Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the 20th Century - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0441011330 ISBN 13: 9780441011339

Publisher: Ace, 2004

Synopsis

A collection of the best science fiction short stories of the 20th century as selected and evaluated by critically-acclaimed author Orson Scott Card.

Featuring stories from the genre's greatest authors: Isaac Asimov · Arthur C. Clarke · Robert A. Heinlein · Ursula K. Le Guin · Ray Bradbury · Frederik Pohl · Harlan Ellison · George Alec Effinger · Brian W. Aldiss · William Gibson & Michael Swanwick · Theodore Sturgeon · Larry Niven · Robert Silverberg · Harry Turtledove · James Blish · George R. R. Martin · James Patrick Kelly · Karen Joy Fowler · Lloyd Biggle, Jr. · Terry Bisson · Poul Anderson · John Kessel · R.A. Lafferty · C.J. Cherryh · Lisa Goldstein · Edmond Hamilton

In much of the science fiction of the past, the twenty-first century existed only in the writers’ imaginations. Now that it’s here, it’s time to take a look back at the last one hundred years in science fiction through the works of the most celebrated and acclaimed authors of the century—to see where we’ve been and just how far we’ve come.
 
Along with a critical essay by Orson Scott Card reassessing science fiction in the twentieth century, Masterpieces includes short fiction by writers who have forged a permanent place for science fiction in the popular culture of today...and tomorrow. It offers a glimpse of the greatest works that mixed science with fiction in trying to figure out humanity’s place in the universe. Featuring bold, brave, and breathtaking stories, this definitive collection will stand the test of time in both this century and those to come.

About this title

Review:

Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the Century may not include every reader's choices for the top science fiction of the 20th century, but it lives up to its title. Editor Orson Scott Card has assembled 27 standout stories by the biggest names and best writers in the genre. Not surprisingly, most of these stories have been anthologized or collected elsewhere, and some (like Arthur C. Clarke's "Nine Billion Names of God," Harlan Ellison's "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman," and Robert A. Heinlein's "All You Zombies--") have been reprinted innumerable times. In addition, Card has previously placed some of these selections in his retrospective 1980s anthology Future on Ice.

While some stories in Masterpieces lack fine prose and well-rounded characters, they are solid and engrossing entertainments. Other selections combine literary and science fiction virtues to produce a superior blend, and some of these stories--"Bears Discover Fire" by Terry Bisson, "Snow" by John Crowley, "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman" by Harlan Ellison, "Face Value" by Karen Joy Fowler, "Tourists" by Lisa Goldstein, and "The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin--are art.

Masterpieces isn't an anthology for the well-read fan. However, it is a great book for the new or intermediate science fiction reader. --Cynthia Ward

About the Author:

Orson Scott Card is the author of the international bestsellers Shadow of the Giant, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Hegemon, and Ender's Shadow, and of the beloved classic of science fiction, Ender's Game, as well as the acclaimed fantasy series The Tales of Alvin Maker. He lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ace
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0441011330
• ISBN 13: 9780441011339
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432
• Editor: Card Orson Scott