The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two A: The Greatest Science Fiction Novellas of All Time Chosen by the Members of The Science Fiction Writers of America (SF Hall of Fame) (Hardcover)

by Ben Bova (Editor)
Key Phrases: time traveller, palladium needle, ginger whiskers, Miss Kew, Van Wall, Time Machine (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, honored the best of science fiction's early short stories. This volume is the definitive collection of the best science fiction novellas written between 1929 to 1964 and contains eleven great classics. There is no better anthology that captures the birth of science fiction as a literary field.

Published in 1973 to honor novellas that had come before the institution of the Nebula Awards, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame introduced tens of thousands of young readers to the wonders of science fiction and was a favorite of libraries across the country.

This volume contains novellas by Poul Anderson, John W. Campbell Jr., Lester del Rey, Robert A. Heinlein, C. M. Kornbluth, Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore, Eric Frank Russell, Cordwainer Smith, Theodore Sturgeon, H. G. Wells, and Jack Williamson.


About the Author
A six-time winner of the Hugo Award, a former editor of Analog, former editorial director of Omni, and past president of the National Space Society and the Science Fiction Writers of America, Ben Bova is the author of more than a hundred works of science fact and fiction. He lives in Florida.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (November 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765305348
• ISBN-13: 978-0765305343
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #186,513 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Landmarks of Science Fiction, January 20, 2005

By	G. Styles (Vienna, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

You'd never guess from looking at the bookstore shelves today, but collections of short works like these used to be the mainstay of science fiction. Tor Books deserves kudos for bringing this collection of classic novellas from sf's Golden Age back into print, and in hardcover, too, with Volume 2B presumably still to come.

The novella, longer than a short story, shorter than a full novel, is the ideal length for science fiction, providing enough room for an author to present an idea and work through all its implications, without the padding that often seems obligatory for marketing purposes today.

This book includes key works by some of the field's biggest names from the 1940s and 50s. Most will probably be new to anyone who started reading science fiction after the 1980s, including Campbell's "Who Goes There", filmed twice as "The Thing" but much creepier in print, and Lester del Rey's "Nerves", which pre-dated Three Mile Island and Chernobyl by decades.

While the science may have dated, these are still terrific stories.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for SF fans., June 11, 2006

By	E. Thayer (Mishawaka, IN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This anthology includes my personal favorites: The tale of a dumbed down society in "The Marching Morons" by C.M. Kornbluth, and "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell, Jr. "Who Goes There" is beyond excellent ~ I still get nightmares ~ and was the basis for both films titled "The Thing." Isaac Asimov opines in his biography "I, Asimov" that "Who Goes There?" is the finest science fiction story ever written. I tend to agree.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Stories, October 4, 2005

By	Peter McNae (Waverley, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book many years ago and to this day several of the short stories stick in my mind. So when looking for a good book for my wife to read, I thought this was the perfect choice. Unfortunately, I didn't have a copy. So I was overjoyed to see this book being reprinted and eagerly ordered a copy.

Look for "Who Goes There" which is the short story the movie "Thing" was based upon.