I have read a number of novels/stories by the authors focused on in this work of scholarship (Asimov, Heinlein, and Campbell) with the exception of Hubbard. I was always put off by the ridiculous TV advertisements with exploding meteors and claims of intellectual wonders used to promote Dianetics in the 1970s and ‘80s.
Nevala-Lee’s work here however brings all four of these individuals together and weaves their relationship with one another with their frequent editor, collaborator, mentor, and frenemy, Campbell at the center of everything.
I had not known how tightly they were associated with one another professionally and personally—from employment as writers to that as workers within industry during WWII…from sharing ideas on their work to familial relationships. Coming together and falling apart numerous times over the span of 40+ years, each on to their own deserves a deep biography.
Here it is more their interconnected stories and how they relate to Campbell as the force that pushed them out into worldwide acceptance that is the focus. The work stands as a fantastic primer for understanding any of these complex men who all had deep faults yet unique geniuses as well.
Nevala-Lee doesn’t preach at the reader regarding these faults and largely is able to stay in the background, revealing what they are without being overly judgmental—which must have been immensely difficult given what some of these faults were (gross racism, parental negligence, fraud, sexual assault, and so on). Now…to be fair, some of these behaviors were products of their time, simply doing business as business was done and what were acceptable societal norms at the time and so Lee does an excellent job of steering away from applying modern mores to distant years.
Leaving that behind, the work is stunning in its capture of the cultural impact that these writers and Campbell in particular have had on our views and media. With Dune coming out this year in its second full film workup, it is worth noting that as we see in Astounding Herbert was yet another of Campbell’s discoveries as a writer and had a major if not primary influence on other contributors to how we see science interacting with, benefiting, and threatening humanity including Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, Carl Sagan, Arthur C. Clarke, and numerous others. Also note the recent Amazon development of Foundation as a long form series broadcast this year and George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones mid ‘10’s juggernaut as examples of Cambpell’s influence 40+ years after his death.
A very readable work of literary scholarship I’m sure Lee’s efforts here will spawn numerous imitators and inspiration for other works diving into these authors to treat them with the respect they deserve from the standpoint of real “art”. This may be one of the best (not first) steps towards putting Campbell, Heinlein and Asimov in particular on pedestals alongside others such as Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Mark Twain, Poe, and others who are deemed worthy of such examination. Not Hubbard though…I still can’t get past those exploding meteors…
Truly I am only scratching the surface of what is contained in Astounding. There is so much here that warrants mentioning that Lee goes into. Campbell’s story on the development of a nuclear bomb that came under scrutiny from the Feds during the Manhattan Project because it was felt that it was too close to the truth is one. The absolute batshit insanity of Hubbard and Campbell’s earnest beliefs that things like Scientology, psionics, telepathy, reincarnation and other such fantastical ideas were not only legitimate but that personally controllable, is another. There will be works to come that Astounding will be used as a primary source for a hundred years or more. It is not a good work…but a great one and one that anyone seeking to understand much of our modern culture and thinking must understand given how influential these authors have been on the great powers and thinkers of our time.