Strange Gifts. edited by Robert Silverberg. 1975
Strange Gifts
RATED 81% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE = 3.88 OUT OF 5
8 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 3 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
Robert Silverberg’s themed reprint anthologies share something in common with his fiction. They are very readable - even when not at their best. That might be Silverberg’s “Strange Gift.”
In this anthology, which features fiction from 1948 to 1961, ‘strange gifts’ are the power of the human mind, and yet Silverberg takes this in a different direction than most editors.
Other Themed Anthologies edited by Robert Silverberg
I have tried … to avoid not only telepathy but also some of the other most familiar extrasensory gifts … I’ve attempted to find ingenious and little-known stories about characters whose gifts are even farther afield.
Every one of these stories is easy to read, but most fade away after they are over.
The two stories that linger make their way onto The Great List:
The Golden Man • (1954) • novelette by Philip K. Dick. Various mutations have been occurring across the USA and the DCA has been tasked with ‘euthanizing' them. A beautiful young man of pure golden color, has survived to the age of 18, but a man from the DCA has just arrived as his family’s farm. This novelette packs a lot of good speculation, plenty of actions and smart suspense into a tight narrative.
Bettyann • (1951) • novelette by Kris Neville. An infant alien lives within a young orphan after her alien parents die while touring Earth. She is adopted and matures to adulthood, but always has within her a slightly askew way of seeing the world. This is a charming and kind coming-of-age tale. Heart warming, positive, and uplifting.
STRANGE GIFTS IS RATED 81% POSITIVE
8 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 3 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
How do I arrive at a rating?
The Golden Man • (1954) • novelette by Philip K. Dick
Great. Various mutations have been occurring across the USA and the DCA has been tasked with ‘euthanizing' them. A beautiful young man of pure golden color, has survived to the age of 18, but a man from the DCA has just arrived as his family’s farm. This novelette packs a lot of good speculation, plenty of actions and smart suspense into a tight narrative.
Danger—Human! • (1957) • short story by Gordon R. Dickson
Good. A man is picked up by bear-like aliens and interrogated about what makes humanity special. This race - unique almost all others - is constantly expanding beyond its borders and causing havoc to the universe.
All the People • (1961) • short story by R. A. Lafferty
Good. Erudite and clever, this quirky story centers around a man who claims to know everyone in the world in close personal detail. He begins by asking questions of four men: a physician, a philosopher, a priest, and a psychologist.
Oddy and Id • (1950) • short story by Alfred Bester
Average. The luckiest man in the world and the people that try to influence him. *Same review, but I liked it better than my first read. First half is charming and fun, but the second half falls apart.
The Man with English • (1953) • short story by H. L. Gold [as by Horace L. Gold]
Average. An angry shopkeeper falls and hits his head. Now, he all of his nerves are reversed.
To Be Continued • (1956) • short story by Robert Silverberg
Average. A man who is nearly one thousand years old has finally reached the age where he can father children, so he takes on different personalities and tries to find a woman to marry.
Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall • (1948) • novelette by Frank Belknap Long
Good. A precocious child creates a portal device to another reality where the darkest and strangest versions of nursery rhymes live.
Bettyann • (1951) • novelette by Kris Neville
Great. An infant alien lives within a young orphan after her alien parents die while touring Earth. She is adopted and matures to adulthood, but always has within her a slightly askew way of seeing the world. This is a charming and kind coming-of-age tale. Heart warming, positive, and uplifting.
