No Strings Attached

by Lester del Rey

No Strings Attached appeared in the June 1954 IF Worlds of Science Fiction.

Poor Henry was an unhappy husband whose wife had a habit of using bad clichès. Alféar was a genii who was, quite like most humans, a creature of habit. Their murder compact was absolutely perfect, with—

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction

17 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 16, 1954

About the author

Lester del Rey was an American science fiction author and editor. Del Rey is especially famous for his juvenile novels such as those which are part of the Winston Science Fiction series, and for Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction branch of Ballantine Books edited by Lester del Rey and his fourth wife Judy-Lynn del Rey.

Also published as:
Philip St. John
Eric van Lihn
Erik van Lhin
Kenneth Wright
Edson McCann (with Frederik Pohl)

Reviews

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantasy listening 🔰😀

Alexa reads to me due to eye damage and issues from shingles. I find it like 👍being there.
A will written romantic fantasy Sci-Fi novella adventure of relationships that are not wanted and one that is. The characters are interesting and will developed. I would recommend this novella to anyone looking for a quick fantasy read. Enjoy the adventure of reading 📚 2021😈

[Al Lock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need to commit the perfect murder? Well...

[Ardent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Až si zavoláte démona, aby za Vás upratal Váš život, dávajte pozor ako formulujete svoje prianie...
Krátka milá temná poviedka.

[Forked Radish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daemons know their business.

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

science fiction story by a master and great narration.

[Danns · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was compelled to read this short story to get a better feel for the recent podiobook we reviewed for Hacker Public Radio by Lester Del Rey called Bandge of Infamy. I was curious if some of the themes in that story repeated themselves in any other works by del Rey. I do believe there is an interesting hostility towards woman, particularly wives over time.

The story's conclusion was not novel to me at this period, there have been so many similar works since that making the ending somewhat predictable. What I did find unique was the presentation of witchcraft and demons in a more scientific light. That magic was a way of breaching the vibrational barriers between dimensions was very refreshing.

This was a quick read and very enjoyable. I plan to read a lot more by del Rey.

[Ania · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit predictable, really dark, and the main protagonist is more like an antagonist. The story takes a spin at the old formula of "be careful what you wish for". I think what made me give the rating that I gave is the fact that the Genie was quite interesting and very reminiscent of Bartimaeus .

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book extremely predictable. Since it was written, many more stories have been written similar to it. Remember, karma wins.

[Nouran Gamal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short amusing story about karma. liked it enough