First Contacts: The Essential Murray Leinster

by Murray Leinster, Joe Rico (Editor), Hal Clement (Introduction)

"First Contacts: The Essential Murray Leinster" contains 24 stories covering the full spectrum of Leinster's career. Included are such classic early works as "Proxima Centauri," "First Contact, " and one of the earliest alternate timeline stories, "Sidewise in Time." Included are "Keyhole," "De Profundis," and a story written in 1945 that anticipated the internet, "A Logic named Joe." The Hugo Award-winning "Exploration Team" was the inspiration for our full-color cover art by Hannibal King. Also, here for the first time are "The Great Catastrophe," his lost pulp epic, and the inspiring "To All Fat Policemen." There is a four-page introduction by Hal Clement.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Aliens, Collections, Speculative Fiction, Space Opera

464 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

see also:
Will F. Jenkins
William Fitzgerald Jenkins

Murray Leinster was a nom de plume of William Fitzgerald Jenkins, an award-winning American writer of science fiction and alternate history. He wrote and published over 1,500 short stories and articles, 14 movie scripts, and hundreds of radio scripts and television plays.

An author whose career spanned the first six decades of the 20th Century. From mystery and adventure stories in the earliest years to science fiction in his later years, he worked steadily and at a highly professional level of craftsmanship longer than most writers of his generation. He won a Hugo Award in 1956 for his novelet “Exploration Team,” and in 1995 the Sidewise Award for Alternate History took its name from his classic story, “Sidewise in Time.” His last original work appeared in 1967.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the best book of Leinster's short science fiction, despite two others titled "Best of." It doesn't include any of his early works (he'd been publishing science fiction since 1919, well before the genre was invented), but does include what I'd agree are his most important works from his most productive time, 1934 - '64. His two iconic Golden Age classics, First Contact and A Logic Named Joe, are here, along with a representative from the Med Service series, Plague on Kryder II, and Exploration Team, his best-known Colonial Survey story. Among my other favorites are Keyhole, The Ethical Equations, The Lonely Planet, and the odd The Strange Case of John Kingman. I should also mention Sidewise in Time, a seminal piece from 1934 that founded the alternate history sub-genre, and The Fourth-Dimensional Demonstrator, a hilarious short from 1935 with duplicate kangaroos eating cigarettes and gold-digging golden haired young ladies. There are twenty-two classic stories and two presented for the first time. I recommend reading one or two at a sitting and spacing them out that way, because there are dated elements that may get bothersome if you hit them all at once. It's a terrific retrospective of one of the most important figures of the first half-century of the genre.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 stars. I have only read the title short story, "First Contact." A great story about the problems (and solutions) encountered when a deep space mission from Earth makes "first contact" with an alien species.

[Tal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story. Was a bit bummer the aliens depacted as having the same logic and mindset as the humans

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murray Leinster was the pseudonym used by William Fitzgerald Jenkins (June 16, 1896 – June 8, 1975), though some he did publish some of these stories under his real name. One of the greats from the early days of Science Fiction, his name is not as recognizable as Heinlein, Asimov, or several others, but that is a mistake of history, more than an accurate level of achievement. Perhaps it is due to his being significantly older than those writers, and the fact that some of his earlier stories pre-date the term science-fiction itself. Some of the earliest stories about robots (called logics in one story), alternate universes or multi-verses, and time travel were in his stories, and many of them are included here. Also included are two previously unpublished stories, making this a treasure even for those who are well acquainted with his writings.

I think it is fair to say that if you haven’t read “First Contact”, then you really are not a fan of the Golden Age of Science Fiction, at least not yet. It is one of those stories which has been printed and reprinted in an untold number of collections and that everyone should read, at least a few times. Thus it isn’t surprising that it is the story which serves as the source of the name of this collection. It was tied for 9th in the Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll for Short Fiction in 1971, and won the Retro Hugo given in 1996 for novelettes published in the year 1945. Also from 1945 was “The Ethical Equations”, a short story which was nominated for a Retro Hugo the same years as “First Contact”. There are earlier works as well, including Leinster’s alternate universe story “Sideways In Time” which was originally published in 1934. It was tied for 25th on the Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll for Pre-1940 Short Fiction. Also included is “Proxima Centauri” from 1935, which was tied for 12th on that same poll. The last of his award winning works included is “Exploration Team”, which is a novelette which won the Hugo in 1956. The artwork on the cover of the collection is taken from ideas from this story.

All in all, there are 24 stories included, and there are wonderful ones like “The Strange Case of John Kingman”, “If You Was a Moklin”, “Keyhole”, “The Power”, and “The Lonely Planet” which may not have won awards or appeared on fan polls, but are definitely worth reading nonetheless. Lastly, there are the two previously unpublished stories: “The Great Catastrophe”, and “To All Fat Policemen”. The first had been sold for publication, but when the publisher demanded extensive rewrites, Jenkins refused. The latter isn’t science-fiction, but is definitely Leinster/Jenkins.

The weakness of this collection is not in what is included, but rather in what is left out. Where is “The Runaway Skyscraper” from 1919, which was tied with the included “Sidewise in Time” on the Astounding/Analog poll? Where is 1932’s “Politics”, another story which the fans remembered. Joe Rico, the editor indicates that there was considerable demand for “The Mad Planet” and Hal Clement in his introduction talks about stories like “The Incredible Invasion”, “Murder in the USA”, “Trog”, and “Critical Difference”. Mr. Rico expresses concern over including additional works with regards to the length of the book, but in some cases, the longer the better, and I think the works of Murray Leinster fits that category.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a stellar collection of stories that deserve repeat readings. Many of us like to look at the works of the so-called "golden age of science-fiction" and then shake our heads at the dated nature of science, lack of characterisation, political 'incorrectness' etc. etc. But these stories are not like that. They are tight & taut, action-packed and yet laced with humour at times. Above all: they are visionary (I really couldn't exhaust the number of Hollywood biggies that have been made on the basis of ideas so delightfully outlined in these stories without ever showing any gratitude for the writer), and absolutely top-of-the-top examples of storytelling. Highly recommended.

[Tim Pendry · Rating 3 out of 5]

'First Contacts' collects 24 stories, nearly all written in the second half of the 1940s and the first half of the 1950s. The earliest is a rather ridiculous but still quite fun 1919 story of apocalypse and a Junker attempted take-over of America ['The Great Catastrophe]. The latest is from 1964.

Two works (including 'The Great Catastrophe') were first publications in 1998. The rest give us a snapshot of post-war American attitudes in a series of often clever and well written science fiction thought experiments of which the most famous might be 'First Contact' itself.

This 1945 Astounding Science Fiction story is fundamentally about distrust and paranoia as two equally matched alien races (one of which is us) meet in deep space with (apparently) no communication home. They have to decide how to conduct themselves.

Both sides are (ostensibly) basically benign but neither side trusts the other to be benign. Neither side has the information to make a firm judgement on the other's intention. We only see this through the eyes of our own species. We are no better off than the human ship's captain.

It is deservedly seen as a classic of the science fiction of ideas. What actually happens next is not something to be spoiled here but what we have is what we often have in American science fiction of this period - a political parable about international relations.

It sits alongside another and similar exploration of how we humans might have to deal with a passing alien presence ['The Ethical Equations']. Of course, there is no point in trying to work through all the stories because some are good and some are not so good as one would expect.

The less interesting stories are the 'humorous' ones but Leinster can also be witty. Then he becomes more interesting. He never loses his populist touch, careful to be repetitive on key points (in a way that I approve of) to let his younger and less bright readers remain in the game.

There are also the more obvious 'twist tales' but the thought experiments are good enough to place him an edge above many of his peers with an emphasis on adventure (say, 'Exploration Team') and even the sinister ('If You Was a Mocklin') with its shades of a future Invasion of the Bodysnatchers.

One adventure ['Sidewise in Time'] is not too far from his 1919 effort but just more sophisticated, Instead of an asteroid strike, we have time-slips. His Esthonian Junkers are replaced with an academic keen to exploit these slips in order to build an empire.

Time also plays a role in 'Sam, This Is You' where a working class telephone engineer gets guided to a good outcome in his life by his own future self talking to him down the line. The 'humorous' 'A Logic Named Joe' has another working class engineer dealing with what we would call today AI.

HIs last work in the collection ('The Plague on Kryder II' from 1964) is, by then, an old-fashioned tale of murderous criminality spreading plague for profit but contains a charming alien animal-like creature. Leinster is good on the animal world: he clearly likes and respects living creatures.

In 'Exploration Team', Leinster's criminal rule-breaking claim-jumper is not only brave and honourable but his heroics are buttressed by a 'military unit' of three bears, a cub and an eagle who are not in any way warped or genetically engineered - they are simply part of the human world.

If there is a theme in his work it is that humans (and their animal allies) are always going to be cleverer and more worthwhile than machines and that science fiction is about establishing good humanity as the touchstone for good in the universe.

His vegetal creatures in 'Proxima Centauri' are truly nasty and yet the rapacious meat-eating vegetables are merely an inversion of humanity. No doubt the vegetables might be fairly horrified by the eating habits and scale of values of humanity. Still, they are pretty vicious by any lights.

Leinster's evil creatures might be just natural parts of a different planetary order yet the egg-laying monstrously violent enemies in 'Exploration Team' are there, like the creatures from Proxima Centauri, to be exterminated to make the universe fit for humans.

Leinster tends to deliver simple moral tales with which his adolescent and working class readers can identify - working class and technical heroes and clever young men solving problems, winning and getting the girl. Not high art but entertaining and mostly well crafted.

My favourite story is very different and, I think, has been sadly neglected as a thought experiment on what happens when humanity comes up against a sentient planet whose main problem is that it is lonely. Humanity screws up and nearly gets destroyed in the process.

The planet is all-powerful and a victim. It is a sensitive and sad tale. For all his ruthless assumptions about the necessity to exterminate nasty species, this story also shows Leinster to be a sensitive and empathic man - whenever he can get out of the box created by his readers' demands.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. The opening story, "A Logic Named Joe" is memorable for foreseeing desktop computers and the Internet; rereading twenty years later, it's even more prescient, tackling things like cyberstalking long before they were possible.
The rest of the stories are generally good, with a couple that stand out. "First Contact" deals with how Earth and another planet can build trust without falling into pre-emptive war (Leinster has a very bleak view of first contact, assuming the default is war or extermination) and "Plague on Kryder II" is a nicely done SF mystery. "The Fourth Dimensional Demonstrator" is a good, whimsical time travel story. But like a lot of short story collections, reading 400 pages in one swoop left me tired of Leinster (which is not his fault). Otherwise this might rate four stars.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ultimate Leinster collection. Here you got lots of his short stories, even the one "Sideways in time" that an award is named for. Author Harry Turtledove owes lots to this man for gaining several of these awards. Also has the highly regarded short "First Contacts" where man meets alien for the first time and wonder who should kill the other first.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

While in many ways a writer of his times, Leinster's ability to extrapolate themes into the future are still quite amazing. While not every story is a gem, each one is thought provoking in its own way and many are gems. Definitely a rewarding read for anyone interested in the history of science fiction.

[Michel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mote in God's Eye is een klassieker in het algemeen, maar ook een klassieker in het first contact-genre: mensen komen voor het eerst aliens tegen. Toen ik het uit had, dacht ik meteen aan die andere first contact-klassieker: Murray Leinsters First Contact.

Uit --houd u vast-- 1945, en verdacht hard lijkend op een zeer goede Star Trek-aflevering: ook iets vaag militair-zeemacht-achtig, ook een universal translator, ook aliens, ook een spannend verhaal, ook een leutige pointe op het einde.

De atmosfeer is erg vreemd: de mensen op het schip Llanvabon komen aliens tegen, voor het eerst in de menselijke geschiedenis, en hun eerste zorg is dat de aliens de weg naar de Aarde zouden kunnen vinden en dus de menen vernietigen. En hun eerste veronderstelling is dat de aliens net dezelfde bekommernis zullen hebben. En dat blijkt ook zo te zijn.

Mexican stand-off, maar dan met twee. Raken ze er uit? Overleeft iedereen het? Kort en goed, zoals ik het mij herinnerde. Alleen het einde had wat minder gimmicky mogen zijn: mijn tienjarige ik vond het veel beter dan mijn 33 jaar oudere ik.

[Laur-Marian Mertea · Rating 2 out of 5]

There aren't many things to say about this novelette.
It was among the stories selected by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the best science fiction short stories published before the creation of the Nebula Awards. As such, it was published in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, 1929-1964.
The story is simple, straightforward, without any twists or turns. I usually like simplicity, but this one hasn't caught my eye.

1.75/5

Probably, the most intriguing fact about this story is that in 2000, Leinster's heirs sued Paramount Pictures over the film Star Trek: First Contact, claiming that as the owners of the rights to Leinster's short story "First Contact", it infringed their trademark in the term. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted Paramount's motion for summary judgment and dismissed the suit. More here!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've read in ages. Totally unexpected.

[Muhammad Gibran Alfaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a classic. Great story! Especially for Campbell-era Astounding which policy over stories involving aliens is really bad for the aliens.

[Andrew Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but not best

This collection of Leinster's work is pretty decent, particularly for cheap, but is not TBE best representation of his work. In particular the selected Med Ship story is one with several errors which blow the plot, which is NOT representative of those stories. Most of them are much better.
This collection also doesn't focus on the alien content stories Leinster wrote, which the title implies.
Still worth a read, but look also for other Leinster titles

[Sergii · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting cases. Make one think.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

[Chunji Wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novelette very much reminds me of Liu Cixin's cosmic sociology: the Dark Forest Theory, which states that to ensure its own safety, a civilization must destroy any civilization that reveals itself in the cosmos. I bet Liu had read this novelette and was inspired by it. Yet, in this novelette, the aliens are very much like humans in many ways, which I think is not very probable. Whereas in Liu's and in Orson Scott Card's works, the aliens are very alien, to the extent of not understandable.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting take on the first contact between two species in the far reaches of space. Can the two sides come to a mutual understanding or something else? The thoughts of the two species and their logic is thought provoking.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very forward thinking (albeit undeniably dated). A Really great handling of the situation.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course, my opinion is bias.