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Surface Tension

James Blish

First published August 1952
Type Short Fiction
Length Novelette
Series Pantropy

Synopsis

A colonisation ship crash-lands on a remote planet. Knowing they won't live to see the results, the crew continue their mission by engineering some humans to survive among the aquatic microbes that dominate this world.

Notes

In The Seedling Stars the Galaxy magazine version of "Surface Tension" has "Sunken Universe" (Super Science Stories, May 1942) inserted as "Cycle One" between the prologue, where the "normal" humans seed the planet, and the rest of the story (which is described in the book version as "Cycle Two").

External Links

Wikipedia

Awards

YearAwardCategoryStatus
2012 Locus Online 20th Century Novelette Nominee/Finalist

Publications (69)

Date Publication Publisher Type Page
August 1952 Galaxy Science Fiction, August 1952 Galaxy Publishing Corporation MAGAZINE 4
March 1953 Year's Best Science Fiction Novels: 1953 Frederick Fell Anthology 131
January 1954 6 Great Short Novels of Science Fiction Dell Anthology 275
April 1954 Second Galaxy Reader of Science Fiction Crown Publishers Anthology 174
1955 Category Phoenix The Bodley Head Anthology 139
August 1955 Selected Science Fiction Magazine, Number 4 Malian Press MAGAZINE
October 1956 6 Great Short Novels of Science Fiction Dell Anthology 275
1957 The Seedling Stars Gnome Press Collection 103
February 1959 The Seedling Stars Signet / New American Library Collection 89
September 1964 The Seedling Stars Signet / New American Library Collection 89
September 1964 The Seedling Stars Signet / New American Library of Canada Collection 89
1965 Best Science Fiction Stories of James Blish Faber and Faber Collection 72
1967 The Seedling Stars Faber and Faber Collection 101
April 1970 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One Doubleday Anthology 392
May 1970 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One Doubleday / SFBC Anthology 392
April 1971 Where Do We Go from Here? Doubleday Anthology 171
July 1971 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Avon Anthology 477
July 1971 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Avon Anthology 477
August 1971 Where Do We Go from Here? Doubleday / SFBC Anthology 171
1972 Bug-Eyed Monsters Sidgwick & Jackson Anthology 89
1972 The Seedling Stars Arrow Books Collection 107
1972 Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol Two Sphere Anthology |8
1972 Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume Two Sphere Anthology |8
April 1972 The Seedling Stars Signet / New American Library of Canada Collection 89
May 1972 Wondermakers Fawcett Premier Anthology 276
October 1972 Where Do We Go from Here? Fawcett Crest Anthology 157
October 1972 Where Do We Go from Here? Fawcett Crest Anthology 157
November 1972 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Avon Anthology 477
1973 A Science Fiction Reader Charles Scribner's Sons Anthology 148
1973 The Seedling Stars Signet / New American Library Collection 89
1973 Where Do We Go from Here? Michael Joseph Anthology 168
February 1973 Best Science Fiction Stories of James Blish Faber and Faber Collection 13
April 1973 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Avon Anthology 477
1974 Where Do We Go from Here? Book 1 Sphere Anthology 153
June 1974 Bug-Eyed Monsters Panther Anthology 83
1975 The Seedling Stars Arrow Books Collection 107
1975 Science Fiction Hall of Fame: The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of All Time Avon Anthology 477
1976 Where Do We Go from Here? Fawcett Crest Anthology 157
August 1977 The Testament of Andros Arrow Books Collection 13
August 1979 The Best of James Blish Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 81
August 1979 The Best of James Blish Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 81
1980 Where Do We Go from Here? Fawcett Crest Anthology 157
November 1980 The Great Science Fiction Series Harper & Row Anthology 114
March 1983 The Seedling Stars / Galactic Cluster Signet / New American Library Omnibus LXXXIX
July 1986 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Avon Anthology 477
July 1994 The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF Tor Anthology 700
October 1994 The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF Orbit Anthology 700
October 1994 The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF Tor / SFBC Anthology 700
September 1997 The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF Orb Anthology 700
August 1998 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One Doubleday / SFBC Anthology 392
2001 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One The Easton Press Anthology 392
May 2001 The Seedling Stars Gollancz Collection 101
February 2003 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964 Tor Anthology 394
July 2003 In This World, or Another Five Star Collection 326
June 2004 Tales of Science Fiction: Featuring X-Minus One GreaTapes Anthology
September 2004 Tales of Science Fiction: Featuring X-Minus One GreaTapes Anthology
February 2005 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964 Orb Anthology 394
February 2008 Works of Art NESFA Press Collection 39
June 2011 Sense of Wonder: A Century of Science Fiction Wildside Press Anthology |113
September 2011 The Seedling Stars Gateway / Orion Collection
December 2011 Sense of Wonder: A Century of Science Fiction Wildside Press Anthology |113
September 2013 Black Easter / The Day After Judgement / The Seedling Stars Gollancz / Orion Omnibus 237
July 2016 The Big Book of Science Fiction: The Ultimate Collection Vintage Crime / Black Lizard / Vintage Books Anthology 176
July 2016 The Big Book of Science Fiction: The Ultimate Collection Vintage Crime / Black Lizard / Vintage Books Anthology |19
July 2016 The Big Book of Science Fiction: The Ultimate Collection Vintage Crime/Black Lizard / SFBC Anthology 176
December 2017 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume One, 1929-1964 Blackstone Audio Anthology |392
February 2018 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964 Tor Anthology
December 2024 Depth Charge Baen Books Anthology |8
December 2024 Depth Charge Baen Books Anthology |8