Emil
7/27/2012
This is an important collection of excellent stories, worthy of its inclusion as a Classic of Science Fiction. It affirms Kuttner as a "forgotten" master of SF, dominating the 1940s in Astounding with his wife C.L. Moore and is highly recommended for fans of the Golden Era in SF.
Watch out for “What You Need” on which a classic Twilight Zone episode was based upon, originally published under the pseudonym Lewis Padgett. However, the entire collection is worth reading simply for “Mimsy Were the Borogroves,” also collected in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Vol. 1, edited by Silverberg. It’s the type of story that defines the genre, and like many that do so, one of ideas, rather than space cadet action. An alien sends something to human space … twice, which – in finding it – is then claimed by different individuals. Only one of the claims leads to the main story, the rest being irrelevant. I dare say the tone of the story felt like a Gene Wolfe incarnation, and despite being close to 70 years old, felt very fresh. As a psychoanalytical narrative it poses penetrating questions about children and their learning, i.e. would you see the world differently if taught non-Euclidean geometry than those who were? Pay no heed to the movie “The Last Mimzy,” which – as movies often do – denies the brilliant, fascinating narrative that underpins the story.
Other notables are "The Proud Robot," "The Ego Machine" and "A Gnome There Was."
Sadly Kuttner died of an heart attack at the age of 42. Who knows what more he could have “showed” us.
Note: This collection has been republished as The Last Mimzy Stories.