100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories

390 Pages·2012·1.14 MB·English

by  Asimov Isaac

100
GREAT
SCIENCE
FICTION
SHORT
SHORT
STORIES
EDITED BY ISAAC ASIMOV,
MARTIN HARRY GREENBERG
AND JOSEPH D. OLANDER
COPYRIGHT © 1978 ISAAC ASIMOV, MARTIN HARRY
GREENBERG AND JOSEPH D. OLANDER.
All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely
coincidental.
One hundred great science fiction short short stories.
1. Short stories, English 2. Science fiction, English 3. Science
fiction, American
I. Asimov, Isaac II. Greenberg, Martin Harry III. Olander,
Joseph
823’.9’iFS PR1309.S3
ISBN 0-86051-035-2
Acknowledgments
“A Loint of Paw,” by Isaac Asimov, copyright © 1957 by
Mercury Press, Inc. Reprinted from The Magazine of
Fantasy & Science Fiction by permission of the
author.
“The Advent on Channel Twelve,” by C. M. Kornbluth,
copyright © 1960 by Frederik Pohl. Reprinted by
permission of Robert P. Mills, agent for the author’s
estate.
“Plaything,” by Larry Niven, copyright © 1974 by UPD
Publishing Corp. Reprinted by permission of the
author and his agent, Robert P. Mills.
“The Misfortune Cookie” by Charles E. Fritch,
copyright © 1970 by Mercury Press Inc. Reprinted
from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction by
permission of the author.
“I Wish I May, I Wish I Might,” by Bill Pronzini,
copyright © 1973 by Mercury Press, Inc. Reprinted
from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction by
permission of the author and his agent, Richard
Curtis.
“FTA,” by George R. R. Martin, copyright © 1974 by The
Condé Nast Publications, Inc. Reprinted by
permission of the author.
“Trace,” by Jerome Bixby, copyright © 1964 by Jerome
Bixby. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Zoo,” by Edward D. Hoch, copyright © 1958 by King-
Size Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of the
author and Larry Sternig Literary Agency.
“The Destiny of Milton Gomrath,” by Alexei Panshin,
copyright © 1967 by The Condé Nast Publications,
Inc. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Devil and the Trombone,” by Martin Gardner,
copyright © 1948, 1975 by Martin Gardner. Reprinted
by permission of the author.
“Upstart,” by Steven Utley, copyright © 1976 by
Mercury Press, Inc. Reprinted from The Magazine of
Fantasy & Science Fiction by permission of the
author.
“How It All Went,” by Gregory Benford, copyright ©
1976 by Ultimate Publishing Co., Inc. Reprinted by
permission of the author and his agent, Richard
Curtis.
“Harry Protagonist, Brain-Drainer,” by Richard Wilson,
copyright © 1964 by Galaxy Publishing Corporation.
Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Peeping Tommy,” by Robert F. Young, copyright ©
1965 by Galaxy Publishing Corporation. Reprinted by
permission of the author.
“Starting from Scratch,” by Robert Sheckley, copyright
© 1953, 1954 by Robert Sheckley. Reprinted by
permission of The Sterling Lord Agency, Inc.
“Corrida,” by Roger Zelazny, copyright © 1968 by The
Golden Goblin Press. Reprinted by permission of the
author and his agent, Henry Morrison.
“Shall the Dust Praise Thee?” by Damon Knight
copyright © 1967 by Harlan Ellison. Reprinted by
permission of the author.
“Bug-Getter,’’ by R. Bretnor, copyright © 1960 by
Mercury Press, Inc. Reprinted from The Magazine of
Fantasy & Science Fiction by permission of the
author.
“The Deadly Mission of Phineas Snodgrass,” by
Frederik Pohl, copyright © 1962 by Galaxy Publishing
Corporation. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Fire Sale,” by Laurence M. Janifer, copyright © 1964 by
Ziff-Davis Publishing Corp., copyright © 1968 by
Laurence M. Janifer. Reprinted by permission of the
author and his agent, Virginia Kidd.
“Safe at Any Speed,” by Larry Niven, copyright © 1967
by Mercury Press, Inc. Reprinted from The Magazine
of Fantasy & Science Fiction by permission of the
author and his agent, Robert P. Mills, Ltd.
“The Masks,” by James Blish, copyright © 1959 by
Mercury Press, Inc. Reprinted from The Magazine of
Fantasy & Science Fiction by permission of Robert P.
Mills, agent for the author’s estate.
“Innocence,” by Joanna Russ, copyright © 1974 by
Mercury Press, Inc. Reprinted from The Magazine of
Fantasy & Science Fiction by permission of Curtis
Brown, Ltd.
“Kin,” by Richard Wilson, copyright © 1956 by King-
Size Publications, Inc. Originally published as “Show
Your Might.” Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Long Night,” by Ray Russell, copyright © 1961 by
Ray Russell. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Sanity Clause,” by Edward Wellen, copyright © 1974
by Mercury Press, Inc. Reprinted from The Magazine
of Fantasy & Science Fiction by permission of the
author.
“If at First You Don’t Succeed, to Hell with It!” by
Charles E. Fritch, copyright © 1972 by Mercury Press,
Inc. Reprinted from The Magazine of Fantasy &
Science Fiction by permission of the author.
“The Question,” by Laurence M. Janifer and Donald E.
Westlake, copyright © 1963 by Mercury Press, Inc.,
copyright © 1968 by Laurence M. Janifer. Reprinted
from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction by
permission of the authors and their agents, Henry
Morrison and Virginia Kidd.
“The Perfect Woman,” by Robert Sheckley, copyright ©
1953, 1954 by Robert Sheckley. Reprinted by
permission of The Sterling Lord Agency, Inc.
“The System,” by Ben Bova, copyright © 1968 by The
Condé Nast Publications, Inc. Reprinted by
permission of the author.
“Exile to Hell,” by Isaac Asimov, copyright © 1968 by
The Condé Nast Publications, Inc. Reprinted by
permission of the author.
“Inaugural,” by Barry Malzberg and Bill Pronzini,
copyright © 1976 by UPD Publishing Corp. Reprinted
by permission of the authors and Richard Curtis,
agent for Bill Pronzini.
“Martha,” by Fred Saberhagen, copyright © 1976 by
Ultimate Publishing Co., Inc. Reprinted by
permission of the author and his agents, Scott
Meredith Literary Agency, Inc., 845 Third Avenue,
New York, New York 10022.
“Kindergarten,” by Fritz Leiber, copyright © 1963 by
Mercury Press, Inc. Reprinted from The Magazine of
Fantasy & Science Fiction by permission of the author
and his agent, Robert P. Mills.
“Landscape with Sphinxes,” by Karen Anderson,
copyright © 1963 by Mercury Press, Inc. Reprinted
from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction by
permission of the author.
“The Happiest Day of Your Life,” by Bob Shaw,
copyright © 1970 by The Condé Nast Publications,
Inc. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Worlds of Monty Willson,” by William F. Nolan,
copyright © 1971 by Ultimate Publishing Co., Inc.
Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Punch,” by Frederik Pohl, copyright © 1963 by
Mercury Press, Inc. Reprinted from The Magazine of
Fantasy & Science Fiction by permission of the
author.
“Doctor,” by Henry Slesar, copyright © 1960 HMH
Publishing Co., Inc. Reprinted by permission of the
author.
“The Man from When,” by Dannie Plachta, copyright ©
1966 by Galaxy Publishing Corporation. Reprinted by
permission of the author.
“Crying Willow,” by Edward Rager, copyright © 1973 by
The Condé Nast Publications, Inc. Reprinted by
permission of the author.
“January 1975,” by Barry N. Malzberg, copyright © 1974
by The Condé Nast Publications, Inc. Reprinted by
permission of the author.
“Mail Supremacy,” by Hayford Peirce, copyright © 1974
by The Condé Nast Publications, Inc. Reprinted by
permission of the author.
“Mistake,” by Larry Niven, copyright © 1976 by
Random House, Inc. Reprinted by permission of the
author and his agent, Robert P. Mills.
“Half-Baked Publisher’s Delight,” by Jeffrey S. Hudson
and Isaac Asimov, copyright © 1974 by UPD
Publishing Corp.
“Far from Home,” by Walter S. Tevis, copyright © 1958,
1959 by Mercury Press, Inc. Reprinted from The
Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction by permission
of the author and his agent, Robert P. Mills.
“Swords of Ifthan,” by James Sutherland, copyright ©
1973 by Roger El-wood. Reprinted by permission of
the author.
“Argent Blood,” by Joe L. Hensley, copyright © 1967 by
Mercury Press, Inc. Reprinted from The Magazine of
Fantasy & Science Fiction by permission of the
author.
“Collector’s Fever,” by Roger Zelazny, copyright © 1964
by Galaxy Publishing Corporation. Reprinted by
permission of the author and his agent, Henry
Morrison.
“Sign at the End of the Universe,” by Duane Ackerson,
copyright © 1974 by David Gerrold. Reprinted by
permission of the author.
“Stubborn,” by Stephen Goldin, copyright © 1972 by
David Gerrold. Reprinted by permission of the
author.
“The Re-Creation,” by Robert E. Toomey, Jr., copyright
© 1972 by David Gerrold. Reprinted by permission of
the author.
“The Better Man,” by Ray Russell, copyright © 1966 by
Ray Russell. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Oom,” by Martin Gardner, copyright © 1951 by Charles
Freudenthal. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Merchant,” by Henry Slesar, copyright © 1960 by
HMH Publishing Co., Inc. Reprinted by permission of
the author.
“Don’t Fence Me In,” by Richard Wilson, copyright ©
1956 by Fantasy House, Inc. Reprinted by permission
of the author.
“The Die-hard,” by Alfred Bester, used by permission of
the author. All rights reserved.
“The First,” by Anthony Boucher, copyright © 1952 by
Anthony Boucher. Reprinted by permission of the
agents for the estate of Anthony Boucher, Curtis
Brown, Ltd.
“Eripmav,” by Damon Knight, copyright © 1958 by
Fantasy House, Inc. Reprinted from The Magazine of
Fantasy & Science Fiction by permission of the
author.
“Feeding Time,” by Robert Sheckley, copyright © 1953,
1954 by Robert Sheckley. Reprinted by permission of
The Sterling Lord Agency, Inc.
“The Voice from the Curious Cube,” by Nelson Bond,
copyright © 1937, 1954 by Nelson Bond. Reprinted by
permission of the author.
“I’m Going to Get You,” by F. M. Busby, copyright ©
1974 by Ultimate Publishing Co., Inc. Reprinted by
permission of the author.
“The Room,” by Ray Russell, copyright © 1961 by Ray
Russell. Reprinted by permission of the author.