As an attempt to offer a survey of (mostly 20th century) short science fiction, this anthology is quite successful. Since with a book like this it's almost impossible to make any significant assessment that doesn't boil down to simply preference, I will simply list those stories I liked best out of the collection, followed by some choice quotations.

Stories I liked

Please do not take this list as an endorsement that only these stories should be read. All of the stories in this book are worth reading. These are just the ones that struck me in a particular way. They are listed in chronological order (the order they appear in the book).

• "Rappaccini's Daughter" – [a:Nathaniel Hawthorne|7799|Nathaniel Hawthorne|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1291476587p2/7799.jpg]


• "The Machine Stops" – [a:E. M. Forster|6919082|E M Forster|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg]


• "Shambleau" – [a:C. L. Moore]


• "Reason" – [a:Isaac Asimov|16667|Isaac Asimov|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1341965730p2/16667.jpg]


• "Desertion" – [a:Clifford D. Simak|23012|Clifford D. Simak|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1193507980p2/23012.jpg]


• "That Only a Mother" – [a:Judith Merrill]


• "There Will Come Soft Rains" – [a:Ray Bradbury|1630|Ray Bradbury|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1361491094p2/1630.jpg]


• "Fondly Fahrenheit" – [a:Alfred Bester|10992|Alfred Bester|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1224111385p2/10992.jpg]


• "All You Zombies—" – [a:Robert A. Heinlein|205|Robert A. Heinlein|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1192826560p2/205.jpg]


• "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman" – [a:Harlan Ellison|7415|Harlan Ellison|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1206546229p2/7415.jpg]


• "The Heat Death of the Universe" – [a:Pamela Zoline|31004|Pamela Zoline|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg]


• "Super-Toys Last All Summer Long" – [a:Brian Aldiss|33297|Brian W. Aldiss|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1333457329p2/33297.jpg] (way better than the movie A.I. that was based on it)


• "Nine Lives" – [a:Ursula K. Le Guin|874602|Ursula K. Le Guin|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1244291425p2/874602.jpg]


• "Speech Sounds – [a:Octavia Butler|29535|Octavia E. Butler|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1242244143p2/29535.jpg]


• "Forever Yours, Anna" – [a:Kate Wilhelm|48885|Kate Wilhelm|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1279479899p2/48885.jpg]


• "Computer Friendly" – [a:Eileen Gunn|1307441|Eileen Gunn|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-F-50x66-2a9d702c2a0f483c9f7dd119cc28a9a7.jpg]


• "Useful Phrases" – [a:Gene Wolfe|23069|Gene Wolfe|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1207670073p2/23069.jpg]


• "Closer" – [a:Greg Egan|32699|Greg Egan|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66-e07624dc012f2cce49c7d9aa6500c6c0.jpg]


• "Everywhere" – [a:Geoff Ryman|50408|Geoff Ryman|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1217410348p2/50408.jpg]


• "Exhalation" – [a:Ted Chiang|130698|Ted Chiang|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1208187207p2/130698.jpg]

Quotations

(Taken out of context, not necessarily related to the list above, and presented in the order they appear.)

Why spend physical energy in combative strife for something we do not wish…? – "The Conquest of Gola," Leslie F. Stone

No planet, no universe, is greater to a man than his own ego, his own observing self. – "Thunder and Roses," Theodore Sturgeon

I finally realized that I was not speculating about masks in general, but about what lay behind one in particular. That's the devil of the things; you're never sure whether a girl is heightening loveliness or hiding ugliness. – "Coming Attraction," Fritz Leiber

…but there are times when a scientist must not be afraid to make a fool of himself. – "The Sentinel," Arthur C. Clarke

…the old are often insanely jealous of the young. – "The Sentinel," Arthur C. Clarke

Live in the world around you. – "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman," Harlan Ellison

…but face it, most of the things we call "sexy" are symbolic, you know, except perhaps an exhibitionist's open fly. – "Day Million," Frederik Pohl

It is people that make stories, not the circumstances they find themselves in. – "Day Million," Frederik Pohl

There are times when you must walk by yourself because it hurts so much to be alone. – "Aye, and Gomorrah…," Samuel R. Delany

"I want you because you can't want me." – "Aye, and Gomorrah…," Samuel R. Delany

We can't afford to tease and run. – "Passengers," Robert Silverberg

An overcrowded world is the ideal place in which to be lonely. – "Super-Toys Last All Summer Long," Brian Aldiss

Did repetition of the individual negate individuality? – "Nine Lives," Ursula K. Le Guin

When one culture has the big guns and the other has none, there is a certain predictability about the outcome. – "When it Changed," Joanna Russ

Nobody wants to spend eternity alone. – "Closer," Greg Egan

You know, all the evil in the world, all the sadness comes from not having a good answer to that question: what do I do next? – "Everywhere," Geoff Ryman

…through the act of reading my words, the patterns that form your thoughts become an imitation of the patterns that once formed mine. And in that way I live again, through you. – "Exhalation," Ted Chiang ( )

This was a good collection, but there are (nonetheless) a lot of misses in this one- particularly after the first half of it. Despite this, there is still much to like. I acquired the book for a college course and am glad that I read through it, as many of the stories are amazing in scope and grandeur. This should be essential to any aspiring sci-fi writer or enthusiast. It opens a lot of doors and the literary portions at the beginning of the stories give key analysis and basis for pondering.

3.5 stars. ( )

I want to thank the editors for introducing me to Ted Chiang ("Exhalation"), who doesn't write novels. I also enjoyed the very different and funny Stross that preceded it ("Rogue Farm"), and selections from Butler, Bester and Gunn. The editors of Wesleyan's scholarly journal Science Fiction Studies preface each story dry but interesting background. They've put together a nice selection that includes more of the female perspective than a token LeGuin story. Unfortunately, I didn't come close to finishing this beast before the library wanted it back. ( )