 A LIMERICK HISTORY OF SCIENCE FICTION
                          by Mike Wadsworth Resnick   

  

1926    At the start, Hugo brought out _Amazing_, 
        In spite of some serious hazing 
           From lawyers and writers. 
           (It seems that the blighters 
        Sought cash for their written star-gazing). 

1939    John Campbell then surveyed the field, 
        And said, "Now this drivel must yield. 
           I shall draw a fine line 
           With writers like Heinlein, 
        And think of the power I'll wield!" 

1949    Tony Boucher at once saw the light, 
        And he said (sounding quite erudite): 
           "I don't give a fig 
           If the concept is big -- 
        _My_ authors must know how to write!" 

1950    Then Horace Gold quickly appeared, 
        And he wasn't the failure we'd feared, 
           _Galaxy_ was afire 
           With wit and satire -- 
        And the poorer stuff all disappeared. 

1964    Then along came Mike Moorcock, who said: 
        "SF is most certainly dead. 
            Who wants to re-hash 
            Even more of this trash? 
        I'll give them the New Wave instead." 

1978    Judy-Lynn del Rey said, "Lester, 
        Our readers will never dig Bester, 
            But with cute fuzzy robots 
            There's no ifs and no buts, 
        You'll be a most happy investor." 

1984    A mirrorshade crowd made the scene, 
        And said, looking hungry and lean, 
             "With punks made of cyber, 
             And no moral fiber, 
        We'll sweep the bestseller list clean." 

1996    When Lucas from college departed, 
        His vision to film was imparted; 
           The books have been pleasant, 
           But quite adolescent -- 
        And now we're right back where we started. 