Science Fiction Terror Tales

by Groff Conklin (Editor), Theodore Sturgeon (Contributor), Howard Browne

Introduction • (1955) • essay by Groff Conklin
Punishment Without Crime • (1950) • shortstory by Ray Bradbury
Arena • (1944) • novelette by Fredric Brown
The Leech • (1952) • shortstory by Robert Sheckley
Through Channels • (1951) • shortstory by Richard Matheson
Lost Memory • (1952) • shortstory by Howard Browne [as by Peter Phillips ]
Memorial • (1946) • shortstory by Theodore Sturgeon
Prott • (1953) • shortstory by Margaret St. Clair
Flies • (1953) • shortstory by Isaac Asimov
The Microscopic Giants • (1936) • shortstory by Paul Ernst
The Other Inauguration • (1953) • shortstory by Anthony Boucher
Nightmare Brother • (1953) • novelette by Alan E. Nourse
Pipeline to Pluto • (1945) • shortstory by Murray Leinster
Impostor • (1953) • shortstory by Philip K. Dick
They • (1941) • shortstory by Robert A. Heinlein
Let Me Live in a House • (1954) • novelette by Chad Oliver

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

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Edward Groff Conklin (September 6, 1904, Glen Ridge, New Jersey - July 19, 1968, Pawling, New York) was a leading science fiction anthologist. Conklin edited 41 anthologies of science fiction, wrote books on home improvement and was a freelance writer on scientific subjects. From 1950 to 1955, he was the book critic for Galaxy Science Fiction.

Reviews

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always liked the mixture of science fiction and horror (ALIEN was a great film) and this collection manages to showcase several stories that do a great job of mixing the two. There were a few misses along with the hits, but the good far outweighed the bad.

My personal favorites:

ARENA, a story whose formula has been done many times in other stories and movies.
THE LEECH, because every collection like this needs good "end of everything" story.
THE MICROSCOPIC GIANTS, both weird and creepy.
LOST MEMORY, both horrifying and slightly humorous.
IMPOSTER, because you think you know what's happening, then think you maybe do, but then realize you did.

Overall a great collection for people who enjoy mixing sci fi and horror.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a reprint anthology from 1955 that serves as a terrific companion volume to Conklin's earlier similarly-themed In the Grip of Terror that appeared in 1951. The stories in this volume are more traditionally modern science fiction oriented; more in the spirit of Alien than Lovecraft's cosmic horror, say. It includes Fredric Brown's classic Arena, along with very good stories from Margaret St. Clair, Anthony Boucher, Theodore Sturgeon, Alan E. Nourse, Philip K. Dick, Richard Matheson, Robert Sheckley, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, and several others. My three favorites are Pipeline to Pluto by Murray Leinster, Let Me Live in a House by Chad Oliver, and Robert A. Heinlein's They. A good bet for those who like a shiver or two along with their dose of sf.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some early gems from Heinlein, PK Dick, Bradbury, Asimov, and Matheson. A sci-fi horror anthology more focused on 'intellectual/philosophical' horrors (for example, the difference between 'self' and 'other'), something probably pretty forward-thinking/novel for an anthology in the early 1950's, I'd guess. I would have preferred more 'I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,' Harlan Ellison type sci-fi horror, with a cover like that. Still, some entertaining, lesser-read stories from true sci-fi masters.

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 5 out of 5]

[FIRST REREADING: * * * * I vividly remember this anthol from sixth grade, especially that great cover (in fact, when I was able to choose between this and the first edition, I definitely picked this one!). I got it from school--not the regular library, but rather this single shelf of books in my classroom which all had those little envelopes inside them and cards so you could check them out (I believe we got to keep them for 3 weeks too).

The one I remember most of all was the Matheson ("Through Channels"). Me and a classmate even used to repeat the line: "And then it came together--and it was a word!" As this massive freak-out experience.

It all still holds up pretty well, imbued with that eerie suburban claustrophobia of the 1950s. Funny, I'd thought it had "Far Centaurus" (but it doesn't). Yet it does contain "Arena" and "They" (neither of which I remember from the first time I read it). The Sheckley story ("The Leech") doesn't sound like Sheckley at all, except for a few droll moments during the dialogue (I guess that has something to do with his use of a pseudonym). I didn't find "Lost Memory" so much terrifying as amusing. And then there was "Prott" (with the awesomely awful prospect of being bored to death). And Dick (in "Impostor") was already latching on to his signature concerns.

The best of the bunch though has to be the Heinlein. It's still quite terrifying, convincing, and darkly comic. (Oh yeah, and "The creature known as Alice..." would no doubt have been another one of the lines that that classmate and I summoned up, with these harrowing fingers of doom, all those years ago.)]

[Charlie Eckhaus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conklin was a major anthologist and did his part to remind readers of the most worthwhile classic stories. I read several of these in the past and am skipping this opportunity to repeat, mainly to their strength in my memory (Bradbury: Punishment Without Crime, Brown: Arena....)

The Leech by Robert Sheckley: Straightforward threat to humanity trope, immediately reminiscent of a famous 50s movie
Through Channels by Richard Matheson: Strange event recounted via police interview.
Lost Memory by Peter Philips: Alien point-of-view first contact
Memorial by Theodore Sturgeon: I remember its splash illustration in 1946 Astounding. Best intentions?
Prott by Margaret St. Clair: Frustrating communication with puzzling aliens.
Flies by Isaac Asimov: Weak premise stretched to little avail
The Microscopic Giants by Peter Phillips: Well-done old-fashioned lost-race discovery.
The Other Inauguration by Anthony Boucher: Problematic parallel-worlds talkie.
Nightmare Brother by Alan E Nourse: Competent with mild suspense.
Pipeline to Pluto by Murray Leinster: Noirish little surpriser.
Impostor by Philip K Dick: Paranoid (?) chase
They by Robert A Heinlein: Another odd psychosis?
Let Me Live in a House by Chad Oliver: Was shaping up to be the best in the book, didn't quite fill the bill.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read a few people opine that this is the best SF anthology every. It's not.
Punishment Without Crime (Marionettes Inc.) --killing a duplicate robot when angry with a person
Arena --Kirk v Gorn
The Leech --unstoppable mass/energy absorbing organism
Through Channels --killer TV signal, but almost impenetrable in how it is written
Lost Memory --robot civilizations don't remember biologic life
Memorial --scientist makes super-bomb to extort countries into giving up The Bomb. The super-bomb goes off, destroying human life but only after 100 or 200 nightmare years
Prott --strange metaphysical aliens are dangerous like mold. While leading them away from Earth, one astronaut sends a signal rocket to Earth, which dooms the planet
Flies --academic is really a demon but doesn't know it
Microscopic Giants --super dense miniature races lives deep in the Earth
The Other Inauguration --time traveler with psionic powers trys to improve the present, creates a nightmare and then loses the power to fix it
Nightmare Brother --astronauts have terrible nightmares while in deep sleep while traveling, only they can climb out of these nightmares or they die
Pipeline to Pluto --criminals put stowaways on ships heading to Pluto, but the trip kills every passenger
Imposter --aliens create a robot that duplicates a human, but that does not know it's a robot. The robot carries an Earth-shattering bomb
They --all you zombies
Me Live in a House --humans living on desolate moons live in cottages under air bubbles, trying to ignore the terrible environment outside the bubble. They don't have the skills to deal with anything more complicated than tasks faced by homeowners.

[Ernie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading stories from the "Golden Age of Science Fiction" is its own kind of time travel. You get a glimpse into the hopes and fears of a bygone generation through "science" that is, by-definition, outdated.

As a result, the stories may seem quaint or campy. Many of these stories are not "timeless", but a few are. The rest are like watching an old Star Trek, or Lost in Space, or 50s horror flick...fun for the nostalgia.

Because the stories may seem "quaint or campy or dated", they inevitably suffer when it comes to rating them on a 1 to 5 scale. That's OK. I am not reading these because I expect them to be fives. I am reading them for a glimpse into the past.

Having said all that, I rate this short story collection like I rate all such collections, by taking the average of all of the stories....which works out to 3.1. The only story I gave 5 stars to was "Lost Memory" by Peter Phillips....a true SF horror story that had me squirming.

[Kent Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall good stories but no terror.

[Alexander Kozdra · Rating 3 out of 5]

mixed bag, some great, some miserable.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome read. Every story was epic.

[Daniel Benzing · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several of the stories were engaging, including PKD's. A few were not quite up to that standard. Overall a very enjoyable anthology!

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theme of this short story collection is pretty well explained by the title. Fifteen stories of varying quality from assorted SF authors, famous and not-so-famous. Interestingly, some of the better-known authors deliver the weakest stories. Asimov's "Flies", for instance, is just plain bad, as are Matheson's "Through Channels" and Sturgeon's "Memorial". The selections I liked best were by authors I didn't know: "The Arena" (Fredrick Brown), "The Leech" (Robert Sheckley), and "Lost Memory" (Peter Phillips). Of note are two stories by renowned authors: Philip K Dick's "Imposter" and Robert Heinlein's "They". Though greatly different in plot, they share a couple of striking similarities: both are studies of paranoia, and both have twist endings that unfortunately are hard not to foresee.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was in my mother's collection of little books stuffed into the shelf on the headboard of her bed. I used to sneak in and read it until the pages were nearly coming out of the book.
When I moved out I decided I needed to have my own copy, and so I hunted online until I found it.

Fifteen short science fiction horror stories, all of them good, some of them even better.

[Brett]

Science Fiction,Anthology

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

SF stories with horror elements. Some really good stuff here. I like this collection a lot. Stories by Bradbury, Asimov, Brown, Boucher and others.