What do you think?
Rate this book
The Best of John W. Campbell
Here are the finest stories by the man who almost single-handedly created modern science fiction-the writer who taught a generation to dream...and to write of all possible futures.
TWILIGHT
He was a mere hitchhiker now, but he had once seen the far, far future...and had returned to mourn what he had seen!
THE MACHINE
The machine was ultimately benevolent...so benevolent that it gave mankind the ultimate but most unwanted gift!
FORGETFULNESS
They were like children in the museum of Earth's glorious past...children who had forgotten so much, but whose powers were those of gods!
And the classic that was to become the movie THE THING: WHO GOES THERE?
The Thing was the most dreadful threat men had ever faced...a creature that could be any one-or all-of them!
TWILIGHT
He was a mere hitchhiker now, but he had once seen the far, far future...and had returned to mourn what he had seen!
THE MACHINE
The machine was ultimately benevolent...so benevolent that it gave mankind the ultimate but most unwanted gift!
FORGETFULNESS
They were like children in the museum of Earth's glorious past...children who had forgotten so much, but whose powers were those of gods!
And the classic that was to become the movie THE THING: WHO GOES THERE?
The Thing was the most dreadful threat men had ever faced...a creature that could be any one-or all-of them!
307 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
11 people are currently reading
492 people want to read
About the author
John W. Campbell Jr.
779 books283 followersJohn Wood Campbell, Jr. was an influential figure in American science fiction. As editor of Astounding Science Fiction (later called Analog Science Fiction and Fact), from late 1937 until his death, he is generally credited with shaping the so-called Golden Age of Science Fiction.
Isaac Asimov called Campbell "the most powerful force in science fiction ever, and for the first ten years of his editorship he dominated the field completely."
As a writer, Campbell published super-science space opera under his own name and moody, less pulpish stories as Don A. Stuart. He stopped writing fiction after he became editor of Astounding.
Known Pseudonyms/Alternate Names:
Don A. Stuart
Karl van Campen
John Campbell
J. W. C., Jr.
John W. Campbell
John Wood Campbell
Isaac Asimov called Campbell "the most powerful force in science fiction ever, and for the first ten years of his editorship he dominated the field completely."
As a writer, Campbell published super-science space opera under his own name and moody, less pulpish stories as Don A. Stuart. He stopped writing fiction after he became editor of Astounding.
Known Pseudonyms/Alternate Names:
Don A. Stuart
Karl van Campen
John Campbell
J. W. C., Jr.
John W. Campbell
John Wood Campbell
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
September 29, 2023
According to Lester Del Rey in his introduction to this volume, John W. Campbell revolutionized science fiction by writing stories and novels and then later by becoming the editor of Astounding Science Fiction which later became Analog Science Fiction and Fact. His first short story was published in January 1930, six months before his twentieth birthday. He became one of the best-liked writers in the field and published under his own name until 1934 when he began to write stories with a different tone, and wrote using the pseudonym Don A. Stuart. He became editor of Astounding in 1937 and was instrumental in developing the careers of many science fiction writers of the time including Robert A. Heinlein, Theodore Sturgeon, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke.
This anthology includes stories from Campbell written in the 1930s and includes probably his most famous work, Who Goes There? which was the basis for the films The Thing from Another World (1951), The Thing (1982), and The Thing (2011). This story was the main reason I obtained this book several years ago. The original movie from 1951 was always one of my favorites.
Who Goes There? was really a story of suspense and was closer to the 1982 version of the movie than to the original. It of course tells the story of a group of men stationed in Antarctica (in the original film they were in the Arctic) who discover a space craft embedded in the ice which had been there for millions of years. The craft is destroyed when they try to blast it out but one of the occupants is cut from the ice and thawed releasing a monster that is able to shape shift and is also telepathic. This leads to a suspenseful tale in which the group is unsure whether the being has taken over the bodies of the group. Overall a very innovative and terrifying tale.
As far as the other stories in the book, I was kind of mixed on them. The earliest The Last Evolution was published in Amazing Stories in 1932 and told how over many millennia machines evolve to be the rulers of the world. The story had little character development and was quite dry. Campbell follows this premise about the rise of machines in most of the stories that follow.
The Invaders published in 1935 told of an invasion of earth by aliens after mankind has let machines take over and do everything for them. The invaders try to breed mankind back to some semblance of superiority using the science of Eugenics. I know this was prevalent in the 1930s especially in Nazi Germany. In the next story, Rebellion the human race is able to rebel against the invaders and take back the earth but this is only after thousands of years have passed.
Forgetfulness is another story similar to The Invaders where an alien race comes to earth finding the remnants of a magnificent civilization it has forgotten. One of the better stories in the anthology.
I'm glad I finally read this, especially Who Goes There? but overall I thought this was definitely dated with generally stilted prose and very fantastic storylines. Probably what was to be expected from sci-fi in the 30s.
This anthology includes stories from Campbell written in the 1930s and includes probably his most famous work, Who Goes There? which was the basis for the films The Thing from Another World (1951), The Thing (1982), and The Thing (2011). This story was the main reason I obtained this book several years ago. The original movie from 1951 was always one of my favorites.
Who Goes There? was really a story of suspense and was closer to the 1982 version of the movie than to the original. It of course tells the story of a group of men stationed in Antarctica (in the original film they were in the Arctic) who discover a space craft embedded in the ice which had been there for millions of years. The craft is destroyed when they try to blast it out but one of the occupants is cut from the ice and thawed releasing a monster that is able to shape shift and is also telepathic. This leads to a suspenseful tale in which the group is unsure whether the being has taken over the bodies of the group. Overall a very innovative and terrifying tale.
As far as the other stories in the book, I was kind of mixed on them. The earliest The Last Evolution was published in Amazing Stories in 1932 and told how over many millennia machines evolve to be the rulers of the world. The story had little character development and was quite dry. Campbell follows this premise about the rise of machines in most of the stories that follow.
The Invaders published in 1935 told of an invasion of earth by aliens after mankind has let machines take over and do everything for them. The invaders try to breed mankind back to some semblance of superiority using the science of Eugenics. I know this was prevalent in the 1930s especially in Nazi Germany. In the next story, Rebellion the human race is able to rebel against the invaders and take back the earth but this is only after thousands of years have passed.
Forgetfulness is another story similar to The Invaders where an alien race comes to earth finding the remnants of a magnificent civilization it has forgotten. One of the better stories in the anthology.
I'm glad I finally read this, especially Who Goes There? but overall I thought this was definitely dated with generally stilted prose and very fantastic storylines. Probably what was to be expected from sci-fi in the 30s.
March 4, 2017
I'm town between 3 and 4 stars, because a lot of these stories in this book were not my cup of tea. HOWEVER, the reason why I read this collection was all because I wanted to read the short story Who Goes There?, which is the basis of one of my favorite horror sci-fi films, The Thing.
I would give that story five stars, and I'd give another short story in the collection, Elimination five stars as well.
I really appreciated the introduction and the postscript. In the Introduction I learned quite a bit about the development of sci-fi literature. Prior to reading, I was ignorant of the role John. W. Campbell played in the history of the genre. I liked that this collection included his earliest works and moved through his writing career chronologically because you can see the progression in his storytelling skills as you turn the page. The ideas expressed in his early works are fascinating and impressive, and I respect that, even if the characters and plot development were lacking. That was apparently how sci-fi was back then, though, so you can't really blame him for his "crude" writing.
After going through all the stories (and admittedly I skipped/skimmed over some) I can say that Who Goes There? is probably his best work. It's a truly frightening story that has both great characters AND great science, and the prose is the best that I've seen from him based on the collection.
I would give that story five stars, and I'd give another short story in the collection, Elimination five stars as well.
I really appreciated the introduction and the postscript. In the Introduction I learned quite a bit about the development of sci-fi literature. Prior to reading, I was ignorant of the role John. W. Campbell played in the history of the genre. I liked that this collection included his earliest works and moved through his writing career chronologically because you can see the progression in his storytelling skills as you turn the page. The ideas expressed in his early works are fascinating and impressive, and I respect that, even if the characters and plot development were lacking. That was apparently how sci-fi was back then, though, so you can't really blame him for his "crude" writing.
After going through all the stories (and admittedly I skipped/skimmed over some) I can say that Who Goes There? is probably his best work. It's a truly frightening story that has both great characters AND great science, and the prose is the best that I've seen from him based on the collection.
November 1, 2025
This book, edited by Lester del Rey, shares a title with an earlier volume edited by George Hay, but the contents are quite different; the del Rey version (ironically published by Ballantine before the name of the publisher was changed to Del Rey), is longer and much more comprehensive. It includes eleven stories and one essay, as well as an introduction by the editor and an afterword by Campbell's widow. All of the stories appeared in a five-year span in the latter half of the 1930s, after which Campbell became the editor of Astounding magazine, where he permanently changed the face of the field from kids' adventure entertainment to serious scientific and social speculation. Some of the stories were published under the pseudonym of Don A. Stuart and some under his own name; he wrote popular space opera stories and then began to write more adult-oriented "big idea" tales and wanted to keep the two separated in readers' minds. The writing is not excellent by modern standards, but the pulp market paid very poorly, and the stories had to be produced at astounding (and astonishing and amazing...get it?) speed in order to make a living. It's not fair or possible to judge the stories by current standards, but at the time his work was the very top of the field. My favorite would be the famous Who Goes There? Campbell remained the editor of Astounding (which changed its name to Analog in 1963), until his death in 1971. He has been criticized for some of his beliefs, lauded for his editorship (he single-handedly created what has been called the Golden Age of SF), but sometimes in all of the furor it's overlooked that he started out as one of the most important science fiction writers of the time. This book is a good remedy to that oversight.
January 17, 2012
Note: The contents of the book I have are somewhat different from the contents listed in Goodreads for the book with the same ISBN. I tried to crack this mystery last night, and ultimately gave up after I started to get a headache. It is something to do with the Fourth Dimension, maybe. :D
John W. Campbell is not a person - for SF afficionados, he is an institution. And for people like me who were born long after the golden age of Science Fiction, he almost a myth-like Drona, the legendary trainer of the Kuru princes in the Indian epic, the Mahabharatha. He is the one who created the likes of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and James Blish.
It is not so well known that Campbell sacrificed a writing career to become an editor. In fact, it was he who pioneered the modern SF story, which features ordinary people grappling with issues of science in a future society. He could be termed the father of Hard SF.
So it was with great excitement that I picked up this volume: but sadly, it let me down. Except for the novella "Who Goes There?" (the inspiration for John Carpenter's movie "The Thing"), the other stories disappointed (incidentally, I left the last one halfway through). But that one story makes this book worth reading.
Campbell's science fiction contains hard science, with plausible explanations. The narrative is linear and easy to understand. It is not great literature: it does not contain great philosophical dilemmas like the ones Ursula K. LeGuin poses: but it is hard-boiled SCIENCE fiction.
Despite its name, I believe this volume does not contain the "best" of Campbell: however, it does give an insight into the fount from which the stories of the Asimovs and Clarkes originated.
John W. Campbell is not a person - for SF afficionados, he is an institution. And for people like me who were born long after the golden age of Science Fiction, he almost a myth-like Drona, the legendary trainer of the Kuru princes in the Indian epic, the Mahabharatha. He is the one who created the likes of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and James Blish.
It is not so well known that Campbell sacrificed a writing career to become an editor. In fact, it was he who pioneered the modern SF story, which features ordinary people grappling with issues of science in a future society. He could be termed the father of Hard SF.
So it was with great excitement that I picked up this volume: but sadly, it let me down. Except for the novella "Who Goes There?" (the inspiration for John Carpenter's movie "The Thing"), the other stories disappointed (incidentally, I left the last one halfway through). But that one story makes this book worth reading.
Campbell's science fiction contains hard science, with plausible explanations. The narrative is linear and easy to understand. It is not great literature: it does not contain great philosophical dilemmas like the ones Ursula K. LeGuin poses: but it is hard-boiled SCIENCE fiction.
Despite its name, I believe this volume does not contain the "best" of Campbell: however, it does give an insight into the fount from which the stories of the Asimovs and Clarkes originated.
July 1, 2024
Campbell’s ideas are great but most of these stories suffer from poor execution in my opinion. The exception of course is Who Goes There?, this almost seemed like it was written by someone else because it was so good. Campbell is credited for creating and guiding the Golden Age of SF and you can see his influence through some of these stories, that part was fascinating to me. If you want a better understanding of history of the SF genre then read all the stories, otherwise just read Who Goes There?, it is great.
October 25, 2012
As with all older golden age science fiction you must read Campbell with a grain of salt. Much has happened that was unimagined when these stories were written in the 1930's. So you often have to place perspective into that alternative universe where much of the twentieth century has not occurred yet.
Some of the short stories are quite brilliant although the crossover of story lines (think crossover from Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles") can be confusing at times. especially if you put down the book for some time as I did. The included novella "Who Goes There?", the basis for "The Thing from Another World" and John Carpenter's "The Thing" (1982), is a tight and tense psychological sci-fi thriller that is worth reading alone if you choose to read only one thing in the book.
Some of the short stories are quite brilliant although the crossover of story lines (think crossover from Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles") can be confusing at times. especially if you put down the book for some time as I did. The included novella "Who Goes There?", the basis for "The Thing from Another World" and John Carpenter's "The Thing" (1982), is a tight and tense psychological sci-fi thriller that is worth reading alone if you choose to read only one thing in the book.
December 4, 2019
I rate this a one based on GR's definition of one being "did not like it". It's not bad, just boring. Half the stories are too much science, not enough fiction, half are just not very interesting alien races and other space opera. I'm sure this was heads above most of the Sci-fi of its day, but it just doesn't hold up today.
September 20, 2023
Includes the stories:
The Last Evolution -
Twilight - 3/5 - time traveler describes Earth in the distant future
The Machine -
The Invaders -
Rebellion -
Blindness -
Elimination -
Forgetfulness -
Out of Night -
Cloak of Aesir -
Who Goes There? - 5/5 -
Space for Industry (essay) -
The Last Evolution -
Twilight - 3/5 - time traveler describes Earth in the distant future
The Machine -
The Invaders -
Rebellion -
Blindness -
Elimination -
Forgetfulness -
Out of Night -
Cloak of Aesir -
Who Goes There? - 5/5 -
Space for Industry (essay) -
June 22, 2013
Rather disappointed in this collection by iconic sf editor John W. Campbell; there's very little to separate each story, and his prose is rather leaden. At best it's workmanlike, at its worst it's deadly dull and repetitive. (he has a great fondness for the adjective opalescent, and he uses it with inauspicious repetitiveness. That said, I did like the proto-Blog entity (The Sleath) in 'Double Minds' - a nice bit of meltoid madness.
The thing (no pun intended) that really stood out tho', even to the point of it being somewhat incongruous, is how utterly fabulous 'Who Goes There?'is; it's a veritable masterpiece of morbid atmosphere and inexorable doom. An absolute frosty classic of polymorphous, paranoiac body-morphing horror that PKD would've heartily approved of.
I just really couldn't connect with his prose; quite literally galaxies away from the lyrical genius of Sturgeon or Scheckley.
The thing (no pun intended) that really stood out tho', even to the point of it being somewhat incongruous, is how utterly fabulous 'Who Goes There?'is; it's a veritable masterpiece of morbid atmosphere and inexorable doom. An absolute frosty classic of polymorphous, paranoiac body-morphing horror that PKD would've heartily approved of.
I just really couldn't connect with his prose; quite literally galaxies away from the lyrical genius of Sturgeon or Scheckley.
September 10, 2023
The Last Evolution - 3/5 - Earth gets attacked by aliens that don't understand our robots and AI and only have the means to attack the parts of Earth that are alive. Story felt shallow at first but the final act does give it more depth then I was expecting
Twilight - 3.5/5 - Interesting time travel story. Was a little slow to start but I liked the second half of it quite a bit
The Machine - 2.5/5 - An alien AI that has made human life on Earth very simple decides to leave for the betterment of mankind. The logic on why the machine would now leave makes sense. It is evolving as well and comes to the conclusion that making human lives so easy is actually a detriment. It knows that when it leaves the humans will turn into mostly barbaric cannibals in the short term, but thinks it's for the best for the race in the long run. However, the logic takes a hit when we find out the AI travels to different planets with intelligent creatures and will do so again for the same purposes. So it takes intelligent life that is doing fine, gives it multiple generations of comfort to a level where it loses all initiative and expertise, leaves which creates chaos, and then eventually the intelligent life will ascend basically back to where they were before the AI showed up. The machine is supposed to be benevolent but it sounds like it's just making species lives worse
The Invaders - 4/5 - The sequel to The Machine that made the ending to the previous story irrelevant. After a huge time jump, humans are living a life of mostly leisure as food is abundant. They are dumber and ripe to be enslaved by some invading aliens. There is the inkling of rebellion towards the end but it gets quashed until...
