Wondrous Beginnings

by Steven H. Silver (Editor / Contributor), Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), Murray Leinster (Contributor)

Every great writer has to begin somewhere. Here, in one star-studded volume, are the debut stories from some of science fiction's best and brightest-with insightful new introductions by the authors themselves.

These are stories that launched the careers of Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Anne McCaffrey, Orson Scott Card, L. Sprague de Camp, George R.R. Martin, Murray Leinster, Hal Clement, and other stellar talents.

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

316 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 7, 2003

About the author

Steven H Silver was the editor and publisher of ISFiC Press for 8 years. He has also edited books for DAW, NESFA Press, and ZNB Books. He began publishing short fiction in 2008, with "Les Lettres des Paston. Other stories include "Big White Men--Attack!" "Well of Tranquillity," and "The Prediscovered Country." His debut novel, After Hastings, was published in 2020.

In 1995, he created the Sidewise Award for Alternate History. He is a seventeen-time Hugo Award finalist and was the publisher of the Hugo-nominated fanzine Argentus.

Reviews

[Igor Neox · Rating 4 out of 5]

• Murray Leinster - The Runaway Skyscraper [1919] ★★★★★
• L. Sprague de Camp - The Isolinguals [1931] ★★★★☆
• Anne McCaffrey - Freedom of the Race [1953] ★★★☆☆
• Hal Clement - Proof [1942] ★★★☆☆
• Arthur C. Clarke - Loophole [1946] ★★★★★
• Gene Wolfe - The Dead Man [1965] ★★★★☆
• Barry N. Malzberg - We're Coming Through the Windows [1967] ★★★★★
• George R.R. Martin - The Hero [1971] ★★★★★
• Howard Waldrop - Lunchbox [1972] ★★★★☆
• Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game [1977] ★★★★★
• Jack McDevitt - The Emerson Effect [1981] ★★★★☆
• Jerry Oltion - Much Ado About Nothing [1982] ★★★★★
• Lois McMaster Bujold - Barter [1985] ★★★★★
• Stephen Baxter - The Xeelee Flower [1987] ★★★☆☆
• Catherine Asaro - Dance in Blue [1993] ★★★★☆
• Michael A. Burstein - TeleAbsence [1995] ★★★★★
• Julie E. Czerneda - First Contact, Inc. [1997] ★★★★☆

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/205953.html[return][return]Nice idea, getting the first published story of numerous well-known sf authors - to be specific, Murray Leinster, L Sprague de Camp, Anne McCaffrey, Hal Clement, Arthur C Clarke and so on, and publishing it in an anthology together with an introduction by the author in question (or in one case from his daughter). The stories are a bit variable in quality, but less than one might have thought, and the autobiographical material from each author more than makes up for it, especially for those who have since died (de Camp and Clement).[return][return]I did wonder what the rationale for choosing particular authors was. Why Clarke, but not Asimov or Heinlein? Why include authors as recent as Catherine Asaro (first story published 1993), Michael Burstein (1995), Julie Czerneda (1997)? And there's a definite leaning towards the hard end of the sf spectrum. None of these are necessarily bad things but it would have enlightened me if the editors had explained them. As it is the choice looks a little strange - and why is the Ann McCaffrey story apparently out of the order-of-initial-publication sequence that seems to link the rest?

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Runaway Skyscraper" by Murray Leinster read 11/23/2005
"The Isolinguals" by L. Sprague de Camp read 11/25/2005
♦ "Freedom of the Race" by Anne McCaffrey read 11/25/2005
"Proof" by Hal Clement read 11/26/2005
"Loophole" by Arthur C. Clarke read 11/27/2005
"The Dead Man" by Gene Wolfe read 11/27/2005 RE-READ 5/15/2015
"We're Coming Through the Window" by K. M. O'Donnell read 11/27/2005
"The Hero" by George R. R. Martin read 11/27/2005
"Lunchbox" by Howard Waldrop read 11/27/2005
"Ender's Game" novelette by Orson Scott Card read 11/29/2005
"The Emerson Effect" by Jack McDevitt read 12/4/2005
"Much Ado About Nothing" by Jerry Oltion read 12/24/2005
"Barter" by Lois McMaster Bujold read 12/26/2005
"The Xeelee Flower" by Stephen Baxter read 12/27/2005
♦ "Dance in Blue" by Catherine Asaro read 12/29/2005
"TeleAbsence" by Michael A. Burstein read 12/28/2005
♦ First Contact Inc. • (1997) • shortstory by Julie E. Czerneda

[Chris Duval · Rating 4 out of 5]

This includes the original short version of 'Ender's Game' (O.S. Card) and, for that alone, it must receive at least a four-star rating from me. I had read that and three other stories in the anthology some time ago; the rest of my impressions are more recent. The other stories range in interest from middling to quite good. Probably the most gripping was C. Asaro's 'Dance in Blue,' a suspenseful romance in a near-future setting.

Each story is preceded by an introduction by the author (if s/he is alive); beyond just a glimpse at the author, some of these provide insight into the story's context (e.g., L. Bujold's introduction to 'Barter'). Oddly, some of the introductions are comparable in length to the fiction they precede.

Background: these are 'first' stories by SF authors. A check on ISFDB shows many of them not in other anthologies. There is a partner book called "Magical Beginnings."

[Christopher Hivner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts out slow. Out of the first 7 stories, I really only enjoyed "Loophole" and "We're Coming Through the Windows". "The Isolinguals" was a clever idea but not executed all that well. Starting with "The Hero" the book picked up. "Ender's Game" and "The Emerson Effect" are both excellent stories. The last 6 stories are good but not great. Overall a good read, but not a great one.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthology of first stories by top notch science fiction authors from a wide range of periods ranging from Murray Leinster's 1919 "Runaway Skyscraper" to Julie Czerneda's 1997 "First Contact, Inc". This is a great look at how some of the field's best got their starts. Most of the stories are both interesting on their own and interesting for their glimpse of the writer's career to come.

[Jacquie]

"Freedom of the Race" by Anne McCaffrey r