Major Ingredients: The Selected Short Stories of Eric Frank Russell

by Eric Frank Russell, Rick Katze (Editor), Mike Resnick (Afterword)

This volume contains thirty of Russell's best short science fiction stories. It includes “Allamagoosa,” “And Then There Were None,” “Dear Devil,” “I Am Nothing,” “Jay Score,” and “Metamorphosite.” Introduction by Jack L. Chalker. Dustjacket art by Bob Eggleton.

Contents

8 • Editor's Introduction (Major Ingredients: The Selected Short Stories of Eric Frank Russell) • (2000) • essay by Rick Katze
9 • Eric Frank Russell (Major Ingredients: The Selected Short Stories of Eric Frank Russell) • (2000) • essay by Jack L. Chalker
13 • Allamagoosa • (1955) • shortstory by Eric Frank Russell
24 • And Then There Were None • (1951) • novella by Eric Frank Russell (variant of ... And Then There Were None)
76 • The Army Comes to Venus • (1959) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
102 • Basic Right • (1958) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
124 • Dear Devil • (1950) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
152 • Diabologic • (1955) • shortstory by Eric Frank Russell
168 • Fast Falls the Eventide • (1952) • shortstory by Eric Frank Russell
182 • Hobbyist • (1947) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
206 • Homo Saps • (1941) • shortstory by Eric Frank Russell
214 • I Am Nothing • (1952) • shortstory by Eric Frank Russell
230 • Into Your Tent I'll Creep • (1957) • shortstory by Eric Frank Russell
237 • Jay Score • [Jay Score / Marathon • 1] • (1941) • shortstory by Eric Frank Russell
250 • Last Blast • (1952) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
287 • Late Night Final • (1948) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
314 • A Little Oil • (1952) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
330 • Meeting on Kangsham • (2000) • shortstory by Eric Frank Russell (variant of Meeting on Kangshan 1965)
342 • Metamorphosite • (1946) • novella by Eric Frank Russell
386 • Minor Ingredient • (1956) • shortstory by Eric Frank Russell
399 • Now Inhale • (1959) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
418 • Nuisance Value • (1957) • novella by Eric Frank Russell
472 • Panic Button • (1959) • shortstory by Eric Frank Russell
488 • Plus X • (1956) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
529 • Study in Still Life • (1959) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
549 • Tieline • (1955) • shortstory by Eric Frank Russell
555 • The Timid Tiger • (1947) • shortstory by Eric Frank Russell
571 • Top Secret • (1956) • shortstory by Eric Frank Russell
584 • The Ultimate Invader • (1954) • novella by Eric Frank Russell (variant of Design for Great-Day 1953)
633 • The Undecided • (1949) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
656 • U-Turn • (1950) • shortstory by Eric Frank Russell
665 • The Waitabits • (1955) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
698 • The Man Who (Almost) Never Was (Major Ingredients: The Selected Short Stories of Eric Frank Russell) • (2000) • essay by Mike Resnick

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

701 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Eric Frank Russell was a British author best known for his science fiction novels and short stories. Much of his work was first published in the United States, in John W. Campbell's Astounding Science Fiction and other pulp magazines. Russell also wrote horror fiction for Weird Tales, and non-fiction articles on Fortean topics. A few of his stories were published under pseudonyms, of which Duncan H. Munro was used most often.

Reviews

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eric Frank Russell wrote better short stories than novels. Most of his stories are only science fiction because he happened to set them in space and sold them to SF magazines -- his aliens are about as alien as an IRS agent. They're highly entertaining, usually concerning somebody's struggles against great impersonal powers (interstellar empires, bureaucracies, or the slings of fate).

[Steve Rainwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

This huge volume contains many but not all of Eric Frank Russell's short stories.

It includes all the ones I consider his best stories, many of which have been out of print for years, and I even discovered a few obscure ones that I had never read before. Russell is an undeservedly forgotten author, who has some really great stories: "Allamagoosa", a funny, Hugo-winning tale of military bureaucracy; "And Then There Were None", a tale of a Gandhi-esque libertarian utopian planet which contributed the word Myob to the English language, "Hobbyist", one of my all-time favorite short stories about a lone human exploring a rather spooky planet; "Dear Devil", about an unpleasant-looking alien who becomes a beloved friend of children on a post-apocalyptic Earth. There many others. Highly recommended.

[Chuck McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric Frank Russell was a master of quirky SF and twist endings, and this handsome hardback collection amply showcases the author's talents. A must-read for any fan of humorous SF.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for The Waitabits.

Oh my goodness, but this story made me laugh out loud. There aren't that many that get to through to my expressed emotions these days, but this one... definitely made it.

In this extraordinary take on time, Russell puts two groups together whose sense of time just runs differently. When one species meets another, the latter being a breed apart in that they live life in the slow lane quite literally, the results are utterly comical - if one stands far enough away to view them for what they are. Recall the scene where Judy Hopps meets the sloth in Zootropolis, and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Going in, I was scratching my head rather, as Russell typically drops one in the middle of a normal day with zero explanation as to what's really going on. That's ok - neither does the main character. But this story really hots up when one lands on the planet of the Waitabits and the inter-species interactions begin. Extremely well written with great setting and characterisation, this was one of my best reads this year.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is NESFA's fine selection of Russell's best shorts, all but one from the late 1940's through the 50's. Pretty much all of my Russell favorites are here. You won't want to read them all at once, since Russell has a narrow range -- his favorite theme is smart Earthmen vs. dim aliens, with some variations (eg "Hobbyist", "Dear Devil"). Pure, old-fashioned mind-candy. If you've missed them, you're in for a treat!

The one Russell story I'm thoroughly sick of is "Allamagoosa" -- this is the off.dog thing, fun the first time or two but a one-trick pony, and endlessly reprinted. Gah. That's his second-favorite theme: Bureaucracies are Dumb.

Paul Di Filippo said in his nice review (no longer online): "A large chunk of SF's heritage is embodied in these charming tales of duplicity and devotion." Good stuff, guys.

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 3 out of 5]

All sounds a bit glib after a while. Also kind of the same--every story has a spaceship. Could've benefited from a smaller selection. Anyway, "And Then There Were None" classic--one of a kind. "I Am Nothing" terrible--but the little girl's note is breathtaking ("I am nothing and nobody. My house went bang. My cat was stuck to a wall. I wanted to pull it off. They wouldn't let me. They threw it away."). "The Undecided" sounded oddly like early R A Lafferty.

[Pamr · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is amazing - especially the first story Allamagoosa - a brilliant buy just for that 23 pages, it made me smile.

[Kevin Connery · Rating 4 out of 5]

NESFA Press