The Book of Gordon Dickson

by Gordon R. Dickson

A collection of thirteen short stories.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories

205 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Gordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author. He was born in Canada, then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota as a teenager. He is probably most famous for his Childe Cycle and the Dragon Knight series. He won three Hugo awards and one Nebula award.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

(DAW Collectors #55

Cover Artist: Karel Thole

Name: Dickson, Gordon Rupert, Birthplace: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Birthdate: 1 November 1923 - 31 January 2001)

Contents:

2 •  The Book of Gordon Dickson (frontispiece) • interior artwork by Jack Gaughan
9 • Danger - Human • (1957)
28 • Dolphin's Way • (1964)
46 • And Then There Was Peace • (1962)
50 • The Man from Earth • (1964)
64 • Black Charlie • (1954)
78 • Zeepsday • (1956)
99 • Lulungomeena • (1953)
117 • An Honorable Death • (1961)
135 • Flat Tiger • (1956)
149 • James • (1955)
155 • The Quarry • (1958)
162 • Call Him Lord • (1966)
183 • Steel Brother • (1952) (variant of The Steel Brother)

Dickson won ehe Hugo Award in 1965, for "Soldier, Ask Not"; the Nebula Award, Science Fiction Writers of America, 1966, for short story "Call Him Lord"; E.E. Smith Memorial Award for imaginative fiction, 1975; August Derleth Award, British Fantasy Society, 1976, for The Dragon and the George; Jupiter Award, 1978, for Time Storm; Hugo Award nomination, 1978, for Time Storm, and 1979, for The Far Call; Hugo Award, 1980, for Lost Dorsai; Hugo Award for Best Novelette, World Science Fiction Society, 1981, for "The Cloak and the Staff".

In his early career, Dickson wrote numerous radio plays, westerns, and lots of science fiction. Gradually his work moved into the more magical realm of fantasy. His work is notable for its skillful blend of serious, even tragic, issues and a light, comic tone. He frequently used the standard plot devices of a youth's initiation or a gifted hero battling to save his society.

This is a good collection of his work.

[Jim Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gordon R. Dickson is perhaps best known for his Dorsai series, but some of his best work was his short fiction. The Book of Gordon R. Dickson (also published under the title of Danger, Human!) is a strong collection of his work from the 1950s and first half of the 1960s.

The most famous story in the book is probably the Nebula-award-wining "Call Him Lord," in which the heir to the human empire returns to the ancestral world of Earth to understand the natives -- something he just can't do. The impact of it remains strong, as it explores how arrogance and lack of insight can bring disaster.

But the collection features at least two other stories that equally strong. "Dolphin's Way" explores humanity's attempt to learn to communicate with dolphins -- and their attempts to learn to communicate with us. "Black Charlie" looks at the meaning of art, and what makes something art, primitive or otherwise.

Almost is good is "Steel Brother," about a man who must run a space defense station, helped only with the computerized memories of those who came before. "Lulungomeena" in some ways feels like a wild-west tale, but the alien encounter, and the ironic twist of language that comes from that, is central to the story's impact.

While most of the stories are rather serious, there are a few lighter ones. "Zeepsday" is an amusing story about the day of he week between Wednesday and Thursday. "Flat Tiger" tells of an alien that lands on earth when his space ship gets a flat tiger (you really need to read the story to get the joke), and of the human's reaction to his conditions for their possibly joining galactic civilization.

There are a few minor stories here, but no bad ones. This is a collection well worth reading.

[RavenT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going through my SF collection to weed out some books to give to a friend, I picked this 1973 collection of older short stories to re-read and pass on. All of them feature the classic SF short story habit of a twist at the end, and most are solely male, white Western protagonists. The few women are unimportant side characters. I can forgive this omission because of the short format and the time they were published and enjoy them for what they are - brief sketches of mankind meeting aliens with the recurring theme of survival. Dickson is a master at blending an exciting plot with just enough detail to make the story seem plausible/realistic. They are very readable, and I ate them up like popcorn. Three and a half stars, rounding up.

[Наташа · Rating 4 out of 5]

Очень позитивная с точки зрения мыслей о супер способности человечества история, но довольно интересная.

[Norman Howe]

Science-Fiction