Outsiders: Children of Wonder

by William Tenn

21 fantastic stories of children who are part of, or affected by, the supernatural, the unknown, the outer limits. Stories by Poul Andersen, Ray Bradbury, E.M. Forster, Graham Greane, Saki (the famous Sredni Vashtar tale), D.H. Lawrence, Judith Merrill and others. Includes Alice-Mary Schnirring's unusual "Child's Play", describing a homebrewed fantasy roleplaying game long before Gygax: also the original short-story version of Wilmer Shiras' "In Hiding", about superintelligent children who find ways to communicate with each other without adults finding out their special traits.

CONTENTS
Through the Looking-Glass (excerpt) by Lewis Carroll
Introduction (Children of Wonder) by William Tenn
Part 1: Wild Talents by William Tenn
The Rocking-Horse Winner by D. H. Lawrence
The Words of Guru by C. M. Kornbluth
Baby Is Three by Theodore Sturgeon
Part 2: The Child Possessed by William Tenn
The Small Assassin by Ray Bradbury
The Story of a Panic by E. M. Forster
The Piper's Son by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lewis Padgett]
Part 3: The Stuff of Dreams by William Tenn
Miriam by Truman Capote
Adam and Eve and Pinch Me by A. E. Coppard
Child's Play by Alice-Mary Schnirring
The Open Window by Saki
Part 4: Terror in the Nursery by William Tenn
The End of the Party by Graham Greene
The Idol of the Flies by Jane Rice
That Only a Mother by Judith Merril
Part 5: Alien Brothers by William Tenn
Born of Man and Woman by Richard Matheson
Keyhole by Murray Leinster
Terminal Quest by Poul Anderson
Part 6: Little Superman, What Now? by William Tenn
The Origin of the Species by Katherine MacLean
In Hiding by Wilmar H. Shiras
Part 7: In Times to Come William Tenn
The Hatchery (Excerpt from Brave New World) by Aldous Huxley
Errand Boy by William Tenn
Nightmare for Future Reference by Stephen Vincent Benét
About the Editor (Children of Wonder)

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fantasy

336 pages, hardback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

William Tenn is the pseudonym of Philip Klass. He was born in London on May 9, 1920, and emigrated to the United States with his parents before his second birthday. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. After serving in the United States Army as a combat engineer in Europe, he held a job as a technical editor with an Air Force radar and radio laboratory and was employed by Bell Labs.

He began writing in 1945 and wrote academic articles, essays, two novels, and more than 60 short stories.

His first story, 'Alexander the Bait' was published in Astounding Science Fiction in 1946. Stories like 'Down Among the Dead Men', 'The Liberation of Earth', and 'The Custodian' quickly established him as a fine, funny, and thoughtful satirist.

Tenn is best-known as a satirist, and by works such as "On Venus Have We Got a Rabbi" and "Of Men and Monsters."

His stories and articles were widely anthologized, a number of them in best-of-the-year collections. From 1966, he was a Professor Emeritus of English and Comparative Literature at The Pennsylvania State University, where he taught, among other things, a popular course on science fiction.

In 1999, he was honored as Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America at their annual Nebula Awards Banquet.



More information at: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topi...

Reviews

[Lon Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of thought provoking (and yes, many are appropriately labeled "grim") stories became a favorite of mine when I first read it decades ago. I dug it out in my collection recently and will be re-reading it shortly.

A number of the stories within, have held fast in my memory for all these years, and I am looking forward to perusing it following years of experiences, and from quite different perspectives.

[Don · Rating 1 out of 5]

It seems, like most short story collections, this sadly sided with lame. Even with a few well-known names penning a piece it just was a great disappointment as I kept hoping the next story to be better than the previous few. Long out of print. May only now be viewed as an example of what was a mediocre collection that should have been better.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a splendid anthology dating in its HB edition from 1953. That first edition, published by Simon and Schuster was titled simply “Children of Wonder”.

There is a certain grimness, as others have mentioned, but this seriousness and the literary quality of its contents set it apart from many of the other anthologies which dominated the “Golden Age” sci-fi market of the forties and fifties.

William Tenn provides an excellent introduction to the book as a whole and also some introductory comments to each of the stories. Unfortunately this unique volume is not available as an ebook.

[Debora Ewing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK. I spent a good deal of time hunting down a copy of it when I lost my first one. I can't explain without spoilers but if you love science fiction, get your own copy.

[Eric Winter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished after a long hiatus. Some thoughtful stories, but *not* light reading. Many of these stories are grim, even depressing. Good stuff, just be prepared if you read ut.

[Alfred Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

An anthology of "remarkable and fantastic tales" that includes a number of writers known primarily as science fiction or fantasy authors, and a number of mainstream literary authors -- in effect, an effort to bridge the gap between the two genres. Includes contributions by Graham Greene, E.M. Foster, Truman Capote, Aldous Huxley, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, and others. I read this back in High School, and still remember several stories vividly.... a very good collection!