Good Old Stuff [Paperback]

This is the first of two companion anthologies compiled by SF's leading short fiction editor, Gardner Dozois. Although Dozois is notable for tastes that are skewed heavily toward the literary side of the science fiction spectrum, his avowed purpose with this volume is to collect the seminal works of good old-fashioned adventure SF. Dozois has limited his stomping grounds to the years between 1948 and 1971, though the bulk of these stories were first published in the 1950s, a period he calls "the second great Age of the Space Opera." The book starts off with A.E. van Vogt's classic "The Rull" and continues with 16 more adventure stories, culminating with James Tiptree Jr.'s "Mother in the Sky with Diamonds." In between are works by James H. Schmitz, L. Sprague de Camp, Jack Vance, C.M. Kornbluth, Leigh Brackett, Poul Anderson, Gordon R. Dickson, Cordwainer Smith, Brian W. Aldiss, H. Beam Piper, Ursula K. Le Guin, Fritz Leiber, and Roger Zelazny. Although The Good Old Stuff may contain some tough moments for contemporary readers--the tales here are, after all, a product of times when race and gender discrimination were more prominent than they are today--this is an excellent collection of some of the best SF, adventure or otherwise. --Craig E. Engler

Some may disparage early sf pulp magazine stories as only so much space opera, but many were not only well written--they were also whopping good adventures. Dozois, an editor said to have an especially good eye for talent, here gathers 16 stories, dating from the late 1940s to the 1970s, representing magazine sf stories at their best. Unlike the tales in Future on Ice (reviewed above), these stories don't involve razor-edged moral conundrums but, rather, more basic--and fun!--battles for survival. The selections include "The Second Night of Summer" by James Schmidt, in which a grandmother secretly saves a planet; "Semley's Necklace" by Ursula K. LeGuin, in which a woman chooses a jewel and loses a world; and "The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth" by Roger Zelazny, in which a fisherman who is really bait is caught but wins a trophy. Eric Robbins

A substantial collection of 16 grand old adventure yarnsspace operas, more or lesswritten between 1948 and 71 and compiled by editor Dozois (the annual Year's Best Science Fiction anthology, etc.). Dozois gloomily remarks that many of today's younger audience have never heard of the authors represented here; even those few readers who recognize some of the names have never read anything written by them. This volume, then, attempts to help preserve the best of science fiction's legacy. The famous (at least to earlier generations of readers) names include: A.E. van Vogt's ``The Rull'' (human ingenuity vs. aliens with superior nervous systems); Jack Vance's ``The New Prime'' (in selecting a galactic ruler, the crazy man becomes king); C. M. Kornbluth's ``That Share of Glory'' (far-future industrial-cultural missionaries); Murray Leinster `s ``Exploration Team'' (humans and their animal partners tackle dangerous new worlds together); Poul Anderson's ``The Sky People'' (civilization vs. barbarism, with a sting in the tail); Roger Zelazny's ``The Doors of his Face, the Lamps of his Mouth'' (a realistically depicted pulp-tradition Venus awash with oceans containing huge swimming saurians). Women can write gripping adventures, too, as equally good but less famous yarns from Leigh Brackett, Ursula K. LeGuin, and James Tiptree Jr. (Alice Sheldon) demonstrate. Also represented: James H. Schmitz, L. Sprague de Camp, Gordon R. Dickson, Cordwainer Smith, Brian W. Aldiss, H. Beam Piper, and Fritz Leiber. Don't let these Golden Oldies disappear into limbo: adopt some today. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Adventure stories have been one of the mainstays of science fiction since its earliest days, and this terrific anthology assembles sixteen of the greatest ever written. Included here are stories from a stellar array of talents: Brian W. Aldiss, Poul Anderson, Leigh Brackett, L. Sprague de Camp, Gordon R. Dickson, C.M. Kornbluth, Ursula K. Le Guin, Fritz Leiber, Murray Leinster, H. Beam Piper, James H. Schmitz, Cordwainer Smith, James Tiptree, Jr., Jack Vance, A.E. van Vogt, and Roger Zelazny.

These stories were all written in the heyday of adventure SF, from 1940 through the 1960s, and they first appeared in such magazines as Astounding Galaxy, Future Fiction, and Startling Stories. Many have not been in print for years. All of them retain the breathtaking sense of wonder that is science fiction's feature characteristic. From the seas of Venus to the farthest reaches of space, these stories will take you places you've never dreamed before!

"Dozois is a fine editor." --Washington Post Book World

"Dozois once again unites a magnificent gamut of epic storytellers into one volume that travels beyond the outermost galaxies and stirs the emotional foundations of the human condition." --Bookpage on The Year's Best Science Fiction

"The most imaginative editor is SF today." --The Village Voice

Gardner Dozois is one of science fiction's premiere editors, with many Hugo Awards to his credit. He lives in Philadelphia.