Great Science Fiction Stories Volume 1, 1939

Asimov, Isaac, & Martin H. Greenberg. Great Science Fiction Stories Volume 1, 1939. New York: DAW Books, March 1979.

Great Science Fiction Stories Volume 1, 1939 at the ISFdb

Great Science Fiction Stories Volume 1, 1939 at Goodreads

Overall Rating:     5 or 7 /10 (depending on my level of frustration)

What a great concept that a series of anthologies would be printed with the aim of capturing the greatest science fiction stories of each year, beginning with the golden age of science fiction in 1939, and concluding a quarter century later with the year 1963 (anthology #25 published in 1992). (An additional volume for 1964 would be produced in 2001, edited by Greenberg and Robert Silverberg.) What a wonderful concept to store the best remembered early works for future readers to enjoy, so that they need not scour old, tattered rags, or peruse volumes of stories online, and risk losing the good ones forever.

It is just too bad the anthology is such an awful mess.

Granted, we have some fine stories in here that are worth reading both for their enjoyment and for a better understanding of the evolution of the genre and for our vision of the future as it was in 1939. What is unfortunate are the subjective selections by Asimov, who seems to have felt the need to include underwhelming stories by those who helped shape his career in those early days. Yet even worse than his sentimentality (or perhaps satisfying a need to re-pay those who had published him by re-publishing them), is the lack of effort that went into verifying the stories. As a consequence, a story first published ten years after this golden year is included, with Nelson Bond's "Pilgrimage" (1949). In his introduction to the story, Asimov asserts that it is "Pilgrimage" that was published in Amazing Stories in October 1939, when it was not even published in a pulp, but first appeared in Bond's second collection, The Thirty-First of February (Gnome Press) in 1949. Asimov goes on to mis-represent "Pilgrimage" as the first story of the rebellious priestess Meg series, when it is in fact the last. He likely hadn't read the series, or had little recollection of it, considering how "Pilgrimage" ends the adventures of Meg so conclusively. I haven't read the series either, yet the tone of finality in this story clashed with Asimov's description and sent me off to do some research, and in no time I discovered the error. I simply located the October 1939 issue of Amazing Stories online and, lo and behold, the Bond story that was included there was the first story of the Meg series, titled "The Priestess Who Rebelled." In short, according to Asimov (and by association, Greenberg), one of the best stories of 1939 was first published in 1949.

If an updated series of the best of these early stories were to be published, with more objective editors, I would invest in the set.

Asimov's inclusion of both editors H. L. Gold and John W. Campbell are mostly sentimental, as these are influential editors who had great impact on Asimov's career, and yet the stories included are weak compared to the rest of the content, particularly Gold's which is entirely forgettable. Gold certainly was an influential editor in his day, but never made much impact as a writer.

Most of the stories selected for inclusion in the anthology first appeared in Astounding, the forerunner in publishing science fiction stories at the time. The July and August issues each feature three stories in this collection, of a total of twenty stories, therefore making up almost a third of the volume.

Yet despite the frustrations wrought by Asimov's sloppy editing, I do continue to enjoy his anecdotes on the authors in his brief intros to the stories. Beside the wreck that is the intro to the Nelson S. Bond story, however, are a couple of other odd statements, which I will mention below.

And on a final (for now) note, I was surprised yet impressed at the number of solid stories published in 1939 that hold up well today and will likely do so in 2039.

I, Robot by Eando Binder     8/10

Amazing Stories, January 1939

Dr. Link has constructed a robot. More than a machine, this robot is able to evolve, to learn and to think for itself. After a couple of months of teaching and testing, and confident that his invention has a moral guide, the doctor believes the machine is ready to enter society, and gives it the name Adam Link. But an unlucky accident sends Adam on the run, and it learns the darker truths about human nature.

A familiar story as it places Mary Shelley's Frankenstein into a modern setting. Despite its familiarity it is a strong story and holds up with time. The story was famously adapted for an episode of the original The Outer Limits, and re-made for the 1990s The Outer Limits.

In the story's introduction, Asimov gives "I, Robot" credit for directly influencing his robot story "Robbie" (originally published as "Strange Playfellow"), which he penned only a couple of months after the publication of Binder's story. In addition, he claims that when the title to his collection I, Robot was suggested, he hated it, not wanting to borrow Binder's title.

Though credited to brothers Earl and Otto Binder, it was later believed that Otto, the more prolific of the brothers who continued to pursue writing after Earl had given it up, was the sole author of "I, Robot." Subsequent reprints of the story credit it as having been written only by Otto Binder.

Strange Flight of Richard Clayton by Robert Bloch     8/10

Amazing Stories, March 1939

Scientist Richard Clayton has constructed a ship that can take him from Earth to Mars, a twenty-year round-trip voyage he makes alone. The ship is a small tin vessel with no windows, and soon boredom creeps in and loneliness envelops our protagonist.

Bloch does well in disorienting the reader, since the loneliness begins soon after liftoff, and like Clayton, we wonder how long he has been in space and how much distance remains until he reaches his destination, having not a clue and feeling anxious by being made so unaware of time. I figured out the ending early enough, but it did not deter me from enjoying the highly enjoyable Blochian style.

Trouble with Water by H. L Gold     3/10

Unknown, March 1939

On a beautiful summer's day, concession stand owner Herman Greenberg is by himself in a boat trying to catch some fish. He is reflecting on his misfortunes in having had a daughter but no son. A son would have helped him in the family business, but his ugly daughter Rosie is unmarriable, and every extra bit of income must be put toward her dowry.

A fantasy story selected for inclusion among the best science fiction stories. Unfortunately, it is not a good one, but may have provided laughs for a certain generation of men in 1939. The humour relies on the ever-berated husband by the overpowering wife, and through slapstick scenes of being unable to use water, such as shaving, bathing or trying to eat soup. We have large-eared gnomes and a drunken Irish policeman, as the story employs unflattering stereotypes for laughs. And only for laughs: the berating wife suddenly transforms into a loving spouse once her comedic scene is finished, then cast away when no longer required and making space for Gold to bring in the drunken Irishman, where more belly laughs can be found (though I found none). Included in the anthology published in 1979, you would think by then Asimov would have become more "woke" as the decade progressed and seen this dated story for what it is. Sadly, Asimov instead unflatteringly touts this as being Gold's best story, which only deters me from reading any more of his work.

In the story introduction, Asimov brings attention to the protagonist's name, as it is coincidentally the name of the anthology's co-editor.

The Cloak of Aesir by John W. Campbell, Jr.     7/10

Astounding Science-Fiction, March 1939 (as by Don A. Stuart)

For four thousand years (since 1977, to be precise), the Sarn have ruled over Earth, having enslaved humanity following a costly war. It appears, however, that the humans are preparing a revolt, and when some high-level humans are captured and sentenced to death, a being calling itself Aesir appears, claiming to be made from the energy of the will of mankind, and frees the humans. The story opens with the Sarn Mother meeting with the seven City Mothers, those ruling each a portion of the Earth, who are jealous of the immortal Sarn Mother who in turn rules over them. A council is being held to decide how they will handle this revolt, and to find a way to examine Aesir's cloak from where his power emanates, as weapons do not appear to have any effect on him.

Aesir, it turns out, is a scientist named Ware, who has developed this cloak that gives him great power, or the illusion of power, as really it is all science. In this sense, Aesir is among the first superheroes.

Describing the plot of "The Cloak of Aesir" is a lengthy process, as is reading the story. I always find Campbell's fiction to be a slog, as the stories are overlong and written in a dry style. I barely recall "Twilight" and "Forgetfulness," two popular Campbell tales I struggled with. "The Cloak of Aesir," however, I found far more interesting. It is certainly overlong and dry, and while reading about an intelligent, advanced species led by women is fascinating, it is a let-down that the main traits of the race, being women, is a high emotional drama, as they are jealous of one another, constantly bickering among themselves and described as being annoyed and vexed and so forth. These advanced female aliens have nothing on the smarter male human scientists (though Campbell does toss a smart woman into the mix). A bit like the high drama of the Olympian gods and goddesses in many of their captured disputes. Regardless, it was overall interesting though I did rush through some portions in order to finish the story more quickly.

Day Is Done by Lester del Rey     8/10

Astounding Science-Fiction, May 1939

The last neanderthal man is losing the will to live. Hwoogh's people have been pushed into a far corner of the valley in which they once thrived, as Cro Magnon man, or "Talkers," with their advanced hunting implements, have moved in and killed most of the game. Befriended by the unwanted Cro Magnon woman Keyoda, who brings him scraps of food and the occasional homebrew, Hwoogh feels that he no longer has purpose, subsisting on the charity of others, and exists rather than lives.

I first came across this story about a year ago, and re-read it here. I enjoyed my second reading as thoroughly as the first, perhaps even more. The story is written in a naturalistic way, though the language is modern, and it is genuinely touching without being sentimental. The story can be read as an analogy of advancing technology and how it changes the landscape and destroys life around us, relegating previous generations to superfluousness.

The Ultimate Catalyst by John Taine     7/10

Thrilling Wonder Stories, June 1939

Chemist Dr. Beetle is trapped in Amazonia with his daughter Consuelo and some locals helping out at his lab. A couple of years ago, Emperor Kadir and his band of ruffians were exiled from their home and banished to Amazonia, where they quickly established a dictatorship. Dr. Beetle is silently rebelling, and has come up with a plan to free the people of Amazonia. Since Kadir and his men long for red meat in a world where only vegetables and fruit are available, the good doctor has come up with a neat way to grow meat in a new fruit he calls greenbeefo.

Author John Taine is Eric Temple Bell, a renowned mathematician better known, apparently, for his series of biographies on mathematicians, descriptively titled "Men of Mathematics." Interestingly, of Taine the normally respectful and laudatory Asimov writes: "I am not as fond of his stories as some people are." He was fond enough, I suppose, to include Taine in this anthology, or perhaps pressured by co-editor Greenberg? Unlike Asimov, I enjoyed this story.

Interestingly, Dr. Beetle's loving daughter is given the male variant of the name Consuela.

The Gnarly Man by L. Sprague de Camp     6/10

Unknown, June 1939

Anthropologist Dr. Mathilda Saddler is in New York and decides to visit Coney Island. There she goes to see the attraction Ungo-Bungo, "the ferocious ape-man," certain it would be a Caucasian in fake fur. But she immediately suspects there is more to the man than just a costume, and decides to meet him. Ungo-Bungo is Clarence Aloysius Gaffney, an intelligent and articulate man whose appearance is entirely natural, wearing no make-up or fur. Dr. Saddler is certain there is more to him than a natural deformity, and he entrusts with the truth: he is a Neanderthal who has been alive since 50,000 BC.

A fairly light story, of a comedic tone for which I don't normally care.

Black Destroyer by A. E. van Vogt     7/10

Astounding Science-Fiction, July 1939

The Coeurl is an intelligent, large cat-like creature with tentacles stemming from its shoulders. It is among the last of its kind. A human exploration crew is searching through the ruins of an alien civilization when the Coeurl appears, and believing it to be more pet than threat, they take it in. Yet the creature is more predator, intent on eliminating the members of the exploration crew, and does so by hunting and outwitting them.

I first read "Black Destroyer" years ago when I learned that there was an out-of-court settlement between van Vogt and the studio behind Ridley Scott's Alien, citing the similarities between the novelette and Dan O'Bannon's screenplay. I did not care for the story at the time, many years ago, but this time around enjoyed it quite a bit. Many consider this story to be the starting point of the golden age of science-fiction, or at least the issue of Astounding in which it first appeared--an issue that also housed Isaac Asimov's first published short story, "Trends" (which is also reprinted in this anthology). In his introduction to the story, Asimov humbly defers to the launch of the golden age to van Vogt's story individually, and not the issue of Astounding. (But less humbly takes the time to mention his own story in relation to that important issue, and includes his story in this anthology of the best, when in reality it is among the weakest of the bunch.)

"Black Destroyer" is the first part of the Space Beagle series, and was later incorporated into the first six chapters of van Vogt's 1950 novel The Voyage of the Space Beagle, which is made up primarily of four different short stories along with additional linking material.

Greater Than Gods by C. L. Moore     6/10

Astounding Science-Fiction, July 1939

It's July 2240, and Scientist William Vincent "Bill" Cory from Biology House is having trouble choosing between Marta Mayhew and Sallie Carlisle. In the meantime he is working on a project attempting to achieve balance between genders in a future where males are nearing extinction. His friend Charles Ashley from Telepath House interrupts his reveries, and talk soon turns to Ashley's speculations on determining the future. Essentially, if one can select their future path by knowing in advance where the major turning points of their lives are, one can determine their future. Cory gets the opportunity to see the future with each woman, and sees determined chemist Marta and flippant Sallie each help lead to a miserable future for humanity.

Not a bad story but overlong, particularly as we can figure out the resolution pretty easily.

Trends by Isaac Asimov     5/10

Astounding Science-Fiction, July 1939

Dr. John Harman attempts to launch his rocket Prometheus to the moon, when he received a backlash from a public offended that he would dare profane the heavens by flying beyond them. On the day of the launch something goes wrong and the rocket explodes, killing 28 members of the religious cult organized by evangelist Otis Eldredge. Though Harman's loyal employee and narrator of the story Clifford McKenny discovers that the explosion was the result of sabotage, the public wants Harman accountable, and he must go into hiding. Underground he secretly works on Prometheus II, so that he can again attempt top reach the moon. This is dangerous as Eldredge rises in political circles and influence, and private scientific research is banned.

Interesting idea, of course, with Asimov seeing this ban and a strong public anti-scientific mind-set move well into our future. Beyond that glimpse of scientific paranoia and anxiety from 1939, the story is quite dull.

Published in the same Golden Age of SF launching issue that published "Black Destroyer," Asimov modestly downplays his story's significance in the launch, and rightfully so. The story does present an interesting concept for its time, but it is entirely flat, even in terms of early science fiction and early Asimov.

The Blue Giraffe by L. Sprague de Camp     7/10

Astounding Science-Fiction, August 1939

Athelstan Cuff is surprised to find his rational son weeping, and learns that the boy has discovered he had been adopted. Cuff, a stuffy Englishman living in America, recounts the story of his boy's adoption, which takes him back to a visit to Okavango Wildlife preserve in Africa.

In 1976, Zulu warden George Mtengeni guided Cuff though the preserve to witness a blue giraffe that had been sighted there. During the visit, they witness the giraffe along with other, more exaggerated mutations. Separated from the warden, Cuff discovers baboon people living on the reserve, and gets embroiled in their tribe and in the mysteries of the preserve.

A surprisingly enjoyable story, though it treads a lot of familiar ground. Asimov claims that de Camp had a great sense of humour and that it was evidenced in this story, and while I did not care for the humour, the lightness I found to be more in the story's tone rather than in attempts at being funny, and the story maintained its momentum despite the light tone. Moreover, the concern over the mutations is handled sympathetically, acknowledging the potential disaster to wildlife if these mutations progress, and we are given a scene of a doomed creature who cannot support itself on its disproportionate legs. This is an early example of ecological science fiction, though the ecology is not the story's foremost concern.

The Misguided Halo by Henry Kuttner     3/10

Unknown, August 1939

A young angel is sent to Earth to sanctify a virtuous lama, but accidentally places the halo on American ad executive Kenneth Young. It turns out that Young has led a faultless life and can keep the halo, so he decides to commit a sin in order to do away with it, as the halo is cumbersome and embarrassing. Hilarity ensues.

Only it really doesn't. Even for 1939 this story is atrocious. The attempts at humour are aimed at Young trying to hide the halo and others almost but not quite seeing it, and an unfortunate amount of words are spent describing the obese man that Young must entertain that day. A long drawn-out fat joke, unsympathetic and unfunny. The story is among the few selected here that was not originally published in Astounding, (it was published in the lesser Unknown), which produced overall less quality writing for the time.

Most interesting is Asimov's brief introduction to the story, where he goes on about how Kuttner's wife, C. L. Moore, is the better writer of their combined Lewis Padgett, but indirectly. He then states that Kuttner certainly wrote a lot of bad stories, but that the one included here is good. So really, Asimov heaps praise on the various authors in the anthology, but cuts down Kuttner, and refers to the downright atrocious "The Misguided Halo" as one of the author's best solo efforts? Perhaps he had a thing for Moore...

Heavy Planet by Milton A. Rothman     6/10

Astounding Science-Fiction, August 1939

On a distant planet with a strong gravitational pull, patrol Ennis is skimming along the sea when he witnesses an alien craft crashing into the waters. He enters the ship to investigate and discovers that it comes from a solar system containing nine planets, and quickly realizes that their gravity is much weaker as the alloys that make up the ship are to him like paper, and the bodies that once rode the craft have been transformed into masses of pulp. Ennis needs to dispose of the evidence of the ship and its atomic energy, or the nations of Bantin and Marak might discover it, and as war nations, their journey to other worlds would be disastrous. Just then a Marak battleship appears, and a battle on this strange vessel ensues.

Life-Line by Robert A. Heinlein     8/10

Astounding Science-Fiction, August 1939

Dr. Hugo Pinero has constructed an instrument that is able to accurately predict a person's birth date, as well as the exact date of their death. Insurance companies conspire to take him down, legally and by ridiculing him, and eventually through violence.

Heinlein's first published short story, which I first read as a pre-teen in the Damon Knight anthology First Voyages. I enjoyed the story back then, and continue to do so upon each re-read (and there have been many, as the story is copiously anthologized). Every time I am about to re-read the story I think to myself it will be decent enough, but not as good as when I'd first read it, but I am always surprised by how much I enjoy the story with each read. The plot is simple but it is tight, and the protagonist is likeable, which is frequently not how I feel about Heinlein's lead characters. The story is also driven by drama, and there is no light tone or forced humour that often mars Heinlein's short stories. This one takes itself seriously, which I suppose enables me to take it seriously. Moreover, there is that genuinely touching scene of the young couple wanting to know the date when their expected child will be born. And the ending is satisfying too.

The Ether Breather by Theodore Sturgeon     6/10

Astounding Science-Fiction, September 1939

A television writer sees his work crudely distorted on live television, and soon learns something is afoot as other programs are also affected. Light and humourous, which is not my cup of tea, but I did laugh aloud at one moment.

As with "Life-Line," I first read "The Ether Breather" in First Voyages, (which also included van Vogt's "Black Destroyer"), an anthology which collected the first published stories of many famous science fiction authors. Even then I did not care much for the story, and recalled nearly nothing beyond its title. Sturgeon would of course go on to publish many far superior stories.

Pilgrimage by Nelson S. Bond     5/10

The Thirty-First of February, 1949

In the final story of Bond's brief postapocalyptic series Meg, the independent-thinking priestess has entered puberty and is sent on a pilgrimage before she can claim the coveted title of clan mother. The society in which she has grown up is matriarchal, but on her journey she discovers that men are the real leaders, and she is tamed by a man who gives her coffee and teaches her how to kiss. I suppose this is to be expected of a story from the 1940s by a man writing about pubescent girls and their place in society. Not a good story.

As mentioned in my intro to the anthology, editors Asimov and Greenberg really messed up with the inclusion of this story. In the introduction the story is credited as having been published in Amazing Stories, October 1939, and that it is the first of Bond's stories about the future priestess Meg. In fact, this story is not among the best stories of 1939 since it was first published a decade later, in Bond's 1949 collection The Thirty-First of February. It is true that Bond's first of four stories about Meg was published in that issue of Amazing Stories, but that was an entirely different story titled "The Priestess Who Rebelled."

Rust by Joseph E. Kelleam     7/10

Publication, month 1939

In a postapocalyptic era, only robots remain on Earth. However, as time passes and the ruins left by man are crumbling, the robots too are wearing down. Most of these robots were built long ago by humans with the purpose to destroy their enemies, and as these robots were successful in their task, there have been for a long time no humans left. We follow a trio of these robots, perhaps the last remaining, come out of their winter hibernation, anxious about their fate but also seeking some kind of purpose. Built to destroy, one robot is strangely aiming instead to create, which is challenging as its form was designed for killing.

A surprisingly good story.

Four-Sided Triangle by William F. Temple     8/10

Amazing Stories, November 1939 as "The 4-Sided Triangle"

A pair of male scientists fall in love with the same woman, and the woman chooses one of the men, breaking the heart of the other. Instead of falling into grave depression or turning his heartache against the world, the spurned scientist focuses on completing his invention: a replicating machine. And, as any good and moral man of modern science would, he decides to replicate the woman who has spurned him. Now they are a foursome, and they get along so well, particularly the two women. Until tragedy strikes.

Despite my asinine description, this was an excellent story. It was adapted for film as Four Sided Triangle, directed by Terence Fisher for Hammer studios, and released in 1953. I have not seen the film.

Star Bright by Jack Williamson     5/10

Argosy, 25 November 1939

Hardworking Mr. Peabody has a selfish and materialistically demanding family, and as a result he is struggling with incredible debt. He storms off one evening, and on his walk he wishes on a shooting star that he can perform miracles. The star then heads towards him, and an explosion lodges a piece of the celestial object in his brain. He is now able to materialize just about anything, but his hopes are shaken when the items he materializes repeatedly show imperfections.

The novelette attempts to be humourous, but is unfunny and tiresome. It is difficult to sympathize with Peabody since his wife and son are exaggeratedly selfish and disrespectful, yet he wants still to please them, while he dotes on his undeserving daughter.

Misfit by Robert A. Heinlein     5/10

Astounding Science Fiction, November 1939

Andrew Jackson Libby is part of a youth corps recruited for employment in the attempt to colonize the solar system. These youths are referred to as "misfits." While Libby has a less than imposing presence and limited education, it turns out he is a mathematical genius. Readers learn this early on, but only when he is stationed on an asteroid to help construct a space base does the rest of the team discover his abilities. He is insistent that a calculation error has been made, and thereby prevents a disaster. Other heroics to follow.

Libby is a recurring character in Heinlein's Future History series. Like many early Heinlein stories, I did not care for this space adventure.

Casual Shorts & the ISFdb Top Short Fiction # 48: A Boy and His Dog by Harlan Ellison

Ellison, Harlan. "A Boy and His Dog." New Worlds #189, April 1969.

This article is part of my attempt to read all the 155 stories currently (as of 1 November 2022) on the ISFdb's Top Short Fiction list. Please see the introduction and list of stories here. I am encouraging readers to rate the stories and books they have read on the ISFdb.

ISFdb Rating:   8.70/10

My Rating:        7/10

"I was out with Blood, my dog."

In a post-apocalyptic USA, survivors attempt to maintain some semblance of civilization. Most humans live above ground, in the ruins and radiation-filled remains of urban America, where society is anarchical and survivors either band together to run a small piece of the post-apocalyptic world, or who wander by themselves as "solos." The other option is to live underground, where life is frozen in a recreation of an idyllic 1950s neighbourhood. As few women remain, most live in the underground communities, leaving the men above to search longingly for sex. Prior to the war, dogs were scientifically enhanced to become telepathic. "A Boy and His Dog" focuses on Vic, a fifteen year-old "solo" who wanders with his dog Blood in search of women and food. Their arrangement is that Blood, through his enhanced senses, seeks women for Vic, who in turn keeps the dog well fed. This particular evening, at the ramshackle cinema waiting for the skin flick to begin, Blood senses a woman in the room, and Vic gets embroiled both with the other men who want the woman, and with the underground community from which she is seeking respite.

I won't give much more away.

This is a very divisive story, and I believe many who dislike Harlan Ellison do so partly as a result of "A Boy and His Dog." The younger me enjoyed Ellison's work more than the older me, but while I did not like this story as much as I did when I was a teen, I did genuinely enjoy it upon re-reading it a couple of week ago. Much maligned for its misogyny and dislikeable characters, these are actually important elements in the world Ellison has envisioned. I don't read the story as a statement on women, but as a consequence on all who live in this post-apocalyptic society. That the characters are unlikeable (detestable, to be more accurate) is a reflection of the world in which they inhabit, and in which many of them were born. The post nuclear society is the germ of the story, and from where the characters stem.

To be clear, I do not find myself rooting for Vic and Blood. In this respect I understand the hatred the story receives, since Ellison does seem to want readers to have a certain amount of empathy for them. Vic is entirely amoral, a serial rapist and cold-blooded killer, and his relationship with the dog, the ability for him to achieve this bond, which is the heart of the story, is supposed to redeem him to some degree, but to me it does not. I see the relationship as part of the survival aspect of the duo, that the two are bound together for a basic need that keeps them going. For Blood it is simply food, whereas for the teen Vic the desire for sex is his only driving point, and without it life would not be worth living. Their tribulations in the two societies and their bond with each other do not earn my sympathies and instead I hope that they fail. They do not fail, and we can only imagine the kind of world that will emerge from this post-apocalyptic society.

Casual Shorts & the ISFdb Top Short Fiction # 47: Passengers by Robert Silverberg

Silverberg, Robert. "Passengers." Orbit 4, edited by Damon Knight. NY: G. P. Putnam's, november 1968.

This article is part of my attempt to read all the 155 stories currently (as of 1 November 2022) on the ISFdb's Top Short Fiction list. Please see the introduction and list of stories here. I am encouraging readers to rate the stories and books they have read on the ISFdb.

ISFdb Rating:   8.70/10

My Rating:        8/10

The story is available online at escapepod.org

"There are only fragments of me left now."

It has been three years since the aliens dubbed "passengers" have come to Earth. These aliens do not communicate with humans, but at unpredictable moments they attach themselves to an individual's brain and take over that person, making them act as they please, leaving the host with no clear recollection of what they had done since they'd been "ridden." In those last years human societies have come to adapt to these incidents, and life goes on, but not as it had before.

The story is told through the point of view of thirty-eight year-old New Yorker Charles Roth, after he has woken from being ridden and evidently spending the last three nights with a woman. From Roth we learn little of the passengers, only that they are on Earth and nobody knows anything about them, not even how many passengers there are. Roth has been ridden a few times before, but this time it was different as he catches a glimpse of memory and encounters the woman with whom he had spent the past three days. He tells is that he is permitted this memory, as normally humans have no memory whatsoever of their experiences while being ridden. Etiquette does not permit him to tell the woman, Helen Martin, that they were together while ridden, yet he feels a connection with the woman and takes the risk.

I have always liked this story. For a prolific author this one is patiently written, well thought through. I like Roth's little knowledge of the aliens, the anxiety that notions of free will evoke in him, his struggle to break from a mold, and of course that spectacular ending. I admire how the story is constructed, as the opening plays out in almost real time, sharing with the reader only bits of information at a time, in "fragments," as the narrator opens their story with there being only fragments of him left, drawing us into the text and making us a little uncomfortable with this unusual near-future dystopia.

Here be a bit of a spoiler. Roth clearly tells us that he has been "permitted to remember" details of his time with Helen. The word "permitted" in italics. That ending, as he is again ridden, is told through his point of view, and therefore he is being permitted awareness of his actions in re-entering the bar and abandoning Helen, whom he believes he loves, and whom he believes is the source of escape from the unhappy reality brought on by the passengers. Roth also informs us earlier that the aliens are on Earth, taking humans over simply to torture them, and for no other reason. And what greater torture than to be aware when your love and freedom is being stripped. It is as though the passengers have consciously given him a glimpse of Helen Martin, given him hope for a kind of freedom from his enslaved existence, and then dashing that hope by driving him away from the freedom and love he was just about to grasp. He, like the rest of the planet, have no hope for happiness since the aliens have come to Earth.

(There are here many allegorical lenses through which we can read the story. Post pandemic we can also see the link between the aliens and this sickness which has ridden many, altered many lives and society itself. The pandemic, however, has mostly left us.)

An issue I had when first reading the story many years ago is that the narrator is a thirty year-old male who "rides" a twenty-something year-old girl. There appeared no reason why the difference in their ages was made, so that it appeared only to be a middle-aged man's fantasy. However, I was this time around more conscious of another layer to the story (perhaps because I am now middle-aged?), where Roth is conscious and insecure about his aging body, his performance in the bedroom, upset that the passenger likely did not perform his daily physical exercises while borrowing his body.

"Passengers" received the 1970 Nebula for best science fiction short story. It finished second in voting for the 1970 Hugo for best short story, behind Samuel R. Delaney's "Time Considered As a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones." Interestingly, the story that received the Hugo Award for best short story received the Nebula for best novelette. It would be interesting to know which of the two would have received the Nebula if the two were in the same category. My vote goes to "Passengers," as I do not care for the Delaney story. As of today (August 2024), "Passengers" is #42 on the ISFdb list of short fiction, whereas "Time Considered..." is #291.

For more of this week's Wednesday short stories, please visit Patti Abbott's blog.

Casual Shorts & the ISFdb Top Short Fiction # 46: Tower of Babylon by Ted Chiang

Chiang, Ted. "Tower of Babylon." 
Omni, November 1990.

This article is part of my attempt to read all the 155 stories currently (as of 1 November 2022) on the ISFdb's Top Short Fiction list. Please see the introduction and list of stories here. I am encouraging readers to rate the stories and books they have read on the ISFdb.

ISFdb Rating:   8.70/10

My Rating:        8/10

"Were the tower to be laid down across the plain of Shinar, it would be two days' journey to walk from one end to the other."

For centuries humans have been constructing a tower in an attempt to reach the vault of heaven. Now that the final brick has been laid, a group of miners is tasked with ascending the tower and penetrating the vault. The miner's include our protagonist, Hillalum, and along with his co-miners and their alternating guides, we learn of the society that has evolved on the tower, and of humanity's desire to understand their purpose and to reach heaven.

It takes four months for a man carting a load of bricks to make the journey from the base of the tower to its summit. Much of the story takes place during this trek, and along with Hilalum we learn of the societies that have evolved along the way, as many people have given up life on the ground in order to live closer to heaven. During ascension we also discover that the world is a near literal take on biblical stories. The science that governs the world is made up of the beliefs of the ancient world, made real in "Tower of Babylon." The Earth is at the centre of this universe, and as our group ascends they pass the moon, followed by the sun and then sky and stars, until finally they reach the vault. The wonderful ending teaches humanity that certain secrets are not meant to be broached, and man's purpose is elusive.

A wonderful story, nicely detailed and well thought out. This is Ted Chiang's first professionally published story, and impressive on all counts. The story received the 1991 Nebula Award for Best Novelette, and was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novelette.

Casual Shorts & the ISFdb Top Short Fiction # 45: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce

Bierce, Ambrose. "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." San Francisco Examiner, 13 July 1890.

This article is part of my attempt to read all the 155 stories currently (as of 1 November 2022) on the ISFdb's Top Short Fiction list. Please see the introduction and list of stories here. I am encouraging readers to rate the stories and books they have read on the ISFdb.

ISFdb Rating:   8.71/10

My Rating:        8/10

"A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below."

Illustration by François Vigneault

During the American Civil War, a civilian is set to be hanged by the Union army on a makeshift platform on the Owl Creek Bridge in Northern Alabama. Civilian executions were not uncommon during the war, and the southern criminal is standing in what is described as a routine event, with some onlooking soldiers appearing even bored. Bierce was both a soldier during the war and a respected journalist later on, and many of his stories draw on both experiences. The narration here is that of an observer, employing heightened realism to what turns out to be partly fantasy. The point of view is that of an observer, a local man, describing the scene and making some assumptions, such as where the river is likely to run. It is partly the realism on which the story is built upon that makes the ending so jarring.

Yet ending aside, what I find most disturbing is the lead-up to the civilian's crime. We learn that Peyton Farquhar is a wealthy thirty-five year-old plantation owner "ardently devoted to the Southern cause." His plantation lies near Owl Creek, and he is caught attempting to set the Union-controlled bridge on fire. Yet we learn that the information Farquhar received concerning the details of the bridge were provided by a federal scout masquerading as a Confederate soldier, so that the planter was deliberately set up by the northern army to be caught and executed. This is essentially a form of murder, and though the man is a prosperous slave-owner desiring to maintain the status quo to the point that he is willing to take part in the war by destroying a bridge, he is presented as a victim. It is a rare instance when a slave-owner can gain audience sympathy.

The story is presented in three short chapters. The first is the realist depiction of Farquhar, nameless at this point, getting prepared for hanging. The second gives us his back-story. The final and longest chapter takes us on an unexpected flight, and enters a realm of fantasy. Here the observatory narration is replaced with heightened senses, the boredom with excitement, the silence with blaring guns. We are prepared by a slight shift in narration when Farquhar closes his eyes moments before he is dropped and the noose tightened, and this sets of the quasi dream sequence that then leads to the tragic finish. He closes his eyes and here the narrator is no longer a distant observer, but is aware of the man's thoughts and feelings. This transition is a blatant hint as to what is to come, but as a narrative technique is subtle, and only after re-reading can we piece together how Bierce is able to shift his realism into a dream. Overall an excellent, deftly-written story.

The story was made into an excellent short film, La rivière du hibou (The Owl River), directed by Robert Enrico. The film received the 1964 Academy Award for best live action short, and was purchased by Rod Serling and aired as a Twilight Zone episode in February 1964. This was a brilliant and bold move by Serling, saving the show a good deal of production money that was then used to fund other, more expensive episodes. The episode features a straightforward and entirely brief introduction, allowing the short film its own space and respectfully removing it from Serling's clasp.

The illustration included above is by François Vigneault, from an illustrated edition of the short story published by Scout Books (Portland) in 2012. You can discover more about the artist here.

For more of this week's Wednesday Short Stories, please visit Patti Abbott's Patti Abbott's blog.

Casual Shorts & the ISFdb Top Short Fiction # 44: The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke

Clarke, Arthur C. "The Nine Billion Names of God." Star Science Fiction Stories, edited by Frederik Pohl. Ballantine Books, February 1953.

This article is part of my attempt to read all the 155 stories currently (as of 1 November 2022) on the ISFdb's Top Short Fiction list. Please see the introduction and list of stories here. I am encouraging readers to rate the stories and books they have read on the ISFdb.

ISFdb Rating:   8.71/10

My Rating:        8/10

" 'This is a slightly unusual request,' said Dr. Wagner, with what he hoped was commendable restraint."

Cover art by Richard Powers

The Tibetan lamasery hires an Automated Sequence Computer and a pair of engineers to complete a project that was begun three thousand years ago: to write out the nine billion possible names for God. The lamas believe that it would take another fifteen thousand years to complete the task by hand, whereas a modern computer would in ten days succeed in delivering the final list. The task is important to the lamas as they believe that God created humans for this duty only, and that the completion of the task is the fulfillment of humanity's purpose, so that once the nine billion names have been isolated, the world as we know it will come to an end.

A simple yet wonderful short story, it manages despite its briefness and unwavering focus to touch upon a number of contrasting realities. The most obvious is combining ancient religious beliefs with modern technology. The lamasery, we are repeatedly informed, is isolated from the rest of the world. It is high upon a mountain overlooking the surrounding quiet rural landscape, and even the computer components can only be delivered to India, where the locals would then cart them to their final destination for reassembly. The lamasery has no access to electricity, and has only recently obtained a generator that will allow the computer to complete its task. In contrast with the lamasery, the story opens in a high-rise building in New York City, where the lama is meeting with the specialist Dr. Wagner, their conversation surrounded by "the faint sounds from the Manhattan streets far below." The western engineers located for three months in the Tibetan mountains are tired of their peaceful setting and long for television, not its entertainment value necessarily, since "even the sight of a TV commercial would seem like manna from heaven." The western idea of heavenly gifts comes in the form of television, whereas the eastern ideal is to complete their purpose to God.

Another contrast between east and west comes in the form of the anecdote of the Louisiana "crackpot preacher who once said the world was going to end next Sunday." When the world did not end, his congregation was not upset, despite panicking and selling off their homes, thinking he had made a mistake but wanting more than anything to believe. These Tibetan monks are careful not to panic the public, keeping their motivations secret for the most part, and satisfied not by maintaining a congregation, but by pursuing the responsibilities they believe were delegated by God.

There is an eerie connotation in the story that strikes a chord with more modern sensibilities, and that is the implication that modern technology will help bring about the end of humanity. Whether or not this is Clarke's belief, or if he was criticizing western society for having such inconsequential ambitions in comparison with the east, or an amalgamation of various thoughts rather than firm beliefs, can be argued. What is most charming here, as with his short story "The Star," is that for a man heralded for his understanding and pursuit of the sciences, he is able to write the most affecting science fiction stories that uphold un-scientific religious beliefs.

And of course there is that excellent, understated last line.

For more of this week's Wednesday Short Stories, please visit Patti Abbott's blog.

Casual Shorts & the ISFdb Top Short Fiction # 43: By His Bootstraps by Robert A. Heinlein

Heinlein, Robert A. "By His Bootstraps." Astounding Science-Fiction, October 1941.

This article is part of my attempt to read all the 155 stories currently (as of 1 November 2022) on the ISFdb's Top Short Fiction list. Please see the introduction and list of stories here. I am encouraging readers to rate the stories and books they have read on the ISFdb.

ISFdb Rating:   8.71/10

My Rating:        6/10

"Bob Wilson did not see the circle grow."

Heinlein's "By His Bootstraps" was chosen
for the cover of ASF October 1941

Bob Wilson has locked himself in his room in order to complete his graduate thesis, disavowing the notion of time travel, when his future self appears through a time gate. This future self, referring to himself as "Joe," urges Wilson to step through the gate, claiming that a great future lies ahead. Wilson, sleep-deprived and irritable, is unable to recognize his future self and refuses to comply, when a third version of himself appears. This third version is from a farther future, and refutes the second incarnation's claims. The three selves get into a brawl, and Wilson is conveniently shoved through the gate, because otherwise we would not have much of a story.

On the other side, Wilson encounters Diktor, the controller of the time gate, who claims Wilson has stepped 30,000 years into his future. He informs Wilson that the gift of the time gate was bestowed to humanity by a race of aliens referred to as the "High Ones," who essentially enslaved humanity and transformed them into meek creatures. Here, among the spineless humans of the future, Wilson could make himself king.

A great concept raising many paradoxes of time travel, as Heinlein frequently did (see " 'All You Zombies...' "). Interesting as an idea, but as a story it is overlong, tiresomely repetitive and predictable. In addition, I don't care for the jocular tone, which worked better for a story like "--And He Built a Crooked House" published the same year (perhaps Heinlein was in that mood at the time) and both published in Astounding Science Fiction (perhaps editor John W. Campbell was in the mood for such hilarity). It worked in Crooked because of the absurd scenario and caricatures, but this story aims to be more complex with more serious undertones, and the light tone is not helped by the story being flat-out unfunny (arguably dated--again a "perhaps" as in 1941 some readers may have gotten a kick out of beautiful enslaved girls who can be owned and traded by men who do not give a thought to anything other than their physical appearance). None of this is helped by the story's protagonist who is conveniently not too smart (despite attempting to write a seemingly complex thesis) and therefore easily manipulated.

"By His Bootstraps" was published in the October 1941 issue of Astounding Science-Fiction, under the byline Anson MacDonald. It was the lead story, a novella, and shared the issue with another novella by Heinlein, "Common Sense," so that of the 164 pages of that issue, 73 of them were from Heinlein's typewriter. "Bootstraps" proved in the long term to be more popular, and since it is a recognizable Heinlein story, it is interesting that it was printed under a pseudonym and not reserved for another issue. I have not read "Common Sense," and it appears to be more recognizable as the second half of the novel Orphans in the Sky, and while the first half, "Universe," had already been published in ASF in the May issue of that same year, as a sequel "Common Sense" needed to carry Heinlein's name. The cover, as well as the interior art accompanying the novella, were produced by Hubert Rogers. The cover illustration depicts the time gate with the three versions of Wilson, and in the backdrop the two different time periods in which he settles.

For more of this week's Wednesday short stories, please visit Patti Abbott's blog.

Casual Shorts & the ISFdb Top Short Fiction # 42: "—And He Built a Crooked House" by Robert A. Heinlein

Heinlein, Robert A. " '—And He Built a Crooked House' ." Astounding Science-Fiction, February 1941.

This article is part of my attempt to read all the 155 stories currently (as of 1 November 2022) on the ISFdb's Top Short Fiction list. Please see the introduction and list of stories here. I am encouraging readers to rate the stories and books they have read on the ISFdb.

ISFdb Rating:   8.71/10

My Rating:        7/10

"Outside, the night was cold and wet, but in the small living room the curtains were closed and the
fire burned brightly."

Ambitious experimental architect Quintus Teal conceives of a house in the form of a tesseract. His persistence convinces friend Homer Bailey to invest in having it built, since his socialite wife would be proud to own and show off such an unusual house of the future. Constructed quickly, the house on the outside is an unimpressive cube, but on the inside it is a vast structure with eight rooms. As the house is four dimensional, however, when Teal and the new owners attempt to leave they instead find themselves in a different room, as each part of the house loops into another. Moreover, the views through some of the windows are from various parts of the country and perhaps even the world and beyond into other worlds. Not just looping, the house extends itself well into the other dimension.

The trio, with Teal in the lead, attempt to find a way out of the tesseract house.

An enjoyable story and a good concept. The characters are basic Heinlein and annoying more often than not, but they suit the story that at the same time delivers a scathing version of Los Angeles. The story is both satirical, poking fun at LA and its inhabitants, at architecture and the idea of the modern aesthetic, while maintaining its focus on mathematical and geometric logic.

I am generally mixed about Heinlen, but aside from the annoying protagonist and comical tone, I did enjoy this one.

Briefly: Little Eve by Catriona Ward (2018)

Ward, Catriona. Little Eve. UK: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, July 2018

Rating:     8/10

Little Eve at the ISFsb

Little Eve at Goodreads

Tor Nightfire edition, 2022

Catriona Ward's gothic novel Little Eve is difficult to describe. Not because it is surreal or unclear or overly complex, but because revealing its plot is a disservice to the reader. The novel begins in 1921 with the discovery of a brutal scene, then falls back to 1917, the latter stages of the Great War, to tell its story. The story reveals itself to the reader in mostly episodic sequences, as characters living on an isolated Scottish island go about their daily activities, picking mushrooms and mending clothes and taking part in a snake ritual. As we read, the story becomes increasingly complex, with characters from the outside world seeping in, and the occasional time jump. Yet as it is complicated it also begins to piece itself together.

This is as vague as I dare describe the plot, since I would urge readers of darker, psychological fiction to pick this one up. I enjoyed it immensely. The novel revolves primarily around two teenaged girls at the isolated island, where they live with their Uncle, two women and two other children. They attend school at the nearby village, and have various encounters with outsiders, most of whom see them as odd. Tensions rise among the island members, through their outside interactions, their individual desires, and their often strained relationships between one another, all under the watchful eyes and strict leadership of their Uncle. The situation is fascinating, the characters intriguing, and Ward manages to consistently maintain both the suspense and the tension, along with its powerful atmosphere in that stormy environment, as the story builds to its reveal.

Despite selling poorly and being available at the time of publication only in the UK, the book received the 2018 Shirley Jackson Award for best novel, which is awarded for dark psychological fiction. Following the international success of The House on Needless Street, which I also enjoyed immensely, Little Eve was reprinted with an introduction by Ward, and made available in North America.

Casual Shorts & the ISFdb Top Short Fiction # 41: The Dunwich Horror by H. P. Lovecraft

Lovecraft, H. P. "The Dunwich Horror." Weird Tales, April 1929.

This article is part of my attempt to read all the 155 stories currently (as of 1 November 2022) on the ISFdb's Top Short Fiction list. Please see the introduction and list of stories here. I am encouraging readers to rate the stories and books they have read on the ISFdb.

ISFdb Rating:   8.75/10

My Rating:        7/10

"When a traveller in north central Massachusetts takes the wrong fork at the junction of the Aylesbury pike just beyond Dean's Corners he comes upon a lonely and curious country."

And so begins the tale of the town of Dunwich and a horror it recently experienced. Like many a Lovecraft story, the setting is lonely and isolated, but compared to the more urban centres of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" and the ports and seas of "The Call of Cthulhu," Dunwich is mostly detached from the known world. The story keeps us mostly at an isolated house in the hills and its environs (with side visits to the library), and of course such tales must be in isolated regions otherwise their secrets wouldn't be so secretive and the curious general public would be milling about.

In our isolated house lives Lavinia Whateley, her aged father and her unusually quick-developing Wilbur, who is toddler-sized and skilled when he is less than a year old. Who is the father of this devilish child, and what strange creature is he and grandpa hiding in the newly reconstructed portion of their house? This is not among my favourite of Lovecraft's stories, but I award points for mood and atmosphere, which are highly effective throughout. Lovecraft's melodrama is sometimes too much for me, with the learned townsmen studying and desperately translating documents, and later swooning at indescribable horrors, and the story, as many of his stories, is somewhat overlong since we get the point and don't need have it stretched out. This is why as a teen I believe I read only one of his collections, and I believe I read it intermittently, goaded on by Lovecraft-reading classmates.

For more of this week's Wednesday Short Stories, please visit Patti Abbott's blog.

Casual Shorts & the ISFdb Top Short Fiction # 40: The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs

Jacobs, W. W. "The Monkey's Paw." Harper's Monthly Magazine, September 1902.

This article is part of my attempt to read all the 155 stories currently (as of 1 November 2022) on the ISFdb's Top Short Fiction list. Please see the introduction and list of stories here. I am encouraging readers to rate the stories and books they have read on the ISFdb.

ISFdb Rating:   8.75/10

My Rating:        9/10

Art by Walt Sturrock

"Outside, the night was cold and wet, but in the small living room the curtains were closed and the
fire burned brightly."

On a dark and stormy night, Mr. and Mrs. White and their adult son Herbert are visited by an old acquaintance of the father's, Sergeant-Major Morris. Unlike the homely Whites, Morris is a man of the world, a travel with vast experience who had been stationed in India and has returned with many tales. Among these is the tale of the monkey's paw, a talisman that bestows upon its owner three wishes, yet with the warning that the wishes are granted via malicious means. Morris was the last person to own the monkey's paw, and tosses the wretched object into the fire, from where it is quickly rescued by Mr. White. Sure enough, later that night the White's decide to make a wish, partly in jest, and ask for two hundred pounds to clear their mortgage.

“Well, I don’t see the money,” said his son, [...] and I bet I never shall.”

Ominous words indeed.

Because I read this story at the young and impressionable age of ten or eleven, it has stayed closely with me, and I enjoy it with every re-read (which has been numerous). Aside from nostalgia, it is well constructed, remaining simple yet tight, and contains an impressive layer of emotions for a story so short, from the tight-nit family with their playful understanding of one another, to the mother's affecting grief and the father's anxieties over the ominous paw. That last sequence, wonderfully illustrated by Walt Sturrock, alone contains more contrasting emotions than many a novel. There are some great phrases, terrific mood, and the story's enclosed space and oppressive weather create the perfect atmosphere. To contrast all this darkness, that instance of the streetlight at the end gives a tiny glow of relief amid such horrible circumstances.

The story is readily available throughout the web, and I urge anyone who has not yet experienced the story outside that The Simpsons episode, to do so. Once read, you can read the following paragraph.

For many years following its initial publication in Harper's Monthly, "The Monkey's Paw" was a staple in ghost story anthologies, a practice that continues but in a lessened form. Interestingly, the story is not a ghost story, but an example of an early zombie, or living dead tale. Mr. White's wish to make his son alive again presumably brings the animated corpse of the boy to come rapping at their front door, and not the spirit of the boy. While subgenres at the time were not as defined as they are today, so that many terror tales or stories with a supernatural element were relegated to the popular ghost story form, this misclassifying can lead to a transformation or misreading of the text. As a ghost, there would be a formless spirit somehow managing to tap on the door, yet the understanding that it is the walking corpse of their child brings with it a powerful element of horror that would be deprived from a reader with a ghost in mind. Jacobs makes it clear that Herbert was killed by falling into "some machinery," and Mr. White reminds his wife that he was only able to recognize the boy because of his clothes (as he was evidently horribly mangled). It is this shredded and bloodied figure Jacobs expects us to imagine standing behind the door, the image Mr. White so desperately wants to spare his wife from seeing, and not a translucent image of a boy nor a bedsheet blowing in the wind.

Wonderful stuff.

For more of this week's Wednesday Short Stories, please visit Patti Abbott's blog.

Casual Shorts & the ISFdb Top Short Fiction # 39: The Veldt by Ray Bradbury

Bradbury, Ray. "The World the Children Made." The Saturday Evening Post, 23 September 1950.

This article is part of my attempt to read all the 155 stories currently (as of 1 November 2022) on the ISFdb's Top Short Fiction list. Please see the introduction and list of stories here. I am encouraging readers to rate the stories and books they have read on the ISFdb.

ISFdb Rating:   8.82/10

My Rating:        7/10

" 'George, I wish you'd look at the nursery.' "

Cover by George Hughes

George and Lydia Hadley have invested in a Happylife Home, where all their daily comforts are met. Their home will prepare and serve their meals, and even switch their lights on and off throughout each part of the home they are passing, as they are passing. Yet they believe that the best decision they made was to include in their home a nursery for the children. Very much like the Star Trek holodeck, the nursery can create whatever is on the minds of the children--it can produce their very desires. In the case of ten year-olds Peter and Wendy Hadley, who are currently interested in Africa, the nursery has created a veldt, an open space within a jungle, which includes a herd of lions in the distance who seem to always be chewing up some prey.

Yet something is off, the Hadleys notice, as the children's obsession begins to make them uncomfortable, as does the veldt and the ever observing lions. They decide that the children--and even they--have become too spoiled with the comforts of their new home, and make the ultimate decision to be less reliant on modern comforts. But are the children prepared for this great change?

Included in Bradbury's popular collection The Illustrated Man, "The Veldt" is one of his most read stories, and it is overall a really good one. The message is straightforward, as is the plotting which is paint-by-numbers, but the story works well as it places the reader on edge, is short with good pacing, and those looming lions--the looming dangers of technology and its ties to indolence--drive the narrative forward. There is nothing subtle or surprising, and its theme is well worn, even for 1950, but it becomes more prevalent each year so is never dated. The story predicts motion sensor lights and the holodeck, though we don't yet have tables that apologize to us for forgetting the ketchup. In fact, any smart gadget that would "forget" a pre-programmed step would today be considered faulty. In this world the table gadget is given personality, perhaps a little joke by Bradbury, or to indicate that those lions are not smoke and mirrors, but have desires of their own.

The story was originally title "The World the Children Made," but "The Veldt" is a more appropriate title. While the children made the world inside the nursery, the world that made a nursery that could drive the irrational drives of children was made by a society seeking comfort. The story's central focus, and where the tension lies, is in the veldt.

Casual Shorts & the ISFdb Top Short Fiction # 38: The Lucky Strike by Kim Stanley Robinson

Robinson, Kim Stanley. "The Lucky Strike." Universe 14, edited by Terry Carr. New York: Doubleday, June 1984.

This article is part of my attempt to read all the 155 stories currently (as of 1 November 2022) on the ISFdb's Top Short Fiction list. Please see the introduction and list of stories here. I am encouraging readers to rate the stories and books they have read on the ISFdb.

ISFdb Rating:   8.83/10

My Rating:        7/10

This story is available online at Strange Horizons.

"War Breeds strange pastimes."

In an alternate World War II, pilot Colonel Paul Tibbets crashes the Enola Gay on a practice run, killing the entire crew. This tragedy leaves Captain Frank January in charge of the replacement crew and its plane, The Lucky Strike, on her voyage to drop a new kind of bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

An interesting story that explores the anxieties and doubts of January, aware of the destructive power of the atomic bomb, and struggling between his duty and the desire to abandon the mission. A good story with a strong first third, an overlong middle section, and a good but unsubtle finish. Essentially, the story presents an alternate scenario to end the war, to not drop the bomb on a populated area, but rather send a message by dropping the bomb onto an unpopulated area and force the Japanese to surrender as they are witness to the potential devastation that a nuclear strike can potentially wreak on a city. Of course, we can never know exactly how this would have played out in our reality, but Robinson is confident as to what the outcome would have been, and idealistically envisions such a scenario quickly leading to worldwide disarmament.

The historical elements and the crew's flight and its details were what I found most interesting, and whether accurate or not (though it probably is), the flight sequence is believable and creates more tension than January's anxieties, though undoubtedly heightened by those anxieties. I did wonder why a person like January would be selected as crew leader for the most important flight of WWII, since these high level decisions are made with scrutiny. There is a brief interplay with a psychologist early on, implying that it is easy to deceive medical officers, but this is slight and in itself not terribly convincing, or perhaps a scenario too familiar in war stories featuring conscientious officers. January is presented as more of an average American who would denounce the practice of a nuclear strike, than a soldier who would unwaveringly follow such an order.

The last section plays out conveniently for Robinson's message. January is sacrificed but Hiroshima and the rest of Japan are saved, and nuclear disarmament is to follow shortly. Harry S. Truman is depicted as the villainous leader who pushed for the strike, and the scientists behind the nuclear bomb are presented as military realists whose mission is to end the war without concern for civilian life.

For more of this week's Wednesday Short Stories, please visit Patti Abbott's blog.