Orbit 1. edited by Damon Knight. 1966
Orbit 1 is rated 67%.
AVERAGE STORY: 3.33
9 Stories : 1 great / 4 good / 2 average / 1 poor / 1 DNF
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The Orbit series of original anthologies, edited by Damon Knight, were incredibly influential in the history of Science Fiction. The came at a time when the literary ambitions of the genre were starting to emerge. Unfortunately, this first volume is no better than a pedestrian issue of a major SF magazine.
What hurts this book the most is that nearly 1/4 of the total page count is absorbed by “Kangaroo Court,” a plodding story that I Did Not Finish (DNF.). When so much of an anthology is dedicated to a single story, that story needs to deliver. This one did not.
Four of the 9 stories were solidly good bringing us mysterious abandoned spaceships, alien assaults on nearly naked spacewomen, the break-up of a human and a bird-like alien , and scientific explorers who want to be colonists.
One truly great story stood out.
“The Deeps” by Keith Roberts. This story of daily life in undersea domes really activated my sense of wonder. I enjoyed the characters, was immersed in the aquatic world, and was invested in the outcome of the plot.
Orbit 1 is rated 67%.
9 Stories : 1 great / 4 good / 2 average / 1 poor / 1 DNF
Staras Flonderans by Kate Wilhelm
Good. A human spaceship with a nearly immortal alien crew member explore derelict vessels that seem to have been suddenly abandoned.
The Secret Place by Richard McKenna
Average. Probably a fantasy story about a military scientist who investigates a small amount of uranium in the Oregon desert. A young woman’s imaginary world may hold the key.
How Beautiful with Banners by James Blish
Good. Sexy female astronaut with a spacesuit made of a virus comes under attack when an alien meshes with the spacesuit.
The Disinherited by Poul Anderson
Good. Scientists are being recalled to earth from a world they’ve grown to love, but will staying destroy the very things they want to preserve.
The Loolies are Here by Allison Rice
Poor. House wives gets increasingly frustrated with her daily tasks and blames The Loolies.
Kangaroo Court by Virginia Kidd
DNF. This is the longest story in the anthology, making up almost 1/4 of the pages. Unfortunately, I had to drop out at about 15 pages in. The characters were wooden, the writing amateur, and the the plot didn’t even get started.
Splice of Life by Sonya Dorman
Average. intense but ultimate pointless story of a woman in an emergency ward where here injury is healed and reinflicted. I see what Dorman was trying to accomplish, but it didn’t work for me.
5 Eggs by Thomas M. Disch
Good. A relationship between an earthman and a bird-like alien ends briefly before the wedding with a cruel joke.
The Deeps by Keith Roberts
Great. Wonderfully atmospheric story. In the overcrowded future, mankind is embracing life within undersea domes. A slice of life and a mood piece that centers around a mother searching for a daughter that swam to a party and hasn’t come home.
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