Customer Reviews

Prayers to Broken Stones

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although this is mainly a collection of Simmons's early horror work, there is an astonishing amount of variety. There are classic ghost and vampire stories, science fiction horror pieces, science fiction work, and a few stories which defy categorization. As a whole the collection is fun, with the author's introductions as interesting and entertaining as the stories themselves. Each story is well written and enjoyable to read. If you've been disappointed with much of Simmons's recent work, you won't be with this collection.

If you're not in the mood to sit and read an entire novel, Dan Simmons' short stories are a great way to pass time. He is a very gifted writer and I have read everything he has written. I especially liked "The River Styx Runs Upstream", and "Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell." The former a horror story along the lines of Stephen King and the later hilarious. Also included is the novella to Carrion Comfort which, in novel form, one of the best horror novels ever written. I recommend anything and everything by him, especially the Hyperion novels, Summer of Night, and Carrion Comfort.

Dan Simmons continues to weave intricate tales in "Tales to Broken Stones". A collection of 13 short stories, Dan Simmons displays his impressive writing skill in multiple genres. While one or two of the stories were a bit boring, most riveted me to my seat while I read them. The commentary on each of the stories by Simmons helps set the tone.

Included in this book are the short stories that inspired Simmons's Hugo award winning Hyperion and his high aclaimed(and intensely scary)Carrion Comfort.

I've read and have been impressed with Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos and Carrion Comfort, and wanted to explore his short stories to see if they were up to his novel's quality.

Unfortunately, the short stories are mostly from his earlier years and aren't really up to the incredibly high standards he's set for himself with the Hyperion series, Carrion Comfort and other novels.

The stories are adequate, but none of them really stick in the mind after a while. If they were from any other author, I would say there "good" though not excellent, but knowing Simmons, I'd rate them as "just ok". Some of the stories seem to be more concerned with hammering the reader with the "message" rather than telling a good yarn. This is most evident when his rant (err, story) against televangelists. I agree with Simmons viewpoints, but didn't care much for the story.

However, this collection does offer some interesting glimpses into his novels. First, "Remembering Siri" is word for word, a chapter in his later Hyperion novel, and this is where it started. Second, "Carrion Comfort" is probably the best short story in the collection (and hence, the last story in the collection) and this forms the first chapter of Carrion Comfort, the novel. Again, this is where it started. Third, "Eyes I Dare Not Meet in Dreams" forms the basis of his later novel The Hollow Man, with exactly the same characters and premise. You can also see his fascination with the US space program in "Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds", which was marred by getting the "message" across at the expense of storytelling. He explores the US space program from a different angle later on his novel Phases of Gravity. Lastly, there is a "story within a story" in "The Death of a Centaur" about a teacher telling kids a fantasy story. The story involves Raul (err, Raoul Endymion) guiding an unlikely band of characters to save the universe, battling the Shrike (yes the Shrike) and Wizards (err, The Pax) who are out to get them. The story is, well, standard fantasy fare, but it's interesting to note that he uses this story as a basis of his later Endymion novel.

So this collection is interesting if you're interested in "forensic" analysis of where some of his later great novels came from, but as storytelling tales in themselves, they're ok, not great. Having read both his novels and short stories, I recommend reading more of his novels before plunging into his weaker short stories.

Dan Simmons is known to write some very heavy books. Which makes it all the more fascinating to read this, a collection of his short works. For someone who might not be familiar with his writing, this anthology is a mostly excellent place to start, and gives you an idea of the broad style and genres this author works in.

I won't give a breakdown of all the stories. Suffice to say they compliment his novels very well, and in many cases are direct starting points for his books. Inside this collection you will find a Horror, Sci Fi and a hint of the fantastic. They don't all click (as tends to happen in collections you will enjoy some more than others), but they are all uniformly creative, and do not generally repeat themselves (Although I suppose the inclusion of 2 tales of Evangelism, although different, may qualify as a repeat to some).

I was reminded a little of Clive Barker's Books of Blood, which also shows a wide variety of imaginative scenarios, and many references to classical literature.

I would easily recommend this collection to fans of short stories, if nothing else because they are all unique and far removed from the formulaic 'twilight zone episode' stories that often constitute short stories. Simmons almost always paints on a large canvas, and his short stories are no exception. Not every story is perfect, but what is rare about this anthology is that Simmons uses the short story in so many varieties of application that you can't help but be impressed with the man's talent. Very entertaining.

This book is a collection of short stories by Dan Simmons ("Song of Kali," "Hyperion") with a foreward by Harlan Ellison. Each story has a unique voice (although all the science fiction stories seem to take place in the same universe) and they are gem-like in their brightness - characterization, description, voice, all is exquisite, bringing you into these little worlds and opening your eyes to sometimes strange and twisted landscapes.

My only complaints are again copy editing nitpicks - for instance, if something needs oil, it creaks, it doesn't creek. When someone agrees with a statement given, particularly during a toast, they say "Hear, hear!" not "Here, here!" Those sorts of things. Also, the plural of bus is buses!!! "Busses" is "kisses." I kid you not - look it up and make fun forever more in the future when you see signs at drive-throughs and restaurants that say "busses welcome."

But that aside, this collection of short stories is amazing. I read it much more slowly than is my wont, as it must be supped and savored like a fine wine - not guzzled like a brew. Enjoy it!

One of Dan Simmons' early collections. Many of these stories were expanded into novels or became inspiration for later works. Even from his early work, this shows Simmons to be a great writer. Overall grade: B+

"The River Styx Runs Upstream." Perhaps someday soon there will be a cure for death. But will there still be a cost? A-

"Eyes I Dare Not Meet in Dreams." A melancholy tale about the death of a wife and the struggles of the husband--with a SF twist--because they're both highly telepathic. Delves into philosophy of mind and what is this thing we call "self." Simmons expanded this story into a novel called The Hollow Man. If you read only one thing by Dan Simmons, that is the novel to read. Forget this collection, or buy the novel in addition to. It is that good. The story is great, but the novel goes into so much more depth than the story ever could. Story rating: B+ The Hollow Man rating (in case you haven't guessed): A+

"Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell." A hilarious look at the hypocrisy of televangelism. A

"Vexed to Nightmare by a Rocking Cradle." A much darker piece about religion. Yet, it didn't grab me. C

"Remembering Siri." What can I say? I'm a sucker for the story where two lovers age at different timescales. This story makes an appearance again in Simmons' novel/frame-story collection Hyperion. B+

"Metastasis." Dan, Dan, Dan, you disappoint me. Cancer vampires? Really? How clichéd. There was this one science fiction anthology episode about cancer vampires...oh, wait, then I read the introduction to the story--actually developed into a teleplay for a SF anthology episode about cancer vampires. B+

"The Offering." That teleplay about cancer vampires. It's interesting to see the changes Simmons made in adapting the story to TV. Like so many things, it loses something when going from the page to the screen, even if it's the same author's hand. I think it lost some of the character's motivation; that's probably due to time constraints with the medium. However, as I remember the episode, it really stood out as a unique "What if?..." Teleplay: B- TV Episode (as I remember it from the cobwebs of time, in the anthology series Monsters) B+

"E-Ticket to `Namland." What if the Vietnam War became a futuristic theme park? A story dark because people would go and pay that and willingly live the "adventure" (horror) of that war and think it was "fun" or even "therapeutic." But, things could go wrong....A

"Iverson's Pits." An old man reliving a dark chapter from his much younger self. Civil War horrors seek vengeance upon an incompetent commander. B

"Shave and a Haircut, Two Bits." You know that barbershop that charges too little and gives bad haircuts and nobody goes there? What goes on in there? Read and find out. A story good as much from its structure as from its content. B+

"The Death of the Centaur." A story-within-a-story. The frame story is about a young teacher and the relationships he develops among his kids and the science fantasy story he tells one school year. The story-within-a-story is that science fantasy tale, from which the author develops much of his Hyperion universe. Both stories are about loss--loss of innocence, loss of friends, but most of all loss of the nostalgic past we all wish we had (and never realized it was lost until we can look back). It is a metaphorical as much as actual death in which the title refers and this is one of the best stories in this collection. A

"Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds." Felt like it was written to order (which it was). An in memoriam to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. C

"Carrion Comfort." The third story featuring some kind of vampire. Not cancer or blood--this time it's mind vampires. Short story was later expanded into his first novel. A-

Due to his big-selling science fiction novels, Dan Simmons is usually lumped into that category. My edition of this paperback even has an unbelievably inaccurate cover illustration featuring an astronaut, though only one of the stories here even remotely involves space travel. The varied works in this collection of short stories firmly place Simmons in the more inclusive genre of speculative fiction, with an ethic similar to that of his hero Harlan Ellison. There are a couple of clunkers here, like the rushed and unfocused anti-televangelist yarn "Vexed to Nightmare by a Rocking Cradle," plus an unnecessary TV script. But otherwise the selections here are well written and very compelling, with Simmons specializing in the humanistic side of the supernatural. Highlights include a highly disturbing tale of death in the family in "The River Styx Runs Upstream," two tales about the inescapable horrors of war in "E-Ticket to "Namland" and "Iverson's Pits" (covering the Vietnam and Civil Wars, respectively), and the outstanding psychic murder suspense of "Carrion Comfort." This collection is a great introduction to a writer who doesn't get enough credit for the variety of his ideas. [~doomsdayer520~]

I had owned this book in the past and wanted to get it again. The stories range from just good to fantastic. I've read many of the books Dan Simmons wrote and like most of his work. Some of these stories were turned into larger books later on. I know a lot of writers that are worse than Simmons but can think of few better.

This short story collection from early in Dan Simmons career is strong.My favorite the death of the centaur a story within a story is a meditation on the value of imagination and the teacher who tells the story is contrasted at the end with the too common elementary school teacher who stunts or even kills the imagination of their students. I enjoyed all of the stories well enough that each one deserves at least 3 stars aastrong anthology overall