Human?

by Judith Merril (Editor), Fredric Brown (Introduction), John D. MacDonald (Contributor)

An anthology containing the following short
THE BIG CONTEST, by John D. MacDonald
THE BOY NEXT DOOR, by Chad Oliver
TAKE A SEAT, by Eric Frank Russell
AN EGG A MONTH FROM ALL OVER, by Idris Seabright
RIYA'S FOUNDLING, by Algis Budrys
GHOSTS, by don marquis
SMOKE GHOST, by Fritz Leiber
"WHO SHALL I SAY IS CALLING?", by August Derleth
THE GNARLY MAN, by L. Sprague de Camp
THE TEMPTATION OF HARRINGAY, by H.G. Wells
THE ULTIMATE EGOIST, by Theodore Sturgeon
ROPE ENOUGH, by John Collier
LIAR!, by Isaac Asimov
WHO KNOWS HIS BROTHER, by Graham Doar
CRUCIFIXUS ETIAM, by Walter M. Miller, Jr.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories

190 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1954

About the author

Josephine Juliet Grossman

aka Cyril Judd (with C.M. Kornbluth)

Judith Josephine Grossman (Boston, Massachusetts, January 21, 1923 - Toronto, Ontario, September 12, 1997), who took the pen-name Judith Merril about 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist.

Although Judith Merril's first paid writing was in other genres, in her first few years of writing published science fiction she wrote her three novels (all but the first in collaboration with C.M. Kornbluth) and some stories. Her roughly four decades in that genre also included writing 26 published short stories, and editing a similar number of anthologies.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of Merril's better theme anthologies, with short works pondering the nature of being human. It's split into three sections, As Others See Us, Earthlings All, and Tomorrow Will Be Better?, with stories ranging from H.G. Wells to the year before the book was published, 1954. There's a brief introduction by Fredric Brown and a striking cover by Rafael DeSoto. Most of the authors are well known favorites, including John D. MacDonald, John Collier, and don marquis (an archy poem!). Among the genre writers are Walter M. Miller, Jr., Isaac Asimov, Theodore Sturgeon, Algys Budrys, August Derleth, Chad Oliver, Graham Doar, and Eric Frank Russell. My three favorites were Smoke Ghost by Fritz Leiber, An Egg A Month From All Over by Idris Seabright (you knew that was a pseudonym of the nonpareil Margaret St. Clair, right?), and The Gnarly Man by L. Sprague de Camp.

[Dale Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

You never quite know what you'll get when you dig out a science fiction book from the first half of the 20th century. You could immerse yourself in a classic or dredge up sludge. This collection of short stories is in the former category, hands down.

Published in April, 1954, my father bought this book on May 7th of that year and finished reading it on September 11, 1954. I know because he always dated his books, the purchase date in the front and the date(s) he finished reading in the back. The collection contains stories by John D. MacDonald, Chad Oliver, Eric Frank Russell, Idris Seabright, Algis Budrys, don marquis (he didn't capitalize his name), Fritz Leiber, August Derleth, L. Sprague de Camp, H. G. Wells, Theodore Sturgeon, John Collier, Isaac Asimov, Graham Doar, and Walter M. Miller, Jr. If you read science fiction, you'll know a number of these names, but some might be unfamiliar to you. Some of them made their names in other fields before venturing into SF, while others cut their teeth on SF. But they are masters all.

From aliens passing themselves off as human and mind-reading robots to a possessed painting and men who sacrifice everything to begin terraforming of Mars, these tales are thought provoking, tightly written and just plain engrossing. You almost don't notice if some of the science is dated. This is one of those books worth reading more than once. I highly recommend it to science fiction readers, and really to anyone who likes to loose themselves in good stories.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A science fiction anthology from the first half of the 20th century, built around the question of just what is humanity defined by. Are there aliens among us? What will the future bring? Edited by one of the most prominent SF anthologizers of the 20th century.