The Dark Between the Stars

by Poul Anderson

Someday. Tomorrow. When Earth fails man and man leaves Earth behind, the awesomeness is waiting Out There. Empty beyond all imagining, vast beyond all reckoning, as deep as Time and twice as cold. The Dark Between the stars.

Here collected for the first time are the most incredible and terrifying voyages of the acclaimed master of SF adventure. Voyages to the center of a universe dark with horror. And beyond.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Pseudonym A. A. Craig, Michael Karageorge, Winston P. Sanders, P. A. Kingsley.

Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards.

Anderson received a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota in 1948. He married Karen Kruse in 1953. They had one daughter, Astrid, who is married to science fiction author Greg Bear. Anderson was the sixth President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, taking office in 1972. He was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America, a loose-knit group of Heroic Fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose works were anthologized in Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! anthologies. He was a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls to Anderson and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy.[2][3]

Poul Anderson died of cancer on July 31, 2001, after a month in the hospital. Several of his novels were published posthumously.


Series:
* Time Patrol
* Psychotechnic League
* Trygve Yamamura
* Harvest of Stars
* King of Ys
* Last Viking
* Hoka
* Future history of the Polesotechnic League
* Flandry

Reviews

[Tyler Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun spooky short stories that range from post apocalyptic to living on Jupiter.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up long long ago - probably in the mid 80's when I was getting back into reading science fiction again. and it has been boxed away in a closet for a great many years. I'm going through some of those old boxes and thinning them out. I did not remember having read this collection and since I generally liked Anderson's stories (in the early to mid 70's I considered him one of my favorite SF authors) I thought it deserved a read. The hardback was published by the Science Fiction Book Club and it has a gawdawful cover that rather creeps me out. (The cover, though, does illustrate a very brief moment - like one sentence - of the Voortrekkers but is not at all representative of the stories here). My personal problem is that the subject matter was at times too creepy for me in ways the lurid cover does not suggest. The first story won a 1969 Hugo Award for Best Novelette (and was nominated for a nebula award) and is about cannibalism on an almost lost colony of earth in the far future. The second tale, 'Fortune Hunter' starts off with this fabulously descriptive text that was beautiful but the story is about a fortune hunter, a man who has been trying to emotionally seduce a woman for selfish reasons over a very long time. Once I realized the guy was a creep it really took the shine off the story.

The third story 'Eutopia' first appeared in Harlan Ellison's 'Dangerous Visions' and so would be expected to be provocative. Anderson plays with the readers preconceived notions in this parallel world story and one doesn't hit the ick until the very last sentence, and in fact the very last word. Yuck. Then in another story we have a soldier subject to genital mutilation who is forced to betray his country in this spy game People's Republic of America alternate history story. The title of this collection may be the dark between the stars but it is more like the dark between the words. Dystopian futures and alternate / parallel worlds are a recurring theme.

Generally these are very well written stories but the subject matter and/or the 'twist' was not to my liking in too many. I would not really recommend this collection, although 'Call Me Joe' is a classic of the genre, which I have read before and was worth a reread. Also on the plus side, The Voortrekkers, although rather short, captures the excitement of future deep space pioneers in an unusual way. The personalities of the explorers are stored and then implanted in new bodies when the destination is reached across many light years in space. I think of it as like the Star Trek transporter system in a different use. Here though one must re-acclimate to the recreated body. (I like also Anderson's co-opting the term 'Voortrekkers' for the title of this story of man's migration into space.) This one ties with Call Me Joe as my favorites of the collection.

The better stories seem to be in the second half of the book beginning with Voortrekkers. Gibraltar Falls was a rather fun and existing trip into the past.

There is also a very good afterword in this collection which is oddly placed three stories before the end!

The bulk of the stories collected here are award winning and/or have been anthologized in many different collections.

The included stories are:
Foreword • (1981) • essay by Poul Anderson
The Sharing of Flesh • (1968) • novelette
Fortune Hunter • (1972) • short story
Eutopia • (1967) • novelette
The Pugilist • (1973) • novelette
Night Piece • (1961) • short story
The Voortrekkers • (1974) • novelette
Afterword by Poul Anderson
Gibraltar Falls • (1975) • short story
Windmill • Maurai • (1973) • novelette
Call Me Joe • (1957) • novelette

[Evan Þ. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This's a collection of nine short stories or novellas, set in different worlds, without any definite thematic similarities beyond all being science fiction written by Poul Anderson. Some of them are well-trodden plotlines, but even those have touching writing. And others are very inventive - such as the first novel about a planetary survey mission finding unexpected surprises in a lost colony, which leaves me wanting more written in that universe.

Once again, I find myself telling myself I should read more Poul Anderson.

[Andrew Ten broek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection started off with some average stories, but I thought the second half of the collection had some real gems in them. Among them I'm counting the stories "The Voortrekkers" and a very awesome story about psionics which is "Call Me Joe"... that last one really must be one of the best short stories I've read up until now.

[Tell Tale Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

-Gregory Kerkman

[without overthinking · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compilation starts strong, slog a little in some places in the middle and ends spectacularly.

The sharing of flesh – In a distant future on a remote human colony, canibalism becames imperative. In this barbaric society, is justice always an eye for an eye?
5/5

Fortune hunter – On a Earth where there are few nature pockets left, live or even enter them it´s a high privilege.
3/5

Eutopia – Parallel universes and diferent timelines
2/5

The pugilist – A dark tale of an alternative reality where USA has lost their supremacy and autonomy , also lazer guns replacing penis.
4/5

Night Piece – A man creates some sort of device which possibilites a view into other universes – maybe – I have no idea
1/5

The voortrekkers – Humankind reach the stars but not like we dream of. What is conscience, how much of oneself does time and a body takes.
5/5

Gibraltar falls – Time travel and a little romance.
1/5


Windmill – A new start for humankind, the same mistakes.
3/5


Call me Joe – One of the greatest short stories I have ever read in what must be the inspiration to Avatar, the quality of what Poul Anderson delivers in about thirty pages it´s remarkable.
5/5

I know the avarage is 3 but I have to give an extra star for Call me Joe.