In this collection created exclusively for The Folio Society, legendary science-fiction writer Brian Aldiss selects and introduces a series of electrifying short stories.

THE COLLECTOR’S ANTHOLOGY

‘He was falling. Struggling frantically, he tried to get hold of something, but there was only empty darkness around him, no substance, no reality, only the depth beneath him and the din of his own terrified shrieks’

Philip K. Dick, Recall Mechanism

An intruder in the solar system has disastrous consequences for Earth in H. G. Wells’s ‘The Star’, while fans of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series will get the chance to revisit his universe in ’Bridle and Saddle’. ’Recall Mechanism’ is a typically mind-bending story from Philip K. Dick, author of The Man in the High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and ’Poor Little Warrior’ is a somewhat sardonic tale of time-travel from Aldiss himself. Also included are stories from Harry Harrison, James Tiptree Jr, Tom Godwin, James H. Schmitz, Voltaire and Anna Kavan, the writer whom Aldiss once described as ‘Kafka’s sister’. Writing under a pen name, Aldiss has also provided an extra story exclusively for this anthology, making it an irresistible collection for any science-fiction fan. 

Each of the stories is prefaced with an introduction by Aldiss, often touching on his relationships with the genre’s greats – he describes eating dinner with Philip K. Dick on the roof of a glamorous hotel in California – or providing a wider commentary on the vital role of short stories. Florian Schommer has created seven atmospheric colour illustrations which cleverly shadow the chronology of the book; Voltaire’s ‘Micromegas’, the earliest story featured, is accompanied by a beautiful illustration composed of greys and blacks, and as the stories move towards the modern age a palette of deep oranges and reds is gradually introduced. The spectacular binding features a three-colour foil design, evoking the glittering golden age of science fiction.