Category: Vector complete issues

Vector #13

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I have said enough, and Rico too much, to show that this soft-centred soldier should have been recommended for a psychiatric report rather than promotion, and that from a Freudian point of view, “Starship Troopers” is a shower of hoarse horse laughter. Rico longs to be humiliated, searches for trouble and a substitute father figure, both of which he finds of course in the M.I. – referred to significantly as a “Paternalistic organisation”.

Evidence shows that this was not the portrait of Rico that Heinlein intended. There is no sign of awareness (as for instance there was in that fine and authentically tough film “End As A Man”) that this sort of military establishment breeds bullies and bastards and toadies; nor could there be, for the whole novel – whilst passing itself off as a semi-documentary by eschewing plot – is too far from reality.

Brian Aldiss

Assuming, first of all, that SF is definable .. which is probable, since we all know what we mean by SF and argue only about the ‘fringe’ items .. assuming so much, it follows, also, that SF can be, and should be, about anything and everything, past, present, or future, here, there and everywhere. Just as in science itself, there are extremely few matters which can’t be treated in a scientific manner, to some extent, and I know of a few authoritative purists who would go so far as to say that everything … literally .. can be so treated. Certainly, there are very few matters of concern to every day life which are immune to scientific study.

So .. SF can be, and should be free to include everything and anything. The taboos which exist, and there are some, are solely the result of editorial choice, preference, and some nebulous idea as to what ‘the reader’ wants.

John Phillifent

Vector #10

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There is no Secretarial Report this time due to pressure of work.

Front matter

I have one serious criticism to make and that came to me almost as soon as I started reading the two to me almost as soon as I started reading the two latest issues of VECTOR. In both there are apologies for lateness of publication, of both the OO and the Newsletter. The reasons given (by Ella) are that the officials are only doing it as a spare time job, that they have lots of private correspondence to attend to and that they have family commitments and social engagements to deal with. Now I submit that this is not the right attitude. If anyone takes on an official job for any organisation, it is their duty to the members to put that job before their own private circumstances (with the exception of illness, of course). There is nothing wrong with an ordinary fanzine being late because the editor usually does not promise his readers a regular schedule and they don’t expect one. But the members of the BSFA have paid their dues and are entitled to a regular OO. This applies especially to those sf readers, not belonging to fandom and living in remote places, to whom theh arrival of BSFA literature must bring a great deal of pleasure.

A more appropriate reason for having a regular schedule, and one I should have put first, is that if the BSFA wishes, as it states, to influence responsible people in the professional sf world, then it won’t be listened to unless it first shows that it or editors were arranged and then one of the officials failed to turn up on the grounds that he/she “had a houseful of fans who had to be shown some hospitality” (as on p.7. V.9). If a person has these other responsibilities then they have no business taking on an office. Unless that is they are prepared to arrange these other things to leave time for their duties.

There is another thing that gives a rather irresponsible air to the magazine and that is the intensely personal atmosphere about it. I notice that all concerned with VECTOR have an implicit attitude that it is on a higher level than a mere fanzine and yet there is a great deal of mentioning of names present at social gatherings, private announcements such as marriage engagements, etc. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with this – I am sure many readers enjoy it – I merely suggest that this puts VECTOR on the level of the ordinary fanzine.

Daphne Buckmaster

Vector #9

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If you have read the Constitution thoroughly you will have seen that all your Officials are working on a voluntary basis. The work we do for and behalf of the BSFA is just a small part of our spare time hobby connected with sf. Right from the day the Association was inaugurated it has been Officered by people already involved in voluminous correspondence with other people from all parts of the world who read and enjoy sf. They belong to local clubs which hold regular meetings; they visit one another – distance no object; they publish amateur magazines of their own; many of them are married and with families that demand part of their time should be spent with them; there are all sorts of things going on all the time. So, Jimmy wants a column from me for the Newsletter or VECTOR – whichever is due – I have a houseful of fans visiting who have to be shown some semblance of hospitality. Jimmy has sent out some stencils to have the artistic headings drawn by one of our talented members who’s domestic commitments for the next few weeks don’t allow him the chance to do them. Attendance has to be made regularly at club meetings if the club is to flourish. ResultL Delayed publication. (Sometimes of course, the paper for printing is sent to the wrong address which doesn’t help either!). Now, I hope none of you are thinking that this is a complaint at all the things we are trying to do in limited spare time; it isn’t.

Ella Parker

Now that we have got that out of the way I’d like to pick a small bone with some of our members living in and near London. I warned you that no personal invitations would be sent out to attend the Friday night meetings at my house for BSFA members. This still applies. Some of you have taken me up on it and come regularly, but there are still more of you who, up to now, haven’t put in an appearance. We have roped in two members since these meetings began. Patrick Kearney who, unfortunately, after only two visits has had to go into hospital (I hope this was only coincidence, Pat?) and Phillip Slater who did the same as Pat and brought his membership fee with him and paid on the spot. Until those two did that the record for joining in the shortest possible time had been held by Mrs. Joyce Shorter (Sorry, Joyce. No pun intended there).

Ella Parker

Vector #5

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Vector #5, edited by Roberta Wild, with the assistance of Mike Moorcock. It has come to our attention that, because blogs do not yet exist, and because of eddies in the temporal ether, the dates of these “blog posts” may not perfectly align with our print editions. They do materialise within a few months of the correct date. All these difficulties aside, we hope to maintain an approximately quarterly publication schedule, so long as this is compatible with consistent causality.

Vector #4

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Happily we are now able to transmit news of the very first B.S.F.A. Convention, which took place over Easter weekend in Birmingham at the Imperial Hotel. It was a great success, with as many as fifty of us in attendance. One heckler was ejected.

Report on the firsts B.S.F.A. Convention, known also as BRUMCON

The fourth issue of Vector does not only contain many brand-new items of interest; it also contains a “time capsule” which reprints Terry Jeeves’s “Last of the Last-Stage Reflectorsman,” which first appeared in the now sadly defunct fanzine Operation Fantast in 1950.

A request for members to nominate historical materials deserving of republication. Within reasonable limits, however: we don’t want to unbalance Vector

This will be the final Vector to be edited by Terry Jeeves. New B.S.F.A. Officers have been elected, and Bobbie Wild is taking over as Publications Officer, to be assisted by Sandra Hall.

Vector #3

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We are already forming links across the world. Perhaps one day there will be a Galactic Science Fiction Association

Greetings once more from VECTOR, the official organ of the British Science Fiction Association, as we have opted to call ourselves.

Yes, there was a little disagreement over the name: not the “British” part or the “Association” part so much as the “Science Fiction” part! At least one of the founding members felt it might attract unwanted opinions from the Press, who have been known to revel in making us look like mugs. But would we rather be mistaken for mugs, or known truly as cowards? It is all settled now.