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Aftershock & Others: 19 Oddities by F. Paul Wilson
Book Summary InformationAuthor: F. Paul Wilson Edition: Hardcover Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2009-03-31 ISBN: 0765312778 Number of pages: 352 Publisher: Forge Books
Book Reviews of Aftershock & Others: 19 OdditiesBook Review: Thank you Mr. Wilson Summary: 5 Stars
Wilson has always been one of my favorite short story writers, his stories often have a dramatic and powerful punch to them that makes it difficult to forget a story even when one wants to (and oh how I wish I could forget 'Slasher' from 'Barrens and Others' and 'Cuts' from 'Soft and Others'). Many of the stories in this collection also have a punch or a twist to them, sometimes you can see it ahead of time ('Anna'), but other times, no ('Part of the Game').
Here's a very brief description of the sixteen (not nineteen) stories in this collection:
Dreams, a variation on Frankenstein in which the brain of the monster is that of a woman
The November Game, a terrifying and gruesome tale about what happens to a man who brutally killed his daughter, a sequel to Ray Bradbury's 'The October Game'
When He Was Fab, an unusual story of friendship between a building supervisor and an alien gelatin substance
Foet, the latest must have fashion
Please Don't Hurt Me, I thought this was the weakest story in the book, but still it was good, a story of a girl you definitely should not hurt.
Aryans and Absinthe,
Offshore, a futuristic healthcare (or lack of) story
Itsy Bitsy Spider, what happens when spiders aren't itsy bitsy anymore
?????, what if a single word was all you needed to know
Lysing Toward Bethlehem, the story of an assassination from the viewpoint of a killer virus
Aftershock, winner of the Bram Stoker award, why would a woman deliberately seek out storms in a quest to be be struck by lightening, again and again
Anna, a story of revenge from the grave
Sole Custody, a son tells his father he's going to die tomorrow
Sex Slaves of the Dragon Tong, Little Orphan Annie is kidnapped, actually there's a more to it than that, old fashioned pulp fiction story
Part of the Game, takes place shortly before 'Sex Slaves of the Dragon Tong', very good story about being careful what you ask for
Interlude at Duane's, a Repairman Jack story
In addition to the stories Wilson also provides background on how each story came to be and what was going on in his life at the time, which is almost as enjoyable to read as the stories themselves.
Overall, this collection isn't as good as his two earlier story collections ('Soft and Others' and "The Barrens and Others'), but it is good and I enjoyed it. My favorite stories in this collection are 'Foet', 'The November Game', 'Part of the Game', and 'Interlude at Duane's'.
Wilson states that this will be his last short fiction collection, that he is pretty much done with short fiction. I am saddened about his decision, but I am grateful that he wrote enough stories to fill this and two other collections, stories that have scared me, made me think, laugh and cry. Thank you Mr. Wilson for all the many stories through the years.
Summary of Aftershock & Others: 19 OdditiesAftershock & Others is the third collection of short fiction by New York Times bestselling author F. Paul Wilson, hailed by the Rocky Mountain News as ?among the finest storytellers of our times.?
The title novelette won the Bram Stoker Award and its companions touch on the past, present, and future?from the inflationary insanity of Weimar Germany (?Aryans and Absinthe?) to disco club?era Manhattan (?When He Was Fab?), to the rationing of medical services in a grim near future (?Offshore?). Wilson?s stylistic diversity and versatility are on display in stories that pay tribute to Ray Bradbury (?The November Game?), use a sentient killer virus as a point-of-view character (?Lysing toward Bethlehem?), and pay unabashed homage to pure pulp fiction in two yellow peril stories (?Sex Slaves of the Dragon Tong? and ?Part of the Game?). And finally, Wilson treats us to his popular antihero Repairman Jack at his most inventive: trapped in a drugstore with four killers (?Interlude at Duane?s?).
Short Stories Books
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Black Windby F. Paul Wilson Tor Books; Published: 2009-03-03; Mass Market Paperback; BookBest price: $2.73Price in other shops: $7.99
Fatal Error (Repairman Jack)by F. Paul Wilson Tor Books; Published: 2011-11-01; Mass Market Paperback; BookBest price: $4.31Price in other shops: $7.99
Rebornby F. Paul Wilson Tor Books; Published: 2009-10-27; Paperback; BookBest price: $7.00Price in other shops: $14.99
Jack: Secret Vengeanceby F. Paul Wilson Tor Teen; Tor Teen; Published: 2011-02-01; Hardcover; BookBest price: $9.37Price in other shops: $15.99
The Touchby F. Paul Wilson Forge Books; Published: 2009-07-07; Paperback; BookBest price: $5.99Price in other shops: $15.99
The Peabody- Ozymandias Traveling Circus & Oddity Emporiumby F. Paul Wilson BookSurge Publishing; Published: 2009-02-07; Paperback; BookBest price: $11.07Price in other shops: $13.99
The Barrens and Othersby F. Paul Wilson Forge Books; Published: 2000-12-01; Paperback; BookBest price: $13.49Price in other shops: $19.99
Reprisal (Adversary Cycle/ Repairman Jack)by F. Paul Wilson Tor Books; Published: 2011-12-06; Paperback; BookBest price: $7.95Price in other shops: $15.99
The Dark at the End (Repairman Jack)by F. Paul Wilson Tor Books; Published: 2011-10-11; Hardcover; BookBest price: $13.98Price in other shops: $25.99
Quick Fixes: tales of Repairman Jackby F. Paul Wilson CreateSpace; Published: 2011-11-02; Paperback; BookBest price: $9.35Price in other shops: $12.99
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