I reviewed Tom Shippey’s The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories here. I happened to have Shippey’s The Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories from 1992, too. As I’ve noted, Shippey includes more British writers than you’ll find in most of these chronological SF anthologies. Everyone will have their favorites among these classic stories. Mine is “The Screwfly Solution” by “Raccoona Sheldon” (aka, James Tiptree, Jr. and Alice Sheldon). In The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories I commented on Robert Bloch and Michael Moorcock missing from the volume. In The Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories, no Robert Heinlein or Isaac Asimov. But, despite those quibbles, this is a solid anthology worth reading. Just DON’T READ Shippey’s Introduction first: TOO MANY SPOILERS! GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
ix · Introduction · Tom Shippey · in
1 · The Land Ironclads · H. G. Wells · nv The Strand Dec ’03
22 · Finis · Frank L. Pollock · ss Argosy Jun ’06
33 · As Easy as A.B.C. · Rudyard Kipling · nv The London Magazine Mar ’12 (+1)
59 · The Metal Man · Jack Williamson · ss Amazing Dec ’28
70 · A Martian Odyssey [Tweel] · Stanley G. Weinbaum · nv Wonder Stories Jul ’34
95 · Night [as by Don A. Stuart; Dying Earth] · John W. Campbell, Jr. · nv Astounding Oct ’35
115 · Desertion [City (Websters)] · Clifford D. Simak · ss Astounding Nov ’44
127 · The Piper’s Son [Baldy] · Lewis Padgett · nv Astounding Feb ’45
154 · The Monster · A. E. van Vogt · ss Astounding Aug ’48
171 · Second Night of Summer [Vegan Agents] · James H. Schmitz · ss Galaxy Dec ’50
198 · Second Dawn · Arthur C. Clarke · nv Science Fiction Quarterly Aug ’51
228 · Crucifixus Etiam · Walter M. Miller, Jr. · ss Astounding Feb ’53
247 · The Tunnel Under the World · Frederik Pohl · nv Galaxy Jan ’55
278 · Who Can Replace a Man? [“But Who Can Replace a Man?”] · Brian W. Aldiss · ss Infinity Science Fiction Jun ’58
287 · Billenium · J. G. Ballard · ss New Worlds Nov ’61
302 · The Ballad of Lost C’Mell · Cordwainer Smith · nv Galaxy Oct ’62
322 · Semley’s Necklace [“The Dowry of Angyar”] · Ursula K. Le Guin · ss Amazing Sep ’64
340 · How Beautiful with Banners · James Blish · ss Orbit 1, ed. Damon Knight, Berkley Medallion, 1966
350 · A Criminal Act · Harry Harrison · ss Analog Jan ’67
363 · Problems of Creativeness · Thomas M. Disch · ss F&SF Apr ’67
385 · How the Whip Came Back · Gene Wolfe · ss Orbit 6, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1970
400 · Cloak of Anarchy · Larry Niven · ss Analog Mar ’72
420 · A Thing of Beauty · Norman Spinrad · ss Analog Jan ’73
435 · The Screwfly Solution · Raccoona Sheldon · ss Analog Jun ’77
454 · The Way of Cross and Dragon · George R. R. Martin · nv Omni Jun ’79
472 · Swarm [Mechanist-Shapers] · Bruce Sterling · nv F&SF Apr ’82
496 · Burning Chrome · William Gibson · nv Omni Jul ’82
516 · Silicon Muse · Hilbert Schenck · ss Analog Sep ’84
535 · Karl and the Ogre · Paul J. McAuley · ss Interzone #23 ’88
550 · Piecework · David Brin · nv Interzone #33 ’90
577 · Select Bibliography · Misc. · bi
And, as noted, despite ignoring ASTOUNDING/ANALOG’s two most sustainedly popular writers, that magazine is if anything overrepresented, even given its importance. But there are definitely worse introductions to the literature.
Todd, I totally agree with you. I would have made other choices, like including Asimov and Heinlein for starters.
“The Screwfly Solution” is a really brilliant piece of work. Could it be that Shippey couldn’t get the rights to some of the other authors’ work?
Sergio, I’m guess you’re right about Shippey not being able to acquire and/or afford other stories.
I suspect he had enough money for the chestnut stories from Asimov and Heinlein had he wanted them…I think he’s trying to mix some consensus classics with some lesser-known work, often by major writers.
Todd, I appreciated the mix of old stories and new ones in Shippey’s anthologies.
Some stories that I remember fondly, but a good many that I haven’t read.
Bill, Shippey is a big booster of British SF authors. I got a health dose of them in reading both of Shippey’s anthologies.
Another nice looking collection. You need to fix the link to your previous review.
Jeff, thanks for alerting me about the link to the previous collection. It wasn’t working for some reason so I fixed it.
I have copy of this one somewhere around here. I’ll have to dig it out. Thanks for the review, George.
Jerry, I enjoyed both of Shippey’s anthologies. He manages to provide a few surprises in his selections.
George, I had no idea Kipling also wrote sf unless “As Easy as A.B.C.” was the only one he wrote.
Prashant, actually Kipling wrote a whole volume of Science Fiction. Check this out: https://www.amazon.com/Science-Fiction-Stories-Rudyard-Kipling/dp/0806515082/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466184320&sr=8-3&keywords=kipling%27s+science+fiction
Same reaction as the Fantasy collection, Shippey tries too hard to span the field, but with the British slant and some not usually heard of. Thant’s fine, but the pair of collections, while they would look great on the shelf, don’t tempt me to buy them.
Rick, it won’t surprise you to learn I bought both of these collections at a remainder bookstore (now closed) years ago.