The People Trap
Robert Sheckley
222 pages
published in 1969
Robert Sheckley is one of the new breed of science fiction writers which started appearing in the early fifties and found a home in Galaxy Magazine. He quickly built a reputation as a witty, crafty writer, turning out short stories by the dozen.
The stories in this volume are almost all variants on the classic sf puzzle story. Someone gets himself into some sort of mess and a bit of careful logic gets him out again; in Sheckley's case the logic is not to be taken as serious as it would be with some of his contemporaries. To be honest, the stories somewhat disappointed me; I had expected more from Sheckley. His later work is much more inventive (Mindswap, anyone?), while the stories here are slightly pedestrian. Still readable though.
- The People Trap
The title story is somewhat misleading, because it was written long after most of the other stories. Most of the stories here were published in the early 1950ties, while this is from 1968 and very much New Wave influenced, a story about an overpopulated USA were people have to run a horrifying race to win an acre of land. - The Victim from Space
A tale of culture clash, between a space traveller and the band of loveable natives of a nwly discovered planet. - Shall We Have a Little Talk?
Earth has been very succesful in peacefully subjugating alien planets, until this one... All Jackson has to do is buy some property on the planet so that Earth than has an excuse to protect him, but in order to do so he needs to be able to speak the language, which isn't as easy as he thought it would be... - Restricted Area
A fairly straight forward tale of brave explorers landing on a seemingly paradisical planet, which isn't as paradisical as it first seems. - The Odor of Thought
How to survive on a planet where animals hunt by thought... Try not to think of panthers... - The Necessary Thing
First of three linked stories in this volume, starring the AAA Ace agency, ne'er-do-wells Arnold and Gregor. Arnold comes upw ith zany schemes to make a buck, which Gregor then has to get them out off. - Redferns Labyrinth
A somewhat experimental story sketch. - Proof of the Pudding
The Last Man on Earth meets the Last Woman --or is it just a creation of his subconscious? - The Laxian Key
Another one of the AAA Ace stories. I personally would've strangled Arnold by now, but Gregor never does. - The Last Weapon
Trying to find the lost Martian armoury is a risky business... - Fishing Season
People start suddenly disappearing at the same time as crude imitations of brand items start appearing... - Dreamworld
What happens if you get trapped in your own nightmare? - Diplomatic Immunity
The alien embassador took diplomatic immunity somewhat more literal then usual... - Ghost V
The third of the AAA Ace stories.
