The four authors involved in this volume are Harlan Ellison, Diane Duane, John M. Ford, and Howard V. Hendrix.
These four stories in volume 1 are associated with the television series, either the original or the revival.
These stories are good examples of the reason I read science fiction. Each has its particular sub-genre - whether that is a war story, horror story, or even a variation on a famous theme - in this case a Frankenstein story and an "it came from outer space" story. But all of these stories are unique and original in their own way. Each makes you think and imagine and reconsider the world around you as if it might not be quite what you thought it was.
I have read a number of Harlan Ellison's works, and his is a staggering talent and imagination. I would highly recommend you read at least a few of his stories.
Diane Duane is a competent writer and I've enjoyed several of her books. They are worth reading, and she seems able to work within and respect whatever world or assumptions she starts with. Perhaps that is a mark of a truly great writer.
The other two authors I am not familiar with, although their work in this volume is very good.
If you are not familiar with the television series "The Outer Limits", it ran in the mid-1960's, and then a decent revival in the 1990's. Although it only ran a season and a half in its original incarnation, it has proven to be a classic and seems to be available every so often on the Sci Fi channel or elsewhere on cable TV.
At the time, I don't think there was anything else like it, or if there were things in the same general bent, they didn't seem to be as serious and thought-provoking. The series is well worth looking up. These four stories are either the stories upon which the teleplays were based or vice versa, stories that were written based on the teleplays.
It's worth a read. I've read it twice myself. The book is published by Prima Publishing.
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