And the Gods Laughed: A Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy

by Fredric Brown

The book "" And the Gods Laughed, has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies and hence the text is clear and readable.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy

431 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

Fredric Brown was an American science fiction and mystery writer. He was one of the boldest early writers in genre fiction in his use of narrative experimentation. While never in the front rank of popularity in his lifetime, Brown has developed a considerable cult following in the almost half century since he last wrote. His works have been periodically reprinted and he has a worldwide fan base, most notably in the U.S. and Europe, and especially in France, where there have been several recent movie adaptations of his work. He also remains popular in Japan.

Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.

Reviews

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

And the Gods Laughed by Fredric Brown, Planet Stories, Spring 1944 - short story.
Read from a scanned copy on Internet Archive.

This starts out as a tall tale but has a dark twist at the end. Humans make first contact with an alien race but one person begins to have suspicions about their intent. What seems fairly innocent at first eventually turns into an "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" turnaround. Not a bad little story, and it surely must have been unsettling when it was first published, but it is old hat now.

[Anna Hepworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this because it was nominated for a retro Hugo award, so I was reading quite a few works from the same year in a short period of time.

This one has not aged well in presentation of Indigenous peoples, and has some nasty colonial attitudes baked in as well. It is, however and interesting tall tale with an unreliable narrator.

[Peter Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Frederic Brown and have been for years. I've only found his work kin his novel Martians Go Home and in the collection of short stories Nightmares and Geezenstacks. This collection. of his works is mammoth. It includes most if not all of his short stories . It's a limited and numbered edition,

The collection, containing science fiction and fantasy stories, excludes his novels and his mystery stories. One can only hope that the firm that gambled on this project will shoot the dice with those as well.

I don't feel that I can do justice to his short stories, most of which are three to. four pages long, but I can say that his twists, turns, and surprises, make him in my. mind, The O.Henry of science fiction and Fantasy.

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange story about first attempts to other worlds and their citizens and other explorers.

[Stuart · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of clever "with a twist" stories. Fredric was a passable writer with genuine ideas. This book contains the worst intro of all time, worth a read so that you can learn exactly what not to do if someone asks you to write the forward to their book.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of his stories are excellent, such a clever, witty thinker. Some weren't that good, will read more of his serious science fiction if I can find it...

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to "The Dome". It was amazing.