Short Stories:Ms


The Magic Bullet [8]
	Interzone 029 (May/Jun 1989) - Winner of 1989 readers' poll.
	Best New SF 4, Robinson 1990
		ed. Gardner Dozois
	The 1990 Annual World's Best SF, DAW 1990
		ed. Donald A. Wollheim & Arthur W. Saha
	The Year's Best Science Fiction: Seventh Annual Collection, St. Martin's 1990
		ed. Gardner Dozois
	Sexual Chemistry, Simon & Schuster (UK) 1991
	Translated into Danish as:
		'Det magiske projektil' in Nye Verdener 13 (September 1991)
	Translated into French as:
		'La balle magique' in Privés de futur, ed. Gilles Dumay & Francis Mizio, éditions "Bifrost/Etoiles Vives"
	Translated into Itlaian as:
		'Il Proiettile Magico' in Destinazione Spazio 2 ed. Donald A. Wollheim & Arthur W. Saha, Mondadori 1991
		'Il Proiettile Magico' in Stelle di Neutroni ed. Gardner Dozois, Mondadori 1992.
	Expanded into The Cassandra Complex
	Translated into Czech as:
		Magická strela

		Lisa Freimann is a forensic scientist who is called to the scene of sabotage in a genetic engineering laboratory. However, she is not here to investigate, but as an expert witness, associate and ex - lover of Morgan Miller, whose work has been destroyed. The Ministry of Defence is on the scene to investigate and it soon becomes clear that Miller has made a discovery of at least national importance. His secret is hidden in a mountain of notes and the man himself has been mortally wounded, so Lisa called to his deathbed in a desperate attempt to recover the secret, before whoever has stolen it can bring it to use. This is one of Brian's classics, a real corker, which has justly been reprinted and translated. I just feel lucky that as an Interzone reader, I was one of the first to read it.
Top
The Man Who Came Back [2]
	Impulse 08 (October 1966)
	100 Astounding Little Alien Stories, Barnes & Noble 1996.
		ed. Stefan Dziemianowicz, Robert Weinberg & Martin H. Greenberg

		William Jason is captured by aliens and returned to Earth so transformed he can't face it. Don't expect anything more than a sketch.
Top
The Man Who Invented Good Taste [6]
	Interzone 045 (March 1991)
	Translated into French as:
		'L'Homme qui inventa le bon goût' in CyberDreams 4 (09/1995)
Top
The Man Who Loved the Vampire Lady [8]
	Best New SF 3, Robinson 1989
		ed. Gardner Dozois
	The Giant Book of Vampires, Parragon 1994
		ed. Stephen Jones
	The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (August 1988)
	The Mammoth Book of Vampires, Carroll & Graf 1992
		ed. Stephen Jones
	The Year's Best Science Fiction: Sixth Annual Collection, St Martin's Press 1989
		ed. Gardner Dozois
	Tomorrow Sucks, Baen 1994
		ed. Greg Cox & T.K.F. Weisskopf
	Vampires: The Greatest Stories, MJF 1997
		ed. Martin H. Greenberg
	Translated into French as:
		'Les amours de la femme-vampire' in Fiction 407 (April 1989)
	Expanded as 'The Fruits of Passion' in The Empire of Fear

	This story involves Edmund Cordery, his son Noell and Lady Carmilla, a vampire. All of them are subjects of Richard Coeur de Lion, vampire king of Grand Nomandy. Edmund has been given plans for an early microscope so that he can have one fabricated and report its capabilities to Lady Carmilla and through her to the king. What is unknown to Richard is that Edmund is an ex-lover of Carmilla's and also a member of a secret society dedicated to ending the rule of vampires... It is quite a relief, reading this after reading many of Brian's earlier stories. This is not only literate, but literary. It shows the elevation of craft, which makes Brian's later work worthy of appreciation. The best testament to its quality is the number of times it has been reprinted.

Top
The Mandrake Garden [6]
	The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (July 2000)
	Salome & Other Decadent Fantasies, Cosmos 2004

		It's difficult to remember sometimes that myths often have a basis in truth and that there is a real plant called Mandrake; its latin name being Mandragora officinarum. The root of this plant can be forked, giving it a humanoid appearance, especially if you've been taking it, for it has been used as a narcotic, as well as a love potion and a poison. For this story, Brian has taken myth as fact and blended history so well that I can date the story to the year 363AD by the death of emporer Julian, who tried to restore the old Roman religion after Constantine's adoption of Christianity. The garden referred to in the title has supplied mandrakes to roman emporers for generations; including the twenty years during which Julian has oppressed the Christians. It's keeper Labros, has been vocal in his opposition to the new religion, so when news of Julian's death reaches the Christians, they go on the rampage and the mandrake garden is an obvious target. Can the power of the plants protect the garden from the barabrous Christians? You'll have to read this story to find out - you won't regret it.
Top
Meeting at Eternity [1]
	Proteus 3 (1966)
Top
Mens Sana in Corpore Sano [3]
	Violent Spectres #2, 1995
Top
The Milk of Human Kindness [4]
	Analog (March 2001)
	Designer Genes: Tales of the Biotech Revolution, Five Star 2004

		Review by Andrew Breitenbach: In the near future, a married couple take their infant son to the grocery store and engage in an argument that spans the entire story: whether or not to feed their son a new form of rabbit milk that contains hormonal regulators (in addition to the extra amino acids and plantigens that are commonplace in this future). Taking hormonal regulator enriched milk before the age of one results in adults less vulnerable to anger and aggression, and more in control of their own emotions (in other words, their hypothalamus). The argument revolves around whether this is a good or bad thing. Personally, I feel that Stableford stacks the deck too high on one side - engaging in intellectual cheating - but this is offset by the wealth of interesting and exciting information imparted; as well as the extraordinarily realistic descriptions of the future grocery shopping experience. You really feel like you're in a grocery store, resulting in perhaps the single greatest example of Grocery Store SF ever written (this reviewer understands that this is an easy assertion to make when the subgenre in question contains only one story - this one - but this reviewer would like to point out that someone had to make the assertion at some point, so it might as well be this reviewer.) Certainly worth reading, in this reviewer's humble opinion. Another review can be found on Tangent.
Top
Mime for Silent Music [v]
	Xeron 5 (January 1967)
Top
Minimoments [1]
	See Alternate Worlds
Top
The Miracle Of Zunderburg [5]
	Redsine 4 (February 2001)
		ed. Garry J. Nurrish, Trent Jamieson, D.J. Tyrer & D. Canada
		Top
Molly and the Angel [6] (as Francis Amery)
	Interzone 145 (July 1999)
	Translated into French as:
		'Molly et l'Ange' in Ainsi soit l'Ange ed. L,a Silhol, Editions de l'Oxymore 1999
	Revised version in Year Zero
Top
Molly and the Men in Black [8] (as Francis Amery)
	Interzone 147 (September 1999)
	Revised version in Year Zero
Top
Mortification of the Flesh [4]
	Ad Astra 5 (August 1979)
Top
Mortimer Gray's History of Death [24]
	Asimov's Science Fiction (April 1995)
	The Best New Science Fiction: Ninth Annual Collection, Raven 1996
		ed. Gardner Dozois
	The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirteenth Annual Collection, St Martin's Press 1996
		ed. Gardner Dozois
	Immortals
		ed. Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois
	Supermen: Tales of the Posthuman Future, St Martin's Press 2002
		ed. Gardner Dozois
	Translated into Czech as:
		'Dejiny smrti z pera M. Graye' in Ikarie 8/97
	Nebula Nomination for Best Novella 1995.
	Expanded as The Fountains of Youth

		I can't help but say that to my mind, this is rather brief; but then I have been spoiled by having read The Fountains of Youth first. If a story is a sequence of events with a logical progression leading to a denoument; then this isn't a story in the traditional sense. Instead, what you get is a fictional memoire and a series of short essays, each of which accompanies the release of one volume of Mortimer Gray's magnum opus: The History of Death. Over the 500 years it takes for Mortimer to write his memoir, he goes through one or two adventures, including the great Coral Sea disaster; the event which triggers Gray into his epic study. It is these brushes with mortality which help inform his writings, as well as other peoples' reaction to their emortality. As you can see, this story is well regarded - not least by Gardner Dozois, editor of Asimov's - and I'm happy to add my endorsement; though you would be even better served if you laid out for The Fountains of Youth.
Top
Mr Brimstone and Dr Treacle [1] (as Francis Amery)
	Naked Truth 6 (October 1996)
Top
Murphy's Grail [7]
	Redsine 4 (February 2001)
		ed. Garry J. Nurrish, Trent Jamieson, D.J. Tyrer & D. Canada
	The Best of Redsine, Prime Books (Forthcoming)
		ed. Garry J. Nurrish, Trent Jamieson, D.J. Tyrer & D. Canada
		Top
My Evil Twin [1] (as Brian Craig)
	Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, Barnes & Noble 1998
		ed. Stefan Dziemianowicz, Robert Weinberg & Martin H. Greenberg

		My Evil Twin is a neat idea that doesn't quite develop: An identical twin wants to ensure a difference between himself and his brother, so he always reacts against his impulses. His impulses were all rather naughty, so his brother must have been evil, indeed. You can probably guess the rest. Review by Trent Walters
Top
My Mother, The Hag [5]
	Chronicles of the Round Table, Robinson, Carroll & Graf 1997
		ed. Mike Ashley
	Chronicles of the Round Table, Robinson, Raven 1997
		ed. Mike Ashley

		The second of Brian's Arthurian tales for Mike Ashley and by far the best. It's told from the point of view of the son of an enchantress, who is destined to be slain by Sir Fergus of Galloway. Although the woman is pretty much reconciled to her fate, the boy is not so sanguine and despite the meagreness of his own powers, plans a devastating revenge... There is some discussion of chivalry here, but the main thrust - as in The Lost Romance - is about who gets to write the history of events.
Top