A groundbreaking science fiction novelette from the early days of Galaxy magazine—plus a new foreword by Paul Di Filippo.
Appearing in the second issue of Galaxy dated November 1950, Honeymoon in Hell showcased the magazine’s distinctive identity as opposed to other publications of its time—darker, more socially aware, sometimes sexually frank in ways that were shocking for the era. Dealing with copulation and its desired consequences, Honeymoon in Hell avoided euphemisms—and used a satirical attack that parodied magazine taboos.
The covers of pulp magazines depicted monsters putting near-naked females in peril, but the narratives under the cover offered no equivalent. Brown’s hastily married couple, sent to the moon to see if they can breed a male child—all births on Earth over recent months having been female—encounter problems emotional as well as practical. This book includes both the landmark novelette and a new foreword by Paul Di Filippo.
About the series:
Debuting in 1950, Galaxy was science fiction’s most admired, widely circulated, and influential magazine, known for publication of full-length novels, novellas, and novelettes by giants in the field. The Galaxy Project is a selection of the best of Galaxy, with new forewords by some of today’s top writers. Initial selections include work by Ray Bradbury, Fredric Brown, Lester del Rey, Robert A. Heinlein, Damon Knight, C. M. Kornbluth, Walter M. Miller, Jr., Frederik Pohl, Robert Sheckley, Robert Silverberg, William Tenn (Philip Klass), and Kurt Vonnegut. Foreword contributors include Paul Di Filippo, David Drake, John Lutz, Barry N. Malzberg, and Robert Silverberg. The Galaxy Project is committed to publishing new work in the spirit of Galaxy magazine and its founding editor, H. L. Gold
Fredric Brown (1906-1972) was the only writer to achieve equal prominence in the mystery and science fiction genres. His first foray into mystery, The Fabulous Clipjoint, won the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Brown was also the acknowledged master of the short short story; the famous collection Nightmares and Geezenstacks demonstrates his consummate mastery of a form limited to no more than five hundred words. His short story ''Arena'' was the basis of a famed Star Trek episode; ''Martians, Go Home!'' was adapted for a 1992 film; ''The Last Martian'' was adapted for Serling's Twilight Zone and starred Steve McQueen at the start of his career. Brown's work, more than forty years after his death, is increasingly prominent.