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Same old story

Recently finished reading the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels (closer to novelettes in size) Beware and The Scientists Revolt. To cut to the chase they were the same story, the first written as a basic police story, the second as the same story with a couple of science fiction elements thrown in, that to be honest, were not essential to the plot. On the one hand, it’s not a big deal, Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen is a rewrite of “In the Course of Human Events,” The Cosmic Computer is an expansion and rewrite of “Graveyard of Dreams.” Many of the Conan short stories in the series that came out in the Lancer and Ace Books that came out in the late Sixties were rewrites of El Borak and other series stories. On the other hand, the ERB books are a classic example of what Campbell wrote he didn’t want see being written and passed off as science fiction.

In pulp literature this is forgivable. However, it seems that left wing politicians recycle ideas the same way. Communism gets a bad name, recycle its verbiage as socialism, then as democratic socialism. Gun control is relabled gun safety is relabeled gun reform. Fascism is relabled National Socialism and Stalinism.

Albert Perez
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Both “Graveyard of Dreams” and “In the Course of Human Events” are in the Piper collection Federation, which Jerry Pournelle edited, and has an intro by John Carr, and which I recommend to Piper completists. — Editor.