What do you think?
Rate this book
The Science Fiction Megapack: 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories
Hours of great reading await, with tales from some of the 20th century's most renowned science fiction authors! (Search for "megapack" on bn.com for many more great anthologies.)
This volume presents 25 great science fiction stories (plus a bonus short-short):
ARENA, by Fredric Brown
EXPEDITER, by Mack Reynolds
ONE-SHOT, by James Blish
SHAMBLEAU, by C. L. Moore
SHIPWRECK IN THE SKY, by Eando Binder
ZEN, by Jerome Bixby
THE LITTLE BLACK BAG, by C.M. Kornbluth
LANCELOT BIGGS COOKS A PIRATE, by Nelson S. Bond
LIGHTER THAN YOU THINK, by Nelson Bond
THE ISSAHAR ARTIFACTS, by J. F. Bone
THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP, by Ben Bova
YEAR OF THE BIG THAW, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
EARTHMEN BEARING GIFTS, by Fredric Brown
HAPPY ENDING, by Fredric Brown and Mack Reynolds
MONSTERS OF MOYEN, by Arthur J. Burks
ACCIDENTAL DEATH, by Peter Baily
AND ALL THE EARTH A GRAVE, by C. C. MacApp
EGOCENTRIC ORBIT, by John Cory
DEAD RINGER, by Lester del Rey
THE CRYSTAL CRYPT, by Philip K. Dick
THE JUPITER WEAPON, by Charles L. Fontenay
THE MAN WHO HATED MARS, by Randall Garrett
NAVY DAY, by Harry Harrison
THE JUDAS VALLEY, by Robert Silverberg & Randall Garrett
NATIVE SON, by T. D. Hamm
FINAL CALL, by John Gregory Betancourt
And don't miss "The Second Science Fiction Megapack" for another 25 modern and classic science fiction tales!
This volume presents 25 great science fiction stories (plus a bonus short-short):
ARENA, by Fredric Brown
EXPEDITER, by Mack Reynolds
ONE-SHOT, by James Blish
SHAMBLEAU, by C. L. Moore
SHIPWRECK IN THE SKY, by Eando Binder
ZEN, by Jerome Bixby
THE LITTLE BLACK BAG, by C.M. Kornbluth
LANCELOT BIGGS COOKS A PIRATE, by Nelson S. Bond
LIGHTER THAN YOU THINK, by Nelson Bond
THE ISSAHAR ARTIFACTS, by J. F. Bone
THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP, by Ben Bova
YEAR OF THE BIG THAW, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
EARTHMEN BEARING GIFTS, by Fredric Brown
HAPPY ENDING, by Fredric Brown and Mack Reynolds
MONSTERS OF MOYEN, by Arthur J. Burks
ACCIDENTAL DEATH, by Peter Baily
AND ALL THE EARTH A GRAVE, by C. C. MacApp
EGOCENTRIC ORBIT, by John Cory
DEAD RINGER, by Lester del Rey
THE CRYSTAL CRYPT, by Philip K. Dick
THE JUPITER WEAPON, by Charles L. Fontenay
THE MAN WHO HATED MARS, by Randall Garrett
NAVY DAY, by Harry Harrison
THE JUDAS VALLEY, by Robert Silverberg & Randall Garrett
NATIVE SON, by T. D. Hamm
FINAL CALL, by John Gregory Betancourt
And don't miss "The Second Science Fiction Megapack" for another 25 modern and classic science fiction tales!
1148 pages, Nook
First published February 9, 2011
8 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
C.M. Kornbluth
359 books87 followers
Cyril M. Kornbluth
grew up in Inwood in New York City. As a teenager, he became a member of the Futurians, the influential group of science fiction fans and writers. While a member of the Futurians, he met and became friends with Isaac Asimov, Frederik Pohl, Donald A. Wollheim, Robert A. W. Lowndes, and his future wife Mary Byers. He also participated in the Fantasy Amateur Press Association.
Kornbluth served in the US Army during World War II (European Theatre). He received a Bronze Star for his service in the Battle of the Bulge, where he served as a member of a heavy machine gun crew. Upon his discharge, he returned to finish his education, which had been interrupted by the war, at the University of Chicago. While living in Chicago he also worked at Trans-Radio Press, a news wire service. In 1951 he started writing full time, returning to the East Coast where he collaborated on a number of novels with his old Futurian friends Frederik Pohl and Judith Merril (as Cyril Judd).
He used a variety of pen-names: Cecil Corwin, S. D. Gottesman, Edward J. Bellin, Kenneth Falconer, Walter C. Davies, Simon Eisner, Jordan Park, Arthur Cooke, Paul Dennis Lavond and Scott Mariner.
Kornbluth served in the US Army during World War II (European Theatre). He received a Bronze Star for his service in the Battle of the Bulge, where he served as a member of a heavy machine gun crew. Upon his discharge, he returned to finish his education, which had been interrupted by the war, at the University of Chicago. While living in Chicago he also worked at Trans-Radio Press, a news wire service. In 1951 he started writing full time, returning to the East Coast where he collaborated on a number of novels with his old Futurian friends Frederik Pohl and Judith Merril (as Cyril Judd).
He used a variety of pen-names: Cecil Corwin, S. D. Gottesman, Edward J. Bellin, Kenneth Falconer, Walter C. Davies, Simon Eisner, Jordan Park, Arthur Cooke, Paul Dennis Lavond and Scott Mariner.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 3, 2011
Taking my Kindle to Vegas this Weekend and I'm taking 25 old friends with me.
I'm back. Here's what I think:
Okay. So we know a lot of stuff the old guys didn't -- like there ain't no canals on Mars. So what? What we thought we knew ten years ago is wrong too. There is water on Mars. Again, who cares? These are what John D. MacDonald called "The Good Old Stuff." Hell if the fact that the Mars, Venus or anyplace else in the stories doesn't exist bothers you, then pretend the protagonists are on another continent (Los Angeles, maybe?) or world or era and just enjoy the writing. Imagine what it was like to have the universe in front of you. Imagine what it was like when the U.S. had dreams, big wonderful dreams -- instead of the crabbed, fear driven nightmares it suffers today. Remember those times and mourn them . . . because they're gone, baby, gone. Read these stories and . . . Ah screw it. They're good yarns. Suspend your disbelief and enjoy ride.(less)
I'm back. Here's what I think:
Okay. So we know a lot of stuff the old guys didn't -- like there ain't no canals on Mars. So what? What we thought we knew ten years ago is wrong too. There is water on Mars. Again, who cares? These are what John D. MacDonald called "The Good Old Stuff." Hell if the fact that the Mars, Venus or anyplace else in the stories doesn't exist bothers you, then pretend the protagonists are on another continent (Los Angeles, maybe?) or world or era and just enjoy the writing. Imagine what it was like to have the universe in front of you. Imagine what it was like when the U.S. had dreams, big wonderful dreams -- instead of the crabbed, fear driven nightmares it suffers today. Remember those times and mourn them . . . because they're gone, baby, gone. Read these stories and . . . Ah screw it. They're good yarns. Suspend your disbelief and enjoy ride.(less)
December 31, 2021
Not really my thing and I found this book pretty boring tbh. A few of the stories were ok. I guess if you like science fiction you may like this, which is why I’ve given it two stars not one. But I’m glad I gave it a go and tried something different.
April 28, 2019
A mixed-quality anthology. Like most anthologies, some stories are neat, some brilliant, some meh, and some stories' inclusion is incomprehensible. The overall level is a solid 3/5 for me. There are definitely better anthologies (Masterpieces, Science Fiction Hall of Fame Vol. 1, Dangerous Visions, The Best of the Best), but it's hard to find a cheaper decent one.
Unfortunately the anthology starts with an okay story that isn't science fiction (there is another even worse one which isn't sci-fi), then a comparatively epic novella with way too much boring exposition that i gave up before it got anywhere.
Some of these stories, most written between 1940 and 1960, show their age in their outlook on technology, e.g. when a watch that shows two time zones is supposed to be a technological marvel (sold by a famous watch maker at that; in Native Son by T.D.Hamm). Most are quite timeless though and there aren't too many disappointing stories to go through to find some little gems. There are better sci-fi anthologies though. Still, i read some of these stories twice and didn't regret it.
Individual story ratings:
UNKNOWN THINGS, by Reginald Bretnor - 3/5. enigmatic, but not sci-fi whatsoever.
CAPTIVES OF THE FLAME, by Samuel R. Delany (Part 1) - didn't bother finishing. too long, boring, too much exhibition.
EXPEDITER, by Mack Reynolds - 3/5. political, anti politicians, nice ideas.
ONE-SHOT, by James Blish - 1.5/5. meh and zero sci-fi elements.
SHIPWRECK IN THE SKY, by Eando Binder - 4/5 very neat, planetary physics as story mechanics.
LANCELOT BIGGS COOKS A PIRATE, by Nelson Bond - 3/5 neat but predictable and too conveniently constructed.
SENTIMENT, INC., by Poul Anderson - 1.5/5 worst and most overblown story i ever skimmed through. bloated story, soviet FBI political thriller nonsense.
THE ISSAHAR ARTIFACTS, by J. F. Bone - 3.5/5. nice little survival story.
THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP, by Ben Bova - 4/5. really nice anti war showcase.
YEAR OF THE BIG THAW, by Marion Zimmer Bradley - 3/5
EARTHMEN BEARING GIFTS, by Fredric Brown - 4.5/5. short 'n sweet.
HAPPY ENDING, by Fredric Brown and Mack Reynolds - didn't bother finishing. boring and terrible writing style.
LIGHTER THAN YOU THINK, by Nelson Bond - 4/5. nice, feelgood. fancy language, vocabulary expansion
RIYA’S FOUNDLING, by Algis Budrys - 1.5/5. telepathic dinosaurs. meh.
ACCIDENTAL DEATH, by Peter Baily - 3/5
AND ALL THE EARTH A GRAVE, by C. C. MacApp - didn't finish. first too cute, then stupid.
DEAD RINGER, by Lester del Rey - 4/5. nice madness/aliens mix. not much scifi though
THE JUPITER WEAPON, by Charles L. Fontenay - 4/5
THE MAN WHO HATED MARS, by Randall Garrett - 3.5/5
NAVY DAY, by Harry Harrison - 2.5/5. somewhat meh. but short and neat idea.
THE JUDAS VALLEY, by Robert Silverberg & Randall Garrett - 4/5. great suspense. not too deep though.
NATIVE SON, by T. D. Hamm - 3/5. neat short but a little unsatisfying.
JUBILEE, by Richard A. Lupoff - 3.5/5 nice what if, but characters and other names hard to grasp, to know what they stand for.
FINAL CALL, by John Gregory Betancourt - interesting very short story to end the volume.
Unfortunately the anthology starts with an okay story that isn't science fiction (there is another even worse one which isn't sci-fi), then a comparatively epic novella with way too much boring exposition that i gave up before it got anywhere.
Some of these stories, most written between 1940 and 1960, show their age in their outlook on technology, e.g. when a watch that shows two time zones is supposed to be a technological marvel (sold by a famous watch maker at that; in Native Son by T.D.Hamm). Most are quite timeless though and there aren't too many disappointing stories to go through to find some little gems. There are better sci-fi anthologies though. Still, i read some of these stories twice and didn't regret it.
Individual story ratings:
UNKNOWN THINGS, by Reginald Bretnor - 3/5. enigmatic, but not sci-fi whatsoever.
CAPTIVES OF THE FLAME, by Samuel R. Delany (Part 1) - didn't bother finishing. too long, boring, too much exhibition.
EXPEDITER, by Mack Reynolds - 3/5. political, anti politicians, nice ideas.
ONE-SHOT, by James Blish - 1.5/5. meh and zero sci-fi elements.
SHIPWRECK IN THE SKY, by Eando Binder - 4/5 very neat, planetary physics as story mechanics.
LANCELOT BIGGS COOKS A PIRATE, by Nelson Bond - 3/5 neat but predictable and too conveniently constructed.
SENTIMENT, INC., by Poul Anderson - 1.5/5 worst and most overblown story i ever skimmed through. bloated story, soviet FBI political thriller nonsense.
THE ISSAHAR ARTIFACTS, by J. F. Bone - 3.5/5. nice little survival story.
THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP, by Ben Bova - 4/5. really nice anti war showcase.
YEAR OF THE BIG THAW, by Marion Zimmer Bradley - 3/5
EARTHMEN BEARING GIFTS, by Fredric Brown - 4.5/5. short 'n sweet.
HAPPY ENDING, by Fredric Brown and Mack Reynolds - didn't bother finishing. boring and terrible writing style.
LIGHTER THAN YOU THINK, by Nelson Bond - 4/5. nice, feelgood. fancy language, vocabulary expansion
RIYA’S FOUNDLING, by Algis Budrys - 1.5/5. telepathic dinosaurs. meh.
ACCIDENTAL DEATH, by Peter Baily - 3/5
AND ALL THE EARTH A GRAVE, by C. C. MacApp - didn't finish. first too cute, then stupid.
DEAD RINGER, by Lester del Rey - 4/5. nice madness/aliens mix. not much scifi though
THE JUPITER WEAPON, by Charles L. Fontenay - 4/5
THE MAN WHO HATED MARS, by Randall Garrett - 3.5/5
NAVY DAY, by Harry Harrison - 2.5/5. somewhat meh. but short and neat idea.
THE JUDAS VALLEY, by Robert Silverberg & Randall Garrett - 4/5. great suspense. not too deep though.
NATIVE SON, by T. D. Hamm - 3/5. neat short but a little unsatisfying.
JUBILEE, by Richard A. Lupoff - 3.5/5 nice what if, but characters and other names hard to grasp, to know what they stand for.
FINAL CALL, by John Gregory Betancourt - interesting very short story to end the volume.
September 25, 2012
An uneven compendium of old science fiction short stories that now feel rather dated. Not very many stories jumped out at me, grabbed my attention. Perhaps The Crystal Crypt by Philip K Dick, though even that had an unsatisfying end, Shambleau by C.L. Moore, Expiditer by Mack Reynolds and The Little Black Bag by C.M.Kornbluth.
What is intriguing is how parochial much of this sci fi is - it's basically sci-fi from the perspective of our Solar system. They've got some stuff wrong too of course - canals on mars, and several gross misunderstandings of evolution (next generation earthmen living on Mars suddenly develop larger chests for the thin atmosphere...)
I really do like sci fi, and old sci fi, but felt this collection just didn't hold up. This may just be personal - the conflict of knowing science and the universe as it is now, versus what they knew then. It appears that the stories I liked have more longevity - aren't based on knowledge that has changed as much as interesting story lines.
What is intriguing is how parochial much of this sci fi is - it's basically sci-fi from the perspective of our Solar system. They've got some stuff wrong too of course - canals on mars, and several gross misunderstandings of evolution (next generation earthmen living on Mars suddenly develop larger chests for the thin atmosphere...)
I really do like sci fi, and old sci fi, but felt this collection just didn't hold up. This may just be personal - the conflict of knowing science and the universe as it is now, versus what they knew then. It appears that the stories I liked have more longevity - aren't based on knowledge that has changed as much as interesting story lines.
November 12, 2013
A fun collection of adventure stories.
The vast majority was by male American writers, mostly from the 1950s, with a few from the 30s and 60s thrown in, which might account for some similarity in plots and characters. However, only a couple were really badly written and a few were quite original. Most weren't actual science fiction stories, to my mind*, as you might simply have exchanged 'Mars' for 'Texas' and 'ship' for 'horse' and have a story that might equally well have been submitted to a Wild West magazine instead of a Sci-fi one. But regardless of that, by far the majority were just pretty good yarns.
*IMO, simply setting a story on another planet or in the future does not a science fiction story make, esp if, as was the case with a surprising amount of stories here, there is no further imaginativeness about future technologies or social developments, science-based or not, whatsoever.
The vast majority was by male American writers, mostly from the 1950s, with a few from the 30s and 60s thrown in, which might account for some similarity in plots and characters. However, only a couple were really badly written and a few were quite original. Most weren't actual science fiction stories, to my mind*, as you might simply have exchanged 'Mars' for 'Texas' and 'ship' for 'horse' and have a story that might equally well have been submitted to a Wild West magazine instead of a Sci-fi one. But regardless of that, by far the majority were just pretty good yarns.
*IMO, simply setting a story on another planet or in the future does not a science fiction story make, esp if, as was the case with a surprising amount of stories here, there is no further imaginativeness about future technologies or social developments, science-based or not, whatsoever.
August 15, 2012
A collection of old sci fi stories that cost 49p on Kindle. Obviously compilations like this are going to be a bit erratic in terms of quality, but there were some little gems in this one. "Little Black Bag" is a wonderful little short about a man getting a second chance and his ambitious assistant that happens to involve timetravel, "Arena" is classic sci fi - man pitted against alien in a battle to the death which is quite good. There's some crap in here too, one about a bomb in the Hudson which I can't even work out why it's sci fi was crap, as were a few others I can't remember. Worth the price though
6/10
6/10
February 29, 2012
This a really good collection that represents a broad spectrum for the types of sci fi available at the time it was published. It is interesting to see what stories had themse that still are relevant, and which are anachronistic. Several of the stories are strong reflections of the attitudes of the era. As all good sci fi does though, all of the stories challenge tuhe reader to think beyond the confines of our current enviornment, culture and situation. Some of the stories present future challenges with foreboding, but many present some great possibilities.
February 5, 2014
Ha! This was a blast from the past. Some of the great classic authors of yesteryear as well as I few I missed along the way. Sort of a mixed bag, but all here for good reason. Sort of fun to look back on the earliest sci-fi writing and see what unfolded according to the predictions and what did not, or in what time frames.
* Couldn't finish
** I had nothing else to do
*** Passed the time, would be **** for genre / author fans
**** Everyone could enjoy this book
***** Everyone should read this book, I'll read it again
* Couldn't finish
** I had nothing else to do
*** Passed the time, would be **** for genre / author fans
**** Everyone could enjoy this book
***** Everyone should read this book, I'll read it again
October 26, 2011
I got this on the Nook about a month ago for $0.99 I think. Well worth it. I had forgotten how much of the good classic science fiction of the twentieth century revolves around the red planet. Mars and Martian fiction are staples of scifi.
If you like science fiction this would be more than worth your time since it's stories from man of the masters in the field. I really liked the Expediter, maybe my favorite one in the collection.
If you like science fiction this would be more than worth your time since it's stories from man of the masters in the field. I really liked the Expediter, maybe my favorite one in the collection.
July 4, 2012
fun collection of old school sci-fi stories (from the 30-s to the 50s mostly). Some of these classics,some are fun, while a few suffer from the "golly gee whiz" syndrome so prevalent in pulp science fiction. I only thought there was one stinker in the book. These stories might not have aged very well, by and large, but the greats are still great, and make it worth the read. Especially since its .99 on Kindle.
February 7, 2013
This was an example of "you get what you pay for." I bought this on my Kindle for $.99 and there was some variance in quality. Many of the stories were written in the 30s-50s so they have this almost "pulp" quality to them. Nice change of pace but out of 25 featured stories, there were only a handful of standouts.
May 16, 2012
Not all the stories in this compilation are great but all are worth reading. Some were old favorites I enjoyed rereading. "The Little Black Bag" has always been a favorite of mine and alone makes this collection worth reading.
July 27, 2012
A couple of stories I skipped over, but that's not surprising as there was 25. I really enjoyed some of these, proper old school sci fi. Martians, chrome space rockets, distant planets. I love it. Especially the single page final story!
September 19, 2012
Enjoyed reading the old SF stories. Sometimes funny how the author misses when they never imagined what the future would hold. Still, it was great to go back to the classics with stories published as early as the 1930s.
April 17, 2012
Lots of stories about Mars. Good classic science fiction. Recommended reading.
June 14, 2012
A good selection of stories, a couple of which (Arena, Little Black Bag) I remember reading before.
June 22, 2012
Some enjoyable stories from early in the history of the genre. Quite a few stories were a bit dated, but were enjoyable to read none the less.
September 13, 2012
Some nice original stories here (but a couple of duds too).
September 12, 2014
A hit and miss collection (mostly hit) of vintage science fiction short stories. Well worth the $0.99 from Amazon.com.
March 3, 2013
This collection of short stories were dated from 1930 to the early 1960s, BUT . . . they were written in such a way that they are still solid and relevant reading. Pretty entertaining stuff.
April 30, 2015
Good stories
November 19, 2013
Nice set of classic SF stories. Some of them feel a bit old, but most became timeless, focusing -- as every good SF should -- on humans and humanity. A great read.
February 19, 2016
Not sure why others didn't like this read, I thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of writing and ideas. Well picked selection!
May 27, 2016
Classics and often out-dated technology/science but mostly stories that still stand the test of time.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews