FREDERIK POHL'S FAVORITE STORIES

Stories, 34 of them, from the entire noteworthy 39-year career of sf editor Pohl--illuminated with notes, remarks, anecdotes, and snippets of sf publishing history. Before becoming an editor, Pohl struggled along writing and publishing sf fanzines during the years 1933-39; he graduated to the pulps of 1939-43 and promptly bought early stories, reprinted here, by Blish, Heinlein, and Asimov (his first robot yarn). The next section features Pohl as an editor of anthologies, and includes Arthur C. Clarke's shivery ""The Nine Billion Names of God,"" van Vogt's tense alien battle, ""The Rull,"" and lesser-known works by Vonnegut, H. L. Gold, Fritz Leiber, Lester del Rey, and Jack Williamson. The years 1960-69, when Pohl edited Galaxy and If magazines, were his (and perhaps sf's) best, illustrated here by some magnificent tales: Silverberg's biting ""The Pain Peddlers,"" Pohl and Kornbluth's first collaborative effort, ""A Gentle Dying,"" R. A. Lafferty's manic ""Slow Tuesday Night,"" Zelazny's hilarious ""The Great Slow Kings,"" Vance's outrageously brilliant ""The Moon Moth,"" and other goodies from Dick, Cordwainer Smith, Sheckley, Saberhagen, Bixby, Tiptree, Mack Reynolds, and Laumer. And from Pohl's latest career as an in-house editor of sf paperbacks, there's a yarn from Harlan Ellison and excerpts from novels by Delaney, David A. Kyle, and Gustav Hasford. True, some of the stories have appeared elsewhere, but this is nonetheless a must-have collection: grand selections enhanced by vivid reminiscences.