This volume -- the first of two -- selects the very best work by Cleo Eldon "Don" Wilcox, who published nearly 100 novels and short stories in the Ziff-Davis pulp magazines (including Amazing Stories, Fantastic Stories, and Fantastic Adventures). Volume 1 features his most famous story, "The Whispering Gorilla," plus the novel "The Hollow Planet," and the stories "The Dictator of Peace," "Whirlpool in Space," "Mademoiselle Butterfly," and "Secret of the Stone Doll." Features a new introduction by scholar Mike Ashley.

The Best of Don Wilcox, Volume 1

Literature & Fiction

Wilcox, Don

Short Stories & Anthologies

Wildside Press

The Best of Don Wilcox, Vol. 2

“A fairly good time capsule of sf starting to become a genre of its own, and "Amazing Stories" in particular. ,,, for the pulp fiction fan, this will be an interesting and fun read And all of 1926's covers are reprinted on this anthology's back cover.” –Amazon review. 1940 was an important year for Amazing Stories—and for its new editor, Raymond A. Palmer. For Palmer it was the culmination of his dream to create a stable of new science fiction writers for Amazing, the way John W. Campbell Jr. had done two years earlier with such spectacular success at Astounding Stories. Palmer gathered Don Wilcox, Robert Moore Williams, the highly underrated Rog Phillips, David Wright O’Brien, David Vern Reed (of Batman fame), Chester. S. Geier, the Livingston brothers (Herbert and Berkeley), Leroy Yerxa, Frances Deegan, Richard S. Shaver, and others quite popular then but of lesser fame today. He also opened his pages to anything such important authors as Ray Bradbury, Nelson S. Bond, Eando Binder, and Robert Bloch cared to write, 1940 was the year it all came together for Ray Palmer. From then on Amazing Stories’ readership and circulation would continue to grow, even through and after the war, in a triumphal arc. The stories reprinted here, we believe are among the most outstanding Palmer published in Amazing during 1940. Guiding our selections are what we feel are three key signifiers of quality: 1) reader reaction as reflected in the magazine’s letter columns, 2) a story having been deemed worthy of reprint by the field’s most able anthologists, and 3) our own personal reading of all twelve issues published that year. The gem of the year, a novelette which still enjoys classic status today, was undoubtedly “The Voyage that Lasted 600 Years,” the first story ever set on board a ship making a generations-long voyage to a distant star. Once again Amazing was in the lead with a cornerstone sf idea that remains a vital part of the field to this day (beating out Robert A. Heinlein’s “Universe,” which is often misremembered as the first use of a generation starship, by a full year). Also included are Truth Is A Plague David Wright O’Brien The Living Mist Ralph Milne Farley Paul Revere And The Time Machine A. W. Bernal Monster Out Of Space Malcolm Jameson The Day Time Stopped Moving Ed Earl Repp (Writing As Bradner Buckner) The Mathematical Kid Ross Rocklynne The Strange Voyage Of Dr. Penwing Richard O. Lewis The Three Wise Men Of Space Donald Bern Sons Of The Deluge (complete novel) Nelson S. Bond This special 1940 Retro-Hugo edition of The Best of Amazing Stories is not intended to tell World Science Fiction Convention members who or what to vote for (or not to vote for). At the same time it is not possible for most readers to obtain copies of all the science fiction stories and novels published during 1940 or even those classics that might be ranked among the best. Unfortunately, many of the latter are not in print, and those that are are scattered widely among many different anthologies and not easy to assemble. We offer this present book in the hope that it may help contemporary readers become more informed about, at least, some of the better science fiction of the year 1940. Contains a special Introduction and survey of the best stories published in every magazine during the year.

The Best of Amazing Stories: The 1940 Anthology: Special Retro-Hugo Edition

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Gallun, Raymond Z.

Rocklynne, Ross

Bond, Nelson S.

