I’ve been buying and reading Mike Ashley’s British Library anthologies the past few years. Ashley has always been a capable editor of Science Fiction anthologies for decades, but these British Library anthologies include more British SF writers than the usual collections. Born of the Sun includes a strong group of stories. Some are classics like Clifford Simak’s “Desertion” and Robert Silverberg’s “Sunrise on Mercury.”
I remember reading Larry Niven’s “Wait It Out” back in 1968 and marveling at Niven’s ingenious solution to a seemingly insolvable problem. Over the decades, I’ve read dozens of Poul Anderson’s stories but “Garden in the Void” was a new one for me. As usual, Anderson creates a unique world with clever plot twists. If you’re looking for a solid SF anthology, I recommend Born of the Sun. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION: Solar Tour by Mike Ashley — 7
MERCURY: “Sunrise on Mercury” by Robert Silverberg (Science Fiction Stories, May 1957) — 19
VULCAN: “The Hell Planet” by Leslie F. Stone (Wonder Stories, June 1932) — 41
VENUS: “Foundling on Venus” by John and Dorothy De Courcy (Fantastic Universe, March 1954) — 97
MARS: “The Lonely Path” by John Ashcroft (Science Fiction Adventures, January 1961) — 117
ASTEROID BELT: “Garden in the Void” by Poul Anderson (Galaxy, May 1952) — 173
JUPITER: “Desertion” by Clifford D. Simak ( Astounding, November, 1944) — 221
SATURN: “How Beautiful With Banners” by James Blish (Orbit #1, 1966) — 245
URANUS: “Where No Man Walks” by E. R. James (New Worlds, November 1952) — 261
NEPTUNE: “A Baby on Neptune” by Clare Winger Harris & Miles J. Breuer (Amazing Stories, December 1929) — 287
PLUTO: “Wait It Out” by Larry Niven (The Future Unbounded, 1968) — 324
Story Sources — 335