Classic Science Fiction Stories

by Adam Roberts (editor)

An entertaining and wide-ranging collection of science fiction short stories featuring space aliens, spectacular inventions, futuristic technologies and vividly imagined worlds.

Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. Classic Science Fiction Stories is selected and introduced by academic and science fiction writer, Adam Roberts.

Classic Science Fiction Stories highlights not only famous writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, H. G. Wells and H. P. Lovecraft, but also gives voice to lesser known but equally inventive writers such as Florence McLandburgh and Ambrose Bierce. Spanning the 1750s to the early twentieth century, these mesmerizing and expertly crafted stories are by turns intriguing, terrifying and, at times, downright comic. Together they show how science fiction took root to develop into the global phenomenon it is today.

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

416 pages, Hardcover

Published June 21, 2022

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Adam Roberts (born 1965) is an academic, critic and novelist. He also writes parodies under the pseudonyms of A.R.R.R. Roberts, A3R Roberts and Don Brine. He also blogs at The Valve, a group blog devoted to literature and cultural studies.

He has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Adam Roberts has been nominated twice for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001, for his debut novel, Salt, and in 2007, for Gradisil.

Reviews

[H. J. Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The dull veil of ordinary existence that hung across the world seemed suddenly to roll away, and to lay bare a land of enchantments."

About: A collection of short stories written by the likes of H. G. Wells, Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, Mary Shelley, H. P. Lovecraft et al. In these shorts, man travels to alien lands, invents impossible devices, overcomes mortality, and glimpses into spiritual realms...

My order, best to worst:
A Martian Odyssey - Stanley Weinbaum
The Star - H. G. Wells
Sultana's Dream - Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain
The Mortal Immortal - Mary Shelley
The Horror of the Heights - Arthur Conan Doyle
Micromegas - Voltaire
The Colour Out of Space - H. P. Lovecraft
The Door in the Wall - H. G. Wells
A Psychological Shipwreck - Ambrose Bierce
The Tachypomp - Edward Page Mitchell
The Diamond Lens - Fitz-James O'Brien
A Paradoxical Ode - James Clerk Maxwell
The Automaton Ear - Florence McLandburgh
A Tale of the Ragged Mountains - Edgar Allen Poe

The Good
There were some writers in this collection that I'd never heard of and I'm so glad to have come across now. Stanley Weinbaum's short was the most impressive to me, I absolutely loved the writing and it was not only memorable but so obviously influential. There are some other great shorts that balance humour with clever ideas such as Sultana's Dream or Micromegas. I also loved the creepiness of stories like The Colour Out of Space or the gripping atmosphere of The Star and The Horror of the Heights.

The Bad
Not all the shorts were enjoyable. It's hard to judge the writing style as a lot of them are of their time, but I found The Automaton Ear too similar to The Diamond Lens, and I struggled to connect with stories that were told so often in retrospect. Most of the stories were in fact told from a distant POV with the event having happened to someone else in the past, but while writers like Arthur Conan Doyle and H. P. Lovecraft were able to do this in a compelling way, I was completely disengaged with Edgar Allen Poe's tale.

The Somewhat Iffy
I'm not sure why Adam Roberts made an apology for H. P. Lovecraft's racism towards foreigners, but was silent on the two-page antisemitism displayed in Fitz-James O'Brien's story. Personally, I can look past dodgy descriptions when they're written in a time where society had a different outlook and manners of expressions, but I didn't understand why an editor note cropped up for one story and not the other.

Overall
Some really fantastic stories in this collection, some more memorable than others, though they all quite clearly had an influence on the genre. There's imagination, originality and daring in each one of these stories.

[Kushev · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a collection of science fiction stories from 18th to early 20th century, just as the title suggests. My favourite from the book was most certainly Voltaire’s “Micromégas”, with Wells’ “The Star”, Weinbaum’s “Martian Odyssey” and Doyle’s “The Horror of the Heights” being the others I enjoyed a lot. In them I sensed a good scientific ground, I feel the authors had good attitude towards science, and it’s intriguing to read their perception of how processes in nature evolve from today’s perspective.
I found Bierce’s “Psychological Shipwreck” outstanding, as it doesn’t delve into science the way other of my favourite stories do, but it left me positively puzzled and wondering over it.

[Darnoc Leadburger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought myself two brand new books this year: This collection and Alastair Reynolds' Eversion. The latter was a flaming disappointment, so my expectations were a bit tempered when going into this book. Thankfully, it did exactly what I hoped it would do: Show me some stuff I've never heard of, make me a better science fiction reader, and entertain me along the way. I've been thirsting for some pre-Golden Age - specifically antique - science fiction this year, and this beautiful little Macmillan Classics Hardcover was a great help in that arena. I'll talk about each story individually before my overall thoughts on the collection.

-"The Star" by H. G. Wells, my favorite antique SF writer, kicks off the collection. I don't think I've read this tale of a stellar-object-induced gravity apocalypse before, but I enjoyed it well enough. It uses what I think were forward-thinking ideas about the physics about our solar system to craft an end-of-the-world sequence told from a bird's eye view. The highlight, and moral of the story, appears when The Martians note how their missile did almost no damage to Earth at the same time that the humans think the world is ending . But, since it was a bit slow, and despite its beautiful language, I'm only giving it 7.5/10.
-"A Martian Odyssey" by Stanley G. Weinbaum is a story I've read before, in the Hall of Fame, but didn't remember at all. That kind of surprises me, but at least I got to read this fun tale anew. This guy who's stranded on Mars encounters an alien ostrich who figures out how to communicate with only a handful of English words and they go on a journey together. I think it's a slight twist on the Odyssey because of the alien sirens, but with or without that layer, it depicts some great aliens who think completely differently from us, which is probably the most important part of the text. Because of its antiquity and fresh-thinking, it doesn't get just an eight but an 8.5.
-I listened to "The Diamond Lens" by James-Fitz O'Brien, a story about a crazy microscope-scientist-guy, on a podcast last year. It's memorable and haunting, and obscure, all good things. It isn't the most science-fictional tale, though, especially when our main character attends a séance still, well-written and provocative. 8/10.
-"Micromegas" by Voltaire was easily my most anticipated read in this collection. It's a very early (1738 or 1751) example of science fiction, exactly what I'm looking for. While some may call its humongous aliens the property of fantasy and satire, our Sirius-born philosopher does construct a listening device to listen to the humans in the boat he picks up. It's unrealistic, but muses on the philosophical ramifications of our interactions with these other races, which is a very-SF theme. Gets an 8.5, once again, for being a trail-blazer.
-I read Frankenstein a month-and-a-half ago and quite enjoyed it, so I'm glad to say I enjoyed Shelly's "The Mortal Immortal" as well. It features a brewed-up immortality potion and a man who stays young while his wife grows old. Unlike similar depictions (like Robert J. Sawyer's Rollback), said wife gets bitter and jealous as he grows up, dampening the emotional impact for me. Still, 7.5/10.
-Poe's "A Tale of the Ragged Mountains" is the first story I didn't really like. I just read a Poe collection around when I read Frankenstein, and I think I've reached the conclusion that I just don't care for his prose. Even if it *might* be about time travel. 5.5 because it's not my thing.
-"The Automaton Ear" by Florence McLandburgh, where a mad professor creates a device to listen to the sounds of the past, constantly reminded me of a Ballard story from The Four-Dimensional Nightmare, but more stripped-back and quaint: my kinda thing. Sadly, after an engaging first half, the story devolved into the main character losing it and killing a deaf woman . There is apparently some interpretation that this whole story is imagined, as well, but I choose not to listen to that. It's still important and engaging, just... 7/10 because of its slip.
-"The Tachypomp" by Edward Page Mitchell follows a similar trajectory. A man wants to marry his mathematics professor's daughter, but must solve the question of infinite speed to do so. He enlists a smart guy who comes up with an answer, which is so clever it went over my head. Apparently it's not mathematically inaccurate, but that's not my gripe; the fact that the whole story was a dream is. Pointless, so I'll give it 6.5, lower than it should've gotten.
-Reading "The Colour Out of Space" by Lovecraft for the third time was like "A Martian Odyssey"; a pleasant surprise. It's actually quite well-written and science-fictional and, dare-I-say, haunting. I think it helped to read this outside of a Lovecraft anthology, where his flavor is more of a sprinkle than a shower. I'll definitely keep this - and the colours from another realm - in mind when I read other anthologies. 8./10.
-"To Hermann Stoffkraft, Ph.D., A Paradoxical Ode (After Shelley)" by James Clerk Maxwell is a poem. I do not care about poetry, and even though I read it, cannot on any credible basis hope to rate its strength.
-I do remember reading "The Horror of the Heights" by Arthur Conan Doyle in the otherwise forgettable Great Flying Stories. Now that I've read half of the Sherlock Holmes oeuvre, I can definitely say that I enjoy his writing style. This story, while not too exciting, is no exception. Once again, for its antiquary charm, 7.5.
-The fact that Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, an Indian woman, wrote "Sultana's Dream" is surprising. Its basically two women walking around Ladyland talking about how much better this country is because the men are kept indoors. It's a feminist utopia wet dream, which I don't really get on with conceptually, but Hossain did dream up some forward-thinking energy technologies using the sun and atmospheric water. And then... it was another flipping dream . Come on, stick to your guns. 6.5
-I've heard of Ambrose Bierce, and his "A Psychological Shipwreck" was okay. It's mysterious but I don't really see the science fiction in our main character waking up on a ship with his old friend who knows the woman he was on the shipwrecked ship with. Oh well... 6/10.
-Good ol' Wells bookends this collection with "The Door in the Wall," one I've never heard of. I'll have to look into this story, because the premise of this kid being greeted by green doors that lead him to a garden is interesting, but... I can't say I see the engaging conceptual hook. Still, because reading him is a delight, 7/10.

All of these stories really drive home how different the typical writing style used to be. Most stories are of people telling tales of the main character (be it themselves or others) to others, or some other framing device instead of a straight-ahead story. I loved soaking in the writing style, especially in the first half of the book. It's not overly complicated or purple but it gets all its points across... just fun to read, like when I read Frankenstein (although not Poe, or the more recent Lord Jim). I enjoyed Adam Roberts' (slightly generic) introduction and author biographies before stories, although I think he could've written more about the historical context behind these stories to make his commentary more distinctive, informative, and engaging.

Overall, I'm real happy to see this kind of volume put out by a mainstream publisher, and I hope to see more like it in the future. It's great for people just getting into older science fiction, although it doesn't provide a gateway for science fiction of the last 75-85 years. I feel sufficiently educated and entertained, which is why I read it. I foresee myself recommending this book to people with the same goals. For the historical context behind this book I'll give it 8/10, perhaps half-a-point higher than the stories deserve, even though if I was rating its physical form it would get a 10/10. I plan on reading More's Utopia soon (within the next week), although aside from that, I'll give the old stuff a rest for a while. Still, it's been fun, and I hope you'll give this collection the try it deserves.

[Cynthia Rodrigues · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read Full & Detailed review: https://cynthology.blogspot.com/2023/...

Classic Science Fiction Stories, edited by Adam Roberts, was an eye-opening collection of 14 short stories. Having read very little science fiction, I had believed that science fiction was more of a modern phenomena. I was surprised to note that as early as the 18th century, authors were writing about subjects that we might find incredible even today.

Except for HG Wells, Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle and Ambrose Bierce, most of the authors were new to me. Of these four, Poe was the only author whose short stories I had read before.



The Star by HG Wells: A star suddenly becomes visible close to Neptune, becoming brighter by the day. The event is interpreted through various perspectives, including science, religion etc. As it hurtles towards earth, it causes cataclysmic changes on our planet, making large swathes uninhabitable. But the Martians are completely unfazed. The author ends the story with a hard-hitting line which only shows how small the vastest of human catastrophes may seem, at a distance of a few million miles. I found it fascinating, this ability on the part of Wells, to pass judgement on the pettiness of human nature against the backdrop of cosmic wonder.

A Martian Odyssey by Stanley Weinbaum describes the experience of a human, Dick Jarvist, a chemist on the Ares expedition to planet Mars, and a Martian. Tweel’s appearance, behaviour and characteristics are a marvel of the imagination, considering that the story was published in July 1934.

When a shuttle from the craft falls on Mars, Jarvis finds himself stranded on the planet. He has an interesting encounter with a Martian who he names Tweel, because of the high-pitched sounds the latter makes.

There is humour in the manner in which Tweel drinks water. The Martian sucks it into his beak, then carefully squirts it back into the cup. By the end of the story, I, like Jarvis, had developed a fondness for Tweel.

But Tweel isn’t the only marvel on the Red Planet. There is a creature, the Pyramid Monster, that gives out silica bricks, and another, the DreamBeast, which draws living creatures to their death.

In The Diamond Lens by FitzJames O’Brien, published in the 1850s, the narrator, a microscopist named Linley, is besotted by the power of the microscope and becomes convinced that there is much to be discovered, and that he is called to discover great things. He is so much in thrall of his dream that he actually does the unthinkable to achieve this dream.

The story managed to combine elements of the occult with scientific endeavour. It becomes a tale of deceit, betrayal and murder. The following quote expresses the rationale of Linley: Every great genius is mad upon the subject in which he is the greatest.

Micromegas by Voltaire, written in the 18th century, is a comically wonderful tale of two giants, from the planet Sirius, in another galaxy, and from Planet Saturn, in our own solar system, who set out on an extraordinary interstellar voyage and land on planet Earth, where they encounter infinitesimally tiny beings, namely, us.

The two giants discover that humans, “infinitely small had, it seemed, an almost infinitely large pride.”

One of the giants asks a human, “if they had always been in this miserable state so near nothingness, what they were doing on a globe that appeared to belong to whales.” The story mocks scientists of the time who believed that earth alone supported life and philosophers of the time who adhered to philosophies that contradicted each other and served no purpose.

The Mortal Immortal by Mary Shelley, commissioned in 1833, tells the story of a young man called Winzy, who drinks a potion made by an alchemist and is cursed with near-immortality and eternal youth, while his wife, the love of his youth, grows visibly older.

A Tale of the Ragged Mountains by Edgar Allan Poe is hard for me to describe. While out for a walk in the mountains, a man sees strange sights of another place and another time. Whether this was a description of telepathy or wild imagination is unclear.

The Automaton Ear by Florence McLandburgh: A professor invents an automaton ear which can reproduce every beautiful sound ever heard on the planet, whether that sound be natural or humanmade.

This story reminded me of the power of Artificial Intelligence. The prose was beautiful.

The Tachypomp by Edward Page Mitchell sees a mathematics tutor expound a wild theory to prove that vehicles could theoretically travel 60 miles a minute.

Both The Automaton Ear and The Tachypomp use sound scientific principles of the time to explore the frontiers of possibility. Both end on an anti-climactic note.

The Colour Out of Space by HP Lovecraft, the longest story in the collection, saw science fiction mixed with Gothic elements, even horror. This one was my favourite.

Aspiring authors are told to avoid info dumps, but here the story literally starts with long-winded description that goes on for around three pages, and yet I read this description more than once. Each word was so evocative.

This story isn’t about anything paranormal, but very soon we are overtaken by a sense of horror and dread. My heart went out to Nahum Gardner and his family. Their lives begin to disintegrate when a meterorite lands on their property.

To Herman Stoffkraft, PhD, a Paradoxical Ode (After Shelley) by James Clark Maxwell: Maxwell was a Scottish scientist who was responsible for the biggest advances in physics since Newton. This story is actually a “paradoxical ode” styled “after Shelley.”

The Horror of the Heights by Arthur Conan Doyle: An aeronaut, Joyce Armstrong, comes to know of a number of accidents afflicting aeronauts flying into the higher reaches of the atmosphere. Intent on solving the mystery, he takes a dangerous flight to find out the nature of the danger that confronted them. He finds answers but pays for his life.

Sultana’s Dream by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain: It is hard to imagine a writer writing in a language that isn’t her first language, and writing so well. That too, a female writer writing at a time when very few Indian women got an education. This feminist utopian story is decades ahead of its time.

The story, written in 1905, is set in a utopia where the word, mannish, means being timid and shy. The story provokes thought: Why should women be confined indoors to keep them safe? Why not confine the men who carry mischief in their hearts?

A Psychological Shipwreck by Ambrose Bierce: A man’s dream of a shipwreck comes true.

The Door in the Wall by HG Wells: A promising young politician with a great career ahead of him is haunted by a door that suddenly appeared in a wall. The door led to a garden where he spent the happiest moments in his childhood. The door and the garden appear at the strangest times and places. The man feels haunted by the sight of that door.

The last two stories didn’t quite fit the science fiction genre. But overall, I enjoyed this selection. I look forward to reading more science fiction from now on.

[ReadsandThings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Science Fiction Stories presents a selection of stories that helped create this hugely popular genre, sketching its development from authors as early as Voltaire to the late nineteenth century with Conan Doyle and H.G. Wells. Some of them were penned by authors famous to this day, but Roberts also added some lesser-known names into the mix that nonetheless were seminal in furthering the development of the genre.
In themselves, few of the stories would seem very exciting to the jaded 21st century afficionado, although several are entertaining and even funny in their own right.
Instead, their appeal lies in tracing how this wildly popular genre evolved from quite humble beginnings, and seeing who first dared to think those thoughts that today are such well-loved hallmarks of the genre.

