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Planets of Wonder: A Treasury of Space Opera
Introduction by Terry Carr
The Veil of Astellar by Leigh Brackett
Dust of the Gods by C. L. Moore
We Guard the Black Planet! by Henry Kuttner
Kingdoms of the Stars by Edmond Hamilton
The Veil of Astellar by Leigh Brackett
Dust of the Gods by C. L. Moore
We Guard the Black Planet! by Henry Kuttner
Kingdoms of the Stars by Edmond Hamilton
- GenresScience Fiction
189 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
17 people want to read
About the author
Terry Carr
219 books31 followersCarr was born in Grants Pass, Oregon. He attended the City College of San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley from 1954 to 1959.
Carr discovered science fiction fandom in 1949, where he became an enthusiastic publisher of fanzines, which later helped open his way into the commercial publishing world. (He was one of the two fans responsible for the hoax fan 'Carl Brandon' after whom the Carl Brandon Society takes its name.) Despite a long career as a science fiction professional, he continued to participate as a fan until his death. He was nominated five times for Hugos for Best Fanzine (1959–1961, 1967–1968), winning in 1959, was nominated three times for Best Fan Writer (1971–1973), winning in 1973, and was Fan Guest of Honor at ConFederation in 1986.
Though he published some fiction in the early 1960s, Carr concentrated on editing. He first worked at Ace Books, establishing the Ace Science Fiction Specials series which published, among other novels, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin and Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin.
After conflicts with Ace head Donald A. Wollheim, he worked as a freelancer. He edited an original story anthology series called Universe, and a popular series of The Best Science Fiction of the Year anthologies that ran from 1972 until his death in 1987. He also edited numerous one-off anthologies over the same time span. He was nominated for the Hugo for Best Editor thirteen times (1973–1975, 1977–1979, 1981–1987), winning twice (1985 and 1987). His win in 1985 was the first time a freelance editor had won.
Carr taught at the Clarion Workshop at Michigan State University in 1978, where his students included Richard Kadrey and Pat Murphy.
Carr discovered science fiction fandom in 1949, where he became an enthusiastic publisher of fanzines, which later helped open his way into the commercial publishing world. (He was one of the two fans responsible for the hoax fan 'Carl Brandon' after whom the Carl Brandon Society takes its name.) Despite a long career as a science fiction professional, he continued to participate as a fan until his death. He was nominated five times for Hugos for Best Fanzine (1959–1961, 1967–1968), winning in 1959, was nominated three times for Best Fan Writer (1971–1973), winning in 1973, and was Fan Guest of Honor at ConFederation in 1986.
Though he published some fiction in the early 1960s, Carr concentrated on editing. He first worked at Ace Books, establishing the Ace Science Fiction Specials series which published, among other novels, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin and Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin.
After conflicts with Ace head Donald A. Wollheim, he worked as a freelancer. He edited an original story anthology series called Universe, and a popular series of The Best Science Fiction of the Year anthologies that ran from 1972 until his death in 1987. He also edited numerous one-off anthologies over the same time span. He was nominated for the Hugo for Best Editor thirteen times (1973–1975, 1977–1979, 1981–1987), winning twice (1985 and 1987). His win in 1985 was the first time a freelance editor had won.
Carr taught at the Clarion Workshop at Michigan State University in 1978, where his students included Richard Kadrey and Pat Murphy.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 16, 2009
This is some good old fashioned space opera from the golden age of that genre. I found it very enjoyable.
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September 27, 2023Dalla mia giovinezza, due sono le donne della letteratura che rimarranno per sempre impresse nella mia memoria: una è Dejah Thoris di Marte e l'altra è Lianna di Fomalhaut, diverse nell'aspetto ma uguali nello spirito. Grazie, Burroughs e Hamilton.
August 27, 2012
A treasury of space opera – four excellent novellas from the early days of sci-fi, impressive not so much for their adventure or their psychologizing (though excelling at both) as for their beautiful, dreamlike imagery, their profound poetry. They have been very well chosen by the editor, who, besides having taste for what is truly original about sci-fi, has picked stories consistent in tone which flow into one another. The hero wins, but barely, at terrible cost, and the horizon is dark. All four, but particularly the middle two, elevate the meaning of their genre twice over: no longer the opera of prancing prima donnas, but that of choirs screaming silently against the emptiness of space. The strange melding of down-on-their-luck noir antiheros with unlimited speculation on space, time, and the human race is one of the most poignant in all literature.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews