For a quick and mostly accurate summary of 20th Century Science Fiction, Orson Scott Card’s MASTERPIECES: THE BEST SCIENCE FICTION OF THE CENTURY does a nice job. Yes, not all these stories are masterpieces–but they are very good. My major quibble is the lack of inclusion of Jack Vance stories.
The section on “THE NEW WAVE” brings back a lot of memories because those years were heavy SF reading times for me. Those stories and those writers redefined the SF genre.
The impact of “THE MEDIA GENERATION” stories is more questionable. William Gibson and Michael Swanwick have had an impact. George R. R. Martin’s “Sandkings” sent reverberations throughout the SF world in 1979. But Martin’s biggest impact was Game of Thrones.
Do you remember these stories? Any favorites here? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION — 1
The Golden Age
- “Call me Joe” by Poul Anderson (1957) — 7
- “All You Zombies” by Robert A. Heinlein (1958) — 36
- “Tunesmith” by Lloyd Biggle, Jr. (1957) — 47
- “A Saucer of Loneliness” by Theodore Sturgeon (1953) — 80
- “Robot Dreams” by Isaac Asimov (1986) — 91
- “Devolution” by Edmond Hamilton (1936) — 97
- “The Nine Billion Names of God” by Arthur C. Clarke (1953) — 110
- “A Work of Art” by James Blish (1956) — 116
- “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” by Ray Bradbury (1949) — 130
The New Wave
- “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” by Harlan Ellison (1965) — 145
- “Eurema’s Dam” by R.A. Lafferty (1972) — 156
- “Passengers” by Robert Silverberg (1968) — 166
- “The Tunnel under the World” by Frederik Pohl (1955) — 177
- “Who Can Replace a Man?” by Brian W. Aldiss (1958) — 203
- “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin (1973) — 212
- “Inconstant Moon” by Larry Niven (1973) — 218
The Media Generation
- “Sandkings” by George R.R. Martin (1979) — 243
- “The Road Not Taken” by Harry Turtledove (1985) — 276
- “Dogfight” by William Gibson and Michael Swanwick (1985) — 297
- “Face Value” by Karen Joy Fowler (1986) — 316
- “Pots” by C. J. Cherryh (1985) — 327
- “Snow” by John Crowley (1985) — 351
- “Rat” by James Patrick Kelly (1986) — 364
- “Bears Discover Fire” by Terry Bisson (1990) — 375
- “A Clean Escape” by John Kessel (1986) — 384
- Tourists” by Lisa Goldstein (1985) — 396
- “One” by George Alec Effinger (1995) — 408
So many fantastic stories – I just can’t say which I enjoyed most. They were all great – especially compared to the trivial SF we had in Germany in the 60s.
We were lucky that there were a few good translaters for this and later of course I read the originals.
A bit OT:
I really enjoyed the fabulous “Sandkings” and was very unhappy when George R. R. Martin switched to writing Fantasy, found it boring in comparison.
Wolf, I agree with you on “Sandkings”–a true classic–but George R. R. Martin made millions on his Fantasy novels.
Not unsurprisingly I have read all of those in the Golden Age and New Wave sections, but very few in the Media Generation section. At least Card did not include “Ender’s Game.”
I really should read more of the latter. Some day. Maybe,
Jerry, Card’s ENDER’S GAME movie lost money because of his various statements.
And perhaps because the nasty undercurrent of the novel was more apparent in the film. (I haven’t seen it, nor read the novel form, but did read the first novella decades back…it wasn’t much better than the ridiculous “Hot Sleep” stories ANALOG/Ben Bova kept buying from him for no good reason.) I did, out of mild curiosity, watch some of his TV series he created/produced for the LDS tv outlets a couple of decades back. Somewhat easier to take, but not compelling.
Yes, surprisingly, I’ve read quite a few. “Sandkings” is definitely one you will never forget. Also read Silverberg, Anderson , Ellison, Asimov, Clarke, Lafferty, Bradbury, Heinlein and others in the first two groups.
Jeff, I think Orson Scott Card picked some classic stories for THE GOLDEN AGE and NEW WAVE sections. The third section…very iffy.
Sobering to realize it’s been 60 years since the “New Wave” days. Disch and Spinrad are mostly forgotten now, I imagine. Ellison, Moorcock, and Zelazny seem to hang in, Moorcock thanks to the Elric stories.
Fred, I still re-read Moorcock from time to time. I read a Zelazny novel last year. And, I read the “new” Ellison collection last year so I’m still riding the Wave.
Disch and Spinrad hardly forgotten…though Spinrad is in mourning for his recently deceased wife, and, as a result, has just ended his run as a book reviewer in ASIMOV’S SCIENCE FICTION magazine. Disch is recalled not solely for his fiction, but also as a poet and an editor. Moorcock also still with us.
(This happens to be my late mother’s birthday…she would’ve begun her 88th year today.)
Todd, my mother made it to 88 and then Alzheimer’s took her away from us.
The notion that Niven and (slightly more arguably) Lafferty were part of the “New Wave” is kind of unhelpful.
I certainly haven’t read all his latter-day choices…one does wonder how this all worked out.
Todd, I considered NEW WAVE more of a British influence.
Well, NEW WORLDS was the most obvious home of that approach to SF, but its stirrings were all over the US magazines in the earlier ’60s…Frederik Pohl, Cele Goldsmith/Lalli, Avram Davidson, Harry Harrison, Edward Ferman, Robert Lowndes and certainly Damon Knight and Harlan Ellison as editors were all receptive to that kind of writing throughout the decade. No few USians and other non-Brits piling on.
And, if anything, Samuel Delany and Marilyn Hacker’s QUARK anthologies gave NEW WORLDS a run for the innovation-seeking money (or lack of same).
Todd, your mention of QUARK brings back a lot of memories. Now, QUARK is pretty much forgotten.
While Judith Merril can’t/shouldn’t be left out of this discussion, with her platform of the most sustained Best of the Year annual in the early/mid ’60s.
Todd, I bought and read every one of Judith Merril’s YEARS BEST volumes.