The Post Reader of Fantasy and Science Fiction

by Philip Wylie

Twenty thrilling stories in this collection of the best stories of fantasy and science fiction published by The Saturday Evening Post
Doctor Hanray's Second Chance by Conrad Richter
Fallout Island by Robert Murphy
The Green Hills of Earth by Robert A. Heinlein
Doomsday Deferred by Will F. Jenkins
Test-tube Terror by Robert Standish
Island of Fear by William Sambrot
Sinister Journey by Conrad Richter
The Place of the Gods by Stephen Vincent Benet
The Phantom Setter by Robert Murphy
The Big Wheel by Fred McMorrow
The Death Dust by Frank Harvey
The Lost Continent by Geoffrey Household
The Trap by Kem Bennett
Space Secret by William Sambrot
The Unsafe Deposit Box by Gerald Kersh
The Second Trip to Mars by Ward Moore
The Voice in the Earphones by Wilbur Schramm
Moon Crazy by William Roy Shelton
The Little Terror by Will F. Jenkins
Novellette
The Answer by Philip Wylie

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Born in Beverly, Massachusetts, Philip Gordon Wylie was the son of Presbyterian minister Edmund Melville Wylie and the former Edna Edwards, a novelist, who died when Philip was five years old. His family moved to Montclair, New Jersey and he later attended Princeton University from 1920–1923. He married Sally Ondek, and had one child, Karen, an author who became the inventor of animal "clicker" training. After a divorcing his first wife, Philip Wylie married Frederica Ballard who was born and raised in Rushford, New York; they are both buried in Rushford.

A writer of fiction and nonfiction, his output included hundreds of short stories, articles, serials, syndicated newspaper columns, novels, and works of social criticism. He also wrote screenplays while in Hollywood, was an editor for Farrar & Rinehart, served on the Dade County, Florida Defense Council, was a director of the Lerner Marine Laboratory, and at one time was an adviser to the chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee for Atomic Energy which led to the creation of the Atomic Energy Commission. Most of his major writings contain critical, though often philosophical, views on man and society as a result of his studies and interest in psychology, biology, ethnology, and physics. Over nine movies were made from novels or stories by Wylie. He sold the rights for two others that were never produced.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an anthology of science fiction and fantasy stories that had the distinction of having been printed in The Saturday Evening Post, a periodical with a readership much huger than the typical genre pulps or digests of the time. This book overlaps a bit with the earlier Avon anthology, The Saturday Evening Post Fantasy Stories, which appeared in 1951. Like the first volume, for the most part they're much more mainstream in tone and concept than what you would have found in the genre magazines of the time; the stories date from the end of WWII up to 1963. I remember stories by Gerald Kersh and Will F. Jenkins, who was better known in the field as his pseudonym Murray Leinster, a good anti-war novelette by Philip Wylie, and Conrad Richter. My favorite (of course!) is Robert A. Heinlein's classic The Green Hills of Earth.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

3 or 4 good short stories out of 20 isn’t good enough. Plenty of filler lacking any kind of real wit or memorable hooks.

Highlights include :
DOCTOR HANRAY'S SECOND CHANCE by Conrad Richter

THE PLACE OF THE GODS by Stephen Vincent Benét

THE DEATH DUST by Frank Harvey

THE ANSWER by Philip Wylie

Unfortunately with two of best stories being the first and last this was a struggle to get through.

Complete contents :
DOCTOR HANRAY'S SECOND CHANCE by Conrad Richter
FALLOUT ISLAND by Robert Murphy
THE GREEN HILLS OF EARTH by Robert A. Heinlein
DOOMSDAY DEFERRED by Will F. Jenkins
TEST-TUBE TERROR by Robert Standish
ISLAND OF FEAR by William Sambrot
SINISTER JOURNEY by Conrad Richter
THE PLACE OF THE GODS by Stephen Vincent Benét
THE PHANTOM SETTER by Robert Murphy
THE BIG WHEEL by Fred McMorrow
THE DEATH DUST by Frank Harvey
THE LOST CONTINENT by Geoffrey Household
THE TRAP by Kem Bennett
SPACE SECRET by William Sambrot
THE UNSAFE DEPOSIT BOX by Gerald Kersh
THE SECOND TRIP TO MARS by Ward Moore
THE VOICE IN THE EARPHONES by Wilbur Schramm
MOON CRAZY by William Roy Shelton
THE LITTLE TERROR by Will F. Jenkins
Novelette
THE ANSWER by Philip Wylie

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are several quite famous authors in this collection first published in 1963/4. There are also many I am not at all familiar with. One of the famous ones is Conrad Richter whose opening story 'Doctor Hanray's Second Chance' is very good. It is about an atomic scientist who developed an atomic bomb and visits where he grew up. For a short period he steps back into time and as the story develops he tries to talk his own young self out of pursuing physics instead of medicine. This one was published in the Saturday Evening Post, June 10, 1950.

The stories cover a period of 25 years, from 1937 to 1962. The stories are very well written and some reflect the times they were written in and some seem timeless. I really enjoyed this collection, reading the stories a few at a time. This is simply a great batch of old fashioned stories and only a couple were not as good as most.

Included is what was apparently a rather famous and celebrated anti-war novella of the 1950's, 'The Answer" by Philip Wylie.

7 • Doctor Hanray's Second Chance • (1950) • shortstory by Conrad Richter
19 • Fallout Island • (1962) • shortstory by Robert Murphy
29 • The Green Hills of Earth • (1947) • shortstory by Robert A. Heinlein
39 • Doomsday Deferred • (1949) • shortstory by Murray Leinster [as by Will F. Jenkins]
49 • Test-Tube Terror • (1958) • shortstory by Robert Standish
61 • Island of Fear • (1958) • shortstory by William Sambrot
70 • Sinister Journey • (1953) • shortstory by Conrad Richter
84 • The Place of the Gods • (1937) • shortstory by Stephen Vincent Benét
96 • The Phantom Setter • (1961) • shortstory by Robert Murphy
110 • The Big Wheel • (1961) • shortstory by Fred McMorrow
117 • The Death Dust • (1959) • shortstory by Frank Harvey
128 • The Lost Continent • (1960) • shortstory by Geoffrey Household
139 • The Trap • (1956) • shortstory by Kem Bennett
150 • Space Secret • (1959) • shortstory by William Sambrot
155 • The Unsafe Deposit Box • (1962) • shortstory by Gerald Kersh
165 • The Second Trip to Mars • (1954) • shortstory by Ward Moore (variant of Dominions Beyond)
177 • The Voice in the Earphones • (1947) • shortstory by Wilbur Schramm
186 • Moon Crazy • (1949) • shortstory by William Roy Shelton
199 • The Little Terror • (1953) • shortstory by Murray Leinster [as by Will F. Jenkins]
213 • The Answer • (1955) • novella by Philip Wylie