Science Fiction for People Who Hate Science Fiction

by Terry Carr (Editor), Arthur C. Clarke (Contributor), Ray Bradbury (Contributor)

Nine superb tales of men caught in extraordinary circumstances — told by Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Damon Knight, and other master storytellers.

Introduction by Terry Carr
The Star by Arthur C. Clarke
A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury
The Year of the Jackpot by Robert A. Heinlein
The Man with English by H. L. Gold
In Hiding by Wilmar H. Shiras
Not With a Bang by Damon Knight
Love Called This Thing by Avram Davidson and Laura Goforth
The Weapon by Fredric Brown
What's It Like Out There? by Edmond Hamilton

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies

190 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Carr was born in Grants Pass, Oregon. He attended the City College of San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley from 1954 to 1959.

Carr discovered science fiction fandom in 1949, where he became an enthusiastic publisher of fanzines, which later helped open his way into the commercial publishing world. (He was one of the two fans responsible for the hoax fan 'Carl Brandon' after whom the Carl Brandon Society takes its name.) Despite a long career as a science fiction professional, he continued to participate as a fan until his death. He was nominated five times for Hugos for Best Fanzine (1959–1961, 1967–1968), winning in 1959, was nominated three times for Best Fan Writer (1971–1973), winning in 1973, and was Fan Guest of Honor at ConFederation in 1986.

Though he published some fiction in the early 1960s, Carr concentrated on editing. He first worked at Ace Books, establishing the Ace Science Fiction Specials series which published, among other novels, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin and Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin.

After conflicts with Ace head Donald A. Wollheim, he worked as a freelancer. He edited an original story anthology series called Universe, and a popular series of The Best Science Fiction of the Year anthologies that ran from 1972 until his death in 1987. He also edited numerous one-off anthologies over the same time span. He was nominated for the Hugo for Best Editor thirteen times (1973–1975, 1977–1979, 1981–1987), winning twice (1985 and 1987). His win in 1985 was the first time a freelance editor had won.

Carr taught at the Clarion Workshop at Michigan State University in 1978, where his students included Richard Kadrey and Pat Murphy.

Reviews

[Lostaccount · Rating 2 out of 5]

An anthology of shorts for (as the titles says) people who hate scifi. I don't hate scifi but I wanted to read this anyway.

The Star by Arthur C. Clarke was a nihilistic story about the discovery of the relics of a distant solar system destroyed after its sun has erupted and gone super nova. More horror story than science fiction. Typical Clarke moodiness.

A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury I'd read before. Not one of his best.

The Year of the Jackpot by Robert A. Heinlein started off a bit quirky with a girl stripping in the street without knowing why she was doing it but turned into a boring story about statistics proving the end of the world. I have a problem with Heinlein. I just can't get into anything he's written. He never keeps my interest.

The Man with English by H. L. Gold was about a guy who gets a knock on the head after falling from a step ladder. After an operation on his brain his senses are all screwed up. Weird but fun. Never heard of H.L.Gold but he has a great sense of humour.

In Hiding by Wilmar H. Shiras, a fairly long-winded story about a strange super intelligent boy. The main character is a child psychologist investigating the "strange" kid. You are left guessing as to what is actually "wrong" with the boy, why he's so clever, until the end. Bit of a let down in the end though.

Not With a Bang by Damon Knight is a short about a nasty bloke who is left with a priggish woman, the last man and woman on the earth. Ending confused me, at first, I have to admit, and in the end I thought the whole thing was based on a faulty premise.

Love Called This Thing by Avram Davidson and Laura Goforth. Was unreadable.

The Weapon by Fredric Brown, another story that seemed pointless.

What's It Like Out There? by Edmond Hamilton is about an astronaut returning from Mars and making visits to the families of the men who were killed during the mission. He lies about what happened to them because what happened to them was too terrible to tell apparently. Was okay. nothing special. Reminded me of Bradbury a bit but without the passion.

I wouldn't really call these stories science fiction. Overall, a bit naff.

[مسعود · Rating 4 out of 5]

We, or at least some of us, sometimes believe that science fiction is not `serious` literature, but the stories gathered in this book prove that it is, already, one of the most serious genres of fiction.
Finishing each of the stories will make you close the book, close your eye and think, over and over. and I think that is what makes a story `serious` fiction.
Enjoyable, cosy, sweet and easy-reading stories with often surprise at the end. I am sure at least some of the stories will be missed a little too often and I would sure read them again.
A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury, Not With a Bang by Damon Knight, The Weapon by Fredric Brown and maybe The Star by Arthur C. Clarke were my choices of the book with their wonderful story-world, their thought-provoking plots and their surprising closure.
If you`re into science fiction this books will not need my recommendation to you, as you know these writers are some of the best over there in the genre, and if you're not interested in science fiction, go ahead, I am sure this will be captivating even for you.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this one says it all; Terry Carr assembled a group of stories for fans to give to people they knew who claimed to hate sf in order to prove them wrong. There's not even an illustration on the cover, just type, so it wouldn't look like a genre book. There are a handful of classics (Heinlein, Clarke, Bradbury, Gold, & Brown), along with four more obscure selections. The Edmond Hamilton is an atypical (for him) moody piece, the Damon Knight is a short punchy tale, and the other two, by Wilmar H. Shiras and Avram Davidson with Laura Goforth, are just okay. I'm not sure how effective it was or could be in so far as effecting the stated purpose, but it's still a good anthology of fine old stories.

[Paul Westwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Star - Arthur C. Clarke - A thoughtful little story that throws a whole new light on a commonly accepted part of the bible story. The big revelation at the end seems obvious once you've read it but I didn't guess what was coming while I was reading it, I wonder if other readers have.
A Sound of Thunder - Ray Bradbury - The entire premise of this story is actually very cliched but it is such an old story that it's very possible that when it was written it wasn't a cliche. Basically, it's a story about people going back in time and accidentally dramatically changing the present while they're there. Putting aside the cliche then, there were still a few plot holes around how some of the other characters had gone back in time without disturbing the past. I really like RB as a writer and this is very nicely written but plot-wise it's a little weak.
The Year of the Jackpot - Robert A. Heinlein - A love story during the apocalypse. This quirky little tale about the end of days focuses on the two lovers as the world goes crazy around them. Or as all the curves align as Potiphar has deduced. On the one hand there is his cold and rational statistics and on the other there is the poignancy of this two disparate souls falling in love as the world ends.
The Man With English - H.L. Gold - This is a very short one about a horrible man who wakes up in hospital with dysmorphia of the senses. I think it's primarily a 'just deserts' kind of story but one is still left feeling sorry for this man whose world has become so inexplicably mixed up. "'What smells purple?' he demanded."
In Hiding - Wilmar H. Shiras - This story begins with a little boy being sent to a psychiatrist and ends with a potential new race of superhumans. But it's primarily about an extraordinary boy being helped to come to terms with his differences by his shrink and the inevitable role reversals that occur.
Not With A Bang - Damon Knight - A clever little apocalyptic story about the last two people on Earth. Two stereotypes face each other but one is turned on its head then the story is reliant on the other remaining strong for the end to happen as expected.
Love Called This Thing - Avram Davidson & Laura Goforth - A perfect example of a character arc. You can't get much bigger than an amorphous blog on an asteroid to a married man in counselling
Weapon - Fredric Brown - A small but lethal analogy is used by a character in the story as a way to bring into focus a much, much bigger issue that the main character is blind to.
What's it Like Out There? - Edmond Hamilton - A melancholy and morbid story about a man returning from Mars and the secrets he must keep because there's no way to tell anyone the truth.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little book holds big memories for me. I first read it in the back of my parents’ truck during a camping experience. My lifelong friend, J. R., was with me, and we cozied up to that old General Electric two-track cassette recorder/player NLS used to issue, and we read this on two-track cassettes. We’d play those stories late at night in the camper as I remember. Like all anthologies, this one is a bit uneven, but there are some classics in here.

Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder” is my favorite of these. It looks at what would happen if people carelessly go back in time and do something as seemingly small as crushing a butterfly. This is a great story; the writing is sparklingly Bradbury.

“The Star” by Arthur C. Clarke is one you should read just so you can catch the ending. A Jesuit Priest is also an astrophysicist who found evidence of an advanced civilization that died when its sun blew up and became a supernova. Oh, but that ending! You need to read it for the ending. The priest struggles with a loss of faith thinking about a God who could allow that civilization to die.

Robert A. Heinlein’s “the Year of the Jackpot” is a piece about predicting the future by analyzing data points. It’s commonplace stuff now, but back then, it must have been buzzy stuff. His characters are one-dimensionally awful in this story.

H. L. Gold’s “The Man with English” looks at what happens when a concussion and later brain surgery goes awry. That three-word ending is one I remembered all these years. The main character is an ill-tempered brute who deserves what he gets.

Wilmar H. Shiras’s “In Hiding” looks at what it’s like to be intelligent to such a degree that no testing mechanism on Earth can measure it. It’s one thing to be that brilliant. How do you hide it so you can live a relatively normal life?

Damon Knight’s “Not with a Bang” is a glorious piece if you like stories that deliver someone their comeuppance.

“Love Called This Thing” by Avram Davidson and Laura Goforth made no sense to me at all.

Fredric Brown’s “The Weapon” speaks to the idea of technology outstripping our maturity as a race.

Finally, “What’s It Like Out There” by Edmond Hamilton is every veteran’s story. A guy survives disasters and near death on Mars only to come home and force himself to tell a different story than was his reality if only to keep them happy.

I’m not convinced this is the right anthology to convert people to science fiction who don’t like it. There may be better collections out there. But this would at least give someone a starting point, and you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t like the Bradbury story.

[Fabian Blattsalat · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Die Superwaffe' (Original: The Weapon) von Eric Brown war sehr lesenswert, ebenso 'Der braune Robert' (Original: Brown Robert) von Terry Carr und - zu einem geringeren Maße - 'Vertreibung aus dem Paradies' (Original: The Disinhereted) von Poul Anderson. Der Rest war lesbar aber nicht allzu interessant oder aussagekräftig; Die Kurzgeschichte von Heinlein sticht noch am ehesten heraus, während die Geschichte von Clarke eher enttäuschend war.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable older stories,some of them real classics.Even though some are a bit dated, they are all well done. There is more humor here than we tend to see in today's SF, even when bad things are happening. I especially enjoyed Not with a Bang.

[useFOSS · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Sound of Thunder: 5/5
The rest, meh.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great selection of short stories from Science Fiction masters that don't concentrate on the science aspect.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of some really good short stories

[Alien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein paar kurze Pointen-Storys, die mich nicht überzeugten, u.a. Fredric Brown - "Die Superwaffe"; Damon Knight - "Schlag die Tür nicht zu".
Die beste Story war auch kurz: Arthur C. Clarke - "Der Stern". Über einen Jesuiten-Astronomen, der bei einem Erkundungsflug zu einer Supernova seinen Glauben verliert. Die Pointe ist genial.
Auch gut waren 2 etwas längere Storys: "Vertreibung aus dem Paradies" von Poul Anderson, die von einer Kolonie von Wissenschaftlern handelt, die von einem ET-Planeten evakuiert werden soll, weil die Menschheit nach Jahrhunderten die Raumfahrt aufgeben will. Den Wissenschaftlern gefällt es so gut, dass sie dableiben wollen. So einfach geht das nicht.
Dann noch eine ziemlich traurige Story von Edmond Hamilton - "Wie ist es dort draußen?" über den Astronauten, der von der 2. Expedition zum Mars zurückgekehrt ist. Er macht eine Tour zu den Hinterbliebenen seiner verstorbenen Kameraden. Alle wollen von ihm hören, wie großartig es im All war, doch in Wirklichkeit war es eine einzige Tortur.
Die Novelle "Das Jahr der verflixten Zufälle" bestätigte mich wieder in meinem Urteil, dass Robert A. Heinlein stark überschätzt wird.

[Chris Aldridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mindwebs audiobook #9 & ##25 first part is “The Weapon” by frederick brown the penultimate story 10 min from the collection above. A rather quick almost trite summary of the dangers of scientific progress without ethical constraints. Given that Trumps hand is on the button, and that the Chinese have created the first CRISPR genetically engineered humans (just before it’s accuracy has been shown to be far less than was thought), it’s not too irrelevant in 2019. 3 Stars.

28/1/19
Mindwebs audiobook 17 first part is "The Man with English" by H.L Gold. Brilliant story 5 Stars, quite funny and almost plausible given the complex nature of the brain.
Spoilers- A man with fairly severe anger management issues struggles to maintain his equilibrium in the face of an average day, a burst tyre, an adolescent son who wants to be an engineer, and a nagging wife all contribute to his worries about the financial health of his haberdashery and material shop. There he suffers all fall , bashing his head severely and awakes in hospital having had an operation to remove a splinter of skull from his brain. It becomes apparent that he still complains and has his anger management problems, but he now experiences the world very differently. Unsatisfied he moans till he gets another operation to attempt to reverse his symptoms.

[Zhiyi Li · Rating 5 out of 5]

The books is a collection of so-called soft Sci-Fi stories, i.e. they have Sci-Fi settings but are really about something else.

I give it a 5-star only for the last story in the book - ”What's It Like Out There?" by Edmond Hamilton. It is written in 1952 and as simple as a novelette can be, but haunts me with deep echos of recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this and loved it when I was a teenager. I wasn't very fond of scifi at the time, being more of a fantasy girl. Now, I read the story titles and don't recognize any of them. I hope I have a chance to re-read them.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable sci-fi, old-school