Medea: Harlan's World (1985; ) is a 1985 collection of science fiction short stories by different authors, all taking place on the same fictional moon. It was an experiment in collaborative science fictional world-building, featuring contributions by Hal Clement, Frank Herbert, and others.
It was based on a 1975 UCLA seminar called "10 Tuesdays Down a Rabbit Hole", held by Harlan Ellison and other science fiction authors.
Contents
- Introduction: Cosmic Hod-Carriers
- Part I: The Specs
- Introduction
- Basic Concepts: Astrophysics, Geology (by Hal Clement)
- Geology, Meteorology, Oceanography, Geography, Nomenclature, Biology (by Poul Anderson)
- Biology, Ecology, Xenology (by Larry Niven)
- Xenology, Sociology, Politics, Theology, Mathematics (by Frederik Pohl)
- Part II: The Concept Seminar
- Part III: The Extrapolations, the Questions
- Part IV: Second Thoughts
- Part V: The Stories
- "Farside Station" by Jack Williamson
- "Flare Time" by Larry Niven
- "With Virgil Oddum at the East Pole" by Harlan Ellison
- "Swanilda's Song" by Frederik Pohl
- "Seasoning" by Hal Clement
- "Concepts" by Thomas M. Disch
- "Songs of a Sentient Flute" by Frank Herbert
- "Hunter's Moon" by Poul Anderson
- "The Promise" by Kate Wilhelm
- "Why Dolphins Don't Bite" by Theodore Sturgeon
- "Waiting for the Earthquake" by Robert Silverberg