Vintage Pulp Stories
May's classic pulp story is "The Thing from --'Outside'". Nebraska-born George Allen England was a successful magazine writer and novelist from the first third of the 20th century. A Harvard graduate, he was also a Socialist who once sought to become the Governor of Maine. As a writer, he was influenced by H.G. Wells.
This story was originally published in Hugo Gernsback's magazine Science and Invention. In April 1926, Gernsback launched the first popular magazine dedicated to science fiction, Amazing Stories, and he reprinted the tale as part of the first issue of his new venture. “The Thing from – ‘Outside’” is a great example of imaginative science fiction from the early pulp era.
April's tale is "Planned by the Stars" by C.S. [Carleton Stevens] Montanye. Montanye is primarily remembered now for his work with Thrilling Detective and Phantom Detective magazines in the 1940s. By that time, however, he was a long-established pro who had been writing for the pulps for decades. This story, "Planned by the Stars," appeared in an early issue of one of the greatest of the old pulp magazines, Black Mask, in September of 1920. It's a good mix of crime fiction and otherworldly weirdness. Enjoy!