Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Virginia Beach : Donning, 1979.
User reviews
LibraryThing member ChrisRiesbeck
A hit-and-miss edition of a hit-and-miss collection from one of the many under-recognized women in classic SF. Starblaze was an imprint started by Polly and Kelly Freas. It sports a nice Freas cover, and handful of internal illustrations, a few quite nice, and a few throwaways. Typos abound and the
The Trouble with You Earth People (Amazing, 1968) is a fun story, told from the viewpoint of two visiting aliens, hoping to share their knowledge with Earth, but concerned that the slightest mistake on their part may lead to violence, based on many hours of TV watching. That trope was old even when the story was written, but what happens when the aliens learn not to worry and just say the truth is what makes the story worth reading, and definitely an artifact of the 1960s.
Unhuman Sacrifice (Astounding, 1958) is an OK but predictable tale of 2 explorers and the ever-popular misguided missionary, on a planet with aliens whose lifecycle they fail to understand until everything goes wrong.
The Gambling Hell and the Sinful Girl (Analog, 1975) is a readable but slight Heinleinesque tale of pioneers transplanted to a community of space habitats.
Syndrome Johnny (Galaxy, 1951) is one of those stories that primarily exists to reveal a situation, in this case, the source of deadly epidemics that pops up over many years in many places. A "what if" but no more.
Trouble with Treaties (Star SF, 1959) co-authored with Tom Condit, is a very weak story. Humans and cat-like aliens meet in space. The cats are powerful conquerors and the humans have to outwit them. Fortunately we have telepaths. Too much suspension of disbelief required, even for me. [Star SF was a series of paperback anthologies of original stories edit by Fred Pohl]
The Origin of the Species (Children of Wonder, 1953) another slight "what if" story. A brain surgeon with a gift for removing tumors discovers something else in one patient. Told well. [Children of Wonder was an original collection, edited by William Tenn.]
Collision Orbit (Science Fiction Adventures, 1954) Another Heinleinesque piece, very similar in structure to The Gambling Hell.
The Fittest (Worlds Beyond, 1951) is another weak story. A trip to Venus is not much more complicated than a flight to New Zealand, and things go wrong with the alien inhabitants we encounter.
These Truths (original) is an odd duck. The ideas in the American Declaration of Independence are spread to alien cultures far and wide, as exemplified by two debates (one long, one just a few pages) on two very different planets. As with Trouble with Treaties, the aliens are based on Earth animal prototypes (lions and bees). Intriguing but unconvincing.
Contagion (Galaxy, 1950) is an OK but standard SF puzzle story. A ship visits a lost colony, where the only humans left look exactly the same.
Brain Wipe (Frontiers 2, 1975) A brief, depressing, tale of child abuse, both familial and institutional. A bad Freas illustration, some of the worst printing in the book, and the blurb intro, written by MacLean, begins with "Freedom..." misspelled. [Frontiers was one of Roger Elwood's many original anthologies]
The Missing Man (Analog, 1971) is by far the star of the collection, and of MacLean's career. I found a lot to dislike in her fixup novel Missing Man, especially the info-dumps. This novella deserved the Nebula. It's a dense tale of a fascinating future and characters that takes its time to reveal its secrets. It earns this collection its third star from me.
The Carnivore (Galaxy, 1953) is a short-short end of the world SF tale. It's the kind of quick story that was popular on the TV series Night Gallery.
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darkness of the type varies, as if they couldn't keep the presses properly inked. The stories were originally published between 1951 and 1974. The copyright page lists the publisher but not the magazine. I'll give the sources according to ISFDB. Most stories have a blurb by the author at the beginning or end, like those found in SF magazines. I found them incoherent, except for the blurb by Hank Stine for The Missing Man.The Trouble with You Earth People (Amazing, 1968) is a fun story, told from the viewpoint of two visiting aliens, hoping to share their knowledge with Earth, but concerned that the slightest mistake on their part may lead to violence, based on many hours of TV watching. That trope was old even when the story was written, but what happens when the aliens learn not to worry and just say the truth is what makes the story worth reading, and definitely an artifact of the 1960s.
Unhuman Sacrifice (Astounding, 1958) is an OK but predictable tale of 2 explorers and the ever-popular misguided missionary, on a planet with aliens whose lifecycle they fail to understand until everything goes wrong.
The Gambling Hell and the Sinful Girl (Analog, 1975) is a readable but slight Heinleinesque tale of pioneers transplanted to a community of space habitats.
Syndrome Johnny (Galaxy, 1951) is one of those stories that primarily exists to reveal a situation, in this case, the source of deadly epidemics that pops up over many years in many places. A "what if" but no more.
Trouble with Treaties (Star SF, 1959) co-authored with Tom Condit, is a very weak story. Humans and cat-like aliens meet in space. The cats are powerful conquerors and the humans have to outwit them. Fortunately we have telepaths. Too much suspension of disbelief required, even for me. [Star SF was a series of paperback anthologies of original stories edit by Fred Pohl]
The Origin of the Species (Children of Wonder, 1953) another slight "what if" story. A brain surgeon with a gift for removing tumors discovers something else in one patient. Told well. [Children of Wonder was an original collection, edited by William Tenn.]
Collision Orbit (Science Fiction Adventures, 1954) Another Heinleinesque piece, very similar in structure to The Gambling Hell.
The Fittest (Worlds Beyond, 1951) is another weak story. A trip to Venus is not much more complicated than a flight to New Zealand, and things go wrong with the alien inhabitants we encounter.
These Truths (original) is an odd duck. The ideas in the American Declaration of Independence are spread to alien cultures far and wide, as exemplified by two debates (one long, one just a few pages) on two very different planets. As with Trouble with Treaties, the aliens are based on Earth animal prototypes (lions and bees). Intriguing but unconvincing.
Contagion (Galaxy, 1950) is an OK but standard SF puzzle story. A ship visits a lost colony, where the only humans left look exactly the same.
Brain Wipe (Frontiers 2, 1975) A brief, depressing, tale of child abuse, both familial and institutional. A bad Freas illustration, some of the worst printing in the book, and the blurb intro, written by MacLean, begins with "Freedom..." misspelled. [Frontiers was one of Roger Elwood's many original anthologies]
The Missing Man (Analog, 1971) is by far the star of the collection, and of MacLean's career. I found a lot to dislike in her fixup novel Missing Man, especially the info-dumps. This novella deserved the Nebula. It's a dense tale of a fascinating future and characters that takes its time to reveal its secrets. It earns this collection its third star from me.
The Carnivore (Galaxy, 1953) is a short-short end of the world SF tale. It's the kind of quick story that was popular on the TV series Night Gallery.
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Language
Physical description
326 p.; 22 inches
ISBN
0915442957 / 9780915442959