The Essential Hal Clement Volume 1: Trio for Slide Rule & Typewriter [Hardcover]

Hal Clement (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1999

This volume contains three of the most important hard science fiction novels of Hal Clement--Needle, Iceworld, and Close to Critical.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Three full-length novels from Clement (Still River, 1987) dating from an era when novels ran to 150200 pages and didn't wear out their welcome. Most of his best works feature children and young people solving intriguing puzzles within a solid science framework. In Needle (1949), an alien criminal crash-lands on Earth, closely pursued by a policeman of the same species. The twist is that they're parasitic blobs of jelly, dependent on a host to survive. Iceworld (1953) lacks both a puzzle and youthful protagonists; an alien criminal from a very hot, bright planet perceives Earth as a gloomy, frigid netherworld. The brave young girl and her alien counterpart of Close to Critical (1958) become trapped on the surface of a planet under conditions where phase changes make water unpredictable. Persuasive aliens, remarkable world-building, and splendid puzzles: fans partial to any of these will find Clement well worth investigating. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From the Publisher

This is tenth book in the "NESFA's Choice" series and the first of a set of three volumes bringing back into print the best works of Hall Clement--the Exemplar of Hard SF Writers.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 522 pages
• Publisher: Nesfa Pr; 1 edition (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188677806X
• ISBN-13: 978-1886778061
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #644,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long Out-of-Print Stories Resurected, March 25, 2000

By 

Brian L Davis - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Hal Clement Volume 1: Trio for Slide Rule & Typewriter (Hardcover)

Hal Clement was one of the first "hard science" writers to enter the science fiction field, and has reamined productive over many decades. This volume contains three of his long-out-of-print stories that fans have had trouble finding for many years. If you're not a fan but you like hard-science science fiction, coupled with good writing and a "solve the puzzle" style that keeps you thinking throughout the book, give this a try. The stories may seem amazingly old (the book title tells how he wrote them after all), but they are hardly out of date. Based on human nature (perhaps a bit idealized) and fundamental physics & chemistry, they are just as gripping a read today as they were in the 1950's when they were written.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Series, December 29, 2005

By 

Dave_42 "Dave_42" (Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Essential Hal Clement Volume 1: Trio for Slide Rule & Typewriter (Hardcover)

"The Essential Hal Clement, Volume 1: Trio for Slide Rule & Typewriter" is the first of a three volume set which allows a whole new generation of readers to experience his unique style. Hal Clement is the pseudonym of Harry C. Stubbs a scientist who first used this pseudonym because he didn't want his professors to think he was a nut. His stories are hard science fiction, using the science of the day to create futuristic stories involving mystery or problem solving. This style helps keep the reader involved in the story, as they look for a solution along with the characters. This volume includes three novels which had long been out-of-print prior to the publishing of this volume in February of 1999.

"Needle" was first published in "Astounding Science Fiction" from May to June of 1949. This is the story of the pursuit of a fugitive, but in this case both the pursued and the pursuer are alien life forms similar to viruses. The pursuit brings them to Earth, where Hunter (the pursuer) enters a human boy (Bob Kinnaird) and tries to enlist his aid in finding the criminal. This is very much like a crime story, in that the reader gets involved in trying to figure out inside of which person the criminal is currently residing. There is also an interesting scientific premise of the biological production of oil. This novel was also published under the title "From Outer Space".

"Iceworld" was first published in "Astounding Science Fiction" from October through December of 1951. In this story, an alien science teacher has been enlisted to find out about the smuggling of a highly addictive drug. This brings him to the "Iceworld" we know as Earth and the drug we know as tobacco, a nice piece of foresight by Hal Clement. This story explores the idea of life existing on worlds of much higher temperature. One of the premises of this story is the idea that Mercury always keeps the same face to the Sun. This was believed at the time of the story, but has since been proven to be false. While this premise does play a role in the story, it can easily be overlooked by the reader.

"Close To Critical" was first published in "Astounding Science Fiction from May through July of 1958. The premise here is a planet (Tenebra) with environmental conditions near the triple point of water (i.e. the point where it can easily move between solid, liquid, and vapor with very little change in temperature or pressure. During a scientific research operation where humans are learning about the natives of Tenebra, two children (one Human and one Drommian) become marooned on the planet after an accident. This story involves the reader in the problems with the environment, as well as those involved in the rescue of the children.

Advances in science have caused these stories to become a bit out of date. However, because Hal Clement writes in a way which engages the reader into the story, these still are very enjoyable to read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three of Clement's best, still great today, November 19, 2003

By 

Gary M. Greenbaum (Fairfax, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Essential Hal Clement Volume 1: Trio for Slide Rule & Typewriter (Hardcover)

The recently deceased Hal Clement (Harry Stubbs) wrote many hard science fiction stories, often set in alien environment or with amazingly inventive aliens. Three of his best, Needle, Iceworld, and Close to Critical, are collected here. Needle is the story of a virus-like alien intelligence who with the help of his human host, must track down another of his species. Iceworld tells the tale of a science teacher from another world recruited to stop the flow of drugs from a mysterious source (as it turns out quite quickly in the tale, Earth). Close to Critical is the story of two stranded children, one human, one alien, and the effort to retrieve them from a newly-contacted world with the help of the natives.

Clement brings human and alien to life marvelously. Combine that with his ability to make science understandable (an art often seen in, say, Heinlein juveniles, but seemingly lost today) and you come up with enchanting tales.

Needle is probably the best of the three (and sparked an equally-good sequel, over twenty years later). It is a true mystery, with all the clues to the solution available to the reader to solve before the characters do. While the characterization is very Fifties (the human host, a teenage boy, is amazingly blase about having an alien in his body observing his every action), it is still a great tale.

Highly recommended, as are the two remaining books in the series. Kudos to NESFA for collecting the works of yet another great author into convenient hardcovers!