The 12 Great SF short stories 1950 - Reviews

 The 12 Great SF short stories 1950 - Presented by Isaac Asimov 

Not With a Bang 

by Damon Knight 

Rating: 4/5

The end of the world has happened. Through the spread of plague, radiation vapors resulting from a nuclear weapons war and bombs shattering buildings, structures, bodies, humanity has almost perished. Only one man and one woman are left. Or so the story assumes. The woman is naturally immune to the effects of plague, and I find it difficult to believe that she is the only one with this immunity. The world is a large place and there are all kinds of people. I find it difficult to assume that not more than these two have survived the nuclear war globally. But, continuing with the story, the man has severe allergies, is not immune to the plague and has paralysis attacks that need an immediate infusion of medicine/injection shots. Which the woman has given several times through their journey. The woman is a prude and old fashioned. She yearns to go sole and pray in the mountains without the man. She reluctantly and after much time agrees to marry the man. When he is finally in a situation where he can't help himself and she won't because she is a prude .. it felt like the end happened not with a bang but with a whimper!

Spectator Sport

by John D. MacDonald

Rating: 4/5

A man time travels 400 years into the future with lot of expectations and hopes of witnessing and enjoying an advanced civilization. But he is disappointed to find "not much" advancement. The pavements, benches in parks are left to crumble into dust, the parks are overgrown with weeds and everywhere he sees, people look unhappy, lost. He doesn't understand what happened and he, in his turn, falls into a dissolute state of mind. He is caught and forced into lobotomization and virtual reality experience. I wonder how much he wanted and wished to be back in his own time -- when at least his senses and his mind were free to ponder, do whatever his sane mind suggested!

I don't think our future will become such a horror image of docking into a VR experience and calling it advancement. Where there is no other work, development but endless watching TV with all senses involved and alert! This seems to be a hypothetical and highly improbable way for humanity to go. 

There Will Come Soft Rains 

by Ray Bradbury 

Rating 4/5

 A house continues its senseless and robot-controlled existence unaware that no one exists anywhere, anymore! An accidental fire brings down the house and what's remaining - a poor, solitary wall - continues as if nothing passed! This made me almost sad .. as if I am pitying a living person and not a non-living, mechanized robotic machine! 

How stupid we humans must be. How relentless we are in out attempts to introduce robots and automation into this world, when in the end, our non-existence or end could mean nothing to it! 

I liked the setting of how tirelessly the automated machines tried to carry on even when no one was answering to their questions or responding to their inquiries. I also liked the comparison made to the altar of Gods. Gods are gone but the religion and religious practices carry on after them senselessly and superfluously! Like this house and the machines within continuing to worship and serve the family that had once resided and lived happily in that house. They are gone but seeing the machines work day-in and day-out, round the clock is mesmerizing. The dog could have lived but it is a poor, speechless thing!