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Worlds to Come
Science-fiction adventure classics by Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, John D. MacDonald, Robert A. Heinlein, James Blish and others. Leading off this collection is Clarke's THE SENTINEL the story on which Stanley Kubrick based 2001, A SPACE ODYSSEY.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1969
About the author
Damon Knight
582 books101 followersDamon Francis Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, and critic.
Knight's first professional sale was a cartoon drawing to a science-fiction magazine, Amazing Stories. His first story, "Resilience", was published in 1941. He is best known as the author of "To Serve Man", which was adapted for The Twilight Zone. He was a recipient of the Hugo Award, founder of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), cofounder of the National Fantasy Fan Federation, cofounder of the Milford Writer's Workshop, and cofounder of the Clarion Writers Workshop. Knight lived in Eugene, Oregon, with his wife Kate Wilhelm.
Knight's first professional sale was a cartoon drawing to a science-fiction magazine, Amazing Stories. His first story, "Resilience", was published in 1941. He is best known as the author of "To Serve Man", which was adapted for The Twilight Zone. He was a recipient of the Hugo Award, founder of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), cofounder of the National Fantasy Fan Federation, cofounder of the Milford Writer's Workshop, and cofounder of the Clarion Writers Workshop. Knight lived in Eugene, Oregon, with his wife Kate Wilhelm.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 4, 2020
This is a very strong collection of science fiction from the 1940s and '50s. It leads off with The Sentinel by Arthur C. Clarke, the basis of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and includes The Martian Way by Isaac Asimov (one of his best-known stories), and the classic Mars is Heaven! by Ray Bradbury, one of the most famous Martian Chronicles. There are also works by James Blish, C.M. Kornbluth, Algis Budrys, John D. MacDonald (yes, he didn't just write mysteries!), and one of my favorites, Moonwalk by H.B. Fyfe. (Fyfe was a very good writer, and unfortunately people persisted in confusing him with H. Beam Piper, a very different sf writer of the same era.) My favorite in this book was cat-lover Robert A. Heinlein's Ordeal in Space.
July 15, 2025
RATED 100% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE 4.6 OF 5
9 STORIES : 5 GREAT / 4 GOOD / 0 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
They don’t make ‘em like this anymore! I don’t know if I’m talking about the style of the science fiction. Focused on cool ideas, a sense of wonder, and written by people who seem to have spent more hours in a science lab than inside a writer’s retreat. Or maybe I’m talking about a tight anthology in which every story is Good or better. This is a rare 100% anthology. Some many of these stories are all-time classics.
https://www.shortsf.com/reviews/world...
It isn’t a suprise. Damon Knight is an exceptional anthologist - and pretty darn good writer as well. He also has a high view of the role of science fiction in scientific discovery and the advancement of mankind. It is an idea without a name, but one that I share. What is the science fiction equivalent of having a “high Christology?”
“Forty years ago and more, science-fiction writers seemed to be saying “Man will reach the moon,” and today this looks like dazzling prophecy. What they really were saying, however, was something slightly different and much more significant: “Man can reach the moon if he wants to badly enough.”
… No one will ever know for sure how much effect these stories have had, but it is almost impossible to believe they have had none.
…The stories in this anthology, some written as long as twenty five years ago, may seem startlingly prophetic. But remember that these are the kind that help bring something about by persuading others to believe in and desire it. Clarke and Fyfe in particular write as if they have been to the moon, but the haven’t. No man has. That adventure, like all the others in this book, is still to come.”
—-Damon Knight, 1967
Once again, we find an anthology with more than half the stories worthy of the All-Time Great List and therefore not re-listed here. https://www.shortsf.com/beststories
WORLDS TO COME
9 STORIES : 5 GREAT / 4 GOOD / 0 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
How do I arrive at a rating?
The Sentinel • [A Space Odyssey] • (1951) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke
Great. The story that inspired the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Explorers on the moon discover a strange alien object that has been there for an extremely long time. Full of vivid scientific detail and a chillingly hopeful final moment.
Moonwalk • (1952) • novelette by H. B. Fyfe
Good. There are many stories of an astronaut trekking alone after a disaster on a distant world. There is a visceral realism to all of them. If that was all this was, it would be rated Great. Unfortunately, the interludes with his crew members who don’t know what has happened to him, aren’t nearly as compelling. Still very readable.
Mars Is Heaven! • [The Martian Chronicles] • (1948) • short story by Ray Bradbury
Great. One of the greatest science fiction tales ever written! A third mission to Mars discovers a preserved Ohio town populated with the astronauts deceased loved ones. Is this small town utopia God’s paradise … or something darker and more alien?
The Edge of the Sea • (1958) • short story by Algis Budrys
Great. Thrilling and intense tale of a strong and simple man who discovers a strange craft or beacon in the sea. To salvage it, he braves a hurricane, the local police, and governmental agencies.
The Martian Way • (1952) • novelette by Isaac Asimov
Great. One of Asimov’s most epic and most human stories. The humans on Mars scrape out a living capturing Earth’s space junk using water propelled spaceships. Changing politics on Earth scapegoats the Spacers and threatens to remove their access to water, dooming Martian civilization. So a small team head to the rings of Saturn on a beautiful and dangerous mission to drag huge blocks of ice back to Mars.
The Big Contest • (1950) • short story by John D. MacDonald
Good. A bunch of old men hang around outside the Fire Station and talk about UFO sightings. One of them has a crazy explanation …. and it all started with a spitting content in 1909.
Ordeal in Space • (1948) • short story by Robert A. Heinlein
Good. A spaceman has returned to earth with crippling agoraphobia which challenges his ability to work and make friends. One night, he hears a cat stranded on a ledge.
That Share of Glory • (1952) • novelette by C. M. Kornbluth
Good. A interstellar empire knitted together by a monastic guild of translators, anthropologists, and ambassadors. Our story is a few vignettes of interesting quirky planets with a single quirk pushed to its logical extremes.
Sunken Universe • (1942) • novelette by James Blish
Great. Tiny humans live in a puddle of water on an alien planet. There are only hints as to why in this story. You’ll have to wait until the magnificent “Surface Tension” story for information. But the ‘sense-of-wonder’ abounds here. Men living underwater alongside a myriad of miniscule life forms. Survival, war, conflict! Thrilling and strange in the best way of science fiction.
89 Anthologies + 26 Author Collections + 17 Slates of Award Finalists + 3 Magazine Issues + 2 Novel(la)s.
https://www.shortsf.com
9 STORIES : 5 GREAT / 4 GOOD / 0 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
They don’t make ‘em like this anymore! I don’t know if I’m talking about the style of the science fiction. Focused on cool ideas, a sense of wonder, and written by people who seem to have spent more hours in a science lab than inside a writer’s retreat. Or maybe I’m talking about a tight anthology in which every story is Good or better. This is a rare 100% anthology. Some many of these stories are all-time classics.
https://www.shortsf.com/reviews/world...
It isn’t a suprise. Damon Knight is an exceptional anthologist - and pretty darn good writer as well. He also has a high view of the role of science fiction in scientific discovery and the advancement of mankind. It is an idea without a name, but one that I share. What is the science fiction equivalent of having a “high Christology?”
“Forty years ago and more, science-fiction writers seemed to be saying “Man will reach the moon,” and today this looks like dazzling prophecy. What they really were saying, however, was something slightly different and much more significant: “Man can reach the moon if he wants to badly enough.”
… No one will ever know for sure how much effect these stories have had, but it is almost impossible to believe they have had none.
…The stories in this anthology, some written as long as twenty five years ago, may seem startlingly prophetic. But remember that these are the kind that help bring something about by persuading others to believe in and desire it. Clarke and Fyfe in particular write as if they have been to the moon, but the haven’t. No man has. That adventure, like all the others in this book, is still to come.”
—-Damon Knight, 1967
Once again, we find an anthology with more than half the stories worthy of the All-Time Great List and therefore not re-listed here. https://www.shortsf.com/beststories
WORLDS TO COME
9 STORIES : 5 GREAT / 4 GOOD / 0 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
How do I arrive at a rating?
The Sentinel • [A Space Odyssey] • (1951) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke
Great. The story that inspired the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Explorers on the moon discover a strange alien object that has been there for an extremely long time. Full of vivid scientific detail and a chillingly hopeful final moment.
Moonwalk • (1952) • novelette by H. B. Fyfe
Good. There are many stories of an astronaut trekking alone after a disaster on a distant world. There is a visceral realism to all of them. If that was all this was, it would be rated Great. Unfortunately, the interludes with his crew members who don’t know what has happened to him, aren’t nearly as compelling. Still very readable.
Mars Is Heaven! • [The Martian Chronicles] • (1948) • short story by Ray Bradbury
Great. One of the greatest science fiction tales ever written! A third mission to Mars discovers a preserved Ohio town populated with the astronauts deceased loved ones. Is this small town utopia God’s paradise … or something darker and more alien?
The Edge of the Sea • (1958) • short story by Algis Budrys
Great. Thrilling and intense tale of a strong and simple man who discovers a strange craft or beacon in the sea. To salvage it, he braves a hurricane, the local police, and governmental agencies.
The Martian Way • (1952) • novelette by Isaac Asimov
Great. One of Asimov’s most epic and most human stories. The humans on Mars scrape out a living capturing Earth’s space junk using water propelled spaceships. Changing politics on Earth scapegoats the Spacers and threatens to remove their access to water, dooming Martian civilization. So a small team head to the rings of Saturn on a beautiful and dangerous mission to drag huge blocks of ice back to Mars.
The Big Contest • (1950) • short story by John D. MacDonald
Good. A bunch of old men hang around outside the Fire Station and talk about UFO sightings. One of them has a crazy explanation …. and it all started with a spitting content in 1909.
Ordeal in Space • (1948) • short story by Robert A. Heinlein
Good. A spaceman has returned to earth with crippling agoraphobia which challenges his ability to work and make friends. One night, he hears a cat stranded on a ledge.
That Share of Glory • (1952) • novelette by C. M. Kornbluth
Good. A interstellar empire knitted together by a monastic guild of translators, anthropologists, and ambassadors. Our story is a few vignettes of interesting quirky planets with a single quirk pushed to its logical extremes.
Sunken Universe • (1942) • novelette by James Blish
Great. Tiny humans live in a puddle of water on an alien planet. There are only hints as to why in this story. You’ll have to wait until the magnificent “Surface Tension” story for information. But the ‘sense-of-wonder’ abounds here. Men living underwater alongside a myriad of miniscule life forms. Survival, war, conflict! Thrilling and strange in the best way of science fiction.
89 Anthologies + 26 Author Collections + 17 Slates of Award Finalists + 3 Magazine Issues + 2 Novel(la)s.
https://www.shortsf.com
October 23, 2019
This summer, I have started to read collections of science fiction short stories. I find that thes eare little volumes that really pack a punch. It helps that the stories have been written by authors who know what they are doing. This volume is no exception.
There are nine short stories in the volume, all of a length that make them ideal for bedtime reading. None of them are a challenging read but all of them throw out ideas that do chalenge us to examine our perspective. They are all well written, have a nice pace to them, and lead the reader into the core idea. That is the attraction of science fiction to me - the way in which I can be led into new ideas.
This volume leans towards stories that are based upon humanity no longer being tied to one planet. Despite humanity no longer being earth bound, we find that the essence of humanity hasn't changed all that much. People are still venal and greedy whilst being kind and generous. The full range of human emotions are still there on display. It is more a question of the range of technology that's on display and how we react with that technology in novel situations.
One or two of the stories stand out in that regard. My favourite is the story by Isaac Asimov - 'The Martian Way'. We find that, despite colonising Mars, greed and bullying are still part of the human condition. We also find that human ingenuity still finds a way of working around that exercise of power. The story is very cleverly crafted and makes the reader think about the mechanism by which humanity ever strives to do more. We are not creatures to accept enough being enough.
Another theme concerns the unknown. As we move off planet, the balance between the known and the unknown tips considerably in favour of the latter. The story by Arthur C Clarke is a case in point. Humanity has made it to the Moon. Whilst excavating the Moon an alien object is found that appears to send a signal from the Moon to an unknown destination. What does that mean? We aren't told in the story, but it does allow us to embrace our fear of the unknown. I quite like that suspense.
If this book were in print, I would recommend purchasing it. However, it isn't in print. My copy is a 1972 edition that I acquired in a second hand bokshop. This is proving to be quite a useful source of some very good reading for me. It's almost like mining asteroids - we search to find some extremely useful nuggets. I would advocate it as a source of thinking material.
There are nine short stories in the volume, all of a length that make them ideal for bedtime reading. None of them are a challenging read but all of them throw out ideas that do chalenge us to examine our perspective. They are all well written, have a nice pace to them, and lead the reader into the core idea. That is the attraction of science fiction to me - the way in which I can be led into new ideas.
This volume leans towards stories that are based upon humanity no longer being tied to one planet. Despite humanity no longer being earth bound, we find that the essence of humanity hasn't changed all that much. People are still venal and greedy whilst being kind and generous. The full range of human emotions are still there on display. It is more a question of the range of technology that's on display and how we react with that technology in novel situations.
One or two of the stories stand out in that regard. My favourite is the story by Isaac Asimov - 'The Martian Way'. We find that, despite colonising Mars, greed and bullying are still part of the human condition. We also find that human ingenuity still finds a way of working around that exercise of power. The story is very cleverly crafted and makes the reader think about the mechanism by which humanity ever strives to do more. We are not creatures to accept enough being enough.
Another theme concerns the unknown. As we move off planet, the balance between the known and the unknown tips considerably in favour of the latter. The story by Arthur C Clarke is a case in point. Humanity has made it to the Moon. Whilst excavating the Moon an alien object is found that appears to send a signal from the Moon to an unknown destination. What does that mean? We aren't told in the story, but it does allow us to embrace our fear of the unknown. I quite like that suspense.
If this book were in print, I would recommend purchasing it. However, it isn't in print. My copy is a 1972 edition that I acquired in a second hand bokshop. This is proving to be quite a useful source of some very good reading for me. It's almost like mining asteroids - we search to find some extremely useful nuggets. I would advocate it as a source of thinking material.
January 23, 2019
A mixed bag of classic science fiction stories.
The Sentinel by Arthur C Clarke.
Something has been found in the Mare Crisium on the Moon. An echo of later stories.
Moonwalk by HB Fyfe
An interesting adventure and fight for survival on the Moon. Great characters.
Mars Is Heaven! by Ray Bradbury
Very annoying depiction of a Mars landing site as a Victorian village full of the dead families of those on board a rocket from Earth, but redeemed somewhat by the ending.
The Edge of the Sea by Algis Budrys
A storm in the Florida Keys leads a man to something caught on the rocks. Satisfying.
The Martian Way by Isaac Asimov
A Trumpian tyrant on Earth interferes with humans on Mars. I loved this, despite the idea that water is used as a propellant in space. Of course I loved it: it's Asimov!
The Big Contest by John D MacDonald
The mundane setting and the subject of the contest conspired to turn me off from this story. Ultimately disappointing.
Ordeal In Space by Robert A Heinlein
An interesting story about PTSD and facing your fears.
That Share Of Glory by CM Kornbluth
Alien languages even hinted at? Love. Language is the key to this immersive story. An enjoyable read.
Sunken Universe by James Blish
A submarine alien intelligence with webbed hands, and yet calling themselves human and demonstrably speaking English contends with a vast ecosystem of aquatic species. A very imaginative story.
Bradbury and MacDonald brought down the average. Asimov and Kornbluth lifted the average up. But Heinlein had my heart pounding with my own fear of heights.
I suppose an anthology is always a mixed bag, and there are some gems in this one.
The Sentinel by Arthur C Clarke.
Something has been found in the Mare Crisium on the Moon. An echo of later stories.
Moonwalk by HB Fyfe
An interesting adventure and fight for survival on the Moon. Great characters.
Mars Is Heaven! by Ray Bradbury
Very annoying depiction of a Mars landing site as a Victorian village full of the dead families of those on board a rocket from Earth, but redeemed somewhat by the ending.
The Edge of the Sea by Algis Budrys
A storm in the Florida Keys leads a man to something caught on the rocks. Satisfying.
The Martian Way by Isaac Asimov
A Trumpian tyrant on Earth interferes with humans on Mars. I loved this, despite the idea that water is used as a propellant in space. Of course I loved it: it's Asimov!
The Big Contest by John D MacDonald
The mundane setting and the subject of the contest conspired to turn me off from this story. Ultimately disappointing.
Ordeal In Space by Robert A Heinlein
An interesting story about PTSD and facing your fears.
That Share Of Glory by CM Kornbluth
Alien languages even hinted at? Love. Language is the key to this immersive story. An enjoyable read.
Sunken Universe by James Blish
A submarine alien intelligence with webbed hands, and yet calling themselves human and demonstrably speaking English contends with a vast ecosystem of aquatic species. A very imaginative story.
Bradbury and MacDonald brought down the average. Asimov and Kornbluth lifted the average up. But Heinlein had my heart pounding with my own fear of heights.
I suppose an anthology is always a mixed bag, and there are some gems in this one.
February 7, 2021
A strong collection of science fiction short stories from the 40s and 50s, including "The Sentinal" by Arthur C. Clarke, which inspired 2001: A Space Odyssey. I liked the brief but powerful Clarke story quite a bit, although my favorites in the bunch are probably the sci-fi horror story "Mars is Heaven!" by Ray Bradbury, H.B. Frye's pulpy adventure of a man struggling to walk back to base after a tragic accident in "Moonwalk," and the story of a novice space monk learning the ropes as he translates for a blustery trader hawking jewels on a far-away planet in C.M. Kornbluth's "That Share of Glory." All the stories in this collection were great, though (and Heinlein's features a cat <3 ) -- definitely worth seeking out in the used book bin.
May 3, 2019
Outstanding short stories from some of the best SF authors of past years. I recommend it because they were written over fifty years ago and never fail to grasp your attention!
September 8, 2025
This book has some very enjoyable science fiction short stories and is a recommended read.
February 10, 2016
A collection of classic SF from some of the great authors.
We open with "The Sentinel" by Arthur C. Clarke, the seed from which 2001 grew, and an example of Clarke's ability to make a story out of "here is this great thing I witnessed, without really affecting the outcome; isn't that amazing?"
"Moonwalk" by H. B. Fyfe is a survival story which reminded me of Andy Weir's The Martian, though of course it's much shorter and more concentrated (and the protagonist isn't a smartass). The tension is well sustained.
"Mars is Heaven" by Ray Bradbury is an example of Bradbury's trademark bizarre imagination and ability to tie science fiction and American small-town life together in a way that works.
"The Edge of the Sea" by Algis Budrys tells of a not-quite-first-contact scenario through a Hemingwayesque character who discovers a spaceship about to be washed away by the tide and is determined to keep it in case there's some kind of reward - and he has nothing better to do, anyway, so he'll risk his life and put out immense effort, giving meaning to the struggle by the fact that he engages in it.
"The Martian Way" by Isaac Asimov continues a kind of working-class hero vibe that's developing in the collection, as Martian colonists bravely obtain water from one of the moons of Saturn and show up a populist Earth politician for the fool he is.
"The Big Contest" by John D. MacDonald is another blue-collar first contact story, involving a spitting contest.
"Ordeal in Space" by Robert A. Heinlein shows us a spacer with what we would now call PTSD, able to overcome his fears when he needs to help a fellow creature. I had forgotten how fond Heinlein was of cats, and this story endears him to me more than most of his others.
"That Share of Glory" by C.M. Kornbluth shows us a member of a monastic guild of translators whose mission is to spread utilitarian civilisation. He learns some lessons about life in the field on his first assignment, lessons that he wasn't taught in the Order.
Finally, "Sunken Universe" by James Blish gives us one of those "bizarre milieu" stories that affirm the human spirit in any kind of situation.
Overall, indeed, this is a collection all about the human spirit, the spirit of ordinary people (or rather ordinary men, given the time period) in extraordinary situations, mostly exploratory ones. There's some fine writing in it, and some fine thinking too.
We open with "The Sentinel" by Arthur C. Clarke, the seed from which 2001 grew, and an example of Clarke's ability to make a story out of "here is this great thing I witnessed, without really affecting the outcome; isn't that amazing?"
"Moonwalk" by H. B. Fyfe is a survival story which reminded me of Andy Weir's The Martian, though of course it's much shorter and more concentrated (and the protagonist isn't a smartass). The tension is well sustained.
"Mars is Heaven" by Ray Bradbury is an example of Bradbury's trademark bizarre imagination and ability to tie science fiction and American small-town life together in a way that works.
"The Edge of the Sea" by Algis Budrys tells of a not-quite-first-contact scenario through a Hemingwayesque character who discovers a spaceship about to be washed away by the tide and is determined to keep it in case there's some kind of reward - and he has nothing better to do, anyway, so he'll risk his life and put out immense effort, giving meaning to the struggle by the fact that he engages in it.
"The Martian Way" by Isaac Asimov continues a kind of working-class hero vibe that's developing in the collection, as Martian colonists bravely obtain water from one of the moons of Saturn and show up a populist Earth politician for the fool he is.
"The Big Contest" by John D. MacDonald is another blue-collar first contact story, involving a spitting contest.
"Ordeal in Space" by Robert A. Heinlein shows us a spacer with what we would now call PTSD, able to overcome his fears when he needs to help a fellow creature. I had forgotten how fond Heinlein was of cats, and this story endears him to me more than most of his others.
"That Share of Glory" by C.M. Kornbluth shows us a member of a monastic guild of translators whose mission is to spread utilitarian civilisation. He learns some lessons about life in the field on his first assignment, lessons that he wasn't taught in the Order.
Finally, "Sunken Universe" by James Blish gives us one of those "bizarre milieu" stories that affirm the human spirit in any kind of situation.
Overall, indeed, this is a collection all about the human spirit, the spirit of ordinary people (or rather ordinary men, given the time period) in extraordinary situations, mostly exploratory ones. There's some fine writing in it, and some fine thinking too.
March 24, 2010
Written by some of the greatest Sci-Fi writers of all time, this short collection of outer-space adventures leads off with Arthur C. Clarke's "The Sentinel", which was the basis of the movie "2001, A Space Odyssey".
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews