Judgment Night: A Selection of Science Fiction

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.