4.0
The 18th Golden Age of Science Fiction MEGAPACK ®: Jerome Bixby
ByPublisher Description
Jerome Bixby was an American short story writer, editor and scriptwriter, best known for his work in science fiction. (He also wrote many westerns and used the pseudonyms Jay Lewis Bixby, D. B. Lewis, Harry Neal, Albert Russell, J. Russell, M. St. Vivant, Thornecliff Herrick and Alger Rome). He is most famous for the 1953 story "It's a Good Life" which was the basis for a 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone TV series and in Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). He also wrote four episodes for the classic Star Trek TV series. Bixby's final work was the screenplay for the 2007 cult sci-fi film The Man From Earth.
Included in this volume are:
THE HOLES AROUND MARS
THE CROWDED COLONY
WHERE THERE'S HOPE
ZEN
THE SLIZZERS
THE DRAW
UNDERESTIMATION
CARGO TO CALLISTO
THE BAD LIFE
IT'S A GOOD LIFE
If you enjoy this book, search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see the 200+ other entries in the series, covering science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, westerns, classics, adventure stories, and much, much more!
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4.0
Gkerkman
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“Excellent selection of some of Bixby’s best short stories.
“The Holes Around Mars”
A improbable idea, but still a good short story. This was the first Bixby story I ever read, in Where Do We Go from Here? edited by Isaac Asimov. Still a favorite.
“The Crowded Colony”
An old Planet Stories space opera. Very different from what I am used to from Bixby.
Didn't care for “Where There’s Hope.”
“Zen”
Very short, but a good example of this form, if a little predictable. The science is old, with the idea of the asteroids being from an extinct planet. The idea of mammalian creatures that can live for thousands of years and without any air or food is quite a stretch. But if you ignore scientific reality and read the story as more science fantasy, it is enjoyable and sort of funny, which was typical of Galaxy magazine under Herbert Gold’s editorship.
“The Slizzers”
Another story very typical of the 1950s. An interesting idea, though the way the story steps out into letters between Bixby and his agent and editor causes the story to be odd. I generally don’t like that device, or the device of using letters to make the story seem real instead of fiction. Too gimmicky. Here though Bixby pulls it off pretty well and it is enjoyable, though you do see the ending coming from a mile.
“The Draw”
This is a fantasy set in the old west about a gunman with telekinetic ability. Feels a lot like a Twilight Zone episode, but then a Bixby story was used as a Twilight Zone episode, so I guess that show was influenced by this style of story. Pretty good story.
“Underestimation”
Written in collaboration with Algis Budrys. This story is unique in attempting to have women in the story as full characters, and it sort of succeeds, but it still falls back on 1950s gender stereotypes and tries to be funny. It worked in 1953, but not today. Kind of typical of 1950s science fiction.
“Cargo to Callisto”
A pretty good story, a bit of 50s paranoia, involving escaped alien prisoners who have the ability to leave their bodies and take over the bodies of humans, which they do to try and escape from Mars.
“The Bad Life”
Very good story about a man’s troubles on a prison asteroid. Very dark. This is one of the best in this collection.
“It’s a Good Life”
Bixby’s most famous story and it is great! I found it very frightening the first time I read it. I won’t say more because that would spoil it. If you haven’t read it, do so.
-Gregory Kerkman”
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