Destinies Vol. 1, No. 2

Destinies

by Jim Baen (Editor)

February-March 1979, Vol. 1, No. 2, "The paperback magazine of science fiction and speculative fact." Presented as a mass market paperback. Ace, NY. 317 pages. Interesting group of science fiction and speculative fact, presenting some good writers, Orson Scott Card / Poul Anderson / Spider Robinson / and numerous others. Terrific interior black and white illustrations throughout.

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies, Short Stories

320 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1979

About the author

Jim Baen was Editor-in-Chief and publisher of Baen Books, and renowned in the science fiction field for his taste and ability to select authors with strong storytelling ability and steer them to commercial success. Prior to founding of Baen Books, he was the editor of science fiction magazine Galaxy, science fiction editor of Ace Books, and an editor at Tor Books.

Reviews

[Craig]

This is the second issue of Destinies, a science fiction magazine in mass-market paperback format that Baen established and edited for Ace Books until he left to direct his own eponymous science fiction/fantasy publishing company. The first four or five decades of the sf genre (from the first issue of Gernsback's Amazing Stories until around the time of Ellison's Dangerous Visions original anthology, give or take, more or less) were absolutely dominated by the magazines, first in pulp and then in digest-sized format. Destinies was an innovative concept that attempted to blend the best of both worlds, incorporating the less-ephemeral book format with the charm of original illustrations and columns that promoted a sense of community one found in the magazines. The authors were mostly from Baen's stable that he'd built at Ace (and his earlier stint as editor of Galaxy) and ran a little heavy with his odd mix of pro-science conservative libertarianism, but he published some very good stuff. The non-fiction in this second volume came from Spider Robinson, Jerry Pournelle, Frederik Pohl, G. Harry Stine, B.D. Wyatt, Robert W. Prehoda, and Poul Anderson, and there was lovely art from Don Brautigan, Grant Canfield, Stephen E. Fabian, David Egge, and E.T. Steadman. The cover is especially terrific (which is a kind of redundant comment about a Michael Whelan painting, I know), as it turns the trope of an alien carrying an unclad human a little askew since the figure is a male. The book contains stories by Dean Ing, Robert Sheckley, Ben Bova, Joseph Green and Patrice Milton, and Larry Niven, as well as a trio of very good novelettes from David Drake, Orson Scott Card, and Poul Anderson.

[Tom]

Highlights include Ben Bova's "To Be or Not," and Jerry Pournelle's retrospectively amusing nonfiction speculative piece. Just as it's fun to live, for a moment, in the steampowered space age of science fiction from 100+ years ago, it's fun to go back and read speculations about fusion power from 40+ years ago. Similarly, G. Harry Stine's piece about the motivations for the onrushing/continuing space age that has only partially materialized and Robert Prehoda's overpopulation disaster speculative piece paint interesting pictures of their imagined futures. The real future duller in both achievement and in disaster than either pictured.

The remainder of the stories run from decent (Niven's) to passable (Anderson, Scott Card) to dull (Drake, I still don't get that guy). Truly fascinating were the stories from Pohl and Robinson about the science fiction publishing industry. Definitely whet my appetite for additional nonfiction reading on that subject.

[Edward Brock]

Working my way through this series will be a joy. Great stories all around.