Star Science Fiction Stories No. 1

Star Science Fiction #1

by Frederik Pohl (Editor)

First of Pohl's immensely popular collections of stories never before in print. This is First printing, 1953.
~ ~~ ~
CONTENTS: ~ ~~ ~ Country Doctor [William Morrison];
Dominoes [C. M. Kornbluth];
Idealist [Lester Del Rey];
The Night He Cried [Fritz Leiber];
Contraption [Clifford D. Simak];
The Chronoclasm [John Wyndham];
The Deserter [William Tenn];
The Man With English [H. L. Gold];
So Proudly We Hail [Judith Merril];
A Scent of Sarsparilla [Ray Bradbury];
"Nobody Here But---" [Isaac Asimov];
The Last Weapon [Robert Sheckley];
A Wild Surmise [Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore];
The Journey [Murray Leinster];
The Nine Billion Names of God [Arthur C. Clarke]

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction

202 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Frederik George Pohl, Jr. was an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years. From about 1959 until 1969, Pohl edited Galaxy magazine and its sister magazine IF winning the Hugo for IF three years in a row. His writing also won him three Hugos and multiple Nebula Awards. He became a Nebula Grand Master in 1993.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frederik Pohl's Star was the first series of original science fiction story anthology books, and remained as the high-water-mark in the field for decades. The names of the authors in this first volume reads like a who's who of the top names of the field in the 1950s: Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Lester del Rey, H.L. Gold, C.M. Kornbluth, Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore, Fritz Leiber, Murray Leinster, Judith Merril, William Morrison, Robert Sheckley, Clifford D. Simak, William Tenn, and John Wyndham all contributed stories. I enjoyed all of them, but the stand-out classic has to be Clarke's The Nine Billion Names of God.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Country Doctor... neat little speculation on an alien lifeform.
Dominoes.. yes, by the author of "The Space Merchants." What would really happen if you knew the future of the stock market?
Idealist... a reaction to the realization of the might of the H-bombs.
The Night He Cried... I think if I were into noir I would get more out of this one.
Contraption... A lonely orphan and a dying alien make friends.
The Chronoclasm... Oh Tavia, where did you go? Poor Gerry.
The Deserter... I much prefer Roddenberry's optimistic version of the future and of man's principles in dealing with ETs.
The Man With English... as in, billiards slang. Just a funny speculation.
So Proudly We Hail... I really need to read more by Judith Merril. This is Literature, just lovely.
A Scent of Sarsparilla... nostalgic and magical, as Bradbury's often are.
"Nobody Here But---" ... Pohl's intro. to each story has been focusing on how prolific each author is, as if that's a measure of their worth. Well, Asimov's got 'em all beat on the first. And of course, in all that, there is both chaff and grain, and even gems. This one is just grain, but it has the concept of self-driving cars!
The Last Weapon... Not plausible, and in a way not really SF but social commentary or politics, but again a brief What If speculation that would make a decent TZ episode.
A Wild Surmise... Estivate! - Sleep! - Estivate! - Sleep! weird, kinda eerie, but mostly funny.
The Journey... Sweet, lovely, emotional story; What If a person raised on Pluto came to Earth as a young adult? Also, how do parents let their young adult go on such an expedition across the Solar System?
The Nine Billion Names of God... Is this really the first appearance of this classic story? Accd to isfdb, yes. Wow.

I appreciate that MST uni. library bound and shelved so many old sf mm pbs. These are the kinds of short & concise stories that make Twilight Zone episodes that pack a punch. Yes, because many ppl were writing both for pulps and for TV. If you like the show, read these old stories, either from your univ. or your uncle's attic, or from gutenberg/librivox.

[Graham P · Rating 3 out of 5]

STAR SCIENCE FICTION 1, ed. Frederik Pohl

An important collection, but one that occasionally suffers under its own foundational weight.

Country Doctor • (1953) • novelette by William Morrison - giant extraterrestrial heap of a space cow has some guttural disease that can no longer go unchecked. Since the thing is the size of a warehouse and impervious to full x-rays, they have to send in the country doctor into the contemptuous alien's gut. Like all tales akin to Jonah & the Whale, this tale is plenty gooey, silly, and with the right amount of pulpworthy pleasures.

Dominoes • (1953) • short story by C. M. Kornbluth - file this one into the sub-sub-genre of greedy protagonist using time travel to alter the stock market. Fashionably fine in 1953 but perhaps not so much now.

Idealist • (1953) • short story by Lester del Rey - nuclear bomb orbit ship has been wrecked. By its own country's missiles, the Reds, or by some internal malfunction. The lone survivor must decide to unload the remainder of warheads on Russia, even though he's not sure how much of the world below is still functioning. Very tight, no-nonsense.

The Night He Cried • (1953) • short story by Fritz Leiber - femme fatale with tentacled breasts!? Not as exciting as it may sound, but more proof that Leiber was one of the horniest writers around back in the day.

Contraption • (1953) • short story by Clifford D. Simak - Simak lite. Here a boy is propositioned by two aliens in a ruined ship. Could have been an episode of Andy Griffith with a young Ron Howard throwing stones at a tin saucer in the woods.

The Chronoclasm • (1953) • novelette by John Wyndham (variant of Chronoclasm) - time travel, a blossoming love affair, men in suits in pursuit. Not much here either way, a rather pedestrian tale even by Wyndham standards.

The Deserter • (1953) • short story by William Tenn - powerful tale of a POW brought in by the government to communicate with the alien predators that had once imprisoned him. An inverted version of 'Country Doctor' but with far more fatal consequences. Grim and potent.

The Man with English • (1953) • short story by H. L. Gold - a small comedy about an asshole husband/father whose five senses have been completely rewired. A grey shade of Suburban dull, this tale is so safe it could have been passed around Sunday school.

So Proudly We Hail • (1953) • short story by Judith Merrill - interesting but its vague intentions seem like it could be a subversive feminist take, or a ripe second-fiddle account of men being superior to women in every way imaginable. The ending, while quite grim, is a vague hot mess.

A Scent of Sarsaparilla • (1953) • short story by Ray Bradbury - Bradbury always hits that note, even when you sense it from a mile away. His Sentimental Universe, Ray Ray.

"Nobody Here But ..." • (1953) • short story by Isaac Asimov - another robot comedy. Who's laughing, Isaac?

The Last Weapon • (1953) • short story by Robert Sheckley - confusing satire of grunts on Mars stealing weapons and robot armies with little success.

A Wild Surmise • (1953) • short story by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore - a parody of psychiatry, the hero of this tales suffers bad therapists in two alternate realities: one as man, one as bug.

The Journey • (1953) • short story by Murray Leinster - sorry, Murray, this is a flatliner of a tail. The equivalent of a Christian pamphlet preaching young men to embrace hard grueling work, marry weak women, and please your parents. Are these really the bullet points of being The Man? Lazy.

The Nine Billion Names of God • (1953) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke - another re-re-read. Premise is quite amazing but the story reads too short as it always has...but that climactic image/line, emblematic and important.

[Ari Pérez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me tell you about my taste in sf. I like my stories to be open-ended, weird, with a twist that doesn't really explain where it comes from. I don't dislike new wave scifi as long as the theme is interesting. I tend to get bored by just 'fiction' and where the characters get overdeveloped to the point where we forget there is a story being told beside the characters. And because of that I rated some of these stories with 4 stars, just because they are weird AND fast-paced (that doesn't mean badly written). I'd say the ones i rate 3 stars are the ones that probably will appeal to a broader audience. So, take my ratings with a grain of salt...


** Country Doctor [William Morrison]
*** Dominoes [C. M. Kornbluth]
*** Idealist [Lester Del Rey]
* The Night He Cried [Fritz Leiber]
** Contraption [Clifford D. Simak]
** The Chronoclasm [John Wyndham]
** The Deserter [William Tenn]
* The Man With English [H. L. Gold]
* So Proudly We Hail [Judith Merril]
** A Scent of Sarsparilla [Ray Bradbury]
* "Nobody Here But---" [Isaac Asimov]
**** The Last Weapon [Robert Sheckley]
*** A Wild Surmise [Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore]
** The Journey [Murray Leinster]
**** The Nine Billion Names of God [Arthur C. Clarke]

[Austin Beeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Science Fiction Stories No. 1

RATED 83% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE: 3.87 OUT OF 5

15 STORIES : 3 GREAT / 8 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 1 POOR / 0 DNF

The back cover hails Star Science Fiction Stories as “One of the Most Highly Praised Anthologies of All Time.” It isn’t that hard to see why. This original anthology has new (in 1953) stories from some of Science Fictions greatest writers: Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C Clarke, Fritz Leiber, Clifford D Simak, Lester del Rey, …. I could easily just list the entire list of authors.

What makes this good reading in 2022 is that many of these stories aren’t the most anthologized by these great authors: with the notable exception of the Clarke story. Most everything here is quite enjoyable and is infused with the charming style that is found in so many SF tales of the 1950s.

A good solid read that includes three entries into my list of The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of all Time: https://www.shortsf.com/beststories

The Deserter • (1953) • short story by William Tenn. The war between Earth and the worms of Jupiter has been long and brutal. Now, for the first time, a Jovian has deserted and is about to be interrogated. The interrogation is facilitated by a man who spend two years being tortured and questioned by the Jovians. It is being directed by a vicious and effective general. A superb and powerful story of responsibility in war.

So Proudly We Hail • (1953) • short story by Judith Merril. The rocket will depart tomorrow, taking scientists to the stars in husband and wife couples. For one such couple, the distance between husband and wife is farther that the distance into the stars.

The Nine Billion Names of God • (1953) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke. Monks receive a computer to help them discover all the names of God, but the result might be more universal than they expected. Just because this is well know, doesn’t mean it isn’t great. Clarke accords more respect for religion in this story than he would normally in his work.

STAR SCIENCE FICTION STORIES NO. 1 IS RATED 83% POSITIVE
15 STORIES : 3 GREAT / 8 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 1 POOR / 0 DNF

Country Doctor • (1953) • novelette by William Morrison

Good. A country doctor - basically a veterinarian on a foreign planet must go inside of a giant ‘space cow’ to diagnose the illness.

Dominoes • (1953) • short story by C. M. Kornbluth

Average. A greedy stock broker travels to the future to find out when the big stock market crash is coming.

Idealist • (1953) • short story by Lester del Rey

Good. A man wakes up aboard a space station that was supposed to prevent war and finds himself surrounded by death and destruction.

The Night He Cried • (1953) • short story by Fritz Leiber

Poor. A shape-shifting tentacle alien pretends to by a beautiful woman to meet Slickie Millane.

Contraption • (1953) • short story by Clifford D. Simak

Good. A boy stuck on a farm in an abusive situation with his Aunt and Uncle find a contraption in the blackberry patch and starts a friendship with whatever is inside.

The Chronoclasm • (1953) • novelette by John Wyndham (variant of Chronoclasm)

Good. A man - mistaken for a knight - is approached and told to ‘send back Tavia.” Years later, he will meet her for the first time and have to rescue her from her pursuers.

The Deserter • (1953) • short story by William Tenn

Great. The war between Earth and the worms of Jupiter has been long and brutal. Now, for the first time, a Jovian has deserted and is about to be interrogated. The interrogation is being facilitated by a man who spend two years being tortured and questioned by the Jovians. It is being directed by a vicious and effective general.

The Man with English • (1953) • short story by H. L. Gold

Average. An angry shopkeeper falls and hits his head. Now, he all of his nerves are reversed.

So Proudly We Hail • (1953) • short story by Judith Merril

Great. The rocket will depart tomorrow, taking scientists to the stars in husband and wife couples. For one such couple, the distance between husband and wife is farther that the distance into the stars.

A Scent of Sarsaparilla • (1953) • short story by Ray Bradbury

Good. What if your attic was time machine into the nostalgia of your warm summer past.

"Nobody Here But ..." • (1953) • short story by Isaac Asimov

Good. A scientist wants to date a woman, but a computer achieving sentience throws a wrench in that play. Light, quaint, and humorous.

The Last Weapon • (1953) • short story by Robert Sheckley

Average. A group of criminal-types find a cache of dangerous weapons on Mars. Suspenseful until a cheesy, mediocre ending.

A Wild Surmise • (1953) • short story by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore

Good. A troubled man alternates from moments when thinks he is a human, on earth, with a pyschiatrist and a world where is something very different, Insectoids, and he needs to estivate.

The Journey • (1953) • short story by Murray Leinster

Good. A young man gets a low level job on a spaceship to Pluto because he wants to see the stars. He finds that it isn’t what he expected, but almost finds something good that he wasn’t looking for.

The Nine Billion Names of God • (1953) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke

Great. Monks receive a computer to help them discover all the names of God, but the result might be more universal than they expected.

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just amazing. Wonderful little stories of strange and unknown things.
A doctor on another planet is tasked with investigating the sickness of a huge new space cow. Climbing inside and exploring the body of the huge creature witnessing its insides as if in a strange new land and seeing small creatures while struggling to survive while losing his air supply.
A man travels in a couple of years into the future in the next story in order to secure his finances but ultimately discovers his actions were the cause of economic decline, making him the target of many.
Idealist is the one I enjoyed most of all. A man wakes in a space station, alone and surrounded by the bloody bodies of the entire crew. He has no idea what might have happened to cause this. Although the bullet wounds suggest a form of sabotage. He finds a horrribly deformed Passenger still alive but almost unrecognisable on a medical table. Eventually he finds that the world below is still alive but in constant war amongst eachother. The voice on the radio from earth tells him to drop the last of the bombs on the space station on the enemy. He decides to abandon civilisation by heading towards the moon. But before he leaves he let's the last of the bombs fall at random towards the earth
The story of a shape changing alien with tentacles who pursues a violent man on earth seemingly with love on her mind.
There is a tale of a boy whose step parents treat him badly until he befriends some tiny beings which he cannot see but which live in a downed space craft in his barn.
There are many more cool tales in this book

[Charles Sheard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picking up another old edition from my brother's legacy to me, especially as I continue to decompress from the holidays, this anthology provides the somewhat shallow but generally entertaining sort of short stories that were so quickly written and published back in the day. But, meriting their anthologizing, these rate a bit higher than the norm. Like a faint aroma of sarsaparilla, these stories waft one back to an earlier, more innocent time where science-fiction was unburdened by the actual knowledge we now hold (which paints a much bleaker, more desolate story, within this solar system at least). Into that unknown, these authors were more free to present the wild and adventurous tales that were prevalent back in the day. Especially given some of the top-notch writers included here (Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, etc.), this book entertains just as expected, and even occasionally makes the reader stop and think.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is, I think, the oldest book I own. Same cover art as the 1961 paperback, but it isn't pink at the top, so I'm guessing printed at about the same time. The book was falling apart as I read it. Most of the stories didn't grab me, but I liked a few, probably Murray Leinster's and John Wyndham's the best. An interesting window into where Science Fiction was at in 1953. Still considered juvenile and not taken too seriously then. Now we are steeped in it.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most famous story in this collection is Arthur C. Clarke's, "Nine Billion Names of God." The rest of this 1953 collection is by famous science fiction writers, but none of these stories are ones that became memorable.

[CRAB · Rating 3 out of 5]

The man with English.

[Ruskoley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic and classy stories. 15 in all, only two real let-downs. Focus on humanity. Recommend to all science fiction fans.

[Ralph Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of SF stories.