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| O for a Fiery Gloom and Thee O Goat-Foot God of Arcady! Obitury The Oedipus Effect Only in the Twilight The Oracle Out of Touch |
| O for a Fiery Gloom and Thee [4] | ||||
| Sirens and Other Dream Lovers, Harper Prism 1998 | ||||
| ed. Ellen Datlow & Terri Wilding | ||||
| Sirens and Other Demon Lovers, Eos 2002 | ||||
| ed. Ellen Datlow & Terri Wilding | ||||
| Salome & Other Decadent Fantasies, Cosmos Books 2004 | ||||
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As the title implies, this is the story of passion overcoming reason. Sir Florian is on the quest of the Holy Grail when he is waylaid by a fey called La Belle Dame Sans Merci; a temptress tempted herself by Sir Florian's chastity and devotion. It is a match destined to lead to ruin. A light fantasy, set in the same sort of quasi-Arthurian setting as The Architects of Worlds. |
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| O Goat-Foot God of Arcady! [6] | ||||
| The Silver Web 15 (February 2002) | ||||
| Obitury [v] | ||||
| Black Hole 12/13 (1978) | ||||
| The Oedipus Effect [11] | ||||
| Temps, Roc 1991 | ||||
| ed. Neil Gaiman & Alex Stewart | ||||
| Complications & Other Science Fiction Stories, Cosmos Books 2003 | ||||
| Simon Sweetland works for the Scientific Civil Service, in
the Department of Paranormal Research. His job, along with his assistant
Mrs Carol Cloxeter, is to test young boys and girls for any psychic
talents they may have.
One day, Simon comes into the office early so he can read his newspaper, when Lewis Fay turns up to offer Dr Sweetland a consultancy for his insurance firm. It turns out that one of Mr Fay's clients has died in an accident, which his son had foreseen. Mr Fay wants Simon to testify that the prophecy may have been a sublimated statement of intent; if so, the accident is covered by a get-out clause and Mr Fay's company doesn't have to pay. This is a witty who-done-it. It also shows finesse of thought, which a lot of proponents of ESP etc, lack. |
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| Only in the Twilight [11] (as Brian Craig) | ||||
| Route 666, GW 1990 | ||||
| ed. David Pringle | ||||
| Let's play a guessing game. I'll list a few of the characters
featured in this story of warring bike gangs and you tell me which story
Brian is retelling. Okay?
Here goes: Perry Prime, Hector Prime and Hellcat Helen. Got it yet? No? How about if I tell you that there's a reporter in there called Homer Hegarty? That's right... This is a retelling of The Iliad, or as Brian calls it, The Sickiad. This had me gaffawing as I recognised the references until the end, when Brian reminded me that he isn't confined by fashion, but a maker of manners. |
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| The Oracle [9] | ||||
| Asimov's Science Fiction (May 1999) | ||||
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Caxton is caught by Special Branch and taken via the local police station to the Centre and the supervision of psychologist, Susan Drayling. It turns out that there is a drug, which causes certain individuals to predict the future, even to the point that they can earn a living down the bookies, betting on horses. As you can imagine, the government has a vested interest in the future and runs Dream Centres for these gifted individuals, so that they can glean useful information. Drayling has high hopes of former escapee Caxton, because she reasons, he must want to cooperate, otherwise he wouldn't have allowed himself to be caught. Though totally different from The Hunger and Ecstasy of Vampires, this story explores much of the same territory. Especially the philosophical log jam that is the relation between prediction and free will. |
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| Out of Touch [9] | ||||
| Asimov's Science Fiction (October 1995) | ||||
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Quite a sombre story, but then one covering a sombre subject. How would you feel if you had to face not only getting old, losing independence and your loved one, but becoming obsolete? This is the fate of Jake, an old man who has missed out on emortality by just a couple of decades. He has to leave his home to live with his son and daughter-in-law, who are a constant reminder of his mortality. This story follows Jake through the early period of is adjustment. |
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