Russian Science Fiction, 1969

Magidoff, Robert

Some of the stories were great and well told/translated (Crabs take over the Island, A Modest Genius: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, A Farewell on the Shore, The Minotaur). Others were either mysteriously poorly edited or translated (culturally). For example, Speaking of Demonology and Robot Humor seem most appropriately consumed in 1950s and '60s Soviet circles and have not been adapted or contextualized in a way that will make them accessible to English-speaking audiences--though Demonology in particular provides an interesting window into Russian satire and humor! Some of the overall editorial work was poor, as well, with some bizarrely transposed lines in The Minotaur forcing the reader to jump up and down the page to piece together the text. This was more obviously a printing error than a content error, but it distracted and pointed towards the overall sloppy editing. Interesting book, but more of historical interest than good science fiction...