Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories 24: 1962

Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories #24

by Isaac Asimov (Editor), Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), J.G. Ballard

Another excellent volume in this unique, ongoing series which, year by year, provides a fascinating overview of both society's and the science fiction community's ever shifting hopes, concerns, and fears about the future. Authors include Fritz Leiber, Poul Anderson, Gordon R. Dickson, Theodore Sturgeon, and others.

Genres: Science Fiction

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Works of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles, The Foundation Trilogy (1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.

Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.

Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).

People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.

Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.

Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...

Reviews

[Matteo Pellegrini · Rating 4 out of 5]

1962, l'anno in cui un uomo divenne amico dell'elettricità (nel racconto di Fritz Leiber); ma anche l'anno dei folli protagonisti di un magistrale racconto di J.G. Ballard e del Terrore di sette giorni che si scatenò in una memorabile storia di R.A. Lafferty. 1962, l'anno del Tradimento di Natale previsto da James White e dei re morenti di cui narra Poul Anderson. 1962, indimenticabile annata di capolavori della fantascienza come La ballata della C'mell perduta di Cordwainer Smith e Le strade di Ashkelon di Harry Harrison. Questi, e altri magnifici testi raccolti per voi da Isaac Asimov nel nuovo volume della famosa serie di antologie che vi danno il meglio della short story di sf anno per anno, mese per mese.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 24th volume of Asimov & Greenberg's best-of-the-year picks is for the year 1962. I got the feeling that by this time Asimov was less familiar with (and less enthusiastic about) the stories, and perhaps the field in general, than he had been in the golden-age era. Theodore Sturgeon is the only writer in this volume that I would also consider a major writer of that era, and his story here is a good one. My other favorites included in this volume are Fritz Leiber, Mack Reynolds, and James White, though I didn't think any of them were particularly weak. Overall, my pick for the best of the book is Cordwainer Smith's classic "The Ballad of Lost C'Mell."

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 3 out of 5]

1962...best story Poul Anderson's "Kings Who Die" (though I tend not to like them long). Also has "The Man Who Made Friends With Electricity"--with the interesting supposition that it's the southern Californians who are really the kooks. The Christmas story was a good bit of black humor; and Mack Reynolds' "Earthlings Go Home!" a fairly funny spoof/satire (though having everything on Mars work in reverse got a bit pat).

[Carlo Mayer]

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