As most of you know I got started seriously on the whole science-fiction-fantasy-and-faith thing when I organized a small group at church to read SF short stories. Getting more and more interested in the topic, I was soon scouring out-of-print story collections, trawling the Internet for ideas, writing to people to ask for suggestions, and so forth. I was introduced to a lot of good SF/F (ie, the complete works of Theodore Sturgeon.) More recently, as I started blogging about it, I've gotten tons of great suggestions from blog readers (suggestions like Zenna Henderson, John C. Wright and Susan Palwick!)
Sometimes I've dreamed about editing an anthology of the best/most relevant/most classic short stories I've come across. I guess I would have to narrow the topic to just Christian themes, and call it something like Speculative Christ. I suppose it would be aimed mostly at Christian readers, to expose them to theological ideas in sf.
Of course, there are a lot of other generally Christian-themed sf anthologies out there already: Sacred Visions; Other Worlds, Other Gods; Infinite Space, Infinite God; Divine Realms; and a bunch of others. There are similar anthologies for Judaism, like Wandering Stars. I wouldn't be surprised to learn of collections called Buddha In Space or Allah, Lord of All Worlds. But like those obsessive guys in High Fidelity, I enjoy making best-of lists, and I enjoy making mix tapes. So here's my tentative anthology.
The Quest for Saint Aquin - Anthony Boucher
The Man - Ray Bradbury
The Star - Arthur C. Clarke
The Dead Lady of Clown Town - Cordwainer Smith
Walk Now Gently Through the Fire - R.A. Lafferty
Tlon, Uqbar, and Orbis Tertius - Jorge Luis Borges
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller, Jr. (short story version)
A Case of Conscience - James Blish (short story version)
The Peacemaker - Fred Saberhagen
Extrapolation - Theodore Sturgeon
Pottage - Zenna Henderson (or perhaps "Wilderness?")
Rautavaara's Case - Philip K. Dick
Gus - Jack McDevitt
The Pope of the Chimps - Robert Silverberg
Saving Grace - Orson Scott Card
Samaritan - Connie Willis
Last Day - Gene Wolfe
Westwind - Gene Wolfe
The Price - Neil Gaiman
Through and Through - Tim Powers
Comments, suggestions, and civil disagreements are welcome. I know this list can be improved and/or expanded upon.
[Edited to add:]
A Case of Consilience - Ken MacLeod
Cucumber Gravy - Susan Palwick
Monday, March 05, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
Dear Elliott,
On the negative side, to accompany "The Star" we have "A Song for Lya" and "Behold the Man."
I'd probably have chosen either "Scanners live in Vain" or "The Game of Rat and Dragon," but with Cordwainer Smith, all things are more than equal.
shalom,
Steven
I guess the religious elements in "Dead Lady" strike me as being a bit more obvious than those SLIV or GoRaD...
I suppose I would have to include a few other negative stories. Though you usually get enough of those in standard anthologies as it is.
Are there really short story versions of A Canticle for Leibowitz and A Case of Conscience or are you just thinking wishfully? :P
Those both started out as short stories/novellas and then were expanded into novels.
I see! Do you have a copy of the Case of Conscience one?
Actualy, I don't know why I posted that when I could have just emailed you. :P
I'd have to include Reave the Just by Donaldson--simply by claiming to be a relative of this hero (as a Christian might be said to claim Christ as a relative), the protagonist is saved by Reeve the Just...and saved in a way that makes it especially intriguing. Donaldson had another story in that same collection with a similar theme, I believe.
Surely for Wolfe "The Detective of Dreams" is the story to go with
How about something by Zenna Henderson?
I'm going to have to check out that Donaldson story!
I do like the Detective of Dreams, but it would depend on the audience- I've found that most Christians figure out the story after the first few pages, because they know the parables, and so the mystery dissipates.
I have one Zenna Henderson story up there, though I've forgotten which one would best represent her. And I still haven't read all of her work.
I always liked Wolfe's "La Befana" as Christian fables go. That story always confuses the hell out of people I give it to. Not a criticism of your excellent picks, either.
Gordon R. Dickson's "Soldier, Ask Not" novella would work great too.
Ooh, yeah, good one. I used La Befana in my small group, and it's a favorite of mine. Hmm. That's the problem with Gene Wolfe - he has too many stories that would fit perfectly - La Befana, The Seraph From Its Sepulchre, How the Whip Came Back, The Eyeflash Miracles, The Queen, and quite a few more.
I'd forgotten that Dickson's book was first of all a novella! Good choice. He has some interesting thoughts on the nature of faith, good and bad.
Post a Comment