Martians and Madness: The Complete SF Novels of Fredric Brown (Nesfa's Choice Series)

From Booklist One of the best pulp writers, Brown (1906-72) wrote much sf and more mysteries (he was better at mysteries: see his Ed and Am capers, collected in Hunter and Hunted, 2002). His good sf--all faulty as prophecy--includes two fine, quirky novels; since he wrote just five sf novels, that gives him Ted Williams' batting average. The five as well as two stories he combined to make up one of the novels are in this companion to From These Ashes: The Complete Short SF of Fredric Brown (2001). The classics are What Mad Universe (1949), an alternate-reality romp featuring some great scary scenes and lots of laughs, and Martians, Go Home (1955), in which the little green men are all lethal wisecrackers. Less impressive but worthwhile are Rogue in Space (1957), in which the disillusioned tough-guy hero gets his own world, and The Mind Thing (1961), a deliciously low-key variation on the alien-invasion theme. The Lights in the Sky Are Stars (1953) is a snooze because, whereas Brown always tacked on a happy ending, it's all happy ending. Ray Olson Contents 9 Introduction (Martians and Madness) essay by William Tenn (variant of Introduction (What Mad Universe) 1978) [as by Philip Klass ] 19 What Mad Universe (1949) novel by Fredric Brown 145 The Lights in the Sky Are Stars (1953) novel by Fredric Brown 245 Martians, Go Home (1955) novel by Fredric Brown 347 Rogue in Space (1957) novel by Fredric Brown 453 The Mind Thing (1961) novel by Fredric Brown 573 Gateway to Darkness (1949) novelette by Fredric Brown 607 Gateway to Glory (1950) novelette by Fredric Brown [637] Editor's Notes and Acknowledgements (Martians and Madness) essay by Ben Yalow Martians and Madness contains the complete science fiction and fantasy novels of Fredric Brown as well as, "Gateway to Darkness," and "Gateway to Glory" which were rewritten to be parts of Rogue in Space. It is a companion volume to From These Ashes, the complete short SF of Fredric Brown. Table of Contents Introduction by William Tenn What Mad Universe Martians Go Home Rogue in Space The Lights in the Sky Are Stars The Mind Thing "Gateway to Darkness" "Gateway to Glory" What Mad Universe -- The Lights In The Sky Are Stars -- Martians, Go Home -- Rogue In Space -- The Mind Thing -- Gateway To Darkness -- Gateway To Glory. Edited By Ben Yalow ; [introduction By Phil Klass].