This was one of the most pleasant surprises I’ve had in a long time. In the late 60’s and 70’s there was a trend in science fiction of original story anthologies. It may have sprung from the incredible success of Ellison’s Dangerous Visions, or it may have just been the zeitgeist. But, whatever the cause, such collections as Damon Knight’s Orbit, Terry Carr’s Universe, Michael Moorcock’s New Worlds Quarterly, and Harrison’s Nova represented opportunities for science fiction authors to do more and explore beyond what was “acceptable” in the standard markets. Authors were allowed to really experiment and, when they were at their best, they were phenomenal, leading to Nebula and Hugo award nominations and wins. At their worst, they were unreadable and you will note, as you read through a series, the later in the series, the more unreadable, as if experimentation (or the need to fill pages) leads to acceptance of things that shouldn’t have been accepted.

So, what we have in our hands here is an excellent example of this type of collection working well. There is experimentation; there are good plots, good ideas, and a collection that is well worth the read. What I found most remarkable was that, in spite of how good these stories are, there is not a single one I recall from any other collection. (Maybe more a factor of my inability to recall versus the fact that these were ignored.) Except for a slight slide at the end, these are all good (some close to great) stories. Some are quick diversions (“Zirn Left Unguarded” by Robert Sheckley that is the sword and sorcery short story that brings an end to the genre, “The Sumerian Oath” by Philip Jose Farmer which purports a different root cause of disease where the cure is the cause, or “On the Wheel” by Damon Knight which explores what makes people happy) that do not drop into obscurity because of their brevity, but use a short amount of time to paint the perfect picture. Others are in-depth explorations that make you put down the book and think. “NOW + n…Now – n” by Robert Silverberg” is a nice twist on the idea of being able to talk to yourself in the future and the past. Yes, the protagonist does what each of us would (that is, he is making money), but it is interesting to see what happens when love enters the equation. Another hard-to-forget story was “Darkness” by Andre Carneiro (translated by Leo L. Barrow). The reasons are not explained, but the world quickly moves into darkness – no sun, no electric light, no fires. The blind are the only ones who can function. The author explores both the human and practical sides of such a cataclysm. However, I defy anyone to read this and not now think of 911. That attests to how well the author has crafted this story.

“East Wind, West Wind” by Frank M. Robinson is another one of fascinating stories in here. It explores what happens when the air becomes unbreathable, fossil fuels are banned, and it is really all too late. A great story. However, it is probably the one caveat about this collection. It was published in 1972, and the stories have a little of that feel. That is not to say that they are particularly dated, but they are of their times. In this story (as an example) my first thought when I began reading was, “I miss this type of story. It is fun to be back in that mindset.” The excellence of the story telling and craftsmanship of writing soon replace that nostalgic feeling, but you may see some of this in the book.

The slight aging, the trailing off of quality at the end; these are the things that keep this from being a perfect 5. But it is a collection well worth seeking out, and it makes me want to revisit more of those original collections (probably just keeping to the early ones.) ( )