Joseph D. Olander

I can't begin to count the number of times I have re-read this incredible collection of science fiction super-shorts. You can flip it open to any page, and find yourself at or near the beginning of a masterpiece of brevity. The ideas that can get developed in only three or four pages or less (my favorite in the collection is only one sentence long) are astounding.

Adding to the depth of the stories is the breadth of authorship: Asimov to Zelazny and almost all points in between. There show more literally is something for every SF reader in here.

Highly recommended. show less

A collection of short stories, none longer than five pages, suffers from some unfortunate literary tendencies.. The confined writing space leaves no room for character development, simply the possibility to explore an abstract idea. Unfortunately, this largely manifests itself in gimmick stories, with "gotcha" conclusions that are actually obvious. Or worse, puns.

There is a nice portrait of a Superman-type coming to terms with a middle-aged type of existence. I came to the collection show more looking for a particular Eric Frank Russell story, and it was of the all-too-frequent "gotcha" variety, but it had some decent dialogue -- a true oddity in this collection.

Oh yeah, there are a couple of Fritz Leiber stories in here that would be worth your time. show less

I have a fondness for these short short sf/f stories of old. It's mostly nostalgia, though. Because while many of the stories in here are okay, interesting, fun, funny, there are still plenty of others that make you roll your eyes.The ideas are cliche, or telegraphed right from the start. Or the ending is a stupid joke. Or is a 'twist' that isn't a twist. Surprise, it's a girl! And then.. that baby turned out to be Hitler!Part of that is because this is an old anthology, and the ideas were show more fresh at the time. Part of that is because, I think, Asimov loved the stupid jokes.I really noticed a sharp contrast between the stories in here and the stories in Flash Fiction, a literary anthology. And I'm afraid it's a comparison that puts the literary one on top. Shocking, right?! But those stories have a better language flow to them and seem more character-oriented, perhaps. Are more interesting. Frequently made me go 'huh?' or 'what was the point?' but rarely or never made me roll my eyes at the end.Before I conclude, I want to rant at these older anthologies, particularly Asimov ones. DON'T COMMENT ON THE STORIES BEFORE I'VE READ THE STORIES! Asimov (I assume) thinks he's being funny when he throws in a one-liner like 'don't judge a book by its cover' or something, which completely spoils the story. These stories are short enough as it is, can't you let me go into it without any preconceived notions about it?I skip story intros unless I KNOW it's only talking about the author or something unspoily. But it's really hard to skip them when it's a few words or a sentence and it's right above the title.Surprisingly, I don't think I'd read this anthology before. Even though I had read several short short story anthologies in my schooldays. show less

This is a deliciously thrilling collection. Each story is unique enough so they don't blend together. There are some murder mysteries, horrors, well-known faces and people with no names. Past and Future and Present all appear and no one is who they say they are. My favorites, of the 100, were Trick or Treat by Judith Garner, "Wide O-" by Elsin Ann Graffam and "The Witches in the Closet" by Anne Chamberlain. But their wasn't a story in the bunch I didn't enjoy. Highly recommend for a quick show more taste of mystery and macabre. show less