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Title: The SFWA Grand Masters Volume 1 by Frederik Pohl, Robert A. Heinlein, Jack Williamson ISBN: 0-312-86880-4 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: August, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent Breadth of the Genre
Comment: firstly, this book is from the "golden age" of science fiction - generally, the time span of the 1950s - late 1960s. of course, there is quite the sf debate to be had as to whether this was really a "golden age" or not, but that's left out of this review ;) there are three volumes, each containing assorted works by five grandmaster award winners.
essentially, the grandmaster award "may not be awarded more than six times in ten years" and is given to a contemporary (re: living) science fiction author.
heinlein's stories are very good - they take up approximately 1/3 of the book, though. "the roads must roll" was quite dated, and definitely the worst of the bunch; though that alone is completely relative, by itself it wouldn't have been nearly so bad. the rest of his stories are magnificant, and he remains arguably one of the best science fiction writers to ever put the pen to the paper.
jack williamson, clifford simak, l. sprague de camp, and fritz leiber all produce fantastic stories for this anthology, as well.
one of the best aspects of this anthology is that it offers stories which may not otherwise have been discovered. frederick pohl does an appropriate and respectful job introducing the authors, and his love of the genre is apparant. this book should not be overlooked and is one of the most valuable science fiction short story anthologies i have come across. highly recommended.
Rating: 5
Summary: Entertaining, Humorous, and Thought-Provoking
Comment: I'd been frustrated by the "Golden Age" because it is often written or talked about and is often impossible to find, even in used bookstores. Heinlein can still be found, but even works of his, some considered classics, are out-of-print. Anthologies of those times are difficult to find, and modern anthologies often throw in a "Golden Age" story as an afterthought.
This anthology is different. Each of the authors featured in this volume (Heinlein, Williamson, Simak, de Camp, and Leiber) were the "Golden Age".
With the exception of two stories by Fritz Leiber ("Sanity" & "A Bad Day for Sales") whose pessimism put me off, each story in this volume captured and held my attention throughout. The themes of these stories inspired my own speculations, and unlike much of modern science fiction, the entertainment value alone makes this volume worth purchasing.
Frederik Pohl has written succinct, informative introductions and recommends further reading which has sent me to the used bookstores already. More importantly, however, he has chosen great stories and has let the authors speak for themselves.
Personally, I would recommend "The Year of the Lottery" ( a humorous story about the ultimate bad day), "With Folded Hands" (inhuman "perfection" taken to the extreme), all of Clifford D. Simak, and "Gun for Dinosaur" (30 years ahead of Jurassic Park and infinitely superior). However, cracking this book at any place will lead to good results.
Rating: 5
Summary: A great mix of familar stories and little-seen material
Comment: Frederik Pohl has done a fantastic job of assembling this collection of material. Himself one of the first 15 SFWA grand masters, Pohl's personal reflections on each of these authors are worth the purchase price by themselves.
For each writer, Pohl has selected at least one seminal gem from their body of work, and at least one neglected treasure, with additional pieces that show the tremendous range each of these authors was/is capable of.
Although most of Heinlein's fiction is still in print, these days it can be hard to find the work of these other Grand Masters, especially the older material. That makes this volume especially valuable.
For myself, Clifford Simak and Fritz Leiber are two of my all-time favorite writers, and I am happy to see there work exposed to a new generation of readers, especially in this context. Both the Science Fiction Writers of America and Frederik Pohl should be applauded for this worthy tribute.
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Title: The SFWA Grand Masters Volume 2 by Frederik Pohl ISBN: 0312868782 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: April, 2001 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: The SFWA Grand Masters Volume 3 by Frederik Pohl ISBN: 0312868774 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: June, 1901 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: Modern Classics of Science Fiction by Gardner Dozois ISBN: 0312088477 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: February, 1993 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume I: The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of All Time, Chosen by the Members of the Science Fiction Writers of America by Robert Silverberg ISBN: 0765305364 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: February, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: I, Robot by Isaac Asimov ISBN: 0553294385 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: July, 1994 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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