Book Review: The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One

If you want to read some of the most famous science fiction short stories of all time then your best bet is The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One. Edited by Robert Silverberg (himself a famous SF author), the 26 stories in this amazing collection were “chosen by vote of the membership of the Science Fiction Writers of America.” (That is a good sign, especially since my experience is that most stories voted on by many people usually end up being pretty good – as opposed to lists where only one person gives his opinion… you know, like my lists!)

First published in 1970, this volume has been reprinted many times and contains short stories written between 1929 and 1964. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One has won several awards including winning the 1971 Locus award for best collection, and placing 2nd in the 1999 Locus poll for All-Time best anthology. Needless to say, if you love classic science fiction short stories then this book is for you!

Here are the stories included in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One: (I’ve linked to the ones that I have reviewed)

1. A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum
2. Twilight by John W. Campbell
3. Helen O’Loy by Lester del Rey
4. The Roads Must Roll by Robert A. Heinlein
5. Microcosmic God by Theodore Sturgeon
6. Nightfall by Isaac Asimov
7. The Weapon Shop by A. E. van Vogt
8. Mimsy Were the Borogoves by Lewis Padgett
9. Huddling Place by Clifford D. Simak
10. Arena by Fredric Brown
11. First Contact by Murray Leinster
12. That Only a Mother by Judith Merril
13. Scanners Live in Vain by Cordwainer Smith
14. Mars is Heaven by Ray Bradbury
15. The Little Black Bag by C. M. Kornbluth
16. Born of Man and Woman by Richard Matheson
17. Coming Attraction by Fritz Leiber
18. The Quest for Saint Aquin by Anthony Boucher
19. Surface Tension by James Blish
20. The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke
21. It’s a Good Life by Jerome Bixby
22. The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin
23. Fondly Fahrenheit by Alfred Bester
24. The Country of the Kind by Damon Knight
25. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
26. A Rose for Ecclesiastes by Roger Zelazny

If this sounds like something you might like then be sure to check out The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One at Amazon.com or on eBay.

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