Review: ...and Three Volumes Means a Series
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 30, 2012
This is the third Science Fiction Megapack, following the success of the first two volumes,The Science Fiction Megapack: 25 Modern & Classic Tales by MastersandThe Second Science Fiction Megapack.  These 26 stories are from science fiction's golden age. Some should be considered "late golden age."Five stories that stood out--In Phillip K. Dick's "The Gun" a spaceship crew disables the last gun in a new planet's defense system.  There is nobody left to repair it.In Charles De Vet's "Monkey on His Back" a therapist helps an amnesiac piece together his fragmented memories to discover who he is.  This may not turn out to be a good idea.Frank Belknap Long's "The Calm Man" is the perfect husband except for his lack of emotions.  And his secret.Robert Silverberg's "The Hunted Heroes" takes us along with the husband-and-wife prospecting team Ron and Val as they search for precious metals on Mars.  They need a big discovery to keep them going.H. Beam Piper's "Little Fuzzy" is a first contact story.  Human settlers must determine whether cute, teddy bear-like aliens are sapient.  If they are, the planet must be abandoned by the human settlers.  This novel-length story is also available in its own book,Little Fuzzy.This collection has some interesting stories, but most do not achieve the same high quality found in the first volume.  The quality does, however, seem higher than the second volume.  Perhaps the series will recover from its shaky second act.  Readers may wish continue their review of this series with the fourth volume,The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack.