4.0 out of 5 stars
Abductions, July 27, 2009
This review is from: Alien Abductions (Daw Book Collectors) (Paperback)
This anthology is very varied. Some of the stories are weak, some are okay and some are wonderful. Altogether a nice collection.
"Suzy Q" by Alan Dean Foster: The experience of an alien abduction seen from the point of view of a special, female abductee. Wonderful story, great ending. 9/10 points, one of the best in the book.
"Work in progress" by Michelle West: A woman is lost in a life of alcohol and strange nightmarish happenings. Has more the feel of social realism than sci-fi until the last pages. 1/10 point.
"The long sunset" by Ed Gorman: Two mates are involved with a woman with a strange attraction. Both of these have more the feel of social realism than sci-fi until the last pages. Boring. 2/10 points.
"Blind" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch: Two young brothers venture out into the woods at night, and they witess something strange. Years later both brothers, in very different ways, become involved with UFO research. The younger brother decides to investigate his childhood woods. Nice story. 7/10 points.
"The body clock" by R. Davis: A very special take on invasion/abdction when the president is the abductee. Good story, 7/10 points.
"Saul" by Peter Schweighofer: A rather abusive husband and father has an accident and is taken elsewhere. Maybe. Okay story. 3/10 points.
"Toobychubbies" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman: A weary mother is babysitting her own and her neighbour's children when her neighbour lets her borrow a video tape with a new children's series. The children are obsessed with the series and are affected by it. 10/10 points. Great story, the best one in the book.
"Late night pick-up" by Peter Crowther: A man is questioned by two cops who are acting weird, hiding something. Nice story, but a bit too repetitive. 7/10 points.
"Throwback" by Lawrence Watt-Evans: A man is abducted by aliens but released because he is boring. His encounter makes him change his life. Great story. 10/10 points. Second only to Toobychubbies.
"Season of sight" by Zane Stillings: A reporter is sent to interview a UFO buff. Uninteresting. 1 point.
"One brown mouse" by Gary A. Braunbeck: A man loses his beloved but thinks she just vanished, and that she's still alive somewhere. He attends a grief support group and receives help of a sorts. Nice story, 7/10 points.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Go Abduct Your Own Copy!, April 23, 2003
This review is from: Alien Abductions (Daw Book Collectors) (Paperback)
Wow. I buy these collections to get acquainted with authors I'm unfamiliar with. With any luck, there'll be two or three stories which stand out enough that I'll seek out the authors' other works. Alien Abductions features an amazing array of stories veering between thoughtfully humorous and nightmarishly frightening. I can't recall a collection from any genre I've more thoroughly enjoyed. This is not just a gathering of great authors--Alien Abductions is a wonderful gathering of some top-notch sci-fi!
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