Series ✦ Penny’s Take
Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories #24
Isaac Asimov · 1992
70/100
👍 Worth It
Greenberg's editorial rigour keeps this retrospective of 1962 science fiction genuinely valuable — Cordwainer Smith, Poul Anderson, J.G. Ballard, and Fritz Leiber in one volume is a strong hand. Harry Harrison's 'Streets of Ashkelon' is a provocative anti-missionary story that will unsettle faith-oriented readers, so that's worth knowing going in. The absence of Asimov's signature headnotes (he died before completing them) is a real loss for a series defined by his voice.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
⚠ Parent note — our reviewers flagged: Contains 'The Streets of Ashkelon' — a story depicting a crucifixion that critiques Christian missionary work; may offend faith-oriented readers. We still scored it 70; these are context for your family, not an automatic skip.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety62
Substance / usefulness78
Craft & writing76
Originality72
Evidence & accuracy80
Hype vs delivers78
Age-fit72
👁 Human-eye gut-check74
Penny’s verdict70
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