Visions of Wonder [Paperback]

David G. Hartwell (Editor), Milton T. Wolf (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1996

For years, those bringing SF into the classroom have had to improvise their course materials from anthologies and collections not designed for classwork. Now, David G. Hartwell, award-winning anthologist, and Professor Milton T. Wolf, Vice President of the Science Fiction Research Association, present a carefully selected reading anthology reflecting the SF field in all its modern diversity. Here are Golden Age writers like John W. Campbell and Jack Williamson, and here also are towering latter-day titans like Gene Wolfe and Ursula K. Le Guin, along with today's popular writers such as Greg Bear, Robert Jordan, and Vernor Vinge.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Should a textbook be this fun to read? If it's a science fiction anthology put together by the Science Fiction Research Association, the answer is yes! This hefty (798 pages) tome is meant to be both a primer to the SF of the '90s as well as an enjoyable book in its own right, and it succeeds fully on both counts. With more than 30 "classic" stories from the current decade supplemented by critical essays from some of the genre's finest writers, this book is both a scholarly resource and road map to some of the best short fiction in recent years.

From Publishers Weekly

This third reading anthology from the Science Fiction Research Association offers the uninitiated an excellent and informed introduction to the genre while also supplying fans with plenty of new pleasures. Since this volume spotlights SF of the '90s, editors Hartwell and Wolf have gathered stories by Orson Scott Card, Terry Bisson, Walter Jon Williams and James Patrick Kelly, to mention a few of the 31 fiction contributors. While all of the fiction has been published elsewhere, the editors' introductory essays explain their inclusion: Judith Tarr offers a rip-roaring specimen of alternate history with a tale about the Kennedy boys as rock stars?Marilyn Monroe becomes the kickass feminist lawyer of JFK's nightmares. In the title story from his collection Bears Discover Fire, Bisson demonstrates how the boundaries of SF have expanded, with a story about bears discovering the use of fire that resonates with magical realism; similarly, Kate Wilhelm offers a hypnotic time-travel story that moves the heart more than a simple romance ever could. The editors balance these newer voices against writers who have shaped the genre, and so the work of Philip Jose Farmer, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Anne McCaffrey is also here to be appreciated. But best of all are the nine essays: Samuel R. Delany writes on how science fiction fits into literature; Damon Knight, on critics; John W. Campbell Jr. imagines explaining to a robot what a human is; while David G. Hartwell provides a hilarious and honest examination of the SF fan's psyche, the 12-year-old within each of us. And that kid is going to love this wise, witty and wonderful collection.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (October 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312852878
• ISBN-13: 978-0312852870
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,054,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good mix of speculative fiction and scholarly articles., July 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Visions of Wonder (Paperback)

This is a memorable collection. From new stories like "Blood Music" and "Bears Discover Fire" to classics like "The Girl Who was Plugged In," the stories are sometimes disturbing but always engrossing. The scholarly articles are insightful from an academic standpoint, especially "What do you mean, 'human'?" This is definitely a "keeper." If scholarly articles bore you, don't read them. But you'll never know what you missed!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!, December 9, 2007

By 

Isobel Snow (Calgary, AB, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visions of Wonder (Paperback)

Visions of Wonder is one of my most prized books! I've had it for years now, after initially buying it for an SF class I took in university. I often re-read stories in the anthology, and look up the authors' other works and read them as well. If you are a lover of quality SF and Fantasy, this is a must-have volume of fascinating stories and ideas. I couldn't recommend it more highly!