ORBIT – Otherworldly Reads, Bold Ideas, and Tales. SF & F Short Stories and Novelettes discussion

This is the thread where you can list books/magazines with short fiction you plan to read and tentative dates, so others may potentially join you

My planned reads with no exact date but with books at hand
The John Varley Reader
Best SF Stories of Brian W. Aldiss
The Third Golden Age of Science Fiction Megapack: Poul Anderson
The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon, Volume I: The Ultimate Egoist
His Share of Glory: The Complete Short Science Fiction of C. M. Kornbluth

Of the books listed by Oleksandr, I have on hand and am keen to read

The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon, Volume I: The Ultimate Egoist

His Share of Glory: The Complete Short Science Fiction of C. M. Kornbluth

This year I have also planned to read

Vermilion Sands by J.G. Ballard

Other single-author collections I have on hand and would like to read at some point, though I have no current plans for them, include

Platinum Pohl: The Collected Best Stories

and from more recent authors

Beyond the Aquila Rift: The Best of Alastair Reynolds

The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson

Anthologies:

Where Do We Go from Here?
(Science-y stories, edited by Asimov, with questions for school kids after each)

The 1976 Annual World's Best SF

I should also mention that Ihave a subscription to Analog. I’ll have to get at the January/February issue one of theses days.

Stephen wrote: "I should also mention that Ihave a subscription to Analog. I’ll have to get at the January/February issue one of theses days."

I plan to finish Asimov's jan-feb today and I also have digital sub to Asimov's and Analog. Let's do Analog Science Fiction & Fact, January/February 2025 in around May 10 - I'm a bit tired finishing Asimov's and need a shift to something else, while early May I plan to go with the planned novels

Stephen wrote: "The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson."

I have this one too and want to read it

Oleksandr wrote: "…Let’s do Analog Science Fiction & Fact, January/February 2025 in around May 10…"

Fine with me.

In my (no doubt overly ambitious) plan this year, I have at this point:

His Share of Glory: The Complete Short Science Fiction of C. M. Kornbluth to read with you two;

Critical Mass by Pohl & Kornbluth
The Best of L. Sprague de Camp

Black Gods and Scarlet Dreams by C.L. Moore - stories of her greatest creations, Jirel of Joiry and Northwest Smith

Bypass to Otherness by Henry Kuttner, which I posted about a few days ago

Destination: Universe! by A.E. van Vogt - May read for Evolution group; not a huge fan of AEVV, but want to get it off my shelf

Dangerous Visions by Harlan Ellison

Nebula Award Stories - the first such compilation
Nebula Award Stories 8 - the other one I have on hand

I want to finish these two, which are partly read:
The Complete Hammer's Slammers Volume 1 by David Drake - pure military SF
The First Science Fiction Megapack: 25 Modern and Classic Science Fiction Tales

I also have a copy of Vermilion Sands. I would join you in reading that.

Possibly not of much interest to others, I have a copy of Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine, May 1970 on hand and I plan to read it the first week of May. This was one of the first science fiction magazines I ever bought, at the age of 13, and I believe at least some of the stories were way over my head. I got this new copy a few months ago. Authors of fiction in the issue include Clarke, Blish, Avram Davidson, David Gerrold, and Michael G. Coney. There’s also the second instalment of a serialization of Silverberg’s Tower of Glass.

Incredible lineup of stories in those Nebula anthologies. I think my home town library had the first one.

Happy to read Vermilion Sands with you.

I had a copy of Dangerous Visions 3, a paperback containing some of the stories, as a kid and pored over it. I was too young for it, at least when I first got it. I also read a library copy of the whole thing. Some classic stories.

Allan wrote: "
The Best of L. Sprague de Camp
Destination: Universe! by A.E. van Vogt - May read for Evolution group; not a huge fan of AEVV, but want to get it off my shelf
Dangerous Visions by Harlan Ellison
The Complete Hammer's Slammers Volume 1 by David Drake - pure military SF
The First Science Fiction Megapack: 25 Modern and Classic Science Fiction Tales
Vermilion Sands. "

Those I have access to and will join the read if scheduled. Also, there are new The Last Dangerous Visions out last year IIRC

Stephen wrote: "Possibly not of much interest to others, I have a copy of Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine, May 1970 "

I guess all Galaxy issues are on Archive.org, so I may join. I read at least two stories last month from their 50s issues and they were good

I've never read any of the Dangerous Visions series, though I may have read a few of the stories separately. This year I just want to get through the first book, since I have so many other priorities. I'll tackle the others in the future.

Allan wrote: "I've never read any of the Dangerous Visions series, though I may have read a few of the stories separately. This year I just want to get through the first book, since I have so many other prioriti..."

And so I have started finally. I opened up a thread for it.

I have read almost half of the stories in His Share of Glory: The Complete Short Science Fiction of C. M. Kornbluth. It’s great stuff, but I’ve read very little other short fiction this month and I think I’ll take a break from it in a few days. I recently picked up asimov's science fiction may/june 2025 and I think I will read it. There are a number of stories by famous writers: Carrie Vaughn, Nancy Kress, Ray Nayler and others. I’ll then resume the Kornbluth.

On Asimov's - it is on my TBR as well, but I planned to go in order, and we (in the group at least) read only Jan/Feb 2025, So I guessed Mar/Apr next

I’ll hold off on the May/June. I have other options for my little hiatus from the Kornbluth.

Stephen wrote: "I’ll hold off on the May/June. I have other options for my little hiatus from the Kornbluth."

The big Kornbluth collection was a bit of a disappointment for me. I had it out from the library until I ran out of renewals. Of course there are some classics, but the ROMill stuff didn't hold up particularly well for me. Did I post a review at GR? (looks). Nope. I had some version of the Fred Pohl compilation, kept some notes, but never wrote them up. Oh, well.

Peter wrote: "The big Kornbluth collection was a bit of a disappointment for me."

I'm glad that I managed to finish it. Yes, there are weaker pieces, but gems as well. Yes, this book takes months to read, because with shorter fiction one cannot just gulp as a long conbtinuous novel

Oleksandr wrote: "Peter wrote: "The big Kornbluth collection was a bit of a disappointment for me."

I'm glad that I managed to finish it. Yes, there are weaker pieces, but gems as well. Yes, this book takes months ..."

I see now that this is available as a $3 Kindle. Not sure if that's the full collection or an abridgement. Either way, might be good to own a copy....

I haven’t read a story from it for a few days, but I’m enjoying the Kornbluth collection a lot. There are some weaker pieces, but the best are brilliant, and it’s very clear this was a major writer.

We are traveling and I didn’t bring the heavy volume with me. We are in Edmonton today; just visited a book store where my wife bought me a used copy of Fancies and Goodnights as a birthday gift. I couldn’t resist a copy of Sargasso of Space. I am susceptible to nostalgia when it comes to Norton. We’ll hit another bookstore in a bit.

Two of my favorite Golden Oldies. I have reviews of both posted here: Fancies and Goodnights @ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... 4 stars!
And for Sargasso of Space @ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Also 4 stars. I read many Nortons as a lad, and this is perhaps the most memorable. The Forerunners!

Peter wrote: "Two of my favorite Golden Oldies. I have reviews of both posted here: Fancies and Goodnights @ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... 4 stars!
And for Sargasso of Space @ https://www.goodr..."

Thanks for the reviews and pointers. It’s interesting to me that so many of the Collier stories were originally published in places like the New Yorker and Atlantic. I haven’t read much of his work.

Stephen wrote: "It’s interesting to me that so many of the Collier stories were originally published in places like the New Yorker and Atlantic. I haven’t read much of his work."

You should definitely give him a try!

I read Sargassos as a teen and it briefly turned Norton into my #1 SF author. Alas, not a lot of her other work was at hand, so I slowly shifted to other writers

Me, the two Fredric Brown omnibuses and later maybe some Larry Niven. I know, I am repetitive, I said this somewhere else.

Kateblue wrote: "Me, the two Fredric Brown omnibuses and later maybe some Larry Niven. I know, I am repetitive, I said this somewhere else."

I'm gladly join for all three, but I guess August the earliest - this month I have to finish our monthly reads (I'm on the 2nd now) then this year's Asimov's and Analog + our buddy reads of Asimov and that technothriller on man with seconds in title...

Oh, I will be reading all three (Brown Borwn and Niven) of these really slowly. Don't worry!

Oleksandr wrote: "I read Sargassos as a teen and it briefly turned Norton into my #1 SF author. Alas, not a lot of her other work was at hand, so I slowly shifted to other writers"

I've read Witch World, the 1964 nominated book of the series. Some years ago, I also got a Kindle omnibus called "Works of Andre Norton." It's a cheap, fragmented issue, with partial series:
Time Traders 1,3 & 4 (missing 2, 5-7)
Solar Queen 2 &3 (missing 1, which is Sargasso of Space, & 4-7)
Pax/Astra 3 (missing 1 & 2)
Forerunner 1
3 stand alones
Rebel 1 & 2 (Civil War - not SF/F)

I’ve read Sargasso since picking it up. It’s 1950s juvenile space adventure for boys. Not a female character in the book. I gave it 3 stars but that’s the nostalgia factor I’m afraid. Also inconsistent with the 2 stars I gave Asimov’s The Stars, Like Dust recently. Bad Asimov irritates me in a way that Norton sometimes does not.

Stephen wrote: "I’ve read Sargasso since picking it up. It’s 1950s juvenile space adventure for boys. ."

I fully agree based on what I recall (I've read it in 1991 I guess). An interesting thing - one of the early translations was made by Arkady Strugatsky and was published as a volume of 'World SF' series from the 1960s - it was quite a rarity, I read a much later edition. Another interesting fact - this year a Ukrainian translation should be published and I compared the first few pages with the original and Strugatsky's russian translation - and I guess that it still used a russian, not English translation as the main source, but another one

I’m going to veer away from my normal pattern over the next few weeks and read some other things instead of Asimov’s or Analog or Hugo nominees. My initial plan is to read 2 collections that sit on my TBR shelves, The Truth and Other Stories by Stanisław Lem and Collected Short Stories by E.M. Forster. I’ll see where I am when I finish these collections.

Lem is great even if uneven, pardon my pun. Forster - I read his The Machine Stops but probably nothing else

I’ve decided not to read any more American fiction in 2026, which will obviously impact my participation here. Sorry.

Stephen wrote: "I’ve decided not to read any more American fiction in 2026, which will obviously impact my participation here. Sorry."

What about British or translated works? And do you stop reading only new stuff or everything, e.g., including Hugo nominees from the 1960s?

My idea is to continue reading fiction in English, just not by American authors. Unfortunately this includes older fiction including Hugo nominees.

I'm trying to be better focused on short stories this year. I had great aspirations last year but failed overall I think, despite reading the 1939-1945 nominated stories. I didn't get far with Kornbluth either, disappointed with myself about that.

So far in 2026, I've read 1960 and one anthology, Out of the Ruins. I created a challenge in Worlds Without End to help push me on the 60's stories:
https://www.worldswithoutend.com/roll...

I have an ebook copy of that Out of the Ruins anthology, but I never got very far in it.

It was just ok, only a couple notable stories, the rest run-of-the-mill.