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Space by the Tale
159 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
38 people want to read
About the author
Jerome Bixby
167 books40 followersDrexel Jerome Lewis Bixby (January 11, 1923 Los Angeles, California – April 28, 1998 San Bernardino, California) was a American short story writer, editor and scriptwriter, best known for his comparatively small output in science fiction. He also wrote many westerns and used the pseudonyms D. B. Lewis, Harry Neal, Albert Russell, J. Russell, M. St. Vivant, Thornecliff Herrick and Alger Rome (for one collaboration with Algis Budrys).
He was the editor of Planet Stories from Summer 1950 to July 1951; and editor of Two Complete Science Adventure Novels from Winter 1950 to July 1951.
Probably his best-known work is the Star Trek: The Original Series 1967 episode "Mirror, Mirror", which introduced the series' concept of the Mirror Universe, also "Requiem for Methuselah" (Episode 76, Season 3:) about 'Flint' a 6,000 year old man. He also wrote the short story "It's a Good Life" (1953), adapted as a teleplay for The Twilight Zone by Rod Serling and parodied in the Simpsons Halloween episode "Treehouse of Horror II". His 1968 Star Trek episode "Day of the Dove" is also much respected by fans of science fiction. Bixby also conceived and co-wrote the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage, later novelized by Isaac Asimov.
Jerome Bixby's last work, a screenplay The Man From Earth, was conceived in the early 1960s and completed on his deathbed in April 1998. In 2007, Jerome Bixby's The Man From Earth (as it is now called) was turned into an independent motion picture executive produced by his son Emerson Bixby, directed by Richard Schenkman and starring David Lee Smith, William Katt, Richard Riehle, Tony Todd, Annika Peterson, Alexis Thorpe, Ellen Crawford and John Billingsley.
Bixby wrote the original screenplay for 1958's It! The Terror from Beyond Space, which was the inspiration for 1979's Alien. The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine seventh season (1999) Mirror Universe episode, "The Emperor's New Cloak," is dedicated to Bixby's memory.
He was the editor of Planet Stories from Summer 1950 to July 1951; and editor of Two Complete Science Adventure Novels from Winter 1950 to July 1951.
Probably his best-known work is the Star Trek: The Original Series 1967 episode "Mirror, Mirror", which introduced the series' concept of the Mirror Universe, also "Requiem for Methuselah" (Episode 76, Season 3:) about 'Flint' a 6,000 year old man. He also wrote the short story "It's a Good Life" (1953), adapted as a teleplay for The Twilight Zone by Rod Serling and parodied in the Simpsons Halloween episode "Treehouse of Horror II". His 1968 Star Trek episode "Day of the Dove" is also much respected by fans of science fiction. Bixby also conceived and co-wrote the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage, later novelized by Isaac Asimov.
Jerome Bixby's last work, a screenplay The Man From Earth, was conceived in the early 1960s and completed on his deathbed in April 1998. In 2007, Jerome Bixby's The Man From Earth (as it is now called) was turned into an independent motion picture executive produced by his son Emerson Bixby, directed by Richard Schenkman and starring David Lee Smith, William Katt, Richard Riehle, Tony Todd, Annika Peterson, Alexis Thorpe, Ellen Crawford and John Billingsley.
Bixby wrote the original screenplay for 1958's It! The Terror from Beyond Space, which was the inspiration for 1979's Alien. The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine seventh season (1999) Mirror Universe episode, "The Emperor's New Cloak," is dedicated to Bixby's memory.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 29, 2012
This collection of Bixby short-stories contains one of the most memorable "first-contact" stories in all of Sci-Fi, in which the narrator describes the only contact between humanity and aliens from the retrospective viewpoint of himself as the human involved.
It turned out he returned after having made contact and had nothing to report other than the fact that the aliens and humanity were virtually identical in every respect - equipment, technology, and behavior.
Both had done almost the same thing at the same time, even down to looking each other over, and contemplating their similarities and the likely conseqeunces of continued interaction between their species, ...
_______________________________________________________________________
... and in the end both had turned around and walked away.
It turned out he returned after having made contact and had nothing to report other than the fact that the aliens and humanity were virtually identical in every respect - equipment, technology, and behavior.
Both had done almost the same thing at the same time, even down to looking each other over, and contemplating their similarities and the likely conseqeunces of continued interaction between their species, ...
_______________________________________________________________________
... and in the end both had turned around and walked away.
June 15, 2021
I was reminded of the story "Angels in the Jets" the other day, when a friend made a comment about a Star Trek Original Series episode with stereotypical hippies in it. I can't recall the exact TOS episode, but it wasn't one of the four that Bixby penned. (I looked it up.) Basically, I got to thinking how in those days (1960's) there was a lot of "processing" going on about the hippie subculture, and that "Angels in the Jets" was an example. Kind of remarkable, says something right there, that a short story I read 50 years ago still lingered in my memory.
Rereading, it holds up well. It is haunting--I'll leave it with that rather than risk any spoilers. It also surprised me to find out it was originally published in 1952! This is a good decade or more before hippies actually became "a thing."
I've revisited a few more stories in the collection, and repeatedly, it seems to me Bixby anticipates ideas and trends, many that have become stock-in-trade sci-fi plots or themes. The story "The Young One," has a backstory concept fundamental to the TV series "Angel" and "Being Human." The humorous story, "The Laboratory" goes in heavy on the "Prime Directive" theme eventually taken up in Star Trek a good decade later.
Researching further, I read in a bio that "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" (with Bixby given the writer credit for the film--but it's not represented in the short story collection reviewed here) was a direct influence on "Alien." And I am reminded that "Space By the Tale" has "mirror universe" stories. Maybe some of this was obvious and "in the air" and Bixby was just one of many writing stories with these plots? Or was he coming up with these concepts on his own?
(I'm trying to think, did these concepts appear in Bradbury? Sheckley? Who else was I reading back then?)
I'm looking forward to rereading the rest of the collection. I think there's a lot here that still resonates, more than half a century later. And it's interesting to see these early, possible original, instances of so many major sci-fi themes.
Rereading, it holds up well. It is haunting--I'll leave it with that rather than risk any spoilers. It also surprised me to find out it was originally published in 1952! This is a good decade or more before hippies actually became "a thing."
I've revisited a few more stories in the collection, and repeatedly, it seems to me Bixby anticipates ideas and trends, many that have become stock-in-trade sci-fi plots or themes. The story "The Young One," has a backstory concept fundamental to the TV series "Angel" and "Being Human." The humorous story, "The Laboratory" goes in heavy on the "Prime Directive" theme eventually taken up in Star Trek a good decade later.
Researching further, I read in a bio that "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" (with Bixby given the writer credit for the film--but it's not represented in the short story collection reviewed here) was a direct influence on "Alien." And I am reminded that "Space By the Tale" has "mirror universe" stories. Maybe some of this was obvious and "in the air" and Bixby was just one of many writing stories with these plots? Or was he coming up with these concepts on his own?
(I'm trying to think, did these concepts appear in Bradbury? Sheckley? Who else was I reading back then?)
I'm looking forward to rereading the rest of the collection. I think there's a lot here that still resonates, more than half a century later. And it's interesting to see these early, possible original, instances of so many major sci-fi themes.
September 2, 2017
Bixby is known for writing Twilight Zone and Star Trek episodes, as well as 1950s sci-fi movies.
The collection of stories in this book most resemble Twilight Zone stories. A few are science fiction but many are based on superstitions of the day: demons, angels, imps, heaven and hell. They're silly but mostly fun to read. There's nothing important or memorable here but it's an enjoyable collection.
The collection of stories in this book most resemble Twilight Zone stories. A few are science fiction but many are based on superstitions of the day: demons, angels, imps, heaven and hell. They're silly but mostly fun to read. There's nothing important or memorable here but it's an enjoyable collection.
September 6, 2024
If Jerome Bixby's name is familiar to modern readers, it may be because of his contributions to THE TWILIGHT ZONE (including "It's a Good Life," which is much scarier in the written version than the TZ episode starring Billy Mumy), and STAR TREK (TOS - 4 episodes). These stories range from readable to impactful, but all are well done. The collection's final story, "The Bad Life," is wrenching. All in all, recommended.
May 14, 2022
Catching up with older works, a fantasy-leaning collection by the author of the classic "It's a Good Life" episode of The Twilight Zone. Expecting effective short and punchy stories.
The Draw - fooled me into thinking it was a bona fide Western.
The Young One - so-so account of an old-country kid.
Laboratory - lightweight with some surprisingly evocative touches.
The Good Dog - mildly amusing.
One Way Street - mostly excellent parallel worlds story, just unsure I grasp the ending.
Small War - disproportunate payoff, wondering exactly how the career-destroying offense was charged.
The Magic Typewriter - a trifle
The Bad Life - Borderline offensive and of little value
Overall a disappointment
The Draw - fooled me into thinking it was a bona fide Western.
The Young One - so-so account of an old-country kid.
Laboratory - lightweight with some surprisingly evocative touches.
The Good Dog - mildly amusing.
One Way Street - mostly excellent parallel worlds story, just unsure I grasp the ending.
Small War - disproportunate payoff, wondering exactly how the career-destroying offense was charged.
The Magic Typewriter - a trifle
The Bad Life - Borderline offensive and of little value
Overall a disappointment
January 1, 2016
Eleven short stories from the creator of It’s a Good Life, the most terrifying Twilight Zone tale I know about. These aren’t all science fiction, three or four are definitely fantasy.
My favourite story was The Young One, about a suburban kid befriending a young Hungarian immigrant. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his new chum isn’t exactly what he seems. Ray Bradbury fans will love this one.
I also liked One Way Street, about a man zapped into a slightly pleasanter parallel universe, and The Draw, about an obnoxious cowboy with a difference. The last story, The Bad Life, was set on a planet-wide penal colony unencumbered by a legal system. While it was engaging, it felt like notes from an abandoned novel.
Bixby isn’t afraid to indulge in religious comedy. His story The Good Dog is about what happens to a dog whose soul is sold to the devil as part of a cunning bridge-building con. Funny things, that’s his answer. Another story, The Battle of the Bells, tells of an escalating argument between the Devil and an angel over a trivial prank involving an outhouse. Trace is about an encounter between the narrator and the Devil, played for awe instead of laughs. Bixby seems genuinely fascinated by theology. These stories put me in mind of The Screwtape Letters, and prefigure Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens.
There were two stories that were very similar to some older stories I’ve read. Bixby’s story The Magic Typewriter involves a pre-owned artifact that grants wishes, an imp, a man making his fantasies coming true, and who narrates this story to a friend who also benefits from the magic. Just like the Wyllis Cooper story Dark Grey Magic, from his brilliant radio show Quiet Please. Small War similarly echoes Murray Leinster’s First Contact, depicting the first encounter between two almost identical species and civilizations. (First Contact has apparently been adapted for radio three times, on X-Minus One, Dimension X and Exploring Tomorrow so it’s not exactly obscure.) It is’nt impossible that different authors can have very similar ideas, but I’m still suspicious.
Space By The Tale ought to be read only by the serious sci-fi aficionado, although Twilight Zone fans might want to quench their curiosity regarding the creator of that show’s mostly chilling episode.
My favourite story was The Young One, about a suburban kid befriending a young Hungarian immigrant. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his new chum isn’t exactly what he seems. Ray Bradbury fans will love this one.
I also liked One Way Street, about a man zapped into a slightly pleasanter parallel universe, and The Draw, about an obnoxious cowboy with a difference. The last story, The Bad Life, was set on a planet-wide penal colony unencumbered by a legal system. While it was engaging, it felt like notes from an abandoned novel.
Bixby isn’t afraid to indulge in religious comedy. His story The Good Dog is about what happens to a dog whose soul is sold to the devil as part of a cunning bridge-building con. Funny things, that’s his answer. Another story, The Battle of the Bells, tells of an escalating argument between the Devil and an angel over a trivial prank involving an outhouse. Trace is about an encounter between the narrator and the Devil, played for awe instead of laughs. Bixby seems genuinely fascinated by theology. These stories put me in mind of The Screwtape Letters, and prefigure Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens.
There were two stories that were very similar to some older stories I’ve read. Bixby’s story The Magic Typewriter involves a pre-owned artifact that grants wishes, an imp, a man making his fantasies coming true, and who narrates this story to a friend who also benefits from the magic. Just like the Wyllis Cooper story Dark Grey Magic, from his brilliant radio show Quiet Please. Small War similarly echoes Murray Leinster’s First Contact, depicting the first encounter between two almost identical species and civilizations. (First Contact has apparently been adapted for radio three times, on X-Minus One, Dimension X and Exploring Tomorrow so it’s not exactly obscure.) It is’nt impossible that different authors can have very similar ideas, but I’m still suspicious.
Space By The Tale ought to be read only by the serious sci-fi aficionado, although Twilight Zone fans might want to quench their curiosity regarding the creator of that show’s mostly chilling episode.
Want to read
August 7, 2012*SPOILERS*
"The Draw" - The first tale in this book of 'scintillating science fiction' is actually a story set in the old West. Told from the point of view of a level-headed cowhand, the story describes how a local ruffian discovers a powerful and mysterious ability and uses it to threaten the town. Bixby does a good job of presenting the Western idiom.
"The Young One" - In this story, a young American boy befriends a Hungarian kid who comes from a family of werewolves who fled persecution in their native land and are trying to integrate themselves peaceably into an American society that doesn't believe in their existence. What made this story interesting was that the two kids are essentially unaware about the whole nature of the werewolf thing, allowing the plot to be driven by more typical 'kids-being-kids' actions and motivations.
"Laboratory" - This zany and madcap story involves a pair of super-advanced and gigantic alien scientists (called Vegans) who oversee a laboratory-planet where all sorts of advanced (and by human standards, unfathomable) experiments are being conducted. The story starts with one of them falling asleep at the switch for a second and allowing a human spacecraft to slip past their radar and land on the planet. After this, all hell breaks loose as they scramble to keep the insect-like humans from (a.) getting killed by stumbling into any of their wacky experiments, which include sub-temporal force fields and dimensional warp portals, (b.) getting torn apart by the planet's hostile wildlife, and (c.) making contact with them at all. Their advanced technology and their fear on making contact leads them to keep all of this stuff invisible, which just makes the human characters run around like crazy, causing further carnage. This story is a wildly creative comedy of human (and alien) errors.
"The Draw" - The first tale in this book of 'scintillating science fiction' is actually a story set in the old West. Told from the point of view of a level-headed cowhand, the story describes how a local ruffian discovers a powerful and mysterious ability and uses it to threaten the town. Bixby does a good job of presenting the Western idiom.
"The Young One" - In this story, a young American boy befriends a Hungarian kid who comes from a family of werewolves who fled persecution in their native land and are trying to integrate themselves peaceably into an American society that doesn't believe in their existence. What made this story interesting was that the two kids are essentially unaware about the whole nature of the werewolf thing, allowing the plot to be driven by more typical 'kids-being-kids' actions and motivations.
"Laboratory" - This zany and madcap story involves a pair of super-advanced and gigantic alien scientists (called Vegans) who oversee a laboratory-planet where all sorts of advanced (and by human standards, unfathomable) experiments are being conducted. The story starts with one of them falling asleep at the switch for a second and allowing a human spacecraft to slip past their radar and land on the planet. After this, all hell breaks loose as they scramble to keep the insect-like humans from (a.) getting killed by stumbling into any of their wacky experiments, which include sub-temporal force fields and dimensional warp portals, (b.) getting torn apart by the planet's hostile wildlife, and (c.) making contact with them at all. Their advanced technology and their fear on making contact leads them to keep all of this stuff invisible, which just makes the human characters run around like crazy, causing further carnage. This story is a wildly creative comedy of human (and alien) errors.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews