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C. M. Kornbluth (1923–1958)

Author of The Space Merchants

135+ Works 6,670 Members 136 Reviews 4 Favorited

About the Author

Series

Works by C. M. Kornbluth

The Space Merchants (1953) 1,928 copies
Gladiator-at-law (1955) 529 copies
Wolfbane (1957) 515 copies
Search the Sky (1954) 442 copies
The Syndic (1953) 421 copies
The Best of C. M. Kornbluth (1976) 343 copies
A Mile Beyond the Moon (1958) 227 copies
Not This August (1955) 205 copies
Critical mass (1977) 174 copies
Venus, Inc. (1984) 174 copies
Gunner Cade (1952) — Author — 166 copies
The Wonder Effect (1962) 149 copies
The Explorers (1954) 102 copies
Outpost Mars (1951) 87 copies
Takeoff (1952) 51 copies
The Altar at Midnight (1987) 31 copies
The Mindworm [short story] (1987) 23 copies
Gunner Cade & Takeoff (1983) 23 copies
Spaced Out: Three Novels of Tomorrow (2008) — Author — 20 copies
The Adventurer (1953) 18 copies
The Luckiest Man in Denv (1952) 15 copies
The Silly Season (1950) 14 copies
Reap the Dark Tide (1958) 13 copies
The Meeting [short fiction] (1972) 11 copies
Gomez 11 copies
Half (1953) 9 copies
Two Dooms 9 copies
Time Bum (1953) 8 copies
Herold im All (1968) 7 copies
Theory Of Rocketry (1958) 7 copies
Dominoes 7 copies
Friend to Man 6 copies
The Golden Road (1942) 5 copies
Presidential Year (1956) 5 copies
The City in the Sofa (1941) 5 copies
The Remorseful 5 copies
Sezon ogórkowy (1985) 5 copies
The Naked Storm (2016) 5 copies
Valerie (1957) 5 copies
Pollution: Omnibus (1971) — Contributor — 4 copies
A Gentle Dying 4 copies
Virginia (1958) 4 copies
Kazam Collects (1941) 4 copies
Domek z kart (1985) 3 copies
Iteration 2 copies
Best Friend 2 copies
Dead Center 2 copies
The Meddlers 2 copies
Masquerade 2 copies
Start zum Mond (1958) 1 copy
Wilczojad 1 copy
Fire-power 1 copy
CM Kornbluth 1 copy
CM Kornbluth 1 copy
Interference 1 copy
The Slave 1 copy
The Core 1 copy
O Síndico 1 copy
Der Verräter (1958) 1 copy

Associated Works

The World Treasury of Science Fiction (1989) — Contributor — 889 copies
The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories (1987) — Contributor — 884 copies
Fifty Short Science Fiction Tales (1963) — Contributor — 455 copies
100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories (1978) — Contributor — 407 copies
The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF (1994) — Contributor — 392 copies
A Treasury of Great Science Fiction, Volume 1 (1959) — Contributor — 338 copies
A Treasury of Great Science Fiction [2-volume set] (1959) — Contributor — 292 copies
The Hugo Winners: Volume Three (1971-1975) (1977) — Author — 265 copies
The Penguin Science Fiction Omnibus (1973) — Contributor — 248 copies
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Treasury (1988) — Contributor — 247 copies
Robert Silverberg's Worlds of Wonder (1987) — Author — 246 copies
The World Turned Upside Down (2005) — Contributor — 219 copies
The 1975 Annual World's Best SF (1975) — Contributor — 208 copies
American Science Fiction: Four Classic Novels 1953-56 (2012) — Contributor — 207 copies
Arbor House Treasury of Horror and the Supernatural (1981) — Contributor — 196 copies
The Arbor House Treasury of Modern Science Fiction (1980) — Contributor — 196 copies
The Stars at War (1986) — Contributor, some editions — 193 copies
Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories 3 (1941) (1980) — Contributor — 152 copies
Another Round at the Spaceport Bar (1989) — Contributor — 146 copies
Worlds to Come (1942) 142 copies
Time Probe: The Sciences in Science Fiction (1966) — Contributor — 142 copies
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 6th Series (1957) — Contributor — 138 copies
My Favorite Science Fiction Story (1999) — Contributor — 134 copies
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 8th Series (1959) — Contributor — 134 copies
The Fifth Galaxy Reader (1961) — Contributor — 130 copies
Space Mail (1980) — Contributor — 130 copies
A Treasury of Modern Fantasy (1981) — Contributor — 129 copies
Analog: The Best of Science Fiction (1982) — Author — 127 copies
The Hugo Winners: Volume Three, Book 2 (1973-1975) (1977) — Contributor — 119 copies
Science Fiction Stories (1979) — Contributor — 119 copies
Voyagers in Time (1967) — Contributor — 117 copies
Galaxy, Thirty Years of Innovative Science Fiction (1980) — Contributor — 112 copies
Spectrum 4 (1965) — Contributor — 112 copies
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #2 (1973) — Contributor — 110 copies
Science Fiction of the 50's (1971) — Contributor — 109 copies
American Science Fiction: Nine Classic Novels of the 1950s (2012) — Contributor — 103 copies
Star Science Fiction Stories No. 2 (1953) — Contributor — 102 copies
Star of Stars (1960) — Contributor — 102 copies
First Contact (1971) — Contributor — 100 copies
The Good Old Stuff (1998) — Contributor — 97 copies
The Crash of Empire (Imperial Stars, Book 3) (1989) — Contributor — 92 copies
Best SF Two (1956) — Contributor — 92 copies
13 Above the Night (1965) — Contributor — 92 copies
7th Annual Edition: The Year's Best S-F (1962) — Contributor — 90 copies
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 22nd Series (1977) — Contributor — 90 copies
The Great SF Stories 12 (1950) (1973) — Contributor — 89 copies
Catastrophes! (1981) — Contributor — 89 copies
Science Fiction: The Great Years (1973) — Contributor — 86 copies
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 7th Series (1958) — Contributor — 84 copies
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 4th Series (1955) — Contributor — 82 copies
Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories 13 (1951) (1985) — Contributor — 81 copies
The Mammoth Book of Fantasy All-Time Greats (1983) — Contributor — 81 copies
Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories 11 (1949) (1984) — Contributor — 81 copies
Star Science Fiction Stories No. 4 (1958) — Contributor — 81 copies
Cities of wonder (1967) — Contributor — 78 copies
18 Greatest Science Fiction Stories (1966) — Contributor, some editions — 72 copies
New Dreams This Morning (1966) — Author — 70 copies
Future Tense (1968) — Contributor — 69 copies
Great Short Novels of Science Fiction (1970) — Author — 68 copies
Alpha 1 (1970) — Contributor — 66 copies
The Vintage Anthology of Science Fantasy. (1966) — Contributor — 65 copies
Dark Stars (1969) — Contributor — 65 copies
Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories 19 (1957) (1989) — Contributor — 64 copies
Time Travelers (Fiction in the Fourth Dimension) (1997) — Contributor — 64 copies
Mind to Mind (1971) — Contributor — 63 copies
Masters of Fantasy (1992) — Contributor — 63 copies
100 Astounding Little Alien Stories (1996) — Contributor — 59 copies
Aliens among Us (2000) — Contributor — 58 copies
Timescapes (1997) — Contributor — 57 copies
Laughing Space: An Anthology of Science Fiction Humour (1982) — Contributor — 55 copies
Assignment in Tomorrow: An Anthology (1954) — Contributor — 54 copies
100 Hilarious Little Howlers (1999) — Contributor — 53 copies
The Second Science Fiction Megapack (2011) — Author — 53 copies
One Hundred Years of Science Fiction : Book Two (1950) — Author — 52 copies
Great Science Fiction about Doctors (1963) — Contributor — 52 copies
The Century's Best Horror Fiction Volume 1 (2011) — Contributor — 51 copies
Alpha 2 (1971) — Contributor — 51 copies
Science Fiction Contemporary Mythology (1978) — Contributor — 48 copies
The End of Summer: Science Fiction of the Fifties (1979) — Contributor — 47 copies
Alpha 7 (1977) — Contributor — 46 copies
Inside the Funhouse: 17 Sf Stories About Sf (1992) — Contributor — 44 copies
Alpha 6 (1976) — Contributor — 44 copies
Dimension X (Coronet Books) (1970) — Contributor — 43 copies
The Fantastic World War II: The War That Wasn't (1990) — Contributor — 42 copies
The Shape of Things (1965) — Contributor — 41 copies
Science Fiction Novel: Imagination and Social Criticism (1959) — Contributor — 39 copies
Future Crimes (2003) — Contributor — 36 copies
Dimension X: Five Science Fiction Novellas (1970) — Contributor — 35 copies
Sense of Wonder: A Century of Science Fiction (2011) — Contributor — 30 copies
Rod Serling's Night Gallery Reader (1987) — Contributor — 29 copies
100 Years of Science Fiction (1968) — Contributor — 29 copies
What If? Volume 1 (1980) — Contributor — 27 copies
Your Share of Fear (1982) — Contributor — 25 copies
Tomorrow and Tomorrow : Ten Tales of the Future (1973) — Contributor — 23 copies
The Best Horror Stories (1977) — Contributor — 22 copies
The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1951 (1951) — Contributor — 21 copies
Shared tomorrows: Science fiction in collaboration (1979) — Contributor — 18 copies
Intensive Scare (1990) — Contributor — 16 copies
Devil Worshipers (1990) — Contributor — 16 copies
The Arts and beyond: Visions of man's aesthetic future (1977) — Contributor — 14 copies
Space Service (1953) — Contributor — 13 copies
Astounding Science Fiction 1952 04 (1952) — Contributor — 11 copies
Astounding Science Fiction 1952 01 (1952) — Contributor — 11 copies
Metropolis brennt. (1982) — Contributor — 9 copies
Galaxy Science Fiction 1957 November, Vol. 15, No. 1 (1957) — Contributor — 7 copies
Astounding Science Fiction 1952 03 (1952) — Contributor — 7 copies
Invaders from space; ten stories of science fiction (1972) — Contributor — 7 copies
Det sidste spørgsmål og andre historier (1973) — Author, some editions — 6 copies
Marriage and the Family Through Science Fiction (1988) — Contributor — 6 copies
Vanguard Science Fiction, Vol. 1, No. 1 (June, 1958) (1958) — Contributor — 5 copies
Fantastic Chicago (1991) — Author — 2 copies
Astounding Science Fiction 1952 May (British Edition) (1952) — Contributor — 2 copies

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SF satire, journeys to weird societies in Name that Book (May 2009)

Reviews

A rocketing, sensational exposé of sin in space: a story about a drug deadlier than heroin, more vicious than morphine, this was the Martian narcotic that drenched a planet in crime and perversion.

This was the blurb that screamed from the back cover of the Galaxy re-publication of the novel written by husband and wife writing team Cyril M. Kornbluth and Judith Merril which was originally serialised in 1951. The blurb in this case is totally misleading as I have rarely read such a 'grown up' thoughtful novel from this era of pulp fiction.

Sin in Space was the 1961 reprint, but the original story had the title of Mars child, then [Outpost Mars]. The story starts with a difficult birth of a child in a struggling close knit human colony on the planet Mars: not so many science fiction books would have started with a birth scene. Tony Hellman is the doctor in attendance and he is also part of the democratically elected ruling committee of the community of Sun Lake. It is a community that prides itself on its complete sexual equality and is desperately trying to be self sufficient so that it can loosen its ties with an overcrowded and corrupt planet earth. The birth of a child is a big event in the colony which relies on drugs to enable them to breathe a rarefied atmosphere. The community receives a visit from the nearby Brenner Pharmaceutical corporation: an industrial concern that manufacture the addictive drug Marcaine. Brenner accuses the community of stealing a shipment of his drugs and demands that a search be carried out for the guilty culprit. Brenner knows that such a search would cause the release of radioactive material which could destroy the colony. The arrival in the twice yearly rocket supply ship from earth of journalist Douglas Graham, who is planning a feature book on the life of the planet, becomes a focal point for the struggle between the colony and the industrialists.

