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Survival kit
It wasn’t fair—a smart but luckless man like Mooney had to scrounge, while Harse always made out just because he had a....Survival Kit
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
About the author
Frederik Pohl
1,138 books1,085 followersFrederik George Pohl, Jr. was an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years. From about 1959 until 1969, Pohl edited Galaxy magazine and its sister magazine IF winning the Hugo for IF three years in a row. His writing also won him three Hugos and multiple Nebula Awards. He became a Nebula Grand Master in 1993.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 12, 2026
This review is for the Short Story "Survival Kit". As to what other stories are included in this Book, I am not sure. But at least you get One Story Reviewed.
1. Survival Kit - 4 stars
Great story and a Fun Read/Listen that Constantly had Me Chuckling.
1. Mooney is your average 20th Centery (C.E.) Grifter, always looking to make The Big Score. As His Uncle Lester describes Him, He is "...Pudgy, kind of a squinty look in the eyes, dressed like a bum....." Basically a Loser. But not One who ever gives up trying to make a score.
2. Harse is a Alien-Like Human from somewhere around 27th Century (C.E.) who has many Irritating Habits. He has a odd, quirky speech style which always made me Pause to Laugh. The Narrator had Harse's strange speech pattern Nailed and it was a pleasure to listen to.
He also had an Annoying Habit of just Constantly Ignoring the Presence of Mooney by covering His eyes and looking into some sort of Strange Viewer that looked like Opera Glasses, the purpose of which was never explained.
He also had No Respect for the Primitive Humans of the 20th Century (C.E.), and had a tendency to use a Metal Tube Thing to Zap them Out of Existence, into a Blue Mist whenever these Primitive Humans annoyed Him too much. As explained in the SPOILER BIT below, I found this part a lot Funnier than most Readers would on a first reading.
3. And then there's The Survival Kit, the story's true Macguffin. The Survival Kit was an object the size of a typical Briefcase but inside was anything a Man From the Future would need to Survive when he was stranded in a Primitive Century (C.E.). Food, Money, Little Spiders that could weave Silk Webs to restrain Greedy people like Mooney, a Weapon that makes people turn into a Blue Mistwith Zap! Everything a Time Traveler could Need to Survive in a Primitive Century (C.E.).
The Survival Kit was basically as reliable as Doctor Who's Trans-Dimensional Pockets for springing Surprises on the Reader.
So the story goes.....Harse is Momentarily Stranded in the 20th Century (C.E.), and needs Mooney's Help in getting to The Nexus Point for the Next Trip Home to the Future.
But Greedy ol' Mooney doesn't care if Harse ever gets back to the Future again He justs wants The Survival Kit and all The Goodies Inside It for Himself. Badly. Or, in lieu of that, going ahead into the Future Himself.
And what plays out in the story is basically an Odd-couple, Buddy Movie that takes so many Twists and Turns there's no reason to Spoil the Fun for the Reader.
It's just a lot of fun and a Recommended Read.
----------SPOILER BIT----------------------
For those interested in a simular type of Frederik Pohl story, that takes place in relatively the Same Universe, check out "The Day of the Boomer Dukes".
In this story, a couple of Time Travelers from the 27th Century (C.E.) use a simular Tube-Like Thing to Zap and Collapse Primitive Humans Down, and Put Them into Storage for Later Revival. So as I read Thus Story, I knew already before the Reveal that the Primitive Humans Harse was Zapping into a Blue Mist were not Dead.
But thinking about the Idea of being "Collapsed Down" doesn't make Me feel any better.
1. Survival Kit - 4 stars
Great story and a Fun Read/Listen that Constantly had Me Chuckling.
1. Mooney is your average 20th Centery (C.E.) Grifter, always looking to make The Big Score. As His Uncle Lester describes Him, He is "...Pudgy, kind of a squinty look in the eyes, dressed like a bum....." Basically a Loser. But not One who ever gives up trying to make a score.
2. Harse is a Alien-Like Human from somewhere around 27th Century (C.E.) who has many Irritating Habits. He has a odd, quirky speech style which always made me Pause to Laugh. The Narrator had Harse's strange speech pattern Nailed and it was a pleasure to listen to.
He also had an Annoying Habit of just Constantly Ignoring the Presence of Mooney by covering His eyes and looking into some sort of Strange Viewer that looked like Opera Glasses, the purpose of which was never explained.
He also had No Respect for the Primitive Humans of the 20th Century (C.E.), and had a tendency to use a Metal Tube Thing to Zap them Out of Existence, into a Blue Mist whenever these Primitive Humans annoyed Him too much. As explained in the SPOILER BIT below, I found this part a lot Funnier than most Readers would on a first reading.
3. And then there's The Survival Kit, the story's true Macguffin. The Survival Kit was an object the size of a typical Briefcase but inside was anything a Man From the Future would need to Survive when he was stranded in a Primitive Century (C.E.). Food, Money, Little Spiders that could weave Silk Webs to restrain Greedy people like Mooney, a Weapon that makes people turn into a Blue Mistwith Zap! Everything a Time Traveler could Need to Survive in a Primitive Century (C.E.).
The Survival Kit was basically as reliable as Doctor Who's Trans-Dimensional Pockets for springing Surprises on the Reader.
So the story goes.....Harse is Momentarily Stranded in the 20th Century (C.E.), and needs Mooney's Help in getting to The Nexus Point for the Next Trip Home to the Future.
But Greedy ol' Mooney doesn't care if Harse ever gets back to the Future again He justs wants The Survival Kit and all The Goodies Inside It for Himself. Badly. Or, in lieu of that, going ahead into the Future Himself.
And what plays out in the story is basically an Odd-couple, Buddy Movie that takes so many Twists and Turns there's no reason to Spoil the Fun for the Reader.
It's just a lot of fun and a Recommended Read.
----------SPOILER BIT----------------------
For those interested in a simular type of Frederik Pohl story, that takes place in relatively the Same Universe, check out "The Day of the Boomer Dukes".
In this story, a couple of Time Travelers from the 27th Century (C.E.) use a simular Tube-Like Thing to Zap and Collapse Primitive Humans Down, and Put Them into Storage for Later Revival. So as I read Thus Story, I knew already before the Reveal that the Primitive Humans Harse was Zapping into a Blue Mist were not Dead.
But thinking about the Idea of being "Collapsed Down" doesn't make Me feel any better.
December 10, 2020
Story about a grifter who covets a marooned time traveller/spaceman's survival kit.
July 25, 2023
Una novela corta de Frederik Pohl que no me acaba de convencer. Todo gira alrededor del gag final, pero resulta demasiado largo para tan poco contenido. Quizás hubiera funcionado mejor en otro formato más corto, aunque se lee bien y entretiene.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews