To live like that, Cyril decided, was no life at all. So he went against the doctor’s orders. He stopped the drugs and resumed the cigarettes and the spices. For a while he was the old Cyril again . . . and then, on one snowy morning a few months later, I got a despairing phone call from Mary, his wife. Cyril had shoveled snow to get out of the driveway of their home on Long Island, then run to catch a train to the city, and dropped dead of a heart attack on the station platform.
By the time I got there, a few hours later, there was nothing left to do but to try to console his widow and his sons. Mary and I went to the crematorium to watch Cyril’s body roll into the chamber; the shutters closed; and that was the last anyone ever saw of Cyril Kornbluth. He was then just thirty-four years old and, I think, only beginning to hit his stride as a writer.
When Cyril died he left behind a few fragments of notes and uncompleted stories. Some of them I completed and published as our final collaborations—“The Quaker Cannon”, “Critical Mass” and “Mute, Inglorious Tam” among them. There was one other. That was a very short piece called “The Meeting.” For one reason or another it was years before I saw how to deal with that one. But at last I did, and when awards time came around the next year “The Meeting” won a Hugo. It was the only such award ever given to Cyril’s work, and it was not enough. He deserved much, much more.
Originally appeared in His Share of Glory, February 1997
PSEUDONYMS
Gabriel Barclay
Edward J. Bellin
Arthur Cooke
Cecil Corwin
Walter C. Davies
Simon Eisner
Kenneth Falconer
S.D. Gottesman
Cyril Judd
Cyril Kornbluth
Cyril M. Kornbluth
M.C. Kornbluth
Paul Dennis Lavond
Scott Mariner
Jordan Park
Ivar Towers
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Novels
Gunner Cade (1952)
Outpost Mars (1952)
Takeoff (1952)
The Naked Storm (1952)
Half (1953)
The Space Merchants (1953)
The Syndic (1953)
Valerie (1953)
Search the Sky (1953)
A Town Is Drowning (1955)
Gladiator-at-Law (1955)
Not This August (1955)
Presidential Year (1956)
Sorority House (1956)
The Man of Cold Rages (1958)
Wolfbane (1959)
Magazine-published Novels
The Extrapolated Dimwit, Future Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1942
The Slave, Science Fiction Adventures, September 1957
Serials
Mars Child, Galaxy Science Fiction, May-July 1951
Gunner Cade, Astounding Science Fiction, March-May 1952
Gravy Planet, Galaxy Science Fiction, June-August 1952
The Syndic, Science Fiction Adventures, December 1953 & March 1954
Takeoff, New Worlds Science Fiction, April-June 1954
Gladiator at Law, Galaxy Science Fiction, June-August 1954
Wolfbane, Galaxy Science Fiction, October-November 1957
Chapbooks
The Altar at Midnight (2009)
The Adventurer (2009)
The Little Black Bag (2009)
MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie (2012)
The Marching Morons (2014)
The Luckiest Man in Denv (2014)
With These Hands (2014)
That Share of Glory (2014)
The Luckiest Man (2016)
Gomez (2016)
The Mindworm (2016)
Thirteen O'Clock (2016)
The Goodly Creatures (2016)
Friend to Man (2016)
The Rocket of 1955 (2016)
Collections
The Explorers (1954)
The Mindworm and Other Stories (1955)
A Mile Beyond the Moon (1958)
The Marching Morons (1959)
The Wonder Effect (1962)
Best SF Stories of C.M. Kornbluth (1968)
Thirteen O’Clock and Other Zero Hours (1970)
The Best of C.M. Kornbluth (1976)
Critical Mass (1977)
Before the Universe (1980)
Our Best (1987)
Eight Worlds of C.M. Kornbluth (2010)
The 34th Golden Age of Science Fiction Megapack (2016)
Omnibus
Gunner Cade/Crisis in 2140 (1957) with John J. McGuire, H. Beam Piper and Judith Merril
Gunner Cade (1983) with Judith Merril
Spaced Out: Three Novels of Tomorrow (2008) with Judith Merril
