SPACE OPERA

When I was much younger, fans used the term ’space opera’ to denigrate (variously) pre-50s SF, E.E. ‘Doc’ Smith, Edgar Rice Burroughs, anything and everything not published in Analog, science fiction that lacked social commentary, science fiction on television, science fiction that emphasized action, any and all science fiction that they didn’t like.

Lester Del Rey, Isaac Asimov and several others went on a crusade at about the same time, probably motivated by the attacks against the science fiction that they had both written early in their careers and grown up on.? Both of them brought out numerous anthologies resurrecting golden oldies, Asimov’s Before The Golden Age notable among them. (Fred Pohl and his wife did a series called Science Fiction: The Great Years, Avon – I think – issued a series of SF trades called the Rediscovery Series and Lester, along with HIS wife, went one step beyond and created an entire publishing?line that championed this type of SF – erecting a wall against the literary pretentions of the ‘new wave’ and providing a much-needed outlet for authors – both new and old – who wanted to keep on writing the kind of science fiction that they all loved and recognized.? Del Rey re-captured the term Space Opera and made it a stand-in for all traditional science fiction – not that new-fangled stuff.

This late-60s to early 70’s period of sciene fiction history is now being repeated.? The broad parameters of today match those of that previous decade almost exactly: there are any number of angles of attack against the traditional: attacks against the quality and worth of earlier works, attacks against fandom itself, pressures to de-ghettoize the genre, moaning and flailing of hands in despair over the future.

Just as champions of traditional SF arose in its defense back then, this era is giving rise to its own champions.? Numerous small presses are resurrecting long out of print stories and several publishing enterprises are attempting to hold the line and provide a home for those authors who would rather keep on writing what they already know is science fiction.

Steadily and forthrightly ignoring these slings and arrows is the e-zine – Ray Gun Revival.? Month after month for several years now, RGR has captured the essence of traditional science fiction with it’s splashy covers and filling its pages with traditional, thoughtful and action-packed adventure, RGR has managed to keep the torch burning.

Johne Cook, editor, opines tangentially on this subject in this month’s editorial.? And I am not singing their praises merely because he references me twice in that editorial.? I do so because whether you like traditional science fiction (call it space opera if you will) or prefer fluffier, more mainstreamy science fiction, all of us owe a debt to the people and works who have gone before us and they – and their works – deserve a place by the fire.

RGR is always a fun read, the presentation is professional and the PDF-publication makes it easy to read, print and transport.? Check it out.