Tag Archives: algis budrys

Book Review: Mind to Mind edited by Robert Silverberg

Mind to Mind edited by Robert SilverbergEdited by the legendary Robert Silverberg, Mind to Mind is an anthology of nine eclectic tales of telepathy—some dark, some hopeful, some humorous. Contributing authors include Isaac Asimov, C.M. Kornbluth, Brian W. Aldiss, James H. Schmitz, James White, Algis Budrys, R.A. Lafferty, Poul Anderson, and Robert Silverberg.

My personal favorites include…

“Novice” by James H. Schmitz in which a young law student with nascent telepathic abilities finds herself as an emissary between human colonists and the highly intelligent feline natives of the planet Jontarou.

We’re all familiar with Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics, the first of which dictates that a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Does that also include emotional harm? Senior management of a robot factory learns the harsh answer to this question when they unwittingly produce a telepathic robot that turns out to be a… “Liar!” by Isaac Asimov.

A telepathic alien inadvertently becomes a stowaway on a cargo ship bound for Earth. Stranded there, it’s innocent and desperate attempts to communicate directly with human minds only serves to cause them frightening nightmares and, in some cases, death.  It isn’t long before hospital officials near the spaceport realize that… “Something Wild is Loose” by Robert Silverberg.

In “The Conspirators” by James White, a spacecraft from Earth passes through a radiation belt on its way to explore a distant planet. As a result, all laboratory animals aboard develop telepathic abilities at varying rates. Upon reading the minds of the human crew, the animals realize their ultimate and terrifying fate once the ship reaches its destination, so they devise an escape plan with the help of the ship’s cat, Felix.

In “The Mindworm” by C.M. Kornbluth, a parasitic telepath feasts on the negative emotions of his victims, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.

Book Review: 13 Great Stories of Science Fiction edited by Groff Conklin

It’s a rare occasion when I enjoy every story in an anthology almost equally. This is one of those times. All 13 tales in this collection are, as the title boasts, great.  I suppose this shouldn’t be a surprise given the talent involved including Arthur C. Clarke, Ted Sturgeon, Poul Anderson, Damon Knight, and others. However, were I forced to choose favorites, those would be…

“The War is Over” by Algis Budrys – Years after an Earth ship carrying an urgent message crash lands on an alien world, the inhabitants construct a vessel to return the message to Earth, though they’re not entirely certain why or even how they learned to build such a craft…

In “Allegory,” William T. Powers offers an entertaining yet frightening glimpse into a humanity controlled by computers and where independent thinking is considered a mental aberration.

In John Wyndham’s “Compassion Circuit,” Janet Shand, a fragile and fretful housewife, is forced to come to terms with Hester, an android servant programmed with emotions. It isn’t long before Janet begins to rely on Hester for her daily care—until she becomes convinced that there is a better way to live through robotics.

Arthur C. Clarke delivers a brilliant send up of corporate guile in “Silence, Please!” To get even with unscrupulous businessman Sir Roderick Fenton, a professor invents a portable sound-cancelling device and sells the patent to Fenton. The professor’s associates are mystified by his decision, until they observe how the devices are used when sold to the public, putting Fenton in the government’s crosshairs.

In Wyman Guin’s “Volpla,” a scientist creates a new, highly intelligent biological species with the ability to fly, speak, adapt, and reproduce. He fabricates a backstory that they had originated on another world and only recently came to Earth. Surely, this gag will spark the intended panic in the zoological community once the creatures are released into the wild. Unfortunately, the biologist’s plan backfires when the Volpla’s take a drastic course of action to preserve their race…

Alan Nelson’s lighthearted “Soap Opera” delivers the hysterical tale of a hapless young member of a soap manufacturer’s advertising team who experiments with skywriting as a marketing tool. “The words vanish too quickly!” cries the company’s owner, sending Everett Mordecai on a quest to find a more permanent solution—one that covers the entire city of San Francisco…

What happens when the government implants a second personality into its citizens, one that forces them to be docile, to be behave contrary to their natural tendencies? In “Analogues,” Damon Knight deftly presents us with this disturbing possibility…

When a homeless man named Ollie swallows what he think is a nut, he suddenly finds his appetite insatiable, no matter how much he eats. After winning an egg-eating competition by consuming over 100 eggs, Ollie is taken to the hospital to be examined. Shortly after, strange foreign objects materialize in Ollie’s stomach, causing intense pain and swelling. At the same time, two aliens arrive after realizing that their matter transfer device is inside poor Ollie. The question is… now what? We find out in William Morrison’s “Shipping Clerk.”

G.C. Edmondon’s “Technological Retreat” brings us the story of extraterrestrial technology run amuck when humans trade simple Earth goods for a device that can instantly repair damage to any surface by making it malleable enough to reshape. It isn’t long before the aliens begin disseminating the device across the planet, with devastating effects on human evolution.

In Ted Sturgeon’s “The Skills of Xanadu,” a haughty scout sent by an advanced alien race lands on the bucolic world of Xanadu. While reluctantly spending time among the primitive “barbarians” of this world, Bril marks them as ripe for conquest. Yet, he finds their manufacturing abilities beyond comprehension. When Bril finally discovers the source of their power in the form of polished stones worn as part of their clothing, he takes one back to his homeworld—where the true conquest begins.

13 Great SF Stories

 

 

 

Book Review: Partners in Wonder by Harlan Ellison

As an avid admirer of Harlan Ellison, I was excited to find a cache of his books in fine to excellent condition at a used bookstore late last year. It was a rare and wonderful discovery, as I hardly ever find Harlan’s backlist in such a quantity in any single location.

Partners in Wonder was one of the books I found that day. It is an anthology of collaborative stories between Harlan and some of the most famous SF and speculative fiction writers of that Golden Age such as Ben Bova, Robert Silverberg, A.E. Van Vogt, Robert Bloch, and others.

While these may not be considered the best works from Harlan or his co-conspirators—which Harlan himself admits in one instance during his brief introduction to “The Power of the Nail”—there is a wide variety of tales that demonstrate the depth and breadth of these august scribes. All told, it is an entertaining collection.

Speaking of Harlan’s introductions, each story has one and I enjoyed being regaled by his recollections of how each collaboration was born as much, if not more in some cases, than the stories themselves.

My favorites yarns in the bunch include:

I See a Man Sitting on a Chair, and the Chair is Biting His Leg – written with Robert Sheckley

Up Christopher to Madness – written with Avram Davidson

The Human Operators – written with A.E. Van Vogt

Wonderbird – written with Algis Budrys

The Song the Zombie Sang – written with Robert Silverberg

Street Scene – written with Keith Laumer

 

Partners in Wonder-Ellison