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Gardner R. Dozois
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The Good New Stuff: Adventure in SF in the Grand Tradition Kindle Edition

by Gardner Dozois (Author, Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 34 ratings
Throwback science fiction stories that evoke the wild old pulp days from George R.R. Martin, Walter Jon Williams, Janet Kagan, John Varley, and others.

Once the mainstay of science fiction, adventure stories fell out of favor during the 1960s and early 1970s. But in recent years, science fiction writers have spun out galaxy-spanning adventures as imaginative and wonderful as any of yesteryear’s tales. Renowned editor Gardner Dozois assembles seventeen such escapades here, with stories from today’s and tomorrow’s finest writers, including:

Stephen Baxter, Tony Daniel, R. Garcia y Robertson, Peter F. Hamilton, Janet Kagan, George R. R. Martin, Paul J. McAuley, Maureen F. McHugh. G. David Nordley, Robert Reed, Mary Rosenblum, Bruce Sterling, Michael Swanwick, George Turner, John Varley, Vernor Vinge, Walter Jon Williams

These stories brim with the exciting thrills our universe offers us—alien landscapes, unimagined realms, life unlike any we have known before, and that mysterious realm known as the human soul. The Good New Stuff shows that they really do still write ‘em like that!

“Splendid yarns.” —Kirkus Reviews
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  1. Print length
    473 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Griffin
  4. Publication date
    January 15, 1999
  5. File size
    4.4 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is the first of two companion anthologies compiled by SF's leading short fiction editor, Gardner Dozois. Although Dozois is notable for tastes that are skewed heavily toward the literary side of the science fiction spectrum, his avowed purpose with this volume is to collect the seminal works of good old-fashioned adventure SF. Dozois has limited his stomping grounds to the years between 1948 and 1971, though the bulk of these stories were first published in the 1950s, a period he calls "the second great Age of the Space Opera." The book starts off with A.E. van Vogt's classic "The Rull" and continues with 16 more adventure stories, culminating with James Tiptree Jr.'s "Mother in the Sky with Diamonds." In between are works by James H. Schmitz, L. Sprague de Camp, Jack Vance, C.M. Kornbluth, Leigh Brackett, Poul Anderson, Gordon R. Dickson, Cordwainer Smith, Brian W. Aldiss, H. Beam Piper, Ursula K. Le Guin, Fritz Leiber, and Roger Zelazny. Although The Good Old Stuff may contain some tough moments for contemporary readers--the tales here are, after all, a product of times when race and gender discrimination were more prominent than they are today--this is an excellent collection of some of the best SF, adventure or otherwise. --Craig E. Engler

From Booklist

Some may disparage early sf pulp magazine stories as only so much space opera, but many were not only well written--they were also whopping good adventures. Dozois, an editor said to have an especially good eye for talent, here gathers 16 stories, dating from the late 1940s to the 1970s, representing magazine sf stories at their best. Unlike the tales in Future on Ice (reviewed above), these stories don't involve razor-edged moral conundrums but, rather, more basic--and fun!--battles for survival. The selections include "The Second Night of Summer" by James Schmidt, in which a grandmother secretly saves a planet; "Semley's Necklace" by Ursula K. LeGuin, in which a woman chooses a jewel and loses a world; and "The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth" by Roger Zelazny, in which a fisherman who is really bait is caught but wins a trophy. Eric Robbins

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0052Z3JRO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (January 15, 1999)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 15, 1999
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.4 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 473 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 34 ratings

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Gardner R. Dozois

Gardner R. Dozois

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
34 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader
    Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    When I looked at the list of what was in this book I thought hmm.. Now that I have read the stories I hadn't seen before, how's that go?

    Right, right he's bloody well right.

    Yeah, he's bloody well right, he most definitely does have a right to say this is the good old stuff.

    In fact with a story average just over 4.00, this is definitely a Super Editor at work, not a Supertramp.

    Probably the only story I think doesn't particularly qualify is the Le Guin, but I am presuming he wanted her in to have some well known female writers from the period - and he has chosen his period for the book as post world war two up until the sixties.

    Otherwise, a very impressive anthology, and even though old the only what you might call really cheesy story in that sense is the de Camp tale.

    Dozois says this is partly an exercise in nostalgia, but these are all worthy of reading, so the publisher should be commended as well for putting out such a cool book.

    On top of the great fiction the editor introduces each story in depth, talking about the writer and how they relate to adventure stories, not just giving a quick publication list, there is some analysis here, which is all pretty interesting. Along with recommendations, as well. Although given this is 10 years old the advice to 'check used bookshops' when trying to find some of the titles seems funny after a while, given abe and ebay etc. now.

    Also at the end (and I wish I saw this a while ago) he gives a fairly extensive list of anthologies that are relevant as he sees it, a top notch finishing touch.

    Good Old Stuff : The Rull - A. E. van Vogt
    Good Old Stuff : Second Night of Summer - James H. Schmitz
    Good Old Stuff : The Galton Whistle - L. Sprague de Camp
    Good Old Stuff : The New Prime - Jack Vance
    Good Old Stuff : That Share of Glory - C. M. Kornbluth
    Good Old Stuff : The Last Days of Shandakor - Leigh Brackett
    Good Old Stuff : Exploration Team - Murray Leinster
    Good Old Stuff : The Sky People - Poul Anderson
    Good Old Stuff : The Man in the Mailbag - Gordon R. Dickson
    Good Old Stuff : Mother Hittons Littul Kittons - Cordwainer Smith
    Good Old Stuff : A Kind of Artistry - Brian W. Aldiss
    Good Old Stuff : Gunpowder God - H. Beam Piper
    Good Old Stuff : Semleys Necklace - Ursula K. Le Guin
    Good Old Stuff : Moon Duel - Fritz Leiber
    Good Old Stuff : The Doors of His Face the Lamps of His Mouth - Roger Zelazny
    Good Old Stuff : Mother in the Sky with Diamonds - James Tiptree Jr.

    One-on-one conditioning for galactic diplomacy.

    4 out of 5

    Grandma has a pony. All the better to help her defeat alien invasions.

    4 out of 5

    All that fighting just to rescue a virgin priestess who wants to remain so. I'm off for some skiing, I think, instead.

    3.5 out of 5

    Overlords should be nicer.

    4 out of 5

    Night court terminated for metal war avoidance gem deal.

    4.5 out of 5

    Ancient illusions and hokey philosophies are no match for a barbarian horde at the gate, kid.

    4.5 out of 5

    Robots bearly make a difference when the lifeforms are inimical, and me a criminal!

    4 out of 5

    Kiwi nouse beats parachute people, but no respect from Stone Age Zorro Romeos.

    4 out of 5

    Shortie people got no reason, Half Pint.

    4 out of 5

    Old North Australia's mutant mad mink secret defense doesn't pussyfoot around with thieves and murderers. Or, Stop, You'll Eat Yourself.

    5 out of 5

    Cliff cell notes momma's boy takes the plunge.

    3.5 out of 5

    Corporal's Paratime promotion weapon-racket busting military upgrade plan.

    4.5 out of 5

    Dowry delay death.

    3 out of 5

    Crusoe conflict communication orbital oops kill.

    4 out of 5

    Big fish, or cut bait bloke.

    3.5 out of 5

    Old phagers.

    4 out of 5
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Wyatt Aich
    4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
    Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    The book is great. Old sf from the forties and up. Came in one piece in even better condition than I thought it would be
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Emil Ysona
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great sci-fi
    Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Great classical sci-fi
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars classic scifi
    Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    there were a few good stories,however what i was expecting was not there.for the money it was entertaining.some of the stories i had not seen before
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars New classics
    Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Hits the SF sweet spot for me.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Mock Duck
    4.0 out of 5 stars About as good as the run-of-the-mill old stuff
    Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2000
    ... fun escapist reading for a lazy Sunday. The collection is dominated by feel-good stories whose ideas and plot twists are familiar, often predictable.
    Buoyed by a few charismatic selections (like Janet Kagan's "The Return of the Kangaroo Rex") which make up for their shortcomings by going at a good healthy clip and keeping the laughs coming in. William Jon Williams' "Prayers on the Wind" and George Turner's "Flowering Mandrake" offer moderately interesting twists on the tradition of the theocratic and the First Contact story respectively. I had been particularly interested in reading Vernor Vinge's novella "The Blabber," but it goes like the literary equivalent of a clip show: if you've already read "A Fire Upon the Deep" it's all too obvious, and if you haven't the story will probably seem pointless.)

    For more consistently innovative picks but a bit more of a tendency toward name-brand authors, check out James Gunn's "Road to SF" series.
    13 people found this helpful
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  • AmazonCostoms
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Very Good.!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Vidar
    5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2020
    This is a great collection of excellent stories by some of the best Science Fiction writers of the late 20th century. I’d read most when they were first published, and it was a delight to rediscover them. Highly recommended.
    2 people found this helpful
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