In the Stone House [Hardcover]

Barry N. Malzberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2000

In an "Alternate Kennedys" history where Joe Kennedy lives to become president, things go horribly wrong as the rivalry between ex-president Joe and his now-president brother Jack turns violent. Hugo Award Nominee

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With alternative history currently in vogue, among serious historians as well as bestselling novelists like Robert Harris and Harry Turtledove, this collection of 24 tales serves as a timely reminder that Malzberg, author of some 90 novels and 350 short stories, has long been a master of "what if" fiction. The centerpieces here are the three sardonic alternative-world versions of John F. Kennedy's election to the presidency and assassination ("Heavy Metal," "All Assassins" and the title story). A tale like the Hugo-nominated "In the Stone House," in which JFK's ill-starred older brother, Joe Jr., survives WWII to fight another day, cannot help shocking and even offending. Other tales of this type, portraying such varied luminaries as Emily Dickinson, Raymond Chandler, Leonard Bernstein and a Jewish "Christoforo" Columbus, may be less sensational, but are never less than thought provoking. In a different, more whimsical mode, "Prince of the Steppes" features a cabdriver who's a walking bomb and some hilarious Russian spy dialect worthy of Boris Badenov, while "Major League Triceratops" is a somewhat wordy riff on the dinosaur hunt theme. Malzberg's characters flail in an existential world they don't understand, and you may not either, but the challenge is always worth accepting. (Feb. 1)Forecast: Nearly all of Malzberg's major work is out of print, but within the SF community he's generally considered to be a giant. Targeted marketing of this title to SF cognoscenti could result in healthy sales.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 247 pages
• Publisher: Arkham House Pub; 1st edition (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870541781
• ISBN-13: 978-0870541780
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #576,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic collection from one of my favorite authors, November 16, 2001

By 

Fosky Bob "human" (Vacaville, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Stone House (Hardcover)

I was browsing through Amazon's listings and noticed that this fantastic collection had only one solitary, lonely review. One review. Blows my mind. Malzberg is a powerful writer. I love his sardonic and arrogant style. It's been several months since I read the collection so my comments may or may not be relevant, but I felt that I had to write a review to draw a small bit of attention to this overlooked collection.

The stories in this collection are, like the majority of Malzberg's hundreds of stories, short. They're short but they make the reader think. Malzberg packs a tremendous amount of force into a few short pages. My favorite stories in the volume are: 'Ship Full of Jews' (in which Christopher Columbus sails to the New World with a hold full of Jewish slaves), 'Hitler at Nuremberg' (in which Hitler does not commit suicide, is tried at Nuremberg, and revealed to be Goering's patsy), 'In the Stone House' (Twisted Kennedy politics, Dad Kennedy survives and rules his family with an iron hand) and 'Standards & Practices' (Emily Dickinson as a modern day college professor).

I love Malzberg's alternate history stories. He puts neat, totally implausible twists on history. Fantastic stuff. In addition to the stories mentioned above there are stories about Lee Harvey Oswald, a couple more Kennedy stories, a story about Raymond Chandler & Dashiell Hammett, an aging Tchaikovsky, and on and on.

I've just made up my mind that I have to reread this collection ASAP. Malzberg's exploration of the human psyche are priceless. I love reading him. A recent perusal of his bibliography revealed that he has an enormous number of uncollected stories. I see that he's recently released an E-collection, but I can't wait for the day when some enterprising company releases 'The Complete Malzberg'. I'll be first in line to buy a copy. _In the Stone House_ is Highly Recommended. One of the finest collections of 2000.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will intrigue any with a fascination for twists and turns, March 18, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: In the Stone House (Hardcover)

This set of short stories reflects the bizarre and compelling twists of Malzberg's plots and characters, ranging from alternative realities and hard science fiction to subtler blends of history and science fiction. Famous personalities - such as Emily Dickson and Tchaikovsky - often feature in these tales, which will intrigue any with a fascination for twists and turns of character and story.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MALZBERG IS UNIQUE, January 27, 2001

By 

S. F Gulvezan (Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Stone House (Hardcover)

A fine collection of stories from Malzberg, who is one of the most under-appreciated writers, not just in the SF world, but in the entire literary world. His vision of life, and especially the writing life, and especially the SF writer's life, is unique. Almost all his books are out of print. Somebody should re-release his novels such as HEROVIT'S WORLD, BEYOND APOLLO, TACTICS OF CONQUEST, GATHER IN THE HALL OF THE PLANETS, etc., and, publish a big volume of his collected stories. This selection of newer stories will do for a start.