livingdeadenby's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
booknerd44's review
2.0
A slog to get through. I guess I'm not as into SF as I thought I was; tastes do change after all.
vraper's review
An excellent introduction to the history of science fiction, the Hall of Fame is an anthology of twenty-six classic stories published between 1929 and 1964.
My favourites were:
1. Martian Odyssey - Stanley G. Weinbaum. An explorer teams up with an alien ostrich to investigate the wild and wacky wildlife of Mars.
2. Microcosmic God - Theodore Sturgeon. A genius inventor creates some little helpers for whom design is a life-and-death situation.
3. Nightfall - Isaac Asimov. As a planet with six suns faces its first darkness, a group of intellectuals fears going mad in the darkness.
4. Arena - Fredric Brown. A space soldier faces a large red alien ball in a duel to the death with the existence of humanity as the prize.
5. Scanners live in vain - Cordwainer Smith. A man temporarily coupled to his emotions faces a difficult decision when his inhuman colleagues plan to assassinate a prominent scientist.
6. The Cold Equations - Tom Godwin. The only passenger on a spaceship with enough fuel to carry one person is on a life-and-death mission when, suddenly, he discovers a stowaway.
7. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes. A stupid, but kind, man is given the opportunity to become a genius, but his new-found gift has a terrible price.
My favourites were:
1. Martian Odyssey - Stanley G. Weinbaum. An explorer teams up with an alien ostrich to investigate the wild and wacky wildlife of Mars.
2. Microcosmic God - Theodore Sturgeon. A genius inventor creates some little helpers for whom design is a life-and-death situation.
3. Nightfall - Isaac Asimov. As a planet with six suns faces its first darkness, a group of intellectuals fears going mad in the darkness.
4. Arena - Fredric Brown. A space soldier faces a large red alien ball in a duel to the death with the existence of humanity as the prize.
5. Scanners live in vain - Cordwainer Smith. A man temporarily coupled to his emotions faces a difficult decision when his inhuman colleagues plan to assassinate a prominent scientist.
6. The Cold Equations - Tom Godwin. The only passenger on a spaceship with enough fuel to carry one person is on a life-and-death mission when, suddenly, he discovers a stowaway.
7. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes. A stupid, but kind, man is given the opportunity to become a genius, but his new-found gift has a terrible price.
willv's review
5.0
An excellent collection of short stories; some better than others. My favourites were:
Scanners Live in Vain, by Cordwainer Smith
The Little Black Bag, by C. M. Kornbluth
Surface Tension, by James Blish
Mars is Heaven!, by Ray Bradbury
The Nine Billion Names of God, by Arthur C. Clarke
Flowers for Algernon*, by Daniel Keyes
The Roads Must Roll, by Robert Heinlein
Microcosmic God, by Theodore Sturgeon
Nightfall*, by Isaac Asimov
The Weapon Shop, by A. E. van Vogt
Mimsy Were the Borogoves, by Lewis Padgett
Arena, by Fredric Brown
First Contact, by Murray Leinster
Born of Man and Woman, by Richard Matheson
It's a Good Life**, by Jerome Bixby
The ones I liked the least were
The Cold Equations, by Tom Godwin
The Quest for Saint Aquin, by Anthony Boucher
Coming Attraction, by Fritz Leiber
A Rose for Ecclesiastes, by Roger Zelazny
And the several others were generally good, but didn't stick to my mind as much.
* I had read this before this collection
** the original story that led to the famous Twilight Zone episode, as well as the Treehouse of Horror in which Bart was the special kid
Scanners Live in Vain, by Cordwainer Smith
The Little Black Bag, by C. M. Kornbluth
Surface Tension, by James Blish
Mars is Heaven!, by Ray Bradbury
The Nine Billion Names of God, by Arthur C. Clarke
Flowers for Algernon*, by Daniel Keyes
The Roads Must Roll, by Robert Heinlein
Microcosmic God, by Theodore Sturgeon
Nightfall*, by Isaac Asimov
The Weapon Shop, by A. E. van Vogt
Mimsy Were the Borogoves, by Lewis Padgett
Arena, by Fredric Brown
First Contact, by Murray Leinster
Born of Man and Woman, by Richard Matheson
It's a Good Life**, by Jerome Bixby
The ones I liked the least were
The Cold Equations, by Tom Godwin
The Quest for Saint Aquin, by Anthony Boucher
Coming Attraction, by Fritz Leiber
A Rose for Ecclesiastes, by Roger Zelazny
And the several others were generally good, but didn't stick to my mind as much.
* I had read this before this collection
** the original story that led to the famous Twilight Zone episode, as well as the Treehouse of Horror in which Bart was the special kid
nicholasbobbitt1997's review
3.0
3.115384615 is the average star rating I'd give this book based on the stories' ratings.
Bright spots include
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Huddling Place by Clifford D. Simak
The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke
Those three are the only ones I found to be 5 star stories.
Bright spots include
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Huddling Place by Clifford D. Simak
The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke
Those three are the only ones I found to be 5 star stories.
jameseckman's review
4.0
An excellent collection of earlier science fiction works. Some will feel a bit dated, but then some were written in the 30's. I may not have read this particular collection, but I've read all of the stories listed.
lordofthemoon's review
4.0
I've not read much Leiber before but I'm really glad I picked up this volume (another of the many that I got from Jonathan). It presents Leiber's pick of his short stories from when he started writing in the '40s to the book's publication in the '70s, with the bulk of the selection being from the '50s.
Some of the writing reminded me heavily (and in a good way) of Ray Bradbury. He has the same fun with language and the stories tend to linger in the mind. His dystopian visions of future America's are both insightful and disturbing, while his more playful stories are fun, even when you do figure out the twist beforehand. Particular gems are 'The Ship Sails at Midnight', 'A Pail of Air' (which I've read anthologised several times), 'Space-Time for Springers', 'Little Old Miss Macbeth', and 'Rump-Titty-Titty-Tum-Tah-Tee'.
Some of the writing reminded me heavily (and in a good way) of Ray Bradbury. He has the same fun with language and the stories tend to linger in the mind. His dystopian visions of future America's are both insightful and disturbing, while his more playful stories are fun, even when you do figure out the twist beforehand. Particular gems are 'The Ship Sails at Midnight', 'A Pail of Air' (which I've read anthologised several times), 'Space-Time for Springers', 'Little Old Miss Macbeth', and 'Rump-Titty-Titty-Tum-Tah-Tee'.
hammard's review
2.0
I am finding as I read more of his works, why I much prefer Kornbluth's collaborations with Pohl than his solo outings. Whilst he has some interesting ideas and a better understanding of character than others, his style and structure do not hold up well for me, and often I was left crawling to the end of these pieces to be disappointed.
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