The Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories

As you would expect from an anthology of this sort, there is a historical and/or critical if you like introduction to the field of science fiction, of some reasonable length, before getting to the stories. Then, you have a chronological progression of tales, or various types chosen by the editor to be presumably representative. He appears to have done a rather good job, too, averaging 3.73 over a wide range of eras. Should be able to, though, if taking your pick. Pretty minor Wolfe and Le Guin stories, and a useless Disch tale drag it down a little. With that, and the intro, probably a 4.75 anthology I think, definitely excellent. Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : The Land Ironclads - H. G. Wells Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Finis - Frank L. Pollock Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : As Easy as A.B.C. - Rudyard Kipling Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : The Metal Man - Jack Williamson Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : A Martian Odyssey - Stanley G. Weinbaum Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Night - John W. Campbell, Jr. Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Desertion - Clifford D. Simak Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : The Piper's Son - Lewis Padgett Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : The Monster - A. E. van Vogt Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Second Night of Summer - James H. Schmitz Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Second Dawn - Arthur C. Clarke Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Crucifixus Etiam - Walter M. Miller Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : The Tunnel Under the World - Frederik Pohl Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Who Can Replace a Man? - Brian W. Aldiss Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Billenium - J. G. Ballard Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : The Ballad of Lost C'Mell - Cordwainer Smith Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Semley's Necklace - Ursula K. Le Guin Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : How Beautiful with Banners - James Blish Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : A Criminal Act - Harry Harrison Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Problems of Creativeness - Thomas M. Disch Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : How the Whip Came Back - Gene Wolfe Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Cloak of Anarchy - Larry Niven Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : A Thing of Beauty - Norman Spinrad Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : The Screwfly Solution - Raccoona Sheldon Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : The Way of Cross and Dragon - George R. R. Martin Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Swarm - Bruce Sterling Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Burning Chrome - William Gibson Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Silicon Muse - Hilbert Schenck Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Karl and the Ogre - Paul J. McAuley Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories : Piecework - David Brin Give tanks a try. 3.5 out of 5 Flame on, lights out. 4 out of 5 Air trave

There's a certain je ne sais quoi about the work of the earliest sci-fi writers by which they draw the reader into a richly painted world that scarcely allows him to come up for breath. This may sound trite, but, as one recalls, the ultimate objective of all strongly crafted fiction is to dissolve the delineation between the reader's universe and the story's universe. Perhaps I should except the trite--even silly--works of the likes of H. G. Wells and Rudyard Kipling (I have difficulty getting into a story where "high-tech" battles between opposing forces are fought on horseback!), but the majority of the stories are very finely textured. Ironically, as we leave the Golden Age and progress toward modern times, the "tightness" of the individual story as a complete, conceptual unit is lost: frankly, I'd prefer if sci-fi never advanced past the '70s. But that's not the fault of this book, but, rather, of the "writers" who are too concerned with glitz and pseudo-technique than with telling an enrapturing story. Also on the downside, there are some editing problems, and I'd have been happier if the British editors hadn't insisted on forcing British orthographic conventions upon American text. Kudos to the editors of this absorbing volume for doing just about the best that could be done with the hundred-plus-year panoply of science fiction literature in the English language.

That fact that this collection would get produced again after about 10 years is a sign that this book is selling well enough that it deserves a re-release with a different cover. I'd always been a fan of science fiction, but never really tried to get into it until I read most of the stories in it. With only 30 pages left to read, I'm interested in finishing the rest of the book now. Shippey's selection of stories is excellent whether you are a science fiction fanatic or an amateur. What's good about short stories is that they are short enough so that if you don't like them, you can move on to the next one, and if you really like it, you can look for longer works by that particular author. The book is thick enough to include a span of stories which vary in plot and complexity greatly. More general ideas such as how the world may be like in the future, whether the world will end or not, how a part of the future may be like in the future, government policies, religion, standardized tests, alien invasions, sickness, the afterlife, and even sex are a few big concepts in the science fiction stories presented. At least one of these stories may even bring some disgust or creative joy to your taste buds. More specific plot stories which are not necessarily tuned in to a social global theory are also included such as search for treasure and visiting alien planets. Something for everyone pretty much in the science fiction genre.

The Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories edited by Tom Shippey is a very representative collection of some of the best short stories of the genre written between 1903 and 1990 and collecting stories form such luminaries in the field as H.G. Wells, Ursula K. LeGuin, and George R. R. Martin. As you read each story, you are on a linear progression throughout the last century, watching the genre evolve and you get a good representation of the various forms of science fiction, from extraterrestrial exploration to time traveling. Shippey also does a good job of choosing stories that reflect the social conditions of the time each story was written letting us see how the world turned out despite the warnings given by the author's tale. The introduction is also a wonderful accounting of science fiction and its eras written by Shippey, which is a great read. This book should definitely be on the shelf of every science fiction aficionado.

A collection of Science-Fiction stories that tries to follow the genere from it's earliest days of H.G. Wells to the modern Gibson and Brin. Some of the stories are already famous, but a surprising number of them are excelent, yet mostly unknown to the average reader. In my opinion it's good both as an excelent collection as an historic collection.