Coming Attraction
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| "Coming Attraction" | |
| Author | Fritz Leiber |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction short story |
| Published in | Galaxy Science Fiction |
| Publication type | digest-size magazine |
| Publication date | November 1950 |
"Coming Attraction" is a science fiction short story by Fritz Leiber originally published in the second issue (November 1950) of Galaxy Science Fiction with illustrations by Paul Callé. The story was nominated for a Retro Hugo Award in 2001. [1]
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
The story is set in Manhattan in the midst of a protracted war between the United States and the Soviet Union; midtown Manhattan is an uninhabitable wasteland after having been hit by a "Hell Bomb," though the rest of the city is still occupied. The narrator is a British citizen named Wysten Turner, who is in New York to barter electronic equipment that he suspects will be used in the construction of an American military base on the moon.
As the story begins, he rescues a young woman from an attack by men who try to snag her with fishhooks welded to the fender of their car. Turner involves the police, but they do not regard the incident as serious. He ends up bribing them to go away. The wearing of masks, akin to the Muslim hijab but of no religious significance, has become all but mandatory for American women. Turner therefore cannot see the face of the woman he has helped, and he is intrigued.
He arranges to meet her later, when they go to a nightclub. She begs him to help her escape America, explaining that her boyfriend, a professional wrestler, beats her when he loses a wrestling match. Turner's sense of chivalry is inflamed, and a fight develops when the boyfriend arrives. Turner, to his surprise, knocks the man down, but the girl attacks him. Her quasi-seduction of Turner seems to have played out in the past with other men, as all those around her already knew. She does not want to leave the wrestler since she masochistically craves his abuse. Turner rips the mask from her face, decides that she is plain and that her features are contorted with ugly emotion. He leaves, anxious to return to England.
Coming Attraction was among the stories selected in 1970 by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one the best science fiction short stories of all time. As such, it was published in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, 1929-1964. It has been anthologized and collected at least 25 times.
[edit] Audio
The story, read by Paul Jenkins, is available on a digital download from Audible.com. [2]
[edit] Illustration
Paul Calle (b. 1928), who illustrated the story for Galaxy, later did stamp designs honoring the space program. His First Man on the Moon stamp had 150 billion reproductions. Calle's other work for Galaxy included the 1953 cover for James Blish's The Warriors of Day (Galaxy Science Fiction Novel #16).
