THE GREATEST SCIENCE FICTION STORIES OF THE 20TH CENTURY

The trouble here is that no one really knowledgeable about twentieth-century science fiction would choose most of these stories for a "greatest" anthology. A few are well chosen, but most seem to be here because they are politically correct. A wide variety of readers offers a fine range of expression, however. Several "Star Trek" actors are involved, and some authors read their own works. Performers Melissa Manchester, David Ackroyd, Arte Johnson, Richard McGonagle, and James A. Watson join them. Many are very effective; Harlan Ellison, for example, gives a fevered reading of his "Jeffty Is Five," an adequate story in itself but enlivened by Ellison. D.R.W. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 99]