The Short: I recently reread “The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge“, 2001 Tor, 21 years after reading it the first time. I had read some of these stories recently, but many of them not since 2002. I gave the 17 stories here an average overall rating of 3.73/5, or “Very good”. Recommended.

The Long: I’ve been reading science fiction by Vernor Vinge for a long time, certainly since the early 1970s.

I suspect I first read his stories in Analog. The first one I really remember is his novelette, “Bookworm, Run!” in the March 1966 Analog. I had that in back issue, certainly purchased and read several years after I started reading Analog.

Over the years I have enjoyed and loved a number of novels and stories by him, being especially fond of the 2001 novella “Fast Times at Fairmont High” (first published here in “The Collected Stories…”, and a Hugo winner and Locus runner-up) and the 1992 novel “A Fire Upon the Deep” (Hugo winner, and Locus and Nebula finalist).

I read “The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge” in 2002, rating it as “Superlative” and noting, “Great collection, with one new one – lots of fun!”

Time went on. Over the last few years, I read several of Vinge’s anthologized stories and enjoyed them. I finally got around to rereading “The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge”, 2001 Tor.

“Collected Stories” includes 17 stories and a great, personal Introduction. One big bonus are the story prefaces and afterwords by Vinge, which are both fun, interesting and insightful.

“The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge” does include most of Vinge’s short fiction published through 2001, missing only “Grimm’s Story“, a novella from “Orbit 4“, Damon Knight editor, 1968 G. P. Putnam’s Sons, and “True Names“, a novella, Binary Star No. 5, 1981 Dell. I assume these were not included both for length issues and because “Grimm’s Story” is part of “Tatja Grimm’s World” fix-up novel and “True Names” has been reprinted fairly often. I don’t remember if Vinge discussed anything pertinent to this in the Introduction or elsewhere.

I know I read all of these stories in 2002, but I really remembered very little except for a few I had read recently.

I don’t think Vinge is an amazing stylist, but I do enjoy what he does with most of these stories. I find the plots, characters, dialog and settings generally work. I loved a number of them, including:

1. “Fast Times at Fairmont High“, a 2001 novella, first published here.
2. “The Barbarian Princess“, a Tatja Grimm novelette, Analog September 1986.
3. “Bookworm, Run!“, a novelette, Analog March 1966.
4. “The Peddler’s Apprentice“, a novelette by Joan D. Vinge and Vernor Vinge, Analog August 1975.
5. “Gemstone“, a novelette, Analog October 1983.
6. “Original Sin“, a novelette, Analog December 1982.
7. “The Blabber“, a Zones of Thought novella, from the Vinge collection, “Threats … and Other Promises“, 1988 Baen.
8. “Win a Nobel Prize!“, a short story, Nature, October 12, 2000.

There were seven stories that I really enjoyed, but that did not quite get to great for me. These were all rated “Very good”.

Finally, there were two stories that I enjoyed but wished that they had been omitted and “True Names” had been selected instead. These were both stories that I rated “Good”.

1. “The Whirligig of Time“, a short story, from “Stellar 1“, Judy-Lynn del Rey editor, 1974 Ballantine Books.
2. “Bomb Scare“, a short story, Analog November 1970, and probably the first Vernor Vinge story I ever read.

It’s worth noting that there were none that I could not finish, which is great.

Reflecting a bit on Vernor Vinge’s overall career when “Collected Stories” was published, it’s clear that novel length work has been his major focus for much of his career. By my count, he had only published 19 stories at novella length or less when this “collected works” collection was published. That’s not a whole lot of short fiction over 36 years.

I did really enjoy rereading this collection. In addition to the stories, I loved the story introductions and afterwords. Even on some of the more minor stories, these were an essential part of this book for me and really helped me enjoy all of them.

My overall rating is 3.73/5, or “Very good”. Although not all 17 stories got to “Great”, I loved reading this. Recommended.

Vernor Vinge has continued to write short fiction since “The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge” was published in 2001. ISFDB notes six stories published since then, the last in 2017. His 2003 novella in Analog, “The Cookie Monster“, won Hugo and Locus Awards and was a Nebula Award finalist. “The Cookie Monster”, “Synthetic Serendipity” (2004) and “A Preliminary Assessment of the Drake Equation, Being an Excerpt from the Memoirs of Star Captain Y.-T. Lee” (2010)  have been reprinted in “Year’s Best” anthologies. Any fair assessment of Vinge’s career will need to include work beyond 2001.

For Vernor Vinge short fiction reading recommendations, I’d read the contents of “The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge“, the 1981 novella “True Names“, and at least the 2003 novella “The Cookie Monster” and some of the other post 2001 works.

Full Comments/Reviews – Nothing But Spoilers!

 Foreword (The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge), a 2001 essay by Vernor Vinge. A great, personal introduction.

“Bookworm, Run!“, a novelette, Analog March 1966. After having first read this in a back issue of Analog, I see I’ve read it at least 4 or 5 times, next in the Vinge collection “True Names … and Other Dangers” (1987 Baen), “The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF (Kathyrn Cramer & David G. Hartwell editors, 1994 Tor), and then in this Vinge collection in 2002 from the library. A chimpanzee with a super computer brain connection and inadvertent access to all the information from the US government, including all of the top secrets, who is a science fiction fan! The chimp Norman decides he needs to escape to Canada, as he is worried about staff figuring out what he knows. He escapes from an immense, underground, randomized maze, and makes it to Marquette. He almost escapes, and almost falls into the hands of an unsuspected Soviet spy ring. The men overseeing the experiment find out the Soviets are doing the same thing with a dog, about to move on to human installation with their leaders. The cat is truly out of the bag. Also very enjoyable and informative are the introduction and postscript by Vinge, which are worth the price alone. Other reprints include “Analog 6“, John W. Campbell, Jr. editor, 1968 Doubleday, and two foreign language publications. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Accomplice“, a short story, If April 1967. I assume I read this the first time I read “The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge”. It has not been reprinted in English other than in several convention program books, with two foreign language publications. Vinge is clear he has very mixed feelings about it. I can understand his feelings, but it reads pretty good, about the theft of supercomputer time, and animation. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“The Peddler’s Apprentice“, a novelette by Joan D. Vinge and Vernor Vinge, Analog August 1975. It’s great to reread this story, of a peddler from out of time with unknowable motives, and one smart local he meets, Wim Buckrey. I also like the interesting role of the World Government here, and what happens to them. Reprints include “The 1976 Annual World’s Best SF“, Arthur W. Saha & Donald A. Wollheim editors, 1976 DAW Books, and “Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year: Fifth Annual Collection“, Lester del Rey editor, 1976 E. P. Dutton, and five foreign language publications. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Ungoverned“, a Realtime novelette, from “Far Frontiers, Volume III/Fall 1985“, Jim Baen & Jerry Pournelle editors, 1985 Baen . A very good story of a future with the bobble, and a very different Midwest, and anarcho-capitalism, and an “armadillo” farmer with a tactical nuke. Reprinted in several Vinge collections, “Give Me Liberty“, Martin H. Greenberg & Mark Tier editors, 2003 Baen, and two foreign language publications. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“Long Shot“, a short story, Analog August 1972. A very good story of an attempt to perpetuate the human race, even in the face of a sun blip, with an intelligent probe to Alpha Centauri. Reprints include “The 1973 Annual World’s Best SF“, Arthur W. Saha & Donald A. Wollheim, 1973 DAW Books, “Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year, Second Annual Collection“, Lester del Rey editor, 1973 E. P. Dutton, “Machines That Think: The Best Science Fiction Stories About Robots and Computers“, Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg & Patricia S. Warrick, 1984 Holt, Rinehart and Winston, “Explorers: SF Adventures to Far Horizons“, Gardner Dozois editor, 2000 St. Martin’s Griffin, and five foreign language publications. Given this magnitude of reprints, I assume that others liked this story more than I did. Rated 3.6/5, or “Very good”.

“Apartness“, a short story, New Worlds SF June 1969. This appear to be Vinge’s first published work. Post Northern Hemisphere world war with atomic bombs, biological and chemical weapons. Southern hemisphere empires. An expedition finds a new group of indigenous people, who turn out to be the degraded descendants of the last remnants of the South African white supremacists. Not bad, but not great, not sure it deserved inclusion. On reread, this is a pretty good story. I’m revising my rating to 3.6/5, or “Very good”. Reprints include “World’s Best Science Fiction: 1966“, Terry Carr & Donald A. Wollheim editors, 1967 Ace Books, and “Under African Skies“, Gardner Dozois & Mike Resnick editors, 1993 DAW Books, and four foreign language publications.

“Conquest by Default” a novelette, Analog May 1968. This appears to be set in the same universe as “Apartness”, with the same Northern World War, but later. Aliens who are human have arrived, and it is a classic colonial threat to humans as the colonized. Anarchy and antitrust are thrown in. Reprints include “Republic and Empire“, John F. Carr & Jerry Pournelle editors, 1987 Baen Books, and two foreign language publications. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“The Whirligig of Time“, a short story, from “Stellar 1“, Judy-Lynn del Rey editor, 1974 Ballantine Books. Good, pretty early Vinge story of a post USSR Empire after a nuclear exchange and a Prince who collects space probes, and revenge. Reprints include “The Stars at War“, John F. Carr & Jerry Pournelle editors, 1986 Baen Books, and three foreign language publications. Rated 3.5/5, or “Good”.

“Bomb Scare“, a short story, Analog November 1970. A good story of an alien invasion of Earth, told by an alien prince. On the verge of destroying all life on Earth, the aliens discover other, more advanced aliens who plan to destroy the solar system and more. They are stopped, by a surprising entity. Reprints include “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow …“, Bonnie L. Heintz, Frank Herbert, Donald A. Joos, & Jane Agorn McGee editors, 1974 Holt, Rinehart and Winston, and two foreign language publications. Rated 3.5/5, or “Good”.

“The Science Fair“, a short story, from “Orbit 9“, Damon Knight editor, 1971 G. P. Putnam’s Sons. An interesting story of an alien industrial spy, hired to protect an alien scientist who has had assassination attempts over an upcoming announcement at the Science Fair. It turns out life will get strange for them all. Two foreign language publications. Rated 3.6/5, or “Very good”.

“Gemstone“, a novelette, Analog October 1983. A great story of a teen struggling through a summer visit with her widowed grandmother in Eureka, California. There turns out to be a semi sentient gemstone from outer space involved. Reprints include “The Year’s Best Science Fiction: First Annual Collection“, Gardner Dozois editor, 1984 Bluejay Books and several foreign language publications. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“Just Peace“, a novelette by William Rupp and Vernor Vinge, Analog December 1971. A duplicate of a man is transmitted to a colony that was essentially destroyed by a core phase change.  He finds that another such cataclysm will destroy the colony again in about 150 years. He must figure out how to unite the warring polities. Oh, and someone had killed him 1.5 years ago, when his first body came to the colony. Reprints include the Vinge collection “Threats … and Other Promises” and two foreign language publications. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“Original Sin“, a novelette, Analog December 1982, which also featured the George R. R. Martin classic “The Second Kind of Loneliness“. A great story of a very bright race with a very short lifespan. Earth has attempted to keep them under control. A corrupt cop and mercenary scientist are hired to give them a long lifetime to be worthy competition to humans. Rather terrifying. Reprints include “Threats … and Other Promises” and two foreign language publications. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Blabber“, a Zones of Thought novella, from the Vinge collection, “Threats … and Other Promises“, 1988 Baen. A great story of a young man and the Blabber, and how neither is who they thought they were. Ravna and the tines appear for the first time. Cleary, and as noted in the story introduction and afterword, Vinge was working on a universe and characters that would show up in “A Fire Upon the Deep“, although it’s set after the events there. Reprints include “New Destinies, Volume VI/Winter 1988“, Jim Baen editor, 1988 Baen Books, “The Good Stuff“, Gardner Dozois editor, 1999 Science Fiction Book Club, and two foreign language publications. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“Win a Nobel Prize!“, a short story, Nature, October 12, 2000. A wonderful and horrifying recruiting ad inserted into the magazine Nature to recruit a tenure track professor to an MRI/t facility that will enable the researcher to perform at a brilliant level, with some possible downsides and a view into possible other horrifying uses. It’s epistolary. Reprints include “Futures from Nature“, Henry Gee editor, 2007 Tor (I need to read this anthology of what appear to be all short shorts) and a number of foreign language publications. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Barbarian Princess“, a Tatja Grimm novelette, Analog September 1986. It’s great to reread this, for perhaps the third or fourth time. A publishing company on a barge that circumnavigates the world in a years long cycle, publishing a “Fantasie” series of fantastic literature, and other things also. A barbarian “princess” plays a role in saving some crew from death and torture. For all that she is the daughter of a primitive and poor tribe, she is quite scary in terms of ambition and intellect and will not stay on the barge in the publishing business. Hugo Award finalist, with two foreign language publications. Rated 3.9/5, or “Great”.

“Fast Times at Fairmont High“, a 2001 novella, first published here. I believe I have read this before, but remember nothing. Great story of a future school in San Diego, lot of virtual stuff. And perhaps escaped genemod mice. Great characters, dialog, plot, etc. Upon 2023 reread, even better. Upgraded rating to 4.1. I love the characters. I love watching the evolution of Juan, and that he ends up not under the thumb of the horrifying Bertie Todd. We never find out any real “who is he” information on Bertie Todd, but it’s clear he is not Juan’s friend. I had also forgotten that this “Collected Stories…” is the first place “Fast Times at Fairmont High” was published. Hugo Winner, Locus runner-up. More than a few reprints, including “The Hard SF Renaissance“, Kathryn Cramer & David G. Hartwell editors, 2002 Tor, “Sense of Wonder: A Century of Science Fiction“, Leigh Ronald Grossman editor, 2011 Wildside Press (I review this and five other surveys of mostly 20th Century SF at “A Ton of Science Fiction!“), and three foreign language publications. Rated 4.1/5, or “Superlative”.