First published in 1964 by editor
Tom Boardman, this
Genre Anthology contains ten
Science Fiction stories.
Works in this anthology:
- "Disappearing Act", by Alfred Bester (1953)
- "The Wizards Of Pungs Corners", by Frederik Pohl (1958)
- "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", by Kurt Vonnegut (1954)
- "Mr Costello Hero", by Theodore Sturgeon (1953)
- "Quit Zoomin Those Hands Through The Air", by Jack Finney (1951)
- "Build Up", by JG Ballard (1957)
- "The Fun They Had", by Isaac Asimov (1951)
- "Diabologic", by Eric Frank Russell (1955)
- "Made In USA", by JT Mc Intosh (1953)
- "The Waveries", by Fredric Brown (1945)
Tropes appearing in this work:
- All First-Person Narrators Write Like Novelists: In "The Wizards Of Pungs Corners", by Frederik Pohl, the narration is given in first person to you, the audience, creating a Framing Device where the narration switches between describing the events of the past and clarifying information for you, the audience. This allows for the omniscience of third-person as well as addressing the reader on a personal level.
- Faking the Dead: In "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", by Kurt Vonnegut, Cramps Schwartz pretends to have died and left behind a Will that declares all his possessions are to be shared equally. This ends up starting a riot, and after they're hauled off to jail Cramps comes back and settles into an apartment free from bothersome descendants.
- Fountain of Youth: In "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", a Short Story by Kurt Vonnegut, the anti-gerasone medicines would prolong people's lifespans, but not restore their youth. After the climax, it's revealed that they've developed super-anti-gerasone, which will make you as young as thirty.
- Framing Device: In "The Wizards Of Pungs Corners", a Novelette by Frederik Pohl, there is a First-Person narrator telling the audience a story about Jack Tighe and the events of Pung. This allows for the omniscience of third-person as well as addressing the reader on a personal level.
- Longevity Treatment: In "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", by Kurt Vonnegut, anti-gerasone medicines were developed to prolong people's lifespans, and it provides effective immortality (but not youth), causing an Overpopulation Crisis. Then after the climax, it's revealed that they've developed super-anti-gerasone, which will make you as young as everyone else.
- Mega City: In "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", by Kurt Vonnegut, the story opens on the balcony of the 76th floor of Alden Village, which is now part of New York City but used to be part of southern Connecticut (a different, but nearby, state). The characters mention Iowa as a suburb of Chicago (Chicago would have to outgrow the state of Illinois for that to make sense).
- Overpopulation Crisis: In "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", by Kurt Vonnegut, due to the development of anti-gerasone, an antidote to aging, the world's population has soared to twelve billion, and now living space and childbirth is heavily restricted. The characters even mention that the food is all flavoured processed seaweed and sawdust (supposedly necessary due to the overpopulation).
- Passed-Over Inheritance: In "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", by Kurt Vonnegut, Cramps Schwartz wields his last Will and Testament as a weapon of favour against his descendants. When he catches one of them sabotaging his anti-gerasone medicine, he leaves one that declares all his possessions are to be shared equally. This ends up starting a riot, and after they're hauled off to jail Cramps comes back and settles into an apartment free from bothersome descendants.
- Subliminal Advertising: In "The Wizards Of Pungs Corners", a Novelette by Frederik Pohl, Jack Tighe discovers that old man Coglan is sneaking frames of naked men/women holding a box of Prune-Bran Whippets in a Charlie Chan movie.
- 20 Minutes into the Future: In "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", by Kurt Vonnegut, the year is 2158, cities are even larger than they are today, and people take anti-gerasone medications to prolong their life.
- Unishment: In "Tomorrow and Tomorrowand Tomorrow", a Short Story by Kurt Vonnegut, the Overpopulation Crisis has eleven couples trying to live in a tiny (three-room) apartment. When The Patriarch fakes his death and the Will says they should share it equally, they riot. When the police take them to jail, each member of the family gets put into their own jail cell. They're all delighted to find their own bed, toilet, and washbasin, and hopefully consider what solitary confinement might be like.
