More Than the Sum of His Parts: Collected Stories

by Joe Haldeman

The ultimate collection of classic science fiction stories and poems from the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author of the Forever War Series.   An omnibus edition of his collections None So Blind and Dealing in Futures, this volume features the best of Joe Haldeman’s short speculative fiction, including such gems as the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning “The Hemingway Hoax,” in which a forged Hemingway manuscript takes the reader on a journey through time and multiple universes; the Hugo and Locus Award–winning “None So Blind;” the World Fantasy and Nebula Award–winning “Graves;” and the Rhysling Award–winning poem “Saul’s Death.” From stories steeped in the horrors of the Vietnam War to tales of cyborg transformations and space explorations, Haldeman flexes his narrative powers to deliver works that will live on for generations to come.   “If there was a Fort Knox for science fiction writers who really matter, we’d have to lock Haldeman up there.” —Stephen King   “One of the most prophetic writers of our times.” —David Brin

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Collections, Ebooks

690 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Brother of Jack C. Haldeman II

Haldeman is the author of 20 novels and five collections. The Forever War won the Nebula, Hugo and Ditmar Awards for best science fiction novel in 1975. Other notable titles include Camouflage, The Accidental Time Machine and Marsbound as well as the short works "Graves," "Tricentennial" and "The Hemingway Hoax." Starbound is scheduled for a January release. SFWA president Russell Davis called Haldeman "an extraordinarily talented writer, a respected teacher and mentor in our community, and a good friend."

Haldeman officially received the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master for 2010 by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America at the Nebula Awards Weekend in May, 2010 in Hollywood, Fla.

Reviews

[Carlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I approach a new writer, I tend to start with a collection of short stories to get an overview of the themes they address, the evolution of their style over time, and so on. I actually knew Haldeman before, but I'd read little of his work, it was many years ago, and I didn't really remember him. This collection lives up to expectations, bringing together science fiction, horror, and even free verse. It certainly is a good starting point for anyone wanting to get a sense of the kind of writer Haldeman is.
-------
Quando approccio un nuovo scrittore tendo a partire da una raccolta di racconti per avere una panoramica delle tematiche affrontate, dell'evoluzione dello stile nel tempo e così via. In realtà Haldeman lo conoscevo già, ma avevo letto poco di suo e parecchi anni fa, senza conservarne una vera e propria memoria. Questa sua raccolta non tradisce le attese riunendo fantascienza, horror e persino versi liberi. È sicuramente un buon punto di partenza per chi desideri farsi un'idea di che tipo di scrittore sia Haldeman.

[Glen Engel-Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

A spin on the $6 million dollar man: smart fellow gets himself into an accident but because he’s valuable to the company, they spring for the surgery necessary to give him cyborg status. Unfortunately, something about the trauma, or maybe even the parts grafted on to him, it’s not clear, leads him to become amoral and to devise a scheme to turn his entire body into a machine. There’s a clever comeuppance in the end, and a coda that implies that it might not have been him, but the parts, that led him astray. The story is clever, but those more prurient might find the focus on the (working) penis a bit much. There’s a point to it—a riff off the old saw about it having a mind of its own—but those parts of the story came across as misandry, which very likely was intentional, but still uncomfortable, at least in our new post-MeToo era.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a personal comment, I've been "going back" and reading a number of the classic, or relatively classic sci-fi authors lately, just because I'm finding something depressing about how the Internet increases the ease of massive amounts of mediocre work to be published and cross my stream. So... I go back to people who really had to write well to be known. Haldeman is fun to read, and makes striking points. I had always liked the work he's most known for, "The Forever War," and this short-story collection is excellent. I'm particularly fond of the odd tinge of bitterness and antagonism that he's fond of displaying. I don't mean unconsciously, but rather quite deliberately. It plays to my sensibilities. And I think I have another story to add to my "top 10" short stories, his brief work "The Pilot," which is a simple little rage piece, in some ways. Anyway, Haldeman is smart, and fun to read.

[Charl · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors, and many stories in here that I hadn't read before. I heartily recommend it to any fan of Haldeman and/or good, solid Sci-Fi.

[Michael Rosenfeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good collection of stories. As per some of his war stories he was definitely scarred.