Frederick Pohl

(original unknown) Pen-names: Paul Flehr, Charles Satterfield, James McCreigh, S. D. Gottesman, Dirk Wylie ------------------------------------------------- "Before the Universe" (with C. M. Kornbluth) (as by S. D. Gottesman) (Clair & Gaynor series) © Super Science Stories, Jul 1940 Before the Universe, 1980 --/ fourth place sf story --/ wonder award --/ adventure award "Best Friend" (with C. M. Kornbluth) (as by S. D. Gottesman) (Clair & Gaynor series) © Super Science Stories, May 1941 The Wonder Effect, 1962 Before the Universe, 1980 --/ fourth place sf story --/ wonder award "A Big Man with the Girls" (with Judith Merril) (as by James MacCreigh) © Future, Mar 1953 "The Bitterest Pill" (also as "The Richest Man in Levittown") © Galaxy, Apr 1959 Turn Left at Thursday, 1961 --/ cool sf story "The Candle Lighter" © Galaxy, Mar 1955 The Case Against Tomorrow, 1957 "The Case Against Tomorrow" (coll) © Ballantine Books, 1957 --/ cool sf collection ---------------------------------------------- "The Celebrated No-Hit Inning" © Fantastic Universe, Sep 1956 The Case Against Tomorrow, 1957 ---------------------------------------------- "The Census Takers" © F&SF, Feb 1956 The Case Against Tomorrow, 1957 --/ cool sf story "The Children of Night" © Galaxy, Oct 1964 Digits and Dastards, 1966 "Danger Moon" (also as "Red Moon Of Danger") (as by James MacCreigh) © Science Fiction Quarterly, Aug 1951 Planets Three, 1982 --/ cool sf story --/ adventure award ---------------------------------------------- "The Day the Icicle Works Closed" © Galaxy, Feb 1960 The Man Who Ate the World, 1960 --/ fourth place sf novella --/ style award --/ wonder award Very capable writing, great quality novella. Earth colony planet suffers economic meltdown, so it tries to help things by selling live human hosts (bodies) to the tourist agencies: rich people occupy the minds of the unfortunate colonists, as the host's minds (occupying the robot bodies) slave in the underwater mines. Very callous and cynical idea, indeed. Pohl is good at that kind of dystopian inventions. The story also depicts interesting planetary ecology, with air-fish and rainbow glaciers. review: 06-Jul-06 (read in 1986) ---------------------------------------------- "The Day the Martians Came" © Dangerous Visions, 1967 Day Million, 1970 "Day Million" © Rogue, Feb 1966 Day Million, 1970 --short story : 1999 Locus All-Time Poll /11 --/ cool sf story --/ style award ---------------------------------------------- "The Day Of The Boomer Dukes" © Future Science Fiction, Sep 1956 Tomorrow Times Seven, 1959 ---------------------------------------------- "The Demon In The Skull" (nv) (also as "A Plague Of Pythons") © Galaxy, Oct 1962 book: 1965, Ballantine Books "Donovan Had a Dream" (as by James MacCreigh) © Thrilling Wonder Stories, Oct 1947 Planets Three, 1982 --/ cool sf story --/ wonder award "Doom Ship" (nv) (with Jack Williamson) (Cuckoo series) © Worlds of If, Mar 1973 novel : Ballantine, 1974 --/ third place space sf novella --/ wonder award --/ adventure award --/ idea award --/ awesome scale "Everybody's Happy But Me!" (also as "What to Do Until the Analyst Comes") © Imagination, Feb 1956 Alternating Currents, 1956 "The Extrapolated Dimwit" (with C. M. Kornbluth) (as by S. D. Gottesman) (Clair & Gaynor series) © Future, Oct 1942 Before the Universe, 1980 --/ cool sf story --/ wonder award --/ style award "Father of the Stars" © IF, Nov 1964 Digits and Dastards, 1966 --/ cool sf story "Figurehead" (also as "The Genius Beasts") (as by James MacCreigh) © Future, Jan 1951 Planets Three, 1982 --/ cool sf story "Gateway" (nv) (Heechee series) © 1977, Ballantine Books --novel : 1978 Hugo W --novel : 1978 Nebula W --winner : 1978 Campbell Memorial W --sf novel : 1978 Locus W --international fiction : 1978 Ditmar --1979 Apollo W --all time sf novel : 1987 Locus All-Time Poll /8 --sf novel (before 1990) : 1998 Locus All-Time Poll /11 --/ third place space sf novel --/ wonder award --/ adventure award --/ idea award "The Genius Beasts" (also as "Figurehead" ) (as by James MacCreigh) © Future, Jan 1951 Planets Three, 1982 --/ cool sf story "Grandy Devil" © Galaxy, Jun 1955 Alternating Currents, 1956 ---------------------------------------------- "Gravy Planet" (with C. M. Kornbluth) (see "The Space Merchants") ---------------------------------------------- "Happy Birthday, Dear Jesus" © Alternating Currents, 1956 The Best of Frederik Pohl, 1975 "The Hated" © Galaxy, Jan 1958 Turn Left at Thursday, 1961 "The Haunted Corpse" © Galaxy, Jan 1957 Tomorrow Times Seven, 1959 ---------------------------------------------- "How to Count on Your Fingers" © Science Fiction Stories, Sep 1956 Digits and Dastards, 1966 ---------------------------------------------- "I Plinglot, Who You?" © Galaxy, Feb 1959 Turn Left At Tuesday, 1961 ---------------------------------------------- "Legal Rites" (with Isaac Asimov) (as James MacCreigh) © Weird Tales, Sep 1950 The Early Asimov, 1972 --/ cool f story "Let The Ants Try" © Planet Stories, Win 1949 Alternating Currents, 1956 In the Problem Pit, 1976 --/ cool sf story "A Life And A Half" (as Paul Flehr) © IF, Jul 1959 The Abominable Earthman, 1963 "Mars Tube" (with C. M. Kornbluth) (as by S. D. Gottesman) © Astonishing Stories, Sep 1941 The Wonder Effect, 1962 Before the Universe, 1980 --/ fourth place sf story --/ wonder award --/ adventure award "The Martian in the Attic" © IF, Jul 1960 Turn Left at Thursday, 1961 "The Meeting" (with C. Kornbluth) © F&SF, Nov 1972 Critical Mass, 1977 --short story : 1973 Hugo W (tie) --short fiction : 1973 Locus /9 --/ cool sf story "The Midas Plague" © Galaxy, Apr 1954 The Case Against Tomorrow, 1957 Midas World, 1984 --/ fourth place sf story --/ idea award --/ style award "The Middle of Nowhere" © Galaxy, May 1955 Tomorrow Times Seven, 1959 --/ fourth place sf story --/ wonder award --/ adventure award "Mute Inglorious Tam" (with C. M. Kornbluth) © F&SF, Oct 1974 Critical Mass, 1977 --short story : 1975 Locus /19 "My Lady Green Sleeves" © Galaxy, Feb 1957 The Case Against Tomorrow, 1957 "Nova Midplane" (with C. M. Kornbluth) (as by S. D. Gottesman) (Clair & Gaynor series) © Super Science Stories, Nov 1940 Before the Universe, 1980 --/ fourth place sf story --/ wonder award --/ adventure award "A Plague Of Pythons" (nv) (also as "The Demon In The Skull") © Galaxy, Oct 1962 book: 1965, Ballantine Books "Punch" © Playboy, Jun 1961 The Abominable Earthman, 1963 "The Quaker Cannon" (with C. M. Kornbluth) © Analog, Aug 1961 The Wonder Effect, 1962 "Red Moon Of Danger" (also as "Danger Moon") (as by James MacCreigh) © Science Fiction Quarterly, Aug 1951 Planets Three, 1982 --/ cool sf story "The Richest Man in Levittown" (also as "The Bitterest Pill") © Galaxy, Apr 1959 Turn Left at Thursday, 1961 "Search The Sky" (nv) (with C. M. Kornbluth) © 1958, Ballantine Books --/ cool sf novel "Shaffery Among The Immortals" © F&SF, Jul 1972 The Gold at Starbow's End, 1972 --short story : 1973 Nebula --/ cool sf story "Snowmen" © Galaxy, Dec 1958 The Man Who Ate the World, 1960 "Some Joys Under The Star" © Galaxy, Nov 1973 In The Problem Pit, 1979 --/ cool sf story ---------------------------------------------- "The Space Merchants" (nv) (with C. M. Kornbluth) (also as "Gravy Planet") © Galaxy, Jun 1952 1956, Ballantine Books --book : 1956 Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll /22 (tie) --book : 1966 Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll /22 --all time novel : 1975 Locus All-Time Poll /24 (tie) --/ cool sf novel Some say that this is also a "classic science fiction novel". It definitely has been influential, but as for the joy of reading... I have to make a point here. Not all classics (critically approved) are easily digestable. Some are boring. Some are beyond boring. Some are beyond the beyond (when you get angry at the critics to the point of manslaughter). Most "classics" will leave you cold (for the simple reason of being out-dated, out-of-style... like a dry stolid trunk of a tree vs. lively off-shoot branches and flowers. It gave life to a variety of styles and then got slowly cooked in the gooey amber of ceaseless critical praise) That might be an exageration, but I have a certain distrust (and lower expectations) when I approach something labeled as "classic". Unless that classic really entered my life, shaped it and earned the title (and that might be entirely subjective experience, having nothing to do with literary values). Back to this novel - it's boring. Not beyond boring (a category reserved for the curious oddities of schlock), but simply an uninvolving "social commentary" on the perils of greed in a capitalist society... as though we haven't heard about that stuff already. Revolutionary for its time, this condemning tract lacks color and vision. Go soak in a jacuzzi, drink Irish Cream and forget about this novel. To provide a counterpoint to my opinion, here is a link to a positive review. review: 11-Sep-06 (read in 1988) ---------------------------------------------- "Speed Trap" © Playboy, 1967 Day Million, 1970 "Three Portraits and a Prayer" © Galaxy, Aug 1962 The Abominable Earthman, 1963 "To See Another Mountain" © F&SF, Apr 1959 Tomorrow Times Seven, 1959 "Trouble in Time" (with C. M. Kornbluth) (as by S. D. Gottesman) (Clair & Gaynor series) © Astonishing Stories, Dec 1940 The Wonder Effect, 1962 Before the Universe, 1980 --/ cool sf story --/ wonder award "The Tunnel Under the World" © Galaxy, Jan 1955 Alternating Currents, 1956 --/ third place sf story --/ idea award --/ style award --/ wonder award "Vacant World" (with C. M. Kornbluth & Dirk Wylie) (as by Dirk Wylie) © Super Science Stories, Jan 1941 Before the Universe, 1980 --/ cool sf story --/ wonder award ---------------------------------------------- "Wapshot's Demon" © Science Fiction Stories, Jul 1956 The Case Against Tomorrow, 1957 --/ cool sf story The Wapshot Demon is actually a scientific contraption (based on the diffusion principle), which the story is based upon. Pohl tries to link many disparate strands and ideas together in this one, but it does not very much work as a whole. review: 10-Jul-06 (read in 2002) ---------------------------------------------- "We Never Mention Aunt Nora" (as Paul Flehr) © Galaxy, July 1958 The Abominable Earthman, 1963 "We Purchased People" © 1974, Final Stage --short story : 1975 Locus /11 --/ fourth place sf story --/ wonder award "Whatever Counts" © Galaxy, Jun 1959 Bodyguard, 1960 "What to Do Until the Analyst Comes" (also as "Everybody's Happy But Me!") © Imagination, Feb 1956 Alternating Currents, 1956 "The World of Myrion Flowers" (with C. M. Kornbluth) © F&SF, Oct 1961 The Wonder Effect, 1962 -----------------------------------------------

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