It Came From Schenectady [Paperback]

Barry Longyear (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 2001

This title is just a front for a collection of 12 stories, several of which are among the finest written within Longyears time as a writer. Hardly any of the dozen end as one might expect, and yet theyre not possessed of twist endings, merely good ones. Longyear is the kind of quality writer who sets up so complete a segment of life within a story, that all possibilities of a real occurrence come through. STARLOG

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Longyear...sets up so complete a segment of life within a story, that all possibilities of a real occurrence come through." -- STARLOG

About the Author

Hugo, Nebula, and Campbell Award winner, Barry Longyear is author of the acclaimed Enemy Mine made into a major motion picture by Fox. Recent works include The Enemy Papers and Yesterdays Tomorrow. Having completed training as a PI, the current work is a mystery titled: The Gentleman Prefers Blood. He lives with his wife, Jean, in New Sharon, Maine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: IUniverse (October 12, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595201725
• ISBN-13: 978-0595201723
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 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: #1,705,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hugo & Nebula winning author of Enemy Mine (made into a major motion picture by Fox)

BARRY B. LONGYEAR is the first writer to win the Hugo, Nebula, and John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer all in the same year. In addition to his acclaimed Enemy Mine Series, his works include the classic Sea of Glass and Infinity Hold series, SF & fantasy novels, recovery and writing instruction works, and numerous short stories.


Nominations and Awards*:

1979 (Nomination) John W. Campbell Award for best new writer.
1979 John W. Campbell Award for best new writer.
1979 Hugo Award, best novella, "Enemy Mine."
1979 Nebula Award, best novella, "Enemy Mine."
1979 Locus Award, best novella, "Enemy Mine."

1979 (Nomination) Hugo Award, best novelette, "Homecoming."
1980 (Nomination), Hugo Award, best novelette, "Savage Planet."
1980 (Nomination), Locus Award, best novelette, "Savage Planet."
1980 (Nomination), AnLab Award, best novelette, "Savage Planet."
1981 (Nomination) Locus Award, Single Author Collection, Manifest Destiny.

1981 Distinguished Achievement Award, University of Maine at Farmington.

1982 (Nomination), AnLab Award, best short story, "Collector's Item."
1984 (Nomination) Prometheus Award, best novel, The Tomorrow Testament.

1990 (Finalist) Philip K. Dick Award, best novel, Infinity Hold.

1990 (Nomination) Prometheus Award, best novel, Infinity Hold.
1991 (Nomination) Prometheus Hall of Fame, Circus World.

1993 (Nomination), Locus Award, best novelette, "Chimaera."
1994 (Nomination), Locus Award, best novelette, "The Death Addict."

1999 (Nomination) Prometheus Hall of Fame, Circus World.

2002 (Nomination), Locus Award, best novella, "Silent Her."

2006 AnLab Award, best novella, "The Good Kill."
2007 AnLab Award, best novella, "Murder in Parliament Street."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A spiffy collection of short stories, including a hugo nominee, August 17, 2007

By 

Darby - See all my reviews

This review is from: It Came From Schenectady (Paperback)

This is a spiffy collection of short stories by the author, and includes the stories listed below. Rating my enjoyability of each of the component stories (on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest):

Rating & Title
9 - Forepiece (Prologue)
8 - Collector's Item
7 - Dreams
7 - The House of If
6 - The Initiation
9 - The Portrait of Baron Negay
8 - SHAWNA, Ltd.
8 - A Time For Terror
9 - The Homecoming (Hugo Nominee)
8 - Twist Ending
10 - Catch The Sun
9 - Adagio
7 - Where Do You Get Your Ideas ?

Although the most loudly trumpeted piece in this collection is "The Homecoming" (which was nominated for a Hugo award), my personal favorite is, by far, "Catch The Sun", which could easily have been a major award winner in it's own right, if it'd been published as a stand alone novel. In hindsight, I'd guess the only reason it didn't get the Hugo nod is that it was published right on the heels of Homecoming, in the same calendar year, right after the latter was nominated ... and was thus ineligible. In any case, it's the best of the bunch, in my reckoning.

This collection is a solid offering by Longyear, even though the title is a bit obscure, and doubtless deterred sales by confusing people walking past it in the book aisles.

Style wise, the stories in this collection are an odd mix of quirky ideas, developed into stories by the author. Some follow the same general style as Harlan Ellison and The Twilight Zone motif, and others are more in the hard scifi vein.

Overall, this is a very strong and enjoyable collection ... well worth the cover price, even if you have to buy it new.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars High quality short stories, April 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: It Came from Schenectady (Paperback)

I bought this book about 15 years ago and loved it. The stories were well thought out, original and just plain good. I still have my copy of this book and occasionally pull it out to read again. If you want to read several very good short stories this is the book for you

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "MUST READ" for s-f lovers, January 18, 2008

By 

J. LaCoss "Rt. Rev. Maker-of-sawdust" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: It Came From Schenectady (Paperback)

I read a borrowed copy of the original paperback of It Came from Schenectady, oh, gee, perhaps twenty years ago (hey! kids! this was, like, back before the Internet (or Amazon) was around to make book finding really easy!). I never saw a copy in a book store, so I missed my chance to have one of my own. It is a pleasure to see back in print.

This is a wild ride from one of the really inventive minds in science fiction. The stories range from thought-provoking to hilarious.

I'll second the motion of another reviewer who encourages a serious reading of the introduction. Longyear has one hell of a sense of humor.