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Cosmic Laughter; Science Fiction for the Fun of It
ix • Introduction • essay by Joe Haldeman
1 • A Slight Miscalculation • (1971) • Ben Bova
13 • "It's a Bird! It's a Plane!" • (1970) • Norman Spinrad
27 • The Robots Are Here • (1967) • Terry Carr
55 • I of Newton • (1970) • Joe Haldeman
61 • The Men Who Murdered Mohammed • (1958) • Alfred Bester
81 • To Serve Man • (1950) • Damon Knight
93 • The Bomb in the Bathtub • (1957) • Thomas N. Scortia
115 • The Black Sorcerer of the Black Castle • Andrew J. Offutt
131 • Gallegher Plus • (1943) • Henry Kuttner
1 • A Slight Miscalculation • (1971) • Ben Bova
13 • "It's a Bird! It's a Plane!" • (1970) • Norman Spinrad
27 • The Robots Are Here • (1967) • Terry Carr
55 • I of Newton • (1970) • Joe Haldeman
61 • The Men Who Murdered Mohammed • (1958) • Alfred Bester
81 • To Serve Man • (1950) • Damon Knight
93 • The Bomb in the Bathtub • (1957) • Thomas N. Scortia
115 • The Black Sorcerer of the Black Castle • Andrew J. Offutt
131 • Gallegher Plus • (1943) • Henry Kuttner
189 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1974
3 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Joe Haldeman
444 books2,212 followersBrother of Jack C. Haldeman II
Haldeman is the author of 20 novels and five collections. The Forever War won the Nebula, Hugo and Ditmar Awards for best science fiction novel in 1975. Other notable titles include Camouflage, The Accidental Time Machine and Marsbound as well as the short works "Graves," "Tricentennial" and "The Hemingway Hoax." Starbound is scheduled for a January release. SFWA president Russell Davis called Haldeman "an extraordinarily talented writer, a respected teacher and mentor in our community, and a good friend."
Haldeman officially received the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master for 2010 by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America at the Nebula Awards Weekend in May, 2010 in Hollywood, Fla.
Haldeman is the author of 20 novels and five collections. The Forever War won the Nebula, Hugo and Ditmar Awards for best science fiction novel in 1975. Other notable titles include Camouflage, The Accidental Time Machine and Marsbound as well as the short works "Graves," "Tricentennial" and "The Hemingway Hoax." Starbound is scheduled for a January release. SFWA president Russell Davis called Haldeman "an extraordinarily talented writer, a respected teacher and mentor in our community, and a good friend."
Haldeman officially received the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master for 2010 by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America at the Nebula Awards Weekend in May, 2010 in Hollywood, Fla.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 27, 2021
There have been many collections and anthologies of humorous science fiction stories over the years, but Haldeman's Cosmic Laughter remains one of the best. It's tempting to be critical of the book by saying he should have included something else, or a story by that guy, or one of those, but he did a fine job of assembling some very funny stuff. There's a long slapstick tale by Henry Kuttner, good stories by Norman Spinrad (It's Clark Kent!), Terry Carr, Alfred Bester, Ben Bova, Thomas N. Scortia, Haldeman himself, and Damon Knight (spoiler: It's a cookbook!!) My favorite is The Black Sorcerer of the Black Castle by andrew j. offutt.
November 28, 2008
And they say that science fiction can't be funny?
Joe Haldeman proved them wrong in 1974 with Cosmic Laughter: Science Fiction for the Fun of It. It was a collection of nine stories by nine very funny authors. Unfortunately the book was not a great commercial success. It wasn't long before it was out of print, and in those days before the rise of the world wide web and online book searches, it was almost impossible to find a copy outside of a library. You wouldn't believe what I had to do to get my copy.
But times change, and Cosmic Laughter eventually came back into print - which is good news for all fans of science fiction and humor.
Some of the stories have gone on to become quite well known in the SF field. Others, unfortunately, have been forgotten. But that's a pity, because Haldeman demonstrated a rare sense of humor as a compiler.
The stories:
"A Slight Miscalculation" by Ben Bova. This is, in essence, a great joke worked into the form of a short SF story. A scientist discovers that a slight error can have surprising - and even earth-shaking - consequences.
"It's a Bird! It's a Plane!" by Norman Spinrad. The title gives the subject away, of course: a Man of Steel. Or rather, many of them; a Superman craze has taken over the world, and it's up to the hero-psychiatrist to save the day. Possibly the funniest story in the book.
"The Robots Are Here", by Terry Carr. A "dark" story of sorts, quite well-written. The dialog is particularly clever, and will stay with you. Even when I'd forgotten the story itself, the laughter-simulation of the robot stuck in my head. But I have to admit that I don't particularly like "downer" endings, so this is my least favorite story of the bunch.
"I of Newton" by Joe Haldeman. Another story which is, at its heart, a really funny joke - in this case a "pact with the Devil" joke, and a very clever one to boot. You may find yourself trying to tell it to your friends.
"The Men Who Murdered Mohammed" by Alfred Bester. A brilliant and funny time-travel story, with a unique take on the concept. Bester isn't noted for his humor, but here he displays a mastery of it.
"To Serve Man" by Damon Knight. This is the story which was made famous by The Twilight Zone, of course, and was later parodied on The Simpsons. I find it depressing (how not?), so it's not one of my favorites. But then, if you've already read or seen the punchline (and you almost certainly have), the story loses its strongest card: the element of surprise.
"The Bomb in the Bathtub", by Thomas N. Scortia. A light screwball comedy about an intelligent bomb that wants to blow up the universe (shades of Dark Star, anyone? But this story came first). The issue is complicated by the bomb's rather difficult and amusing personality. This feels like a series, and a very funny one - but I don't know if Scortia wrote any more of it.
"The Black Sorcerer of the Black Castle", by andrew j offut (or black-offut, as he puts it here). How many short stories have their own full-page glossary at the end? offut created the ultimate parody of the Conan stories, and it's...well, how many ways can I say "incredibly funny" in one review? This story is one of my favorites, and if you've ever read a Conan book, you will re-read this story (and laugh) more than once.
"Gallegher Plus" by Henry Kuttner. At last, a story that was part of a series - although unfortunately, a very hard one to find ( Robots Have No Tails and Proud Robot). Kuttner's Galloway Gallagher series of shorts are about a genius inventor who is only a genius when he's drunk. When he sobers up, he forgets when, why, what, and how he came up with his inventions - and inevitably, trouble is the result. Gallagher's short conversation with his stomach has stuck in my mind for decades. "Gallegher Plus" is the longest story in the book, and certainly one of the funniest.
I can't really express how funny Kuttner's Gallagher stories are. He's not as well remembered now as he should be, and it's a terrible pity that he died so young.
It just occurred to me that Kuttner's Gallagher is not the only comic SF series protagonist who is a genius inventor in his subconscious, but not in his conscious mind. The same is true of Papa Schimmelhorn, the hero of Reginald (R.) Bretnor's Schimmelhorn stories ( Schimmelhorn File and Schimmelhorn's Gold). There are many other funny science fiction writers, come to think of it; in retrospect, there could have been a whole series of Cosmic Laughters, featuring the humor of Fredric Brown, Ron Goulart, and Robert Sheckley (among others). But Cosmic Laughter is an excellent introduction to some of the funniest stories and authors in the fantasy and science fiction genre.
Joe Haldeman proved them wrong in 1974 with Cosmic Laughter: Science Fiction for the Fun of It. It was a collection of nine stories by nine very funny authors. Unfortunately the book was not a great commercial success. It wasn't long before it was out of print, and in those days before the rise of the world wide web and online book searches, it was almost impossible to find a copy outside of a library. You wouldn't believe what I had to do to get my copy.
But times change, and Cosmic Laughter eventually came back into print - which is good news for all fans of science fiction and humor.
Some of the stories have gone on to become quite well known in the SF field. Others, unfortunately, have been forgotten. But that's a pity, because Haldeman demonstrated a rare sense of humor as a compiler.
The stories:
"A Slight Miscalculation" by Ben Bova. This is, in essence, a great joke worked into the form of a short SF story. A scientist discovers that a slight error can have surprising - and even earth-shaking - consequences.
"It's a Bird! It's a Plane!" by Norman Spinrad. The title gives the subject away, of course: a Man of Steel. Or rather, many of them; a Superman craze has taken over the world, and it's up to the hero-psychiatrist to save the day. Possibly the funniest story in the book.
"The Robots Are Here", by Terry Carr. A "dark" story of sorts, quite well-written. The dialog is particularly clever, and will stay with you. Even when I'd forgotten the story itself, the laughter-simulation of the robot stuck in my head. But I have to admit that I don't particularly like "downer" endings, so this is my least favorite story of the bunch.
"I of Newton" by Joe Haldeman. Another story which is, at its heart, a really funny joke - in this case a "pact with the Devil" joke, and a very clever one to boot. You may find yourself trying to tell it to your friends.
"The Men Who Murdered Mohammed" by Alfred Bester. A brilliant and funny time-travel story, with a unique take on the concept. Bester isn't noted for his humor, but here he displays a mastery of it.
"To Serve Man" by Damon Knight. This is the story which was made famous by The Twilight Zone, of course, and was later parodied on The Simpsons. I find it depressing (how not?), so it's not one of my favorites. But then, if you've already read or seen the punchline (and you almost certainly have), the story loses its strongest card: the element of surprise.
"The Bomb in the Bathtub", by Thomas N. Scortia. A light screwball comedy about an intelligent bomb that wants to blow up the universe (shades of Dark Star, anyone? But this story came first). The issue is complicated by the bomb's rather difficult and amusing personality. This feels like a series, and a very funny one - but I don't know if Scortia wrote any more of it.
"The Black Sorcerer of the Black Castle", by andrew j offut (or black-offut, as he puts it here). How many short stories have their own full-page glossary at the end? offut created the ultimate parody of the Conan stories, and it's...well, how many ways can I say "incredibly funny" in one review? This story is one of my favorites, and if you've ever read a Conan book, you will re-read this story (and laugh) more than once.
"Gallegher Plus" by Henry Kuttner. At last, a story that was part of a series - although unfortunately, a very hard one to find ( Robots Have No Tails and Proud Robot). Kuttner's Galloway Gallagher series of shorts are about a genius inventor who is only a genius when he's drunk. When he sobers up, he forgets when, why, what, and how he came up with his inventions - and inevitably, trouble is the result. Gallagher's short conversation with his stomach has stuck in my mind for decades. "Gallegher Plus" is the longest story in the book, and certainly one of the funniest.
I can't really express how funny Kuttner's Gallagher stories are. He's not as well remembered now as he should be, and it's a terrible pity that he died so young.
It just occurred to me that Kuttner's Gallagher is not the only comic SF series protagonist who is a genius inventor in his subconscious, but not in his conscious mind. The same is true of Papa Schimmelhorn, the hero of Reginald (R.) Bretnor's Schimmelhorn stories ( Schimmelhorn File and Schimmelhorn's Gold). There are many other funny science fiction writers, come to think of it; in retrospect, there could have been a whole series of Cosmic Laughters, featuring the humor of Fredric Brown, Ron Goulart, and Robert Sheckley (among others). But Cosmic Laughter is an excellent introduction to some of the funniest stories and authors in the fantasy and science fiction genre.
August 31, 2018
O, "Cuando Hadelman decidió probar que la ciencia ficción puede tener humor", claro que es así.
Un ligero error de cálculo (Ben Bova): es un relato medio tedioso que da vueltas sobre el mismo asunto. Normalín.
¡Es un pájaro, es un avión! (Norman Spinrad): Un psicoterapeuta (no soy la única que se ríe de ellos) y Súperman... varios locos que dicen ser Súperman. La verdad que no le encuentro la gracia porque el Hombre de Acero me irrita de sólo pensar en él así que, creo que arruiné el chiste.
Los robots están aquí (Terry Carr): En este encontré uno que me encantó, con alicientes temporales, robots, mientras uno se ríe de cosas que le suceden a ese pobre hombre culpa de los robots esos en pos de concluír su proyecto.
I de Newton (Joe Haldeman): ¿Un matemático que vive a base de anfetaminas para estar despierto, necesita urgentemente una fórmula y se le aparece un demonio? Esta es su historia.
Los hombres que asesinaron a Mahoma (Alfred Bester): Con ingredientes de saltos temporales, el título explica en parte lo que sucede y todo porque... encontró a su mujer engañándolo. Muy divertido.
Servir al hombre (Damon Knight): Una raza alienígena, los Kanamitas, llegan al planeta Tierra, van a la ONU donde uno de los traductores lo conoce. Todos confían en ellos salvo por su compañero y nada es lo que parece.
Una bomba en la bañera (Thomas N. Scortia): Una bomba con un ojo que decide destruir el mejor de los mundos posibles, éste, un investigador de Denuncias Singulares que corre hasta el departamento de Sidney Coleman para encontrarlo y todo lo que sucede allí. PD: Compadezco a quién haya traducido este relato.
El hechicero negro del castillo negro (Anbrew J. Black Offutt): Es en realidad un homenaje a Robert E. Howard (a quien cita bajo las iniciales R.E.H.), un bárbaro, un hechicero y una princesa para ser rescatada. Pura espada y hechicería con humor.
Gallegher Plus (Henry Kuttner): El subconciente de Gallegher se activa bebiendo, se pega unas terribles borracheras, el problema es que como inventor termina sus encargos aunque no tiene ni idea de lo que hace en el camino, cómo funcionan sus inventos y porqué hizo cada cosa. Eso lo debe descubrir el Gallagher normal. La frutilla de este relato es su robot personal al que terminará llamando Narciso. Es excelente y terriblemente original.
See, me gusta Hadelman, pero debo agregar a mi lista a Terry Carr, Alfred Bester y Henry Kuttner. El libro mejoró muchísimo una vez que se pasan las primeras dos historias.
Un ligero error de cálculo (Ben Bova): es un relato medio tedioso que da vueltas sobre el mismo asunto. Normalín.
¡Es un pájaro, es un avión! (Norman Spinrad): Un psicoterapeuta (no soy la única que se ríe de ellos) y Súperman... varios locos que dicen ser Súperman. La verdad que no le encuentro la gracia porque el Hombre de Acero me irrita de sólo pensar en él así que, creo que arruiné el chiste.
Los robots están aquí (Terry Carr): En este encontré uno que me encantó, con alicientes temporales, robots, mientras uno se ríe de cosas que le suceden a ese pobre hombre culpa de los robots esos en pos de concluír su proyecto.
I de Newton (Joe Haldeman): ¿Un matemático que vive a base de anfetaminas para estar despierto, necesita urgentemente una fórmula y se le aparece un demonio? Esta es su historia.
Los hombres que asesinaron a Mahoma (Alfred Bester): Con ingredientes de saltos temporales, el título explica en parte lo que sucede y todo porque... encontró a su mujer engañándolo. Muy divertido.
Servir al hombre (Damon Knight): Una raza alienígena, los Kanamitas, llegan al planeta Tierra, van a la ONU donde uno de los traductores lo conoce. Todos confían en ellos salvo por su compañero y nada es lo que parece.
Una bomba en la bañera (Thomas N. Scortia): Una bomba con un ojo que decide destruir el mejor de los mundos posibles, éste, un investigador de Denuncias Singulares que corre hasta el departamento de Sidney Coleman para encontrarlo y todo lo que sucede allí. PD: Compadezco a quién haya traducido este relato.
El hechicero negro del castillo negro (Anbrew J. Black Offutt): Es en realidad un homenaje a Robert E. Howard (a quien cita bajo las iniciales R.E.H.), un bárbaro, un hechicero y una princesa para ser rescatada. Pura espada y hechicería con humor.
Gallegher Plus (Henry Kuttner): El subconciente de Gallegher se activa bebiendo, se pega unas terribles borracheras, el problema es que como inventor termina sus encargos aunque no tiene ni idea de lo que hace en el camino, cómo funcionan sus inventos y porqué hizo cada cosa. Eso lo debe descubrir el Gallagher normal. La frutilla de este relato es su robot personal al que terminará llamando Narciso. Es excelente y terriblemente original.
See, me gusta Hadelman, pero debo agregar a mi lista a Terry Carr, Alfred Bester y Henry Kuttner. El libro mejoró muchísimo una vez que se pasan las primeras dos historias.
October 13, 2017
ENGLISH: A compilation of nine science fiction short stories with humorous intent. Some are more successful than others. For me, the best is "To serve Man" by Damon Knight, famous for having inspired one of the best episodes of the TV series "The Twilight Zone." In the second place I would put "Gallegher Plus", by Henry Kuttner, although the mental confusion of the main character transfers to some extent to the reader, but the robot Narcissus is a nice creation.
SPANISH: Recopilación de nueve historias cortas de ciencia-ficción escritas con intención humorística. Algunas están más logradas que otras. Para mí, la mejor es "Servir al hombre", de Damon Knight, famosa porque inspiró uno de los mejores episodios de la serie de televisión "Dimensión desconocida". En segundo lugar pondría a "Gallegher Plus", de Henry Kuttner, aunque la confusión mental del protagonista se traslada hasta cierto punto al lector. Pero el robot Narciso es una estupenda creación.
SPANISH: Recopilación de nueve historias cortas de ciencia-ficción escritas con intención humorística. Algunas están más logradas que otras. Para mí, la mejor es "Servir al hombre", de Damon Knight, famosa porque inspiró uno de los mejores episodios de la serie de televisión "Dimensión desconocida". En segundo lugar pondría a "Gallegher Plus", de Henry Kuttner, aunque la confusión mental del protagonista se traslada hasta cierto punto al lector. Pero el robot Narciso es una estupenda creación.
February 23, 2022
Una colección corta y graciosa. Como muchas colecciones, tiene unos cuentos que no me parecieron tan divertidos.
No obstante, los cuentos buenos superan a los cuentos malos, y definitivamente me reí bastante con este libro.
Si te gusta la ciencia ficción, y quieres un poco de diversión, definitivamente lee este libro.
No obstante, los cuentos buenos superan a los cuentos malos, y definitivamente me reí bastante con este libro.
Si te gusta la ciencia ficción, y quieres un poco de diversión, definitivamente lee este libro.
July 23, 2025
This collection is a hidden gem!
I of Newton- fantastic 'selling your soul to the devil' story and I recommend watching the 8min Twilight Zone version which directly quotes some parts!
To Serve Man--omgosh it's the story that inspired the Twilight Zone and Simpsons! omgosh~! so good!
The Robots are Here-- HOLD THE FLUFFING PHONE is this what inspired Marvel's TVA?! It's basically the TVA! written before the TVA too!!
I am so considering "it's a Bird! It's a Plane" to be a Superman fanfic just fyi...
All of the stories in this book (save 1, I sadly didn't enjoy Gallegher Plus) were super fun and enjoyable.
If you love Sci-Fi or just love some Twilight Zone you have to check this out.
I of Newton- fantastic 'selling your soul to the devil' story and I recommend watching the 8min Twilight Zone version which directly quotes some parts!
To Serve Man--omgosh it's the story that inspired the Twilight Zone and Simpsons! omgosh~! so good!
The Robots are Here-- HOLD THE FLUFFING PHONE is this what inspired Marvel's TVA?! It's basically the TVA! written before the TVA too!!
I am so considering "it's a Bird! It's a Plane" to be a Superman fanfic just fyi...
All of the stories in this book (save 1, I sadly didn't enjoy Gallegher Plus) were super fun and enjoyable.
If you love Sci-Fi or just love some Twilight Zone you have to check this out.
October 20, 2020
3/5 - A Slight Miscalculation, by Ben Bova
3/5 - It's a Bird! It's a Plane!, by Norman Spinrad
4/5 - The Robots Are Here, by Terry Carr
3/5 - I of Newton, by Joe Haldeman
4/5 - The Men Who Murdered Mohammed, by Alfred Bester
3/5 - To Serve Man, by Damon Knight
4/5 - The Bomb in the Bathtub, by Thomas N. Scortia
2/5 - The Black Sorcerer of the Black Castle, by Andrew J. Offutt
4/5 - Gallegher Plus, by Henry Kuttner
3/5 - It's a Bird! It's a Plane!, by Norman Spinrad
4/5 - The Robots Are Here, by Terry Carr
3/5 - I of Newton, by Joe Haldeman
4/5 - The Men Who Murdered Mohammed, by Alfred Bester
3/5 - To Serve Man, by Damon Knight
4/5 - The Bomb in the Bathtub, by Thomas N. Scortia
2/5 - The Black Sorcerer of the Black Castle, by Andrew J. Offutt
4/5 - Gallegher Plus, by Henry Kuttner
March 17, 2018
De calidad desigual. Válido para (re)descubrir otro aspecto de la CF. Hay un par de cuentos que descollan, como Servir al Hombre o el tono desopilante de Una Bomba en la Bañera, que recuerda al gran Douglas Adams.
January 22, 2019
Atualmente esses contos já estão meio sem graça, salvo por Henry Kuttner que ainda consegue me fazer rir...
August 23, 2023
Review to come.
April 15, 2024
Un buen libro para pasar un buen rato. Une lo bueno de la ciencia ficción, con una buena dosis de humor, ¿Qué puede salir mal?. Excelente para esos huecos lectores entre libros más densos.
September 4, 2012
Varias historias de ciencia ficción, pero que a estas alturas se notan muy añejas. Alguna que otra idea no está mal, pero en general es una recopilación rancia.
August 17, 2015
808.3 SciFi - subtitled: SciFi for the fun of it. A compilation of 9 humorous short stories written between 1950 and 1974 and most originally appearing in the pulps.
November 30, 2019
No es una obra maestra pero me ha hecho disfrutar y descubrir autores nuevos muy interesantes
March 15, 2012
This book has a higher average rating than Ulysses. Ayup.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews