In 1977, a third volume of Hugo award-winning short fiction from the preceding years was published, again with anecdotal introductions by Isaac Asimov. The first volume had collected winning novellas, novelettes and short stories published between 1955 and 1960. The second volume had collected winners from 1962 to 1968. This third edition covered sub-novel length Hugo winners published from 1969 to 1974. Below are complete summaries (or interpretations) which might be useful for those wishing to revisit the plots and concepts contained in these stories for analysis purposes. Included are covers of the original magazines these stories first appeared in (primarily from the Internet Archive or the ISFDB).
Contents:
- "Ship of Shadows" (1969), Fritz Leiber
- "Ill Met in Lankhmar"
(1970), Fritz Leiber
- "Slow Sculpture" (1970), Theodore Sturgeon
- "The
Queen of Air and Darkness" (1971), Poul Anderson
- "Inconstant Moon" (1971),
Larry Niven
- "The Word for World Is Forest" (1972), Ursula K. Le Guin
- "Goat
Song" (1972), Poul Anderson
- "The Meeting" (1972), C. M. Kornbluth and
Frederik Pohl
- "Eurema's Dam" (1972), R. A. Lafferty
- "The Girl Who Was
Plugged In" (1973), James Tiptree, Jr.
- "The Deathbird" (1973), Harlan
Ellison
- "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" (1973), Ursula K. Le Guin
- "A
Song for Lya" (1974) George R. R. Martin
- "Adrift Just Off the Islets of
Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77° 00' 13" W" (1974), Harlan
Ellison
- "The Hole Man" (1974), Larry Niven
“Ship of Shadows”, Fritz Leiber (
The Magazine of
Fantasy and Science Fiction, July 1969)
A dim-witted man named Spar, with
no teeth and bad eyesight (caused by a biological syndrome), works at a bar
named the “Bat Rack” in a large ship named the Windrush. Over the course of
several days, he makes plans with the ship’s Doc to have his teeth and
eyesight restored. Newly-armed with clarity and metal teeth, Spar is able to
stop an insurrection lead by the ship’s shady coroner, Crown. Afterwards, Spar
learns that the Windrush is a “survival ship”, and that the Earth has been
destroyed by war. Spar had originally been sent to the Windrush from another
survival ship named the Circumluna, but his contraction of the disease had
caused him to lose his memory.
“Ill Met in Lankhmar”, Fritz Leiber
(
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1970)
Two freelance
thieves, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, meet when they each decide to rob some
Guild thieves. However, the Guild thieves’ rat-like familiar Slivikin escapes
back to the Thieves Guild. Later, Fafhrd and the Mouser’s girlfriends convince
them to kill Korvas, leader of the Thieves Guild, in order to enact revenge
for one of the girls’ honor. Inside the Thieves Guild headquarters (disguised
as beggars), they spot a wizard named Hristomilo sending Slivikin on an errand
with some strange smoke creatures. When the Mouser and Fafhrd are exposed as
mercenaries, they just barely escape the building. Back at the Mouser’s den,
they discover that their girlfriends have been slain by Slivikin and
Hristomilo’s smoke creatures, and their remains left for Hristomilo’s rats.
Fafhrd takes a dagger covered with the blood of one of the dead rats (killed
by one of the girls before they had succumbed to the smoke).The Mouser and
Fafhrd head back to Hristomilo to exact revenge. Hristimilo’s sorcerous black
smoke tendrils keep them at bay, but the dagger stained with Hristomilo’s
rats’ blood pierces the smoke web and is able to slay the Wizard. Still
mourning their losses, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser depart Lankhmar forever.
“Slow
Sculpture”, Theodore Sturgeon (
Galaxy Magazine, February 1970)
A young
woman meets an older man by chance in an orchard. The man uses one of his own
inventions (based on electrostatic charge) to cure the woman of a malignant
breast tumor. The woman learns that the man is an avid Bonsai tree grower, but
more importantly he has become embittered at humanity for rejecting his
inventions, typically for short-sighted commercial reasons. The woman suggests
that two damaged people may be able to help one another grow into something
like a beautful Bonsai tree.
“The Queen of Air and Darkness”, Poul
Anderson (
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1971)
On a
newly-settled planet named Roland, children go missing, and some of the
outlying settlers believe that they have been kidnapped by native aborigines
(the “Old Folk”). When Barbro’s son goes missing, she hires a detective named
Sherrinford to help her look for him in the wilderness. Encamped in the
“forbidden territory”, strange semi-mythical creatures approach their armoured
vehicle. Sherrinford captures one of the now-grown missing children, while
Barbro is lured away and captured by the Old Folk. It is revealed that the
natives use their mental powers to project a “faerie”-like texture over their
captives’ environment, which they eventually grow to accept and lead docile,
harmless lives within the wilderness. Barbro meets the “Queen of Air and
Darkness”, who tells Barbro that their powers of enchantment will someday
allow them to conquer the humans’ colonies. However, Sherrinford exposes his
young human rescuee to the truth of his “friends”, after which the boy leads
him to the “Dwellers’” main base. There, Barbro and her son are rescued and
they return to the human city. Sherrinford later explains to Barbro that the
natives had used their mental powers to expand on the ancient myths brought to
the planet by the settlers, and had created a mythical “archetype” by which
they could gain an advantage over the invaders. Now, the humans will open
diplomatic relations to enable both races to coexist on the planet to both
races’ benefit.
“Inconstant Moon”, Larry Niven (
All the Myriad
Ways, 1971)
When the moon becomes strangely bright, the narrator suspects
that the sun has gone nova. He and his girlfriend roam about Los Angeles on a
“last night on Earth” spree, and ultimately end up back at her 14th story
apartment. By that time, signs indicate that the Earth will not be destroyed,
but rather is being assaulted by a massive solar flare, such as the one which
had melted rocks on one side of the moon (possibly causing the biblical
flood). The two lovers prepare supplies as best they can in their high-rise
during the ensuing hurricane and flood, and wonder at the future.
“The
Word for World Is Forest”, Ursula K. Le Guin (
Again, Dangerous Visions, Ed.
Harlan Ellison, 1972)
- On the planet New Tahiti, mankind has enslaved
the native “creechies” (Athsheans) in order to harvest the forests for wood to
be exported back to Earth (which no longer has much wildlife at all). The
brutal and racist logger chief Davidson visits Central City to inspect some
female arrivals, but when he returns to his camp, he finds that the creechies
have rebelled and destroyed his camp. Davidson vows vengeance.
- An
Athshean native named Selver (whom Davidson had once maimed and who had just
organized the destruction of the “yuman” camp) reaches a distant Athshean city
(Cadast) and explains what he has done to the wisemen (Dreamers) there. The
news travels around the world and a force of Athsheans gather to oppose the
yumans. The Old Dreamer Coro Mena tells Selver that he has had a vision that
Selver will bring destruction, but in the aftermath new growth will result.
Selver resolves to gather a greater force of Athsheans to oppose the yuman
invaders.
- At a meeting with representatives from the Earth
government, the true nature of the loggers’ abuse of the Athshean natives
comes out. The scientist Lyubov believes that if the Earth forces do nothing,
the human colonists will wipe out the Athsheans.
- Although, the Earth
diplomats have no direct power over the colony, the colony commanders obey
orders from Earth and a policy of non-interference with the Athsheans is
issued. However, Davidson believes this new policy respecting the natives is
part of an alien conspiracy. After he is reassigned to the southern New Java
colony, he convinces a few sympathetic loggers to join him on a ruthless
attack on a nearby Athshean camp.
- Lyubov visits an Athshean village
and runs into Selver. Selver warns Lyubov to leave Central City in two days.
Lyubov returns to his base but decides to report nothing out of the ordinary.
Two nights later, Central City is attacked and destroyed by the Athsheans
(Selver dies in the attack).
- Days later, all of the humans of the
main base at Central City have been imprisoned in pens. Selver offers them a
peace treaty, allowing them to only occupy the area they have already
deforested through logging. Colonel Dongh agrees to Selvers’ terms, at least
until the next Terran ship arrives in 3 years.
- Davidson takes over
command of New Java and refuses to accept the peace terms. He and his men
continue to attack the nearby Athshean villages. Finally, the New Java camp is
overrun by the natives and Davidson is captured. Selver tells Davidson that,
like himself, Davison is a “god”, but will be exiled to a lifeless area of the
continent (previously destroyed by the human colonists).
- Three
years later, a Terran ship arrives and Selver is informed that humanity will
no longer try to colonize Athshe. However, Server acknowledges that the
“dream” which had brought the concept of killing to his people may never be
extinguished after this encounter with man.
“Goat Song”,
Poul Anderson (
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1972)
In
a world where a computer (SUM) maintains efficiency and promises a future
resurrection of all who have died, a musician named Harper (who has lost his
lover) beseeches the Dark Queen (SUM’s representative amongst humanity) to
have his lover resurrected before the promised time. SUM allows Harper to
visit it in its underground bowels, and tells Harper that his lover will be
resurrected, and will follow Harper as he heads for the surface. However,
Harper mustn’t look behind him - this will be a test of his loyalty to SUM.
Harper of course turns around and loses his lover forever (this is essentially
a retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth). Angered, Harper decides to wage
war against SUM (an event which SUM actually anticipates as an interesting
experiment) and travels around the world decrying SUM’s promise of a future
resurrection. In the end, Harper prepares to meet with some of his more
extreme followers (another parallel to Orpheus’ episode with the maenads). The
title is a literal translation of the Greek phrase for “tragedy”.
“The
Meeting”, C. M. Kornbluth and Frederik Pohl (
The Magazine of Fantasy and
Science Fiction, November 1972)
Harry’s autistic son Tommy attends a
school for mentally-challenged students. At a parent-teacher meeting, Harry
hears that Tommy has made some slight improvements, but there are no miracle
cures. When he returns home, the reader learns that Harry had been offered the
opportunity of having his son’s brain replaced by a normal one from a boy who
had just been fatally wounded in an accident. The story ends as Harry makes
the phone call to deliver his answer.
“Eurema's Dam”, R. A.
Lafferty (
New Dimensions II, Ed.
Robert Silverberg, 1972)
A man named Albert is a complete “dolt” when it
comes to normal human relations and basic mathematics. Fortunately, he is a
brilliant inventor who is able to create thinking machines which do everything
for him. However, he never finds satisfaction, as his inventions always
overshadow their creator. Albert decides end his life, but his robot Hunchy
(designed to be good at “hunches”) convinces Albert that he is looking at his
fellow man the wrong way. Instead of looking at them as avenues for
companionship, he should look at them as “patsies” - i.e. victims of his
genius. Albert happily agrees. (Eurema is the goddess of invention).
“The
Girl Who Was Plugged In”, James Tiptree, Jr. (
New Dimensions III, Ed. Robert
Silverberg, 1973)
A disfigured, suicidal teenager named P. Burke is given
the opportunity to be wired-up so that her consciousness can control (occupy)
“Delphi”, an artificially-generated homunculus who looks exactly like a
beautiful teenage girl. Delphi becomes hugely successful as a celebrity and is
used to promote advertising campaigns through product placement in soap
operas. One day, a young man named Paul (a son of a network exec) falls in
love with Delphi, although he does not know that Delphi is an artificial being
controlled by a remote operator. When he senses that some outside force is
influencing Delphi, he mistakenly believes that Delphi is a human girl being
mind-controlled through remotely-triggered “electrodes”. He brings Delphi to
corporate headquarters hoping to force her handlers to remove the
“electrodes”. However, he soon discovers the deformed, wired up figure of P.
Burke reaching out to him. Disgusted, he rips apart P. Burke’s control wires,
causing a shock to her system and killing her (and Delphi, of course). Paul
eventually joins the corporate board in order to destroy it from within, while
a new Delphi eventually appears, controlled by a different remote operator. At
the very end, the corporations begin dabbling in time travel in order to
create new timelines.
“The Deathbird”, Harlan Ellison (
The Magazine
of Fantasy and Science Fiction, March 1973)
An alien being named Dira is
chosen to lead a man named Nathan Stack through the history of mankind. Stack
begins as Adam, and God separates Nathan and Dira by characterizing Dira as
the biblical serpent. Stack lives many incarnations on Earth through the ages.
The Snake eventually sends Stack to the core of the Earth, where he sleeps for
a quarter million years. Eventually Snake brings Stack back to the surface and
leads Stack towards a black peak. As they approach, Stack is attacked by a
psychic force from above (God). Stack eventually reaches the peak and enters a
glass structure, behind which he finds a senile, stubborn God wandering in a
forest. Despite God’s unwillingness to relinquish control, Stack allows the
Earth to die through a form of “euthanasia” (the planet’s molten core is
allowed to goes out), which signals a cosmic entity called the Deathbird to
come and end all life on Earth. The story is dedicated to Mark Twain who once
wrote (upon the sudden loss of a loved one), “If there is a God, he is a
malign thug.”
“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, Ursula K. Le
Guin (
New Dimensions III, Ed. Robert Silverberg, 1973)
A utopian city
named Omelas celebrates a wonderful festival. However, the narrator explains
that this state of splendour exists at the price of the abuse of one small
imprisoned child, who is miserably treated in a state of extreme poverty. The
knowledge of this crime encourages the people of Omelas to be their best
selves, and they rationalize the abuse of the child by telling themselves that
the chld would be no better off if freed. However, some witnesses to this
child’s pathetic situation leave the city forever to an unknown destination
(probably one where they do not have to face such a moral choice).
“A
Song for Lya”, George R. R. Martin (
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, June
1974)
On the planet Shkea, the mature Shkeen end their lives by bonding
with a cave parasite called the Greeshka which creates a great sense of peace
and love in its victims, while at the same time absorbing its hosts’ bodies
(eventually killing them). Two telepaths, Robb and his lover Lya are called in
to investigate why some of the human colonists have also begun to succumb to
the native “cult” (and allowing themselves to be absorbed). Being a more
sensitive telepath, Lya ends up embracing the Greeshka and allows herself to
be fully absorbed into its existence of “perfect love”. In a dream, she
contacts Robb and tells him that the fate of those absorbed is to join a mass
consciousness made up of all of the Shkeen (and now humans) who have
previously been absorbed in the last 14 thousand years. She tells Robb that
this is the first time she has encountered true, fearless love without any
kind of mental barrier. Robb reports his findings to the colony administrator
Valcarenghi, but Valcarenghi simply explains that the Greeskha are sending out
some kind of psychic lure to feed itself with unwitting victims. Robb is
skeptical that the Greeshka are so easily dismissed and proposes that the
Greeshka are a form of “God”. Although greatly tempted to join Lya in the
Greeshka mass-mind, he resists and departs the planet, and eventually finds
solace in Laura, a woman who’s love had been earlier spurned by the
emotionally-closed-off Valcarenghi.
“Adrift Just Off the Islets of
Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77° 00' 13" W”, Harlan Ellison (
The
Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1974)
Larry Talbot, a
werewolf, visits Information Associates, a secret organization which obtains
for him the exact location of his soul. Talbot travels to his old friend
Victor Frankenstein (probably the Creature) in the Carpathian mountains and
asks for Victor’s help (Victor runs an advanced particle accelerator
facility). Victor eventually comes up with a solution and uses his technology
to create a miniature doppelganger of Talbot, which is then allowed to enter
Talbot’s own unconscious body. After a long journey through Tabot’s digestive
system (the islets of Langerhans are part of the pancreas), Talbot reaches the
coordinates given to him by Information Associates and finds his lost soul,
actualized as a rusty Howdy Doody button buried in the sand. He then liberates
a woman named Martha imprisoned nearby. Back in Victor’s lab, Talbot awakens
and has Victor create a miniature of his aged assistant Nadja (who is
apparently Talbot’s mother). After Nadja’s doppelganger enters Talbot’s body
and joins the Talbot and Martha “mites” within, Victor fulfills Larry’s last
wish and freezes both Talbot and Nadja in a cryogenic chamber.
“The
Hole Man”, Larry Niven (
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, January 1974)
A
survey expedition to Mars discovers an ancient, abandoned alien base on the
surface. The ship's astrophysicist, Lear (who is frequently humiliated and abused
by the ship’s captain, Childrey), theorizes that the aliens have harnessed a
miniature black hole with which they use to send pulsed messages to passerbys.
Lear begins to research the nature of the mass-based “communicator”. One day
Childrey challenges Lear to prove his “crazy theory” of a captured black hole.
Lear releases the aliens’ containment field and the microscopic black hole
floats through Childress’ body, drilling a hole through him and killing him.
When confronted, Lear declares that no court would convict him of murder due
to the complexity and theoretical nature of the circumstances. He also predicts
that the black hole will now swing pendulum-like (back and forth) past Mars’
gravitational center, eventually hollowing it out and swallowing it, and
ending up as an orbiting black hole located between Earth and Jupiter.
