Daymare and Other Tales from the Pulps

by Fredric Brown

Mystery and science fiction writer Fredric Brown (1906-1972) remains best-known for his short fiction. His story "Arena" (in this volume) became the basis for a "Star Trek" episode of the same title. "Arena" was also voted by the membership of the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the twenty finest SF stories of all time. In addition to "Arena," this volume contains five more of Brown's classic tales: "Daymare," "The Little Lamb," "The Geezenstacks," "The Hat Trick," and "Don't Look Behind You."

Genres: Horror

126 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 2007

About the author

Fredric Brown was an American science fiction and mystery writer. He was one of the boldest early writers in genre fiction in his use of narrative experimentation. While never in the front rank of popularity in his lifetime, Brown has developed a considerable cult following in the almost half century since he last wrote. His works have been periodically reprinted and he has a worldwide fan base, most notably in the U.S. and Europe, and especially in France, where there have been several recent movie adaptations of his work. He also remains popular in Japan.

Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

CONTENTS


Introduction - by John Gregory Betancourt


Fiction:

"Daymare" (Thrilling Wonder Stories, Fall, 1943)

"The Little Lamb" (Manhunt, August, 1953)

"The Geezenstacks" (Weird Tales, September, 1943)

"The Hat Trick" (Unknown, February, 1942)

"Arena" (Astounding, June, 1942)

"Don't Look Behind You" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, May, 1947)


This presents a fine mix of stories by Fredric Brown, mysteries, a fantasy, science fiction, and a science fiction mystery. One of them, "Arena," is perhaps Brown's most famous story.

In "Arena," mankind and another race are in a long combat. Earthmen have never seen one of the enemy, whom they refer to as "Outsiders." Bob Carson is a combatant in a battle in space. Carson suddenly finds himself in a new place, an extremely hot place with blue sand and some blue lizard-like animals. Everything he can see is blue, except a red sphere in the distance. A voice inside Carson's head tells him that the two combatant races are so evenly matched that both would have been destroyed. The voice explains that it has arranged that Carson and one of the Outsiders will meet in single combat, a fight to the death. The winner's race will live; the loser's will be destroyed. The red spherical thing in the distance is one of the Outsiders. "Arena" is the story of that battle.

"Arena" was voted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, as one of the best science fiction stories published in the period 1926-1964. Wikipedia discusses adaptations of the story:

The Star Trek episode "Arena" had some similarity to this story, so to avoid legal problems, it was agreed that Brown would receive payment and a story credit. An Outer Limits episode, "Fun and Games", also has a similar plot, as does an episode of Blake's 7, titled "Duel" and an episode of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe titled "The Arena".

"Daymare" is also a science fiction story, and a mystery as well. The following comments about "Daymare" are from my review of another Brown story collection, Space on My Hands:

In this story, inexplicable things are occurring. Rod Caquer, Lieutenant of Police in Sector Three of Callisto, is asked to investigate a murder. People who have seen the body report the cause of death variously as a gunshot, a shot from a blaster, a crushed skull, and being beheaded in two different ways. A second body is found, this one with no apparent cause of death; it is the same man as the previous corpse. Then things get even weirder.

"The Hat Trick" is another science fiction story, but it feels more like a fantasy, on the border of horror. At a small party, Walter Beekman does his hat trick, something so shocking that the minds of all those present blot it out. Weeks later, one of the people who had been at the party asks Beekman to recommend a book. Beekman offers him one "about beings from another world, living here in disguise, pretending they're people." The man turns it down. In the original appearance of this story in Unknown, it was illustrated with a most unpleasant picture by Edd Cartier.

"The Geezenstacks" is a definite horror fantasy. A man is walking down a street when a box falls on the ground next to him. He is unable to locate the owner and, since the box holds four wax dolls, the man gives it to his nine year old niece.

I'm going to call them the Geezenstacks, " Aubrey said. " Look, this one is Papa Geezenstack and this one is Mama Geezenstack, and the little girl one - that's - that's Aubrey Geezenstack. And the other man one, we'll call him Uncle Geezenstack. The little girl's uncle."

Then, strangely, things that Aubrey makes up about the Geezenstacks start to happen to the real family. Aubrey's father begins to feel this is more than coincidence, but his wife thinks he is foolishly obsessed with the dolls. She thinks the best thing to do is give them away; the old woman passing by to whom she gives them "must be a scrubwoman or something, although she looked like a witch."

The remaining two stories are both mysteries, with strong elements of horror in each. "The Little Lamb" is narrated by artist Wayne Gray, who is beginning to be concerned that his wife, Lambeth, is not home yet. He isn't really worried; it's only nine o'clock. Gray spends part of the time musing about painting. He reflects that a moon in a picture makes it look corny and pretty. "Van Gogh did it in his picture 'The Starry Sky,' and it didn't look pretty; it looked frightening, but then again he was crazy when he did it; a sane man couldn't have done many of the things Van Gogh did."

Gray decides to walk into town to see if he can find Lamb. He goes to an inn that they frequent but she isn't there. However, he overhears one of the patrons saying, " - may be at Hans's." Hans is another artist who lives near the Grays. Lamb wouldn't be there, of course, so Gray goes home, but there is still no sign of Lamb.

Gray thinks about the line of poetry by William Blake, "Little lamb, who made thee?" He thinks further that the line could have a sexual connotation. The poem reminds him of another line of poetry, this time from T. S. Eliot: "Midnight shakes the memory as a madman shakes a dead geranium." Gray decides to visit Hans after all, first stopping to take his gun. At Hans's studio, there is no sign of Lamb until Gray forces Hans to open a locked door.

The final story is "Don't Look Behind You." This is something of a stunt, but a fine, successful stunt, a tour de force. The tale begins:

Just sit back and relax now. Try to enjoy this; it's going to be the last story you ever read, or nearly the last. After you finish it you can sit there and stall a while, you can find excuses to hang around your house, or your room, or your office, wherever you're reading this; but sooner or later you're going to have to get up and go out. That's where I'm waiting for you: outside. Or maybe closer than that. Maybe in this room.

The narrator is an expert printer and binder, a former counterfeiter, tortured by thugs until he has been driven mad - homicidally mad.

There is a brief introduction by John Gregory Betancourt. There is a frontispiece, a picture illustrating the story "Daymare," possibly reprinted from the original publication of "Daymare" in 1943. Both that picture and the cover are terrible.

But the fiction isn't, and that's the important thing. Some of the stories unsurprisingly are somewhat dated but I think that the book as a whole is entertaining.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short collection of Brown stories written for the pulps, there are two crime stories, one horror story, one sci-fi story and the title story, which is a sci-fi detective story. This is a good sample of Brown's best stories.

[Brett]

Science Fiction,Anthology