What do you think?
Rate this book
Universe 10
Enter through the stellar portal UNIVERSE 10, where an astronaut must confront humanity's ultimate fear of the unknown. Wander into a colony filled with artistic bizarreness and taste the deliciously evil nature of Bete et Noir. Take Edgar Rice Burroughs one step further to a place where extinct creatures from Earth's past reemerge. These are but a few of the intriguing tales that await you in UNIVERSE 10, the latest in the award-winning series of original stories specially gathered by writer Terry Carr. This compendium contains new stories by some of the best writers in the science fiction cosmos, including James Tiptree, Jr. ; Michael Bishop; R. A. Lafferty, and F. M. Busby, along with two special non-fact articles. UNIVERSE 10 is sure to leave you thinking the "shape of things to come."
181 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1980
2 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Terry Carr
219 books31 followersCarr was born in Grants Pass, Oregon. He attended the City College of San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley from 1954 to 1959.
Carr discovered science fiction fandom in 1949, where he became an enthusiastic publisher of fanzines, which later helped open his way into the commercial publishing world. (He was one of the two fans responsible for the hoax fan 'Carl Brandon' after whom the Carl Brandon Society takes its name.) Despite a long career as a science fiction professional, he continued to participate as a fan until his death. He was nominated five times for Hugos for Best Fanzine (1959–1961, 1967–1968), winning in 1959, was nominated three times for Best Fan Writer (1971–1973), winning in 1973, and was Fan Guest of Honor at ConFederation in 1986.
Though he published some fiction in the early 1960s, Carr concentrated on editing. He first worked at Ace Books, establishing the Ace Science Fiction Specials series which published, among other novels, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin and Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin.
After conflicts with Ace head Donald A. Wollheim, he worked as a freelancer. He edited an original story anthology series called Universe, and a popular series of The Best Science Fiction of the Year anthologies that ran from 1972 until his death in 1987. He also edited numerous one-off anthologies over the same time span. He was nominated for the Hugo for Best Editor thirteen times (1973–1975, 1977–1979, 1981–1987), winning twice (1985 and 1987). His win in 1985 was the first time a freelance editor had won.
Carr taught at the Clarion Workshop at Michigan State University in 1978, where his students included Richard Kadrey and Pat Murphy.
Carr discovered science fiction fandom in 1949, where he became an enthusiastic publisher of fanzines, which later helped open his way into the commercial publishing world. (He was one of the two fans responsible for the hoax fan 'Carl Brandon' after whom the Carl Brandon Society takes its name.) Despite a long career as a science fiction professional, he continued to participate as a fan until his death. He was nominated five times for Hugos for Best Fanzine (1959–1961, 1967–1968), winning in 1959, was nominated three times for Best Fan Writer (1971–1973), winning in 1973, and was Fan Guest of Honor at ConFederation in 1986.
Though he published some fiction in the early 1960s, Carr concentrated on editing. He first worked at Ace Books, establishing the Ace Science Fiction Specials series which published, among other novels, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin and Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin.
After conflicts with Ace head Donald A. Wollheim, he worked as a freelancer. He edited an original story anthology series called Universe, and a popular series of The Best Science Fiction of the Year anthologies that ran from 1972 until his death in 1987. He also edited numerous one-off anthologies over the same time span. He was nominated for the Hugo for Best Editor thirteen times (1973–1975, 1977–1979, 1981–1987), winning twice (1985 and 1987). His win in 1985 was the first time a freelance editor had won.
Carr taught at the Clarion Workshop at Michigan State University in 1978, where his students included Richard Kadrey and Pat Murphy.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 14, 2020
Carr's tenth volume in his original anthology series continued his predilection to including the same number of stories as the number in the sequence. I thought this one was a bit less even than most of the series, with a couple of really terrific stories, a couple of good ones, and a few that aren't especially memorable. There's a typical R.A. Lafferty absurdity, an interesting gender identification examination by F.M. Busby, and a really moving piece by Michael Bishop. My favorite story is The Ugly Chickens by Howard Waldrop, one of my all time favorite stories. Doubleday didn't do this one any favor by choosing to go back to the cover style that doesn't have an illustration, just the title in large and wavy type.