The Rebellion - 3/5 - The final act. The aliens have bred the humans to give them the desirable traits to make them good slaves for whatever they want them to do, but that also means giving them more and more jobs including overseeing the mating partners. Eventually the humans create a new breed of man to eventually rebel and win back freedom for humankind. The whole story spanning generations is a very cool idea but the fact that it is a bunch of short stories sort of undercuts it a bit. Somewhat surprised this wasn’t made into a fix-up novel. Or maybe it was and I just don’t know about it
Blindness - 3.5/5 - Feels like one of the standard hard science fiction stories of the era but it does get elevated by it’s bittersweet ending
Elimination - 4.5/5 - A time travel adjacent device is created, where two men can look into the future without actually visiting physically. Unfortunately, the future has many different possibilities and they become obsessed with finding the life track that enables them to live the longest. Wonderfully tragic
Forgetfulness- 2/5 - An alien race visits another alien race which seems to have developed way beyond them scientifically, yet the only remaining denizens are basically just hanging out and using the tech but have no real knowledge how to make it or why it works. I found this one rather dry and hard to follow at times
Out of Night - 3/5 - Aliens have enslaved the human race for generations but humans are finally starting to get the itch to rise up and rebel - a common theme for Campbell. This starts very good but ends in a literal deus ex machina, which really hinders it for me
Cloak of Aesir - 2.5/5 - Direct sequel to Out of Night. Thematically very similar and even shares some of the same story beats. However it is longer and less interesting. Ending of this one isn't a deus ex machina but is somehow worse
Who Goes There? - 5/5 - The story that The Thing was based on. Much like the movie the novella is wonderful
Space For Industry - 3/5 - Non-fiction opining about the potential future state of industry in space. Campbell makes it an entertaining piece but since it's nearly 70 years old it feels dated. Especially since we haven't come close to industrializing anything in space nor does it seem like we will anytime soon. There was a hint of humor about it so it may have been somewhat tongue and cheek
Twilight - 3.5/5 - Interesting time travel story. Was a little slow to start but I liked the second half of it quite a bit
The Machine - 2.5/5 - An alien AI that has made human life on Earth very simple decides to leave for the betterment of mankind. The logic on why the machine would now leave makes sense. It is evolving as well and comes to the conclusion that making human lives so easy is actually a detriment. It knows that when it leaves the humans will turn into mostly barbaric cannibals in the short term, but thinks it's for the best for the race in the long run. However, the logic takes a hit when we find out the AI travels to different planets with intelligent creatures and will do so again for the same purposes. So it takes intelligent life that is doing fine, gives it multiple generations of comfort to a level where it loses all initiative and expertise, leaves which creates chaos, and then eventually the intelligent life will ascend basically back to where they were before the AI showed up. The machine is supposed to be benevolent but it sounds like it's just making species lives worse
The Invaders - 4/5 - The sequel to The Machine that made the ending to the previous story irrelevant. After a huge time jump, humans are living a life of mostly leisure as food is abundant. They are dumber and ripe to be enslaved by some invading aliens. There is the inkling of rebellion towards the end but it gets quashed until...
The Rebellion - 3/5 - The final act. The aliens have bred the humans to give them the desirable traits to make them good slaves for whatever they want them to do, but that also means giving them more and more jobs including overseeing the mating partners. Eventually the humans create a new breed of man to eventually rebel and win back freedom for humankind. The whole story spanning generations is a very cool idea but the fact that it is a bunch of short stories sort of undercuts it a bit. Somewhat surprised this wasn’t made into a fix-up novel. Or maybe it was and I just don’t know about it
Blindness - 3.5/5 - Feels like one of the standard hard science fiction stories of the era but it does get elevated by it’s bittersweet ending
Elimination - 4.5/5 - A time travel adjacent device is created, where two men can look into the future without actually visiting physically. Unfortunately, the future has many different possibilities and they become obsessed with finding the life track that enables them to live the longest. Wonderfully tragic
Forgetfulness- 2/5 - An alien race visits another alien race which seems to have developed way beyond them scientifically, yet the only remaining denizens are basically just hanging out and using the tech but have no real knowledge how to make it or why it works. I found this one rather dry and hard to follow at times
Out of Night - 3/5 - Aliens have enslaved the human race for generations but humans are finally starting to get the itch to rise up and rebel - a common theme for Campbell. This starts very good but ends in a literal deus ex machina, which really hinders it for me
Cloak of Aesir - 2.5/5 - Direct sequel to Out of Night. Thematically very similar and even shares some of the same story beats. However it is longer and less interesting. Ending of this one isn't a deus ex machina but is somehow worse
Who Goes There? - 5/5 - The story that The Thing was based on. Much like the movie the novella is wonderful
Space For Industry - 3/5 - Non-fiction opining about the potential future state of industry in space. Campbell makes it an entertaining piece but since it's nearly 70 years old it feels dated. Especially since we haven't come close to industrializing anything in space nor does it seem like we will anytime soon. There was a hint of humor about it so it may have been somewhat tongue and cheek
November 24, 2025
John W. Campbell Jr. was a prominent editor and writer of science fiction in the early to mid- 20th century, who is often credited for greatly shaping the science fiction. On the basis of that reputation, I picked up a copy of some of his greatest hits to take a look. My conclusion is that Campbell was a visionary who was full of interesting ideas, but I must say I found his actual plotting and storytelling rather dense and lackluster. The ideas are consistently interesting, but regrettably the surrounding story does not tend to live up to its standard. There are a few good stories: "Twilight" and The Teachers trilogy of "The Machine," "Invasion," and "Rebellion," which have some issues with storytelling but certainly these are far more engaging stories than many of the rest.
