William Tenn – författare

Suppose... a man who was blasted into our time from the future arrived without any clothes? Suppose... a man who craved the love of beautiful women got too much of it? Suppose... a conscientious young realtor refused to rent a floor in an office building because it didn''t exist? On such faintly horrifying, delightfully absurd speculations are some of these stories founded. With a keen satiric touch William Tenn uses his insight into contemporary life as a springboard into an absolutely believable, if slightly wacky, future.

Originally published in 1956, this collection of early gems won acclaim from reviewers all over the country, richly deserving a place as one of six simultaneously published volumes celebrating William Tenn. The Human Angle contains the following:Project HushThe Discovery of Morniel MathawayWednesday''s ChildParty of the Two PartsThe Flat-Eyed MonsterThe Human AngleA Man of Family

The general theme of this collection is an ironic and sometimes bitter comment on man''s stupidity to man. But Tenn''s humor is irrepressible and bursts forth in a joyous political satire on the wars of the sexes titled "The Masculinist Revolt" - which may yet bring codpieces back into fashion. The Wooden Star contains the following:Generation of NoahBrooklyn ProjectThe Dark StarNull-PEastward Ho!The DeserterBetelgeuse Bridge"Will You Walk a Little Faster"It Ends with a FlickerLisbon CubedThe Masculinist Revolt

Featuring man''s staggering journey to the stars... In a Tenn''s-eye view of the world, "staggering" can be interpreted in more ways than one, of course. Notably - The warm, human interpretation The feminist interpretation The green-transparent-bubble interpretation The man-in-the-street interpretation Mr. Tenn has included a charming witch tale, a really delicious vampire item, and a superior machine (intergalactic hit) story. These have nothing to do with man''s staggering journey to the stars. They are simply here to add to the confusion. Then again, why couldn''t they have something to do with the square root of man?

Giant, technologically superior aliens have conquered Earth, but humankind survives - even flourishes in a way. Men and women live, like mice, in burrows in the massive walls of the huge homes of the aliens, and scurry about under their feet, stealing from them. A complex social and religious order has evolved, with women preserving knowledge and working as healers, and men serving as warriors and thieves. For the aliens, men and women are just a nuisance, nothing more than vermin. Which, ironically, may just be humankind''s strength and point the way forward.

The tiny lifeboat seemed to hang suspended from its one working rear jet, then it sideslipped and began to spin violently downwards to the sickly orange ground of the planet. Inside the narrow cabin, Dr. Helena Naxos was hurled away from the patient she was tending and slammed into a solid bulkhead. The shock jolted the breath out of her. She shook her head and grabbed frantically at an overhead support as the cabin tilted again. Jake Donelli glared up from the viewscreen where the alien earth expanded at him.