Possible Tomorrows

by Groff Conklin (Editor), Isaac Asimov, Kingsley Amis

This Book is a Pocket-Sized Time Machine

Strap yourself in - and visit five amazing futures. Here are yur guides:

Isaac Asimov
Kingsley Amis
J.T. McIntosh
James H. Schmitz
F.L. Wallace

And they're the best in the business...

This anthology contains: The Dead Past by Isaac Asimov; Something Strange by Kingsley Amis; Unit by J. T. McIntosh; Gone Fishing by James H. Schmitz; and Big Ancestor by F. L. Wallace.

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

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Edward Groff Conklin (September 6, 1904, Glen Ridge, New Jersey - July 19, 1968, Pawling, New York) was a leading science fiction anthologist. Conklin edited 41 anthologies of science fiction, wrote books on home improvement and was a freelance writer on scientific subjects. From 1950 to 1955, he was the book critic for Galaxy Science Fiction.

Reviews

[Joey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this anthology. It's not the first time I've dipped into old sci-fi, but it's now the majority of old sci-fi I've read. Five stories, all published in the 50s and 60s.

"The Dead Past" By Isaac Asimov. Probably my favorite in the book? Very good story, don't have much to say other than I liked it. And a common theme in all of these stories is that humankind's drive to do more and more impossible things, to do things for themselves, often paves the way for things to simply get worse. The ending paragraph of this story is iconic, and as my first taste of Asimov, I was pleased with the story. What an awful scary future it painted lol. 5/5

"Something Strange" By Kingsley Amis. Ughh this one was scary, I think my friends would like it. There's not much to it, but what it has is creepy n shudder inducing. Loooots of dialog I really liked how this one was set up. Could function very very well as a screenplay, in fact I think I'd like it better as a screenplay than as a story. Didn't quite get the ending but maybe that's a me thing, since I didn't get a few of the endings of these stories LOLLL. 4/5

"Unit" By J. T. McIntosh. Sooo good. Very interesting premise and I like how it handled itself. It always makes me emotional for some reason when reading older things (cuz this story is 67 years old!!) when the conflict is very modern. Like in the grand scheme of things sure, 70 years ago was a blink of an eye ago (My dad was literally a toddler when this story was published) but... we've changed so much. And as much as we've changed we've stayed the same. The conflict on what schools wanted to teach just felt too real LOLLL It's like oh,, it's still like this, if not even worse now. Ugh anyways loved this a lot. 4.5/5

"Gone Fishing" by James H. Schmitz. Okay hear me out this one was soooo good and so scary but I Kind of Need to Be There??? Put me thru the McAllen Tube NOW!!! Isolate me NOW!!! Not for how long they did this guy though please. I didn't get the ending and I feel stupid for it, I guess Chard became insanely unbothered or something. Really loved this one's set up, and it was solid from beginning to end. 5/5

"Big Ancestor" by F. L. Wallace. I liked this story but there's a part where a guy breaks his lover's nose and it's just brushed over soooo easily? 1954 misogyny goes crazy ugghhh I fucking hate patriarchy and that it was brushed over and just-- whatever man. Ignoring that part of the story, that didn't serve the story at all by the way and the story would've been the same if he'd just shoved her or something, or you know, hadn't lifted a hand against her, but like don't listen to me I'm just a moral human being. Ignoring that part-- this story was SOOO GOOOD I felt where it was heading by the time it mentioned the vermin on the ship, and felt gratified at the ending. I liked it quite a bit. 3/5 would've been 4.5/5 or even 5/5 without the stupid misogyny. Which WAS present in the other stories to some extent (cue eyes rolling. I know they're from the 50s and 60s I KNOW it's a "product of its time"-- doesn't make it okay! But I ignored for the most part due to this.) but like this one just reeeeeeked.

Had lots of fun reading this :-) I need to read more sci-fi ughhhhhhhh it almost always eats when I get around to it.

[Simeon Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't really remember any of the stories from this book apart from one, Gone Fishing by James H Schmitz. This introduced me to Schmitz whom I read almost everything I could find after reading this story, there is a point in the story that left a massive impression, (not posting spoiler), even his YA Telzey Amberdon novels which oddly I thoroughly enjoyed, but my favorite was the Witches of Karres. Thought I had read another Schmitz novel in this series but apparently I imagined it as he only wrote the first book, and I do not remember the other titles by other authors.

[Peggi Warner-Lalonde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting - very much of its day.

[Kimberly Karalius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Came here for F.L. Wallace, stayed for the other great Sci-Fi stories.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's some overlap in the content of the stories - new methods of travel - but that's only to be expected for stories published in the same era!

[Yevgeniy Brikman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to "The Dead Past" by Isaac Asimov on audiobook. A very interesting and thought provoking story that is well worth the quick read.