Language: English
Published by Condé Nast Publications, New York, 1973
Seller: Books of the World, Arlington, VA, U.S.A.
Magazine / Periodical
Digest-size Magazine. Condition: Good+. Jack Gaughan; John Schoenherr; Kelly Freas; Leo Summers; Gray Morrow (illustrator). Condé Nast Publications, May 1973. Digest-size Magazine. Good. Edited by Ben Bova. Cover by Jack Gaughan for "Sword and Scepter" [Falkenberg's Legion] (serial, part 1 of 2) by Jerry Pournelle. Includes "Naked to the Invisible Eye" (novelette) by George Alec Effinger; "Survivability" (novelette; 1st story) by William Tuning; "How I Lost the Second World War and Helped Turn Back the German Invasion" (short story, Nebula Award nominee) by Gene Wolfe; "With Morning Comes Mistfall" (short story) (Hugo Award runner-up, Locus Award nominee, Nebula Award nominee) by George R. R. Martin; "An Agent in Place" (short story) by Laurence M. Janifer; "The Great American Economy" (short story) by L. E. Modesitt; "Minicomputers" (science fact) by Staphen A. Kallis, Jr.; "Who's in Charge Here?" (editorial) by Ben Bova. Illustrated by Jack Gaughan, John Schoenherr, Kelly Freas, Leo Summers, and Gray Morrow. "With Morning Comes Mistfall" was the first story by George R. R. Martin to be nominated for the Hugo and Nebula Awards. It was one of two stories, along with "The Second Kind of Loneliness" that Martin believed would make or break his career as a writer. In "With Morning Comes Mistfall" Martin presents a thematic conundrum: Is a mystery sometimes more useful than the truth? The story takes place on Wraithworld, a barely habitable planet with unusual weather conditions. Each morning in a wonderful phenomenon, the mist comes down from the mountains, revealing the beauty of the planet. This phenomenon is called Mistfall. The planet is home to only a few people, primarily because it is believed that its mist-covered valleys are occupied by "wraiths", creatures that are claimed to have killed a number of humans. The mystery of the wraiths is also the main thing that attract visitors to the place. The only establishment on the planet is Castle Cloud, a hotel mounted on top of one of the mountains. The hotel is visited by wraith hunters, people looking for a thrill. The story tells of an expedition which sets out to find proof of the wraiths' existence, or establish that they are nothing more than a myth. The owner of Castle Cloud fears either answer, as he does not want the mystery of the wraiths to be uncovered. The main theme of the story is a clash between two views of the world, one very logical, pragmatic, physical, and the other one romantic and spiritual. It shows that not all mysteries need to be uncovered, not all secrets revealed, that unknown is not always bad, that it keeps people searching, asking questions, coming back. What is known for certain, is often taken for granted and then loses attraction.