Time and Stars is a collection of science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 short stories

Short story

A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...

 by Poul Anderson

Poul Anderson

Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories...

, published in 1964.

"Dangerous universe: Faced with machine

Machine

A machine manages power to accomplish a task, examples include, a mechanical system, a computing system, an electronic system, and a molecular machine. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work...

s that think by and for themselves, super-intelligent space beings bent on a suicidal course and a galaxy teeming with dangerous alien life

Extraterrestrial life

Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...

, man had to invent new weapons, new defenses - or perish from the universe."

Contents

Source

• "No Truce with Kings": A war story set on a future, semi-primitive Earth with aliens
  • Original Appearance: The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, June 1963
• "The Critique of Impure Reason": A robot
  Robot
  A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
  
   will not work because it is infatuated with modern literature and literary criticism
  • Original Appearance: If
    If (magazine)
    If was an American science fiction magazine launched in March 1952 by Quinn Publications, owned by James L. Quinn. Quinn hired Paul W. Fairman to be the first editor, but early circulation figures were disappointing, and Quinn fired Fairman after only three issues. Quinn then took over the...
    
    , November 1962
• "Escape from Orbit": Astronauts stranded in orbit around the moon
  • Original Appearance: 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...
    
    , October 1962
• "Eye Times Four": Space traveler Lothario is stranded on a planet with three beautiful women
  • Original Appearance: Fantastic Science Fiction Stories, April 1960
• "Turning Point": A first contact
  First contact (science fiction)
  First contact is a common science fiction theme about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient race's first encounter with another one....
  
   story that gives a haunting portrait of the price of giftedness and the loss of innocence
  • Original Appearance: If
    If (magazine)
    If was an American science fiction magazine launched in March 1952 by Quinn Publications, owned by James L. Quinn. Quinn hired Paul W. Fairman to be the first editor, but early circulation figures were disappointing, and Quinn fired Fairman after only three issues. Quinn then took over the...
    
    , May 1963
• "Epilogue": A crew of humans return to Earth after a long absence, finding it has been taken over by a kind of transistor-based ecology of machines; a lack of understanding between the robots and the humans leads to tragedy
  • Original Appearance: Analog, March 1962

Literary significance & criticism

The collection was reviewed by Algis Budrys

Algis Budrys

Algis Budrys was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names "Frank Mason", "Alger Rome", "John A. Sentry", "William Scarff", and "Paul Janvier."-Biography:...

 in the February 1965 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction

Galaxy Science Fiction

Galaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...

.

External links

• Time and Stars review at SF Reviews
• Time and Stars at Google Books