Cloukey imagines how competition between scientists might endanger coming back from the Moon. I am very fond of stories within stories and so my favourite discovery was Charles Cloukey and his story 'Sub-Satellite' (1928), a story recounted to a friend. Wells' story 'First Men In the Moon' (1901) in which one scientist comments on the coded messages that his former colleague now stranded on the Moon (because he left him there!) now sends about life with his Lunar captors. I particularly enjoyed the dark sense of humour of H.G. Our fascination with the Moon, reaching it, exploring it, and settling on it are a few of the motivations that the stories collected here delve into. Clarke's collaboration with Kubrick for 2001 a Space Odyssey.Ī Visit to the Moon by George Griffith (1901) is the charming tale of a couple who are the first to own the type of spaceship that can take them around the universe, and they begin by exploring the surface of the moon for their honeymoon. Clarke (1951), a story that became part of C.

This impressive anthology closes with The Sentinel by Arthur C. As pointed out by Ashley, sci-fi stories that focus on space travel often follow the explorers who went on these journeys but Merril here focuses on those that are left behind and imagines a family affected by one of its members taking off for the Moon. Moonrise opens with 'Dead Centre' by Judith Merril (1954). Ashley introduces each story with erudite and succinct notes that remark on the fascinating context in which each story was being produced. The sci-fi short-stories collected in this anthology span from 1894, with 'Sunrise on the Moon' by John Munro to 1963 with 'After a Judgement Day' by Edmond Hamilton. Clarke, Judith Merril have remained household names and their stories collected here are masterful. Authors like Charles Cloukey, Paul Ernst and John Munro are names that may be said to have largely been forgotten but the stories of these writers who once marked their genre during their life time are now revived. The 'scientific prophecy', foresight, enthusiasm and sheer creativity of these authors are a beautiful testimony to what fiction can do and can reach. up until we finally fulfilled our desire to reach the Moon in July 1969 with the Apollo 11 mission, there had been over two thousand years of writing and speculation about the Moon.'Īshley, who is also the author of the multi-volume History of the Science Fiction Magazine, selected 11 short stories that capture lunar adventures, and are set or are focused on the exploration of the Moon. Following on from its Classics Crime series, The British Library is expanding its genre interest by releasing two anthologies of classic science-fiction stories: Moonrise and Lost Mars.Īs Mike Ashley the anthologies' editor remarks in his introduction 'The Moon was a major factor in encouraging what we now call science fiction.

Moonrise by Mike Ashley