Tomorrow, the Stars

by Robert A. Heinlein

Vintage paperback

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Collections, Classics

207 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1952

About the author

Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accuracy in his fiction, and was thus a pioneer of the subgenre of hard science fiction. His published works, both fiction and non-fiction, express admiration for competence and emphasize the value of critical thinking. His plots often posed provocative situations which challenged conventional social mores. His work continues to have an influence on the science-fiction genre, and on modern culture more generally.
Heinlein became one of the first American science-fiction writers to break into mainstream magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post in the late 1940s. He was one of the best-selling science-fiction novelists for many decades, and he, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke are often considered the "Big Three" of English-language science fiction authors. Notable Heinlein works include Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers (which helped mold the space marine and mecha archetypes) and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. His work sometimes had controversial aspects, such as plural marriage in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, militarism in Starship Troopers and technologically competent women characters who were formidable, yet often stereotypically feminine—such as Friday.
Heinlein used his science fiction as a way to explore provocative social and political ideas and to speculate how progress in science and engineering might shape the future of politics, race, religion, and sex. Within the framework of his science-fiction stories, Heinlein repeatedly addressed certain social themes: the importance of individual liberty and self-reliance, the nature of sexual relationships, the obligation individuals owe to their societies, the influence of organized religion on culture and government, and the tendency of society to repress nonconformist thought. He also speculated on the influence of space travel on human cultural practices.
Heinlein was named the first Science Fiction Writers Grand Master in 1974. Four of his novels won Hugo Awards. In addition, fifty years after publication, seven of his works were awarded "Retro Hugos"—awards given retrospectively for works that were published before the Hugo Awards came into existence. In his fiction, Heinlein coined terms that have become part of the English language, including grok, waldo and speculative fiction, as well as popularizing existing terms like "TANSTAAFL", "pay it forward", and "space marine". He also anticipated mechanical computer-aided design with "Drafting Dan" and described a modern version of a waterbed in his novel Beyond This Horizon.
Also wrote under Pen names: Anson McDonald, Lyle Monroe, Caleb Saunders, John Riverside and Simon York.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this anthology was credited to Heinlein, it was actually edited by Frederik Pohl and Judith Merrill, who was his wife at the time and who was also a fine sf editor. It contains some classic, Golden Age stories, and a couple of later ones, such as an early one by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. I particularly remember the ones by Isaac Asimov, Lester del Rey, Henry Kuttner, C.M. Kornbluth, and Bob Tucker. My favorites were Keyhole by Murray Leinster, Jay Score by Eric Frank Russell, and Poor Superman by Fritz Leiber. Some of them have gotten a bit dusty or wrinkled around the edges, but it's a fine old group.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a great collection. Particularly memorable is "The Silly Season" by C. M. Kornbluth. Every media fanatic oughta read this one. There's other good stuff also, though.

[Melanie Vine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this lightly battered sci fi anthology book second hand, to get hold of one of the short stories within - C M Kornbluth's "The Silly Season" - a kind of 1950s sci fi take on the boy who cries wolf. It, and the other stories, are interesting in that the themes - media responsibility, fake news, peoples head in the sand mentality and not seeing what’s really happening around you - are still so current. Enjoyed the read overall.

[Old Man Aries · Rating 4 out of 5]

By Frederk Pohl and Judith Merril as Robert A. Heinlein

Contents
Introduction (Tomorrow, the Stars) • (1951) • essay by Robert A. Heinlein
I'm Scared • (1951) • short story by Jack Finney
The Silly Season • (1950) • short story by C.M. Kornbluth
The Report on the Barnhouse Effect • (1950) • short story by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
The Tourist Trade • (1951) • short story by Wilson Tucker [as by Bob Tucker]
Rainmaker • (1949) • short story by John Reese
Absalom • (1946) • short story by Henry Kuttner
The Monster • (1951) • short story by Lester del Rey
Jay Score • [Jay Score/Marathon] • (1941) • short story by Eric Frank Russell
Betelgeuse Bridge • (1951) • short story by William Tenn
Survival Ship • (1951) • short story by Judith Merril
Keyhole • (1951) • short story by Murray Leinster
Misbegotten Missionary • (1950) • short story by Isaac Asimov (aka Green Patches)
The Sack • (1950) • short story by William Morrison
Poor Superman • (1951) • novelette by Fritz Leiber (aka Appointment in Tomorrow)

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short stories written post WW II, published in 1952. Although I’ve read all of Heinlein’s fiction, I somehow missed this short story collection he edited.

The stories are characteristic of their time - optimistic and science-focused. Indeed, that seems to be the theme of the collection: hard SF as opposed to fantasy.

Not all of the stories published in 1952 hold up in 2022, and at least one, “The Rainmaker,” was outdated by the time it was published in this collection. There are several, however, that could have been written last week, notably Fritz Leiber’s wickedly funny “Poor Superman.”

I won’t spoil “Poor Superman” except to say that those who survived the Covid-19 pandemic with a skeptical outlook on the supposed authorities might especially enjoy it.

[Lyndon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining, as editor Heinlein promised. A nice variety of SF from the late 40s and early 50s featuring industrial and atomic futurism, social commentary, alien encounters, etc. Vonnecut's story was a favorite, as well as Kornbluth's 'The Silly Season.' Find a paperback copy if you're into classic SF stories.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories from the 1940's published in 1952 for this collection. The stories are a great way to see what writers thought the future held. Some of their vision was great but others missed the mark greatly. Some of these stories would have been right at home as a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode. Flying cars, spaceships and aliens were well done. But while traveling in your flying car and making a phone call you still needed an operator to connect your person to person call. The expectation that man could control the weather and make it rain in Southern California with dry ice and an airplane was overly hopeful in the use of cloud seeding. Really some of the stories predicting the future were honestly funny as I'm sure some of our Science Fiction stories will look in 50 years, but still it made me laugh.

On the other hand, look out of the sexism and racism rampant in these stories. The whole White Man's burden thing was on full display. These stories were a product of their time, but even the story going out of its way trying to not be racist was sadly still horribly horribly racist.

Anyway, good stories even when showing their age. But without some of these writers and their stories we would not have the treasure trove of good Science Fiction we have today.

[Michael Tildsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in a long line of mixed bag science fiction short story anthologies. This time, the stories within are from the 1940s and 1950s. Many of the ideas are outdated or don't have the same zing they once held. So much has happened in the last 70+ years to make science fiction more mainstream and acceptable such that the level of creativity has risen along with the sheer number of stories and plotlines continuously revisited.

That said, there are a few gems within this selection of fourteen short stories. The following are the ones I consider to be five-star rated, and would recommend to any fans of the genre as still salient and enjoyable:

"I'm Scared" by Jack Finney

"Betelgeuse Bridge" by William Tenn

"Keyhole" by Murray Leinster

"Misbegotten Missionary" by Isaac Asimov

"The Sack" by William Morrison

[1.1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I typically enjoy old sci-fi and this book delivered. Some of the stories are stronger than others, but none of them were total disappointments. It's funny to think how I'm posting this review via a wireless connection to a global information network only 60 years after these writers were envisioning secretary robots and telepathic lifeforms in the solar system.

It was a great escape from other matters, and nothing overly hokey. 'The Sack' is excellent. 'The Barnhouse Effect' would be familiar to anyone at this point, but I didn't mind rereading it. Asimov's story is great - it is vague enough that it never feels dated and the message works. 'Keyhole' was a stand-out piece with a great ending and message. Good speculative fiction is timeless, and enjoyable, whether it's from the era of vacuum tubes or nanoscale microprocessors. If anyone tells you different they're a boor or a liar.

[Owen Thaxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apparently this is the only anthology book that Heinlein ever put together. I really like the Kurt Vonnegut story, as his story about "luck-based telekinesis" definitely feels like a predecessor to comicbook characters like Amos Fortune, and he tells his story almost completely without using things like "quotation marks" or traditional "dialogue". I liked the part in the Fritz Lieber's story about how we've always "thought the second coming of Christ would be another person, why can't it be a machine?" (I'm paraphrasing).

Overall, a totally worthwhile series of stories published in the 1950s that reek of THE FUTURE science fiction

[Cheney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually have a 1967 edition, but all of them seem to closely resemble each other. All of these stories stand out as absolute treats of golden age sci-fi especially Vonnegut's "The Report on the Barnhouse Effect". The selection of the stories and arranging for their publication, was actually done by Frederik Pohl and Judith Merril whose names are often omitted from many publications.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good collection of science fiction short stories. Each of the stories is quite creative, and there are frequently twists that force the reader to change his or her perspective in an interesting way. It is quite fun to read what the minds of science fiction were saying about space travel before the first voyage to the moon.

[Denis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine collections of short stories written during the time this was published, but the unfortunate thing is that it has been said - in "Grumbles from the Grave", that Heinlein himself had had nothing to do with the selection of these stories and that the book was published without is consent and consideration and therefore nothing more that a marketing ploy capitalizing on his name alone.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the at-times dismal outlook of the future of a post WWII world. I would highly recommend seeking out the stories in this collection for both the science fiction and the historical relevance.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories written in the early '50's. It was very "interesting" to see what these authors thought our world would be like now. No where near the robots or space exploration, but also we have not experienced the predicted WW3.

[Eric Maier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book of short stories. I liked all but two of them. They are all copyrighted from the 1950's and are well written.

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heinlein edited this collection.

Reread July 1979
Read April 1979

[Paul Roemer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of sci-fi short stories. A lot of them have creative little jabs to turn what you think is going to happen upside down.

[Joe Bruno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey, this is schlocky science fiction stuff from my childhood, I read a lot of this when I was a kid. Fun, goofy and the views about space travel and robots seem silly now. There was an interesting story about an alien that was a great source of knowledge that reminded me of the internet, "The Sack" and in the story all that info ended up being bad. Other than that it was kid of weak, I didn't read all of the stories.

You can't go home again though, the nostalgia is bittersweet. This was first published in 1950 and the copy I have is from the 80s and smells like some sort of accelerant. I wouldn't bother with this if you are not a reader of classic sci-fi.

[Evelyn L · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apart from a killer title and a passionate prologue, there's almost nothing going for it. I enjoyed less than half these stories and I even skimmed through three of them. I did enjoy a few of them, but I hardly remember them at this point. I don't think the second half of the book has a single story worth mentioning. One of the least interesting anthologies I've ever read.

[Zack · Rating 2 out of 5]

One particular story is deragatory, reader be warned! The first shory story was my fav. The copy of my book broke apart due to age, worked for me since most were not amazing. Vonnegut and Asimov deliver as usual.

[Kevin Lawlor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short story collection. Only 2 of the 14 I didn't care for. "The Report on the Barnhouse Effect" by Kurt Vonnegut, "Jay Score" by Eric Frank Russell and "Betegeuse Bridge" by William Tenn were absolute bangers. Heinlein definitely curated quite the collection here!

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book of vintage sci-fi for all ages! I loved four of the stories and liked seven more. One is even a feminist story!

[George Hahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhat dated (it was published in 1952) but still entertaining stories from some of the greatest of the early writers.

[Tom Sadira · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple gems, a couple decent ones, and a bunch of duds.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating view of historical world view using the stories of fabulous sci fi authors.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of these were three stars, a few were two, but those that were five really made up for everything. What a fun, goofy, bizarre collection of stories.

[Ethan’s Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story is with out a doubt the best.

The rest are two to three stars at best.

[Cheryl]

for del Rey's The Monster, one of his hacks that he's proud of...
---
Seems I've read this collection before; all the stories I've attempted are familiar.
"Monster" is a very good one, both pulp adventure and a bit literary... I'm glad that I took this chance to (re)read it and I do recommend it to other fans of 40s/50s era SF.

I do want to find more stories from Judith Merril (note the singular 'l' at the end when searching for her). That Only a Mother is of course her most famous story, and she has edited several anthologies, and worked with Kornbluth, but she deserves to be better known as a writer in her own right. 'Survival Ship' gives us the What If idea of "Twenty and Four" which would never have been written by a male author back in the day....

Anyway, this is a fun sampler for those youngsters who wonder what the appeal of the older SF was. And a nice reminder for those of us already fans. I wound up skimming every story for the Idea and being satisfied with that, not feeling the need for a careful reading because these were not written with a careful reading in mind. Thank you. ;)

[Cathy Savage · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an anthology of short stories by various authors which I had not read in a while. It was interesting to read these again, but I found them very dated as most were written in the 1940's to early 1950's. They were the best of their genre at the time and very often predictive of the scientific trends that were to come. It is always interesting to go back to the early days to appreciate how the genre has developed. Worth a read by any hard core sci-fi fan.