Thunder in the Void

N/A

Edited by Stephen Haffner. Introduction by Mike Resnick.

Prior to his marriage to fellow science-fantasy writer Catherine L. Moore in 1940, Henry Kuttner wrote stories of Lovecraftian horror, weird-menace "shudder" tales, and thrilling adventure stories. But he also wrote blood-n-thunder Space Opera stories in the vein of Edmond Hamilton (one of young Kuttner's favorite authors) told with a rough-edge style similar to Kuttner's protege Leigh Brackett.

THUNDER IN THE VOID is a massive collection of 16 vintage Space Opera stories selected from classic pulp magazines such as Weird Tales, Marvel Science Stories, Astonishing Stories, Super Science Stories, Super-Detective, and of course, Planet Stories. Most of the these are appearing in book form for the first time. An added bonus, Haffner Press is pleased to include an unpublished story by Kuttner, "The Interplanetary Limited."

Award-winning author (and the only writer to stage a live performance of a Kuttner Space Opera story) Mike Resnick contributes an introduction reflecting on his admiration for stories by Kuttner (and Moore).

Contents:

Raider of the Spaceways (Weird Tales, Jul 37)
Avengers of Space (Marvel Science Stories, Aug 38)
The Time-Trap (Marvel Science Stories, Nov 38)
The Lifestone (Astonishing Stories, Feb 40)
Monsters of the Atom (Super-Detective, Apr 41)
Red Gem of Mercury (Super Science Stories, Nov 41)
The Crystal Circe (Astonishing Stories, Jun 42)
War-Gods of the Void (Planet Stories, Fll 42)
Thunder in the Void (Astonishing Stories, Oct 42)
We Guard the Black Planet (Super Science Stories, Nov 42)
Soldiers of Space (Astonishing Stories, Feb 43)
Crypt-City of the Deathless One (Planet Stories, Win 43)
The Eyes of Thar (Planet Stories, Fll 43)
What Hath Me (Planet Stories, Spr 46)
Carry Me Home (Planet Stories, 50)
The Interplanetary Limited (First Time in Print)

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Updated 01/13/2013

Category: Science Fiction, Short stories

Release date: April 2012

Henry Kuttner

Henry Kuttner (1915–1958) was an American author of science fiction, fantasy and horror. His wife was the science fiction author C. L. Moore.

Henry Kuttner used several pseudonyms: Lawrence O'Donnell, Kelvin Kent, C. H. Liddell, Henry Kuttner, Lewis Padgett, Hudson Hastings, Keith Hammond, Peter Horn, Scott Morgan, Will Garth, Woodrow Wilson Smith, Paul Edmonds, Edward J. Bellin, James Hall and Robert O. Kenyon.

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Henry Kuttner was born in Los Angeles, California in 1915. His father, whose Jewish parents had come from Prussia and lived in San Francisco since 1859, was a bookseller; the parents of his mother, were from Great Britain. Kuttner grew up in relative poverty following the death of his father. As a young man he worked for the literary agency of his uncle in Los Angeles before selling his first story, ”The Graveyard Rats”, to Weird Tales in early 1936. This Lovecraftian horror story has since been often anthologized.

Kuttner worked in close collaboration with his wife, C. L. Moore. They met through their association with the ”Lovecraft Circle”, a group of writers and fans who corresponded with H. P. Lovecraft. Their work together spanned the 1940s and 1950s and most of the work was credited to pseudonyms, mainly Lewis Padgett and Lawrence O'Donnell.

L. Sprague de Camp, who knew Kuttner and Moore well, has stated that their collaboration was so intensive that, after a story was completed, it was often impossible for either Kuttner or Moore to recall who had written which portions. According to de Camp, it was typical for either partner to break off from a story in mid-paragraph or even mid-sentence, with the latest page of the manuscript still in the typewriter. The other spouse would routinely continue the story where the first had left off. They alternated in this manner as many times as necessary until the story was finished.

Marion Zimmer Bradley is among many authors who have cited Kuttner as an influence. Her novel The Bloody Sun is dedicated to him. Roger Zelazny has talked about the influence of The Dark World on his Amber series. Kuttner's friend Richard Matheson dedicated his 1954 novel I Am Legend to Kuttner, with thanks for his help and encouragement. Ray Bradbury likewise dedicated Dark Carnival, his first book, to him, calling him one of his hardest-working and most patient teachers. William S. Burroughs's novel The Ticket That Exploded contains direct quotes from Kuttner regarding the ”Happy Cloak” parasitic pleasure monster from the Venusian seas.

Henry Kuttner spent the middle 1950's getting his masters degree before dying of a heart attack in Los Angeles in 1958.