Customer Reviews

The Best of James H. Schmitz

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I'm a long time fan of James H Schmitz from when his stories first appeared in the sixties and seventies, and so I was pleased to see his work coming back into print This volume is just a sampling of what he was capable of. It introduces several of the characters that appear in many of his other stories. Telzey Amberdon in here, in both Novice and Goblin Night. Heslet Quillan is in Lion Loose (along with one very interesting monster), Just Curious is not so much a Science Fiction story as a horror mystery, while the other stories show the broad range of his writing. One interesting aspect of Schmitz's writing was the way he wrote about ecology as a major factor in his stories. Grandpa and Balanced Ecology include the life forms of a world as major characters without being preachy or pedantic. In that line I strongly recommend his book The Tuvela (also titled The Demon Breed) if you can find it in used book stores. That book also features Nile Etland, one of Schmitz's very interesting female characters. Schmitz was using strong, and believable, female characters long before anyone else, and they are both realistic and sympathetic, much more so than most of the ones in print today. In case you think he did only strong female characters, this book also has The Guardians, one of his best stories, with a sympathetic, and believable, male space pirate. And of course, Heslett Quillan is here in Lion Loose. The bibliography at the end of the book, as well as the cross-reference of stories and characters is very helpful. But a major character in his stories is the background itself. The Federation of the Hub is a fascinating place. This book gives a glimpse of it. All in all, I recommend this book as a sampler and starting point for those wanting to know more about a very good, and seminal SF writer. And while they were not written as children's stories, their content, and relatively short length compared to the massive books out today, make them ideal ways to introduce young children, especially young girls, to SF.

The Best of James H. Schmitz is a selection of stories published by NESFA as the first in their "Choice" series. Its genesis was a panel conducted by the editor, Mark L. Olson, during Boskone 27 "which proved that Schmitz still has fans out there". It contains an introduction by Janet Kagan and a bibliography of Schmitz's SF works in addition to nine stories.

The introduction provides a rather good analysis of Schmitz's characters, plots, and style, but doesn't much address his environments, probably due to length considerations. A more extensive analysis of these environments is provided by Eric Flint in the Baen editions of Schmitz's SF works.

"Grandpa" is a story of a Colonial team that found a surprise in the ecology of an unexplored planet. "Lion Loose" is a Quillan tale wherein he gains an unusual ally. "Just Curious" is about a unique mental ability and the reaction of a man who has been subjected to it. "The Second Night of Summer" tells what Grimp and Grandma did during summer vacation. "Novice" is another summer vacation story, in which Telzey drives her Aunt Halet to hysterics. "Balanced Ecology" is the story of an environent that adopts a human family. "The Custodians" is a tale of a hijacking and a man's conscience. "Sour Note On Palayata" is a Psychological Service story about consciousness and wisdom. "Goblin Night" is a yarn about Telzey, Chomir and a spook.

This collection is a fairly balanced selection of the author's short works, ranging from the quite familiar to the fairly obscure. Although not necessarily the "best" of his short stories, all are interesting and enjoyable and have that characteristic sense of wonder. While this is a good starting point for readers who have never before encountered this author, serious fans will also want to buy the Baen publications, which contain so much more.

Highly recommended to Schmitz fans and anyone who enjoys interstellar adventure with a sense of wonder.

I've read what I can easily find of Schmitz's longer works and greatly enjoyed them. This collection of some of his shorter works has induced a craving for what's not included here. A bibliography in the back of the book is a great aid for my search. All his stories I've ever read are an enjoyable way to pass an evening.

Schmitz was a very unusual author for his time, and each of his stories brings something new to the table. Even today, his work stands out for being so far in advance of our technology yet still shows the human (or some cases non-human) element within these technological worlds. While we see some of what he foresaw in the Internet and other similar inventions, he has carried them farther than we have been able to to date. On the human side, while many of his stories are the classic hero's journey, each one of them tells this classic model in a unique way - and with Schmitz, the end of the journey is rarely what you would expect!

This anthology was assembled after Schmitz's death in 1981 in the hope that it would revive interest in his work. Many times such hopes are in vain. But shortly after the publication of _The Best of James Schmitz_ (1991), Ace Books began the noble task of compiling multiple volumns of his stories. There seems to be a resurgence in popularity for this author... at least, for a while.

The NEFSA Press anthology remains an excellent introduction to one of the best craftsmen in science fiction. There is a good critical introduction by Janet Kagen, an excellent bibliography of Schmitz's stories by Mark Olson, a good cover by Kelly Freas (originally illustrating "The Custodians") and several interior illustrations by Merle Insinga. Oddly enough, there are only three interiors. I would have liked to see a few more.

There are nine stories in all: "Grandpa" (_Astounding_, 1955), "Lion Loose..." (_Analog_, 1961), "Just Curious" (_Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine_, 1968), "The Second Night of Summer" (_Galaxy_, 1950), "Novice" (_Analog_, 1962), "Balanced Ecology" (_Analog_, 1968), "The Custodians" (_Analog, 1968), "Sour Note on Palayata" (_Astounding_,1956), and "Goblin Night" (_Analog_, 1965). This anthology marked the first book publication for "The Custodians" and "Sour Note..."

Three of the best stories are short pieces: "Grandpa," "Balanced Ecology," and "The Second Night of Summer". The first two are classical biological hard science fiction stories. The third is a straight space opera that features a sly old secret agent named Grandma Wannattel, who is like a benevolent Long John Silver. The story is irresistably charming.

Almost as good are "Novice" and "Goblin Night," two early adventures of the psionically gifted Telzey Amberdon. All of the Telzey tales are well-written, but the early stories strike me as a bit fresher and crisper. In "Goblin Night," Schmitz demonstrates his ability to end his story at just the right spot, without dragging it on.

"Lion Loose..." was nominated for a Hugo in 1961, which indicates that it is a story of some popularity. (It was beaten by Brian Aldiss' Hothouse series.) I have always felt that the story could have been better than it is. Schmitz dreamed up a marvelously deadly alien. But instead of pitting it agaist the hero, the alien and the hero are allies against some rather colorless space pirates. The conflict isn't as interesting as it could have been. It is resolved too easily.

"The Custodians" is an aliens-among-us tale with a few new twists. "Sour Note on Palayata" is a study of human-alien relations that is crashingly dull. "Just Curious" is a well-written but nasty piece of goods. I will leave it to you to decide whether you like it.

I would like to close on a bibliographical note. When this anthology was published, there were a number of Schmitz stories that had not yet been published in book form: "Beacon to Elsewhere," "Ham Sandwich," "Left Hand, Right Hand," and "Clean Slate". Other stories like "Gone Fishing" and "Planet of Forgetting" had been collected-- but only once or twice. This is indicated in the bibliography. Since 1991, thanks largely to the project launched by Ace Books, many of these uncollected and neglected stories have been rescued from oblivion. Let us hope they stay that way.

Schmitz is one of my favorite sci-fi authors. His general style is what I call super science. Other authors who write in this vein are Van Vogt, Campbell (Stuart), Wallace and Doc Smith and like them stands alone. If you like those guys you'll love Schmitz (and vice versa). A beautiful clothbound edition with short stories of his that you will have a hard time finding elsewhere including a Telzey Amberdon prequel. Agent of Vega and the other Telzey books are his best work, I wish they would be printed like this book.

Very enjoyable. Schmitz is one of the few sci-fi writers who does not rely entirely upon technology and gadgets, but instead actually develops the characters personality.