Table of Contents
Introduction xi
Chronological Listing of Stories
"Rappaccini's Daughter" (1844) Nathaniel Hawthorne 1
from Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) Jules Verne 26
"The Star" (1897) H. G. Wells 39
"The Machine Stops" (1909) E. M. Forster 50
"The Man Who Evolved" (1931) Edmond Hamilton 79
"The Conquest of Gola" (1931) Leslie F. Stone 96
"Shambleau" (1933) C. L. Moore 110
"A Martian Odyssey" (1934) Stanley Weinbaum 136
"Reason" (1941) Isaac Asimov 160
"Desertion" (1944) Clifford D. Simak 177
"Thunder and Roses" (1947) Theodore Sturgeon 189
"That Only a Mother" (1948) Judith Merril 211
"Coming Attraction" (1950) Fritz Leiber 221
"There Will Come Soft Rains" (1950) Ray Bradbury 234
"The Sentinel" (1951) Arthur C. Clarke 241
"Specialist" (1953) Robert Sheckley 250
"The Liberation of Earth" (1953) William Tenn 266
"Fondly Fahrenheit" (1954) Alfred Bester 283
"The Golem" (1955) Avram Davidson 303
"The Game of Rat and Dragon" (1955) Cordwainer Smith 309
"'All You Zombies-'" (1959) Robert A. Heinlein 324
"The Cage of Sand" (1962) J. G. Ballard 337
"Slow Tuesday Night" (1965) R. A. Lafferty 359
"'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman" (1965) Harlan Ellison 367
"Day Million" (1966) Frederik Pohl 379
"We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" (1966) Philip K. Dick 385
"Aye, and Gomorrah …" (1967) Samuel R. Delany 405
"The Heat Death of the Universe" (1967) Pamela Zoline 415
"Passengers" (1968) Robert Silverberg 430
"Super-Toys Last All Summer Long" (1969) Brian Aldiss 443
"Nine Lives" (1969) Ursula K. Le Guin 452
"Seed Stock" (1970) Frank Herbert 477
"The Seventh Voyage," from The Star Diaries (1971) Stanislaw Lem 490
"When It Changed" (1972) Joanna Russ 507
"And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side" (1972) James Tiptree Jr. 516
"Air Raid" (1977) John Varley 525
"Abominable" (1980) Carol Emshwiller 539
"Burning Chrome" (1982) William Gibson 547
"Speech Sounds" (1983) Octavia E. Butler 566
"Out of All Them Bright Stars" (1985) Nancy Kress 580
"Pretty Boy Crossover" (1986) Pat Cadigan 587
"Forever Yours, Anna" (1987) Kate Wilhelm 598
"We See Things Differently" (1989) Bruce Sterling 611
"Chippoke Na Gomi" (1989) Misha Nogha 630
"Computer Friendly" (1989) Eileen Gunn 637
"Invaders" (1990) John Kessel 654
"Useful Phrases" (1992) Gene Wolfe 675
"Closer" (1992) Greg Egan 683
"Think Like a Dinosaur" (1995) James Patrick Kelly 698
"Everywhere" (1999) Geoff Ryman 717
"Rogue Farm" (2003) Charles Stross 727
"Exhalation" (2008) Ted Chiang 742
Thematic Listing of Stories
Alien Encounters
"Shambleau" (1933) C. L. Moore 110
"A Martian Odyssey" (1934) Stanley Weinbaum 136
"The Sentinel" (1951) Arthur C. Clarke 241
"Specialist" (1953) Robert Sheckley 250
"Passengers" (1968) Robert Silverberg 430
"Out of All Them Bright Stars" (1985) Nancy Kress 580
"Useful Phrases" (1992) Gene Wolfe 675
"Think Like a Dinosaur" (1995) James Patrick Kelly 698
Apocalypse and Post-apocalypse
"The Star" (1897) H. G. Wells 39
"Coming Attraction" (1950) Fritz Leiber 221
"There Will Come Soft Rains" (1950) Ray Bradbury 234
"The Cage of Sand" (1962) J. G. Ballard 337
"Speech Sounds" (1983) Octavia E. Butler 566
"Chippoke Na Gomi" (1989) Misha Nogha 630
Artificial/Posthuman Life-forms
"Rappaccini's Daughter" (1844) Nathaniel Hawthorne 1
"Reason" (1941) Isaac Asimov 160
"Fondly Fahrenheit" (1954) Alfred Bester 283
"The Golem" (1955) Avram Davidson 303
"Super-Toys Last All Summer Long" (1969) Brian Aldiss 443
"Nine Lives" (1969) Ursula K. Le Guin 452
"Exhalation" (2008) Ted Chiang 742
Computers and Virtual Reality
"We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" (1966) Philip K. Dick 385
"Burning Chrome" (1982) William Gibson 547
"Pretty Boy Crossover" (1986) Pat Cadigan 587
"Computer Friendly" (1989) Eileen Gunn 637
Evolution and Environment
from Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) Jules Verne 26
"The Man Who Evolved" (1931) Edmond Hamilton 79
"Desertion" (1944) Clifford D. Simak 177
"Seed Stock" (1970) Frank Herbert 477
"Rogue Farm" (2003) Charles Stross 727
Gender and Sexuality
"The Conquest of Gola" (1931) Leslie F. Stone 96
"Day Million" (1966) Frederik Pohl 379
"Aye, and Gomorrah …" (1967) Samuel R. Delany 405
"The Heat Death of the Universe" (1967) Pamela Zoline 415
"When It Changed" (1972) Joanna Russ 507
"And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side" (1972) James Tiptree Jr. 516
"Abominable" (1980) Carol Emshwiller 539
"Closer" (1992) Greg Egan 683
Time Travel and Alternate History
"'All You Zombies-'"(1959) Robert A. Heinlein 324
"The Seventh Voyage" from Star Diaries (1971) Stanislaw Lem 490
"Air Raid" (1977) John Varley 525
"Forever Yours, Anna" (1987) Kate Wilhelm 598
"Invaders" (1990) John Kessel 654
Utopias/Dystopias
"The Machine Stops" (1909) E. M. Forster 50
"Slow Tuesday Night" (1965) R. A. Lafferty 359
"'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman" (1965) Harlan Ellison 367
"Everywhere" (1999) Geoff Ryman 717
War and Conflict
"Thunder and Roses" (1947) Theodore Sturgeon 189
"That Only a Mother" (1948) Judith Merril 211
"The Liberation of Earth" (1953) William Tenn 266
"The Game of Rat and Dragon" (1955) Cordwainer Smith 309
"We See Things Differently" (1989) Bruce Sterling 611
Acknowledgments 757
Further Reading 761