The First Omni Book of Science Fiction

Omni Books of Science Fiction #1

by Ellen Datlow (Editor), Isaac Asimov (Contributor), Yasutaka Tsutsui (Contributor)

Stories deal with the discovery of extraterrestrials, people turned into trees, new religions, alien talk show hosts, brain stimulation addicts, future race cars, androids, and alternate universes.

ix • Foreword (The First Omni Book of Science Fiction) • essay by Ellen Datlow
15 • Found! • (1978) • short story by Isaac Asimov
37 • Standing Woman • (1974) • short story by 筒井康隆? (trans. of 佇むひと?) [as by Tsutsui Yasutaka]
53 • St. Amy's Tale • (1980) • novelette by Orson Scott Card
87 • The Last Jerry Fagin Show • (1980) • short story by John Morressy
107 • God Is an Iron • [Mindkiller] • (1979) • novelette by Spider Robinson
137 • Count the Clock That Tells the Time • (1978) • short story by Harlan Ellison
165 • Petra • (1982) • short story by Greg Bear
195 • Sam and the Sudden Blizzard Machine • (1979) • short story by Dean Ing (variant of The Blizzard Machine)
213 • Burning Chrome • (1982) • novelette by William Gibson
245 • Ike at the Mike • (1982) • short story by Howard Waldrop
267 • The Palace at Midnight • (1981) • short story by Robert Silverberg
291 • The Angel's Gift • (1978) • short story by Ben Bova [as by Oxford Williams]
301 • The Hitmaker • (1981) • novelette by Cynthia Morgan
331 • Sandkings • [Thousand Worlds] • (1979) • novelette by George R. R. Martin

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

395 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Ellen Datlow has been editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction for forty years as fiction editor of OMNI Magazine and editor of Event Horizon and SCIFICTION. She currently acquires short stories and novellas for Tor.com. In addition, she has edited about one hundred science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series, The Doll Collection, Mad Hatters and March Hares, The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea, Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, Edited By, and Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.

Reviews

[Philip Hollenback · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great short 80s scifi stories in this book. Of course George RR Martin's 'Sandkings' is in this book, it seems to be a requirement for anthologies of this era.

One comment: this is an extremely cheaply made book. The typesetting is terrible, and there a quite a number of typos.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some sci-fi anthologies just don't stand the test of time. If you want to know what sci-fi was like in the 1970s to early 1980s, then this is a great place to start. However, some of the stories fall flat because science fact was vastly different from how it was predicted to be in science fiction. A couple of the stories here, particularly "Sandkings" by George R. R. Martin, are in WAY too many anthologies.

I vaguely remember Omni from my days when my childhood and this magazine connected. My brother only bought a few issues, but I was allowed to read them. It was the first time I learned about the blue people of Kentucky, and enjoyed the entries sent in to a science-themed humor contest, which sadly aren't in this anthology.

Selections:

* "Forward" by Our Editor. Briefly talks about the three fiction editors of the magazine, and their tastes. Several of the stories are referred to by name.
* "Found!" By Isaac Asimov. Two computer repair people from the future have to repair an orbiting computer -- and find an actual virus in it. Cute 1970s sci-fi tropes of huge computers, space tourism and a world government.
* "Standing Woman" by Tsutsui Yasutaka. Heartbreaking story of dogs, cats and people being forced to be trees. WARNING: One planted dog dies of starvation before he can fully transform into a tree.
* "St. Amy's Tale" by Orson Scott Card. Story of a future America after all of the machines are destroyed -- but all is not well in paradise.
* "The Last Jerry Fagin Show" by John Morresey. Keep in mind, this was published before Jerry Springer. Jerry Fagin is a typical late night talk show host, who lands the ultimate guest -- an extraterrestrial.
* "God Is An Iron" by Spider Robinson. Very grim story of sex abuse and drug addiction. For a story written in the 1980s, it seemed quaint to read of videophones.
* "Count the Clock that Tells the Time" by Harlan Ellison. Slightly reminiscent of Ellison's revered Star Trek episode, people who wasted their lives go to a bizarre limbo, where falling in love might be the best and worst thing to ever happen to you. Seems odd now to read of people who had jobs, family and their own homes as "wasting" their lives, but the Universe (and Ellison) is a hard taskmaster.
* "Petra" by Greg Bear. A gargoyle-human hybrid tries to restore a new civilization for the world after the death of God leads to chaos. A highly imaginative but difficult story sure to infuriate the religious.
* "Sam and the Sudden Blizzard Machine" by Dean Ing. Car racing in the future. Actually, past now, since this was set in 1979.
* "Burning Chrome" by William Gibson. There are very, very few predictions in sci-fi that actually came true. Gibson has been considered a prophet because of stories like this, which detailed hacking on phone lines before it became so cool, it was blase. However, he predicted a lot of other things which have yet to materialize.
* "Ike at the Mike" by Harold Waldrop. Somewhat amusing alternative history story where Eisenhower becomes a jazz musician and Elvis becomes a politician ... among other things.
* "The Palace at Midnight" by Robert Silverberg. Future history of America where there are thousands of little kingdoms. This is set in the Empire of San Francisco where Norton VII rules. This was an obvious nod to a crazy but beloved San Fransican who declared himself Emperor of the United States in 1859.
* "The Angel's Gift" by Oxford Williams. Although considered cool at the time this was first published, it's just annoying now that history proved the story's point was utterly wrong.
* "The Hitmaker" by Cynthia Morgan. There was a small sub-genre of sci-fi that looked into television of the future. This did predict Real World, although it stated that the real people were actors. This story predicts The Truman Show more than anything else. It's a predictable story of predictions.
* "Sandkings" by George R. R. Martin. Since this was first published, it's into a zillion anthologies. I'm not kidding. Pick up three random sci-fi anthologies published since 1979, and this story will be in two of the three. Is it good? Hell, yeah -- but editors, please stop reprinting this. I can't be the only reader who's sick of seeing it.

[Hugo Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's not a bad one in the batch. Some sent shivers down my spine. Some had me laughing loudly. My favorites are Standing Woman, Ike at the Mike and Sand Kings. I've read Burning Chrome before but enjoyed it just as much the second time around. The first time around I never wondered at the way Google named its browser or how it has reached similar heights of absurdity.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed most of this anthology. Spider Robinson solid as ever with “God is an Iron” and Ellison’s “Count the Clock That Tells Time” is adhered to my memory. William Gibson’s “Burning Chrome” is a neat tech rabbit hole. Like horror? Check out George R. R. Matin’s “The Sandkings”.

[Jeff Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recently re-read for first time since it was published back in 1984. Bit of a period piece these days. 14 short stories of varying quality, the best probably being Burning Chrome and George R R Martin's Sandkings.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

God is an Iron by Spider Robinson
Petra by Greg Bear
Sandkings by George R R Martin
Found by Isaac Asimov