Contents
COPYRIGHT INFO
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
THE MEGAPACK SERIES
INTRODUCTION, by Philip J. Harbottle
RED HERITAGE
HE CONQUERED VENUS
HE WALKED ON AIR
THE MASTER MIND
ISLAND IN THE MARSH
SECRET OF THE MOON TREASURE
SUPERHUMAN
SEEDS FROM SPACE
THE SILVER COIL
PHANTOM FROM SPACE
ARCTIC GOD
THE GHOST SUN
WHITE MOUSE
KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT LEARNING
WORLDS WITHIN
THE VOICE COMMANDS
THE JEWELS FROM THE MOON
THE RED MAGICIAN
FLIGHT OF THE VAMPIRES
WEDDING OF THE FORCES
MARTIAN AVENGER
THE OTHERS
LATER THAN YOU THINK
FIRST OF THE ROBOTS
SECOND GENESIS
COPYRIGHT INFO
The John Russell Fearn Megapack is copyright © 2014 by Philip J. Harbottle. All rights reserved.
* * * *
These stories were previously published individually as follows, and are reprinted by permission of the author’s estate, and his agent, Cosmos Literary Agency
“Red Heritage” was first published as by John Russell Fearn in Astounding Stories January 1938, copyright © 1938 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
“He Conquered Venus” was first published as by John Russell Fearn in Astonishing Stories June 1940, copyright © 1940 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
“He Walked On Air” was first published as by John Russell Fearn in Fantasy Booklet #1, 1991 (having been written in 1934), copyright © 1991 by Philip Harbottle.
“The Master-Mind” was first published as by Vargo Statten in Vargo Statten Science Fiction Magaine #3, 1954, copyright © 1954 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
“Island In the Marsh” was first published as by Thornton Ayre in Startling Stories November 1940.
Copyright © 1940 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
“Secret Of the Moon Treasure” was first published as by Thornton Ayre in Amazing Stories July 1940, copyright © 1940 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
“Superhuman” was first published as by Geoffrey Armstrong in Tales of Wonder #1, 1937, copyright © 1937 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 1982 by Philip Harbottle.
“Seeds From Space” was first published as by John Russell Fearn in Tales of Wonder #1, 1937, copyright © 1982 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
“The Silver Coil” was first published as by Thornton Ayre in Amazing Stories November 1942, copyright © 1942 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
“Phantom From Space” was first published as by John Russell Fearn in Super Science Stories March 1940, copyright © 1940 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
“Arctic God” was first published as by Frank Jones in Amazing Stories May 1942, copyright © 1942 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 1981 by Philip Harbottle.
“White Mouse” was first published as by Thornton Ayre in New Worlds #1, 1946, copyright © 1946 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
“Knowledge Without Learning” was first published as by K. Thomas in New Worlds #1, 1946, copyright © 1946 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
Worlds Within was first published as by John Russell Fearn in Astounding Stories March 1937, copyright © 1937 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 1982 by Philip Harbottle.
“The Voice Commands” was first published as by Dennis Clive in Science Fiction June 1940, copyright © 1939 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
“Jewels From The Moon” was first published as by Ephriam Winiki in Science Fiction August 1939, copyright © 1939 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
“The Red Magician” was first published as by John Russell Fearn in Fantasy August 1938, copyright © 1938 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
“Wedding Of the Forces” was first published as by Polton Cross in Future Fiction November 1940, copyright © 1940 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
“The Martian Avenger” was first published as by Polton Cross in Amazing Stories April 1939, copyright © 1939 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle
“The Others” was first published as by Volsted Gridban in Vargo Statten British Science Fiction Magazine #3, 1954, copyright © 1954 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle
“Black Outlook” was first posthumously published as by John Russell Fearn in Fantasy Booklet #2, 1991 (having been written in 1959), copyright © 1991 by Philip Harbottle
“First Of The Robots” was first published as by John Russell Fearn in Space Fact and Fiction April 1954, copyright © 1954 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle
“Cosmic Juggernaut” was first published as by John Russell Fearn in Planet Stories Summer 1940, copyright © 1940 by John Russell Fearn, copyright © 2014 by Philip Harbottle.
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
I love pulp science fiction, from the sword-and-planet adventure stories to galaxy-spanning space opera. I was delighted to invite Philip J. Harbottle, the literary agent for (and owner of) John Russell Fearn’s estate, to put together a John Russell Fearn Megapack for our line. He went above and beyond the call of duty, also contributing a long introduction, which I hope you will take the time to read before diving into the stories. (It’s really interesting, honest!)
Enjoy!
—John Betancourt
Publisher, Wildside Press LLC
www.wildsidepress.com
* * * *
Over the last few years, our “Megapack” series of ebook anthologies has grown to be among our most popular endeavors. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”
The Megapacks (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt (me), Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, A.E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!)
RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?
Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the Megapack series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).
Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.
TYPOS
Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.
If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.
THE MEGAPACK SERIES
MYSTERY
The First Mystery Megapack
The Second Mystery Megapack
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Bulldog Drummond Megapack*
The Carolyn Wells Mystery Megapack
The Charlie Chan Megapack*
The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack
The Detective Megapack
The Father Brown Megapack
The Girl Detective Megapack
The Second Girl Detective Megapack
The First R. Austin Freeman Megapack
The Second R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Third R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Jacques Futrelle Megapack
The Anna Katharine Green Mystery Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Philo Vance Megapack*
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Raffles Megapack
The Red Finger Pulp Mystery Megapack, by Arthur Leo Zagat*
The Sherlock Holmes Megapack
The Victorian Mystery Megapack
The Wilkie Collins Megapack
GENERAL INTEREST
The Adventure Megapack
The Baseball Megapack
The Cat Story Megapack
The Second Cat Story Megapack
The Third Cat Story Megapack
The Third Cat Story Megapack
The Christmas Megapack
The Second Christmas Megapack
The Classic American Short Stories Megapack, Vol. 1.
The Classic Humor Megapack
The Dog Story Megapack
The Doll Story Megapack
The Horse Story Megapack
The Military Megapack
The Pirate Story Megapack
The Sea-Story Megapack
THE GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE FICTION MEGAPACKS
1. Winston K. Marks
2. Mark Clifton
3. Poul Anderson
4. Clifford D. Simak
5. Lester del Rey
6. Charles L. Fontenay
7. H.B. Fyfe
8. Milton Lesser (Stephen Marlowe)
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
The First Science Fiction Megapack
The Second Science Fiction Megapack
The Third Science Fiction Megapack
The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack
The Fifth Science Fiction Megapack
The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack
The Seventh Science Fiction Megapack
The Eighth Science Fiction Megapack
The Ninth Science Fiction Megapack
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Fredric Brown Megapack
The Fred M. White Disaster Megapack
The First Theodore Cogswell Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Philip K. Dick Megapack
The Dragon Megapack
The Randall Garrett Megapack
The Second Randall Garrett Megapack
The Edmond Hamilton Megapack
The C.J. Henderson Megapack
The Murray Leinster Megapack***
The Second Murray Leinster Megapack***
The Jack London Science Fiction Megapack
The Mad Scientist Megapack
The Martian Megapack
The A. Merritt Megapack*
The E. Nesbit Megapack
The Andre Norton Megapack
The H. Beam Piper Megapack
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Mack Reynolds Megapack
The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack
The Science-Fantasy Megapack
The Robert Sheckley Megapack
The Space Opera Megapack
The Space Patrol Megapack
The Steampunk Megapack
The Time Travel Megapack
The Second Time Travel Megapack
The William Hope Hodgson Megapack
The First Willam P. McGivern Science Fiction Megapack
The Second Willam P. McGivern Science Fiction Megapack
The Willam P. McGivern Fantasy Megapack
The Wizard of Oz Megapack
HORROR
The Horror Megapack
The Second Horror Megapack
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Second Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The E.F. Benson Megapack
The Second E.F. Benson Megapack
The Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack
The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack
The Ghost Story Megapack
The Second Ghost Story Megapack
The Third Ghost Story Megapack
The Haunts & Horrors Megapack
The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack
The M.R. James Megapack
The Macabre Megapack
The Second Macabre Megapack
The Third Macabre Megapack
The Arthur Machen Megapack**
The Mummy Megapack
The Occult Detective Megapack
The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack
The Vampire Megapack
The Weird Fiction Megapack
The Werewolf Megapack
The William Hope Hodgson Megapack
WESTERNS
The Western Megapack
The Second Western Megapack
The Third Western Megapack
The B.M. Bower Megapack
The Max Brand Megapack
The Buffalo Bill Megapack
The Cowboy Megapack
The Zane Grey Megapack
The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack
YOUNG ADULT
The Bobbsey Twins Megapack
The Boys’ Adventure Megapack
The Dan Carter, Cub Scout Megapack
The Dare Boys Megapack
The Doll Story Megapack
The G.A. Henty Megapack
The Girl Detectives Megapack
The E. Nesbit Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Pinocchio Megapack
The Rover Boys Megapack
The Second Carolyn Wells Megapack
The Space Patrol Megapack
The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack
The Tom Swift Megapack
The Wizard of Oz Megapack
AUTHOR MEGAPACKS
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The H. Bedford-Jones Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The E.F. Benson Megapack
The Second E.F. Benson Megapack
The Henri Bergson Megapack
The Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Megapack
The Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The B.M. Bower Megapack
The Max Brand Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Fredric Brown Megapack
The Second Fredric Brown Megapack
The Wilkie Collins Megapack
The Stephen Crane Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Guy de Maupassant Megapack
The Philip K. Dick Megapack
The Frederick Douglass Megapack
The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack
The F. Scott Fitzgerald Megapack
The First R. Austin Freeman Megapack
The Second R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Third R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Jacques Futrelle Megapack
The Randall Garrett Megapack
The Second Randall Garrett Megapack
The Anna Katharine Green Megapack
The Zane Grey Megapack
The Edmond Hamilton Megapack
The Dashiell Hammett Megapack
The C.J. Henderson Megapack
The William Hope Hodgson Megapack
The M.R. James Megapack
The Selma Lagerlof Megapack
The Harold Lamb Megapack
The Murray Leinster Megapack***
&nbs
p; The Second Murray Leinster Megapack***
The Jonas Lie Megapack
The Arthur Machen Megapack**
The Katherine Mansfield Megapack
The George Barr McCutcheon Megapack
The William P. McGivern Fantasy Megapack
The First William P. McGivern Science Fiction Megapack
The Second William P. McGivern Science Fiction Megapack
The A. Merritt Megapack*
The Talbot Mundy Megapack
The E. Nesbit Megapack
The Andre Norton Megapack
The H. Beam Piper Megapack
The Mack Reynolds Megapack
The Rafael Sabatini Megapack
The Saki Megapack
The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack
The Robert Sheckley Megapack
The Bram Stoker Megapack
The Fred M. White Disaster Megapack
The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack
The Virginia Woolf Megapack
The Arthur Leo Zagat Science Fiction Megapack
* Not available in the United States
** Not available in the European Union
***Out of print.
OTHER COLLECTIONS YOU MAY ENJOY
The Great Book of Wonder, by Lord Dunsany (it should have been called “The Lord Dunsany Megapack”)
The Wildside Book of Fantasy
The Wildside Book of Science Fiction
Yondering: The First Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
To the Stars—And Beyond! The Second Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
Once Upon a Future: The Third Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
Whodunit?—The First Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories
More Whodunits—The Second Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories
X is for Xmas: Christmas Mysteries
INTRODUCTION, by Philip J. Harbottle
John Russell Fearn was an English author who began his career as a science fiction writer in the American pulp magazines in 1933, when his first novel The Intelligence Gigantic was serialised in Amazing Stories. The following year, he sold a short story, “The Man Who Stopped the Dust,” to Astounding Stories, the first of many outstanding “thought variants” he was to contribute to the magazine over the next several years.
Over the next 15 years, Fearn published some 120 magazine stories in all of the leading pulp magazines under his own name and numerous pseudonyms, creating a variety of plot-forms under different styles that ranged from universe-destroying thought variants to the intensely human story. His most popular pen names were Thornton Ayre and Polton Cross. As Ayre, he introduced detective story techniques to science fiction and also created the first female super-heroine, Violet Ray (the ‘Golden Amazon’) with four stories in Fantastic Adventures (1939-43).
The John Russell Fearn Science Fiction Megapack Page 1
