Product Description

Walter M. Miller Jr is best remembered as the author of A Canticle for Leibowitz, universally recognized as one of the greatest novels of modern SF. But as well as writing that deeply felt and eloquent book, he produced many shorter works of fiction of stunning originality and power. His profound interest in religion and his innate literary gifts combined perfectly in the production of such works as 'The Darfstellar', for which he won a Hugo in 1955, 'Conditionally Human', 'I, Dreamer' and 'The Big Hunger', all of which are included in this brilliant and essential collection.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #81712 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

About the Author
Walter M. Miller Jr (1923-1996) grew up in the American south. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps a month after Pearl Harbor and spent most of the Second World War as a radio operator and gunner, participating in fifty-five combat sorties over Italy and the Balkans, including the assault on Monte Cassino. After the war, he studied engineering, before turning to writing. He won a Hugo Award for A Canticle for Leibowitz. His only other novel, Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horsewoman, was published posthumously.

Customer Reviews

heart over technique
I recently purchased this collection of stories, never having heard of walter m miller. I was transported back to my youth when I had read A.E Van Vogt. The excitement the thrills but above all the the heart and compassion at the centre of these stories. The boy travelling to the future to find a cure for his disease..... a simple yet original idea, but it is the characters so movingly adumbrated which ultimately turns this story from an average one to a great one. All these stories possess a very real and immediate quality as well as having great science fiction ideas ; dark benediction is probably the best short story I have Read, enjoy.

Great stories, very entertaining
I've read countless Sci-fi books, but when it comes to short stories I've usually read Philip K. Dick. Unlike Dick's work, the characters in these stories don't all have hang ups about women, and things make sense (not to say I don't like Phil's stories).

Of course, like any collection of short stories, some hit the mark and others fall wide. But more often than not the stories in this collection are interesting, vivid, and different enough to set them apart. I enjoyed reading through a few at a time with a cup of rosy, and for the money, it's definitely worth a punt if you're not sure.

Chilling accounts of territorial disputes
This was my first encounter with Walter Miller, and reading this collection of short stories re-kindled my early fascination with the genre. Most if not all the stories involve territorial disputes of one sort or another, and remind us - if reminder is necessary - of the terrible consequences of such disputes in a bleak future in which wisdom and compassion are conspicuous by their absence. Excellent, gripping read.