Something To Read  by Ken Slater

BEYOND HUMAN KEN an anthology edited by Judith Merril (Grayson & Grayson, 240 pp, 9/6)   

In this work, Miss Merril has combined fifteen tales which are definitely "beyond human ken" and should appeal to the science-fiction reader, although they are not all strict "s.f." For instance, she has included Robert A. Heinlein's delightful fantasy "Our Fair City," the story of the tame whirlwind which assists a local paper and its crusading editor and staff to clean up (in more ways than one) a city. Then there is Idris Seabright's rather horrific "The Man Who Sold Rope To The Gnoles," and Stephen Bendt's " The Angel Was A Yankee."  

On the science-fiction side you'll find "The Glass Eye" by Eric Frank Russell, concerning the two aliens who underestimated the ability of mankind, with tragic results—to the aliens. Aliens occur also in Mark Clifton 's "What Have I Done?" These came with a different intention to be sure—but get the same treatment. "Helen O'Loy," by Lester del Rey, is a robot story. A rather tragic one; the heart-touching tale of a robot who is more human than most of humankind. A robot is the hero of Malcolm Jameson's "Pride"; a very like­able fellow called "Old Tom," with whom the reader will be in sympathy. Old Tom has pride of race, and wants descendants, children, a son. But how can a robot have a son? Old Tom solves his problem in this tale, and quite neatly, too.

Off-trail, the "we are property" theme is the basis of Roger Dee's "Unwelcome Tenant," while a mutant dog who is still a dog is the "Socrates" of John Christopher's yarn of that title. "The House Dutiful" represents the work of William Tenn, a fine story of a house which serves its owner with all his needs—according to the house's appreciation of the needs. And its powers are un­limited...

Cybernetic-space-ships are the theme of "Solar Plexus," by James Blish, and the story presents a neat problem of what to do when one of them decides that space­ships are better than humans. That leaves "The Fly," by Arthur Porges; "The Wabbler," Murray Leinster's story of a machine with a destiny; "Good-Bye, Ilha!" by Laurence Manning, telling of the effect of man­kind on just one Martian who tries to save his world, but who likes the humans so much he is willing to die with them, and finally, "The Perfect Host"—the last, and the most unusual story in this collection. Theodore Sturgeon starts with a series of happenings, a death, a visit to a telephone exchange, a murder, all disconnected in logic, but involving the same people by some wacky happenstance. Each incident told by a different person. And then Ted Sturgeon says his piece. Finally, the link between all the bits is drawn . . . As a science-fiction fan, you might qualify for " The Perfect Host! "

from Nebula No. 5, September 1953

 

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