What do you think?
Rate this book
Giants Unleashed
This is the first paperback publication, reprinting the hardcover published by Grosset & Dunlap the previous year. The Non-Limitation of Intelligence (1965) essay by Groff Conklin; Microcosmic God (1941) by Theodore Sturgeon; Commencement Night (1953) by Richard Ashby; The Deep Range (1955) by Arthur C. Clarke; Machine Made (1951) by J. T. McIntosh; Trip One (1949) by Edward Grendon; Venus Is a Man's World (1951) by William Tenn; Good-Bye, Ilha! (1952) by Laurence Manning; Misbegotten Missionary (1950) by Isaac Asimov; The Ethical Equations (1945) by Murray Leinster; Misfit [Future History] (1939) by Robert A. Heinlein; Genius (1948) by Poul Anderson; Basic Right (1958) by Eric Frank Russell.
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 20, 2020
Giants Unleashed is an anthology of short science edited by Groff Conklin with the somewhat nebulous unifying theme of intelligence. It was published in hardback by Grosset & Dunlap in 1965 and in paperback a year later by Tempo, so I believe it was directed to younger readers. Conklin, as always, did a good job of selecting some classic stories along with some that were not as known, by writers who ranged from the highest stature to relative unknowns. Most of the stories had been previously published in Galaxy or Astounding SF, the leading magazines of the time, from 1939 to 1958. Included are classics like Microcosmic God by Theodore Sturgeon, The Deep Range by Arthur C. Clarke, and Misbegotten Missionary by Isaac Asimov, along with good stories from Eric Frank Russell, J. T. McIntosh, Poul Anderson, and William Tenn. My favorites are Misfit by Robert A. Heinlein and The Ethical Equations by Murray Leinster.
February 8, 2021
Classic stories from the "golden age" of SF.
April 5, 2023
This is one of the best anthologies I've read, never a dull moment, all different kind of topics, very interesting choices. Loved it
Read
December 25, 2013stories about domination. stories about conquest. stories about mastery.
i think that in trying to consider "the infinite power of intelligence" as it is printed on the cover of this collection that we most reveal our own human limitations (as opposed to the so-called "giants" that the editor would like us to see) precisely because these stories are so focused on power relationships/conquest/dominion/etc.
i might feel like this because of the connection that these stories draw between "intelligence" and "dominion"- i think the same sort of aversion that i remember a poet saying that they felt towards facism and their aesthetic.
the most optimistic message of this book, i felt, was in "commencement night" when they teach humans how to "love everything"- which was something that i felt was riffed off of in asimov's "misbegotten missionary" in a sort of perfect union of all living creatures vs. the "anarchy" of earth. also in "genius".
the concept of "being an individual" is strong- the desire towards creativity and the desire of the validation of that urge also.
it seems difficult to wrestle with.
moments where it felt like intelligence is regarded in the same way as a tool, as something to be used, like a machine.
i felt as though the editors constant interjection of paragraphs introducing the stories would have been better served (if he wanted to insert his voice into the collection) as an essay (or a more developed essay, since he sort of already gives an introduction) about the stories and the overall aesthetic of this book.
mostly struggling for words, i think, to describe how i felt about the book, which seems like a good thing in that the book forces the reader to think, maybe.
i think that in trying to consider "the infinite power of intelligence" as it is printed on the cover of this collection that we most reveal our own human limitations (as opposed to the so-called "giants" that the editor would like us to see) precisely because these stories are so focused on power relationships/conquest/dominion/etc.
i might feel like this because of the connection that these stories draw between "intelligence" and "dominion"- i think the same sort of aversion that i remember a poet saying that they felt towards facism and their aesthetic.
the most optimistic message of this book, i felt, was in "commencement night" when they teach humans how to "love everything"- which was something that i felt was riffed off of in asimov's "misbegotten missionary" in a sort of perfect union of all living creatures vs. the "anarchy" of earth. also in "genius".
the concept of "being an individual" is strong- the desire towards creativity and the desire of the validation of that urge also.
it seems difficult to wrestle with.
moments where it felt like intelligence is regarded in the same way as a tool, as something to be used, like a machine.
i felt as though the editors constant interjection of paragraphs introducing the stories would have been better served (if he wanted to insert his voice into the collection) as an essay (or a more developed essay, since he sort of already gives an introduction) about the stories and the overall aesthetic of this book.
mostly struggling for words, i think, to describe how i felt about the book, which seems like a good thing in that the book forces the reader to think, maybe.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews