I was a loyal reader of GALAXY back in the 1960s. I liked the mix of stories and Frederik Pohl’s abilities to attract the best Science Fiction writers of that era to send him their stories. The Ninth Galaxy Reader (1966) highlights Pohl’s editorial approach with a variety of stories. I liked the robot future presented in “How the Old World Died” by Harry Harrison.
Larry Niven’s “Wrong-Way Street” is a cunning Time Travel story. John Brunner’s “Wasted On the Young” has been a long-time favorite of mine.
The Ninth Galaxy Reader blends established writers with “new” writers from the Sixties. If you want to take a walk down Memory Lane, The Ninth Galaxy Reader will take you there. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- Introduction (The Ninth Galaxy Reader) – (1965) – essay by Frederik Pohl — v
- An Ancient Madness – (1964) – novelette by Damon Knight — 1
- The King of the Beasts – (1964) – short story by Philip José Farmer — 26
- The Watchers in the Glade – (1964) – novelette by Richard Wilson — 28
- Jungle Substitute – (1964) – novelette by Brian W. Aldiss — 64
- How the Old World Died – (1964) – short story by Harry Harrison — 93
- The Children of Night – (1964) – novelette by Frederik Pohl — 98
- To Avenge Man – (1964) – novelette by Lester del Rey — 139
- The Monster and the Maiden – (1964) – short story by Roger Zelazny — 182
- A Flask of Fine Arcturan – (1965) – short story by C. C. MacApp — 184
- Wrong-Way Street – (1965) – short story by Larry Niven — 193
- Wasted on the Young – (1965) – short story by John Brunner — 207
- Slow Tuesday Night – (1965) – short story by R. A. Lafferty — 220
I read the Pohl and Niven stories long. long ago. How many of today’s SF geeks would recognize all or even most of these luminaries?
Fred, you’re right. Many of these names wouldn’t be recognized by contemporary SF readers. But I remember them well!
Those whippersnappers wouldn’t recognize most of those names? Tell those pesky kids to get the blip off my lawn!
Jerry, I’m always dumbfounded when I look at the latest issue of LOCUS…and recognize about 10% of the writers they’re interviewing or writing reviews about. It’s obvious I live–and read–in the Past.
I’ve read a number of the authors, but can’t tell you specific stories. I’m picking up a book of Ray Bradbury stories that I missed at the library today, speaking of oldies but goodies.
Jeff, Beth Fedyn is a huge Ray Bradbury fan.
Though I don’t remember all the story titles I remember all of the authors.
Just looked up my list and found that I bought almost all the volmes of Galaxy in the 50s and 60s.
The second hand bokstores in London were really great when I visited them in the 70s and 80s!
Fond memories.
Wolf, I was an avid collector of GALAXY and donated a complete run of GALAXY to the Special Libraries at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Galaxy was a kind of counerpoint to the sometimes rather technical Astounding, very nice reading and always interesting new ideas.
Yes, the 50s and 60s were great!
And obviously some other German people thought the same because a lot of stories were translated – though they probably didn’t make a lot of money there. Quite a few developed into authors so at the end of the 50s we had many SF books in Germany.
Wolf, I preferred GALAXY over ANALOG at that time, too.
Well this is the science fiction era that I’m fondest of and I recognize every name here except MacApp. I usually read a couple of these vintage anthologies every winter so I’ll keep this one in mind. Sadly very few of these authors can be found in new bookstores these days.
Byron, the Sixties era was a Golden Age for Science Fiction. Today, there are dozens of new writers I don’t recognize whose books fill the bookstore bookshelves.
Zelazny and Brunner seem familiar. The rest are all new to me.
Neeru, I’m a big fan of both Zelasny and Brunner. Larry Niven was just beginning his writing career.
I’ve read about a quarter of these,,,I haven’t yet picked up a spy of THE NINTH…good stuff, as I recall.
Or, even , copy. (I’ve read other stories by all the contributors.)
Todd, the contributors to THE NINTH GALAXY READER were a cross-section of popular SF writers of the 1960s.
Well, GALAXY was back to being one of the most innovative sf magazines in the ’60s, while also more palatable to less avant-garde readers than NEW WORLDS at that time.
This looks very good, I am familiar with most of the names but haven’t read short stories by most of them. Of course I am not a whippersnapper but I haven’t read a lot of science fiction. I have read Niven, Zelazny, and Brunner.
Tracy, Niven, Zelazny, and Brunner all produced great work in the 1960s!