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Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories #15
Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories 15: 1953
Stories deal with social planning, evolution, immortality, computers, sea farming, invaders, time travel, a tragic stowaway, androids, experiments, and war
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 2, 1986
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131 people want to read
About the author
Isaac Asimov
4,339 books27.9k followersWorks of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles,
The Foundation Trilogy
(1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 23, 2020
As with all the books that I have read in this series, this is a fine anthology. Some comments about individual stories:
⏺️I don't think that "The Nine Billion Names of God" or "Warm" are science fiction. "It's a Good Life" might be, but I have reservations.
⏺️"Time Is the Traitor" is much too complacent about murder.
⏺️The last line of "Saucer of Loneliness" is lovely. It is also dishonest.
⏺️I used to find "The Liberation of Earth" a lot funnier than I do now. I am not sure why.
⏺️How sad that almost seventy years after it was written, the theme of "The World Well Lost" is still relevant.
⏺️"Common Time" is the only story in the anthology that I simply don't much like.
⏺️My favorites, in no special order, are "Four in One," "Lot," "The Nine Billion Names of God," "Impostor," "A Bad Day for Sales," "The World Well Lost," and "It's a Good Life."
⏺️Some thoughts on the editorial comments:
◾Goodreads reviewer Cait wrote:
Isaac Asimov is super snarky and weird in his intros to the stories but the stories are amazing.
Yes.
◾Asimov's pseudo-humble comments about the title "Crucifixus Etiam" are surprising. Asimov wrote:
"I always get worried about a title in a foreign language. Since I think of titles as integral parts of a story and as representing a key to what the writer himself/herself thinks of the story's meaning, I get upset if I cannot understand it. I think that "Crucifixus Etiam" means "Crucifixion Again," but I'm not sure."
I believe that should be "integral parts of stories." More importantly, I am surprised that Asimov seems to be unaware that the phrase "Crucifixus etiam pro nobis" means "He was crucified also for us" and is part of the Nicene–Constantinopolitan Creed.
[OK, now I'm being snarky. Asimov didn't have access to Google, which was the source of my information. He always seemed to regard himself as omniscient, though.]
◾The "Introduction" to the book itself is quite badly written, as all the ones that I have read in this series are. It is hard to believe that the two editors of a book selecting the best examples of a kind of literature could come up with this sentence:
"Battle Cry by Leon Uris was a bestseller, but the Dodgers lost the World Series to the Yankees again - revenge was now only two years away."
⏺️I don't think that "The Nine Billion Names of God" or "Warm" are science fiction. "It's a Good Life" might be, but I have reservations.
⏺️"Time Is the Traitor" is much too complacent about murder.
⏺️The last line of "Saucer of Loneliness" is lovely. It is also dishonest.
⏺️I used to find "The Liberation of Earth" a lot funnier than I do now. I am not sure why.
⏺️How sad that almost seventy years after it was written, the theme of "The World Well Lost" is still relevant.
⏺️"Common Time" is the only story in the anthology that I simply don't much like.
⏺️My favorites, in no special order, are "Four in One," "Lot," "The Nine Billion Names of God," "Impostor," "A Bad Day for Sales," "The World Well Lost," and "It's a Good Life."
⏺️Some thoughts on the editorial comments:
◾Goodreads reviewer Cait wrote:
Isaac Asimov is super snarky and weird in his intros to the stories but the stories are amazing.
Yes.
◾Asimov's pseudo-humble comments about the title "Crucifixus Etiam" are surprising. Asimov wrote:
"I always get worried about a title in a foreign language. Since I think of titles as integral parts of a story and as representing a key to what the writer himself/herself thinks of the story's meaning, I get upset if I cannot understand it. I think that "Crucifixus Etiam" means "Crucifixion Again," but I'm not sure."
I believe that should be "integral parts of stories." More importantly, I am surprised that Asimov seems to be unaware that the phrase "Crucifixus etiam pro nobis" means "He was crucified also for us" and is part of the Nicene–Constantinopolitan Creed.
[OK, now I'm being snarky. Asimov didn't have access to Google, which was the source of my information. He always seemed to regard himself as omniscient, though.]
◾The "Introduction" to the book itself is quite badly written, as all the ones that I have read in this series are. It is hard to believe that the two editors of a book selecting the best examples of a kind of literature could come up with this sentence:
"Battle Cry by Leon Uris was a bestseller, but the Dodgers lost the World Series to the Yankees again - revenge was now only two years away."
January 25, 2011
How can this many great stories have been published in the year 1953? Seriously? It's weird. Isaac Asimov is super snarky and weird in his intros to the stories but the stories are amazing. "Saucer of Loneliness" by Theodore Sturgeon was gorgeous and sad, "The Liberation of Earth" was surprising and adorable, "The Nine Billion Names of God" is apparently a classic, and it did totally rock my world. Anyway, top notch.
April 5, 2024
A nice collection of SF works from 1953, in lieu of an anthology series from that time (the World's Best Science Fiction series, edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr, would start in 1965, anthologizing stories from 1964, and, as far as I can tell, is the first of its kind). This, of course, is done retrospectively (this particular one was done in 1986, over thirty years later). It also done by Isaac Asimov and Martin H. Greenberg—Asimov, who should need no introduction, but also the lesser known but equally contemporary Greenberg—both "old school science fiction" buds who, in their introductions to each story here, frequently know the authors in question. So, you have, to a degree, the benefit of hindsight and being from that era, but perhaps not the perspective of another generation. Nevertheless, this is a strong collection: it's amazing how prescient these stories can be, in terms of themes, rather than specifics. Even prescient in terms of their own oeuvre, like, for example, an early story by Philip K Dick, that already tackles the themes of identity and personal perspective that would dominant much of his work. All men, and many of them couched in particular mannerisms of the time that no doubt seem dated in certain aspects now, perhaps even in 1986. But there are some real gems here, at least for me, and those are the ones that escape their time to, well, truly become timeless. I think my stand-out here is Common Time by James Blish, who wrote one of my favorite "religious" science fiction books, A Case of Conscience. Common Time manages to be both phantasmagoric and bizarre in a way the Weird Tales of space travel like Clark Ashton Smith and one of my favorite writers of this time and after, Cordwainer Smith, are.
February 21, 2024
A solid entry in the series. The standouts included:
Crucifixus Etium a painful story about the colonization of Mars.
Four in One a really fun story about an unusual alien.
Saucer of Loneliness an unusual tale of first contact.
Lot a realistic take on nuclear war.
The Nine Billion Names of God a mystical story about the nature of reality.
Imposter is a nice early story by Philip K. Dick with his usual obsessions.
The World Well Lost is a ground-breaking story that touches on sexuality.
Time is the Traitor is a clever story by Alfred Bester about obsession and loss.
The Wall Around the World about a closed world where the people practice witchcraft.
It's a Good Life is an undisputed classic about a young boy with mental powers.
Most of the other stories are entertaining, and there are only two that strike me as unworthy of inclusion.
Crucifixus Etium a painful story about the colonization of Mars.
Four in One a really fun story about an unusual alien.
Saucer of Loneliness an unusual tale of first contact.
Lot a realistic take on nuclear war.
The Nine Billion Names of God a mystical story about the nature of reality.
Imposter is a nice early story by Philip K. Dick with his usual obsessions.
The World Well Lost is a ground-breaking story that touches on sexuality.
Time is the Traitor is a clever story by Alfred Bester about obsession and loss.
The Wall Around the World about a closed world where the people practice witchcraft.
It's a Good Life is an undisputed classic about a young boy with mental powers.
Most of the other stories are entertaining, and there are only two that strike me as unworthy of inclusion.
July 21, 2020
Its difficult giving stars to an anthology. I think my rule will be to award 5-stars if the anthology has at least five 5-star stories. Here are the stories I'd rate that high:
- "Lot" by Ward Moore
- "Saucer of Loneliness" by Theodore Sturgeon
- "Common Time" by James Blish
- "Four in One" by Damon Knight
- "The Nine Billion Names of God" by Arthur C. Clarke
- "The Good Life" by Jerome Bixby
- "The World Well Lost" by Theodore Sturgeon
- "Crucifixus Etiam" by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
More than enough to earn its 5-star rating.
- "Lot" by Ward Moore
- "Saucer of Loneliness" by Theodore Sturgeon
- "Common Time" by James Blish
- "Four in One" by Damon Knight
- "The Nine Billion Names of God" by Arthur C. Clarke
- "The Good Life" by Jerome Bixby
- "The World Well Lost" by Theodore Sturgeon
- "Crucifixus Etiam" by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
More than enough to earn its 5-star rating.
February 23, 2021
Probably the best sci-fi anthology you'll ever get your hands on. Features a few mediocre pieces but also many must-read classics, making it a timelessly valuable snapshot of the, well, I guess, golden age of science fiction. Also you'd never think these pieces were written in 1953... the year Stalin died...
The anthology itself was put together in the mid-eighties so it gives a retrospective look and insight on the authors. Also Martin H. Greenberg was the co-author/curator besides Asimov, not sure why he ain't displayed here.
The anthology itself was put together in the mid-eighties so it gives a retrospective look and insight on the authors. Also Martin H. Greenberg was the co-author/curator besides Asimov, not sure why he ain't displayed here.
September 21, 2018
Két testvér ajánlása után egyrészt már csak szelektálva olvastam a novellákat, másrészt nagy elvárásokkal. Valószínűleg emiatt is tett rám kisebb benyomást, nagyon sokat vártam tőle. Leginkább az elsőként olvasott novella fogott meg, amiben négy agy kerül egy gazdatestbe egy idegen bolygón. Az nagyon király volt, utána már kissé kevésbé tetszett, de azért élvezetes volt a könyv.
September 17, 2018
Nagyon erős válogatás rendkívül jó novellákkal. Bár nem mindegyik sztori volt "ötcsillagos", az antológia egésze megéri a max. pontszámot.
November 24, 2019
9/17 egész jó novella. Nem is rossz arány.
March 26, 2015
An outstanding collection of 18 science fiction and fantasy short stories from 1953. My family had it in Hungarian translation (Gyilkos Idő), and I've first read parts of it when I was 11; later I re-read the book several times, and many of these stories made a profound impact on me. There is an introduction and analysis by Asimov and Greenberg for each.
My favourites:
* A Saucer of Loneliness - A haunting story about isolation, about human bonds, and about the hope that even the worst things and most painful loneliness can be overcame.
* The Nine Billion Names of God - This really caught me off guard. And indeed, it has the most beautiful closing line in the entire world literature.
* The Wall Around the World - An allegorical tale about the conflict between tradition and progress; follows a teen's quest for freedom in a spiritual, narrow-minded society. Harry Potter fans might find it interesting.
* It's a Good Life - What is the most hopeless and most dangerous situation you can be in? How about... living together with a spoiled and clueless three-year-old who has god-like powers, is capable of mind reading, and creating or destroying anything with the power of his thoughts?
These were the most memorable for me, but all the other stories are great as well. There are no fillers in this collection.
My favourites:
* A Saucer of Loneliness - A haunting story about isolation, about human bonds, and about the hope that even the worst things and most painful loneliness can be overcame.
* The Nine Billion Names of God - This really caught me off guard. And indeed, it has the most beautiful closing line in the entire world literature.
* The Wall Around the World - An allegorical tale about the conflict between tradition and progress; follows a teen's quest for freedom in a spiritual, narrow-minded society. Harry Potter fans might find it interesting.
* It's a Good Life - What is the most hopeless and most dangerous situation you can be in? How about... living together with a spoiled and clueless three-year-old who has god-like powers, is capable of mind reading, and creating or destroying anything with the power of his thoughts?
These were the most memorable for me, but all the other stories are great as well. There are no fillers in this collection.
January 22, 2014
I migliori racconti di fantascienza pubblicati nel 1953 da autori del prestigio di Fritz Leiber, Walter M. Miller jr, Damon Knight, Theodore Sturgeon, William Tenn, Ward Moore, Arthur C. Clark, Robert Sheckley, Philip K. Dick, James Blish, Alfred Blester, Theodore R. Cogdwell, William Morrison, Frederic Bron, Jerome Bixby. 17 racconti di inquietudine, mistero, avventura, paura, sorpresa, scritti nell'anno in cui moriva Stalin, Eisenhower veniva eletto presidente degli Stati Uniti, Elisabetta saliva sul trono d'Inghilterra.
September 15, 2007
Excellent collection of Sci Fi classic short stories. I really just wanted to point that Walter M Miller Jr's Crucifixus Etiam made me extremely uncomfortable physically. I've read plenty of stories that make you 'feel' certain descriptions, but this one was unique and I'm not certain that it was even intentional.
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November 28, 2019Excellent anthology. Unfortunately I had read almost all the stories at some time in the past. I was born in 1947 and have been reading SF from a very early age. But I did reread many of them and enjoyed most of them the second time.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews