The Second Golden Age of Science Fiction is a collection of science fiction stories by Mark Clifton who was an American science fiction writer who was first published in 1952. He won the Hugo Award for best novel in 1958 for They’d Rather Be Right which is included in this collection.

Like all collections, I enjoyed some of the stories much more than others. I actually wasn’t all that taken with the Hugo winner, much preferring the first story “Star Bright” from 1952 which concerns a father discovering that his young daughter is much brighter than he, in fact, using ESP she has worked out how to time travel and how to travel to other planets. But although she is of a far superior mind, she is still a little girl and how is he going to be able to keep her safe. My other favorite story was “Do Unto Others” (1958), in this short and humorous story, a young man accompanies his strait-laced aunt as she travels to another planet to ensure the aliens are clothed and not walking around naked.

Considered an innovator of science fiction his stories are of alien invasion, expanding technology, and space colonization but as he was writing in the 1950s his work gives us insight into what people were thinking about and concerned with at that time. He seemed to feel that advanced technology was something to be feared far more than aliens. The Second Golden Age of Science Fiction was an interesting collection that I enjoyed. ( )

This is a compilation of works by Mark Clifton (1906-1963) was an American science fiction writer, the co-winner of the first ever Hugo Award for best novel. This is classical SF at its best (and worst). Among the worst such notions that Mobius is described in physics’ book, multi-value physics, people aging and being sick only due to psychosomatic forces.
A lot of interesting but rather naïve ideas, ESP, strange aliens, mad scientists, etc. one of the main themes is that academic science is ossified, unable to adopt to new ideas.

STAR BRIGHT – a short story about super bright little girl 5/5
THE KENZIE REPORT – we want to contact minds on other planets but don’t try to contact life under our feet, like ants. 5/5
WE'RE CIVILIZED! – what being civilized mean? 2/5
SENSE FROM THOUGHT DIVIDE – call for more holistic picture of the world. 2/5
A WOMAN'S PLACE – ‘healing’ a feminist by sending her to a place, where her ‘womanness’ is paramount or survival. 3/5
DO UNTO OTHERS – prudish matrons decide to make aliens more civilized by dressing them up 4/5
THEY'D RATHER BE RIGHT – a telepath seeks for a related soul and builds AI. 4/5
WHAT NOW, LITTLE MAN? – allegory to racism 4/5
EIGHT KEYS TO EDEN – a new colony named Eden, idyllic place where nothing bad can happen stops contacting authorities 4/5
( )