Space Mail

By: Isaac Asimov

Book Overview

Cosmic correspondence...signals from far beyond...messages from deep within. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0449243125
• ISBN13: 9780449243121
• Release Date: February 1982
• Publisher: Fawcett Books
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Top-notch and unique

Those who have encountered the fabled "theme anthology" know that it generally consists of a collection of stories united by their subject matter; Space Mail is a different sort of animal-a collection of SF stories united by their form rather than their topic. Each story takes the form of written correspondence, whether letters, diaries, or memos. It is a difficult sort of story to do well, balancing the need to provide enough information with the need to replicate the way people write letters in real life. Each of the stories contained herein is a legitimate winner, and there is a nice mix of serious and humorous pieces. Likewise, we are presented with a healthy proportion of famous names as well as lesser known (though equally-talented) writers. And because stories written in epistolary form are so rarely anthologized, many of these tales are legitimate hidden treasures. Note that the stories are decades old; this is not one of the all-original theme anthologies that publishers like DAW put out, and in many ways that is a good thing. While that practice allows them to generate anthologies on odd and interesting topics, a story written for a specific venue often suffers in quality (not to mention that each anthology's stories are generally drawn from the same stable of writers). Here, Messrs. Asimov, Greenberg, and Olander are able to draw from decades of published stories to come up with the best. I'd rather read a good sixty-year-old story than a lousy new one-and since, to most readers, these stories will be as new as anything that's on the shelf now, it's definitely worth grabbing a copy if you happen across one. The offerings: "I Never Ast No Favors" by C. M. Kornbluth (1954): A juvenile delinquent from the city is sent to the country where he has his first encounters with hexes and other rural magic. "Letter to Ellen" by Chan Davis (1947): A scientist at a genetics lab makes some unsettling discoveries. "One Rejection Too Many" by Patricia Nurse (1978): Science fiction stories about writing science fiction can be a little grating, but this is short and cute. "Space Opera" by Ray Russell (1961): A writer pitches an article about a failed invasion; this tales boasts a couple of really neat twists. "The Invasion of the Terrible Titans" by William Sambrot (1959): An attempt to unravel the secret of the success of Pacific University's new football squad. "That Only a Mother" by Judith Merril (1948): Correspondence between a husband and wife about their newborn prodigy. The ending is absolutely ghastly (in a good way), all the more so for its understatement. "Itch on the Bull Run" by Sharon Webb (1979): A space nurse on the make for a young doctor is plagued by an apparently incurable, well, plague. Hilarious. "Letter to a Phoenix" by Frederic Brown (1949): An immortal tells an epic tale of the failures and rebirths of humanity. Very powerful. "Who's Cribbing?" by Jack Lewis (1953): Another humorous tale of SF writing, with an inter

Great Collection.

A great collection of Goldern Era science fiction that I've had in my collection for a long time. I'm amazed at how many good writers were contributing to the Sci-Fi magazines of the 50's 60's and 70's. Some of the stories are a bit quaint, but the restriction of the format to stories based on exchanges of letters makes for a compelling theme.

This Book Got Me Into Sci-Fi

Space Mail came out in 1980, when Asimov was at the peak of his anthology-editing days. It seemed like every other week, I saw a new Asimov anthology in the book store, each one with a different theme. This one is no different.The stories in Space Mail take the form of diaries, letters or memos, a difficult style that is very effective at immersing the reader in the author's vision... when it is done right. Fortunately, all the stories in Space Mail get it right. One particular high note is Daniel Keyes' "Flowers for Algernon," the original story that later became a book and then a movie. Other highlights include Sharon Webb's "Itch on the Bull Run," about a space-faring nurse with a penchant for getting into trouble; "Dear Pen Pal" by A. E. van Vogt, which delves into the perils of personal communications over galactic distances; "Computers Don't Argue," a nightmarish classic from Gordon R. Dickson which is just as relevant now as it was then; and many others. This book is well worth the money to any sci-fi fan due to the inclusion of hard-to-find tales by masters of the short-story form.