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Science Fiction: The Science Fiction Research Association Anthology
Science Fiction: The Science Fiction Research Association Anthology. A great collection from 1843-1984. The 26 stories in this anthology were selected during 1984 and 1985 by the members of the Science Fiction Research Association. For years, those bringing SF into the classroom have had to improvise their course materials from anthologies and collections not designed for classwork. Now here is presented a carefully selected reading anthology reflecting the SF field in all its modern diversity. Cover by Maria Carella.
Collection of 26 chronologically-arranged stories by 25 authors (H. G. Wells is represented twice) that illustrate the historical development of the genre from Nathaniel Hawthorne into the 1980s. All three of the editors are academics, and each story is followed by commentary from another academic critic; the sponsoring organization is dedicated to the study of science fiction, and the collection is intended as a college textbook. Come along for a fascinating glance into...Science Fiction
Contents:
* Preface (Science Fiction: The Science Fiction Research Association Anthology) • essay by editors
* The Birthmark (1854) / short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne (variant of The Birth-Mark 1843); Afterword to "The Birthmark" • essay by Francis J. Molson
* The Star (1897) / short story by H. G. Wells; Afterword to "The Star" • essay by James E. Gunn [as by James Gunn]
* The Country of the Blind (1904) / novelette by H. G. Wells;Afterword to "The Country of the Blind • essay by Jack Williamson
* The Machine Stops (1909) / novelette by E. M. Forster; Afterword to "The Machine Stops" • essay by Charles L. Elkins [as by Charles Elkins]
* A Martian Odyssey [Tweel • 1] (1934) / novelette by Stanley G. Weinbaum; Afterword to "A Martian Odyssey" • essay by Frederik Pohl
* Who Goes There? (1938) / novella by John W. Campbell Jr.; Afterword to "Who Goes There?" • essay by Sam Moskowitz
* Nightfall (1941) / novelette by Isaac Asimov; Afterword to "Nightfall" • essay by Donald M. Hassler
* No Woman Born (1944) / novella by C. L. Moore; Afterword to "No Woman Born" • essay by Mary S. Weinkauf
* Thunder and Roses (1947) / novelette by Theodore Sturgeon; Afterword to "Thunder and Roses" • essay by H. Bruce Franklin
* Private Eye (1950) / novelette by Henry Kuttner, C. L. Moore [as by Henry Kuttner]; Afterword to "Private Eye" • essay by Merritt Abrash
* There Will Come Soft Rains [The Martian Chronicles] (1950) / short story by Ray Bradbury; Afterword to "There Will Come Soft Rains" • essay by Patrick G. Hogan, Jr.
* The Sentinel [A Space Odyssey] (1951) / short story by Arthur C. Clarke; Afterword to "The Sentinel" • essay by Thomas D. Clareson
* Common Time (1953) / short story by James Blish; Afterword to "Common Time" • essay by Willis E. McNelly
* The Game of Rat and Dragon [The Instrumentality of Mankind] (1955) / short story by Cordwainer Smith; Afterword to "The Game of Rat and Dragon" • essay by Muriel R. Becker
* The Men Who Murdered Mohammed (1958) / short story by Alfred Bester; Afterword to "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed" • essay by Russell Letson
* Flowers for Algernon (1959) / novelette by Daniel Keyes; Afterword to "Flowers for Algernon" • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
* A Rose for Ecclesiastes (1963) / novelette by Roger Zelazny; Afterword to "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" • essay by Carl B. Yoke
* Driftglass (1967) / short story by Samuel R. Delany; Afterword to "Driftglass" • essay by David N. Samuelson
* Faith of Our Fathers (1967) / novelette by Philip K. Dick; Afterword to "Faith of Our Fathers" • essay by Patricia S. Warrick
* I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1967) / short story by Harlan Ellison; Afterword to "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" • essay by Richard D. Erlich
* Nine Lives (1969) / novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin; Afterword to "Nine Lives" • essay by Veronica M. S. Kennedy
* When It Changed [Whileaway] (1972) / short story by Joanna Russ; Afterword to "When It Changed" • essay by Mary Kay Bray
* Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand [Snake] (1973) / novelette by Vonda N. McIntyre; Afterword to "Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand" • essay by Mary Kay Bray
* Houston, Houston, Do You Read? (1976) / novella by James Tiptree Jr.; Afterword to "Houston, Houston, Do You Read?" • essay by Thomas P. Dunn
* Options [Eight Worlds] (1979) / novelette by John Varley; Afterword to "Options" • essay by John Clute
* Bloodchild (1984) / novelette by Octavia E. Butler; Afterword to "Bloodchild" • essay by Elizabeth Anne Hull
* Select Bibliography (Science Fiction: The Science Fiction Research Association Anthology) • essay by editors
* General Bibliography (Science Fiction: The Science Fiction Research Association Anthology) • essay by editors
There is an additional index that rearranges the chronological list by Thematic Contents, broken down into the interest categories of biological, environmental, psychosocial, and technological (with several stories appearing in more than one category). Each story is followed by several paragraphs of editorial commentary (by college professors other than the trio of editors) that explains things about the author and the story's place in the history of science fiction.
Collection of 26 chronologically-arranged stories by 25 authors (H. G. Wells is represented twice) that illustrate the historical development of the genre from Nathaniel Hawthorne into the 1980s. All three of the editors are academics, and each story is followed by commentary from another academic critic; the sponsoring organization is dedicated to the study of science fiction, and the collection is intended as a college textbook. Come along for a fascinating glance into...Science Fiction
Contents:
* Preface (Science Fiction: The Science Fiction Research Association Anthology) • essay by editors
* The Birthmark (1854) / short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne (variant of The Birth-Mark 1843); Afterword to "The Birthmark" • essay by Francis J. Molson
* The Star (1897) / short story by H. G. Wells; Afterword to "The Star" • essay by James E. Gunn [as by James Gunn]
* The Country of the Blind (1904) / novelette by H. G. Wells;Afterword to "The Country of the Blind • essay by Jack Williamson
* The Machine Stops (1909) / novelette by E. M. Forster; Afterword to "The Machine Stops" • essay by Charles L. Elkins [as by Charles Elkins]
* A Martian Odyssey [Tweel • 1] (1934) / novelette by Stanley G. Weinbaum; Afterword to "A Martian Odyssey" • essay by Frederik Pohl
* Who Goes There? (1938) / novella by John W. Campbell Jr.; Afterword to "Who Goes There?" • essay by Sam Moskowitz
* Nightfall (1941) / novelette by Isaac Asimov; Afterword to "Nightfall" • essay by Donald M. Hassler
* No Woman Born (1944) / novella by C. L. Moore; Afterword to "No Woman Born" • essay by Mary S. Weinkauf
* Thunder and Roses (1947) / novelette by Theodore Sturgeon; Afterword to "Thunder and Roses" • essay by H. Bruce Franklin
* Private Eye (1950) / novelette by Henry Kuttner, C. L. Moore [as by Henry Kuttner]; Afterword to "Private Eye" • essay by Merritt Abrash
* There Will Come Soft Rains [The Martian Chronicles] (1950) / short story by Ray Bradbury; Afterword to "There Will Come Soft Rains" • essay by Patrick G. Hogan, Jr.
* The Sentinel [A Space Odyssey] (1951) / short story by Arthur C. Clarke; Afterword to "The Sentinel" • essay by Thomas D. Clareson
* Common Time (1953) / short story by James Blish; Afterword to "Common Time" • essay by Willis E. McNelly
* The Game of Rat and Dragon [The Instrumentality of Mankind] (1955) / short story by Cordwainer Smith; Afterword to "The Game of Rat and Dragon" • essay by Muriel R. Becker
* The Men Who Murdered Mohammed (1958) / short story by Alfred Bester; Afterword to "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed" • essay by Russell Letson
* Flowers for Algernon (1959) / novelette by Daniel Keyes; Afterword to "Flowers for Algernon" • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
* A Rose for Ecclesiastes (1963) / novelette by Roger Zelazny; Afterword to "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" • essay by Carl B. Yoke
* Driftglass (1967) / short story by Samuel R. Delany; Afterword to "Driftglass" • essay by David N. Samuelson
* Faith of Our Fathers (1967) / novelette by Philip K. Dick; Afterword to "Faith of Our Fathers" • essay by Patricia S. Warrick
* I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1967) / short story by Harlan Ellison; Afterword to "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" • essay by Richard D. Erlich
* Nine Lives (1969) / novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin; Afterword to "Nine Lives" • essay by Veronica M. S. Kennedy
* When It Changed [Whileaway] (1972) / short story by Joanna Russ; Afterword to "When It Changed" • essay by Mary Kay Bray
* Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand [Snake] (1973) / novelette by Vonda N. McIntyre; Afterword to "Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand" • essay by Mary Kay Bray
* Houston, Houston, Do You Read? (1976) / novella by James Tiptree Jr.; Afterword to "Houston, Houston, Do You Read?" • essay by Thomas P. Dunn
* Options [Eight Worlds] (1979) / novelette by John Varley; Afterword to "Options" • essay by John Clute
* Bloodchild (1984) / novelette by Octavia E. Butler; Afterword to "Bloodchild" • essay by Elizabeth Anne Hull
* Select Bibliography (Science Fiction: The Science Fiction Research Association Anthology) • essay by editors
* General Bibliography (Science Fiction: The Science Fiction Research Association Anthology) • essay by editors
There is an additional index that rearranges the chronological list by Thematic Contents, broken down into the interest categories of biological, environmental, psychosocial, and technological (with several stories appearing in more than one category). Each story is followed by several paragraphs of editorial commentary (by college professors other than the trio of editors) that explains things about the author and the story's place in the history of science fiction.
536 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 2, 2023
Note, February 2, 2023: I've just edited this review, not to substantively change any of my assessments, but to modify my language in places where I've come to feel that it wasn't kind to the authors.
This collection probably would serve well as the textbook for a course on science fiction; the scholarly commentary that follows each story varies in its degree of usefulness, but even mistaken opinions can be good springboards for discussion. The editors have taken pains to choose stories that not only illustrate the period when they were written, but that feature skillful writing which delivers the effects the authors intended, and that convey serious messages which evoke thought. Those same qualities also serve the book well as a collection for nonacademic reading, the use for which I'm primarily reviewing it here. Of course, the intended effects can vary from wonder and fascination to revulsion and disgust, depending on the story, and the messages can range from deeply profound to profoundly misguided. Not all the stories are works I would recommend, let alone enjoy (indeed, I doubt if "enjoy" would be a word that would describe even the author's reaction to a story like "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream") and that makes it hard to give an overall star rating to the book --many of the stories deserve five stars, and a few would get one star from me. None of them would get two stars, though --mediocrity isn't a problem here! :-)
Four of the stories were written before World War I; this includes "The Machine Stops," which was originally published in 1908 (the date given in the book, 1928, was a reprint), and which is a major classic of early dystopian SF. Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" illustrates many of the quintessential traits of Romantic SF: the pessimistic view of science as a quest for forbidden knowledge, the scientist as obsessed loner, the appeal to strong emotion and the direct use of symbolism. Along with the two Wells stories, all of these are drawn from the "soft" tradition.
The "hard" SF of the early modern American pulp period is also represented by four stories. Stanley G. Weinbaum's "A Martian Odyssey" and Moore's "No Woman Born" are trail- blazing genre classics, the one for its realistic depiction of truly "alien" aliens and the one for its sensitive portrayal of a female protagonist. Campbell's "Who Goes There?" is a masterpiece of the "humans vs. super-predator" plot pattern, while "Nightfall" is a highly original speculation about the effect total darkness would have on a planet whose unique proximity to several suns makes this a once-in-a-1,000-years event --though it's also an expression of Asimov's hostility to religious belief and believers. ("Who Goes There," in contrast, actually has a positive reference to God, rare in American SF in that era.)
Of the eight stories drawn from the immediate postwar era, Sturgeon's "Thunder and Roses" and Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains" both reflect that period's obsessive fear of nuclear war. (Sturgeon's story is the more thought- provoking in its exploration of the ethics of genocidal retaliation for a nuclear first strike --though he bases his morality strictly on a Darwinist concern for the species rather than on a religiously-based concern for human individuals.) My personal favorite in this group is "Flowers for Algernon," though Bester's "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed" is also noteworthy as one of the genre's more unusual time travel stories. Cordwainer Smith is represented by "The Game of Rat and Dragon," another stand-out.
Finally, ten stories are drawn from the years after 1960. Half of these represent the "New Wave" school, which I consider a devolution of the genre and a literary dead-end --so it's not surprising that the stories I wouldn't recommend cluster in this group! Three of these deal with gender issues; those by Joanna Russ and "James Tiptree Jr.," whose real name was Alice B. Sheldon, from the standpoint of a "gender feminism" that views males with undisguised hostility (Tiptree to the point of actually favorably depicting genocide). On the other hand, John Varley, in "Options," views the sexes as essentially androgenous, and looks forward to a day when genetically engineered clones and brain transplants will permit gender to be changed as often and casually as hair color is now. Dick's "Faith of Our Fathers" is the best of the New Wave group here, IMO; while not traditional in its view of religion, it at least takes the reality of God seriously.
Other contemporary stories here, however, are more in the vein of traditional quality SF. Though Delaney was usually associated with the New Wave, his "Driftglass" is not in that style, and is one of my favorites in this group --the other two are Octavia Butler's brilliant "Bloodchild," and Vonda N. McIntyre's "Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand." (The latter story is the basis for her later novel Dreamsnake, but Snake's character there comes across as much less appealing, at least to me.) Zelazny's "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" is also noteworthy (though it has some bad language, as some other stories here do as well --it's more jarringly obvious in this one, because of its use in the conclusion) as is Le Guin's "Nine Lives." (The latter story deals with human cloning, a possibility much less theoretical now than it was in 1969; but ultimately it's about the importance of human relationships, even with those who are different from, not "clones" of, ourselves.)
This collection probably would serve well as the textbook for a course on science fiction; the scholarly commentary that follows each story varies in its degree of usefulness, but even mistaken opinions can be good springboards for discussion. The editors have taken pains to choose stories that not only illustrate the period when they were written, but that feature skillful writing which delivers the effects the authors intended, and that convey serious messages which evoke thought. Those same qualities also serve the book well as a collection for nonacademic reading, the use for which I'm primarily reviewing it here. Of course, the intended effects can vary from wonder and fascination to revulsion and disgust, depending on the story, and the messages can range from deeply profound to profoundly misguided. Not all the stories are works I would recommend, let alone enjoy (indeed, I doubt if "enjoy" would be a word that would describe even the author's reaction to a story like "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream") and that makes it hard to give an overall star rating to the book --many of the stories deserve five stars, and a few would get one star from me. None of them would get two stars, though --mediocrity isn't a problem here! :-)
Four of the stories were written before World War I; this includes "The Machine Stops," which was originally published in 1908 (the date given in the book, 1928, was a reprint), and which is a major classic of early dystopian SF. Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" illustrates many of the quintessential traits of Romantic SF: the pessimistic view of science as a quest for forbidden knowledge, the scientist as obsessed loner, the appeal to strong emotion and the direct use of symbolism. Along with the two Wells stories, all of these are drawn from the "soft" tradition.
The "hard" SF of the early modern American pulp period is also represented by four stories. Stanley G. Weinbaum's "A Martian Odyssey" and Moore's "No Woman Born" are trail- blazing genre classics, the one for its realistic depiction of truly "alien" aliens and the one for its sensitive portrayal of a female protagonist. Campbell's "Who Goes There?" is a masterpiece of the "humans vs. super-predator" plot pattern, while "Nightfall" is a highly original speculation about the effect total darkness would have on a planet whose unique proximity to several suns makes this a once-in-a-1,000-years event --though it's also an expression of Asimov's hostility to religious belief and believers. ("Who Goes There," in contrast, actually has a positive reference to God, rare in American SF in that era.)
Of the eight stories drawn from the immediate postwar era, Sturgeon's "Thunder and Roses" and Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains" both reflect that period's obsessive fear of nuclear war. (Sturgeon's story is the more thought- provoking in its exploration of the ethics of genocidal retaliation for a nuclear first strike --though he bases his morality strictly on a Darwinist concern for the species rather than on a religiously-based concern for human individuals.) My personal favorite in this group is "Flowers for Algernon," though Bester's "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed" is also noteworthy as one of the genre's more unusual time travel stories. Cordwainer Smith is represented by "The Game of Rat and Dragon," another stand-out.
Finally, ten stories are drawn from the years after 1960. Half of these represent the "New Wave" school, which I consider a devolution of the genre and a literary dead-end --so it's not surprising that the stories I wouldn't recommend cluster in this group! Three of these deal with gender issues; those by Joanna Russ and "James Tiptree Jr.," whose real name was Alice B. Sheldon, from the standpoint of a "gender feminism" that views males with undisguised hostility (Tiptree to the point of actually favorably depicting genocide). On the other hand, John Varley, in "Options," views the sexes as essentially androgenous, and looks forward to a day when genetically engineered clones and brain transplants will permit gender to be changed as often and casually as hair color is now. Dick's "Faith of Our Fathers" is the best of the New Wave group here, IMO; while not traditional in its view of religion, it at least takes the reality of God seriously.
Other contemporary stories here, however, are more in the vein of traditional quality SF. Though Delaney was usually associated with the New Wave, his "Driftglass" is not in that style, and is one of my favorites in this group --the other two are Octavia Butler's brilliant "Bloodchild," and Vonda N. McIntyre's "Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand." (The latter story is the basis for her later novel Dreamsnake, but Snake's character there comes across as much less appealing, at least to me.) Zelazny's "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" is also noteworthy (though it has some bad language, as some other stories here do as well --it's more jarringly obvious in this one, because of its use in the conclusion) as is Le Guin's "Nine Lives." (The latter story deals with human cloning, a possibility much less theoretical now than it was in 1969; but ultimately it's about the importance of human relationships, even with those who are different from, not "clones" of, ourselves.)
May 8, 2007
I actually started reading this book in 1999, as part of my SF/Dystopias class at George Mason. For that class I had to read four stories in the book, and I always intended to read the rest of them, but never got the chance.
This is an important book in that it is a survey of the best representations of science fiction short stories from 1843 ("The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne) to 1985 ("Bloodchild" by Octavia Butler). Most of the stories are outstanding, and when read in context of their dates of origin, occasionally mind-boggling. Of particular note is E.M. Forster's "The Machine Stops," which, written in 1909, references not only the SF future of the story, but references previous generations in a way that would make you think the story was written in 1990. It is truly a spectacular dystopic story.
Also of not is John W. Cambell's "Who Goes There?" which was the premise for 1951's movie The Thing and Arthur C Clarke's "The Sentinel," which laid the groundwork for 2001: A Space Oddysey.
Other authors represented are Wells, Asimov, Bradbury, Zelazny, PK Dick, Ellison, LeGuin and others. For a truly great many reads, if you can get your hands on a copy of this book (it's not easy to find!), do so. It's worth every minute of reading.
And no, you can't have mine.
This is an important book in that it is a survey of the best representations of science fiction short stories from 1843 ("The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne) to 1985 ("Bloodchild" by Octavia Butler). Most of the stories are outstanding, and when read in context of their dates of origin, occasionally mind-boggling. Of particular note is E.M. Forster's "The Machine Stops," which, written in 1909, references not only the SF future of the story, but references previous generations in a way that would make you think the story was written in 1990. It is truly a spectacular dystopic story.
Also of not is John W. Cambell's "Who Goes There?" which was the premise for 1951's movie The Thing and Arthur C Clarke's "The Sentinel," which laid the groundwork for 2001: A Space Oddysey.
Other authors represented are Wells, Asimov, Bradbury, Zelazny, PK Dick, Ellison, LeGuin and others. For a truly great many reads, if you can get your hands on a copy of this book (it's not easy to find!), do so. It's worth every minute of reading.
And no, you can't have mine.
September 30, 2015
A Hall of Fame SF anthology. A group of SF experts voted on their favorite short stories. 3 stories from before 1926(first year of Amazing Stories), 20 from 1926-1970, 3 from 1971(death of John W. Campbell) to 1979. The result is a collection of the best stories from the best writers all time. Campbell, Asimov, Bradbury, Dick, Ellison, LeGuin, 2 by H.G. Wells, and 18 more. All great stories, most familiar like "Nightfall" and "Who Goes There" and "Houston, Houston, Do You Read?" Some I was not familiar with but still excellent stories, including the H.G. Wells stories (the only author represented twice).
It's the best anthology I've ever read. The stories are in chronological order so you get to see the progression of SF from alien attacks to Mars with a breathable atmosphere to FTL to psychological introspection of what it means to be human. An excellent anthology to introduce someone to SF.
Besides, where else can you find a scientifiction story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne?
It's the best anthology I've ever read. The stories are in chronological order so you get to see the progression of SF from alien attacks to Mars with a breathable atmosphere to FTL to psychological introspection of what it means to be human. An excellent anthology to introduce someone to SF.
Besides, where else can you find a scientifiction story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne?
Read
May 26, 2009Just a great collection from 1843-1984. It starts with: The Birthmark; The Star; The Country of the Blind; The Machine Stops; A Martian Odyssey; Who Goes There; Nightfall; No Woman Born. How could you go wrong after that?
June 26, 2010
Great mish mash of Sci-Fi's acclaimed authors.
April 11, 2012
We read this book in a recent Science Fiction class I took part in. It is a wonderful collection of short stories picked by Science Fiction writers that also includes a small bio about the authors.
July 11, 2022
An enjoyable collection covering two centuries of speculative fiction. As the editors explain, copyright issues led to several obvious candidates being excluded, but this allowed space for stories that might not be as popular, but have definite interest and value.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews