From These Ashes: The Complete Short SF (Science Fiction) of Fredric Brown

A collection of all 118 short science fiction and fantasy stories of one of the masters of the vignette, all his short works except two which were rewritten into parts of a novel. Introduction by Barry N. Malzberg. Dustjacket art by Bob Eggleton.

One of the most durable writers of sf's golden age, Brown (1906-72) was a stalwart of the pulps, the cheap-paper magazines that published most genre fiction from the late '20s to the '60s. He contributed uniquely by virtue of also being a crackerjack mystery writer, for he brought the noirish atmosphere and seedy details of the era's crime fiction to sf. He also brought the sardonic humor of the newsrooms in which he learned the writing trade, and that was his finest gift. A Brown story typically takes an odd situation, develops it risibly, eerily, or suspensefully enough, and concludes with a surprise calculated to rouse chuckles, chills, or both. Famous characters from his stories include Mitkey, an ordinary mouse who becomes an interstellar explorer, and the last man on Earth, who hears a knock on his door. To read very many of his stories is to be convinced, rightly or wrongly, that Brown's manner and modus inspired such early TV shows as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From a tongue-in-cheek tale of a young boy's valiant effort to save the world ("Armageddon") to a dark tale of music and horror ("Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"), the stories of the late Brown represent a distinctive and unique voice in the sf community. This collection of more than 100 tales, many only a page in length, highlight the career of one of the genre's most incisive satirists and outstanding innovators. Most libraries should add this to their sf or short story collections. Last-Minute Mystery
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.