A review by gengelcox
The Little Black Bag by C.M. Kornbluth

3.5

For what is a classic story — and a very interesting and fun one, for some definitions of fun — the construction of it is somewhat crude and wouldn’t hold up in today’s market, for it relies too much on coincident in its timings. The bag just happens to appear in a doctor’s apartment, for example, someone who could understand, if only somewhat, how it can be used. Similarly, at the end, the technologist turns off the bag just at the moment of its being used in a particular manner. That said, the depiction of these characters—from the alcoholic Dr. Full to the guttersnape blonde who befriends him and his bag—is what really drives the story, as well as provides the motivation that brings it to its conclusion. Read it for what it was, in the 50s, rather than compare it to today’s stories.