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Nebula Awards Showcases #10
Nebula Award Stories 10
Contents* After King Kong Fell [Wold Newton] (1973) shortstory by Philip José Farmer* The Nebula Winners, 1965-1974 (1975) essay by uncredited* Born With the Dead (1974) novella by Robert Silverberg* If the Stars Are Gods [Bradley Reynolds] (1974) novelette by Gordon Eklund and Gregory Benford* Introduction (Nebula Award Stories 10) (1975) essay by James E. Gunn [as by James Gunn ]* The Day Before the Revolution [Hainish] (1974) shortstory by Ursula K. Le Guin* The Engine at Heartspring's Center (1974) shortstory by Roger Zelazny* The Rest is Silence (1974) shortstory by Charles L. Grant [as by C. L. Grant ]* Twilla (1974) novelette by Tom Reamy
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
2 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
James E. Gunn
268 books118 followersAmerican science fiction author, editor, scholar, and anthologist. His work from the 1960s and 70s is considered his most significant fiction, and his Road to Science Fiction collections are considered his most important scholarly books. He won a Hugo Award for a non-fiction book in 1983 for Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction. He was named the 2007 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Gunn served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, after which he attended the University of Kansas, earning a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in 1947 and a Masters of Arts in English in 1951. Gunn went on to become a faculty member of the University of Kansas, where he served as the university's director of public relations and as a professor of English, specializing in science fiction and fiction writing. He is now a professor emeritus and director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, which awards the annual John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award at the Campbell Conference in Lawrence, Kansas, every July.
He served as President of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1971–72, was President of the Science Fiction Research Association from 1980-82, and currently is Director of The Center for the Study of
Science Fiction. SFWA honored him as a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 2007.
Gunn began his career as a science fiction author in 1948. He has had almost 100 stories published in magazines and anthologies and has authored 26 books and edited 10. Many of his stories and books have been reprinted around the world.
In 1996, Gunn wrote a novelization of the unproduced Star Trek episode "The Joy Machine" by Theodore Sturgeon.
His stories also have been adapted into radioplays and teleplays:
* NBC radio's X Minus One
* Desilu Playhouse's 1959 "Man in Orbit", based on Gunn's "The Cave of Night"
* ABC-TV's Movie of the Week "The Immortal" (1969) and an hour-long television series in 1970, based on Gunn's The Immortals
* An episode of the USSR science fiction TV series This Fantastic World, filmed in 1989 and entitled "Psychodynamics of the Witchcraft" was based on James Gunn's 1953 story "Wherever You May Be".
Gunn served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, after which he attended the University of Kansas, earning a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in 1947 and a Masters of Arts in English in 1951. Gunn went on to become a faculty member of the University of Kansas, where he served as the university's director of public relations and as a professor of English, specializing in science fiction and fiction writing. He is now a professor emeritus and director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, which awards the annual John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award at the Campbell Conference in Lawrence, Kansas, every July.
He served as President of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1971–72, was President of the Science Fiction Research Association from 1980-82, and currently is Director of The Center for the Study of
Science Fiction. SFWA honored him as a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 2007.
Gunn began his career as a science fiction author in 1948. He has had almost 100 stories published in magazines and anthologies and has authored 26 books and edited 10. Many of his stories and books have been reprinted around the world.
In 1996, Gunn wrote a novelization of the unproduced Star Trek episode "The Joy Machine" by Theodore Sturgeon.
His stories also have been adapted into radioplays and teleplays:
* NBC radio's X Minus One
* Desilu Playhouse's 1959 "Man in Orbit", based on Gunn's "The Cave of Night"
* ABC-TV's Movie of the Week "The Immortal" (1969) and an hour-long television series in 1970, based on Gunn's The Immortals
* An episode of the USSR science fiction TV series This Fantastic World, filmed in 1989 and entitled "Psychodynamics of the Witchcraft" was based on James Gunn's 1953 story "Wherever You May Be".
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 16, 2025
1974 was a bad year for science fiction, y'all.
The Nebula Awards turned 10 -- and they just can't get over themselves. And, for an anthology touting sci-fi, it publishes two horror stories, and two tedious non-fiction essays. There are only three decent stories in the lot -- and none of them won anything.
Selections:
* "Introduction" by Our Editor. Even though there's not one but TWO essays about the Nebula Awards' tenth anniversary, Our Editor has to write a third.
* "The Engine at Heartspring's Center" by Roger Zelazny. Just another lousy love story with sci-fi trappings.
* "If the Stars are Gods" by Gordon Eklund and Gregory Benford. Rather plodding novella about the first man to meet aliens, which turn out to be giraffe-like. Apparently, there were manned expeditions to Mars in the 1980s, and the aliens arrived in the early 2000s. How'd I miss that?
* "Twilla" by Tom Reamy. This is actually a modern fantasy or horror story, but after two duds, and the crap to come, this shines like new-fallen snow in comparison. A weird new kid joins a Kansas small town school. And then there's a murder.
* "Ten Years of Nebula Awards" by Gordon R. Dickson. A non-fiction essay which does what it says on the tin. It's utterly forgettable.
* "As the Wall Crumbles" by Robert Scholes. And here's another non-fiction essay trumpeting the virtues of sci-fi as legit literature, although there is a warning that if sci-fi becomes mainstream, it will die. All this written before Star Wars.
* "After King Kong Fell" by Philip Jose Farmer. A 13 year old witnesses King Kong's last night in Manhattan, then decades later tells his granddaughter about it. As you get older, King Kong just gets sadder.
* "The Day Before the Revolution" by Ursula K. LeGuin. Speaking of getting sadder as you get older, we have here the Nebula winner for Best Short Story, set in the world of her novel The Dispossessed. If you haven't read that, then you're shit out of luck.
* "The Rest is Silence" by C. L. Grant. This stupid and predictable urban horror rant against the angry young man features mutilated owls and other birds. When people see them, they don't react beyond thinking they're pranks. That's the most horrifying part of this dull, definitely not sci-fi, tale. And since when do high school teachers get tenure?
* "Born with the Dead" by Robert Silverberg. About 1990 came the cure for death. Oddly enough, I missed that. Despite the embarrassing time frame, this story about life after death (so to speak) is truly chilling. Favorite hobby of the dead? Hunting re-engineered extinct species like the dodo and the quaaga (which may not technically be extinct ... but no one knew that in 1974.)
* Lists of Nebula and Hugo Award winners.
The Nebula Awards turned 10 -- and they just can't get over themselves. And, for an anthology touting sci-fi, it publishes two horror stories, and two tedious non-fiction essays. There are only three decent stories in the lot -- and none of them won anything.
Selections:
* "Introduction" by Our Editor. Even though there's not one but TWO essays about the Nebula Awards' tenth anniversary, Our Editor has to write a third.
* "The Engine at Heartspring's Center" by Roger Zelazny. Just another lousy love story with sci-fi trappings.
* "If the Stars are Gods" by Gordon Eklund and Gregory Benford. Rather plodding novella about the first man to meet aliens, which turn out to be giraffe-like. Apparently, there were manned expeditions to Mars in the 1980s, and the aliens arrived in the early 2000s. How'd I miss that?
* "Twilla" by Tom Reamy. This is actually a modern fantasy or horror story, but after two duds, and the crap to come, this shines like new-fallen snow in comparison. A weird new kid joins a Kansas small town school. And then there's a murder.
* "Ten Years of Nebula Awards" by Gordon R. Dickson. A non-fiction essay which does what it says on the tin. It's utterly forgettable.
* "As the Wall Crumbles" by Robert Scholes. And here's another non-fiction essay trumpeting the virtues of sci-fi as legit literature, although there is a warning that if sci-fi becomes mainstream, it will die. All this written before Star Wars.
* "After King Kong Fell" by Philip Jose Farmer. A 13 year old witnesses King Kong's last night in Manhattan, then decades later tells his granddaughter about it. As you get older, King Kong just gets sadder.
* "The Day Before the Revolution" by Ursula K. LeGuin. Speaking of getting sadder as you get older, we have here the Nebula winner for Best Short Story, set in the world of her novel The Dispossessed. If you haven't read that, then you're shit out of luck.
* "The Rest is Silence" by C. L. Grant. This stupid and predictable urban horror rant against the angry young man features mutilated owls and other birds. When people see them, they don't react beyond thinking they're pranks. That's the most horrifying part of this dull, definitely not sci-fi, tale. And since when do high school teachers get tenure?
* "Born with the Dead" by Robert Silverberg. About 1990 came the cure for death. Oddly enough, I missed that. Despite the embarrassing time frame, this story about life after death (so to speak) is truly chilling. Favorite hobby of the dead? Hunting re-engineered extinct species like the dodo and the quaaga (which may not technically be extinct ... but no one knew that in 1974.)
* Lists of Nebula and Hugo Award winners.
August 19, 2021
Here's another review to warn future readers away from mediocre SF.
Truly, this book should garner a 3 but I am dropping its grade in the hopes that it will bring the average lower than its current 3.85.
Often with older collections like this one focusing on 1974 "Nebula Award Winners" there are duds and gems in a mixed bag. Not so, here. No single story is even close to rising above a mediocre rating of 3 sadly.
Let me begin by saying the intro and essays are completely outdated and not worth your time so there's no point reviewing them here.
Zelazny starts the stories off with a beautifully written story about a cyborg at a euthanasia clinic. The story is pretty but nothing special. 3
"If the stars are gods" is really slow with no real payoff. I'm pretty sure I've read other stories with this title's central idea and they've been more interesting. 3
"Twilla" is pretty good mystery horror. Not very SF actually, but overall just ok. 3
"After King Kong Fell" is well-written but ultimately a letdown. 3
Le Guin's contribution "The day before the revolution" is very boring and more about being an old lady than about a revolution. Yawn. 2
"The rest is silence" is well-written but falls flat at the end with a vague deus ex machina sort of thing that doesn't really make sense. 3
Silverberg's "Born with the dead" was the one I was sure would redeem this collection. Usually Silverberg is amazing when I find his stories in collections. Not the case here as this story is fucking stupid. Here's the breakdown that sounds so much more interesting than it is: in the future people can be "rekindled" after death and lead a sort of bland "life after death." Believe me when I say it's bland - the author must have put a lot of effort into making that second life comes across as mundane as possible - it is! And such a pathetic waste of time as I followed different characters along 66 pages of boring dumbness to a pitiful letdown of a conclusion that just made me want to throw this book in the garbage once I was done with it. 2
I really need something good to read next.
Truly, this book should garner a 3 but I am dropping its grade in the hopes that it will bring the average lower than its current 3.85.
Often with older collections like this one focusing on 1974 "Nebula Award Winners" there are duds and gems in a mixed bag. Not so, here. No single story is even close to rising above a mediocre rating of 3 sadly.
Let me begin by saying the intro and essays are completely outdated and not worth your time so there's no point reviewing them here.
Zelazny starts the stories off with a beautifully written story about a cyborg at a euthanasia clinic. The story is pretty but nothing special. 3
"If the stars are gods" is really slow with no real payoff. I'm pretty sure I've read other stories with this title's central idea and they've been more interesting. 3
"Twilla" is pretty good mystery horror. Not very SF actually, but overall just ok. 3
"After King Kong Fell" is well-written but ultimately a letdown. 3
Le Guin's contribution "The day before the revolution" is very boring and more about being an old lady than about a revolution. Yawn. 2
"The rest is silence" is well-written but falls flat at the end with a vague deus ex machina sort of thing that doesn't really make sense. 3
Silverberg's "Born with the dead" was the one I was sure would redeem this collection. Usually Silverberg is amazing when I find his stories in collections. Not the case here as this story is fucking stupid. Here's the breakdown that sounds so much more interesting than it is: in the future people can be "rekindled" after death and lead a sort of bland "life after death." Believe me when I say it's bland - the author must have put a lot of effort into making that second life comes across as mundane as possible - it is! And such a pathetic waste of time as I followed different characters along 66 pages of boring dumbness to a pitiful letdown of a conclusion that just made me want to throw this book in the garbage once I was done with it. 2
I really need something good to read next.
February 27, 2019
A collection of stories and essays written in the mid-seventies by Nebula Award winners. The two essays were an interesting look into the past and future of science fiction as seen by the authors of science fiction during that time. They saw the potential of the genre and its writers but were not sure if the world could see it. Intriguing glimpse.
Of the stories, I enjoyed the first two the most:
Roger Zelanzy's The Engine at Heartspring's Center where an immortal man-machine goes to die on a planet where people go, voluntarily, to be euthanized. He changes his mind and wanders the beach collecting detritus to sell until a woman asks for his help and a place of sanctuary in order to be given the right to change her mind as well.
If the Stars Are Gods by Gordon Eklund and Gregory Benford follows an astronaut that many believe should have already retired (I think he's only in his 50s). Living and working on the moon Reynolds passes the time alone remembering his glory days, not in an 'oh, the past is where I did all my greatest deeds' but in a 'Is that it?' kind of way. Until first contact occurs and the aliens ask for the man who speaks to the stars. (Oh early sci-fi! I really liked this story but... there was this moment. The moon base director is a woman and I thought 'Yay! Some male authors in the '70s thinking forward, in regards to women, in the future', then this comment about another female on the base: She worked in the administrative section, which meant she slept with most of the men on the base at one time or another. You were so close! So close! :/)
Of the stories, I enjoyed the first two the most:
Roger Zelanzy's The Engine at Heartspring's Center where an immortal man-machine goes to die on a planet where people go, voluntarily, to be euthanized. He changes his mind and wanders the beach collecting detritus to sell until a woman asks for his help and a place of sanctuary in order to be given the right to change her mind as well.
If the Stars Are Gods by Gordon Eklund and Gregory Benford follows an astronaut that many believe should have already retired (I think he's only in his 50s). Living and working on the moon Reynolds passes the time alone remembering his glory days, not in an 'oh, the past is where I did all my greatest deeds' but in a 'Is that it?' kind of way. Until first contact occurs and the aliens ask for the man who speaks to the stars. (Oh early sci-fi! I really liked this story but... there was this moment. The moon base director is a woman and I thought 'Yay! Some male authors in the '70s thinking forward, in regards to women, in the future', then this comment about another female on the base: She worked in the administrative section, which meant she slept with most of the men on the base at one time or another. You were so close! So close! :/)
July 13, 2016
Good collection, fair year. Standout stories were:
Gordon Eklund & Gregory Benford, "If the Stars are Gods", Best Novellette award, 1974.
The first alien starship has come to visit. The aliens aren't too interested in us -- they've come to interview, and worship, our Sun. Reynolds, a semi-retired astronaut-astronomer, tries to figure out what the hell these weird, giraffe-like aliens really want. Very nicely done. I'd forgotten what a good story this is.
Tom Reamy (1935-77), "Twilla", novellette nominee. The newest student at the Hawley, Kansas High School catches Miss Mahan's attention. The brutal murder of Yvonne Wilkins, another ninth-grader, reveals that Twilla is not what she seems. Miss Mahan is introduced to Dazreel the djinn.
The others? Eh. My 2004 review:
https://www.amazon.com/review/RT34UKO...
Gordon Eklund & Gregory Benford, "If the Stars are Gods", Best Novellette award, 1974.
The first alien starship has come to visit. The aliens aren't too interested in us -- they've come to interview, and worship, our Sun. Reynolds, a semi-retired astronaut-astronomer, tries to figure out what the hell these weird, giraffe-like aliens really want. Very nicely done. I'd forgotten what a good story this is.
Tom Reamy (1935-77), "Twilla", novellette nominee. The newest student at the Hawley, Kansas High School catches Miss Mahan's attention. The brutal murder of Yvonne Wilkins, another ninth-grader, reveals that Twilla is not what she seems. Miss Mahan is introduced to Dazreel the djinn.
The others? Eh. My 2004 review:
https://www.amazon.com/review/RT34UKO...
Currently reading
February 8, 20267 stories:
(6/7 read)
**** The Engine at Heartspring's Center (1974) • Roger Zelazny
**** If the Stars Are Gods (1974) • Gregory Benford and Gordon Eklund
Twilla (1974) • Tom Reamy
** After King Kong Fell (1973) • Philip José Farmer
***** The Day Before the Revolution (1974) • Ursula K. Le Guin
** The Rest Is Silence (1974) • Charles L. Grant
**** Born with the Dead (1974) • Robert Silverberg
(6/7 read)
**** The Engine at Heartspring's Center (1974) • Roger Zelazny
**** If the Stars Are Gods (1974) • Gregory Benford and Gordon Eklund
Twilla (1974) • Tom Reamy
** After King Kong Fell (1973) • Philip José Farmer
***** The Day Before the Revolution (1974) • Ursula K. Le Guin
** The Rest Is Silence (1974) • Charles L. Grant
**** Born with the Dead (1974) • Robert Silverberg
May 14, 2010
This is, as you might have guessed from its many authors, an anthology. All these stories have won awards and may be called classics. I read this a long time ago and honestly, can't remember much of it, so this really isn't much of a review.
January 5, 2020
Die Anthologie hat zwar überdurchschnittliche Qualität (kein Wunder), aber es war keine Story dabei, die mich richtig umhaute. Die beste, die von Silverberg, kannte ich schon. Da dies Nebula-Stories sind, hätte ich besseres erwartet
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews