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The Year's Best S-F (Merril) #3
SF: The Year's Greatest Science-Fiction and Fantasy: Third Annual Volume
SF '57-'58 THE YEAR SCIENCE CAUGHT UP WITH FICTION
Sparkling, imaginative stories from sources as various as Playboy and Venture, Atlantic and If...
Reports by leading authorities on the past, present and future of missiles, rockets, and satellites...
Stories and articles for the connoisseur of SF, as well as for those who come to it for the first time...
A novelette called "The Fly"--one of the great horror stories of this or any other year...soon a great Twentieth Century-Fox picture in CinemaScope and color.
Contents:
'Preface by Judith Merril
"Let's Be Frank", by Brian W. Aldiss
"The Fly", by George Langelaan
"Let's Get Together", by Isaac Asimov
"The Wonder Horse", by George Byram
"You Know Willie", by Theodore R. Cogswell
"Near Miss", by Henry Kuttner
"Game Preserve", by Rog Phillips
"Now Let Us Sleep", by Avram Davidson
"Wilderness", by Zenna Henderson
"Flying High", by Eugene Ionesco
"The Edge of the Sea", by Algis Budrys
From Science Fiction to Science Fact: Sputnik and Beyond
"How Near Is the Moon?", by Judith Merril
"Transition -- From Fantasy to Science", by Arthur C. Clarke
"Sputnik: One reason Why We Lost", by G. Harry Stine
"Going Up!", by Dennis Driscoll
"Where Do We Go from Here?", by Willy Ley
"Science Fiction Still Leads Science Fact", by Anthony Boucher
"The Year’s S-F: Summary and Honorable Mentions" by Judith Merril'
Sparkling, imaginative stories from sources as various as Playboy and Venture, Atlantic and If...
Reports by leading authorities on the past, present and future of missiles, rockets, and satellites...
Stories and articles for the connoisseur of SF, as well as for those who come to it for the first time...
A novelette called "The Fly"--one of the great horror stories of this or any other year...soon a great Twentieth Century-Fox picture in CinemaScope and color.
Contents:
'Preface by Judith Merril
"Let's Be Frank", by Brian W. Aldiss
"The Fly", by George Langelaan
"Let's Get Together", by Isaac Asimov
"The Wonder Horse", by George Byram
"You Know Willie", by Theodore R. Cogswell
"Near Miss", by Henry Kuttner
"Game Preserve", by Rog Phillips
"Now Let Us Sleep", by Avram Davidson
"Wilderness", by Zenna Henderson
"Flying High", by Eugene Ionesco
"The Edge of the Sea", by Algis Budrys
From Science Fiction to Science Fact: Sputnik and Beyond
"How Near Is the Moon?", by Judith Merril
"Transition -- From Fantasy to Science", by Arthur C. Clarke
"Sputnik: One reason Why We Lost", by G. Harry Stine
"Going Up!", by Dennis Driscoll
"Where Do We Go from Here?", by Willy Ley
"Science Fiction Still Leads Science Fact", by Anthony Boucher
"The Year’s S-F: Summary and Honorable Mentions" by Judith Merril'
255 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1958
About the author
Judith Merril
172 books49 followersJosephine Juliet Grossman
aka Cyril Judd (with C.M. Kornbluth)
Judith Josephine Grossman (Boston, Massachusetts, January 21, 1923 - Toronto, Ontario, September 12, 1997), who took the pen-name Judith Merril about 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist.
Although Judith Merril's first paid writing was in other genres, in her first few years of writing published science fiction she wrote her three novels (all but the first in collaboration with C.M. Kornbluth) and some stories. Her roughly four decades in that genre also included writing 26 published short stories, and editing a similar number of anthologies.
aka Cyril Judd (with C.M. Kornbluth)
Judith Josephine Grossman (Boston, Massachusetts, January 21, 1923 - Toronto, Ontario, September 12, 1997), who took the pen-name Judith Merril about 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist.
Although Judith Merril's first paid writing was in other genres, in her first few years of writing published science fiction she wrote her three novels (all but the first in collaboration with C.M. Kornbluth) and some stories. Her roughly four decades in that genre also included writing 26 published short stories, and editing a similar number of anthologies.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 2, 2021
This is the third volume of Merril's annual anthology series in which she selected what she considered the best short speculative stories of the preceding year. (After the first few years, the title was changed from "Greatest" to "Best," for reasons now long forgotten.) The year was 1957, and a significant portion of the book is taken up by non-fiction science articles by writers like G. Harry Stine, Arthur C. Clarke, and Willy Ley in recognition of the launch of Sputnik. I also thought it was interesting that she didn't select any stories from Gold's Galaxy Magazine or Campbell's Astounding Science Fiction, but there are pieces from Mademoiselle, The Atlantic Monthly, and Playboy. There are good stories from Zenna Henderson, Isaac Asimov, Theodore R. Cogswell, Rog Phillips, and Algis Budrys, as well as George Langelaan's The Fly, upon which the films were based. It amused me to peruse her "Honorable Mention" section at the end of the book to see what stories I would have picked instead.
September 4, 2018
Introduction - Merril optimistically says that space travel is just around the corner. After all, 50 years before rocketry was just a bunch of theories. One thing I really miss about science fiction was optimism, which withered and died by the eighties and nowadays it feels that cynicism rules the day. Then again maybe SF mirrors the zeitgeist of the times. I think it's more likely that an AI will steal my job in 30 years than I'll be golfing on Phobos.
Let's be Frank - a well-to-do man in the Tudor era discovers that his mind can be spread to his offspring, effectively making him an immortal gestalt intelligence as time goes on. I remember reading this when I was a kid and being blown away. It is one of my favorite stories of all time. It's so unique and unusual. Other than the Frank intelligence there aren't any characters.
The Fly - I didn't know the original movie was based on a short story! The movie followed the short story pretty closely except - 1)the scientist Andre had the head of a cat that never appeared in the teleporter mixed with the head of a fly, which is way creepier and 2)the ending of the movie is way better.
I thought the story was pretty neat since I like the original movie, but the Cronenberg version is leagues better than any of its predecessors.
Let's Get Together - the Cold War has been going on so long that the ideologies become immaterial and the sides are just called "Us" and "Them". "They" are far advanced in robotic technology and have possibly snuck suicide bomber robot duplicates into "Us" territory. Like a lot of Asimov stories, this entire short story is primarily a logic puzzle chat between different scientists. I have to admit I was spacing out for most of it, but the ending is pretty cool.
The Wonder Horse - a fantasy tale about a wonderful horse who can outrace any other horse that has ever lived. At first I was kinda blah, because I don't care for horses and really don't care about inspirational horse stories, but it won me over and I was rooting for Red Eagle and his handlers by the end.
You Know Willie - a very short Twilight Zone-esque tale of a racist in the south meeting his comeuppance. It kind of felt familiar, but was enjoyable nonetheless.
Near Miss - a story about a gringo going to hilarious lengths to repeatedly sabotage a tiny Mexican village's sole link to the outside world, a vehicle affectionately called El Jeep.
On the one hand, magic is real so the villagers only appear to be ignorant and isolated but actually only choose to be, the bad guy outsider white dude loses, everyone is treated affectionately, and the phrase "El Jeep" does make me giggle. On the other hand white guy Kuttner talking about ignorant Mexicans feels...problematic...to me. This is one of the stories that only really works as a product of its time and probably wouldn't be republished today.
Game Preserve - tiny gnome-sized people live to collect "Its", which is anything, uh, phallus-shaped--Coke bottles, toy cars, etc. A dreamer/outsider gnome takes notice of the arrival of large human sized newcomers, and wants to join them on what he perceives as their exciting, space faring adventures.
The slang in this one is pretty dense - Merril's introduction helped me figure out what an It is - but it was worth it in the end. Creepy ending.
