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Microcosmic Tales: 100 Wondrous Science Fiction Short-Short Stories
Science-fiction miniatures by acclaimed writers offer intriguing portraits of a superman who lives in a real world of nuclear danger, an android that dreams of electric love, a universe put right by a cosmic tinkerer, and more
325 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
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211 people want to read
About the author
Isaac Asimov
4,645 books27k followersWorks of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles,
The Foundation Trilogy
(1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 26, 2023
330 pages for 100 stories. Do the math and you would realise that these stories weren't written to plumb emotional depths or to do social studies. Nevertheless, several of them try to catch hold of such big pictures within very small frames. At times the results were wonderful. On other occasions, and regrettably the book is full of such efforts, the stories merely induced groans and feelings of coming across pure meh.
There were some of the most-anthologised works of Asimov, Fredric Brown, Robert Sheckley, Eric Frank Russell, and Anthony Boucher. Despite being read again and again, they have retained the power to make us think.
There were some delightful shorts from Jack Ritchie— which, regrettably, have gone out of print like almost all of his works (except the 'Manhunt' tales brought out in a superb volume recently).
I was hooked by R.K. Lyon's 'Pulpworld', but couldn't find a solo collection of his works on the market. Same was true for Henry Slesar— whose works are not available even as affordable second-hands. There were authors like Wait Leibscher whose works are practically untraceable now. Luckily I found a used copy of a retrospective collection of Harry Harrison in the market.
Although this book in itself is full of shorts that almost entirely rely on gimmicky twists in their tails, I remain grateful for introducing me to so many authors whose works definitely deserve reading even today.
On that note, three stars.
There were some of the most-anthologised works of Asimov, Fredric Brown, Robert Sheckley, Eric Frank Russell, and Anthony Boucher. Despite being read again and again, they have retained the power to make us think.
There were some delightful shorts from Jack Ritchie— which, regrettably, have gone out of print like almost all of his works (except the 'Manhunt' tales brought out in a superb volume recently).
I was hooked by R.K. Lyon's 'Pulpworld', but couldn't find a solo collection of his works on the market. Same was true for Henry Slesar— whose works are not available even as affordable second-hands. There were authors like Wait Leibscher whose works are practically untraceable now. Luckily I found a used copy of a retrospective collection of Harry Harrison in the market.
Although this book in itself is full of shorts that almost entirely rely on gimmicky twists in their tails, I remain grateful for introducing me to so many authors whose works definitely deserve reading even today.
On that note, three stars.
September 15, 2024
D/D+
About 10% of these stories were quite good. About half of them ranged from okay to meh. And about 40% of them were complete groaners. Not a very high hit rate, in other words.
About 10% of these stories were quite good. About half of them ranged from okay to meh. And about 40% of them were complete groaners. Not a very high hit rate, in other words.
July 1, 2023
Before I retired, and had more time to read, I loved short story science fiction. One of life’s pleasures was being able to read a story, from beginning to end, in one sitting. Things were even better when I could read several. I recently enjoyed Elinor Taylor’s great short story book, Storms in Jars, which re-awakened my interest in short story sci fi.
How short are the tales in Microcosmic Tales? Well, the book is Three Hundred and Thirty pages long and contains one hundred stories. One is less than a paragraph. As someone who tends to be longwinded, I have great admiration for writers who can be succinct.
This book contains stories by some of the best in the business; Asimov, Brown, Mattingly, Zebrowski, Clarke. Unfortunately, there are painfully few female authors, a true sign of the times as this book was printed in 1980. The explosion of female science fiction authors this past decade has brought a real renaissance to the genre.
A quick search of the internet finds that you still can find, not only new copies of this classic, but some great, used editions at great prices. My “first edition” is stamped $4.99 ($5.99 in Canada). That was less than five cents a story - one of the best bargains of my life.
How short are the tales in Microcosmic Tales? Well, the book is Three Hundred and Thirty pages long and contains one hundred stories. One is less than a paragraph. As someone who tends to be longwinded, I have great admiration for writers who can be succinct.
This book contains stories by some of the best in the business; Asimov, Brown, Mattingly, Zebrowski, Clarke. Unfortunately, there are painfully few female authors, a true sign of the times as this book was printed in 1980. The explosion of female science fiction authors this past decade has brought a real renaissance to the genre.
A quick search of the internet finds that you still can find, not only new copies of this classic, but some great, used editions at great prices. My “first edition” is stamped $4.99 ($5.99 in Canada). That was less than five cents a story - one of the best bargains of my life.
September 2, 2013
I checked out this hardcover book from my library 20 times when I was about 10 years old. I think I was the only one who ever checked it out. Yes, a lot of the stories are cliche and silly. Basically what you expect from sci-fi anthologies in the 80's. It was a great introduction into adult science fiction for me and I immediately started reading Asimov's books, Ender's Game, etc from a young age. I recently purchased a copy just for nostalgia's sake.
Get the hardcover copy though. The cover art on the paperback 90's editions is just terrible!
Get the hardcover copy though. The cover art on the paperback 90's editions is just terrible!
April 21, 2025
This collection is 45 years old at this point, with some of the stories being written some 75 years ago, so I guess it should be expected that a good deal are dated.
Still, I was unexpectedly disappointed with the quality of these stories for the most part, and can boil down the 100 entries to 12 that I figure are worth reading nowadays. The vast majority are either terribly outdated, offensively outdated, offensively bad, just offensive, groan-worthy, or merely fine.
Here are the 12 that stuck with me:
Geever’s Flight by Charles E Fritch - Stilted and alienating, in the best way possible. Spooky and simple, this one got my hopes up at the start of the collection.
Pattern by Fredric Brown - Straightforward, with awesome imagery, and short enough to pull off its simple, spooky twist.
The Other Tiger by Arthur C Clarke - Surprised me with the ending, and its campy but chilling final paragraphs.
Answer by Fredric Brown - The reason I picked up this collection, it’s still one of my favorites. Like a dark proverb, cutting straight to the point.
Useful Phrases for the Tourist by Joanna Russ - One of the few stories here that plays with format. This one made me laugh and broke up the monotony of the other tales.
The Burning by Theodore R Connell - Created an entire world in such a short space. Truly grotesque and chilling and inviting.
True Love by Isaac Asimov - Dated sci-fi that still feels technically impressive.
Your Cruel Face by Craig Strete - Sadly still perfect in our time, pitch black dark comedy.
Friends? by Roberta Ghidalia - Lovely story that seems out of place here with its witchy theme, but I’m thankful for its sweet meet-cute horror.
The Old Man by Henry Slesar - Probably actually cheesy and dated, but I really loved it. Crosses over nicely into horror as the tension mounts.
Mr. Lupescu by Anthony Boucher - A really weird one that delights in its own strange logic.
What I Did During My Park Vacation by Ruth Berman - This feels pretty close to the platonic ideal of a short sci-fi story. Feels pertinent, both alien and too close for comfort. A nice subversion of the standard short story format the majority of the collection uses.
Still, I was unexpectedly disappointed with the quality of these stories for the most part, and can boil down the 100 entries to 12 that I figure are worth reading nowadays. The vast majority are either terribly outdated, offensively outdated, offensively bad, just offensive, groan-worthy, or merely fine.
Here are the 12 that stuck with me:
Geever’s Flight by Charles E Fritch - Stilted and alienating, in the best way possible. Spooky and simple, this one got my hopes up at the start of the collection.
Pattern by Fredric Brown - Straightforward, with awesome imagery, and short enough to pull off its simple, spooky twist.
The Other Tiger by Arthur C Clarke - Surprised me with the ending, and its campy but chilling final paragraphs.
Answer by Fredric Brown - The reason I picked up this collection, it’s still one of my favorites. Like a dark proverb, cutting straight to the point.
Useful Phrases for the Tourist by Joanna Russ - One of the few stories here that plays with format. This one made me laugh and broke up the monotony of the other tales.
The Burning by Theodore R Connell - Created an entire world in such a short space. Truly grotesque and chilling and inviting.
True Love by Isaac Asimov - Dated sci-fi that still feels technically impressive.
Your Cruel Face by Craig Strete - Sadly still perfect in our time, pitch black dark comedy.
Friends? by Roberta Ghidalia - Lovely story that seems out of place here with its witchy theme, but I’m thankful for its sweet meet-cute horror.
The Old Man by Henry Slesar - Probably actually cheesy and dated, but I really loved it. Crosses over nicely into horror as the tension mounts.
Mr. Lupescu by Anthony Boucher - A really weird one that delights in its own strange logic.
What I Did During My Park Vacation by Ruth Berman - This feels pretty close to the platonic ideal of a short sci-fi story. Feels pertinent, both alien and too close for comfort. A nice subversion of the standard short story format the majority of the collection uses.
April 12, 2020
Great concept of assembling so many short-short stories in one volume so you can explore a variety of authors without a major time commitment. Overall quality was good to great, with only a handful of duds or repeated themes. Enjoyed opening to a random page and diving in each time!
BEST OF THE BEST
"Varieties of Technological Experience" by Barry N. Malzberg
"Taste of Battle" by Donald Franson
"Good Morning! This Is the Future" by Henry Slesar
"The Burning" by Theodore R. Cogswell
"The Diana Syndrome" by R. A. Montana
"The Reunion" by Paul J. Nahin
"The Pill" by Maggie Nadler
ALSO VERY STRONG
"Little William" by Patricia Matthews
"Nellthu" by Anthony Boucher
"Do Androids Dream of Electric Love?" by Walt Liebscher
"The Great Judge" by A. E. van Vogt
"Down the Digestive Tract" by Robert Sheckley
"Upon My Soul" by Jack Ritchie
"Shell Shock" by Donald Franson
"Your Cruel Face" by Craig Strete
"The Finest Hunter in the World" by Harry Harrison
"The Humanic Complex" by Ray Russell
"Emergency Rations" by Theodore R. Cogswell
"Mr. Lupescu" by Anthony Boucher
"A Clone at Last" by Barry N. Malzberg and Bill Pronzini
"Rotating Cylinders and the Possibility of Global Causality Violation" by Larry Niven
BEST OF THE BEST
"Varieties of Technological Experience" by Barry N. Malzberg
"Taste of Battle" by Donald Franson
"Good Morning! This Is the Future" by Henry Slesar
"The Burning" by Theodore R. Cogswell
"The Diana Syndrome" by R. A. Montana
"The Reunion" by Paul J. Nahin
"The Pill" by Maggie Nadler
ALSO VERY STRONG
"Little William" by Patricia Matthews
"Nellthu" by Anthony Boucher
"Do Androids Dream of Electric Love?" by Walt Liebscher
"The Great Judge" by A. E. van Vogt
"Down the Digestive Tract" by Robert Sheckley
"Upon My Soul" by Jack Ritchie
"Shell Shock" by Donald Franson
"Your Cruel Face" by Craig Strete
"The Finest Hunter in the World" by Harry Harrison
"The Humanic Complex" by Ray Russell
"Emergency Rations" by Theodore R. Cogswell
"Mr. Lupescu" by Anthony Boucher
"A Clone at Last" by Barry N. Malzberg and Bill Pronzini
"Rotating Cylinders and the Possibility of Global Causality Violation" by Larry Niven
September 18, 2018
Quickies pleasant enough in their own right.
December 8, 2018
Доста симпатична подборка на ултракъси разкази.
April 30, 2020
a handful of gems, quite a bit of dross
July 23, 2023
Good to read about the anxieties and expectations of old generation of SF authors
January 21, 2011
I have a fondness for these short short sf/f stories of old. It's mostly nostalgia, though. Because while many of the stories in here are okay, interesting, fun, funny, there are still plenty of others that make you roll your eyes.
The ideas are cliche, or telegraphed right from the start. Or the ending is a stupid joke. Or is a 'twist' that isn't a twist. Surprise, it's a girl! And then.. that baby turned out to be Hitler!
Part of that is because this is an old anthology, and the ideas were fresh at the time. Part of that is because, I think, Asimov loved the stupid jokes.
I really noticed a sharp contrast between the stories in here and the stories in Flash Fiction, a literary anthology. And I'm afraid it's a comparison that puts the literary one on top. Shocking, right?! But those stories have a better language flow to them and seem more character-oriented, perhaps. Are more interesting. Frequently made me go 'huh?' or 'what was the point?' but rarely or never made me roll my eyes at the end.
Before I conclude, I want to rant at these older anthologies, particularly Asimov ones. DON'T COMMENT ON THE STORIES BEFORE I'VE READ THE STORIES! Asimov (I assume) thinks he's being funny when he throws in a one-liner like 'don't judge a book by its cover' or something, which completely spoils the story. These stories are short enough as it is, can't you let me go into it without any preconceived notions about it?
I skip story intros unless I KNOW it's only talking about the author or something unspoily. But it's really hard to skip them when it's a few words or a sentence and it's right above the title.
Surprisingly, I don't think I'd read this anthology before. Even though I had read several short short story anthologies in my schooldays.
The ideas are cliche, or telegraphed right from the start. Or the ending is a stupid joke. Or is a 'twist' that isn't a twist. Surprise, it's a girl! And then.. that baby turned out to be Hitler!
Part of that is because this is an old anthology, and the ideas were fresh at the time. Part of that is because, I think, Asimov loved the stupid jokes.
I really noticed a sharp contrast between the stories in here and the stories in Flash Fiction, a literary anthology. And I'm afraid it's a comparison that puts the literary one on top. Shocking, right?! But those stories have a better language flow to them and seem more character-oriented, perhaps. Are more interesting. Frequently made me go 'huh?' or 'what was the point?' but rarely or never made me roll my eyes at the end.
Before I conclude, I want to rant at these older anthologies, particularly Asimov ones. DON'T COMMENT ON THE STORIES BEFORE I'VE READ THE STORIES! Asimov (I assume) thinks he's being funny when he throws in a one-liner like 'don't judge a book by its cover' or something, which completely spoils the story. These stories are short enough as it is, can't you let me go into it without any preconceived notions about it?
I skip story intros unless I KNOW it's only talking about the author or something unspoily. But it's really hard to skip them when it's a few words or a sentence and it's right above the title.
Surprisingly, I don't think I'd read this anthology before. Even though I had read several short short story anthologies in my schooldays.
May 23, 2015
Maybe the stories, taken as a whole, don't deserve 5 stars, but the very idea of assembling 100 SF tales, mostly of 1,000 words or less, is a stroke of genius – so not surprisingly, they were assembled by SF's one registered genius, Isaac Asimov. And not surprisingly again, his own opening story, "The Last Answer," is probably the best in the collection.
Where could all these tiny attempts have come from? Quite a few are "original to this collection" ("Hey, Jose, it's Isaac, I'm doing this thing, want to whip up a quick 1k tale?"). For the most part, these are not the best ones, more often uninspired dribbles with a trick ending (though with "Dreamworld," Asimov – again – pulls off a short goof designed simply to end with one of the most hilarious bad puns in all of literature). Several of the "originals" carry obvious pseudonyms – who, I wonder, was "R.K. Lion" (P.K. Dick maybe?)?
A few are serious, thoughtful attempts at examining the human condition or riotously funny asides, and they're mostly by women: "Friends," by Roberta Ghiadalia, about a girl and her cat, is dark and disturbing; Joanna Russ's "Useful Phrases for the Tourist" should not be read on the toilet because you’re likely to fall off the seat laughing; "And So On, And So On," by James Tiptree, Jr., is textured, downbeat and unnerving (it wasn't generally known at the time that Tiptree was a woman).
A fine collection to have at hand for a quick read while the tea water is boiling.
Where could all these tiny attempts have come from? Quite a few are "original to this collection" ("Hey, Jose, it's Isaac, I'm doing this thing, want to whip up a quick 1k tale?"). For the most part, these are not the best ones, more often uninspired dribbles with a trick ending (though with "Dreamworld," Asimov – again – pulls off a short goof designed simply to end with one of the most hilarious bad puns in all of literature). Several of the "originals" carry obvious pseudonyms – who, I wonder, was "R.K. Lion" (P.K. Dick maybe?)?
A few are serious, thoughtful attempts at examining the human condition or riotously funny asides, and they're mostly by women: "Friends," by Roberta Ghiadalia, about a girl and her cat, is dark and disturbing; Joanna Russ's "Useful Phrases for the Tourist" should not be read on the toilet because you’re likely to fall off the seat laughing; "And So On, And So On," by James Tiptree, Jr., is textured, downbeat and unnerving (it wasn't generally known at the time that Tiptree was a woman).
A fine collection to have at hand for a quick read while the tea water is boiling.
August 31, 2011
Over the past three decades, short-short fiction has advanced in quality tremendously—that, and Dr. Asimov is simply no longer around to legitimize "groaners" like these with mass publication. I know he loved that type of short-short, often competing with other big names to write the most egregious examples possible, but I've had it with them. The vast majority of the stories in this book are on the level of knock-knock jokes (the only one I can think of offhand that's worth even half of a damn is "Steel," by Alan Brennert), and it doesn't help that Asimov
still again
performs the editorial equivalent of chortling "Interrupting cow!" before the tale even begins.
If you've noticed that I've avoided referring to these stories as "science fiction," it's because there's quite a bit of fantasy mixed in; Asimov even reprints a story from 100 Great Fantasy Short, Short Stories , for whatever reason. I'd say it was due to scraping the bottom of the barrel, but it's clear this particular barrel has no bottom; it's puns and Devils and "it turns out it's Man" all the way down.
If you've noticed that I've avoided referring to these stories as "science fiction," it's because there's quite a bit of fantasy mixed in; Asimov even reprints a story from 100 Great Fantasy Short, Short Stories , for whatever reason. I'd say it was due to scraping the bottom of the barrel, but it's clear this particular barrel has no bottom; it's puns and Devils and "it turns out it's Man" all the way down.
March 1, 2021
Don’t read this book. Read 100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories
Microcosmic Tales was published two years after ”100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories” and it really feels like it contains a lot of material that was discarded from ”100 Great”. There are some great stories, but way, way too many “joke” stories: 2-3 pages setting up for a silly punch line.
Favourites:
"The Last Answer by Isaac Asimov "
"Package Deal by Donald Franson "
"Gemini 74 by Jack Ritchie "
"Paths by Edward Bryant "
"Woman’s Work by Garen Drussai "
"Nightmare in Time by Fredric Brown "
"The Boy with Five Fingers "
"Changeover by Juleen Brantingham "
The last one is quite remarkable. It has internet based shopping. Yes, written before 1980. Impressive! I don’t know any other writer predicting that.
Microcosmic Tales was published two years after ”100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories” and it really feels like it contains a lot of material that was discarded from ”100 Great”. There are some great stories, but way, way too many “joke” stories: 2-3 pages setting up for a silly punch line.
Favourites:
"The Last Answer by Isaac Asimov "
"Package Deal by Donald Franson "
"Gemini 74 by Jack Ritchie "
"Paths by Edward Bryant "
"Woman’s Work by Garen Drussai "
"Nightmare in Time by Fredric Brown "
"The Boy with Five Fingers "
"Changeover by Juleen Brantingham "
The last one is quite remarkable. It has internet based shopping. Yes, written before 1980. Impressive! I don’t know any other writer predicting that.
May 5, 2019
Feuerwerk? 100 SF-Geschichten, das meiste sehr bieder und wenig überraschend. Die Pointe, wenn denn eine vorhanden ist, deutet sich fast immer schon weit vor Ende an. Erstaunlich viele 3-Wünsche und Teufel-Stories. Am besten, vielleicht wenig überraschend, die Asimov-Geschichten, besonders "The last Answer", das Gegenstück zu der letzen Frage. Lesenswert davon vielleicht zehn. Selbst eine Geschichte von Harry Harrison, die ich als Jugendlicher großartig fand, kommt mir jezt nicht mehr so stark vor. Immerhin die vorletzte, von Ellison, hat mehr als ein leichtes Schmunzeln hervorgebracht.
November 24, 2013
This is the ultimate waiting room material--a book that carried me through the tedious moments of jury duty. It's a collection of short-short science fiction stories. 100 tales, each of which fills but a handful of pages. Many of them are humorous, some horrific. Plenty of them have been written by the great authors of science fiction. I'm tempted to say that all of the stories are good, because I can't remember a single klunker in the lot. Anyway, I'm keeping this gem on my shelf.
June 12, 2020
This book, which I picked up by chance in fourth grade, was my introduction to the world of flash fiction. Since then, the form has held me captivated when I encounter it- stories long enough to make an impact, but short enough to blaze by so fast that an impression might not even be made at all. Some of these are genuine classics, some are nothing but jokes, and one or two haunt me to this day.
December 21, 2009
Very mixed bag. Some very good stories, some clever twists, but also a lot of all too obvious unsurprising twists, and some really silly old style stories that just build to a contrived pun as the punchline.
September 5, 2011
100 tales, some of them are short, some of them are longer, some of them are brilliant, but also some of them began to repeat (storyline was similar). Anyway, the book was funny and clever and I just loved one-sentence punchlines in the end of many tales :)
March 20, 2015
Eh. There were some stories that were pretty mind-blowing but for the most part, they are very repetitive and not that exciting.
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