Best of
Speculative-Fiction

1971

The Lathe of Heaven


Ursula K. Le Guin - 1971
    In a future world racked by violence and environmental catastrophes, George Orr wakes up one day to discover that his dreams have the ability to alter reality. He seeks help from Dr. William Haber, a psychiatrist who immediately grasps the power George wields. Soon George must preserve reality itself as Dr. Haber becomes adept at manipulating George's dreams for his own purposes. The Lathe of Heaven is an eerily prescient novel from award-winning author Ursula K. Le Guin that masterfully addresses the dangers of power and humanity's self-destructiveness, questioning the nature of reality itself. It is a classic of the science fiction genre.

Holding Wonder


Zenna Henderson - 1971
    In this many-dimensioned new collection of speculative fiction, Zena Henderson introduces us to a boy who "calls" his mother, despite the fact that the nearest phone is miles away.--and reads the distress call from an orbiting astronaut's mind; to the amazing cures of Aunt Sophronia--pills for the living dead; and to Loo Ree, the imaginary friend of a first grader -- who tuns out to be all too real...Contents:The Indelible Kind (1968)J-Line to Nowhere (1969)You Know What, Teacher? (1954)The Effectives (1965)Loo Ree (1953)The Closest School (1960)Three-Cornered and Secure (1971)The Taste of Aunt Sophronia (1971)The Believing Child (1970)Through a Glass - Darkly (1970)As Simple as That (1971)Swept and Garnished (1971)One of Them (1971)Sharing Time (1971)Ad Astra (1971)Incident After (1971)The Walls (1971)Crowning Glory (1971)Boona on Scancia (1971)Love Every Third Stir (1971)

The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You


Dorothy Bryant - 1971
    Into the world of the Ata comes a desperate man, running from a fast life of fame and fortune, drugs and crime. He is led by the kin of Ata on a spiritual journey that, sooner or later, we all must take.

Jack of Shadows


Roger Zelazny - 1971
    Science rules the dayside of the globe. Magic rules the World of Night, and Jack of Shadows, Shadowjack the Thief, who broke the Compact and duped the Lord of High Dudgeon, walks in silence and in shadows to seek vengeance upon his enemies.

Alone Against Tomorrow: Stories of Alienation in Speculative Fiction


Harlan Ellison - 1971
    If someone were stupid enough to do it, novels could be written and published with such titles as " Moby Dick," " Alice in Wonderland" or "Gone With the Wind." But also, by law, ownership of a title can be guaranteed if it can be proved that the original author has established such a connection with the title that any duplication would infringe that linkage. How famous is this most famous of all Harlan Ellison's books? Well known enough that an English film company was stopped in its attempt to make a movie called " I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream." It's Ellison's title, the company was told.For more than sixteen years this work has been considered a classic of imaginative fiction.Isn't it about time you found out why? Discover why no one who has read this story has ever been able to forget it!Contents:· The Song of the Soul · in · I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream · ss If Mar ’67 · The Discarded [“The Abnormals”] · ss Fantastic Apr ’59 · Deeper Than the Darkness · nv Infinity Science Fiction Apr ’57 · Blind Lightning · ss Fantastic Universe Jun ’56 · All the Sounds of Fear · ss The Saint Detective Magazine (UK) Jul ’62 · The Silver Corridor · ss Infinity Science Fiction Oct ’56 · “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman · ss Galaxy Dec ’65 · Bright Eyes · ss Fantastic Apr ’65 · Are You Listening? · ss Amazing Dec ’58 · Try a Dull Knife · ss F&SF Oct ’68 · In Lonely Lands · ss Fantastic Universe Jan ’59 · Eyes of Dust · ss Rogue Dec ’59 · Nothing for My Noon Meal · ss Nebula #30 ’58 · O Ye of Little Faith · ss Knight Sep ’68 · The Time of the Eye · ss The Saint Detective Magazine May ’59 · Life Hutch [Kyben] · ss If Apr ’56 · The Very Last Day of a Good Woman [“The Last Day”] · ss Rogue Nov ’58 · Night Vigil [“Yellow Streak Hero”] · ss Amazing May ’57 · Lonelyache · ss Knight Jul ’64 · Pennies, Off a Dead Man’s Eyes · ss Galaxy Nov ’69

Inconstant Moon


Larry Niven - 1971
    The sun had gone nova.DEATH BY ECSTASY: Belters didn't get addicted to current stimulation, so why did the spacer die with electrodes in his brain?BORDERED IN BLACK: the continent had a thin black border all the way around. The things that made it drove a space explorer raving mad.These are three of the superb stories in this new collection by Larry Niven. The others are just as good.

To Your Scattered Bodies Go


Philip José Farmer - 1971
    When famous adventurer Sir Richard Francis Burton dies, the last thing he expects to do is awaken naked on a foreign planet along the shores of a seemingly endless river. But that's where Burton and billions of other humans (plus a few nonhumans) find themselves as the epic Riverworld saga begins. It seems that all of Earthly humanity has been resurrected on the planet, each with an indestructible container that provides three meals a day, cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, a lighter, and the odd tube of lipstick. But why? And by whom? That's what Burton and a handful of fellow adventurers are determined to discover as they construct a boat and set out in search of the river's source, thought to be millions of miles away. Although there are many hardships during the journey--including an encounter with the infamous Hermann Goring--Burton's resolve to complete his quest is strengthened by a visit from the Mysterious Stranger, a being who claims to be a renegade within the very group that created the Riverworld. The stranger tells Burton that he must make it to the river's headwaters, along with a dozen others the Stranger has selected, to help stop an evil experiment at the end of which humanity will simply be allowed to die. --Craig E. Engler

The Hermit


Lobsang Rampa - 1971
    "I have come to you for instruction, Venerable One," he said to the old hermit in a low voice. In response, the hermit instructed the monk in true cosmic laws and in the universal order that governs nature and humankind. He told of deep, dark secrets which had been passed on to him by a mysterious "Higher Order" who have protected and guided humans since the dawn of creation. The old hermit told of a trip inside a "great metallic body" (a UFO perhaps) and of the visit to a vast cavern where he was surrounded by various beings: "Here were small men and women, seemingly perfect in every detail and of god-like mien, radiating an aura of purity and calm. Others were also man-like but with a curious, quite bird-like head complete with scales or feathers and with hands which, although human in shape, still had astounding scales and claws. Also there were the giants, immense creatures who loomed like statues, and over-shadowed their more diminutive companions." Though blind, the old hermit was handed an amazing "sight box" which enabled him to view scenes that had been hidden from humankind for centuries to protect them from unnecessary self-abuse and harm.

Gods, Men and Ghosts: The Best Supernatural Fiction of Lord Dunsany


Lord Dunsany - 1971
    M. D. Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany, ranks among the twentieth century's great masters of supernatural and science fiction. An outstanding dramatist whose supernatural plays anticipated the theater of the absurd, Dunsany was also a virtuoso writer of short stories and essays. This selection presents the finest of his works, gathered from long-out-of-print sources. Contents include the famous "Three Sailors' Gambit," possibly the best chess story ever written; the remarkable trilogy about Nuth and the Gnoles, Thangobrind the Jeweller, and the Gibbelins; exploits of the Gods, including both "The Gods of Pengana" and adventures from other books; and favorite adventures of Jorkens, prince of liars. Dunsany's spellbinding tales are complemented by the remarkable visions of Sidney H. Sime, whose delicate illustrations form an indispensable complement to the stories.

Chronopolis


J.G. Ballard - 1971
    Above all, no one has done more to set new standards for sheer technique in this field. He is a man of towering imagination and acknowledged genius at handling the most intricate of plots.It is an invidious task to choose from such a rich body of work as Ballard's the sixteen finest stories. But here are presented the author's own favorites:1 - The Voices of Time (1960)2 - The Drowned Giant (1964)3 - The Terminal Beach (1964)4 - Manhole 69 (1957)5 - Storm-Bird, Storm-Dreamer (1966)6 - The Sound-Sweep (1959)7 - Billenium (1961)8 - Chronopolis (1960)9 - Build-Up (1957)10 - The Garden of Time (1962)11 - End Game (1964)12 - The Watchtowers (1962)13 - Now Wakes the Sea (1963)14 - Zone of Terror (1960)15 - The Cage of Sand (1962)16 - Deep End (1961)No writer has ever written better in this genre; few have equaled these stories. This is a collection to savor and reread."I know Ballard has made waves; I know he will not stop; I am most pleased to watch where he is going." - Theodore SturgeonJ.G. Ballard is a British novelist, writer and critic. As the apostle of the so-called New Wave in SF writing he has had an enormous influence on the development of modern SF. Among his many works, much of which have been outside the realm of SF, are novels such as The Drowned World and The Crystal World and such short story collections as Vermillion Sands and Billenium.

Stories from The Hugo Winners, Vol. II


Isaac Asimov - 1971
    Dickson;"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison;The Last Castle by Jack Vance;Neutron Star by Larry Niven.

The Ghouls


Peter HainingGeorge Langelaan - 1971
    Peter Haining has collected the stories on which eighteen of the very best horror films were based...""...In his introductions to each story, Mr. Haining provides a brief look at the story itself and the films made from it, including some fascinating bits of information about the making of the motion picture."Stories included:The Devil in a ConventThe LunaticsPuritan PassionsPhantom of the OperaThe MagicianFreaksMost Dangerous GameDracula's DaughterAll that Money Can BuyThe Body SnatcherThe Beast with Five FingersBeast from 20,000 FathomsThe FlyBlack SundayIncident at Owl CreekDie, Monster, Die!The SkullThe Oblong Box

A Guide to Middle Earth


Robert Foster - 1971
    Tolkien. Completely revised, expanded and updated, this definitive concordance includes detailed, easy-to-locate page references to all the wonders set forth in the greatest epic fantasy of all time.

Fletcher and Zenobia Save the Circus


Edward Gorey - 1971
    When the circus train is wrecked scattering the performers and props, two friends, a cat and a doll, help the circus owner.

No Time for Heroes / Alice's World


Sam J. Lundwall - 1971
    Lundwall first proposed the idea of his writing a novel with the central theme of this book it was with the thought of writing but the one entitled Alice's World. It was on that basis that Ace Books gave him the go-ahead signal. But as Mr. Lundwall progressed with the writing, it began to occur to him that there could be an altogether different way to approach the same premise—more satirical, more humorous, and with an alternate plot. As this idea grew he became more intrigued with the potential and, considering that the work was to be presented as part of one of the famous Ace double books, he finally approached us with the idea of doing both approaches to the theme.The idea was as intriguing to us as to him and we gave him the okay to go ahead with both novels. So we are pleased to present this unique package—two novels, quite different, by the same author and based on the same basic premise. So if you note No Time for Heroes as having certain things in common with Alice's World, it's not a coincidence. Rather, we hope, it makes for a double treat.No Time for Heroes, 131pp. / Alice's World, 122pp.No Time For Heroes“There’s no time for heroes like the present,” said General Superhawk, as he was relieved from his laundry duties to head the spaceship’s invasion of the untouched-by-human-hands-or-feet planet, which had been dead for 200,000 years.“This is absolutely no time for heroes” said the planet’s central brain computer which had, in its long, long loneliness, peopled its planet with fabled literary creatures created from its monstrous protoplasma vats.“I’m no hero!” screamed the small, fat man with the moustache as he was bullied onto the planet as the ship’s Number One scout.