Rattling around in the only, old attic I have, I root through the thousands of documents on my hard drive. Most of the stuff I recognize immediately, but occasionally among the half-formed scribblings, I run across files like this: top_ten_favorite_science_fiction_short_stories.doc
For the life of me, I can’t recall who I was producing this piece for. Opening the .doc offered only a few clues.
| Quote: |
| My top ten favorite science fiction short stories
by Rick Klaw I approached this list as if putting together an anthology of my favorite science fiction short stories. In no way do these tales offer a complete best of sf short stories and are colored by my own tastes and prejudices. This list is in no particular order except as they occurred to me (or as I ran across them in my own book collection). “Arena” by Frederic Brown "—All You Zombies—" by Robert Heinlein “Microcosmic God” by Theodore Sturgeon “The Paycheck” by Philip K. Dick “Burning Chrome” by William Gibson “The Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy Considered as a Downhill Motor Race” by J. G. Ballard “Ugly Chickens” by Howard Waldrop “Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death” by James Tiptree, Jr. “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” by Harlan Ellison “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin Professional reviewer, geek maven, and optimistic curmudgeon, Rick Klaw has supplied countless science fiction-related reviews and essays for a variety of publications including The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy, SF Site, Science Fiction Weekly, Locus Online, Moving Pictures, King Kong Is Back!, Conversations With Texas Writers, Farscape Forever, Nova Express, and Steampunk. He currently serves as a contributing editor to the popular science fiction site, RevolutionSF. |
My best guess is that I produced this piece as a sidebar for a non-genre publication (all the selections except may be the Ballard were "safe" and controversy-free; would have pushed the envelope more for a genre market). A quick Google search brought up nothing.
Regardless of the piece’s genesis or eventual origin, I figured y’all might get a kick out of my favorite short stories. Nothing terribly controversial nor unexpected there. I’m sure if asked again, I’d pick different stories. All depends on what I’ve got in arms reach when putting together the list and how I’m feeling that day.