The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1, 1929-1964: The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of All Time Chosen by the Members of the Science Fiction Writers of America

An interesting collection of pure Sci Fi stories from various authors

The SF Hall of Fame series was established to recognize quality SF writing before the era of the HUGO and NEBULA awards. What a wonderful gift to the early SF pioneers who were shamefully treated by the mainstream of creative writers. Of course, SF writers themselves changed these negative impressions by the higher literary standards achieved in the 1950s and beyond by such writers as Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Roger Zelazny, Ursala Le Quin, Joanna Russ, Frank Herbert (I'm having fun proving my point with this list, which could go on and on . . . .). This first volume is framed by two stories of a journey to Mars: "A Martian Odyssey" from 1934 (I wanted to make a movie version with Jack Nicholson as the hero) and "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" from 1963 (I wanted to make a movie version with Jack Nicholson as the hero). In those intervening 29 years SF writing matured from Stanley Weinbaum's rather primitive pulp fiction to Roger Zelazny's stunning modernist prose. The first story is just an action fantasy, with little science and the most rudimentary fiction techniques. Still it's a great read! It has action, humor, suspense and one of the great alien characters in the whole genre, the bird-like and noble-hearted Martian, named Tweel. Trust me: once you meet Tweel you will never forget it (?). The later distinction between Hard SF and Soft SF did not yet exist and I doubt it would have mattered to Weinbaum, who was not a professional writer. However, three decades later, we have a very professional, and polished writer in Roger Zelazny, who had internalized the main currents of modern literature as his references to Hart Crane, Rainer Maria Rilke, the Mahabharata, Shakespeare, Rimbaud attest. You get the point. For Zelazny, goddamit, SF is literature and occupies its own niche in world literature. His main character is a poet, an anti-hero with illusions of heroism, a scoundrel and a brilliant, imaginative individual who single-handedly saves a dying civilization from imploding. And what does he get for his efforts. Nothing, no material rewards, no recognition. In this, he resembles the existentialist anti-hero of main stream fiction in the 1960s. And Zelazny's style is breathtaking: metaphorical, lyrical, sarcastic (even sardonic), allusive, persuasive and, beneath Gallinger's tough talk, deeply moving, even empathetic. And Zelazny knew he was writing Soft SF, so he could indulge his imagination in creating his version of a SF Mars and an alien race inhabiting it. The distinction between Hard and Soft forms of SF clarified the intentions of writers so that their readers did not misinterpret the results. This volume is contains a plethora of short masterpieces which together create a vivid primer in the varieties of SF.

50 years ago, when this older man was a young boy of 8, I had the pleasure of reading an anthology much like this one, that started my journey in to a love of Science Fiction. That anthology and this one differ on only a few stories. This one didn't have "By His Bootstraps" (Anson MacDonald - aka Robert A. Heinlein), which was a story I highly enjoyed in that other anthology, though this one had some other very entertaining reads in their own right.I highly recommend this anthology of stories from the Golden Age of Science Fiction.

A collection of 25 short stories by the cream of the crop of sci-fi writers from the early days: Asimov, Bradbury, Campbell, Clarke, Heinlein, etc., many of which I missed in my enthusiasm for the genre back in the 1950s.

An absolute must for any sci-fi fan. A great gift for a young fan of the genre.

The stories in this book were voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America as the best short science fiction written between 1929 and 1964 and every one is a gem. Some of these stories are reasonably well known and often reprinted, but most of them are difficult to find anywhere else, making this an essential collection for a true fan of the genre. In response to an earlier request for a list of its contents, here are the story titles and authors. I was going to indulge myself by placing an asterisk next to my personal favorites, but I found myself marking almost all of them. The collection is that good.A Martian Odyssey -- Stanley G. WeinbaumTwilight -- John W. CampbellHelen O'Loy -- Lester del ReyThe Roads Must Roll -- Robert A. HeinleinMicrocosmic God -- Theodore SturgeonNightfall -- Isaac AsimovThe Weapon Shop -- A. E. van VogtMimsy Were the Borogoves -- Lewis PadgettHuddling Place -- Clifford D. SimakArena -- Fredric BrownFirst Contact -- Murray LeinsterThat Only a Mother -- Judith MerrilScanners Live in Vain -- Cordwainer SmithMars is Heaven -- Ray BradburyThe Little Black Bag -- C. M. KornbluthBorn of Man and Woman -- Richard MathesonComing Attraction -- Fritz LeiberThe Quest for Saint Aquin -- Anthony BoucherSurface Tension -- James BlishThe Nine Billion Names of God -- Arthur C. ClarkeIt's a Good Life -- Jerome BixbyThe Cold Equations -- Tom GodwinFondly Fahrenheit -- Alfred BesterThe Country of the Kind -- Damon KnightFlowers for Algernon -- Daniel KeyesA Rose for Ecclesiastes -- Roger Zelazny

What a flash back to my childhood.Some of these, like Algernon, were well known and loved. Others were new to me. And a small number were not my cup of tea.But all revealed that SF arose from more than surface trivial stories, and in some cases up I found them to be relevant concepts today.

Some of the science is ropey due to age (or perhaps the author not knowing/caring about the facts) but each one of these stories is a gem.I remember hiding under the covers as a young teen, reading any and all of the SF books from my step-father's collection. Some of the better stories have stuck in my mind for the past twenty years and I've often cursed my younger self for not remembering the titles or authors. I'm happy to say that at least four of those long-forgotten tales are in this collection, but all of them are thought-provoking, idea-inspiring, awe-casting classics.As you'd expect in an anthology the writing styles vary, but the ideas are powerful and, in all cases, as relevant today as they've ever been.If you love SF (and don't demand it be 'hard', military or cyberpunk) then buy this collection. No ifs, no buts. Buy it and love it.

Plenty of top sci-fi authors with this anthology, but a bit the narrative a bit dated.

This was actually a present for someone else. But I started to read it before I wrapped it up - as I often do. I found at least the first story intriguing. The new owner says it's quite good. Not all the stories are too his taste, but most are and it is still a good collection. Many stories to cover many tastes.

As other reviewers have said these short stories were written between 1929 and 1964. One or two may show their age, but are none the worse for it. I would recommend this book to all lovers of science fiction. For me the one standout story was, The Cold Equations by Tom Goodwin.

If you like Science Fiction short stories then this collection is a must