Three for Tomorrow

Three for Tomorrow (1969) contains three novellas written specially for the volume on the following theme selected by Arthur C. Clarke: “with increasing technology goes increasing vulnerability: the more man conquers Nature, the more prone he becomes to artificial catastrophe” (foreword, 8). As with most collections, Three for Tomorrow is uneven. Silverberg’s installment is the best due to its intriguing social analysis of a city suddenly whose inhabitants are suddenly missing large swaths of the past. Zelazny’s installment is completely unlike his other works. Instead of his trademark lyricism and intriguing fantasy-esque landscapes à la Lord of Light (1967), he churns out a run-of-the-mill James Bond inspired caper with some sci-fi elements albeit, told with some vigor and vibe. James Blish’s contribution is an often hilarious satire of a future polluted world literally filled up with the refuse of boundless human consumption. Blish often lecture the reader about what will happen if we don’t recycle but the environment/characters/motivations are so uproariously funny that these lectures are OK.