The Tyrant of Time is a collection of science-fiction short stories by the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 writer Lloyd Arthur Eshbach

Lloyd Arthur Eshbach

Lloyd Arthur Eshbach was an American science fiction fan, publisher and writer, secular and religious publisher, and minister....

. It was first published by Fantasy Press

Fantasy Press

Fantasy Press was an American publishing house specialising in fantasy and science fiction titles. Established in 1946 by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach in Reading, Pennsylvania, it was most notable for publishing the works of authors such as Robert A. Heinlein and E. E. Smith...

 in 1955

1955 in literature

The year 1955 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*28 May - Philip Larkin makes a train journey from Hull to London which inspires his poem The Whitsun Weddings....

 in an edition of 1,547 copies. Most of the stories originally appeared in the magazines Wonder Stories

Wonder Stories

Wonder Stories was an early American science fiction magazine which was published under several titles from 1929 to 1955. It was founded by Hugo Gernsback in 1929 after he had lost control of his first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories, when his media company Experimenter Publishing went...

, Amazing Stories

Amazing Stories

Amazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...

, Thrilling Wonder Stories, Science Fiction and Strange Stories.

Contents

• "The Tyrant of Time"
• "The Meteor Miners"
• "Spaceways Incident"
• "The Light from Beyond"
• "The Place of Orchids"
• "The City of Dread"
• "Singing Blades"
• "The Cauldron of Life"

Reception

Reviewer Groff Conklin

Groff Conklin

Edward Groff Conklin was a leading science fiction anthologist. He edited 40 anthologies of science fiction, one of mystery stories , wrote books on home improvement and was a freelance writer on scientific subjects as well as a published poet...

 panned the collection as "another of those stones that should have been left unturned," saying that "The ideas no longer have any originality and the style is an almost perfect example of the early days of science fiction." Anthony Boucher

Anthony Boucher

Anthony Boucher was an American science fiction editor and author of mystery novels and short stories. He was particularly influential as an editor. Between 1942 and 1947 he acted as reviewer of mostly mystery fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle...

 agreed, declaring that "your opinion of Mr. Eshbach will remain higher if you fail to read [these] 9 unfortunate stories." P. Schuyler Miller

P. Schuyler Miller

Peter Schuyler Miller was an American science fiction writer and critic.-Life:Miller was raised in New York's Mohawk Valley, which led to a life-long interest in the Iroquois Indians. He pursued this as an amateur archaeologist and a member of the New York State Archaeological Association.He...

 described the stories as typical of their period, "pretty fair ideas, but amateurishly handled." Writing in The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

, Villiers Gerson found the stories to be standard 1930s fare, "one-dimensional and more concerned with the gimmick than with the characters."