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Strangers No More: Tales of Alien Life by Science Fiction Masters Isaac Asimov, Philip José Farmer, Marion Zimmer Bradley and More!
Drawn from the leading pulp magazines of the 1950s — Galaxy, Amazing Science Fiction Stories, and Fantastic Universe — these eight groundbreaking selections offer spellbinding science-fiction tales of encounters with Martians and other extraterrestrials. "Youth," by Isaac Asimov, recounts two friends' discovery of a pair of strange little animals the morning after mysterious thunder without a storm. Philip José Farmer's "Rastignac the Devil" tells of a fight against despotism 300 years in the future, and in "Year of the Big Thaw," by Marion Zimmer Bradley, a Connecticut farmer explains why he doesn't know the actual birthplace of his phenomenally gifted son.
Other selections include "Warrior Race," by Robert Sheckley, which focuses on breaking an enemy's spirit; "Alien Offer," by Al Sevcik, concerning a risky chance to save Earth's children; Clifford D. Simak's "The World That Couldn’t Be," in which a farmer must hunt down the unusual creatures destroying his crops; "Earthmen Bearing Gifts," by Fredric Brown, telling of an attempted exchange by the red and blue planets; and Stanley G. Weinbaum's "A Martian Odyssey," a tale that changed the course of science fiction.
Other selections include "Warrior Race," by Robert Sheckley, which focuses on breaking an enemy's spirit; "Alien Offer," by Al Sevcik, concerning a risky chance to save Earth's children; Clifford D. Simak's "The World That Couldn’t Be," in which a farmer must hunt down the unusual creatures destroying his crops; "Earthmen Bearing Gifts," by Fredric Brown, telling of an attempted exchange by the red and blue planets; and Stanley G. Weinbaum's "A Martian Odyssey," a tale that changed the course of science fiction.
209 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 26, 2016
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18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
dnf
July 18, 2017DNF @ 15%
There were so many spelling errors, missing letters and words, missing or incorrect grammar; that I just couldn't go on. I "read" the first story and part of the 2nd and realized I had no idea what was going on in either of them because the horrible issues with grammar and spelling were making it exceptionally difficult to even know what was being said.
That being said, I'm done. Too many books and too little time to give myself a headache over this.
There were so many spelling errors, missing letters and words, missing or incorrect grammar; that I just couldn't go on. I "read" the first story and part of the 2nd and realized I had no idea what was going on in either of them because the horrible issues with grammar and spelling were making it exceptionally difficult to even know what was being said.
That being said, I'm done. Too many books and too little time to give myself a headache over this.
November 29, 2020
I was so looking forward to saying how much I loved each and every short story, a rare thing in a short story collection, but the Philip José Farmer tale just didn't work for me (which surprised me as I do like his novels). The rest were a joy to read, including a Clifford D Simak short I have never read before or, as is more likely, read so long ago I have forgotten about it. Wonderful (well, mostly) post-war sci-fi from renowned authors.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
December 11, 2025
Quick-look at the Book
Youth by Isaac Asimov
Two children find strange animals that they keep secret from their fathers. They're actually the aliens their dads are hunting. For me, this was more about the concept of xenophobia and what being an alien actually means.
Rastignac the Devil by Philip José Farmer
Can violence ever be the answer or the path to freedom? In this story, it just might be.
Year of the Big Thaw by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Sometimes, it takes an outsider to bring people together.
Warrior Race by Robert Sheckley
Two soldiers in dire need of fuel find the right way to work the aliens' taboo against them.
Alien Offer by Al Sevcik
Life on Earth may be over for the adults but there could be a chance to save the children...if we're willing to trust an alien race. Can we?
The World That Couldn’t Be by Clifford D. Simak
Are the pests destroying a farmer's crops really pests? It takes a while for the farmer to find that out!
Earthmen Bearing Gifts by Fredric Brown
Sometimes, a gift can be deadly as the Martians find out to their detriment.
A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum
A stranded spaceman strikes an usual friendship with an alien until he's rescued by his shipmates.
Also reviewed at WP
Youth by Isaac Asimov
Two children find strange animals that they keep secret from their fathers. They're actually the aliens their dads are hunting. For me, this was more about the concept of xenophobia and what being an alien actually means.
Rastignac the Devil by Philip José Farmer
Can violence ever be the answer or the path to freedom? In this story, it just might be.
Year of the Big Thaw by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Sometimes, it takes an outsider to bring people together.
Warrior Race by Robert Sheckley
Two soldiers in dire need of fuel find the right way to work the aliens' taboo against them.
Alien Offer by Al Sevcik
Life on Earth may be over for the adults but there could be a chance to save the children...if we're willing to trust an alien race. Can we?
The World That Couldn’t Be by Clifford D. Simak
Are the pests destroying a farmer's crops really pests? It takes a while for the farmer to find that out!
Earthmen Bearing Gifts by Fredric Brown
Sometimes, a gift can be deadly as the Martians find out to their detriment.
A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum
A stranded spaceman strikes an usual friendship with an alien until he's rescued by his shipmates.
Also reviewed at WP
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews