Customer Reviews

Possible Worlds of Science Fiction

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"Possible Worlds of Science Fiction" (1951) is the first of two themed based anthologies that he wrote for Vanguard in the early 1950s. This book deals with stories of man journeying to the other planets and other parts of our solar system and eventually to other parts of the galaxy. Its companion anthology, "Invaders of Earth" (1952), deals with aliens coming to Earth. Each book contains 22 works of short fiction, none of which had appeared in book form before. Almost all the stories in this book are from the 40's and 1950, with one from 1939 and the earliest from 1936.

One of the things that makes this a better than average anthology, is the way it is organized. The first section is a series of stories presented in the order in which he feels that man will visit the various bodies in our solar system. Starting with the moon, and the proceeding on to Mars, Venus, the asteroid belt, etc., he has created his own future history of man's exploration of the solar system. The second part which has the stories about exploring the galaxy does not have that same feel, and the stories could easily be read in any order.

Mr. Conklin has taken stories from most of the early great writers and a few from some lesser known ones as well. There are stories from Heinlein, van Vogt, Bradbury, Asimov, Sturgeon, Clement, Leinster, Vance, MacLean, Simak, and Clarke, to name some of the better known authors included. There is also "The Helping Hand" by Poul Anderson, which was nominated in 2001 for the Retro Hugo for novelettes written in the year 1950. It is the last story in the book, and an interesting look at the psychology of giving and accepting aid.

Overall, this is a very good anthology, and it holds up well over the years for the most part. It is also well paired with "Invaders of Earth" and together they make a strong set. Definitely a worthwhile read for fans of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.