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The Coming of the Robots
There's a robot in your future. But don't cringe. He, she, or it may be the loveable sort, like the mechanical marvels in stores by Issac Asimov, Eando Binder, Lester Del Rey, Michael Fischer, Raymond Z. Gallun, Peter Phillips, Clifford D. Simak, F. Orlin Tremaine, Harl Vincent, and John Wyndham.
- GenresScience Fiction
254 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
16 people want to read
About the author
Sam Moskowitz
126 books14 followersSam Moskowitz (June 30, 1920-April 15, 1997) was an early fan and organizer of interest in science fiction and, later, a writer, critic, and historian of the field. As a child, Moskowitz greatly enjoyed reading science fiction pulp magazines. As a teenager, he organized a branch of the Science Fiction League. Meanwhile, Donald A. Wollheim helped organize the Futurians, a rival club with Marxist sympathies. While still in his teens, Moskowitz became chairman of the first World Science Fiction Convention held in New York City in 1939. He barred several Futurians from the convention because they threatened to disrupt it. This event is referred to by historians of fandom as the "Great Exclusion Act."
Moskowitz later worked professionally in the science fiction field. He edited Science-Fiction Plus, a short-lived genre magazine owned by Hugo Gernsback, in 1953. He compiled about two dozen anthologies, and a few single-author collections, most published in the 1960s and early 1970s. Moskowitz also wrote a handful of short stories (three published in 1941, one in 1953, three in 1956). His most enduring work is likely to be his writing on the history of science fiction, in particular two collections of short author biographies, Explorers of the Infinite and Seekers of Tomorrow, as well as the highly regarded Under the Moons of Mars: A History and Anthology of “The Scientific Romance” in the Munsey Magazines, 1912-1920. Moskowitz has been criticized for eccentrically assigning priorities and tracing influences regarding particular themes and ideas based principally on publication dates, as well as for some supposed inaccuracies. His exhaustive cataloguing of early sf magazine stories by important genre authors remains the best resource for nonspecialists.
Moskowitz's most popular work may be The Immortal Storm, a historical review of internecine strife within fandom. Moskowitz wrote it in a bombastic style that made the events he described seem so important that, as fan historian Harry Warner, Jr. quipped, "If read directly after a history of World War II, it does not seem like an anticlimax."
Moskowitz was also renowned as a science fiction book collector, with a tremendous number of important early works and rarities. His book collection was auctioned off after his death.
As "Sam Martin", he was also editor of the trade publications Quick Frozen Foods and Quick Frozen Foods International for many years.
First Fandom, an organization of science fiction fans active before 1940, gives an award in Moskowitz' memory each year at the World Science Fiction Convention.
Moskowitz smoked cigarettes frequently throughout his adult life. A few years before his death, throat cancer required the surgical removal of his larynx. He continued to speak at science fiction conventions, using an electronic voice-box held against his throat. Throughout his later years, although his controversial opinions were often disputed by others, he was indisputably recognized as the leading authority on the history of science fiction.
Moskowitz later worked professionally in the science fiction field. He edited Science-Fiction Plus, a short-lived genre magazine owned by Hugo Gernsback, in 1953. He compiled about two dozen anthologies, and a few single-author collections, most published in the 1960s and early 1970s. Moskowitz also wrote a handful of short stories (three published in 1941, one in 1953, three in 1956). His most enduring work is likely to be his writing on the history of science fiction, in particular two collections of short author biographies, Explorers of the Infinite and Seekers of Tomorrow, as well as the highly regarded Under the Moons of Mars: A History and Anthology of “The Scientific Romance” in the Munsey Magazines, 1912-1920. Moskowitz has been criticized for eccentrically assigning priorities and tracing influences regarding particular themes and ideas based principally on publication dates, as well as for some supposed inaccuracies. His exhaustive cataloguing of early sf magazine stories by important genre authors remains the best resource for nonspecialists.
Moskowitz's most popular work may be The Immortal Storm, a historical review of internecine strife within fandom. Moskowitz wrote it in a bombastic style that made the events he described seem so important that, as fan historian Harry Warner, Jr. quipped, "If read directly after a history of World War II, it does not seem like an anticlimax."
Moskowitz was also renowned as a science fiction book collector, with a tremendous number of important early works and rarities. His book collection was auctioned off after his death.
As "Sam Martin", he was also editor of the trade publications Quick Frozen Foods and Quick Frozen Foods International for many years.
First Fandom, an organization of science fiction fans active before 1940, gives an award in Moskowitz' memory each year at the World Science Fiction Convention.
Moskowitz smoked cigarettes frequently throughout his adult life. A few years before his death, throat cancer required the surgical removal of his larynx. He continued to speak at science fiction conventions, using an electronic voice-box held against his throat. Throughout his later years, although his controversial opinions were often disputed by others, he was indisputably recognized as the leading authority on the history of science fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 13, 2020
This is an anthology of ten early science fiction stories about robots. Some of the stories are quite aged, by early popular figures in the field that are now almost entirely forgotten like Harl Vincent and F. Orlin Tremaine. Seven of the stories are from the 1930s, two from the 1940s, and the most recent from 1952. I think they're mostly notable now as historical curiosities, though the Clifford D. Simak story is good, as is Helen O'Loy by Lester del Rey. It also includes I, Robot by Eando Binder (yes, the Binders used the title prior to Isaac Asimov), and my favorite is probably Runaround by Asimov himself. It has a quirky early fem-bot cover.
April 29, 2022
With a big list of heavy hitters writing on my most favorite topic of nice robots, I had high hopes, but this was remarkably bland. The only stories I'd read before where Eando's I, Robot and Asimov's Runaround. Everything else was new to me.
I thought, at the very least, I'd love the Simak, because he writes great robots, but I found Earth for Inspirtion to be goofy and too chaotic. All the Traps of Earth is a much better Simak robot story.
In fact, goofy is how I'd describe most of these stories, from Del Rey's love-obsesed gynoid in Helen O'Loy to Peter Philip's humanless world of robots in Lost Memory. Out of the 10 stories included, there were only two that got anything more than a 'meh' out of me, but on different ends of the spectrum.
Harl Vincent's Rex was pretty bad. Not only is the world-building lazy as all hell, but the story is almost entirely told and rarely shown. "And so he did it, and weeks passed, and the thing happened, and another thing happened, and the people listened..." There's too much exposition for a short. The story also doesn't fit the theme, as it involves a robot trying to take over the world and surgically altering humans to be more like robots.
On the other end is Raymond Gallun's Derelict. With wonderful descriptions, atmosphere, and themes that are simultaneously gloomy, wonderous, and hopeful, but not at all hokey, it was a total home run for me. The serpentine robot is far stranger than any other in this collection, being of alien creation, and is also not a perspective character, yet somehow manages to be more compelling than every other mechanical being here. Gallun is the only writer in the batch I'm now eager to read more from.
I thought, at the very least, I'd love the Simak, because he writes great robots, but I found Earth for Inspirtion to be goofy and too chaotic. All the Traps of Earth is a much better Simak robot story.
In fact, goofy is how I'd describe most of these stories, from Del Rey's love-obsesed gynoid in Helen O'Loy to Peter Philip's humanless world of robots in Lost Memory. Out of the 10 stories included, there were only two that got anything more than a 'meh' out of me, but on different ends of the spectrum.
Harl Vincent's Rex was pretty bad. Not only is the world-building lazy as all hell, but the story is almost entirely told and rarely shown. "And so he did it, and weeks passed, and the thing happened, and another thing happened, and the people listened..." There's too much exposition for a short. The story also doesn't fit the theme, as it involves a robot trying to take over the world and surgically altering humans to be more like robots.
On the other end is Raymond Gallun's Derelict. With wonderful descriptions, atmosphere, and themes that are simultaneously gloomy, wonderous, and hopeful, but not at all hokey, it was a total home run for me. The serpentine robot is far stranger than any other in this collection, being of alien creation, and is also not a perspective character, yet somehow manages to be more compelling than every other mechanical being here. Gallun is the only writer in the batch I'm now eager to read more from.
January 22, 2020
Sam Moskowitz has gathered an anthology of robot stories with the classics "I, Robot" by Eando Binder and "Misfit" by Michael Fischer, among others. My favorite was "Helen O'Loy" by Lester Del Rey -- a story of a female robot who falls in love with her owner.
All of the stories provide entertainment that you wish would not end. Overall a great introduction to some of the great science fiction authors of the early days that will leave you searching for their other books.
All of the stories provide entertainment that you wish would not end. Overall a great introduction to some of the great science fiction authors of the early days that will leave you searching for their other books.
March 11, 2018
Collection of the earliest works of fiction to depict robots. Obviously Asimov's "Runaround" stands above the rest but authors like Clifford Simak and especially Lester Del Rey are on my radar now.
October 8, 2014
This collection of golden age robot stories is hit and miss. Some of them are quite clever and a lot of fun. Others are best left to the dustbin science-fiction history.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews