The Science Fictional Dinosaur

by Robert Silverberg (Editor), Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), Charles G. Waugh (Editor)

Cover art by Tim Hildebrandt. This anthology The Wings of a Bat by Paul Ash; The Ever Branching Tree by Harry Harrison; When Time Was New by Robert F. Young; Poor Little Warrior by Brian Aldiss; Day of the Hunters; and A Statue for Father by Isaac Asimov; Hermes to the Ages by Frederick D. Gottfried; Wildcat by Poul Anderson; and Our Lady of the Sauropods by Robert Silverberg.

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies, Short Stories, Dinosaurs, Time Travel

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1982

About the author

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Robert Silverberg is a highly celebrated American science fiction author and editor known for his prolific output and literary range. Over a career spanning decades, he has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards and was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2004. Inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1999, Silverberg is recognized for both his immense productivity and his contributions to the genre's evolution.
Born in Brooklyn, he began writing in his teens and won his first Hugo Award in 1956 as the best new writer. Throughout the 1950s, he produced vast amounts of fiction, often under pseudonyms, and was known for writing up to a million words a year. When the market declined, he diversified into other genres, including historical nonfiction and erotica.
Silverberg’s return to science fiction in the 1960s marked a shift toward deeper psychological and literary themes, contributing significantly to the New Wave movement. Acclaimed works from this period include Downward to the Earth, Dying Inside, Nightwings, and The World Inside. In the 1980s, he launched the Majipoor series with Lord Valentine’s Castle, creating one of the most imaginative planetary settings in science fiction.
Though he announced his retirement from writing in the mid-1970s, Silverberg returned with renewed vigor and continued to publish acclaimed fiction into the 1990s. He received further recognition with the Nebula-winning Sailing to Byzantium and the Hugo-winning Gilgamesh in the Outback.
Silverberg has also played a significant role as an editor and anthologist, shaping science fiction literature through both his own work and his influence on others. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, author Karen Haber.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed rereading this beat-up taped-up old paperback which was withdrawn from the "Deerfield Public Library" and I don't know when or even how I got it. It was published in 1982. I have always loved stories about dinosaurs and the nine stories here include several of my favorite stories about the Big Beasties. The best of them all is by science fiction Grand Master Robert Silverberg, "Our Lady of the Sauropods," first published in 1980. Almost as good, in my opinion, is the offering from Brian Aldiss, "Poor Little Warrior!" which I may have read first in an anthology of Aldiss stories.
Here's a listing of the nine titles with a rating for each:
The Wings of a Bat by Paul Ash (Pauline Whitby) (1928-2015) (pub. 1966) 4 stars
The Ever-Branching Tree by Harry Harrison (1925-2012) (pub. 1970) 3 stars
When Time Was New by Robert F. Young (1915-1986) (pub. 1964) 4 stars
Poor Little Warrior! by Brian Aldiss (1925-2017) (pub. 1958) 5 stars
Day of the Hunters by Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) (pub. 1950) 4.5 stars
Hermes to the Ages by Frederick D. Gottfried (1942?-1984) (pub. 1980) 4 stars
A Statue for Father by Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) (pub. 1958) 3.5 stars
Wildcat by Poul Anderson (1926-2001) (pub. 1958) 4 stars
Our Lady of the Sauropods by Robert Silverberg (b. 1935) (pub. 1980) 5 stars
My ratings average out to a solid 4 stars. An above average collection of stories in my humble opinion (and a great cover too)!

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This nice dino-anthology appeared a decade before Jurassic Park burst into theatres. The big bird brains have long been a staple of popular science fiction, both for hunters and researchers, investigative aliens, and unwary temporal adventurers of all kinds. Rather than going for the classic and famous works by Bradbury (A Sound of Thunder) or DeCamp (A Gun for Dinosaur) or (fill-in-your-own-favorite), Greenberg, Waugh, and Silverberg present nine not-too-well-known stories from a thirty-year span ('50 - '80) here, along with some interesting and educational appendixes. I particularly liked the stories by Harry Harrison (who went on to write some fine dino-novels in later years), Robert F. Young, and Silverberg himself, who has the best-titled entry, Our Lady of the Sauropods. Everybody digs dinos, right?

[Jonah · Rating 3 out of 5]

01) The Wings of a Bat by Pauline Ashwell
02) The Ever-Branching Tree by Harry Harrison
03) When Time Was New by Robert F. Young
04) Poor Little Warrior! by Brian W. Aldiss
05) Day of the Hunters by Isaac Asimov
06) Hermes to the Ages by Frederick D. Gottfried
07) A Statue for Father by Isaac Asimov
08) Wildcat by Poul Anderson
09) Our Lady of the Sauropods by Robert Silverberg

My personal favourite was Robert F. Young's "When Time Was New", which introduced me to the mind-bending pleasure of Martian pumpkin.

[Frank Taranto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our Lady of the Sauropods by the editor is the best story in the book.

[Elar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every dinosaur + scifi fan should read/listen to this book.

[Andrew Alvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly good blend of science and nature, not one of my usual choices that much is true.
A few writers here I have heard providing an interesting take on the subject matter, definitely gets your mind working.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect from these short stories about dinosaurs and time travel that were all likely written before I was born. To my happy surprise the majority were quite good and more varied then I expected. A nice sojourn from my usual preferences.

[Stan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of SF stories about or involving dinosaurs, from before people starting fantasizing about sex with them.

I would love to have a copy of it again, since my original copy was sold off for a dime by a late family member desperate for drug money.