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An ABC of Science Fiction
Comprising:
Let's Be Frank by Brian Aldiss;
Pattern by Fredrick Brown;
The Awakening by Arthur C. Clarke;
I Do Not Hear You, Sir by Avram Davidson;
Day At the Beach by Carol Emshwiller;
The King of the Beasts by Philip Jose Farmer;
Homey Atmosphere by Daniel F. Galouye;
Mute Milton by Harry Harrison;
The Conquest by the Moon by Washington Irving;
In The Bag by Laurence M. Janifer;
Maid to Measure by Damon Knight;
X Marks the Pedwalk by Fritz Leiber;
No Moon For Me by Water M. Miller, Jr;
Family Resemblance by Alan E. Nourse;
Final Exam by Chad Oliver;
The Bitterest Pill by Frederik Pohl;
He Had A Big Heart by Frank Quattrocchi;
Love Story by Eric Frank Russell;
The Fence by Clifford Simak;
Project Hush by William Tenn;
The Finer Breed by Helen M. Urban;
Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr;
Close Behind Him by John Wyndham;
Three Limericks by B.T.H. Xerxes;
Thirty Days Had September by Robert F. Young;
The Great Slow Kings by Zelazny.
Let's Be Frank by Brian Aldiss;
Pattern by Fredrick Brown;
The Awakening by Arthur C. Clarke;
I Do Not Hear You, Sir by Avram Davidson;
Day At the Beach by Carol Emshwiller;
The King of the Beasts by Philip Jose Farmer;
Homey Atmosphere by Daniel F. Galouye;
Mute Milton by Harry Harrison;
The Conquest by the Moon by Washington Irving;
In The Bag by Laurence M. Janifer;
Maid to Measure by Damon Knight;
X Marks the Pedwalk by Fritz Leiber;
No Moon For Me by Water M. Miller, Jr;
Family Resemblance by Alan E. Nourse;
Final Exam by Chad Oliver;
The Bitterest Pill by Frederik Pohl;
He Had A Big Heart by Frank Quattrocchi;
Love Story by Eric Frank Russell;
The Fence by Clifford Simak;
Project Hush by William Tenn;
The Finer Breed by Helen M. Urban;
Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr;
Close Behind Him by John Wyndham;
Three Limericks by B.T.H. Xerxes;
Thirty Days Had September by Robert F. Young;
The Great Slow Kings by Zelazny.
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First published January 1, 1966
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 7, 2019
1967 New English Library.
An odd format for a science fiction short story collection, in that it has twenty six authors listed alphabetically by their surnames.
Inevitably to fit such a quirky format, the collection is eclectic in the extreme. B T H Xerres gets three limericks and is clearly there only for a shortage of authors who have a name starting with the letter X. and some writers get to present longer stories than others.
The quality also varies enormously, but there are many classic tales here. Many however, are major authors, Aldiss, Vonnegut, Wyndham, Zelaney, etc.
John Wyndham’s contribution is strictly speaking, a ghost story rather than SF, but it is a terrifically atmospheric piece. Two hapless burglars kill the occultist they try to rob. Spectral hare/rabbit footprints then slowly hound them to insanity and death.
Walter M Miller shows an astronaut faking an invasion of the Moon in order to be able to go back into space again in order to save us, after America has discontinued its lunar landing programme.
Vonnegut presents a world of enforced equality in which inhibiters force the intelligent to average intelligence so as not to stand out as in any way above average.
In Zelaney’s closing tale, the best in the book, aliens who communicate painfully slothfully over millennia plan an invasion of earth, only to find that the life forms there have evolved and destroyed themselves before they get started on the scheme.
There is much that is worthy here, from theories that men evolved from pigs rather than apes, to a future in which pedestrians and motorists wage total war against one another.
A fun, if rather dated collection from some of the best names in the genre.
Arthur Chappell
An odd format for a science fiction short story collection, in that it has twenty six authors listed alphabetically by their surnames.
Inevitably to fit such a quirky format, the collection is eclectic in the extreme. B T H Xerres gets three limericks and is clearly there only for a shortage of authors who have a name starting with the letter X. and some writers get to present longer stories than others.
The quality also varies enormously, but there are many classic tales here. Many however, are major authors, Aldiss, Vonnegut, Wyndham, Zelaney, etc.
John Wyndham’s contribution is strictly speaking, a ghost story rather than SF, but it is a terrifically atmospheric piece. Two hapless burglars kill the occultist they try to rob. Spectral hare/rabbit footprints then slowly hound them to insanity and death.
Walter M Miller shows an astronaut faking an invasion of the Moon in order to be able to go back into space again in order to save us, after America has discontinued its lunar landing programme.
Vonnegut presents a world of enforced equality in which inhibiters force the intelligent to average intelligence so as not to stand out as in any way above average.
In Zelaney’s closing tale, the best in the book, aliens who communicate painfully slothfully over millennia plan an invasion of earth, only to find that the life forms there have evolved and destroyed themselves before they get started on the scheme.
There is much that is worthy here, from theories that men evolved from pigs rather than apes, to a future in which pedestrians and motorists wage total war against one another.
A fun, if rather dated collection from some of the best names in the genre.
Arthur Chappell
June 12, 2018
ABC is a nicely curated and enjoyable anthology. One canonical classic, Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron," the one with the constitutional amendments; some forward-thinking race allegory (Harry Harrison's "Mute Milton" and Washington Irving's "Conquest by the Moon"); and some moody, sharply drawn character studies (Carol Emshwiller's "Day at the Beach" and Cliff Simak's "The Fence"). For satire consider William Tenn's cheeky "Project Hush" (in the vein of Catch-22) and Helen Urban's "The Finer Breed" (which aims toward "Clockwork Orange" and falls a little short).
Only a few outright clunkers: Quattrochi's "He Had a Big Heart" probably only made the grade because the author's initial "Q" fit the alphabet theme. But the editor was fortunate to have Roger Zelazny's "Great Slow Kings" for a closer and some chuckles to boot. Recommended.
Only a few outright clunkers: Quattrochi's "He Had a Big Heart" probably only made the grade because the author's initial "Q" fit the alphabet theme. But the editor was fortunate to have Roger Zelazny's "Great Slow Kings" for a closer and some chuckles to boot. Recommended.
March 19, 2023
An interesting collection of short SF stories from the early days . . .
March 7, 2010
This collection contains 26 stories, poems and limericks, one written by an author starting with each letter of the alphabet, starting with Brian Aldiss and ending with Roger Zelazny (although the editor admits he cheated and B. T. H Xerxes is a pseudonym for the collection). It's a pretty mixed collection with several big names of the 50s and 60s present. Interesting to dip into, and the good stories outweigh the bad ones.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews