# "Galactic Journey" monthly reviews by Victoria



## Victoria Silverwolf

"Galactic Journey" is a website which takes as its premise that it is written by a science fiction fan of fifty-five years ago, allowing him to review "new" books and magazines, as well as offer commentary on the space program, world news, and so on.  I have been invited to write a monthly review of _Fantastic_, at least until the issues I can find on Internet Archive run out, which should not happen for a few years.

Here is my first article for the website, reviewing the October 1961 issue.

[September 20, 1961] Theme and Variations (October 1961 Fantastic)


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## Cat's Cradle

Wonderful news, Victoria - congratulations! And a perfect choice from the editor/site runner.

I loved your column. You have a terrific, authoritative voice in the piece, and your detailed reviews were terrific fun to read. You sounded of the era to me, and of the genre (I was slightly later than of-this-era, but I read enough earlier mags and short story collections with editorial forwards prefacing each entry to remember how it all sounded). Thoroughly enjoyable, and I'll be sure to check out future pieces. Well done!


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## Droflet

Yeah, Victoria, what Cathbad said. Well done.


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## Gonk the Insane

Congratulations, Victoria. I really enjoyed the article, too.


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## VinceK

As others have said, a well written article that flows really well. Congratulations, Victoria.


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## johnnyjet

Congratulations, Victoria!  Excellent article.  Took me back a few years.


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## Juliana

Congratulations! Nice article.


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## Vaz

Fantastic news, Victoria.
Great article.


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## Jo Zebedee

Fab news


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## Teresa Edgerton

Congratulations, Victoria!


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## Stuart Suffel

Great to see such a formidable talent at large. Congrats


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Thank you all for the kind words.

My second appearance:

[October 13, 1961] The Music of the Spheres (November 1961 Fantastic)


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## Wruter

I've read very little from this era of SF but you write so well about it that I'm tempted to try. Leiber is definitely one author I should investigate more as I've only read the Lankhmar fantasies.


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## J Riff

Nice! Really good, excellent, five stars or ten, wtg, yeahyeahyeah.


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## JunkMonkey

Slightly belated congratulations and you have inspired me to dig into the dustier corners of some shelves at JunkMonkey Mansions and try to dig out my copy of Oct '61 Fantastic.   -  I won't find it but I'll have fun trying.


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## crystal haven

Belated congratulations from me too.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

My third article:

[November 13, 1961] (un)Moving Pictures (December 1961 Fantastic)


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## J Riff

Hey I remember that issue, the Howard cover but not the other stories.


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## VinceK

Congratulations, Victoria. 
While I think technological advancement is, on the whole, a good thing, I sometimes wonder whether the more we discover about our universe the less scope we have for our imagination to roam.  I mean, never mind the Bahamas, imagine the wedding photos you could get on Venus.


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## Droflet

Or Uranus. Come on, someone was going to do it.


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## VinceK

Droflet said:


> Come on, someone was going to do it.



Nope. Only you.


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## Wruter

@Victoria Silverwolf I noticed you got a mention on File 770 the other day - your legend grows!

Pixel Scroll 11/13/16 ROFLMPO – Rolling On File, Laughing My Pixels Off


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Wow!  I had no idea!

I have heard of Mike Glyer's award-winning fanzine "File 770" for many years, and never dreamed that I would be mentioned in it.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest article:

[December 13, 1961]  FAMILIAR FACES AND NEW NAMES (JANUARY 1962 FANTASTIC)


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## Cathbad

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Latest article:
> 
> [December 13, 1961]  FAMILIAR FACES AND NEW NAMES (JANUARY 1962 FANTASTIC)



Great, a always!


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## J Riff

Geeeeee I had that one.... with the hepcat cover art. Where is it now? Anyway, groovy reviewys as always.


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## johnnyjet

Excellent, spot-on reviews!


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## Victoria Silverwolf

The latest review:

[January 14, 1962] Horrors! (February 1962 Fantastic)


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## J Riff

_A Bit of the Dark World_.  AND HPL, in one issue. I never owned this particular digest, but the Lieber story is one of his great ones. Inexplicable menace, wooh, it scared me all righty. Maybe it's still around, maybe it's hovering outside of your town, right now, and...* O


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest review:

[February 7, 1962] Funny Business (March 1962 Fantastic)


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## J Riff

What a great cover. And fine reviews of course.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest review:

[March 1, 1962] Hearts and Flowers (April 1962 Fantastic)


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Next review:

[April 12, 1962] Don’t Bug Me (May 1962 Fantastic)


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest review:

http://galacticjourney.org/may-26-1962-home-is-the-sailor-june-1962-fantastic/


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest one:

[June 23, 1962] Only the Lonely (July 1962 Fantastic)


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## Galactic Journey

She really is a terrific writer.  And our tastes and style are eerily similar...


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Thank you for the kind words.

Latest article (greatly improved by the editing of the Traveler):

[July 26, 1962] The Long and Short of It (August 1962 Fantastic)


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## Victoria Silverwolf

New one:

[August 22, 1962] State of Confusion (September 1962 Fantastic)


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[September 22, 1962] Cat and Mouse Game (October 1962 Fantastic)


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## Victoria Silverwolf

New one:

[October 22, 1962] Hiding from the World (November 1962 Fantastic)


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## Victoria Silverwolf

The latest review and an extra article:

[November 22, 1962] Return to Normalcy (December 1962 Fantastic)

[December 2, 1962] They Came From the Mainstream (SF Books Not Published As SF)


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[December 22, 1962] The More Things Change . . . (January 1963 Fantastic)


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## Victoria Silverwolf

The longest article yet, an extra one.

[January 3, 1963] The Enchanted Theater (Fantasy and Horror Films of 1962)


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest one:

[January 22, 1963]  Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive (February 1963 Fantastic)


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## J Riff

Leiber, and rookies Zelazny and LeGuin, a pretty good one.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

A new magazine:

[February 15, 1963] New Kid in Town (April 1963 Worlds of Tomorrow)


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## J Riff

Interesting reviews as always. That short Lieber story is getting more prophetic every year.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Did this one a few days ago and forgot to link it here.

[February 24, 1963] Something Old, Something New (March 1963 Fantastic)


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[March 22, 1963] Return Engagements (April 1963 Fantastic)


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Another:

[April 15, 1963]  Second Time Around (June 1963 Worlds of Tomorrow)


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## Victoria Silverwolf

New one:

[April 23, 1963] Double, Double (May 1963 Fantastic)


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[May 24, 1963] Past Tense (June 1963 Fantastic) | Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Another:

[June 16, 1963] Blues for a Red Planet (August 1963 Worlds of Tomorrow) | Galactic Journey


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## LordOfWizards

Wow. Just saw this Victoria. I promise I will take a read. Congrats.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Thanks.  Here's the latest one:

[June 24, 1963] First Ladies (July 1963 Fantastic) | Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Newest one:

[July 24, 1963] The Numbers Game (August 1963 Fantastic) | Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[August 16, 1963]  Time and Time Again (October 1963 Worlds of Tomorrow) | Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

New one:

[August 25, 1963] Hope Springs Eternal (September 1963 Fantastic) | Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[September 23, 1963] Small Comforts (October 1963 Fantastic) | Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[October 18, 1963] Points of View (December 1963 Worlds of Tomorrow) | Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Forgot to list this one:

[October 24, 1963] Sounds Familiar (November 1963 Fantastic) | Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest one.  If it seems odd, remember that this is written as if it were happening fifty-five years ago.

[November 25, 1963] State of Shock (December 1963 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

An extra article:

[December 7, 1963] SF or Not SF? That Is the Question (They came from mainstream, 1963 edition) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[December 17, 1963] The Ink-and-Paper Zoo (February 1964 Worlds of Tomorrow) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Last of the year:

[December 23, 1963] Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New (January 1964 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[January 22, 1964] The British Are Coming! The Americans Are Here! (February 1964 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

New one:

[February 17, 1964] Breaking Taboos (April 1964 Worlds of Tomorrow) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[February 23, 1964] Songs of Innocence and of Experience (March 1964 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

An extra one:

[February 25, 1964] From the Sublime to the Ridiculous (Castle of Blood and The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Newest:

[March 23, 1964] What's New? Not Much (April 1964 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## J Riff

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> An extra one:
> 
> [February 25, 1964] From the Sublime to the Ridiculous (Castle of Blood and The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies) - Galactic Journey



starring Cash Flagg!


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## Victoria Silverwolf

A group review by multiple authors:

[March 29, 1964] Five by Five (March Galactoscope) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

http://galacticjourney.org/april-20-1964-play-ball-june-1964-worlds-of-tomorrow/


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## Victoria Silverwolf

And another, closer together than usual:

[April 22, 1964] World Affairs (May 1964 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:



			http://galacticjourney.org/may-22-1964-not-fade-away-june-1964-fantastic/


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## Victoria Silverwolf

New one:

http://galacticjourney.org/june-16-1964-strangers-in-strange-lands-august-1964-worlds-of-tomorrow/


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## Victoria Silverwolf

And another:



			http://galacticjourney.org/june-22-1964-the-bridal-path-july-1964-fantastic/


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## Victoria Silverwolf

A couple of new ones:









						[July 20, 1964] Dashed Hopes (August 1964 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey
					

by Victoria Silverwolf (if you found us at San Diego Comic-Con and can’t figure out why we seem to be 55 years behind you, this should clear things up!) Bad News Drives Out Good News This month started off in a optimistic way, as President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act on July 2, after …...




					galacticjourney.org
				












						[July 26, 1964] Yesterday's Tomorrows (First Men in the Moon and Other Steam Science Fiction Movies) - Galactic Journey
					

work in progress [July 26, 1964] Yesterday's Tomorrows (First Men in the Moon and Other Steam Science Fiction Movies)




					galacticjourney.org


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:









