A quick read of some enjoyable short stories that left me very contented. Stilted language and anachronistic issues aside, each tale makes you think, and I came away satisfied with the light mental exercise.

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This is the second half of a delightful compendium of science fiction stories, with the emphasis truly on science. As well as being editor, Isaac Asimov has made comments on each of the stories and offered reading suggestions for those whose interest has been piqued. Orbital mechanics, biology, physics and exploration of the moon have their outings in tales written between 1953 and 1958, with Larry Niven's 'Neutron Star' from 1966 tacked on the end.

'Neutron Star' has long been a favourite, and it was nice to re-acquaint myself with it. 'Country Doctor' left me totally cold, and the attitudes in some of the others to things like smoking seem just so strange and grating now. A lot of practicalities have been thrown out of the window by the authors, but this is purely to give a hook to hang the story on, as Asimov points out. The central conceit in each story is entertaining enough to bump my rating of this book up, with both 'The Holes Around Mars' by Jerome Bixby and 'The Cave of Night' by James E. Gunn winning on this score. In terms of fun, 'The Big Bounce' by Walter S. Tevis is the one that joins 'Neutron Star' at the top of my list.

If you are going to pick holes in the science, then this isn't for you, but if you're up for a few light-hearted romps with a fairly strong dose of mental stimulation, then you can't go far wrong with this anthology. (OK, you also need to put your blinkers on to the '50s attitudes that are in evidence, but please don't let that spoil your enjoyment.) ( )