As with Raintree Reading Series 1, this is a set of four small anthologies, selected and beautifully illustrated for younger readers. The four volumes in this case are entitled Earth Invaded, Mad Scientists, and Tomorrow’s TV, and Mutants. Asimov himself is in Tomorrow’s TV in the form of ”The Fun They Had,” which is a nice enough story. Indeed, on the whole, this volume is stronger than either of the other three, with “Von Goom’s Gambit” being the only story really worth mentioning in Mad Scientists, and nothing particularly memorable at all in Earth Invaded. Mutants, however, has a couple of nice stories, including Mack Reynold’s “Prone,” but is even shallower and less substantial than usual in this series.

On the whole, then, this is a slightly weaker anthology than Raintree Reading Series 1, but still good enough to recommend to a younger reader and just possibly to an older one, as well.

Contents

“The Fun They Had”