The Shape of Things

by Damon Knight (Editor)

1. Don't Look Now by Henry Kuttner
2. The Box by James Blish
3. The New Reality by Charles L. Harness
4. The Eternal Now by Murray Leinster
5. The Sky was Full of Ships by Theodore Sturgeon
6. The Shape of Things by Ray Bradbury
7. The Only Thing We Learn by C.M. Kornbluth
8. The Hibited Man by L. Sprague de Camp
9. Dormant by A.E. van Vogt
10. The Ambassadors by Anthony Boucher
11. A Child is Crying by John D. MacDonald

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Damon Francis Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, and critic.
Knight's first professional sale was a cartoon drawing to a science-fiction magazine, Amazing Stories. His first story, "Resilience", was published in 1941. He is best known as the author of "To Serve Man", which was adapted for The Twilight Zone. He was a recipient of the Hugo Award, founder of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), cofounder of the National Fantasy Fan Federation, cofounder of the Milford Writer's Workshop, and cofounder of the Clarion Writers Workshop. Knight lived in Eugene, Oregon, with his wife Kate Wilhelm.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an anthology of the stories that Damon Knight selected in 1964 as the best of the Standard Magazines Corporation's two pulp science fiction titles, Thrilling Wonder Stories and Startling Stories. It's a neat concept; I always liked "Best of" titles. Both magazines ceased publication in the mid-1950s, but published some good stories under the editorship of Sam Merwin from 1945-1951 and then Samuel Mines until their demise. Most of the stories are probably ones that were turned down by the top-paying, better remembered magazines of the time (Campbell's Astounding, Boucher's F & SF, Gold's Galaxy), but many of the top name writers are represented. The authors include Henry Kuttner, James Blish, Charles L. Harness (The New Reality, a minor classic), Murray Leinster, Theodore Sturgeon (The Sky Was Full of Ships, another classic), Ray Bradbury, C.M. Kornbluth, L. Sprague de Camp, A.E. van Vogt, Anthony Boucher (The Ambassadors, my favorite by a narrow margin), and John D. MacDonald (yes, that guy!) It's a very vibrant book, and if the contents seem a little too weighted to atomic war, remember it was the end of World War Two up into the 1950s.

[Tom Breton · Rating 4 out of 5]

We had this book when I was little and I read it cover to cover any number of times. In retrospect there are plenty of nits to pick that my younger self didn't see, but it holds a special place for me.

[JD Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old pulp fiction: the Bradbury story is the best one of the lot.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://gnomeship.blogspot.com/2017/07...

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was published in 1965 and, admittedly, some of the stories feel a little dated. Many focus on the fears of atomic wars that particularly consumed many in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Still, I found the tales enjoyable and inventive. I particularly enjoyed the stories by Bradbury, Van Vogt, and John D. MacDonald.

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good collection of sci-fi stories from some real giants of the genre. Pretty much all of them were interesting, a good half of them were about the atomic bomb in some way or another, and a special shout-out to The Ambassadors by Anthony Boucher for finding a logical reason to have both Martians and Werewolves in the same story.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of science fiction short stories by established authors.