Isaac Asimov Presents The Great Science Fiction Stories # 19

Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories #19

by Isaac Asimov (editor), Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), H. Beam Piper

This collection of vintage science fiction tales from the year 1957 features works by such noted writers as Poul Anderson, Robert Silverberg, and Isaac Asimov.

Contents:
9 · Introduction · Martin H. Greenberg · in
15 · Strikebreaker [“Male Strikebreaker”] · Isaac Asimov · ss Science Fiction Stories Jan ’57
33 · Omnilingual · H. Beam Piper · nv Astounding Feb ’57
89 · The Mile-Long Spaceship · Kate Wilhelm · ss Astounding Apr ’57
103 · Call Me Joe · Poul Anderson · nv Astounding Apr ’57
149 · You Know Willie · Theodore R. Cogswell · ss F&SF May ’57
157 · Hunting Machine · Carol Emshwiller · ss Science Fiction Stories May ’57
167 · World of a Thousand Colors · Robert Silverberg · ss Super Science Fiction Jun ’57
187 · Let’s Be Frank · Brian W. Aldiss · ss Science-Fantasy #23 ’57
199 · The Cage · A. Bertram Chandler · ss F&SF Jun ’57
215 · The Education of Tigress McCardle · C. M. Kornbluth · ss Venture Jul ’57
229 · The Tunesmith · Lloyd Biggle, Jr. · nv If Aug ’57
281 · A Loint of Paw · Isaac Asimov · vi F&SF Aug ’57
285 · Game Preserve · Rog Phillips · ss If Oct ’57
305 · Soldier [“Soldier from Tomorrow”] · Harlan Ellison · nv Fantastic Universe Oct ’57
335 · The Last Man Left in the Bar · C. M. Kornbluth · ss Infinity Science Fiction Oct ’57

Genres: Science Fiction

350 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1989

About the author

Works of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles, The Foundation Trilogy (1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.

Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.

Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).

People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.

Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.

Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...

Reviews

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story I liked best here: "Omnilingual." Had a nice realistic feel to it.

[Matteo Pellegrini · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quindici migliori racconti di fantascienza del 1957. Il 1957 fu un anno esplosivo. La Gran Bretagna si unì al club delle potenze termonucleari, gli Stati Uniti misero alla prova il loro primo missile cabalistico intercontinentale. Ma l'evento più stupefacente fu il successo del lancio degli Sputnik I e II. Camus vinceva il Nobel per la letteratura e Kubrick faceva uscire nelle sale "Momenti di gloria". Anche per la fantascienza fu una grande annata, come mostrano i quindici racconti di questa antologia scritti da Isaac Asimov, H. Beam Piper, Kate Wilhelm, Poul Anderson, Theodore R. Cogswell, Carol Emshwiler, Robert Silverberg, Brian Aldiss, A. Bertram Chandler, C.M. Kornbluth, Llyd Biggle jr., Rog Phillips, Harlan Ellison.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag, as is often the case with anthologies. It includes the dullest, most pretentious story I've read for quite some time ("The Last Man Left in the Bar" by Kornbluth) but there is one story that stands head and shoulders above the rest. "Omnilingual" by H. Beam Piper describes the attempts of an archaeologist to translate, against all odds, the long-dead language of extinct Martians. It's really very good.

[Nicholas Barone · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine collection of SF stories - all from the year 1957. My favorites from the collection were "Let's be Frank", by Brian Aldiss (a neat little story about the emergence of a group conciousness in 16th century England, and its development through history) and "The Tunesmith", by Lloyd Biggle, Jr. (a rare example of musically themed SF).

[Carlo Mayer]

Finiti