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World's Best Science Fiction #4
World's Best Science Fiction 1968
Contents
* "Introduction" (Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr)
* "See Me Not" (Richard Wilson)
* "Driftglass" (Samuel R. Delany)
* "Ambassador to Verdammt" (Colin Kapp)
* "The Man Who Never Was" (R. A. Lafferty)
* "The Billiard Ball" (Isaac Asimov)
* "Hawksbill Station" (Robert Silverberg)
* "The Number You Have Reached" (Thomas M. Disch)
* "The Man Who Loved the Faioli" (Roger Zelazny)
* "Population Implosion" (Andrew J. Offutt)
* "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" (Harlan Ellison)
* "The Sword Swallower" (Ron Goulart)
* "Coranda" (Keith Roberts)
* "Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne" (R. A. Lafferty)
* "Handicap" (Larry Niven)
* "Full Sun" (Brian W. Aldiss)
* "It's Smart to Have an English Address" (D. G. Compton)
* "Introduction" (Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr)
* "See Me Not" (Richard Wilson)
* "Driftglass" (Samuel R. Delany)
* "Ambassador to Verdammt" (Colin Kapp)
* "The Man Who Never Was" (R. A. Lafferty)
* "The Billiard Ball" (Isaac Asimov)
* "Hawksbill Station" (Robert Silverberg)
* "The Number You Have Reached" (Thomas M. Disch)
* "The Man Who Loved the Faioli" (Roger Zelazny)
* "Population Implosion" (Andrew J. Offutt)
* "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" (Harlan Ellison)
* "The Sword Swallower" (Ron Goulart)
* "Coranda" (Keith Roberts)
* "Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne" (R. A. Lafferty)
* "Handicap" (Larry Niven)
* "Full Sun" (Brian W. Aldiss)
* "It's Smart to Have an English Address" (D. G. Compton)
319 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
2 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Donald A. Wollheim
296 books34 followersDonald Allen Wollheim was a science fiction writer, editor, publisher and fan. He published his own works under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell.
A member of the Futurians, he was one of the leading influences on the development of science fiction and science fiction fandom in the 20th century United States.
In 1937, Wollheim founded the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. The first mailing was distributed in July of that year and included this statement from Wollheim: "There are many fans desiring to put out a voice who dare not, for fear of being obliged to keep it up, and for the worry and time taken by subscriptions and advertising. It is for them and for the fan who admits it is his hobby and not his business that we formed the FAPA."
Wollheim was also a member of the New York Science Fiction League, one of the clubs established by Hugo Gernsback to promote science fiction. When Wollheim published a complaint of non-payment for stories against Gernsback, Gernsback dissolved the New York chapter of the club.
Wollheim's first story, "The Man from Ariel," was published in the January 1934 issue of Wonder Stories when Wollheim was nineteen. Wollheim was not paid for the story and when he began to look into the situation, he learned that many other authors had not been paid for their work, publishing his findings in the Bulletin of the Terrestrial Fantascience Guild. Gernsback eventually settled the case with Wollheim and other authors out of court for $75, but when Wollheim submitted another story to Gernsback, under the pseudonym "Millard Verne Gordon," he was again not paid. One of Wollheim's short stories, "Mimic" was made into the feature film of the same name, which was released in 1997.
He left Avon Books in 1952 to work for A. A. Wyn at Ace Books. In 1953 he introduced science fiction to the Ace lineup, and for 20 years edited their renowned sf list. Ace was well known for the Ace Doubles series which consisted of pairs of books, usually by different authors, bound back-to-back with two "front" covers. Because these paired books had to fit a fixed total page-length, one or both were usually heavily abridged to fit, and Wollheim often made many other editorial alterations and title changes — as witness the many differences between Poul Anderson's Ace novel War of the Wing-Men and its definitive revised edition, The Man Who Counts. It was also during the 1950s he bought the book Junk by William S. Burroughs, which, in his inimitable fashion, he retitled Junkie.
In 1965 Wollheim published an unauthorized Ace edition of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien in three volumes — the first mass-market paperback edition of Tolkien's epic. This was done because Wollheim believed the Houghton Mifflin hardcover editions failed to properly assert copyright. In a 2006 interview, Wollheim's daughter claimed that Tolkien had angered her father by saying that his magnum opus would never be published in so ‘degenerate a form’ as the paperback book. However, Tolkien had previously authorized a paperback edition of The Hobbit in 1961, and eventually supported paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings and several of his other texts. In any case, Ace was forced to cease publishing the unauthorized edition and to pay Tolkien for their sales following a grass-roots campaign and boycott by Tolkien's U.S. fans. In 1993 a court found that the copyright loophole suggested by Ace Books was incorrect and their paperback edition found to have been a violation of Tolkien's copyright under US law.
After leaving Ace he founded DAW Books in 1971, named by his initials, which can claim to be the first mass market specialist science fiction and fantasy fiction publishing house. In later years, when his distributors, New American Library, threatened to withhold distribution of Thomas Burnett Swann's Biblical fantasy How are the Mighty Fallen (1974) because of its homosexual con
A member of the Futurians, he was one of the leading influences on the development of science fiction and science fiction fandom in the 20th century United States.
In 1937, Wollheim founded the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. The first mailing was distributed in July of that year and included this statement from Wollheim: "There are many fans desiring to put out a voice who dare not, for fear of being obliged to keep it up, and for the worry and time taken by subscriptions and advertising. It is for them and for the fan who admits it is his hobby and not his business that we formed the FAPA."
Wollheim was also a member of the New York Science Fiction League, one of the clubs established by Hugo Gernsback to promote science fiction. When Wollheim published a complaint of non-payment for stories against Gernsback, Gernsback dissolved the New York chapter of the club.
Wollheim's first story, "The Man from Ariel," was published in the January 1934 issue of Wonder Stories when Wollheim was nineteen. Wollheim was not paid for the story and when he began to look into the situation, he learned that many other authors had not been paid for their work, publishing his findings in the Bulletin of the Terrestrial Fantascience Guild. Gernsback eventually settled the case with Wollheim and other authors out of court for $75, but when Wollheim submitted another story to Gernsback, under the pseudonym "Millard Verne Gordon," he was again not paid. One of Wollheim's short stories, "Mimic" was made into the feature film of the same name, which was released in 1997.
He left Avon Books in 1952 to work for A. A. Wyn at Ace Books. In 1953 he introduced science fiction to the Ace lineup, and for 20 years edited their renowned sf list. Ace was well known for the Ace Doubles series which consisted of pairs of books, usually by different authors, bound back-to-back with two "front" covers. Because these paired books had to fit a fixed total page-length, one or both were usually heavily abridged to fit, and Wollheim often made many other editorial alterations and title changes — as witness the many differences between Poul Anderson's Ace novel War of the Wing-Men and its definitive revised edition, The Man Who Counts. It was also during the 1950s he bought the book Junk by William S. Burroughs, which, in his inimitable fashion, he retitled Junkie.
In 1965 Wollheim published an unauthorized Ace edition of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien in three volumes — the first mass-market paperback edition of Tolkien's epic. This was done because Wollheim believed the Houghton Mifflin hardcover editions failed to properly assert copyright. In a 2006 interview, Wollheim's daughter claimed that Tolkien had angered her father by saying that his magnum opus would never be published in so ‘degenerate a form’ as the paperback book. However, Tolkien had previously authorized a paperback edition of The Hobbit in 1961, and eventually supported paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings and several of his other texts. In any case, Ace was forced to cease publishing the unauthorized edition and to pay Tolkien for their sales following a grass-roots campaign and boycott by Tolkien's U.S. fans. In 1993 a court found that the copyright loophole suggested by Ace Books was incorrect and their paperback edition found to have been a violation of Tolkien's copyright under US law.
After leaving Ace he founded DAW Books in 1971, named by his initials, which can claim to be the first mass market specialist science fiction and fantasy fiction publishing house. In later years, when his distributors, New American Library, threatened to withhold distribution of Thomas Burnett Swann's Biblical fantasy How are the Mighty Fallen (1974) because of its homosexual con
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 9, 2022
This is a collection of SF, where ‘s’ often means ‘speculative’ fiction published in English-speaking world in 1967. It was a moment of “New Wave” in SF, with a new generation of authors trying new concepts and styles, broadening the field, but as it is often happens with experimental works, they are hit or miss and there are plenty of misses (at least to my subjective tastes) in this book.
"Introduction" by Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr general overview that there are fad terms like “The New Wave” and “The Old Wave” (and, in reaction, “The Permanent Wave”) have been thrown about by critics, editors, authors and fans, but they (editors) do not believe that any such revolution is in the offing, either for good or ill.
"See Me Not" by Richard Wilson a humorous light SF story about a bank clerk and pater familia in a small US town, waking up on the first day of his vacation to find that he turned invisible. 4*
"Driftglass" by Samuel R. Delany a story narrated by a heavily damaged amphiman – a changed human able to breathe under the water, possibly a homage to 1920s Человек-амфибия. Amphibian Man by Alexander Belyaev. Distinct feature of this story that it is an attempt to show ‘ordinary’ future, were ordinary people just live and do their daily work, in this case - lying cable under water, including near working volcanoes. I admit, I wanted escapist SF, not a general ‘day of life’ story, so 2*
"Ambassador to Verdammt" by Colin Kapp a First Contact story with impossible to understand aliens. There is a conflict between Captain Administrator Lionel Prellen, who represents civilian administration and Space Technician Lieutenant Sinclair from the fleet, who should set beacon equipment for FTL ship that carries the ambassador. Sinclair is angry because he knows that the ambassador is Prellen’s son and moreover, the embassy staff consists of five women and no men. 3*
"The Man Who Never Was" by R. A. Lafferty another lighthearted SF story set on Wild West, where a cattle buyer, known for his pranks, wagers that he’ll make one of the villagers disappear, ‘send a man over the edge’ namely a local simpleton. He succeeds but is accused of murder even as he claims that the man was an illusion from the start. 4*
"The Billiard Ball" by Isaac Asimov the most SF story in the book. Two men, a twice Noble prize-winning physicist and a college dropout turned billionaire, who makes practical items from physics discoveries. He claims that he find a way to create anti-gravity, which the prof thinks impossible. 3*
"Hawksbill Station" by Robert Silverberg a penal colony for political prisoners set 1 billion years ago, on empty Earth, while multicellular life is still in the oceans. Inmates are left-leaning bunch, anarchists and communists, when a new fellow arrives from the future, and he is hiding something. Funny to see them claiming that their opponents ‘syndicalist capitalism’ are accused of favoring big government… “But that system was tried and failed, wasn’t it? It had its day. It led inevitably to total socialism, which produced the compensating backlash of syndicalist capitalism, and then we got a government that pretended to be libertarian while actually stifling all individual liberties in the name of freedom. So if your group simply wanted to turn the clock back to 1955, say, there couldn’t be much to its ideas.” a nice story but I’d shortened it. 3*
"The Number You Have Reached" by Thomas M. Disch an astronaut living alone in a fully automated house, reminding of Ray Bradbury's There Will Come Soft Rains, missing his dead wife. Someone calls him on a phone, but he is unsure whether he just imagines it or not. Very gloomy. 2*
"The Man Who Loved the Faioli" by Roger Zelazny there are Faioli, beings that were known to come to a man the month before his death—those rare men who still died—and to live with such a man for that final month of his existence, rendering to him every pleasure that it is possible for a human being to know, so that on the day when the kiss of death is delivered, which sucks the remaining life from his body, that man accepts it—no, seeks it!—with desire and with grace. For such is the power of the Faioli among all creatures that there is nothing more to be desired after such knowledge. a narrator-protagonist comes to one, turning his heart back on and their life together starts. Poetic but not plot-heavy. 3*
"Population Implosion" by Andrew J. Offutt people over 75 start to die without an apparent cause and it turns out that there are only 4,999,999,999 souls, so when a new baby is born someone has to die. 3*
"I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison maybe the earliest story about humans living in virtual reality set by a computer. In this case – five last people on Earth and computer turn their existence into hell. 3*
"The Sword Swallower" by Ron Goulart one of a series of stories about Ben Jolson, a member of the interstellar Chameleon Corps, who can turn into anyone. Someone kidnaps important people and he is sent to investigate… James Bond inspired space opera. 2.5*
"Coranda" by Keith Roberts a strange story, set on a far-future Earth frozen back into semi-barbarity by a new ice age, which was created by Michael Moorcock in The Ice Schooner, which was serialized in the British magazine Science Fantasy, of which Keith Roberts was Managing Editor. A long story about a heroic hunt for a unicorn. 2*
"Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne" by R. A. Lafferty another humorous piece, where a group gathered to change the past and observe the difference, but each time changing themselves as well. 3.5*
"Handicap" by Larry Niven a great SF story about an entrepreneur seeking for Handicapped species, for he deals with is sentient beings who evolved with minds but with nothing that would serve as hands, selling them waldos/exoskeletons, e.g. to dolphins. On this planet there are hairy semi-globes with giant brains, but not moving or having arms… 5*
"Full Sun" by Brian W. Aldiss in the far future a man and machine hunt for the anachronistic figure of a werewolf. At the same time the man sees possible futures that have only machines… 3.5*
"It's Smart to Have an English Address" by D. G. Compton an old pianist asked to share his emotions (via a special recording device) while he plays. 2.5*
"Introduction" by Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr general overview that there are fad terms like “The New Wave” and “The Old Wave” (and, in reaction, “The Permanent Wave”) have been thrown about by critics, editors, authors and fans, but they (editors) do not believe that any such revolution is in the offing, either for good or ill.
"See Me Not" by Richard Wilson a humorous light SF story about a bank clerk and pater familia in a small US town, waking up on the first day of his vacation to find that he turned invisible. 4*
"Driftglass" by Samuel R. Delany a story narrated by a heavily damaged amphiman – a changed human able to breathe under the water, possibly a homage to 1920s Человек-амфибия. Amphibian Man by Alexander Belyaev. Distinct feature of this story that it is an attempt to show ‘ordinary’ future, were ordinary people just live and do their daily work, in this case - lying cable under water, including near working volcanoes. I admit, I wanted escapist SF, not a general ‘day of life’ story, so 2*
"Ambassador to Verdammt" by Colin Kapp a First Contact story with impossible to understand aliens. There is a conflict between Captain Administrator Lionel Prellen, who represents civilian administration and Space Technician Lieutenant Sinclair from the fleet, who should set beacon equipment for FTL ship that carries the ambassador. Sinclair is angry because he knows that the ambassador is Prellen’s son and moreover, the embassy staff consists of five women and no men. 3*
"The Man Who Never Was" by R. A. Lafferty another lighthearted SF story set on Wild West, where a cattle buyer, known for his pranks, wagers that he’ll make one of the villagers disappear, ‘send a man over the edge’ namely a local simpleton. He succeeds but is accused of murder even as he claims that the man was an illusion from the start. 4*
"The Billiard Ball" by Isaac Asimov the most SF story in the book. Two men, a twice Noble prize-winning physicist and a college dropout turned billionaire, who makes practical items from physics discoveries. He claims that he find a way to create anti-gravity, which the prof thinks impossible. 3*
"Hawksbill Station" by Robert Silverberg a penal colony for political prisoners set 1 billion years ago, on empty Earth, while multicellular life is still in the oceans. Inmates are left-leaning bunch, anarchists and communists, when a new fellow arrives from the future, and he is hiding something. Funny to see them claiming that their opponents ‘syndicalist capitalism’ are accused of favoring big government… “But that system was tried and failed, wasn’t it? It had its day. It led inevitably to total socialism, which produced the compensating backlash of syndicalist capitalism, and then we got a government that pretended to be libertarian while actually stifling all individual liberties in the name of freedom. So if your group simply wanted to turn the clock back to 1955, say, there couldn’t be much to its ideas.” a nice story but I’d shortened it. 3*
"The Number You Have Reached" by Thomas M. Disch an astronaut living alone in a fully automated house, reminding of Ray Bradbury's There Will Come Soft Rains, missing his dead wife. Someone calls him on a phone, but he is unsure whether he just imagines it or not. Very gloomy. 2*
"The Man Who Loved the Faioli" by Roger Zelazny there are Faioli, beings that were known to come to a man the month before his death—those rare men who still died—and to live with such a man for that final month of his existence, rendering to him every pleasure that it is possible for a human being to know, so that on the day when the kiss of death is delivered, which sucks the remaining life from his body, that man accepts it—no, seeks it!—with desire and with grace. For such is the power of the Faioli among all creatures that there is nothing more to be desired after such knowledge. a narrator-protagonist comes to one, turning his heart back on and their life together starts. Poetic but not plot-heavy. 3*
"Population Implosion" by Andrew J. Offutt people over 75 start to die without an apparent cause and it turns out that there are only 4,999,999,999 souls, so when a new baby is born someone has to die. 3*
"I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison maybe the earliest story about humans living in virtual reality set by a computer. In this case – five last people on Earth and computer turn their existence into hell. 3*
"The Sword Swallower" by Ron Goulart one of a series of stories about Ben Jolson, a member of the interstellar Chameleon Corps, who can turn into anyone. Someone kidnaps important people and he is sent to investigate… James Bond inspired space opera. 2.5*
"Coranda" by Keith Roberts a strange story, set on a far-future Earth frozen back into semi-barbarity by a new ice age, which was created by Michael Moorcock in The Ice Schooner, which was serialized in the British magazine Science Fantasy, of which Keith Roberts was Managing Editor. A long story about a heroic hunt for a unicorn. 2*
"Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne" by R. A. Lafferty another humorous piece, where a group gathered to change the past and observe the difference, but each time changing themselves as well. 3.5*
"Handicap" by Larry Niven a great SF story about an entrepreneur seeking for Handicapped species, for he deals with is sentient beings who evolved with minds but with nothing that would serve as hands, selling them waldos/exoskeletons, e.g. to dolphins. On this planet there are hairy semi-globes with giant brains, but not moving or having arms… 5*
"Full Sun" by Brian W. Aldiss in the far future a man and machine hunt for the anachronistic figure of a werewolf. At the same time the man sees possible futures that have only machines… 3.5*
"It's Smart to Have an English Address" by D. G. Compton an old pianist asked to share his emotions (via a special recording device) while he plays. 2.5*
June 9, 2021
This is another strong anthology edited by Terry Carr and Donald A. Wollheim, which collects their picks of the best short science fiction published in 1967. The two worked together quite well, and presented a good cross section of both New Wave and traditional style stories. Among my favorites are Hawksbill Station by Robert Silverberg (later expanded to a good novel), Driftglass by Samuel R. Delany, The Billiard Ball by Isaac Asimov, The Man Who Loved the Faioli by Roger Zelazny, The Sword Swallower by Ron Goulart (featuring Ben Jolson of The Chameleon Corps), Population Implosion by Andrew J. Offutt (apparently this was before he eschewed capitol letters in his name), and Handicap by Larry Niven. I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison is the stand-out. It was a very good year, as someone once said...
November 14, 2014
Recopilación muy variada e irregular, desde lo importante e incluso de referencia en el género hasta lo anodino.-
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. Antología de relatos de Ciencia-Ficción seleccionados por Donald Wollheim y Terry Carr, todos publicados en el año 1967, con una traducción más que discutible y desafortunada empezando por los propios títulos en varias ocasiones y que tocan temas tan variados como las actividades de un agente de inteligencia camaleónico, una aproximación poco común al concepto del hombre lobo, la alteración del ser humano para moverse en el mar con más comodidad, una prisión en el Periodo Cámbrico, un accidente que pudo no ser tal, los problemas domésticos que provoca la invisibilidad, las consecuencias de la desaparición de un hombre y una inteligencia artificial muy cruel, entre otros temas. Libro también conocido como “Lo mejor de la Ciencia-Ficción: 1968”.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. Antología de relatos de Ciencia-Ficción seleccionados por Donald Wollheim y Terry Carr, todos publicados en el año 1967, con una traducción más que discutible y desafortunada empezando por los propios títulos en varias ocasiones y que tocan temas tan variados como las actividades de un agente de inteligencia camaleónico, una aproximación poco común al concepto del hombre lobo, la alteración del ser humano para moverse en el mar con más comodidad, una prisión en el Periodo Cámbrico, un accidente que pudo no ser tal, los problemas domésticos que provoca la invisibilidad, las consecuencias de la desaparición de un hombre y una inteligencia artificial muy cruel, entre otros temas. Libro también conocido como “Lo mejor de la Ciencia-Ficción: 1968”.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
August 11, 2011
See Me Not by Richard Wilson 4/5
Driftglass by Samuel Delany 2.5/5
Ambassador to Verdammt by Colin Kapp 3/5
The Man Who Never Was by R.A. Lafferty 2.5/5
The Billiard Ball by Isaac Asimov 4/5
Hawksbill Station (novella) by Robert Silverberg 4/5
The Number You Have Reached by Thomas Disch 2.5/5
The Man Who Loved the Faioli by Roger Zelazny 2.5/5
Population Implosion by Andrew Offutt 3/5
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison 2/5
The Sword Swallower by Ron Goulart 4/5
Coranda by Keith Roberts 2/5
Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne by R.A. Lafferty 4/5
Handicap by Larry Niven 4/5
Full Sun by Brian Aldiss 3/5
It's Smart to Have an English Address by D.G. Compton 3/5
Driftglass by Samuel Delany 2.5/5
Ambassador to Verdammt by Colin Kapp 3/5
The Man Who Never Was by R.A. Lafferty 2.5/5
The Billiard Ball by Isaac Asimov 4/5
Hawksbill Station (novella) by Robert Silverberg 4/5
The Number You Have Reached by Thomas Disch 2.5/5
The Man Who Loved the Faioli by Roger Zelazny 2.5/5
Population Implosion by Andrew Offutt 3/5
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison 2/5
The Sword Swallower by Ron Goulart 4/5
Coranda by Keith Roberts 2/5
Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne by R.A. Lafferty 4/5
Handicap by Larry Niven 4/5
Full Sun by Brian Aldiss 3/5
It's Smart to Have an English Address by D.G. Compton 3/5
June 24, 2014
-Recopilación muy variada e irregular, desde lo importante e incluso de referencia en el género hasta lo anodino.-
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. Antología de relatos de Ciencia-Ficción seleccionados por Donald Wollheim y Terry Carr, todos publicados en el año 1967, con una traducción más que discutible y desafortunada empezando por los propios títulos en varias ocasiones y que tocan temas tan variados como las actividades de un agente de inteligencia camaleónico, una aproximación poco común al concepto del hombre lobo, la alteración del ser humano para moverse en el mar con más comodidad, una prisión en el Periodo Cámbrico, un accidente que pudo no ser tal, los problemas domésticos que provoca la invisibilidad, las consecuencias de la desaparición de un hombre y una inteligencia artificial muy cruel, entre otros temas. Libro también conocido como “Lo mejor de la Ciencia-Ficción: 1968”.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. Antología de relatos de Ciencia-Ficción seleccionados por Donald Wollheim y Terry Carr, todos publicados en el año 1967, con una traducción más que discutible y desafortunada empezando por los propios títulos en varias ocasiones y que tocan temas tan variados como las actividades de un agente de inteligencia camaleónico, una aproximación poco común al concepto del hombre lobo, la alteración del ser humano para moverse en el mar con más comodidad, una prisión en el Periodo Cámbrico, un accidente que pudo no ser tal, los problemas domésticos que provoca la invisibilidad, las consecuencias de la desaparición de un hombre y una inteligencia artificial muy cruel, entre otros temas. Libro también conocido como “Lo mejor de la Ciencia-Ficción: 1968”.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
October 17, 2019
Contents: 3+4+2+2+4+3+1+1+2+5+3+1+1+2+1+1 / 16 = 2.25 stars.
7 • Introduction (World's Best Science Fiction: 1968) • essay by Terry Carr and Donald A. Wollheim
9 • See Me Not • (1967) • novelette by Richard Wilson *** - Invisible husband
47 • Driftglass • (1967) • short story by Samuel R. Delany **** - People living under the sea
66 • Ambassador to Verdammt • (1967) • short story by Colin Kapp ** - Too alien to understand is apparently too hard to describe as well
85 • The Man Who Never Was • (1967) • short story by R. A. Lafferty ** - A joke stretched too far
94 • The Billiard Ball • (1967) • novelette by Isaac Asimov **** - Science and revenge
113 • Hawksbill Station • (1967) • novella by Robert Silverberg *** - Interesting setup
159 • The Number You Have Reached • (1967) • short story by Thomas M. Disch * - Slow grind
168 • The Man Who Loved the Faioli • (1967) • short story by Roger Zelazny * - Doesn’t have much to say
176 • Population Implosion • (1967) • novelette by Andrew J. Offutt ** -What if every birth caused the death of the oldest person in order by age
192 • I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream • (1967) • short story by Harlan Ellison ***** - Still a classic; 4 people against the world-machine
208 • The Sword Swallower • [Ben Jolsen / Chameleon Corps] • (1967) • novelette by Ron Goulart - *** 60s style wakiness, “The reverend's eyes looked into his glass. "Well, initially Td decided I wouldn't have a chance to reach the young people unless I learned their gob. Otherwise they'd think me a joskin. So I picked up their way of talking. After that I acquired their drinking habits, which brought me closer to them. To really get in close I started using the same drugs they do. So now I have reached the position where I can really talk to them and I'm an alcoholic, a drug addict, a prescription pill fiend, and I'm living with two albino nymphomaniacs in a ghetto down the street."”
236 • Coranda • (1967) • novelette by Keith Roberts * - Unicorn hunters of the vast ice sheet
256 • Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne • [Institute for Impure Science] • (1967) • short story by R. A. Lafferty * - Goes nowhere
267 • Handicap • [Known Space] • (1967) • novelette by Larry Niven (variant of The Handicapped) ** - A BLT with peanut butter!
291 • Full Sun • (1967) • short story by Brian W. Aldiss * - Werewolves for the future
304 • It's Smart to Have an English Address • (1967) • short story by D. G. Compton * - Arguably the worst of the book
7 • Introduction (World's Best Science Fiction: 1968) • essay by Terry Carr and Donald A. Wollheim
9 • See Me Not • (1967) • novelette by Richard Wilson *** - Invisible husband
47 • Driftglass • (1967) • short story by Samuel R. Delany **** - People living under the sea
66 • Ambassador to Verdammt • (1967) • short story by Colin Kapp ** - Too alien to understand is apparently too hard to describe as well
85 • The Man Who Never Was • (1967) • short story by R. A. Lafferty ** - A joke stretched too far
94 • The Billiard Ball • (1967) • novelette by Isaac Asimov **** - Science and revenge
113 • Hawksbill Station • (1967) • novella by Robert Silverberg *** - Interesting setup
159 • The Number You Have Reached • (1967) • short story by Thomas M. Disch * - Slow grind
168 • The Man Who Loved the Faioli • (1967) • short story by Roger Zelazny * - Doesn’t have much to say
176 • Population Implosion • (1967) • novelette by Andrew J. Offutt ** -What if every birth caused the death of the oldest person in order by age
192 • I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream • (1967) • short story by Harlan Ellison ***** - Still a classic; 4 people against the world-machine
208 • The Sword Swallower • [Ben Jolsen / Chameleon Corps] • (1967) • novelette by Ron Goulart - *** 60s style wakiness, “The reverend's eyes looked into his glass. "Well, initially Td decided I wouldn't have a chance to reach the young people unless I learned their gob. Otherwise they'd think me a joskin. So I picked up their way of talking. After that I acquired their drinking habits, which brought me closer to them. To really get in close I started using the same drugs they do. So now I have reached the position where I can really talk to them and I'm an alcoholic, a drug addict, a prescription pill fiend, and I'm living with two albino nymphomaniacs in a ghetto down the street."”
236 • Coranda • (1967) • novelette by Keith Roberts * - Unicorn hunters of the vast ice sheet
256 • Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne • [Institute for Impure Science] • (1967) • short story by R. A. Lafferty * - Goes nowhere
267 • Handicap • [Known Space] • (1967) • novelette by Larry Niven (variant of The Handicapped) ** - A BLT with peanut butter!
291 • Full Sun • (1967) • short story by Brian W. Aldiss * - Werewolves for the future
304 • It's Smart to Have an English Address • (1967) • short story by D. G. Compton * - Arguably the worst of the book
May 27, 2021
See Me Not RICHARD WILSON **
Driftglass SAMUEL R. DELANY **
Ambassador to Verdammt COLIN KAPP ***
The Man Who Never Was R. A. LAFFERTY ***
The Billiard Ball ISAAC ASIMOV **
Hawksbill Station ROBERT SILVERBERG ****
The Number You Have Reached THOMAS M. DISCH ***
The Man Who Loved the Faioli ROGER ZELAZNY ***
Population Implosion ANDREW J. OFFUTT ****
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream HARLAN ELLISON ****
The Sword Swallower RON GOULART **
Coranda KEITH ROBERTS **
Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne R. A. LAFFERTY ***
Handicap LARRY NIVEN ***
Full Sun BRIAN W. ALDISS **
It's Smart to Have an English Address D. G. COMPTON **
Driftglass SAMUEL R. DELANY **
Ambassador to Verdammt COLIN KAPP ***
The Man Who Never Was R. A. LAFFERTY ***
The Billiard Ball ISAAC ASIMOV **
Hawksbill Station ROBERT SILVERBERG ****
The Number You Have Reached THOMAS M. DISCH ***
The Man Who Loved the Faioli ROGER ZELAZNY ***
Population Implosion ANDREW J. OFFUTT ****
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream HARLAN ELLISON ****
The Sword Swallower RON GOULART **
Coranda KEITH ROBERTS **
Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne R. A. LAFFERTY ***
Handicap LARRY NIVEN ***
Full Sun BRIAN W. ALDISS **
It's Smart to Have an English Address D. G. COMPTON **
August 30, 2018
*mild spoilers*
Introduction - Wollheim doesn't discriminate against Old Wave, New Wave, or the ever elusive "No Wave". I was surprised to learn recently how controversial the New Wave was, and how vehement some of the old guard were against it. To me at least, the techniques and ideas that the New Wave introduced helped to revitalize the genre. It's almost like a second Golden Age.
See Me Not - a silly story about a man who randomly becomes invisible. The joke wears thin as he "reveals" his condition to his wife, daughter, doctor, etc. The ending is ridiculous. It's not terrible but feels too light for a best-of anthology.
Driftglass - a melancholy tale of a man who survived a dive that went so disastrously that it left him disfigured, witnessing others attempt the same dangerous dive. Very sad and brilliantly written.
Ambassador to Verdammt - diplomats despair of ever finding a way to communicate with an alien species until one thinks up a rather novel idea. Not bad but not great either.
The Man Who Never Was - a weird dude brags to his drinking buddies about his reality manipulation powers (!), and when they call him on his bs, he proves it to them by destroying someone's life. I didn't see any of the twists and turns coming. It is such a weird story and I loved it to pieces. It's tied with Hawksbill Station as my favorites of this anthology.
The Billiard Ball - a sci-fi mystery about two scientists and their vicious feud. Did one murder the other, or was it just an accident? I enjoyed the "Was it murder? YOU make the call" tone to the story, although it's incredibly obvious what happened. I'd been having really bad luck with book-length Asimov, it was quite a relief to read a fun story by him.
Hawksbill Station - a far-right government in the future decides that the humane thing to do with Communists and other political prisoners is to send them to a penal colony millions of years in the past. The main character welcomes the newest prisoner to the camp, and shows him around. There's a sense of palpable despair as each member tries his best to stave off madness with varying degrees of success. I quite enjoyed this story and was thrilled to discover that Silverberg expanded it into a novel.
The Number You Have Reached - the last man on Earth answers a telephone and is excited to hear another survivor. Could she possibly meet him? It was one of those kinds of stories that I enjoyed reading and then immediately forgot afterwards. Neater in concept than execution.
The Man Who Loved the Faioli - the New Waviest story that ever New Waved. I've read this story twice now and I still don't know what it means. Is it about an immortal human man and an alien/vampire/artificial woman and their brief relationship? Is it about how in relationships there's always a give and take? Having fun in immortality? I'm baffled. I still love Zelazny though, baffling experimental Zelazny is still better than most writers.
Population Implosion - the global population begins to shrink and it's discovered that there's a set amount of people who are allowed to live on Earth - so every time a child is born, someone else must die. The main character has a Biblical theory that makes a kind of sense of it. I quite enjoyed this one, it's almost like the science in this science fiction story is about demographics.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream - Harlan Ellison's seminal tale of 5 survivors being mercilessly tortured by a machine at the end of the world. I've read this story many times and it never fails to fill me with dread and horror.
The Sword Swallower - a really lame story about the perfect spy, who can mold his face and change his voice into anyone else, and his infiltration into a retirement home to prevent a...ZzZzzzZZ. The whole time I was reading this I was remembering that the James Bond spy phenomenon was winding down by the late sixties.
Coranda - Keith Roberts's sequel to a Michael Moorcock novel I have never heard of. This tale of Ice Pirates in the Future left me...cold.
Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne - an amusing tale of scientists who keep testing a time machine, not noticing how radically different their present becomes every time they mess with the past. It kind of reminds me of the recent novel Version Control, but infinitely better. Lafferty can be a real delight.
Handicap - a salesman who sells artificial limbs discovers that a race of fuzzy cones on a backwater planet are actually sentient and would request his services. They were a race of slave owners who eventually lost the ability to move but still use mind control powers on their former slaves who have devolved into something more animalistic. Creepy stuff.
Full Sun - a story about a guy sent to kill a werewolf that's been menacing people. I swore it was his wolfish friend until said friend's body was discovered. I dunno, this one didn't really click with me, I didn't care about the hunter or the werewolf.
It's Smart to Have an English Address - a dying musician is asked to allow a machine to record his memories of playing some iconic performances but he refuses. I have to admit this one was difficult to read at first but the second half is really amazing and well worth the effort.
For me the great/good stories are so good they outweigh the high number of duds. 4 stars.
Introduction - Wollheim doesn't discriminate against Old Wave, New Wave, or the ever elusive "No Wave". I was surprised to learn recently how controversial the New Wave was, and how vehement some of the old guard were against it. To me at least, the techniques and ideas that the New Wave introduced helped to revitalize the genre. It's almost like a second Golden Age.
See Me Not - a silly story about a man who randomly becomes invisible. The joke wears thin as he "reveals" his condition to his wife, daughter, doctor, etc. The ending is ridiculous. It's not terrible but feels too light for a best-of anthology.
Driftglass - a melancholy tale of a man who survived a dive that went so disastrously that it left him disfigured, witnessing others attempt the same dangerous dive. Very sad and brilliantly written.
Ambassador to Verdammt - diplomats despair of ever finding a way to communicate with an alien species until one thinks up a rather novel idea. Not bad but not great either.
The Man Who Never Was - a weird dude brags to his drinking buddies about his reality manipulation powers (!), and when they call him on his bs, he proves it to them by destroying someone's life. I didn't see any of the twists and turns coming. It is such a weird story and I loved it to pieces. It's tied with Hawksbill Station as my favorites of this anthology.
The Billiard Ball - a sci-fi mystery about two scientists and their vicious feud. Did one murder the other, or was it just an accident? I enjoyed the "Was it murder? YOU make the call" tone to the story, although it's incredibly obvious what happened. I'd been having really bad luck with book-length Asimov, it was quite a relief to read a fun story by him.
Hawksbill Station - a far-right government in the future decides that the humane thing to do with Communists and other political prisoners is to send them to a penal colony millions of years in the past. The main character welcomes the newest prisoner to the camp, and shows him around. There's a sense of palpable despair as each member tries his best to stave off madness with varying degrees of success. I quite enjoyed this story and was thrilled to discover that Silverberg expanded it into a novel.
The Number You Have Reached - the last man on Earth answers a telephone and is excited to hear another survivor. Could she possibly meet him? It was one of those kinds of stories that I enjoyed reading and then immediately forgot afterwards. Neater in concept than execution.
The Man Who Loved the Faioli - the New Waviest story that ever New Waved. I've read this story twice now and I still don't know what it means. Is it about an immortal human man and an alien/vampire/artificial woman and their brief relationship? Is it about how in relationships there's always a give and take? Having fun in immortality? I'm baffled. I still love Zelazny though, baffling experimental Zelazny is still better than most writers.
Population Implosion - the global population begins to shrink and it's discovered that there's a set amount of people who are allowed to live on Earth - so every time a child is born, someone else must die. The main character has a Biblical theory that makes a kind of sense of it. I quite enjoyed this one, it's almost like the science in this science fiction story is about demographics.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream - Harlan Ellison's seminal tale of 5 survivors being mercilessly tortured by a machine at the end of the world. I've read this story many times and it never fails to fill me with dread and horror.
The Sword Swallower - a really lame story about the perfect spy, who can mold his face and change his voice into anyone else, and his infiltration into a retirement home to prevent a...ZzZzzzZZ. The whole time I was reading this I was remembering that the James Bond spy phenomenon was winding down by the late sixties.
Coranda - Keith Roberts's sequel to a Michael Moorcock novel I have never heard of. This tale of Ice Pirates in the Future left me...cold.
Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne - an amusing tale of scientists who keep testing a time machine, not noticing how radically different their present becomes every time they mess with the past. It kind of reminds me of the recent novel Version Control, but infinitely better. Lafferty can be a real delight.
Handicap - a salesman who sells artificial limbs discovers that a race of fuzzy cones on a backwater planet are actually sentient and would request his services. They were a race of slave owners who eventually lost the ability to move but still use mind control powers on their former slaves who have devolved into something more animalistic. Creepy stuff.
Full Sun - a story about a guy sent to kill a werewolf that's been menacing people. I swore it was his wolfish friend until said friend's body was discovered. I dunno, this one didn't really click with me, I didn't care about the hunter or the werewolf.
It's Smart to Have an English Address - a dying musician is asked to allow a machine to record his memories of playing some iconic performances but he refuses. I have to admit this one was difficult to read at first but the second half is really amazing and well worth the effort.
For me the great/good stories are so good they outweigh the high number of duds. 4 stars.
May 23, 2021
Anthologies are difficult to rate. If they have five 5-star stories, I rate them 5 stars. If they have at least five 4-star stories I rate them 4 stars. This anthology has one 5-star story that I don't like, "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison, and 4 stories I rate 4-stars, "Driftglass" by Samuel R. Delany, "Hawksbill Station" by Robert Silverberg, "Full Sun" by Brian W. Aldiss, and "It's Smart to Have an English Address" by D. G. Compton. All four of these almost felt like 5-star stories, but if you know the better work from these authors, you know you can't give them the top rating.
And there were some decent 3-star stories: "Ambassador to Verdammt" by Colin Kapp, "The Billiard Ball" by Isaac Asimov, "Population Implosion" by Andrew J. Offutt, "Coranda" by Keith Roberts (almost a 4-star story), "Thus We Frustrated Charlemagne" by R. A. Lafferty and "Handicap" by Larry Niven.
And there were some decent 3-star stories: "Ambassador to Verdammt" by Colin Kapp, "The Billiard Ball" by Isaac Asimov, "Population Implosion" by Andrew J. Offutt, "Coranda" by Keith Roberts (almost a 4-star story), "Thus We Frustrated Charlemagne" by R. A. Lafferty and "Handicap" by Larry Niven.
April 28, 2021
WORLD'S BEST SCIENCE FICTION 1968 IS RATED 88%.
16 STORIES : 3 GREAT / 9 GOOD / 4 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
This 1968 anthology is a collaboration between Donald Wollheim and Terry Carr. You can definitely perceive two different minds behind the selections with incredible variations in the style of the stories. This is one of the volume’s strengths for there is a buffet of different Science Fiction to suit multiple tastes. Almost all of it is pretty good.
The editors try to make the case that SF is just the extension of other forms of the fantastic from years past. They reference character studies, idea stories, and tales of damnation in the introduction. It isn’t much of a coincidence that those are a few of the themes that show up in my favorite stories from the anthology.
“Driftglass” by Samuel R. Delany. If Hemingway wrote SF, it would read like this. Cal Svenson is one of 750,000 people who have been modified to perform dangerous undersea construction work. Svenson was horribly injured when one of these jobs went wrong. He now walks the beaches looking for Driftglass. A powerful character study. Great stuff.
“The Billiard Ball” by Isaac Asimov. This is what Asimov does best. Smart scientific men. Lots of interesting discussion. An interesting mystery. Believable science. And throw on top the internal politicking of scientific academia. A great little story.
“I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” by Harlan Ellison. Ellison has created a vision of scientific Hell. Five people - many the last on the planet - are tortured, transformed, and humiliated by a Computer Intelligence that is built for War and knows only how to hate.
***
WORLD'S BEST SCIENCE FICTION 1968 IS RATED 88%.
16 STORIES : 3 GREAT / 9 GOOD / 4 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
“See Me Not” by Richard Wilson
Good. A fun bit of fluff where a family man wakes up on morning and is invisible. Wackiness ensues.
“Driftglass” by Samuel R. Delany
Great. A masterpiece of character and mood. An older man genetically modified to work on underwater construction projects meets a younger group that are going to reattempt the job that horribly scarred him.
“Ambassador to Verdammt” by Colin Kapp
Good. Military men and the bureaucracy come into conflict as a planet prepares to receive an ambassador to a completely alien mentality.
“The Man Who Never Was” by R. A. Lafferty
Average. A man makes people disappear in what might be an allegory for authors.
“The Billiard Ball” by Isaac Asimov
Great. Did one scientist kill his rival through the creative application of a billiard ball and science?
“Hawksbill Station” by Robert Silverberg
Good. Atmospheric novella about political prisoners stranded in the bleak prehistoric past.
“The Number You Have Reached” by Thomas M. Disch
Good. A man lives alone haunted by guilt in a automated house. He was in space when nuclear war came and he may now be the last man on earth. Then the phone rings.
“The Man Who Loved the Faioli” by Roger Zelazny
Average. Not sure I really understood this story. You have a man who is and isn’t alive and a Faioli who loves men for one month before she dies. They meet in a graveyard and have a relationship.
“Population Implosion” by Andrew J. Offutt
Good. The average age of a human is falling as people are unexpectedly dying - from the oldest to the youngest. In exactly that order.
“I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” by Harlan Ellison
Great. The horrific and famous story of the four final humans, tortured and remade by a War Computer that hates them.
“The Sword Swallower” by Ron Goulart
Good. A super-spy, member of the Chameleon Corps, hunts down those ‘evil pacifists’ through a series of comic, satirical, madcap adventures.
“Coranda” by Keith Roberts
Good. To win the favor of the vicious Ice Mother, ships with runner charge forth into a barren and ice covered world to bring back the narwhal’s horn. Violent adventure with only the barest hint of SF.
“Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne” by R. A. Lafferty
Good. They want to use time travel to make a very small change to history. But if you don’t know that a change has been made, what is to stop you from changing it again. And again.
“Handicap” by Larry Niven
Good. A businessman is introduced to a sentient being without hands to manipulate the world around them. Luckily that is exactly what this executive was counting on.
“Full Sun” by Brian W. Aldiss
Average. Machines hunting werwolves with humanity caught in the middle.
“It's Smart to Have an English Address” by D. G. Compton
Average.. Two friends discuss what place - if any - new life extension technology should play in their lives, arts, and legacies.
16 STORIES : 3 GREAT / 9 GOOD / 4 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
This 1968 anthology is a collaboration between Donald Wollheim and Terry Carr. You can definitely perceive two different minds behind the selections with incredible variations in the style of the stories. This is one of the volume’s strengths for there is a buffet of different Science Fiction to suit multiple tastes. Almost all of it is pretty good.
The editors try to make the case that SF is just the extension of other forms of the fantastic from years past. They reference character studies, idea stories, and tales of damnation in the introduction. It isn’t much of a coincidence that those are a few of the themes that show up in my favorite stories from the anthology.
“Driftglass” by Samuel R. Delany. If Hemingway wrote SF, it would read like this. Cal Svenson is one of 750,000 people who have been modified to perform dangerous undersea construction work. Svenson was horribly injured when one of these jobs went wrong. He now walks the beaches looking for Driftglass. A powerful character study. Great stuff.
“The Billiard Ball” by Isaac Asimov. This is what Asimov does best. Smart scientific men. Lots of interesting discussion. An interesting mystery. Believable science. And throw on top the internal politicking of scientific academia. A great little story.
“I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” by Harlan Ellison. Ellison has created a vision of scientific Hell. Five people - many the last on the planet - are tortured, transformed, and humiliated by a Computer Intelligence that is built for War and knows only how to hate.
***
WORLD'S BEST SCIENCE FICTION 1968 IS RATED 88%.
16 STORIES : 3 GREAT / 9 GOOD / 4 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
“See Me Not” by Richard Wilson
Good. A fun bit of fluff where a family man wakes up on morning and is invisible. Wackiness ensues.
“Driftglass” by Samuel R. Delany
Great. A masterpiece of character and mood. An older man genetically modified to work on underwater construction projects meets a younger group that are going to reattempt the job that horribly scarred him.
“Ambassador to Verdammt” by Colin Kapp
Good. Military men and the bureaucracy come into conflict as a planet prepares to receive an ambassador to a completely alien mentality.
“The Man Who Never Was” by R. A. Lafferty
Average. A man makes people disappear in what might be an allegory for authors.
“The Billiard Ball” by Isaac Asimov
Great. Did one scientist kill his rival through the creative application of a billiard ball and science?
“Hawksbill Station” by Robert Silverberg
Good. Atmospheric novella about political prisoners stranded in the bleak prehistoric past.
“The Number You Have Reached” by Thomas M. Disch
Good. A man lives alone haunted by guilt in a automated house. He was in space when nuclear war came and he may now be the last man on earth. Then the phone rings.
“The Man Who Loved the Faioli” by Roger Zelazny
Average. Not sure I really understood this story. You have a man who is and isn’t alive and a Faioli who loves men for one month before she dies. They meet in a graveyard and have a relationship.
“Population Implosion” by Andrew J. Offutt
Good. The average age of a human is falling as people are unexpectedly dying - from the oldest to the youngest. In exactly that order.
“I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” by Harlan Ellison
Great. The horrific and famous story of the four final humans, tortured and remade by a War Computer that hates them.
“The Sword Swallower” by Ron Goulart
Good. A super-spy, member of the Chameleon Corps, hunts down those ‘evil pacifists’ through a series of comic, satirical, madcap adventures.
“Coranda” by Keith Roberts
Good. To win the favor of the vicious Ice Mother, ships with runner charge forth into a barren and ice covered world to bring back the narwhal’s horn. Violent adventure with only the barest hint of SF.
“Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne” by R. A. Lafferty
Good. They want to use time travel to make a very small change to history. But if you don’t know that a change has been made, what is to stop you from changing it again. And again.
“Handicap” by Larry Niven
Good. A businessman is introduced to a sentient being without hands to manipulate the world around them. Luckily that is exactly what this executive was counting on.
“Full Sun” by Brian W. Aldiss
Average. Machines hunting werwolves with humanity caught in the middle.
“It's Smart to Have an English Address” by D. G. Compton
Average.. Two friends discuss what place - if any - new life extension technology should play in their lives, arts, and legacies.
November 22, 2025
This is a review of the paperback with the revised title. The original title was World's Best Science Fiction 1968. The interior ink illustrations were by Jack Gaughan. They appear on the story title pages.
1967, best known for The Summer of Love, was also a good year for sci-fi. However, there wasn't much speculation outside of known science or prejudices. There are a couple of award winners in here, paired with stories that have rightly fallen into oblivion. We have two stories by Larry Niven (hooray) and two stories by R. A. Lafferty (boo.) Overall, a decent read.
Selections:
* "Introduction" by Our Co-editors. This is a short ramble about the New Wave in sci-fi, and that the editors weren't bothered by it.
* "See Me Not" by Richard Wilson. A surprisingly amusing tale of a family man one day waking up invisible. A bit like a Woody Allen film, except happier.
* "Driftglass" by Samuel R. Delaney. This is a rare story from Delaney -- an easily understandable one. A modified race of "amphimen" (kids altered to be merpeople) work in the sea at dangerous jobs. It was a quaint, although short-sighted trope of sci-fi of the times to rashly assume that life in the sea would always be abundant.
* "Ambassador to Verdammt" by Colin Kapp. A first contact story where the aliens are barely comprehensible, if that. Also, a satire on the military.
* "The Man Who Never Was" by R. A. Lafferty. This is only one of about two Western-themed Lafferty tall tales that I like. It's frustrating that someone who was fully capable of writing a comprehensible story would often choose not to.
* "The Billiard Ball" by Isaac Asimov. This has appeared in a few other anthologies since this one. It's a mystery not in a whodunnit, but in a HOWdunnit. There is some complex science that is very clearly explained by this Grand Master.
* "Hawksbill Station" by Robert Silverberg. This is a massive novella that acts as a slow burn. Time travel is discovered about 2000, and a prison for male political prisoners is made in the Cambrian five years later. I enjoyed this enough to read only a dozen or so pages a day, in order to maximize the pleasure. Rather abrupt ending, with more than a touch of King Rat to it.
* "The Number You Have Reached" by Thomas M. Disch. Pro tip if you find that you're the last person on Earth -- unplug your phone.
* "The Man Who Loved the Faioli" by Roger Zelazny. Since it's short, and very soft porn, it's shown up in several other anthologies. It's very strange. I felt bad for the Faioli.
* "Population Implosion" by Andrew J. Offutt. I once got stuck on a bus ride with my boss, who lectured me on the root cause of all misery in the world -- contraception. I soon quit the job. Reading this crap was like listening to that boss all over again.
* "I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison. Here's a hard 180 from the previous story. It is arguably the scariest thing Ellison ever wrote, as well as one of his best short stories. Our Editor calls this an allegory, but I doubt it. Don't get hung up on trying to classify the story. Just read it.
* "The Sword Swallower" by Ron Goulart. Despite the title, there's no sword swallowed here. There is a sort-of Plastic Man undercover agent, a woman who cries at horse statues, and a clever Charles Mingus reference. WARNING: Poisoned cats.
* "Coranda" by Keith Roberts. This was inspired by Michael Moorcock's novel The Ice Schooner. However, the story (for what it is), stands alone. WARNING: Killing of narwhal-like critters.
* "Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne" by R. A. Lafferty. Thus we frustrate the reader ...
* "Handicap" by Larry Niven. This is part of Niven's stories about the Slavers, best known for the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "The Slaver Weapon." It's inconclusive, as the story cycle moved on. Although animals were considered disposable in 1967, the notion really gets up my nose. That the Grogs have a dog-like stage, and these are used as laboratory animals, is chilling.
* "Full Sun" by Brian W. Aldiss. One of the best werewolf stories you'll ever read.
* "It's Smart to Have an English Address" by D. G. Compton. And we end on a dull, sad note.
1967, best known for The Summer of Love, was also a good year for sci-fi. However, there wasn't much speculation outside of known science or prejudices. There are a couple of award winners in here, paired with stories that have rightly fallen into oblivion. We have two stories by Larry Niven (hooray) and two stories by R. A. Lafferty (boo.) Overall, a decent read.
Selections:
* "Introduction" by Our Co-editors. This is a short ramble about the New Wave in sci-fi, and that the editors weren't bothered by it.
* "See Me Not" by Richard Wilson. A surprisingly amusing tale of a family man one day waking up invisible. A bit like a Woody Allen film, except happier.
* "Driftglass" by Samuel R. Delaney. This is a rare story from Delaney -- an easily understandable one. A modified race of "amphimen" (kids altered to be merpeople) work in the sea at dangerous jobs. It was a quaint, although short-sighted trope of sci-fi of the times to rashly assume that life in the sea would always be abundant.
* "Ambassador to Verdammt" by Colin Kapp. A first contact story where the aliens are barely comprehensible, if that. Also, a satire on the military.
* "The Man Who Never Was" by R. A. Lafferty. This is only one of about two Western-themed Lafferty tall tales that I like. It's frustrating that someone who was fully capable of writing a comprehensible story would often choose not to.
* "The Billiard Ball" by Isaac Asimov. This has appeared in a few other anthologies since this one. It's a mystery not in a whodunnit, but in a HOWdunnit. There is some complex science that is very clearly explained by this Grand Master.
* "Hawksbill Station" by Robert Silverberg. This is a massive novella that acts as a slow burn. Time travel is discovered about 2000, and a prison for male political prisoners is made in the Cambrian five years later. I enjoyed this enough to read only a dozen or so pages a day, in order to maximize the pleasure. Rather abrupt ending, with more than a touch of King Rat to it.
* "The Number You Have Reached" by Thomas M. Disch. Pro tip if you find that you're the last person on Earth -- unplug your phone.
* "The Man Who Loved the Faioli" by Roger Zelazny. Since it's short, and very soft porn, it's shown up in several other anthologies. It's very strange. I felt bad for the Faioli.
* "Population Implosion" by Andrew J. Offutt. I once got stuck on a bus ride with my boss, who lectured me on the root cause of all misery in the world -- contraception. I soon quit the job. Reading this crap was like listening to that boss all over again.
* "I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison. Here's a hard 180 from the previous story. It is arguably the scariest thing Ellison ever wrote, as well as one of his best short stories. Our Editor calls this an allegory, but I doubt it. Don't get hung up on trying to classify the story. Just read it.
* "The Sword Swallower" by Ron Goulart. Despite the title, there's no sword swallowed here. There is a sort-of Plastic Man undercover agent, a woman who cries at horse statues, and a clever Charles Mingus reference. WARNING: Poisoned cats.
* "Coranda" by Keith Roberts. This was inspired by Michael Moorcock's novel The Ice Schooner. However, the story (for what it is), stands alone. WARNING: Killing of narwhal-like critters.
* "Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne" by R. A. Lafferty. Thus we frustrate the reader ...
* "Handicap" by Larry Niven. This is part of Niven's stories about the Slavers, best known for the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "The Slaver Weapon." It's inconclusive, as the story cycle moved on. Although animals were considered disposable in 1967, the notion really gets up my nose. That the Grogs have a dog-like stage, and these are used as laboratory animals, is chilling.
* "Full Sun" by Brian W. Aldiss. One of the best werewolf stories you'll ever read.
* "It's Smart to Have an English Address" by D. G. Compton. And we end on a dull, sad note.
April 28, 2021
Back a million years ago in the 1990s, I would haunt the discard books table at my local library, and occasionally score something cool.
And one time that was a classic science fiction short story.
That day I acquired World’s Best S.F.1, a short story paperback collection published in 1969 and edited by Donald Wollheim and Terry Carr, which contains Harlan Ellison’s legendary I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream.
Now I am not going to mention all sixteen short stories in this volume, because some I simply did not care for, and some I completely hated. But lets look at the rest, which are the best.
Driftglass by Samuel R. Delaney is a great tale of a possible future and a man just trying to live some kind of life while at the bottom of society. This is a great metaphor for the working class being used and abused by society and that they are just supposed to accept it.
A great mystery with a great ending is Ambassador to Verdammt by Colin Kapp. An arrogant space officer knows something underhanded is happening at an outpost, but he truly does not understand the true meaning of problem and the unique solution being offered.
My massive favourite here is The Man Who Never Was by R.A. Laverty, a writer I had never experienced before. This one starts in one place, transforms into something else and scary, than blows you away with a fascinating twist. Read this one a few times, just to enjoy and study its construction.
Of course their is an Isaac Asimov story and it is The Billiard Ball. Now the science and science theory being quoted here is beyond my comprehension, but really this is a tale of revenge that is kinda grisly.
A great commentary on prisons comes from Hawksbill Station by Robert Silverberg. We have a forever jail for political prisoners back in the dinosaur era and see how they organize and live and stay sane. Then everything changes because the world changes and some changes stay the same.
Deep and scary describes The Number You Have Reached by Thomas M. Disch, where a man tries to remain sane in a world destroyed. This is tense and good and psychological.
Population Implosion by Andrew J. Offlutt is about a world plague and is so very 2020 that it is freaky.
Crazy nonsensical time travel but in a crazy way is on display in Thus We Frustrate Charlemange by R.A. Lafferty. I discovered his greatness recently and love his surprise endings.
Which brings us to reason I spent fifty cents on this paperback. Legendary writer Harlan Ellison’s I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream. Depressing and dire, this even more than dystopian story is about an evil computer beyond tormenting the last survivors of Earth. Ellison builds his world quickly and vividly and terrifyingly and this is not for the faint of heart. And to say this earns it’s R rating is an understatement. Ellison also does great character work, and even if you find some of the survivors repulsive, they are fascinating and real. He is definitely not for everyone, but he is a hell of a read.
Fifty cents is not bad to finally read a classic, even over twenty years later.
Scoopriches
And one time that was a classic science fiction short story.
That day I acquired World’s Best S.F.1, a short story paperback collection published in 1969 and edited by Donald Wollheim and Terry Carr, which contains Harlan Ellison’s legendary I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream.
Now I am not going to mention all sixteen short stories in this volume, because some I simply did not care for, and some I completely hated. But lets look at the rest, which are the best.
Driftglass by Samuel R. Delaney is a great tale of a possible future and a man just trying to live some kind of life while at the bottom of society. This is a great metaphor for the working class being used and abused by society and that they are just supposed to accept it.
A great mystery with a great ending is Ambassador to Verdammt by Colin Kapp. An arrogant space officer knows something underhanded is happening at an outpost, but he truly does not understand the true meaning of problem and the unique solution being offered.
My massive favourite here is The Man Who Never Was by R.A. Laverty, a writer I had never experienced before. This one starts in one place, transforms into something else and scary, than blows you away with a fascinating twist. Read this one a few times, just to enjoy and study its construction.
Of course their is an Isaac Asimov story and it is The Billiard Ball. Now the science and science theory being quoted here is beyond my comprehension, but really this is a tale of revenge that is kinda grisly.
A great commentary on prisons comes from Hawksbill Station by Robert Silverberg. We have a forever jail for political prisoners back in the dinosaur era and see how they organize and live and stay sane. Then everything changes because the world changes and some changes stay the same.
Deep and scary describes The Number You Have Reached by Thomas M. Disch, where a man tries to remain sane in a world destroyed. This is tense and good and psychological.
Population Implosion by Andrew J. Offlutt is about a world plague and is so very 2020 that it is freaky.
Crazy nonsensical time travel but in a crazy way is on display in Thus We Frustrate Charlemange by R.A. Lafferty. I discovered his greatness recently and love his surprise endings.
Which brings us to reason I spent fifty cents on this paperback. Legendary writer Harlan Ellison’s I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream. Depressing and dire, this even more than dystopian story is about an evil computer beyond tormenting the last survivors of Earth. Ellison builds his world quickly and vividly and terrifyingly and this is not for the faint of heart. And to say this earns it’s R rating is an understatement. Ellison also does great character work, and even if you find some of the survivors repulsive, they are fascinating and real. He is definitely not for everyone, but he is a hell of a read.
Fifty cents is not bad to finally read a classic, even over twenty years later.
Scoopriches
February 10, 2020
An odd collection. Sixteen stories and half a dozen I could cheerfully have not read, including one supposed classic and giant of the genre, seven I’ll come down on the side of more or less liking, and exactly three that I really enjoyed.
"The Billiard Ball" by Isaac Asimov (an interesting scientific revenge tale), "Hawksbill Station" by Robert Silverberg (and I remember reading this one in another collection decades ago), and "Handicap" by Larry Niven (taking place in the Known Space universe and a story I’ve never run across before.
If I were to average ratings for the stories in this book, I’m probably going to come close to three stars. It’s probably very solidly representative of the state of the genre at the time, considering the editors, and if I’d discovered this book as a child in the 70s or a teen in the 80s, my rating would probably be higher, but a number of these tales just don’t work for me or don’t hold up well. There are diamonds, but there are a lot of stories that could have been shorter or tighter or left with the New Wave.
"The Billiard Ball" by Isaac Asimov (an interesting scientific revenge tale), "Hawksbill Station" by Robert Silverberg (and I remember reading this one in another collection decades ago), and "Handicap" by Larry Niven (taking place in the Known Space universe and a story I’ve never run across before.
If I were to average ratings for the stories in this book, I’m probably going to come close to three stars. It’s probably very solidly representative of the state of the genre at the time, considering the editors, and if I’d discovered this book as a child in the 70s or a teen in the 80s, my rating would probably be higher, but a number of these tales just don’t work for me or don’t hold up well. There are diamonds, but there are a lot of stories that could have been shorter or tighter or left with the New Wave.
Want to read
January 31, 202616 stories:
(4/16 read)
See Me Not (1967) • Richard Wilson
**** Driftglass (1967) • Samuel R. Delany
Ambassador to Verdammt (1967) • Colin Kapp
The Man Who Never Was (1967) • R. A. Lafferty
The Billiard Ball (1967) • Isaac Asimov
*** Hawksbill Station (1967) • Robert Silverberg
The Number You Have Reached (1967) • Thomas M. Disch
The Man Who Loved the Faioli (1967) • Roger Zelazny
Population Implosion (1967) • Andrew J. Offutt
* I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1967) • Harlan Ellison
The Sword Swallower (1967) • Ron Goulart
Coranda (1967) • Keith Roberts
**** Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne (1967) • R. A. Lafferty
Handicap (1967) • Larry Niven
Full Sun (1967) • Brian W. Aldiss
It's Smart to Have an English Address (1967) • D. G. Compton
(4/16 read)
See Me Not (1967) • Richard Wilson
**** Driftglass (1967) • Samuel R. Delany
Ambassador to Verdammt (1967) • Colin Kapp
The Man Who Never Was (1967) • R. A. Lafferty
The Billiard Ball (1967) • Isaac Asimov
*** Hawksbill Station (1967) • Robert Silverberg
The Number You Have Reached (1967) • Thomas M. Disch
The Man Who Loved the Faioli (1967) • Roger Zelazny
Population Implosion (1967) • Andrew J. Offutt
* I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1967) • Harlan Ellison
The Sword Swallower (1967) • Ron Goulart
Coranda (1967) • Keith Roberts
**** Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne (1967) • R. A. Lafferty
Handicap (1967) • Larry Niven
Full Sun (1967) • Brian W. Aldiss
It's Smart to Have an English Address (1967) • D. G. Compton
May 23, 2021
A lacklustre anthology with a lot of middling material filling out the contents list (there are a lot of weak traditional stories—presumably selected by Wollheim—and a lot of weak new wave-ish ones—presumably selected by Carr). Fortunately the good or better material (Harlan Ellison’s I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, Robert Silverberg’s Hawksbill Station, Keith Roberts’ Coranda, Samuel R. Delany’s Driftglass and Larry Niven’s Handicap) accounts for about half of the book’s length.
Not as good as the volume for 1965.
Not as good as the volume for 1965.
March 13, 2019
Mindwebs audiobook 43 contains the “The number you have reached” by Thomas Disch 1968. A rather anticlimactic post apocalyptic story about a man doubting his senses while living in a 14th story apartment.
June 17, 2024
Tiene historias muy buenas y que terminan de manera interesante o que te hacen querer mas pero tambien hay historias que en lo personal no llegan a ser tan llamativas y que termine de leer solo para no dejarlas inconclusas
January 9, 2019
A few good ones, but most .....
March 13, 2022
World’s Best Science Fiction Fourth Series (1968) – The fourth in this series of the year’s best sf, this time for stories published in 1967. This is the third anthology of stories I’ve read from this year and probably ranks second to the Zelazny Nebula Awards anthology I reviewed last month. This collection includes “Driftglass” by Delany; “The Man Who Never Was” and “Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne” by Lafferty; Hawksbill Station by Silverberg; “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream” by Ellison; and “Handicap” by Niven, among others. All stories are mostly taken from the main SF prozines of 1967, with only one Lafferty story coming from a horror magazine. Oddly, no stories from Ellison’s Dangerous Visions anthology. Perhaps there were problems with reprint rights. R: 3.3/5.0
Want to read
November 21, 2017I've been wanting to get into Harlan Ellison's fiction for a while now, so I went to a used bookstore to find some of his collections. I didn't find any, but I was happy enough to find this collection, which contains his most famous story, "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream." Here's what I thought of each story, in the order I read them.
"The Billiard Ball" by Isaac Asimov
(2/5)
I was excited to read "The Billiard Ball" because the short intro before it says that it's a combination sci-fi and mystery. I read one of Asimov's sci-fi mystery novels, The Caves of Steel, earlier this year and I enjoyed it. But I didn't like this. I imagine this is the kind of story people think of when they say they don't like science fiction. The scientific concepts are interesting, but the human drama is insipid and unconvincing.
"I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison
(3/5)
This is the story that made my buy this collection. I'm giving it a 3/5, but I'm not really sure if that's an accurate approximation of how much I liked it, because it's quite different from what I expected it to be. The editors' intro calls it an "allegory," but I'm not sure what it's an allegory of, though I get that there are religious themes. Maybe I'll have to read it again. The horror elements are effective and I think some images will stay with me for a long time.
"Driftglass" by Samuel R. Delany
(3/5)
A story about people who have surgically-implanted gills that let them breathe and work underwater. Interesting views on nature and change.
"It's Smart to Have an English Address" by D. G. Compton
(3/5)
This story has an interesting concept that I thought could've been pushed further. I looked up the author on Wikipedia and one book that had its own entry, Synthajoy, seems to be about the same idea. Maybe I'll get a copy of it someday.
"Ambassador to Verdammt" by Colin Kapp
(3/5)
I read Stanislaw Lem's Solaris earlier this year and this story deals with the same basic theme, which is the inability of humans to understand things outside of their frame of reference. The latter is a bit more optimistic, though.
"The Man Who Loved the Faioli" by Roger Zelazny
(4/5)
This is one story I'll have to come back to later. Right after I read it I knew I liked it, but I didn't quite understand it. I found on someone's blog one interpretation that helped me to appreciate it more.
"The Billiard Ball" by Isaac Asimov
(2/5)
I was excited to read "The Billiard Ball" because the short intro before it says that it's a combination sci-fi and mystery. I read one of Asimov's sci-fi mystery novels, The Caves of Steel, earlier this year and I enjoyed it. But I didn't like this. I imagine this is the kind of story people think of when they say they don't like science fiction. The scientific concepts are interesting, but the human drama is insipid and unconvincing.
"I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison
(3/5)
This is the story that made my buy this collection. I'm giving it a 3/5, but I'm not really sure if that's an accurate approximation of how much I liked it, because it's quite different from what I expected it to be. The editors' intro calls it an "allegory," but I'm not sure what it's an allegory of, though I get that there are religious themes. Maybe I'll have to read it again. The horror elements are effective and I think some images will stay with me for a long time.
"Driftglass" by Samuel R. Delany
(3/5)
A story about people who have surgically-implanted gills that let them breathe and work underwater. Interesting views on nature and change.
"It's Smart to Have an English Address" by D. G. Compton
(3/5)
This story has an interesting concept that I thought could've been pushed further. I looked up the author on Wikipedia and one book that had its own entry, Synthajoy, seems to be about the same idea. Maybe I'll get a copy of it someday.
"Ambassador to Verdammt" by Colin Kapp
(3/5)
I read Stanislaw Lem's Solaris earlier this year and this story deals with the same basic theme, which is the inability of humans to understand things outside of their frame of reference. The latter is a bit more optimistic, though.
"The Man Who Loved the Faioli" by Roger Zelazny
(4/5)
This is one story I'll have to come back to later. Right after I read it I knew I liked it, but I didn't quite understand it. I found on someone's blog one interpretation that helped me to appreciate it more.
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