Rod Serling's Other Worlds

by Rod Serling (Editor), Richard Matheson (Introduction), Dennis Etchison (Contributor)

Contents
ix • Introduction (Rod Serling's Other Worlds) • (1978) • essay by Richard Matheson
3 • They • (1941) • shortstory by Robert A. Heinlein
23 • Fifteen Miles • [Kinsman] • (1967) • shortstory by Ben Bova
39 • Dolphin's Way • (1964) • shortstory by Gordon R. Dickson
63 • The Royal Opera House • (1972) • shortstory by Carl Jacobi
77 • Special Aptitude • (1951) • shortstory by Theodore Sturgeon
99 • The Underdweller • (1957) • shortstory by William F. Nolan (aka Small World)
115 • I'm in Marsport Without Hilda • (1957) • shortstory by Isaac Asimov
133 • A Nice, Shady Place • (1963) • shortstory by Dennis Etchison
151 • Construction Shack • (1973) • shortstory by Clifford D. Simak
169 • A Little Journey • (1951) • shortstory by Ray Bradbury
181 • The Visible Man • (1975) • novelette by Gardner Dozois
217 • Mister Magister • (1978) • shortstory by Thomas F. Monteleone
225 • What Johnny Did on His Summer Vacation • (1978) • shortstory by Joe Haldeman and Robert Thurston
239 • Little Old Miss Macbeth • (1958) • shortstory by Fritz Leiber

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Short Stories, Horror, Fantasy

244 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling (December 25, 1924–June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter and television producer, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable science fiction collection, although the title was a bit misleading because I had hoped each story would feature what life was like on another planet. Standouts:

* Special Aptitude by Theodore Sturgeon, which features a man who is always picked on rising above the derision to save a mission to Venus.
* The Underdweller by William Nolan, which has a neat twist at the end that a careful reading could have seen coming about the aftermath of an alien invasion.
* I'm in Marsport Without Hilda by Isaac Asimov which has a lot of plot holes but is full of good fun.
* The Visible Man by Gardner Dozois which is a harrowing tale of trying to escape from the police while unable to see any living being.
* Mister Magister by Thomas Monteleone which is one of two stories in this volume about aliens testing humans, but far more sinister than the previous one.

[Pamela Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some memorable stories and some I've already forgotten. That's how anthologies go! :)

[Althea Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this anthology brought me back to the days when I first discovered science fiction, and realized that I loved it.
The last anthology that Rob Serling put together before his death, it focuses more on 'hard' sci-fi than Twilight Zone fans might expect, but still contains a healthy dose of the dark and the weird.

They by Robert A. Heinlein: what if a paranoid schizophrenic's most out-there conspiracy theories were true?

Fifteen Miles by Ben Bova: an astronaut finds personal redemption through a daring rescue on the moon.

Dolphin's Way by Gordon R. Dickson: I'd read this one before, and it made an impression. Aliens make first contact - but not with us.

The Royal Opera House by Carl Jacobi: A mysterious artifact may help some old folks thwart the developers who are scheduled to demolish the titular structure. Sweetly nostalgic.

Special Aptitude by Theodore Sturgeon: a 'classic' tale of heroic astronauts - except that the narrator is a jerk, and the underdog the real hero.

The Underdweller by William F. Nolan: This story is quite similar to the episode of Star Trek, "Miri." It was written 3 years earlier (1963).

I'm in Marsport without Hilda by Isaac Asimov: Yes, it's Asimov, but this story is the most badly dated and weakest of the bunch.

A Nice Shady Place by Dennis Etchison: It's kind of amazing how this piece captures the feel of an era... just its little, insignificant details. It feels like a 1960's period piece, but it's actually supposed to be contemporary to 1963. Good writing. And a spooky tale of pod-people-esque evil at a summer camp.

Construction Shack by Clifford D. Simak: I'd read this one before too. The first manned mission to Pluto discovers the blueprints for the solar system, left behind by unknown builders.

A Little Journey by Ray Bradbury: It's Ray Bradbury. Yes. I love him. But this story of a old woman scammed by a company that claims they have a rocket ship to take their clients to meet God is a bit too religious for me.

The Visible Man by Gardner R. Dozois: In the future, criminals are punished by means of a mental block that makes it impossible for them to see any other living being. This makes survival difficult, even if a prisoner manages to escape. Interesting story, twist ending.

Mister Magister by Thomas F. Monteleone: Very powerful, very short story about morality. A travelling carny comes to town, and sets up a shooting gallery...

What Johnny Did on His Summer Vacation by Joe Haldeman and Robert Thurston: This one didn't work very well for me. Not a bad idea, but not that well executed. In the future, jobs are scarce, and school teachers are more likely than not to be murdered.

Little Old Miss Macbeth by Fritz Leiber: A weird and eerie vignette of a depopulated world, where each city may have only one resident... or none.

[Michael Tildsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since no one else has actually written a review of this book, I feel like I should say a little something about it. This collection of short stories from various authors is decent overall. Of course, some stories are better than others, though none of the stories did I find myself hating.

Among the highlights for me were "The Underdweller" by William F. Nolan, "They" by Robert A. Heinlein, "Dolphin's Way" by Gordon R. Dickson, and "A Little Journey" by Ray Bradbury. There are some seriously great little speculative fiction stories to be found in this anthology.

The ones that seemed to drag along and not go anywhere particularly exciting or original were "A Nice, Shady Place" by Dennis Etchison and "The Visible Man" by Gardner R. Dozois (which was way too long for an idea the Twilight Zone already did).

[Christopher Herrig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compilation of sci fi short stories, by several authors, put together by Rod Serling, of Twilight Zone notariety. The introduction is by Richard Matheson, who also worked on the Twilight zone and wrote many sci fi stories. I enjoyed most of the book, notably "The Visible Man", "The Underdweller", "They" and a few others. Several famous authors also have stories here, from Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asmimov, and Fritz Lieber, etc. Some authors I have not heard of before, but also enjoyed reading their stories.