Notable is the inclusion of not just several female authors, but also Rokeya Sakkhawat Hossain, a female 19th century author from Bangladesh.

The stories included are:

H.G. Wells, The Star.
Stanley Weinbaum, A Martian Odyssey.
Fitz-James O'Brien, The Diamond Lens.
Voltaire, Micromégas.
Mary Shelley, The Mortal Immortal.
Florence McLandburgh, The Automaton Ear.
Edward Page Mitchell, The Tachypomp.
H.P. Lovecraft, The Colour out of Space.
James Clerk Maxwell, A Paradoxical Ode.
Arthur Conan Doyle, The Horror of the Heights.
Rokeya Sakkhawat Hossain, Sultana's Dream.
Ambrose Bierce, A Psychological Shipwreck.
H.G. Wells, The Door in the Wall.

I want to thank Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Brian Clegg · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many interpretations of the word 'classic' - in the context of science fiction many would assume this referred to the 'golden age' of the 40s and 50s, but Adam Roberts (who knows his stuff) has plumped for what might otherwise be regarded as proto-SF - science fiction-like stories that predate the concept. The earliest here is Micromégas by Voltaire from 1752 and the latest Stanley Weinbaum's 1934 A Martian Odyssey.

Before we go any further, I ought to mention the physical book itself - when it arrived I felt a bit like someone who buys dolls' house furniture thinking it's the real thing. It looks like a big grown up book in its picture, but in reality it's tiny, less than 16cm in height. Admittedly not doll friendly, but uncomfortably small to hold (though it does fit in most pockets).

I really want to give it both three stars and five stars, so the final outcome is something in between. As someone with an interest in the history of science fiction, it's fascinating to be able to read something like Micromégas, which I have heard of many times but never actually seen. But as a reader of science fiction, practically everything pre-twentieth century in the book is somewhere on the scale between tedious and downright sleep-inducing. I have really enjoyed many of the short stories of H. G. Wells in the past, but the one that opens the book, The Star from 1897, is surely one of his least readable.

Standouts on still being passable stories for the reader include A Martian Odyssey, which portrays impressively alien aliens, while other indigestible yet fascinating contributions include Mary Shelley's The Mortal Immortal from 1833. I enjoyed Poe's 1844 story A Tale of the Ragged Mountains (though it felt more like fantasy than SF to me). Two more I'd pick out are Florence McLandburgh's 1876 The Automaton Ear and H. P. Lovecraft's 1927 The Colour out of Space. Both would have worked a lot better at half the length, but each had interesting ideas, despite stretching the science of the day to its limit. McLandburgh, with the idea that all sounds ever produced could be picked up (rather like an audio version of James Blish's Beep where all instantaneous transmissions throughout time are available in a single burst), seemed unaware of the dispersal of sound energy (and the impossibility of tuning in to a single historical sound).

In Lovecraft's better-known story, the idea of seeing a colour beyond human experience seemed to imply a misunderstanding of what colour is. Of course there can be colours we can't see - so in a sense there are novel colours... but the whole point is we can't see them. It was great to read this story, though, as I'd heard so much about Lovecraft without ever reading any of his work because I'd always mentally classified it as horror rather than SF. My only disappointment was it took 31 pages before we reached his trademark adjective, eldritch.

The inclusion of these stories made me think a little about the borderline between fantasy and science fiction. A story can still be science fiction if it gets the science a bit wrong, but if the scientific content doesn't make any sense at all it becomes fantasy. It's easy to see this distinction in superhero films. For example, while the origin story of Spider-Man is pure fantasy, there is quite a lot of bad science that could still be considered SF in his actions (for example, stopping a train with his web and body). But Superman is pure fantasy, with not a hint of scientific basis. McLandburgh probably slips in with the bad science proviso, but for me, although the Lovecraft story implies aliens, its detail tips it into fantasy.

Whether or not you will enjoy this book depends how important SF history is to you. If you are happy to endure stories with the pace of a snail because they are foundational to the development of the genre, you will definitely want a copy. If you expect the enjoyment you would get from a science fiction short story collection dating from the 1950s or later, you may well be disappointed.

[Hector · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this collection over the course of years, taking it down every couple of months and enjoying a story. An excellent collection in my opinion, with my only quibble being that some stories seem more like supernatural-tinged, Twilight-Zone-style tales of the weird, rather than science fiction. But all the stories are worth the read, with some excellent ones by H. G. Welles, Mary Shelley, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H. P. Lovecraft, and others. Yes, some very significant names are left out, but the joy of these anthologies is in their idiosyncrasy; they are assembled from personal preferences, as so some stories are surprises to readers who wouldn't have included them themselves, but find value in them.

[Elysa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Classic Science Fiction Stories" is an interesting collection of early science fiction stories that represent a variety of hallmarks of the genre. Science fiction is my favorite genre, and I love the early stuff. The stories show a variety of concepts. This collection could be more diverse as far as authors. I understand the urge to include two H.G. Wells stories, but I would rather have seen another author featured instead of the same author twice.

The book itself is gorgeous. I love the colors and cover illustrations. The gold edges are lovely. I'd be happy to add more of these editions to my collection.

[Richard Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look back at stories that laid the foundation for 'The Golden Age'. A few are a bit dull and the Voltaire satire is tedious but there are a few that retain interest. Mary Shelley writes a very gothic tale of immortality and Lovecraft's 'Colour Out Of Space' retains its power to horrify despite having been read many times.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few of the stories here are genuinely great: H.G. Wells’s “the star,” Edward Page Mitchell’s “the tachypomp,” and my favorite, Stanley Weinbaum’s “a Martian Odyssey,” but there are total duds as well. I assume these — the Voltaire and the Poe, specifically— were there only for historical reasons.

[Dominic Stastny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome. I loved a look into perhaps less well known stories from such a diverse group of authors, some very popular, others less so. Well curated by the editor, the book is also a beautiful hardcover and a pleasure to read.

[Carl Fuda · Rating 5 out of 5]

a history of the genre and some great stories, my favorite was The Door in the Wall

[Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the small size of the book, the cover art, ribbon marker and page edging. It has stories in it that I have not read before, which I appreciated.

[Bernard Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some smart stories that are worth reading. H P Lovecraft showing Stephen King the way, Mary Shelley a smart little story and H G Wells revealing a surprising side to his narrative.

[Ellen-Arwen Tristram · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to get this out of the way first: why did Roberts apologise for Lovecraft's racism, but completely ignore the antisemitism in Fitz O'Brien's story. Was it an oversight? Or does it reflect the current state of affairs that many people still don't think of antisemitism as 'proper' racism? This was, for me, perhaps, the most objectionable part.

This was a medium read: not amazing, but, as it turned out, not really for me. I was hoping to find some gems that I hadn't known about before but they were all pretty familiar: Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, H. G. Wells... It was fun to remind myself of them but maybe I'm too familiar with these authors! My favourites were the few I hadn't come across before: Stanley Weinbam's 'A Martian Odyssey', Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain's 'Sultana's Dream', and Florence McLandburgh's 'The Automaton Ear'. It's been a while since I've read classic science fiction, and I struggled slightly with the old-fashioned writing, but got into it more as I continued reading. I did appreciate that the compiler Adam Roberts had found some women writers who are generally under-represented (except the obvious Mary Shelly of course.)

Most stories were told from a distant third person PoV which makes me, as a reader, feel quite divorced from the action, but that was the style of writing at the time, so it's hard to judge. It felt like there was mixed success from the point of view of a modern reader: Conan Doyle and Lovecraft were the most engaging for me.


Overall, not the most enjoyable read, but perhaps I have gone off science fiction from this period, so please do read other reviewers' comments to see what they think.

[Worm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of science fiction and so it was with interest that I picked up this book. The collection spans from early iterations of Sci-Fi right up to the present encompassing established greats and some lesser known authors. I was pleaseantly surprised to find inclusion of works by female authors who are often overlooked/forgotten (whichever you prefer) when detailing works of science fiction unless they are named Mary Shelley - although Shelley does feature with The Mortal Immortal.

A great collection of short stories a must for any sci-fi reader and a good place to start if you're just getting into reading science fiction.

[Aria Harlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I whizzed through this collection really wuick. All the stories were well written with compelling stories, well developed characters and everything about clssic sci fi fiction that makes it so great. I loved that some of the greats were included such as Lovecraft but also that there were some that I have never read before and now want to look further into. I can't wait to get a physical copy

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The collection "Classic Science Fiction Stories" introduced me to some authors and stories I've never heard of before, but I didn't really enjoy a lot of them.

I generally don't really like short stories, and the ones included in this collection didn't really change my mind.

The stories I enjoyed the most were "Sultana's Dream" and "A Martian Odyssey".

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very interesting read, a sort of historical excursus of what can be considered sci-fi.
I discovered some gems I never read before and some new authors.
It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine