Product Description
Avram Davidson was one of the great original American writers of this century. He was erudite, cranky, Jewish, wildly creative, and sold most of his wonderful stories to pulp magazines. They are wonderful.

Now his estate and his friends have brought together a definitive collection of his finest work, each story introduced by an SF luminary: writers like Ursula K. Le Guin, William Gibson, Poul Anderson, Gene Wolfe, Guy Davenport, Peter S. Beagle, Gregory Benford, Thomas M. Disch, and dozens of others. This is a volume every lover of fantasy will need to own.
Amazon.com Review
The Avram Davidson Treasury may be the most satisfying short-storycollection of the decade. Davidson (1923-1993), one of science fiction andfantasy's greatest writers, was "a master shaper of small stories," writesAlan Dean Foster in his introduction to "Or the Grasses Grow." Foster isjoined in introducing the stories by dozens of extraordinary authors,including Ursula K. Le Guin, Gene Wolfe, William Gibson, Poul Anderson, andmany others. Davidson was clearly adored, and often emulated, despite hisreputation for being somewhat curmudgeonly. His mastery of language wasexquisite, and his stories glittered like diamonds. Each of the 38 tales inthis collection spanning five decades is a self-contained wonderland. Oneof the most famous (and most often plagiarized) short stories in sciencefiction appears here: "Or All the Seas with Oysters," tells of slightlysinister safety pin pupae, coat hanger larvae, and bicycle adults in aworld where machines are more than they seem.

Of "Dagon," John Clute writes, "It is as vicious as the world of a fish,and wise. It is masterly.... it cannot be read. It can only be re-read." Onthe surface, this is the story of an American military officer in Peking in1945, but lurking underneath are ancient gods, Chinese magicians, and theobscene torpor of hell. As Ray Bradbury writes in his afterword, "Many ofthese stories are complete mysteries, puzzles. Avram Davidson starts us ina fog and lets us orient ourselves slowly.... His knack for a proper paceis that of a true teller of tales." But all of Davidson's stories aren'tdark--far from it. He was a satirical genius, able to poke fun at sacredcows and turn a comic phrase with the best of them. Some of these storieswill make you laugh out loud.

To the fan of great literary short fiction: Don't skip over this deeplyfulfilling treasury because Avram Davidson was "only" a science fictionauthor. He's been compared to Rudyard Kipling, Saki, John Collier, and G.K.Chesterton, if you need a literary excuse.

And to the science fiction or fantasy fan: This amazing and creative Hugo,Edgar, and World Fantasy Award winner, nominated for seven NebulaAwards by his fellow writers, will astound and amaze you. --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Priceless
When I read a particularly good short story I look back and try to imprint the author's name on my memory (nowadays with mixed results).As far as science fiction & fantasy goes, the first time this happened was with a story by Avram Davidson, many years ago.As time went by I would notice his name on several memorable works.To say he had a style all his own is not quite right, since he actually had several styles, all fascinating.What I didn't know until fairly recently was that AD was surprisingly obscure, considering his amazing talent and prolificacy (try searching for his work on Amazon).

This collection brings together much of his finest short stories.Each one is chosen and introduced by another writer - Avram was evidently an author's author.While I probably would have made a few different choices, I was grateful to be able to experience many excellent works that I had never seen before.Chances are, even if you're an old Davidson fan, you'll find a few stories that are new to you as well.You would have to search far and wide - and at great expense - to replicate this compilation.

The collection is too long and varied to elaborate on the individual pieces, but suffice it to say, reading Davidson is a real joy.The quality of the story and the effortless technique are something you will see very rarely.The downside of reading a collection like this (are there any like this?) is that it spoils you.Afterwards, most other writers seem flat and uninspired by comparison.

A writer writers will never read, alas
I hate some of the stories in this book; the remainder leave me gibbering with awestruck, overwhelmed delight. The specific stories a reader might revile or adore (or both) will vary. It's a huge, manifold collection of shorts by one of the best writers in English from...

OK, I'm hesitant to say, "the last century" or "the century recently passed", partly because that's awfully goofy, and partly because I'm not near well-read enough to make such claims with authority. I'm gonna say it anyway. I stumbled upon a copy of a long out of print and svelter collection of Davidson's work (Or All The Seas With Oysters...) at fourteen and I've never been quite the same. He's not the writer whose works I wish I could have written: he is the writer whose works I would have wished I could have written had I been the writer I wished I could have been.

(we see why a writer I am not, Yoda knowingly says)

Davidson had a dear whimsy, a weariness, and a bite that was, dare I say it, very Jewish. When I (re)read his stories I feel as if I (an agnostic Gentile) have magically been allowed to understand & overhear the Yiddish folk yarns the kindly, crusty grandfather spins for the kids while the middle generation shouts in the background.

Davidson wrote as well as Singer. Perhaps better, at his best. No small praise; I know what I am claiming. Do not allow my muddy writing dissuade any reader from buying and luxuriating in this important collection.

Avram Davidson Treasury is readers delight.
As a long-term reader of science fiction and an admirer of the writings of Avram Davidson the publication of this particular book was, for me, a noteworthy event. I was able to renew my acquaintance with some of the delightful stories I had first read ten to twenty-five years ago. Each story is preceded by a thoughtful introduction by author friends of the late Mr. Davidson. I found these short essays generally very helpful since most of the writers maintained a correspondence with AD and could provide personal insights and biographical data related to the stories.

The 38 stories are grouped chronologically by the decade in which they were published; Fifties to Nineties. I noticed that the excellent Ray Bradbury afterward had been used as an introduction to another out-of-print AD collection, Strange Seas and Shores, Doubleday, 1971.

My only grouse is that I wish the editors had included a listing of the titles of AD books, novels and short story collections. Thank you editors Silverberg and Davis, a beautiful book and a fitting tribute to "one of the finest short story writers ever to use the English language"...Robert Silverberg.

Quirky, lovely, some of the best short fantasy ever
Avram Davidson died in 1993. He was, as so often said, one of the great originals. His writing was elegant and complex: always adapted to the voices of his narrators and characters, always at some level humorous even when telling a dark story. He was one of those writers whose stories were always enjoyable just for wallowing in the prose: for its sprung rhythms and fine, out of the way, images. And his stories were enjoyable for wallowing in the atmosphere: for its evocation of exotic place-times, whether it be late '50s New York City or early '70s Belize or turn of the century Scythia-Pannonia-Transbalkania or far future Barnum's Planet, and for its evocation of exotic world-views, and the packing and repacking of wondrous, seemingly inconsequential (though rarely truly so) tidbits of history and unhistory into the backgrounds. And his best stories took these characteristics and harnessed them in the service of well-honed themes or (sometimes) clever plots.

This collection is organized as a retrospective, with the selections placed in order of first appearance. This is, I think, an excellent choice for any collection of this magnitude in that it allows the interested reader to try to track evolutions in the writer's style and thematic concerns over time. (I would suggest, perhaps, that the older Davidson was more prone to explorations of esoterica than the younger, and less often openly angry. Throughout his career he was ready with the comic touch, even in the midst of a darker context. His style was always special, but perhaps grew more involved as he grew older.)

Another feature of this collection is the introductions, by many of Davidson's friends: mostly fellow authors and editors, but also his bibliographer, Henry Wessels, and his son. This represent a significant chunk of "value added": they include some personal reminiscences, some analyses of the work, some elegiac passages. I'll add that the book is nicely and elegantly put together, and that editors Robert Silverberg and Grania Davis (as well as Tor in-house editor Teresa Nielsen Hayden) deserve thanks and applause for working to bring us this book.

But, of course, there is no Avram Davidson Treasury without the stories Avram Davidson wrote, of which 38 are assembled here. And the stories are the only real reason to buy and exult in this book. I'm a big Davidson fan, make no mistake: I come to this review not at all objective, and having reading all but a few of the stories already, many of them several times. At least one, "The Sources of the Nile", is firmly on my personal list of the best SF stories of all time.

There is not space to discuss the delightful stories herein contained. Suffice it to say that this collection is big enough, and varied enough, to whet the appetite of any reader whose ear can be tuned to catch the strains of Davidson's voice. And even this large collection inevitably leaves out many fine stories (the other Eszterhazy and Limekiller stories, "The Lord of Central Park", many more), to say nothing of his engaging collection of essays, Adventures in Unhistory, in which he discusses at length many obscure legends, and their possible bases in fact. So buy it and read it, and very likely you will find yourself searching out the out of print and small press books which house the rest of his work (for now), and very likely too you will be hoping with the rest of us Davidson lovers for a few more treasures to be dug from his papers.

much better than Stephen King
Still targets a squarely middle brow audience. Also, seems very dated,rooted in the '50's.

Most of the stories are of the "TwilightZone"/"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" form and structure. I.e.,creepy setting, followed by twist ending. And this is more of a fantasy andsupernatural book than science fiction.

There is a lot of erudition ondisplay here, but it is the fussy, showy kind often displayed by theautodidact. The pace and economy of some of the stories suffer becauseunnecessary erudition is packed in with everything else. ... Read more

Product Description
Who could have believed that a toy robot made in Japan from scrap tin would one day fetch nearly $70,000 at a Sotheby`s auction? Blast Off! chronicles the golden era of space toys, an age of imagination unbound by the more mundane realities of space travel ushered in by Sputnik and the Space Age. Containing hundreds of striking color photos of some of the most beautiful and ofttimes bizarre toys ever created -- many never before seen in print -- Blast Off! unearths the nearly lost histories of these space treasures and the companies that created them. Not limited to the presentation of these unique and fascinating playthings of the past, Blast Off! includes one-of-a-kind prototypes, original packaging and instructions, glimpses into ultra-rare Japanese robot catalogs, long-lost advertisements, vintage comic-strip and pulp-magazine art, and items of every description from every corner of the globe. Blast Off! covers extensively some of the most profound toy and space phenomena of the era, from Buck Rogers to Flash Gordon to the Space Opera programs of the infancy of television to a blow-by-blow account of the greatest Tin Robot auction in history. Blast Off! is an essential resource not only for the collector, but for anyone with an appreciation of pop culture -- or just plain fun!* Introduction by award-wining author, futurist, and cultural commentator Harlan Ellison. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Not impressed
I was not impressed with this book. I didn't realize when I got it that it dealt only with the very old, pre 1950's stuff. Things I didn't play with as a kid, nor want to get to collect. I am sure there is an audience for this book, but I am not one of them.

Great Book
I gave this book as a birthday present to my boyfriend, who is a lover of vintage robots. He was thrilled with the book! Lots of great pictures and interesting bits of information. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys in robots or vintage toys, either as a serious collector or just someone with a general interest.

The Best of Its Kind
As the author of ZAP! Ray Gun Classics, I've looked at a LOT of books on vintage space toys and in my opinion this is the very best one. The diversity of items, production values, factual information and other comments are all superb. I return to this book whenever I need a space toy "nostalgia fix" and I always seem to find something new. No vintage space toy collection should be without it.

a rare gem
More than merely a definitive catalogue of the subject, Blast Off is a socio-historical journey.Toys offer provide the prism through which the authors examine fascinating sociological phenomenon.Make no mistake this is the definitive book for this topic, but it becomes a tour de force by examining the history, economics, and sociology implied by these fascinating products from our recent past.

a rare gem
More than merely a definitive catalogue of the subject, Blast Off is a socio-historical journey.Toys offer provide the prism through which the authors examine fascinating sociological phenomenon.Make no mistake this is the definitive book for this topic, but it becomes a tour de force by examining the history, economics, and sociology implied by these fascinating products from our recent past. ... Read more

Product Description
The New York Times called him "relentlessly honest" and then used him as the subject of its famous Sunday Acrostic. People Magizine said there was no one like him, then cursed him for preventing easy sleep. But in these stories Harlan Ellison outdoes himself, rampaging like a mad thing through love ("Cold Friend", "Kiss of Fire", "Paulie Charmed the Sleeping Woman"), hate ("Knox", "Silent in Gehenna"), sex ("Catman", "Erotophobia"), lost childhood ("One Life, Furnished in Early Poverty") and into such bizarre subjects as the problems of blue-skinned, eleven-armed Yiddish aliens, what it's like to witness the end of the world and what happens on the day the planet Earth swallows Barbra Streisand. Oh yeah, this one's a doozy! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A good later Ellison collection
This is a good collection of mostly 70's-era Ellison stories.Devoted Ellison fanatics will love it.A more critical one, myself, I was impressed but not interested in several of the stories, but Ellison'svehemence and creativity are always on.This one is worthwhile for"Knox," a disturbing tale dealing with race hatred, and thepoignant (and classic) "One Life Furnished in Early Poverty." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The 2nd Revolution
In the prelude, Harlan Ellison describes "a 2nd Revolution", those science fiction writers that emerged out of the 60's and led SF into a new direction. This is their book, a testament to imaginations of the post-Golden Age thinkers and doers. With '33' compositions on everything under the sun, this work brings a broad spectrum of what-may-be thought and speculation to our view. As you can get a list of authors from the web I won't go into detail. But if you are looking for the very best in SF thought this a good stop. The stories are still on top 40 years into their future. ... Read more

Product Description
Hugo and Nebula Winner Harlan Ellison's classic post-apocalyptic sagaThe cycle beings with "Eggsucker," which chronicles the early years of the association between fourtenn-year-old loner Vic and his brilliant, telepathic dog, Blood. The saga continues and expands in "A Boy and His Dog," in which Blood shows just how much smarter he is than Vic, and Vic shows how loyal he can be. The story expands further in "Run, Spot, Run," the first part of Ellison's promised novel of the cycle, Blood's A Rover. Here Vic and Blood find surprising new ways to get into trouble-but getting out of it may be beyond even their combined talents. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

I'am a noble creature...
"Vic and Blood" is one of those post-apocalyptic stories that sneaks under most people's radar. I personally only found it by overhearing someone mention it in a comparison to another book. Harlan Ellison is one author that I've never really heard much about or know of.

"Vic and Blood" is the futuristic story about a boy (Vic) and his telepathic dog (Blood). They work together as a team and are part of a roverpack, teen boys with no futures that roam the streets. Not everyone can hear the telepathic dogs and not all dogs have the power that Blood has.

This very short novella is only around 96 pages and is a very quick read. Its broken down into three sections -

Part 1 - Eggsucker
Part 2 - A Boy and His Dog
Part 3 - Run, Spot, Run

The last part of the novella is supposed to be the first part of the promised novel "Blood's a Rover" that Ellison has apparently failed to ever publish. In my personal opinion, this short novella was plenty enough to wet my appetite for more adventures from Blood.

The story has alot of action, alot of great dialogue between the two main characters and several other minor characters that fill out the stories. The underworld and the shootouts between the roverpacks made this novella worth the while. Blood is a great character concept and carries the story all the way through.

A movie was made from the novella, a very low budget film A Boy & His Dog starring a young Don Johnson (Miami Vice) and I plan to watch it solely for the laughs at some point!

Enjoy~

Another triumph from Harlan Ellison
Set in post-apocalyptic wasteland, this story about a wandering boy and his psychic dog plays heavily on the subject of morality.The setting is very vivid, and Harlan's description of life following cataclysm is unparalleled. ... Read more

Product Description
Love has ten thousand names and a million different faces.History will surely agree that America's most destructive contribution to 20th century living has been that damaged product called plastic romance. It twists and savages us. After a lifetime of lies about what love is supposed to be, are you finally angry and depressed enough to be part of a "recall" on that shabby, mildewed merchandise? If so, join the remarkable Harlan Ellison as he dissects the soul and body of love in Our Time. In 16 scalpel-sharp stories that range from the legalized whorehouses of Nevada to the steaming lynch towns of Georgia, from the abortion mills of Tijuana to the sound stages of Hollywood, the writer whom Oui magazine charmingly named "the perpetually angry young punk of the bizarre" rips the Saran-Wrap off love and hate and sin and twittering passion-to disclose the raw meat beneath. Here are sixteen poisoned arrows from fantasy's most improbable Cupid in which he presents a world of hearts & flowers guaranteed to revise your thinking about where love is found and how it looks. ... Read more

Product Description
1996: Danger aboard an orbiting weather satellite. Survival in the balance for tomorrow's astronauts. ... Read more

Product Description
Master essayist, gadfly, literary myth-figure and viewer of dark portent, Harlan Ellison has been, for the greater part of his life, a burr under the saddle of Complacency. His two books of TV criticism, THE GLASS TEAT and THE OTHER GLASS TEAT, are taught in more than 200 universities and colleges. In this, his former assistant and confidante, Marty Clark, has culled from hundreds of rare and unreprinted works twenty wide-ranging essays that demonstrate why the monstre sacr� of imaginative literature won th ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Movie Hollywood Won't Make!
This is a screenplay Ellison wrote, when requested by a producer to create a film based on whatever subject he wished.The story follows a young man on a quest to save the world, through truth and justice, who gets waylaidby reality.Watch for the scene involving a garbage dump, and a romanticevening of shooting rats!A great satire! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

What I would'nt give for this movie to be made!
Thank you Harlan!

I read "I, Robot" when I was about 11.It made me an Asimov fan and a science fiction fan.I was terribly disappointed when I heard about That Movie With The Same Title and refuse to see it.

This, however, really is the "greatest science fiction movie never made".

Harlan has fleshed out Susan Calvin so much, it nearly makes me weep.Here the only competent woman I read about as a kid, who was mostly a framing device in the book, is a living, breathing character I can believe in and feel for.The favorite stories of my childhood have been rendered beautifully, reminding me how much Isaac's writing effected my life and taking me right back to the emotional connection Isaac always managed to make for me to "soulless machines".

Harlan, it would have made a helluva good movie. Thanks.

Interesting, but needs a few more drafts
While there seems to be a lot of potential in Harlan Ellison's treatment of the classic Isaac Asimov Robot stories, I think a few more drafts would be in order, if not a complete rethinking of the concept, before it would be ready for production.In his interesting and informative introductory essay, Ellison states that he constructed the framing device of reporter Robert Bratenahl's search for robot guru Susan Calvin as a means of avoiding an episodic structure, but since this story frame itself is rather episodic, he compounds the problem rather than defeating it.I haven't read the original stories yet, so I don't know whether this is a viable alternative, but I found myself wondering whether some of them could have been combined or opened up to provide a more organic, smoother story arc.

Having said this, I also want to acknowledge that this is a script for a true SCIENCE FICTION film, not one of the the horror films and action films dressed up with androids and aliens that we usually get from Hollywood.That alone is this script's greatest stength.

Oh, what might have been!
I Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay will appeal to fans of both Ellison and Asimov.Ellison does a masterful job, using Asimov's stories as a springboard for his script.That script is a thing of beauty, a synthesis of the two authors--Ellison preserves and celebrates Asimov's work even as he puts his own distinct mark on the material.The result stands as a tribute to Asimov's overwhelming contribution to science fiction, and to Ellison's skill and professionalism as a scriptwriter.Kudos are also in order for the the outstanding illustrations provided by the talented Mark Zug, which compliment and enhance the text.

Surpasses the produced film on so many levels.
I've enjoyed reading many screenplays before, but this is one of my all time favorites. The favorite when it comes to Sci-Fi (although Harlan Ellison would most likely perfer Speculative fiction). The Screenplay is many things:

An adult Speculative Fiction tale.

A merging of Issac Asimov's i,robot stories.

A story that touches you on an emotional level.

Here's what it's not:

An action thriller.

A movie with a hip actor who will explain to us that black people don't like cats.

A long commercial for Converse and Audi.

This is a mature tale in the vain of sci-fi classics. It's the ten percent of "Sci-fi" Sturgeon wanted people to point to when they point to the genre. After seeing how much the produced version was dumbed down, it's doubtful this film could be made. It would be a great film, at least critical acclaim wise, but with the belief that movie patrons are idots who need an explosion ever five minutes, it's doubtful.

Ellison's infamous unproduced screenplay for Asimov's "I, Robot"
Many, many years ago I happened to hear an audio tape of Harlan Ellison reading the first part of his "I, Robot" script for a Science-Fiction convention, so when what may well be the most infamous unproduced script in Hollywood history was finally available in print I picked it up immediately.Ellison takes several of Isaac Asimov's classic Robot short stories (including "Lenny," "Liar!" and "Evidence") and weaves them into the life story of Susan Calvin, told in flashbacks to a reporter at the funeral for Stephen Byerley, First President of the Galactic Federation.For example, Susan nows becomes the little girl in "Robbie."Consequently, Ellison avoids the traditional pitfall of omnibus movies, such as "Tales from the Crypt," "The Twilight Zone" or "Creepshow," where whatever is used to link the segments together is of little or no importance to the overall film.

Ellison's introductory essay is certainly not as vitriolic as his story about what happened to his "Star Trek" script "The City on the Edge of Forever," but it does recount the bizzaro world of movie making to explain why this remained an unproduced screenplay.Both the essay and the script are testaments to Ellison's deep personal affection for Asimov and a special treat is Ellison's revelation as to the casting he had in mind when he wrote the script: Joanne Woodward as Susan Calvin, George C. Scott as Reverend Soldah, Martin Sheen as Robert Bratenahl, and Keenan Wynn and Ernest Borgnine as Donovan and Powell.Sounds good to me.

You may come to this illustrated screenplay as a fan of Ellison or of Asimov or most likely of both. However, regardless of your point of origin I think it is important that you have read the original Asimov Robot stories before you read the script. The stories are Asimov's but the adaptation is Ellison's, and you have to know the original tales to appreciate the inspired organization of this script that weaves them together. The artwork that illustrates the screenplay is by Mark Zug, and consists of both full-page color paintings and black & white character sketches that help to flesh out your mental images of Calvin, Donovan, Powell, and the rest of the gang.

The fact that there is a movie version of "I, Robot," starring Will Smith, now available on DVD, simply helps prove the superiority of Ellison's adaptation.Just read Ellisons' script and compare it to what Hollywood has wrought and you get exactly what Tinsle Town is all about in a nutshell.The fault with the movie is that it celebrated action over intellect, and that the story it tells would be better suited for an Asimov Robot story down the road once you really understand the three laws.You will also note that at the start of "I, Robot" the three laws of robotics appear one by one, imposed over bubbling water.The water, it turns out, is not part of a super computer, but it sure strikes me as an intentional homage to the start of Ellison's screenplay.If it is not, then you know full well there would have been a lawsuit coming (cf. Ellison and "Terminator"). ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of new horror stories includes contributions by Stephen King, Harlan Ellison, Dan Simmons, David J. Schow, Nancy Collins, and others. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Midnight Graffiti
Once of the best Horror Anthologies ever. (And I read tons). Read this as a teenager, and now that I am grown up, I still go back and re-read.

all-time favorite!!
I came across this book as a child and enjoyed it a great deal. Even though as a kid I couldn't comprehend many of the stories in the book, I found the variety and diversity contained in it awesome. Now being able to fathom it in its' entirety, I STILL go back to it and re-live my favorite stories. The "Psychos" section is my favorite. I highly recommend it.

A gallery of styles
This collection of horror short stories is exceptional because of the wide range of styles and stories it contains. The reader will not be lost in a jungle of imaginations because the book is organized in five chapters that are each dedicated to one type of atmosphere and plot. Hence when you start one chapter you know what continent of horror you are entering and you will get variety within that landscape. Some stories are absolutely stunning and fascinating. I found « Say hello, Mister Quigley » by J. Michael Straczynski too gentle on the incestuous father. Of course the victim has to forgive, but most of the time this forgiving is impossible because of the damage caused by the incestuous parent. I loved « Bob the Dinosaur » by Joe Lansdale because it shows how kids live on the illusion of a dream that is shattered by reality when it becomes true, when it gets satisfied. It is better to live on dreams even if they are disturbing, particularly for the parents' everyday life. Finally « Dark Embrace » by James Van Hise is a refreshing vision of vampires associated to a sickening vision of child molesting. Vampires become, in a way, gentle and lovable, even if they are monsters, when you compare them to child molesters who kill to cover up their tracks when their pleasure is satisfied. Vampires are also very human and long for company and love. Which a child molester never long for. He longs for brutal contact (rape) and absolute solitude that makes him kill his victim because he is entirely enslaved by his desire, his perverted passion for kids.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Perpignan at Mende.

Very good stories.Well categorized, and a great preface
I'm a big fan of Horror anthologies, and this is one of the best I've ever read.From the terrific introduction by the editor, to the last page, it was very satisfying.The stories range in intensity from the sheer grit of"Bad Guy Hats" to the quirky "Bob the Dinosaur Goes toDisneyland."There is something in here for everyone.Everybody getsa chance to be scared by something in here; all bases get covered.If youlike horror anthologies, this is a must-read.

Mama

My mama told me...you better shop around. THESE VOICES ARE KILLING ME!!!

Product Description
Hardcover reprint of the October 1979 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, including: Introduction by Edward K. Ferman; F&SF at 30, essay by Isaac Asimov; Fondly Fahrenheit, by Alfred Bester (SF Hall of Fame story); And Now the News . . . by Theodore Sturgeon; Not With a Bang, by Damon Knight; Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes (winner, 1960 Hugo Award); A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller, Jr.; One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts, by Shirley Jackson; The Women Men Don't See, by James Tiptree, Jr.; Born of Man and Woman, by Richard Matheson (nominated, 2001 Retro Hugo); Jeffty Is Five, by Harlan Ellison (winner, 1977 Nebula Award, 1978 Hugo Award, 1978 Locus Poll Award); Ararat, by Zenna Henderson; Sundance, by Robert Silverberg; Dreaming Is a Private Thing, by Isaac Asimov; Poor Little Warrior!, by Brian W. Aldiss; We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, by Philip K. Dick; Selectra Six-Ten, by Avram Davidson; Problems of Creativeness, by Thomas M. Disch; The Quest for Saint Aquin, by Anthony Boucher (SF Hall of Fame story); The Gnurrs Come from the Voodvork Out, by Reginald Bretnor; plus cartoons and poems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Some Gems. Some Bricks.
I found this book of short stories nice and cheap. Its author line-up boasted such names as: Alfred Bester, Theodore Sturgeon, Damon Knight, Daniel Keyes, Walter M. Miller Jr., James Tiptree Jr., Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, Isaac Asimov, Phillip K. Dick, Thomas M. Disch and a few I'd never heard of. Other than Asimov, I hadn't read any of these authors before, but had heard much about them. I decided this sounded like a solid intro to their writings- not to mention a "cream of the crop" selection from one of the most respected magazines in Fantasy & Sci-Fi.

Among the contents were listed three short stories I'd heard of:

1. Daniel Keyes' FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON. In this story, we read the journal of a mentally challenged man named Charley, as he takes part in a monumental scientific experiment that will not only make his brain function normally, but advance him far into the realms of super-intelligence. But perhaps this gift is not as glamorous as it sounds...I'd read the full novel-version of this story in high school, and it didn't really leave an impression on me back then. So I didn't really care that the shorter version was here. Thankfully I read it- for it was easily the best contribution in the book, and the only one I would rate 5 stars. I even want to reread the full novel sometime soon.

2. Walter M. Miller's A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ is revered as a classic in the genre. I own the novel on my "to be read" shelf, and figured it would be nice to read this, the original short story version, first. It is our future after a nuclear holocaust. The world has been plunged into ignorance, but religion still exists and tries to make understanding of life and what was "before". This story was not to my taste at all, due mostly to the heavy religion I suppose. I fear I won't enjoy the full novel any better. 2 Stars.

3. WE CAN REMEMBER IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE, by Phillip K. Dick, is of course, the short story that became TOTAL RECALL- One of my favorite movies when I was younger! It was interesting to compare it to the film, since they are quite different, and I think others would enjoy doing the same thing. I'll leave the details for your own discovery, but I will say that you probably wouldn't picture Arnold as the protagonist in THIS story! 4 Stars.

There were four other notable tales in this collection:

1. NOT WITH A BANG, by Damon Knight, tells a short post-apocalyptic tale of the last man and woman on Earth. He realizes that they are humankind's last hope, but she is a Catholic woman who refuses to have premarital sex with him, and there is no one alive who can perform the ceremony. -This was a clever idea, which I would have preferred as the basis for a longer story instead of an abrupt, short one. 4 Stars, none-the-less.

2. Shirley Jackson gives us ONE ORDINARY DAY, WITH PEANUTS. Here is a day in the life, of an odd man, in an over-crowded city. What makes him odd? He is unbelievably nice! There has to be a catch right? -This was an enjoyable little story, with a nice ending. 4 Stars.

3. Richard Matheson contributes the three-page story, BORN OF MAN AND WOMAN, which is told by a child... whose parents keep him locked up in the basement for some reason. -Very short, but very powerful. 4 Stars.

4. My final pick is PROBLEMS OF CREATIVENESS, by Thomas M. Disch. This story tells of a future where the government controls the population by only letting it's most gifted citizens marry or have children. Birdie Ludd didn't make the cut, and now he is willing to try anything to change that verdict. -This story was rather fascinating, and really made this future seem possible and frightening. 4 Stars.

Otherwise, I was fairly let down by the other "big name" authors in this book. One particular problem I had with this "retrospective" was in the editor's intro to some of the stories. He would tell us that the author wrote this and that, and was famous for short story `X,' which, appeared in our magazine in 19XX... but here's story `Y' instead. Maybe they had printed the `famous' stories in other collections or something, but I would have preferred to read them instead of the alternate selections. In all of these cases (5 or 6, I believe) the story they gave was rather unimpressive, and served little purpose, except to make me wonder what I could have been reading instead.

Anyway... This collection is out-of-print, but I would certainly recommend the six decent stories I mentioned above, if you are able to find them in a copy of this book or in another collection, which is probably your best bet. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Unprecedented excellence
The best sci-fi radio drama I've ever heard, this volume anthologizes selections from an NPR series that ran in 1999-2000. All stories take place in the future. Lushly and meticulously produced, wonderful acting and nicely written, these plays of various lengths dramatize stories by greats such as Butler, Heinlein, Vonnegut and Bradbury, plus the stage play R.U.R., an international hit of the 1920s that gave us the word "robot." The sheer breadth of themes -- mensturation, over-population, miscegenation, scholarly folly, etc., etc. -- is astonishing, not to mention the mix of styles. Ellison, who introduces the stories, is his usual annoying self, but (thank God!) uncharacteristically brief.

This is an incredible set of Sci Fi Radio
This set contains six discs featuring 16 different futuristic science fiction audio dramas by various authors.
The clamshell binder holds the cds in sleeves which you might want to convert to slim cd cases for protection.
Disc One:
Blood by Frederic Brown
By His Bootstraps by Robert A. Heinlein
The Choice by Wayland Young
Disc Two:
RUR by Karel Kapek
Disc Three:
Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler
Merchant by Henry Slesar
Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Disc Four:
Shambleu C.L. Moore
And Miles to go before I sleep by William F. Nolan
Even The Queen by Connie Willis
Disc Five:
Revival Meeting by Dennie Placta
Pillar of Fire by Ray Bradbury
Sentience Today by Yuri Rasovsky
Disc 6:
Knock by Frederick Brown
Dear Pen Pal by A.E. Van Vogt
"Repent Harlequin" Said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison

These full cast audio productions are crystal clear on CD and feature humorous introductions by Harlan Ellison who hosts the series. Highly Recommended! ... Read more