This is a well written story that also describes the hard grind of a relatively new colony trying to forge its own future on a planet where life is difficult, but whose participants have sacrificed everything to escape from planet earth. The birth of the Mars child proves to be a significant event in the life of the community and in accordance with the aims of the community the novel provides equal opportunity for both women and men to play significant roles. It is pulp fiction, but still a refreshingly good read and so 4 stars.
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Flagged
baswood | 1 other review | Oct 31, 2023 |
The Nov 1952 issue of 'Galaxy Science Fiction' must of been a heck of a pleasant surprise for it's subscribers - Asimov's 'The Martian Way' and this short story both in the same issue.

I don't know if it was deliberate, but even though both are about the early days of space travel and it's effect on people involved, everything else is polar opposites - from the settings and the characters, to the tone and plot lines.

The Martian Way is a must read, and this one isn't half bad either. Read them both, and marvel at the different styles.… (more)
 
Flagged
furicle | 1 other review | Aug 5, 2023 |
Another classic Kornbluth short story, about how to deal with tyrants, one way or another... Not his best, but still worth the quick read.
 
Flagged
furicle | 1 other review | Aug 5, 2023 |
This book was okay, the author used a device that I really do not like. He used lots of "witty quickfire" dialogue, not as bad as O.Henry but still not good. I did not care for many of the stories in here as well. The main attraction, March of the Morons was okay. There is definitely a still-relevant message within it, a mid-century bigot brings "the methods of Hitler" to the intelligentsia of the future shooting the majority of the bred-dullard population to Venus thus ridding the world of them forever. However, a good read it was not.
Frankly, the other tales in this book were just Meh in my opinion except for one. I really liked The Little Black Bag. It had characters I could identify and care about and a fittingly gruesome/humorous end. The theme of unfulfilled redemption and greed and the grim consequences thereof is food for thought but is not honed to a fine edge or aimed at a clear target by the end.
Overall, I cannot recommend this book save for the one tale I liked or for curiosity's sake Idiocracy's precursor in March of the Morons which possesses some of the same questionable undertones. The stories and the characters within are forgettable although I can see some of the charms in Kornbluth's style this book is just not for me.
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Flagged
Ranjr | Jul 13, 2023 |

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Associated Authors

Frederik Pohl Afterword, Introduction, Editor
Clifford D. Simak Contributor
Ed Emsh Cover artist
Richard M. Powers Cover artist, Cover Artist
Edmund Crispin Introduction
Jael Cover artist
Dan Bittner Narrator
Karel Thole Cover artist
John Griffiths Cover artist
Tom Kidd Cover artist
John Berkey Cover artist
Okko H. Reussien Translator
Karel Meijer Cover artist
Louise Meermin Translator
Vincent DiFate Cover artist
Howard V. Chaykin Cover artist
Gary Viskupic Cover artist
Rus Anderson Cover artist
Dean Ellis Cover artist
Remy Charlip Illustrator
Richard Powers Cover artist
Mel Hunter Cover artist
Thomas Görden Translator
C.W. Bacon Cover artist
Paul Lehr Cover artist
Eddie Jones Cover artist
Jean Rosenthal Translator
Francis Valéry Translator
Ian Yeomans Cover photograph
Robert Stanley Cover artist
Isidre Mones Cover artist
Robert A. Maguire Cover artist
Joachim Körber Translator

Statistics

Works
135
Also by
135
Members
6,670
Popularity
#3,672
Rating
3.8
Reviews
136
ISBNs
190
Languages
14
Favorited
4

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