The Wind Between the Worlds Read Free

he didn’t think Budrys
looked
like he could have written it. He was also probably the most intrusive editor in the science fiction field.
    By 1959, Isaac Asimov had become so angry at Gold’s editing that he was only willing to submit a story to
Galaxy
under the condition that Gold would either accept or reject it as written. The animus against Gold’s methods became so general that in February 1960, Gold publically extended Asimov’s terms to all professionals: he would henceforward accept or reject
any
story by a professional without meddling.
    This was an astounding concession in a field in which it was a given that an editor edits. I can explain it only in connection with the fact that Gold soon thereafter gave up the editorship completely as a result of PTSD from his service in the Philippines.
    In the case of
Wind
, however, Gold did not himself do the rewriting. Del Rey says that he submitted a rough draft to Gold, who responded with many editorial directions. The bulk of these changes improved the story in del Rey’s opinion, but Gold insisted that a member of the hero’s team be one of the saboteurs. When del Rey reprinted the story in a collection of his own, he eliminated that editorial change.
    The element of sabotage fits
Wind
’s background emphasis on hostility to aliens and anger at the economic disruption caused by matter transmission. That said, the cause of the crisis is wildly improbable as a means of intentional sabotage (a bottle has to shatter so that a large piece flies into exactly the right spot to hold a switch open) but it
is
the sort of thing that could happen through sheer bad luck.
    My opinion is that Gold requested the cause of the crisis be changed from an accident to sabotage, and that del Rey agreed with him. Another reader may come to the opposite conclusion on the basis of the same (lack of) evidence.
    Wind
gains structurally by one change forced by having only half the available wordage compared to
Nerves
. Del Rey reduced the length by writing a very straightforward story.
Nerves
has a subplot which, though well handled, turns out to be completely extraneous to the real problem and its solution. By sticking instead to his core theme, del Rey keeps the focus of
Wind
on the situation which threatens life not only on Earth but also on the planet at the other end of the linked matter transmitters.
    Del Rey’s one dissatisfaction with
Nerves
was that it wasn’t the cover story of the issue in which it appeared (that honor went to a—minor—novelette by Anthony Boucher).
The Wind Between the Worlds
did have the cover (of the March 1951
Galaxy
). The artist, Don Sibley, isn’t a name to conjure with in the field of science fiction illustration today. When I read the issue in 1961, however, my fifteen-year-old self found the painting evocative of the cosmic immensity of the threat which the story describes.
    Gold and del Rey set out to create a science fiction suspense story as effective as
Nerves
. Did they succeed? In the short term, no:
The Wind Between the Worlds
did not cause the sensation that the earlier story had. In the longer term, however,
Wind
holds up better than
Nerves
on close reading. Modern readers (or rereaders, like me) will find not only enjoyment but craftsmanship and thought-provoking questions.
    In sum,
The Wind Between the Worlds
is a deliberate reflection of its greater predecessor; but in some ways, the reflection is better than the original image.
    —David Drake

The Wind Between the Worlds
I
    I t was hot in the dome of the Bennington matter transmitter building. The metal shielding walls seemed to catch the rays of the sun and bring them to a focus there. Even the fan that was plugged in nearby didn’t help much. Vic Peters shook his head, flipping the mop of yellow hair out of his eyes. He twisted about, so the fan could reach fresh territory, and cursed under his breath.
    Heat he could take. As a roving troubleshooter for Teleport Interstellar, he’d