Sci Fi 1948

I picked up an Asimov edited book of the best SF from 1948 at the book fair. I tend to like old science fiction much better than modern science fiction, the exception being some cyber punk but this collection was a little dull. Perhaps post war was just not as an exciting time, people were still reeling from the terrors that science wrought and not wanting to write much about it's possibilities, course that could also have bred some really great sci fi but oh well.

There were a couple of neat stories though, one written by a woman anthropologist, (probably part of my bias towards why I liked it) but it was a nice little story about mutant babies brought about by atomic bombs. It was called "That only a Mother" by Judith Merril. There was also a really good story about a cyborg achieving sentience called "period Piece" by JJ Coupling, he was programmed to believe that he was a time traveler, but then realized time travel was impossible and that he was something else. That was easily my favorite. There was also a Bradbury Mars chronicle story, while I love Mars I'm not that fond of Bradbury's Mars, perhaps too it's just too American. But the ending of "Mars is Heaven" really appealed to me.

The other nice thing about the book was Asimov's little comments written at the beginning of each story. Though the collection was of 1948 stories it was originally published in 1983. One of the best comments was about an editor who's originally published stories about smaller forces (preferably human) fighting off the larger more technological advanced forces with sheer determination and greater spirit. Asimov pointed out that had this author's opinions on these types of stories changed dramatically after the Vietnam war, when suddenly America was not seen as the stereotypes for the heroic underdogs anymore but the technological giants.

I like Asimov even if I have a hard time remembering how to spell his name sometimes.