The Science-Fantasy Megapack Read online

  THE SCIENCE-FANTASY MEGAPACK

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  The Science-Fantasy Megapack is copyright © 2013 by Wildside Press LLC. Cover copyright © 2013 Innovari / Fotolia. All rights reserved. For more information, contact the publisher.

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  “Introduction,” by Philip Harbottle, is original to this book. Copyright © 2013 by Philip Harbottle. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “The Call of the Grave,” by Brian Ball, was originally published in Monster Tales: Vampires, Werewolves, and Things, edited by Roger Elwood, Rand McNally, 1973; and reprinted in Fantasy Adventures #5, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2003. Copyright © 1973. 2003 by Brian Ball. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “The Warlord of Kul Satu,” by Brian Ball, was originally published in Nameless Places, edited by Gerald W. Page, Arkham House, 1975; and reprinted in Fantasy Adventures #6, edited by Philip Harbottle. Wildside Press, 2003. Copyright © 1975. 2003 by Brian Ball. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “The Broken Sequence,” by Antonio Bellomi, was originally published in Fantasy Adventures #13, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2008. Copyright © 2008 by Antonio Bellomi. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “Final Contact,” by Sydney J. Bounds, was originally published in Dream #16, 1988; and reprinted in Fantasy Adventures #3, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2003. Copyright © 1988, 2003 by Sydney J. Bounds. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “Sunskimmer,” by Sydney J. Bounds, was originally published in Dream #16, 1988; and in a revised version in Fantasy Adventures #12, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2003. Copyright © 1988, 2003 by Sydney J. Bounds. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “A Time for Contact,” by Sydney J. Bounds, was originally published in Fantasy Adventures #13, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2008. Copyright © 2008 by the Estate of Sydney J. Bounds. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “Writer for Hire,” by Sydney J. Bounds writing as David Somers, was originally published in Fantasy Adventures #2, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2002. Copyright © 2002 by Sydney J. Bounds. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “The Tapestry of Time,” by Eric Brown, was originally published in Fantasy Adventures #12, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2006. Copyright © 2006 by Eric Brown. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Uncertain World,” by Eric Brown, was originally published in Fantasy Adventures #13, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2008. Copyright © 2008 by Eric Brown. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “I’ll Kiss You Goodnight,” by Frederick H. Christian, was originally published in The Premature Burial and Other Tales of Horror, edited anonymously, Corgi Books, 1966; and reprinted in Fantasy Adventures #10, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2004. Copyright © 1966. 2004 by Frederick H. Christian. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Prisoner of Time,” by John Russell Fearn, was originally published under the pen name Vargo Statten as The Time Bridge, Scion Books, 1952, and revised by Philip Harbottle in Fantasy Adventures #13, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2008. Copyright © 1952 by John Russell Fearn; Copyright © 2008 by Philip Harbottle. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “The House on the Moors,” by John Glasby, was originally published in Fantasy Adventures #12, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2006. Copyright © 2006 by John Glasby. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “The Martian Enigma,” by John Glasby, was originally published in Fantasy Adventures #13, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2008. Copyright © 2008 by John Glasby. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “Nightfall on Ronan,” by John Glasby writing as A. J. Merak, was originally published in Fantasy Adventures #5, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2003. Copyright © 2003 by John Glasby. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “The Drainpipe,” by Philip E. High, was originally published in Fantasy Adventures #4, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2003. Copyright © 2003 by Philip E. High. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “The Gunman,” by Philip E. High, was originally published in Fantasy Adventures #9, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2004. Copyright © 2004 by Philip E. High. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “The Wishing Stone,” by Philip E. High, was originally published in Fantasy Adventures #13, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2008. Copyright © 2008 by the Estate of Philip E. High. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “Something in the Air,” by Gordon Landsborough, was originally published in Fantasy Adventures #4, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2003. Copyright © 2003 by the Estate of Gordon Landsborough. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “The Dilettantes,” by E. C. Tubb, was originally published under the pen name Alan Innes in Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, April, 1956; and reprinted in Fantasy Adventures #10, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2004. Copyright © 1956, 2004 by E. C. Tubb. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “Emergency Exit,” by E. C. Tubb, was originally published under the pen name George Holt in British Science Fiction Magazine, September, 1954; and reprinted in Fantasy Adventures #2, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2002. Copyright © 1954, 2004 by E. C. Tubb. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “The Greater Ideal,” by E. C. Tubb, was originally published under the pen name Alan Guthrie in New Worlds Science Fiction, February, 1957; and reprinted in Fantasy Adventures #4, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2003. Copyright © 1957, 2003 by E. C. Tubb. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “You Go,” by E. C. Tubb, was originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction, December, 1956; and reprinted in Fantasy Adventures #12, Wildside Press, 2006. Copyright © 1956, 2006 by E. C. Tubb. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  “Sea Change,” by Peter Oldale, was originally published in Fantasy Adventures #5, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2003. Copyright © 2003 by Peter Oldale. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Brides for Mars,” by Eric C. Williams, was originally published Fantasy Adventures #2, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2004. Copyright © 2004 by Eric C. Williams. Published by arrangement with Cosmos Literary Agency.

