Five Science Fiction Novels

Last updated
Five Science Fiction Novels
Five science fiction novels.jpg
Dust-jacket from the first edition.
Editor Martin Greenberg
Cover artist Frank Kelly Freas
LanguageEnglish
Genre Science fiction
Publisher Gnome Press
Publication date
1952
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages282

Five Science Fiction Novels is a 1952 anthology of five science fiction novellas edited by Martin Greenberg. The stories originally appeared in the magazines Unknown and Astounding SF .

Contents

Contents

Reception

The New York Times reviewer Basil Davenport reported the anthology contained "three hits, one near miss, and one bad miss," declaring it "almost always at least entertaining, and at its best provocative." Davenport faulted "The Crucible of Power" as "no more than a short story," and found "Crisis in Utopia," although attractively imaged, to be weakly plotted. Of the "hits," he described "But Without Horns" as a familiar tale "told with real suspense; reported "The Chronicler" to be a typical van Vogt story where action kept the reader's interest even when the ideas became murky; and praised "Destiny Times Three" as the book's high point. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. E. van Vogt</span> American science fiction writer (1912–2000)

Alfred Elton van Vogt was an American science fiction writer. His fragmented, bizarre narrative style influenced later science fiction writers, notably Philip K. Dick. He was one of the most popular and influential practitioners of science fiction in the mid-twentieth century, the genre's so-called Golden Age, and one of the most complex. The Science Fiction Writers of America named him their 14th Grand Master in 1995.

<i>Slan</i> 1940 novel by A. E. van Vogt

Slan is a science fiction novel by American-Canadian writer A. E. van Vogt, as well as the name of the fictional race of superbeings featured in the novel. The novel was originally serialized in the magazine Astounding Science Fiction. It was subsequently published in hardcover in 1946 by Arkham House, in an edition of 4,051 copies. In 2016, Slan was awarded the Retro-Hugo Award for Best Novel for 1941.

Edo van Belkom is a Canadian author of horror fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gnome Press</span> Defunct American small-press publishing company

Gnome Press was an American small-press publishing company primarily known for publishing many science fiction classics. Gnome was one of the most eminent of the fan publishers of SF, producing 86 titles in its lifespan — many considered classic works of SF and Fantasy today. Gnome was important in the transitional period between Genre SF as a magazine phenomenon and its arrival in mass-market book publishing, but proved too underfunded to make the leap from fan-based publishing to the professional level. The company existed for just over a decade, ultimately failing due to inability to compete with major publishers who also started to publish science fiction. In its heyday, Gnome published many of the major SF authors, and in some cases, as with Robert E. Howard's Conan series and Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, was responsible for the manner in which their stories were collected into book form.

Galaxy novels, sometimes titled Galaxy Science Fiction Novels, were a series of mostly reprint American science fiction novels published between 1950 and 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John W. Campbell bibliography</span> Bibliography

This is a bibliography of works by American writer John W. Campbell Jr.

A fix-up is a novel created from several short fiction stories that may or may not have been initially related or previously published. The stories may be edited for consistency, and sometimes new connecting material, such as a frame story or other interstitial narration, is written for the new work. The term was coined by the science fiction writer A. E. van Vogt, who published several fix-ups of his own, including The Voyage of the Space Beagle, but the practice exists outside of science fiction. The use of the term in science fiction criticism was popularised by the first (1979) edition of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, edited by Peter Nicholls, which credited van Vogt with the term’s creation. The name “fix-up” comes from the changes that the author needs to make in the original texts, to make them fit together as though they were a novel. Foreshadowing of events from the later stories may be jammed into an early chapter of the fix-up, and character development may be interleaved throughout the book. Contradictions and inconsistencies between episodes are usually worked out.

<i>Beachheads in Space</i> 1952 anthology of science fiction stories edited by August Derleth

Beachheads in Space is an anthology of science fiction stories edited by American writer August Derleth. It was first published by Pellegrini & Cudahy in 1952. Many of the stories had originally appeared in the magazines Astounding Stories, Fantastic Adventures, Science Fiction Adventures, Amazing Stories, Startling Stories, Weird Tales, Planet Stories and Blue Book. Seven of the stories were reprinted again in Derleth's 1964 anthology From Other Worlds.

<i>Beyond Time and Space</i> 1950 anthology edited by August Derleth

Beyond Time and Space is an anthology of science fiction stories edited by American writer August Derleth. It was first published by Pellegrini & Cudahy in 1950. Several of the stories had originally appeared in the magazines The Century, The Atlantic Monthly, The Strand, Blue Book, Blackwood's Magazine, Weird Tales, Amazing Stories, Astounding Stories, Maclean's, The American Legion Magazine and Startling Stories. A heavily abridged paperback edition was issued by Berkley Books in 1958.

<i>The Outer Reaches</i> 1951 anthology edited by August Derleth

The Outer Reaches is an anthology of science fiction stories edited by August Derleth. It was first published by Pellegrini & Cudahy in 1951. The stories had originally appeared in the magazines Fantasy & Science Fiction, Astounding Stories, Blue Book, Maclean's, Worlds Beyond, Amazing Stories, Fantastic Adventures, Thrilling Wonder Stories and Galaxy Science Fiction or in the anthology Invasion from Mars.

<i>Men Against the Stars</i> Short fiction anthology by Martin Greenberg

Men Against the Stars is a 1950 anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Martin Greenberg, originally published in hardcover by Gnome Press. A British hardcover was issued by Grayson & Grayson in 1951. Pyramid Books published several abridged paperback versions in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

<i>Travelers of Space</i> 1951 anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Martin Greenberg

Travelers of Space is a 1951 anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Martin Greenberg. The stories originally appeared in the magazines Planet Stories, Astounding SF, Thrilling Wonder Stories and Startling Stories.

<i>The Mixed Men</i> 1952 novel by A.E. van Vogt

The Mixed Men is a 1952 fix-up science fiction novel by the Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt, a compilation of several shorter pieces written in the early 1940s.

<i>The Robot and the Man</i> 1953 anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Martin Greenberg

The Robot and the Man is a 1953 anthology of science fiction short stories regarding robots edited by Martin Greenberg. The stories originally appeared in the magazines Astounding SF and Galaxy Science Fiction.

<i>Empire of the Atom</i> 1957 novel by A.E. van Vogt

Empire of the Atom is a science fiction novel by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt. It was first published in 1957 by Shasta Publishers in an edition of 2,000 copies. The novel is a fix-up of the first five of van Vogt's Gods stories, which originally appeared in the magazine Astounding. The remaining Gods stories are combined in the sequel The Wizard of Linn. A genealogical chart of the ruling family of the Empire of Linn is included.

Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc., or FPCI, was an American science fiction and fantasy small press specialty publishing company established in 1946. It was the fourth small press company founded by William L. Crawford.

<i>Out of the Unknown</i> (collection) Book by A.E. van Vogt

Out of the Unknown is a collection of fantasy short stories by Canadian writers A. E. van Vogt and E. Mayne Hull, a married couple. It was first published in 1948 by Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc. in an edition of 1,000 copies. The stories originally appeared in the magazine Unknown.

<i>The Astounding Science Fiction Anthology</i>

The Astounding Science Fiction Anthology is a selection of stories from Astounding Science Fiction, chosen by the magazine's longtime editor John W. Campbell Jr. It was originally published in hardcover in 1952 by Simon & Schuster, and reprinted in various forms and editions over the next two decades.

<i>Top Science Fiction: The Authors Choice</i> 1984 anthology edited by Josh Pachter

Top Science Fiction: The Authors' Choice is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Josh Pachter, the second in his series of "Authors' Choice" anthologies. It was first published in hardcover by J. M. Dent in July 1984, with a trade paperback edition issued by the same publisher in 1985. The book has also been published in translation in the Netherlands, Argentina, Germany and Finland.

<i>Nebula Awards 31</i> 1997 anthology edited by Pamela Sargent

Nebula Awards 31 is an anthology of science fiction short works edited by Pamela Sargent, the third of three successive volumes under her editorship. It was first published in hardcover and trade paperback by Harcourt Brace in April 1997, and reprinted in trade paperback in July 1999.

References

  1. "Spacemen's Realm", The New York Times , May 11, 1952

Sources