tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71723591796137298702024-03-09T14:03:15.381+05:30Variety SFSampling a variety of sf authors & themesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3324125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-84607564095818633642015-02-24T21:03:00.001+05:302015-02-24T21:03:21.326+05:30Robert Moore Williams' "The Sound of Bugles" (short story)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Adventure involving a well intentioned human researcher & a greedy human villain - both trying to figure out how Martians are able to literally create material things out of thin air. Villain will die trying; scientist will learn that their technique cannot be replicated by humans because it involves biological capability we lack, & that he's dealing with super-beings.<br />
<h4>
Collected in.</h4>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Donald%20Wollheim?max-results=100">Donald A Wollheim</a> (ed)'s "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2015/02/donald-wollheim-ed-adventures-on-other.html"><b>Adventures on Other Planets</b></a>".</li>
</ol>
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Startling%20Stories?max-results=100"><i>Startling Stories</i></a>, September <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1949?max-results=100">1949</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: B.<br />
<i>Related</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Robert%20Moore%20Williams?max-results=100">Stories of Robert Moore Williams</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-21727332361380628352015-02-18T21:35:00.001+05:302015-02-18T21:36:02.242+05:30Roger Dee's "The Obligation" (novelette, free, first contact): An alien's adventures at a human camp on Venus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.unz.org/Pub/StartlingStories-1952sep-00106" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Illustration accompanying the original publication in Startling Stories magazine of short story The Obligation by Roger Dee. Image shows the alien saving the man in a storm on Venus." border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bGeCfiqPEAA/VOS2zV1u7cI/AAAAAAAAFjM/KiTBSEOB_DM/s1600/Roger%2BDee%2B-%2BThe%2BObligation%2B(illustration).jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
A shape-shifting surveyor ("Cseth Abrii of Pselpha from the binary suns Kornephoros") from an alien elder race saves a human fisherman on Venus in a storm. Alien's later friendly gestures at the human camp drive another man mad with fear - so we have a madman hunting the alien & other humans of the habitat trying to save the alien. Eventually, the madman will die & so will the saved man's wife, but does the man need to know his wife is dead? Alien thinks he has an obligation towards the friendly man who lost his wife trying to save him...<br />
<h4>
Collected in.</h4>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Donald%20Wollheim?max-results=100">Donald A Wollheim</a> (ed)'s "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2015/02/donald-wollheim-ed-adventures-on-other.html"><b>Adventures on Other Planets</b></a>".</li>
</ol>
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Startling%20Stories?max-results=100"><i>Startling Stories</i></a>, September <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1952?max-results=100">1952</a>.<br />
Read online at <a href="http://www.unz.org/Pub/StartlingStories-1952sep-00106">UNZ</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: B.<br />
<i>Related</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Roger%20Dee?max-results=100">Stories of Roger Dee</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-48513729703031325632015-02-18T21:35:00.000+05:302015-02-24T21:04:42.401+05:30Donald A Wollheim (ed)'s "Adventures on Other Planets" (anthology)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;"></span></h4>
<h4>
<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Donald%20Wollheim?max-results=100" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of the anthology Adventures on Other Planets, edited by Donald A Wollheim" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CA40NF_zpHI/VOS12HVPxGI/AAAAAAAAFjE/6yBxIxcw68g/s1600/Donald%2BA%2BWollheim%2B(ed)%2B-%2BAdventures%2Bon%2BOther%2BPlanets%2B(cover).jpg" height="320" style="border: medium none;" width="208" /></a>
Table of contents.</h4>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>[novelette] <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Roger%20Dee?max-results=100">Roger Dee</a>'s "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2015/02/roger-dee-obligation-novelette-free.html"><b>The Obligation</b></a>" (B); <a href="http://www.unz.org/Pub/StartlingStories-1952sep-00106">read online</a>; <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Startling%20Stories?max-results=100"><i>Startling Stories</i></a>, September <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1952?max-results=100">1952</a>: An alien visitor's adventures at a human fishing camp on Venus.</li>
<li>[ss] <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Robert%20Moore%20Williams?max-results=100">Robert Moore Williams</a>' "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2015/02/robert-moore-williams-sound-of-bugles.html"><b>The Sound of Bugles</b></a>" (B): Couple of humans' adventures among Martians. </li>
<li><a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Clifford%20Simak?max-results=100">Clifford D Simak</a>'s "<b>Ogre</b>".</li>
<li><a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Murray%20Leinster?max-results=100">Murray Leinster</a>'s "<b>Assignment on Pasik</b>".</li>
<li>[novelette] <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/A%20E%20van%20Vogt?max-results=100">A E van Vogt</a>'s "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/2012/06/e-van-vogt-war-against-rull-fix-up.html"><b>The Rull</b></a>"; <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Analog?max-results=100"><i>Astounding</i></a>, May <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1948?max-results=100">1948</a>.</li>
</ol>
<i>First published</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1955?max-results=100">1955</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Related</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/anthology?max-results=100">Anthologies</a> & <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/collection?max-results=100">collections</a>; <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Donald%20Wollheim?max-results=100">works of Donald A Wollheim</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-31262596489405469762015-01-05T20:45:00.000+05:302015-01-05T20:45:17.688+05:30C H Robinson's "Longhead: The story of the first fire" (novella, free): Down of human civilization<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/47845" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of the 1913 novella Longhead, by C H Robinson. Image shows a long ago human ancestor intrigued by a fire started by lightening." border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ghfceZLXjDE/VKqpzp9ewVI/AAAAAAAAFi0/o3rcPgv3a-c/s1600/C%2BH%2BRobinson%2B-%2BLonghead%2B--%2BThe%2Bstory%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bfirst%2Bfire%2B(cover).jpg" height="320" style="border: none;" width="206" /></a>Longhead, a man from a time before there were <i>homo sapiens</i>, accidentally discovers fire & helps kickstart the ideas that would start the humans on their journey to civilized life...<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1913?max-results=100">1913</a>.<br />
Download full text from <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/47845">Project Gutenberg</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: B.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-31346948110876922952014-10-27T20:55:00.002+05:302014-10-27T20:56:09.959+05:30Jules Verne's "Ticket No '9672'" aka "The Lottery Ticket" (novel, non-genre, free): Introducing idyllic Norwegian countryside<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Jules%20Verne?max-results=100" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of novel Ticket No 9672 by Jules Verne" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9kAcY_4WiXQ/VE5jfY2b17I/AAAAAAAAFik/jjtjLHl6EaY/s1600/Jules%2BVerne%2B-%2BTicket%2BNo%2B9672%2B(cover).jpg" height="320" style="border: none;" width="213" /></a>I actually picked it up expecting an adventure, & got disappointed. It's readable enough, if you are in mood for a slow moving story in scenic locations with far too much descriptions & far too little dialogs or action.<br />
<h4>
Story summary.</h4>
Story is mostly set in Dal, a small town in Norway. A family of 3 Hansens - mother, daughter, & son, running an inn. Daughter's fiance has gone on a fishing expedition to Newfoundland, & the marriage is expected on his return; only his ship gets wrecked at sea, with all presumed dead.<br />
<br />
Eventually, a bottle is found at sea, containing a lottery ticket bearing the number of story's title, & a farewell message at its back for the girl from fiance. News spreads, people get superstitious about the number, & begin sending bids to buy it. Add an influential man who'll get fond of the family & will move mountains to get positive proof of the sailor's death.<br />
<br />
Eventually happy ending.<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1886?max-results=100">1886</a>.<br />
Download full text from <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13527">Project Gutenberg</a>, <a href="http://www.feedbooks.com/book/4392/ticket-no-9672">Feedbooks</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: B.<br />
<i>Related</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Jules%20Verne?max-results=100">Stories of Jules Verne</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-75833561918934427832014-10-03T21:08:00.003+05:302014-10-27T20:46:16.983+05:30Anand Neelakantan's "Asura" (novel): Retelling Ramayan from the point of view of Ravan!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of the novel Asura by Anand Neelakantan. Shows the picture of 10 headed Ravan." border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OmBL0fS0zfA/VC7ApVIlY1I/AAAAAAAAFiU/PWgvtcQrOxY/s1600/Anand%2BNeelakantan%2B-%2BAsura%2B(cover).jpg" style="border: none;" /></a>This post may not make a lot of sense for readers outside South Asia. <a href="http://www.valmikiramayan.net/">Ramayan</a> is a well known epic here, & my commentary below assumes familiarity with it.<br />
<br />
While there have been many retellings of Ramayan, they mostly don't question its premises, heroes & villains. This one is unusual in that it tells Ramayan from the point of view of Ravan, & from the point of view of an ordinary Asura citizen of the period. Apart from questioning a lot of premises of Ramayan, it uses the opportunity to make commentary on modern India - high growth rate that is invisible to poorer & less skilled sections of society, skin color prejudices, politicians claiming & appropriating far more resources & rights compared to ordinary citizens, ... It also devotes a lot of space to caste system, though I find its rigidity completely unfamiliar; may be times have changed!<br />
<br />
A few noteworthy departures from conventional Ramayan:<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>10 heads of Ravan represent him as a complete man, as against a saint. I don't remember the list of 10 attributes he lists, but they're like one head for lust, another for wisdom, another for greed, ... Ravan is a man, with all the failings it implies, & doesn't aspire to be a God by overcoming what are claimed to be human "shortcomings".</li>
<li>Sita is Ravan & Mandodari's eldest child! Someone foretells that
she will bring destruction to the family & clan, so a lot of
people want her killed when she's a baby. To protect her, Ravan takes
her with him during a campaign north. But those fearful of future
conspire to plan her killed even here; only the man charged with
disposing her off doesn't have heart to murder a helpless baby & manages to have her found by Janak. Ravan kidnapped her later to protect
her from Ram, whom he thinks is unworthy of his daughter. </li>
<li>It sets up the stage as a conflict between Devas & Asuras. India
is initially owned by native tribes of Asuras, Kinnars, Nagas, etc.
Deva invaders have come from Central Asia, & Indra is the first
of the successful raiders. Asuras are a casteless society; Devas have
brought casteism with them.</li>
<li>Vanars are half castes - mix of Devas & Asuras, unwanted by
both. They inhabit central India, acting mostly as a buffer zone between
Asuras & Devas. </li>
<li>Brahma is not a god but a clan of teachers, one of whom will teach Ravan in his young years.</li>
</ol>
Story isn't always consistent, though. It takes pains to tell us Vanars are nothing but ordinary human half castes, & yet they move up trees & buildings far more nimbly than most men, & are often referred to as "monkey men". I think there is a place before Lanka Dehan where Hanumanji's tail is referred to! And there is reference to steel somewhere during fighting in Lanka; did steel even exist in the period the story is set in?<br />
<br />
I found some of the takeaways of the book disturbing:<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Dashahara: (Incidentally, today is Dashahara.) What does it tell us about Indians as human beings? That we are a vengeful unforgiving lot? Even assuming everything in classical Ramayan is true, Ravan got death as his punishment. Why do we still keep taking revenge by burning his effigies?</li>
<li>Lanka Dehan: Assume that the Prime Minister does something stupid. As a
revenge & to put pressure on him, someone comes & bombs
your neighborhood. What would you call this avenger? A lot of innocents
must have died when Lanka was set on fire! Why do we never discuss it? </li>
<li>Disfigurement of Soorpnakha at the hands of Lakshman: Why do we simply
brush it aside? OK - so she was promiscuous & was trying to
entice Lakshman. Does that justify cutting off her nose?</li>
<li>Agni Pareeksha & the exile of a pregnant Sita: I've heard pious
explanations for it but never found them convincing. This book imagines
the dirty details to make you squirm. </li>
</ol>
It did however took me a long time to finish - well over a month. I didn't normally get bored reading it, but once I put it down, I usually had to make an effort pick it up again. May be because it's rambling ... or too long ...<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/2012?max-results=100">2012</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: A. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-65447657280180648342014-09-24T09:00:00.000+05:302014-09-24T09:01:14.175+05:30Mangalyaan, India's maiden Mars probe, is now orbiting Mars!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
@<a href="http://www.isro.org/mars/updates.aspx">ISRO</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-55676078287737217712014-08-03T17:10:00.002+05:302014-08-03T17:10:31.172+05:30Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Carson of Venus" (novel, adventure, free): Hero helps win a war<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0300181h.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of Argosy magazine issue where the story originally began publishing - first of the 6 parts." border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kDrpkx5J32M/U94fF17hpHI/AAAAAAAAFiE/QEv2419nWYo/s1600/Edgar+Rice+Burroughs+-+Carson+of+Venus+(cover).jpg" height="320" style="border: none;" width="231" /></a>This is #3 in author's Venus series. I've not read the earlier books, but it's pretty much an independent adventure. And very readable if you can keep plausibility aside.<br />
<h4>
Story summary.</h4>
Carson Napier, hero of the story, along with his ladylove Duare, is homeless & wanted in many jurisdictions on Venus. But he has an airplane he built that can stay up in the air without maintenance or refueling for 50 years! But he needs to land for food. The duo are seeking a home where they will be wanted.<br />
<br />
They'll end up on a large island (Korva) with war going on - a common soldier has usurped power & has imprisoned the king. All of Korva has fallen except one holdout, the walled city of Sanara. The city is now under seize.<br />
<br />
Carson will end up befriending the holdouts, & help them win the war by bombing enemy from his plane & by playing a spy in usurper's city.<br />
<h4>
Notes.</h4>
There is also an unrelated short story length adventure at the beginning of the novel - tribals kidnap Duare & Carson will rescue her.<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: As a serial in 6 parts in <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Argosy?max-results=100"><i>Argosy</i></a>, Jan 8, 15, 22, 29, & Feb 5 & 12 issues, <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1938?max-results=100">1938</a>.<br />
Download full text from <a href="http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0300181h.html">Project Gutenberg of Australia</a> or <a href="http://www.feedbooks.com/book/1221/carson-of-venus">Feedbooks</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: A.<br />
Nominated for <a href="http://www.loncon3.org/1939_retro_shortlist.php">Retro Hugo Awards 1939</a> in novel category.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-35172233532122657472014-07-26T06:42:00.000+05:302014-07-26T06:43:42.495+05:30Henry Kuttner's "The Time Trap" (novella, adventure, free)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is readable enough, but in a mindless sort of way.<br />
<h4>
Story summary.</h4>
A disparate group of apparently good samaritans come together from several eras - hero from 1930s, heroine & hero's sidekick from 5000 years ago from what is now Arabia, & a friend from sometime in future. They're chasing two villains - both from future - through time. In the process, they'll have lot of adventures in exotic locales & among exotic species at different times in earth's history.<br />
<br />
Two curious things stood out for me. One is a factual error - in the story, the moon has come much closer to earth in far future; I thought it is going away a few centimeters every year. Other is something you see a lot on pulp magazine covers but not in actual stories - here, heroine is nude at least a half dozen times - sometimes an object of lust, other times as part of torture, yet another time as part of worship! I haven't read many stories from <i>Marvel</i>, but I wonder if the magazine specialized in titillation?<br />
<br />
Title refers a metallic device that looks like a pair of obelisks, planted in some remote corner of Arabia by the main villain. The device will live to the end of earth, & is a trap: whenever someone is within range of device &, simultaneously, lightening strikes the device, the person is sent to about 3000 BC!<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Marvel%20Science%20Stories?max-results=100"><i>Marvel Science Stories</i></a>, November <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1938?max-results=100">1938</a>.<br />
Download full text from <a href="http://alfalib.com/book/103135.html">AlfaLib</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: B.<br />
Nominated for <a href="http://www.loncon3.org/1939_retro_shortlist.php">Retro Hugo Awards 1939</a> in novella category.<br />
<i>Related</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Henry%20Kuttner?max-results=100">Stories of Henry Kuttner</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-39982819442199106062014-07-24T22:36:00.000+05:302014-07-24T22:37:15.198+05:30C L Moore's "Werewoman" (novelette, free)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Among the most boring of author's <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/2009/04/c-l-moore-northwest-smith-series-of.html">Northwest Smith series</a>; I completed it only because it is C L Moore.<br />
<br />
Northwest Smith, unarmed, hurt, & being chased by unnamed adversaries, walks into the cursed ruins of a long dead city, & will free it from its curse.<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <i>Leaves</i> #2, Winter <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1938?max-results=100">1938</a>.<br />
Download full text from <a href="http://alfalib.com/book/88654.html">AlfaLib</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: C.<br />
Nominated for <a href="http://www.loncon3.org/1939_retro_shortlist.php">Retro Hugo Awards 1939</a> in novelette category.<br />
<i>Related</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/C%20L%20Moore?max-results=100">Stories of C L Moore</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-44568741321234720882014-07-22T22:34:00.002+05:302014-07-23T10:45:23.601+05:30John W Campbell's "Dead Knowledge" (as by Don A Stuart) (novelette, alien invasion): "Molecular", microscopic, space traveling, light-eating alien invaders want to control us as tools!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/John%20Campbell?max-results=100" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="one of the uncredited illustrations accompanying the original publication in Astounding magazine of short story Dead Knowledge by John Campbell" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h-_2dEsBUqo/U86ZWh0NpbI/AAAAAAAAFh0/i2uqVOaRLO4/s1600/John+W+Campbell+-+Dead+Knowledge+(illustration).jpg" style="border: none;" /></a><br />
Three human star travelers have arrived at a new world 27 light years from earth, only to find that it once harbored intelligent, highly developed, humanoid civilization that is now dead. And, curiously, it's long dead residents have their bodies well preserved & they all apparently committed suicide!!<br />
<br />
It drags on for a while, until the visitors themselves start committing suicide - first one, then other. It's the final one who will enlighten us on the nature of infection before himself committing suicide.<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Analog?max-results=100"><i>Astounding</i></a>, January <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1938?max-results=100">1938</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: B.<br />
Nominated for <a href="http://www.loncon3.org/1939_retro_shortlist.php">Retro Hugo Awards 1939</a> in novelette category.<br />
Among <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2008/08/astounding-analog-of-cambell-annotated.html">the stories from <i>Astounding</i>/<i>Analog</i> issues edited by John Campbell</a>.<br />
<i>Related</i>: Works of <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/John%20Campbell?max-results=100">John Campbell</a> (as by <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Don%20Stuart?max-results=100">Don A Stuart</a>).</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-6809945032763195572014-07-20T23:43:00.002+05:302014-07-22T22:37:47.329+05:30Clifford D Simak's "Rule 18" (novelette, humor): How earth won it's first football match against Martians in decades<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Clifford%20Simak?max-results=100" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="One of the illustrations accompanying the original publication in Astounding magazine of short story Rule 18 by Clifford D Simak. Image shows the victory procession through New York of Martian football team after its latest win against earth." border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gv0353qSVf0/U8wGLPqEPwI/AAAAAAAAFhk/mdnFR2PSonI/s1600/Clifford+D+Simak+-+Rule+18+(ill).jpg" style="border: none;" /></a>Martians have been beating earth in annual football match for a long time. And the diagnosis is: earth-men have become soft because of too much automation
here; they never get a chance to exercise their muscles. But things are
about to change as a cool newly invented gadget, the earth team's coach
sick of losing too long, & a betting syndicate come together...<br />
<br />
Title comes from one of the rules of the game that requires a player of the team to not only be natives of his world, but his 9 preceding generations should have been native of this world too. Coach will twist this rule in a curious way to win.<br />
<br />
<i>Update 21 July 2014</i>: <i>Marooned</i> has<a href="http://booksonmars.blogspot.in/2010/02/rule-18-earth-mars-football-story-by.html"> a note on an Isaac Asimov connection to this story</a>.<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Analog?max-results=100"><i>Astounding</i></a>, July <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1938?max-results=100">1938</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: B.<br />
Nominated for <a href="http://www.loncon3.org/1939_retro_shortlist.php">Retro Hugo Awards 1939</a> in novelette category.<br />
Among <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2008/08/astounding-analog-of-cambell-annotated.html">the stories from <i>Astounding</i>/<i>Analog</i> issues edited by John Campbell</a>.<br />
<i>Related</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Clifford%20Simak?max-results=100">Stories of Clifford D Simak</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-56347199308164065872014-07-19T07:27:00.001+05:302014-07-19T07:31:51.384+05:30H L Gold's "A Matter of Form" (novella, brain dump): When a man lived in a dog's body<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/H%20L%20Gold?max-results=100" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="One of the uncredited illustrations accompanying the original publication of this story in Astounding magazine. Image shows a scene near end where the man in dogs body, with 2 friends, is confronting 2 villains." border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Makq7HcQNRw/U8nQ8K2YMoI/AAAAAAAAFhQ/A_eCRtey-iI/s1600/H+L+Gold+-+A+Matter+of+Form+(ill).jpg" height="320" style="border: none;" width="273" /></a>A surgeon has discovered that the pineal gland at the brain's base is the source of an <br />
animal's identity; surgically extract & transplant it in another animal's brain, & you've put the original in a new body. And he has a rich, old & seriously ill financier who wants a young man's body!<br />
<br />
In one of the experiments, the surgeon exchanged the identity of a kidnapped man with a dog. Only the resulting man-in-dog's-body turned out to be more determined & resourceful than either the surgeon or his financier expected...<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Analog?max-results=100"><i>Astounding</i></a>, December <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1938?max-results=100">1938</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: A.<br />
Nominated for <a href="http://www.loncon3.org/1939_retro_shortlist.php">Retro Hugo Awards 1939</a> in novella category.<br />
Among <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2008/08/astounding-analog-of-cambell-annotated.html">the stories from <i>Astounding</i>/<i>Analog</i> issues edited by John Campbell</a>.<br />
<i>Related</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/H%20L%20Gold?max-results=100">Stories of H L Gold</a>. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-85387427887668396022014-07-18T08:16:00.000+05:302014-07-19T07:21:35.967+05:30Robert E Howard's "Pigeons From Hell" (novelette, haunted house, free)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
While I'm not a fan of haunted house tales, & the first of its 3 parts did bore me a bit, the later parts were generally quite readable.<br />
<h4>
Story summary.</h4>
An abandoned house in the US South is haunted by a "zuvembie", a "zuvembie" created by black voodoo in revenge for serious maltreatment of a "mulatto" maid by a former slave owner. Now the zuvembie targets whatever hapless human happens by the place, killing the victim. A lucky escaped victim & a policeman will join hands to kill the zuvembie.<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Weird%20Tales?max-results=100"><i>Weird Tales</i></a>, May <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1938?max-results=100">1938</a>.<br />
Download full text from <a href="http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0600721h.html">Project Gutenberg of Australia</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: B.<br />
Nominated for <a href="http://www.loncon3.org/1939_retro_shortlist.php">Retro Hugo Awards 1939</a> in novelette category.<br />
<i>Related</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Robert%20Howard?max-results=100">Stories of Robert E Howard</a>. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-30870204507801622962014-07-17T06:19:00.002+05:302014-07-17T06:20:16.959+05:30Lester Del Rey's "The Faithful" (short story, doomsday, free)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Uplifted dogs are taking over the civilization, as the last of the Man is dying following a war & then a plague...<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Analog?max-results=100"><i>Astounding</i></a>, April <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1938?max-results=100">1938</a>.<br />
Download full text from <a href="http://docs7.chomikuj.pl/1849235706,PL,0,0,Lester-Del-Rey---The-Faithful.txt">Chomikuj.pl</a>
(badly formatted HTML; I'd to edit it in a text editor on PC discarding
entire HTML header & footer, & saving it as TXT file, before it
would read correctly in Moon+ Reader on my tablet).<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: B.<br />
Nominated for <a href="http://www.loncon3.org/1939_retro_shortlist.php">Retro Hugo Awards 1939</a> in short story category.<br />
Among <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2008/08/astounding-analog-of-cambell-annotated.html">the stories from <i>Astounding</i>/<i>Analog</i> issues edited by John Campbell</a>.<br />
<i>Related</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Lester%20del%20Rey?max-results=100">Stories of Lester del Rey</a>. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-74164188534188566762014-07-17T06:09:00.002+05:302014-07-18T08:18:40.345+05:30Hello<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm back here after a long time. And I'm not sure if I'm back for good. I've read just too much science fiction during the last few years; am finding it difficult to get back in.<br />
<br />
Today, I begin a series on nominees for this year's "<a href="http://www.loncon3.org/1939_retro_shortlist.php">Retro Hugo Awards 1939</a>", to be presented along with this year's Hugo Awards at LONCON3 next month. My experience reading Hugos last few years has been less than satisfactory, so I thought may be I'll try Retro Hugos. I will be reading only those Retro nominees I've not already read, which may be about half the stories; or rather, the ones I can locate among the unread ones.<br />
<br />
Thank you.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-68456932950639746912014-04-13T10:43:00.000+05:302014-04-13T10:47:30.234+05:30Pierre Barbet's "A Problem in Bionics" (short story, detective)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A group of scientists are working on a bunch of green technologies inspired by the workings of animals & insects. To get noticed by a wider audience, they move to live on an island using only the green tech - no petroleum, no CO2, ... The idea is to demonstrate that living in an environmentally sane way is possible.<br />
<br />
But a thief among them has been selling the technology to unscrupulous elements outside, who intend to patent them; hence hinder their widespread adoption.<br />
<br />
So a detective is hired to catch the thief...<br />
<h4>
Notes.</h4>
I'm not convinced of the ending. I've never seen a microfilm, but can you attach one to a wing of a butterfly & have the poor thing still fly?<br />
<h4>
Collected in.</h4>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Donald%20Wollheim?max-results=100">Donald A Wollheim</a> (ed)'s "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/2013/03/donald-wollheim-ed-best-from-rest-of.html"><b>The Best from the Rest of the World: European Science Fiction</b></a>".</li>
</ol>
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <i>Horizons du Fantastique </i>(French), sometime in <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1974?max-results=100">1974</a>. This
post is based on an English translation by Stanley Hochman included in
Wollheim's anthology.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: B.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-57013470475484819382014-04-10T00:57:00.003+05:302014-04-10T00:58:01.404+05:30John R Pierce's "Period Piece" (as by J J Coupling) (short story)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A modern man finds himself in 31st century, with no recollection of how he got there. He's being treated very well & kindly, but he's smelling something fishy - why's is no one curious about the period he's come from, not even an eminent historian?<br />
<br />
Very curious & unexpected ending.<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Collected in.</span></h4>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Everett%20Bleiler?max-results=100">Everett F Bleiler</a> & T E Dikty (eds)' "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2014/03/everett-f-bleiler-t-e-dikty-eds-best.html"><b>The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1949</b></a>".</li>
</ol>
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Analog?max-results=100"><i>Astounding</i></a>, November <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1948?max-results=100">1948</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: A.<br />
Among <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2008/08/astounding-analog-of-cambell-annotated.html">the stories from <i>Astounding</i>/<i>Analog</i> issues edited by John Campbell</a>.<br />
<i>Related</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/John%20Pierce?max-results=100">Stories of John R Pierce</a>. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-81477536983330650322014-04-07T23:03:00.003+05:302014-04-07T23:03:54.104+05:30Martin Gardner's "Thang" (flash fiction, free): Big fish eats smaller one; & is food to bigger one<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is a very minor story, though apparently a well known one.<br />
<br />
A giant, cosmic scale creature called Thang eats up earth for breakfast! And then gets eaten up by something even bigger.<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Collected in.</span></h4>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Everett%20Bleiler?max-results=100">Everett F Bleiler</a> & T E Dikty (eds)' "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2014/03/everett-f-bleiler-t-e-dikty-eds-best.html"><b>The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1949</b></a>".</li>
</ol>
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1948?max-results=100">1948</a>. ("<a href="http://www.britishorigami.info/academic/lister/martin_gardner.php">for his college literary magazine</a>").<br />
<a href="http://vintage.failed-dam.org/thang.htm">Download full text</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: C.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-66499408854204969792014-04-06T23:24:00.001+05:302014-04-06T23:24:19.496+05:30Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" (short story, horror, free)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is <i>not</i> science fiction. It's creepy horror. A mad man is telling us how he murdered an old man because the victim had blue eyes of a vulture!<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: 1843.<br />
<a href="http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7Ehyper/poe/telltale.html">Download full text</a>.<br />
Download MP3 from <a href="http://www.archive.org/download/AmericanStories/The_Tell-Tale_Heart_-_By_Edgar_Allan_Poe.mp3">Internet Archive</a>.<br />
See a movie adaptation at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpEIMERxgi4">YouTube</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: B.<br />
<i>Related</i>: Stories <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Edgar%20Allan%20Poe?max-results=100">of Edgar Allan Poe</a>; <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/19th%20century?max-results=100">from 19th century</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-56962177914408366722014-03-15T21:31:00.004+05:302014-03-15T21:34:28.755+05:30Isaac Asimov's "No Connection" (short story, puzzle, free)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Millions of years into future, man is long extinct. The world has two dominant intelligent races:<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Americas dominated with "Gurrows", intelligent descendents of bears;</li>
<li>Rest of the world dominated by "Eekahs", intelligent descendents of chimpanzees.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Eekahs are far more technologically advanced, are aware that Americas are sparsely populated, & are planning raids to claim that land.<br />
<br />
This is the story from the point of view of a Gurrow archeologist who knows a bit about the long extinct man (the "Primate Primeval"). And of his seriously incomplete piecing together of the history of the continent & what lays ahead as they come into more frequent contact with Eekahs...</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Collected in.</span></h4>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Everett%20Bleiler?max-results=100">Everett F Bleiler</a> & T E Dikty (eds)' "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2014/03/everett-f-bleiler-t-e-dikty-eds-best.html"><b>The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1949</b></a>".</li>
</ol>
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Analog?max-results=100"><i>Astounding</i></a>, June <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1948?max-results=100">1948</a>.<br />
Download full text from <a href="http://alfalib.com/book/read/id/94024">AlfaLib</a>.<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: A.<br />
<i>Related</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Isaac%20Asimov?max-results=100">Stories of Isaac Asimov</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-9613694691061319732014-03-15T00:52:00.000+05:302014-03-15T00:53:11.508+05:30Poul Anderson's "Genius" (novelette, superman): Who is observing whom, in this lab experiment?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Poul%20Anderson" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Quote from short story Genius by Poul Anderson" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kwKtmx2Hyng/UyNWBPQEH3I/AAAAAAAAFg4/dYgzV1bZ44s/s1600/Paul+Anderson+-+Genius+(quote).JPG" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
This is said to be the "<a href="http://www.tangentonline.com/old-time-radio/1904-exploring-tomorrow-genius-by-poul-anderson">first stand alone piece of short fiction</a>" by Anderson.<br />
<br />
I personally found it a somewhat boring read. Content of the story is mostly in the form of infodump - a character lecturing another one, plus description of author's idea of a utopia.<br />
<h4>
Story summary.</h4>
In far future, human empire extends to tens of thousands of planets in galaxy, has some interactions with alien empires, & it is a fairly static society with thought conditioning of populace to ensure they don't think inconvenient thoughts.<br />
<br />
And the "psychotechnological" ruling elite conduct laboratory experiments on humans, as one would on rats: dump a couple of thousand men, matching some profile, with their memories wiped out, into some experimental environment, & observe their behavior!<br />
<br />
One such experiment has been going on for 1500 years on "Station Seventeen": a virgin earth-like world, complete with a moon, seeded with a few thousand geniuses. And the experiment didn't turn out the way the experimenters expected...<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Collected in.</span></h4>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Everett%20Bleiler?max-results=100">Everett F Bleiler</a> & T E Dikty (eds)' "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2014/03/everett-f-bleiler-t-e-dikty-eds-best.html"><b>The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1949</b></a>".</li>
</ol>
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Analog?max-results=100"><i>Astounding</i></a>, December <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1948?max-results=100">1948</a>.<br />
Download <a href="http://www.archive.org/download/ExploringTomorrow-5Episodes/Exploring_Tomorrow.19xx.xx.xx_Planet_of_Geniuses_64kb.mp3">MP3 of an old time radio drama based on this story titled "<b>Planet of Geniuses</b>"</a>. [via <a href="http://www.sffaudio.com/?page_id=3136">SFFaudio</a>]<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: B.<br />
<i>Related</i>: Stories of <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Poul%20Anderson?max-results=100">Poul Anderson</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-80162254687792179972014-03-15T00:51:00.000+05:302014-04-13T10:50:18.495+05:30Everett F Bleiler & T E Dikty (eds)' "The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1949" (anthology): Annotatated table of contents & review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/anthology?max-results=100" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of short story anthology The Best Science Fiction Stories 1949, edited by Everett F Bleiler and T E Dikty" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iTRWaL3tJOQ/UyNS5yVshXI/AAAAAAAAFgs/XCQIPG6bM58/s1600/Everett+F+Bleiler+&+T+E+Dikty+-+The+Best+Science+Fiction+Stories+--+1949+(cover).jpg" style="border: none;" /></a>According to Wikipedia, "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_Science_Fiction_Stories:_1949">It was the first published anthology to present the best science fiction stories for a given year. The stories had originally appeared in 1948 in the magazines</a>".<br />
<br />
Several well known classics here. I seem to have read several of these years back; currently reading just the half dozen unread ones.<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Table of contents.</span></h4>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>[ss] <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Ray%20Bradbury?max-results=100">Ray Bradbury</a>'s "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2007/09/ray-bradburys-mars-is-heaven-humans.html"><b>Mars is Heaven!</b></a>" (A); download <a href="http://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/mp3/sci-fi/X-1/x-minus-one-550508-mars-is-heaven.mp3">radio adaptation</a>; Planet Stories, Fall 1948.</li>
<li>[novelette] <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Henry%20Kuttner?max-results=100">Henry Kuttner</a> & <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/C%20L%20Moore?max-results=100">C L Moore</a>'s "<b>Ex Machina</b>" (as by <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/search/label/Lewis%20Padgett?max-results=100">Lewis Padgett</a>); <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Analog?max-results=100"><i>Astounding</i></a>, April 1948: One of the funny Galleghar stories. I read it long back; don't recollect much now.</li>
<li>[ss] <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Murray%20Leinster?max-results=100">Murray Leinster</a>'s "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2008/07/murray-leinster-strange-case-of-john.html"><b>The Strange Case of John Kingman</b></a>" (A); <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Analog?max-results=100"><i>Astounding</i></a>, May 1948: First contact, but no space ships, no space travel, not even any obvious aliens...</li>
<li>[ss] Erik Fennel's "<b>Doughnut Jockey</b>"; <i>Blue Book</i>, May 1948: Don't recollect anything now. </li>
<li>[ss] Martin Gardner's "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2014/04/martin-gardner-thang-flash-fiction-free.html"><b>Thang</b></a>" (C); <a href="http://vintage.failed-dam.org/thang.htm">download</a>: Big fish eats smaller one; & is food to even bigger one...</li>
<li>[ss] <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/John%20Pierce?max-results=100">John R Pierce</a>'s "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/2014/04/john-r-pierce-period-piece-as-by-j-j.html"><b>Period Piece</b></a>" (as by J J Coupling) (A); <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Analog?max-results=100"><i>Astounding</i></a>, November 1948: A modern man in 31st century makes a curious discovery.</li>
<li>[ss] <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Fredric%20Brown?max-results=100">Fredric Brown</a>'s "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/2014/03/fredric-brown-knock-short-story-alien.html"><b>Knock</b></a>" (A); download <a href="http://koapp.narod.ru/english/fantast/book34.htm">text</a>/<a href="http://archive.org/download/Dimension-X/Dimx_e005_Knock.mp3">radio adaptation</a>; <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Thrilling%20Wonder%20Stories?max-results=100"><i>Thrilling Wonder Stories</i></a>, December 1948: A smart man reclaims earth from invincible aliens.</li>
<li>[novelette] <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Poul%20Anderson?max-results=100">Poul Anderson</a>'s "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2014/03/poul-anderson-genius-novelette-superman.html"><b>Genius</b></a>" (B); download <a href="http://www.archive.org/download/ExploringTomorrow-5Episodes/Exploring_Tomorrow.19xx.xx.xx_Planet_of_Geniuses_64kb.mp3">radio adaptation</a>; <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Analog?max-results=100"><i>Astounding</i></a>, December 1948: When lab "animals" were observing their experimenters... </li>
<li>[novelette] <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Ray%20Bradbury?max-results=100">Ray Bradbury</a>'s "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2008/05/ray-bradbury-june-2001-and-moon-be.html"><b>And the Moon be Still as Bright</b></a>" (A); download <a href="http://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/mp3/sci-fi/X-1/x-minus-one-550422-and-the-moon-be-still-as-bright.mp3">radio adaptation</a>; <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Thrilling%20Wonder%20Stories?max-results=100"><i>Thrilling Wonder Stories</i></a>, June 1948: Some Mars colonists are feeling guilty...</li>
<li>[ss] <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Isaac%20Asimov?max-results=100">Isaac Asimov</a>'s "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2014/03/isaac-asimov-no-connection-short-story.html"><b>No Connection</b></a>"; <a href="http://alfalib.com/book/read/id/94024">download</a>; <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Analog?max-results=100"><i>Astounding</i></a>, June 1948: Planning a second taking of Americas, from across the pond...</li>
<li>[novelette] <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Wilmar%20Shiras?max-results=100">Wilmar H Shiras</a>' "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/2008/05/wilmar-h-shiras-in-hiding-novelette.html"><b>In Hiding</b></a>" (A); <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Analog?max-results=100"><i>Astounding</i></a>, November 1948: A young boy who's "different" is forced to conform...</li>
<li>[novelette] <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Henry%20Kuttner?max-results=100">Henry Kuttner</a>'s "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2010/02/henry-kuttner-happy-ending-short-story.html"><b>Happy Ending</b></a>" (A); <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Thrilling%20Wonder%20Stories?max-results=100"><i>Thrilling Wonder Stories</i></a>, August 1948; <b>humor</b>: When a man got what he "desired"! </li>
</ol>
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<i>First published</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1949?max-results=100">1949</a>.<br />
<i>Related</i>: Works of <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Everett%20Bleiler?max-results=100">Everett F Bleiler</a>; <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/anthology?max-results=100">anothologies</a> & <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/collection?max-results=100">collections</a>; <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1940s?max-results=100">fiction from 1940s</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-76062577106574297032014-03-15T00:50:00.001+05:302014-03-15T00:50:53.461+05:30Oops - some more disruption<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been difficult getting back into regular posting schedule. I probably will be posting tomorrow, but will again be off for a week - another trip away from city. Things should become more regular week after next. Sorry.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7172359179613729870.post-16909663624086727842014-03-11T00:35:00.000+05:302014-03-15T00:52:11.339+05:30Fredric Brown's "Knock" (short story, alien invasion, free)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Going by the comments online, it appears to be among the better known stories of Brown. Not a very believable conclusion, but light fun read.<br />
<h4>
Story summary.</h4>
Aliens called "Zan" have raided earth. They took a few hundred animal specimen alive - among them a man & a woman, & killed off all other life on earth. These specimen, including the humans, have now been put as exhibits in a zoo on earth, & this advanced raiding party of aliens is preparing to claim earth as permanent residence.<br />
<br />
The man will pull off a coup of sorts, scaring aliens enough with his <br />
ingenuity to make them leave earth...<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Collected in.</span></h4>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Everett%20Bleiler?max-results=100">Everett F Bleiler</a> & T E Dikty (eds)' "<a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.com/2014/03/everett-f-bleiler-t-e-dikty-eds-best.html"><b>The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1949</b></a>".</li>
</ol>
<h4>
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Fact sheet.</span></h4>
<span style="font-style: italic;">First published</span>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Thrilling%20Wonder%20Stories?max-results=100"><i>Thrilling Wonder Stories</i></a>, December <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/1948?max-results=100">1948</a>.<br />
Download <a href="http://koapp.narod.ru/english/fantast/book34.htm">full text</a>. <br />
Download audio of X Minus One radio adaptation of this story from <a href="https://archive.org/details/JourneyInto...Ep.65-KnockByFredricBrownx-minus1">Internet Archive</a>. (<a href="http://archive.org/download/Dimension-X/Dimx_e005_Knock.mp3">alt MP3 link</a>)<br />
<a href="http://arthur-clarke-fansite.blogspot.com/2007/04/note-my-on-story-quality-ratings.html" style="font-style: italic;">Rating</a>: A.<br />
<i>Related</i>: <a href="http://variety-sf.blogspot.in/search/label/Fredric%20Brown?max-results=100">Stories of Fredric Brown</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0