Search Worlds Without End

Stories deal with the rise and fall, government, exploration missions, incorporation, and defense of interstellar empires.

Table of Contents:

• 7 - Introduction: Empires - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 11 - Cycles - essay by uncredited
• 13 - Chalice of Death - [Lest We Forget Thee, Earth - 1] - (1957) - novella by Robert Silverberg
• 47 - Orphan of the Void - [Terran Federation - 1] - (1972) - novelette by Lloyd Biggle, Jr. (variant of The Man Who Wasn't Home 1960)
• 92 - Down to the Worlds of Men - (1963) - novelette by Alexei Panshin
• 120 - Governance - essay by uncredited
• 122 - Ministry of Disturbance - [Empire Era] - (1958) - novelette by H. Beam Piper
• 163 - Blind Alley - [Foundation Universe] - (1945) - short story by Isaac Asimov
• 186 - A Planet Named Shayol - [The Instrumentality of Mankind] - (1961) - novelette by Cordwainer Smith
• 222 - Concerns - essay by uncredited
• 224 - Diabologic - (1955) - short story by Eric Frank Russell
• 245 - Fighting Philosopher - [Philosophical Corps] - (1954) - novelette by Everett B. Cole [as by E. B. Cole]
• 281 - Honorable Enemies - [Dominic Flandry] - (1951) - novelette by Poul Anderson

1984 Signet Classic mass market paperback. Edited by Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh. Sci-fi anthology includes stories by Asimov, George R.R. Martin, L. Sprague de Camp, Mike Resnick, Arthur C. Clarke. Alan Dean Foster and others.

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Introduction: Competition! - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 4 - Run to Starlight - (1974) - novelette by George R. R. Martin
• 33 - The Mickey Mouse Olympics - (1979) - short story by Tom Sullivan
• 47 - Dream Fighter - (1977) - short story by Bob Shaw
• 59 - The Kokod Warriors - [Magnus Ridolph] - (1952) - novelette by Jack Vance
• 94 - Getting Through University - [Dr. Dillingham] - (1968) - novelette by Piers Anthony
• 127 - For the Sake of Grace - [Coyote Jones] - (1969) - novelette by Suzette Haden Elgin
• 150 - The National Pastime - (1973) - novelette by Norman Spinrad
• 169 - A Day for Dying - (1969) - short story by Charles Nuetzel
• 179 - The People Trap - (1968) - short story by Robert Sheckley
• 197 - Why Johnny Can't Speed - (1971) - short story by Alan Dean Foster
• 210 - Nothing in the Rules - (1939) - novelette by L. Sprague de Camp
• 239 - The Olympians - (1982) - short story by Mike Resnick
• 247 - The Wind from the Sun - (1964) - novelette by Arthur C. Clarke
• 267 - Prose Bowl - (1979) - novelette by Barry N. Malzberg and Bill Pronzini
• 293 - From Downtown at the Buzzer - (1977) - novelette by George Alec Effinger
• 313 - A Glint of Gold - (1980) - short story by Simon Hawke [as by Nicholas V. Yermakov]
• 329 - The Survivor - (1965) - novelette by Walter F. Moudy

Table of Contents:

• 7 - Introduction: Super - (1984) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 11 - Angel, Dark Angel - (1967) - short story by Roger Zelazny
• 23 - Worlds to Kill - (1968) - novelette by Harlan Ellison
• 47 - In the Bone - (1966) - short story by Gordon R. Dickson
• 69 - What Rough Beast? - (1959) - novelette by Damon Knight
• 92 - Death by Ecstasy - [Gil Hamilton] - (1969) - novella by Larry Niven
• 154 - Un-Man - [Psychotechnic League] - (1953) - novella by Poul Anderson
• 236 - Muse - (1969) - short story by Dean R. Koontz
• 247 - Resurrection - (1948) - short story by A. E. van Vogt
• 265 - Pseudopath - (1959) - novelette by Philip E. High
• 288 - After the Myths Went Home - (1969) - short story by Robert Silverberg
• 296 - Before the Talent Dies - (1957) - novelette by Henry Slesar
• 317 - Brood World Barbarian

Tales by Mark Twain, Fritz Leiber, Poul Anderson, Frederik Pohl, Arthur C. Clarke, Gregory Benford, and other masters of the science fiction genre explore the realm of comets.

