Jr., V. E. R.
(Very Enthusiastic Reader), 739 N. Alexandria, Los Angeles,
Calif.

_Gr-r-r--She's Mad!_

Dear Editor:

Gr-r-r, now I am mad! I do wish that people who want a
regular instruction book of a magazine would kindly refrain
from spending their valuable pennies on ours.

And if Mr. Johnston of Newark believes us who like A. S. to
be morons, why let's be morons! for when ignorance is bliss,
'tis folly to be wise. I'd like to inform this highly
intelligent person that our mag is dealing with pure Science
Fiction, and why should any author go into detail describing
how cities are made to float and why invisible cloaks are
invisible? Why, if every paragraph were broken off to let us
know how this or that is possible, I'm sure we'd all be
yawning and nodding over the magazine, and finally discard
it entirely in search of something more to our liking!

Why waste your time, Mr. Johnston, telling us you don't like
A. S.? Just don't purchase it, if it isn't to your liking.
We're satisfied with what we have.

What if the stories are like fairy tales? Isn't all fiction
more or less of a fairy tale? I want Mr. Johnston to get
this point: what we want is fiction, pure Science Fiction
and not instructions. We read A. S. as a pleasure. We do not
have to be scientists just because we are interested in
science!

"The Wall of Death" was grand. It's somewhat terrorizing and
gruesome, but I get a big "kick" out of such horrors.
However, I hope nothing like that would ever happen, 'cause
I'm 18 years old, and I'd be among the first ones to be
chosen for those mad half-human jelly-fishes, without a
doubt.

I shudder to think that meteors could be hurled from one
planet to another and then have some kind of machine, with
people in it, on the inside of the meteor. But the hero of
"The Gray Plague" surely proved himself a hero, in spite of
his handicap. I relish the idea of that Venusian instrument,
by which one can learn all from another within a few
minutes. Something for our students who cannot seem to learn
anything.

Here's one point that I don't like: Why are all those
invaders from other planets hostile? Why can't they go on an
exploring expedition to our Earth? C'm'on, you Authors--get
busy!