Mars beckons, aliens arrive, strange machines alter everyday life, and humanity discovers that the universe rarely behaves as expected. 1950s Science Fiction 13 brings together 27 vintage stories from a decade overflowing with imaginative adventures, surprising ideas, and writers willing to carry their readers almost anywhere.
Philip José Farmer joins the collection with The Wounded, while Robert Sheckley delivers his distinctive brand of science fiction in Death Wish. Poul Anderson offers Quixote and the Windmill, Lester del Rey takes us inside Keepers of the House, and Randall Garrett introduces The Man Who Knew Everything. Frank M. Robinson, Alan E. Nourse, Alfred Coppel, Ross Rocklynne, and Frank Belknap Long add even more variety to an impressive lineup.
Michael Shaara, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Killer Angels, is represented by two stories, Citizen Jell and Wainer. Winston Marks wonders what happens when visitors from Vega become fascinated with Earth in The Vegans Were Curious, while other stories carry us to Mars, introduce unexpected invaders, and imagine futures where familiar rules have been replaced by something very different.
There are journeys to other worlds and encounters that happen much closer to home. Some characters desperately want to escape Earth. Others discover that reaching another planet may only be the beginning of their problems. Again and again, these stories begin with an intriguing possibility and follow it somewhere unexpected.
1950s Science Fiction 13 offers 27 opportunities to rediscover the imagination of science fiction more than 70 years ago. From celebrated authors to voices rarely heard today, every story opens another door—and there’s no telling what might be waiting on the other side.
