Future Quest

by Roger Elwood (Editor), Charles L. Grant (Contributor), Anne McCaffrey (Contributor)

Dull drums / Anne McCaffrey
Second nature / Chad Oliver
Tapping out / Barry N. Malzberg
How to be ethnic in one easy lesson / Poul Anderson
Weep no more, old lady / C.L. Grant
City's end / Mack Reynolds
Moonchild / Tom Purdom
Pet / Raymond F. Jones.

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Roger Elwood was an American science fiction writer and editor, perhaps best known for having edited a large number of anthologies and collections for a variety of publishers in the early 1970s. Elwood was also the founding editor of Laser Books and, in more recent years, worked in the evangelical Christian market.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is anthology of original science fiction stories featuring young people edited by Roger Elwood that appeared in 1973. It was a y.a. book before there was such a category. It has a very short Barry Malzberg punchy piece, a nice Tom Purdom story, and interesting works from Mack Reynolds and C.L. Grant. I particularly liked the Chad Oliver story, though my favorite is Pet by Raymond F. Jones. What it does not have is a story by Edmond Hamilton. I remember picking it up out of the wire rack at the newsstand because the cover listed his name in the blurb along with McCaffrey, Anderson, Reynolds, and Malzberg. I was really disappointed when I got home and found that he was not present on the table of contents. I thought I'd get over it... I keep checking every decade or so just to make sure I didn't overlook it... It's been almost fifty years and I'm still just a little bit bitterly annoyed...

[Sean Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of short sci-fi stories focusing on possible futures for the human race. Less focused on action and aliens and more focused on humanity and culture. Some good stuff here.

[Chris Aldridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mindwebs audiobook 46 contains this 1973 story “Weep no more, old lady” Charles L. Grant. Not sure what to make of this. Perhaps I am too close to the main character, as like him I’m an only child, privileged to have been born to a couple of super smart and loving parents very close to the ones described, who gave me everything including a great education. Although not a genius by any means I was also fairly precocious, and at 17, had similar problems relating to the opposite sex.
I wasn’t force fed brain enhancement pills though, and even though I occasionally exhibited signs of intelligence by becoming a programmer I feel in some respects I have managed to fritter away my life and waste my latent skills, even including an occasional minor brush with the law. Conversely I’ve lead a varied and complex life, with far more ups than downs and a greater range of experiences than average. But I’m now 62, skint and in debt, but fairly happy despite my ominous future and yet I still don’t know what to make of this story and it’s IMO inconclusive ending. Still I enjoyed the journey so ....

[Michael Tildsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly average group of sci fi snippets, with a couple of treats hidden within. Some of this work feels really dated and forced, while other stories still have a twinge of vibrancy, and made me think.

The five star stories from this collection include:

"Second Nature" - Chad Oliver - I liked the concept of this piece. Something about the primitive survival instinct in "blank" humans really appeals to me.

"City's End" - Mack Reynold's - The plot of this story was all over the place, but the character philosophies about a future, that we are sadly living in the prequel of, make this worth a read.

"Pet" - Raymond F. Jones - The conclusion of this story is really disturbing, and I think that this is something all alien visitation enthusiasts have probably not considered as a reality of beings with the ability to reach across space to affect our reality.

The rest kind of stink...