[WM7]∎ Download Nebula Award Stories No 2 Brian Aldiss 9781588810199 Books

Nebula Award Stories No 2 Brian Aldiss 9781588810199 Books

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Nebula Award Stories No 2 Brian Aldiss 9781588810199 Books

_Nebula Award Stories Two_ (1967), edited by Brian W. Aldiss and Harry Harrison is a selection of the best science fiction stories of 1966, as voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America. The anthology is not quite the pyrotechnic dazzler that the first Nebula anthology edited by Damon Knight was. But it is still very good. A solid follow-up

The winner for best novella is Jack Vance's "The Last Castle" (_Galaxy_), for best best novelette Gordon R. Dickson's "Call Him Lord" (_Analog_), and for best short story, Richard Mckenna's "The Secret Place" (_Orbit 1).

The Vance is similar to his earlier award winner, "The Dragon Masters," though here the action takes place mostly on Earth. On one level, it is about a war between humans and the barbarous Meks. On another level, it is about a cultured but rigidly conservative society forced to change or die.

The Dickson is a character study of a spoiled young prince who must undergo a rite of passage in the backwoods of Earth. It is one of Dickson's best, and I have lost track of how many times I have read it.

The McKenna is one of a half dozen posthumous stories published by the author of _The Sand Pebbles_. It is about a graduate student in Oregon during World War II who plans a geological scam to embaress his professor and superior officer. But he meets a strange young woman who draws him into a strange desert game... I have never read one McKenna short story exactly like another.

There are eight runners-up. I liked that this anthology gave attention to a wide variety of _short_ stories. The runners-up are : Bob Shaw's "Light of Other Days" (_Analog_), Robin S. Scott's "Who Needs Insurance?" (_Analog_), R.A. Lafferty's "Among the Hairy Earthmen" (_Galaxy_), Frederik Pohl's "Day Million" (_Rogue_), Philip K. Dick's "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" (_Fantasy and Science Fiction_), George Henry Smith's "In the Imagicon" (_Galaxy_), Sonya Dorman's "When I Was Miss Dow" (_Galaxy_), and Brian W. Aldiss' "Man in His Time" (_Who Can Replace a Man?_). Harry Harrison makes clear in his introduction that Brian Aldiss did not know that his story would be included, but "there has been collusion in high places" (203). And after all, it was one of the finalists.

The Shaw is the first of his "slow glass" stories in which a young couple whose marriage is straining have their lives changed by an encounter involving a truly unusual invention. The Scott is the taking of an unusual idea-- what's the opposite of accident prone?-- and stretching it to the realm of the outrageous. The Lafferty might be called the ultimate rationalization story: Remember the age when we were so horrible? That wasn't us. It was amoral alien children. The Pohl might be called a love story of the future. But not one that is either warm or predictable. Dick's study of memory is that author playing outrageous games with reality. It is much better than the movie that was later made of it. The Smith is an allegory. Allegories have their place in science fiction, but this one is a touch heavy-handed and obvious. The Dorman is about a one-celled alien who replaces a woman for a short time. Complications ensue. And the Aldiss is about an ex-astronaut who is ahead of other humans by exactly 3.3077 minutes in time. If that doesn't sound like a major problem, read the story.

There is an afterward that covers selected books of 1966, along with the observation that science fiction is the last bastion of the short story. I am afraid that this is still largely true today.

The best novel award was a tie between _Flowers for Algernon_ by Daniel Keyes (Harcourt, Brace & World) and _Babel 17_ (Ace) by Samuel R. Delany. The first was an expansion of Keye's classic _Fantasy and Science Fiction_ novelette. The second was a paperback original. Both were excellent.

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Tags : Nebula Award Stories, No. 2 [Brian Aldiss] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. These stories, first published in 1966, represent an exciting and important time in the history of science fiction -- the era when SF became true literature. <P>Editors for this volume are BRIAN W. ALDISS and HARRY HARRISON. ALDISS is a prolific award-winning author of over two dozen novels,Brian Aldiss,Nebula Award Stories, No. 2,Stealth Press,1588810194

Nebula Award Stories No 2 Brian Aldiss 9781588810199 Books Reviews

_Nebula Award Stories Two_ (1967), edited by Brian W. Aldiss and Harry Harrison is a selection of the best science fiction stories of 1966, as voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America. The anthology is not quite the pyrotechnic dazzler that the first Nebula anthology edited by Damon Knight was. But it is still very good. A solid follow-up

The winner for best novella is Jack Vance's "The Last Castle" (_Galaxy_), for best best novelette Gordon R. Dickson's "Call Him Lord" (_Analog_), and for best short story, Richard Mckenna's "The Secret Place" (_Orbit 1).

The Vance is similar to his earlier award winner, "The Dragon Masters," though here the action takes place mostly on Earth. On one level, it is about a war between humans and the barbarous Meks. On another level, it is about a cultured but rigidly conservative society forced to change or die.

The Dickson is a character study of a spoiled young prince who must undergo a rite of passage in the backwoods of Earth. It is one of Dickson's best, and I have lost track of how many times I have read it.

The McKenna is one of a half dozen posthumous stories published by the author of _The Sand Pebbles_. It is about a graduate student in Oregon during World War II who plans a geological scam to embaress his professor and superior officer. But he meets a strange young woman who draws him into a strange desert game... I have never read one McKenna short story exactly like another.

There are eight runners-up. I liked that this anthology gave attention to a wide variety of _short_ stories. The runners-up are Bob Shaw's "Light of Other Days" (_Analog_), Robin S. Scott's "Who Needs Insurance?" (_Analog_), R.A. Lafferty's "Among the Hairy Earthmen" (_Galaxy_), Frederik Pohl's "Day Million" (_Rogue_), Philip K. Dick's "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" (_Fantasy and Science Fiction_), George Henry Smith's "In the Imagicon" (_Galaxy_), Sonya Dorman's "When I Was Miss Dow" (_Galaxy_), and Brian W. Aldiss' "Man in His Time" (_Who Can Replace a Man?_). Harry Harrison makes clear in his introduction that Brian Aldiss did not know that his story would be included, but "there has been collusion in high places" (203). And after all, it was one of the finalists.

The Shaw is the first of his "slow glass" stories in which a young couple whose marriage is straining have their lives changed by an encounter involving a truly unusual invention. The Scott is the taking of an unusual idea-- what's the opposite of accident prone?-- and stretching it to the realm of the outrageous. The Lafferty might be called the ultimate rationalization story Remember the age when we were so horrible? That wasn't us. It was amoral alien children. The Pohl might be called a love story of the future. But not one that is either warm or predictable. Dick's study of memory is that author playing outrageous games with reality. It is much better than the movie that was later made of it. The Smith is an allegory. Allegories have their place in science fiction, but this one is a touch heavy-handed and obvious. The Dorman is about a one-celled alien who replaces a woman for a short time. Complications ensue. And the Aldiss is about an ex-astronaut who is ahead of other humans by exactly 3.3077 minutes in time. If that doesn't sound like a major problem, read the story.

There is an afterward that covers selected books of 1966, along with the observation that science fiction is the last bastion of the short story. I am afraid that this is still largely true today.

The best novel award was a tie between _Flowers for Algernon_ by Daniel Keyes (Harcourt, Brace & World) and _Babel 17_ (Ace) by Samuel R. Delany. The first was an expansion of Keye's classic _Fantasy and Science Fiction_ novelette. The second was a paperback original. Both were excellent.

.