Space by the Tale
Jerome Bixby
159 pages
published in 1964

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Jerome Bixby is a decidedly minor writer of science fiction, as well of many other genres. His science fictional was slight, all together two collections worth of short stories, plus one Star Trek tie-in novel. Unfortunately the two stories he is best known for, "It's a Good Life", later made into a Twilight Zone episode and "The Holes around Mars" are contained in his other short story collection, rather than in this one...

Space by the Tale was obviously sold as science fiction, as evidenced in the title, the cover picture and the backcover, which called Jerome Bixby "one of the brightest stars in science fiction". Interestingly enough a good number of the stories in here are actually fantasy rather than science fiction. Though we now tend to distinguish between the two genres, fantasy was happily published as science fiction for a long time, partly because it was only in the mid to late seventies that fantasy started selling enough to become a recognised genre by the publishers... But also because readers may have made less of a distinction between the two.

Most of the stories here are gentle twist stories, as soon forgotten as read, but entertaining enough not to begrudge the time spent reading them. A collection like this, by a second rank science fiction writer I always find interesting, in that it gives a good look at where science fiction is heading at the time of publication. Such a collection represents the genre as a whole probably better than one of a better writer, as a better writer may be going in less explored directions. In this case, what is interesting about this collection is the distinctly American flavour of it. The stories here read as American folklore.

• The Draw
  In science fiction's "Golden Age", there were enough thinly disguised westerns being published that they acquired their own derogatory name: "Bat Masterson" stories. This is the opposite: a sf story that's masquarading as a western. It is probably nmo accident that mention is made of a famous gunman, Bat Masterson...
• The Young One
  The new kid from "Hungry" is rather strange and why should he be home before seven, when the moon rises?
• Laboratory
  A quite funny story about a pair of unfortunate, highly superior aliens, who get unexpected company from a exploration team. Now they have to make sure those pesky humans don't stray into their experiments, even if they are invisible...
• The Good Dog
  A short, very, very, very sentimental story about a Good Dog in Hell. It may be corny, but I must admit I had to pink away a tear...
• One Way Street
  When Pete Innes awakes from the coma his car accident put him in, the world he wakes into is not entirely the same anymore, yet nobody else sees anything wrong...
• Small War
  What happens when one man finally meets an alien... A quiet and thoughtful story, somewhat deeper than the rest of these stories.
• Trace
  The narrator gets lost and a flat somewhere on the backroads of Massachusetts, he meets a kindly man who helps him on his way, after engaging him in a small philosophical debate on how in everybody, there is a trace of kindness, no matter how evil they are...
• Angels in the Jets
  The entire crew of The Lance has come under the influence from the air of the alien planet and gone mad, apart from the captain. What is he to do?
• The Battle of the Bells
  A battle between the Devil and the Angel over an ...outhouse?
• The Magic Typewriter
  When you got a typewriter that can fulfill all your wishes, don't brag about it.
• The Bad Life
  Limbo is where all the worst scum of the Solar System are banished to. It is also where the Helping Hand stationed Thorens to help rehabilitate these monsters. He is less than happy about this...