Customer Reviews

100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories

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

 

 

I have no doubt that the short story is the hardest to write. With limited space, the point, and there can really be only one, must be relatively obvious, yet complex enough to make an interesting story. Adding in a science fiction theme increases the level of difficulty, as generally, such stories require more explanation of the circumstances. Given that an environment different from the usual is necessary, some space must be used to explain the background of the story.
Despite all these hurdles, it is possible to write quality stories and this collection is an existence proof of how well it can be done. Independent of the length, these are some of the best science fiction stories of all time. They range from puns to the possibilities of interstellar war. I started the book and kept it close so that I could read it during every spare moment. It is one of the best collections of science fiction stories that I have ever read.

Concise tales of science fiction that twist and turn their way into your very psyche. Great for midnight snacks when you need to dream while you're awake.

This is an excellent book. It runs the gamut of the science fiction genre; from jules verne to starwars, dragons to philosophy. It contains a cross section of literature and authors of both range and caliber rarely found. Many of its stories do not appear to be science fiction at first read; the only common thread among all the stories is the fact that, as Asimov puts in his introduction, "A very honed point." A must read.

An oldy but a goody.
Many stories worth reading and some are worth re-reading.
A great book to have in any collection.

I have always believed that there is a line between the Fantasy and Science Fiction genre-a thin, blurred line perhaps, but a line nonetheless. Science Fiction is speculative fiction based on science fact, which may be concerned with space travel, environmental evolution, alien life forms etc.
Asimov's "100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories" includes genies, leprechauns, wizards, deals with the devil, and even magic fortune cookies. I think Isaac missed the boat, especially since he saw fit to produce a separate volume entitled, "100 Great Fantasy Short Short Stories". Hard-core Sci Fi fans, this book is not for you.
The anthology itself reads like a who's who of the science fiction (fantasy) legends of the 40s, 50s, 60's, and 70's. And although the reader may enjoy reading two or three stories by the same author (Asimov was not above including his own stories or stories about himself), there are a number of "short short" story greats noticeably absent-Simak, Brown, Del Rey, and Dick to name a few.
Although many of the stories are classic and will long be remembered after the final page is turned, the book falls short of what it could have been.

This is a great book. Thought provoking. Mind expanding. Highly recommended. Most of the stories are just a few pages long, but will leave you thinking about the "what if..." I actually bought this book twice, because I wore out the first one as I kept going back to re-read certain stories, and lending it to friends. Science fiction at its best.

As a boy growing up in the eighties, I loved reading but mostly confined my interest to books about horses, dogs, and other animals. This book, at a time when I'd hardly even heard of "science fiction", was given to me for my 11th birthday. I fell in love with the genre and have read at least a thousand representatives of it since.

Whether you are considering this book for a young reader like I was or are wanting it for someone who already loves the "IF" in science fiction, this collection of short shorts is great choice.

Science fiction Grand Master Isaac Asimov assembles a collection of the shortest science fiction stories available to entertain and to illustrate a point. "As a story grows shorter and shorter, all the fancy embroidery that length makes possible must go. In the short story, there can be no subplots; there is no time for philosophy; what description and character delineation there is must be accomplished with concision." He has chosen 100 short shorts "from the science fiction blowgun" of experienced writers, including himself.

Some of my favorites, with their pithy, Asimovian tag lines:

1. Jerome Bixby's "Trace" - Imagine hitting that tiny bit of impurity.
2. Larry Niven's "Safe at Any Speed" - The womb was never like this.
3. Isaac Asimov's "Exile to Hell" - Well, look about you, wise guy.
4. Fred Saberhagen's "Martha" - And that's how television programming works, too.
5. Larry Niven's "Mistake" - Updating the pink elephant.
6. Roger Zelazny's "Collector's Fever" - Golly, isn't any form of depredation safe?
7. Alfred Bester's "The Die-Hard" - Yes, but how do you define man?
8. Anthony Boucher's "Star Bride" - Romeos come in all varieties; so do Juliets.
9. Thomas Monteleone's "Present Perfect" - You said it, not I, Tom.
10. Mildred Broxon's "Source Material" - That explains a lot of my own teachers.

The stories are good examples of the short-short form. The reader's enjoyment is somewhat hampered by their age. The tone of a science fiction story is affected not just by when in the future it is set, but by the vision of the future in vogue during the time it was written. Readers will encounter Martians, building-sized computers, and English-speaking, humanoid aliens. And a number of formerly surprising and hard-hitting endings have become less so with the passage of time.

But there are some classics and some obscure gems, too. This collection is recommended for science fiction fans, connoisseurs of the short-short form, and writers learning to write brief, high-impact narratives. Developing writers of short-shorts may also benefit from The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teachers, and Writers in the Field.