February 3, 2026
review for "The Ugly Chickens" short story by Howard Waldrop
January 25, 2020
3.5/5 (collated rating: Good)
Fresh off Terry Carr’s novel Cirque (1977), I decided to return to his original Universe series of anthologies. I’ve previously reviewed Universe 1 (1971) and Universe 2 (1972). As with the majority of SF anthologies, Universe 10 (1980) is sprinkled with both good and bad. I selected it from the veritable sea of anthologies on my shelves due to the presence [..]
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
Fresh off Terry Carr’s novel Cirque (1977), I decided to return to his original Universe series of anthologies. I’ve previously reviewed Universe 1 (1971) and Universe 2 (1972). As with the majority of SF anthologies, Universe 10 (1980) is sprinkled with both good and bad. I selected it from the veritable sea of anthologies on my shelves due to the presence [..]
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
February 10, 2016
Terry Carr was one of the better editors in the golden age of science fiction anthologies. Universe 10 does what these anthologies did well, which is give a varietal selection of stories that are on aggregate better than one would find in a typical science-fiction magazine of the time. The first story is Michael Bishop's "Saving Face." Bishop is one of my favorite science-fiction authors, and he delivers another thoughtful story here. It is just barely science fiction, and might be better classified as social satire. The story concerns a man who has to alter his features because of the Physiognomic Protection Act, which protects the "right" of famous people not to have anyone else look like them without legal permission. "A Source of Innocent Merriment" by James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice Sheldon) is a thought piece about the psychological consequences of finding perfect beauty in nature. R.A. Lafferty's "And All the Skies Are Full of Fish" is typical Lafferty, a science-fiction version of Flann O'Brien. It's whimsically absurd in the trademark Lafferty fashion. "Bete et Noir" by Lee Killough tells the story of future thespians who take drugs so that they become the characters they play. It has a great surprise ending. Howard Waldrop's "The Ugly Chickens" won a Nebula and World Fantasy award. The story is about a research assistant in ornithology who gets a tip that the last surviving dodos had lived in Mississippi into the twentieth century. "Superl" by Charles E. Elliott is a "non-fact article," a spoof on artificial languages. The other non-fact article "Report of the Special Committee on the Quality of Life" by Eric G. Iverson is another spoof. This one takes the form of an imaginary feasibility report on the potential for Christopher Columbus's voyage. Mary Pangborn's "The Confession of Hamo" is a medieval fantasy about a thief in jail confessing to know the secret of how to make gold. "The Johann Sebastian Bach Memorial Barbecue and Nervous Breakdown" by Carter Scholz is a variation on the Heinlein-style solipsistic time paradox story. F.M Busby's "First Person Plural" is an urban fantasy rather than science fiction, a variation on the "turnabout" tale. Usually in these tales a man finds himself in a woman's body and woman finds herself in a man's body. Busby's twist is that a man finds himself occupying a woman's body, but still occupying his own. The life in two bodies is a day out of sync, so that he lives the same day twice, but from different perspectives. All the stories held my interest. I think that Bishop's was the best. Even then, none of the stories had me saying "wow." The best reason to read this collection is that one gets consistent entertainment.
August 26, 2011
I'm a sucker for SF short stories, especially the old ones, and in 1980 Terry Carr gathered a nice little collection here. Some stories are certainly better than others, but there are a few gems in here. One of my favorites, oddly enough, involved a character who is sued by a celebrity for copyright infringement: they happen to share the same face. In this world, famous people can sue other people for looking like them. Incredible, isn't it?
Especially when you consider the fact that Kim Kardashian just sued GAP this year for using a model who just happens to look like her.
Not so incredible anymore, is it.
Good, old-fashioned SF authors had a lot to say about our world, and they have often proven to be more right than wrong. Science fiction has more to offer than lightsabers and spaceships. Don't miss out.
Especially when you consider the fact that Kim Kardashian just sued GAP this year for using a model who just happens to look like her.
Not so incredible anymore, is it.
Good, old-fashioned SF authors had a lot to say about our world, and they have often proven to be more right than wrong. Science fiction has more to offer than lightsabers and spaceships. Don't miss out.
June 21, 2013
Different collection of stories. My favorite by far was "Bête et Noir". Least favorite was the one with the fish falling from the sky. Most depressing was "The Ugly Chickens". I don't like to be reminded of how much humans destroy the planet we live on and the other creatures on it. Not bad, but not worth keeping just for the one amazing story.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews