First published in 1987 by editors Isaac Asimov and Martin H. Greenberg. This Genre Anthology contains seventeen Science Fiction stories that were first published in 1954, ranging in length from Short Story to Novelette. The introduction describes "the world outside reality" first, marking significant historical events, sports trivia, and literary publications. The "real world" is the science fiction and fantasy pop culture.
Works in this anthology:
- "The Test", by Richard Matheson
- "Anachron", by Damon Knight
- "Black Charlie", by Gordon R. Dickson
- "Down Among The Dead Men", by William Tenn
- "The Hunting Lodge", by Randall Garrett
- "The Lysenko Maze", by Donald A Wollheim
- "Fondly Fahrenheit", by Alfred Bester
- "The Cold Equations", by Tom Godwin
- "Letters From Laura", by Mildred Clingerman
- "Transformer", by Chad Oliver
- "The Music Master Of Babylon", by Edgar Pangborn
- "The End Of Summer", by Algis Budrys
- "The Father Thing", by Philip K. Dick
- "The Deep Range", by Arthur C. Clarke
- "Balaam", by Anthony Boucher
- "Man Of Parts", by HL Gold
- "Answer", by Fredric Brown
Isaac Asimov Presents: The Great Science Fiction Stories, Volume 16 (1954) provides examples of:
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Alfred Bester's "Fondly Fahrenheit": The android is usually obedient to the human owner, but it will occasionally turn murderous and thus force the two to flee again. The attacks turn out to occur only on days above 90 degrees Fahrenheit because of a disorder in the android's glands. As for the murderous streak, it may just be killing those who Vandeleur wants it to kill.
- Biography: Each story is prefaced by a short description of why this story (from this author) was chosen to represent one of the seventeen best stories of the year along with a paragraph from Isaac Asimov's perspective.
- Deity of Human Origin: Fredric Brown's "Answer": All of humanity's computing power is connected up to make a single supercomputer capable of answering the question "Is there a God?" Its answer is, "Yes, now there is."
- Deus est Machina: Fredric Brown's "Answer": All of humanity's computing power is connected up to make a single supercomputer capable of answering the question "Is there a God?" Its answer is, "Yes, now there is."
- Epigraph: "The Lysenko Maze", by David Grinnell, begins with a quote from Trofim Denisovich Lysenko."By mastering these means,man can create forms that
Did not and could not appear
In nature even in millions of years. - A God Am I: Fredric Brown's "Answer": After every single computer in the galaxy linked together, the characters ask it to calculate the answer a single question: "Is there a God?" The computer responds: "Now there is."
- Gone Horribly Right: Fredric Brown's "Answer": The most powerful computer in history is built to answer the question, "Is there a God?" The computer answers "Yes, now there is a God," and with a single lightning bolt kills the man who tries to turn it off and fuses its switch on.
- Karma Houdini: Alfred Bester's "Fondly Fahrenheit": Vandeleur gets away and gets a cheaper labor robot next, which may continue his murders.
- One-Word Title:
- "Anachron", by Damon Knight
- "Answer", by Fredric Brown
- "Balaam", by Anthony Boucher
- "Transformer", by Chad Oliver
- Pen Name: "The Lysenko Maze" was first published under the name David Grinnell, a pseudonym used by Donald A Wollheim (mostly during the 1950s).
- Replicant Snatching: Philip K. Dick's "The Father-Thing": When an alien takes the place of the protagonist's father, it eats his insides, leaving only a dry, dead skin behind.
- Robotic Psychopath: "Fondly Fahrenheit" by Alfred Bester has a lot of confusion about whether the robot is a murderous maniac, or its owner, or both.
- Shout-Out: In the introduction, multiple works are mentioned as being first published or becoming hits in 1954:
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- The Atomic Kid
- The Big Ball Of Wax, by Shepherd Mead
- Bonjour Tristesse, by Francoise Sagan
- The Bowery Boys Meet The Monsters
- Mel Brooks as no longer using the name Melvin Kaminsky.
- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams (winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama)
- Cosmos Science Fiction And Fantasy Magazine collapsed this year.
- The Creature From The Black Lagoon
- Diabolique
- Dynamic Science Fiction collapsed this year.
- Gog Killers From Space
- "Hernandos Hideaway"
- "Hey There"
- I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
- Imaginative Tales began publishing this year.
- The Long Way Back, by Margo Bennett
- Lord of the Flies, by William Goldberg
- The Lord of the Rings is mentioned for having published the first two volumes.
- Lucky Jim, by Kingsley Amis
- Messiah, by Gore Vidal
- A Mirror For Observers, by Edgar Pangborn
- Mission of Gravity, by Hal Clement (the Pen Name of Harry Stubbs).
- "Mister Sandman"
- Monsters From The Ocean Floor
- No Time For Sergeants Separate Tables, by Mac Hyman
- On the Waterfront, directed by Elia Kazan (adapting the book by Budd Schulberg)
- Orbit Science Fiction collapsed this year.
- The Pajama Game, by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
- Rear Window, directed by Alfred Hitchcock
- "The Red Roofs", painted by Marc Chargall
- Riders To The Stars
- The Rocket Man
- Shadow In The Sun, by Chad Oliver
- The Snow Creature
- A Stillness At Appomattox, by Bruce Catton
- La Strada, directed by Fredrico Fellini
- "Sylvette", painted by Pablo Picasso
- Target Earth
- The Teahouse of the August Moon, by John Patrick
- Them!!
- "Three Coins In The Fountain"
- Tobor The Great
- Two Complete Science Adventure Books collapsed this year.
- "The Waking", by Theodore Roethke, earned the the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
- Weird Tales collapsed this year, having been publishing since 1923.
- "Young At Heart"
- Which Me?: Alfred Bester's "Fondly Fahrenheit": A man and his android duplicate are unable to tell each other apart, nor can they determine which of them is a murderer.
