and insufficiently-thought-out tours-de-force. J. U. Geisy's THE WICKED FLEA (October 1925) was of this type.
Other random examples of the sf of the late '20's are THE CONRADI AFFAIR, by August Derleth and Carl W. Ganzlin, and S. Fowler Wright's ironic tale of immortality, THE RAT (in the October 1928 and March 1929 issues respectively). The former story was typical of many stories of the time -- scientifically created monster turns on creator; in this case the monster was an overgrown bacteria culture which overflowed its tank and consumed the scientist who had been examining it.
With the January 1930 issue came Otto A. Kline's tale of parallel worlds, THE BIRD PEOPLE, and the full-flowering of the Burroughsian-adventure school of sf in Weird Tales. This was followed the next year by the six-part serial of a land under Asia, TAM, SON OF THE TIGER, and in November 1932 by another serial, BUCCANEERS OF VENUS, the third in Kline's Venus series, published in 1950 in book form as THE PORT OF PERIL.
Jack Williamson joined the high-adventure bandwagon in April 1933 with the first part of his novel GOLDEN BLOOD, a tale of immortality and a golden-skinned people in Asia. This had been preceded in October 1932 by the WAND OF DOOM, a short story of telekinesis and mentally-created matter. A third Williamson story, THE PLUTONIAN TERROR (October 1933), marked the rise of space opera in WT again. In January 1934 appeared his story of a future ice-age, INVADERS OF THE ICE WORLD, which was a return to the old weird treatment.
In that same issue the first part of Dr. David H. Keller's THE SOLITARY HUNTERS was published. This well-known tale of insect-supremacy in the world of the future was reprinted in book form by Prime Press about two years ago.
And through all these years, Edmund Hamilton was present; his steady contributions to both the weird and science fiction departments became sort of an i n s t i t u t i o n with the magazine. His THUNDERING WORLDS and CORSAIRS OF THE COSMOS (March and April 1934) showed his usual free hand with worlds and suns, and the fast action that was his trademark.
About this time Weird Tales began featuring various stories with an interplanetary background, but which were essentially fantasies and weird tales. These were C.L. Moore's tales of Northwest Smith, the space wanderer who always seemed to encounter remnants of ancient races or primal gods on the planets. His meeting with the Martian vampire in SHAMBLEAU, with the mind-witch YVALA, and with the various ancient gods in BLACK THIRST, DUST OF GODS, and THE TREE OF LIFE, are not science fiction, but they form an interesting offshoot of the interplanetary theme, besides being excellent stories in their own right. Other authors as well dabbled in this type. Clark Ashton Smith's VULTHOOM and THE VAULTS OF YOH-VOMBIS, and a few years later the Kenneth Sterling - Lovecraft collaboration IN THE WALLS OF ERYX, belong in this category.
Another offshoot of the main stream of sf was Paul Ernst's series of stories about the super-criminal DOCTOR SATAN. He was a sort of poor man's Fu Manchu who employed super-science as well as the supernatural in his crimes. Mysterious rays that made flesh invisible and drove fair maids to suicide were his stock in trade.
True sf took over again with Paul Ernst's serial starting in January 1935, RULERS OF THE FUTURE, a novel of our descendants reduced to barbarism and battling against lizard-men and similar creatures. The BEMs would not be denied.
In February of 1935 Frank Belknap Long published one of his excellent satirical vignettes of the future, THE BODY MASTERS. This tale of artificial love-slaves was reprinted in the Avon Fantasy Reader as the LOVE SLAVE AND THE SCIENTIST. Another of Long's short sf pieces was HE RETURNS AT DUSK, the story of a robot's revenge on the master who destroyed him.
June 1935 saw the first part of a rather unique serial, Arthur W. Bernal's SATAN IN EXILE. Not at all what the title suggests, it was a story of a space pirate, a sort of interplanetary Robin Hood. It had no weird treatment, few BEMs, and was in every way out of place in Weird Tales.
Eando Binder joined the ranks of WT's authors in 1936 with the tale of parallel worlds, THE CRYSTAL CURSE. Later that same year came another of Jack Williamson's novels, RULER OF FATE. After this novel, sf in Weird Tales fell off considerably. Save for the still-enduring stories of Edmond Hamilton, the field was almost barren. IN THE WORLD'S DUSK, THE DOOR INTO INFINITY, HE THAT HATH WINGS, and the novel THE FIRE PRINCESS, and others, continued his established reputation for fast action and adventure, combined with startling variations and new ideas.
And there, as far as this article is concerned, the story ends. The first fifteen years were the most fruitful for science-fiction in Weird Tales, and many good and enduring stories were published in that time. Such classics as THE RED BRAIN, THE RAT, WHEN THE GREEN STAR WANED, and IN THE WALLS OF ERYX, will be remembered as long as there are fans who have an interest in science-fiction's past.
(Data entered by Judy Bemis)