The World That Couldn't Be and 8 Other Provocative Challenging Science-Fiction Novelets

by H.L. Gold (Editor)

Science or Fiction? Here are nine novelets dealing with the world we do not yet know. Each is a masterfully told story in its own right, exploring areas of future life that are no longer merely possible.

Science fiction has come of age. Within this pages, moreover, it is at once apparent that its practicioners are clearly the most able and exciting writers writing today.

The world that couldn't be, nine superlative, provocative, challenging science fiction novels from Galaxy was originally published by Doubleday & Co, Inc.

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Anthologies

260 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1959

About the author

Horace Leonard Gold was a science fiction writer and editor most noted for bringing an innovative and fresh approach to science fiction while he was the editor of Galaxy Science Fiction, and also wrote briefly for DC Comics. Born in Canada, Gold moved to the United States at the age of two. He also published under the pseudonyms Clyde Crane Campbell, Dudley Dell, Christopher Grimm, and Leigh Keith.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology contains nine novelettes that were first printed in issues of Galaxy Magazine, which was also edited by H.L. Gold, from 1954-1958. Some have aged better than others, of course, but there are still some worthwhile pieces. In reverse order of my favorites, the authors include, F.L. Wallace, Richard Matheson, Damon Knight, Mark Clifton, Evelyn E. Smith, Edgar Pangborn (The Music Master of Babylon, set in the same world as Davy), and Alan E. Nourse. The top spot is a tie between L. Sprague de Camp's A Gun For Dinosaur and the titular story by Clifford D. Simak.

[Johan Haneveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

9- I think I must conclude that my favorite SF-stories are those from the golden age of SF, the fifties (and I like the modern authors that in my view follow in their footsteps: Baxter, Reynolds, Kim Stanley Robinson). This collection was to me science fiction gold. I enjoyed (almost) every story. Some were great, others were a bit slight and one stuck out like a sore finger, but on the whole this is a great showcase of the narrative power of golden age sci fi. A clear writing style, concise stories, a great amount of tension, characters who while not the center of the story are fun to follow around, and well constructed with hints and information leading to a mind blowing conclusion (often in het final lines!) that give great satisfaction. Its entertainmentvalue is high, and even though some ideas are not in line with modern scientifical thought and fact (that's why we still write SF-tales), it was still fun to read about. Highlights in this collection are the opening story by Clifford D. Simak - a tale by a master, following an unsympathetic character during the hunt for a destructive alien. Interesting ideas about an alternative biology and a great closing line! I liked it. 'Brightside crossing' was a tense adventure tale about an expediction trying to cross Mercury. The hostile environment of Mercury was vividly brought to life. 'Mezerow loves company' was based on a pun - a bit inconsequential. 'Eye for a what?' by Damon Knight was about difficulty in communicating with a totally different, non humanoid alien. 'A woman's place' was introduced as a progressive story, but I found it ... well, not that progressive, and this was a story that I didn't like. Here a male author tried to write a woman's perspective but he wasn't able to lose his 50's male privilege in doing so. 'A gun for dinosaur' by L. Sprague du Camp is a classic. This was not the first time I read this, but it remains powerful. Even though the paleontology is not correct anymore, the past world is still vividly brought to life. I want to read the collection of other time travel tales this author wrote! Richard Matheson loves high concept tales (a lot of those are filmed, including The omega man) and his one is: an old man wakes up able to talk in French ... 'The music master of Babylon' is a great post-apocalyptic tale with a lot of atmosphere, that also communicates a love of music, and the difficulty of communicating culture to those not grown up in it. 'Once a greech', like the opening story is about alien biology, and reproduction. There's a lot of humor in here when a space ship takes an alien pet aboard without understanding the ecology of it's home planet. Fun, but not great. All in all, a great collection of stories that I really liked.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six-word Review: Interesting combination of styles and plots.

My rating may be a result of my expectations being too high. The two best stories in my opinion were "A Woman's Place" by Mark Clifton and "The Music Master of Babylon" by Edgar Pangborn. My least favorite stories were "Mezzerow Loves Company" by F.I. Wallace and "One for the Books" by Richard Matheson

Longer review later

[Christopher Madsen]

Ziah gave me this anthology of nine sci-fi short stories for Christmas. I like reading sci-fi from the classic era to see what the authors got right and what they got wrong. Its also interesting to see their cultural blindspots as they speculate about the future, such as the rampent sexism that is common of sci-fi from the era, and in two of the stories, racism.

There are a few good ones here. One is about a colonizeing farmer on new planet hunting an animal that seemingly cant be killed. The best is about an old man, the final remenent of humanity, who lives in a museum and plays classical piano for no body but himself... until one two young people arrive.