''The Legend Book of Science Fiction'' is an
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
of
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
short works edited by
Gardner Dozois. It was first published in hardcover and trade paperback by
Legend
A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...
in July 1991. The first American edition was issued in hardcover under the variant title ''Modern Classics of Science Fiction'' by
St. Martin’s Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...
in February 1992, with a trade paperback edition following from the same publisher in February 1993; the same firm also produced a hardcover book club edition together with the Science Fiction Book Club in April 1992.
Summary
The book collects twenty-six novellas, novelettes and short stories by various science fiction authors, together with a preface and afterword by the editor.
Contents
*"Preface" (
Gardner Dozois)
*"
The Country of the Kind
"The Country of the Kind" is a science fiction short story by American writer Damon Knight. It was first published in the February 1956 issue of ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' and has been reprinted several times, including in '' ...
" (
Damon Knight)
*"
Aristotle and the Gun
"Aristotle and the Gun" is a time travel and alternate history science fiction story by American writer L. Sprague de Camp.
Publication history
The story was first published in the magazine ''Astounding Science-Fiction'' for February, 1958,Laughli ...
" (
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of non-fiction, including biog ...
)
*"The Other Celia" (
Theodore Sturgeon)
*"Casey Agonistes" (
Richard M. McKenna)
*"
Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons" (
Cordwainer Smith)
*"
The Moon Moth
"The Moon Moth" is a science fiction short story by American author Jack Vance, first published in ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' (August 1961 in literature, 1961).
Plot summary
Edwer Thissell, the new consul from Earth to the planet Sirene, has tro ...
" (
Jack Vance)
*"The Golden Horn" (
Edgar Pangborn
Edgar Pangborn (February 25, 1909 – February 1, 1976) was an American writer of mystery, historical, and science fiction.
Biography
Edgar Pangborn was born in New York City on February 25, 1909, to Harry Levi Pangborn, an attorney and diction ...
)
*"The Lady Margaret" (
Keith Roberts
Keith John Kingston Roberts (20 September 1935 – 5 October 2000) was an English science fiction author. He began publishing with two stories in the September 1964 issue of ''Science Fantasy'' magazine, "Anita" (the first of a series of stor ...
)
*"This Moment of the Storm" (
Roger Zelazny)
*"Narrow Valley" (
R. A. Lafferty
Raphael Aloysius "R. A." Lafferty (November 7, 1914March 18, 2002) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer known for his original use of language, metaphor, and narrative structure, Lafferty also wrote a set of four autobiographical n ...
)
*"
Driftglass
''Driftglass'' is a 1971 collection of science fiction short stories by American writer Samuel R. Delany. The stories originally appeared in the magazines ''Worlds of Tomorrow'', ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'', '' If'' and ''New Wo ...
" (
Samuel R. Delany
Samuel R. "Chip" Delany (, ) (born April 1, 1942), is an American author and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays (on science fiction, literature, sexuality, and society). His ...
)
*"The Worm That Flies" (
Brian W. Aldiss
Brian Wilson Aldiss (; 18 August 1925 – 19 August 2017) was an English writer, artist, and anthology editor, best known for science fiction novels and short stories. His byline reads either Brian W. Aldiss or simply Brian Aldiss, except for ...
)
*"
The Fifth Head of Cerberus
''The Fifth Head of Cerberus'' is the title of both a novella and a single-volume collection of three novellas, written by American science fiction and fantasy author Gene Wolfe, both published in 1972. The novella was included in the anthology ...
" (
Gene Wolfe)
*"Nobody's Home" (
Joanna Russ)
*"
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever
''Her Smoke Rose Up Forever'' is a collection of science fiction and fantasy stories by author James Tiptree, Jr. It was released in 1990 by Arkham House. It was originally published in an edition of 4,108 copies and was the author's second book ...
" (
James Tiptree, Jr.
Alice Bradley Sheldon (born Alice Hastings Bradley; August 24, 1915 – May 19, 1987) was an American science fiction and fantasy author better known as James Tiptree, Jr., a pen name she used from 1967 to her death. It was not publicly known ...
)
*"The Barrow" (
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the '' Earthsea'' fantasy series. She was ...
)
*"Particle Theory" (
Edward Bryant
Edward Winslow Bryant Jr. (August 27, 1945 – February 10, 2017) was an American science fiction and horror writer sometimes associated with the Dangerous Visions series of anthologies that bolstered The New Wave. At the time of his death, ...
)
*"The Ugly Chickens" (
Howard Waldrop)
*"Going Under" (
Jack M. Dann)
*"
Salvador
Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to:
* Salvador (name)
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
*Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music
** ''Salvador'' ( ...
" (
Lucius Shepard)
*"Pretty Boy Crossover" (
Pat Cadigan
Patricia Oren Kearney Cadigan (born September 10, 1953) is a British-American science fiction author, whose work is most often identified with the cyberpunk movement. Her novels and short stories often explore the relationship between the human ...
)
*"The Pure Product" (
John Kessel)
*"
The Winter Market
"The Winter Market" is a science fiction short story written by William Gibson and published as part of his ''Burning Chrome'' short story collection. The story was commissioned in 1985 by ''Vancouver Magazine'', who stipulated that Gibson – who ...
" (
William Gibson
William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ...
)
*"Chance" (
Connie Willis
Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis (born December 31, 1945), commonly known as Connie Willis, is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards for particular works—more major SF awards than ...
)
*"The Edge of the World" (
Michael Swanwick)
*"Dori Bangs" (
Bruce Sterling
Michael Bruce Sterling (born April 14, 1954) is an American science fiction author known for his novels and short fiction and editorship of the ''Mirrorshades'' anthology. In particular, he is linked to the cyberpunk subgenre.
Sterling's first ...
)
*"Afterword" (
Gardner Dozois)
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Legend Book of Science Fiction, The
1991 anthologies
Science fiction anthologies
Gardner Dozois anthologies