						[July 30, 1964] Are You For Real? (Simulacron-3 AKA Counterfeit World by Daniel F. Galouye) - Galactic Journey
					

by Victoria Silverwolf Life is But a Dream I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man? — Zhuangzi, Chinese philosopher, 4th century BC Science fiction … Continue...




					galacticjourney.org


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## Victoria Silverwolf

A shared book review column:

http://galacticjourney.org/august-1...he-whole-man-aka-telepathist-by-john-brunner/


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## Victoria Silverwolf

New one:

http://galacticjourney.org/august-25-1964-combat-zones-september-1964-fantastic/


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Newest:

http://galacticjourney.org/september-16-1964-the-waiting-game-november-1964-worlds-of-tomorrow/


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[September 24, 1964] Looking Backward (October 1964 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

A shared article:

[October 18, 1964] Out in Space and Down to Earth (October's Galactoscope #1) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[October 24, 1964] Nothing Lasts Forever (November 1964 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

New one:

[November 9, 1964] Shall We Gather At The River? (January 1965 Worlds of Tomorrow) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[November 21, 1964] Bridging the Gap (December 1964 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

A shared review:

[December 19, 1964] December Galactoscope #2 - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Last of the year:

[December 23, 1964] Odds and Ends (January 1965 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

A shared review:

[January 4, 1965] Madness: 2, Sanity: 1 (January Galactoscope) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

New one, featuring some new young writer named Niven.

[January 14, 1965] The Big Picture (March 1965 Worlds of Tomorrow) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

A new one, with plenty of songs:

[January 22, 1965] With Apologies to Rodgers and Hammerstein (February 1965 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest, with family values:

[February 22, 1965] Theory of Relativity (March 1965 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

A movie review:

[March 6, 1965] Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (Crack in the World and Other Planet-Destroying Movies) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[March 16, 1965] Browsing the Stacks (May 1965 Worlds of Tomorrow) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

New one:

[March 26, 1965] Digging Up the Past (April 1965 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

https://galacticjourney.org/april-24-1965-every-silver-lining-has-a-cloud-may-1965-fantastic/


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Newest:

[May 14, 1965] Keep A Civil Tongue In Your Head (July 1965 Worlds of Tomorrow) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

The last issue of _Fantastic _edited by Cele Goldsmith Lalli:

[May 22, 1965] Goodbye and Hello (June 1965 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Don

A talented artist can use allegory to talk about the four forbidden topics without upsetting readers. Anyhow, I only now stumbled across your website. Keep up the good work!


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[July 18, 1965] The Prodigal Returneth (September 1965 Worlds of Tomorrow) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

An extra article:

[July 24, 1965] Sun, Sand, Surf, Swimsuits, And The Supernatural (How To Stuff A Wild Bikini and a Brief History of Beach Movies) - Galactic Journey


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## -K2-

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> An extra article:
> [July 24, 1965] Sun, Sand, Surf, Swimsuits, And The Supernatural (How To Stuff A Wild Bikini and a Brief History of Beach Movies) - Galactic Journey



Great reviews!

I'm surprised that list doesn't include what is actually my favorite of the lot--a slightly more serious Florida version (so surfing not the focus)--
Where the Boys Are-1960. Paula Prentiss and Jim Hutton make a perfect couple.

K2


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## Victoria Silverwolf

-K2- said:


> Great reviews!
> 
> I'm surprised that list doesn't include what is actually my favorite of the lot--a slightly more serious Florida version (so surfing not the focus)--
> Where the Boys Are-1960. Paula Prentiss and Jim Hutton make a perfect couple.
> 
> K2



I made one very brief mention of that film, but did not discuss it in detail.


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## -K2-

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I made one very brief mention of that film, but did not discuss it in detail.



Breezed right past it as I read the rest...mind must be going, where's my Geritol 

K2


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[August 10, 1965] Binary Arithmetic (September 1965 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Newest:

[September 16, 1965] Blessed Are The Peacemakers (November 1965 Worlds of Tomorrow) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Not the best movie I've ever seen:

[September 24, 1965] False Advertising (Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster and a brief history of Mary Shelley's creation on film) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

I forgot to post this one last month:

[October 22, 1965] Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (November 1965 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey

And here's the latest:

[November 16, 1965] Crime and Punishment (January 1966 Worlds of Tomorrow) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

New one:

[December 14, 1965] Expect the Unexpected (January 1966 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest:

[January 16, 1966] Getting There Is Half The Fun (March 1966 Worlds of Tomorrow) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

An extra article:

[January 24, 1966] The Sincerest Form Of Espionage (Agent for H.A.R.M., Our Man Flint, and Other Bond Imitations) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

A pretty good issue, with both new fiction and reprints:

[February 12, 1966] Past? Imperfect. Future? Tense. (March 1966 Fantastic) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

An extra article, about a blood-soaked double feature:

[March 4, 1966] Sanguinary Cinematic Surgery (Blood Bath and Queen of Blood) - Galactic Journey


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## Victoria Silverwolf

A poor issue, but with one fine story:

[March 14, 1966] Random Numbers (May 1966 Worlds of Tomorrow) - Galactic Journey


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