Tomorrow, the Stars

Editor: Robert A. Heinlein

Quote: "I don't know who they are--but it's the story of the boy who cried wolf. Only this time the wolves realized--" Then the phone went dead.

Why you should read this book: Although these stories are fifty or sixty years old and certainly dated in terms of sexism and racism, the themes and the technology remain fresh enough to hold the attention of the lover of science-fiction. Of note is "The Report on the Barnhouse Effect" by Kurt Vonnegut, from that era when Vonnegut still wrote flat-out science fiction, a story that is possibly more relevant today than it was during the Cold War. Science fiction from the day when sf was about imagination rather than special effects.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're in it for the special effects.