The American Beauty [Hardcover]

Allen M. Steele (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In these 10 stories, Hugo-winner Steele shows as much imagination and wit at lesser length as he does at novel length. "Agape among the Robots" is an amiable satire on human relationships as translated by robots. "Green Acres" offers more satire in an alternate-history setting in which marijuana is legal and hemp is also valuable as the source of substitutes for plastic. The shared-world story "Graceland" introduces rock 'n' roll to Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld. "Warning, Warning" is a homage to the venerable, ambivalently cherished old TV show Lost in Space, while "Tom Swift and His Humongous Mechanical Dude" gives a satirical nod to the world of the Tom Swift Jr. juvenile sf novels of many a baby-boomer's fond memory. Also noteworthy is an entry in Steele's passionate alternate recent history in which space exploration continued, "A Walk across Mars," set during the joint Russian-American expedition of 1976. In all, a solid set, with not a mediocre, let alone dumb, piece in it. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 242 pages
• Publisher: Five Star (ME); 1 edition (May 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786253398
• ISBN-13: 978-0786253395
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,796,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars All American Tales, May 21, 2003

By 

Arthur W. Jordin (Smyrna, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The American Beauty (Hardcover)

American Beauty (2003) is the author's fourth collection of stories. These ten stories are all related in some way to contemporary America.

Agape Among the Robots is a story of robots absorbing love through example. Her Own Private Sitcom is an extension of the idea that the world is a stage. Green Acres is an alternate history of the hemp plant in this country. Missing Time is a multiverse/time travel story in which the Mayor gets to second guess his actions. Graceland is a Riverworld tale about the immortality of rock music.

Jake and the Enemy is a story of a dog protecting his turf from a robot. Warning, Warning is an explanation, of sorts, for the TV show Lost in Space. The Fine Art of Watching is a tale of the difference between surveillance and perception. A Walk Across Mars makes a case for the media not always telling everything it knows. Tom Swift and His Humongous Mechanical Dude is an indictment of current parenting techniques.

I must admit that the author's short stories often unsettle me to some extent. He does have a way to approaching things from an unexpected direction, but that is an admirable trait in any author in any genre. However, he sometimes put an extra sharp edge to his scalpel that cuts a little too deep for my taste. His short works are not very pleasant at times, but make good points.

Recommended to Steele fans and anyone who enjoys satire with a sharp edge and a bit of refined wit.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another collection of excellent short stories by the master, December 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The American Beauty (Hardcover)

This collection of ten short stories is the fourth book of short stories by the author. As usual, I enjoyed all the stories, they are very entertaining and some are downright very funny. I am eagerly waiting for the next collection of stories.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars run the SF gamut trhough a weird looking glass, June 15, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The American Beauty (Hardcover)

Any anthology that introduces the content as Mishegos (the Yiddish word for "a collection of things") can be looked upon as a warning for genre specialists or a delight for generalists. The AMERICAN BEAUTY consists of ten science fiction tales mostly from the last five years, but none earlier than 1992, that run the gamut of science fiction, but share several traits. The stories center on present or future America, but through a weird looking glass. Each contribution is fun to read and typically turns on its head via opening the jugular inside a value or a famous novel. Oy! vey! Alternate universes where marijuana flows legally, Tom Swift rides rockets again, and romantic robots courting aside, Allen Steele displays his chutzpah with this delightful book.

Harriet Klausner