Rating: 
Summary: There's hope for us yet!
Review: Dunno where the Booklist reviewer got his information, But I was hooked LONG before the TV movie. Even after 35 years, the umpteenth reading of these stories can make me laugh, cry, resolve to be better myself. All these stories of a people shipwrecked among strangers are a real pleasure to read.
Rating:
Summary: Wistful for what we could be...
Review: For those who want a scifi tale with blasters and aliens who look green, then go elsewhere. The People look like us but are definitely different. And similar. Mawkish? Not at all. We are shown at our best and at our worst here. I wish I could explain the beauty of Zenna Henderson's prose, the images of time and place she creates. There is one paragraph of Valancy (my favorite character) doing something that I can *see* flash before my eyes, the imagery of the tales are that strong. I don't ever want these tales to go out of print again, it would be a great loss.
Rating:
Summary: Wistful for what we could be...
Review: For those who want a scifi tale with blasters and aliens who look green, then go elsewhere. The People look like us but are definitely different. And similar. Mawkish? Not at all. We are shown at our best and at our worst here. I wish I could explain the beauty of Zenna Henderson's prose, the images of time and place she creates. There is one paragraph of Valancy (my favorite character) doing something that I can *see* flash before my eyes, the imagery of the tales are that strong. I don't ever want these tales to go out of print again, it would be a great loss.
Rating:
Summary: a healing read in disguise
Review: Having read about The People when I was in my 20s and very depressed, the books lifted me out of the doldrums. Over the years I have owned and lost a couple of copies. Now I can regain these wonderful books and have them to give myself the lift I need occasionally. Should be a "must read" for every teenager in the country. I think there would be fewer suicides if every teen had a chance to read Ms. Henderson's books.
Rating:
Summary: Magic! Magic! Magic!
Review: Having spent the last few years searching used bookstores
for copies of Zenna Henderson's "People" stories, I was
overjoyed to find this collection of her works! As a young
woman, I wanted to *BE* one of the people. Deep down, I
still hope. The People are real; their stories are magic.
I am now buying this book for my nephews, because I know
their lives will be richer for having known the People.
And, who knows, maybe someday we will all be able to platt
sunshine and moonlight, or "lift", or "glow" a dime! It
could happen!
Rating:
Summary: An underrated Golden Age SF master
Review: Henderson is less well-known than many of the Golden Age masters of sci fi, but her work stands alongside the best of them. Her 'People' stories are the gentlest of her work (If you can find any of her other short stories, anthologized in the out-of-print 'Holding Wonder' and 'The Anything Box,' you'll see her weirder side), but they have superior power to make you see the universe in a new way. Like several other reviewers, I found them during a grim teenage time, and they helped more than I can say.The 'Booklist' reviewer accuses them of being too 'mawkish' but in fact, the sweetness and enlightenment of 'The People' is well-tempered by very 'human' flaws. Their racial memories include horrendous persecution, and prompt them to try and quelch their childrens' telepathic and other gifts in a way that seems repressive and cruel to an outsider...until she learns the reason. The stories show a people evolving, making mistakes and learning from them, even as they help various physically and emotionally crippled humans toward a new vision. It's WONDERFUL to have these stories back in print! Now all we need is for the publisher to gather Henderson's other (non-People) stories, and get them back out there, too!
Rating:
Summary: If you haven't met the People - you must!
Review: I am about to order my 5th copy of the Ingathering - I keep giving my copy away to people who have not met the People. I first met the People when my mother read the original publications out loud to me. I was 2 years old when the first one was published and until she died in 1960 my mother never failed to read the next story out loud so I would learn more about the beloved People. Many of them she read to me many times. They evoked wonderful dreams and thoughts to such a young girl. I was in my mid-teens before I found out they weren't true - I was devastated then and almost 50 years after meeting the People I'm still devastated to think that it isn't possible that somewhere they are still hiding waiting for society to be ready for them and their love. Now, I tell everyone who will listen about the People and how wonderful they are. Maybe somewhere Ms. Henderson has joined them
Rating:
Summary: Sentiment, ethics and fantasy in Science Fiction
Review: I am glad to find in "Ingathering" a collection of 'The People Stories'. As a young man I read them and felt that they were a charge to go into the world and teach, accepting people for what they were and for what they COULD be. My only regret in reading the book is to know that there will be no more stories to warm my heart and inspire my connection to the community in which I find myself. If Zenna Henderson has no remaining blood family, she has a larger family in those whom she inspired and encouraged. "The People" are an example of what can be the best in all of us.
Rating:
Summary: Sentiment, ethics and fantasy in Science Fiction
Review: I am glad to find in "Ingathering" a collection of 'The People Stories'. As a young man I read them and felt that they were a charge to go into the world and teach, accepting people for what they were and for what they COULD be. My only regret in reading the book is to know that there will be no more stories to warm my heart and inspire my connection to the community in which I find myself. If Zenna Henderson has no remaining blood family, she has a larger family in those whom she inspired and encouraged. "The People" are an example of what can be the best in all of us.
Rating:
Summary: Truly a classic
Review: I am thrilled that the People stories are back in print. I read them years ago. I own all four of the books, including the hardcover edition of Pilgrimage. I love to share these wonderful stories with others. Now they can buy their own copies. For anyone who hasn't read the stories yet I have one caution. This hardcover edition has an introductory story preceding the first titled story "Ararat." "Ararat" is the true first story of the People and originally was published in a science fiction magazine first. I read it in the magazine and almost 40 years later I can still remember the shocking thrill that went through me as I read a certain line that told me that something strange and wonderful was about to unfold. Of course I won't reveal the line and spoil it for others, but all Zenna Henderson readers will know to what I refer. New readers READ ARARAT FIRST!! A long time science fiction reader
|
