From Publishers Weekly
In these 10 well-constructed, usually unpredictable short stories, the author of Cross and Crescent (1998) displays a wonderful grasp of history and politics as she aims at transcendent truth about the fragility of the human condition. While varying some key historical facts, Schwartz creates careful portraits of people in settings at once recognizable, immediate and imbedded in recent social dilemmas. Topics such as Vietnam, biblical dinosaurs, AIDS, WWII, Reconstruction, abuse between adults and between children, alternate partnerships, animal spirituality and the homeless form the backdrop for tales that slip into horror as they reinterpret known events and speculate about alternate results. Perhaps the best is "Loose Cannon," in which T.E. Lawrence is resurrected from his infamous fatal motorcycle crash to convince Rommel to oppose Hitler. Running a close second is the ironic title story, in which McGovern beats Nixon for president in 1972, but the Vietnam war still ends in a bloodbath after the U.S. withdrawal. In "Getting Real," the invisibility of the homeless in New York's streets is made literal in a tale of human triumph, but some of the stories amount to just plain lyrical wish fulfillment. "Critical Cats," an animal lover's story, verges on the overly cute. More than entertaining tales, Schwartz's stories are food for the mind and soul.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Four more titles in Five Star's new series of short fiction by noteworthy sf authors offer a variety of tales that illustrate the depth and staying power of the genre. God Is an Iron and Other Stories presents ten tales by sf veteran Robinson, including the author's classic novella "Stardance" (co-written with Jeanne Robinson), which relates the bittersweet tale of a dancer who finds her destiny among the stars. Sf author and editor Schmidt's Generation Gap and Other Stories consists of 11 stories that range from the title story's exploration of a meeting between a man and his younger self to the complications surrounding the revival of an extinct species ("Johnny Birdseed"). The Lady Vanishes and Other Oddities of Nature brings together 11 tales by sf veteran and scientist Sheffield, including a missing-person mystery ("The Lady Vanishes") and a wry look at the future of football ("The Whole Three Yards"). In Suppose They Gave a Peace and Other Stories, fantasy and sf author Shwartz collects ten stories that run the gamut from alternate history ("Suppose They Gave a Peace") to feline perceptions ("Critical Cats"). Most of the stories in these volumes have only appeared in periodicals. Libraries wishing to augment their sf or short fiction collections should consider any of them.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
