(pb; 1953: science fiction story anthology)
From the back cover
“Meet a terrifying creature on a remote Pacific Island whose soul is atomic fire.
“Observe the first man on Venus encounter a can of paint—a maddening test of his capacities for survival.
“Read the bizarre correspondence between two interstellar pen pals.
“Watch an artificial, manlike monster turn against its captors and threaten a cosmic empire.
“Follow a lovely saleswoman of uncanny gadgets on a tour through new vistas of time and space.”
Overall review
The stories within this collection range from solid to excellent, a superior-to-other-anthologies book that’s worth owning, if you’re a science fiction and turn-on-a-sentence-or-two writing.
Review, story by story
“Far Centaurus”: A four-man crew on a five-hundred-year mission encounter unexpected death, and a daunting alien encounter—are they saved or doomed by their intentions, and do the aliens, as well as a fractured crewmate (Jim Renfrew) have their best interests at heart?
This is one my all-time favorite science fiction tales, with initially-solid-then-great-written characters and motives, and a memorable twist, that thrilled me not only as a reader and a writer.
“The Monster”: On an
environmentally devastated planet, a team of dismayed alien scientists
encounter a willful, wily human. Solid story.
“Dormant”: A
resurrected “monster” awakens to find itself being investigated then attacked
by militaristic humans—with serious repercussions for all involved. Good,
creature-interesting read.
“The Enchanted Village”:
The only survivor (Jenner) of a ship-crash on desolate, hot Mars stumbles onto
a strangely pristine village that poses challenges and possibilities for
survival for the desperate astronaut. Intriguing, fun, unpredictable tale, one
of my favorites in Destination.
“A Can of Paint”: A thematic-and-structural-sequel-of-sorts to “The Enchanted Village”, “Can” tells of the Venusian adventures of an astronaut (Kilgour), the first man to successfully land on Venus—not unlike Jenner’s relationship with Mars in “Enchanted”.
Kilgour finds a small cube
outside his ship, and once he starts understanding it, tries to find a way out
of his possibly fatal dilemma. Humorously light, tightly written and edited
(while maintaining a boisterous spirit) and memorable. This, too, is one of my
favorite entries in Destination.
“Defence”: Old machinery within a “dead planet” turns on, setting off a chain of chaotic events. Excellent, sharp two-page story.
“The Rulers”: At a
Washington dinner party, a guest (Dr. Latham) recounts how he dealt with a
thirteen-member, h-drug-pushing cabal. What is h-drug? Read and
find out! Good, fun stuff.
“Dear Pen Pal”: A
criminal alien (Skander, on planet Aurigae II) becomes pen pals with a wary
Earthling—resulting in possibly twisty, dangerous communications. Solid, word-economical,
fun.
“The Sound”: Yevds
(alien spies), intent on defeating humans, kidnap and try to manipulate a boy
(Diddy) into helping them with their espionage. Good, offbeat story.
“The Search”: Ralph Carson Drake, Quik-Rite Company stationary salesman, wakes in the hospital; it seems he has amnesia regarding his activities for the past two weeks. When he retraces his steps leading up to them, wild truths and characters gradually reveal themselves—and himself. Excellent speculative fiction piece.
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