The World Turned Upside Down (edition 2005)

That true rarity: an anthology where I didn't even mildly dislike any of the stories. Some old friends, some classics, and a couple that were new to me. Excellent! ( )

Extensive collection of early "SciFI", most were excellent then and many remain so. ( )

This could have been very self indulgent - a collection of the editors' favourite stories from the golden age of science fiction (from the time you were thirteen or so :-)) but by-and-large, they have come up with excellent stories and authors, some of which I had not heard of and some of which are definate classics.

Some stories show their age - inevitably given the fact they were written over half a century ago, but the great surprise is the way most manage to remain interesting despite their age. ( )

http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/13-TheBalticWarCD/TheBalticWarCD/The World Tu...

The three editors in this case have put togeter a selection of stories that influenced them as kids, some are obscure, some most definitely not. Certainly an interesting bunch, and definitely no junk here.

Rescue Party - Arthur C. Clarke
The Menace from Earth - Robert A. Heinlein
Code Three [Clay Ferguson] - Rick Raphael
Hunting Problem - Robert Sheckley
Black Destroyer [Beagle] - A. E. van Vogt
A Pail of Air - Fritz Leiber
Thy Rocks and Rills - Robert Ernest Gilbert
A Gun for Dinosaur [Reginald Rivers]
Goblin Night [Telzey Amberdon] - James H. Schmitz
The Only Thing We Learn - C. M. Kornbluth
Trigger Tide - Wyman Guin
The Aliens - Murray Leinster
All the Way Back - Michael Shaara
The Last Command [Bolo] - Keith Laumer
Who Goes There? [as by Don A. Stuart] - John W. Campbell, Jr.
Quietus - Ross Rocklynne
Answer - Fredric Brown
The Last Question - Isaac Asimov
The Cold Equations - Tom Godwin
Shambleau [Northwest Smith] - C. L. Moore
Turning Point - Poul Anderson
Heavy Planet [with Frederik Pohl] - Lee Gregor
Omnilingual - H. Beam Piper
The Gentle Earth - Christopher Anvil
Environment - Chester S. Geier
Liane the Wayfarer [Dying Earth] - Jack Vance
Spawn - P. Schulyer Miller
St. Dragon and the George [Jim Eckert] - Gordon R. Dickson
Thunder and Roses - Theodore Sturgeon

An alien survey ship is surprised to find that the Earth system sun is going nova well ahead of schedule, and gets in trouble itself when it goes to look for people to save and can't find signs of life, until much later.

3.5 out of 5

The cozy friendship between two teenage would be spaceship designers on the moon is interrupted when a well built actress from Earth arrives from a holiday, utilising both their services as guides.

4 out of 5

Future traffic policing is a 24 hour a day live in your vehicle job for these officers. Their banter is very entertaining.

3.5 out of 5

Alien scouts go for gruesome merit badge.

3 out of 5

A ship's crew lands on a planet and meets an alien with extraordinarily dangerous abilities.

3.5 out of 5

A dark star interloper rips the earth out of its orbit, and everything freezes. One family finds a way to construct a shelter to survive the freezing.

3.5 out of 5

A man and his mutant bull rebel against their society's liking for violence.

3.5 out of 5

History full of blowing stuff up and big fat fibs.

3.5 out of 5

Secret agent man gadget sabotage predictions.

3.5 out of 5

For friendly encounters, get rid of the xenophobic psychos.

4 out of 5

Aggressive sleepers may be waiting.

3.5 out of 5

A Bolo is a cybernetic supertank, basically. In this story, an old inactive one comes to life.

3 out of 5

A discovery of a lifeform buried in the Antarctic ice causes serious problems for an isolated research team.

5 out of 5

Crow not as smart as it looks.

3.5 out of 5

Computer god.

3 out of 5

Immortal humans breed too fast for the universe.

4 out of 5

Kid is a waste of oxygen.

5 out of 5

Shoot vampire gorgon women, don't ask them in for dinner.

4.5 out of 5

Assimilating smart people is key.

4 out of 5

Tough conditions for deadly conflict.

3.5 out of 5

Archaelogists working on the extinct Martian civilisation discover a different sort of Rosetta stone.

4.5 out of 5

Alien invasion couldn't stand the weather.

4 out of 5

The city can change people, and also learn 'em.

3 out of 5

Stuff is not very likely, especially spores from space making a mangod facsimile.

3.5 out of 5

Human, dragon and knight team-up vs the bad guys.

3.5 out of 5

With everything nuked, limitation, hope and waiting is all that can be done.

4.5 out of 5

http://freesf.blogspot.com/2008/08/world-turned-upside-down-eric-flint-and.html ( )

Sample Chapters: http://webscriptions.net/chapters/0743498747/0743498747.htm