Most peculiar about this collection is the capstone story "Who’s Goes There?," his most famous story and part of the reason I picked up this collection. Unlike most of the stories, this one has both a fascinating idea and an engaging, tense plot. Maybe it was pre-conceived bias because of the story’s fame, but I thought this story was markedly better than the others. If every story was the same quality as "Who Goes There?," this would be a dramatically better collection. I am curious if Campbell has other particularly stories somewhere, although this collection does not make me optimistic. However, I would like to read the extended version of "Who Goes There?" that was published as "Frozen Hell."
Most peculiar about this collection is the capstone story "Who’s Goes There?," his most famous story and part of the reason I picked up this collection. Unlike most of the stories, this one has both a fascinating idea and an engaging, tense plot. Maybe it was pre-conceived bias because of the story’s fame, but I thought this story was markedly better than the others. If every story was the same quality as "Who Goes There?," this would be a dramatically better collection. I am curious if Campbell has other particularly stories somewhere, although this collection does not make me optimistic. However, I would like to read the extended version of "Who Goes There?" that was published as "Frozen Hell."
June 1, 2018
I have one quote in my quotefile from John Campbell:
Most of the stories follow that advice; there is very little explanation of how the technology works (though he does break that advice pretty heavily, and I think to its detriment, in Rebellion).
He especially likes stories about mankind evolving to a pastoral future, one so idyllic that it can’t be understood by various invaders. There are two series here: two stories from his Sarn earth, and four from his Invaders earth: Twilight, The Machine, The Invaders, and Rebellion. Forgetfulness is possibly from that line, too. It has a very similar feel, but not quite the right history.
These pastoral idylls, of course, involve a vast reduction in the number of humans on the planet. They’re beautiful stories, but it’s probably best not to think too much about them.
There’s also Who Goes There?, the short story that The Thing was based on. It is pretty much just what the movies were: an Antarctic expedition discovers alien life, and now no one on the expedition can trust anyone else. It’s a very thrilling horror tale, and a caution against believing scientists; their curiosity goes against the best interests of humanity.
The lessons may not be great, but the stories are.
I want the kind of story that could be printed in a magazine of the year two thousand A.D. as a contemporary adventure story. No gee-whiz, just take the technology for granted.
Most of the stories follow that advice; there is very little explanation of how the technology works (though he does break that advice pretty heavily, and I think to its detriment, in Rebellion).
He especially likes stories about mankind evolving to a pastoral future, one so idyllic that it can’t be understood by various invaders. There are two series here: two stories from his Sarn earth, and four from his Invaders earth: Twilight, The Machine, The Invaders, and Rebellion. Forgetfulness is possibly from that line, too. It has a very similar feel, but not quite the right history.
These pastoral idylls, of course, involve a vast reduction in the number of humans on the planet. They’re beautiful stories, but it’s probably best not to think too much about them.
There’s also Who Goes There?, the short story that The Thing was based on. It is pretty much just what the movies were: an Antarctic expedition discovers alien life, and now no one on the expedition can trust anyone else. It’s a very thrilling horror tale, and a caution against believing scientists; their curiosity goes against the best interests of humanity.
The lessons may not be great, but the stories are.
August 27, 2024
It literally took me years to finish this book. John W. Campbell is, or was, an icon in science fiction for his editing, leading, and tastemaking in the field. But, recently, his name was stripped from an award because of his fascist, racist, sexist editorials and more. But in reading this book, I discovered one more thing - he wasn't a very good writer. Not at all. Some of the early stories have the dullness of synthesized history like E E Doc Smith. I found it at times impossible to keep my attention on some stories, some better than others. I'd put the book down, then, admonished myself for that and continue months, years, later. None of the writing is outright bad in terms of laughable, but it's often dull. It's not the gap of reading stories from the 1930s, there are plenty of great pre-war stories. And you might think, "oh he tells more than shows" yes, but not like Stephenson, the science in these stories is, well, thin, not good, often the likes of psychic powers. I wouldn't even say idea-laden, the majority of stories seem to be about Earth being conquered and subjected by aliens for a long time, an odd thing to be obsessed about. The final story, "Who Goes There" is the exception, it is a good, fast read (it is the basis for "The Thing" films, and, yes, the Carpenter film is closer to the source.) But, I finished the book, and would I recommend it, oh dear, perhaps if you're a completist, sf historian, and/or a lover of highly caffeinated drinks?
April 26, 2023
This collection covers many of Campbell's works after he switched from the ridiculous super-physics of "The Black Star Passes", "Invaders From the Infinite". "The Mightiest Machine" etc. It was a wise move as E E Smith and Jack Williamson did it better.
Stories such as "The Last Evolution" and "Twilight" are more thoughtful and display a somewhat pessimistic view of the human future, in complete contrast to the aforementioned novels in which humans are triumphant against all alien races, sometimes being guilty of genocide against said aliens.That being said, there are still stories in which humans defeat aliens who had previously conquered Earth, such "Rebellion" and "The Cloak Of Aesir." Two stories stand out, one in which a machine is developed which can show possible futures for any human lifetime. Despite all their efforts the scientists fail to avoid the unpleasant futures which the machine displays.
And of course there is "Who Goes There" which to many is the ultimate alien invasion story and has been made into three motion pictures. Although, humanity is triumphant it is a very hard-earned victory. And this story alone would ensure Campbell's place in the pantheon of great SF writers.
Stories such as "The Last Evolution" and "Twilight" are more thoughtful and display a somewhat pessimistic view of the human future, in complete contrast to the aforementioned novels in which humans are triumphant against all alien races, sometimes being guilty of genocide against said aliens.That being said, there are still stories in which humans defeat aliens who had previously conquered Earth, such "Rebellion" and "The Cloak Of Aesir." Two stories stand out, one in which a machine is developed which can show possible futures for any human lifetime. Despite all their efforts the scientists fail to avoid the unpleasant futures which the machine displays.
And of course there is "Who Goes There" which to many is the ultimate alien invasion story and has been made into three motion pictures. Although, humanity is triumphant it is a very hard-earned victory. And this story alone would ensure Campbell's place in the pantheon of great SF writers.
January 30, 2018
This is a really hard one to rate because the quality of the stories are very different. This is on account of them having been written over a long time, and you can see the improvements over time, especially since they are arranged in the order in which they were written. The best one by far is the last one, "Who Goes There?", which is rightfully the most famous of them. I definitely have to see the movie they made after it now. It was such an original idea and really brought suspense into his style, which he doesn't have in the earlier ones. However, I did end up giving the book three stars instead of four, simply because the stories rely on being based on really great ideas without having a good quality of execution. This doesn't take away from the importance of Campbell, since it's his ideas that were so radically different from the science fiction that was being published at the time. Campbell's force as an editor in getting new and different types of science fiction into the mainstream was his lasting legacy that ushered in the science fiction of the sixties and seventies.
July 24, 2019
An excellent if uneven anthology. Definitely a product of its era, with stories that sweep over thousands of years, and ascribe godlike destructive and constructive powers to atomic energy. The Machine stories were intriguing if a bit bleak, and the Aesir stories were a little hard to follow in places. The gem of the collection, of course, is "Who Goes There?", an amazing, terrifying portrait of isolation, panic, and paranoia. It was also (very loosely) the inspiration for Hawk's "The Thing from Another World " in the 1950s, and (pretty faithfully) for Carpenter's "The Thing ", from the 1980s. The latter film nearly perfectly recreates the blood test scene from the story. That story gets 5 stars, the others get 3 to 4. Very good collection overall.
May 3, 2019
So, this is Old School science fiction. Second generation (If Verne was First Generation . . .) All these short stories are from the 1930s, when he had fallen into the job of editing the premier scifi monthly. He and Asimov and Heinlein and Hubbard really set the standard, and drove the genre. I can't say this is great scifi. The best is clearly Who Goes There, which was the basis for the movies The Thing. Like stories by Philip K Dick, the movie is just much better. But you can see it all there in the story . . . all but Carpenter's ending. Which is much better. So, nostalgia, good. Writing, just ok overall.
November 24, 2021
I hate most genre fic at the best of times, but there's something particularly fascinating in reading Campbell's wife describe their marriage as 'interesting' and then listing his frustrating autistic behaviours and lamenting having to be read the same story over and over and over as he polished it. Imagine how many times she must have endured hearing variations on the sentence 'and then the very smart machine did a thing'. If the best sci-fi inspires us to creatively strive towards a better future, at least Campbell makes me dream of someone inventing a time machine to go and rescue the quietly suffering wives of sci-fi writers of yesteryear.
July 28, 2025
It's said that Campbell's stories revolutionized SF in the 1930s. In 2025, most don't hold up well. Who Goes There? is great, of course, with a tension unknown in the other stories here. Who, Forgetfulness and Twilight are the standouts. If not for them, this would be a 2-star review: The rest of the contents are OK, and the 100 pages total of Out of Night and Cloak of Aesir are a slog. The Ballantine Best of series was a great salvage operation, but this volume is among my least favorite entries.
