In the Bone

by Gordon R. Dickson

Contents

1 • Twig • (1974) • novelette by Gordon R. Dickson
34 • God Bless Them • (1982) • novelette by Gordon R. Dickson
59 • Hilifter • [Outposter • 1] • (1963) • shortstory by Gordon R. Dickson
78 • Brother Charlie • (1958) • novelette by Gordon R. Dickson
110 • Act of Creation • [Childe Cycle] • (1957) • shortstory by Gordon R. Dickson
121 • Idiot Solvant • (1962) • shortstory by Gordon R. Dickson
139 • Call Him Lord • (1966) • novelette by Gordon R. Dickson
161 • Tiger Green • (1965) • novelette by Gordon R. Dickson
184 • Of the People • (1955) • shortstory by Gordon R. Dickson
189 • Dolphin's Way • (1964) • shortstory by Gordon R. Dickson
207 • In the Bone • (1966) • shortstory by Gordon R. Dickson

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction

228 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1987

About the author

Gordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author. He was born in Canada, then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota as a teenager. He is probably most famous for his Childe Cycle and the Dragon Knight series. He won three Hugo awards and one Nebula award.

Reviews

[Craig]

This is a collection of eleven mostly pretty good stories by Dickson that were published between 1955 and '82, one (Twig) in a del Rey Stellar anthology and the rest in genre magazines Analog, If, Omni, F & SF, and Satellite. It's essentially a reprinting of a 1978 Dell collection called Gordon R. Dickson's SF Best with two newer stories added and the bibliography, a foreword by James Frenkel, and an introduction by Spider Robinson deleted. The book is subtitled "The Best Science Fiction of Gordon R. Dickson," which is the problem that I have with this volume as well as the earlier Dell collection. I guess the publishers thought they'd sell more copies by using the word "Best" instead of "mostly pretty good," but most of his best stories aren't included, in my opinion. Soldier, Ask Not is not here, nor is The Cloak and the Staff, or St. Dragon and the George, or Lost Dorsai, or Lulungomeena, or any Hoka story, or any Dorsai story. My favorites of the ones that are included are Call Him Lord, Act of Creation (which is a Childe Cycle tale, but not a Dorsai one), and Twig.

[Mook]

This was a bit darker than the last two short stories. It imagines a future in which our science has improved to the point where it seems like we are beyond limitations. Harry Brennan is the man who uses what can only loosely be called a ship and more accurately be called an imagined take on a tool that can transport one light years in an instant, detect any sort of anamoly, and in short is capable of doing practically anything.

So it's fair to say that Brennan is not very cautious when he accidentally finds a world that has an alien ship on it. However this alien is much more advanced and it utterly destroys Brennan's ship and tools, leaving him with nothing, assuming he will die in the wild.

Brennan reverts to a wilder state, where higher reasoning gives way for survival instincts. He continues to watch the ship however, and eventually manages to figure out how to get inside. It ends with a confrontation between Brennan and the alien, that Brennan wins. Eventually he learns to fly the ship and returns to Earth.

The story can be found here: http://www.baen.com/Chapters/07434717...

[Chamie]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10269509

[Bradley]

Pretty decent sci-fi short stories. Good solid read. =)