The Great Escape [Hardcover]

Ian Watson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2002

Combining science fiction and fantasy into an amusing and eclectic mix, this collection of 19 short stories mixes the seasoned writing skills of a master writer with tales of the fantastic. From fallen angels mounting a breakout from Hell and computer game designers haunted by cyberghosts to alien coffins bombarding the solar system and Jesus' brother aboard the first starship, these stories, irreverent and bizarre, are sure to amuse, bemuse, and entertain. This anthology brilliantly takes on the eerie and the weird-and does it with humour, wit, and tension.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This collection of 19 stories by Hugo- and Nebula-finalist Watson showcases the author's knack for contemporary dark fantasy, often blended with an SF chaser. In "Caucus Winter" and "Three-Legged Dog," artificial intelligences take intriguing roles in rebellion and murder, respectively. Likewise in "Nanunculus," an intelligent program from the future "haunts" an unbalanced mathematician, attempting to keep him from committing suicide before he can finish the work necessary to the development of time travel. "When Thought-Mail Failed" reprises the fear and chaos of E.M. Forster's 1909 classic, "The Machine Stops." In two of the best stories here, the denizens of hell take matters into their own hands in "The Great Escape," while a famous fictional detective who suddenly appears on a starship in hyperspace cracks a tough case in "The Shape of Murder." A few stories disappoint by merely offering speculative ideas without fully exploring them, such as "A Day Without Dad," where the expense of nursing-home care forces adult children to "host" their parents inside their own brains. Likewise "Ahead!" and "Early, in the Evening" offer unconvincing futures created by unconventional technology run amok. In his introduction, Watson writes, "human consciousness is not the source of tales it is the product of tales," and therefore the telling of tales is "fundamental to our whole existence and to our knowledge of the world." That philosophy underlies this diverse and thoughtful volume, the first U.S. story collection for this British author. (May)development for last summer's A.I.

Artificial Intelligence, for which he received screen credit for screen story.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Watson introduces this diverse collection of his stories with a discussion of whether consciousness is the result of storytelling. Regardless of whether or not the subsequent stories produce consciousness, they certainly don't induce its opposite. "Three Legged Dog" is an unusual take on using AI to avenge abused animals. "A Day without Dad" extrapolates certain aspects of eldercare into a definitely dystopian future. "The Amber Room" nods to fantasy in general and H. P. Lovecraft in particular, but is image-laden without being purple in its prose. "Caucus Winter" is a singularly creepy variation on the theme of the future dominated by the extreme right. Although few of the stories radiate optimism, Watson's eye and ear for vivid detail, contemporary and futuristic, offsets occasional slow pacing, and ensures an even level of high quality throughout the book. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 285 pages
• Publisher: Golden Gryphon Press; 1st edition (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930846096
• ISBN-13: 978-1930846098
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,250,483 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stories that just can't be put down, July 11, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Escape (Hardcover)

Ian Watson's The Great Escape is an incredible anthology of nineteen uniquely original and awe-inspiring short stories, ranging from a group of fallen angels determined to escape Hell, to a vampire with a weakness for confectionaries, to the difficulties of caring for aging parents inside of one's brain rather than in a more traditional nursing home. An amazing selection of vibrantly original, eclectic, and sometimes darkly satirical stories that run from one end of the spectrum of the fantastic to the other, The Great Escape bombards the reader with the new, the unexpected, and the stories that just can't be put down.

5.0 out of 5 stars Virtually flawless storytelling, October 13, 2009

By 

Steven Warfield (Scotia, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great Escape (Hardcover)

I'm really somewhat disappointed that I didn't discover Ian Watson's work sooner than now.

With one exception*, the stories presented in this collection not only are entertaining in their own right but each manages to pack at least two or three sorts of ideas into each quite seamlessly. Watson has managed to make even hard-ish sci-fi quite relatable while still exploring exactly what it means to be human...and beyond.

While some of the stories don't have the characters accomplishing much, it is amazing how little that detracts from the ease of reading - Watson has managed to make it so the characters are relatable regardless of what they might actually be accomplishing (or not).

*"My Vampire Cake," which I also thought was a very poor way or wrapping things up; "Ferryman" would have made for a much better last story.

4.0 out of 5 stars none, July 27, 2002

By 

Gary S. Potter (Mt Pleasant, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Escape (Hardcover)

One of SF's most eclectically intelligent writer. Watson provides the reader with a plethora of ideas; the strange, weird, mundane, and eerie, then blends in his own brand of originality and supburb story mastery to give the reader a taste for more of his work, and it's nothing short of brilliant. Gary S. Potter Author/Poet