Amazon.com Review
This collection of precyberpunk short stories was originally published in 1989, with some of the selections dating back to 1983. As a result, some of the stories may seem outdated, but they brilliantly illuminate how quickly technology has advanced in one short decade.
In Pat Cadigan's tales, social issues morph into monstrous fantasy--like the what happens to Milo, the kid who's always left out, in the chilling "Eenie, Meenie, Ipsateenie." The story "Heal" will keep the likes of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker awake at night, pale and unblinking in their beds. Particularly harrowing is the tale "My Brother's Keeper," in which a girl's struggle to rescue her brother from heroin addiction uncovers something far uglier going on in the dark recesses of the inner city.
Patterns is reminiscent of Ray Bradbury's short stories, but with malevolent twists and psychotic turns that leave the reader waiting on tenterhooks for the final punch line. Fans of Cadigan's work will particularly enjoy the introductions she has written for each story. Those wanting to read her for the first time may find her novels a better introduction. --Jhana Bach
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
This disappointing collection by the author of Mindbenders contains 13 stories dating from 1982 to the present, plus a new piece, "The Power and the Passion." The latter is one of her more powerful stories; it deals with a psychopathic killer more inhuman than the vampires he is hired to destroy. As with most of Cadigan's work, its effect depends on shock; here and in other places she undercuts the surprise with otherwise uninformative, excessively breezy prefaces to the stories. The tales range from science fiction to horror to mood-piece, although the mood is almost always dark. Cadigan plays on our expectations: an apparently rosy marriage can encompass electronic slavery; a scared little boy terrorizes children as a adult; and a Good Samaritan fronts for an alien whose non-human desires redefine the term rape. Her reliance on twists is formulaic. The collection includes "Angel," nominated for Nebula, Hugo and World Fantasy awards.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
