Recommended Science Fiction Anthology Reading for Sci Fi Fans

There was a time when anthologies were some of the hottest novels in bookstores. Various works all under one simple roof was an incredible way for readers to enjoy multiple authors without having to find all of the books or short stories on an individual basis. While this type of book has become passé for some genres, it is still alive and well in the science fiction niche.

Ace High is a collection of stories put together by George R.R. Martin. It is actually one of a series of books that anchors itself to two main plots and manages to tie them all together by the end of the book. Martin actually uses several of his own stories within the work, "Jube" and "Winter's Chill", to keep the anthology rolling and on point. The book was released in 1987.

Astounding Science Fiction was known by its readers to publish some of the most notable stories of the time. It only made sense for the magazine to gather the best of the best and release them all in a single work. In 1952, editor John W. Campbell did just that and The Astounding Science Fiction Anthology was released. It contains works from authors such as Robert A. Heinlein ("Blowups Happen"), John R. Pierce ("Invariant"), and Lester del Ray ("Over the Top").

The Golden Age of Science Fiction takes some of the most notable stories of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s and puts them in a single collection. The book was originally published in 1981 as a hardback and then re released in 1983 as a paperback. Noting the contribution of such authors as Anthony Boucher ("The Quest for Saint Aquin"), Philip Latham ("The Xi Effect"), and Isaac Asimov ("The Machine That Won the War"), it is easy to see why the title was chosen. This is a must have for fans of this era.

Many of the early masters of science fiction can be found in The Other Side of the Moon anthology. First published in 1949, this 416-page masterpiece holds many of the roots of the genre within it. Works such as "The Star" (H.G. Wells), "The Strange Drug of Dr. Caber" (Lord Dunsany), "Beyond the Walls of Sleep" (H. P. Lovecraft), and "Pillar of Fire" (Ray Bradbury) are all included. Simply put, this book contains just about every influential science fiction writer of the time.

Anthologies are great because they often contain stories we can no longer find as individual publications. Even if we can find them, they are often considered collectors pieces with a price tag that is far out of our range. All of the anthologies listed above contain works from some of the best authors in the genre, yet thankfully, are easily found in single works for our reading pleasure.