Now Let Us Sleep - there's a planet where primitive dodo-like humanoids are kidnapped and then killed and/or raped by guards and inmates on convict transporting ships for fun on the long ride to prison planets. A person on one of the ships is convinced that the aliens have a language and culture and aren't just babbling idiots. He attempts to convince his superiors, with tragic results.
It is such a depressing story. I felt so disgusted after reading it I wanted to take a shower afterwards. I'd like to think that that wouldn't happen, that being needlessly cruel to a whole species is impossible...but people are awful.
Wilderness - a teacher who's been harboring super powers her whole life finally finds a community of her own. Can her and her new friends save a student from accidentally killing herself and others with her own out-of-control powers?
I was super bored and had to resist the urge to skip ahead throughout this dreary nightmare. It felt that if that the teacher was maybe a little younger this would be a modern YA story complete with a cute boy with super powers helping to show the main character the ropes of his secret society that she's totally going to join. Not my thing.
Flying High - my favorite story of the collection (except for Let's Be Frank, which I'd read before) is also by far the weirdest. A French couple have kept the body of a man they accidentally murdered in their apartment for quite some time. On the 10th anniversary of his death his body starts to grow to insane proportions.
I was reminded throughout of the Elizabethan superstition that a murder victim would spontaneously bleed in the presence of its murderer. Apparently, Eugene Ionesco was known as a playwright mostly specializing in the Theatre of the Absurd. I gotta track down his stuff.
The Edge of the Sea - an odd tale about a guy who discovers an alien probe in the sea, and his realization that it is the most important event he will ever have in his life. The survival bits of the tale, as he ties up his arm with his pants and braces himself against the waves, was pretty neat. The absurd ending left me cold though.
From Science Fiction to Science Fact: Sputnik and Beyond - a series of essays that are meant to reassure readers of the time that while the Russkies may have launched the first satellite into space, we'll lick them in this newfangled "space race" with our limitless can-do-itiveness. USA USA USA!
Again, I love the optimism that we'll start with our own American freedom loving satellites, then in 20-30 years we'll have red, white, and blue moonbases and space stations. But the reality of what actually happened kept intruding onto my brain. Old science fiction stories can be time capsules but they can also be fun and relevant today, this whole chunk of the book felt outdated and tedious to read.
When I sit down and rate each story, it sounds like there are more winners than losers. But I remember being kinda bored and disappointed by the time I finished the book. Not every year can produce really good stories I suppose. Two stars.
Let's be Frank - a well-to-do man in the Tudor era discovers that his mind can be spread to his offspring, effectively making him an immortal gestalt intelligence as time goes on. I remember reading this when I was a kid and being blown away. It is one of my favorite stories of all time. It's so unique and unusual. Other than the Frank intelligence there aren't any characters.
The Fly - I didn't know the original movie was based on a short story! The movie followed the short story pretty closely except - 1)the scientist Andre had the head of a cat that never appeared in the teleporter mixed with the head of a fly, which is way creepier and 2)the ending of the movie is way better.
I thought the story was pretty neat since I like the original movie, but the Cronenberg version is leagues better than any of its predecessors.
Let's Get Together - the Cold War has been going on so long that the ideologies become immaterial and the sides are just called "Us" and "Them". "They" are far advanced in robotic technology and have possibly snuck suicide bomber robot duplicates into "Us" territory. Like a lot of Asimov stories, this entire short story is primarily a logic puzzle chat between different scientists. I have to admit I was spacing out for most of it, but the ending is pretty cool.
The Wonder Horse - a fantasy tale about a wonderful horse who can outrace any other horse that has ever lived. At first I was kinda blah, because I don't care for horses and really don't care about inspirational horse stories, but it won me over and I was rooting for Red Eagle and his handlers by the end.
You Know Willie - a very short Twilight Zone-esque tale of a racist in the south meeting his comeuppance. It kind of felt familiar, but was enjoyable nonetheless.
Near Miss - a story about a gringo going to hilarious lengths to repeatedly sabotage a tiny Mexican village's sole link to the outside world, a vehicle affectionately called El Jeep.
On the one hand, magic is real so the villagers only appear to be ignorant and isolated but actually only choose to be, the bad guy outsider white dude loses, everyone is treated affectionately, and the phrase "El Jeep" does make me giggle. On the other hand white guy Kuttner talking about ignorant Mexicans feels...problematic...to me. This is one of the stories that only really works as a product of its time and probably wouldn't be republished today.
Game Preserve - tiny gnome-sized people live to collect "Its", which is anything, uh, phallus-shaped--Coke bottles, toy cars, etc. A dreamer/outsider gnome takes notice of the arrival of large human sized newcomers, and wants to join them on what he perceives as their exciting, space faring adventures.
The slang in this one is pretty dense - Merril's introduction helped me figure out what an It is - but it was worth it in the end. Creepy ending.
Now Let Us Sleep - there's a planet where primitive dodo-like humanoids are kidnapped and then killed and/or raped by guards and inmates on convict transporting ships for fun on the long ride to prison planets. A person on one of the ships is convinced that the aliens have a language and culture and aren't just babbling idiots. He attempts to convince his superiors, with tragic results.
It is such a depressing story. I felt so disgusted after reading it I wanted to take a shower afterwards. I'd like to think that that wouldn't happen, that being needlessly cruel to a whole species is impossible...but people are awful.
Wilderness - a teacher who's been harboring super powers her whole life finally finds a community of her own. Can her and her new friends save a student from accidentally killing herself and others with her own out-of-control powers?
I was super bored and had to resist the urge to skip ahead throughout this dreary nightmare. It felt that if that the teacher was maybe a little younger this would be a modern YA story complete with a cute boy with super powers helping to show the main character the ropes of his secret society that she's totally going to join. Not my thing.
Flying High - my favorite story of the collection (except for Let's Be Frank, which I'd read before) is also by far the weirdest. A French couple have kept the body of a man they accidentally murdered in their apartment for quite some time. On the 10th anniversary of his death his body starts to grow to insane proportions.
I was reminded throughout of the Elizabethan superstition that a murder victim would spontaneously bleed in the presence of its murderer. Apparently, Eugene Ionesco was known as a playwright mostly specializing in the Theatre of the Absurd. I gotta track down his stuff.
The Edge of the Sea - an odd tale about a guy who discovers an alien probe in the sea, and his realization that it is the most important event he will ever have in his life. The survival bits of the tale, as he ties up his arm with his pants and braces himself against the waves, was pretty neat. The absurd ending left me cold though.
From Science Fiction to Science Fact: Sputnik and Beyond - a series of essays that are meant to reassure readers of the time that while the Russkies may have launched the first satellite into space, we'll lick them in this newfangled "space race" with our limitless can-do-itiveness. USA USA USA!
Again, I love the optimism that we'll start with our own American freedom loving satellites, then in 20-30 years we'll have red, white, and blue moonbases and space stations. But the reality of what actually happened kept intruding onto my brain. Old science fiction stories can be time capsules but they can also be fun and relevant today, this whole chunk of the book felt outdated and tedious to read.
When I sit down and rate each story, it sounds like there are more winners than losers. But I remember being kinda bored and disappointed by the time I finished the book. Not every year can produce really good stories I suppose. Two stars.
January 2, 2022
SF: The Year’s Greatest Science-Fiction and Fantasy: Third Annual Volume
Rated 68% Positive. Story Score: 3.45 out of 5
11 Stories: 2 Great / 3 Good / 5 Average / 0 Poor / 1 DNF
Read all my reviews here: https://www.shortsf.com
This is an anthology with Sputnik on its mind: from the button on the cover that shouts “Science Fiction Becomes Science-Fact,” to the six nonfiction articles that finish the book. Those articles are excellent, which is more than I can say for most of the stories, which had a surprising number of average stories for a book that promotes itself as “Year’s Greatest.”