Table of Contents:

• ix - Introduction: Comets - (1986) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 1 - A Blazing Starre Seene in the West - (1642) - short fiction by Jonas Wright
• 5 - Into the Sun - (1882) - short story by Robert Duncan Milne
• 23 - Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven - (1907) - short fiction by Mark Twain (variant of Extract from Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven)
• 32 - The Comet Doom - (1928) - novelette by Edmond Hamilton
• 71 - Sunspot - (1960) - short story by Hal Clement
• 93 - Inside the Comet - (1960) - short story by Arthur C. Clarke (variant of Into the Comet)
• 103 - Raindrop - (1965) - novelette by Hal Clement
• 149 - Comet Wine - (1967) - novelette by Ray Russell
• 167 - The Red Euphoric Bands - (1967) - short story by R. S. Richardson [as by Philip Latham]
• 180 - Throwback - (1969) - short story by Sydney J. Bounds
• 189 - Kindergarten - (1970) - short story by James E. Gunn
• 192 - West Wind, Falling - (1971) - novelette by Gregory Benford and Gordon Eklund
• 213 - The Comet, the Cairn and the Capsule - (1972) - short story by Duncan Lunan (variant of Comet, Cairn and Capsule)
• 230 - Some Joys Under the Star - (1973) - short story by Frederik Pohl
• 243 - Future Forbidden - (1973) - short story by R. S. Richardson [as by Philip Latham]
• 260 - The Death of Princes - (1976) - short story by Fritz Leiber
• 277 - The Funhouse Effect - [Eight Worlds] - (1976) - novelette by John Varley
• 302 - The Family Man - (1978) - short story by Theodore L. Thomas
• 309 - Double Planet - (1984) - short story by John Gribbin [as by Dr. John Gribbin]
• 317 - Pride - (1985) - novelette by Poul Anderson

A collection of science fiction tales of mystery, crime, and detection features works by Stephen R. Donaldson, Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, Harlan Ellison, and others.

Table of Contents:

• 7 - Introduction (Tin Stars) - (1986) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 11 - Into the Shop - (1964) - short story by Ron Goulart
• 22 - Cloak of Anarchy - [Known Space] - (1972) - novelette by Larry Niven
• 44 - The King's Legions - [Federation of Humanity] - (1967) - novelette by Christopher Anvil
• 98 - Finger of Fate - (1980) - short story by Edward Wellen
• 109 - Arm of the Law - (1958) - short story by Harry Harrison
• 126 - Voiceover - (1984) - novelette by Edward Wellen
• 154 - The Fastest Draw - (1963) - short story by Larry Eisenberg
• 163 - Mirror Image - [Elijah Baley / R. Daneel Olivaw] - (1972) - short story by Isaac Asimov
• 180 - Brillo - (1970) - novelette by Ben Bova and Harlan Ellison
• 214 - The Powers of Observation - (1968) - short story by Harry Harrison
• 230 - Faithfully Yours - (1955) - short story by Lou Tabakow
• 249 - Safe Harbor - (1986) - novelette by Donald Wismer
• 272 - Examination Day - (1958) - short story by Henry Slesar
• 277 - The Cruel Equations - (1971) - short story by Robert Sheckley
• 291 - Animal Lover - (1978) - novella by Stephen R. Donaldson

A medley of tales focusing on humankind's ancestor, the Neanderthal, features works by Poul Anderson, Philip Jose Farmer, Isaac Asimov, L. Sprague de Camp, and Bertram Chandler.

Table of Contents:

• 7 - Introduction: Neanderthal Man - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 11 - Genesis - [Paratime Police] - (1951) - novelette by H. Beam Piper
• 39 - The Ugly Little Boy - (1958) - novelette by Isaac Asimov (variant of Lastborn)
• 91 - The Long Remembering - (1957) - short story by Poul Anderson
• 106 - The Apotheosis of Ki - (1956) - short story by Miriam Allen deFord
• 113 - Man o' Dreams - (1929) - short story by Will McMorrow
• 130 - The Treasure of Odirex - [Erasmus Darwin] - (1978) - novella by Charles Sheffield
• 196 - The Ogre - (1959) - short story by Avram Davidson
• 206 - Alas, Poor Yorick - [Howie Wyman] - (1981) - short story by Thomas A. Easton
• 223 - The Gnarly Man - (1939) - novelette by L. Sprague de Camp
• 251 - The Hairy Parents - (1975) - short story by A. Bertram Chandler
• 263 - The Alley Man - (1959) - novella by Philip José Farmer
• 319 - Afterword: The Valley of Neander - (1964) - essay by Robert Silverberg

Hitchhiker; Truck Driver; Hermes to the Ages; Pushbutton War; The Getaway Special; Between a Rock and a High Place; To Grab Power; Coming of Age in Henson's Tube.

Table of Contents:

• 9 - Introduction: Shuttles - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 13 - Truck Driver - (1972) - short story by Rob Chilson [as by Robert Chilson]
• 31 - Hermes to the Ages - (1980) - novelette by Frederick D. Gottfried
• 63 - Pushbutton War - (1960) - short story by Joseph P. Martino
• 81 - The Last Shuttle - (1981) - short story by Isaac Asimov
• 85 - The Getaway Special - (1985) - short story by Jerry Oltion
• 102 - Between a Rock and a High Place - (1982) - novella by Timothy Zahn
• 164 - To Grab Power - (1971) - short story by Hayden Howard
• 182 - Coming of Age in Henson's Tube - (1977) - short story by William John Watkins [as by William Jon Watkins]
• 187 - Deborah's Children - (1983) - short story by Grant Callin [as by Grant D. Callin]
• 207 - The Book of Baraboo - [Circus World] - (1980) - novella by Barry B. Longyear
• 279 - The Speckled Gantry - (1979) - short story by Joseph Green and Patrice Milton
• 285 - The Nanny - (1983) - novelette by Thomas Wylde
• 309 - Hitchhiker - (1987) - short story by Sheila Finch
• 323 - Dead Ringer - novella by Edward Wellen

Tells the stories of mental parasites, extraterrestrial creatures, clones, monstrous aliens, invaders, and colonists.

Table of Contents:

• 9 - Introduction: Monsters - (1988) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 12 - Passengers - (1968) - short story by Robert Silverberg
• 25 - The Botticelli Horror - (1960) - novelette by Lloyd Biggle, Jr.
• 64 - The Shapes - (1968) - novelette by J. H. Rosny aîné (trans. of Les Xipéhuz 1887)
• 88 - The Clone - (1959) - short story by Theodore L. Thomas
• 99 - The Men in the Walls - (1963) - novella by William Tenn
• 174 - The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth - (1965) - novelette by Roger Zelazny
• 206 - Student Body - (1953) - novelette by F. L. Wallace [as by Floyd L. Wallace]
• 227 - Black Destroyer - [Space Beagle] - (1939) - novelette by A. E. van Vogt
• 258 - Mother - (1953) - novelette by Philip José Farmer
• 286 - Exploration Team - [Colonial Survey] - (1956) - novelette by Murray Leinster
• 332 - All the Way Back - (1952) - short story by Michael Shaara

Table of Contents:

• 9 - Introduction: Robots - (1989) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 13 - The Tunnel Under the World - (1955) - novelette by Frederik Pohl
• 44 - Brother Robot - (1958) - short story by Henry Slesar
• 59 - The Lifeboat Mutiny - [AAA Ace] - (1955) - short story by Robert Sheckley
• 73 - The Warm Space - (1985) - novelette by David Brin
• 89 - How-2 - (1954) - novelette by Clifford D. Simak
• 128 - Too Robot to Marry - (1959) - short story by George H. Smith
• 130 - The Education of Tigress McCardle - (1957) - short story by C. M. Kornbluth (variant of The Education of Tigress Macardle)
• 141 - Sally - (1953) - short story by Isaac Asimov
• 159 - Breakfast of Champions - (1980) - short story by Thomas A. Easton
• 165 - Sun Up - (1976) - short story by A. A. Jackson, IV and Howard Waldrop
• 178 - Second Variety - [Claws - 1] - (1953) - novelette by Philip K. Dick
• 223 - The Problem Was Lubrication - (1961) - short story by David R. Bunch
• 227 - First to Serve - (1954) - short story by Algis Budrys
• 245 - Two-Handed Engine - (1955) - novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore
• 270 - Though Dreamers Die - (1944) - novelette by Lester del Rey
• 290 - Soldier Boy - (1953) - novelette by Michael Shaara
• 312 - Farewell to the Master - (1940) - novelette by Harry Bates

Fifteen short stories--by Piers Anthony, Henry Kuttner, A.E. Van Vogt, Lester del Rey, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, and others--explore the theme of an alien invasion of Earth.

Table of Contents:

• 7 - Introduction (Invasions) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 11 - Living Space - (1956) - short story by Isaac Asimov
• 26 - Asylum - (1942) - novella by A. E. van Vogt
• 85 - Exposure - (1950) - short story by Eric Frank Russell
• 104 - Invasion of Privacy - (1970) - novelette by Bob Shaw
• 127 - What Have I Done? - (1952) - short story by Mark Clifton
• 146 - Impostor - (1953) - short story by Philip K. Dick
• 161 - The Soul-Empty Ones - (1951) - novelette by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
• 200 - The Cloud-Men: Being a Foreprint from the London News Sheet #1 - short story by Owen Oliver (variant of The Cloud-Men, Being a Foreprint from the London News Sheet of March 9, 1915 1911)
• 217 - Stone Man - [Berserker (Fred Saberhagen)] - (1967) - novelette by Fred Saberhagen
• 253 - For I Am a Jealous People! - (1954) - novella by Lester del Rey
• 296 - Don't Look Now - (1948) - short story by Henry Kuttner
• 310 - The Certificate - (1959) - short story by Avram Davidson
• 314 - The Alien Rulers - (1968) - novelette by Piers Anthony
• 350 - Squeeze Box - (1959) - short story by Philip E. High
• 365 - The Liberation of Earth - (1953) - short story by William Tenn