Customer Reviews

The Penguin science fiction omnibus

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

 

 

An omnibus collection of the three Penguin Science Fiction anthologies in series that Aldiss edited in the sixties. At 4,3.5 and 4, pretty much sounds to me like we give this a 4 overall.

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A 1960s anthology, and a good one. In the introduction Aldiss talks about what he and others see Science Fiction as, and the role it can play.


Penguin Science Fiction : Sole Solution - Eric Frank Russell
Penguin Science Fiction : Lot - Ward Moore
Penguin Science Fiction : The Short-Short Story of Mankind [We're Holding Our Own] - John Steinbeck
Penguin Science Fiction : Skirmish [Bathe Your Bearings in Blood!] - Clifford Simak
Penguin Science Fiction : Poor Little Warrior! - Brian W. Aldiss
Penguin Science Fiction : Grandpa - James H. Schmitz
Penguin Science Fiction : The Half Pair - Bertram Chandler
Penguin Science Fiction : Command Performance - Walter M. Miller
Penguin Science Fiction : Nightfall - Isaac Asimov
Penguin Science Fiction : The Snowball Effect - Katherine MacLean
Penguin Science Fiction : The End of Summer - Algis Budrys
Penguin Science Fiction : Track 12 - J. G. Ballard

Deity dream escape.

3 out of 5


Getting out of town is very important.

3.5 out of 5


Technology pioneer martyrs.

3.5 out of 5


Alien mini-machine awareness communication.

3.5 out of 5


He's got the dino crabs.

4 out of 5


Big ol' beast ride.

4 out of 5


Cuff link and hubby loss.

3 out of 5


New neural communication.

4 out of 5


Media and religion struggle with science. Still.

4 out of 5


Sociology maybe can do something.

3 out of 5


Immortal accidents and memories.

3.5 out of 5


Different sound score.

3.5 out of 5




4 out of 5


The second Penguin SF anthology by Aldiss, but not as good as the first, averaging only 3.41 compared to the 3.54 of the first, which is still fairly reasonable for a reprint anthology.

More Penguin Science Fiction : The Monkey Wrench - Gordon R. Dickson
More Penguin Science Fiction : The First Men - Howard Fast
More Penguin Science Fiction : Counterfeit - Alan E. Nourse
More Penguin Science Fiction : The Greater Thing - Tom Godwin
More Penguin Science Fiction : Built Up Logically [The Universal Panacea] - Howard Schoenfeld
More Penguin Science Fiction : The Liberation of Earth - William Tenn
More Penguin Science Fiction : An Alien Agony [The Streets of Ashkelon] - Harry Harrison
More Penguin Science Fiction : The Tunnel Under the World - Frederik Pohl
More Penguin Science Fiction : The Store of the Worlds [The World of Heart's Desire] - Robert Sheckley
More Penguin Science Fiction : Jokester - Isaac Asimov
More Penguin Science Fiction : Pyramid - Robert Abernathy
More Penguin Science Fiction : The Forgotten Enemy - Arthur C. Clarke

Big tin god bet.

3 out of 5


Super smart kids like bugs.

3 out of 5


Sick ship Venus copy.

3.5 out of 5


Underground last bullet escape observation.

4 out of 5


Resident alien galactic defense dishonesty.

3.5 out of 5


Native superstition addition.

4.5 out of 5


Brain capacity reduction circuit.

3 out of 5


Secret longing viewing.

3 out of 5


Computer humour intuition.

3 out of 5


Alien human observation biology power gain.

3 out of 5


There's a polar bear in there.

4 out of 5



3.5 out of 5



The third of Aldiss' 60s Penguin science fiction anthology series. It is not quite as good as the first, but better than the second, and overall the whole series average around 3.50. Right on that number, actually, for this volume.

Yet More Penguin SF : The Wall Around the World - Theodore R. Cogswell
Yet More Penguin SF : Protected Species - H. B. Fyfe
Yet More Penguin SF : Before Eden - Arthur C. Clarke
Yet More Penguin SF : The Rescuer - Arthur Porges
Yet More Penguin SF : I Made You - Walter M. MillerJr.
Yet More Penguin SF : The Country of the Kind - Damon Knight
Yet More Penguin SF : MS Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie - C. M. Kornbluth
Yet More Penguin SF : The Cage - Bertram Chandler
Yet More Penguin SF : Eastward Ho! - William Tenn
Yet More Penguin SF : The Windows of Heaven [Two by Two] - John Brunner
Yet More Penguin SF : Common Time - James Blish
Yet More Penguin SF : Fulfillment - A. E. van Vogt


Broomstick flight all in the mind.

3 out of 5


Old ape hunt.

3.5 out of 5


Venusian botany on the run.

3 out of 5


Jesus time machine shoot.

3 out of 5


Leave me alone, Grumbler.

3.5 out of 5


Violent man gets odiferously ostracised.

4 out of 5


Writing monopoly maintenance.

3.5 out of 5


Prisons take brains.

3.5 out of 5


Paleface losers.

4 out of 5


Sun blowup restart.

4 out of 5


Flight observer experience rather wonky.

4 out of 5


Brain-Man partners.

3 out of 5



4 out of 5

We lost this book sometime back and it's always been one of my favorite collections of sci-fi stories. Reading it again just brought back all the great stories in an even better way!