Science Fiction

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Armchair Fiction presents extra-large editions of classic science fiction double novels with original illustrations. The first novel, "Iron Men of Venus," features fantastic robots rising up from the depths of the ocean. They were huge lumbering metal monstrosities, seemingly hell-bent on destroying everything in sight. A city was left aflame in the wake of their mindless onslaught. But were these towering monsters from Earth, or were they the invasion forerunners from another planet? The second novel, "The Man With Absolute Motion," is a tale of science at the crossroads. The universe had grown so vast that time and space had taken on new dimensions for man, and his millenium-long progress toward the stars had changed the destiny of Earth forever. However, galactic war still remained a possibility and human nature was still fiery and unpredictable. Could one unusual man make sanity prevail? Lots of tense action and space adventure thrills are featured in both of these exciting novels, penned by two sci-fi veterans, Don Wilcox and Noel Loomis.

Iron Men of Venus/The Man With Absolute Motion

Loomis, Noel

Armchair Fiction & Music

For the first time in paperback, Armchair Fiction presents extra large editions of classic science fiction double novels.  The first novel is by sci-fi veteran, Don Wilcox.  “Secret of the Serpent” is about a strange planet adrift in space beyond the edge of the solar system.  Its vegetation was lush, its atmosphere was pure, and it was home to the most bizarre life forms imaginable.  Bob Garrison awoke fitfully to find himself nearly submerged in a grimy stream in a deep, dark crevasse.  He had forgotten everything about his former life.  He had forgotten almost everything about his former planet…Earth.  But in his new life as a serpent on this strange faraway world, he had already learned a great deal—including how to eat a human being in one bite!  The second novel, “Crusade Across the Void” is about the “scum” of the spaceways.  At least that’s what the interplanetary police called them.  The captain and crew of “the Ghost” were seasoned veterans of outer space, but not with the best of reputations.  They were largely outlaws, rebels, and fugitives, coming from all corners of the solar system—creatures of bizarre sizes and shapes.  Many of them were horrifying in their appearance, but all were drawn together in a brotherhood of booty.  Loyal to their hard-jawed Earthling captain, Wolf Stone.  However, when the Lundars threatened the peace of the system, skilled fighters were needed and the crew of the Ghost stood as one blood with the Crusaders.  Written by well-known sci-fi author, Dwight V. Swain.

Secret of the Serpent & Crusade Across the Void

Swain, Dwight V.

Armchair Fiction presents extra large editions of classic science fiction double novels. The first novel is another great thriller by top sci-fi author Rog Phillips. “World of If” deals with the complexities of “the dream world” where there are always unexpected variants. In our reality, the past is fixed, what happened to you yesterday can never be altered. But, what IF you could be placed under hypnosis for an eight-hour period, each second in the real world equaling a year in the dream world, and dream a whole different lifetime. And suppose that in that lifetime, some things were completely different, and some the same? Would you marry the same person? Witness the rise of Communism? Have the same trusted people by your side? But most importantly, what could there be to learn in your dream world that could be brought back—back to the world of reality? Are all of our fates linked by the same differences and similarities in both the real world, and in the Worlds of If..? The second novel is by an author known for his vivid imagination and wild tales, Don Wilcox. “Slave Raiders from Mercury” is a fast-moving thriller about an interplanetary black market for human slaves. In the most unbelievable manner possible, Lester Allison found himself hijacked to the planet Mercury. Once there he became a slave to a dying alien race, to be sold at auction to the highest bidder. However, the creature responsible for his kidnapping wasn’t a yellow-skinned alien, but a scientist—a scientist from Earth itself, in league with the potentates of Mercury. Allison might have resigned himself to his fate like the other humans who had come before him, but when a beautiful Earth woman came into danger, it set off a chain of events that threatened not only his life, but the lives of every living creature on the planet. A chain of events that culminated at Allison’s scheduled execution: the Rite of the Floating Chop.

