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From the "S" File: 16 Stories by Sheckley, Slesar, Sturgeon & Others
Collection of science fiction stories from the pages of Playboy Magazine. The Nail and the Oracle (1965) by Theodore Sturgeon; The World of Heart's Desire (1959) by Robert Sheckley; Can You Feel Anything When I Do This? (1969) by Robert Sheckley; Triplication (1959) by Robert Sheckley; The Same to You Doubled (1970) by Robert Sheckley; Cordle to Onion to Carrot (1969) by Robert Sheckley; Control Somnambule (1962) by William Sambrot; The Man from Not-Yet (1968) by John Sladek; Melodramine (1965) by Henry Slesar; Victory Parade (1957) by Henry Slesar; Examination Day (1958) by Henry Slesar; The Jam (1958) by Henry Slesar; After (1960) by Henry Slesar; The Pool (1964) by Jack Sharkey; Conversation with a Bug (1961) by Jack Sharkey; Deathwatch (1965) by Norman Spinrad.
- GenresScience Fiction
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
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December 16, 2020
Overall engaging collection with no real duds, which is why I'm giving 4 stars instead of 3. None of the stories were overly long either, so you can easily get through one or two in a sitting.
"The Nail and the Oracle" by Sturgeon is masterfully written, so no wonder it leads things off. Of the five Sheckley offerings, my favorite was "The World of Heart's Desire." Sambrot's "Control Samnabule" was one of the few hard sci-fi stories; I found it both immersive and thoughtful.
Slesar's "Victory Parade" and "Examination Day" as well as Spinrad's "Deathwatch" hinge on what's revealed at the end. All were quite short, and I'd say the two by Slesar were more successfully written.
Sheckley's "Triplication" and Slesar's "After" jump from (semi-)unrelated sections to get a point across, and as thought exercises more than plotted stories I'd say they were still engaging.
Sladek's "The Man from Not-Yet" and Sharkey's "The Pool" both had a bulky writing style and made use of "historical" flavors, but are decent enough if you can plow through the dense verbiage.
Slesar's "Melodramine" and Sheckley's "Cordle to Onion to Carrot" were the only two silly entries here, with Slesar's being far more entertaining.
The pages of Sharky's "Conversation with a Bug" were torn out so I can't comment on it.
"The Nail and the Oracle" by Sturgeon is masterfully written, so no wonder it leads things off. Of the five Sheckley offerings, my favorite was "The World of Heart's Desire." Sambrot's "Control Samnabule" was one of the few hard sci-fi stories; I found it both immersive and thoughtful.
Slesar's "Victory Parade" and "Examination Day" as well as Spinrad's "Deathwatch" hinge on what's revealed at the end. All were quite short, and I'd say the two by Slesar were more successfully written.
Sheckley's "Triplication" and Slesar's "After" jump from (semi-)unrelated sections to get a point across, and as thought exercises more than plotted stories I'd say they were still engaging.
Sladek's "The Man from Not-Yet" and Sharkey's "The Pool" both had a bulky writing style and made use of "historical" flavors, but are decent enough if you can plow through the dense verbiage.
Slesar's "Melodramine" and Sheckley's "Cordle to Onion to Carrot" were the only two silly entries here, with Slesar's being far more entertaining.
The pages of Sharky's "Conversation with a Bug" were torn out so I can't comment on it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review