Greetings: & Other Stories [Hardcover]

Terry Bisson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2005

Fearless, irreverent, and surprisingly optimistic short stories fill this collection from a science fiction veteran known for taking readers on a wild ride. The surreal adventures this time around include an escape from an assisted-death facility in "Greetings," a mystical journey to the end of time and back in "Dear Abbey," and "Almost Home," the story of a fantastical ride in an old-fashioned aeroplane.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bisson fans are bound to savor this strong story collection from the Hugo and Nebula Award winner, but it should be particularly revelatory to new readers in search of crisp black comedy and satire. The lighthearted "I Saw the Light" turns the classic alien contact story (with props from Arthur C. Clarke's 2001) upside down, while the terse "Openclose" offers a glimpse into one future sponsored by the Office of Homeland Security. Capital punishment and religious education feed a surreal media circus in "The Old Rugged Cross." In the title story, legally ordered assisted suicide is supposed to help maintain world population, but no one—from suicides to the accidentally maimed and the hacked-up victims of genocide—can find peace while stuck waiting at "Death's Door." The haunting "Scout's Honor" and the gently elegiac "Almost Home" balance the bleak chills. The volume closes with the striking "Dear Abbey," about a desperate attempt to save the Earth from ecological disaster by traveling to the end of time.
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From Booklist

In Bisson's third story collection, the veteran satirist's prodigious wit and inventiveness demonstrate why some of his peers regard him as a national treasure. In the opening story, "I Saw the Light," Bisson wryly extrapolates Arthur C. Clarke's classic concept of an alien artifact found on the moon (the 2001 gambit) to reveal that humans have been serving as a kind of pet for the aliens. Other tales explore an innovation in prisoners' rights by which death-row inmates can now choose crucifixion on live TV; a paleontologist's surprising visit to the Stone Age; and a group of aging hippies forced to revisit their troubled past when they begin sharing the same dreams. The longest and perhaps best story, "Dear Abbey,"^B follows the exploits of a pair of radical environmentalists trying to avert global warming by traveling into the future by means of a porch glider. Bisson's distinctive minimalist style leaves plenty of room for disarming social satire that keeps one amused and pleasantly provoked. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 382 pages
• Publisher: Tachyon Publications (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892391244
• ISBN-13: 978-1892391247
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,538,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Major Sci-Fi, August 20, 2005

By 

C. DIMOND (Gardner, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Greetings: & Other Stories (Hardcover)

Decoding the puzzle of language is inherently part of the fun of reading a Terry Bisson story, which often relies on adept liguistic manipulation to convey ideas as well as to establish mood. When he sets out to write a story, TB is always clear in his own mind what he is going to get said. Before the end of the story you realize that he's also a good storyteller with a totally original mind.

Greetings: & Other Stories finds this skilled veteran at the peak of his strength working in the medium of the literary short story. Serious, totally honest, deeply felt. An excellent read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 10 shorts represent the best of Bisson's other times and worlds, April 19, 2006

By 

D. Donovan, Editor/Sr. Reviewer "California B... (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Greetings: & Other Stories (Hardcover)

Terry Bisson's GREETINGS & OTHER STORIES selects ten satiric short stories to represent the best of Bisson's explorations into other times and worlds. There's always a moral and ethical edge to his explorations - and always an assembly of diverse, unpredictable plots and different settings to keep readers on their toes. From an online girl who was killed but is alive in cyberspace to a different kind of terrorist threat, GREETINGS AND OTHER STORIES are steeped in strong characterization and solid science.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bisson is a fine writer, April 30, 2009

By 

S. Stockell (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Greetings: & Other Stories (Hardcover)

Terry Bisson is a particularly fine writer. I have several of his books and have enjoyed them all.