The World Turned Upside Down

by Eric Flint (Editor), Jim Baen (Editor), Poul Anderson

29 short stories from 1933-1967 that left permanent significant impact on the three editors as teens.
1 Rescue Party by Arthur C. Clarke (Astounding Science Fiction May'46)
2 Menace from Earth by Robert A. Heinlein (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction Aug'57)
3 Code Three by Rick Raphael (Analog Feb'63)
4 Hunting Problem by Robert Sheckley (Galaxy Sep'55)
5 Black Destroyer by A. E. Van Vogt (Astounding Science Fiction July'39)
6 Pail of Air by Fritz Leiber (Galaxy Dec'51)
7 Thy Rocks and Rills by Robert Ernest Gilbert (If Sep'53)
8 Gun for Dinosaur by L. Sprague de Camp (Galaxy Mar'56)
9 Goblin Night by James H. Schmitz (Analog Apr'65)
10 Only Thing We Learn by C. M. Kornbluth (Startling Stories July'49)
11 Trigger Tide by Wyman Guin (as Norman Menascoe Astounding Science Fiction Oct'50)
12 Aliens by Murray Leinster (Astounding Science Fiction Aug'59)
13 All the Way Back by Michael Shaara (Astounding Science Fiction July'52)
14 Last Command by Keith Laumer (Analog Jan'67)
15 Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell (as Don A. Stuart Astounding Science Fiction Aug'38)
16 Quietus by Ross Rocklynne (Astounding Science Fiction Sep'40)
17 Answer by Frederic Brown (Angels and Spaceships 1954)
18 Last Question by Isaac Asimov (Isaac Asimov: The Complete .. #1 1956)
19 Cold Equations by Tom Godwin (Astounding Science Fiction Aug'54)
20 Shambleau by C. L. Moore (Wierd Tales Nov'33)
21 Turning Point by Poul Anderson (If May'53)
22 Heavy Planet by Lee Gregor (Astounding Science Fiction Aug'39)
23 Omnilingual by H. Beam Piper (Astounding Science Fiction Feb'57)
24 Gentle Earth by Christopher Anvil (Astounding Science Fiction Nov'57)
25 Environment by Chester S. Geier (Astounding Science Fiction May'44)
26 Liane the Wayfarer by Jack Vance (The Dying Earth 1950)
27 Spawn by P. Schuyler Miller (Wierd Tales Aug'39)
28 St. Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson
29 Thunder and Roses by Theodore Sturgeon (Astounding Science Fiction Nov'47)

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fantasy, Horror, Space

752 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Eric Flint was a New York Times bestselling American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works were alternate history science fiction, but he also wrote humorous fantasy adventures.

Reviews

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENGLISH: My second reading of this excellent collection of 29 SF stories, by 29 different authors. The seven I have liked most have been the following:
- The menace from Earth by Robert Heinlein
- Black destroyer by A.E.van Vogt
- The aliens by Murray Leinster
- The cold equations by Tom Godwin
- Turning point by Poul Anderson
- Omnilingual by H.Beam Piper
- Thunder & roses by Theodore Sturgeon

ESPAÑOL: Excelente colección de 29 cuentos de ciencia ficción de 29 autores diferentes. Estos son los siete que más me han gustado:
- La amenaza de la Tierra de Robert Heinlein
- Destructor negro de A.E.van Vogt
- Los extraterrestres de Murray Leinster
- Las frías ecuaciones de Tom Godwin
- Punto de inflexión de Poul Anderson
- Omnilingüe por H.Beam Piper
- Truenos y rosas de Theodore Sturgeon

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Undoubtedly the best anthology I've ever read. Ever.

Purportedly a collection of the science fiction and fantasy short stories which made the greatest impression on the three editors when in their teens (the 1950s), these stories range across the early decades of science fiction and fantasy. Among them are stories that genuinely creeped me out ("Who Goes There?" is why I don't read horror) and brought an emotional response greater than the best dying-puppy tale.

A great read.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best feature is finding more authors, titles. Mostly tragic, so funny preferred. Gentle Earth's harsh weather - hurricane, flood, volcano, snow - conquers alien troops who slow down in the cold. Leinster's Aliens turn disastrous first contact with Plumies into happy-ever-after. Poul Anderson's Turning Point starts "Please, mister, could I have a cracker for my oontatherium?" p 500.

In Black Destroyer by A. E. Van Vogt, a catlike alien Coeurl boards human exploration team spaceship, eats them for their phosphorus content. David Drake's Fortress of Glass has vicious futuristic Coerli, cat-men who eat raw humans. Coincidence? Homage? 3* here and elsewhere credits talent despite my queasy reluctance for subjects.

Most plots are human-based. Men defeat Coeurl by "knowledge of history p 151. Such solutions confuse - jabberwocky deluxe.

1 Rescue Party by Arthur C. Clarke 3*
Alveron from Kulath, hours left to save Earth survivors, instead rescues Cmdr Torkalee's team caught on subway. Kulathers then track immense Earth fleet searching for a new home .
2 The Menace from Earth by Robert A. Heinlein 3*teen crush
Holly Jones 15, narrates teaching older gorgeous groundhog Lisa Brentwood to fly despite rejection by spaceship design partner Jeff Hardesty 18. Holly breaks both legs saving Ariel, who reassures she is "old enough to be your mother" p 50, too old for him.
3 Code Three by Rick Raphael 1* dull
Future hiway patrol typical day of emergencies: chases, wrecks, and birth. "Beulah", Philadelphia Thruway Car #56 60' x 12' x 12', holds Sgt Ben Martin, junior Clay Ferguson, and medic-cook Kelly Lightfoot.
4 Hunting Problem by Robert Sheckley 4*
Young Drog pursues three Mirash (humans jewel miners Herrara, Praxton, and Stellman) to skin and achieve first class scouting badge. Scout troop proudly raises one "skin" for flag -- space suit.
5 Black Destroyer by A. E. Van Vogt 3* (Tales of Space & Time July'39 rewrote as ep1 The Voyage of the Space Beagle)
Starving surviving black cat-like alien Coeurl enters spaceship of human explorers to eat their "id" phosphorus. Inside, he builds scout ship and flees, but suicides at seeing their ship back in front, not knowing about anti-acceleration.
6 Pail of Air by Fritz Leiber 2* point?
Boy narrates daily survival routines, scooping and thawing frozen oxygen for Pa, Ma, and Sis hiding in Nest, and sudden rescue by so-attractive crushworthy girl and team from Los Alamos. He's only ten years old.
7 Thy Rocks and Rills by Robert Ernest Gilbert 3* sad
M. Stonecypher tricked into duel by bad L. Dan to protect wife Catriona, sells (talking) bull Moe to Tennessee Lakeside ringmaster. Moe, from herd mutated by atomic bomb test, dies willingly, after revenge on some in ring. Stony shot, caught using Catriona's buzzer to win duel because duelmaster R. Smith was deaf, law killed L. Dan for firing first.
8 Gun for Dinosaur by L. Sprague de Camp 4*
Until bankrupted by this expedition, narrator and Raja guided hunters in the past. Meek August Hotzinger sacrifices self, saving spoiled fellow American 30s, Courtney James, who shoots at everything. James explodes, in paradox, trying to travel back to day before, ambush and kill guides.
9 Goblin Night by James H. Schmitz 3* horror
Camping with college pals, Telzey 15 fooled by psi message from cripple Robane who sends alien monster goblin-spook to hunt and kill human game. She calls big white dog Chomir who brings friends, and her psi overpowers Robane, empties his will, in time.
10 Only Thing We Learn by C. M. Kornbluth 2* snooty
History prof lectures students of the Empire how history repeats itself. Meanwhile colonial rebels attack hospital ship. Courage of explorers that lures them away to danger likewise brings them back as rebels.
11 Trigger Tide by Wyman Guin 1* violent, physics?
Central Operator spy, beaten, eye gone, recuperates with former spy who "took root" p 275, works out why visitors' anti-grav power harnesses explode on piezoelectric islands. At highest lunar tide, piezoelectric island generates field that explodes harnesses of visitors, not locals. Huh?
12 Aliens by Murray Leinster 5* hopeful
In Niccola radar room, Jon Baird and Diane both hope alien Plumies, named for head feathers, will be peaceful, despite fears of xenophobe Taine. By accident, a lone unarmed enemy scout ship fuses onto theirs, and both plunge toward sun. To save Plumies, humans use welding torches to separate ships. Thankful, Plumie ship augments tractor beams and pulls them out. Species make friends; Jon and Diane make up for lost loving time.
13 All the Way Back by Michael Shaara 3* Greek tragedy
Earthmen Cohn and Jansen meet giant interspecies Galactic Scout ship at lush planet on remote edge of "Great Desert of the Rim", Skipper Roymer relates how the wasteland became destroyed. Roymer kills Earthers because their ancestors' wars created desert.
14 Last Command by Keith Laumer 3* tragic
Unit LNE Bolo AI-smart weapon, decommissioned after war ended, wakened accidentally by excavations for anniversary celebrations, believes he must defend against the enemy at the gate. Old human veteran soldier Sander remembers "Lenny". Sander convinces Lenny to turn aside on last of power.
15 Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell 3* horror
On Antarctic expedition, Commander Garry allows biologist Blair to thaw frozen monster despite bad dreams from shape-shifter mind-reader who takes them over. Spring will bring birds, albatrosses, who could take invader worldwide. When they realize that infected blood tries to live independently, they can sort out and demolish imitations.
16 Quietus by Ross Rocklynne 3* sad
Birdlike alien mates Tark and Vascar land on Earth in time to see last surviving man Tommy meet last woman, but female mistakes his pet talking crow Blacky for beast's master. Vascar kills Tommy throwing stones at Blacky, whose squawks scare girl away.
17 Answer by Frederic Brown 4* intellectual two-pager
Dwar Ev asks huge mighty new supercomputer question before unanswered. Next story similar. "Is there a God?" "Now there is." p 430.
18 Last Question by Isaac Asimov 3* similar plot, longer, upbeat
Like previous story, over the centuries, man repeatedly asks his computers, from Multivac to Microvac (accurate prediction!) and on, to reverse entropy, bring back dying suns. Finally, after all human minds fused, dispersed into energy, Cosmic AC (Analog Computer) finds the answer. "Let there be light!" p 443.
19 Cold Equations by Tom Godwin 3* tear-jerker
Emergency Dispatch pilot Barton is reluctant to space girl stowaway Marilyn 18, ignorant of law. Fuel and weight are calculated with no leeway (editor grumbles, as do I, who piloted small plane). After tears, farewell radio talk with brother she wanted to visit, consultations, pleas, she holds her head high.
20 Shambleau by C. L. Moore 3* horror
Tough Northwest Smith defends small brown toothy alien from angry frontier town, but her twining living red locks bring nightmares of exquisite pain and pleasure. Venusian Yarol comes after friend, rescues him from a Medusa, who steals soul energy.
21 Turning Point by Poul Anderson 5* clever, easy, warm
"Me: engineer" surprised future of civilization can turn on a girl's request, a cracker for her pet. The explorers meet incredibly smart villagers who innovate simplest technology Earthers introduce. "If you can't lik 'em ... get 'em to jine you" p 513. They offer to take them all to Earth, to integrate, improve.
22 Heavy Planet by Lee Gregor 3* (really Milton A. Rothman)
Ennis, patroller inhabitant of high-gravity planet, fights elements and enemy Marak to save atomic generator from fragile (Earth?) spaceship crashed into sea. Does the end "Shadden .. history would remember" p 524 mean he will die from radiation poisoning?
23 Omnilingual by H. Beam Piper 2* dull
Martha Dane, of Earth exploration team, seeks Rosetta stone translation. Finally, she recognizes atomic table.
24 Gentle Earth by Christopher Anvil 5* war made funny
Attacking only in fear of invasion, the enemy planet finally succumbs and join U.S. as another State. On the way home, Generals Bade and Runckel shrug off income tax as "just a myth" p 622.
25 Environment by Chester S. Geier 3* slow, meaning about education?
Jon Gaynor and Wade Harlan explore sleeping city overflown by twinkling tinkling crystals that lures them in, They learn so much that they transcend and become crystals too.
26 Liane the Wayfarer by Jack Vance 3* horror
http://hell.pl/szymon/Baen/The%20best...
Despite many eyeless corpses, vicious light-hearted peddlar with huge golden eyes agrees to fetch torn half of golden tapestry for golden witch Lith from Chun the Unavoidable, sure his new magic ring of invisibility will keep him safe. Chun rewards Lith with two threads for the two new eyes, so big, for his cloak covered with eyes.
27 Spawn by P. Schuyler Miller 1* horror, Nazi Rasputin zombie
Nicholas Svadin corpse rules world accompanied by zoologist Heinrich Wilhelm Sturm, whose daughter Maria Elsa dies smothered by algae monster. Narrator and Brotherhood try to rescue red-haired American "James Arthur Donegan thirty-odd" p 656 from castle dungeon. Brotherhood kills Svadin. Three spores from space brought to life Sea-Thing, Svadin, and quartz block. Okay..
28 St. Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson 4* funny
Jim Eckert wants to rescue fiancée Angie. Fellow college student Grottwold Hanson sent her into hands of dragon Anark, sent Jim into body of dragon Gorbash, whose great-uncle is wise old Smrgl. Mage S. Carolinus, knight Sir Reginald Nevile-Smythe, and frightened were-dragon Secoh join him in the battle at Loathly Tower. Know Loathsome Dragon https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...? "Angie" being a sneeze is not funny first time or when repeated.
29 Thunder and Roses by Theodore Sturgeon 3* sad, so 50s
Soldiers Pete Mawser and pal Sonny, in largest surviving camp of 900, find switch to launch retaliatory nuclear strike that would destroy planet forever. But Pete listens to Starr Anthim and her song of peace from the title, holds her while she dies from radioactive poisoning. Pete has to kill Sonny trying to turn key, and destroy the installation. "After that he just waited" p 742.

Typo:
p 221 Gun "villain getting Just Deserts in the end" is "Desserts"

Original Publication:
1 Rescue Party by Arthur C. Clarke (Astounding Science Fiction May'46)
2 Menace from Earth by Robert A. Heinlein (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction Aug'57)
3 Code Three by Rick Raphael (Analog Feb'63)
4 Hunting Problem by Robert Sheckley (Galaxy Sep'55)
5 Black Destroyer by A. E. Van Vogt (Astounding Science Fiction July'39)
6 Pail of Air by Fritz Leiber (Galaxy Dec'51)
7 Thy Rocks and Rills by Robert Ernest Gilbert (If Sep'53)
8 Gun for Dinosaur by L. Sprague de Camp (Galaxy Mar'56)
9 Goblin Night by James H. Schmitz (Analog Apr'65)
10 Only Thing We Learn by C. M. Kornbluth (Startling Stories July'49)
11 Trigger Tide by Wyman Guin (as Norman Menascoe Astounding Science Fiction Oct'50)
12 Aliens by Murray Leinster (Astounding Science Fiction Aug'59)
13 All the Way Back by Michael Shaara (Astounding Science Fiction July'52)
14 Last Command by Keith Laumer (Analog Jan'67)
15 Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell (as Don A. Stuart Astounding Science Fiction Aug'38)
16 Quietus by Ross Rocklynne (Astounding Science Fiction Sep'40)
17 Answer by Frederic Brown (Angels and Spaceships 1954)
18 Last Question by Isaac Asimov (Isaac Asimov: The Complete .. #1 1956)
19 Cold Equations by Tom Godwin (Astounding Science Fiction Aug'54)
20 Shambleau by C. L. Moore (Wierd Tales Nov'33)
21 Turning Point by Poul Anderson (If May'53)
22 Heavy Planet by Lee Gregor (Astounding Science Fiction Aug'39)
23 Omnilingual by H. Beam Piper (Astounding Science Fiction Feb'57)
24 Gentle Earth by Christopher Anvil (Astounding Science Fiction Nov'57)
25 Environment by Chester S. Geier (Astounding Science Fiction May'44)
26 Liane the Wayfarer by Jack Vance (The Dying Earth 1950)
27 Spawn by P. Schuyler Miller (Wierd Tales Aug'39)
28 St. Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson
29 Thunder and Roses by Theodore Sturgeon (Astounding Science Fiction Nov'47)

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

CONTENTS


▪️"Rescue Party" - Arthur C. Clarke (Astounding Science Fiction, May 1946)
▪️"The Menace from Earth" - Robert A. Heinlein (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, August, 1957)
▪️"Code Three" - Rick Raphael (Analog, February, 1963)
▪️"Hunting Problem" - Robert Sheckley (Galaxy, September, 1955)
▪️"Black Destroyer" - A. E. Van Vogt (Astounding Science Fiction, July 1939)
▪️"A Pail of Air" - Fritz Leiber (Galaxy, December, 1951)
▪️"Thy Rocks and Rills" - Robert Ernest Gilbert (If, September 1953)
▪️"A Gun for Dinosaur" - L. Sprague de Camp (Galaxy, March 1956)
▪️"Goblin Night" - James H. Schmitz (Analog, April, 1965)
▪️"The Only Thing We Learn" - C. M. Kornbluth (Startling Stories, July 1949)
▪️"Trigger Tide" - Wyman Guin (using pseudonym Norman Menascoe) (Astounding Science Fiction, October, 1950)
▪️"The Aliens" - Murray Leinster (Astounding Science Fiction, August 1959)
▪️"All the Way Back" - Michael Shaara (Astounding Science Fiction, July 1952)
▪️"The Last Command" - Keith Laumer (Analog, January, 1967)
▪️"Who Goes There?" - John W. Campbell (using pseudonym Don A. Stuart) (Astounding Science Fiction, August, 1938)
▪️"Quietus" - Ross Rocklynne (Astounding Science Fiction, September, 1940)
▪️"Answer" - Frederic Brown (Angels and Spaceships, 1954)
▪️"The Last Question" - Isaac Asimov (Science Fiction Quarterly, November 1956)
▪️"The Cold Equations" - Tom Godwin (Astounding Science Fiction, Aug, 1954)
▪️"Shambleau" - C. L. Moore (Weird Tales, Nov, 1933)
▪️"Turning Point" - Poul Anderson (If, May, 1953)
▪️"Heavy Planet" - Lee Gregor (Astounding Science Fiction, August, 1939)
▪️"Omnilingual" - H. Beam Piper (Astounding Science Fiction, February, 1957)
▪️"The Gentle Earth" - Christopher Anvil (Astounding Science Fiction, November, 1957)
▪️"Environment" - Chester S. Geier (Astounding Science Fiction, May, 1944)
▪️"Liane the Wayfarer"- Jack Vance (Worlds Beyond, December 1950)
▪️"Spawn" - P. Schuyler Miller (Weird Tales, August, 1939)
▪️"St. Dragon and the George" - Gordon R. Dickson (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, September 1957)
▪️"Thunder and Roses" - Theodore Sturgeon (Astounding Science Fiction, November, 1947)


I can't say precisely what edition of this I read, because I actually read it on an online site which other Goodreads reviewers had mentioned. This is the first time that I have read a long book totally on a screen (my phone).

The World Turned Upside Down is a large (752 pages in the paperback edition) anthology of science fiction stories assembled on an unusual premise. Three men, all known for their work in the science fiction field, chose stories that had in some way moved or excited them when they were teenagers. There are twenty-nine stories, some of them quite famous, others much less so.

The three editors and I were all teenagers around the same time. Jim Baen was born in 1943, David Drake in 1945, and Eric Flint in 1947. These stories did not all first appear during the men's teenage years. The original publication dates range from 1933 to 1967.

Most of the authors of the stories are well-known in the science fiction community. There are Wikipedia articles about all but two of them, Robert Ernest Gilbert and Chester S. Geier. Some of the stories have appeared in a number of anthologies; for others, this is their only anthology inclusion. Almost all of them were originally published before the Nebula Awards existed and many of them appeared before the Hugo Awards were instituted. "Goblin Night" was nominated for a Nebula and both "Code Three" and"A Gun for Dinosaurs" were Hugo nominees. "Who Goes There?" won a Retro Hugo Award. At least a dozen of these stories were chosen for "Best of the Year" anthologies. (Most of this information comes from the science fiction and fantasy website ISFDb.)

Two more facts about these choices that I find interesting: sixteen of the twenty-nine stories were originally published in Astounding/Analog; and only one of the twenty-nine stories was written by a woman, C. L. Moore. I suspect that the primary reason for so few women being included is tbat so few science fiction stories by women published before the mid-1960s would have been of great interest to teenage boys. (Or at least I hope that was the reason.)

Goodreads reviewer An Odd1 has posted comments about each of the stories in her review. I don't agree with all her opinions, but her brief commentaries are good.

There were seven stories that I do not recall having read previously. Those are "Goblin Night," "The Aliens," "The Last Command," "Heavy Planet," "Environment," "Spawn," and what is almost certainly the most famous story in the book, "Who Goes There?" I liked all of those, but none of them struck me as life-changing; perhaps they would have if I had read them at the right age. "Spawn" would be my choice as the weirdest story in the book; it isn't really good, I suppose, but it is strange enough to have kept my interest.

In fact, I like most of the stories in the collection. "The Only Thing We Learn" is probably the one that I like least. "Liane the Wayfarer" and "St. Dragon and the George" really don't belong here; they are both fantasies, not science fiction. (I should add that "Liane the Wayfarer," which is also something of a horror story, is one of my favorite stories in the anthology.) Other stories here which at least border on horror are "Black Destroyer," "Goblin Night," "Who Goes There?" (excellent title!), "Spawn," and, especially, "Shambleau."

I think that the reason I am a little disappointed with this book is that it isn't the book I would have assembled on the same theme (if I had access to every science fiction story ever written, that is.) I would have many of the same authors but with different stories; Heinlein, Sturgeon, de Camp, Brown, Sheckley, Moore, Anderson, Vance, Leiber, Guin, and Kornbluth would be in my anthology, but all with different tales. Of the stories in this book, I would include "Shambleau," "Who Goes There?" (now that I have read it), "The Cold Equations," "Omnilingual" (a little boring but important), maybe "Quietus." Bradbury, Bester, Knight, Wilhelm, and Kuttner would definitely be represented in my anthology. So would R. C. Fitzpatrick and T. L. Sherred and Zenna Henderson. Eric Frank Russell. Daniel Keyes. Mildred Clingerman. Dozens of others. It would need to be multi-volume.

So this isn't the book I would have wanted, but it is a very good book anyway.

[Austin Beeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN
RATED 90% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE 4.14 OF 5
29 STORIES : 11 GREAT / 13 GOOD / 4 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 1 DNF

[ Read over 70 reviews of Science Fictions anthologies at https://www.shortsf.com ]

It a confusing title, a bad cover, and a weird premise. Don’t let that keep you away from this very fun anthology. Drake, Baen, and Flint assembled a collection of stories that had meaning to them in their youth. In a sense, this is an autobiography told through science fiction short stories from the late 1930s through to the 1960s.

But let’s not overthink this. What makes The World Turned Upside Down great is the youthful exuberance here. There’s a whiz-bang, gee-whiz nature to the good stories and the classic Sense of Wonder is the great ones. There are some of the greatest classics in the genre’s history and many superb stories that were new to me.

11 Stories from this Anthology join My All-Time Great List. That’s more great stories in this one book than the entire contents of many anthologies. I’ll highlight five stories that were new to me.

A Gun for Dinosaur • [Reginald Rivers] • (1956) • novelette by L. Sprague de Camp. Superb ‘colonialist-styled’ tale of a dinosaur hunting expedition gone wrong. Told in a strong technical voice to an off-screen character who is two small and weak to hold a dinosaur hunting gun. The narrator drills into the scientific and culture impetus for Dino-hunting, paints a picture of the rich dinosaur world, and then focuses on the timeless problem of rich assholes. Love dinosaurs and love this story.

Goblin Night • [Telzey Amberdon] • (1965) • novelette by James H. Schmitz. Exciting Young Adult action story. Fifteen-year-old girl with PSI-powers is camping with friends and a powerful alien ‘dog’ on an alien nature preserve and senses a crippled man living on the edge of the park. When she goes to visit him, she ends up in a “most dangerous game.”

Omnilingual • [Federation • 1] • (1957) • novelette by H. Beam Piper. Archeologists sift through the remnants of a 50,000 year old Martian city. Our protagonist is preserving the writing in the hope that one day she’ll be able to read Martian. The other scientists around her are certain it is impossible since there is no one-to-one text that can be used in the way that ancient human languages were translated.

Spawn • (1939) • novelette by P. Schuyler Miller. A sprawling tale of three powerful beings: a God of Gold in South America, a amorphous monster of the sea that menaces Brazil, and a resurrected assassinated politician in Europe whose body is a living, intelligent, decaying corpse. Miller writes a firehose of description, action, and madness that sweeps the reader away. I loved this crazy torrent.

Thunder and Roses • (1947) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon. A bleak and disturbing story of a USA devastated by nuclear war. The characters are severely broken, suicidal, and cling to the tiniest hint of humanity. This is includes a musical performance by a woman, but tonight after singing she has something difficult to say. “We have the power to retaliate and destroy our enemy, but we must choose not to!”

THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN IS RATED 90% POSITIVE

29 STORIES : 11 GREAT / 13 GOOD / 4 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 1 DNF

How do I arrive at a rating?

Rescue Party • (1946) • novelette by Arthur C. Clarke

Average. As the earth’s sun is going nova, aliens arrived to help rescue humanity. Except, there is no humanity on the planet to rescue. A rather plodding mystery with a nice whip crack of a final paragraph.

The Menace from Earth • [Future History] • (1974) • novelette by Robert A. Heinlein

Good. A bit of Heinlein Young Adult fiction. A young female spaceship design prodigy on the moon accidentally connects an attractive tourist woman with her business partner and discovers that she has feelings for him. Actually more intersting that that sounds because it is full of fun Heinleinian language “people from Earth are groundhogs” and most of the story takes place in a very fun indoor flying room that takes advantage of the moon’s low gravity.

Code Three • [Code Three] • (1963) • novella by Rick Raphael

Good. A modern scifi superhighway crosses the USA and this long novella tells multiple adventures of the men and women who police it in their supercharged racetank. This was a fun adventure "high speed' read with a mostly likable cast and excellent clarity of prose. Acceptable level of speculation. Some attitudes on race and gender that would get Rick Raphael canceled so fast if the current tastemakers of SF knew he existed.

Hunting Problem • (1955) • short story by Robert Sheckley

Good. Fun old-timey story about an alien who must hunt a human and bring back its ‘pelt’ for achieve the next level of its status. However, it completely doesn’t understand humanity and the cat-and-mouse game is quite amusing.

Black Destroyer • [Space Beagle] • (1939) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt

Great. A masterpiece of a thriller told in alternating viewpoints. An intelligent cat-like monster stalks a spaceship full of explorers who arrive to investigate a dead civilization. Suspenseful, smart, violent, and propulsive.

A Pail of Air • (1951) • short story by Fritz Leiber

Good. The earth is icy cold after the earth was ripped away from the Sun by a passing rogue star. One family tries to survive in a world of literally frozen air and believes themselves the last humans on earth.

Thy Rocks and Rills • (1953) • novelette by Robert E. Gilbert [as by Robert Ernest Gilbert]

Good. It’s a future Tennessee of “The Manly Age” where hypermasculinity is prized and gun duels are everywhere. Plus intelligent mutated cows! The story rambles a bit, but the last third is brutal, intense, and awesome.

A Gun for Dinosaur • [Reginald Rivers] • (1956) • novelette by L. Sprague de Camp

Great. Superb ‘colonialist-styled’ tale of a dinosaur hunting expedition gone wrong. Told in a strong technical voice to an off-screen character who is two small and weak to hold a dinosaur hunting gun. The narrator drills into the scientific and culture impetus for Dino-hunting, paints a picture of the rich dinosaur world, and then focuses on the timeless problem of rich assholes. Love dinosaurs and love this story.

Goblin Night • [Telzey Amberdon] • (1965) • novelette by James H. Schmitz

Great. Exciting Young Adult action story. Fifteen-year-old girl with PSI-powers is camping with friends and a powerful alien ‘dog’ on an alien nature preserve and senses a crippled man living on the edge of the park. When she goes to visit him, she ends up in a “most dangerous game.”

The Only Thing We Learn • (1949) • short story by C. M. Kornbluth

Good. A professor speaks of the falsity of literary stories of military victory, intercut with a glimpse at the reality of being overthrown by rebels.

Trigger Tide • (1950) • short story by Wyman Guin

Average. An assassin is on a mission to a planet with multiple moons and strong tidal forces affecting people and also triggering bombs.

The Aliens • (1959) • novelette by Murray Leinster

Good. A smart, solid tale of First Contact that doesn’t hold a candle to Leinster’s other classic. A silly idea of intentionally including a racist for ‘better understanding alien bigots.” And some unnecessary cheesy romance. But some good ideas at the core.

All the Way Back • (1952) • short story by Michael Shaara

Good. A fun story of planetary discovery told from both human and alien perspectives. Wicked little twist, but a bit obvious

The Last Command • [Bolo] • (1967) • short story by Keith Laumer

Great. A great story of a decommissioned war machine that suddenly reboots and menaces the now-peaceful city. I liked the way it showed how war is never over for veterans but some are better able to adjust. Also a cautionary tale about autonomous war machines.

Who Goes There? • [Who Goes There?] • (1966) • novella by John W. Campbell, Jr. [as by John W. Campbell]

Great. An arctic scientific expedition discovers some THING from another world. When it thaws, the team much find a way to destroy it before it absorbs all life on earth.

Quietus • (1940) • short story by Ross Rocklynne

Good. Bird-aliens land on a volcanically destroyed earth with disastrous results for the last man and woman.

Answer • (1954) • short story by Fredric Brown

Great. An iconic short-short about the creation of a super computer and the important question that human ask of it.

The Last Question • [Multivac] • (1956) • short story by Isaac Asimov

Great. Classic story of a giant computer which tries to discover how entropy might be reversed.

The Cold Equations • (1954) • novelette by Tom Godwin

Great. To understand this story is to understand the scientific worldview. It is one of the most important works of SF. A stowaway who is just trying to see her brother crashed upon the brutal mathematical precision of space travel. Reality doesn’t care about your feelings.

Shambleau • [Northwest Smith] • (1933) • novelette by C. L. Moore

Average. A man protects a strange alien girl from being killed by a crowd, but begins to regret it when her true alien nature is revealed.

Turning Point • (1963) • short story by Poul Anderson

Average. Humans encounter a superior, but primitive, race. Pleasant, but forgettable.

Heavy Planet • (1939) • short story by Milton A. Rothman [as by Lee Gregor]

Good. Awesome and action-packed story. On Heavyplanet, one man tries to salvage a ship that crashed into the ocean. It might hold secrets for flight and even space travel if it isn’t destroyed by a competing country.

Omnilingual • [Federation • 1] • (1957) • novelette by H. Beam Piper

Great. Archeologists sift through the remnants of a 50,000 year old Martian city. Our protagonist is preserving the writing in the hope that one day she’ll be able to read Martian. The other scientists around her are certain it is impossible since there is no one-to-one text that can be used in the way that ancient human languages were translated.

The Gentle Earth • (1957) • novella by Christopher Anvil

Good. I liked this a great deal despite my objective brain telling me that this wasn't a truly superb story. Enjoyed the story of aliens invading but running into the complex "unknown unknowns" of planet earth. Read the whole story with a smile on my face.

Environment • (1944) • short story by Chester S. Geier

Good. Two astronauts arrive on a planet to discover what happened to previous explorers. They discover a city that draws them in with a crystalline mystery that they are compelled to investigate.

Liane the Wayfarer • [Dying Earth] • (1950) • short story by Jack Vance

Good. A douchey dude agrees to steal a tapestry to gain the ‘love’ of a beautiful witch in this Dying Earth fantasy-inflected story.

Spawn • (1939) • novelette by P. Schuyler Miller

Great. A sprawling tale of three powerful beings: a God of Gold in South America, a amorphous monster of the sea that menaces Brazil, and a resurrected assassinated politician in Europe whose body is a living, intelligent, decaying corpse. Miller writes a firehose of description, action, and madness that sweeps the reader away. I loved this crazy torrent.

St. Dragon and the George • [The Dragon and the George] • (1957) • novelette by Gordon R. Dickson

DNF. A man and his girlfriend are transported to an alternate universe where she is captured by a dragon and he becomes one. Stopped this at about 1/3 for annoying characters and layers of tropey fantasy cheese.

Thunder and Roses • (1947) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon

Great. A bleak and disturbing story of a USA devastated by nuclear war. The characters are severely broken, suicidal, and cling to the tiniest hint of humanity. This is includes a musical performance by a woman, but tonight after singing she has something difficult to say. “We have the power to retaliate and destroy our enemy, but we must choose not to!”

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this anthology. I thought I had read all of it previously, but I think I must have read most of it (as some of the stories were completely unfamiliar to me). As the blur says, it is composed of the stories that had the greatest impact upon the lives of the three editors when they were teenagers, the ones that they remembered the most. The stories do cover thirty-six years, though, ranging from 1933 to 1969, though, so maybe into their late teens or early twenties?

I did find myself wondering how some of the stories might have affected me had I read them as a teenager; I tended to focus on stories that were full-length books when I read fiction or science-fiction; I did not read many short stories until I started reading more of Heinlein's "stuff" that included "short stories." That, and some compilations I found of John W. Campbell's short stories (that guy could get depressing!).

I wanted to rank it five stars as I liked most of the stories. Some of them, though, were too long for me, and I found myself thumbing ahead to see how many pages I had left. Some of them had humor in them; some of them had elements of horror that I did not expect or anticipate. Several of them had not-so-happy endings, which surprised me (for some reason) but in retrospect it does make sense - a "happy ending" tends to be easily forgotten and not have an impact on a person whereas a not-so-happy ending or a shocking ending can stick with the reader for a bit and make him or her think about how the story went for a bit.

There was a story that had to do with an alien invasion that I found funnier than expected. As it turns out Earth was only invaded because the 'fearful faction' won out and felt it was best to attack and destroy the Earth before the Earth could reach the technological standpoint to "strike first" and destroy the other planet. The Earth was condemned before it had a chance to prove itself to be better than the aliens thought it to be! However, as the story progressed, it did get pretty funny, as the aliens kept having to deal with the "reality" of various "human myths" By the end of the story, the 'peaceful faction' was ascendant and the war was over once the aliens were allowed to become "citizens of the United States" as the 51st State of the Union. The story ends with one alien asking another another about "this income tax?" and the second alien responds that it is only a myth. If only that were true! Hahahaha!

My favorite stories were "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell, "A Gun for Dinosaur" by L. Sprague de Camp, "The Last Command" by Keith Laumer, "The Menace from Earth" by Robert Heinlein, and "Heavy Planet" by Lee Gregor. I did like the juxtaposition of Frederic Brown's "The Answer" with Isaac Asimov's "The Last Question." It was like two sides of the same coin, but I think I liked Frederic Browns' story better than Asimov's.

I have mixed feelings about Tom Godwin's "Cold Equations." It still gives me chills even now reading it (that ending is nuts!), and I think I "get" what the author was trying to do, but I still disagree with the ending, despite the premise and trying to stay in this particular story's "universe." I just do not understand why there would be a closet of any kind on a small spacecraft that is supposedly stripped down to the barest essentials so that it had the least amount of weight possible in order to reach a given emergency situation on a given planet in the least amount of time possible. Of what use what a closet be to such a vessel? Also, why would such a craft have an airlock? That would take up room and weight, as well, and is totally unnecessary (as the pilot enters the Emergency Dispatch Ship while it is still nestled inside the space cruiser carrying it). Not only that, but if the EDS is "small and collapsible" in order to fit inside the space cruiser, would not an airlock negate the collapsibility of the EDS? Furthermore, would a pressurized cabin truly be necessary? Could the pilot not just wear a space suit during the entire flight? That would remove the need for a life support system. Finally, the pilot and young girl are described as walking around and not floating. So the vessel has some kind of artificial gravity system in place AND anti-accelerators (since neither person is pressed against the bulkhead due to the acceleration/speed of the EDS).

Now, as to the supply closet. The girl claims she sneaked aboard and hid in the supply closet. The supply closet is also where the emergency medication was placed (as opposed to a hold). If it were an emergency, one would think that the pilot would have left shortly after performing a pre-flight check and making sure the medication was stored "properly" inside the supply closet. How in the world did this girl get onboard? I respectfully disagree that she could have sneaked on board at any time at any time to be able to stow away. There should not have been any time for it, and she should have been discovered right away. At the very least, the pilot should have made one final check to make sure no shortcuts were taken on storing the medication, and she would have been discovered then. Perhaps it is living in 'today's day and age of heightened security concerns' that takes away from the believability of the story, but the 'faults' in the story do take away from the 'message' of the story that the author is trying to get across (the message which is similar in nature to "The Gulf Between").

I will say this before closing. Theodore Sturgeons "Thunder and Roses" was very hard to read. Well, not hard to read as much as hard to accept the "final outcome." I realize it is indicative of the time in which it was written, but it was definitely a "turn-the-other-cheek" story and not a "revenge" story, which I did not expect. Well, did not expect the first time I read it. I had forgotten how it ended when I reread this final story of the anthology collection. It still had a powerful emotional impact upon me, that is for certain!

All in all, I did enjoy this anthology. It had works by several authors I had never read before and has made me interested in finding more of their works to read. Other authors, I have read some of their works and it reminded me why I do not care for what they tend to write (which is okay). overall, though, I enjoyed the stories and can see why they would be thought-provoking (especially the ones written from an alien's/non-human's point-of-view). I also enjoyed the blurbs by the editors before and/or after the stories, explaining why the stories were chosen and, in some cases, the impact it had upon the editors. I could see myself rereading this (or, parts if it) again, in the future, and I am glad that I actually read the collection in its entirety (this time around).

[Nathan Shumate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've decided that, from now on, I won't try to review the contents of an anthology; rather, I'll review the editors.

In this case, the editors are Jim Baen, Eric Flint and David Drake, who came together to assemble a collection of SF stories that wowed them in their teens -- wowed them to the point that they changed the way that each of them thought of SF.

"Wowing" is of course subjective, but I have to agree; these are thought-provoking and -changing stories. It's a "best of" that acknowledges up front that "best" is an utterly subjective judgment, but what's best in the eyes of these three gentlemen is damned good for everyone else too.

(Any anthology which includes Fritz Leiber's "A Pail Full of Air" already has earned its gold star.)

[Username]

Read so far:
1 Rescue Party by Arthur C. Clarke (Astounding Science Fiction May'46)
2 Menace from Earth by Robert A. Heinlein (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction Aug'57)
3 Code Three by Rick Raphael (Analog Feb'63)
7 Thy Rocks and Rills by Robert Ernest Gilbert (If Sep'53)
17 Answer by Frederic Brown (Angels and Spaceships 1954)
18 Last Question by Isaac Asimov (Isaac Asimov: The Complete .. #1 1956)
19 Cold Equations by Tom Godwin (Astounding Science Fiction Aug'54) (read a long time ago)
23 Omnilingual by H. Beam Piper (Astounding Science Fiction Feb'57)
29 Thunder and Roses by Theodore Sturgeon (Astounding Science Fiction Nov'47)
11 Trigger Tide by Wyman Guin (as Norman Menascoe Astounding Science Fiction Oct'50)

[Jeppe Larsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally reviewed on https://shortsfreviews.com

This anthology published by Baen and edited by Jim Baen, David Drake and Eric Flint collects 29 short stories from “the Golden Age” – mainly from the 40s and 50s. What makes this retrospective anthology unique is the selection criteria used by the editors. They haven’t set out to pick the best of the best stories from that era, though they stand by every story as great, but their choices are based on stories that made a big impression on them at a young age.

While I have reviewed a couple of the stories here, I don’t think the stories here are what makes this anthology interesting. I greatly appreciate when editors have forewords and/or afterwords to each story, since an anthology is more than just a bunch a stories. I want to hear about why the an editor has chosen a specific story and on what criteria. The three editors are very open and honest about why each an every story is in here. Some stories they have all agreed upon, others are stories that one of the editors really wanted to include for personal reasons. Most of the stories are there because it is a great story that made an impression when they first read it, while some are there because the editors wanted a specific type of story from a certain author represented and couldn’t include a whole novel, even though it was actually the authors novels that they have read as a teenager. Heinlein for example and his story The Menace from Earth are included as an example of his juveniles novels.

While I admire the editors for making an anthology with this very personal criteria, I am not so sure it makes for a great anthology when it comes to the actual stories. There is no false advertisement on this book – they are very honest about why this book is made, so it might not be a fair criticism. Still, most of the stories just made me think that I can see how that could have impressed me as a teenager as well. It has some nostalgic value, even though this is not close to the era of science fiction I grew up with. In certain places, some stories halfway recreates that feeling of being awestruck by simply imagining a whole galaxy filled with alien life.

There are still some great stories that are worth reading by any science fiction fan. Like Omnilingual, Rescue Party or The Aliens. Nevertheless, reading this anthology was mostly a meta-exercise for me. Meaning it was interesting to read stories that clearly have influenced these editors, and probably other writers and editors from the same generation. As well as reading lesser known stories from the Golden Age of science fiction. But it was also mostly a detached intellectual reading. Only a few stories made me forget the premise of the anthology, where I could just enjoy the story on its own.

This anthology is clearly not for everybody. If one wants to read a great selection of amazing stories from that period in time, my recommendation would be The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One and Two. If you are already well read in the science fiction short story classics, then this anthology will likely give something a bit different.

[Ike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly enjoyed reading The World Turned Upside Down edited by David Drake, Eric Flint and Jim Baen. It is a collection of 29 novellas and short stories written by some of the Sci Fi/Fantasy greats between 1933 and 1967. The editors selected stories that personally amazed and stunned them as teenagers. Each story is introduced by one of the editors and specifically tells why it was selected and how it affected him. For one, such as me, who is somewhat a ‘late-comer’ to the Sci Fi/Fantasy world of literature these stories were a true introduction to this genre. I must say that I enjoyed almost all of them, with a few minor exceptions. One story, St. Dragon and the George, by Gordon R. Dickson spurred me into reading several more of his masterful Sci Fi works. Highly recommend this anthology for anyone who may be interested in reading a new to them genre to get a historical sense of the writings of some of the greats of Sci Fi/Fantasy. For those who are already Sci Fi/Fantasy fans you will also enjoy this trip down memory lane.

[Stephen Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best SF anthologies I’ve read (and I have a shelf full of classics), this one is unique in that it doesn’t attempt to define the “best” or most famous stories, but instead focuses on the authors and stories that had the biggest impact on the editors in their youth. Given the success of Drake, Flint, and Baen as writers, editors and publishers, it’s a cool approach. Many great writers from the 50s and 60s are here — Clarke, Heinlein, Sturgeon, Brown, Leiber, Laumer, Anderson, etc. Every story is great, and the intros and afterwards for each are memorable, putting an interesting spin on each, even the ones I didn’t enjoy as much. For example, Flint hates “The Cold Equations” because of its plot (not specifically the ending), but was talked into including it by Baen who explains the power of the story perfectly. The editorial bits also point to other great stories or authors and sparked several Amazon searches and buys.

[Hayley Shaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great anthology. You can get it free on the web. Try this url http://hell.pl/szymon/Baen/The%20best...
A lot of the science fiction greats were included. The book included stories by Tom Godwin, Robert Heinlein, and C.L. Moore. Some stories had fantasy and horror mixed in. Read it if you like sci-fi.

[Patrick Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a contemporary of David Drake, I read many of these stories at the same age and many had the same effect on me. I found that 50+ years later they still had the same effect. I also found some great stories that I missed the first time around. Thanks for a great anthology!

[Adam Meek · Rating 4 out of 5]

classics from big names like clarke and heinlein rub shoulders with lesser known tales by forgotten names like wyman guinn in an excellent anthology that is sure to delight fans of pulp and golden age sf.

[Janet Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a fun anthology of stories that were almost completely new to me. It’s cool to get a feel for the kind of stuff people actually experienced and meant something to them rather than just another “best of,” though these are solid stories

[Szymon Szott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very solid anthology of classic SF. The forwards/afterwards to each story were particularly pleasant to read.

[Ebenmaessiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Rescue Party," by Arthur C. Clarke (1946): 9
- A fun, ultimately dark tale, told with a humanist chauvinism quite appropriate for its time, although with a corresponding pessimism -- tied, and this is key, directly to the very things that make us "worthy of praise" -- about the extent of human compassion and our tendency to prey on the weak. Clarke's true master stoke here was in sidelining humans, the ostensible subject of the piece, and giving the thing over to aliens. STORY: alien cartographers try to rescue humans from a dying earth, only to find them and immediately regret it, as humans start immediate war with our saviors.

"Thunder and Roses," by Theodore Sturgeon (1947): 8.75
- A drippy little meditation on loss, redemption, and loneliness -- shot through with a maudlin overcurrent potentially off-putting if it wasn't so well-matched to the beats themselves. One of the rare GA sf stories in which the writing outpaces the story [see the steady infusion of bits of information bespeaking the varying degrees of crazy our protagonists are going].

[Leons1701 · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the longest time I thought this was an alternate history collection. Neither the title nor the cover did anything to disabuse me of this notion. Not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading it, given that 1) I love AH and 2) I think the short story is the perfect form for AH
most of the time. Considering it was edited by Baen, Drake, and Flint, I had no concern about the quality. So I have no clue what kept me away from it. But as of last week, I fixed that, picking up the local library copy/
Surprise, surprise, it's not AH, it's something far stronger, a collection of SF shorts that blew the editors away when they were young, stuff that changed their world. It's a great idea and unsurprisingly contains a lot of great tales from the Golden Age of SF. There's a few obvious contenders left out because they've been found in a lot of other anthologies over the year. Though that didn't stop them from including Who Goes There which has been anthologized twenty some times at least and even made into a movie (twice).
Anyhow, this collection reminded me of two things, 1)I love Golden Age shorts and 2) I certainly haven't read enough of them.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did love some of the stories in this collection (plus I'd never read the Heinlein before and I liked it). I rarely mind misogyny in sci-fi books (seriously! See aforementioned comment re: Heinlein), but the general vibe of this was a bit much for me. Basically, my problem with the book was this: the stories were ones that had some impact on the three editors when they were teenage boys (almost every intro included the line "I first read this when I was 13..."), and I don't have much in common with teenage boys in the 1960s. These stories would have worked much better for me mixed in with other stuff or as whole books where I knew what to expect.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An brilliant collection of classic science fiction short stories, from funny to action packed to horrifying. Every story is excellent, and many are hard to find anywhere else. This collection exposed me to authors I haven't read before and has several gems from famous authors. A must read for any classic sci fi fan.

[Cristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

As stated in the preface the purpose of this anthology was, I quote "to select those stories which had the most impact on us as teenagers [in the '50s and '60s] and got us interested in science fiction in the first place". This subjective selection criterion explains the value inequality of the stories selected.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good airplane trash. Varies from totally credible to total not credible. Keeps ones mind off the agony that is modern travel except for the interruption to remove clothing for the search. Gets you a few frowns from the humorless. Most of the authors are NOT contemporaries which seems to assure readability, plot, and telling.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite sf short stories from Baen, Drake and Flint. All of them are classics, some (such as Campbell's "Who Goes There?" somewhat difficult to find, and, if you're like me, you remember just about each and every one of these stories in a very favorable light.

[David Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of classic early Sci-Fi stories. If you've been reading Sci-Fi for a while you may find some familiar ones here. But if you haven't, or if you've only read more recent stuff, I found this collection to be highly engaging and quite enjoyable.

[Don Skotch Vail]

I found half of this Online and read the first 7 stories. Very good read from when SF was simpler and more optimistic.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

That true rarity: an anthology where I didn't even mildly dislike any of the stories. Some old friends, some classics, and a couple that were new to me. Excellent!

[Joaquin Bravo Contreras]

You can read it here =): http://www.baenebooks.com/chapters/07...

[Alex]

True

[Howard Brazee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic SF stories that I remember liking more when they were new.

[Robert Walrod · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highlights - "Rescue Party," "Pail of Air," "Goblin Night," "Aliens," "All the Way Back," "Who Goes There?," "Last Question."