September 19, 2020
So I was reading the story Who Goes There? And I couldn't shake the feeling j had been there before. We had been there in Carpenter's The Thing. Campbell published that yarn in 1937! Incredible. Great collection.
December 11, 2023
I like SF well enough, just not this kind of SF.
October 30, 2024
Great. The ideas are very...real. definitely ends on the best story
Read
October 8, 2025I read Who Goes There? The basis for the movies The Thing and The Thing From Another World.
February 11, 2017
Timeless (and scienceless) sci-fi from the dawn of the genre. We remember Campbell mostly for his proteges (Clarke, Asimov, Bradbury...), but he made a heck of a contribution of his own - particularly with the last story of this collection, 'Who Goes There?'
March 23, 2020
Double Minds - Barmy prison break and carjacking on another planet, to then wage a rebellion against the Shaloor by overcoming the shleath, 'An oozing, angry mass of protoplasm'. ****
Forgetfulness - An interstellar expedition finds Ron Thule exploring an ancient city, deserted, apart from a small residue of the city-builders descendants. Thule has plans of colonisation but the inhabitants have an impressive trick up their sleeve. ****
Who Goes There? - Yes, very patchy writing in places, particularly at the outset, but with such imaginative genius, as if Einstein wrote fiction. *****
Out of Night - The Sarn (a matriarchy) long ago conquered Earth, enslaving the few survivors. After time an opportunity appears, the ensuing battle is very involved with perhaps too much detail, even including some telepathy! Progresses interestingly to an effective spiritual moment. ****
The Cloak of Aesir - 'The secret of success is simplicity', says Campbell. Not for me these plots aren't, yet succeed with inventive sci-fi technology and convincingly incredible otherworldliness. ****
All in all, the intriguing explorations of a highly fervent mind.
Forgetfulness - An interstellar expedition finds Ron Thule exploring an ancient city, deserted, apart from a small residue of the city-builders descendants. Thule has plans of colonisation but the inhabitants have an impressive trick up their sleeve. ****
Who Goes There? - Yes, very patchy writing in places, particularly at the outset, but with such imaginative genius, as if Einstein wrote fiction. *****
Out of Night - The Sarn (a matriarchy) long ago conquered Earth, enslaving the few survivors. After time an opportunity appears, the ensuing battle is very involved with perhaps too much detail, even including some telepathy! Progresses interestingly to an effective spiritual moment. ****
The Cloak of Aesir - 'The secret of success is simplicity', says Campbell. Not for me these plots aren't, yet succeed with inventive sci-fi technology and convincingly incredible otherworldliness. ****
All in all, the intriguing explorations of a highly fervent mind.
August 27, 2020
Like many of the early sci-fi writers John Campbell's prose is awkward and clunky. In this collection you can see him mature as he ages (the tales span about 6 years of his life). The earlier stories are rougher and the later tales are definitely an easier read and more (relatively) polished. However many of his stories (even his earliest) are entertaining and filled with big (and interesting) ideas. The two best stories are "Forgetfulness" which I thought was very creative (especially the beam and how it turns to the end of time and back) and the justly famous sci-fi horror story "Who Goes There". If HP Lovecraft had been the writer of this last story it would be probably the scariest story ever written. Regardless these two stories are quite good, and clunkiness aside, all these stories move and are entertaining.
October 12, 2011
Interesting collection of short stories from a man best known today for his story "Who Goes There?" which was the basis of The Thing. For that story alone the book is worth a look. Campbell's greatest significance was as an editor, but the book is initially fascinating in that you can watch Campbell's gradual development in style and content. Ultimately I found the content repetitive, however, and Campbell's constant appearance of degenerate societies found by lesser but up and coming societies tiresome and gave up on the book. Worth a look for fans of The Thing and old school sci-fi fans.
February 8, 2009
My girlfriend found this book for me and I was thrilled to crack it open and see it was the book with the story I had always wanted to read - Who goes there? I wasn't disappointed at all plus I was in for a great surprise. The other stories in the book were awesome. I love this book and it sits on my main book shelf proudly. I hate to say it but the story is more terrifying than the original film and my favorite version that John Carpenter made so well. I love that film but this story really is more horrifying!
July 24, 2015
This was one of those cases where something was far more influential than it was good. The ideas were there, but the actual mechanics of the writing were, in some cases, shockingly bad. Even the better stories usually amounted to people standing around and explaining the plot to each other. The best of them was "Who Goes There?" and to say John Carpenter's The Thing (which it was turned into) is better would be like saying getting a piece of cake is better than a punch to the gonads.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews