Architects of Dreams: The SFWA Author Emeritus Anthology

by Robin Wayne Bailey

Meisha Merlin Publishing, Inc. is very proud to announce the forthcoming publication of Architects of The SFWA Author Emeritus Anthology, edited by Robin Wayne Bailey. This collection includes representative works of the first five recipients of the Science Fiction Writers of America's prestigious position of honor, Author Emeritus. The position was created in 1994 by SFWA's then central/south regional director, author/editor Robin Wayne Bailey, as a way of recognizing living authors who were pioneers in the genre. The authors whose works are collected here Emil Petaja (inducted in 1995) Wilson Tucker (1996) Judith Merril (1997) Nelson Bond (1998) and Philip Klass, who wrote under the pen-name William Tenn (1999). The collection, which will be published in both hard cover and trade paperback and will also feature introductions to each of the honored authors' works by a prominent author in the field today.

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Robin Wayne Bailey is an American fantasy and science fiction author and is a past president (2005-2007) of SFWA, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Robin also served as SFWA's South-Central Regional Director for nine years and has hosted three of SFWA's annual Nebula Awards weekends; two of those Nebula events were held in his home town of Kansas City, Missouri.

Bailey was one of the founders of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer's Hall of Fame in 1996, which merged with Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Enterprises in Seattle in 2004 to become part of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Robin continues to serve on its annual induction committee.

Bailey graduated from North Kansas City High School, and received a B.A. in English and Anthropology and an M.A. in English Literature from Northwest Missouri State University.

Reviews

[StarMan · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERDICT: 4 solar systems. Glad I ran across this collection.

Above-average collection of older SF shorts, with a good variety. Some are straight SF, others have fantasy/speculative elements. If you enjoy tales from the 1940s & 1950s, grab this book if you run across it.

I'd only seen one of the stories before--and I read tons of SF. Most of these authors were unfamiliar to me, so I appreciated the editor's comments and brief bios on those authors.

The stories themselves:

No true stinkers (nothing below 2 stars), and several memorable tales, including several by female authors, and a moon landing story written pre-Armstrong. I'd say most tales here are 3 to 4+ stars.

A few are mildly silly, but not annoyingly so. As often with tales of the time (40s & 50s) , some show their age as far as characterizations of women, use of microfilm/tape, or everyone smoking cigarettes. But just as many could have been written in the modern age, with few or no details changed.