Far from This Earth and Other Stories (Nesfa's Choice) [Hardcover]

Chad Oliver (Author), Priscilla Olson (Editor), Jane Dennis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2003 | Series: Nesfa's Choice

Far From This Earth and Other Stories is volume 2 of a collection of Chad Oliver's SF; A Star Above It and Other Stories is volume 1.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This volume and its companion volume of the late Oliver's short fiction, A Star above It and Other Stories, strike a truly heroic blow for the cause of restoring classic sf to print. During a 35-year career begun in 1952, Oliver specialized in short fiction, much of it sharing the common device of a society being observed, which reflected Oliver's other occupation as a professor of anthropology. "Blood's a Rover" features human military observers and aliens. "The Ant and the Eye" has a misfit observing his society and it observing him, each trying to see whether they can fit the other. "Any More at Home Like You" is one of several stories about aliens coming to Earth or being marooned there and groping toward understanding. Oliver believed that intelligence of any sort, though inevitably fallible, would grope toward understanding enough to prevent gross crimes and total disasters. He also believed in human expansion into space and to other worlds, and that faith adds further to stories already distinguished by graceful prose and good world building. Must-have volumes for thorough sf collections. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 476 pages
• Publisher: Nesfa Pr; 1st edition (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886778485
• ISBN-13: 978-1886778481
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,059,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Classic SF!!, March 30, 2008

By 

K. Juelch "Sow justice, reap peace" (NJ, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Far from This Earth and Other Stories (Nesfa's Choice) (Hardcover)

I can't believe there aren't more reviews for this book on Amazon. If you are a fan of classic SF from the '40s, '50s, and '60s--in other words, in the era when SF wasn't all hung up on "character development" or on high literary concepts, but instead concentrated on telling fascinating, thought provoking stories filled with wonder, adventure and humor, this is the book for you. I happen to favor the short story idiom for SF--tasty little morsels which go down easily yet leave a lasting impression. I have been reading short form SF (and the longer works too) for about 40 years, and Oliver's short SF is among the very best I have ever read--by anyone, in any genre.

I can't thank NESFA enough for bringing Chad Oliver (and other great classic SF authors!!) back into print. NESFA's books are of the highest quality, hard bound, printed on acid free paper, good type size for easy reading, sturdy dust jackets with cover art by leading SF artists--books which will endure and be the pride of your collection. Check them out--if you like this style of SF, I am sure you will be very pleased.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Featuring human endeavor over politics, war, and cyberspace, October 8, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Far from This Earth and Other Stories (Nesfa's Choice) (Hardcover)

Far From This Earth continues the omnibus with presentations of his North Wind, Rite of Passage, and Just Like a Man. Oliver focused on travel to other worlds and human struggles for survival: these collections offer a refreshing look at writing styles of the past and an interplanetary focus featuring human endeavor over politics, war, and cyberspace.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uneven stories, but NOT to be missed, March 27, 2011

By 

Jack Of Alltrades "Just another soul" (Loth Ethtadoth Unidoth) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Far from This Earth and Other Stories (Nesfa's Choice) (Hardcover)

Never written a review like this one, but...

Imagine if you will, a collection comprised of stories ranging from mediocre to transcendent.

Some of the stories in this collection are mediocre attempts at humor and rate maybe one star unless you're a Boucher fan, in which case they may be right up your alley:

"Transformer": The revolt by the figures in an electric toy train display?

"Anachronism": A movie star vampire gets shut down by a starlet vamp?

"Pilgrimage": An old grump transports his town pioneer days parade to the old west frontier?

But... you will also find serious stories so good, so challenging, so reality altering, that they justify buying three of Oliver's NESFA collected works to read them.

"If Now You Grieve a Little" is perhaps the best SF story ever written. Is it fiction at all? or maybe a key to the true nature of reality, written by a scientist with no other way to tell it?

"North Wind" is one of the most mature stories I've ever read. Beautifully drawn study of a recurring theme in Oliver: the man doing what is right despite there being no easy answers and despite being despised by the world for doing what he does.

"Let Me Live In A House" is a story, yet again, of a man, sacrificing all he has for others in the full knowledge that they will never know what he has done.

If you're ready for them, Oliver's stories are waiting.