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The Last Mimzy
The Last Mimzy is the ideal introduction to an author who was ahead of his time—and whose time has finally come
These seventeen classic stories create their own unique galaxy of vain, protective, and murderous robots; devilish angels; and warm and angry aliens. In “Mimsy Were the Borogoves”—the inspiration for New Line Cinema’s major motion picture The Last Mimzy—a boy finds a discarded box containing a treasure trove of curious objects. When he and his sister begin to play with these trinkets—including a crystal cube that magnifies the unimaginable and a strange doll with removable organs that don’t quite correspond to those of the human body—their parents grow concerned. And they should be. For the items are changing the way the children think and perceive the world around them—for better or worse.
Ray Bradbury called Henry Kuttner “a man who shaped science fiction and fantasy in its most important years.” Marion Zimmer Bradley and Roger Zelazny said he was a major inspiration. Kuttner was a writer’s writer whose visionary works anticipated our own computer-controlled, machine-made world. At the time of his death at forty-two in 1958, he had created as many as 170 stories under more than a dozen pseudonyms—sometimes writing entire issues of science fiction magazines—in close collaboration with his wife, C. L. Moore.
This definitive collection will be a revelation to those who wish to discover or rediscover Henry Kuttner, a true master of the universe.
These seventeen classic stories create their own unique galaxy of vain, protective, and murderous robots; devilish angels; and warm and angry aliens. In “Mimsy Were the Borogoves”—the inspiration for New Line Cinema’s major motion picture The Last Mimzy—a boy finds a discarded box containing a treasure trove of curious objects. When he and his sister begin to play with these trinkets—including a crystal cube that magnifies the unimaginable and a strange doll with removable organs that don’t quite correspond to those of the human body—their parents grow concerned. And they should be. For the items are changing the way the children think and perceive the world around them—for better or worse.
Ray Bradbury called Henry Kuttner “a man who shaped science fiction and fantasy in its most important years.” Marion Zimmer Bradley and Roger Zelazny said he was a major inspiration. Kuttner was a writer’s writer whose visionary works anticipated our own computer-controlled, machine-made world. At the time of his death at forty-two in 1958, he had created as many as 170 stories under more than a dozen pseudonyms—sometimes writing entire issues of science fiction magazines—in close collaboration with his wife, C. L. Moore.
This definitive collection will be a revelation to those who wish to discover or rediscover Henry Kuttner, a true master of the universe.
338 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1975
9 people are currently reading
711 people want to read
About the author
Henry Kuttner
741 books208 followersHenry Kuttner was, alone and in collaboration with his wife, the great science fiction and fantasy writer C.L. Moore, one of the four or five most important writers of the 1940s, the writer whose work went furthest in its sociological and psychological insight to making science fiction a human as well as technological literature. He was an important influence upon every contemporary and every science fiction writer who succeeded him. In the early 1940s and under many pseudonyms, Kuttner and Moore published very widely through the range of the science fiction and fantasy pulp markets.
Their fantasy novels, all of them for the lower grade markets like Future, Thrilling Wonder, and Planet Stories, are forgotten now; their science fiction novels, Fury and Mutant, are however well regarded. There is no question but that Kuttner's talent lay primarily in the shorter form; Mutant is an amalgamation of five novelettes and Fury, his only true science fiction novel, is considered as secondary material. There are, however, 40 or 50 shorter works which are among the most significant achievements in the field and they remain consistently in print. The critic James Blish, quoting a passage from Mutant about the telepathic perception of the little blank, silvery minds of goldfish, noted that writing of this quality was not only rare in science fiction but rare throughout literature: "The Kuttners learned a few thing writing for the pulp magazines, however, that one doesn't learn reading Henry James."
In the early 1950s, Kuttner and Moore, both citing weariness with writing, even creative exhaustion, turned away from science fiction; both obtained undergraduate degrees in psychology from the University of Southern California and Henry Kuttner, enrolled in an MA program, planned to be a clinical psychologist. A few science fiction short stories and novelettes appeared (Humpty Dumpty finished the Baldy series in 1953). Those stories -- Home There Is No Returning, Home Is the Hunter, Two-Handed Engine, and Rite of Passage -- were at the highest level of Kuttner's work. He also published three mystery novels with Harper & Row (of which only the first is certainly his; the other two, apparently, were farmed out by Kuttner to other writers when he found himself incapable of finishing them).
Henry Kuttner died suddenly in his sleep, probably from a stroke, in February 1958; Catherine Moore remarried a physician and survived him by almost three decades but she never published again. She remained in touch with the science fiction community, however, and was Guest of Honor at the World Convention in Denver in 198l. She died of complications of Alzheimer's Disease in 1987.
His pseudonyms include:
Edward J. Bellin
Paul Edmonds
Noel Gardner
Will Garth
James Hall
Keith Hammond
Hudson Hastings
Peter Horn
Kelvin Kent
Robert O. Kenyon
C. H. Liddell
Hugh Maepenn
Scott Morgan
Lawrence O'Donnell
Lewis Padgett
Woodrow Wilson Smith
Charles Stoddard
Their fantasy novels, all of them for the lower grade markets like Future, Thrilling Wonder, and Planet Stories, are forgotten now; their science fiction novels, Fury and Mutant, are however well regarded. There is no question but that Kuttner's talent lay primarily in the shorter form; Mutant is an amalgamation of five novelettes and Fury, his only true science fiction novel, is considered as secondary material. There are, however, 40 or 50 shorter works which are among the most significant achievements in the field and they remain consistently in print. The critic James Blish, quoting a passage from Mutant about the telepathic perception of the little blank, silvery minds of goldfish, noted that writing of this quality was not only rare in science fiction but rare throughout literature: "The Kuttners learned a few thing writing for the pulp magazines, however, that one doesn't learn reading Henry James."
In the early 1950s, Kuttner and Moore, both citing weariness with writing, even creative exhaustion, turned away from science fiction; both obtained undergraduate degrees in psychology from the University of Southern California and Henry Kuttner, enrolled in an MA program, planned to be a clinical psychologist. A few science fiction short stories and novelettes appeared (Humpty Dumpty finished the Baldy series in 1953). Those stories -- Home There Is No Returning, Home Is the Hunter, Two-Handed Engine, and Rite of Passage -- were at the highest level of Kuttner's work. He also published three mystery novels with Harper & Row (of which only the first is certainly his; the other two, apparently, were farmed out by Kuttner to other writers when he found himself incapable of finishing them).
Henry Kuttner died suddenly in his sleep, probably from a stroke, in February 1958; Catherine Moore remarried a physician and survived him by almost three decades but she never published again. She remained in touch with the science fiction community, however, and was Guest of Honor at the World Convention in Denver in 198l. She died of complications of Alzheimer's Disease in 1987.
His pseudonyms include:
Edward J. Bellin
Paul Edmonds
Noel Gardner
Will Garth
James Hall
Keith Hammond
Hudson Hastings
Peter Horn
Kelvin Kent
Robert O. Kenyon
C. H. Liddell
Hugh Maepenn
Scott Morgan
Lawrence O'Donnell
Lewis Padgett
Woodrow Wilson Smith
Charles Stoddard
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 28, 2012
Although this book purportedly contains stories written only by Henry Kuttner, the first thing that the reader has to keep in mind is that: these were joint ventures, combined efforts from two of the all-time greatest “pulp era” authors: Henry Kuttner, and his wife C.L. Moore (if you are yet to read anything written by her, you don’t know what you are missing!). Therefore, I think Ray Bradbury was being quite unfair when he had apportioned all the credits for these wonderful (an often-used word which rings literally true for these) stories to Henry Kuttner and had remained shockingly silent about C.L. Moore, in his otherwise valuable introduction (Henry Kuttner: A Neglected Master).
The contents of this book (originally published in 1975 as “The Best of Henry Kuttner”) are (apart from the above-mentioned introduction): -
1. Mimsy Were The Borogoves: A delicious (although over-written) story of time-travel, fourth dimension, child-psychology and Lewis Carroll!
2. Two-Handed Engine: Crime & Punishment in the future.
3. The Proud Robot: A Gallagher story, and absurdly humourous.
4. The Misguided Halo: What happens when an angel posits a halo on the wrong guy? This story made me laugh so hard that my sides pained.
5. The Voice of the Lobster: A witty, intelligent story of a con-man and his adventures. Why don’t they write such stories anymore?
6. Exit the Professor: The hilarious story of an attempted study of powerful mutants (the Hogben-s) hiding in the backwaters.
7. The Twonky: A dark story that makes the future of mankind rather un-rosy.
8. A Gnome There Was: You can read it as a parable of bookish socialism trying to fire-up the unwashed downtrodden, but you can also enjoy the story on its face-value.
9. The Big Night: Can science-fiction stories dealing with hyper travel, drunken captains, accidents and rivalry be sentimental and emotional as well? You bet!
10. Nothing but Gingerbread Left: A light-hearted story about silly-yet-catchy tunes and the devastating impact they can cause.
11. The Iron Standard: One of the best human-enterprise stories that I have read, since I had read the “Foundation” series.
12. Cold War: Another adventure involving the mutant Hogben family.
13. Or Else: Another parable of peacekeeping in the third-world, told in a sci-fi way.
14. Endowment Policy: A predictable story about time-travel, and I found it to be a lesser effort.
15. Housing Problem: Sheer brilliance! You have to read till the last line to get the full punch.
16. What You Need: Another non-humorous and poignant story that has a real catch!
17. Absalom: The darkest story of the collection, but very effectively told nevertheless.
Perhaps there was a conscious effort to concentrate only on the science-fiction works of Henry Kuttner (and C.L. Moore) while this collection had been brought together, but we sure can do with a generous helping of his mystery-horror-adventure stories as well. Until then, this collection is highly recommended to all lovers of stories that are full of humour, action, intrigue and wonder!
The contents of this book (originally published in 1975 as “The Best of Henry Kuttner”) are (apart from the above-mentioned introduction): -
1. Mimsy Were The Borogoves: A delicious (although over-written) story of time-travel, fourth dimension, child-psychology and Lewis Carroll!
2. Two-Handed Engine: Crime & Punishment in the future.
3. The Proud Robot: A Gallagher story, and absurdly humourous.
4. The Misguided Halo: What happens when an angel posits a halo on the wrong guy? This story made me laugh so hard that my sides pained.
5. The Voice of the Lobster: A witty, intelligent story of a con-man and his adventures. Why don’t they write such stories anymore?
6. Exit the Professor: The hilarious story of an attempted study of powerful mutants (the Hogben-s) hiding in the backwaters.
7. The Twonky: A dark story that makes the future of mankind rather un-rosy.
8. A Gnome There Was: You can read it as a parable of bookish socialism trying to fire-up the unwashed downtrodden, but you can also enjoy the story on its face-value.
9. The Big Night: Can science-fiction stories dealing with hyper travel, drunken captains, accidents and rivalry be sentimental and emotional as well? You bet!
10. Nothing but Gingerbread Left: A light-hearted story about silly-yet-catchy tunes and the devastating impact they can cause.
11. The Iron Standard: One of the best human-enterprise stories that I have read, since I had read the “Foundation” series.
12. Cold War: Another adventure involving the mutant Hogben family.
13. Or Else: Another parable of peacekeeping in the third-world, told in a sci-fi way.
14. Endowment Policy: A predictable story about time-travel, and I found it to be a lesser effort.
15. Housing Problem: Sheer brilliance! You have to read till the last line to get the full punch.
16. What You Need: Another non-humorous and poignant story that has a real catch!
17. Absalom: The darkest story of the collection, but very effectively told nevertheless.
Perhaps there was a conscious effort to concentrate only on the science-fiction works of Henry Kuttner (and C.L. Moore) while this collection had been brought together, but we sure can do with a generous helping of his mystery-horror-adventure stories as well. Until then, this collection is highly recommended to all lovers of stories that are full of humour, action, intrigue and wonder!
July 14, 2024
Came for the Bradbury introduction but stayed because these are some of the most entertaining sci-fi stories I've ever read. Not only are they smart and inventive but they are often legitimately funny, a rare quality in a genre populated mostly by moralists and doomsayers. Not to say that all of these stories have happy endings but at least Kuttner had a sense of humor about the human condition.
February 13, 2008
I have the original published book titled "Best of Henry Kuttner" He is one of my absolute FAVORITE authors when it comes to sci-fi. His stories aren't so technical that your mind is caught trying to understand everything, but they make you think. I'm really glad they published this again.
When The Last Mimzy came out as a movie I was angry that they ripped his story off and changed it because it was perfect in the book. Seriously a good read.
When The Last Mimzy came out as a movie I was angry that they ripped his story off and changed it because it was perfect in the book. Seriously a good read.
March 12, 2013
Words fail me as I try to describe how good Henry Kuttner's stories are. They are more than fantastic; I guess "mind-blowing" is about the only apt adjective for this anthology of short science and fantasy fiction. And Kuttner does mess with your mind: he provokes it, challenges it, lifts it to places never imagined possible, and leaves you wondering how an Earth-bound three-dimensional being (i.e. Kuttner) could create works so other-worldly and transcendental, and yet still so accessible and relevant. He somehow manages to make his stories both far-fetched and realistic at the same time. He is truly a writer's writer, a story-telling master - unfortunately a neglected one, when compared to giants such as Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury. Kuttner deserves much more recognition. Much more.
Personal favourites in the book: "The Iron Standard" and "Cold War" (to be read after "Exit the Professor")
Personal favourites in the book: "The Iron Standard" and "Cold War" (to be read after "Exit the Professor")
September 19, 2008
A collection of short stories. Each one is very sci-fi oriented, and generally involving technology and the way it affects human life. Each story ends with a rather profound-feeling lesson to be learned, with surprising twists and elements that really make you think.
December 19, 2013
Kuttner's style reminds me much of Bradbury, but with a much more conversational aspect to it. Kuttner creates a fantastical sci-fi world and instead of getting stuck in describing the details of all the new technologies, he masterfully blends in the descriptions which seem almost like afterthoughts to the human problems presented in each stories. This has made me quite interested in the rest of his works.
February 25, 2011
Admittedly, I picked up this book because of the movie, which I found entertaining. I found this book pleasantly surprising and thought provoking because they explore essential traits of personality and humanity. It's hard to pick a favorite story, but I think it would be between Absalom, Nothing but Gingerbread Left, and Endowment Policy.
Want to read
November 11, 2007Short Story written by Lewis Padgett entitled, "Mimzy Were the Borogoves," was what the movie, 'The Last Mimzy' was based on.
October 27, 2008
A true gem...many levels of meaning.
August 24, 2009
Classic Kuttner short stories
August 3, 2014
Interesting author. I thought the best short story was A Gnome There Was, especially the ending.
February 5, 2022
Mimsy Were the Borogroves, 4 stars
A Wonderful story about a box of "toys," from somewhere else in time, that a 7 year old boy picks up and brings home and shares with his 2-year-old sister. Since the toys are from somewhere else in time, they teach the children what the children from somewhere else in time learn. How to go to another dimension?
It was kind of weird how the mother had no other job than to make cocktails for her husband. And a professor from the University made enough money for them to have a full-time maid.
Two-handed Engine, 2 stars
In the future, mankind has lost his conscience; he can no longer feel any love for his fellow mankind. So, robots decide by themselves, that in order for mankind to survive (because they're killing each other off), they need to be mankind's conscience. Thus, if you kill another man, very soon a robot called a Fury will begin to follow you. You will never be able to lose him, and other people will be staring at you, knowing that your time is short, when the robot will kill you. This is a deterrent for crime.
Kind of lame story, and also slightly reminiscent of The Minority Report.
The Proud Robot, 2 stars
Rather unlikely tale about an inventor who drinks so much, I don't know how he stands up, and his can-opener robot.
Listen to how the top most popular studio is run:
" 'televisors are installed free. We never sell 'em; we rent them. People pay according to how many hours they have the set tuned in. We run a continuous show, stage plays, wire-tape films, operas, orchestras, singers, vaudeville--everything. If you use your televisor a lot, you pay proportionately. The man comes around once a month and reads the meter. Which is a fair system. Anybody can afford a Vox-View. Sonatone and the other companies do the same thing, but Sonatone's the only big competitor I've got. At least, the only one that's crooked as hell. The rest of the boys -- they're smaller than I am, but I don't step on their toes. Nobody's ever called me a louse,' Brock said darkly."
The Misguided Halo, 2 stars
The best thing about this story was the dog:
" 'hello, Filthy, said Young. 'Morning.'
He was not addressing his wife. A small and raffish Scotty had made its appearance, capering hysterically about its Master's feet, and going into a fit of sheer madness when the man pulled its hairy ears. The raffish Scotty flung its head sideways upon the carpet and skated about the room on its muzzle, uttering strangled squeaks of delight. Growing tired of this at last, the Scotty, whose name was Filthy McNasty, began thumping its head on the floor with the apparent intention of dashing out its brains, if any."
Adorable.
The Voice of the Lobster, 1 star
Misogynistic.
"At the first convenient doorway McDuff paused and looked at Ao. She was worth looking at. She stood in the doorway, thinking of nothing at all. She didn't have to think of anything. She was too beautiful."
🚮
Exit the Professor, 1 star
Making sport of hillbillies.
The Twonky, 3 stars
A behavior monitor, disguised as a hi-fi console, censors your reading material, let's you have one cup of coffee but throws away any after that, but will light as many cigarettes as you feel like smoking.
A Gnome There Was, 1 star
Well? What did Crockett turn into?
The Big Night, 2 stars
Meh.
Nothing But Gingerbread Left, 4 stars
LEFT!
LEFT!
LEFT a wife and SEVenteen children in
STARVing condition with NOTHing but gingerbread LEFT
LEFT!
LEFT a wife and SEVenteen children--
The Iron Standard, 1 star
A group of earthmen, trying to sell capitalism to Venusions.
The Venusions are resisting capitalism:
" 'a pyramiding competition leading to ultimate collapse...' "
That's us!
Cold War, DNR
It's a repeat of Exit the Professor, and I didn't like that one, so...🤷♂️
Or Else, 2 stars
Just dumb 🙄
Endowment Policy, 2 stars
Too much. Denny holt, a taxi driver of 20 years old, meets up with his future self in the year 1943. "Smith," a 93-year-old man from the year 2016, tries to escape his humdrum life, by creating an alternate future.
Except Denny Holt was drinking so much, I doubt he could live to 93 years old lol. Drunk driver!
Housing Problem, 3 stars
Moral of the story: curiosity killed the cat
What You Need, 2 stars
Hmmm, I think Stephen King got his idea for "Needful Things" from this.
Absalom, 2 stars
That feeling when your genius kid outmaneuvers you.
A Wonderful story about a box of "toys," from somewhere else in time, that a 7 year old boy picks up and brings home and shares with his 2-year-old sister. Since the toys are from somewhere else in time, they teach the children what the children from somewhere else in time learn. How to go to another dimension?
It was kind of weird how the mother had no other job than to make cocktails for her husband. And a professor from the University made enough money for them to have a full-time maid.
Two-handed Engine, 2 stars
In the future, mankind has lost his conscience; he can no longer feel any love for his fellow mankind. So, robots decide by themselves, that in order for mankind to survive (because they're killing each other off), they need to be mankind's conscience. Thus, if you kill another man, very soon a robot called a Fury will begin to follow you. You will never be able to lose him, and other people will be staring at you, knowing that your time is short, when the robot will kill you. This is a deterrent for crime.
Kind of lame story, and also slightly reminiscent of The Minority Report.
The Proud Robot, 2 stars
Rather unlikely tale about an inventor who drinks so much, I don't know how he stands up, and his can-opener robot.
Listen to how the top most popular studio is run:
" 'televisors are installed free. We never sell 'em; we rent them. People pay according to how many hours they have the set tuned in. We run a continuous show, stage plays, wire-tape films, operas, orchestras, singers, vaudeville--everything. If you use your televisor a lot, you pay proportionately. The man comes around once a month and reads the meter. Which is a fair system. Anybody can afford a Vox-View. Sonatone and the other companies do the same thing, but Sonatone's the only big competitor I've got. At least, the only one that's crooked as hell. The rest of the boys -- they're smaller than I am, but I don't step on their toes. Nobody's ever called me a louse,' Brock said darkly."
The Misguided Halo, 2 stars
The best thing about this story was the dog:
" 'hello, Filthy, said Young. 'Morning.'
He was not addressing his wife. A small and raffish Scotty had made its appearance, capering hysterically about its Master's feet, and going into a fit of sheer madness when the man pulled its hairy ears. The raffish Scotty flung its head sideways upon the carpet and skated about the room on its muzzle, uttering strangled squeaks of delight. Growing tired of this at last, the Scotty, whose name was Filthy McNasty, began thumping its head on the floor with the apparent intention of dashing out its brains, if any."
Adorable.
The Voice of the Lobster, 1 star
Misogynistic.
"At the first convenient doorway McDuff paused and looked at Ao. She was worth looking at. She stood in the doorway, thinking of nothing at all. She didn't have to think of anything. She was too beautiful."
🚮
Exit the Professor, 1 star
Making sport of hillbillies.
The Twonky, 3 stars
A behavior monitor, disguised as a hi-fi console, censors your reading material, let's you have one cup of coffee but throws away any after that, but will light as many cigarettes as you feel like smoking.
A Gnome There Was, 1 star
Well? What did Crockett turn into?
The Big Night, 2 stars
Meh.
Nothing But Gingerbread Left, 4 stars
LEFT!
LEFT!
LEFT a wife and SEVenteen children in
STARVing condition with NOTHing but gingerbread LEFT
LEFT!
LEFT a wife and SEVenteen children--
The Iron Standard, 1 star
A group of earthmen, trying to sell capitalism to Venusions.
The Venusions are resisting capitalism:
" 'a pyramiding competition leading to ultimate collapse...' "
That's us!
Cold War, DNR
It's a repeat of Exit the Professor, and I didn't like that one, so...🤷♂️
Or Else, 2 stars
Just dumb 🙄
Endowment Policy, 2 stars
Too much. Denny holt, a taxi driver of 20 years old, meets up with his future self in the year 1943. "Smith," a 93-year-old man from the year 2016, tries to escape his humdrum life, by creating an alternate future.
Except Denny Holt was drinking so much, I doubt he could live to 93 years old lol. Drunk driver!
Housing Problem, 3 stars
Moral of the story: curiosity killed the cat
What You Need, 2 stars
Hmmm, I think Stephen King got his idea for "Needful Things" from this.
Absalom, 2 stars
That feeling when your genius kid outmaneuvers you.
April 14, 2018
I did see that movie, on video, the year after it came out. Given that the film came out in 2007, and the author of the tale on which it was based died in 1958, it's a reminder that holding one's breath for film adaptations is never a good idea.
While the book does lead with the (very much darker) short story by Henry Kuttner that inspired the film, this collections of shorts is really "The Best of Henry Kuttner," who wrote science fiction in the middle of the twentieth century. I can't say I'd heard of him, but the book caught my eye, and the wonderful foreword by Ray Bradbury sold it for me.
Kuttner's stories are...well...they're mostly solid. Some are brilliant. Some are less so. Most are good.
A couple are not. So it goes.
But what makes so many of them fascinating is that they still work...as sci fi...sixty to seventy years later. Some do feel dated, particularly in the gender dynamics. Others are just odd. But with the majority, the *idea* of the tale is still bizarrely fresh and entertainingly weird. That's a freshness that age hasn't muted. Honestly, I find them *more* interesting because they're written from the viewpoint of a past cultural frame, presenting alternate realities that branch out from the 1930s and 1940s. And sci fi tales set at the height of the Second World War are all the more fascinating...and authentic...if they were *written* at the height of the Second World War.
Glad I picked this up.
While the book does lead with the (very much darker) short story by Henry Kuttner that inspired the film, this collections of shorts is really "The Best of Henry Kuttner," who wrote science fiction in the middle of the twentieth century. I can't say I'd heard of him, but the book caught my eye, and the wonderful foreword by Ray Bradbury sold it for me.
Kuttner's stories are...well...they're mostly solid. Some are brilliant. Some are less so. Most are good.
A couple are not. So it goes.
But what makes so many of them fascinating is that they still work...as sci fi...sixty to seventy years later. Some do feel dated, particularly in the gender dynamics. Others are just odd. But with the majority, the *idea* of the tale is still bizarrely fresh and entertainingly weird. That's a freshness that age hasn't muted. Honestly, I find them *more* interesting because they're written from the viewpoint of a past cultural frame, presenting alternate realities that branch out from the 1930s and 1940s. And sci fi tales set at the height of the Second World War are all the more fascinating...and authentic...if they were *written* at the height of the Second World War.
Glad I picked this up.
October 22, 2020
I sought out this book after watching the movie The Last Mimzy and I wanted to read the original story it was based on and others by the same author, Henry Kuttner. The original story is actually called “Mimzy were the Borogroves” and I think it is kind of unfortunate that they named this collection the same as the movie to capitalize on the name recognition, it actually made it harder to find the book since the movie kept coming up in my library searches. These are some interesting science fiction stories, some of which are kind of dark in nature, and many of which share very similar themes of some other-worldly / future influence changing peoples life, and the friend psychologist who offers his expert opinions on human nature. A definite read for someone who wants to understand the important influences on many modern science fiction writers, but a bit dreary and repetitive if considered on its own merit.
July 13, 2023
This is agreat collection. The book was renamed from "the Best of Henry Kuttner" to "the Last Mimsy" to promote the Movie.
The movie was a sweet family thing.
The book is full of great stories written about 70 years ago.
I had read a few of these when I was a teen. My favorite was "Nothing but Gingerbread Left" if only this would work on Putin and a few others
The movie was a sweet family thing.
The book is full of great stories written about 70 years ago.
I had read a few of these when I was a teen. My favorite was "Nothing but Gingerbread Left" if only this would work on Putin and a few others
September 27, 2017
The Last Mimzy is only one short story of many short stories in this book. The very first story is the one that the Last Mimzy is based on. Some of the short stories were extremely interesting, where as I found others to be really weird.
October 4, 2023
Mimsy Were the Borogoves
“Did gyre and gimble in the wade.
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe” - Lewis Carroll
“Mimsy Were the Borogoves” is on tape and even on vinyl at one time. It can also be found in some of Henry Kuttner's books. This one is a reprint of “The Best of Henry Kuttner.”
It is a small sci-fi story about a formula that allows you into an alternate universe that everyone used to have access to. The problem with getting there is that it requires a different paradigm and a formula. The paradigm requires a mindset that disappears as we get older, and the formula is in front of us if we know where to look. Another advantage is that the recorded version is read to us enthusiastically by William Shatner.
Playing around with time travel he needed something to put into the cube. He chose some of his old toys. The box never came back. After trying for a second time with no success he gave up and moved on.
“Did gyre and gimble in the wade.
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe” - Lewis Carroll
“Mimsy Were the Borogoves” is on tape and even on vinyl at one time. It can also be found in some of Henry Kuttner's books. This one is a reprint of “The Best of Henry Kuttner.”
It is a small sci-fi story about a formula that allows you into an alternate universe that everyone used to have access to. The problem with getting there is that it requires a different paradigm and a formula. The paradigm requires a mindset that disappears as we get older, and the formula is in front of us if we know where to look. Another advantage is that the recorded version is read to us enthusiastically by William Shatner.
Playing around with time travel he needed something to put into the cube. He chose some of his old toys. The box never came back. After trying for a second time with no success he gave up and moved on.
July 11, 2017
Great read, nothing what I expected.
Read
June 10, 2013This book was very interesting and it had a storyline that was both interesting and easy to follow. It was sort of mysterious in certain ways which helped the story line even more. This book is about a stuffed rabbit who has something everyone wants. It has almost human like abilities and the story in a crazy and twisted manner.
January 1, 2013
My last book for 2012.. reaching my goal of reading 50 books this year just 20 minutes before midnight ;) It look me like a month to get through this one, I read quite a few books in-between and really had to force myself to finish the last 200 pages, but i did it!
January 13, 2023
An original collection of science fiction short stories largely concerned with OOPAS and robots, with a little magic and mayhem thrown in. Kuttner was clearly inspired by Asimov’s I, Robot, and has gifted us with 17 tales that take off into more detailed, fantastic, and entertaining territory.
Want to read
April 15, 2008I saw the movie, now I need to read it.
September 16, 2008
It was a little too bizarre for me and I had a hard time pulling a moral from some of the stories.
June 20, 2010
Kutner's short stories are wonderful and age amazingly well.
May 14, 2010
lots of different stories. Good reading.
decided-not-to-read
September 27, 2010I enjoyed the title story; it was nice and eerie. The others ... I read a few more, but they all seemed to be very similar in quality, and I found myself losing interest in continuing.
January 10, 2011
Great short Sci-fi story collection
July 29, 2011
it surprized me how violent and different this story was then the movie was indicated
May 22, 2013
I only read the last mimzy couldn't bring myself to read the rest of the book
October 8, 2017
Mimsy Were the Borogoves - 4
Two-Handed Engine - 3.5
The Twonky - 4
Nothing but Gingerbread Left - 2.5
What You Need - 5
Absalom - 4.5
Some of these, to varying degrees, could be classified as horror, in the sci-fi realm. Unique and subtly haunting. Picked this up for the awful cover's referencing to the movie based on the collection's title, which I recalled watching and enjoying the intelligence of, but had no recollection of details. Kuttner may be "ahead of his time" in ideas, an assertion I don't debate, but he's old-fashioned in his sensibilities.
Two-Handed Engine - 3.5
The Twonky - 4
Nothing but Gingerbread Left - 2.5
What You Need - 5
Absalom - 4.5
Some of these, to varying degrees, could be classified as horror, in the sci-fi realm. Unique and subtly haunting. Picked this up for the awful cover's referencing to the movie based on the collection's title, which I recalled watching and enjoying the intelligence of, but had no recollection of details. Kuttner may be "ahead of his time" in ideas, an assertion I don't debate, but he's old-fashioned in his sensibilities.
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