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All One Universe
Illuminating essays that provide commentary on his own stories and on the works of other literary figures, including Rudyard Kipling and John W. Campbell, Jr., accompany a richly varied assortment of stories by a master of the science fiction genre.
301 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1996
20 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Poul Anderson
1,625 books1,109 followersPseudonym A. A. Craig, Michael Karageorge, Winston P. Sanders, P. A. Kingsley.
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards.
Anderson received a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota in 1948. He married Karen Kruse in 1953. They had one daughter, Astrid, who is married to science fiction author Greg Bear. Anderson was the sixth President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, taking office in 1972. He was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America, a loose-knit group of Heroic Fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose works were anthologized in Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! anthologies. He was a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls to Anderson and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy.[2][3]
Poul Anderson died of cancer on July 31, 2001, after a month in the hospital. Several of his novels were published posthumously.
Series:
* Time Patrol
* Psychotechnic League
* Trygve Yamamura
* Harvest of Stars
* King of Ys
* Last Viking
* Hoka
* Future history of the Polesotechnic League
* Flandry
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards.
Anderson received a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota in 1948. He married Karen Kruse in 1953. They had one daughter, Astrid, who is married to science fiction author Greg Bear. Anderson was the sixth President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, taking office in 1972. He was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America, a loose-knit group of Heroic Fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose works were anthologized in Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! anthologies. He was a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls to Anderson and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy.[2][3]
Poul Anderson died of cancer on July 31, 2001, after a month in the hospital. Several of his novels were published posthumously.
Series:
* Time Patrol
* Psychotechnic League
* Trygve Yamamura
* Harvest of Stars
* King of Ys
* Last Viking
* Hoka
* Future history of the Polesotechnic League
* Flandry
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
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June 29, 2022Just for Uncleftish Beholding, really.
April 4, 2019
Two plusgood/memorable stories (4 star level). The rest were either OK (2+ stars), or just not for me.
Some of the entries are non-fiction commentaries on the SF genre or specific authors, or fantasy/speculative tales, rather than hard SF.
If you are expecting tales of time travel or faster-than-light magic, look elsewhere.
VERDICT: 2.75 suns. Not a total like for me -- but you'll probably find at least a couple of entries here to your liking, if not more.
Some of the entries are non-fiction commentaries on the SF genre or specific authors, or fantasy/speculative tales, rather than hard SF.
If you are expecting tales of time travel or faster-than-light magic, look elsewhere.
VERDICT: 2.75 suns. Not a total like for me -- but you'll probably find at least a couple of entries here to your liking, if not more.
April 21, 2019
Meh.
Anderson stumbles in a drunken walk back and forth across the line that separates intellectualism and pedantry through this collection. The stories are a mix of hard sci fi, which are generally interesting, but whose prose tends toward the purple end of the spectrum (Were the bees actually "querning?"), and non-fiction, which seem to be a vehicle for him to "name drop." (Guess who he met for lunch at some event sponsored by NASA?)
I've never read Poul Anderson before; if you have, and like him, add a star. Me? I'm ambivalent.
Anderson stumbles in a drunken walk back and forth across the line that separates intellectualism and pedantry through this collection. The stories are a mix of hard sci fi, which are generally interesting, but whose prose tends toward the purple end of the spectrum (Were the bees actually "querning?"), and non-fiction, which seem to be a vehicle for him to "name drop." (Guess who he met for lunch at some event sponsored by NASA?)
I've never read Poul Anderson before; if you have, and like him, add a star. Me? I'm ambivalent.
December 2, 2025
Strangers: An alien seeks help for his people from mysterious human colonists. Science fiction.
Neptune Diary: Anderson recounts a NASA conference he attended. Nonfiction.
Requiem for a Universe: Reflections on physics and the fate of the universe. Nonfiction.
John Campbell: A biographical sketch of the great American editor. Nonfiction.
In Memoriam: The Earth obliterates all traces of Man over the eons. Science fiction.
The House of Sorrows: A spy thriller set in a world where Sennacherib conquered Jerusalem. Alternate History.
Uncleftish Beholding: A physics paper written in Anglish, Alternate History with no Norman Conquest. Alternate History.
Loser's Night: The Old Phoenix is a tavern where dimensions and ages merge. Fantasy.
Science Fiction and History: Like it says on the tin. Nonfiction.
Rokuro: An Noh Play about a Buddhist monk who visits a shrine on a comet nearing the sun. Science fiction.
Rudyard Kipling: A biographical sketch of the great Anglo-Indian author. Nonfiction.
The Forest: A hunter from the tundra visits the forest encroaching on his land and learns the strange ways of its people. Fiction.
Johannes V Jensen: A biographical sketch of the great Danish author. Nonfiction.
Fortune Hunter: In a world destroyed by pollution and overpopulation, the last wilderness areas are restricted to necessary personnel, but one man seeks to bend the rules. Science fiction.
Wolfram: A biography of Karl Georg Johann Friedrich Augustus Wolfram, the fictional discoverer of the element tungsten. Humor.
The Visitor: A telepath has a disturbing experience with a coma patient. Science fiction.
The Wellsprings of Dream: An essay on advances in science. Nonfiction.
The Voortrekkers: Two astronauts are uploaded into a space probe to spend millennia exploring the galaxy, but they miss their spouses who declined the procedure. Science fiction.
Neptune Diary: Anderson recounts a NASA conference he attended. Nonfiction.
Requiem for a Universe: Reflections on physics and the fate of the universe. Nonfiction.
John Campbell: A biographical sketch of the great American editor. Nonfiction.
In Memoriam: The Earth obliterates all traces of Man over the eons. Science fiction.
The House of Sorrows: A spy thriller set in a world where Sennacherib conquered Jerusalem. Alternate History.
Uncleftish Beholding: A physics paper written in Anglish, Alternate History with no Norman Conquest. Alternate History.
Loser's Night: The Old Phoenix is a tavern where dimensions and ages merge. Fantasy.
Science Fiction and History: Like it says on the tin. Nonfiction.
Rokuro: An Noh Play about a Buddhist monk who visits a shrine on a comet nearing the sun. Science fiction.
Rudyard Kipling: A biographical sketch of the great Anglo-Indian author. Nonfiction.
The Forest: A hunter from the tundra visits the forest encroaching on his land and learns the strange ways of its people. Fiction.
Johannes V Jensen: A biographical sketch of the great Danish author. Nonfiction.
Fortune Hunter: In a world destroyed by pollution and overpopulation, the last wilderness areas are restricted to necessary personnel, but one man seeks to bend the rules. Science fiction.
Wolfram: A biography of Karl Georg Johann Friedrich Augustus Wolfram, the fictional discoverer of the element tungsten. Humor.
The Visitor: A telepath has a disturbing experience with a coma patient. Science fiction.
The Wellsprings of Dream: An essay on advances in science. Nonfiction.
The Voortrekkers: Two astronauts are uploaded into a space probe to spend millennia exploring the galaxy, but they miss their spouses who declined the procedure. Science fiction.
July 29, 2020
This is an interesting book, its a series of short stories and non-fiction essays by Poul Anderson. He obviously takes great care in his writing, which for me makes his short stories a little tough to read as I feel like I get used to the characters voices just in time for the story to end.
Anyhow, 1 star because the last essay aged so poorly and it helps explain some of our current issues. It ends up being a libertarian anti-environmentalist rant complete with amazing terms such as "eco fascist" and arguments like "who says a warmer earth isn't a better earth?". Here's a hint, people who will be and are being displaced by rising sea levels.
He also makes it clear that as a libertarian, how dare anyone suggest any environmental plans that result in even the slightest decrease in industrialization. Paraphrasing, but not going to go back and reread to get the quote. Just disappointing, but also helps explain modern pro-pollution policies by a certain, aging, segment of the population.
Interesting, from my previous reading of this at least 20 years ago the one thing I remembered was his single concession to "eco fascists" which was we should be planting as many trees in as many places as possible. Anyhow, that's a weird take away from this. Would not read again.
Anyhow, 1 star because the last essay aged so poorly and it helps explain some of our current issues. It ends up being a libertarian anti-environmentalist rant complete with amazing terms such as "eco fascist" and arguments like "who says a warmer earth isn't a better earth?". Here's a hint, people who will be and are being displaced by rising sea levels.
He also makes it clear that as a libertarian, how dare anyone suggest any environmental plans that result in even the slightest decrease in industrialization. Paraphrasing, but not going to go back and reread to get the quote. Just disappointing, but also helps explain modern pro-pollution policies by a certain, aging, segment of the population.
Interesting, from my previous reading of this at least 20 years ago the one thing I remembered was his single concession to "eco fascists" which was we should be planting as many trees in as many places as possible. Anyhow, that's a weird take away from this. Would not read again.
August 17, 2023
So this book was enjoyable, but have to admit, I did not finish it.
It is a bit different than "Going to Infinity" by the same author.
I expected a compilation of similar short stories like the aforementioned book. Instead, some were short stories, others were actual articles written by the author about varied and sundry science subjects or scifi authors.
It wasn't bad, it just did not hold my interest for the second half of the book. I did learn about the Neptune flyby in more detail, so, a win in my book, as it was educational.
It is a bit different than "Going to Infinity" by the same author.
I expected a compilation of similar short stories like the aforementioned book. Instead, some were short stories, others were actual articles written by the author about varied and sundry science subjects or scifi authors.
It wasn't bad, it just did not hold my interest for the second half of the book. I did learn about the Neptune flyby in more detail, so, a win in my book, as it was educational.
September 16, 2021
OK, I'm not really a Poul Anderson fan. One, this book is half essays, which aren't particularly insightful. Two, he thinks he's a better writer than he is, so there are lots of unnecessary twiddles. Three, a lot of these are more fantasy than sf.
December 14, 2018
Informative
June 2, 2019
Any collection which includes "Uncleftish Beholding" automatically gets four stars - doesn't matter what else is in there.
August 6, 2021
DNF. Although I absolutely loved The Boat of a Million years, the stories in this book were of an older writing style that just doesn't work for me.
June 24, 2025
DNF - there’s definitely something of value in there but unfortunately it’s too much of a slog to keep digging
November 8, 2008
Now, I picked up this book because it was a collection of short stories, I had heard a lot of good stuff about Poul Anderson, and I enjoy reading how different people have put together their short stories. A really neat aspect about this book is that Anderson himself has written some notes before each story, so you get a little bit of his perspective on each one.
I should have noted that this was not a science fiction collection, per se, but a collection of writing by Poul Anderson. So there were some great science fiction stories, such as the first in the book, "Strangers" and then "Fortune Hunters", there were others that were just placed in different time periods, such as "The Forest". And then others which were more fantasy than science fiction - "Loser's Night", for example.
It seems that in drawing in the stories included in this collection, Poul Anderson was striving for a science fiction theme, but what he ended up with was more a collection of highly creative stories, all of which share common themes with science fiction writing, some more than others.
So are they any good? Yeah. Though some were too creative for my taste. But I loved "Strangers" and "Loser's Night". And I do kind of recommend the book. Just note that it's not always the easiest read - you gotta think a little. It's worth the thinking, but don't expect to be able to turn your brain off and still enjoy and/or get anything out of it.
I should have noted that this was not a science fiction collection, per se, but a collection of writing by Poul Anderson. So there were some great science fiction stories, such as the first in the book, "Strangers" and then "Fortune Hunters", there were others that were just placed in different time periods, such as "The Forest". And then others which were more fantasy than science fiction - "Loser's Night", for example.
It seems that in drawing in the stories included in this collection, Poul Anderson was striving for a science fiction theme, but what he ended up with was more a collection of highly creative stories, all of which share common themes with science fiction writing, some more than others.
So are they any good? Yeah. Though some were too creative for my taste. But I loved "Strangers" and "Loser's Night". And I do kind of recommend the book. Just note that it's not always the easiest read - you gotta think a little. It's worth the thinking, but don't expect to be able to turn your brain off and still enjoy and/or get anything out of it.
July 9, 2014
I'm not quite sure what to make of Poul Anderson yet. He's very interesting to read, yet there's something holding me back from saying that I really, truly like his writing. One thing that throws me off is that he likes to drop you into his short stories without any idea of where or when you are. It usually takes a few pages to start to grasp what the setting is, and often you're much better off stopping half-way through a story and starting again just so that you can get what's going on and not miss anything.
Like I said, though, he's very interesting to read. He has lots of insight into what makes science fiction "good" and to hear him talk about the people he's known (other authors, publishers, etc. and about which there are several stories in this collection) really gives you a cool and unique look into his life and experiences.
Definitely going to pick up more of his work!
Like I said, though, he's very interesting to read. He has lots of insight into what makes science fiction "good" and to hear him talk about the people he's known (other authors, publishers, etc. and about which there are several stories in this collection) really gives you a cool and unique look into his life and experiences.
Definitely going to pick up more of his work!
July 6, 2011
Always liked Anderson, without getting wildly excited about him.
He's a great idea writer, but an uneven character writer.
This book is a mix of stories and essays. The stories are a mix of hard science fiction and some historical fantasy.
I enjoyed the historical stuff best. It felt like the stuff Anderson wrote for fun, as they are the strongest stories, the one where he seemed to go above and beyond.
The easays are interesting, as they touch on him interacting with other sci-fi writers, which is nice, but in a couple, his politics tend to leak into them, and that felt forced and unneeded for what he was talking about.
Won't knock your socks off, but solid, entertaining stuff.
He's a great idea writer, but an uneven character writer.
This book is a mix of stories and essays. The stories are a mix of hard science fiction and some historical fantasy.
I enjoyed the historical stuff best. It felt like the stuff Anderson wrote for fun, as they are the strongest stories, the one where he seemed to go above and beyond.
The easays are interesting, as they touch on him interacting with other sci-fi writers, which is nice, but in a couple, his politics tend to leak into them, and that felt forced and unneeded for what he was talking about.
Won't knock your socks off, but solid, entertaining stuff.
April 12, 2012
The House of Sorrows: really enjoyed this but i wish it were a
novel instead of a short story.
Uncleftish Beholding was awesome. Read it multiple times, then
found it on Google Books to spread around among friends.
The Forest would make a good movie, or basis for one.
Fortune Hunter — good one!
Wolfram — awesome!
Wellsprings of Dream: dull!
novel instead of a short story.
Uncleftish Beholding was awesome. Read it multiple times, then
found it on Google Books to spread around among friends.
The Forest would make a good movie, or basis for one.
Fortune Hunter — good one!
Wolfram — awesome!
Wellsprings of Dream: dull!
June 21, 2009
Science Fiction
April 23, 2010
Poul Anderson is awesome in all things literary...what else can you say. This is an anthology stories and essays, all good.
September 16, 2012
Yeah... this will mess with you... especially if you know french and have a somewhat firm grasp on quantum mechanics (yay physics!).
April 11, 2013
Some of these stories I thought were pretty creative. Would like to go back and contemplate them again.
December 27, 2015
I have read this book a long time ago (10 years or more) but remember absolutely nothing about it, so it must have been pretty unremarkable (therefore the 2-stars rating).
March 28, 2016
Short stories & essays from 1967 to 1991. Pretty good.
April 23, 2017
It was ok. I had liked some of his works and found this book of short stories/essays. I'm not a huge short story fan to begin with. But I did enjoy some of it. I ended up not completing some of the non-fictions ones.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews