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Strange gifts: Eight stories of science fiction
hardbound
206 pages, Hardcover
Published October 15, 1975
About the author
Robert Silverberg
2,344 books1,641 followersThere are many authors in the database with this name.
Robert Silverberg is a highly celebrated American science fiction author and editor known for his prolific output and literary range. Over a career spanning decades, he has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards and was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2004. Inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1999, Silverberg is recognized for both his immense productivity and his contributions to the genre's evolution.
Born in Brooklyn, he began writing in his teens and won his first Hugo Award in 1956 as the best new writer. Throughout the 1950s, he produced vast amounts of fiction, often under pseudonyms, and was known for writing up to a million words a year. When the market declined, he diversified into other genres, including historical nonfiction and erotica.
Silverberg’s return to science fiction in the 1960s marked a shift toward deeper psychological and literary themes, contributing significantly to the New Wave movement. Acclaimed works from this period include Downward to the Earth, Dying Inside, Nightwings, and The World Inside. In the 1980s, he launched the Majipoor series with Lord Valentine’s Castle, creating one of the most imaginative planetary settings in science fiction.
Though he announced his retirement from writing in the mid-1970s, Silverberg returned with renewed vigor and continued to publish acclaimed fiction into the 1990s. He received further recognition with the Nebula-winning Sailing to Byzantium and the Hugo-winning Gilgamesh in the Outback.
Silverberg has also played a significant role as an editor and anthologist, shaping science fiction literature through both his own work and his influence on others. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, author Karen Haber.
Robert Silverberg is a highly celebrated American science fiction author and editor known for his prolific output and literary range. Over a career spanning decades, he has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards and was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2004. Inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1999, Silverberg is recognized for both his immense productivity and his contributions to the genre's evolution.
Born in Brooklyn, he began writing in his teens and won his first Hugo Award in 1956 as the best new writer. Throughout the 1950s, he produced vast amounts of fiction, often under pseudonyms, and was known for writing up to a million words a year. When the market declined, he diversified into other genres, including historical nonfiction and erotica.
Silverberg’s return to science fiction in the 1960s marked a shift toward deeper psychological and literary themes, contributing significantly to the New Wave movement. Acclaimed works from this period include Downward to the Earth, Dying Inside, Nightwings, and The World Inside. In the 1980s, he launched the Majipoor series with Lord Valentine’s Castle, creating one of the most imaginative planetary settings in science fiction.
Though he announced his retirement from writing in the mid-1970s, Silverberg returned with renewed vigor and continued to publish acclaimed fiction into the 1990s. He received further recognition with the Nebula-winning Sailing to Byzantium and the Hugo-winning Gilgamesh in the Outback.
Silverberg has also played a significant role as an editor and anthologist, shaping science fiction literature through both his own work and his influence on others. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, author Karen Haber.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 6, 2008
almost all of the stories in this collection made an impression. philip k. dick contributes "the golden man" and frank belknap long's "humpty dumpty had a great fall" creeped me out something major, i still think about that horrible clock in the sky. "oddy and id", "danger human" and "to be continued" are all very science fiction standard but good reads for all that. but "bettyann" is really the reason to find this book. (and it can be a bit hard to find in good condition.)
written by kris ottman neville, "bettyann" is about a girl who is not like any other girl on the planet. she's special and strange and feels an outsider to the only life she's ever known. she literally can't be like everyone else. this story is about being an outcast, about understanding your purpose and knowing that you are not going to feel so alone forever.
originally published in new tales of space & time in l95l and kris neville's most famous work, "bettyann" has long been considered an underground classic of science fiction. this story changed me, the way that some stories do. it is small and short and quiet and even uplifting. it made me feel justified in assuming i was different for a reason and reassured me that difference is sometimes a mark of something greater.
written by kris ottman neville, "bettyann" is about a girl who is not like any other girl on the planet. she's special and strange and feels an outsider to the only life she's ever known. she literally can't be like everyone else. this story is about being an outcast, about understanding your purpose and knowing that you are not going to feel so alone forever.
originally published in new tales of space & time in l95l and kris neville's most famous work, "bettyann" has long been considered an underground classic of science fiction. this story changed me, the way that some stories do. it is small and short and quiet and even uplifting. it made me feel justified in assuming i was different for a reason and reassured me that difference is sometimes a mark of something greater.
April 30, 2024
2.75 stars as an average. One terrific story in Bettyann, the rest were good to really bad. Below are the ratings for each story in the book:
The Golden Man by Philip K. Dick:
2.75 stars. Cool concept with flat characters. Dick uses the characters as nothing more than tools to explain the story.
Danger-Human by Gordon R. Dickson
3 stars. Fun idea about why aliens might want to abduct humans.
All The People by R.A. Lafferty
2 stars. Anthony Trotz wants to find out why he knows everyone in the world. Writing was fine, just wasn’t interesting.
Oddy and Id by Alfred Bester
1.5 stars. Not interesting.
The Man With English by Horace L. Gold
3 stars. Well written bad-tempered man cracks his head and gets his senses out of whack.
To Be Continued by Robert Silverberg
3.75 stars. How does a near immortal disguise himself to other mortals?
Humpy Dumpty Had A Great Fall by Frank Belknap Long
DNF - kid grows up abandoned in space and later the fairy tales he had read manifest into real worlds. Pretty bad and boring.
Bettyann by Kris Neville
5 stars. By far the best story of them all. Made the book worthwhile.
The Golden Man by Philip K. Dick:
2.75 stars. Cool concept with flat characters. Dick uses the characters as nothing more than tools to explain the story.
Danger-Human by Gordon R. Dickson
3 stars. Fun idea about why aliens might want to abduct humans.
All The People by R.A. Lafferty
2 stars. Anthony Trotz wants to find out why he knows everyone in the world. Writing was fine, just wasn’t interesting.
Oddy and Id by Alfred Bester
1.5 stars. Not interesting.
The Man With English by Horace L. Gold
3 stars. Well written bad-tempered man cracks his head and gets his senses out of whack.
To Be Continued by Robert Silverberg
3.75 stars. How does a near immortal disguise himself to other mortals?
Humpy Dumpty Had A Great Fall by Frank Belknap Long
DNF - kid grows up abandoned in space and later the fairy tales he had read manifest into real worlds. Pretty bad and boring.
Bettyann by Kris Neville
5 stars. By far the best story of them all. Made the book worthwhile.
August 29, 2022
Strange Gifts
RATED 81% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE = 3.00 OUT OF 5
8 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 3 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
Robert Silverberg’s themed reprint anthologies share something in common with his fiction. They are very readable - even when not at their best. That might be Silverberg’s “Strange Gift.”
In this anthology, which features fiction from 1948 to 1961, ‘strange gifts’ are the power of the human mind, and yet Silverberg takes this in a different direction than most editors.
I have tried … to avoid not only telepathy but also some of the other most familiar extrasensory gifts … I’ve attempted to find ingenious and little-known stories about characters whose gifts are even farther afield.
Every one of these stories is easy to read, but most fade away after they are over.
The two stories that linger make their way onto The Great List:
The Golden Man • (1954) • novelette by Philip K. Dick. Various mutations have been occurring across the USA and the DCA has been tasked with ‘euthanizing' them. A beautiful young man of pure golden color, has survived to the age of 18, but a man from the DCA has just arrived as his family’s farm. This novelette packs a lot of good speculation, plenty of actions and smart suspense into a tight narrative.
Bettyann • (1951) • novelette by Kris Neville. An infant alien lives within a young orphan after her alien parents die while touring Earth. She is adopted and matures to adulthood, but always has within her a slightly askew way of seeing the world. This is a charming and kind coming-of-age tale. Heart warming, positive, and uplifting.
Check more than 65+ review of science fiction anthologies at https://www.shortsf.com/
***
STRANGE GIFTS IS RATED 81% POSITIVE
8 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 3 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
The Golden Man • (1954) • novelette by Philip K. Dick
Great. Various mutations have been occurring across the USA and the DCA has been tasked with ‘euthanizing' them. A beautiful young man of pure golden color, has survived to the age of 18, but a man from the DCA has just arrived as his family’s farm. This novelette packs a lot of good speculation, plenty of actions and smart suspense into a tight narrative.
Danger—Human! • (1957) • short story by Gordon R. Dickson
Good. A man is picked up by bear-like aliens and interrogated about what makes humanity special. This race - unique almost all others - is constantly expanding beyond its borders and causing havoc to the universe.
All the People • (1961) • short story by R. A. Lafferty
Good. Erudite and clever, this quirky story centers around a man who claims to know everyone in the world in close personal detail. He begins by asking questions of four men: a physician, a philosopher, a priest, and a psychologist.
Oddy and Id • (1950) • short story by Alfred Bester
Average. The luckiest man in the world and the people that try to influence him. *Same review, but I liked it better than my first read. First half is charming and fun, but the second half falls apart.
The Man with English • (1953) • short story by H. L. Gold [as by Horace L. Gold]
Average. An angry shopkeeper falls and hits his head. Now, he all of his nerves are reversed.
To Be Continued • (1956) • short story by Robert Silverberg
Average. A man who is nearly one thousand years old has finally reached the age where he can father children, so he takes on different personalities and tries to find a woman to marry.
Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall • (1948) • novelette by Frank Belknap Long
Good. A precocious child creates a portal device to another reality where the darkest and strangest versions of nursery rhymes live.
Bettyann • (1951) • novelette by Kris Neville
Great. An infant alien lives within a young orphan after her alien parents die while touring Earth. She is adopted and matures to adulthood, but always has within her a slightly askew way of seeing the world. This is a charming and kind coming-of-age tale. Heart warming, positive, and uplifting.
RATED 81% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE = 3.00 OUT OF 5
8 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 3 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
Robert Silverberg’s themed reprint anthologies share something in common with his fiction. They are very readable - even when not at their best. That might be Silverberg’s “Strange Gift.”
In this anthology, which features fiction from 1948 to 1961, ‘strange gifts’ are the power of the human mind, and yet Silverberg takes this in a different direction than most editors.
I have tried … to avoid not only telepathy but also some of the other most familiar extrasensory gifts … I’ve attempted to find ingenious and little-known stories about characters whose gifts are even farther afield.
Every one of these stories is easy to read, but most fade away after they are over.
The two stories that linger make their way onto The Great List:
The Golden Man • (1954) • novelette by Philip K. Dick. Various mutations have been occurring across the USA and the DCA has been tasked with ‘euthanizing' them. A beautiful young man of pure golden color, has survived to the age of 18, but a man from the DCA has just arrived as his family’s farm. This novelette packs a lot of good speculation, plenty of actions and smart suspense into a tight narrative.
Bettyann • (1951) • novelette by Kris Neville. An infant alien lives within a young orphan after her alien parents die while touring Earth. She is adopted and matures to adulthood, but always has within her a slightly askew way of seeing the world. This is a charming and kind coming-of-age tale. Heart warming, positive, and uplifting.
Check more than 65+ review of science fiction anthologies at https://www.shortsf.com/
***
STRANGE GIFTS IS RATED 81% POSITIVE
8 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 3 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
The Golden Man • (1954) • novelette by Philip K. Dick
Great. Various mutations have been occurring across the USA and the DCA has been tasked with ‘euthanizing' them. A beautiful young man of pure golden color, has survived to the age of 18, but a man from the DCA has just arrived as his family’s farm. This novelette packs a lot of good speculation, plenty of actions and smart suspense into a tight narrative.
Danger—Human! • (1957) • short story by Gordon R. Dickson
Good. A man is picked up by bear-like aliens and interrogated about what makes humanity special. This race - unique almost all others - is constantly expanding beyond its borders and causing havoc to the universe.
All the People • (1961) • short story by R. A. Lafferty
Good. Erudite and clever, this quirky story centers around a man who claims to know everyone in the world in close personal detail. He begins by asking questions of four men: a physician, a philosopher, a priest, and a psychologist.
Oddy and Id • (1950) • short story by Alfred Bester
Average. The luckiest man in the world and the people that try to influence him. *Same review, but I liked it better than my first read. First half is charming and fun, but the second half falls apart.
The Man with English • (1953) • short story by H. L. Gold [as by Horace L. Gold]
Average. An angry shopkeeper falls and hits his head. Now, he all of his nerves are reversed.
To Be Continued • (1956) • short story by Robert Silverberg
Average. A man who is nearly one thousand years old has finally reached the age where he can father children, so he takes on different personalities and tries to find a woman to marry.
Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall • (1948) • novelette by Frank Belknap Long
Good. A precocious child creates a portal device to another reality where the darkest and strangest versions of nursery rhymes live.
Bettyann • (1951) • novelette by Kris Neville
Great. An infant alien lives within a young orphan after her alien parents die while touring Earth. She is adopted and matures to adulthood, but always has within her a slightly askew way of seeing the world. This is a charming and kind coming-of-age tale. Heart warming, positive, and uplifting.
September 1, 2015
I loved Philip Dick's "The Golden Man." The mutant theme might make some think of an X-Men plot; I know I thought of it due to my inherant comic geekery. Dick was writing when the U.S. had nuclear war on their minds with the Soviet Union, and so he explores the consequences of human mutation in a post-nuclear war world. I'll give you a hint: humanity doesn't win. :)
March 2, 2010
I really liked the stories in this collection and look forward to exploring some of the other work by the authors who are featured in this book.
February 14, 2022
Strange Gifts, Eight Stories of Science Fiction edited and with an introduction by Robert Silverberg.
This is a nice anthology of Science Fiction short stories written between 1951 and 1961. The cover in the review corresponds to the BCE from 1975. Overall, all the stories are good. Because these are very old, a couple might feel quite predictable, after all, I believe several movies and books written later may have found inspiration on the ideas portrayed by these authors. My favorites were: "Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall" by Frank Belknap Long and "Bettyann" by Kris Neville.
Unfortunately, many of the ideas will become more and more difficult to understand due to the changes throughout the following decades; I wonder if my children will understand the meaning of some words and social guidelines from the early sixties. I consider this book a keeper for my SciFi collection.
This is a nice anthology of Science Fiction short stories written between 1951 and 1961. The cover in the review corresponds to the BCE from 1975. Overall, all the stories are good. Because these are very old, a couple might feel quite predictable, after all, I believe several movies and books written later may have found inspiration on the ideas portrayed by these authors. My favorites were: "Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall" by Frank Belknap Long and "Bettyann" by Kris Neville.
Unfortunately, many of the ideas will become more and more difficult to understand due to the changes throughout the following decades; I wonder if my children will understand the meaning of some words and social guidelines from the early sixties. I consider this book a keeper for my SciFi collection.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews