Nebula Award Stories Six

Nebula Awards Showcases #6

by Clifford D. Simak (Editor), Keith Laumer (Contributor), Gene Wolfe (Contributor)

Contents

* 9 • Introduction (Nebula Award Stories 6) • (1971) • essay by Clifford D. Simak
* 11 • Science Fiction and Literary Tradition • (1971) • essay by Thomas D. Clareson
* 25 • Slow Sculpture • (1970) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
* 48 • In the Queue • (1970) • shortstory by Keith Laumer
* 57 • The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories • [Archipelago] • (1970) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe
* 75 • Ill Met in Lankhmar • [Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser] • (1970) • novella by Fritz Leiber
* 125 • Continued on Next Rock • (1970) • novelette by R. A. Lafferty
* 150 • By the Falls • (1970) • shortstory by Harry Harrison
* 158 • The Second Inquisition • [Alyx] • (1970) • novelette by Joanna Russ
* 191 • Nebula Awards 1965-1970 • (1971) • essay by uncredited

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

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1972

About the author

"He was honored by fans with three Hugo awards and by colleagues with one Nebula award and was named the third Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) in 1977." (Wikipedia)

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford...

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sixth annual volume that collected the Nebula Award winning stories from the previous year, as selected by vote of the Science Fiction Writers of America, along with some of the runners-up. The stories were first published in 1970, and it's easy to see the uncertainty about the field, as well as the world and country in general, reflected in the tone of the stories. There are only two actual winners included, Slow Sculpture by Theodore Sturgeon for novelette and Ill Met in Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber for novella. (No Award won for short story, and I'll bet there was a story behind that.) I remember reading that there was something of an uproar in the field at the time about the Leiber story winning, because it's a fantasy story featuring his iconic characters Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, and many purists didn't think it right that a fantasy story should win an sf award. (I would have voted for The Region Between by Harlan Ellison, and they wouldn't have liked that New Wave story, either!) Also included is Gene Wolfe's The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories, which I think should have won for best short story, the delightful Continued on Next Rock by R.A Lafferty, and pieces by Joanna Russ, Harry Harrison, and Keith Laumer, as well as an insightful essay by Thomas D. Clareson and an introduction by editor Simak. There's some good stuff here, but overall it wasn't a great year for the Nebulas.

[Jersy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get why these stories were nominated for the Nebula Award: they have an artistic quality, creativity and a message. Personally, I only really enjoyed two, maybe three out of the seven stories.

[fromcouchtomoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong collection of SF stories, all Nebula nom'd in '71. If a theme can tie them together, it might be "... and they were never really there..." or, better yet, "Attenuated Worlds,"-- cliché, but delightful with cancer & bonsais, a waterfall that spews an apocalypse, and characters who don't even exist in our fiction.

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5 (collated rating: Good)

1970 was a wonderful year for short SF. Nebula Award Stories Six ed. Clifford D. Simak (1971) contains a selection Nebula-nominated and winning works from the three short fiction award categories: three novelettes, three short stories, and one novella. The novelette and novella winners are included. No short story award was given out although Gene Wolfe’s “The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories” (1970) deserved [...]

For the complete review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Ill Met in Lankhmar*

[Peter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ich kann nicht erkennen, das dies science fiction ist. Nur in der letzten Geschichte in der letzten Hälfte ist dies der Fall. Mir hat es nicht gefallen.

[Johnny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nebula Award Stories Six was the sixth anthology of award-winning and nominated fiction as voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) for works published in 1970. Actually, Theodore Sturgeon was not the editor of this anthology. Clifford Simak edited it and Sturgeon had the first story, the award-winning "Slow Sculpture." I had only read one of these stories in the collection prior to finding this volume. Said story was the Best Novella of 1970, Fritz Leiber’s “Ill Met in Lankhmar.” This appears to be the earliest collaboration of his famous Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser team of thieves. The story had some peripheral inspiration for the “Thief” class (now, “Rogue” class) in Dungeons & Dragons and Lankhmer formed a setting for a game in its own right (Lankhmar) and, later, supplements to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (2nd Edition) which allowed role-players to travel the familiar streets and shops of Leiber’s near-Arabian fantasy setting. As for the novella itself? It holds up well on re-reading. The set-up and exploratory sections of the adventure are vivid and mysterious; the conclusion doesn’t settle for a happy ending (it is more like Rick’s and Louie’s “beginnings of a beautiful friendship” at the end of the classic film, Casablanca, bittersweet but interesting.

The rest of the anthology doesn’t even seem “bittersweet.” In one sense, a theme of “bitterness” contributes to the often bleak, dystopian nature of most of the stories. In the introductory essay, Thomas D. Clareson rather celebrates the blending of realism and fantasy in the science-fiction of the turn of that past decade. He lauded the use of the experimental styles and subjects outside the traditional forms of science fiction. My feeling was that most of the stories seemed to fit the theme that I would call, “courageous existentialism.” There is a futility in the existence of many of these protagonists, that idea of the “being unto death” from modern Continental Philosophy of the mid-20th century.

For example, when I think of Keith Laumer, I think of the social criticism implied in the “Bolo” stories where the author skewers the military establishment (a popular thing to do in that era which incorporates the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts) and the very clever Retief of the CDT stories where bureaucracy in general is satirized. “In the Queue,” as published in this collection, does have a sarcastic slam at bureaucracy, but it is neither as light-hearted nor optimistic as the Retief stories. In a similar vein, Harry Harrison’s “By the Falls” has neither the courage of his action-oriented protagonists or the good-natured humor of his “Galaxy Smashers” or “Stainless Steel Rat” stories. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t pigeonholed the late writer as a humorist. I know that is only one of his styles, but the journalist protagonist in this episode seems so passive, so lifeless, such a victim that it is difficult for me to reconcile this story with the rest of Harry’s work. Indeed, most of the protagonists in this collection seem more acted upon than acting upon.

In R. A. Laffterty’s “Continued on Next Rock,” archaeologists attempt to ply their profession with accepted techniques, only to have unsettling discovery after discovery to challenge their rationality. There is no satisfying wrap-up, merely a conclusion that is every bit as mysterious as the events which take place in the story. “The Second Inquisition” features a standard trope from science-fiction—time travel. However, the time-travel presented in this story is jarring and, perhaps, unnecessary. The theme of alien invasion interlaced with coming of age would have worked without the wrinkle in time. Theodore Sturgeon’s “Slow Sculpture” seems to be a thinly veiled look at genetic engineering. It was filled with new age perspective and Asian philosophy as it moved to its inevitable conclusion. Finally, even Gene Wolfe’s brilliant blending of reality, reading, and fantastic imagination depicts a protagonist who is more acted upon than acting upon. To be sure, “The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories” is incredibly fresh in the perspective and events it portrays, but in an anthology that seems to revel in futility, it ultimately seems unsatisfying.

I realize it will seem irresponsible to downgrade the award-winning and nominated work of undisputed masters of a genre that I love. I just have to believe that Vietnam, inflation, and social protest must have weighed so heavily on SFWA that the voters subconsciously (or consciously) opted for the dark side. The tone of this collection reduced my enjoyment even of authors I generally enjoy.

[Perry Middlemiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sixth anthology from the Science Fiction Writers of America (as they were then) highlighting stories that either won or were nominated for the Nebula Award in 1971, for stories published in 1970. This is probably the best of the series so far with only one lesser story out of the seven. Longest among them, as the only novella, is Ill Met in Lankmar, Fritz Leiber’s first story (chronologically) in his long-running Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series. Here the two meet for the first time and decide to join forces to further their thieving adventures. It won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novella that year. I’d always thought of Keith Laumer as a writer of sf adventure stories so his “In the Queue” is a departure from his normal style and possibly the best story he wrote. Lafferty’s “Continued on the Next Rock”, Wolfe’s “The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories”, and Russ’s “The Second Inquisition” are all excellent, interesting and entertaining pieces which give a good indication of the authors’ abilities. But it is Sturgeon’s “Slow Sculpture” that stands out for me, winner of both awards for that year, but for different categories (Hugo for Short Story and Nebula for Novelette). It is interesting to note that of all the stories on the Nebula ballot in 1971 the only story that was not from Damon Knight’s Orbit series of original anthologies was Harry Harrison’s “By the Falls”, reprinted here, an uninspiring one-note story first published in If magazine. This anthology is a great indication of the way that sf was changing in the late 1960s and early 70s. R: 4.0/5.0

[Timothy]

7 stories:

(4/7 read)

***** Slow Sculpture (1970) • Theodore Sturgeon
In the Queue (1970) • Keith Laumer
***** The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories (1970) • Gene Wolfe
***** Ill Met in Lankhmar (1970) • Fritz Leiber
**** Continued on Next Rock (1970) • R. A. Lafferty
By the Falls (1970) • Harry Harrison
The Second Inquisition (1970) • Joanna Russ