 |
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| The Bad Seed [9] | ||||||
| Interzone 082 (April 1994) | ||||||
| Bedside Conversations [5] | ||||||
| Asimov's Science Fiction (December 1990) | ||||||
| Sexual Chemistry, Simon & Schuster (UK) 1991 | ||||||
| Skin Deep, Dell 1995 | ||||||
| ed. Gardner Dozois & Sheila Williams | ||||||
| Japanese transation in: | ||||||
| [Hayakawa] SF Magazine July 1995 | ||||||
| We find ourselves at the bedside of Gerald
Duncan a homosexual man, who having gone into hospital
with a suspected tumour, finds himself pregnant. During gestation, Gerald's foetal cells completely surrounded his twin's, forcing them into a state of suspended animation and as the story begins, the his brother is beginning to develop. It is with tales like this one that I would argue that the literary establishment had no right to exclude a story, because it's science fiction. While the inevitable 'man up the duff' joke is made, the story isn't just played for laughs, but centres around the dilemma facing Gerald and the reasons he has for taking the option he does. This is a very human story, including a very impassioned argument from Gerald's mother that, despite her age, she should carry the baby to term. It is a hopeful story too; for once the idea of medical ethics is portrayed not as interference, but as a plea for proper consideration of the issues and for once, you feel that the decision is made wisely. |
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| Behind the Wheel [3] | ||||||
| Dark Voices 2: The Pan Book of Horror, Pan 1990 | ||||||
| ed. David Sutton & Stephen Jones | ||||||
| I'll be honest here: although an admirer of
David Cronenberg, I'm no horror aficionado. I might be
missing something, but I found this story rather silly
and quite offensive. The plot concerns Andy, who is a wife-beating lout with no self-control and his mate - who knows Andy slaps Carol about, but still goes down the pub with him anyway. Andy drives our narrator home early to catch Carol's lover leave the house and drive off. A car chase ensues, which leads to an accident and the mutilation of a corpse. It is what happens subsequently, which gets this labelled as horror. Here are my problems with this story: The events leading up to the supernatural section are far more horrific than the events, which follow. Brian uses the first person, but doesn't seem to understand how people swear and this makes the characterisation rather crass. In terms of representing working-class people, the characterisation is about as realistic as The Joker from Batman is about criminals. If the people described in this way were women, Brian would be condemned as misogynistic. Give this a miss. |
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| Beyond Repair [2] | ||||||
| Out of the Woodwork 2 | ||||||
| Beyond the Colours of Darkness [3] (as Brian Craig) | ||||||
| Inferno | ||||||
| Beyond Time's Aegis [11] (with Craig A. Mackintosh as Brian Craig) | ||||||
| Science Fantasy 78 (November 1965). Later expanded into the novel Firefly. | ||||||
|
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| The Black Blood of the Dead [36] | ||||||
| Interzone 115 & 116 (January/February 1997) | ||||||
| Brief Encounter in the Smoking Area [1] | ||||||
| The Interpreter's House 15 (February 2001) | ||||||
| Burned Out [9] | ||||||
| Interzone 070 (April 1993) | ||||||
| The Burning Man [1] | ||||||
| Cahoots 28 (Apr/May/Jun 1989) | ||||||
| Cymrucon 81 Programme Book (1981) | ||||||
| Busy Dying [9] | ||||||
| Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (February 1994) | ||||||
| Translated into German in: | ||||||
| Die Besten Stories aus Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction 94, Heyne 1996 | ||||||
| Walter K Murray keeps committing suicide; not
even he knows why, but ever since he volunteered to be a
guinea pig for the Confederation of Nanotechnological
Industries, he's been popping his clogs left, right and
centre. For his doctor Margaret Percik, it's a big
mystery and for CNI, its publicity potential has turned
from boon to bane. So why does he do it? Is it connected with internal nanotechnology, which Walter stole from CNI and where has he hidden it? When Walter finally dies for good, Margaret decides there's only one way to find out... |
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