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FIRST PUBLICATION

•   Galaxy, Feb 1967

HISTORY:

        The last short story to reach the SMLA in 1965 was "Return Match" which was received at the SMLA on Oct 14, 1965. It was first published in Galaxy in Feb 1967 and was selected by editor Mark Hurst for his 1980 PKD collection THE GOLDEN MAN.

    In the Story Notes to THE GOLDEN MAN, PKD says this about "Return Match":

    The theme of dangerous toys runs like a tattered thread throughout my writing. The dangerous disguised as the innocent...and what could be more innocent than a toy? This story makes me think of a set of huge speakers I looked at last week; they cost six thousand dollars and were larger than refrigerators. Our joke about them was that if you didn't go to the audio store to see them, they'd come to see you.

    An engaging story, "Return Match" tells of illegal outspacer gambling operations on Earth. The fly-by-night casino operators land in remote locations and when they are discovered by the police they quickly disappear into space as their rockets burn up all the evidence, including all the people unlucky enough to be gambling at the time. Through much effort officer Joe Tinbane (reprising his role to some degree from COUNTER-CLOCK WORLD) and his police cohorts manage to salvage one of the outspacer gaming machines: a pinball machine, in fact.

    But this is no ordinary pinball machine and once Tinbane plays it he discovers to his consternation that while he is trying to beat the machine the machine is trying to beat him! The stakes are life and death for Tinbane as the machine is encephalotropic and has his brain-pattern in its circuitry. Is he doomed or can he beat the alien machine in the return match?

    Having spent much of my misspent youth plying the silver balls (and an acknowledged pinball wizard at the time) I must say that this story struck a responsive chord in me and therefore I give "Return Match" ôôôôô .

Other Magazine and Anthology appearances.    Click here for Cover Pix:

1967 Sep, Oct		GALAXY {UK}
1980		THE GOLDEN MAN, Berkley, pb, 04288, 1980, ?, $2.25 (?) {Ed. Hurst}
1981 Oct		STARLOG #52
1987		THE COLLECTED STORIES OF PKD, Vol.5

NOTES:

THE GOLDEN MAN Story Notes By PKD

    The theme of dangerous toys runs like a tattered thread throughout my writing. The dangerous disguised as the innocent...and what could be more innocent than a toy? This story makes me think of a set of huge speakers I looked at last week; they cost six thousand dollars and were larger than refrigerators. Our joke about them was that if you didn't go to the audio store to see them, they'd come to see you.

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Collector’s Notes

Rudy’s Books: "Return Match" in Galaxy, Feb 1967 (1^st). VG. $6

Alibris: "Return Match" in Galaxy, Feb 1967 (1^st). FINE. $3.95

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