[ [ [ Eight Worlds of C.M. Kornbluth [ EIGHT WORLDS OF C.M. KORNBLUTH ] By Kornbluth, C M ( Author )Oct-06-2010 Paperback

by C.M. Kornbluth

Excellent Book

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories

Paperback

First published October 6, 2010

About the author

Cyril M. Kornbluth grew up in Inwood in New York City. As a teenager, he became a member of the Futurians, the influential group of science fiction fans and writers. While a member of the Futurians, he met and became friends with Isaac Asimov, Frederik Pohl, Donald A. Wollheim, Robert A. W. Lowndes, and his future wife Mary Byers. He also participated in the Fantasy Amateur Press Association.

Kornbluth served in the US Army during World War II (European Theatre). He received a Bronze Star for his service in the Battle of the Bulge, where he served as a member of a heavy machine gun crew. Upon his discharge, he returned to finish his education, which had been interrupted by the war, at the University of Chicago. While living in Chicago he also worked at Trans-Radio Press, a news wire service. In 1951 he started writing full time, returning to the East Coast where he collaborated on a number of novels with his old Futurian friends Frederik Pohl and Judith Merril (as Cyril Judd).

He used a variety of pen-names: Cecil Corwin, S. D. Gottesman, Edward J. Bellin, Kenneth Falconer, Walter C. Davies, Simon Eisner, Jordan Park, Arthur Cooke, Paul Dennis Lavond and Scott Mariner.

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kornbluth renews my faith in the masters of early science fiction. His stories, though hopelessly dated, have an edge and a reality which grabs the reader and takes us along. His cynical worldview certainly has not been invalidated by the passing decades. Almost every story has a "gotcha" which seals the deal and often provokes an involuntary guffaw.

A great read.

[Jeff Soyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If science fiction had a cynic back in the middle of the last century, it was C.M. Kornbluth, who died way too young but managed to leave an impressive body of work behind despite that. He’s known for his collaborations with Fredrick Pohl, amongst others.

In the Kindle edition of, Eight Worlds of C.M. Kornbluth you will find a fine collection of his short stories. Some, like The Marching Morons, have been widely reprinted in other collections but others have not and deserve your attention.

All are very good, they don’t read as if they were written 60-70-years-ago (which they were) and feature that cynical humor that Kornbluth was famous for. For 99-cents (Kindle edition), a bargain and fun read.

[Keneilwe Mophiring · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this collection because I liked the title. Had never heard of the author but I am happy that I made the purchase. I love the writing style which is simple but potent. I love the story settings, in and out of our times with the author using names we can relate to, to create a sense of the familiar in a strange new context. He covers topics from environmentalism, discrimination, all the way to the human condition with ease. His descriptions are seldom tedious or wasteful. Just enough for you to become immersed in someone's daily routine and thought process. Well worth the time

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mixed bag of short stories by C.M. Kornbluth, active 1940s-1950s. Includes his two most famous stories: The Marching Morons, and The Little Black Bag. These two stories were 3 stars, but left me very uncomfortable. Kornbluth seemed to be in thrall with eugenic theories that stupider people breed more than exceptional people, and they would overwhelm society. The mildest word that could be used to describe the stories in this collection is misanthropic.

The stories in the collection were also hobbled by a failure of vision: Kornbluth's future sounds just like 1950s America, except with space ships and colonized planets. Examples include operator-assisted calls, teletype machines (IN ALL CAPS), tobacco usage, and horse racing in the future.

[Robert Jr. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay, the author used a device that I really do not like. He used lots of "witty quickfire" dialogue, not as bad as O.Henry but still not good. I did not care for many of the stories in here as well. The main attraction, March of the Morons was okay. There is definitely a still-relevant message within it, a mid-century bigot brings "the methods of Hitler" to the intelligentsia of the future shooting the majority of the bred-dullard population to Venus thus ridding the world of them forever. However, a good read it was not.

Frankly, the other tales in this book were just Meh in my opinion except for one. I really liked The Little Black Bag. It had characters I could identify and care about and a fittingly gruesome/humorous end. The theme of unfulfilled redemption and greed and the grim consequences thereof is food for thought but is not honed to a fine edge or aimed at a clear target by the end.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book save for the one tale I liked or for curiosity's sake Idiocracy's precursor in March of the Morons which possesses some of the same questionable undertones. The stories and the characters within are forgettable although I can see some of the charms in Kornbluth's style this book is just not for me.

[Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kornbluth died in 1958, so inevitably aspects of these stories are very dated. Still, Kornbluth was clearly a skilled writer, and also one who wanted to widen the scope of SF beyond its 50s range. (His "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie", not in this collection, brings to mind Nabokov's "Pale Fire", and predates it.)

He was also quite the misanthrope. "The Marching Morons" was the "Idiocracy" of its day, and manages to be far more problematic. Everybody in the story is beyond awful. "The Little Black Bag" at least has a redemption arc, but is still pitch black.

It's a shame he died so young, it would have been interesting to see his approach to new wave SF. Perhaps he'd have been another Harlan Ellison. (Then again, did the world need two Harlan Ellisons?)

[Bradford D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you think the world is on a downward slide to chaos? Do you believe that 90% of the population can’t comprehend a single three-syllable word? If so, then this cynical author is the voice of your frustrations. His story, “The Marching Morons” is alone worth the time it takes to check out this book, and is indicative of the remaining material. Lemmings who only read best-sellers should probably give this one a pass.

[Satyajeet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kornbluth effectively capitalizes on the short story format and experiments with a variety of ideas. Although, I would’ve liked a few more of the comedies, since he seemed to have a knack for those. Read The Full Review.

[Rod Haper · Rating 4 out of 5]

An oldie but goodie.

Showcases Kornbluth's quirky style. Several of these story themes are very relevant to today's issues which is an indication of the timelessness of Kornbluth's writing.

[Karl Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too bad this guy died at 35. He was trulya seer like Orwell. The Marching Morons is very applicable today.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love me some Kornbluth. Nice collection here. Favorites were The Altar at Midnight and Time Bum.

[Cory · Rating 3 out of 5]

The editor calls these stories "cynical" and "scornful." That's for sure.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

C M Kornbluth wrote, with a cynic's eye, about possible futures. One of his themes was that if smart people only married smart people, and foolish people married those who attracted them, that eventually the planet would be peopled with those who couldn't manage for themselves and a smaller number of people who didn't especially want to mix with the larger group, but felt a responsibility to care for them. The caretakers would work as restroom attendants in night clubs and be sneered at by the majority who, so far as they knew, were doing just fine. His stories about accidental meetings between the two groups are very humorous. When I read his stories I like to think about the time he was writing, and enjoy his guesses about the current day.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every story in this collection of classic sci-fi is a keeper. There are, however, two of them that stand out: "Marching Morons" and, to a lesser extent, "The Little Black Bag." These two cautionary tales are perhaps more relevant in today's world of anti-intellectualism than when they were written.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is good Golden Age magazine acience fiction. "The Marching Morons" is a classic and the reason I picked up this book. It's early 1950s eugenics at its best. There were a couple other stories I liked, and a few that I could have lived without.

[Steve Scanlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked, this is more sociological science fiction, but I had read The Marching Morons many years back and it certainly seems we are headed this way. Anyone who has seen Idiocracy would get the story immediately.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

great collection.

[Susan Mcclellan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not worth the time

This is obviously written long ago, and while some books are timeless, this one definitely does not fall into that category.