1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truly original Science Fiction., April 19, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Robert Silverberg's Worlds of Wonder: Exploring the Craft of Science Fiction (Hardcover)
I borrowed this book from the library, and now I have to have it. Not only do the ideas behind the stories capture my imagination, but the actual writing is wonderful. I'm interested in the craft of writing fiction, science fiction in particular. The critic's look that Robert Silverberg gives with each short story really made me think about what I was reading. This is a must-have if you are even remotely interested in the writing of science fiction.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5.0 out of 5 stars
A terrific book on many levels, August 2, 2009
This review is from: Robert Silverberg's Worlds of Wonder: Exploring the Craft of Science Fiction (Hardcover)
Three cheers to the internet and Amazon for making priceless out-of-print books like this one so easily available.
In Worlds of Wonder, the multi-Hugo and multi-Nebula award winner Robert Silverberg presents a book that's part autobiography of his early years as a developing writer, part literary criticism, part guide to other beginning writers, and part anthology.
Thirteen stories are included, each by a different author, ranging in date from 1944 to 1966. Silverberg selected these stories both for their value as lasting classics of the SF genre, and for the influence they had on him as a young writer. In a brief essay that follows each story, Silverberg explains why he considers it among the best that SF has produced, analyzes what makes it "work" as a story, and often, how the story influenced him when he first read it. Fascinating tidbits about the genesis of the story, its reception at the time of its publication, and its influence on the SF field in general are also sometimes included.
Any devoted reader of SF short stories will be familiar with some, if not all of the stories here. But the book works on several levels: As a fine collection of classics, as a work of SF criticism and analysis that will give readers new insights into some well-known stories, and as a partial autobiography of the early career of one of SF's greatest authors, revealing much about the man, his thoughts about SF writing and the circle of writers he moved among.
A list of the stories:
"Four in One"; Damon Knight, 1953
"Fondly Fahrenheit"; Alfred Bester, 1954
"No Woman Born"; C.L. Moore, 1944
"Home is the Hunter"; Henry Kuttner, 1953
"The Monsters"; Robert Sheckley, 1953
"Common Time"; James Blish, 1953
"Scanners Live in Vain"; Cordwainer Smith, 1950
"Hothouse"; Brian W. Aldiss, 1960
"The New Prime"; Jack Vance, 1951
"Colony"; Philip K. Dick, 1953
"The Little Black Bag"; C.M. Kornbluth, 1950
"Light of Other Days"; Bob Shaw, 1966
"Day Million"; Frederick Pohl, 1966
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
