Product Description

A collection of all 118 short science fiction and fantasy stories of one of the masters of the vignette, all his short works except two which were rewritten into parts of a novel. Introduction by Barry N. Malzberg. Dustjacket art by Bob Eggleton.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #101802 in Books
• Published on: 2001-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 693 pages

From Library Journal
From a tongue-in-cheek tale of a young boy's valiant effort to save the world ("Armageddon") to a dark tale of music and horror ("Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"), the stories of the late Brown represent a distinctive and unique voice in the sf community. This collection of more than 100 tales, many only a page in length, highlight the career of one of the genre's most incisive satirists and outstanding innovators. Most libraries should add this to their sf or short story collections. Last-Minute Mystery
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
One of the most durable writers of sf's golden age, Brown (1906-72) was a stalwart of the pulps, the cheap-paper magazines that published most genre fiction from the late '20s to the '60s. He contributed uniquely by virtue of also being a crackerjack mystery writer, for he brought the noirish atmosphere and seedy details of the era's crime fiction to sf. He also brought the sardonic humor of the newsrooms in which he learned the writing trade, and that was his finest gift. A Brown story typically takes an odd situation, develops it risibly, eerily, or suspensefully enough, and concludes with a surprise calculated to rouse chuckles, chills, or both. Famous characters from his stories include Mitkey, an ordinary mouse who becomes an interstellar explorer, and the last man on Earth, who hears a knock on his door. To read very many of his stories is to be convinced, rightly or wrongly, that Brown's manner and modus inspired such early TV shows as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Publisher
The Fifteenth book in the NESFA’s Choice Series.

Customer Reviews

Ingenious, Irreverent, Ironic -- The O. Henry of SciFi
This volume collects all Fredric Brown's short science fiction, and an entertaining collection it is. Surprise endings abound as Brown spins short sagas of science and the supernatural. A few of my favorites:

"Armageddon" begins with the end of the world.

"Arena" served as the inspiration for the Star Trek episode of the same name, but the savior of humanity confronts a much more formidable task than Captain Kirk did.

"Etaion Shrdlu," a sentient linotype printing press, eagerly absorbs knowledge from its jobs until....

"Knock" sports the shortest title in all science fiction literature and the creepiest beginning: "The last man on Earth sat in a room. He heard a knock on the door."

The stories run the gamut from knee-slappingly funny to disturbingly somber. If you like short science fiction, you'll love Fredric Brown.

At last! Fredric Brown, back in print!
Like his contemporaries, Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury, Fredric Brown gained fame both as a science fiction writer (the novels What Mad Universe, The Lights in the Sky are Stars) AND as a murder mystery writer (the novels The Fabulous Clipjoint, The Screaming Mimi).
This book collects all his SF short stories, (as well as some non-SF material like "Nightmare in Blue" and Yellow") into one hefty volume. More than 100 of his works are in here, some hilarious, some horrifying; some optimistic, some dark. Many stories are already familiar to Fredric Brown fans ("Pi in the Sky," "Puppet Show") while others have been out of print so long that they'll seem new even to fans. (I was happily surprised to see that Mitkey, the rodent hero of "Star Mouse," got a second outing in "Mitkey Rides Again.")
The book is especially remarkable for presenting his work in CHRONOLOGICAL order, so fans can trace his development over the quarter century Fredric Brown was active. Fans can also follow real-world developments through his tales, from the World War II-era patriotism of "The New One" to the warnings of nuclear disaster in "The Weapon" and "Letter to a Phoenix."
Those unfamiliar with his work are welcome to jump around. I recommend the nine titles mentioned above, plus "Nothing Sirius," "Honeymoon in Hell," "Something Green" and "Knock." Also, make sure you read the three "Eustace Weaver" stories back to back, to fully appreciate the lunacy.
Also of special note are "Daymare," which is simultaneously a science fiction story AND a murder mystery, as is "Crisis, 1999." Meanwhile, "Arena" inspired the classic Star Trek episode of the same name.
Brown also pioneered the "short short," and some of the stories are less than a page in length. "The Answer," Voodoo," Pattern," "Solipsist" and "Blood" are classic examples.
As often happens with old science fiction, some of the technology is dated. (Vacuum tubes? Linotype machines?) However, although vacuum tubes may have gone out of style, great writing does not. This book would make a great gift for any science fiction fan, especially an old-school fan.

Best consumed in small doses
When I was a lot younger (like, 40 years ago) Fredric Brown was one of my favorite authors. I read all five of his SF novels, quite a few of his mysteries, and most of his SF shorts. The latter are what make up this book. And while I have enjoyed reading (actually, for the most part, re-reading) these little gems, I have to say that they're more enjoyable taken two or three at a time than read in one continuous batch. Certain themes (time travel, mind control, narrowly-averted alien conquests, awesome powers gone awry) crop up again and again. An extraordinary number of his protagonists are alcoholics, or at least drunk. And his depiction of man/woman relationships is often leering. Still, most of these stories are fun, thought-provoking, or in some instances (e.g. Hat Trick) downright scary. I hesitate to give this book five stars; it's really more of a high four-star entry. But I'll give it the full five just because Brown's writing gave me so much pleasure, long ago!