Customer Reviews

The Astounding Science Fiction Anthology

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Another good collection of stories from the 1940's and early 1950's, edited by John W. Campbell Jr.. The 23 stories included were all published originally in "Astounding Science Fiction" between May of 1940 and March of 1951. This anthology was published in 1952.

In comparing it with the other anthologies, such as those edited by Groff Conklin, it falls short in a couple of areas. The first is that there are fewer stories included, which isn't a big problem since the quality is very high. The second is that many of the stories included had already appeared in other collections prior to this one. However, for those who don't already have those collections, this is a good place to start.

The list of authors reads like a who's who of science fiction from the period, and many of the stories are classics. The list of stories is: "Blowups Happen" by Robert A. Heinlein, "Hindsight" by Jack Williamson, "Vault Of The Beast" by A. E. van Vogt, "The Exalted" by L. Sprague De Camp, "Nightfall" by Isaac Asimov, "When The Bough Breaks" by Lewis Padgett, "Clash By Night" by Lawrence O'Donnell, "Invariant" by John R. Pierce, "First Contact" by Murray Leinster, "Meihem In Ce Klasrum" by Dolton Edwards, "Hobbyist" by Eric Frank Russell, "E For Effort" by T. L. Sherred, "Child's Play" by William Tenn, "Thunder And Roses" by Theodore Sturgeon, "Late Night Final" by Eric Frank Russell", "Cold War" by Kris Neville, "Eternity Lost" by Clifford D. Simak, "The Witches Of Karres" by James H. Schmitz, "Over The Top" by Lester del Rey, "Meteor" by William T. Powers, "Last Enemy" by H. Beam Piper, "Historical Note" by Murray Leinster, and "Protected Species" by H. B. Fyfe.

The anthology as a whole, was ranked 16th by readers on the Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll for books in 1952, and it moved up to 8th on the same poll taken in 1956. In 1999, it was tied for 17th on the Locus All-Time Poll for anthologies.

Of the stories within, Asimov's "Nightfall" was rated 1st on the Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll for short fiction in 1971, and 2nd on the Locus Poll in 1999 for novelettes. Leinster's "First Contact" tied for 9th on the Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll for short fiction in 1971, and won the Retro Hugo for best novelette in 1996 for the year 1945. Piper's "Last Enemy" was nominated for the Retro Hugo for best novella in 2001 for the year 1950.

It is so cool to read old stories. Some of the references are to things that have been forgotten by most people. These stories are generally enjoy so it may not be able as any good story is, it is just that these have another facet that is interesting for me. I have a paperback edition, so it may not be the same as other editions available.

'Nightfall' by Isaac Asimov - This is one of the great short stories because it imagined another world with their own lifestyles and culture, etc. It does not involve a lot of science, just imagination of what another world might be and how the inhabitants would react to the setting of the sun once every couple of thousand years.

'First Contact' by Murray Leinster - It is amazing that even fifty or sixty years ago they were worried about the first time the human race encounters aliens. The cool part of this story is that it happens so far away from here or there that both ships feel comfortable trying to figure out how to get away safely without destroying the other first. Given the time, they figure out a way both crews can go home safely

'Eternity Lost' by Clifford D. Simak - Humanity has developed life lengthening technology, but it is limited to a chosen fewfor good and obvious reasons. One of the lucky ones finds he is due to be denied further life. He gets rather distraught about it.

'Vault of the Beast' by A. E. van Vogt - A ship has visited Mars and returns to Earth with a magical creature created for one purpose. The creature does its thing and in the end helps to save the world. The wonder of this story is the descriptions and the ending math.

'Invarient' by John Pierce - Homer Green is constantly interviewed because he is a relic. This is another story of immortality gone wrong.

'When the Bough Breaks' by Lewis Padgett - New parents of a whiz kid are visited by tutors from the future. The tutoring backfires.

'Cold War' by Kris Neville - A story of how Mutually Assured Destruction became the beacon of peace in the world, though of course no one knew it was coming.

'Over the Top' by Lester del Ray- For me this is the most interesting story because of the reference to "hundred ton electronic slipsticks" (does anyone know what one is?). A midgit is sent to Mars. He was chosen for various reasons: sex, intelligence, healthy, etc. and stature. He was small so he would not need the space a normal man would need, air use would be less, etc, etc. The challenge is that he crash hands, his savior is a Martian, and humanity also comes to his rescue. Wild story.