Judgment Night: A Selection of Science Fiction

Description

Released in 1952, Judgment Night collects five Moore novellas from the pages of editor John W. Campbell, Jr.'s Astounding Science Fiction magazine: ''JUDGMENT NIGHT'' (first published in August and September, 1943) balances a lush rendering of a future galactic empire with a sober meditation on the nature of power and its inevitable loss; ''THE CODE'' (July, 1945) pays homage to the classic Faust with modern theories and Lovecraftian dread; ''PROMISED LAND'' (February, 1950) and ''HEIR APPARENT'' (July, 1950) both document the grim twisting that mankind must undergo in order to spread into the solar system; ''PARADISE STREET'' (September, 1950) shows a futuristic take on the old western conflict between lone hunter and wilderness-taming settlers. Chosen by the author herself as the best of her longer-form writing, these stories show a gifted wordsmith working at the height of her talents.

C.L. Moore (1911-1987) was born in Indianapolis and became a leading author of science fantasies for WEIRD TALES in the 1930s. After her marriage to fellow SF writer Henry Kuttner in 1940 she concentrated on writing science fiction, usually in collaboration with her husband. She turned to screenwriting after his untimely death; her TV series included MAVERICK and 77 SUNSET STRIP.