The Issue At Hand
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For several years, hiding under a cloak of anonymity, the most penetrating critic of the field of magazine science fiction was known as 'William Atheling, Jr'. it soon became a challenge to guess his real identity. And that was no easy game, for Atheling's dissection did not spare even his alter ego, the noted science fiction writer James Blish.
Here, then, is a collection of William Atheling's critiques of SF magazines covering the period 1952 - 1963. no subject is too sacred or taboo for Atheling's shredding typewriter: from sex to God, from religion to satirical poetry. No author, however fragile, is spared the bloody mark of his relentless ;ash; from Anderson to Heinlein to Wyndham, and all stops in between.
A vastly entertaining collection in its own right, The Issue at Hand is also a first-class primer for new writer and seasoned professional alike.
James Blish
James Blish (1921–1975) was a novelist whose most popular works include Jack of Eagles and his Cities in Flight series, about people fleeing a declining Earth to seek new homes among the stars. He attended Rutgers University and received a bachelor of arts degree in microbiology before serving as a medical technician in World War II, and was an early member of the Futurians, a group of science fiction writers, fans, editors, and publishers. In 1959, Blish received the Hugo Award for his novel A Case of Conscience. He was also a prolific short fiction writer and a major contributor to the Star Trek saga, rewriting scripts into anthologies and producing original stories and screenplays.
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