World of If & Slave Raiders From Mercury

Phillips, Rog

Armchair Fiction presents extra large editions of classic science fiction double novels. “Craig’s Book” is the first novel. It was an eerie mansion of mystery. Inside millionaire Hamilton Craig’s mansion there were some mysterious things going on. Six beautiful girls had literally vanished into thin air inside his private office—only to reappear several days later. But where had they been? What were those strange little cards that Archie Burnette always carried around? Who was the mansion’s mad scientist and what strange, fantastic experiments was he working on? Lastly, why did Hamilton Craig himself seem to have developed an obvious split personality? Author Don Wilcox had one of the wildest imaginations of any sci-fi writer of his era. This thoroughly enjoyable romp is another reason why he earned the nickname, “The Mad Man, Don Wilcox.” The second novel, “Edge of the Knife” was thought to be too intense for the average reader. This short novel caused a bit of a flap when it was first published in Amazing Stories back in 1957. It was initially rejected by two other well-known science-fiction magazines, and both times for similar reasons: “this story is simply too hot to handle” and "too dangerous for our book." However, the then editor of Amazing, Paul W. Fairman, was brave enough to accept and publish it. Fairman also queried Amazing’s readers, wanting to know if they thought the tale was appropriate or not. All these years later this fine short novel still stands tall as a taut science fiction thriller and one of veteran author Henry Beam Piper’s very best efforts.

Craig's Book & Edge of the Knife

Piper,H.Beam

Battering Rams of Space & Doomsday Wing

Smith, George H.

Armchair Fiction presents extra large editions of classic science fiction double novels. The first novel is another “can’t-put-it-down” gem by Jack Williamson, “The Green Girl.” At high noon on May 4th the sun went out. And at that moment the youthful Melvin Dane was thrust into the most amazing adventure ever encountered by a mortal man. For years he had dreamed of a beautiful green-skinned girl, and now that dream of love was to materialize into a threat that held the promise of death for every living being on Earth. To meet the challenge of a blacked-out world, Mel followed a scientific trail that led to dangers undreamed of: a horrific serpent-like creature; a red globe of atomic destruction, murderous zombies, silver globes of sudden death, and strange dragon plants. All of this awaits you in Jack Williamson’s powerful novel, “The Green Girl,” a true masterpiece from the golden age of science-fiction. The second novel is “The Robot Peril” by sci-fi vet, Don Wilcox. Imagine what it would be like to find yourself thrown—unwillingly—into a state of frozen suspended animation. Imagine awakening in a world of the future—a hundred and fifty years later! That’s what happened to Blaine Rising, Marcella Kingman, and James Brayton. However, this trio from the past was soon excited about starting new lives in a futuristic new world. It was filled with amazing technologies and awash with countless new challenges. But soon they discovered a ghastly industry that made robots out of humans. Then to their horror, one in their trio was taken to become a human robot himself. Join Don Wilcox as he spins another of his wild science fiction tales, the type of tale that earned him the nickname, “The Mad Man, Don Wilcox.”

Green Girl, The, & Robot Peril, The

Williamson, Jack

Armchair Fiction presents extra large editions of classic science fiction double novels. The first novel is by an author known for his vivid imagination and wild tales, Don Wilcox. “Dwellers of the Deep” is a story about strange creatures from the depths of the ocean. Bill Pierce and Bea Riley were a renown diving team, known all over the world for their amazing feats from diving boards and waterfalls. But on an ocean cruise one sunny afternoon, Pierce was stunned to see his partner and girlfriend pulled overboard by weird horse-fish creatures. He followed them into the depths below and discovered a strange, secret civilization, known only to a handful of surface people. For this was the world of two different races, the spiny-men and the horse-fish. A world that seemed to hold one certainty for both Bill and Bea—neither one would even return to the surface world alive. Join “the mad man” Don Wilcox for another excursion into his strange worlds of science fiction escapism. The second novel “Night of the Long Knives,” is an unpleasant vision of the future by Fritz Leiber. It was a grim place indeed. Earth was now a horrifying post-apocalyptic world where fate could be cruel and life was often very short. Every man struggled mightily to survive from one day to the next and often the only real protection lay in one’s ability to make quick, unhesitating use of a knife or a gun. In this forlorn world, three drifters came together in a life-starved area known only as “the Deathlands,” where multi-colored radioactive dust was often too much in evidence. However, when the three stumbled across a crashed plane and its pilot, there suddenly seemed to be a light of hope. Could the plane be repaired? Was there a chance of freedom from the radioactive wastelands that trapped them?

Dwellers of the Deep & Night of the Long Knives

Leiber,Fritz

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