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BEYOND TOMORROW: AN ANTHOLOGY OF MODERN SCIENCE FICTION
--Lafferty, R. A. Rainbird.--Le Guin, U. Nine lives.--Knight, D. Idiot stick.--Wilder, C. The ark of James Carlyle.--Dick, P. K. The commuter.--Blish, J. The oath.--Baxter, J. Takeover bid.--Zelazny, R. Comes now the power.--Morphett, T. Litterbug.--Chandler, A. B. Late.--Smith, C. Mother Hitton's littul kittons.--Grigg, D. A song before sunset.--Silverberg, R. Sundance.--Aldiss, B. The oh in Jose.--Anderson, P. The man who came early.--Dickson, G. Call him Lord.--Ballard, J. G. The garden of time.
Hardcover
First published December 1, 1976
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About the author
Lee Harding
48 books8 followersLee John Harding is an Australian author, founder of the Melbourne Science Fiction Club and published in Science Fantasy Magazine, New Worlds and Science Fiction Adventures. He used the name of Harold G. Nye as a pseudonym for some of his works and has won the Ditmar Award, the Alan Marshall Award, the Australian Children´s Book Award and the Australian Science Fiction Award. ' to 'Lee John Harding is an Australian author, founder of the Melbourne Science Fiction Club and published in Science Fantasy Magazine, New Worlds and Science Fiction Adventures. He used the name of Harold G. Nye as a pseudonym for some of his works and has won the Ditmar Award, the Alan Marshall Award, the Australian Children's Book Award and the Australian Science Fiction Award.'
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 31, 2021
'Beyond Tomorrow' is my first anthology of sci-fi short stories. I must say, when I first came across this particular book, I had no clue as to the substance of the authors/contributors in this volume. Alas, it was a hearty and enriching surprise as I made my way through the listed stories. I might add, though probably unnecessary, that the first story in the anthology: 'Idiot Stick' by Damon Knight, was entertaining and concise. Literally a story about an alien invasion that is disguised as prosperity, the world is addicted to the prosperity preached by said aliens, though not everyone believes them. Over time the characters try their best to decipher the new invaders, even though the aliens are really effective at public relations and trading. That story received a 5/5 stars from me.
'Nine Lives' by Ursula Guin, was another interesting concept. Slow in the first few pages, it does wonders to establish how the distance between Earth and a research station is one that is as emotionally charged as if one was isolated on an island surround by sea. Two main characters, are visited by a set of twins, all cloned from a genius who died. What gets odd though is the peculiar sexual activity between these twins. In particular communal masturbation amongst the female clones.... need I really say anymore? ':( Aside from that weird detail, it was a solid performer. Granted, tragedy occurs on this particular planet, leaving only three people alive in the end, it nonetheless is solid and a recommended read. 4/5 stars.
'The Commuter' Philip K. Dick. What can I say, I had heard about this short story and squealed in excitement when I realised that it was in the book, that being excited because it was to arrive in the mail and I had scored a touch down. This is another one of those quirky stories, with a magnificent charm that leaves one glued to the pages. Essentially, a man goes to a ticket booth and request a ticket book for a town that doesn't exist. The ticket master becomes frustrated and the man disappears in a puff of smoke. Later on he appears again, though this time one of the managers decides to go to the exact spot. What he discovers is both odd and surreal. Definitely a story I'd like to come back to and read more than once. 5/5 stars.
'The Oath' by James Blish.
What can I say, Mr Blish has a way with my heart. I had read his popular novel 'A Case of Conscience', and was head over heels with it. When I began reading this, it was something I didn't expect. In the past I played games from the Fallout series and got vaguely familiar with the lore. I must say the idea of apocalypse and humanity trying to survive in 'The Oath' has me wondering whether the developers of Fallout had any knowledge of this short story. Then again, it is only a vague resemblance, still I got the vibes from it ;) What the story brings is a travelling physician who goes tracks down people with medical skills and know how. He comes across a man and a small community, one that is soiled with the problems of lack of medicine, scarcity of nutritious food, venereal disease. However, these things are treated by a man who isn't a doctor, but, a poet. The physician and poet conserve, arguing about the absurdity of rebuilding life versus living a free life where people appreciate you because of a 'supposed' skill or talent. Good story, concise and well written. 5/5 stars
P.s. This was a quote that made me giggle.
'You know, the pride of the professor of medieval Latin, really a desperately complicated language, is the fact that he couldn't "do" simple arithmetic. Hell, anybody can do arithmetic; my oldest daughter could "do" algebra at the age of nine, and I think she's a little retarded.'
'The oath you don’t take,’ Tucci agreed, resuming his goggles and helmet, ‘is often more binding than the one you do.'
'Takeover Bid' by John Baxter. Now, seeing as this author is of the same national creed as I, I was curious as to how he'd pull sci fi off in an Australian setting, albeit one in the future. I'll give him credit for predicting big, driverless trucks for iron ore, otherwise, it was an uninteresting story. One I felt could've been more. 3/5 stars.
'Comes Now the Power' by Roger Zelazny.
Good story, a bit brief, but impactful. I liked the idea of telepathy, that being certain individuals can reach out and communicate with one another, minus the cringe superhero stereotypes, is refreshing. Zelazny is able to create a character whose sanity is to the pits, life is hard and a mental slog. You could feel it through the characters desperation. One that leads him to talk to a dying girl, one dying of cancer. She is only 12 years old, and struggles to keep her strength to talk to her. Unfortunately, she doesn't live very long. A recommended story to tug on the heart strings. 4/5 stars.
'So he went away that summer, spent a month at a resort: nothing. He experimented with several hallucinogenic drugs: again, nothing. He tried free associating into a tape recorder, but all he got when he played it back was a headache.'
'Litterbug' - Tony Morphett. An inventor creates a machine that makes rubbish/trash. disappear. Before long the military notices, the engineer being a smart arse and anti-authoritarian figure, decides to muck about, especially after the rubbish starts coming through little portals, through the machines he created which are now in multiple businesses and homes. He hilariously sends a smaller version of this machine through the portal and the aliens begin trading. I want to say more, but please, buy or track this story down. Trust me it is hilarious. 5/5 stars.
'Mother Hittuns Littol Kittuns' Cordwainer Smith. 4/5 stars, solid construction, bit of an odd story.
'A Song before Sunset' - Robert Grigg. Another post apocalyptic story. But one that is quite short, but magnificent to say the least. A former pianist, now in his mid 60s, spends his time looking for rats to eat for his nightly meals amongst the ruins. At home he has a piano, one that is severely out of tune, though serves as a reminder of the old days. He corresponds with a black shop owner, of which is tight on her prices and her trading goods. He finds another piano, though it doesn't last for long. Go read it, 5/5.
'Sundance' - Robert Silverberg. A scientist on another world is responsible in the slow extinction of a native species that consumes oxygen plants, native to that planet. He contemplates whether they have a soul or a society. Eventually he wants to get closer to them, to study and find out more. In the end he is close to losing his mind, literally, and as a result, the concept was good. 5/5 stars.
'The Oh in Jose' - Brian Aldis. Enjoyable, with a surprise twist at the end. Two men, a servant and an old woman are travelling through a barren place, when they stumble upon a rock face with the name carved 'Jose'. The three sit around, pondering and fictionalising what or who or why, Jose's name was carved into the rock. This is all I will say. 5/5
'The Man who Came Early' - Poul Anderson. Apart from having a very funny title, it actually is a decent little story. What if you were on active duty in Iceland, and you were zapped by lighting in 1947 and then woke up in 11th century Iceland?
5/5 will read it again. Some passages:
'That evening he entertained us well with stories of his home; true or not, they made good listening. However, he had no real polish, being unable to compose even two lines of verse. They must be a raw and backward lot in the United States. He said his task in the army had been to keep order among the troops. Helgi said this was unheard-of, and he must be a brave man who would offend so many men.'
'but Gerald said folk obeyed him out of fear of the king. When he added that the term of a levy in the United States was two years, and that men could be called to war even in the harvest time, I said he was well out of a country with so ruthless and powerful a king.'
''No,' he answered wishfully, ' we are a free folk, who say what we please.' 'But it seems you may not do as you please,' said Helgi.'
'Call Him Lord' - Gordon R. Dickson. This isn't a bad story, though it's average. Still nice to see one of the main characters get their comeuppance. A bodyguard whose tradition to an interstellar royal family, must give an up and comer, some life experience as well as test him against various situations. The boy can't handle himself, thus the wind blows the leaves.
4.1/5 stars.
'The Garden of Time' - J.G. Ballard. This is a nice story, very descriptive. Concise, but fruitful in what it tries to do. Man and wife are enjoying their dying garden, the last of their flowers dying, one by one. In the distance is an approaching army. I have tried to figure out if this was an allegory to revolution or some sort of invasion, but I haven't been able to figure any of it out yet. Still, it is a worthy read.
Recommended, 4.5/5 stars.
If you have made it to hear I congratulate you. Forgive my grammar. It's late, this book is good. 4.5 stars. The reason it isn't 5, is because of the John Baxter entry. Other than that, a worthy anthology.
'Nine Lives' by Ursula Guin, was another interesting concept. Slow in the first few pages, it does wonders to establish how the distance between Earth and a research station is one that is as emotionally charged as if one was isolated on an island surround by sea. Two main characters, are visited by a set of twins, all cloned from a genius who died. What gets odd though is the peculiar sexual activity between these twins. In particular communal masturbation amongst the female clones.... need I really say anymore? ':( Aside from that weird detail, it was a solid performer. Granted, tragedy occurs on this particular planet, leaving only three people alive in the end, it nonetheless is solid and a recommended read. 4/5 stars.
'The Commuter' Philip K. Dick. What can I say, I had heard about this short story and squealed in excitement when I realised that it was in the book, that being excited because it was to arrive in the mail and I had scored a touch down. This is another one of those quirky stories, with a magnificent charm that leaves one glued to the pages. Essentially, a man goes to a ticket booth and request a ticket book for a town that doesn't exist. The ticket master becomes frustrated and the man disappears in a puff of smoke. Later on he appears again, though this time one of the managers decides to go to the exact spot. What he discovers is both odd and surreal. Definitely a story I'd like to come back to and read more than once. 5/5 stars.
'The Oath' by James Blish.
What can I say, Mr Blish has a way with my heart. I had read his popular novel 'A Case of Conscience', and was head over heels with it. When I began reading this, it was something I didn't expect. In the past I played games from the Fallout series and got vaguely familiar with the lore. I must say the idea of apocalypse and humanity trying to survive in 'The Oath' has me wondering whether the developers of Fallout had any knowledge of this short story. Then again, it is only a vague resemblance, still I got the vibes from it ;) What the story brings is a travelling physician who goes tracks down people with medical skills and know how. He comes across a man and a small community, one that is soiled with the problems of lack of medicine, scarcity of nutritious food, venereal disease. However, these things are treated by a man who isn't a doctor, but, a poet. The physician and poet conserve, arguing about the absurdity of rebuilding life versus living a free life where people appreciate you because of a 'supposed' skill or talent. Good story, concise and well written. 5/5 stars
P.s. This was a quote that made me giggle.
'You know, the pride of the professor of medieval Latin, really a desperately complicated language, is the fact that he couldn't "do" simple arithmetic. Hell, anybody can do arithmetic; my oldest daughter could "do" algebra at the age of nine, and I think she's a little retarded.'
'The oath you don’t take,’ Tucci agreed, resuming his goggles and helmet, ‘is often more binding than the one you do.'
'Takeover Bid' by John Baxter. Now, seeing as this author is of the same national creed as I, I was curious as to how he'd pull sci fi off in an Australian setting, albeit one in the future. I'll give him credit for predicting big, driverless trucks for iron ore, otherwise, it was an uninteresting story. One I felt could've been more. 3/5 stars.
'Comes Now the Power' by Roger Zelazny.
Good story, a bit brief, but impactful. I liked the idea of telepathy, that being certain individuals can reach out and communicate with one another, minus the cringe superhero stereotypes, is refreshing. Zelazny is able to create a character whose sanity is to the pits, life is hard and a mental slog. You could feel it through the characters desperation. One that leads him to talk to a dying girl, one dying of cancer. She is only 12 years old, and struggles to keep her strength to talk to her. Unfortunately, she doesn't live very long. A recommended story to tug on the heart strings. 4/5 stars.
'So he went away that summer, spent a month at a resort: nothing. He experimented with several hallucinogenic drugs: again, nothing. He tried free associating into a tape recorder, but all he got when he played it back was a headache.'
'Litterbug' - Tony Morphett. An inventor creates a machine that makes rubbish/trash. disappear. Before long the military notices, the engineer being a smart arse and anti-authoritarian figure, decides to muck about, especially after the rubbish starts coming through little portals, through the machines he created which are now in multiple businesses and homes. He hilariously sends a smaller version of this machine through the portal and the aliens begin trading. I want to say more, but please, buy or track this story down. Trust me it is hilarious. 5/5 stars.
'Mother Hittuns Littol Kittuns' Cordwainer Smith. 4/5 stars, solid construction, bit of an odd story.
'A Song before Sunset' - Robert Grigg. Another post apocalyptic story. But one that is quite short, but magnificent to say the least. A former pianist, now in his mid 60s, spends his time looking for rats to eat for his nightly meals amongst the ruins. At home he has a piano, one that is severely out of tune, though serves as a reminder of the old days. He corresponds with a black shop owner, of which is tight on her prices and her trading goods. He finds another piano, though it doesn't last for long. Go read it, 5/5.
'Sundance' - Robert Silverberg. A scientist on another world is responsible in the slow extinction of a native species that consumes oxygen plants, native to that planet. He contemplates whether they have a soul or a society. Eventually he wants to get closer to them, to study and find out more. In the end he is close to losing his mind, literally, and as a result, the concept was good. 5/5 stars.
'The Oh in Jose' - Brian Aldis. Enjoyable, with a surprise twist at the end. Two men, a servant and an old woman are travelling through a barren place, when they stumble upon a rock face with the name carved 'Jose'. The three sit around, pondering and fictionalising what or who or why, Jose's name was carved into the rock. This is all I will say. 5/5
'The Man who Came Early' - Poul Anderson. Apart from having a very funny title, it actually is a decent little story. What if you were on active duty in Iceland, and you were zapped by lighting in 1947 and then woke up in 11th century Iceland?
5/5 will read it again. Some passages:
'That evening he entertained us well with stories of his home; true or not, they made good listening. However, he had no real polish, being unable to compose even two lines of verse. They must be a raw and backward lot in the United States. He said his task in the army had been to keep order among the troops. Helgi said this was unheard-of, and he must be a brave man who would offend so many men.'
'but Gerald said folk obeyed him out of fear of the king. When he added that the term of a levy in the United States was two years, and that men could be called to war even in the harvest time, I said he was well out of a country with so ruthless and powerful a king.'
''No,' he answered wishfully, ' we are a free folk, who say what we please.' 'But it seems you may not do as you please,' said Helgi.'
'Call Him Lord' - Gordon R. Dickson. This isn't a bad story, though it's average. Still nice to see one of the main characters get their comeuppance. A bodyguard whose tradition to an interstellar royal family, must give an up and comer, some life experience as well as test him against various situations. The boy can't handle himself, thus the wind blows the leaves.
4.1/5 stars.
'The Garden of Time' - J.G. Ballard. This is a nice story, very descriptive. Concise, but fruitful in what it tries to do. Man and wife are enjoying their dying garden, the last of their flowers dying, one by one. In the distance is an approaching army. I have tried to figure out if this was an allegory to revolution or some sort of invasion, but I haven't been able to figure any of it out yet. Still, it is a worthy read.
Recommended, 4.5/5 stars.
If you have made it to hear I congratulate you. Forgive my grammar. It's late, this book is good. 4.5 stars. The reason it isn't 5, is because of the John Baxter entry. Other than that, a worthy anthology.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2012
Some of the greatest Sci-Fi authors ever including one of my all time favorites Philip K Dick
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews