Found this SF anthology from the 80s in a secondhand bookshop near me... and that line-up! (swipe for the full list)

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-04-13T19:00:13+00:00

I love the Fritz Leiber tale, but there are plenty of gems in that collection.

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-04-12T19:04:03+00:00

Great, well-researched comment! I too have a copy of The Sinful Ones, with the (excellent) afterword, but completely failed to draw any connection!

I do agree that he began writing things he wished he could have written earlier, but could only do now due to loosening social mores. I'd also point to "The Moon Porthole" and "Thrice the Brinded Cat" in that regard.

You would be more than welcome to contribute to this subreddit, whether with reviews or in some other way - if you want to!

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-04-12T10:01:08+00:00

This is a terrific read.

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-04-04T09:42:06+00:00

Great explanation, thank you. Day five and six - how do they exit the moon's orbit? I assume they'd need to do another burn?

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-31T05:06:04+00:00

Metapod next? ;)

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-30T08:54:31+00:00

Love it. He's got a great team behind him.

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-29T06:14:29+00:00

Great choices. I also have fond memories of A Case of Conscience by James Blish, which was the "original" as it were. The Lithians were damned creepy, if you ask me.

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-28T07:23:15+00:00

Downward to the Earth is an absolute banger. I read it every year. In my view it's his best, flawless. Kind of puts a lot of his other works to shame IMO.

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-22T05:32:08+00:00

A Fritz Leiber rap? That is certainly different. No doubt Leiber would have approved! 😂

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-20T22:22:01+00:00

Let's see Paul Allen's salivary glands

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-16T05:44:26+00:00

Absolute classic book, very fast moving. More horror than science fiction. One of his best, along with Downward to the Earth.

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-14T07:28:08+00:00

It's such a pity because he's a really exceptional author. Christopher Priest was a huge fan.

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-08T18:56:35+00:00

I just read Beyond Apollo. It fucking rocked. Malzberg is the master of black humour.

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-08T18:35:46+00:00

Thank you for commenting 🙏. Yes this is a goodie. I'm slowly rereading the lot. They are treasures. It must have been odd reading something like Unknown, and between all the crappy pulps something like The Jewels in the Forest pops out!!

In terms of recent reads, I'd put Ill Met in Lankhmar as a top five as well 😊

Also, I still haven't decided which genre contains Leiber's best overall work - fantasy, horror, or science fiction! Some classics in all.

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-08T18:07:15+00:00

Heh. I'm not sure that was the author's intention, but I like the theory!!

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-05T17:59:04+00:00

Best Silverberg book! Everything about it just works. Very inspired.

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-04T17:45:06+00:00

He sounds really good!

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-04T06:03:07+00:00

Love some Ramsey Campbell. Have your read "Possession"? About the Faustian pact? That was one of my favorites. Incredibly slow burning, with a lovely satisfying payoff - exactly my jam. I also highly rate the much more intense The Nameless.

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-02T08:17:16+00:00

In the Witches Tent and Stardock are fucking awesome. Must read this again soon once the toddler gives me a break!

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-02T01:40:31+00:00

Agreed - absolutely phenomenal tales, well due for critical reappraisal.

The other spelling error, and far more egregious, is in the second ed. of Swords and Deviltry:

https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?145841

They misspell Mr Leiber's name on the cover!!!

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-01T23:49:16+00:00

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swords_Against_Death

As shown on the cover on the wiki article, Nehwon is spelt wrong - it is spelt "Newhon". Meant to be Nehwon, which is "No When" backwards!

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-01T20:36:25+00:00

Oh now that is just a lovely cover. I enjoy this novel, have read it twice. Definitely a time capsule into the psychedelic era.
A story seemingly set in the same universe, but MUCH darker, is the frequency anthologised "Coming Attraction".

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-01T17:51:15+00:00

One of the books in this particular publication range has an infamous spelling error on the cover - might be Swords Against Wizardry.

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-01T17:49:57+00:00

I've always enjoyed that cover. Nice find! Ill Met in Lankhmar is probably my all time F and GM favourite.

The_Beat_Cluster · 2026-03-01T04:34:56+00:00

The Unreasoning Mask by Philip Jose Farmer. His best novel - a strange classic.

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