Synopses & Reviews
The definitive collection of the best in science fiction stories between 1929 and 1964
The book you now hold contains twenty-six of the greatest science fiction stories ever written. They represent the considered verdict of the Science Fiction Writers of America, those who have shaped the genre and who know, more intimately than anyone else, what the criteria for excellence in the field should be. The authors chosen for The Science Fiction of Hall Fame are the men and women who have shaped the body and heart of modern science fiction; their brilliantly imaginative creations continue to inspire and astound new generations of writers and fans.
Robert Heinlein in "The Roads Must Roll" describes an industrial civilization of the future caught up in the deadly flaws of its own complexity. "Country of the Kind," by Damon Knight, is a frightening portrayal of biological mutation. "Nightfall," by Isaac Asimov, one of the greatest stories in the science fiction field, imagines a planet where the sun sets only once every millennium and is a chilling study in mass psychology.
Originally published in 1970 to honor those writers and their stories that had come before the institution of the Nebula Awards, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume I, was the book that introduced tens of thousands of young readers to the wonders of science fiction. Too long unavailable, this new edition will treasured by science fiction fans everywhere.
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume I, contains stories by the great masters of the form, including the following authors:
Isaac Asimov
Alfred Bester
Jerome Bixby
James Blish
Anthony Boucher
Ray Bradbury
Fredric Brown
John W. Campbell, Jr.
Arthur C. Clarke
Lester del Rey
Tom Godwin
Robert A. Heinlein
Daniel Keyes
Damon Knight
C. M. Kornbluth
Fritz Leiber
Murray Leinster
Richard Matheson
Judith Merril
Lewis Padgett
Clifford D. Simak
Cordwainer Smith
Theodore Sturgeon
A. E. van Vogt
Stanley G. Weinbaum
Roger Zelazny
Review
"A basic one-volume library of the short science fiction story."-
Kirkus"Quibbling about the choice of the prize winners would be like arguing with the pros who vote on the Academy Awards."-Publishers Weekly
"The first definitive modern anthology of top science fiction stories."-Newark Sunday News
About the Author
Robert Silverberg has written more than 160 science fiction novels and nonfiction books. In his spare time he has edited over 60 anthologies. He began his writing career unsuccessfully at the age of 13, when he submitted stories to science fiction magazines and was rejected. He published his first story, entitled "Gorgon Planet," in 1954 while just a sophomore at Columbia University; but in 1956, he won his first Hugo Award, for Most Promising New Author, and he hasn't stopped writing since. Among his standouts: the bestselling
Lord Valentine trilogy, set on the planet of Majipoor, and the timeless classics
Dying Inside and
A Time of Changes. Silverberg has won the prestigious Nebula Award an astonishing five times, and Hugo Awards on four separate occasions. He holds the additional honor of winning these honors in five decades, and he has been nominated for both awards more times that any other writer.
Table of Contents
Introduction by Robert Silverberg
"A Martian Odyssey," Stanley G. Weinbaum
"Twilight," John W. Campbell
"Helen O'Loy," Lester del Rey
"The Roads Must Roll," Robert A. Heinlein
"Microcosmic God," Theodore Sturgeon
"Nightfall," Isaac Asimov
"The Weapon Shop," A. E. van Vogt
"Mimsy Were the Borogoves," Lewis Padgett
"Huddling Place," Clifford D. Simak
"Arena," Frederic Brown
"First Contact," Murray Leinster
"That Only a Mother," Judith Merril
"Scanners Live in Vain," Cordwainer Smith
"Mars is Heaven!," Ray Bradbury
"The Little Black Bag," C. M. Kornbluth
"Born of Man and Woman," Richard Matheson
"Coming Attraction," Fritz Leiber
"The Quest for Saint Aquin," Anthony Boucher
"Surface Tension," James Blish
"The Nine Billion Names of God," Arthur C. Clarke
"It's a Good Life," Jerome Bixby
"The Cold Equations," Tom Godwin
"Fondly Fahrenheit," Alfred Bester
"The Country of the Kind," Damon Knight
"Flowers for Algernon," Daniel Keyes
"A Rose for Ecclesiastes," Roger Zelazny