Connoisseur's S.F.

by Tom Boardman (Editor), Jack Finney, J.G. Ballard

Comprising:

Disappearing Act by Alfred Bester
The Wizards of Pung's Corners by Frederik Pohl
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Kurt Vonnegut
Mr Costello, Hero by Theodore Sturgeon
Quit Zoomin' Those Hands Through the Air by Jack Finney
Build-up by J.G. Ballard
The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov
Diabologic by Eric Frank Russell
Made in U.S.A. by J.T. McIntosh
The Waveries by Fredric Brown

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies

234 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first volume of a pair of anthologies edited by Boardman that were meant as something of introductions to the sf field, a bit like Terry Carr's Science Fiction for People Who Hate Science Fiction. He included ten stories from writers who were very well-known in the genre but didn't pick their most famous or familiar works. The authors include Jack Finney, Fredric Brown, J.T. McIntosh, Frederik Pohl, Alfred Bester, J.G. Ballard, Eric Frank Russell, Isaac Asimov, Kurt Vonnegut, and Theodore Sturgeon. Brown's The Waveries first appeared in 1945, but the rest of the stories are reprinted from 1950's digest magazines and paperbacks from the field. Most are of a more sociological, rather than scientific, speculative bent. My favorite was Diabologic by Eric Frank Russell.

[Christina Stathopoulos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sci-fi anthology is comprised of 10 short stories. Being over 60 years old, it's normal that it felt a bit outdated but what did I expect! More than the stories, I loved the feel and the smell of the book, it's like an old relic. I enjoyed some stories far more than others. What I find most interesting about these early sci-fi books is seeing how their authors imagined the future. Their vision and their style of storytelling feels SO different from the expansive, interstellar sci-fi I tend to read today, giving a personal glimpse into the evolution of the genre.

[Maria Dellaporta · Rating 3 out of 5]

#Readathon2019 - Declutter

My Readathon 2019 so far

[Filjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good stuff, some weird stuff. My copy feel apart as I read it - the glue on those 1960s paperbacks wasn't too good.

[Michael Hanscom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun old sci-fi anthology; for me, Eric Frank Russell's "Diabologic" was a particular favorite.

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly shallow social-satire stuff. Probably the best of the lot was the E F Russell ("Diabologic"). The worst was most likely "Made in USA."