“This, the third edition of Mr. Knight’s Orbit series, features original science fiction stories which have not appeared previously anywhere. The material has been chosen with an eye to both variety and originality. A novelette by John Jakes, ‘Here Is Thy Sting,’ manages to make death both rousing and quite amusing—a tour de force indeed. The lead story, ‘Mother to the World,’ by Richard Wilson, is a moving variation on the Last Man theme. The late Richard McKenna, author of ‘The Sand Pebbles,’ has a story, ‘Bramble Bush,’ which is good enough to indicate he could have been a top s-f writer had he lived to write more of the same. Perhaps the strongest story is Kate Wilhelm’s ‘The Planners’ in which science fiction remains in its own metier, yet becomes disturbingly real.

“A must for discerning science fiction buffs, this is possibly the best of the Orbit series yet, a high rating indeed.”

—Publishers’ Weekly

“This is a choice collection of haunting tales collected by the founder of the Science Fiction Writers of America. Most of the stories typify the emerging new domain of science fiction, with its emphasis less on the ‘out-there’ than on the ‘right-here, right-now.’ Harlan Ellison, for example, in ‘Shattered Like a Glass Goblin,’ paints a picture of a houseful of hippies in the thrall of drugs and bestiality that is much too believable for comfort. In ‘Probable Cause,’ Charles Harness cites the use of clairvoyance in a case before the Supreme Court; and Kate Wilhelm portrays the agonizing problems of a computer analyst working on a robot weapon which requires the minds of dead geniuses to operate effectively. These are only a few of the many celebrated science fiction writers whose stories are included in the anthology, ‘Orbit 4.’ ”

ORBIT 5 is the latest in the unique semi-annual series of SF anthologies which publishes the best new stories before they have appeared anywhere else. Editor Damon Knight works with both established writers and new talent, demanding the best and freshest of their work, and offering freedom from the taboos and conventions of magazine writing.

Mr. Knight is the director of the annual Milford Science Fiction Writers’ Conference, founder and first president of Science Fiction Writers of America, and a Hugo winner for his book of critical essays, In Search of Wonder. His thirty books include novels, collections of short stories, translations, and anthologies.

ORBIT 8

is the latest in this unique series of anthologies of the best new SF: fourteen stories written especially for this collection by some of the top names in the field.

—Harlan Ellison in “One Life, Furnished in Early Poverty” tells a moving story of a man who goes back in time to help his youthful self.

—Avram Davidson finds a new and sinister significance in the first robin of Spring.

—R. A. Lafferty reveals a monstrous microfilm record of the past

—Kate Wilhelm finds real horror in a story of boy-meets-girl.

—and ten other tales by some of the most original minds now writing in this most exciting area of today’s fiction are calculated to blow the mind.

ORBIT 9

is the latest in this unique up-to-the-minute series of SF anthologies which present the best and most lively new of the new and established writers in the field, at the top of their form.

The fourteen stories written especially for this collection include;

“What We Have Here is Too Much Communication” by Leon E. Stover, a fascinating glimpse into the secret lives of the Japanese.

“The Infinity Box” by Kate Wilhelm, which explores a new and frightening aspect of the corruption of power.

“Gleepsite” by Joanna Russ, which tells how to live with pollution and learn to love it.

And eleven other tales by other masters of today’s most exciting fiction.

Artificial intelligence in 100 stories.

To ready us for the inevitable, here are 100 of the best short stories ever written--most of them by humans--about robots and artificial minds. Read them while you can, learn from them, and make your preparations... From 1837 through to the present day, from Charles Dickens to Cory Doctorow, this collection contains the most diverse collection of robots ever assembled. Anthropomorphic robots, invertebrate AIs, thuggish metal lumps and wisps of manufactured intelligence so delicate if you blinked you might miss them. The literature of robots and artificial intelligence is so wildly diverse, in both tone and intent, that our stories form six thematic collections.

It's Alive! is about inventors and their creations.

Following the Money drops robots into the day-to-day business of living.

Owners and Servants considers the human potentials and pitfalls of owning and...