I wrote three years ago about Richard McKenna’s The Sand Pebbles and what an incredible novel it was. I was aware that McKenna had been in the science fiction magazines before The Sand Pebbles and there was a paperback collection, Casey Agonistes. I finally found a copy this past summer.

McKenna had six stories in science fiction digest magazines from 1958 until his death in 1964. There were five more posthumous stories in F&SF and Damon Knight edited anthologies.

Casey Agonistes and Other Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories was a Harper & Row hardback in 1973. Paperback editions from Pan (1976) in the U.K. and Ace (1978) followed. An e-book edition from Gateway/Orion came out in 2012.

Damon Knight provides an introduction as he knew McKenna personally.

“Casey Agonistes” (F&SF, Sept. 1958) takes place in a military TB ward. One of the patient’s wills an ape creature into existence and soon other patients are doing the same.

“Hunter, Come Home” (F&SF, March 1963): A team from a more primitive planet is attempting to change the ecology of a planet so they can introduce a dying predatory creature from their home planet used for manhood rites. No matter how hard they try to eliminate the plant life, it grows back. One team member discovers the secret to the planet’s ecology. This is an interesting one.

“The Secret Place” (Orbit 1, 1966): Geologist is part of a team in western Oregon looking for uranium. The key to finding the uranium is the sister of a boy who was found dead with a uranium bearing rock in his hand. Geologist hires emotionally damaged girl with the hope she can find the location. She has the ability to open the door to somewhere else.

“Mine Own Ways” (F&SF, Feb. 1969): Earthmen building a communication relay on a primitive planet are under the Prime Directive of not interfering. Unfortunately, their wives have interfered. They must undergo a native initiation ritual.

“Fiddler’s Green” (Orbit 2, 1967): Group of sailors on a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean are about to die. One of them tells the others about a story about a portal in the Tibesti Mountains in the Sahara Desert. If everyone joined in, they can transports themselves to this other world. They find themselves in a pleasant place with food and water. The main character discovers others.

This is a very different type of science fiction. McKenna returns to the idea of changing reality. The other theme is that of manhood rituals. I can scratch this one off my want to read list. Can’t say the stories got me jumping up and down. I can’t say I am big on stories about the concept of reality.

I will say again, read The Sand Pebbles. It is an epic novel and also tribute to the Delta in the socio-sexual hierarchy. The men who keep the lights on the plumbing working.