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  Over the last few years, our “Megapack” series of ebook anthologies has proved to be one of our most popular endeavors. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”

  The Megapacks (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt, Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, A.E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!).

  A NOTE FOR KINDLE READERS

  The Kindle versions of our Megapacks employ active tables of contents for easy navigation…please look for one before writing reviews on Amazon that complain about the lack! (They are sometimes at the ends of ebooks, depending on your reader.)

  RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?

  Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author
whom you believe is perfect for the Megapack series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).

  Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.

  TYPOS

  Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.

  If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.

  —John Betancourt

  Publisher, Wildside Press LLC

  www.wildsidepress.com

  THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  MYSTERY

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Charlie Chan Megapack

  The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack

  The Detective Megapack

  The Father Brown Megapack

  The Girl Detectives Megapack

  The Jacques Futrelle Megapack

  The Anna Katharine Green Mystery Megapack

  The First Mystery Megapack

  The Penny Parker Megapack

  The Pulp Fiction Megapack

  The Raffles Megapack

  The Victorian Mystery Megapack

  The Wilkie Collins Megapack

  GENERAL INTEREST

  The Adventure Megapack

  The Baseball Megapack

  The Christmas Megapack

  The Second Christmas Megapack

  The Classic American Short Stories Megapack

  The Classic Humor Megapack

  The Military Megapack

  SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

  The Edward Bellamy Megapack

  The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack

  The Philip K. Dick Megapack

  The Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Second Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Second Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Martian Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The H. Beam Piper Megapack

  The Pulp Fiction Megapack

  The Mack Reynolds Megapack

  The First Science Fiction Megapack

  The Second Science Fiction Megapack

  The Third Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fifth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Seventh Science Fiction Megapack

  The Robert Sheckley Megapack

  The Steampunk Megapack

  The Time Travel Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  HORROR

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Second E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack

  The Ghost Story Megapack

  The Second Ghost Story Megapack

  The Third Ghost Story Megapack

  The Horror Megapack

  The M.R. James Megapack

  The Macabre Megapack

  The Second Macabre Megapack

  The Mummy Megapack

  The Vampire Megapack

  The Werewolf Megapack

  WESTERNS

  The B.M. Bower Megapack

  The Max Brand Megapack

  The Buffalo Bill Megapack

  The Cowboy Megapack

  The Zane Grey Megapack

  The Western Megapack

  The Second Western Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  YOUNG ADULT

  The Boys’ Adventure Megapack

  The Dan Carter, Cub Scout Megapack

  The G.A. Henty Megapack

  The Girl Detectives Megapack

  The Penny Parker Megapack

  The Pinocchio Megapack

  The Rover Boys Megapack

  The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack

  The Tom Swift Megapack

  AUTHOR MEGAPACKS

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Edward Bellamy Megapack

  The B.M. Bower Megapack

  The E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Second E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Max Brand Megapack

  The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack

  The Wilkie Collins Megapack

  The Philip K. Dick Megapack

  The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack

  The Jacques Futrelle Megapack

  The Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Anna Katharine Green Megapack

  The Zane Grey Megapack

  The Second Randall Garrett Megapack

  The M.R. James Megapack

  The Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Second Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The H. Beam Piper Megapack

  The Mack Reynolds Megapack

  The Rafael Sabatini Megapack

  The Saki Megapack

  The Robert Sheckley Megapack

  OTHER COLLECTIONS YOU MAY ENJOY

  The Great Book of Wonder, by Lord Dunsany (it should have been called “The Lord Dunsany Megapack”)

  The Wildside Book of Fantasy

  The Wildside Book of Science Fiction

  Yondering: The First Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  To the Stars—And Beyond! The Second Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  Once Upon a Future: The Third Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  Whodunit?—The First Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories

  More Whodunits—The Second Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories

  X is for Xmas: Christmas Mysteries

  THE SCIENCE-FANTASY MEGAPACK: 25 CLASSIC TALES FROM FANTASY ADVENTURES, Edited by Philip Harbottle

  INTRODUCTION, by Philip Harbottle

  When I was given a free hand to create a new paperback fantasy magazine for Wildside Press in 2002, the only restriction I was given was that I had to purchase all its contents myself!

  With a free editorial hand, my initial policy was to commission new stories from the older British science fiction authors, whose work I had read and enjoyed over many years. But, unaccountably, all of them had fallen silent in recent years because successive British magazine editors had chosen to ignore their talent. Not one editor had thought to commission new work from them in years!

  I was angry that these talented veteran authors—who had helped to pioneer magazine science fiction in Britain—had been denied the opportunity to prove that they still had worthwhile stories to tell, and new things to say. And I also felt that many of their excellent early stories had been too long out of print, and been unjustly forgotten.

  I wrote to all of these writers, offering them a firm commission for new work, and at a reasonable rate of pay. Selected reprints could also be used, at half this rate.

  Most of the writers I contacted no longer had agents, and I was gratified when they asked me to represent them. As their new agent, I was then able to sell many of their backlist novels to my publisher, Wildside—and to other publishers, too.

  And so Fantasy Adventures was launched. Print-on-demand paperbacks were still relatively new in 2002, and there was considerable dealer resistance to carrying them. It soon became evident that circulation would never be great, so budget considerations meant that only one-third of the 60,000 words contents were new stories, but I still managed to obtain some fine material, most notably some brilliant new stories by Sydney J. Bounds, Philip E. High, and E. C. Tubb. Much of each issue was made up with a reprint of one of John Russell Fearn’s better novels from the 1950s, and featuring specially commissioned illustrative covers by famed ex-Scion artist Ron Turner.

  My editorial policy t
hroughout consisted of three main strands: to bring to light fine stories that had been accepted for other markets, but for one reason or another had never appeared at the time; to reprise classic stories too long out-of-print; and to actively solicit brand new stories that might otherwise never have been written. This latter strand eventually became the most important.

  Gradually, as the series became established, in addition to works by Bounds, Fearn, High, and Tubb, new stories by other veteran UK writers, including Brian Ball, John Glasby, and Tony Glynn, were added, all of whom wrote excellent new stories for Fantasy Adventures. One highlight was the posthumous first publication of “Something in the Air” by Gordon Landsborough, a novelette I had actually commissioned from Gordon for my earlier SF magazine, Vision of Tomorrow, in 1970. It was a beautifully written and subtle satire, its central character being a science fiction editor working for an uncaring publisher (based on Gordon himself and his days at Hamilton’s editing Authentic!) I was also proud to have been favoured with new stories by rising star Eric Brown, and the noted Italian author and editor Antonio Bellomi.

  As with most early POD ventures, sales were disappointing—but I was able to resell the Fearn novels appearing in it to UK publishers, which more than recouped my editorial outlay. I had hoped to continue in this vein, soliciting more new stories from Eric Brown and other emerging younger British writers, but it was not to be.

  In 2006, first Philip E. High, and then Sydney J. Bounds, died. Both men were born storytellers who loved to write, and although they knew they were dying from cancer, they continued to write for me as long as they were able. Their final stories were truly inspirational, remarkably good, and completely free from any trace of bitterness or self-pity.

  After their deaths I decided to discontinue the magazine, and to instead concentrate all my energies on selling their backlists to other publishers on both sides of the Atlantic, and throughout Europe. My still living clients continued to write new stories, but—now that their names were known again—I was now able to sell them to wider and better markets, including original story anthologies.

  Fantasy Adventures had achieved its objective when I ended it after thirteen issues. Quite a number of its stories have since been anthologized or included in single author collections.