Detour to Otherness

A collection of stories.

In 1961, Ballantine Books published Bypass to Otherness, a paperback collection of some of Henry Kuttner's (and C. L. Moore's) best short stories. Several selections were drawn from Kuttner's popular series such as the "Hogbens" (comedic otherworldly hillbillies living in America), "Gallagher Galloway" (scientist who invents technical marvels only when intoxicated), and the "Baldies" stories eventually collected in Mutant. Bypass was projected as the first of three Otherness collections of Kuttner's short fiction. Return to Otherness followed in 1962 with 8 more stories. And then... nothing. The third Otherness collection never appeared.

Now, almost fifty years later, Haffner Press announces DETOUR TO OTHERNESS: a massive hardcover assembling the contents of both Bypass to Otherness and Return to Otherness, and adding 8 additional stories selected for their scarcity, quality, and sheer entertainment value. Grand Masters Robert Silverberg and Frederik Pohl provide introductory and afterword materials to the book, and the whole affair is decorated with an unpublished painting by Richard Powers.

Table of Contents:

Introduction by Robert Silverberg

Bypass to Otherness

• Cold War
• Call Him Demon
• The Dark Angel
• The Piper's Son
• Absalom
• The Little Things
• Nothing but Gingerbread Left
• Housing Problem

Return to Otherness

• See You Later
• This Is the House
• The Proud Robot
• Gallegher Plus
• The Ego Machine
• Android
• The Sky Is Falling
• Juke-Box

Detour to Otherness

• Open Secret
• All Is Illusion
• Rite of Passage
• Baby Face
• Happy Ending
• The Children's Hour
• Dream's End
• Near Miss

Afterword by Frederik Pohl