The Best of Hal Clement edited by the late Lester Del Rey (
ISFDB,
Wikipedia) is a vintage collection of short stories and a retrospective essay by the late titular author (
ISFDB,
Wikipedia), a 1999 recipient of the SFWA Nebula Awards' Grand Master nod and inductee of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, originally compiled in 1979 by Ballantine's Del Rey Books imprint and now e-printed by publisher Phoenix Pick Press.
This is their featured Free Ebook of the Month for August.
Currently free throughout August directly @
the publisher's special promo page (DRM-free ePub/Mobi bundle available worldwide in exchange for your valid email address).
There's also a rather nice bundle deal available for an additional 2 best-of story collections for just $5.99 by other deceased greats in the field: 1979 SFWA Grand Master L. Sprague de Camp (
ISFDB,
Wikipedia), whose old series you may have been enjoying as the recent Baen reprints, and Edmond Hamilton (
ISFDB,
Wikipedia), whose pulp space adventure collaborations with wife Leigh Brackett (
ISFDB,
Wikipedia) you may also have been enjoying from the Baen e-prints.
And this has been the selected 3rd (non-repeat) free ebook thread of the day.
Because classic science fiction from a period-influential author that's been finally brought back into print, with a tie-in option on getting more classic science fiction from even more period-influential authors, is always doubleplus good.
Enjoy!
Description
Hal Clement, one of the all-time greats of science fiction, was defining hard science fiction before such distinctions were even being thought of. He once described his approach to writing: “[T]he rules must be quite simple. They are; for the reader of a science-fiction story, they consist of finding as many as possible of the author’s statements or implications which conflict with the facts as science currently understands them. For the author, the rule is to make as few such slips as he possibly can.”
He was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1999 and an annual award for Excellence in Children’s Science Fiction has been established in his memory and is presented each year at the annual Worldcon.
This collection presents some of his finest shorter pieces as collected by his friend and colleague, Lester del Rey.