Book Review – The Two Worlds of Poul Anderson

This review was for TWO WORLDS OF POUL ANDERSON, by Poul Anderson.

From Wildside Press:
“This volume collects one short novel and one short story by classic science fiction author Poul Anderson. “Industrial Revolution” originally appeared in Analog Science Fact & Fiction, September 1963. “Duel on Syrtis” originally appeared in Planet Stories, March 1951. We have released it as a chapbook priced at $2.99 on Amazon.com. Quite a good deal, if I do say so myself!”

ISBN: 1-55742-693-7, 66 pages, $2.99 (chapbook)
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Now, I will say up front that I haven’t read just a whole lot of Poul Anderson in the past. In fact, my “classic” science fiction background is rather…lacking. I didn’t grow up with the Golden Age pulps. So I was intrigued by this opportunity. I did prefer “Industrial Revolution” of the two, not that there wasn’t anything I didn’t like about “Duel on Syrtis”.

“Industrial Revolution”, though originally published in 1963, resonated more with me. Set on an asteroid belt and dealing with mining rights, far away governments, political maneuverings and the military, this story – in my mind – is just as relevant today as it probably was in 1963. In fact, as I was reading it, the Gulf Oil Spill was still very much topping the news. I could see where – though some things change, others do not. Which is – again, in my mind – something that makes a story “classic” or “timeless”. The fact the reader can still draw parallels to their own time/climate. Some of the story – such as the language and gender attitudes were indicative of the time, but not so much that the story suffered for being 47 years old.

“The Duel on Syrtis” was a decent hunt story. Man against Alien. A story of survival in a hostile environment. I’m sure when Anderson first wrote and published this story in 1951, the idea of aliens triumphing over what seems to be the superior firepower of an industrialized civilization might have been new and a twisty. Being a reader in the 21st century with movies like James Cameron’s AVATAR and other stories out where Western Civilization/industrialization = Bad, Indigenous Species = Good, I was expecting the outcome of the story. So though it was a respectable story, I was less drawn into it than the other.

But for those who do like the Golden Age of SF classics, this was a nice coupling of classic hard SF. I do see how Poul Anderson was one of the Big Writers of the time, and now some I have read and appreciated his work, as I “should have” being in the industry that I’m in. If you like reading ebooks and classic SF work, this is a heck of a deal. I’d recommend it.

Tags: book review, Pohl Anderson, Wildside Press