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Protostars
An sf anthology edited by David Gerrold.
271 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
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September 26, 2020
Stories in this book are all over the place in terms of quality containing 1-star as well as 5-star stories. Normally that would garner the book a 3-star rating, but I am elevating it to 4-stars because of the editor, David Gerrold's, introductions to the stories. Many are lengthy, and some are extremely insightful, providing a heretofore unseen (by me at least) revelation into an anthology editor's considerations when accepting stories, and perspectives into what short story fiction types are possible. The editor's notes are an educational experience.
Goodreads, because ISFDB does I imagine, gives Stephen Goldin co-editor status. The only internal evidence I find to support this is on the title page: "Protostars, Edited by David Gerrold, Aided and abetted by Stephen Goldin." It's pretty clear the internal notes to the stories were written by David Gerrold. I have no idea what aid Stephen Goldin provided other than his two stories published here, the only author with more than one work featured.
I purchased (and read) this anthology mostly to obtain the two Stephen Goldin stories. Boy was I not disappointed! I rate both five stars; they truly are amazing. I first became interested in Stephen Goldin due to his most famous work, an early Star Trek book, Trek To Madworld, a good one in an era when most others were mediocre. Intrigued by the writing and imagination displayed, I looked Goldin up in ISFDB and found his earliest stories available to read for free on the web. His "The Girls on USSF 193" (1965) was cute, four stars. And his very short "Sweet Dreams, Melissa" (1968) was powerful, five stars, about an A.I., but told from a unique perspective.
He then wrote a series of fantasy stories that appeared in a horror magazine: "Bride of the Wind" (1970) four stars, "For Services Rendered" (1970) three stars, "The Chenoo" (1971) four stars, all of which featured the mystical adventures of the same protagonist, the strongest of which was the third story. Sadly, the horror magazine went out of publication causing the last two stories in the series of five to appear in other venues years later. All five are available here for $1.99, if you're interested (I get no commission, just trying to be helpful): https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ange....
So after reading these five earliest stories, I was eager to get my hands on Goldin's sixth and seventh, published only in this anthology (as far as I know). The first, titled "The Last Ghost," is a story with similarities to his earlier "Sweet Dreams, Melissa." It's amazing how Goldin finds the humanity of the remotest experiences and then transforms it into a commentary on what it means to be human. Goldin's second story, the four-page "The World Where Wishes Worked" was brilliant. Truly Goldin is a master of the short short. Posit a world where all wishes by everyone come true. Then posit what would happen if a fool inhabited such a world. Goldin does, and the result is hilarious as well as profound. Why isn't this story reprinted in every high school anthology in the country? It is a perfect deep thought piece. What would you wish for if you knew your wish were coming true?
Those two are the only five star stories in the anthology in my opinion. There are also two four star stories. The opening short short by James Bradfield, "What Makes a Cage, Jamie Knows" is one. I was surprised to see a James Bradfield story in this anthology. I had just read another of his in a werewolf anthology. Apparently, he got his start with the publication of this story. The editor in the note before the story said he had to ask for rewrites. What got published here was a strong story as a result even if it's a bit hard to take at one point. (Anthologists should warn people of certain issues ahead of reading. A child abuse victim could find this story seriously troubling.) Still, the story makes a good point and provides a lot to consider.
Another James, James Tiptree Jr., wrote the second story, another 4-star entry. It's a riot to read the editor note before the second story complaining about the difficulties in actually meeting or talking to this author--he only has a Virginia P.O. box--but he writes so powerfully, therefore one just deals with it. I personally can't believe Gerrold was able to bag a story by as great an author as Tiptree for this anthology. "I'll Be Waiting for You When the Swimming Pool Is Empty" is a great piece about secret alien contact. It's weakness is that it could only have been written in the 1968-1971 period. It seriously dates its groovy self.
These are the four outstanding stories in the anthology of sixteen. Here is a listing of the other twelve:
In a Sky of Daemons • Laurence Yep [as by L. Yep]
Afternoon with a Dead Bus • David Gerrold
Eyes of Onyx • Edward Bryant
Cold, the Fire of the Phoenix • Leo P. Kelley
Oasis • Pamela Sargent
Holdholtzer's Box • David R. Bunch
The Five-Dimensional Sugar Cube • Roger Deeley
And Watch the Smog Roll In ... • Barry Alan Weissman [as by Barry Weissman]
Chances Are • Alice Laurance
The Naked and the Unashamed • Robert E. Margroff
My Country, Right or Wrong • Andrew J. Offutt
Side Effect • Pg Wyal
Seven of these stories I would rate as good-three stars-but nothing exceptional. The five other stories I didn't much care for and give them one or two stars each.
The editor in several of his notes to the remaining stories draws a distinction between stories that are told in traditional modes and what he calls stories told in a non-linear fashion. He explains (page 181): 'To my mind, the best of these anthologies are the ones that have avoided contemporary science fiction's unfortunate tendency to pseudo-artiness--or "artiness for the sake of artiness"--and have retained a healthy awareness of the (you should pardon the expression) "traditional" values of literature. And yet, all of the anthologies I can think of (my own included) have examples of the "new wave" kind of story--efforts wherein the writer has depended more on his ability as a stylist than as a storyteller to hold the reader's interest.'
What I take Gerrold to mean by non-linear (or here 'stylist') mode is that the stories don't make strict logical sense. The words these authors use (or at least the sentences the words form) to tell the story don't line up linearly in one-to-one correspondences with traditional meaning. He states this is an experimentation feature of New Age writing and is pretty much unavoidable in 1971 because so many well-regarded science fiction authors choose to write this way. Goldin and Gerrold don't. Nor do half of the other authors in the anthology. The other six or so do, or at least they're experimenting with hybrids of non-linear and traditional forms of storytelling. Gerrold states elsewhere that some readers strongly prefer traditional modes, that they feel cheated by the non-linear methods. Others are bored by traditional storytelling methods and are interested only in non-linear modes.
I must confess to a strong preference for the more traditional storytelling modes. The non-linear form can be mildly interesting depending on the writer, but is always a chore (for me) to read it. The one exception was Laurence Yep's "In a Sky of Daemon's," a story so well-told it rises above the one- and two-star morass of the others to achieve three stars. Yes, I actually liked it, even if I didn't particularly like having to read it twice to make any sense whatsoever out of it. It's the longest story in the book and involves a form of reincarnation or rebirth, only with some interesting twists that have to be guessed at since the story only makes slightly more sense than your average lyric poem. I recommend this story as a good introduction to non-linear writing. If you like that mode already, you'll love this story.
Incidentally, I discovered that besides Goldin and Gerrold, Yep too wrote a Star Trek science fiction novel. We have a third member of the club! Many readers' comments on Yep's Star Trek novel were so negative--"worst Star Trek novel ever"--that I found myself laughing. Yep must have been unable to restrain himself from using at least some non-linear techniques. Star Trek is the last, and I really mean last, place you ought to try them on an unsuspecting audience.
Anyway, I picked this anthology up for less than $7 total, used, including tax and shipping. It was money well spent. Not only are the two Goldin stories alone worth it, but there was the fun of reading an obscure Tiptree, young Bradfield's first entry, and just as worthwhile as all this, Gerrold's highly informative commentary. Great stuff!
Stephen Goldin's eighth published story, his only one for 1972 (maybe he was too busy marrying Kathleen Sky that year to write more) appeared in another Gerrold anthology, which looks like a sequel of sorts to this one: Generation: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction. It has a lot of the same authors as this anthology and others of my favorites. It even has a Dennis O'Neill story from about the same time period he was writing those memorable Green Lantern/Green Arrow Neil Adams drawn stories in. Wow! Anyhow, I've got the bad boy on order and it's coming in the mail.
Goodreads, because ISFDB does I imagine, gives Stephen Goldin co-editor status. The only internal evidence I find to support this is on the title page: "Protostars, Edited by David Gerrold, Aided and abetted by Stephen Goldin." It's pretty clear the internal notes to the stories were written by David Gerrold. I have no idea what aid Stephen Goldin provided other than his two stories published here, the only author with more than one work featured.
I purchased (and read) this anthology mostly to obtain the two Stephen Goldin stories. Boy was I not disappointed! I rate both five stars; they truly are amazing. I first became interested in Stephen Goldin due to his most famous work, an early Star Trek book, Trek To Madworld, a good one in an era when most others were mediocre. Intrigued by the writing and imagination displayed, I looked Goldin up in ISFDB and found his earliest stories available to read for free on the web. His "The Girls on USSF 193" (1965) was cute, four stars. And his very short "Sweet Dreams, Melissa" (1968) was powerful, five stars, about an A.I., but told from a unique perspective.
He then wrote a series of fantasy stories that appeared in a horror magazine: "Bride of the Wind" (1970) four stars, "For Services Rendered" (1970) three stars, "The Chenoo" (1971) four stars, all of which featured the mystical adventures of the same protagonist, the strongest of which was the third story. Sadly, the horror magazine went out of publication causing the last two stories in the series of five to appear in other venues years later. All five are available here for $1.99, if you're interested (I get no commission, just trying to be helpful): https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ange....
So after reading these five earliest stories, I was eager to get my hands on Goldin's sixth and seventh, published only in this anthology (as far as I know). The first, titled "The Last Ghost," is a story with similarities to his earlier "Sweet Dreams, Melissa." It's amazing how Goldin finds the humanity of the remotest experiences and then transforms it into a commentary on what it means to be human. Goldin's second story, the four-page "The World Where Wishes Worked" was brilliant. Truly Goldin is a master of the short short. Posit a world where all wishes by everyone come true. Then posit what would happen if a fool inhabited such a world. Goldin does, and the result is hilarious as well as profound. Why isn't this story reprinted in every high school anthology in the country? It is a perfect deep thought piece. What would you wish for if you knew your wish were coming true?
Those two are the only five star stories in the anthology in my opinion. There are also two four star stories. The opening short short by James Bradfield, "What Makes a Cage, Jamie Knows" is one. I was surprised to see a James Bradfield story in this anthology. I had just read another of his in a werewolf anthology. Apparently, he got his start with the publication of this story. The editor in the note before the story said he had to ask for rewrites. What got published here was a strong story as a result even if it's a bit hard to take at one point. (Anthologists should warn people of certain issues ahead of reading. A child abuse victim could find this story seriously troubling.) Still, the story makes a good point and provides a lot to consider.
Another James, James Tiptree Jr., wrote the second story, another 4-star entry. It's a riot to read the editor note before the second story complaining about the difficulties in actually meeting or talking to this author--he only has a Virginia P.O. box--but he writes so powerfully, therefore one just deals with it. I personally can't believe Gerrold was able to bag a story by as great an author as Tiptree for this anthology. "I'll Be Waiting for You When the Swimming Pool Is Empty" is a great piece about secret alien contact. It's weakness is that it could only have been written in the 1968-1971 period. It seriously dates its groovy self.
These are the four outstanding stories in the anthology of sixteen. Here is a listing of the other twelve:
In a Sky of Daemons • Laurence Yep [as by L. Yep]
Afternoon with a Dead Bus • David Gerrold
Eyes of Onyx • Edward Bryant
Cold, the Fire of the Phoenix • Leo P. Kelley
Oasis • Pamela Sargent
Holdholtzer's Box • David R. Bunch
The Five-Dimensional Sugar Cube • Roger Deeley
And Watch the Smog Roll In ... • Barry Alan Weissman [as by Barry Weissman]
Chances Are • Alice Laurance
The Naked and the Unashamed • Robert E. Margroff
My Country, Right or Wrong • Andrew J. Offutt
Side Effect • Pg Wyal
Seven of these stories I would rate as good-three stars-but nothing exceptional. The five other stories I didn't much care for and give them one or two stars each.
The editor in several of his notes to the remaining stories draws a distinction between stories that are told in traditional modes and what he calls stories told in a non-linear fashion. He explains (page 181): 'To my mind, the best of these anthologies are the ones that have avoided contemporary science fiction's unfortunate tendency to pseudo-artiness--or "artiness for the sake of artiness"--and have retained a healthy awareness of the (you should pardon the expression) "traditional" values of literature. And yet, all of the anthologies I can think of (my own included) have examples of the "new wave" kind of story--efforts wherein the writer has depended more on his ability as a stylist than as a storyteller to hold the reader's interest.'
What I take Gerrold to mean by non-linear (or here 'stylist') mode is that the stories don't make strict logical sense. The words these authors use (or at least the sentences the words form) to tell the story don't line up linearly in one-to-one correspondences with traditional meaning. He states this is an experimentation feature of New Age writing and is pretty much unavoidable in 1971 because so many well-regarded science fiction authors choose to write this way. Goldin and Gerrold don't. Nor do half of the other authors in the anthology. The other six or so do, or at least they're experimenting with hybrids of non-linear and traditional forms of storytelling. Gerrold states elsewhere that some readers strongly prefer traditional modes, that they feel cheated by the non-linear methods. Others are bored by traditional storytelling methods and are interested only in non-linear modes.
I must confess to a strong preference for the more traditional storytelling modes. The non-linear form can be mildly interesting depending on the writer, but is always a chore (for me) to read it. The one exception was Laurence Yep's "In a Sky of Daemon's," a story so well-told it rises above the one- and two-star morass of the others to achieve three stars. Yes, I actually liked it, even if I didn't particularly like having to read it twice to make any sense whatsoever out of it. It's the longest story in the book and involves a form of reincarnation or rebirth, only with some interesting twists that have to be guessed at since the story only makes slightly more sense than your average lyric poem. I recommend this story as a good introduction to non-linear writing. If you like that mode already, you'll love this story.
Incidentally, I discovered that besides Goldin and Gerrold, Yep too wrote a Star Trek science fiction novel. We have a third member of the club! Many readers' comments on Yep's Star Trek novel were so negative--"worst Star Trek novel ever"--that I found myself laughing. Yep must have been unable to restrain himself from using at least some non-linear techniques. Star Trek is the last, and I really mean last, place you ought to try them on an unsuspecting audience.
Anyway, I picked this anthology up for less than $7 total, used, including tax and shipping. It was money well spent. Not only are the two Goldin stories alone worth it, but there was the fun of reading an obscure Tiptree, young Bradfield's first entry, and just as worthwhile as all this, Gerrold's highly informative commentary. Great stuff!
Stephen Goldin's eighth published story, his only one for 1972 (maybe he was too busy marrying Kathleen Sky that year to write more) appeared in another Gerrold anthology, which looks like a sequel of sorts to this one: Generation: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction. It has a lot of the same authors as this anthology and others of my favorites. It even has a Dennis O'Neill story from about the same time period he was writing those memorable Green Lantern/Green Arrow Neil Adams drawn stories in. Wow! Anyhow, I've got the bad boy on order and it's coming in the mail.
March 18, 2022
It’s always a bit of a gamble when an editor, (in this case a youthful David Gerrold), decides to showcase the up-and-coming talent in a given field by publishing an anthology of original stories, presumably commissioned. The sixteen stories herein, by fifteen authors, are a decidedly average glimpse of the future from 1971. It took nearly a third of the book to get a story I even halfway understood, and “Afternoon With A Dead Bus” by Gerrold himself is a fantasy that reads like an adults-only version of the animated film Cars. Edward Bryant gives us yet another Christ-story with “Eyes Of Onyx”, but this second coming is rather more sinister. Pamela Sargent shows us a man who is too in tune with those around him, and the “Oasis” he found is not for others to visit, while James Tiptree Jr. demonstrates that peace and democracy cannot be imposed from without, even by the god-like ministrations of a superior intelligence, in “I’ll Be Waiting For You When The Swimming Pool Is Empty”. andrew j. offutt has Jeff Bellamy use a time machine, and find that the future of the U.S. looks decidedly Russian. He goes back in time to make some strategic changes in “My Country, Right Or Wrong” and finds things are never as simple as they appear, and Pg Wyal closes the book with the tale of Art Noone, who has grown uncontrollably large after an experimental immortality treatment. His struggles against the Slime God and Governor Ronnie evoke King Kong, and for reasons just as inscrutable. A very patchy book with some interesting pieces in it. A little time capsule of the period between New Wave and the Great Reformation of SF.
September 18, 2020
Protostars was the first anthology that Gerrold edited, though he had previously done work reading unsolicited manuscripts for magazines. It's an uneven selection of original stories, with some really good stories and some that I don't remember at all. I particularly liked stories by David R. Bunch, andrew j. offutt, and James Tiptree, Jr., the latter of which has one of my all time favorite titles (I've no idea why), I'll Be Waiting For You When the Swimming Pool is Empty. I thought the best one in the book was Eyes of Onyx by Edward Bryant.
May 1, 2012
Some good, some bad; but leaving myself a note-to-self here: "And Watch the Smog Roll In" was that good one you once read about paperwork, pollution, and burial.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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