Thankfully there are a few gems in this book as well:
The Fly • (1957) • novelette by George Langelaan (trans. of La mouche). A murder investigation leads to the even-more-horrific revelation of a teleportation experiment gone wrong. The well-known film based on this story has taken the punch out of the surprises, but that isn’t this story’s fault. It is deliberate, suspenseful and horrifying all the way to the final sentence.
The Edge of the Sea • (1958) • short story by Algis Budrys. Thrilling and intense tale of a strong and simple man who discovers a strange craft or beacon in the sea. To salvage it, he braves a hurricane, the local police, and governmental agencies. The story is simple, but intense and visceral. From the first moments, you feel the power of the hurricane and the determination of our protagonist.
SF: THE YEAR'S GREATEST SCIENCE-FICTION AND FANTASY: THIRD ANNUAL VOLUME
11 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 3 GOOD / 5 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 1 DNF
Let's Be Frank • (1957) • short story by Brian W. Aldiss
Good. A mutation that allows one personality to inhabit multiple bodies leads to Frank growing increasingly powerful.
The Fly • (1957) • novelette by George Langelaan (trans. of La mouche)
Great. A murder investigation leads to the even-more-horrific revelation of a teleportation experiment gone wrong.
Let's Get Together • (1957) • short story by Isaac Asimov
Average. Soviet robots may have already infiltrated the United States. If they get together the explosion would be devastating.
The Wonder Horse • (1957) • short story by George Byram
Good. A warm and charming story of a mutated racehorse that causes immense disruption in the world of horse racing.
You Know Willie • (1957) • short story by Theodore R. Cogswell
Average. A horror story of a racist murderer getting his just desserts.
Near Miss • (1958) • short story by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Henry Kuttner]
Average. It’s a American Businessman vs a Mexican Witchdoctor on the subject of how to transport prawns.
Game Preserve • (1957) • short story by Rog Phillips
DNF. Starts with an Elf prancing through the woods and I’m out of there. Very quick DNF.
Now Let Us Sleep • (1957) • short story by Avram Davidson
Average. Bleak story of recreational abuses of an alien population by humans.
Wilderness • [The People] • (1957) • novelette by Zenna Henderson
Good. A teacher with telepathic powers tries to hide them until she finds a man with similar powers and strange story to tell about people who crashed their spacecraft somewhere nearby.
Flying High • (1957) • short story by Eugène Ionesco
Average. A weird story of a couple who killed a man and have kept the body in their house. One day, it starts growing rapidly.
The Edge of the Sea • (1958) • short story by Algis Budrys
Great. Thrilling and intense tale of a strong and simple man who discovers a strange craft or beacon in the sea. To salvage it, he braves a hurricane, the local police, and governmental agencies.
Rated 68% Positive. Story Score: 3.45 out of 5
11 Stories: 2 Great / 3 Good / 5 Average / 0 Poor / 1 DNF
Read all my reviews here: https://www.shortsf.com
This is an anthology with Sputnik on its mind: from the button on the cover that shouts “Science Fiction Becomes Science-Fact,” to the six nonfiction articles that finish the book. Those articles are excellent, which is more than I can say for most of the stories, which had a surprising number of average stories for a book that promotes itself as “Year’s Greatest.”
Thankfully there are a few gems in this book as well:
The Fly • (1957) • novelette by George Langelaan (trans. of La mouche). A murder investigation leads to the even-more-horrific revelation of a teleportation experiment gone wrong. The well-known film based on this story has taken the punch out of the surprises, but that isn’t this story’s fault. It is deliberate, suspenseful and horrifying all the way to the final sentence.
The Edge of the Sea • (1958) • short story by Algis Budrys. Thrilling and intense tale of a strong and simple man who discovers a strange craft or beacon in the sea. To salvage it, he braves a hurricane, the local police, and governmental agencies. The story is simple, but intense and visceral. From the first moments, you feel the power of the hurricane and the determination of our protagonist.
SF: THE YEAR'S GREATEST SCIENCE-FICTION AND FANTASY: THIRD ANNUAL VOLUME
11 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 3 GOOD / 5 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 1 DNF
Let's Be Frank • (1957) • short story by Brian W. Aldiss
Good. A mutation that allows one personality to inhabit multiple bodies leads to Frank growing increasingly powerful.
The Fly • (1957) • novelette by George Langelaan (trans. of La mouche)
Great. A murder investigation leads to the even-more-horrific revelation of a teleportation experiment gone wrong.
Let's Get Together • (1957) • short story by Isaac Asimov
Average. Soviet robots may have already infiltrated the United States. If they get together the explosion would be devastating.
The Wonder Horse • (1957) • short story by George Byram
Good. A warm and charming story of a mutated racehorse that causes immense disruption in the world of horse racing.
You Know Willie • (1957) • short story by Theodore R. Cogswell
Average. A horror story of a racist murderer getting his just desserts.
Near Miss • (1958) • short story by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Henry Kuttner]
Average. It’s a American Businessman vs a Mexican Witchdoctor on the subject of how to transport prawns.
Game Preserve • (1957) • short story by Rog Phillips
DNF. Starts with an Elf prancing through the woods and I’m out of there. Very quick DNF.
Now Let Us Sleep • (1957) • short story by Avram Davidson
Average. Bleak story of recreational abuses of an alien population by humans.
Wilderness • [The People] • (1957) • novelette by Zenna Henderson
Good. A teacher with telepathic powers tries to hide them until she finds a man with similar powers and strange story to tell about people who crashed their spacecraft somewhere nearby.
Flying High • (1957) • short story by Eugène Ionesco
Average. A weird story of a couple who killed a man and have kept the body in their house. One day, it starts growing rapidly.
The Edge of the Sea • (1958) • short story by Algis Budrys
Great. Thrilling and intense tale of a strong and simple man who discovers a strange craft or beacon in the sea. To salvage it, he braves a hurricane, the local police, and governmental agencies.
May 11, 2025
Let's Be Frank is a fitting title for this strange tale of a wealthy relative of monarch, whose consciousness is alive and active in a select number of his sons and daughters and further generations. Over the years they/he grow and spread over the globe, his mind reaching into the billions. This is fun.
A novelette called The Fly, unsure of what to expect from this, i was almost blown away by the brilliance of it as a terror tale. It is sad and disturbing but also a wonderful horror story. A woman admits to killing her husband in a horrific workplace machine, leaving him unrecognisable. But the tale she finally confesses is just too incredible to believe. Now this is a horror story!
There are stories of robots being created for destruction and made to look exactly like specific people. Was pretty interesting.
Also a whimsical tale about a new breed of horse which is able to run faster than any other beast before. This was quite fun.
Now Let Us Sleep is a disturbing tale of man's destructive nature over lesser beings and allows the one man who actually hopes to save them. A pitiful, harmless and primitive race of small beings on a planet which holds no meaning to anyone. While travelling passed this planet, people have begun to use it (and the beings) as a means to let off some steam. Almost wiping out this harmless alien race. I almost genuinely cared for the beings and the man Harper trying to save them. Great little story!
There is a strange story about a couple who live together in an apartment with the body of a man who died 10 years ago. Finding out he was killed by the man who caught him having an affair with his wife. The couple find nothing strange about the fact that the body is ageing at a somewhat normal rate and that the eyes open at times. It's a weird story which I was hoping for a good ending, explaining these bizarre occurrences but instead we have the man floating into the sky with the body while people on the shore look on wonder.
Wilderness by Zenna Henderson is full of nonsensical ramblings from a female teacher going about her daily life and detailing the rambling thoughts in her mind. Simply awful.
Wow The Edge Of The Sea is told so brilliantly, filled with many descriptions of the high tide and the storm the characters are trapped in. One man's claim to something washed ashore quickly consumes him. With an ending no one would have seen coming. Very good stuff
A novelette called The Fly, unsure of what to expect from this, i was almost blown away by the brilliance of it as a terror tale. It is sad and disturbing but also a wonderful horror story. A woman admits to killing her husband in a horrific workplace machine, leaving him unrecognisable. But the tale she finally confesses is just too incredible to believe. Now this is a horror story!
There are stories of robots being created for destruction and made to look exactly like specific people. Was pretty interesting.
Also a whimsical tale about a new breed of horse which is able to run faster than any other beast before. This was quite fun.
Now Let Us Sleep is a disturbing tale of man's destructive nature over lesser beings and allows the one man who actually hopes to save them. A pitiful, harmless and primitive race of small beings on a planet which holds no meaning to anyone. While travelling passed this planet, people have begun to use it (and the beings) as a means to let off some steam. Almost wiping out this harmless alien race. I almost genuinely cared for the beings and the man Harper trying to save them. Great little story!
There is a strange story about a couple who live together in an apartment with the body of a man who died 10 years ago. Finding out he was killed by the man who caught him having an affair with his wife. The couple find nothing strange about the fact that the body is ageing at a somewhat normal rate and that the eyes open at times. It's a weird story which I was hoping for a good ending, explaining these bizarre occurrences but instead we have the man floating into the sky with the body while people on the shore look on wonder.
Wilderness by Zenna Henderson is full of nonsensical ramblings from a female teacher going about her daily life and detailing the rambling thoughts in her mind. Simply awful.
Wow The Edge Of The Sea is told so brilliantly, filled with many descriptions of the high tide and the storm the characters are trapped in. One man's claim to something washed ashore quickly consumes him. With an ending no one would have seen coming. Very good stuff
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2025
"Let's Be Frank" by Brian Aldiss: 4 stars
"The Fly" by George Langelaan: 5 stars
"Let's Get Together" by Isaac Asimov: 5 stars
"The Wonder Horse" by George Byrum: 4 stars
"You Know Willie" by Theodore Cogswell: 3 stars
"Near Miss" by Henry Kuttner: 4 stars
"Game Preserve" by Rog Phillips: 3 stars
"Now Let Us Sleep" by Avram Davidson: 3 stars
"Wilderness" by Zenna Anderson: 3 stars
"Flying High" by Eugene Ionesco: 3 stars
"The Edge of the Sea" by Algis Budrys: 4 stars
Average rating: 3.7
"The Fly" by George Langelaan: 5 stars
"Let's Get Together" by Isaac Asimov: 5 stars
"The Wonder Horse" by George Byrum: 4 stars
"You Know Willie" by Theodore Cogswell: 3 stars
"Near Miss" by Henry Kuttner: 4 stars
"Game Preserve" by Rog Phillips: 3 stars
"Now Let Us Sleep" by Avram Davidson: 3 stars
"Wilderness" by Zenna Anderson: 3 stars
"Flying High" by Eugene Ionesco: 3 stars
"The Edge of the Sea" by Algis Budrys: 4 stars
Average rating: 3.7
September 10, 2014
Have no idea what that artsy Ionesco piece of crap was doing in there. And boy, was that G Harry Stine guy babbling ("...for we do not truly understand what thinking is" lol). And saying that forsaking the individual for the team was the reason we lost the space race to the Soviets...hey Harry, aren't commies pretty much the embodiment of the team approach? :)
November 16, 2009
Interesting book fair find. Apart from the stories, it also has several essays occasioned by the launching of Sputnik, and Judith Merril's editorial commentary is a good touch.
October 22, 2016
Good collection of old Sci-Fi...
November 30, 2023
Contains the Fly that was turned into the movie. But the best part is the non fiction thoughts by different people about why the US was beaten by Russian and Sputnik into space.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews