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Science Fiction Stories of Walter M. Miller
Contents
The Darfsteller • (1955) • novelette by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Crucifixus Etiam • (1953) • shortstory by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Dumb Waiter • (1952) • novelette by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Blood Bank • (1952) • novella by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The Big Hunger • (1952) • shortstory by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Conditionally Human • (1952) • novelette by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Dark Benediction • (1951) • novella by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
I, Dreamer • (1953) • shortstory by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The Will • (1954) • shortstory by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
You Triflin' Skunk! • (1955) • shortstory by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (variant of The Triflin' Man)
Command Performance • (1952) • novelette by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Big Joe and the Nth Generation • (1952) • shortstory by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (variant of It Takes a Thief)
Introduction (The Science Fiction Stories of Walter M. Miller, Jr.) • (1976) • essay by David N. Samuelson [as by David Samuelson ]
The Darfsteller • (1955) • novelette by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Crucifixus Etiam • (1953) • shortstory by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Dumb Waiter • (1952) • novelette by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Blood Bank • (1952) • novella by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The Big Hunger • (1952) • shortstory by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Conditionally Human • (1952) • novelette by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Dark Benediction • (1951) • novella by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
I, Dreamer • (1953) • shortstory by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The Will • (1954) • shortstory by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
You Triflin' Skunk! • (1955) • shortstory by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (variant of The Triflin' Man)
Command Performance • (1952) • novelette by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Big Joe and the Nth Generation • (1952) • shortstory by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (variant of It Takes a Thief)
Introduction (The Science Fiction Stories of Walter M. Miller, Jr.) • (1976) • essay by David N. Samuelson [as by David Samuelson ]
- GenresScience Fiction
373 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1978
3 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Walter M. Miller Jr.
147 books965 followersFrom the Wikipedia article, "Walter M. Miller, Jr.":
Miller was born in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Educated at the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas, he worked as an engineer. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps as a radioman and tail gunner, flying more than fifty bombing missions over Italy. He took part in the bombing of the Benedictine Abbey at Monte Cassino, which proved a traumatic experience for him. Joe Haldeman reported that Miller "had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for 30 years before it had a name".
After the war, Miller converted to Catholicism. He married Anna Louise Becker in 1945, and they had four children. For several months in 1953 he lived with science-fiction writer Judith Merril, ex-wife of Frederik Pohl and a noted science-fiction author in her own right.
Between 1951 and 1957, Miller published over three dozen science fiction short stories, winning a Hugo Award in 1955 for the story "The Darfsteller". He also wrote scripts for the television show Captain Video in 1953. Late in the 1950s, Miller assembled a novel from three closely related novellas he had published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1955, 1956, and 1957. The novel, entitled A Canticle for Leibowitz, was published in 1959.
A Canticle for Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic (post-holocaust) novel revolving around the canonisation of Saint Leibowitz and is considered a masterpiece of the genre. It won the 1961 Hugo Award for Best Novel. The novel is also a powerful meditation on the cycles of world history and Roman Catholicism as a force of stability during history's dark times.
After the success of A Canticle for Leibowitz, Miller never published another new novel or story in his lifetime, although several compilations of Miller's earlier stories were issued in the 1960s and 1970s.
In Miller's later years, he became a recluse, avoiding contact with nearly everyone, including family members; he never allowed his literary agent, Don Congdon, to meet him. According to science fiction writer Terry Bisson, Miller struggled with depression during his later years, but had managed to nearly complete a 600-page manuscript for the sequel to Canticle before taking his own life with a gun in January 1996, shortly after his wife's death. The sequel, titled Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman, was completed by Bisson and published in 1997.
Miller was born in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Educated at the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas, he worked as an engineer. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps as a radioman and tail gunner, flying more than fifty bombing missions over Italy. He took part in the bombing of the Benedictine Abbey at Monte Cassino, which proved a traumatic experience for him. Joe Haldeman reported that Miller "had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for 30 years before it had a name".
After the war, Miller converted to Catholicism. He married Anna Louise Becker in 1945, and they had four children. For several months in 1953 he lived with science-fiction writer Judith Merril, ex-wife of Frederik Pohl and a noted science-fiction author in her own right.
Between 1951 and 1957, Miller published over three dozen science fiction short stories, winning a Hugo Award in 1955 for the story "The Darfsteller". He also wrote scripts for the television show Captain Video in 1953. Late in the 1950s, Miller assembled a novel from three closely related novellas he had published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1955, 1956, and 1957. The novel, entitled A Canticle for Leibowitz, was published in 1959.
A Canticle for Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic (post-holocaust) novel revolving around the canonisation of Saint Leibowitz and is considered a masterpiece of the genre. It won the 1961 Hugo Award for Best Novel. The novel is also a powerful meditation on the cycles of world history and Roman Catholicism as a force of stability during history's dark times.
After the success of A Canticle for Leibowitz, Miller never published another new novel or story in his lifetime, although several compilations of Miller's earlier stories were issued in the 1960s and 1970s.
In Miller's later years, he became a recluse, avoiding contact with nearly everyone, including family members; he never allowed his literary agent, Don Congdon, to meet him. According to science fiction writer Terry Bisson, Miller struggled with depression during his later years, but had managed to nearly complete a 600-page manuscript for the sequel to Canticle before taking his own life with a gun in January 1996, shortly after his wife's death. The sequel, titled Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman, was completed by Bisson and published in 1997.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 1, 2021
The View from the Stars plus three novelettes. Must reading for anyone who wonders if that old SF actually had merit. Not every story is a masterpiece, but all have merit. I reviewed the short stories under that title.
The Darfsteller • (1955) I said elsewhere: "A novelette that is brilliant, enchanting, literary, engaging, and very much ahead of its time. It's not even sexist, as we're led to expect that all fiction from the era is. ...Don't be put off by the title. If you've ever felt pressured by the pace of technological advances, if you have any interest in the performing arts, if you've ever had a demeaning job, if you've ever loved & lost... read this story!
Darfsteller is an unfortunate title. But ... it gives us a lot to think about, including a main character who is not heroic, not even all that likable.
Conditionally Human • (1952) If you liked Half Brother or We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves or The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore or the Uplift books or even *Frankenstein* you want to get a look at this. Miller has a knack for adding that extra twist of insight, and poignancy, to the conversation.
Dark Benediction • (1951) Not a zombie novel... not a novel of a plague... but kinda both and so much more. As I wait for my turn for the vaccine for Covid-19, I see how very likely things could go wrong the way they did in the backstory to this adventure. "You just want to know how you... will be affected by events. You don't care about understanding for its own sake. Few people do. That's why we're in this mess...."
The only reason, I think, that these three novelettes are not more well known is because it's such an awkward format. And of course because single-author short story collections don't get near enough love anymore.
The Darfsteller • (1955) I said elsewhere: "A novelette that is brilliant, enchanting, literary, engaging, and very much ahead of its time. It's not even sexist, as we're led to expect that all fiction from the era is. ...Don't be put off by the title. If you've ever felt pressured by the pace of technological advances, if you have any interest in the performing arts, if you've ever had a demeaning job, if you've ever loved & lost... read this story!
Darfsteller is an unfortunate title. But ... it gives us a lot to think about, including a main character who is not heroic, not even all that likable.
Conditionally Human • (1952) If you liked Half Brother or We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves or The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore or the Uplift books or even *Frankenstein* you want to get a look at this. Miller has a knack for adding that extra twist of insight, and poignancy, to the conversation.
Dark Benediction • (1951) Not a zombie novel... not a novel of a plague... but kinda both and so much more. As I wait for my turn for the vaccine for Covid-19, I see how very likely things could go wrong the way they did in the backstory to this adventure. "You just want to know how you... will be affected by events. You don't care about understanding for its own sake. Few people do. That's why we're in this mess...."
The only reason, I think, that these three novelettes are not more well known is because it's such an awkward format. And of course because single-author short story collections don't get near enough love anymore.
November 23, 2025
Miller Jr., celebrated for A Canticle for Leibowitz, brings the same moral depth and speculative rigour to Science Fiction Stories of Walter M. Miller. This collection showcases a writer fascinated by the intersections of faith, technology, war, and the flawed perseverance of the human spirit. Miller’s stories often begin with classical sci-fi premises—robots, alien encounters, futuristic militaries—but they unfold into meditations on guilt, redemption, and the ethical weight of progress.
Miller’s background as a World War II airman permeates many of the stories. Themes of destruction, trauma, and unintended consequence recur throughout the collection. But unlike many pulp writers of his era, Miller treats these subjects with solemn introspection rather than spectacle. His characters grapple not only with external conflicts but also with internal reckonings. The future worlds he imagines may be technologically advanced, but they are morally fraught.
What distinguishes Miller’s writing is his almost theological sensibility. He approaches science fiction as a lens through which the deepest human questions can be examined:
How do we atone for actions that cannot be undone?
What responsibilities arise from knowledge?
Can technology ever be ethically neutral?
These concerns elevate the stories beyond genre conventions, imbuing them with philosophical resonance.
Stylistically, Miller writes with lyricism and precision. His descriptions are vivid without being ornate, his dialogue purposeful, and his pacing deliberate.
Many stories conclude with the kind of poignant twist or revelation that invites immediate rereading—not for plot clarification but for emotional understanding.
Science Fiction Stories of Walter M. Miller stands as a testament to a writer who saw speculative fiction not as escapism but as an avenue for moral inquiry.
It is a collection that challenges, unsettles, and lingers, offering deep rewards to readers willing to engage with its intellectual and emotional complexities.
Miller’s background as a World War II airman permeates many of the stories. Themes of destruction, trauma, and unintended consequence recur throughout the collection. But unlike many pulp writers of his era, Miller treats these subjects with solemn introspection rather than spectacle. His characters grapple not only with external conflicts but also with internal reckonings. The future worlds he imagines may be technologically advanced, but they are morally fraught.
What distinguishes Miller’s writing is his almost theological sensibility. He approaches science fiction as a lens through which the deepest human questions can be examined:
How do we atone for actions that cannot be undone?
What responsibilities arise from knowledge?
Can technology ever be ethically neutral?
These concerns elevate the stories beyond genre conventions, imbuing them with philosophical resonance.
Stylistically, Miller writes with lyricism and precision. His descriptions are vivid without being ornate, his dialogue purposeful, and his pacing deliberate.
Many stories conclude with the kind of poignant twist or revelation that invites immediate rereading—not for plot clarification but for emotional understanding.
Science Fiction Stories of Walter M. Miller stands as a testament to a writer who saw speculative fiction not as escapism but as an avenue for moral inquiry.
It is a collection that challenges, unsettles, and lingers, offering deep rewards to readers willing to engage with its intellectual and emotional complexities.
May 22, 2013
These short stories from the 1950's by the author of the SF Classic "Canticle for Leibowitz" range from very good to OK. A number of them, like many others in that era, use a nuclear holocaust/plague situation and its effects both immediate and far in the future. According to the Introduction of this edtion, Miller was not religious, but many stories (like "Canticle") show an influence of the Roman Catholoism he grew up in theme and setting. In fact, one of them is titled "Etiam Crucifixus". Organized religion and its clergy, whether Christianity or extra-terrestrial, in shown in both positive and negative lights. I recognized several themes: the Good Sameritan, Christ on the Cross, and the building of Medieval cathedrals. To be clear, these are not religious stories, but sometimes show a Christian point of view. I suspect his own religion was probably closer to a belief that technology can save us, if we only use it correctly.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews