Book Review- "Man Against Tomorrow" Edited by William F. Nolan.

"Man Against Tomorrow" Edited by William F. Nolan is probably the best collection of Science Fiction stories that I have read.

  All the stories in the volume are great, but my personal favorites are:"The Room" by Ray Russell in which the main character will do anything to escape the incessant bombardment of future business advertising.

"After The Sirens" by Hugh Hood is a frightening real-time depiction of an attack on a city with a nuclear weapon.

"The Seventh Victim" by Robert Sheckley envisions a time when it has become legal for people to kill other people for recreation.

In "The Freeway" by George Clayton Johnson a middle aged man feels helpless when something goes awry in a future automated transportation infrastructure.

 and lastly: "Nobody Starves" by Ron Goulart is a hilarious satire of a lone man trying to fight a tangled future government bureaucracy.

"The Follower" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Steve first met Malone at a party when he was 13 years old. Malone was there with someone from  his school. Steve couldn't recall ever  seeing Malone after the party, but it's possible that they may have done something together.

The next time, Steve saw Malone was at college. Malone was visiting a friend and Steve invited him out for a beer. After that night, Malone disappeared again.

Several years later, Steve was on a business trip to Texas when he ran into Malone at a golf course. They played a game of golf and then had dinner.Later on in his hotel room, Steve pondered the encounter.

It seemed strange to him that he kept running into Malone at random locations over a couple of decades, but he couldn't come up with any explanation.

Steve eventually married and on a vacation to France he ran into Malone at a winery. Once again they had dinner together. Malone was in France because of some business venture. Half-way through the dinner.Steve complained of a headache and went back to his room.

After the trip, Steve accepted a new job in the Midwest far from his roots in California. Steve and his wife Laura were very  happy and were blessed with two fine sons. 

While at a Little League game to watch his oldest son play Catcher, Steve was astonished to see Malone in the bleachers. Malone of course spotted him. Malone said he was working as a long-haul trucker and needed a break from the road so he stopped to watch the game.

Steve didn't believe any of it. Still, he couldn't come up with any reason for his encounters with Malone. Malone was always friendly and had never threatened or done anything remotely hostile. If Steve went to the police, they would think he was crazy.

Fifteen years later, Steve and his wife divorced. The happy life together that he had envisioned somehow disappeared. Steve moved to Florida and was not in the least surprised to run into Malone. 

Malone was working as a salesman for an equipment manufacturer and was negotiating an order with a local distributor. For once, Steve was actually happy to see Malone. The divorce had been painful and his boys were away at college and he rarely heard from them.

Steve moved back to California after he retired. One day while walking on the beach, he noticed a figure in the distance. It was of course Malone.


Steve bought some burgers and he and Malone ate on the beach. "Have you ever wondered why we keep running into each other in different places over such a long period of time?" he asked Malone. Malone nodded " I have this talent that I wasn't really aware of until recently.When there is someone I want to see, events come together to take me to that person." Malone replied. " I can't really explain it beyond that." he said

"Well, however you found me, I'm glad you're here" Steve replied as he offered Malone another hamburger.

"Amphibian" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Forgotten by time, the Amphibian, lived in a natural cave at the bottom of an un-named lake in the Cascade Mountains. At one time there were others of its kind, but now there remained only one.

The Amphibian's diet consisted of fish and other water animals that wandered into the cave. Sometimes, one of the odd surface creatures found the cave. The creature didn't care  for the vocal sounds the surface creatures made and their bones were large and hard to digest.

After a time, the fish that wandered into the cave became less numerous and the Amphibian grew hungry. One night, the creature left the cave and swam to the surface. The creature breathed in the cool night air with lungs that had not been used in years.

The Amphibian noticed a light on the shore of the lake and swam toward it. Several of the surface creatures were around the light. The creature reasoned that one or two of the surface creatures should supply enough food for a while.

The surface creatures began making their vocal sounds when they saw him. The Amphibian grabbed one in its jaws and began taking it back to the cave. The other surface creatures continued their  sounds and then there was a new sound followed by a searing pain in the Amphibian's side. 

The new sound came again and again and the Amphibian knew that he was terribly injured. Dropping the surface creature, he made his way back to the cave. 

The Amphibian missed those of his kind. Perhaps if some of the others had survived things would have been different, but now all that was over. There was no  room anymore for the old ones. The world now belonged to those that came after.