Customer Reviews

Dimensions of Sheckley : The Selected Novels of Robert Sheckley

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dimensions Of Sheckley is a compilation of selected novels by master science fiction author Robert Sheckley, and include several of his works which had fallen out of print. All these terrific stories are collected under one cover and newly accessible for the discriminating science fiction connoisseur. The novel and novella titles comprising Dimensions Of Sheckley include "Immortality, Inc.", "Journey Beyond Tomorrow", "Mindswap", "Dimension of Miracles", and "Minotaur Maze". An informative introduction by Mike Resnick and an informed afterword by Tom Gerencer round out this mind-bending collection of future worlds ever-so-slightly askew from the evil realities of the present. A classic compilation by one of the most gifted science fiction authors of the 20th Century, Dimensions Of Sheckley is a "must-read" for every dedicated science fiction enthusiast!

Apparently when he was asked how he compared himself to Robert Sheckley, whose work he had borrowed from extensively, Douglas Adams (Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy) had the grace to say 'he's better than me'. I'd be inclined to agree with that. These stories, which are all from the period when Sheckley was in the opinion of many the very best in the business, form a superb introduction to his work.
Satire, farce and old-fashioned black humor abound. Someone else who admired Sheckley and was strongly influenced by him was Philip K. Dick and you can see in these novels, which preceded Dick's most seminal work, many of Dick's origins. The only difference is that Sheckley is a whole lot funnier. When
informed by people who don't know science fiction that the genre lacks a sense of humor - this is what I recommend them to read. And it's a whole lot easier to do now that the books are back in print. May they stay in print forever. They are as fresh and as on the ball as they were when they were first written and an absolute fundamental must for anyone's basic library of sf classics.

Sheckley is an entertaining writer whose stories stretch the imagination while making some potent points about our political landscapes and social conventions. He really is cynical about it all, without a lot of redemption for his characters. Since the situations are so preposterous you sort of don't care about the characters, but laugh at the disasters that befall them. He really makes some strong points in this compilation of stories, but you have to think about how to apply the allegories. If you could read one or two of the stories in a reading club it would be interesting discussing them.

Sheckley wrote short stories for a while before he figured out that the big money was in novels. I am a total fan of his short stories, and totally recommend the edition of his collected short works that was released at the same time as this version with his novels, but the novels... well, I don't like them as much.

For me they tend to be a bit too surreal-- too much time devoted to quasi nonsencicality for my reading pleasure.

Novels by the brilliant satirist, famous in Russia but almost completely forgotten in his native country. Unfortunately, my favorite novel of his, "The Status Civilization", is not there.