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3 to the Highest Power
Three short novels. The Bradbury is a new 'Martian Chronicles' story.
Contents:
• Ray Bradbury, by William F. Nolan
• The Lost City of Mars (1967), by Ray Bradbury
• Theodore Sturgeon, essay by William F. Nolan
• One Foot and the Grave (1949), by Theodore Sturgeon
• Chad Oliver, essay by William F. Nolan
• The Marginal Man (1958), by Chad Oliver
Contents:
• Ray Bradbury, by William F. Nolan
• The Lost City of Mars (1967), by Ray Bradbury
• Theodore Sturgeon, essay by William F. Nolan
• One Foot and the Grave (1949), by Theodore Sturgeon
• Chad Oliver, essay by William F. Nolan
• The Marginal Man (1958), by Chad Oliver
160 pages
First published January 1, 1968
About the author
Ray Bradbury
2,574 books25.8k followersRay Douglas Bradbury was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and realistic fiction.
Bradbury is best known for his novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and his short-story collections The Martian Chronicles (1950), The Illustrated Man (1951), and The October Country (1955). Other notable works include the coming of age novel Dandelion Wine (1957), the dark fantasy Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) and the fictionalized memoir Green Shadows, White Whale (1992). He also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, including Moby Dick and It Came from Outer Space. Many of his works were adapted into television and film productions as well as comic books. Bradbury also wrote poetry which has been published in several collections, such as They Have Not Seen the Stars (2001).
The New York Times called Bradbury "An author whose fanciful imagination, poetic prose, and mature understanding of human character have won him an international reputation" and "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream".
Bradbury is best known for his novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and his short-story collections The Martian Chronicles (1950), The Illustrated Man (1951), and The October Country (1955). Other notable works include the coming of age novel Dandelion Wine (1957), the dark fantasy Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) and the fictionalized memoir Green Shadows, White Whale (1992). He also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, including Moby Dick and It Came from Outer Space. Many of his works were adapted into television and film productions as well as comic books. Bradbury also wrote poetry which has been published in several collections, such as They Have Not Seen the Stars (2001).
The New York Times called Bradbury "An author whose fanciful imagination, poetic prose, and mature understanding of human character have won him an international reputation" and "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream".
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 28, 2019
This book has interesting biographical prefaces to each of the three stories, and a goodreads-style bibliography for each author, too. Thank Chandler for digitizing millions of author's pages and all the volunteer librarians for making so many of them so accurate... but back in the day those pages alone would have made this book worth the price for many fans.
Bradbury's story is, not surprisingly, sexist and racist. As he admits for the preface by the editor, he is a big fan of but 'baffled by science' and doesn't see a problem with putting people from his home in 1928 onto Mars in the future, never guessing that we might not be as sexist or into hunting or given the wigglies by ghosts or even using different slang.
Sturgeon's is a paranormal, more like a dark 'fairytale' or even horror. Not my thing. I read until the end, but promptly forgot most of it.
But I chose this book for the Chad Oliver story and it did not disappoint. My rating is for this story alone. Now, I am not an anthropologist, but I have read much written by OwnVoices against anthropologists and it seems to me that Oliver pretty much got things right. There's a bit of a perspective that some might diss as 'noble savage' trope, but a careful reading reveals that Oliver was just emphasizing that the indigenous "People" had a valid, successful culture and did not need the 'gifts' our MC and his team-mate brought. Also, I was glad to see that women, not just men, go through the solitary fasting 'vision quest' experience on this planet. A thoughtful and fascinating story that does not seem dated to me.
Bradbury's story is, not surprisingly, sexist and racist. As he admits for the preface by the editor, he is a big fan of but 'baffled by science' and doesn't see a problem with putting people from his home in 1928 onto Mars in the future, never guessing that we might not be as sexist or into hunting or given the wigglies by ghosts or even using different slang.
Sturgeon's is a paranormal, more like a dark 'fairytale' or even horror. Not my thing. I read until the end, but promptly forgot most of it.
But I chose this book for the Chad Oliver story and it did not disappoint. My rating is for this story alone. Now, I am not an anthropologist, but I have read much written by OwnVoices against anthropologists and it seems to me that Oliver pretty much got things right. There's a bit of a perspective that some might diss as 'noble savage' trope, but a careful reading reveals that Oliver was just emphasizing that the indigenous "People" had a valid, successful culture and did not need the 'gifts' our MC and his team-mate brought. Also, I was glad to see that women, not just men, go through the solitary fasting 'vision quest' experience on this planet. A thoughtful and fascinating story that does not seem dated to me.
June 9, 2010
Sturgeon and Bradbury had been staples of my science fiction reading for some time, which is why I picked this book up from a small second hand book shop whilst browsing the shelves back in the 80's. I miss small second hand book shops!
However it was, and still is, the Chad Oliver story that really moved me. More than 20 years after first reading "The Marginal Man" it still ranks as one of my most treasured and relished and re-read stories.
I give nothing that will spoil the story for you away if I say that it is, on the face of it, a simple enough tale. Chad (I feel we are on first name terms now after all this time!) takes us on a journey to a far off world where, very plausibly, first contact is about to be made, but not for any noble reasons. No, purely to find new markets for Earths mass produced products. Our economic model, with its constant unquenchable thirst for continued unsustainable growth, taken to its logical conclusion.
I shall spare you the plot spoilers; however Chad moves beyond the science fiction staples and clichés and just writes so damn beautifully and accurately about isolation, loneliness, frustration, belonging and peace, on a very individual and personal level. One that struck a strong chord with me.
Again no spoilers, but the conclusion makes my heart sing! Fundamentally Chad's main character captures elements of my own personality which at the time I had not explored, nor fully understood. For me it was one of those reads that changed me slightly. It helped to set me on a long road to a different job, to a different home, to a different life. A road I'm still travelling on. This story was by no means the only influence in this respect, but it helped me understand that "the herd" perhaps was not something I wanted to be part of and that if I had a good heart, then perhaps I too could find a place where I could be content.
Looking back, perhaps naive feelings, and a simple and in many ways naive story. But 5 stars are not enough when it comes to "Marginal Man".
However it was, and still is, the Chad Oliver story that really moved me. More than 20 years after first reading "The Marginal Man" it still ranks as one of my most treasured and relished and re-read stories.
I give nothing that will spoil the story for you away if I say that it is, on the face of it, a simple enough tale. Chad (I feel we are on first name terms now after all this time!) takes us on a journey to a far off world where, very plausibly, first contact is about to be made, but not for any noble reasons. No, purely to find new markets for Earths mass produced products. Our economic model, with its constant unquenchable thirst for continued unsustainable growth, taken to its logical conclusion.
I shall spare you the plot spoilers; however Chad moves beyond the science fiction staples and clichés and just writes so damn beautifully and accurately about isolation, loneliness, frustration, belonging and peace, on a very individual and personal level. One that struck a strong chord with me.
Again no spoilers, but the conclusion makes my heart sing! Fundamentally Chad's main character captures elements of my own personality which at the time I had not explored, nor fully understood. For me it was one of those reads that changed me slightly. It helped to set me on a long road to a different job, to a different home, to a different life. A road I'm still travelling on. This story was by no means the only influence in this respect, but it helped me understand that "the herd" perhaps was not something I wanted to be part of and that if I had a good heart, then perhaps I too could find a place where I could be content.
Looking back, perhaps naive feelings, and a simple and in many ways naive story. But 5 stars are not enough when it comes to "Marginal Man".
April 24, 2009
Three novellas: a good Mars tale from Bradbury, a funny sorcery tale by Sturgeon and a story about Earthmen visiting a primitive race and trying to win them over by Chad Oliver, with whom I was unfamiliar; an anthropologist, he has a very anthropological take on the idea. Verdict: Worth tracking down.
August 13, 2007
So far so good. I LOVE 50 cent thrift store finds the best for some reason.
August 1, 2009
Three SF novellas by Bradbury, Sturgeon, and Chad Oliver.
February 11, 2015
Solid Sci Fi Classic. I think I had my hopes too high. I bought it for the Bradbury Martian Chronicle story. It didn't really fit the series but was still a fantastical read, maybe too fantastical. I always loved that Mars was a flytrap. The other two stories were ok. I had never heard of either author. I've had this book since college and apparently is hard to find. I'm going to make sure to pass mine to a more hard core and well read fan.
February 8, 2021
3 to the Highest Power is an uneven collection of three novellas by Ray Bradbury, Theodore Sturgeon, and Chad Oliver and edited by William F. Nolan. The pieces are all prefaced by short biographical articles by Nolan.
“One Foot and the Grave” by Sturgeon dealt with curses and witchcraft, themes that don't usually hold my attention. This one did. Since this is not a genre that I normally read I can’t vouch for its originality. It was delightfully loopy. I intend to revisit this one again in the future.
“The Lost City of Mars”by Bradbury was originally printed by Playboy. Needless to say I had high hopes for this one. Alas, of the three, it didn’t measure up. Bradbury’s prose was overly ornate. I’ve read a lot of his work and can safely say that a bit of restraint would have helped. While there was some visual excitement, his characters didn't engender any sympathy.
The real gem was “The Marginal Man” by Chad Oliver, an anthropologist and able writer. The main character is on a intergalactic mission to bring technology to hunter/gatherer population. Perplexed by the inhabitants’ lack in interest, he studies the culture further and discovers some unexpected features of this society. This is the second thing I’ve read by Oliver, the first one being The Shores of Another Sea, which I also recommend.
“One Foot and the Grave” by Sturgeon dealt with curses and witchcraft, themes that don't usually hold my attention. This one did. Since this is not a genre that I normally read I can’t vouch for its originality. It was delightfully loopy. I intend to revisit this one again in the future.
“The Lost City of Mars”by Bradbury was originally printed by Playboy. Needless to say I had high hopes for this one. Alas, of the three, it didn’t measure up. Bradbury’s prose was overly ornate. I’ve read a lot of his work and can safely say that a bit of restraint would have helped. While there was some visual excitement, his characters didn't engender any sympathy.
The real gem was “The Marginal Man” by Chad Oliver, an anthropologist and able writer. The main character is on a intergalactic mission to bring technology to hunter/gatherer population. Perplexed by the inhabitants’ lack in interest, he studies the culture further and discovers some unexpected features of this society. This is the second thing I’ve read by Oliver, the first one being The Shores of Another Sea, which I also recommend.
November 26, 2024
An interesting collection by some of the early masters that leaked well before I was born that still seem fresh and new. The hallmark of a legendary author.
November 2, 2024
"The Lost City of Mars" (1967) by Ray Bradbury
4/10
This was just awful; I expected better from Bradbury. It read like an out-of-focus, fast-forwarded dream sequence (I thought it was a dream sequence, until I saw that nobody was ever going to wake up). The "characters" felt like caricatures of mannequins. If this is the sort of thing I can anticipate from the rest of his "Martian Chronicles," then I want nothing to do with them. This story gave me a headache.
-
"Here and there": x1
"[This] here, [that] there": x1
"Here [this], there [that], there [that]": x1
...
"One Foot and the Grave" (1949) by Theodore Sturgeon
9/10
This was great. Sturgeon has yet to let me down. Headache cured. He does lose a point, however, for using "gleam" three times in as many pages.
...
"The Marginal Man" (originally "Guardian Spirit") (1958) by Chad Oliver
5/10
Repetitive vocabulary. Also, a "joke" I don't get:
"I knew a man once who ate flowers..."
"Why'd he do that?"
"To get to the other side..."
...
160 pages, including introductions to the authors by William F. Nolan. With indexes of specifically their work in science fiction and fantasy (as of 1967, of course).
4/10
This was just awful; I expected better from Bradbury. It read like an out-of-focus, fast-forwarded dream sequence (I thought it was a dream sequence, until I saw that nobody was ever going to wake up). The "characters" felt like caricatures of mannequins. If this is the sort of thing I can anticipate from the rest of his "Martian Chronicles," then I want nothing to do with them. This story gave me a headache.
-
"Here and there": x1
"[This] here, [that] there": x1
"Here [this], there [that], there [that]": x1
...
"One Foot and the Grave" (1949) by Theodore Sturgeon
9/10
This was great. Sturgeon has yet to let me down. Headache cured. He does lose a point, however, for using "gleam" three times in as many pages.
...
"The Marginal Man" (originally "Guardian Spirit") (1958) by Chad Oliver
5/10
Repetitive vocabulary. Also, a "joke" I don't get:
"I knew a man once who ate flowers..."
"Why'd he do that?"
"To get to the other side..."
...
160 pages, including introductions to the authors by William F. Nolan. With indexes of specifically their work in science fiction and fantasy (as of 1967, of course).
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews