The Science Fiction Century: Volume 1

Whenever I’m asked whether I like science fiction, I’m torn whether to answer “yes” or “no.” I do like the kind of science fiction that no longer seems to be in vogue, the kind that didn’t require you to learn an invented language or draft a character flowchart to enjoy.

Luckily, the trade paperback THE SCIENCE FICTION CENTURY: VOLUME 1 sticks to that kind. Editor David G. Hartwell is a master anthologist, as demonstrated by both his excellent introduction to the text and his refusal to pick any obvious favorites for this collection. When drawing from a 100-year span, the genre has a lot to offer, and you get a healthy mix of everything, including stories steeped in humor (C.S. Lewis’s “Ministering Angels), politics (Michael Shaara’s “2066: Election Day”) and childhood nostalgia (James Tiptree Jr.’s STAR TREK-influenced “Beam Us Home”).

Justifying the CENTURY of the title, the book includes a rather lengthy entry from SF grandfather H.G. Wells, whose “A Story of the Days to Come” illustrates why science fiction was often termed “scientific romance” way back when. Longer still is Charles Harness’ “The Rose,” which Hartwell cites as an example of “‘grand opera’ science fiction” (perhaps paving the way for his mammoth forthcoming THE SPACE OPERA RENAISSANCE collection).

But the book illustrates that even models of brevity can wield as much power on the page, like Frank Belknap Long’s “The Hounds of Tindalos,” a terrific alien-invasion tale told in a mere 10 pages. One might think it difficult to to string together Victorian authors with such genre busters as Philip José Farmer, but Hartwell’s story-by-story intros make it work. Further to his credit, he spotlights people you don’t normally think of when you think of science fiction, including such literary stalwarts as E.M. Forster, Rudyard Kipling and Jack London, whose “The Scarlet Plague” closes this brick of a book. (But at 500 pages, it still represents merely the first half of the original 1997 hardcover edition; VOLUME 2 will follow this fall.)

Whether you’re a longtime sci-fi lover or just a casual observer, CENTURY is well worth adding to your collection, not only for its historical value, but Hartwell’s unique perspective. –Rod Lott

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OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THESE AUTHORS:
• CHRISTMAS STARS edited by David G. Hartwell
• H.G. WELLS COLLECTOR’S BOOK OF SCIENCE FICTION by H.G. Wells
• THE WAR OF THE WORLDS by H.G. Wells

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Related posts:

1. H.G. Wells Collector’s Book of Science Fiction
2. Science Fiction America: Essays on SF Cinema
3. Novel Ideas: Science Fiction
4. Bradbury, Asimov among TV’s MASTERS OF SCIENCE FICTION
5. The War of the Worlds

About Rod Lott

Rod is the fearless editor-in-chief of BOOKGASM and a voice of reason in Oklahoma City.