Rating: 
Summary: The REAL Armageddon
Review: I discovered this one when I was in 5th grade. Buying it now, 30 years later, I was worried that it just wouldn't hold up. To my delight, it stands up to the test of time magnificently. We've seen movies and TV specials in the past few years on the impact of some cosmic body with Earth (Deep Impact, Armageddon, Meteor). Balmer and Wylie did it decades ago, and did it on a scale and with an attention to (then-current) detail that's still staggeringly convincing, if dated, today. Written before WWII (1933 and 34), When Worlds Collide features the destruction of the Earth in the most complete manner possible, and focuses on the efforts of a few people to find a way to escape that destruction. The manner in which they do so is brilliantly thought out and detailed, the progressive deterioration of both society and of the Earth itself is heartwrenchingly chronicled, and the final flight from the doomed planet is a classic. Yes, we have super-science, purple prose, and sometimes overly-simplistic characters (not to mention outdated concepts), but this is an example of the Golden Age that can still stand on its own. It DEFINED the disaster novel, and set the bar so high that few who came after even dared attempt the grand scale that Balmer and Wylie achieved. The sequel has its own charm, a combination of aftermath and exploration, with some eerie scenes that still give me a bit of the creeps to read.
Rating:
Summary: The REAL Armageddon
Review: I discovered this one when I was in 5th grade. Buying it now, 30 years later, I was worried that it just wouldn't hold up. To my delight, it stands up to the test of time magnificently. We've seen movies and TV specials in the past few years on the impact of some cosmic body with Earth (Deep Impact, Armageddon, Meteor). Balmer and Wylie did it decades ago, and did it on a scale and with an attention to (then-current) detail that's still staggeringly convincing, if dated, today. Written before WWII (1933 and 34), When Worlds Collide features the destruction of the Earth in the most complete manner possible, and focuses on the efforts of a few people to find a way to escape that destruction. The manner in which they do so is brilliantly thought out and detailed, the progressive deterioration of both society and of the Earth itself is heartwrenchingly chronicled, and the final flight from the doomed planet is a classic. Yes, we have super-science, purple prose, and sometimes overly-simplistic characters (not to mention outdated concepts), but this is an example of the Golden Age that can still stand on its own. It DEFINED the disaster novel, and set the bar so high that few who came after even dared attempt the grand scale that Balmer and Wylie achieved. The sequel has its own charm, a combination of aftermath and exploration, with some eerie scenes that still give me a bit of the creeps to read.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite sci-fi book!
Review: I first read this book (and it's sequel,"After Worlds Collide") in my early teens and it has remained a dear friend since then. I own the movie, but reading the book is the best treat. If you want to own this title, try checking Advanced Book Exchange or Bibliocity for used copies. You may have to wait for awhile, but ultimately, you'll get you copy!
Rating:
Summary: My favorite Book of all time.
Review: I read this book, for a class; we were supposed to pick any book we wanted to. Me not being into reading books that much, went into one of our cupboards in our living room. There I started looking thru some of the books my dad got at a Library sale. This when i found the book entitled "When Worlds Collide" I open it up thinking its going to be about something that is metaphorical, i was wrong. This book is literally about 2 worlds colliding. I started reading it, right there on the floor and i couldn't stop reading it; i was reading the book in school, at times when i wasn't supposed to be reading; like history class. I read all day all night, I didn't want it to end. I read this one part i still remeber in history class, the description of the mathematician, was spot on just like me. I did notice some fallacies in the book, about space, and the spaceship being made out of a material that is radioactive, but i thought nothing of it since the book was so old, they wouldn't be able to know certain things about space. I kinda read over the part really fast while they were in space, because of the schema i already had about space. I read the whole book in before the project was supposed to be completed, thats when i realised, that i was only about half-way thru the book. It didn't say on the cover, it did say on the inside cover it contained, both "when world collide" and "after worlds collide" I did not know this, so when i reached the second book, i stopped; I didn't want the book to end. I later read the second part, it was great, it was just like how i would imagine exploring a new planet would be. I did think the ending of the second part was little too abrupt, i was somewhat dissapointed of the ending, it seemed like they ran out of ideas and raced to the finish. One thing i did notice being different with my book was there were lots of spelling errors, and wierd symbols in the words. eg. "æ" they were all over and i had trouble finding the deffinitions for those words. I later found out that my copy is an original copy. So thats why there are all those spelling errors and stuff. This is truly my favorite book of all time, and it has brought me into the world of reading more than anything else.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic Sci-Fi
Review: It's remarkable how well this book holds up after 70 years. It's not exactly =hard= science-fiction, and it emphasizes a lot of social issues, which is probably one of the reasons it has aged so well. Most importantly, it tells the story expertly, with a good amount of suspense and intrigue (and a lot less misanthropy than can be found in the excellent film adaptation). The sequel ("After Worlds Collide") on the other hand, is =far= more dated, thoroughly permeated with '30s notions of nationalism. By today's standards it's more than just politically incorrect, it's borderline racist. But that aside--and it doesn't serve to try to read old novels with modern prejudices--it doesn't have the same sense of urgency (the impending doom of all mankind) found in the first book.
Rating:
Summary: Clearing up some confusion...
Review: Many of the earlier reviews on this site call for a reissue of the sequel, "After Worlds Collide". Please note: BOTH STORIES, "When Worlds Collide" and "After Worlds Collide", are contained in this paperback version. The title is misleading because it only includes "When..." -- but both stories are there.
Other reviewers have correctlly noted that there are some scientific inaccuracies, and some 1930s political and social views that seem out of place today. Who cares?! This is a wonderful story. In part 1, the authors concoct an excellent apocalyptic scenario. And in part 2, their conception of the alien planet is brilliant.
This is storytelling of a very high order.
Rating:
Summary: Better Than the Movie!
Review: Once the reader remembers that this work and its sequel, After Worlds Collide, were written in the 1930s prior to WWII the imagination of Balmer and Wylie regarding space and rocket development, as well as the psychology of the "hate cultures" was brillant. As a young man my imagination soared while reading these novels. The screen play discarded too much of the character development available in the the book. I strongly urge any lover of good science fiction to get a copy for a great read. I only scored the original as 4 stars, but if you are fortunate to have "When" and "After" to read concurrently, then you will have a 5 star experience.
Rating:
Summary: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer
Review: Probably the best science fiction story of all times! A "gas giant" planet about the size of Uranus was dragged away from its original orbit around its sun in a distant solar system by a passing star, perhaps millions of years ago. Also dragged away was the gigantic planet's satellite, an earthlike planet. The two bodies retain their original orbital influence and wonder for eons, frozen in the absolute zero of space, until they come close enough to our solar system and are pulled in, attracted by the gravity of our own sun, their speeds increased several times in their endless travel through space. Star gazers soon discover that at least one of the newly discovered bodies will collide with and destroy the earth. Upon being discovered by a South African astronomer Professor Bronson, the two bodies are named by scientists after its discoverer. The larger one, the gaseous "Bronson Alpha", will destroy the earth, so a Noah's Ark rocket is built at a franctic pace to provide escape of 100 chosen would be travelers, so they can start a new life in Alpha's companion, the earthlike "Bronson Beta" which will replace the Earth in its orbital position. Time is of essence in this classic sci-fi thriller which should be remade by Hollywood in state or the art computerized special effects and sound!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent -- but certainly not perfect.
Review: This book is one of the greatest books I have ever read. Preperation to leave the planet, and the adventure to explore the new planet (Bronson Beta) is truly a sign of exceptinal writing. There will probally never be a book quite like it.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT STORY!
Review: This is a true science-fiction classic. The reason is simple: it is plausible. I first read this story almost forty years ago when I was in junior high school, and in the intervening years, it has lost none of its' fascination for me. I especially was taken by the sequel. The basic story is this: an astronomer discovers two planets from outside the solar system that are on a collision course with earth. One of them is a gas giant the size of Uranus, the other is a planet similar to earth, which will be destroyed. The other planet will assume the approximate orbit that the earth had. The scientists of earth build space vehicles in an attempt to save the human race. When I heard it was back in print, I orderd a copy and was very happy to find that the sequel was included. After Worlds Collide deals with the adventures of the people who land on the new planet.Some of the criticisms of these books are somewhat understandable. For example, the dialogue is sometimes--to be charitable--unrealistic. And the absence of diversity will offend some. There were only whites and Asians mentioned, and the "Asiatics" were, for the most part,the villains. Ignoring these relatively minor flaws however, still leaves a story that fascinates.One disappointment in the Bison reprints is that they do not have the maps of the new planet in it, but I am still glad it is back in print.If your local bookstore does not have it, order it. I doubt that you will be disappointed.
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