Giants Unleashed

by Groff Conklin (Editor), William Tenn, Laurence Manning

Also published under the Minds Unleashed.

Introduction (1965) essay by Groff Conklin
Microcosmic God (1941) novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
Commencement Night (1953) novelette by Richard Ashby
The Deep Range (1955) shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
Machine Made (1951) shortstory by J. T. McIntosh
Trip One (1949) shortstory by Edward Grendon
Venus Is a Man's World (1951) novelette by William Tenn
Good-Bye, Ilha! (1952) shortstory by Laurence Manning
Misbegotten Missionary (1950) shortstory by Isaac Asimov (aka Green Patches)
The Ethical Equations (1945) shortstory by Murray Leinster
Misfit (1939) novelette by Robert A. Heinlein
Genius (1948) novelette by Poul Anderson
Basic Right (1958) novelette by Eric Frank Russell

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies, Short Stories

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Edward Groff Conklin (September 6, 1904, Glen Ridge, New Jersey - July 19, 1968, Pawling, New York) was a leading science fiction anthologist. Conklin edited 41 anthologies of science fiction, wrote books on home improvement and was a freelance writer on scientific subjects. From 1950 to 1955, he was the book critic for Galaxy Science Fiction.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giants Unleashed is an anthology of short science edited by Groff Conklin with the somewhat nebulous unifying theme of intelligence. It was published in hardback by Grosset & Dunlap in 1965 and in paperback a year later by Tempo, so I believe it was directed to younger readers. Conklin, as always, did a good job of selecting some classic stories along with some that were not as known, by writers who ranged from the highest stature to relative unknowns. Most of the stories had been previously published in Galaxy or Astounding SF, the leading magazines of the time, from 1939 to 1958. Included are classics like Microcosmic God by Theodore Sturgeon, The Deep Range by Arthur C. Clarke, and Misbegotten Missionary by Isaac Asimov, along with good stories from Eric Frank Russell, J. T. McIntosh, Poul Anderson, and William Tenn. My favorites are Misfit by Robert A. Heinlein and The Ethical Equations by Murray Leinster.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic stories from the "golden age" of SF.

[Nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best anthologies I've read, never a dull moment, all different kind of topics, very interesting choices. Loved it

[christopher]

stories about domination. stories about conquest. stories about mastery.

i think that in trying to consider "the infinite power of intelligence" as it is printed on the cover of this collection that we most reveal our own human limitations (as opposed to the so-called "giants" that the editor would like us to see) precisely because these stories are so focused on power relationships/conquest/dominion/etc.

i might feel like this because of the connection that these stories draw between "intelligence" and "dominion"- i think the same sort of aversion that i remember a poet saying that they felt towards facism and their aesthetic.

the most optimistic message of this book, i felt, was in "commencement night" when they teach humans how to "love everything"- which was something that i felt was riffed off of in asimov's "misbegotten missionary" in a sort of perfect union of all living creatures vs. the "anarchy" of earth. also in "genius".

the concept of "being an individual" is strong- the desire towards creativity and the desire of the validation of that urge also.

it seems difficult to wrestle with.

moments where it felt like intelligence is regarded in the same way as a tool, as something to be used, like a machine.

i felt as though the editors constant interjection of paragraphs introducing the stories would have been better served (if he wanted to insert his voice into the collection) as an essay (or a more developed essay, since he sort of already gives an introduction) about the stories and the overall aesthetic of this book.

mostly struggling for words, i think, to describe how i felt about the book, which seems like a good thing in that the book forces the reader to think, maybe.