The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two A : The Greatest Science Fiction Novellas of All Time Chosen by the Members of The Science Fiction Writers of America (SF Hall of Fame)

Rating:
Summary: Landmarks of Science Fiction
Review: You'd never guess from looking at the bookstore shelves today, but collections of short works like these used to be the mainstay of science fiction. Tor Books deserves kudos for bringing this collection of classic novellas from sf's Golden Age back into print, and in hardcover, too, with Volume 2B presumably still to come.

The novella, longer than a short story, shorter than a full novel, is the ideal length for science fiction, providing enough room for an author to present an idea and work through all its implications, without the padding that often seems obligatory for marketing purposes today.

This book includes key works by some of the field's biggest names from the 1940s and 50s. Most will probably be new to anyone who started reading science fiction after the 1980s, including Campbell's "Who Goes There", filmed twice as "The Thing" but much creepier in print, and Lester del Rey's "Nerves", which pre-dated Three Mile Island and Chernobyl by decades.

While the science may have dated, these are still terrific stories.