Galardonada con el Premio Nebula al mejor relato en 1965, «El árbol de saliva» sentido homenaje a H.G. Wells, es sin duda la más célebre y apreciada novela breve de Brian Aldiss, un auténtico maestro del género. Lo que en principio parece una bendición caída del cielo en la granja de los Grendon no tarda en revelarse como una inagotable fuente de problemas, y el joven Gregory Rolles pronto intuye que algo raro está sucediendo e inicia una investigación cargada de tensión. Junto a este magnífico cuento aparecen en este volumen otros nueve espléndidos relatos, que muestran la versatilidad y la brillante capacidad imaginativa de Aldiss, como el asfixiante «Peligro: religión» el divertidísimo «La joven y el robot con flores» o el intenso y un tanto macabro «Un hábito solitario».

"Magic!" Thrash said. "Beastly magic, you symmetrical super-sausage!"

With prose like this, what is not to enjoy? Despite the seriously unprepossessing title of this elderly book of short stories, I'm reading it as part of my 'history of s.f.' program, it's mostly fun. Indeed there is a precious naivete to many of the stories - precious in that there is still that 'anything could be possible' wonderment in many of them - which the advancements in our understanding of the cosmos and its physical laws and likelihoods have rendered silliness, ultimately. The title story was creepy indeed, about invisible aliens taking over a farm, but it's set in the late 19th century with that sensibility - the protagonist writes to H.G. Wells about what is happening.... The funniest story 'Legends of Smith's Burst' dumps a swindler/adventurer on a planet with three suns - one of them a 'black sun' made of antimatter that eats all the light...... and the planet itself is composed of matter and anti-matter with a third force called 'Nogox' - the space between matter and anti-matter that serves as the 'glue' for this bizarre planet. Anyhow our hero survives on his wits, escapes all his predicaments using various jokes and strategems.... The final story is a sweet meditation on the pointlessness of writing science fiction when there is the Now all around in all its wonder.... There was also a strange, non sf story about the Turkish invasion of Eastern Europe, no idea why it was included. And yes there are the usual shortcomings of this generation of sf writers which I have come to expect, but can't quite get over how angry it makes me ever time - these men who are unable to imagine women as anything but convenient for sex or for putting together picnic hampers. That attitude, more than the science, dates it irretrievably. Only worth reading if you are into studying the genre and its development over time. I rate it ***1/2 because - well - because it is written with such verve. ( )

A collection of Short Stories, including one published in "Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine", from the pen of the younger Aldiss. The Title novella deals with an interesting alien invasion. ( )

Indeholder "Salivatræet", "Advarsel! Religion!", "Kilden", "Den ensomme vane", "Delt glæde", "En velbehagelig rolle", "Dommens dag", "Faderlig omsorg", "Pigen og robotten med blomster".

"Salivatræet" handler om ???
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"Delt glæde" handler om ???
"En velbehagelig rolle" handler om ???
"Dommens dag" handler om den serbiske konge Vukasan, der bliver hårdt såret i et slag mod de "mugbugede" muselmænd. Han bliver plejet og forbundet og begiver sig videre med sin general Jovann for at rejse en ny hær. Han søger hjælp i et kloster og en vismand fortæller ham det bedste der kan ske og det værste. Desværre for serberne er både Vukasan og Johann lidt for fodslæbende og de forspilder chancen for at slå tyrken.
"Faderlig omsorg" handler om ???
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Der mangler en novelle i forhold til den engelske version.
Side 191: den mugbugede muselmand ( )

Indeholder "The Saliva Tree", "Danger: Religion!", "The Source", "The Lonely Habit", "A Pleasure Shared", "One Role with Relish", "Legends of Smith's Burst", "The Day of the Doomed King", "Paternal Care", "The Girl and the Robot with Flowers".

"The Saliva Tree" handler om ???
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"The Lonely Habit" handler om ???
"A Pleasure Shared" handler om ???
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"Legends of Smith's Burst" handler om ???
"The Day of the Doomed King" handler om den serbiske konge Vukasan, der bliver hårdt såret i et slag mod de "mugbugede" muselmænd. Han bliver plejet og forbundet og begiver sig videre med sin general Jovann for at rejse en ny hær. Han søger hjælp i et kloster og en vismand fortæller ham det bedste der kan ske og det værste. Desværre for serberne er både Vukasan og Johann lidt for fodslæbende og de forspilder chancen for at slå tyrken.
"Paternal Care" handler om ???
"The Girl and the Robot with Flowers" handler om ???

??? ( )