Three Vintage SF Novels of Pohl and Kornbluth (2009) with Frederik Pohl
The Syndic/Flight to Forever (2011) with Poul Anderson
The Ship from Infinity/Takeoff (2011) with Edmond Hamilton
Worlds Within/The Slave (2012) with Rog Phillips
Wolfbane/Three Against the Roum (2015) with Frederik Pohl and Robert Moore Williams
Poems
The Song of the Rocket (1940)
Segment (1942)
Chant of the Black Magicians (1944)
The Unfortunate Topologist (1957)
Nonfiction
The Science Fiction Novel (1959)
SHORT FICTION BIBLIOGRAPHY
CHRONOLOGICAL
1939
The Rocket of 1955, Escape, 1939
The Purchase of the Crame: Part Two—Conclusion, Scienti-Tales, March 1939
The Ill-Advised Abracadabrations of Magus Heslich, Cosmic Tales Special, July 1939
1940
Lurani, Unknown, February 1940
The Song of the Rocket, Super Science Stories, March 1940
Stepsons of Mars, Astonishing Stories, April 1940
King Cole of Pluto, Super Science Stories, May 1940
Stone, The Phantagraph, May 1940
Grave, The Phantagraph, May 1940
Before the Universe, Super Science Stories, July 1940
The Return of the Indefatigible Minimum, The Phantagraph, August 1940
Nova Midplane, Super Science Stories, November 1940
Trouble in Time, Astonishing Stories, December 1940
1941
Vacant World, Super Science Stories, January 1941
Dead Center, Stirring Science Stories, February 1941
Thirteen O’Clock, Stirring Science Stories, February 1941
The Psychological Regulator, Comet, March 1941
The Martians Are Coming, Cosmic Stories, March 1941
Return from M-15, Cosmic Stories, March 1941
The Reversible Revolutions, Cosmic Stories, March 1941
Callistan Tomb, Science Fiction Quarterly, Spring 1941
Jump-Out-of-Bed, The Phantagraph, April 1941
Exiles of New Planet, Astonishing Stories, April 1941
A Prince of Pluto, Future Fiction, April 1941
The Castle on Outerplanet, Stirring Science Stories, April 1941
The Doll Master, Stirring Science Stories, April 1941
Dimension of Darkness, Cosmic Stories, May 1941
No Place to Go, Cosmic Stories, May 1941
What Sorghum Says, Cosmic Stories, May 1941
Best Friend, Super Science Novels, May 1941
Forgotten Tongue, Stirring Science Stories, June 1941
Mr. Packer Goes to Hell, Stirring Science Stories June 1941
The Words of Guru, Stirring Science Stories, June 1941
Kazam Collects, Stirring Science Stories, June 1941
Fire-Power, Cosmic Stories, July 1941
Interference, Cosmic Stories, July 1941
The City in the Sofa, Cosmic Stories, July 1941
Mars-Tube, Astonishing Stories, September 1941
Sir Mallory’s Magnitude, Science Fiction Quarterly, Winter 1941/1942, December 1941
1942
Error in Guinea Pigs, 10 Story Mystery Magazine, February 1942
The Perfect Invasion, Stirring Science Stories, March 1942
The Golden Road, Stirring Science Stories, March 1942
Masquerade, Stirring Science Stories, March 1942
Einstein’s Planetoid, Science Fiction Quarterly, Spring, March 1942
Crisis!, Science Fiction Quarterly, Spring 1942
The Core, Future Combined with Science Fiction, April 1942
An Old Neptunian Custom, Super Science Stories, August 1942
The Extrapolated Dimwit, Future Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1942
1943
R.A.F. Wings East, Sky Raiders, February 1943
Cure for Killers, 10 Story Mystery Magazine, February 1943
1946
Beer-Bottle Polka, Black Mask, September 1946
A Ghoul and His Money, Dime Detective Magazine, September 1946
.45 Motives for Murder, Ten Detective Aces, December 1946
The Mirrors of Hell, Ten Detective Aces, December 1946
1947
X Marks the A-Bomb, 10-Story Detective Magazine, January 1947
The M-Job, The Phantom Detective, March 1947
Tomb to Let, 10-Story Detective Magazine, May 1947
The Kill Department, Ten Detective Aces, June 1947
Crime on His Hands, Ten Detective Aces, September 1947
1948
Goldbrick Solitaire, Ten Detective Aces, January 1948
Blood on the Campus, Street & Smith’s Detective Story Magazine, June 1948
The Yogi Says Yes, Private Detective Stories, November 1948
1949
Homicidal Hypo-Man, All-Story Detective, June 1949
The Only Thing We Learn, Startling Stories, July 1949
1950
The Little Black Bag, Astounding Science Fiction, July 1950
Iteration, Future Combined with Science Fiction Stories, September/October 1950
The Silly Season, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Fall, October 1950
The Mindworm, Worlds Beyond, December 1950
1951
The Finger Job, Famous Detective Stories, February 1951
Friend to Man, 10 Story Fantasy, Spring 1951
The Marching Morons, Galaxy Science Fiction, April 1951
Mars Child (Installment 1), Galaxy Science Fiction, May 1951
Mars Child (Installment 2), Galaxy Science Fiction, June 1951
Mars Child (Conclusion), Galaxy Science Fiction, July 1951
With These Hands, Galaxy, December 1951
1952
That Share of Glory, Astounding Science Fiction, January 1952
Gunner Cade (First of Three Parts), Astounding Science Fiction, March 1952
Gunner Cade (Second of Three Parts), Astounding Science Fiction, April 1952
Gunner Cade (Conclusion), Astounding Science Fiction, May 1952
The Luckiest Man in Denv, Galaxy Science Fiction, June 1952
Gravy Planet (Part 1 of a 3 Part Serial), Galaxy Science Fiction, June 1952
Gravy Planet (Part 2 of a 3 Part Serial), Galaxy Science Fiction, July 1952
Gravy Planet (Conclusion of a 3 Part Serial), Galaxy Science Fiction, August 1952
Make Mine Mars, Science Fiction Adventures, November 1952
The Altar at Midnight, Galaxy Science Fiction, November 1952
The Goodly Creatures, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, December 1952
1953
The Mask of Demeter, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, January 1953
Time Bum, Fantastic, January/February, January 1953
Dominoes, Star Science Fiction Stories, February 1953
Sea Change, Dynamic Science Fiction, March 1953
The Adventurer, Space Science Fiction, May 1953
The Dip Detail, Private Eye, July 1953
The Meddlers, Science Fiction Adventures, September 1953
Everybody Knows Joe, Fantastic Universe, October/November 1953
The Remorseful, Star Science Fiction Stories No. 2, December 1953
The Syndic, Science Fiction Adventures, December 1953 & March 1954
1954
I Never Ast No Favors, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1954
Takeoff (Part One of Three Parts), New Worlds Science Fiction, April 1954
Takeoff (Part Two of Three Parts), New Worlds Science Fiction, May 1954
Takeoff (Conclusion), New Worlds Science Fiction, June 1954
Gladiator at Law (Part 1 of a 3 Part Serial), Galaxy Science Fiction, June 1954
Gladiator at Law (Part 2 of a 3 Part Serial), Galaxy Science Fiction, July 1954
Gladiator at Law (Conclusion of a 3 Part Serial), Galaxy Science Fiction, August 1954
Gomez, The Explorers, August 1954
1955
The Adventurers, Science Fiction Quarterly, February 1955
1956
The Cosmic Charge Account, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, January 1956
The Engineer, Infinity Science Fiction, February 1956
1957
The Education of Tigress McCardle, Venture Science Fiction Magazine, July 1957
The Unfortunate Topologist, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, July 1957
MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, July 1957
The Slave, Science Fiction Adventures, September 1957
The Last Man Left in the Bar, Infinity Science Fiction, October 1957
Wolfbane (Beginning a 2-Part Serial), Galaxy Science Fiction, October 1957
Wolfbane (Conclusion of a 2-Part Serial), Galaxy Science Fiction, November 1957
1958
The Events Leading Down to the Tragedy, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, January 1958
Virginia, Venture Science Fiction Magazine, March 1958
Reap the Dark Tide, Vanguard Science Fiction, June 1958
Two Dooms, Venture Science Fiction Magazine, July 1958
Theory of Rocketry, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, July 1958
Passion Pills, A Mile Beyond the Moon, August 1958
The Advent on Channel Twelve, Star Science Fiction Stories #4, November 1958
Nightmare with Zeppelins, Galaxy Magazine, December 1958
1961
A Gentle Dying, Galaxy Magazine, June 1961
The Quaker Cannon, Analog Science Fact->Fiction, August 1961
The World of Myrion Flowers, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1961
A Hint of Henbane, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, November 1961
1962
Critical Mass, Galaxy Magazine, February 1962
1965
[unknown story], Venture Science Fiction, (Australia) November 1965
1967
The Objective Approach, Operation Phantasy: The Best from The Phantagraph, 1967
Segment, Operation Phantasy: The Best from The Phantagraph, 1967
Chant of the Black Magicians, Operation Phantasy: The Best from The Phantagraph, 1967
1970
Thirteen O’Clock [combined version], Thirteen O’Clock and Other Zero Hours, December 1970
1972
The Meeting, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, November 1972
1974
The Gift of Garigolli, Galaxy Science Fiction, August 1974
Mute Inglorious Tam, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1974
1988
Interplane Express, Up There and Other Strange Directions, September 1988
SHORT FICTION BIBLIOGRAPHY
ALPHABETICAL
#
.45 Motives for Murder, Ten Detective Aces, December 1946
[unknown story], Venture Science Fiction, (Australia) November 1965
A
A Gentle Dying, Galaxy Magazine, June 1961
A Ghoul and His Money, Dime Detective Magazine, Sept
ember 1946
A Hint of Henbane, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, November 1961
A Prince of Pluto, Future Fiction, April 1941
The Advent on Channel Twelve, Star Science Fiction Stories #4, November 1958
The Adventurer, Space Science Fiction, May 1953
The Adventurers, Science Fiction Quarterly, February 1955
The Altar at Midnight, Galaxy Science Fiction, November 1952
An Old Neptunian Custom, Super Science Stories, August 1942
B
Beer-Bottle Polka, Black Mask, September 1946
Before the Universe, Super Science Stories, July 1940
Best Friend, Super Science Novels, May 1941
Blood on the Campus, Street & Smith’s Detective Story Magazine, June 1948
C
Callistan Tomb, Science Fiction Quarterly, Spring 1941
The Castle on Outerplanet, Stirring Science Stories, April 1941
The City in the Sofa, Cosmic Stories, July 1941
Chant of the Black Magicians, Operation Phantasy: The Best from The Phantagraph, 1967
The Core, Future Combined with Science Fiction, April 1942
The Cosmic Charge Account, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, January 1956
Crime on His Hands, Ten Detective Aces, September 1947
Crisis!, Science Fiction Quarterly, Spring 1942
Critical Mass, Galaxy Magazine, February 1962
Cure for Killers, 10 Story Mystery Magazine, February 1943
D
Dead Center, Stirring Science Stories, February 1941
Dimension of Darkness, Cosmic Stories, May 1941
The Dip Detail, Private Eye, July 1953
The Doll Master, Stirring Science Stories, April 1941
Dominoes, Star Science Fiction Stories, February 1953
E
The Education of Tigress McCardle, Venture Science Fiction Magazine, July 1957
Einstein’s Planetoid, Science Fiction Quarterly, Spring 1942
Error in Guinea Pigs, 10 Story Mystery Magazine, February 1942
The Engineer, Infinity Science Fiction, February 1956
The Events Leading Down to the Tragedy, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, January 1958
Everybody Knows Joe, Fantastic Universe, October-November 1953
Exiles of New Planet, Astonishing Stories, April 1941
The Extrapolated Dimwit, Future Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1942
F
The Finger Job, Famous Detective Stories, February 1951