Detalji predmeta

• Stanje Polovno

Najbolje SF priče 5, Faber dobro očuvano, Kliford simak, robert šekli, brajan oldis, artur klark, džon vindam, fric lajber

This is the Faber paperback edition. It contains eleven stories. When this series of British anthologies first began to be published in 1955, they were seen as a significant step for science fiction in the UK in that they were from a prestigious publisher with a respected editor, and science fiction was now (for the first time) acknowledged as of literary value.

I think this is an excellent and varied collection containing some gems. I enjoyed them all except the first story which just baffled me.

Despite my comments above, I do not know enough about science fiction to give a detailed review. I’m also concerned that in the detail I might give away too much of the storylines. My main motivation for reviewing is to give an easily accessible list of contents to those browsing through anthologies on Amazon.

Here is a list of the contents together with a brief scene setting comment or quote (definitely not plot spoiling):

(1) “On Handling the Data” by Henry I. Hirshfield and G.M. Mateyko
Letters from a zoology graduate student to the editor of a scientific journal.
It’s rare for me to say this, but this story doesn’t click for me. Only nine pages long.

(2) “ Noise Level” by Raymond F. Jones
Dr Martin Nagle has been invited to a top secret conference including a “brilliant array of his colleagues in fields closely allied to his own”, and a number of high ranking military.

(3) “Green Thumb” by Clifford Simak
“Pete’s wife told me that he was up in the north forty, so I went there and found not only Pete, but some of his neighbours. All of them were looking at the hole and doing a lot of talking. I never saw a more puzzled bunch of people”.
Lovely story of alien contact. I strongly suspect that it influenced Stephen Spielberg. Simak is my favourite author.

(4) “The Quest for Saint Aquin” by Anthony Boucher
“The Pope brushed a cockroach from the filth-encrusted wooden table, took another sip of the raw red wine, and resumed his discourse.” The search for the remains of St Aquin in California.

(5) “The Monsters” by Robert Sheckley
First lines: “Cordovir and Hum stood on the rocky mountain-top, watching the new thing happen. Both felt rather good about it. It was undoubtedly the newest thing that had happened for some time.”

(6) “Who Can Replace a Man” by Brian W. Aldiss
There is chaos among the machines at the Agricultural Station. The field-minder has a class three brain and so takes responsibility for finding out what is going on.
Another classic story.

(7) “The Prisoner” by Christopher Anvil
The defence is spread too thinly over many star systems in the face of alien attack. Strategy and communication are poor. The new government is trying to get a handle on the situation.

(8) “The Star” by Arthur C. Clarke
First lines: “It is three thousand light years to the Vatican Once I believed that space could have no power over faith. Just as I believed that the heavens declared the glory of God’s handiwork. Now I have seen that handiwork, and my faith is sorely troubled.”
I’m sure you must be familiar with this one already.
1956 Hugo winner (short story)

(9) “ Consider Her Ways” by John Wyndham
A woman comes round from anaesthetic into an unfamiliar world. Even her body is unfamiliar.
Well written story.

(10) “The Martyr” by Poul Anderson
A top secret mission has captured eight Cibarrans in order to learn how to access possible human latent psi power. It has long been a frustration that the Cibarrans have not passed on this knowledge to humans.

(11) “Later Than You Think” by Fritz Leiber
An Explorer returns from the Stars and seeks out his old Archaeologist friend, who has been excavating proof of previous intelligent life on Earth.