Worlds to Come

A strong collection of science fiction short stories from the 40s and 50s, including "The Sentinal" by Arthur C. Clarke, which inspired 2001: A Space Odyssey. I liked the brief but powerful Clarke story quite a bit, although my favorites in the bunch are probably the sci-fi horror story "Mars is Heaven!" by Ray Bradbury, H.B. Frye's pulpy adventure of a man struggling to walk back to base after a tragic accident in "Moonwalk," and the story of a novice space monk learning the ropes as he translates for a blustery trader hawking jewels on a far-away planet in C.M. Kornbluth's "That Share of Glory." All the stories in this collection were great, though (and Heinlein's features a cat

Published in 1967 I think this is one of Knight’s best compilations. I know I’ve read most of these stories elsewhere but I still very much enjoyed them this time around. Considering that I’m reading this book in 2022 with all the ache of Covid and school shootings and war in Europe the almost complete good feeling coming from this book is such a blessing. All of these 9 stories is a winner and the weakest is merely ‘darn good’.

• “The Sentinel” by Arthur C. Clarke is the only one I’m sure I’ve never read before…it was the inspiration for “2001: A Space Odyssey.

• “Moonwalk” by H. B. Fyfe is a survival story on the moon.

• “Mars Is Heaven!” by Ray Bradbury is the only ‘downer’ in the lot. This is show more one of those “too good to be true” tales.

• “The Edge of the Sea” by Algis Budrys is an easily forgettable plot, but I found myself wondering what I would have done in the circumstances.

• “The Martian Way” by Isaac Asimov must be familiar to you…but, considering the current political environment in America, it’s nice to see the good guys win, without the scars of having to punish the bad guys.

• “The Big Contest” by John D. MacDonald is a ‘throwaway’…it’s not very thought-provoking, but it’s not a bad story in-as-much as the aliens seem to feel the need to show-off once in a while the same as we do.

• “Ordeal in Space” by Robert A. Heinlein explores a possible emotional strain from working in space and how facing the stress for the sake of a kitten can cure some of the worst pains.

• “That Share of Glory” by C. M. Kornbluth is one of the most entertaining “superman” stories where hard work, intensive studies and keeping your mind open wins in the end.

• “Sunken Universe” by James Blish is unique in its exploration of Man’s desire for survival, in any form. It was so much fun rereading this story that I intend to reread the entire series contained in the book ‘Pantropy’—also known as ‘The Seedling Stars’.

As a side note, it’s also a challenge to identify which 7 stories are depicted on the cover. show less

eight excellent stories, with a couple of gems by john d. macdonald and ray bradbury.