I’ve reviewed a number of Hank Davis anthologies and enjoyed them all. This latest book features Science Fiction stories that have a legal aspect to them. (Of course, my favorite legal SF novel is Pohl & Kornbluth’s Gladator-at-Law). But these short stories present an entertaining way to spend your time during the Stay-At-Home order.
My favorite story in this anthology is Clifford Simak’s “How-2” which is a twist on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Things get out of hand quickly in this clever tale. “Skulking Permit” is one of my favorite Robert Sheckley comic SF stories. Arthur C. Clarke’s “Moving Spirit” is another comic romp from his Tales from the White Hart. I read Robert Silverberg’s “To See the Invisible Man” decades ago but the impact has stayed with me.
Overruled provides a variety of law stories–some serious, some funny–but you will have to be the judge of that! GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION: COURT IS NOW IN SESSION… ALL OXYGEN-REDUCING BIPEDS PLEASE RISE! by Hank Davis 1
THE SKETCHER by Tom Kidd 5
JERRY WAS A MAN by Robert A. Heinlein 39
PARADOX & GREENBLATT: ATTORNEYS AT LAW by Kevin J. Anderson 65
THE JIGSAW MAN by Larry Niven 81
SKULKING PERMIT by Robert Sheckley 95
CHECKSUM, CHECKMATE by Tony Daniel 123
THE EXECUTIONER by Algis Budrys 149
LICENSE TO LIVE by Sarah A. Hoyt & Laura Montgomery 189
THE RIOT THAT WASN’T IN PORT NEEKS by Susan R. Matthews 205
LAWYER FIGHT by Larry Correia 225
THE PEOPLE V. CRAIG MORRISON by Alex Shvartsman & Alvaro Zinos-Amaro 237
HOW-2 by Clifford D. Simak 255
MOVING SPIRIT by Arthur C. Clarke 293
VICTIM OF CHANGES by Christopher Ruocchio 307
THE CYBER AND JUSTICE HOLMES by Frank Riley 323
TO SEE THE INVISIBLE MAN by Robert Silverberg 339
LICENSE TO STEAL by Louis Newman 353
WITH THE KNIGHT MALE by Charles Sheffield 363
Your cats or web cats, George?
I can answer that one. George don’t got no cats. He is allergic to everything, and I wouldn’t be surprised if cats were on the list.
Jeff, cats are at the top of the list of the things I’m allergic to. Yes, we live in a pet-free zone. Notice, no one is looking into the chances of getting coronavirus from cats and dogs.
Todd, I’m allergic to cats so this is a photo of OVERRULED with someone else’s kitties.
Although I don’t specifically remember any of these it seems likely I’ve read a few of them, almost certainly the Heinlein. It’s an interesting idea for an anthology.
Michael, Hank Davis has edited several themed SF anthologies. OVERRULED was a fun read.
I know I’ve read the Clarke and Silverberg stories, at least, but I’ve enjoyed several of Hank Davis’s anthologies and this one sounds worth looking for.
Jeff, OVERRULED is a trade paperback. I like the larger format. Hank Davis’s previous anthologies were smaller paperbacks.
My next life I am going to read nothing but science fiction and fantasy.
Patti, you’ll have plenty of Science Fiction and Fantasy to choose from! You’ll notice that I’ve been reading a lot of SF and Fantasy lately to escape from the coronavirus drumbeat of Bad News.
I’ll throw in with James Blish and suggest that reading nothing but sf and fantasy would be as boring as never reading fantastic fiction. As well as being a remarkably censorious reader…Ah, this has become fantasticated! Across the room it flies!
Todd, I’m not so sure. Science Fiction and Fantasy have so many different variants: Time Travel, First Contact, SF Military, etc. But, like you, I prefer more variety. I do know people who mostly read mysteries.
My copy just came in the mail Wednesday, and I’m reading other, so I’ll get to it eventually. I may have read some of these before.
Rick, I read the Heinlein, Silverberg, Sheckley, Clarke, and Simak stories long ago. They were fun to reread. Plus, Hank Davis’s introductions to the stories are always fun.
I remember reading the Silverberg in Worlds of Tomorrow in the early 60’s. I know I must have read the Sheckley, Clarke, Simak, Budrys and Heinlein. A couple writers I don’t know at all. One who I really dislike-Larry Correia. Tried reading one of his novels and couldn’t get past twenty pages. Just awful.
Typical ugly Baen cover.
Steve, I agree with you on BAEN covers. Not a fan. Surprisingly, there’s no citations page telling the reader where (or when) these stories came from. I suspect the Larry Correia story is an “original” story written for this collection.
Correia was one of the Sad Puppies group that tried to hijack the Hugo Awards three years ago. I won’t read anything he writes.
Rick, that was a sad chapter in Hugo Award history.
For varying reasons, it seems crime fiction and fantastica love their dedicated magazines more than, certainly, most contemporary/mimetic communities of writers do, where often only THE NEW YORKER might be cited by issue date in the collections and screw you, SEWANEE REVIEW or even ESQUIRE or REDBOOK.
ISFDB doesn’t have a full listing for it yet, but most of the stories by currently-active writers probably are new to the volume. Not atypically sloppy on Baen Books’s part.
Todd, good point. But in previous volumes Hank Davis identified where the stories came from and when they were published.
Very OT but making you think – an arzticle by Kim Stanley Robinson:
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/the-coronavirus-and-our-future
Wolf, thanks for the link! I have a Kim Stanley Robinson collection waiting to be read and reviewed.
H. H. Hollis an interesting omission. Even more so, “Leonard Lockhard” (collaborations between Charles Harness and Theodore L./Ted Thomas).
Todd, in his INTRODUCTION, Hank Davis mentions stories he tried to include, but couldn’t. Davis says he’s tried to get the rights to publish several Erie Frank Russell stories, including one for this volume…but no dice.
Thanks for the kind words about Overruled (hmm, does not accept italics, I see), but I’ve baffled by the somplaints about the lack of info as to where the stories originally appeared. I just checked both the dead tree edition and the ebook, and both have a two page listing of copyright, with original appearances. If your paperback doesn’t have those two pages immediately folloing the contents pages (also two pages), you must have a defective copy, and should demand a replacement from wherever you got it from. Also, since the first page of the copyright acknowledgement pages is back to back with the second page of the Contents pages, you may be missing the second page of that. If you have the e-book, than I don’t know what to tell you. If you’ll let me know your email address, I can email you the two pages. As for the cover, there is a irreconcilabobble (Pogo spoken here) chasm in taste here, since I have little to nothing to do with the covers of my past anthologies, and there are several I wish I couldhave vetoed or at least requested a modification, but I think Tom Kidd’s cover (illustrating his story) is terrific. Like a 1960’s Astounding cover by Freas in his prime. I have some other disagreements on comments here, but for over a decade I’ve been trying to ignore organized fandom as much as possible, since the PC jerkoffs took over the Worldcons. My apologies for typos, but what’s left of my eyesight doesn’t work well with light gray type on white monitor screen. — Serconly, Hank Davis
Hank, I’m enjoyed all of your SF collections and hope there are many more in the pipeline! My eyes tire more quickly since I hit the 70s. I rarely read at night any more. Natural light works best for me. I’ll check out other copies of OVERRULED at my local Barnes & Noble to see if they have the acknowledgements pages my copy lacks. Stay safe!