Customer Reviews

No direction home: An anthology of science fiction stories

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

 

 

An inside page of this book has a quote from Ursula K. LeGuin stating Norman Spinrad is one of the best SF short story writers, if not THE best.
I don't see how any one could disagree with that statement. Spinrad can tackle "serious" themes but also write stories that are hilarious. And he does both without losing the incredible sense of wonder that drew many people, including me, to the science fiction field. There is no better collection of short stories in the sf fiction than this book, except maybe Spinrad's other short story collection.
"No Direction Home" and "The Big Flash" are incredibly powerful stories. And I don't understand how "The Lost Continent" did not win a Hugo and Nebula. In fact, it is appalling that Spinrad never won a Nebula. (Writers do have blind spots. The great mystery writer Ross MacDonald never won a Edgar for any of his books...I don't think. His classic novel "The Chill" lost to a forgettable mystery. Nebula voters gave an award to the atrocious "Behold the Man.")
"A Thing of Beauty" and "The National Pastime' are wry and incredibly amusing stories. The collection shows the vastness of
Spinrad's imagination and his talent. In the category of short stories, I don't think anyone in the sf field could match Spinrad. Get this book. You will not regret it.