The Best of Raymond Z. Gallun

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The Best of Raymond Z. Gallun
The Best of Raymond Z. Gallun.jpg
Cover of first edition
Author Raymond Z. Gallun
Cover artist H. R. Van Dongen
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Series Ballantine's Classic Library of Science Fiction
Genre Science fiction
Publisher Del Rey/Ballantine
Publication date
1978
Media typePrint (paperback)
Pagesxvi, 336
ISBN 0-345-25273-X
OCLC 4248714
Preceded by The Best of Jack Williamson  
Followed by The Best of Lester del Rey  

The Best of Raymond Z. Gallun is a collection of science fiction short stories by American author Raymond Z. Gallun, edited by J. J. Pierce. It was first published in paperback by Del Rey/Ballantine in August 1978 as a volume in its Classic Library of Science Fiction. [1]

Contents

Summary

The book contains thirteen short works of fiction and an afterword by the author, together with an introduction by editor J. J. Pierce. [1]

Contents

Reception

James McGlothlin on blackgate.com writes that he "really, really struggled reading" the book due to Gullun's "stiff" writing style, "wooden" characterizations, and typically "cold-hearted" protagonists, as well as his "often ... breaking the 'Show, Don't Tell' rule of good writing." He notes that "dispassionate, resourceful scientists — human or alien — are usually the heroes of Gallun's stories. Or better, one might say Science (with a capital 'S' is the real hero." He finds "one good quality that clearly comes across" in the author's fascination "with natural events or scientific phenomena that seemingly could not take place within the bounds of known science" that he "greatly enjoyed [demonstrating] might be plausibly and scientifically viable" in "stories [that] usually attempted to encourage wonder at what science might be capable of explaining." McGlothlin finds this "a novel aesthetic and perhaps educational goal." Nonetheless, he feels Gallun "is probably best seen as an historical example of a bygone day," who "might still occasionally inspire scientific awe in some, but ... is more likely to leave one fairly cold." [2]

Awards

"Seeds of the Dusk" was a preliminary nominee for the 1939 Retro Hugo Award for Best Novelette in 2014. [1]

Notes

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