Vision of Tomorrow – Volume 1, Number 11, August 1970.

I was at primary school in 1970. Very little interest in Science Fiction at that time. I don’t think I was even aware of Star Trek which was trundling through the BBC from 1969.

My latest acquisition is Vision of Tomorrow – Volume 1, number 11, from August 1970, cover price 5/- (five shillings) bought mainly because it has a Bob Shaw story in it. Not any old Bob Shaw story but one which apparently has never been anthologised or reprinted anywhere else so it is totally new to me.

This is something I am really looking forward to, and although it is “early” Bob Shaw it will be savoured like fine wine. Personally I consider the 1980s to be when Bob Shaw produced his best work, particularly the novels of the 1980s.

The story is called “Cold Crucible” and the editorial says “Bob Shaw makes his VISION debut with COLD CRUCIBLE, which sets a new hallmark for magazine sf for the excellence of its writing and depth of characterisation.”

The rest of the contents look reasonable too. I’ll definitely read the Michael Moorcock story and perhaps others.

The magazine itself is Australian, and this is an anniversary issue – as noted on the cover – and it gives a shout out to the 28th World Science Fiction Convention taking place in Germany in August 1970 – the magazine was published a ahead of the cover date as per normal. And the magazine also publicises the launching of Sword and Sorcery Magazine, featuring stories by Michael Moorcock, Brian Aldiss, E C Tubb and John Brunner. But it looks like that never got off the ground as the next issue,  September 1970, was the final issue of Vision of Tomorrow.