The Stars Around Us: A Science Fiction Anthology

by Robert [editor] Hoskins, Alfred Bester, John Jakes

Ten fascinating explorations beyond infinity.
The Moon has been reached, the dreamer must now broaden his horizons. Our Solar System remains, but this is too limited for dreams that insist on no boundaries...The writers represented in this imaginative anthology go well beyond the dream and speculate on a future still veiled behind the curtain of outer space. Some day, man will draw the curtain aside, but for now he has the universe, the galaxy, and the stars around us.

Contents:

Introduction (The Stars Around Us) • essay by Robert Hoskins
The Peddler's Nose • [Quarantine] • (1951) • shortstory by Jack Williamson
The Listeners • [The Listeners] • (1968) • novelette by James E. Gunn
Ghost Fleet • (1961) • shortstory by Christopher Anvil
Fondly Fahrenheit • (1954) • novelette by Alfred Bester
With Redfern on Capella XII • (1955) • novelette by Frederik Pohl [as by Charles Satterfield ]
Underfollow • (1963) • shortstory by John Jakes
The Feeling of Power • (1958) • shortstory by Isaac Asimov
The Helping Hand • (1950) • novelette by Poul Anderson
A Work of Art • (1956) • novelette by James Blish
The Great Slow Kings • (1963) • shortstory by Roger Zelazny

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies

191 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1970

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was something of a notion in the wake of the first Apollo moon landing that perhaps the real world had caught up with science fiction at last, and that the field had become passe. With this in mind, Hoskins assembled this anthology of stories from the 1950s and early '60s to illustrate just how limitless the possibilities were that remained to be explored. My favorites are Roger Zelazny's The Great Show Kings, James E. Gunn's The Listeners, and Alfred Bester's Fondly Farenheit, but perhaps the best story is The Feeling of Power by Isaac Asimov, one of his best, which is perhaps even more relevant today than when it was first published in 1957. The feeling to which the title refers comes from the idea that people can do mathematical equations with their brains and pencil and paper rather than by asking their computers for the answer.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic science fiction short stories. Fun to read but most are completely forgettable. The one excellent contribution is Isaac Asimov's "The Feeling of Power" about a militarized society in the future rediscovering that humans can do calculations. Also deserving of special mention, James Blish's "A Work of Art" aboiut a reincarnation of Richard Strauss.

[Kiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories from between 1950 and 1968. They were ok.

* The Peddler's Nose by Jack Williamson: Stories like this are a dime a dozen. Not particularly notable.

* The Listeners by James E. Gunn: I liked the more thoughtful and mature nature of this story compared to the previous one. There is an ambiguous ending, so this could be either a very sad story or an optimistic one.

* Ghost Fleet by Christopher Anvil: I find military sci fi to be very same-y. This is no exception.

* Fondly Fahrenheit by Alfred Bester: I loved the style this was written in, but I didn't like anything it was about. Bester is a very technically skilled author, but the whole premise and the way everything works in the story are flimsy and silly if you think about them at all.

* With Redfern on Capella XII by Frederik Pohl: Similar to the first story, this feels utterly unoriginal in this day and age. I've read countless similar stories, where some dramatic reveal about the aliens complicates things and the hero saves the day with a clever plan. I wish more were done with the bits about British colonization of India and India being the world's economic and cultural powerhouse in this future.

* Underfollow by John Jakes: A tragic story where everyone is stupid and incompetent, and in the end, our protagonist sees his arrogance and regrets he didn't do better.

* The Feeling of Power by Isaac Asimov: Very ham-fisted. It started out ridiculous but had a surprisingly serious ending.

* The Helping Hand by Poul Anderson: A tale of colonialism and cultural assimilation. I really liked this one, and it's the oldest story in the volume but has aged most gracefully.

* A Work of Art by James Blish: My overall favourite story of the collection. Elderly Nazi composer lies on his deathbed, and is brought back by some miraculous medical intervention. But why? See what he does with his second chance.

* The Great Slow Kings by Roger Zelazny: A gimmicky story.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've only been picking it up here and there, like today I read a story from Azimov that makes you think of ways humans and machines interact with each other, and presents another way for things to go terribly bad when they were hoping it was for good. Everything in moderation I suppose.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember this with great fondness, and it has some very fine stories in it, including Bester's "Fondly Fahrhenheit."

[Ed]

ISFDB 299953.