Customer Reviews

The Best of Analog

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I had thought I was fairly jaded when it comes to SF reading. I had thought that in the anthos of Groff Conklin, Anthony Boucher, Leo Margulies, and the annual "Bests", and in single author collections of writers like Sturgeon, Asimov, Clarke, Connie Willis, I have read all the good SF short stories particularly of the last century. It was a pleasant surprise to be proven wrong through this anthology.

Here is brief look at just two of the stories in the book:

1. "How I Lost the Second World War and Helped Turn Back the German Invasion", by Gene Wolfe: In my opinion this is the best Gene Wolfe story that I have read (I can hear the howls of protest from several Gene Wolfe fans, each of whom would have a different favorite story in mind). The story involves Hitler and Churchill - not to mention a man named Dwight - and car racing and electron flow. There is no way I can describe the story more. You will have to read it to find out how they all fit together.

2. "Unlimited Warfare", by Hayford Peirce: Britain plans to wage war on France - a war that would not be called a war, a war where no shot would be fired. So the British general looks around trying to find one thing the destruction of which would undermine the very soul of France. He pinpoints one such item and it is wine. So the French wine crop is sabotaged beyond redemption. Now France has to retaliate. The French general ponders upon what could be considered as the soul of the British. And he comes up with an answer - and I will not tell you that answer. No spoilers here. Once again, go and read the story. It is a delight.

Just these two stories are worth more than the price of the book. The rest of the stories are then an added bonus.

Get this book.

[...]

Although not all the stories in this collection are exactly to my taste, they do deserve the moniker of Best of Analog. All are extremely well-written with intriguing plots and interesting characters.
I did keep this book in my purse for reading in queues and waiting rooms, so I don't remember much of the beginning stories. I do remember that the very first story in the book, "Persephone and Hades" is my favorite. It's about an android who thinks he is the last conscious being on earth. A female human is unfrozen accidentally from a cryogenic state and they need to learn how to live together and maybe spawn a new era of humanity.
I was touched, deeply, by "A Song for Lya." A planet administrator is concerned because quite a few humans are joining the local 'alien' religion, which ultimately requires suicide of its devotees. He hires a couple of psychics to come investigate why humans are drawn to this seemingly horrible faith. What they learn about "God," the collective conscious, and love is immensely thought-provoking. The most entertaining story was "A Child of All Ages." I can't say anything more about it without giving it away, but it's a must-read.
I can't recall any that I actively disliked, and looking back through the table of contents now I don't see any others that I have a strong opinion about. I would recommend this collection to any fan of science fiction or short stories.

The collection is entitled "The Best of Analog" but what it realy is "the Best of Analog from the Early 70's". The real "Best of Analog" would be fairly 50's and 60's heavy. Still some treasures, of course!

The binding is bad on this version, too, the book is falling apart as I read it.