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Annual World's Best SF #7
The 1978 Annual World's Best SF
Contents:
"Introduction" (Donald A. Wollheim)
"In the Hall of the Martian Kings" (John Varley)
"A Time to Live" (Joe Haldeman)
"The House of Compassionate Sharers" (Michael Bishop)
"Particle Theory" (Edward Bryant)
"The Taste of the Dish and the Savor of the Day" (John Brunner)
"Jeffty Is Five" (Harlan Ellison)
"The Screwfly Solution" (Raccoona Sheldon)
"Eyes of Amber" (Joan D. Vinge)
"Child of the Sun" (James E. Gunn)
"Brother" (Clifford D. Simak)
"Introduction" (Donald A. Wollheim)
"In the Hall of the Martian Kings" (John Varley)
"A Time to Live" (Joe Haldeman)
"The House of Compassionate Sharers" (Michael Bishop)
"Particle Theory" (Edward Bryant)
"The Taste of the Dish and the Savor of the Day" (John Brunner)
"Jeffty Is Five" (Harlan Ellison)
"The Screwfly Solution" (Raccoona Sheldon)
"Eyes of Amber" (Joan D. Vinge)
"Child of the Sun" (James E. Gunn)
"Brother" (Clifford D. Simak)
270 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1978
2 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Donald A. Wollheim
297 books34 followersDonald Allen Wollheim was a science fiction writer, editor, publisher and fan. He published his own works under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell.
A member of the Futurians, he was one of the leading influences on the development of science fiction and science fiction fandom in the 20th century United States.
In 1937, Wollheim founded the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. The first mailing was distributed in July of that year and included this statement from Wollheim: "There are many fans desiring to put out a voice who dare not, for fear of being obliged to keep it up, and for the worry and time taken by subscriptions and advertising. It is for them and for the fan who admits it is his hobby and not his business that we formed the FAPA."
Wollheim was also a member of the New York Science Fiction League, one of the clubs established by Hugo Gernsback to promote science fiction. When Wollheim published a complaint of non-payment for stories against Gernsback, Gernsback dissolved the New York chapter of the club.
Wollheim's first story, "The Man from Ariel," was published in the January 1934 issue of Wonder Stories when Wollheim was nineteen. Wollheim was not paid for the story and when he began to look into the situation, he learned that many other authors had not been paid for their work, publishing his findings in the Bulletin of the Terrestrial Fantascience Guild. Gernsback eventually settled the case with Wollheim and other authors out of court for $75, but when Wollheim submitted another story to Gernsback, under the pseudonym "Millard Verne Gordon," he was again not paid. One of Wollheim's short stories, "Mimic" was made into the feature film of the same name, which was released in 1997.
He left Avon Books in 1952 to work for A. A. Wyn at Ace Books. In 1953 he introduced science fiction to the Ace lineup, and for 20 years edited their renowned sf list. Ace was well known for the Ace Doubles series which consisted of pairs of books, usually by different authors, bound back-to-back with two "front" covers. Because these paired books had to fit a fixed total page-length, one or both were usually heavily abridged to fit, and Wollheim often made many other editorial alterations and title changes — as witness the many differences between Poul Anderson's Ace novel War of the Wing-Men and its definitive revised edition, The Man Who Counts. It was also during the 1950s he bought the book Junk by William S. Burroughs, which, in his inimitable fashion, he retitled Junkie.
In 1965 Wollheim published an unauthorized Ace edition of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien in three volumes — the first mass-market paperback edition of Tolkien's epic. This was done because Wollheim believed the Houghton Mifflin hardcover editions failed to properly assert copyright. In a 2006 interview, Wollheim's daughter claimed that Tolkien had angered her father by saying that his magnum opus would never be published in so ‘degenerate a form’ as the paperback book. However, Tolkien had previously authorized a paperback edition of The Hobbit in 1961, and eventually supported paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings and several of his other texts. In any case, Ace was forced to cease publishing the unauthorized edition and to pay Tolkien for their sales following a grass-roots campaign and boycott by Tolkien's U.S. fans. In 1993 a court found that the copyright loophole suggested by Ace Books was incorrect and their paperback edition found to have been a violation of Tolkien's copyright under US law.
After leaving Ace he founded DAW Books in 1971, named by his initials, which can claim to be the first mass market specialist science fiction and fantasy fiction publishing house. In later years, when his distributors, New American Library, threatened to withhold distribution of Thomas Burnett Swann's Biblical fantasy How are the Mighty Fallen (1974) because of its homosexual con
A member of the Futurians, he was one of the leading influences on the development of science fiction and science fiction fandom in the 20th century United States.
In 1937, Wollheim founded the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. The first mailing was distributed in July of that year and included this statement from Wollheim: "There are many fans desiring to put out a voice who dare not, for fear of being obliged to keep it up, and for the worry and time taken by subscriptions and advertising. It is for them and for the fan who admits it is his hobby and not his business that we formed the FAPA."
Wollheim was also a member of the New York Science Fiction League, one of the clubs established by Hugo Gernsback to promote science fiction. When Wollheim published a complaint of non-payment for stories against Gernsback, Gernsback dissolved the New York chapter of the club.
Wollheim's first story, "The Man from Ariel," was published in the January 1934 issue of Wonder Stories when Wollheim was nineteen. Wollheim was not paid for the story and when he began to look into the situation, he learned that many other authors had not been paid for their work, publishing his findings in the Bulletin of the Terrestrial Fantascience Guild. Gernsback eventually settled the case with Wollheim and other authors out of court for $75, but when Wollheim submitted another story to Gernsback, under the pseudonym "Millard Verne Gordon," he was again not paid. One of Wollheim's short stories, "Mimic" was made into the feature film of the same name, which was released in 1997.
He left Avon Books in 1952 to work for A. A. Wyn at Ace Books. In 1953 he introduced science fiction to the Ace lineup, and for 20 years edited their renowned sf list. Ace was well known for the Ace Doubles series which consisted of pairs of books, usually by different authors, bound back-to-back with two "front" covers. Because these paired books had to fit a fixed total page-length, one or both were usually heavily abridged to fit, and Wollheim often made many other editorial alterations and title changes — as witness the many differences between Poul Anderson's Ace novel War of the Wing-Men and its definitive revised edition, The Man Who Counts. It was also during the 1950s he bought the book Junk by William S. Burroughs, which, in his inimitable fashion, he retitled Junkie.
In 1965 Wollheim published an unauthorized Ace edition of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien in three volumes — the first mass-market paperback edition of Tolkien's epic. This was done because Wollheim believed the Houghton Mifflin hardcover editions failed to properly assert copyright. In a 2006 interview, Wollheim's daughter claimed that Tolkien had angered her father by saying that his magnum opus would never be published in so ‘degenerate a form’ as the paperback book. However, Tolkien had previously authorized a paperback edition of The Hobbit in 1961, and eventually supported paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings and several of his other texts. In any case, Ace was forced to cease publishing the unauthorized edition and to pay Tolkien for their sales following a grass-roots campaign and boycott by Tolkien's U.S. fans. In 1993 a court found that the copyright loophole suggested by Ace Books was incorrect and their paperback edition found to have been a violation of Tolkien's copyright under US law.
After leaving Ace he founded DAW Books in 1971, named by his initials, which can claim to be the first mass market specialist science fiction and fantasy fiction publishing house. In later years, when his distributors, New American Library, threatened to withhold distribution of Thomas Burnett Swann's Biblical fantasy How are the Mighty Fallen (1974) because of its homosexual con
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 12, 2024
I'm obsessed with the 1977 edition of this series and apparently have also read 1976 but honestly wouldn't have remembered had I not rated it on goodreads. '78 is a solidly enjoyable collection, highlighted by the John Varley and Raccoona Sheldon (AKA James Tiptree Jr. AKA Alice Sheldon) stories.
Even if they aren't life-changing five-star collections, they live in a comfort reading sweet spot for me. So will be on the lookout for what others I can turn up.
Even if they aren't life-changing five-star collections, they live in a comfort reading sweet spot for me. So will be on the lookout for what others I can turn up.
August 30, 2018
Introduction - Wollheim welcomes any potential fans of Star Wars (which had come out in 1977) while also gently chiding it as science fantasy and not true science fiction. It's kind of adorable.
In the Hall of the Martian Kings - today it reads almost as a 70s version of the Martian...a disaster strikes a science expedition to Mars, stranding the remaining crew who resort to unexpected ways of survival. I read in An Informal History of the Hugos recently that it was one of the first of the New Mars stories that cropped up after the Viking probes showed that the Martian surface was desolate and lifeless. All in all it was a pretty good story, other than the old timey "I'm going to get the feminist captain out of her fugue of despair by questioning her capability since she's a mere woman" psych-out, which just felt weird to me.
A Time to Live - a crazy millionaire has his body frozen and shot into space, where it is discovered by hyper-evolved energy beings in the distant future. One of my favorites of the collection and definitely worth a revisit someday.
The House of the Compassionate Sharers - a guy is crushed nearly to death and his body is replaced with a robotic simulacrum. He feels depressed and disgusted with life, so his girlfriend (who also got him the robot body) sends him to a specialized therapy clinic. I found the writing style really difficult to get into at first, but once I got into the rhythm I found it to be a very enjoyable story.
Particle Theory - Honestly a rather bland story linking a physicist's life and the arrival of a comet? It's been about a week since I read it and I'm already forgetting it.
The Taste of the Dish and the Savor of the Day - a weak story about a rich guy who inherits the family chef, who just happens to know a recipe that will grant immortality to anyone who eats it as a meal every single day. The title is the best part of the story, imo.
Jeffty is Five - one of Harlan Ellison's classic short stories. The narrator describes his childhood best friend Jeffty, who happens to have never grown up. Everything around Jeffty magically stays preserved as well, new episodes of radio shows the narrator loved as a boy suddenly appear on when Jeffty is around. Since Ellison didn't have kids, he based Jeffty on Walter Koenig's son. It continues to be a powerful story about the thrill of nostalgia and how all-encompassing and destructive it can become. Hell, I'm committing myself to reading dozens of best-of anthologies because I adored Isaac Asimov's Great SF Stories anthologies when I was a kid...uh oh.
The Screwfly Solution - a plague begins to spread which causes men to violently attack women. The infected men feel no remorse and embrace their violent acts in an almost ecstatic religious fervor. The main character initially tries to sequester himself from his wife and daughter, and then attempts to spirit them away before he catches the disease. This is by far the best story of the collection and legitimately sent chills down my spine. In light of today's events I am surprised it is not more widely known and anthologized. I've really got to read more of Tiptree/Sheldon.
Eyes of Amber - a probe sent to Titan discovers a race of aliens with a kind of Game of Thrones assassination/intrigue/medieval vibe. The official stance is to egg on the alien who discovered the probe and her homicidal machinations, but some of the employees at NASA are feeling ambivalent about all the casual murder. A fun take on the prime directive and first contact.
Child of the Sun - a very odd story about a time traveler who goes back in time to fix the past, but then immediately forgets everything about his mission once it's over. Apparently it's part of a series? Didn't really click with me.
Brother - a farmer reminiscences about his twin brother who left the farm and went on space adventures. I really enjoyed the down home rural feel of the story, on visits to my grandparents out in the country sometimes neighbors just show up and talk about their crops, much like in this story. A hostile alien shows up and you expect trouble but no - they have a hilarious conversation.
Overall, more hits than misses. 4.5 stars.
In the Hall of the Martian Kings - today it reads almost as a 70s version of the Martian...a disaster strikes a science expedition to Mars, stranding the remaining crew who resort to unexpected ways of survival. I read in An Informal History of the Hugos recently that it was one of the first of the New Mars stories that cropped up after the Viking probes showed that the Martian surface was desolate and lifeless. All in all it was a pretty good story, other than the old timey "I'm going to get the feminist captain out of her fugue of despair by questioning her capability since she's a mere woman" psych-out, which just felt weird to me.
A Time to Live - a crazy millionaire has his body frozen and shot into space, where it is discovered by hyper-evolved energy beings in the distant future. One of my favorites of the collection and definitely worth a revisit someday.
The House of the Compassionate Sharers - a guy is crushed nearly to death and his body is replaced with a robotic simulacrum. He feels depressed and disgusted with life, so his girlfriend (who also got him the robot body) sends him to a specialized therapy clinic. I found the writing style really difficult to get into at first, but once I got into the rhythm I found it to be a very enjoyable story.
Particle Theory - Honestly a rather bland story linking a physicist's life and the arrival of a comet? It's been about a week since I read it and I'm already forgetting it.
The Taste of the Dish and the Savor of the Day - a weak story about a rich guy who inherits the family chef, who just happens to know a recipe that will grant immortality to anyone who eats it as a meal every single day. The title is the best part of the story, imo.
Jeffty is Five - one of Harlan Ellison's classic short stories. The narrator describes his childhood best friend Jeffty, who happens to have never grown up. Everything around Jeffty magically stays preserved as well, new episodes of radio shows the narrator loved as a boy suddenly appear on when Jeffty is around. Since Ellison didn't have kids, he based Jeffty on Walter Koenig's son. It continues to be a powerful story about the thrill of nostalgia and how all-encompassing and destructive it can become. Hell, I'm committing myself to reading dozens of best-of anthologies because I adored Isaac Asimov's Great SF Stories anthologies when I was a kid...uh oh.
The Screwfly Solution - a plague begins to spread which causes men to violently attack women. The infected men feel no remorse and embrace their violent acts in an almost ecstatic religious fervor. The main character initially tries to sequester himself from his wife and daughter, and then attempts to spirit them away before he catches the disease. This is by far the best story of the collection and legitimately sent chills down my spine. In light of today's events I am surprised it is not more widely known and anthologized. I've really got to read more of Tiptree/Sheldon.
Eyes of Amber - a probe sent to Titan discovers a race of aliens with a kind of Game of Thrones assassination/intrigue/medieval vibe. The official stance is to egg on the alien who discovered the probe and her homicidal machinations, but some of the employees at NASA are feeling ambivalent about all the casual murder. A fun take on the prime directive and first contact.
Child of the Sun - a very odd story about a time traveler who goes back in time to fix the past, but then immediately forgets everything about his mission once it's over. Apparently it's part of a series? Didn't really click with me.
Brother - a farmer reminiscences about his twin brother who left the farm and went on space adventures. I really enjoyed the down home rural feel of the story, on visits to my grandparents out in the country sometimes neighbors just show up and talk about their crops, much like in this story. A hostile alien shows up and you expect trouble but no - they have a hilarious conversation.
Overall, more hits than misses. 4.5 stars.
January 5, 2021
THE 1978 ANNUAL WORLD’S BEST SF IS RATED 85%.
10 STORIES : 1 GREAT / 6 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
1977 was the year that Star Wars changed the public conception of science fiction forever. Editor Donald Wollheim comments on it in the introduction. He hopes that some who have enjoyed the movie will slake their desire with literary science fiction, but he fears that there will be an inevitable decline.
This collection definitely stay away from the space opera and offers us an offbeat collection of tales. In fact, the greatest of this stories is pure horror, grounded in bleakly possible sci-fi reality.
“The Screwfly Solution” by Raccoona Sheldon. A.K.A. James Tiptree Jr A.K.A Alice Sheldon. This is a stark and raw feminist horror fable that uses the epistolary format for terrifying effect. Brutal anti-woman murder cults are springing up around the world. Strangely, the dispersion of these cults follows what would be expected if an agent of some kind was released in the atmosphere. Through this hellscape, a husband and father tries to return home to his family, but what will he do when he arrives.
***
THE 1978 ANNUAL WORLD’S BEST SF IS RATED 85%.
1 GREAT / 6 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
In the Hall of the Martian Kings by John Varley. 1976
Good. A Martian expedition finds themselves stranded after a disaster and must come up with a way to survive together for years until help can arrive.
A Time to Live by Joe Haldeman.
Average. A very wealthy man is awakened from cryogenic sleep by far future beings.
The House of Compassionate Sharers by Michael Bishop.
Good. A rebuilt man who has a phobia of the human body get treatment at an interesting facility that doubles as an offbeat brothel.
Particle Theory by Edward Bryant.
Average. Cool character story of a man coming to grips with cancer and dwelling upon the death of his wife.
The Taste of the Dish and the Savor of the Day by John Brunner.
Average. A strange dinner with an old gourmet acquaintance becomes a conversation about the greatest - and most dangerous - meal in the world.
Jeffty is Five by Harlan Ellison.
Good. In his own world, Jeffty stays five even as everyone else gets older.
The Screwfly Solution by Raccoona Sheldon.
Great. A masterpiece of feminist horror. Something is confusing the sex drive of men, driving then to murder all women.
Eyes of Amber by Joan D. Vinge
Good. An assassin on an alien world takes a human probe as her ‘demon’ and what starts as scientific examination becomes something more.
Child of the Sun by James E. Gunn
Good. An amnesiac time-traveler, a kidnapped girl, and an apocalyptic Los Angeles devastated by the Oil Crisis.
Brother by Clifford D Simak.
Good. One twin brother left for the stars and one stayed on the farm. Tonight the space brother will return.
10 STORIES : 1 GREAT / 6 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
1977 was the year that Star Wars changed the public conception of science fiction forever. Editor Donald Wollheim comments on it in the introduction. He hopes that some who have enjoyed the movie will slake their desire with literary science fiction, but he fears that there will be an inevitable decline.
This collection definitely stay away from the space opera and offers us an offbeat collection of tales. In fact, the greatest of this stories is pure horror, grounded in bleakly possible sci-fi reality.
“The Screwfly Solution” by Raccoona Sheldon. A.K.A. James Tiptree Jr A.K.A Alice Sheldon. This is a stark and raw feminist horror fable that uses the epistolary format for terrifying effect. Brutal anti-woman murder cults are springing up around the world. Strangely, the dispersion of these cults follows what would be expected if an agent of some kind was released in the atmosphere. Through this hellscape, a husband and father tries to return home to his family, but what will he do when he arrives.
***
THE 1978 ANNUAL WORLD’S BEST SF IS RATED 85%.
1 GREAT / 6 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
In the Hall of the Martian Kings by John Varley. 1976
Good. A Martian expedition finds themselves stranded after a disaster and must come up with a way to survive together for years until help can arrive.
A Time to Live by Joe Haldeman.
Average. A very wealthy man is awakened from cryogenic sleep by far future beings.
The House of Compassionate Sharers by Michael Bishop.
Good. A rebuilt man who has a phobia of the human body get treatment at an interesting facility that doubles as an offbeat brothel.
Particle Theory by Edward Bryant.
Average. Cool character story of a man coming to grips with cancer and dwelling upon the death of his wife.
The Taste of the Dish and the Savor of the Day by John Brunner.
Average. A strange dinner with an old gourmet acquaintance becomes a conversation about the greatest - and most dangerous - meal in the world.
Jeffty is Five by Harlan Ellison.
Good. In his own world, Jeffty stays five even as everyone else gets older.
The Screwfly Solution by Raccoona Sheldon.
Great. A masterpiece of feminist horror. Something is confusing the sex drive of men, driving then to murder all women.
Eyes of Amber by Joan D. Vinge
Good. An assassin on an alien world takes a human probe as her ‘demon’ and what starts as scientific examination becomes something more.
Child of the Sun by James E. Gunn
Good. An amnesiac time-traveler, a kidnapped girl, and an apocalyptic Los Angeles devastated by the Oil Crisis.
Brother by Clifford D Simak.
Good. One twin brother left for the stars and one stayed on the farm. Tonight the space brother will return.
Read
April 25, 2017My attempt to read every year of this anthology series continues.
The intro for this one has a great section about this newfangled Star Wars movie and how many people are getting their first taste of sci-fi from it, and speculates about whether the current sci-fi craze in pop culture will continue. I’ve got some good news from the future, Donald!
"In the Hall of the Martian Kings" (John Varley) – The beginning of this one is remarkably similar to The Martian (Mars astronauts stranded after a disaster must figure out how to survive), but the way it ends is… remarkably different. Like, ‘quasi-organic Martian-engineered plants save the day’ different. There’s some nicely surreal plant/creature design here. My only criticisms are that it takes the crew a bit too long to connect certain logical dots, but overall I liked this a lot.
"A Time to Live" (Joe Haldeman) – A good old fashioned recursive time loop, where Ambitious Guy gets a chance to live a second life contemporaneous to his own, and becomes Chill Guy who pushes his former self to greatness so that he can enjoy, essentially, retirement. Nothing in here really surprised me, but that’s not always a bad thing.
"The House of Compassionate Sharers" (Michael Bishop) – One of the best discoveries of this whole project has been Michael Bishop, who has become one of my favorite SF authors. His stuff is WEIRD, to the point where I’m not even sure who I’d recommend this story to, but personally I loved it. It’s upsetting and surreal and human and fascinating, and has enough interesting background detail for a whole novel. And it’s about a guy who gets his brain put in a robot body and then gets sent to a space brothel for rehab. Like I said, weird. But great.
"Particle Theory" (Edward Bryant) – the main character in this story is a science writer who lost his wife, and what he goes through when he finds out he has cancer. Oh, and also a bunch of stars are suddenly going nova and no one knows why. There were parts of this that didn’t work for me, but I love sci-fi where the focus is on human nature and how it would be affected by novel situations. (This story has a lot of similarities with Connie Willis’ ‘Daisy In The Sun,’ which I prefer over this, possibly because I identify with the young female main character more.)
"The Taste of the Dish and the Savor of the Day" (John Brunner) – A ‘secret food so good that it becomes the only thing you can enjoy’ story. As I’ve been reading these books, I’ve often wondered how certain premises that seem totally played-out to me now were received at the time. Which is another way of saying that this one didn’t do much for me. It doesn’t really elevate the premise past the basics. Not badly written, just a little meh.
"Jeffty Is Five" (Harlan Ellison) – A boy is stuck at age five forever (or, more specifically, is stuck in the year in which he was five forever), while his friend grows up and becomes an adult. But eventually, the modern world becomes too much for the kid, and, well, it doesn’t end well. The metaphor for the past being destroyed by the present is very well-done and affecting, though I bet it would have been more affecting for me if I wasn’t so far removed from the time period . Hard for a 28-year-old to get nostalgic for radio plays and five cent candy bars.
One interesting thing about this story, which is also true of the last story, ‘Brother’ – it’s a very literary, metaphorical concept which is given a brief, awkward sciencey explanation to justify it. If this story had been written now, I’m absolutely certain that the author would have dispensed with the explanation altogether, because the only reason it’s there is to justify the story’s sci-fi bonafides in a way that modern readers are much less concerned with.
"The Screwfly Solution" (Raccoona Sheldon) – I thought I had already read this, but I was confusing it with Parthen by R.A. Lafferty, in which beautiful alien women destroy the human race by seducing all the men away from human women. So the incredible brutality of this story took me by surprise. In THIS story, aliens exterminate the human race by introducing a chemical which mixes up the sex and violence drives in men, who then proceed to HORRIBLY MURDER EVERY WOMAN ON EARTH. I wasn’t surprised to see that this was also published in horror anthologies. The earlier parts of the story, in which men start setting up all-male compounds and writing books about why men must seize the earth back from women, are shall we say very uncomfortable to read in these days of MRAs.
"Eyes of Amber" (Joan D. Vinge) – Let’s get one thing out of the way – the way the main human characters in this story casually meddle in the inner workings of an alien culture they know almost nothing about is totally infuriating. Especially because it winds up working out great, when it could just as easily have resulted in dozens of deaths. But! Aside from that, this was one of my favorite stories in the collection. The alien culture is very compelling and presented in a show-don’t-tell way which really works, and the not-exactly-romantic relationship between the main alien and her ‘demon’ (which is actually a probe controlled by a human) is weirdly touching.
"Child of the Sun" (James E. Gunn) – I liked this one a lot, even though I’m still not totally sure just exactly what was happening to the main character. He’s a man who wakes up with amnesia, listens to a recorded message from himself telling him that 1. He just prevented WWIII but doesn’t remember and 2. He will get hunches which will tell him what to do, and he needs to follow them. And then he goes and saves a little girl who’s going to grow up to invent fusion power, but… is he meant to be going back in time and saving her over and over? Or is he going back in time and fixing DIFFERENT problems? Is he actually going back in time at all, or just waking up with amnesia repeatedly? My confusion over those points takes away a little from my enjoyment of this one, which was actually a fun read.
"Brother" (Clifford D. Simak) – A man who wanted to stay at home on the farm but also wanted to travel the galaxy projects a semi-real version of himself, which he remembers as his twin, so that he can hitch a ride on a spaceship while still living on the patch of land he loves. It’s a beautiful concept with an odd record-scratch at the end, where 1. we get a weird sci-fi explanation about this being a new stage of evolution or whatever, and 2. an alien who’s obsessed with the man’s ghost-self shows up, demands an explanation, receives it, and then just leaves. But other than that, a nice story about the impossibility of having everything you want at once.
Favorites in this one: The House of Compassionate Sharers, Eyes of Amber, The Screwfly Solution. Overall, I didn't find this year as strong as some of the others I've read.
The intro for this one has a great section about this newfangled Star Wars movie and how many people are getting their first taste of sci-fi from it, and speculates about whether the current sci-fi craze in pop culture will continue. I’ve got some good news from the future, Donald!
"In the Hall of the Martian Kings" (John Varley) – The beginning of this one is remarkably similar to The Martian (Mars astronauts stranded after a disaster must figure out how to survive), but the way it ends is… remarkably different. Like, ‘quasi-organic Martian-engineered plants save the day’ different. There’s some nicely surreal plant/creature design here. My only criticisms are that it takes the crew a bit too long to connect certain logical dots, but overall I liked this a lot.
"A Time to Live" (Joe Haldeman) – A good old fashioned recursive time loop, where Ambitious Guy gets a chance to live a second life contemporaneous to his own, and becomes Chill Guy who pushes his former self to greatness so that he can enjoy, essentially, retirement. Nothing in here really surprised me, but that’s not always a bad thing.
"The House of Compassionate Sharers" (Michael Bishop) – One of the best discoveries of this whole project has been Michael Bishop, who has become one of my favorite SF authors. His stuff is WEIRD, to the point where I’m not even sure who I’d recommend this story to, but personally I loved it. It’s upsetting and surreal and human and fascinating, and has enough interesting background detail for a whole novel. And it’s about a guy who gets his brain put in a robot body and then gets sent to a space brothel for rehab. Like I said, weird. But great.
"Particle Theory" (Edward Bryant) – the main character in this story is a science writer who lost his wife, and what he goes through when he finds out he has cancer. Oh, and also a bunch of stars are suddenly going nova and no one knows why. There were parts of this that didn’t work for me, but I love sci-fi where the focus is on human nature and how it would be affected by novel situations. (This story has a lot of similarities with Connie Willis’ ‘Daisy In The Sun,’ which I prefer over this, possibly because I identify with the young female main character more.)
"The Taste of the Dish and the Savor of the Day" (John Brunner) – A ‘secret food so good that it becomes the only thing you can enjoy’ story. As I’ve been reading these books, I’ve often wondered how certain premises that seem totally played-out to me now were received at the time. Which is another way of saying that this one didn’t do much for me. It doesn’t really elevate the premise past the basics. Not badly written, just a little meh.
"Jeffty Is Five" (Harlan Ellison) – A boy is stuck at age five forever (or, more specifically, is stuck in the year in which he was five forever), while his friend grows up and becomes an adult. But eventually, the modern world becomes too much for the kid, and, well, it doesn’t end well. The metaphor for the past being destroyed by the present is very well-done and affecting, though I bet it would have been more affecting for me if I wasn’t so far removed from the time period . Hard for a 28-year-old to get nostalgic for radio plays and five cent candy bars.
One interesting thing about this story, which is also true of the last story, ‘Brother’ – it’s a very literary, metaphorical concept which is given a brief, awkward sciencey explanation to justify it. If this story had been written now, I’m absolutely certain that the author would have dispensed with the explanation altogether, because the only reason it’s there is to justify the story’s sci-fi bonafides in a way that modern readers are much less concerned with.
"The Screwfly Solution" (Raccoona Sheldon) – I thought I had already read this, but I was confusing it with Parthen by R.A. Lafferty, in which beautiful alien women destroy the human race by seducing all the men away from human women. So the incredible brutality of this story took me by surprise. In THIS story, aliens exterminate the human race by introducing a chemical which mixes up the sex and violence drives in men, who then proceed to HORRIBLY MURDER EVERY WOMAN ON EARTH. I wasn’t surprised to see that this was also published in horror anthologies. The earlier parts of the story, in which men start setting up all-male compounds and writing books about why men must seize the earth back from women, are shall we say very uncomfortable to read in these days of MRAs.
"Eyes of Amber" (Joan D. Vinge) – Let’s get one thing out of the way – the way the main human characters in this story casually meddle in the inner workings of an alien culture they know almost nothing about is totally infuriating. Especially because it winds up working out great, when it could just as easily have resulted in dozens of deaths. But! Aside from that, this was one of my favorite stories in the collection. The alien culture is very compelling and presented in a show-don’t-tell way which really works, and the not-exactly-romantic relationship between the main alien and her ‘demon’ (which is actually a probe controlled by a human) is weirdly touching.
"Child of the Sun" (James E. Gunn) – I liked this one a lot, even though I’m still not totally sure just exactly what was happening to the main character. He’s a man who wakes up with amnesia, listens to a recorded message from himself telling him that 1. He just prevented WWIII but doesn’t remember and 2. He will get hunches which will tell him what to do, and he needs to follow them. And then he goes and saves a little girl who’s going to grow up to invent fusion power, but… is he meant to be going back in time and saving her over and over? Or is he going back in time and fixing DIFFERENT problems? Is he actually going back in time at all, or just waking up with amnesia repeatedly? My confusion over those points takes away a little from my enjoyment of this one, which was actually a fun read.
"Brother" (Clifford D. Simak) – A man who wanted to stay at home on the farm but also wanted to travel the galaxy projects a semi-real version of himself, which he remembers as his twin, so that he can hitch a ride on a spaceship while still living on the patch of land he loves. It’s a beautiful concept with an odd record-scratch at the end, where 1. we get a weird sci-fi explanation about this being a new stage of evolution or whatever, and 2. an alien who’s obsessed with the man’s ghost-self shows up, demands an explanation, receives it, and then just leaves. But other than that, a nice story about the impossibility of having everything you want at once.
Favorites in this one: The House of Compassionate Sharers, Eyes of Amber, The Screwfly Solution. Overall, I didn't find this year as strong as some of the others I've read.
November 4, 2025
Another slam dunk collection of sci fi. This one sees a dramatic and darker shift in content for several
Of the stories, but ends on a very solid old world note that feels right. A great example of masters at their craft, easy to recommend this, but a few stories are more challenging or abstract than the traditional sci fi tales; but in the best way
Of the stories, but ends on a very solid old world note that feels right. A great example of masters at their craft, easy to recommend this, but a few stories are more challenging or abstract than the traditional sci fi tales; but in the best way
July 15, 2023
I really liked this anthology. Despite being written in 1978, many of the stories are still current. "The House of Compassionate Sharers" bu Michael Bishop, "Jefty is Five" by Harlan Ellison, and "The Screwfly Solution" by Raccoona Sheldon were my favorite stories.
September 19, 2020
Found only one unread story that was good - Child of the Sun by James Gunn.
Want to read
April 18, 2025(6/10 read)
10 stories:
**** In the Hall of the Martian Kings (1976) • John Varley
*** A Time to Live (1977) • Joe Haldeman
* The House of Compassionate Sharers (1977) • Michael Bishop
***** Particle Theory (1977) • Edward Bryant
The Taste of the Dish and the Savor of the Day (1977) • John Brunner
** Jeffty Is Five (1977) • Harlan Ellison
***** The Screwfly Solution (1977) • James Tiptree, Jr. (Raccoona Sheldon)
Eyes of Amber (1977) • Joan D. Vinge
Child of the Sun (1977) • James E. Gunn
Brother (1977) • Clifford D. Simak
10 stories:
**** In the Hall of the Martian Kings (1976) • John Varley
*** A Time to Live (1977) • Joe Haldeman
* The House of Compassionate Sharers (1977) • Michael Bishop
***** Particle Theory (1977) • Edward Bryant
The Taste of the Dish and the Savor of the Day (1977) • John Brunner
** Jeffty Is Five (1977) • Harlan Ellison
***** The Screwfly Solution (1977) • James Tiptree, Jr. (Raccoona Sheldon)
Eyes of Amber (1977) • Joan D. Vinge
Child of the Sun (1977) • James E. Gunn
Brother (1977) • Clifford D. Simak
November 7, 2011
I've been doing GoodReads reviews in two directions. First, I simply include books as they're read. Second, I've got lists going back to the sophomore year of college of every book read in a vaguely dated order. Nowadays I read very little science fiction but back then, shudder!, I read a hell of a lot, particularly during breaks from school. Indeed, for the college years I left a lot of them out because there were just so many which I remembered little or nothing of.
This is one of the ones I really don't recall--reputable authors etc...
This is one of the ones I really don't recall--reputable authors etc...
July 3, 2010
A fine compilation of science fiction stories. This is one volumer in the multivolume asnnual series on the best sci-fi of the year, edited by the redoubtable Donald Wollheim.
Onew of the stories in this book is an all-time favorite of mine--Harlan Ellison's "Jeffty Is Five."
Other stories are by authors such as: Joe Haldeman, John Brunner, and Clifford Simak, among many others.
A nice collection!
Onew of the stories in this book is an all-time favorite of mine--Harlan Ellison's "Jeffty Is Five."
Other stories are by authors such as: Joe Haldeman, John Brunner, and Clifford Simak, among many others.
A nice collection!
August 31, 2016
Maybe 3.5 Stars. Some of these stories were really bad.
The Hall of the Martian Kings was really good. A bit of a precursor to the Martian. But with more than one survivor. Weird 1970's Science Fiction ensues. At least the astronauts have to wear space suits and worry about freezing on Mars. ;-)
Jeffty is Five by Harlan Ellison made me sad.
Eyes of Amber by Joan D. Vinge was rather original despite it being a morality tale.
The Hall of the Martian Kings was really good. A bit of a precursor to the Martian. But with more than one survivor. Weird 1970's Science Fiction ensues. At least the astronauts have to wear space suits and worry about freezing on Mars. ;-)
Jeffty is Five by Harlan Ellison made me sad.
Eyes of Amber by Joan D. Vinge was rather original despite it being a morality tale.
May 5, 2012
Sadly for a World's Best collection there were stories in here I honestly couldn't see the point of having been written, leave alone published. Some really good ones also, though, and it ended on a high note with Clifford Simak's 'Brother.'
September 17, 2012
I loved every story in this anthology, it doesn't matter what year certain stories come from, a lot of them are evocative and timeless! A ton of the masters of sci-fi present in this book, I couldn't put it down. Now I have to check out the rest of the collections in this series!
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