Thursday, April 14, 2011

Science Fact/Fiction, by Edmund J. Farrell (ed.)

*****

A fantastic collection of short stories. As with any collection, there are a few stinkers, but by and large the stories are excellent. Which is hardly a surprise with authors like Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clark, Isaac Asimov, Kurt Vonnegut, H.G. Wells, and Philip K. Dick contributing. (And Roald Dahl, though oddly enough his story is not one of the stronger entries in the collection. Science fiction writing is, perhaps, not his forte.)

Very easily digested, as well. Most of the stories are only a few pages long, so it's easy to work through this collection in small increments--great for the reader who only has a few minutes at a time.

The introduction ("Science Fiction: Before Christ and After 2001," by Ray Bradbury) is one of the best defenses I've seen for the legitimacy of the science fiction literature. (Not least because he echoes my own sentiments regarding the value of the genre.)

If you appreciate good science fiction and enjoy the short story format, you would do well to track down a copy of this book. It won't be easy--the thing's been out of print for a while--but it will be well worth the effort.

1 comment:

Singing Away said...

I didn't see this back when you actually posted it... but, make note of which bookshelf it is on in your home. I will want to borrow it when I come visit :D