Card, Orson Scott (ed) - Masterpieces / Кард, Орсон Скотт (ред) - Шедевры [2004, fb2, ENG]

Introduction by Orson Scott Card Call Me Joe / Зовите меня Джо novelette by Poul Anderson "All You Zombies—" / Все вы зомби... short story by Robert A. Heinlein Tunesmith / Музыкодел novelette by Lloyd Biggle, Jr. A Saucer of Loneliness / Летающая тарелка одиночества short story by Theodore Sturgeon Robot Dreams / Сны роботов short story by Isaac Asimov Devolution / Эволюция short story by Edmond Hamilton The Nine Billion Names of God / Девять миллиардов имён Бога short story by Arthur C. Clarke A Work of Art / Произведение искусства short story by James Blish Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed / Были они смуглые и золотоглазые short story by Ray Bradbury "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman / «Покайся, Арлекин!» — сказал Тиктакщик short story by Harlan Ellison Eurema's Dam / Вначале был костыль short story by R. A. Lafferty Passengers / Пассажиры short story by Robert Silverberg The Tunnel Under the World / Туннель под миром novelette by Frederik Pohl Who Can Replace a Man? / Кто может заменить человека? short story by Brian W. Aldiss The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas / Уходящие из Омеласа short story by Ursula K. Le Guin Inconstant Moon / Изменчивая луна novelette by Larry Niven Sandkings / Короли-пустынники novelette by George R. R. Martin The Road Not Taken / Дороги, которые мы не выбираем novelette by Harry Turtledove Dogfight / Поединок novelette by William Gibson and Michael Swanwick Face Value short story by Karen Joy Fowler Pots novelette by C. J. Cherryh Snow short story by John Crowley Rat short story by James Patrick Kelly Bears Discover Fire / Медведи познают огонь short story by Terry Bisson A Clean Escape short story by John Kessel Tourists short story by Lisa Goldstein One / Один short story by George Alec Effinger

IT WAS YEAR 30, Day 1, the anniversary of Dr. Leslie Gillette’s leaving Earth. Standing alone at the port, he stared out at the empty expanse of null space. “At eight o’clock, the temperature in the interstellar void is a negative two hundred seventy-three degrees Celsius,” he said. “Even without the wind chill factor, that’s cold. That’s pretty damn cold.” A readout board had told him that morning that the ship and its lonely passenger would be reaching the vicinity of a star system before bedtime. Gillette didn’t recall the name of the star—it had only been a number in a catalogue. He had long since lost interest in them. In the beginning, in the first few years when Jessica had still been with him, he had eagerly asked the board to show them where in Earth’s night sky each star was located. They had taken a certain amount of pleasure in examining at close hand stars which they recognized as features of major constellations. That had passed. After they had visited a few thousand stars, they grew less interested. After they had discovered yet more planetary bodies, they almost became weary of the search. Almost. The Gillettes still had enough scientific curiosity to keep them going, farther and farther from their starting point. But now the initial inspiration was gone. Rather than wait by the port until the electronic navigator slipped the ship back into normal space, he turned and left the control room. He didn’t feel like searching for habitable planets. It was getting late, and he could do it the next morning. He fed his cat instead. He punched up the code and took the cat’s dinner from the galley chute. “Here you go,” said Gillette. “Eat it and be happy with it. I want to read a little before I go to sleep.” As he walked toward his quarters he felt the mild thrumming of the corridor’s floor and walls that meant the ship had passed into real space. The ship didn’t need directions from Gillette; it had already plotted a safe and convenient orbit in which to park, based on the size and characteristics of the star. The planets, if any, would all be there in the morning, waiting for Dr. Gillette to examine them, classify them, name them, and abandon them. Unless, of course, he found life anywhere. . . .