Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories 5

Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories #5

by Isaac Asimov (Editor), Martin H. Greenberg (Editor)

Contents include:
The Cave by P. Schuyler Miller
The Halfling by Leigh Brackett
Mimsy Were the Borogoves by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore [as Lewis Padgett]
Q.U.R. by Anthony Boucher
Clash by Night by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore [as Lawrence O'Donnell}
Exile by Edmond Hamilton
Daymare by Fredric Brown
Doorway into Time by C. L. Moore
The Storm by A.E. van Vogt
The Proud Robot by Henry Kuttner [as Lewis Padgett]
Symbiotica by Eric Frank Russell
The Iron Standard by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore [as Lewis Padgett]

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, The United States Of America, Collections

380 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 3, 1981

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

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This year I finally shelled out money to become a supporting member of Worldcon, and now I can vote on the Hugos! Yippee! Unfortunately I had no idea what to suggest for the Retro Hugos of 1944, especially the stories. Why not get the Great SF stories from that year to fill me in? I may not fill all 5 suggestions but at least there'd be something. Good idea!

Intro - 1943 had the end of the Battle of Stalingrad and the invasion of Italy. Mel Brooks was still Melvin Kaminsky.

The Cave by P. Schuyler Miller
Alternating POVs between a Native American-esque Martian and a two-fisted human astronaut, both seeking shelter from a dust storm by huddling in a cave. I thought I knew where it was going and boy was I wrong.

The Halfling by Leigh Brackett
Amusing yarn about the boss of a space circus/freak show. Mysterious murders involving wild animals start occurring amongst the performers. First story in the anthology that says Martians have tentacle arms - was this a thing? I was honestly a little grossed out by Asimov's intro, where he says he lifted Brackett high in the air at a con and hugged her so hard she limped for the rest of the convention. Ha ha, injuring someone you just met by accident, what a character. -_-

Mimsy Were the Borogoves by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore [as Lewis Padgett]
My guess is this'll win the Retro Hugo since it's the one of the rare stories from that year that's still kind of in the conversation 75+ years later.
Far in the future, a scientist tests his time machine by sending back his childrens' discarded toys. In the present, the children of an amusing couple (based on Kuttner and Moore I assume?) find these toys and have their minds changed in surprising ways. Good stuff. Not sure how they made a feature length movie out of it with Rainn Wilson (?).

Q.U.R. by Anthony Boucher
Wordplay on RUR, the play where the word "robot" entered the English lexicon, by Karel Capek. Two dudes try to make a start-up company selling new-fangled non humanoid robots to a society where androids are injuring themselves doing tasks not suited to their physical forms. It took me a bit to get it since nowadays non-humanoid robots are the norm and androids are novelties. Definitely one of the more dated stories.

Clash by Night by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore [as Lawrence O'Donnell]
Real snooze about adventures on the high seas on Venus. Basically the only interesting idea was that Earth nuked itself to oblivion and the only humans left are on Mars and Venus. Kind of like a 40s version of John Varley's Eight Worlds series but with Mad Max pirates. Actually that sounds like fun as opposed to the story that we got, which was so dull I skipped the last few pages.

Exile by Edmond Hamilton
Fun short-short about a group of science fiction writers hanging out and one of them drunkenly tells the rest about his becoming trapped in one of his own creations. You can see where it's going but the storytelling is so amazing.

Daymare by Fredric Brown
Great sci-fi mystery set on Callisto. Murders are rare there, and when a cop arrives at the scene he discovers that everyone who perceives the body sees a different kind of murder. I loves me some Frederic Brown, I was riveted from beginning to end on this one.

Doorway into Time by C. L. Moore
An alien (or perhaps a really advanced human?) far in the future attempts to kidnap two modern people. If I didn't know it was from 1943, I would almost say it's New Wave - very artistic, kind of hard to follow at first since the alien character is really alien.

The Storm by A.E. van Vogt
Bland story featuring a robot man trying to manipulate his human captors before a devastating intergalactic storm engulfs the human empire. I was not into it and the ending was so dated I laughed pretty heartily at its ideas of gender norms.

The Proud Robot by Henry Kuttner [as Lewis Padgett]
Laugh-out-loud story about an inventor who can only do science while blackout drunk. His latest invention is a robot that spends all its days preening in a mirror. Kind of has a The Thin Man kind of vibe in its over the top embrace of drinking. Apparently it's part of a series and I definitely want to track it down.

Symbiotica by Eric Frank Russell
Meh tale about humans landing on a planet of symbiotic creatures. Only real highlight for me is close to the end when they attempt to leave the planet and it seemingly throws every kind of beast at them, from dragon-like giant worms to vicious gnats that eat through their space suits.

The Iron Standard by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore [as Lewis Padgett]
Interesting story about a group of humans stranded on Venus and their only way off is to try and get money from native Venusians. But alas, every citizen of Venus is a member of a guild and the guilds have enforced the status quo on Venus for generations. You can't just barge in here and sell what you want! Pfft pfft! It's kind of funny as the increasingly desperate humans keep trying and failing to make a buck. Their solution is pretty interesting, I'm not sure it would actually work, though.

Super fun anthology, Greenberg and Asimov (mostly Greenberg, from what I understand) did it again! I love these Great SF books, they're a really good introduction to stories from their era.

[Matteo Celeste · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dei 12 racconti qui contenuti, ho trovato interessanti solo "Eran Birbizzi i Borogovi" di Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner e C. L. Moore), "Esilio" di Edmond Hamilton e "Incubo di Vargas" di Fredric Brown. Gli altri li ho trovati, per motivi diversi, poco interessanti...

[Norman Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cave by P. Schuyler Miller (Astounding, January - short story)
4 Stars
A human and an alien seek shelter from a storm in a cave. The alien turns out to have a truly alien way of thinking.

The Halfling by Leigh Brackett (Astounding, February - novelette)
4 Stars
With a bit of mystery, a bit of romance, and a bit of humor, this tale of a traveling space carnival keeps one's attention and ends with a bit of a surprise.

Mimsy Were the Borogoves by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as Lewis Padgett] (Astounding, February - novelette)
5 Stars
Probably the best story in the collection. It's a whimsical tale about what happens when present day humans find a trove of far-future children's toys that have been accidentally sent back in time. What could go wrong? Everything.

Q. U. R. by Anthony Boucher (Astounding, March - short story)
3 Stars
This was undoubtedly a fresh idea when it was published, but the idea that robots should be built for practical purposes, doing one or two specialized tasks, rather than aesthetics is now quaint. Nevertheless, this is a nice, somewhat amusing story.

Clash by Night by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as Lawrence O'Donnell] (Astounding, March - novella)
4 Stars
This story is more than just a military adventure. The character development of the protagonist is well done; he is a manly man going on one last mission before retiring to domestication with a submissive woman. But through his adventures on the seas of Venus, he learns some valuable lessons about himself. Ostensibly an anti-war story, it nicely hovers on the fence and lets the reader decide if he makes the right decisions.

Exile by Edmond Hamilton (Super Science Stories, May - short story)
5 Stars
This very short story's only purpose is to subvert the reader's expectations with a neat twist at the end, and it carries this out admirably.

Daymare by Fredric Brown (Thrilling Wonder Stories, Fall - novelette)
3 Stars
This is a nice combination of mystery and science fiction, but the solution, while inventive, was a bit preposterous.

Doorway into Time by C. L. Moore (Famous Fantastic Mysteries, September - short story)
5 Stars
This story is the most literate in this collection, belying its 1943 origin. It takes a little while to figure out what's going on, since the protagonist is quite alien, indeed. But this enigmatic character makes the reader think, and that's what a powerful story should do.

The Storm by A. E. van Vogt (Astounding, October - novelette)
3 Stars
This is by and large a forgettable military space opera. The writing is full of technobabble to try to fool us into thinking there's more to this story than there really is.

The Proud Robot by Henry Kuttner [as Lewis Padgett] (Astounding, October - novelette)
4 Stars
If you like to laugh at the antics of a drunk inventor, this is the story for you. Not the most politically correct story, but charming nonetheless.

Symbiotica by Eric Frank Russell (Astounding, October - novelette)
2 Stars
A first-contact story filled with alien beasts fighting against a crew of humans. Frankly, I thought it was pretty boring and had a hard time concentrating on it.

The Iron Standard by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as Lewis Padgett] (Astounding, December - short story)
4 Stars
This is a classic problem story; the protagonists have to figure out a way to earn money in a society with strict, yet Byzantine rules of commerce. The solution is clever, if complicated in its own way.

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost every story in this anthology is excellent, but the following are must-reads for fans of golden age SF.

The Cave by P. Schuyler Miller
The Halfling by Leigh Brackett
Mimsy Were the Borogoves by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore [as Lewis Padgett]
Clash by Night by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore [as Lawrence O'Donnell}
Doorway into Time by C. L. Moore
The Storm by A.E. van Vogt
Symbiotica by Eric Frank Russell
The Iron Standard by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore [as Lewis Padgett]

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love those old Science Fiction Stories where Mars and Venus had life and imagination can run wild

[Damiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Media finale: 3/5 stelle

[Matteo Pellegrini · Rating 3 out of 5]

È il 1945 e il secondo conflitto mondiale volge al termine. Scrittori di fantascienza tornano dal fronte; altri, esentati dall'ecatombe, continuano a scrivere come se nulla fosse; altri ancora si preparano a una fase ulteriore, la "guerra fredda", che scoppierà di lì a poco. Nessuno di loro forse immagina che la catastrofe più grande nella storia dell'umanità - stermini basati sull'appartenenza a una presunta "razza", mezzi terrificanti di massacro, armate in lotta su ogni quadrante del mondo - rilancerà la fantascienza. Genere trascurato, e tuttavia capace di descrivere, sia pure in via metaforica, grandi sistemi in lotta. Cosa che la letteratura mainstream non riesce a fare se non di rado. Il settimo volume de Le grandi storie della fantascienza, a cura di Isaac Asimov, riflette bene la transizione in corso. C'è il recupero insistito di un caposcuola della sf degli anni Venti, Murray Leinster. Generazioni hanno sognato sulle sue forse ingenue fantasie, zeppe di scienziati brillanti, di astronavi misteriose, di messaggi enigmatici provenienti dallo spazio, di energia positivista. Ma ci sono anche, molto più problematici, Fredric Brown, Lewis Padgett, Fritz Leiber e molti altri. Quasi un'antitesi a Leinster. Quale futuro luminoso, dopo una guerra che aveva imbruttito e fatto sanguinare il mondo intero?

[Jeroen Nouwens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This installment in the Great SF Stories series contains one classic: Mimsy Were the Borogoves (Lewis Padgett, also known as Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore). It definitely is a story that rocks. Another one by Padgett, The Proud Robot, I would rate a solid 4 stars out of 5. The short by Edmond Hamilton was predictable but quite good. Fredric Brown's Daymare started off with a bang, but the ending was a bit of a clunker to me and felt rushed. Perhaps Brown was facing a deadline :)

The two longest pieces in the anthology, Symbiotica (Eric Frank Russell) and Clash by Night (Lawrence O'Donnell, aka Kuttner & Moore) were not my cup of tea. They are fairly standard space opera, Clash being the better of the two and something of a classic, I believe Asimov wrote in his introduction to the piece.

There are an assortment of other stories in here, none of them offering all that much in the way of entertainment/good read.

Overall, I am not impressed, but it's interesting to read science fiction from the 40s for historical reasons. Of course, don't miss out on Mimsy. The Kuttner & Moore couple dominate this anthology and pretty much science fiction back then. Unfortunately, Kuttner met an untimely demise in '58.

[Old Man Aries · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho già avuto diverse volte modo di parlare delle raccolte di racconti di fantascienza curate da Isaac Asimov; ogni volume è solitamente dedicato ad un anno specifico e raccoglie quel che, per Asimov e Greenberg, furono i migliori racconti usciti sulle varie riviste.

Di solito sono piutttosto entusiaste di questi volumi: leggere nel giro di qualche centinaio di pagine storie di Heinlein, Brown, Van Vogt e dello stesso Asimov non può non mandarmi in brodo di giuggiole; scrivo “di solito” perché stavolta, invece, a malapena si raggiunge quella che per me è la sufficienza.

Probabilmente il 1943 non è stato l’anno migliore sia nella vita reale che per quanto riguarda la produzione fantascientifica, ma a tutti gli effetti di racconti memorabili in questo volume non ce ne sono: c’è sicuramente qualcosa che si alza sopra la media, ma l’assenza di Asimov ed Heinlein si fa sentire, così come la davvero eccessiva presenza di Henry Kuttner e Catherine Moore, insieme o singolarmente, il cui stile non è granché nelle mie corde.

Peccato, ma non dubito che i volumi successivi torneranno in crescendo.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Compared to the prior four volumes of this series (covering the years 1939 to 1942), I found this one a bit of disappointment. That's not to say that it didn't have some great stories. I loved "Mimsy Were the Borogroves" and "Exile" for instance. But it was something of a mixed bag overall. Leigh Brackett's "The Halfling," Catherine Moore's "Doorway Into Time," Frederic Brown's "Daymare" all began engagingly, but just didn't develop or conclude in a way I found effective or meaningful. And then there were a few others that were entertainingly comical but just a bit too silly for my personal tastes (like "The Proud Robot" and "Q.U.R.") I also found others that were so tedious that I just ended up skimming through them after the first several pages.

In short, there are a few gems here-- but some are still in the rough. And there are some clunkers too. For someone exploring golden age SF, the earlier volumes in this series would be a better place to start, IMHO.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fifth collection of Asimov and Greenberg's selections of the best of the golden age; this book is their choices for 1943. I didn't find it to be as strong of a selection as the previous volumes, but their are some good stories, such as Boucher's Q.U.R. and Russell's Symbiotica. C.L. Moore dominates the contents, with one solo story and three written in collaboration with her husband, Henry Kuttner (as Lewis Padgett), including the classic Mimsy Were the Borogoves. The book leads off with a story by P. Schuyler Miller, one of my favorites.