 Dust-jacket illustration of Creatures of the Cosmos | |
| Author | edited by Catherine Crook de Camp |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Jay Krush |
| Cover artist | Jay Krush |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy and Science fiction short stories |
| Publisher | Westminster Press |
Publication date | 1977 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 152 pp |
| ISBN | 0-664-32621-8 |
| Preceded by | Tales Beyond Time |
Creatures of the Cosmos is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories for younger readers, edited by Catherine Crook de Camp. It was first published in hardcover by Westminster Press in 1977.[1][2] It was the third such anthology assembled by de Camp, following the earlier 3000 Years of Fantasy and Science Fiction (1972) and Tales Beyond Time (1973), both of which she edited together with her husband L. Sprague de Camp.
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Transcription
I will travel where to man has dared to go. Into the black hole? Why that's crazy! If you fall in, you never come out. Stretching you from head to toe É Death by black hole. There are monsters out in the cosmos that can swallow entire stars Inside these equations, there's a monster Anything that strays too close will be pulled in Gravity is infinite at the center of a black hole Time stops - space makes no sense Every galaxy has got one big black hole in the middle And millions of smaller black holes An anomaly of gravity so strange Nothing is more seductive There are monsters out in the cosmos That can swallow entire stars That can destroy space itself Completely invisible Anything that strays too close will be pulled in In the last century, black holes have gone from being mathematical curiosities To real objects in the cosmos Seemingly crucial to the formation of galaxies Nothing can escape it, even light There must be millions and millions of black holes Zipping around our galaxy, nothing there to light them up Millions and millions of black holes Zipping around our galaxy, nothing there to light them up At the heart of a large black hole is a singularity It's a point of inifinite density The accepted laws of physics break down Black holes form when giant stars run out of fuel And collapse under their own weight Dark remnants of burned out stars Truth is stranger than sci-fi An anomaly of gravity so strange Nothing is more seductive There are monsters out in the cosmos That can swallow entire stars That can destroy space itself Completely invisible Anything that strays too close will be pulled in Millions and millions of black holes Zipping around our galaxy, nothing there to light them up Millions and millions of black holes Zipping around our galaxy, nothing there to light them up Nothing is bigger and scarier than a black hole A boundary between the known universe And a place beyond the reach of science
Summary
The book collects eight tales by various authors, in each of which "a strange beast, or one having unearthly qualities, plays a prominent role,"[3] with an overall introduction and a bibliography of recommended reading[1][2] by de Camp.[1] One piece, "The Bear Who Saved the World," was adapted for younger readers by the editor from her husband's short story "The Command."[4]
Contents
- "A Word from the Editor" (Catherine Crook de Camp)
- "The Bear Who Saved the World" (L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp)
- "Old Man Henderson" (Kris Neville)
- "The Million Dollar Pup" (Catherine Crook de Camp)
- "The Smallest Dragonboy" (Anne McCaffrey)
- "The Large Ant" (Howard Fast)
- "Dead Man's Chest" (L. Sprague de Camp)
- "Socrates" (John Christopher)
- "The Horse Show" (Catherine Crook de Camp)
- "Other Worlds, Other Times—Books You Will Enjoy" (Catherine Crook de Camp)
Reception
Anne C. Raymer in School Library Journal wrote "High caliber writing is the norm" in the book, with "supernormal beasts like the first robot dog (editor De Camp's "Million Dollar Pup") and the telepathic "Smallest Dragon Boy" on Pern (the planet popularized in three of Anne McCaffrey's novels) are bound to impress sci-fi fans." She noted the stories were "thematically related in their focus on intelligent and friendly animal life," and despite the age of some of the contributions, felt "none are literary relics nor are they filled with outmoded scientific ideas."[5]
Betsy Herne, writing in Booklist, called the collection "uneven, with McCaffrey's 'The Smallest Dragonboy' being one of the best" pieces. She found the stories written or co-written by the editor "intriguing despite some awkwardness in the writing," but those by Fast and Neville "abstract and confusing." She did not address the remaining contributions. Her ultimate assessment was favorable, since "few science fiction collections exist for this age group, and the tie-in here with animals is likely to appeal."[3]
Notes
- ^ a b c Laughlin, Charlotte; Daniel J. H. Levack (1983). De Camp: An L. Sprague de Camp Bibliography. San Francisco: Underwood/Miller. p. 312.
- ^ a b Creatures of the Cosmos title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- ^ a b Hearne, Betsy. "Children's Books." In Booklist, v. 74, no. 12, Feb. 15, 1978, p. 1000.
- ^ Laughlin, Charlotte, and Levack, Daniel J. H. De Camp: An L. Sprague de Camp Bibliography. San Francisco, Underwood/Miller, 1983, page 127.
- ^ Raymer, Anne C. Review in School Library Journal, v. 24, iss. 5, January 1978, page 94.
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This page was last edited on 10 July 2023, at 12:14