A Star Above It and Other Stories (Nesfa's Choice) [Hardcover]

Chad Oliver (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This volume of the late Oliver's short fiction and its companion, Far from This Earth and Other Stories, strike a truly heroic blow for the cause of restoring classic sf to print. During a 35-year career begun in 1952, Oliver specialized in short fiction, much of it sharing the common device of a society being observed, which reflected Oliver's other occupation as a professor of anthropology. "Blood's a Rover" features human military observers and aliens. "The Ant and the Eye" has a misfit observing his society and it observing him, each trying to see whether they can fit the other. "Any More at Home Like You" is one of several stories about aliens coming to Earth or being marooned there and groping toward understanding. Oliver believed that intelligence of any sort, though inevitably fallible, would grope toward understanding enough to prevent gross crimes and total disasters. He also believed in human expansion into space and to other worlds, and that faith adds further to stories already distinguished by graceful prose and good world building. Must-have volumes for thorough sf collections. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Nesfa Pr (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886778450
• ISBN-13: 978-1886778450
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,056,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Is Essential SF!!, March 25, 2008

By 

K. Juelch "Sow justice, reap peace" (NJ, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: A Star Above It and Other Stories (Nesfa's Choice) (Hardcover)

I can't believe there aren't more reviews for this book on Amazon. If you are a fan of classic SF from the '40s, '50s, and '60s--in other words, in the era when SF wasn't all hung up on "character development" or on high literary concepts, but instead concentrated on telling fascinating, thought provoking stories filled with wonder, adventure and humor, this is the book for you. I happen to favor the short story idiom for SF--tasty little morsels which go down easily yet leave a lasting impression. I have been reading short form SF (and the longer works too) for about 40 years, and Oliver's short SF is among the very best I have ever read--by anyone, in any genre.

I can't thank NESFA enough for bringing Chad Oliver (and other great classic SF authors!!) back into print. I have a number of other NESFA volumes: Chad Oliver, William Tenn, Robert Sheckley, Murray Leinster, A.E. Van Vogt, Eric Frank Russell, and C.M. Kornbluth--those volumes are just the tip of the NESFA iceberg. They are all of the highest quality, hardbound books printed on acid free paper--books which will endure and be the pride of your collection. Check them out--if you like this style of SF, I am sure you will be very pleased.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Other worlds, unrealities, and struggles abound in these, October 8, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Star Above It and Other Stories (Nesfa's Choice) (Hardcover)

Fans of the old-time author Chad Oliver who have scoured shelves in search of his stories in past will be delighted with this issue of two separate volumes of his selected stories. A Star Above It offers twenty stories ranging from the title presentation to Old Four-Eyes and Land of Lost Content. Other worlds, unrealities, and struggles abound in these.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent, meaningful, bloody good yarns!, March 25, 2011

By 

Jack Of Alltrades "Just another soul" (Loth Ethtadoth Unidoth) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: A Star Above It and Other Stories (Nesfa's Choice) (Hardcover)

I only heard of Oliver recently. An odd thing considering he is one of the best. But maybe not so odd, considering a recurring theme in his work: that the men of conscience, the men of truth and wisdom are often ignored or even pariahs in a culture based on lies.

Oliver was an anthropologist and he writes about what he knows---Man. His writing is some of the most intelligent in the genre and yet it's about characters who are as likable as any in fiction. It's not romance. It's about how men of character, intellect and moral strength deal with a brutal real world and do the right thing, even when 'winning' is not an option.

Oliver's writing is good for you, but it's more like eating cake than spinach. He ranks right up there with the best writers of SF ever to write involving, fascinating, enthralling stories. My SF classic story collection includes all the greats---Chad Oliver belongs among them.