Stanley G. Weinbaum (1902–1935)

Yes the science and social conventions are defined by the era in which they were written (of course), but this collection of short stories from the 1930s is a pure delight just the same. Covering such 21st century topics as genetic modification, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence, Weinbaum spins a good yarn whether it be among the "glaciers" of Venus or an impossible island off the coast of New Zealand. And his fantastical aliens were truly alien, not just physically but psychologically as well. When he died at the age of 33 science fiction lost one of its most promising new authors.… (meer)

Much of what is claimed about the SF works of Stanley Weinbaum is valid: publishing in the mid-1930s, he did create aliens that were not derivative but truly foreign; he described extraterrestrial landscapes that were clearly not studio back-lots; he tried to craft coherent intersections of those with relatable human characters. It is easy to see how he was tremendously influential to other writers in the nascent field.

Is it dated? Well, let's see. Bad biology. Poor understanding of how rockets work. Racism, sexism, ethical travesties. Fine; it was 1935. But....

His human characterizations suck. The (white, American, and young) characters are simply stock types, the stories are totally formulaic, and the ethos of "shoot-it-and-find-out-what-it-was-later" palls. Dialog is straight from bank-heist movies. Don't even get me started on Weinbaum's pet recurring character: the Amazing Megalomaniac Scientist who always talks of himself in the third person....and is named _van Manderpootz_. WTF, dude?

If you WANT to see where modern SF came from, by all means read this, especially "A Martian Odyssey," "Shifting Seas," and "Redemption Cairn." If you want to see what changed the field of Wells, Burroughs, & Howard into the worlds of Heinlein, Asimov, and Bester, then you should start here. ON THE OTHER HAND, if you're hoping for gripping stories and strong voices from the past, you will be disappointed.… (meer)