Best of OMNI Issue #4

a THE BEST OF onnrui SCIENCE FICTION NO. 4 Three never-before-published stories and quently published in Omni and believed by two science fiction classics are included the editors of this anthology to possess an among the contents of this, the fourth in a extraordinary and still-unfolding talent. The very popular and widely-selling series. The section of SF originals is highlighted by volume is organized into five sections and is Spider Robinson's story "Rubber Soul"— illustrated throughout with artwork that has new kind of science fiction in which the re- earned for Omni magazine a reputation for turn of a martyred rock superstar puts right superlative graphics. Two of the sections certain celebrated relationships. The sci- consist of outstanding stories and pictorials ence fiction classics section is comprised of originally published in Omni. The section a renowned story by Alfred Bester and one titled "An Orson Scott Card Celebration" by Brian W. Aldiss, each a giant of the gives due recognition to an author fre- genre and each proudly presented here. EDITED BY BEN BOVA AND DON MYRUS THE BEST OF Dnnrui SCIENCE FICTION NO. 4 OMNI ENCORE/PART ONE 6 OUR LADY OF THE SAUROPODS by Robert Silverberg 12 DREAMTIME Pictorial Paintings by various artists 20 MARCHIANNA by Kevin O Donnell. Jr. 24 DARK SANCTUARY by Gregory Benford 29 SIGMUND IN SPACE by Barry N. Malzberg 32 LIGHT VOYAGER Pictorial Paintings by John Berkey 38 VALLEY OF THE Kl LNS by James B. Hall '_ AN ORSON SCOTT CARD CELEBRATION 44 FAT FARM and his agent. Curtis Brown Associates Lid. Copyright-© 1980 by John Morressy" "Eastern 49 QUIETUS Exposures" pictorial published with the coop- eration of Japan Creators' Association. 54 ST AMY'S TALE Copyright© 1982 by Omni Publications 62 DEEP-BREATHING EXERCISES International Ltd.. 909 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y 10022. AH rights reserved. Nothing may be 66 NOBLE SAVAGE Piclorial Paintings by Boris Vallejo reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Published SCIENCE FICTION ORIGINALS simultaneously in the United States of America and in Canada. First edition. Printed in the 74 RUBBER SOUL by Spider Robinson United States of America by Meredith Printing Corporation end distributed In the U.S.A.. 78 I AM LARGE. I CONTAIN MULTITUDES by Melisa Michaels Canada, U.S ler.-ito-isi ousssssions ancl |he world (except tha U.K.] by Curtis Circulation 80 LOVE CALLS by Oxford Williams Company, 2i Henderson Drive. West Caldwell, SCIENCE FICTION CLASSICS FONDLY FAHRENHEIT by Alfred Bester MY LADY OFTHE PSYCHIATRIC SORROWS by Brian W. Aldiss OMNI ENCORE/ PART TWO 102 OUT OF LUCK by Walter Tevis 108 RETURN FROM THE STARS by Stanislaw Lem COVER- PAA"ING BY VIICHAEL R WHELAN 114 TRANSFORMATIONS Pictorial Paintings by Bob Venosa FACING PAGE PA.V; ING BY DON DIXON and Marshall Arisman 118 THE PRESIDENT'S IMAGE by Stephen Robinett 121 FUTURE BOOKS by Cynthia Darnell 122 SOUL SEARCH by Spider Robinson 127 SAVE THE TOAD! by Norman Spinrad 128 GIANT ON THE BEACH by John Keelauver 131 STRIKE! by Isaac Asimov 132 THE LAST JERRY FAGIN SHOW by John Morressy 138 EASTERN EXPOSURES Pictorial Paintings by various artists OlVlfUl oruE Death was waiting among the dinosaurs- untii she found s purpose for her life OUR LADY OF BY ROBERT SILVERBERG ' 21 Augusl 0-'?.( ..-> la— inulessnce the module metdown. ": I can't see ne madtagu —iere. but can smell it bitter and sour aca "•::*": w E tropical atr :ve/ found ac'e" n the 'ocks. J ; a Kind of sha c.\ cavern .vnerel'll oe sa e 'om the tiinosau'S for a ; wni e It's snie dec by tnick clumps o cycaos. anc: ir any case i: 3 r toe small to Ihe b.g preca'.o's "0 enter But sooner or ater I rn going 7 p to need food, anc then what 1 iave no weapons. How long can ore woman asl slrancieci arc mcs ot less nelp ess aboard Dii^c ; s and. a nafcitsl L.ni: not quite fi teen hurcre-o mete's in d.ameter that sne's shartngwrlfl s bunch pf active. hungry dinosaurs'7 I Keep tailing myself that none of Ihis is really happening Only I M,' escaoesti nas rneshaKy i car tgetoul of my mmd the funny r i" euuob ng sou :o the liny powerpa< mace as it began to cvemea' m something like fourteen seconds my lovely mobile module became a chafed heap of fused -together junk tgkmg with it ~-y communicator unit, my food supply my laser gun, and |us: about 9VS rything else. But for the warning that funny little sound gave me. I'd be so much charred junk, too Better off thai way. most likely. When I close my eyes, I imagine I can see Haoiiai Vrpnsky float ng serenely in orbil a mere one hundred twenty kilometers away, What a beautiful sight 1 The walls gleaming like platinum, the great mirror collecting sunlight and fishing i; into the windows, the agricultural satc'iites wheeling around it like a dozen liny moons. I could almost reach cu: and touch i; Tap on the shielding and might I murmur, "Help me. come for me, rescue me. 'Bui I jusi as we Seoul beyond Meplune as silting here in the adjoining Lagrange slot. There's no way I can cad for help. The moment I move outside this protective cleft in the rock i m at the mercy of my saurlans. and :heir mercy is no* lively to be tonder Mow it's beginning to ran - a'lificial. like practically everything PAINTING BY FRANK FRAZETTA : land and see r ' oar fnc a tells' nieeout else on Dine island Bui I eels you just as for anything we: as :ne riaiursl kino And just as clammy This one simply isn't adequate Pfaugh more than short-term huddling Besides, I'm not as spooked as I was right after the Jesus, what am I going to do? meltdown, I realize now that I 'm not go- ng to find hiding behind every 0815 hours. The rain is over for now. It'll a lyrannosaur even if ! do. ryrannosau's aren't come again in six hours. Astonishing how tree. And scrawny muggy, dank ihck the ar is. Simply breath- going to be much interested m ing is ha'c wo'K and I feel as though mil- uding for way. I'm a quick-v ttea higher pr i;ew is forming or my lungs. I miss Vron- sky'sclea' enso evelaslingspringtimeair, ialian ancestor 3 were able t e Whether i :o be able row os. it was d bererv wie'i I got out ~odu c Scatte'edphe r o"-o-iesa : jvs 6 I'm a quick-witted higher primate. If my humble mammalian ancestors were able to elude dinosaurs well enough to inherit the earth, I should be able It withcaws, making iltle clucking souros Coses! I've ever been to a live to keep from getting dinosaur. Glad it was one of the little ones. eaten for , . thirty days3 0900 hours Getting hungry. What am I going -o eat? Thev sav -oasioc eveae cones my t ;oc bad. How about raw ones" So many plants are edib e whe^ coo-^ec and ooisorous -\q~ otherwise I never sludied such th n detail Living n our antisepnc h't e L5 Wiggle, twis'. r there. Not as jnate San Diego fleshy as .1 loo* in fact. Its a little rt politi- like munchino 5'. Decent flavor, became though And naybe s :me useful car- boh yd rate. The shuttle sn't due o pick me up for thirty davs No to come looking -> Righ: ferns anc horseta Is and palms and ginkgos ano auracanas. and thick carpets = in Ih ol and selagmeilas and liverworts ot bessec isola: on on Dine Island! 1130hours... I ly Cuucned s mosses mdtothatconstantdullthrobbing inmy cleft forever. I'n o explore Dino Is- covering the ground Everything has oencec arc! merged and run amok, It's With rain showers c rug rammed to fall four scrunchec cowr as cee r hard now to recall the bare and unnatural times a day, it's better to go naked anyway. rhe wa m, ooz ng mud look of the island when we first laid it out Mother Eve of the Mesozoic tna:s-e Anc had no place to shtne' Now it's a seamless tapestry in green and w'thojt my soggy :umc I find that I don't mored, it cou d on , ma brown, a dense jungle broken only by -- nd :ne greemouse atmosphere of tne sounds, terror mingled it streams, lakes, and meadows, encapsu- habitat half as much as I did, [he killer bore down on " I ated spherical metal wai s sons five .t tos vvnai ;ar find. I had to watch. hao m kilometers in circumference The up and about ai'c-ady a kill before. And the animals the wonderful, fantas- unching away, the car- In a graceless but wo tic, grotesque animals. way the tyrann.osaur dug We don't pretend that the real Mesozoic the ground, pivoted a; ever held any sucn mix or fauna as I've moved in a ninety-degre. corythosaur down witl sidewise swat of its hue rary With iguartodon. a ;> lo unssier: - c been expecting that, !unole of Triassic. Jurassic, and C r ela- dropped and lay on its ceous, a hundred million years of the di- pain and feebly wavm nosaur reign scrambled together We take came the coup de grac wha* we car oe" Olsen-nrocess recon and then the rending ant ? structsrequ re e, i oeil ^ossi QNA Is pat- luggardlycrocodii- and the tiny arms at last ney were, If only for Burrowing chin-deep in tl been aole to find that n only some twenty in awe ana weird fasc _ species so far ne worder is :nai we've those among l.e ;.!":, :;': accomplished even mat much ro rep icate 1130 How-, A busy morning My first en- vores ought the complete DNA mo ecule from battered counter with a major predator.

Load more