Mirror, Mirror: Classic SF by the Famed Star Trek and Fantastic Voyage Writer

by Jerome Bixby, Emerson Bixby (Editor), Jean Marie Stine (Editor)

..".Breathtaking skill ... interesting dialogue, a carefully constructed story, and an appealing message. Bixby should be better known." -Gary Westfahl Jerome Bixby (1923-1998) was a highly regarded professional science fiction magazine editor and writer remembered for his "yeoman work in raising the standards of the science fiction action story, whose own stories, though few, are much sought after by discriminating readers." (Science Fiction Stories, 1953). Mirror, Mirror, the first collection of Jerome Bixby's science fiction in nearly fifty years, showcases the best work from this motion picture and television writer's journeyman years as a pulp magazine writer. It features four stories made immortal by their adaptation for Star Trek and The Twilight Zone. Elements from two of these stories, "One-Way Street" and "Mirror, Mirror," were woven into Bixby's Hugo Award winning Star Trek episode, which gave birth to the evil mirror universe populated by sinister facsimiles of Kirk, Spock, the crew of the Enterprise, and the entire Federation. Another, "Cargo to Calisto," became the basis for the Star Trek episode "By Any Other Name." Meanwhile, "It's a Good Life" won immortality as an episode of the The Twilight Zone. Plus eleven more irresistible science fictional masterpieces from the pen of Jerome Bixby. Mirror, Mirror was edited, and is personally introduced, by his son, screenwriter and producer Emerson Bixby. "Good entertainment." -Analog

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

218 pages, Paperback

First published November 18, 2014

About the author

Drexel Jerome Lewis Bixby (January 11, 1923 Los Angeles, California – April 28, 1998 San Bernardino, California) was a American short story writer, editor and scriptwriter, best known for his comparatively small output in science fiction. He also wrote many westerns and used the pseudonyms D. B. Lewis, Harry Neal, Albert Russell, J. Russell, M. St. Vivant, Thornecliff Herrick and Alger Rome (for one collaboration with Algis Budrys).

He was the editor of Planet Stories from Summer 1950 to July 1951; and editor of Two Complete Science Adventure Novels from Winter 1950 to July 1951.

Probably his best-known work is the Star Trek: The Original Series 1967 episode "Mirror, Mirror", which introduced the series' concept of the Mirror Universe, also "Requiem for Methuselah" (Episode 76, Season 3:) about 'Flint' a 6,000 year old man. He also wrote the short story "It's a Good Life" (1953), adapted as a teleplay for The Twilight Zone by Rod Serling and parodied in the Simpsons Halloween episode "Treehouse of Horror II". His 1968 Star Trek episode "Day of the Dove" is also much respected by fans of science fiction. Bixby also conceived and co-wrote the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage, later novelized by Isaac Asimov.

Jerome Bixby's last work, a screenplay The Man From Earth, was conceived in the early 1960s and completed on his deathbed in April 1998. In 2007, Jerome Bixby's The Man From Earth (as it is now called) was turned into an independent motion picture executive produced by his son Emerson Bixby, directed by Richard Schenkman and starring David Lee Smith, William Katt, Richard Riehle, Tony Todd, Annika Peterson, Alexis Thorpe, Ellen Crawford and John Billingsley.

Bixby wrote the original screenplay for 1958's It! The Terror from Beyond Space, which was the inspiration for 1979's Alien. The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine seventh season (1999) Mirror Universe episode, "The Emperor's New Cloak," is dedicated to Bixby's memory.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of science fiction and horror short stories from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s by Jerome Bixby. His most famous tale, "It's a Good Life" which was adapted into a Twilight Zone episode, is included here and it was a pleasure to read this spooky tale once again. Also included are the short stories "One-Way Street" and "Mirror, Mirror" which inspired the "Mirror, Mirror" episode of classic Star Trek, which he also wrote. Other favorites in this collection are "Small War" about a human and alien encountering each other on a distant world, "Tubemonkey" about rebels who try to use a radiation-damaged pilot to help do their dirty work, and "The Bad Life" which takes us inside a hellish prison colony on an asteroid. The collection is introduced by Bixby's son, who gives a terrific overview of his father's career. Overall a great collection from an author who's not as well known as he ought to be.

[Bruce Stephenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories published between 1949 and 1963 with an introduction by Emerson Bixby. Most of the stories are short fun reads and it was interesting to read a few of the stories that inspired episodes of Star Trek (One-Way Street and Mirror Mirror --> Mirror Mirror, and Cargo to Callisto --> By Any Other Name. The best story by far however is It's a Good Life which was one of the best Twilight Zone episodes. It is unfortunate that the story 'Broken Mirror' mentioned by Bixby's son Emerson in the intro is not included in this collection. Also, I found the story The Bad Life a very challenging (and at times offensive) read with a disappointing ending. If this story had been excluded and Broken Mirror put in in its place this would have been a far better collection. Overall, however, a worthy collection of Jerome Bixby's work.