Jason Waltz’s Reviews > The Science Fiction Bestiary: Nine Stories of Science Fiction > Status Update

"Drop Dead" by Clifford Simak: great story and storytelling that held me enthralled till the stupid close. Yet another of the SF stories that throws its greatness out the portal and goes against all it preached beforehand in its closing sentences. Grrr, far too much bait-and-switch in SF.

Anderson & Dickson's joint effort is a rootin'-tootin' hoot! Thoroughly enjoyable with great characterization and my first encounter with the Hoka cowboy teddy bears 🐻

Stanley G. Weinbaum (whom I'd never heard of) made this book for me! No matter how many of the remaining tales are as dumb as the first, this story is worth keeping the anthology on my shelves. Absolutely delighting storytelling with a great narrator and wonderfully clever creativity. Silverberg's introduction intrigued and saddened me immediately, and the 1934 "A Martian Odyssey" absolutely delivered!

de Camp's "Blue Giraffe" was quite fun - until just ending.
And Dick's "Preserving Machine" - besides being i believe my first PKD story - was a great premise, nicely told, yet rather unfulfilling .

'Grandpa' by Schmitz is an example of compellingly good SF.

Sturgeon, "Hurkle is Happy" - weird. Exactly why I don't enjoy much SF.