What do you think?
Rate this book
Digits and Dastards
Introduction (Digits and Dastards) (1966) essay by Frederik PohlThe Children of Night (1964) novelette by Frederik PohlThe Fiend (1964) shortstory by Frederik PohlEarth Eighteen (1966) shortstory by Frederik PohlFather of the Stars (1964) novelette by Frederik PohlThe Five Hells of Orion (1963) novelette by Frederik PohlWith Redfern on Capella XII (1955) novelette by Frederik PohlHow to Count on Your Fingers (1956) essay by Frederik PohlOn Binary Digits and Human Habits (1962) essay by Frederik Pohl
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
47 people want to read
About the author
Frederik Pohl
1,152 books1,061 followersFrederik George Pohl, Jr. was an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years. From about 1959 until 1969, Pohl edited Galaxy magazine and its sister magazine IF winning the Hugo for IF three years in a row. His writing also won him three Hugos and multiple Nebula Awards. He became a Nebula Grand Master in 1993.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 21, 2021
Digits and Dastards is one of the several collections of Pohl's short fiction that Ballantine (later Del Rey) books published. This one also includes a couple of non-fiction articles about mathematics that are quite interesting, if one remembers that one used to have to do math in your head or on paper in those days before pocket calculators or computers. All but one of the six stories originally appeared in Galaxy or Worlds of If, two of the leading digest-sized sf magazines of the time, in the first half of the 1960s. (The Fiend appeared in a 1964 issue of Playboy.) None of the stories are among Pohl's most well-remembered, but are fun and entertaining. My favorites were The Children of Night and With Redfern on Capella XII.
November 10, 2018
Another from my collection of old, obscure S-F, this one from a well-respected author. This collection, dating from the early-mid 1960’s, contains a novella and five short stories, plus two quirky scientifically-but-humorously-themed selections. I’ll get to them later.
In the novella, “The Children of the Night,” the narrator, Gunnarson, is employed by a PR firm whose clients, the alien Arcturans, had invaded an Earth colony on Mars and had taken prisoners. It had taken eleven years to negotiate an uneasy peace. So the Arcturans are viewed with anger and distrust by Earthians. Now, through the PR firm, the Arcturans wish to build a base on Earth. Lot of political intrigue, but with the twist that an actual Arcturan has been named to the “Truce Team” which will decide if the Arcturans are permitted to do so. I won’t give away the results of this process, but suffice it to say that Gunnarson proves to be a brilliant political strategist in the end. Enjoyable story.
Of the remainder of the stories, my favorites are: “Earth 18,” sort of a report on Earth customs and the like by archaeologists from the far future and their sometimes quite humorous misinterpretations. It is reminiscent of the equally humorous 1960 story, “Digging the Weans,” by Robert Nathan; and “The Five Hells of Orion,” in which a pilot is captured and put into a single combat situation with an alien, with the future of the species in the balance. This one reminded me of the 1944 story, “Arena,” which was made into an episode of “Star Trek.”
But, hey, there’s more! The last two entries are mathematically based. “How to Count on your Fingers” basically teaches, or attempts to teach, the principles of binary numbers, the basis of computer language. It’s interesting, if difficult to follow. “On Binary Digits and Human Habits” sort of reprises the previous lesson but expands it into absurd and hilarious directions, from nonsense syllables to graphic representations to what looks like Cunieform writing. A table combining all these ways of expressing binary numbers is funny just in its presentation. Sort of making things totally incomprehensible in the process of making them easier to understand. And in this, I was reminded of the very humorous 1946 essay, “Maihem in ce Klasrum,” by Dolton Edwards, which uses the same method to make spelling and grammar “simpler.”
In all, I found this collection intriguing and enjoyable. Recommended, especially if you’re a Math Major. Four stars.
In the novella, “The Children of the Night,” the narrator, Gunnarson, is employed by a PR firm whose clients, the alien Arcturans, had invaded an Earth colony on Mars and had taken prisoners. It had taken eleven years to negotiate an uneasy peace. So the Arcturans are viewed with anger and distrust by Earthians. Now, through the PR firm, the Arcturans wish to build a base on Earth. Lot of political intrigue, but with the twist that an actual Arcturan has been named to the “Truce Team” which will decide if the Arcturans are permitted to do so. I won’t give away the results of this process, but suffice it to say that Gunnarson proves to be a brilliant political strategist in the end. Enjoyable story.
Of the remainder of the stories, my favorites are: “Earth 18,” sort of a report on Earth customs and the like by archaeologists from the far future and their sometimes quite humorous misinterpretations. It is reminiscent of the equally humorous 1960 story, “Digging the Weans,” by Robert Nathan; and “The Five Hells of Orion,” in which a pilot is captured and put into a single combat situation with an alien, with the future of the species in the balance. This one reminded me of the 1944 story, “Arena,” which was made into an episode of “Star Trek.”
But, hey, there’s more! The last two entries are mathematically based. “How to Count on your Fingers” basically teaches, or attempts to teach, the principles of binary numbers, the basis of computer language. It’s interesting, if difficult to follow. “On Binary Digits and Human Habits” sort of reprises the previous lesson but expands it into absurd and hilarious directions, from nonsense syllables to graphic representations to what looks like Cunieform writing. A table combining all these ways of expressing binary numbers is funny just in its presentation. Sort of making things totally incomprehensible in the process of making them easier to understand. And in this, I was reminded of the very humorous 1946 essay, “Maihem in ce Klasrum,” by Dolton Edwards, which uses the same method to make spelling and grammar “simpler.”
In all, I found this collection intriguing and enjoyable. Recommended, especially if you’re a Math Major. Four stars.
October 29, 2019
From Casual Debris.
With the exception of "Fiend," published in Playboy, the short stories and novelettes in Frederik Pohl's Digits and Dastards were originally published in Galaxy Magazine and Worlds of If. Four of these five were published during the 1960s when Pohl himself was editor of both. Of the six total stories, five were published in 1963 or 1964, with the sixth in 1955. The stories are largely forgettable, though I did like "Father of the Stars" to a point. Not terrible, but as average as these are, none are memorable.
Alongside the stories are two essays on binary numbers, and a brief introduction that explains their conception. Dated but somewhat enjoyable to speed through.
The Children of the Night 6/10
Galaxy Magazine, October 1964
Not too long after a war with the Arcturians, a race of aliens who decimated a human colony on Mars, a public relations firm takes on the challenging job of easing the aliens' bid to build a port in the town of Belport. (Yes, Belport, as in the unsubtle "beautiful port.") Relations chief Odin "Gunner" Gunnarsen must navigate the tense political and social realities of small-town America, made more difficult when he learns of the children living in the local hospital, who were permanently maimed by the alien race. An interesting read and perhaps the strongest story in the mix.
The Fiend 5/10
Playboy, April 1964
The titular subject is Dandish, the sole crew of a ship transporting frozen colonists. He awakens a young woman, thinking he could have his way with her. An interesting enough idea, but unfortunately the female character is dated and not at all engaging, and the story does not do very much with its material.
Earth Eighteen 4/10
Galaxy Magazine, April 1964 (as "by Ernst Mason")
A tour guide takes the alien traveller across a post-apocalyptic USA, where the human inhabitants are few. A cutesy idea which for me was not at all funny. After a couple of pages I admit I skipped some paragraphs.
Father of the Stars 7/10
Galaxy Magazine, April 1964
Norman Marchand has spent his life devoted to space exploration and the dream of colonizing other worlds, and has succeeded years ago to raise the funds to send some ships carting colonists into deep space. Now elderly and nearing death, he is given a chance to visit deep space and catch up with one of the ships, thanks to a recently developed FTL drive. Depressed that someone can steal his glory and downgrade his life-long endeavor, he nonetheless allows his brain to be transplanted into an ape in order to make the trip.
Despite the sentimental ending, I did like this one, primarily because I found myself sympathizing with the protagonist, something I could not do for Pohl's other characters in these stories. Also, and I liked the brain-to-monkey transfer thing, as comical as it sounds, and thought Pohl did well in characterizing Marchand in ape form. Though it cross my mind we'd encounter a three-quarter submerged Stature of Liberty somewhere along the way. My favourite story from the collection.
The Five Hells of Orion 6/10
Worlds of If, January 1963
A navigator in deep space finds himself captive on an alien vessel, with no recollection of how he arrived. The aliens, meanwhile, are letting loose a series of tests on the man. The story begins with back-and-forth point of view, and is interesting until the human fully takes over the narrative. The first third is quite good and suspenseful, whereas the middle section drags, and the last portion is rushed through. Oddly, the story's tone takes a major shift, beginning with a light humourous take on the aliens, and at the half-way mark maintaining a solely dramatic tone. The story reads as though Pohl was nearing a deadline and did not present the final draft he had originally intended.
With Redfern on Capella XII 5/10
Galaxy Science Fiction, November 1955 (as "by Charles Satterfield)
About to be set on fire by the local Fnits, Redfern is freed and becomes allied with a foursome hoping to dupe the planet's gullible inhabitants. The story starts off interestingly enough, but soon the characters do not transcend their comical stereotypes, and the story, dated as it is, is both sexist and ageist.
With the exception of "Fiend," published in Playboy, the short stories and novelettes in Frederik Pohl's Digits and Dastards were originally published in Galaxy Magazine and Worlds of If. Four of these five were published during the 1960s when Pohl himself was editor of both. Of the six total stories, five were published in 1963 or 1964, with the sixth in 1955. The stories are largely forgettable, though I did like "Father of the Stars" to a point. Not terrible, but as average as these are, none are memorable.
Alongside the stories are two essays on binary numbers, and a brief introduction that explains their conception. Dated but somewhat enjoyable to speed through.
The Children of the Night 6/10
Galaxy Magazine, October 1964
Not too long after a war with the Arcturians, a race of aliens who decimated a human colony on Mars, a public relations firm takes on the challenging job of easing the aliens' bid to build a port in the town of Belport. (Yes, Belport, as in the unsubtle "beautiful port.") Relations chief Odin "Gunner" Gunnarsen must navigate the tense political and social realities of small-town America, made more difficult when he learns of the children living in the local hospital, who were permanently maimed by the alien race. An interesting read and perhaps the strongest story in the mix.
The Fiend 5/10
Playboy, April 1964
The titular subject is Dandish, the sole crew of a ship transporting frozen colonists. He awakens a young woman, thinking he could have his way with her. An interesting enough idea, but unfortunately the female character is dated and not at all engaging, and the story does not do very much with its material.
Earth Eighteen 4/10
Galaxy Magazine, April 1964 (as "by Ernst Mason")
A tour guide takes the alien traveller across a post-apocalyptic USA, where the human inhabitants are few. A cutesy idea which for me was not at all funny. After a couple of pages I admit I skipped some paragraphs.
Father of the Stars 7/10
Galaxy Magazine, April 1964
Norman Marchand has spent his life devoted to space exploration and the dream of colonizing other worlds, and has succeeded years ago to raise the funds to send some ships carting colonists into deep space. Now elderly and nearing death, he is given a chance to visit deep space and catch up with one of the ships, thanks to a recently developed FTL drive. Depressed that someone can steal his glory and downgrade his life-long endeavor, he nonetheless allows his brain to be transplanted into an ape in order to make the trip.
Despite the sentimental ending, I did like this one, primarily because I found myself sympathizing with the protagonist, something I could not do for Pohl's other characters in these stories. Also, and I liked the brain-to-monkey transfer thing, as comical as it sounds, and thought Pohl did well in characterizing Marchand in ape form. Though it cross my mind we'd encounter a three-quarter submerged Stature of Liberty somewhere along the way. My favourite story from the collection.
The Five Hells of Orion 6/10
Worlds of If, January 1963
A navigator in deep space finds himself captive on an alien vessel, with no recollection of how he arrived. The aliens, meanwhile, are letting loose a series of tests on the man. The story begins with back-and-forth point of view, and is interesting until the human fully takes over the narrative. The first third is quite good and suspenseful, whereas the middle section drags, and the last portion is rushed through. Oddly, the story's tone takes a major shift, beginning with a light humourous take on the aliens, and at the half-way mark maintaining a solely dramatic tone. The story reads as though Pohl was nearing a deadline and did not present the final draft he had originally intended.
With Redfern on Capella XII 5/10
Galaxy Science Fiction, November 1955 (as "by Charles Satterfield)
About to be set on fire by the local Fnits, Redfern is freed and becomes allied with a foursome hoping to dupe the planet's gullible inhabitants. The story starts off interestingly enough, but soon the characters do not transcend their comical stereotypes, and the story, dated as it is, is both sexist and ageist.
September 28, 2010
The dastards were fine. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that "Father of the Stars" is one of the better SF shorts from that period, with a killer ending that still leaves me furtively rubbing my knuckles against the corners of my eyes.
But the digits... oh dear. Fred Pohl was a great SF writer, but his foray into computer science was plain embarrassing. I could go on at considerable length, but let's just say that his unwitting reinvention of octal numbers wasn't quite as interesting as he appeared to think it was.
But the digits... oh dear. Fred Pohl was a great SF writer, but his foray into computer science was plain embarrassing. I could go on at considerable length, but let's just say that his unwitting reinvention of octal numbers wasn't quite as interesting as he appeared to think it was.
October 17, 2022
This is my first Frederik Pohl book ever and I love its content. Not only a Science Fiction collection of stories, but also includes 2 Mathematical Articles.
What's Inside!?
1. Intro 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 really witty
2. The Children of Night 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 sacrificing one's self for the sake of universal order and peace
3. The Fiend 🌟🌟🌟🌟 also included in The Playboy Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy
4. Earth Eighteen 🌟🌟🌟🌟 a vivid New World description ever
5. Father of the Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟 reverse Evolution ala Darwin, humans in chimps/apes bodies, wow 🍌
6. The Five Hells of Orion 🌟🌟🌟🌟 the exact feeling when you became a literal planet
7. With Redfern in Capella XII 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Mr. Pohl mentioned "hormone injections" which is available today, lol
8. How to Count with your Fingers 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 badly needed today
9. On Binary Digits and Human Habits 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Pohl is 0, 0 is Pohl
Overall Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 + a bunch of 🍌
Thanks Mr. Pohl!
What's Inside!?
1. Intro 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 really witty
2. The Children of Night 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 sacrificing one's self for the sake of universal order and peace
3. The Fiend 🌟🌟🌟🌟 also included in The Playboy Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy
4. Earth Eighteen 🌟🌟🌟🌟 a vivid New World description ever
5. Father of the Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟 reverse Evolution ala Darwin, humans in chimps/apes bodies, wow 🍌
6. The Five Hells of Orion 🌟🌟🌟🌟 the exact feeling when you became a literal planet
7. With Redfern in Capella XII 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Mr. Pohl mentioned "hormone injections" which is available today, lol
8. How to Count with your Fingers 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 badly needed today
9. On Binary Digits and Human Habits 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Pohl is 0, 0 is Pohl
Overall Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 + a bunch of 🍌
Thanks Mr. Pohl!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2021
This group of short stories from Fredrick Poul were a wonderful distraction and escape. These are collected from stuff he wrote in the 50s and early 60s. I’m a sucker for science fiction written at this time. His stuff is thoughtful, humorous and told in such a way that the sci-fi doesn’t overshadow the story. It makes the aliens he writes about and places with the humans that much more believable.
I won this paperback in a lot of sci-fi paperbacks from eBay. It actually wasn’t listed in the lot of books I’d bid on, but I was glad it was included. By the time I finished it, it had almost fallen apart. Nice relic from a good age.
I won this paperback in a lot of sci-fi paperbacks from eBay. It actually wasn’t listed in the lot of books I’d bid on, but I was glad it was included. By the time I finished it, it had almost fallen apart. Nice relic from a good age.
July 15, 2023
An entertaining and sometimes intriguing collection of classic scifi stories from one of the masters. I picked this up in part wondering if I had read these before but if I did, I didn't remember them. I'm keeping this copy because it includes a couple of interesting stories in particular his discussion of binary numbers and how to use them instead of our base ten system. 3 stars because I didn't absolutely love each and every story but even the ones I liked less were good reading.
October 3, 2023
Das Büchlein enthält acht Kurzgeschichten von denen vier wirklich lesenswert sind.
Hier die Einzelbewertung:
„Die Kinder der Nacht“ - 2 Sterne
„Der Unhold“ - 5 Sterne
„Erde 18“ - 5 Sterne
„Vater der Sterne“ - 4 Sterne
„Die fünf Höllen des Orion“ - 4 Sterne
„Mit Redfern auf Capella XII“ - 3 Sterne
„Die Kunst, mit den Fingern zu rechnen – 1 Stern
„Signale“ - 1 Stern
Hier die Einzelbewertung:
„Die Kinder der Nacht“ - 2 Sterne
„Der Unhold“ - 5 Sterne
„Erde 18“ - 5 Sterne
„Vater der Sterne“ - 4 Sterne
„Die fünf Höllen des Orion“ - 4 Sterne
„Mit Redfern auf Capella XII“ - 3 Sterne
„Die Kunst, mit den Fingern zu rechnen – 1 Stern
„Signale“ - 1 Stern
January 10, 2013
The essay "How to Count on your Fingers" made an impression on me. It teaches how to count (in binary) on your fingers. I learned it and practiced it and can quickly count up to 1023 without thinking about it. Why, you ask? Good heavens, man, it's obvious. The number of cars in a train that's making you late for work. How much you would be winning if you were on today's Jeopardy show. Keeping time by adding one each second. How many books you've read this year. Use your imagination.
June 10, 2011
Very interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews