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The 13 crimes of science fiction

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Authors do not develop new stories, they write new twists on old ones. While a science fiction setting does provide additional possibilities for a mystery, it is also very limiting. To be effective, the science fictional aspects must be important, yet secondary. For example, it would be a very dull tale if a locked room mystery was solved by a principal character simply using a device to step into the fourth dimension at a critical moment.
These thirteen stories of crimes are well crafted. Each follows one of the basic themes of crime stories: hard-boiled detective, psychic detective, spy, analytical detective, whodunit, why-done-it, how-done-it, inverted, locked room, cipher, police procedural, trial and punishment. The science fiction aspects are necessary, yet do not overshadow what is a tale of suspense. My favorite stories are "Mouthpiece" by Edward Wellen and "Time In Advance" by William Tenn. In "Mouthpiece", the personality of a gangster is loaded into a powerful computer and the programmer who did it becomes an unwitting pawn of the gangster who wants to avenge his assassination. "Time In Advance" is aptly named, as in this story, the human race has expanded out to other planets and colonists are badly needed. A solution is to have people voluntarily serve a sentence for murder before the fact and then in the unlikely event they survive, they have the right to commit one murder.
These are thirteen of the best combinations of crime and science fiction stories that have ever been written. The editors made their selections well and I enjoyed each one immensely, even though I generally do not read crime stories.

I have got to stop giving my old books away. I probably have a small fortune in out of print volumes. Every time I look up a book for a gift I reach the same section, "sorry." "13 Crimes" is one of those entertaining books that probably started as a coffee shop conversation. "Hey Joe, you notice there aren't any SciFi detective stories." "Can't be done Fred. Too easy. The Gumshoes could just come up with some gizmo to see fingerprints, or track shoe size. It can't be fair. For along time this was the case. Then someone got the idea of making rules. What if you had a world of the future, but no surprises? Any technology you want, but the reader has to be let in on it. A hundred years ago crime stories were just laid out. Today it's different. You have to give the reader a chance to figure it out along with the detective. "13 Crimes" does this masterfully. It takes the 13 types of mystery stories, the loc! ked room mystery, the hard boiled PI mystery, etc., and puts it in a SciFi setting. The result is a collection of authors and stories that will satisfy both the SciFi AND mystery fan. Or a least it would if you can find it.

In his introduction to 13 Crimes of Science Fiction, Isaac Asimov says that John Campbell believed "it was impossible to write a science fiction mystery." Asimov gathered these 13 stories together to prove Campbell wrong. If one takes into account today's division of genres, he only partially succeeded: many of these stories would be classified as fantasy today. However, there are some great examples of sf mysteries.

The most futuristic of all is "ARM", placed in a world of transplants, artificial limbs, and space travel. "The Second Game" is an interesting study of an alien race and the game they play. Asimov's own "The Singing Bell" depicts rockets and greed. In "War Game" Dick questions the innocence of children's toys.

"The Ipswich Phial," set in the past almost smacks of Steampunk, except the machines are based on magic and the time period is earlier. "The Detweiler Boy" deals with vampires, possibly. William F. Temple's "The Green Car" appears to be a ghost story. This is definitely a mix of genres, written by some of the best sf writers of the past. Given that, the stories hold up quite well today and readers should not pass this up because it's from 1979.

Although not all can be classified as sf today, each story is a wonderful read, and a great addition to the tradition of good short fiction that sf has always been known for.

Isaac Asimov, Martin Greenberg and Charles Waugh have collected thirteen stories appropriately classified as both science fiction and crime fiction. Their careful selection has made this book a librarian's nightmare and a reader's delight. In his introduction, Isaac Asimov explains how this type of hybrid story is possible, detailing his disagreement with editor John Campbell on this issue.

As support for his position, Asimov and his co-editors offer thirteen different types of science fiction crime tale, labeling them as Hard-Boiled Detective, Psychic Detective, Spy Story, Analytical Detective, Whodunit, Why-Done-It, How-Done-It, Inverted, Locked Room, Cipher, Police Procedural, Trial, and Punishment. My three favorites are described below.

In Avram Davidson's "The Ceaseless Stone" a mystery is thoughtfully solved when the investigator follows the money. After a fashion.

In Jack Vance's "Coup de Grace" detective Magnus Ridolph must solve the murder of Lester Bonfils. He can only do this by examining the possible human--and alien--motives for interfering in the lives of others.

In Isaac Asimov's "The Singing Bell" it is clear from the beginning that Lois Peyton murdered Albert Cornwell. It may not be possible to prove it, even with the legal use of a psychprobe.

These are all good stories, even though many show their age with out-of-date technology and assumptions. The collection is convincing evidence that crime science fiction is a legitimate genre. Asimov wins his argument with Campbell and we readers reap the rewards. It is a shame this book has gone out of print. Get a used copy--steal it if you must!