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kryptonianfletch's review against another edition
3.0
A collection of John Wyndham's early short stories (written in the 1930's)
An overall 3 rating ...
The first (and longest) story 'Wanderers of Time' is a 2 out of 5 at best ... its an aimless pulp science fiction like found in any pulp magazine of the age, the bad ones. A waste of time reading.
"Derelict of Space" and "The Last Lunarians" are the same... maybe very slightly better
None of these having even the hint of John Wyndham's style or talent infused in them.
BUT ... "Child of Power" is pure John Wyndham ... a solid 4 of of 5 ... maybe close to a 5
AND ... "The Puff-ball Menace" is a solid 5 out of 5 ... on par with Triffids and Kraken ... too bad its the shortest of the short stories :)
An overall 3 rating ...
The first (and longest) story 'Wanderers of Time' is a 2 out of 5 at best ... its an aimless pulp science fiction like found in any pulp magazine of the age, the bad ones. A waste of time reading.
"Derelict of Space" and "The Last Lunarians" are the same... maybe very slightly better
None of these having even the hint of John Wyndham's style or talent infused in them.
BUT ... "Child of Power" is pure John Wyndham ... a solid 4 of of 5 ... maybe close to a 5
AND ... "The Puff-ball Menace" is a solid 5 out of 5 ... on par with Triffids and Kraken ... too bad its the shortest of the short stories :)
wendleness's review
4.0
I feel trite saying it, because i say it after every Wyndham book i read, but there is nothing this man writes that i don’t love. I’m sure i’m not capable of fully explaining why, either. There is just something in a combination of his writing style and the subject matter that are just perfect to me.
Wyndham creates these worlds so easily. He doesn’t necessarily provide a lot of information–he provides just enough. He doesn’t describe the entire world, he describes aspects pertinent to the story at hand, to the characters at hand, and leaves you to fill in (or not) the rest as you wish. I think because of this, because he stops short of giving too many details to these worlds, it makes it easier to imagine them being this world. The world we’re living in now in the not too distant future, in the far flung future, or even just tomorrow. And that gives a sense of connection and recognition to every story–even the ones set in space.
These stories and concepts just interest and intrigue me immensely. They’re fun, but they’re suspenseful. They’re obviously fictitious, but they’re easily relatable. They’re just bloody good.
A longer review can be read at my book blog: Marvel At Words.
Wyndham creates these worlds so easily. He doesn’t necessarily provide a lot of information–he provides just enough. He doesn’t describe the entire world, he describes aspects pertinent to the story at hand, to the characters at hand, and leaves you to fill in (or not) the rest as you wish. I think because of this, because he stops short of giving too many details to these worlds, it makes it easier to imagine them being this world. The world we’re living in now in the not too distant future, in the far flung future, or even just tomorrow. And that gives a sense of connection and recognition to every story–even the ones set in space.
These stories and concepts just interest and intrigue me immensely. They’re fun, but they’re suspenseful. They’re obviously fictitious, but they’re easily relatable. They’re just bloody good.
A longer review can be read at my book blog: Marvel At Words.
hammard's review
5.0
An interesting collection of stories in which you can see the genesis of Wyndham's themes. "Child of Power" is a precursor of Chocky and his psychic children novels, whilst "The Puffball Menace" is the definition of a cosy catastrophe and "Derelict in Space" show his concern with industrial espionage.
My favourites were actually "Wanderers of Time" and "Last of the Lunarians" which owe more to the pulp era but are neat ideas and it is refreshing to see what a great author can do with the concepts.
All of these tales reflect the concerns of the time such as the rise of Nazi-Germany and the treatment of small nations by imperial powers.
Overall, highly recommended.
My favourites were actually "Wanderers of Time" and "Last of the Lunarians" which owe more to the pulp era but are neat ideas and it is refreshing to see what a great author can do with the concepts.
All of these tales reflect the concerns of the time such as the rise of Nazi-Germany and the treatment of small nations by imperial powers.
Overall, highly recommended.
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