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Neutron Stars
'Neutron Stars' ~ Edited by Gregory FitzGerald - nine classic science-fiction tales of tremendous range by writers renowned for their original and innovative Poul Anderson, Ray Bradbury, Lester del Rey, Robert A. Heinlein, Walter M. Miller, Jr., Robert Nathan, Frederick Pohl, Evelyn Waugh, and John Wyndham.
480 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 12, 1977
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March 24, 2024
Neutron Stars is an odd collection of nine stories, bundled together because they deal thematically with a change of state likened to astrophysics which, as the editor puts it, is the "decay of our supernovaed culture."
The list includes 2 tales from the '40s, 6 from the '50's, and 1 from the '60s. Four of these appear frequently in anthologies. Seven of the authors are recognized as masters, plus two others, one little known and the other famous for his work in other genres. All are men. All but two are titles I've read. I sought out this volume because of the one title that showed up recently in Ken Fisher's Super Quiz on dystopian novels and their authors.
These are the titles in this volume:
Poul Anderson - The Sensitive Man (1954). One of the author's early future-history of the Psychotechnic Institute/League set in the post-WW3 world. Possibly the weakest story in the set, it demonstrates the author's use of language.
Ray Bradbury - I Sing the Body Electric (1969). In my opinion, this is one of the author's finest stories, made more memorable for its persistence as a Twilight Zone episode.
Lester del Rey - Nerves (1942). Pre-dating Chernobyl by 44 years, and Fukushima by 71, this account of a nuclear accident before the first bomb ever exploded remains a chilling prediction.
Robert A. Heinlein - The Roads Must Roll (1940). Using the transportation of people and goods via a futuristic mode of travel, a technical advance combines value with dependency and great risk when disrupted, whether by human or environmental causes.
Walter M. Miller - Dark Benediction (1951) - As in his more famous novel (A Canticle for Leibowitz) a colony of Catholic priests seeks to stabilize a portion of society in a post-apocalyptic world following a plague from space. Elements of Brin's The Postman, Heinlein's Puppet Masters, and Butler's Lillith's Brood are all present. In the same year Wyndham's Day of the Triffids was also published.
Robert Nathan - The Weans (1956) - Also known as Digging the Weans, this tongue in cheek look at the US from archeologists based in Africa 6000 years in the future also takes a poke at how easy it is to misread the past from fragments left behind.
Frederik Pohl - The Midas Plague (1954) - Another humorous look at society burdened by overproduction of consumer goods and the necessity for laws requiring quotas not based on scarcity.
The last two I had not encountered before and the first is the reason I looked for this book.
Evelyn Waugh - Love Among the Ruins: A Romance of the Near Future (1953) - In a thinly veiled and heavy-handed criticism of the welfare state coupled with knowledge of his personal mental instability, the author invents a society that has institutionalized suicide in combination with penology reform that seems to have nothing to do with criminal behavior. This rates slightly higher than the Anderson story primarily for its quirky elements and twisted love story.
John Wyndham - Consider Her Ways (1956) - Through a biological accident (ala the speculation re the source of Covid), all males on Earth died within a year. With the 'glass ceiling' removed women were no longer limited by male domination or gender roles (economic, romantic, or familial). Over an unspecified period of time, civilization recovered, complete with a new social order. In an oft used device, a woman from the mid-20th century wakes to find herself inhabiting the body of another far in the future, with no immediate recollection of her past let alone the present - only that she doesn't belong. The reader is given a look at such a possible future with rationale for its facets based on an historical interpretation of the past. I'm not sure what to make of this story. The social order that developed seems skewed in a way that felt oriented toward the masculine rather than feminine. It bears thinking about.
Familiarity is said to bring contempt but in cases where old favorites are revisited, that isn't always the case. Styles and mores change which cause the reader to look more critically at such stories without detracting from the overall enjoyment.
The list includes 2 tales from the '40s, 6 from the '50's, and 1 from the '60s. Four of these appear frequently in anthologies. Seven of the authors are recognized as masters, plus two others, one little known and the other famous for his work in other genres. All are men. All but two are titles I've read. I sought out this volume because of the one title that showed up recently in Ken Fisher's Super Quiz on dystopian novels and their authors.
These are the titles in this volume:
Poul Anderson - The Sensitive Man (1954). One of the author's early future-history of the Psychotechnic Institute/League set in the post-WW3 world. Possibly the weakest story in the set, it demonstrates the author's use of language.
Ray Bradbury - I Sing the Body Electric (1969). In my opinion, this is one of the author's finest stories, made more memorable for its persistence as a Twilight Zone episode.
Lester del Rey - Nerves (1942). Pre-dating Chernobyl by 44 years, and Fukushima by 71, this account of a nuclear accident before the first bomb ever exploded remains a chilling prediction.
Robert A. Heinlein - The Roads Must Roll (1940). Using the transportation of people and goods via a futuristic mode of travel, a technical advance combines value with dependency and great risk when disrupted, whether by human or environmental causes.
Walter M. Miller - Dark Benediction (1951) - As in his more famous novel (A Canticle for Leibowitz) a colony of Catholic priests seeks to stabilize a portion of society in a post-apocalyptic world following a plague from space. Elements of Brin's The Postman, Heinlein's Puppet Masters, and Butler's Lillith's Brood are all present. In the same year Wyndham's Day of the Triffids was also published.
Robert Nathan - The Weans (1956) - Also known as Digging the Weans, this tongue in cheek look at the US from archeologists based in Africa 6000 years in the future also takes a poke at how easy it is to misread the past from fragments left behind.
Frederik Pohl - The Midas Plague (1954) - Another humorous look at society burdened by overproduction of consumer goods and the necessity for laws requiring quotas not based on scarcity.
The last two I had not encountered before and the first is the reason I looked for this book.
Evelyn Waugh - Love Among the Ruins: A Romance of the Near Future (1953) - In a thinly veiled and heavy-handed criticism of the welfare state coupled with knowledge of his personal mental instability, the author invents a society that has institutionalized suicide in combination with penology reform that seems to have nothing to do with criminal behavior. This rates slightly higher than the Anderson story primarily for its quirky elements and twisted love story.
John Wyndham - Consider Her Ways (1956) - Through a biological accident (ala the speculation re the source of Covid), all males on Earth died within a year. With the 'glass ceiling' removed women were no longer limited by male domination or gender roles (economic, romantic, or familial). Over an unspecified period of time, civilization recovered, complete with a new social order. In an oft used device, a woman from the mid-20th century wakes to find herself inhabiting the body of another far in the future, with no immediate recollection of her past let alone the present - only that she doesn't belong. The reader is given a look at such a possible future with rationale for its facets based on an historical interpretation of the past. I'm not sure what to make of this story. The social order that developed seems skewed in a way that felt oriented toward the masculine rather than feminine. It bears thinking about.
Familiarity is said to bring contempt but in cases where old favorites are revisited, that isn't always the case. Styles and mores change which cause the reader to look more critically at such stories without detracting from the overall enjoyment.
July 15, 2020
Nine stories. Roving plague victims, Mothers told to birth, robots consuming goods and an archeological assessment of a surprising place to name a few. Some were really good and some were just good. All in all a worth while read if you are a fan of sci-fi! #pursebooks
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews