8th Annual Edition: The Year's Best S-F

The Year's Best S-F (Merril) #8

by Judith Merril (editor)

The most startling, original and exciting new notions today [1963] are being explored in science fiction. These twenty-eight stories represent the very newest and the very finest of the writings in this field. Selected by Judith Merril, an acknowledged master in her field, and with a commentary by author-critic Anthony Boucher, it is a superb excursion into the extraordinary.

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

382 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Josephine Juliet Grossman

aka Cyril Judd (with C.M. Kornbluth)

Judith Josephine Grossman (Boston, Massachusetts, January 21, 1923 - Toronto, Ontario, September 12, 1997), who took the pen-name Judith Merril about 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist.

Although Judith Merril's first paid writing was in other genres, in her first few years of writing published science fiction she wrote her three novels (all but the first in collaboration with C.M. Kornbluth) and some stories. Her roughly four decades in that genre also included writing 26 published short stories, and editing a similar number of anthologies.

Reviews

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthology of great science fiction stories from 1961-1963. Their ideas remain as fresh as tomorrow



The stories are;

Subcommittee by Zenna Henderson

Seven-day Terror by R. A. Lafferty

Toy Shop by Harry Harrison

The Face In The Photo by Jack Finney

The Circuit Riders by R. C. Fitzpatrick

Such Stuff [short story] by John Brunner

The Man Who Made Friends with Electricity [short story] by Fritz Leiber

The Unsafe Deposit Box [Short Story] by Gerald Kersh

Kings Who Die [novelette] by Poul Anderson

The Unfortunate Mr. Morky [short story] by Vance Aandahl

Christmas Treason by James White

A Miracle of Rare Device by Ray Bradbury

All The Sounds Of Fear [short story] by Harlan Ellison

The Day Rembrandt Went Public by Arnold M. Auerbach

Ms. Found In A Bus by Russell Baker

The Insane Ones [short story] by J. G. Ballard

Leprechaun by William Sambrot

Change Of Heart by A. Bertram Chandler

Angela's Satyr by Brian Cleeve

Puppet Show by Fredric Brown

Hang Head Vandal! by Mark Clifton

Earthlings Go Home! by Mack Reynolds

The Martian Star-Gazers [short story] by Frederik Pohl

The Deadly Game by Edward Wellen

The Piebald Hippogriff by Karen Anderson

Home From The Shore [short story] by Gordon R. Dickson

Planetary Effulgence by Bertrand Russell



From these stories dreams are made. . .




Enjoy!

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the eighth annual anthology of Merril's picks of the best speculative literature of the previous year, which was 1962. It's a longer book than her previous volumes, and the quality felt a little diluted to me as a result. There are twenty-eight stories included, among them good ones from Anderson (Poul), Anderson (Karen), Frederik Pohl, Fredric Brown, Ray Bradbury, Gerald Kersh, Fritz Leiber, Gordon R. Dickson, and Zenna Henderson.

[Gianfranco Montebello · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars for this amazing compilation.

Some of the pieces within these pages were vastly superior to others, however, the fascinating diversity that exists naturally amongst sf stories is what keeps bringing me back to binge reading stuff like this.

Highly enjoyable, intellectually tickling and most importantly, an outstanding curiosity-thirst quencher.

[Ray Savarda · Rating 4 out of 5]

ANother good anthology from the 60's.