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One Was Stubborn
Things are disappearing. Parts of buildings, parts of people, parts of the whole world—they’re here today, gone tomorrow. Old Shellback—a character as crazy-smart as Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future—thinks he needs glasses. But all he really has to do is open his eyes …and see the light.
Or so says George Smiley—otherwise known as the Messiah. George claims that the reason things are vanishing is because he wants them to go away. He has no more use for the world … and so it goes. Say goodbye. But Old Shellback has a different idea, and since he is the most stubborn man in the universe, you might want to hear him out.
What’s Shellback’s idea? That two can play at this game. While George is making this world disappear, Old Shellback will make another one appear. Join him on an amazing odyssey—as he heads back to a future of his own making.
Also includes the Science Fiction adventures “A Can of Vacuum,” in which a practical joke on a space station proves that a good sense of humor is timeless, and “240,000 Miles Straight Up,” the thrilling story of a race to the moon … and the one man who may be able to save the earth from Armageddon.
Or so says George Smiley—otherwise known as the Messiah. George claims that the reason things are vanishing is because he wants them to go away. He has no more use for the world … and so it goes. Say goodbye. But Old Shellback has a different idea, and since he is the most stubborn man in the universe, you might want to hear him out.
What’s Shellback’s idea? That two can play at this game. While George is making this world disappear, Old Shellback will make another one appear. Join him on an amazing odyssey—as he heads back to a future of his own making.
Also includes the Science Fiction adventures “A Can of Vacuum,” in which a practical joke on a space station proves that a good sense of humor is timeless, and “240,000 Miles Straight Up,” the thrilling story of a race to the moon … and the one man who may be able to save the earth from Armageddon.
129 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2010
3 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
About the author
L. Ron Hubbard
2,001 books656 followersL. Ron Hubbard is universally acclaimed as the single most influential author and humanitarian of this modern age. His definitive works on the mind and spirit—comprising over 350 million copies in circulation and more than 40 international bestsellers—have resulted in a legacy benefiting millions and a movement spanning all cultures.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 19, 2017
Coming to us with three short stories the initial thoughts I had on the book itself were:
Unusual though pleasant with the addition of glossary and history of pulp fiction.
Like a blast from the past - having a sample chapter from another book.
That said I'll be reviewing the stories separately and in context.
One was stubborn
The titular story and for obvious reasons, this one represents all that is good in pulp. light reading that is succinct, engaging and simply has fun exploring a strange idea in a short amount of space.
Its essentially a fun exploration of just what would things be like if the principle of mind over matter was taken to its extreme (bear in mind that "The Secret" which attempted to convince people of this being fact earned 300 million in 3 years alone!) pitting the enigmatic cult leader George Smiley against Shell-back the avuncular old curmudgeon.
Aside from the colourful but dated language what was most interesting was the grand plan of Smiley who through his book and teachings sought to trick the entire planet into willing away the material world. The idea sold to his followers that they could achieve an unconscious transcendence but in reality so that Smiley could become the last conscious being and therefore able to reform the universe to his liking.
Quote of the book
"he was one of those disgusting young fellows who think that they know so much about the human body that they themselves can't be human"
- in reference to Dr Flerry the psychologist
Also found it fun how Hubbard inserted himself into the prologue as a psychologist.
4/5
A can of vacuum
The least imaginative and entertaining this story represents some of the more memey aspects of pulp fiction. Its essentially as story about military hazing that would work equally well were you to replace space ships with ships. Nothing particularly redeemable about it.
2/5
240,000 Miles Straight Up
Roughly as long as the previous two stories put together, a nice although a tad overblown action romp - complete with Luna combat - spoiled at the end by a particularly bad cliche
2/5
Unusual though pleasant with the addition of glossary and history of pulp fiction.
Like a blast from the past - having a sample chapter from another book.
That said I'll be reviewing the stories separately and in context.
One was stubborn
The titular story and for obvious reasons, this one represents all that is good in pulp. light reading that is succinct, engaging and simply has fun exploring a strange idea in a short amount of space.
Its essentially a fun exploration of just what would things be like if the principle of mind over matter was taken to its extreme (bear in mind that "The Secret" which attempted to convince people of this being fact earned 300 million in 3 years alone!) pitting the enigmatic cult leader George Smiley against Shell-back the avuncular old curmudgeon.
Aside from the colourful but dated language what was most interesting was the grand plan of Smiley who through his book and teachings sought to trick the entire planet into willing away the material world. The idea sold to his followers that they could achieve an unconscious transcendence but in reality so that Smiley could become the last conscious being and therefore able to reform the universe to his liking.
Quote of the book
"he was one of those disgusting young fellows who think that they know so much about the human body that they themselves can't be human"
- in reference to Dr Flerry the psychologist
Also found it fun how Hubbard inserted himself into the prologue as a psychologist.
4/5
A can of vacuum
The least imaginative and entertaining this story represents some of the more memey aspects of pulp fiction. Its essentially as story about military hazing that would work equally well were you to replace space ships with ships. Nothing particularly redeemable about it.
2/5
240,000 Miles Straight Up
Roughly as long as the previous two stories put together, a nice although a tad overblown action romp - complete with Luna combat - spoiled at the end by a particularly bad cliche
2/5
July 7, 2025
Great cast on the audiobook! The stories surprisingly got better with each one, even though the title only mentions One Was Stubborn. I will be reviewing each one, as well as the audio production.
One Was Stubborn: 4/5. The reason I picked this up in the first place! There’s 2 paragraphs in Alec Nevala Lee’s book about this story, its connections to Hubbards philosophy, and a rumor that it was written on a single train ride from Penn Station to Seattle. Given it’s about a 1 hour read, that’s totally possible! I noticed the plot revolves around understanding the difference between creation, persistence, and destruction - aka the cycle of action. And a control group forming around a charismatic thought leader: George Smiley. This is a book that is characteristically Hubbard to a degree that I never felt with Battlefield Earth or Buckskin Brigades. My main gripe was the way the vocal cast was directed in all likelihood to sound as obnoxious as humanly possible. Shellback is a nerd or something? But that was unbearable and thankfully they went another direction with the 2 bonus stories, which are reviewed below.
A Can of Vacuum: 5/5. I like to go into stories blind, and boy was that the case with this story! It was decently funny, but the vocal cast was absolutely stacked with talent. They carried this, no doubt. Corey Burton, of Star Wars fame (voiced Count Dooku and Cad Bane) did great, R.F. Daley narrated this perfectly too. It’s a forgettable story but I remember having a good time and having a laugh.
240,000 Miles Up: 5/5. This one was my favorite, and I’d rank it among Fear as one of Hubbard’s best stories that I’ve read. Nothing beats a good plot twist! And the fight scene absolutely delivered with the sound design. So let’s into that.
Sound Design: 4.5/5. Excellent production. Very comparable to Graphic Audio with a full cast, great voice actors, and immersive sound effects. I had one minor gripe with their production, and it may seem small but it was annoying. If the story said “blah blah blah” said Greg, for example, the narration would exclude the “said Greg” part. But they would follow and not follow that rule at COMPLETE RANDOM, with no rhyme or reason. If they do that again I will fly to the studio and fix it myself!! Jk. 😅 But that is leagues better than Graphic Audio condensing the story by up to 50%, which is inexcusable.
One Was Stubborn: 4/5. The reason I picked this up in the first place! There’s 2 paragraphs in Alec Nevala Lee’s book about this story, its connections to Hubbards philosophy, and a rumor that it was written on a single train ride from Penn Station to Seattle. Given it’s about a 1 hour read, that’s totally possible! I noticed the plot revolves around understanding the difference between creation, persistence, and destruction - aka the cycle of action. And a control group forming around a charismatic thought leader: George Smiley. This is a book that is characteristically Hubbard to a degree that I never felt with Battlefield Earth or Buckskin Brigades. My main gripe was the way the vocal cast was directed in all likelihood to sound as obnoxious as humanly possible. Shellback is a nerd or something? But that was unbearable and thankfully they went another direction with the 2 bonus stories, which are reviewed below.
A Can of Vacuum: 5/5. I like to go into stories blind, and boy was that the case with this story! It was decently funny, but the vocal cast was absolutely stacked with talent. They carried this, no doubt. Corey Burton, of Star Wars fame (voiced Count Dooku and Cad Bane) did great, R.F. Daley narrated this perfectly too. It’s a forgettable story but I remember having a good time and having a laugh.
240,000 Miles Up: 5/5. This one was my favorite, and I’d rank it among Fear as one of Hubbard’s best stories that I’ve read. Nothing beats a good plot twist! And the fight scene absolutely delivered with the sound design. So let’s into that.
Sound Design: 4.5/5. Excellent production. Very comparable to Graphic Audio with a full cast, great voice actors, and immersive sound effects. I had one minor gripe with their production, and it may seem small but it was annoying. If the story said “blah blah blah” said Greg, for example, the narration would exclude the “said Greg” part. But they would follow and not follow that rule at COMPLETE RANDOM, with no rhyme or reason. If they do that again I will fly to the studio and fix it myself!! Jk. 😅 But that is leagues better than Graphic Audio condensing the story by up to 50%, which is inexcusable.
November 23, 2015
I received a free copy of this book by winning a First Reads giveaway on Goodreads.
So I've been reading several of these L. Ron Hubbard "Golden Age" story reprints over the last year or so. All in all, they're enjoyable reads. Nothing to make me look back and wonder why he didn't win any literary awards or anything, but the man could spin a yarn. This one is no different, except that it was the first of these little books that was Sci-Fi. The previous ones were mystery, adventure, western, or pirate stories. It's good to see a range of Hubbard's stuff, because until these things started coming out, I always thought of him as a writer of Sci-Fi. But he was much more diverse than that.
Then to pick this up and read some of his early sci-fi work was interesting. It had a similar tone to the other Golden Age stories, with cheesy 1940s adventure dialogue and plot. A far cry from what we would eventually see from Hubbard before his death, with the Mission Earth series and Battlefield Earth. Those were so much more complex, it's surprising that they're the same author.
But yes, it was cool to go back and (again) read some of Hubbard's early work. I'll probably tick off a few more of these before I'm finished.
Oh, and since this one was a collection of three stories, I'll include my comments for each one that originally appeared on my status updates:
"One Was Stubbron" - the title story. Well, this was an odd duck. A sci-fi story set in the future with an old man sticking to his beliefs (or non-beliefs) in the face of a new messiah. It was comical but a bit too philosophical at the same time. Pretty abstract, though the first person narrative kept it going. Interesting ending to it, though.
"A Can of Vacuum" - this story was better than the first one. Still sci-fi, though this one is seen from a military hazing angle. Poor new guy?"
"240,000 Miles Straight Up" - this story was obviously written a bit later than most of the Hubbard I've been reading, as it focuses on a Cold War race to the Moon. Some humor and intrigue, with another twist for an ending..."
So I've been reading several of these L. Ron Hubbard "Golden Age" story reprints over the last year or so. All in all, they're enjoyable reads. Nothing to make me look back and wonder why he didn't win any literary awards or anything, but the man could spin a yarn. This one is no different, except that it was the first of these little books that was Sci-Fi. The previous ones were mystery, adventure, western, or pirate stories. It's good to see a range of Hubbard's stuff, because until these things started coming out, I always thought of him as a writer of Sci-Fi. But he was much more diverse than that.
Then to pick this up and read some of his early sci-fi work was interesting. It had a similar tone to the other Golden Age stories, with cheesy 1940s adventure dialogue and plot. A far cry from what we would eventually see from Hubbard before his death, with the Mission Earth series and Battlefield Earth. Those were so much more complex, it's surprising that they're the same author.
But yes, it was cool to go back and (again) read some of Hubbard's early work. I'll probably tick off a few more of these before I'm finished.
Oh, and since this one was a collection of three stories, I'll include my comments for each one that originally appeared on my status updates:
"One Was Stubbron" - the title story. Well, this was an odd duck. A sci-fi story set in the future with an old man sticking to his beliefs (or non-beliefs) in the face of a new messiah. It was comical but a bit too philosophical at the same time. Pretty abstract, though the first person narrative kept it going. Interesting ending to it, though.
"A Can of Vacuum" - this story was better than the first one. Still sci-fi, though this one is seen from a military hazing angle. Poor new guy?"
"240,000 Miles Straight Up" - this story was obviously written a bit later than most of the Hubbard I've been reading, as it focuses on a Cold War race to the Moon. Some humor and intrigue, with another twist for an ending..."
July 6, 2015
This is a very fun imaginative yarn conceived around a 'what if' of Christian Science tenets of reality being an illusion and a Stubborn old coot Shellback who cussedly struggles to disagree and keep some reality intact creating one of the most imaginative stories I have read.
To have the physical universe or not? is the question and conflict which takes the reader or listener where no one has gone before!
The audio performance is superb.
Great entertainment! Chose for yourself who to cheer for in this fun yarn.
To have the physical universe or not? is the question and conflict which takes the reader or listener where no one has gone before!
The audio performance is superb.
Great entertainment! Chose for yourself who to cheer for in this fun yarn.
April 22, 2014
I received this book for free as a part of the Good Reads First Reads program. One Was Stubborn is conceived about a solitary essential belief that the actual material world is all delusion and all is mind or spirit and if that thought caught on what would take place? Think and make the world be the way you wish for it to be. There are two other short pieces of pulp fiction in the book as well. The writing isn't profound or scholarly; it just amuses you for a short time.
May 29, 2014
Interesting look at a bygone era in science fiction writing. Funny... some intentional and some not. Works originally published in the 1930's and '40's, these short stories provide insight into the ideas taking hold at the time. Good for some laughs.
I received this book for free through Goodreads.
I received this book for free through Goodreads.
October 12, 2014
I think that this book is a good staple SCI-FI. I was captivated by the stories, even though they were shorter than what I would have liked. Even though they were short I still was able to grasp what the characters were like.
I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.
I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.
February 5, 2020
This was a very dissatisfying story about a future which blinks out of existence because people stop thinking about it. It's obvious that this theme would later be one of the cornerstones of Hubbard's Scientology, but it's far from satisfying as a story plot.
June 29, 2016
***Won in a GoodReads First reads Giveaway***
First to note is the quality of this production. A paperback with a thick cover and folded inner flaps both front and back. A matte finish, so no glare and a good illustration on the cover. The pages have deckled edges and are made of a quality paper. All in all, not a bad presentation. This particular book is broken down thusly: 3 stories from the Golden Age in Science Fiction: One Was Stubborn, A Can of Vacuum, and 240,000 Miles Stright Up; a foreword by Kevin J Anderson; a preview of another story: The Great Secret; a Glossary that is very helpful for contemporary phrases and words that are no longer used today; a brief Biography of L Ron Hubbard; and lastly, a listing of all the stories within this series.
One Was Stubborn
A confusing (at times) story. It was also very quick...a bit odd as it is the titular story. It is also prefaced with an Author's Note that basically lays the groundwork that there was a man claiming to be from the future and who had written his experience in a manuscript. The resulting story is that script.
The world is changing by a religious uprising. thought alone can determine the state of matter. Do not believe in something and poof! it is gone. One man refused to believe and join. As such he becomes one of only two men in all the universe to not believe and therefore, they exist in nothingness...just grey mist. They discover they can make anything into being by thinking, but it is quite hard to maintain everything all at once.
A Can of Vacuum
A humorous story: spaceage form of hazing the new guy. A commander sends the brand new recruit to go collect a quart of some ficitious material. The joke was supposed to be perpetuated by a few people in the know. However, the new recruit takes his job to heart and due to one key person being in sickbay, he takes a ship and blasts into space. This sends the whole station into search and recue mode. What they don't realize at the time is that this new recruit is much smarter than appears and surprises them all.
240,000 Miles Straight Up
As long as both previous stories combined, this actually has chapters. Man is about to go to the moon for the first time. Right before launch it is discovered the Soviets beat the Americans. The launch is delayed. From the moon, the USSR now controls the Fear and slowly one at a time conquers the world with rarely a shot fired. The US decide to send an insurgent force to take down the Soviets and restore the world order.
Overall, this is probably the best story, but the first few chapters were certainly a bit scattered and things seemed to be happening all of a sudden. But if the reader just takes it as gospel, the story pays off in the end.
First to note is the quality of this production. A paperback with a thick cover and folded inner flaps both front and back. A matte finish, so no glare and a good illustration on the cover. The pages have deckled edges and are made of a quality paper. All in all, not a bad presentation. This particular book is broken down thusly: 3 stories from the Golden Age in Science Fiction: One Was Stubborn, A Can of Vacuum, and 240,000 Miles Stright Up; a foreword by Kevin J Anderson; a preview of another story: The Great Secret; a Glossary that is very helpful for contemporary phrases and words that are no longer used today; a brief Biography of L Ron Hubbard; and lastly, a listing of all the stories within this series.
One Was Stubborn
A confusing (at times) story. It was also very quick...a bit odd as it is the titular story. It is also prefaced with an Author's Note that basically lays the groundwork that there was a man claiming to be from the future and who had written his experience in a manuscript. The resulting story is that script.
The world is changing by a religious uprising. thought alone can determine the state of matter. Do not believe in something and poof! it is gone. One man refused to believe and join. As such he becomes one of only two men in all the universe to not believe and therefore, they exist in nothingness...just grey mist. They discover they can make anything into being by thinking, but it is quite hard to maintain everything all at once.
A Can of Vacuum
A humorous story: spaceage form of hazing the new guy. A commander sends the brand new recruit to go collect a quart of some ficitious material. The joke was supposed to be perpetuated by a few people in the know. However, the new recruit takes his job to heart and due to one key person being in sickbay, he takes a ship and blasts into space. This sends the whole station into search and recue mode. What they don't realize at the time is that this new recruit is much smarter than appears and surprises them all.
240,000 Miles Straight Up
As long as both previous stories combined, this actually has chapters. Man is about to go to the moon for the first time. Right before launch it is discovered the Soviets beat the Americans. The launch is delayed. From the moon, the USSR now controls the Fear and slowly one at a time conquers the world with rarely a shot fired. The US decide to send an insurgent force to take down the Soviets and restore the world order.
Overall, this is probably the best story, but the first few chapters were certainly a bit scattered and things seemed to be happening all of a sudden. But if the reader just takes it as gospel, the story pays off in the end.
April 6, 2014
ONE WAS STUBBORN is a collection of three short stories, the title piece plus A CAN OF VACUUM and 240,000 MILES STRAIGHT UP. All three are pulp fiction stories, like the majority of what Mr. Hubbard wrote, and as such should not be taken too much to heart. Sit back, relax, read for a while, and then set the piece aside and forget about it. There is nothing here to shake up your day.
The title piece is about an old man who finds the Devil trying to destroy mankind by having the latter stop believing in the existence of everything, including the individual.
VACUUM is a product of Mr. Hubbard’s military career where practical jokes are rampant, only this time the joke is on the jokester.
Finally STRAIGHT UP is about the space race and the consequence of a very militant Russia secretly landing on the moon first and using it as the military high ground in an epic blackmail scheme.
All are nicely written short pieces that, when compared to his best writing, seem a bit lackluster. Still, if you want to kill a couple of hours, these stories will fit the bill nicely.
The title piece is about an old man who finds the Devil trying to destroy mankind by having the latter stop believing in the existence of everything, including the individual.
VACUUM is a product of Mr. Hubbard’s military career where practical jokes are rampant, only this time the joke is on the jokester.
Finally STRAIGHT UP is about the space race and the consequence of a very militant Russia secretly landing on the moon first and using it as the military high ground in an epic blackmail scheme.
All are nicely written short pieces that, when compared to his best writing, seem a bit lackluster. Still, if you want to kill a couple of hours, these stories will fit the bill nicely.
April 4, 2015
Excellent science fiction stories by L. Ron Hubbard that reflects the golden age of pulp fiction. There are three stories and one story preview. Besides the great stories, there is a mini biography of the author with his thoughts on writing his stories. Also included is a glossary and a bibliography of his stories. The golden age of pulp fiction was the 1930s through the 1940s. I am telling you this as you may think his stories are outdated. As they may well be, just think of the excitement people had reading these stories. It gave them something different to think about. So much has changed in our lives since the 1930s-1940s.
I enjoyed this book so much that I am now a definite fan of the author. I look forward to reading more of his stories. Try this book. It may get your imagination going and at least give you a good chuckle. You might even ask your grandparents what it was like to live during those time. Maybe they even read L. Ron Hubbard?
I enjoyed this book so much that I am now a definite fan of the author. I look forward to reading more of his stories. Try this book. It may get your imagination going and at least give you a good chuckle. You might even ask your grandparents what it was like to live during those time. Maybe they even read L. Ron Hubbard?
March 17, 2014
I won this from librarything giveaway. I won a previous giveaway from same publishers. Galaxy Audio.
They specialize in L. Ron Hubbard's work, some of the titles seem very intriguing and I may check out on later date.
In this audio book there is three short stories that just didn't keep my attention.
"One Was Stubborn", "A Can of Vacuum and "240,000 Miles Straight Up" outta the three titles the only one that interests me was "240,000 Miles Straight Up"
What I mainly enjoy about this is the multicast performances with the music and sound effects. Hopefully I can find another title like "Carnival of Death" (the other title I listened to.) Because that title held my ear to the speaker.
They specialize in L. Ron Hubbard's work, some of the titles seem very intriguing and I may check out on later date.
In this audio book there is three short stories that just didn't keep my attention.
"One Was Stubborn", "A Can of Vacuum and "240,000 Miles Straight Up" outta the three titles the only one that interests me was "240,000 Miles Straight Up"
What I mainly enjoy about this is the multicast performances with the music and sound effects. Hopefully I can find another title like "Carnival of Death" (the other title I listened to.) Because that title held my ear to the speaker.
March 21, 2014
I received a copy of this as a free audio book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review. This book has a science fiction theme very different from the author’s stories from the Golden Age that I’ve previously read. This book consisted of three short stories all with a futuristic science fiction theme. The audio enhancements and the radio play performances of the narrators really added a great deal to each of the stories. As always another very enjoyable book by L. Ron Hubbard with fantastic sound effects and appropriate voices.
March 29, 2014
I won a free copy of this book from Goodreads with the understanding that I would provide a review.
This book has 3 stories in it, all reprints from the Pulp Fiction of the 30s and 40s. The stories are enjoyable and imaginative - but you have to understand that a lot has changed in the last 70-80 years so some of Hubbard's ideas seem downright silly now. If you let yourself "go back" to a much simpler time and read the stories for what they were - entertainment - you will enjoy the book.
This book has 3 stories in it, all reprints from the Pulp Fiction of the 30s and 40s. The stories are enjoyable and imaginative - but you have to understand that a lot has changed in the last 70-80 years so some of Hubbard's ideas seem downright silly now. If you let yourself "go back" to a much simpler time and read the stories for what they were - entertainment - you will enjoy the book.
August 15, 2020
I saw One Was Stubborn on stage a few years ago and also listened to the Audio book, this was great, better than just reading the book. Now I also listened to the other 2 stories in this book, and I thought they were even better. I really enjoyed these stories with their sound-effects and perfect narration/acting.
March 30, 2014
It was OK, but I have enjoyed other L. Ron Hubbard a lot more than this one. I do enjoy the simple writing and it was a quick read, but I guess I was looking for something more considering the author.
I won this book through the Goodreads giveaway program. A great program and I thank all involved in allowing this book to be on my bookshelf.
I won this book through the Goodreads giveaway program. A great program and I thank all involved in allowing this book to be on my bookshelf.
March 31, 2014
I received this book for free from the Goodreads first-read giveaway. I have not read any Hubbard books before and was quite pleased with this one. It contained 3 short stories that were entertaining and easy to read. The book appeared to be printed on the old cheap paper that I remember from my youth, Pretty cool!
April 3, 2014
A collection of hastily written short science fiction written for the pulp magazine market of the 1940s and 1950s. I did not feel that the stories were crafted well for the most part and do not in anyway resemble the style of the author's Dune series. Reading this collection of stories did not relax me or give pleasure. This was a free review copy from Goodreads.com.
September 6, 2016
Classic Sci-Fi with very good voice acting. L. Ron Hubbard is a great in the field. One of the stories was really very funny because of the assumptions that were made by the author on the power a nation would wield by being the first to the moon. I wish that more audio books would adopt the multiple cast approach to voice acting.
March 24, 2014
Classic pulp fiction by the master of sci-fi! A great read that harkens back to a simpler time in language, writing style and prose - but which does not diminish the story at all.
I received this book via a Goodreads.com giveaway.
I received this book via a Goodreads.com giveaway.
April 21, 2014
This was my first L Ron Hubbard SciFi book other than Baatlefield Earth so many years ago. I enjoyed it but not to the same level I've enjoyed his other works. It did past the time of day for me and I will try another one of his SciFi books in the future.
August 12, 2016
Typical pulp fiction. An easy read, but too predictable.
June 2, 2014
Great book. Knocked it out at the beach this weekend. Great throw back sci-fi type story from Hubbard.
December 31, 2014
Not unpleasant. Hubbard is a little over his head in some of the philosophical underpinnings, it seemed. The stories were fun enough, though inaccurate from a 21st C. perspective.
April 26, 2017
This is a collection of three of Hubbard's science fiction short works from the pulp magazines. 240,000 Miles Straight Up originally appeared in the December, 1948 issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories, A Can of Vacuum is from the December, 1949, issue of Campbell's Astounding, and the title story also appeared in Astounding, in November of 1940. Interestingly, the publisher used the Hubert Rogers cover illustration for that issue as the cover of this book even though it was originally printed as an illustration for a story called Salvage by Vic Phillips. The original interior illustrations are also included with each of the three works, including a nice Cartier piece with A Can of Vacuum, a very amusing piece which is my favorite of the three. 240,000 Miles Straight Up uses a plot device that was outdated a couple of thousand years ago, and One Was Stubborn verges on being too close to fantasy for my taste. Hubbard was a master of the pulp field, but while these are pleasant and entertaining reads they aren't among his best.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews