‘spindizzies’ ­ which appeared in Astounding Science-Fiction in 1950. Underlying the melodrama of the Okie books is a somber attitude toward the repetitive cycle of history ­ a view derived from Oswald Spengler’s The Decline of the West. Other notable works in the Eisenhower era include “Beanstalk” (1952), “Common Time” (1953), “Beep” (1954) and “A Work of Art” (1956). A Case of Conscience, Blish’s serious treatment of of priest in a planet inhabited by beings seemingly free of the concept of Original Sin, won the 1959 Hugo ‘Best Novel’ award.
Not surprisingly, his background in biology led Blish to incorporate biological themes which had often be neglected in scifi works into his writings. The Seeding Stars (1952-56)
