The Pseudo-People: Androids in Science Fiction

by William F. Nolan (Editor), Ron Goulart, Dennis Etchison

14 early stories of robots/androids. Bradbury, Asimov, Beaumont,Kuttner and others contributed to this anthology along with an introduction by A.E. Van Vogt.

Editor's Preface: A Is for Android • (1965) • essay by William F. Nolan
Introduction (The Pseudo People) • (1965) • essay by A. E. van Vogt
Badinage • (1965) • Ron Goulart
Changeling • [Marionettes, Inc.] • (1949) • Ray Bradbury
Evidence • [Susan Calvin] • (1946) • Isaac Asimov
Geever's Flight • (1965) • Charles E. Fritch
Juke Doll • (1959) • Robert F. Young
Last Rites • (1955) • Charles Beaumont
Steel • (1956) • Richard Matheson
The Addict • (1965) • Shelly Lowenkopf
The Fasterfaster Affair • (1965) • William F. Nolan [as Frank Anmar]
The Fires of Night • (1965) • Dennis Etchison
The Joy of Living • (1954) • William F. Nolan
The Life Game • (1953) • Chad Oliver
The Show Must Go On • (1954) • James Causey (variant of So Lovely, So Lost)
Those Among Us • (1951) • Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

William F. Nolan is best known as the co-author (with George Clayton Johnson) of Logan's Run -- a science fiction novel that went on to become a movie, a television series and is about to become a movie again -- and as single author of its sequels. His short stories have been selected for scores of anthologies and textbooks and he is twice winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Special Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

Nolan was born in 1928 in Kansas City Missouri. He attended the Kansas City Art Institute and worked as an artist for Hallmark Cards. He moved to California in the late 1940s and studied at San Diego State College. He began concentrating on writing rather than art and, in 1952, was introduced by fellow Missouri native (and established writer) Ray Bradbury to another young up-and-coming author, Charles Beaumont. Moving to the Los Angeles area in 1953, Nolan became along with Bradbury, Beaumont, and Richard Matheson part of the "inner core" of the soon-to-be highly influential "Southern California Group" of writers. By 1956 Nolan was a full-time writer. Since 1951 he has sold more than 1500 stories, articles, books, and other works.

Although Nolan wrote roughly 2000 pieces, to include biographies, short stories, poetry, and novels, Logan’s Run retains its hold on the public consciousness as a political fable and dystopian warning. As Nolan has stated: “That I am known at all is still astonishing to me... "

He passed away at the age of 93 due to complications from an infection.

Reviews

[Federica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This kind of book is quite unusual for me since I do not usually read collection of short stories and, moreover, sci-fi and science fiction generally speaking. What attracted me was the presence of the authors that are considered the founders of this type of literature and, so, I became curious.
This is the first time I read something like that and I have to say that it surprised me: I did not believe that it would have been so interesting and pleasant. This collection explores not only the figure of the android but also, even if indirectly, the way humans interact with each other, their reactions toward what is considered different and, maybe, dangerous. There are violence and fear in this stories, but also hope, love and the possibility of change.
A really strong message

[Patrick Donohue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in my late father's things. He was an avid reader of science fiction when he was young and this book would have been published a couple years after he graduated high school. I also read that Elon Musk was shaped by sf and Asimov particularly on AI and robots fiction. This book captures a future that we are starting to live ourselves even if it's early innings. It gives me lots to think about.

[Knight Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mixed bag of dated stories. The heartfelt, emotional ones were quite good. The so-called humorous ones, I skipped. Several of these have that "50s" feel to them (if you know what I mean) which I find annoying--stories seemed hard to follow. Based on a few gems, I'll keep my copy of this, but was on the fence about that at first as I only really liked a few of the stories.

[Alien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of the stories in this collection have not aged that well. Many are about robots that are intelligent, have feelings, can hardly be told apart from humans. Decades after the stories have been written, these ideas are still very unrealistic. The jarring discrepancy between the dated setting of the stories and the impossibly advanced robot-technology annoyed me.
One thing was cool though: The story from Richard Matheson was obviously the inspiration for the SF film "Real Steel" with Hugh Jackman. I was not expecting Hollywood to seek inspiration in dated SF story collections.