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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 23, 2015 13:19:52 GMT -5
The first 12 of the Asimov/Greenberg Great SF Stories were collected in hardcovers two paperback volumes to a hardcover, so a total of six hardcover volumes covering 1939-1950. They were published by Bonanza Books and used to be readily available on Ebay and sporadically available in the remainder section of Barnes & Noble. The breakdown of the series is here... www.goodreads.com/series/56188-isaac-asimov-presents-the-great-sf-storiesI agree with Ish that they are great volumes (though I haven't read all of them). But they are looking at the stories with 30-40 years of hindsight, whereas Merrill was judging roughly contemporaneous stories. If you want to go even further back Asimov's Before the Golden Age, covering SF of the 1930s is massive and daunting but very good. It was published as a hardcover in 1974 and subsequently as four paperbacks. Good catch for including Before The Golden Age. I forgot to mention those and also did not know some of those SF Greatest books were in hardcover. I'm of the opinion that hindsight is to great advantage with the Asimov series vs. Merrill. Historical perspective has it's place. For instance, Asimov does a write-up on the particular author and is able to convey what they accomplished after that particular story. He includes recommendations of other works from the author too.Also how the stories' concepts fit into SF's development. Plus each volume has a few pages of preamble telling you what occurred in the "real world" that particular year as well as highlights within the SF field. And what SF notables were born or passed away that particular year. Finally, I like Asimov's style of writing and anecdotes. Merrill doesn't stand out in that particular area. Asimov's series would probably be easier and cheaper to find since its much more recent and it covers more years as well
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Post by wildfire2099 on Oct 25, 2015 14:39:24 GMT -5
What Strange Stars and Skies by Avram Davidson This short story collection has alot of different things... mostly of them not really sci-fi, but more slice of life stories that have a one-liner at the end that make them sci-fi, or perhaps a slightly near future setting. Davidson is very good at description, especially of the Dickensian variety, but several of the stories forget to actually be a story. There are a couple good ones, but overall not the best collection ever.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 25, 2015 15:35:29 GMT -5
Avram Davidson was a bit of a Jack of All Genres. Being very adept at fantasy, SF and Mysteries. He is probably best known as a fantasy writer rather than SF. His work is characterized by a great deal of detail...it's important to read his stuff carefully because there are hidden nuggets everywhere that can become important.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 25, 2015 19:00:19 GMT -5
I have that book somewhere in my closet abyss and never cracked it open. Seems its not to be prioritized
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Post by berkley on Oct 27, 2015 23:24:23 GMT -5
Thanks Ish and Slam for the info about the different annual Best Science Fiction series. I hadn't known about the Asimov one that went back to 1939, that sounds like the one I'll be looking for.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2015 0:53:21 GMT -5
Thanks Ish and Slam for the info about the different annual Best Science Fiction series. I hadn't known about the Asimov one that went back to 1939, that sounds like the one I'll be looking for. Here's a link to the info page on the series on the ISFDB (Internet Speculative Fiction Database) Each volume has a link on it that can give you publication info and contents lists. -M
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Oct 28, 2015 10:40:08 GMT -5
Thanks to the rotary club's annual used books sales, I just went through Plato's Apology of Socrates, Crito and Phaedo. The first ones are interesting in that they are mostly descriptive, telling us of Socrates' defence (or lack thereof!) during his trial, and then his arguments for not trying to escape his condemnation. All good stuff showing the philosopher's honesty and steadfastness. Phaedo was however almost unreadable. Like some others texts by Plato it makes me want to throw the book to the ceiling, shouting "no, NO, NO!!!" whenever Plato (because I'm convinced he's planting words in the mouth of his master, here) makes his usual long chain of connections that make as little sense as a comic-book fan trying to explain how Squirrel Girl did not really beat up Thanos. Plato's argument about proving reincarnation by stating that everything is born of its opposite is ridiculous, especially when stated by a thinker of that magnitude.
I always have the impression that Plato's demonstrations go like this:
"Foilos, would you say that there are bad things and good things?"
"Indubitably, Socrates".
"Would you further opine that there are good people and bad people?"
"Yes, indeed, it would be folly to speak otherwise".
"You also agree that some people do things well and are said to be good at them, while others do things poorly and are said to be bad at them?"
"That is extremely true, yes".
"But you already said that some people do bad things".
"Yes, I did".
"So those people, doing bad things willfully, may be quite proficient at doing them".
"That is indeed so".
"If they're doing bad things very well, we could say that they are good at doing bad. At the same time, those who do something good poorly are bad at doing good".
"It is an inescapable conclusion".
"But it is easier to be bad at something than to be good at it, because being good at anything requires skill and practice".
"The goddess of logic speaks through your lips".
"There must therefore be a surfeit of people being bad compared to the people being good, independently of whether what they do is good or bad."
"That is how it must be, yes".
"Now think upon this: when we define something do we use terms that cover the greater number or the smaller number?"
"I would say we refer to the greater number; we would for example say that birds are small even if some particular birds are very big".
"But if it is easier to be bad than good, and that the ones who are very, very bad are said to be good at being bad, doesn't it hold that most of those who are good are mainly good at being bad?"
"Yes, logic demands it".
"Therefore it is clear that when we say "good" we really mean "bad", and that when we say "bad" we really mean "good". Or in other words, good is bad and bad is good".
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Post by berkley on Oct 31, 2015 22:37:20 GMT -5
I don't remember any details of the Phaedo right now but I think that's a pretty good parody of Plato's Socratic dialogues in general, because although it captures how unfair some of the arguments often feel to the reader (and to Socrates's interlocutors within the dialogue) it also highlights that one of the things Socrates was trying to do (according to Plato) was to point out that, upon close examination, we often don't really know what we think or take for granted that we know, which is a notion worth considering, however successful or unsuccessful we think Socrates or Plato was in demonstrating it.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 8, 2015 1:14:05 GMT -5
I LOVE library book sales.. my library switched from doing one twice a year to once, and having a 'book nook' always available... it's not the same. Especially since they like to do it in October, when I'm almost always working. Anyway, my 1911 APBA Baseball replay has been eating into my reading time, but a got a couple books in last trip: The Seedling Stars by James Blish c. 1957 My copy is from 1964, with this clearly from the 60s cover: This was a weird one... the book claims (as you see on the cover) to be about 'men like spores seeding the universe'.. well, it's not. What it is, is 4 short stories. The first one sorta fits that decscription.. it's kinda the opposite of Heinlein's 'Roads Must Roll'. The various state turnpike authorities basically take over the world, and will only do HUGE science projects that cost lots so they can charge tolls and fees and make money. Thus, despite faster-than-light drives and the ability to mold humans to different planets, humans are stuck trying to terraform. One small rebel band of scientists is trying to send out Adapted Humans to the stars, and manages to get one ship off with a few children suited to different types of planets.. the end. The next one is a fun world where Lemur-like people live in the trees and are waiting for the 'Giants' to return and teach them how to tame the planet floor.. it's got the usual thought provoking James Blish stuff in it, with several of he people 'banished to Hell' (the ground) for Heresy... they have a 'book of laws' that is bascially instructions from the people that dropped them off. Those people come back to find 2 of the banished people managed to survive on the ground (it's a dinosaur world), and tell them they should be in charge of claiming the planet. Fun story, good moral.. sorta connected to the first, but not really. Next, is 'Surface Tension', which a reviews WAY Back when I read the Sci Fi Hall of Fame book... still a great story. The prologue is a bit different so as to fit with the theme, but it's otherwise the same. Glad to have a copy of this in my collection. Finally, is a very short story about some Adapted People going back to Earth after many, many generations. It's almost a filler... only a few pages, and nothing of much interest... a bit of a moral about accepting those different that you, but meh. Overall, a good book (1 great story, 2 good ones, and 1 meh), but not at all a novel as advertised... I hate it when they do that!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Nov 11, 2015 20:11:28 GMT -5
McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales Paperback – 2003Edited By Michael Chabon Original short stories/novellas across many genres-mystery, horror, sf, high adventure, fantasy, western and alternate history. An impressive group of authors: Jim Shepard's "Tedford and the Megalodon" Glen David Gold's "The Tears of Squonk, and What Happened Thereafter" Dan Chaon's "The Bees" Kelly Link's "Catskin" Elmore Leonard's "How Carlos Webster Changed His Name to Carl and Became a Famous Oklahoma Lawman" Carol Emshwiller's "The General" Neil Gaiman's "Closing Time" Nick Hornby's "Otherwise Pandemonium" Stephen King's "The Tale of Gray Dick" Michael Crichton's "Blood Doesn’t Come Out" Laurie King's "Weaving the Dark" Chris Offutt's "Chuck’s Bucket" Dave Eggers's "Up the Mountain Coming Down Slowly" Michael Moorcock's "The Case of the Nazi Canary" Aimee Bender's "The Case of the Salt and Pepper Shakers" Harlan Ellison's "Goodbye to All That" Karen Joy Fowler's "Private Grave 9" Rick Moody's "The Albertine Notes" Michael Chabon's "The Martian Agent, a Planetary Romance" Sherman Alexie's "Ghost Dance" Standouts in my opinion Glen David Gold's story of a rampaging circus elephant who tramples a passerby at a parade, tried and convicted of murder and sentenced to hang. Elmore Leonard and Neil Gaimen provide excellent fare as well. Rick Moody's tale is something Philip Dick used to specialize in. Plus with each story you get a spot illustration from Howard Chaykin. I give it a 7.5/10
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Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 17, 2015 23:55:50 GMT -5
That's quite a wide range of authors for one collection! My book for the day... c. 1960 It looks like there's one new at the time story, and a few others from the pulps... 5 in all, all about aliens.. the rare 60s sci-fi book that actually is about what it says! Pretty good collection overall, though it's kinda funny that the first three all end with marriages. The Aliens : A First Contact in space story that feels somewhere in between CS Forrester and primordial Star Trek. The unique twist is the humans have a guy that's a Xenophobe on staff, on purpose, in case the aliens are hostile. Excellent story with a somewhat sappy ending. Fugitive from Space : As the title implies, an alien criminal crash lands running from the space cops and takes a couple hostages to try to learn enough about Earth to blend in. More of a character sketch of the hostage and his girl that anything... the alien could have been a Russian Spy and had the story be just the same. Not bad, but nothing exciting. Anthropological Note: A female researchers gets involved into a ERB-ish tribe of Venusians to try to score a big paper, only to find the man who married and killed her little sister is there, too. The culture on display, the Krugs is pretty hilarious once you figure it out, as is the ending. Skit-Tree Planet: Scouts keep finding planets with no sign of civilization but miles and miles of cultivated trees... until a disappearing city finally appears on the horizon. Not a great story, but a very inventive alien. Thing from the Sky: Yeah, not the best titles. This one is another crash landing alien.. this one in the middle of the desert with bad terraforming intentions, who is foiled by a dry-land botanist investigating Seco Valley. According to the copyright info this was the 'new' story for the collection... not bad, but nothing special. Pretty good overall, with a couple real winners.. well worth the read
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Nov 18, 2015 13:48:26 GMT -5
Always liked Murray Leinster. Solid second tier SF writer. Started in the early 1930s and successfully made the transition to the more intelligent SF that John Campbell initiated at Astounding SF. Long career and wrote in other genres as well. Finished his career by writing media adaptions like The Time Tunnel book (which I read) along with several Land Of The Giants novels
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Post by berkley on Nov 19, 2015 0:17:38 GMT -5
I think I'll keep an eye out for that Aliens collection. I have the impression he's better known for his short stories, but anyone read any Murray Leinster novels? I haven't, but looking up his wiki bibliography, The Forgotten Planet and The Other Side of Here sound like fun.
Love the covers from that era of SF paperbacks - the Aliens and also the James Blish one a few posts earlier in the thread.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 21, 2015 9:04:42 GMT -5
I think I'll keep an eye out for that Aliens collection. I have the impression he's better known for his short stories, but anyone read any Murray Leinster novels? I haven't, but looking up his wiki bibliography, The Forgotten Planet and The Other Side of Here sound like fun. Love the covers from that era of SF paperbacks - the Aliens and also the James Blish one a few posts earlier in the thread. I love the covers, too... that's most of the reason I have all these little poorly produced and badly bound 60s paperbacks.. the covers are awesome. I read Checkpoint Lambda from Leinster a while back (I'm sure it's in this thread).. it was OK, but not great... definitely felt like a western short story stretched into a sci-fi novel(la.. hard to call those 130-150 page things novels, really). I THINK I have Forgotten Planet in my pile... I'll check it out Today's book: Tower of Zamidby L. Sprague de Camp c. 1958 My copy is from 1963 I was interested to see what Sprague de Camp would do with a Space Sci-Fi story, but it turns out this is really a re-write of 'Tower of the Elephant' with a small bit of Sci-Fi trappings over it. There is a Trek-like Prime Directive, which is enforced by Hypnosis, so we get alien world with Epic Fantasy-level tech (mostly, they mention Typewriters and photographs, but they don't effect the story) de Camp is a pretty good writer, and there are definitely some fun moments, but really you might as well just read Conan. Apparently, this is a series, with a good 12 or so novels, that de Camp meant to be his Barsoom. I see the connection, but none of his aliens are actually alien (the Krishnas are just green skinned people, and the animals just have two extra legs and funny names)... I don't find it works well as that... really, just a pseudo-Conan pastische, IMO. [/b]
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 21, 2015 10:36:04 GMT -5
I just finished Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and it was a great read, sort of a slightly dark modern day fantasy novel and the found photos gave it a great feel.
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