Beyond the rim of the solar system, past the orbit of Pluto, into the uncharted vastness of deep space - here lie stars beyond counting, whole galaxies, a world that is still a mystery to us. Yet, as Robert Silverberg points out, an inexhaustible treasure trove of unbounded possibility awaits those whose imaginations voyage to the stars, and in this book he has collected eight of those possibilities.
Among them are a story about a spaceman in a life hutch on an airless planetoid who is held prisoner by a deranged robot; another about a galactic agent who learns that there is a cosmic reason for his distasteful, dangerous job; and one about a robot guarding a treasure, who plays a trick question-and-answer game with those who come seeking it. Then there is the classic story about the strangest space trip of all, that to Far Centaurus.
***** *** *******
A couple of years ago I inherited my late father-in-law's collection of science fiction books, most of which he had accumulated throughout the 60's, 70's and 80's. Among them is a good number of anthologies and Deep Space is one fine example which immediately caught my eye. I guess it's the combination of the great cover art and the Robert Silverberg's famous and highly respected name. As well as looking good, I must say that it's a very enjoyable bunch of stories; eight short works all set in deep space and following a variety of themes. Each one of the stories was previously published elsewhere, mainly in one of the many the pulp magazines of the era, and published in this collection in 1973.
Long out of print, but the names of the included authors are legendary, and their pedigree as writers goes without saying. These stories are (I'm slightly ashamed to admit) my first exposure to the work of all of these authors except Silverberg but, now having read at least a very small sample of their work, I can see why these chaps are held in such high esteem. Sure, much of the technical terminology and thought is outdated — just look at the years which these were published — and the language shows its age in places, but the quality of the craftsmanship is beyond doubt. These men were/are fantastic speculative writers and their material is probably just as thought-provoking and entertaining today, many years later.
Below are brief summaries of each story and my quick thoughts. There were a number of editions of this small anthology published over the years and I highly recommend tracking down a copy for a glimpse back into one of the most productive and fruitful times in the history of the sci-fi genre. They don't call it the Golden Age of Science Fiction for no reason, and right here is some more proof.
Enjoy...(if you can find a copy).
Blood’s a Rover — Chad Oliver (1952)
The longest story here, this novella length piece tells of an agent who works for and follows the directives of a huge machine brain on Earth, the centre of human civilization. This great machine guides the fate of humankind based on observations and mathematical speculation. Our agent is sent to the planet Sirius Ten where his mission is to guide its primitive humanoid inhabitants along a developmental path which fits with the [very] long-term plans of the machine. He is merely a pawn in a grand scheme and, with the benefit of age and wisdom, he begins to question the things he sees and does. These are questions which only the machine can answer. His quest is a fascinating one, and he ultimately obtains the answers that he is looking for and things finally make sense, for better or worse.
My rating: 4/5
Noise — Jack Vance (1952)
Quite an unusual and rather surreal story here about a chap who gets rescued from solitude on a planet where he has been surviving inside his lifeboat. The planet has a strange passage of time where the revolutions of a number of suns of varied colours seem to alter the fabric space-time or something. This attunes his senses to ethereal visions and/or experiences of another realm or universe. Unusual and a bit abstract for my tastes but it's well-written and an easy read nonetheless.
My rating: 3/5
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| Startling Stories August 1952 |
Life Hutch — Harlan Ellison (1956)
After having his ship pummeled and disabled by the enemy, our main character finds shelter in a "life hutch" which is one of many safe havens placed about space precisely for survival situations such as his. Once inside to wait for rescue, he discovers that the resident robotic servant has gone a tad rogue and knocks him down the moment he steps inside. Even the smallest movement causes the robot to attack him, even after a number of days have passed. He is suffering from multiple injuries so he resigns himself to waiting to die on the floor while listening to the hum and buzz of the of the robot’s processor circuits in the wall of the life hutch. Eventually he is desperate enough to try one last idea to escape what is looking like his certain death if he doesn't succeed. Great fun.
My rating: 4/5
Ticket to Anywhere — Damon Knight (1952)
A stowaway on a freighter headed for Mars is convinced that the Earth is doomed and everyone has gone insane or soon will be. He seeks out an artefact on the surface of Mars which is actually a portal of an ancient alien interstellar transportation system. The hollow square has been tried a number of times but considered to be an unreliable piece of junk but our man decides to make his attempt at successfully transiting to somewhere. He gets his wish granted and thus begins a random trek across space where he witnesses things few (if any) human eyes have ever seen before. It's a well presented story that's got an uplifting ending that felt good.
My rating: 4/5
The Sixth Palace — Robert Silverberg (1965)
A couple of confident likely-lads plot and attempt to crack the defenses of a robot which watches over a cache of amazing treasures on a small, barren and airless world a long way from anywhere. It seems that some mysterious traveler from ages past had deposited their spectacular collection and left the faceless mechanical guardian. If one wishes to pass through the gate of the treasure trove, they must first answer a series of trivia questions to the machine's satisfaction or else be swiftly slain. The landscape around the gateway is littered with the bones of those who have tried before. Our lads have a crack, armed with a computer full of as much knowledge as they can compile so that they can provide the answers that the machine wants. One is smarter than the other...or at least thinks he is. Again, this is an engaging story that was a lot of fun to read.
My rating: 4/5
Lulungomeena — Gordon R. Dickson (1953)
Probably the best story in here to my mind, this is a wonderfully told yet simple story. A young fellow who is a tad mouthy, continually harasses and accuses an older colleague of lying about his past and his home planet. Caught in the middle is a Dorsai man who does his best to help them settle things one way or another, but he's not able to achieve this, and he defers to a visiting alien visitor of a race who are capable of only being truthful and completely honest. What follows is golden, and great fun to read. This was my introduction to Dickson's Dorsai splinter culture which is central to many his novels and stories. I really enjoyed this.
My rating: 5/5
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| Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine 1953 |
The Dance of the Changer and the Three — Terry Carr (1968)
I struggled a little with this one, it being the kind of tale that doesn't really gel with me so much. That said, I must admit that it's masterfully written and, if only for that, I feel that it's worth reading. Located on a distant planet are exotic metals which an Earth corporation would really like to exploit, and this planet, called Loarra, is also home to an energy-based life-form which uses light and color for communication. The light pulses can be filtered and translated and, in this story, the corporation translator retells a famous Loarran tale of sacrifice and avenging. Like I said, very well written.
My rating: 3/5
Far Centaurus — A.E. van Vogt (1944)
A ship leaves Earth in 2180 bound for Alpha Centauri on a mission which will take five hundred years at a speed of around five-hundred miles per second. Its four crew members are kept in stasis by the use of a drug called "Eternity", whereby each is awakened one at a time at various stages throughout the journey to check on systems and various things. But not all of them make it to the destination and one perishes along the way. On arrival, radio signals are detected and an escort is sent out to meet them from an already crowded planetary system. What the remaining three chaps are greeted with is quite surprising and their hosts are generous yet unwilling to welcome them to any great degree. This is another one which I found a bit hard to follow, and it is the oldest of the collection so maybe it was just a style thing.
My rating: 2/5
Total Rating: 4 out of 5
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