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The Fifth Omni Book of Science Fiction
Enter a world of brilliant imagination—where anything can happen and all is possible. A world of spacestations, computers and highly sophisticated medical technology. A world of the future—straight from the minds of fourteen of today's most promising science fiction writers. Here from the pages of OMNI Magazine you'll be treated to short stories from Robert Silverberg and Nebula and Hugo Award winner William Gibson, as well as work from Howard Waldrop, Norman Spinrad, Orson Scott Card, Pat Cadigan and others!
Welcome to the future!
Contents:
Multiples / Robert Silverberg --
Man-Mountain Gentian / Howard Waldrop --
Returning home / Ian Watson --
Triceratops / Kono Tensei --
New Rose Hotel / William Gibson --
Adagio / Barry B. Longyear --
Track of a legend / Cynthia Felice --
Prime time / Norman Spinrad --
Edges / Gregg Keizer --
The songbirds of pain / Garry Kilworth --
The changed man and the king of words / Orson Scott Card --
400 boys / Marc Laidlaw --
Seventh sense / Robert Haisty --
Lunatic bridge / Pat Cadigan.
Welcome to the future!
Contents:
Multiples / Robert Silverberg --
Man-Mountain Gentian / Howard Waldrop --
Returning home / Ian Watson --
Triceratops / Kono Tensei --
New Rose Hotel / William Gibson --
Adagio / Barry B. Longyear --
Track of a legend / Cynthia Felice --
Prime time / Norman Spinrad --
Edges / Gregg Keizer --
The songbirds of pain / Garry Kilworth --
The changed man and the king of words / Orson Scott Card --
400 boys / Marc Laidlaw --
Seventh sense / Robert Haisty --
Lunatic bridge / Pat Cadigan.
381 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1987
About the author
Ellen Datlow
228 books1,926 followersEllen Datlow has been editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction for forty years as fiction editor of OMNI Magazine and editor of Event Horizon and SCIFICTION. She currently acquires short stories and novellas for Tor.com. In addition, she has edited about one hundred science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series, The Doll Collection, Mad Hatters and March Hares, The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea, Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, Edited By, and Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 16, 2016
Includes 13 short stories, and a novelette.
One story stood out! 5-star to this one!
"Adagio" by Barry B. Longyear was an AMAZING story, involving earthmen who are on a planet, where the stones move. The stones move so slow that for them to perceive something the object needs to be in front of them for nine earth days. Very soon an earthling figures out how to communicate with them, teaching them Moral Commandments, making them Do and Not Do things out of their faith for Him; he has become their God !!
A story that was completely allusive to the state of blind faith in religions on our planet. This one is highly recommended. :)
4-stars to three short stories.
"Multiples" by Robert Silverberg: A story that deals with 'Multiples' (as against Singletons) who have various alternate selves; where one can 'switch' from one self to another; or 'double' or 'triple' to express multiple selves simultaneously; all done with the help of mirrors and lights. Multiple minds in a single physical body. What an amazing and interesting idea. I loved it, and should be re-reading it sometime soon.
"Returning Home" by Ian Watson: A post-apocalyptic short story. Good idea.
"Seventh Sense" by Robert Haisty:
3-stars to five short stories.
"Triceratops" by Kono Tensei: A time travel based story.
"Track of a Legend" by Cynthia Felice: Based on the idea of the Yeti. Interesting. Not at all bad to read once.
"Prime Time" by Norman Spinrad
"Edges" by Gregg Keizer: Deals with the idea of Mirages that act as Portals to another time. Mirages that are a result of a post-apocalyptic scenario (if I remember it correctly). Interesting. An integrated love story.
"The Changed Man and the King of Words" by Orson Scott Card: Based on the idea of the Tarot. This was an interesting story, and its possible that some readers would certainly rate this more than what I have. :)
2-stars for three stories.
"Man-Mountain Gentian" by Howard Waldrop: Idea of Zen-sumo applied to a story which also includes usage of koans. Interesting idea to implement in a story, but I did not like the story much.
"The Songbirds of Pain" by Garry Kilworth
"400 Boys" by Marc Laidlaw
OTHER Stories:
"New Rose Hotel" by William Gibson: I could not understand this one. Perhaps his writing style. Gibson is a well-known writer now, but this is earlier story from 1983.
"Lunatic Bridge" by Pat Cadigan: A novelette. Read about 40% and quit reading it, because I really was not finding it so interesting (for now at least).
Certainly a worthy pick, though a lesser one, at least to have read some of the most interesting ideas in science fiction. :)
One story stood out! 5-star to this one!
"Adagio" by Barry B. Longyear was an AMAZING story, involving earthmen who are on a planet, where the stones move. The stones move so slow that for them to perceive something the object needs to be in front of them for nine earth days. Very soon an earthling figures out how to communicate with them, teaching them Moral Commandments, making them Do and Not Do things out of their faith for Him; he has become their God !!
A story that was completely allusive to the state of blind faith in religions on our planet. This one is highly recommended. :)
4-stars to three short stories.
"Multiples" by Robert Silverberg: A story that deals with 'Multiples' (as against Singletons) who have various alternate selves; where one can 'switch' from one self to another; or 'double' or 'triple' to express multiple selves simultaneously; all done with the help of mirrors and lights. Multiple minds in a single physical body. What an amazing and interesting idea. I loved it, and should be re-reading it sometime soon.
"Returning Home" by Ian Watson: A post-apocalyptic short story. Good idea.
"Seventh Sense" by Robert Haisty:
3-stars to five short stories.
"Triceratops" by Kono Tensei: A time travel based story.
"Track of a Legend" by Cynthia Felice: Based on the idea of the Yeti. Interesting. Not at all bad to read once.
"Prime Time" by Norman Spinrad
"Edges" by Gregg Keizer: Deals with the idea of Mirages that act as Portals to another time. Mirages that are a result of a post-apocalyptic scenario (if I remember it correctly). Interesting. An integrated love story.
"The Changed Man and the King of Words" by Orson Scott Card: Based on the idea of the Tarot. This was an interesting story, and its possible that some readers would certainly rate this more than what I have. :)
2-stars for three stories.
"Man-Mountain Gentian" by Howard Waldrop: Idea of Zen-sumo applied to a story which also includes usage of koans. Interesting idea to implement in a story, but I did not like the story much.
"The Songbirds of Pain" by Garry Kilworth
"400 Boys" by Marc Laidlaw
OTHER Stories:
"New Rose Hotel" by William Gibson: I could not understand this one. Perhaps his writing style. Gibson is a well-known writer now, but this is earlier story from 1983.
"Lunatic Bridge" by Pat Cadigan: A novelette. Read about 40% and quit reading it, because I really was not finding it so interesting (for now at least).
Certainly a worthy pick, though a lesser one, at least to have read some of the most interesting ideas in science fiction. :)
September 25, 2021
More of the same from this series - mostly OK stories but some not so good and some are not even science fiction. The last story "Lunatic Bridge" was the outstanding story.
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August 22, 2008The Fifth Omni Book of Science Fiction (Zebra Book) by E. Datlow (1987)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews