Review of Sci-Fi Private Eye ed. by Martin Greenberg

It's ironic that today that the devices and effects of what is commonly associated with 'science fiction' are bleeding out and being latched onto by many other genres of fiction. It's ironic because, in the early 20th century science fiction was borrowing from these same genres to create its own content. This includes detective fiction, as exemplified by Martin Greenberg's retro anthology Sci-Fi Private Eye (1997).

Kicking things off is one of the best story in the short collection, Robert Silverberg's “Getting Across”. About a detective trying to track down his girlfriend, a woman who also happens to have stolen the computer program which keeps his society's infrastructure running, getting her back is urgent. While food production, heat, water, and all other basic elements of life collapse, he is forced to go into a neighboring country, one more luddite than his own, to find her. While detective noir is the primary mode, Silverberg mixes in a fair amount of indirect commentary on dependency on technology and its potential for control and authority.

Philip K. Dick's “War Game” has been re-printed many times, and while it doesn't fit the standard “private eye” model, it nevertheless possesses a mystery. Solved by engineers, it features a group of men tasked with monitoring a toy company's latest AI products, including a group of robot soldiers attacking a castle. In the fashion of The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Dick throws in satirical commentary on rampant commercialism.

Sherlock Holmes as a Martian, “The Martian Crown Jewels” is a short, locked room mystery. Said jewels disappearing en route to Mars in an unmanned ship, it takes Mars best (alien) detective to solve the case in Holmes-esque fashion. In one of the most unusually styled stories I've ever read (and I've read thousands), “Mouthpiece” by Edward Wellen superficially seems the opposite of a Silver Age story. Likely the deepest story in the abthology, it at first seems nonsensical until the pieces of a mystery involving Dutch Schultz slowly slip into place. The ultimate mystery, however, is for the reader to discover. Nice little side-commentary on the human condition—regardless innocent or criminal.

Time travel mixed with androids/AI mixed with Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of the Metal Murderer” by Fred Saberhagen closes things off by attempting an origin story in clever fashion. Trouble is, it's minimally clever. Too much going on for the length of tale attempted, this private eye tracking an masterful robot mind through time is forgettable.

In the end, Sci-Fi Private Eye offers a brief bit of escapism. Almost in its purest form, only a couple of the stories possess layers beyond plot. And that's that, not much more to say. If you're looking for a bit of retro sf in a detective/mystery mode, this short anthology might scratch the itch. Itches, yes, they are temporary...

The following are the five stories contained in the audiobook version of Sci-Fi Private Eye. The published version contains a different lineup, with six additional stories:

Getting Across by Robert Silverberg

War Game by Philip K. Dick

The Martian Crown Jewels by Poul Anderson

Mouthpiece by Edward Wellen

The Adventure of the Metal Murderer by Fred Saberhagen