Jerome Bixby

Pen-names: D.B. Lewis; Harry Neal; Albert Russell; J. Russell; M. St. Vivant; Thornecliff Herrick; Alger Rome; Jay Drexel ------------------------------------------------- "Angels In The Jets" © Fantastic, Fall 1952 Space by the Tail, 1964 --/ third place space sf story --/ wonder award --/ idea award --/ style award --/ rare find "The Bad Life" © Galaxy, Feb 1963 Space by the Tail, 1964 --/ cool sf novella "The Battle Of The Bells" © Imagination, Sep 1954 Space by the Tail, 1964 --/ fourth place f story --/ idea award --/ humour award --/ rare find "The Draw" © Amazing Stories, Mar 1954 Space By The Tail, 1964 --/ cool f story --/ style award ---------------------------------------------- "Fantastic Voyage" (nv) (with Jerome Bixby) © 1965, Doubleday Books --/ second place sf novel --/ wonder award --/ adventure award --/ idea award Like many people I erroneously believed that the movie “Fantastic Voyage” had been optioned from Asimov’s novella of the same name, a fact that would later nag me when I felt the story’s style was, well, not right. Or rather, not exactly Asimov. Originally conceived by Jerome Bixby and Otto Klement, Asimov’s “Fantastic Voyage” was in fact written after the movie went into production, but released before (talk about writing on a deadline!). And while novelization tie-ins have been written as early as the 1920s, it seems to me that “Fantastic Voyage” was amongst the first of its kind for sheer popularity. Technicalities of who-came-up-with-what aside, Bixby’s story "Fantastic Voyage" is genuinely charming and engrossing, a page-turner of the highest degree. In it, Asimov’s prose has a rare chance to outshine his story-telling, lending complex imagery to a tale more easily presented in a visual media. It takes a master to turn an over-abundance of adjectives into a truly engaging story, but luckily Asimov knew what he was doing. I find that some novels, like “Fantastic Voyage,” are like hot chocolate on a cold day: familiar, comforting and entirely welcome. Read another review of this novel here. (review by Sunday Williams) ---------------------------------------------- "The Good Dog" © Fantastic, Jan 1954 Space by the Tail, 1964 "The Holes Around Mars" © Galaxy, Jan 1954 --/ fourth place space sf story --/ wonder award --/ rare find "It's a Good Life" © Star Science Fiction # 2, 1953 Star of Stars, 1960 -a --short fiction : 1971 Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll /20 --short story : 1999 Locus All-Time Poll /12 --/ second place sf story --/ wonder award --/ idea award --/ style award "Laboratory" © IF, Dec 1955 Space by the Tail, 1964 --/ second place space sf story --/ humour award --/ wonder award --/ adventure award --/ idea award --/ style award --/ shock value --/ rare find "Little Boy" (as by Harry Neal) © IF, Oct 1954 --/ cool sf story --/ emotion award "The Magic Typewriter" © Space by the Tail, 1964 --/ cool f story --/ humour award "Nightride And Sunrise" © Other Worlds, Jun 1952 (exp. with James Blish) © Authentic SF, Aug 1957 --/ third place space sf story --/ wonder award --/ adventure award --/ rare find ---------------------------------------------- "One Way Street" © Amazing, Dec 1953 Space by the Tail, 1964 --/ third place time sf story --/ wonder award --/ style award This is a "definitive" and classic treatment of the parallel worlds, and is quite delicious. I read it more than 20 years ago and still remember it with pleasure. Something in the way the story told, not in spectacular action or ideas. review: 04-Jul-06 (read in 1983) ---------------------------------------------- "Page and Player" © Startling Stories, Aug 1952 --/ third place space sf story --/ wonder award --/ adventure award --/ style award --/ rare find "Small War" © Science Fiction Quarterly, May 1954 Space by the Tail, 1964 "Space By The Tail" (coll) © 1964, Ballantine Books --/ second place sf collection --/ wonder award --/ style award --/ rare find "Trace" © Space by the Tail, 1964 --/ cool f story --/ idea award --/ style award --/ shock value --/ rare find "Tubemonkey" © Planet Stories, 1949 --/ third place space sf story --/ wonder award --/ adventure award --/ style award --/ rare find "The Young One" © Fantastic, Apr 1954 Space by the Tail, 1964 --/ fourth place f story --/ style award --/ emotion award "Zen" © Galaxy, Oct 1952 --/ cool space sf story --/ wonder award --/ rare find ------------------------------------------------

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