Vintage Science Fiction: Stories Inspired by Landmark Films

by Peter Haining, Robert A. Heinlein (Contributor), Clive Barker (Contributor)

From the cerebral 2001 to the B-grade It Came From Outer Space -- both of which are from stories by Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Bradbury, respectively, and are collected here -- sci-fi films have always drawn from the printed word. In addition to tales by Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Stephen King, and Clive Barker, several stories appear in book form for the first time, such as James Blish's Star Trek scenario, while others such as Werner von Braun's The Conquest of Space, are out of print or hard to find.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories

518 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 1999

About the author

Peter Alexander Haining was an English journalist, author and anthologist who lived and worked in Suffolk. Born in Enfield, Middlesex, he began his career as a reporter in Essex and then moved to London where he worked on a trade magazine before joining the publishing house of New English Library.

Haining achieved the position of Editorial Director before becoming a full time writer in the early Seventies. He edited a large number of anthologies, predominantly of horror and fantasy short stories, wrote non-fiction books on a variety of topics from the Channel Tunnel to Sweeney Todd and also used the pen names "Ric Alexander" and "Richard Peyton" on a number of crime story anthologies. In the Seventies he wrote three novels, including The Hero (1973), which was optioned for filming.

In two controversial books, Haining argued that Sweeney Todd was a real historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800, was tried in December 1801, and was hanged in January 1802. However, other researchers who have tried to verify his citations find nothing in these sources to back Haining's claims. A check of the website Old Bailey at for "Associated Records 1674-1834" for an alleged trial in December 1801 and hanging of Sweeney Todd for January 1802 show no reference; in fact the only murder trial for this period is that of a Governor/Lt Col. Joseph Wall who was hanged 28 January 1802 for killing a Benjamin Armstrong 10 July 1782 in "Goree" Africa and the discharge of a Humphrey White in January 1802. Strong reservations have also been expressed regarding the reliability of another of Haining's influential non-fiction works, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack.
He wrote several reference books on Doctor Who, including the 20th anniversary special Doctor Who: A Celebration Two Decades Through Time and Space (1983), and also wrote the definitive study of Sherlock Holmes on the screen, The Television Sherlock Holmes (1991) and several other television tie-ins featuring famous literary characters, including Maigret, Poirot and James Bond. Peter Haining's most recent project was a series of World War Two stories based on extensive research and personal interviews: The Jail That Went To Sea (2003), The Mystery of Rommel's Gold (2004), Where The Eagle Landed (2004), The Chianti Raiders (2005) and The Banzai Hunters (2007).

He won the British Fantasy Awards Karl Edward Wagner Award in 2001.

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most collections it was a little uneven. It was a trip to read some of the older science fiction and see how where we have followed their vision, and where it has differed most dramatically. Gave a fairly interesting brief history of science fiction on TV as well, and has made me want to see if I can find some of the old TV shows and see how the black and white translates visually ('cause most of the stories held up pretty well)

Recommend for those interested in history or scifi.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll admit that I only picked this book up to read the Doctor Who story, which was not that great. The most distracting part was that the Doctor was refered to as Dr Who, which to any whovian is a big red flag that you don't know what you're talking about. The story, featuring the first doctor, is about a planet of giant termites and moths that have managed to move their planet into the orbit of Jupiter. While the story may have been more interesting to watch the author did a poor job of translating it to print. I can't speak for the other short stories included in this collection but this one was not good.

[Pat Rolston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love what some may call B sci-fi movies and when put to print they are that much more fun for me. This isn’t for everyone and as such fair warning because the stories may lack sophistication to some folks, but I find them to be peak entertainment just like their film noir counterparts. The authors are excellent writers and the stories reflect the times. I have read many such anthologies and will continue to do so when I find them available as used books in my favorite local bookstores.

[Squirrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for Science Fiction fans, enlightening introductions and framing of the stories chosen, and a great selection of classic stories across decades and continents.

[Kevin Barney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. Some of this old science fiction, written 50 years ago, was clearly wrong but humorous in how it was wrong. Other stories are intriguing, like Clarke's and Bradbury's.

[Bill Jenkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Aborted Read

This is just a collection of Peter Haining's take on stories that were made into movies or TV shows.

I don't want to read someone else's opinion on what each of these stories is or was about and a short extract of same. I was interested in reading Logan's Run. The librarian thought this included the entire story.

False Advertising I say!

[bluetyson]

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