The Crawlers by Philip K. Dick is PUBLIC DOMAIN

SFFaudio News

The Crawlers by Philip K. Dick

The Crawlers by Philip K. Dick is PUBLIC DOMAIN.

RE190631 Page 2 (back) Prominent Author, Progeny, Exhibit Piece, Shell Game, A World Of Talent, James P. Crow, Small Town, Survey Team, Sales Pitch, Time Pawn, Breakfast At Twilight, The Crawlers, Of Withered Apples, Adjustment Team, Meddler

As you can see in a scan of the renewal form RE0000190631, pictured above, the renewer has stated that the story was published in the July 1955 issue of Imagination. This is completely false. A listing of the table of contents for Imagination, July 1955 is HERE. And there is indeed a Philip K. Dick short story in that issue. That story is entitled The Chromium Fence, but it is a completely different story. Ironically, it was renewed on the same document containing the deliberate fraud (see the scan below):

RE190631 Page 1 (back)

Because it was not renewed in its 28th year.The Crawlers by Philip K. Dick is PUBLIC DOMAIN.

Here is a |PDF| of it.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Sales Pitch by Philip K. Dick is PUBLIC DOMAIN

SFFaudio News

Sales Pitch by Philip K. Dick

Sales Pitch, a short story by Philip K. Dick, is PUBLIC DOMAIN.

This was not previously known due to a fraudulent attempt to renew the copyright after it had expired.

Sales Pitch was first published in Future Science Fiction, June 1954.

Here is the table of contents for that magazine. It shows its presence in that issue:

Future Science Fiction, June 1954 - table of contents (includes Sales Pitch by Philip K. Dick)

The false claim of renewal, as evidenced by THIS renewal form is revealing. I’ve highlighted the relevant data here:

Future Magazine, Vol 17 No 6, June 1955

No magazine named “Future Magazine, Vol 17, No 6, June ’55” actually exists. Future Science Fiction produced only one issue in 1955, issue #28. The table of contents for it is HERE. You will note it does not contain any stories by Philip K. Dick.

In order for Sales Pitch to be still under copyright it would have had to have been properly renewed within it’s 28th year after publication. It was not.

Sales Pitch by Philip K. Dick is therefore PUBLIC DOMAIN.

Here’s a |PDF| made from a scan of Future Science Fiction, June 1954.

Here is an |ETEXT| version.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Review of Flesh Circus by Lilith Saintcrow

SFFaudio Review

Flesh Circus by Lilith SaintcrowFlesh Circus (Jill Kismet #4)
By Lilith Saintcrow; Performed by Joyce Bean
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
[UNABRIDGED] – 7 discs; 9 hours

Themes: / circus / urban fantasy / voodoo / zombies / magic /

Publisher summary:

When circus performers start dying grotesquely, Jill Kismet has to find out why, or the entire city will become a carnival of horror. She also has to play the resident hellbreed power against the Cirque to keep them in line, and find out why ordinary people are needing exorcisms. And then there’s the murdered voodoo practitioners, and the zombies. Jill Kismet is about to find out that some games are played for keeps.

The descriptions in Flesh Circus were memorable and fun, and touched on all the senses. Characterizations really told a lot about each individual and gave information about both them and the narrator. She was really snarky, selling toughness without overdoing it. There was some repetition in the action scenes, with guns and bones popping frequently. The author employs a liberal use of adverbs, and the plot relies heavily on elements that must have been established in earlier books. I could still follow along, though. The magical details were the best part.

Joyce Bean as narrator was great. She had a husky, slightly rough voice with an understated delivery that let the words really shine. Her characterization of side characters was great, making it easy to keep track of who was speaking.

Posted by Sarah R.