Alternate Gerrolds: An Assortment of Fictitious Lives [Paperback]

David Gerrold (Author), Mike Resnick (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 11, 2004

Everyday themes as diverse as exploration, the fight against evil, laboratory experiments, and self-improvement are presented in this new anthology of short stories from David Gerrold. Largely consisting of stories featuring an alternative history, and often written for Mike Resnick's Alternative series, the stories range from funny to horrifying and lighthearted to profound. In "Franz Kafka, Superhero!" Kafka employs his unusual metamorphosis to fight evil throughout the world and take on even Sigmund Freud. Two characters who hope to better themselves experience "The Seminar from Hell," while "The Firebringers" features Humphrey Bogart, Gregory Peck, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Stewart as soldiers charged with dropping the first atom bomb. Taking an archaeological turn, a team of anthropologists struggles with understanding the artifacts of a mysterious alien race in "Digging in Gehenna." With wit and imagination, these pieces provide a rare and intriguing addition to any Gerrold collection.

Editorial Reviews

Review

""David Gerrold proves that he can do all the things that made us love Heinlein's storytelling--and often better." --Orson Scott Card

About the Author

David Gerrold is the author of the Hugo and Nebula Award–nominated The Man Who Folded Himself, the Star Wolf, Dingillian, and Chtorr series, and When Harlie Was One. He also wrote "The Trouble with Tribbles" episode of Star Trek, voted the most popular Star Trek episode of all time. He lives in Northridge, California. Mike Resnick is the author of more than 40 science fiction novels, 12 collections, 150 short stories, and two screenplays, and he has won four Hugo Awards and the Nebula Award. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Product Details

• Paperback: 202 pages
• Publisher: BenBella Books; 1st BenBella Books Ed edition (December 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932100377
• ISBN-13: 978-1932100372
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,230,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Gerrold is a figment of his own imagination.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Recommend!, July 5, 2011

By 

iamjoy (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alternate Gerrolds: An Assortment of Fictitious Lives (Kindle Edition)

It's probably really three and a half stars, but I chose to round up the rating. Like any collection of short stories, some are good and others are so-so. The science fiction includes alternate realities, space adventures, and a sort of Jurassic Park meets the Flintstones. There is plenty of subtle, ironic humor. Familiarity with the "real" situation the story parallels is not required, just helpful. For example, Franz Kafka is a superhero known as Bug-Man - much easier to appreciate if you know who Kafka is and have read some of his famous works. There's also an interesting twist on Charles Manson. It could either offend or have one think that in Gerrold's alternate, the killer got what he deserved. One thing to note, in looking at the copyright information, many of these stories may have been previously published in the 1990s, so if you have already read a lot of science fiction anthologies, you may have read these. Download the sample and check out the Table of Contents. If you haven't read much David Gerrold but like a range of science fiction sub-genres, you may want to check out this one.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Short Stories, December 20, 2011

By 

MommaCat "Cat in Utah" (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Alternate Gerrolds: An Assortment of Fictitious Lives (Kindle Edition)

David Gerrold - what a terrific author! So happy to find him on Kindle. His DTB are very hard to find for some reason. I've wanted this book for a long time, but it seemed to go in and out of print. Some of the stories are actually released singly on Kindle, so a list may be helpful for you. AltGerrold includes:

Bauble
The Impeachment of Adlai Stevenson
The Kennedy Enterprise
The Firebringers
Franz Kafka, Superhero
Rex
...And Eight Rabid Pigs
The Ghost of Christmas Sideways
A Wish for Smish
What Goes Around
The Fan Who Molded Himself
The Feathered Mastodon
The Seminar From Hell
The Spell
Digging in Gehenna
Riding Janis

So many stories to enjoy. Even if you've already bought a couple of these as Singles, I think it's still worth the price.

3 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Decent collection, but puts off earlier commitments, February 23, 2009

By 

Robert Lee "bigroblee" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alternate Gerrolds: An Assortment of Fictitious Lives (Paperback)

A great book, with lots of enjoyable moments. However, it just further insults his fans who have been waiting fifteen years for The War Against the Chtorr series to be completed. Gerrold is a great author, but he should stop releasing new works and collections until he finishes the series that brought him the most fans. Yes, A Method for Madness is supposed to be released soon, but that has been delayed more than Guns N Roses "Chinese Democracy" and I fear the quality may be similar when eventually released. Please Mr Gerrold; finish what you started before doing anything else new.