Malcolm Jameson (1891–1945)

Published in 1951 this collection of nine stories feature lieutenant Bullard in the first story, but we leave him as Grand Admiral in the final one. These short science fiction tales appeared in the pulp magazine Astounding Stories from April 1940 through to December 1945 - the so-called golden age of science fiction.

The stories are based around the spaceships that house the Space Patrol and are mainly of the problem solving variety. Bullard is a very competent engineer and captain who inspires loyalty in his crew. In his first story 'Admirals Inspection', he is new to the crew having been recruited from a cargo carrying vessel. The two day test involves a flight towards the planet Venus and there is fierce competition amongst the crews to perform best. A chemical reaction knocks out all the senior officers and Bullard must use his engineering skills to bring the spaceship back to earth and win the plaudits from the Admiral. In the next story 'White Mutiny' Bullard is a commander who is suffering with his crew working under a captain who does everything by the rule book, even when his procedures are fostering mutiny. Bullard must find a way of turning the tables on his captain.

Malcolm Jameson was an officer in the navy before he started writing science fiction. Probably an engineering background led him to think of a space ship being like an ocean going ship with similar problems. He enhanced the weaponry, the guidance systems based on engineering principles to make it read like an early attempt at hard science fiction. There is hardly an alien in sight and when in the weakest story "Blockade Runner" Jamesons tells a far fetched story of running an alien blockade the story does not work so well. I liked the story Slackers Paradise where the sons of wealthy men serve their time in the service in an old spaceship which has the duty of protecting Wall street from aerial attack. Commander Bullard is not a million miles from being an early pro-to type for Captain James T. Kirk as he runs his crew and spaceship like one sees in the Enterprise.

There is nothing very original here and nine of these stories back to back is a bit of overkill, there is a lack of characterisation and the tales plod a little as the denouement is more often than not achieved by some weird scientific invention. No harm done though and so 2.5 stars.… (more)