Miniatures The very short fiction of John Scalzi

John Scalzi, 1969-

Book - 2016

The ex-planet Pluto has a few choice words about being thrown out of the solar system. A listing of alternate histories tells you all the various ways Hitler has died. A lawyer sues an interplanetary union for dangerous working conditions. And four artificial intelligences explain, in increasingly worrying detail, how they plan not to destroy humanity.

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SCIENCE FICTION/Scalzi John
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1st Floor SCIENCE FICTION/Scalzi John Due Apr 16, 2024
Subjects
Genres
Science fiction
Short stories
Published
Burton, MI : Subterranean Press 2016.
Language
English
Main Author
John Scalzi, 1969- (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
142 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm
ISBN
9781596068124
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

This lighthearted and amusing collection features mostly reprints of Scalzi's (the Old Man's War series) shortest fiction, along with four previously unpublished works. Several of the pieces (including "Denise Jones, Superbooker," "The State of Super Villainy," and "Life on Earth: Human-Alien Relations") draw heavily from his newspaper days, taking on the conceit of an interview, internal memo, or advice column. Others ("The Other Large Thing," "How I Keep Myself Amused on Long Flights-Parts 1 and 2") are lifted directly from his Twitter feed. Several of these stories are good for a laugh, but some (such as "Cute Adorable Extortionists") make it clear that the bottom of the writing trunk was carefully scraped. The high price of this slim collectible means only the most faithful Scalzi fans will feel they're getting their money's worth. Agent: Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

Scalzi (Redshirts) explains in his snappy introduction, which he reads, that he has "two natural [writing] speeds": novel-long and "really short." This 18-piece collection showcases his "fast, punchy, and to the point" shortest. For such a "miniature" book, it's got quite a full cast: Allyson Johnson, Dina Pearlman, Oliver Wyman, Fred Berman, Greg Cope White, -Khristine Hvam, Peter Ganim, Luke Daniels, and the author, as well. At just under three hours, the short-shorts move so quickly that identifying who's reading what is frustrating. Listeners will wonder why each story couldn't have included the title followed by "read by." Between shorts, Scalzi shares tidbits about narrative origins, being lazy, and his writing goal of creating worlds in which alien and human encounters are part of everyday life. To that end, his narrators are superbly fluent in alien-speak. Standouts include the multivoiced confessionals "Alien Animal Encounters" and "Your Smart Appliances Talk About You Behind Your Back." His interviews-as-stories are uproariously funny: "Denise Jones, Superbooker" (she trots out superheroes to save the world-or save a kiddie birthday party) and "The State of Super Villainy" (starring an asset management analyst for the worst-of-the-worst). VERDICT Who doesn't need a few hours of giggling and guffawing, especially now? ["Short sf is a boon to a genre that is too often weighed down with massive tomes. Scalzi readers will find these refreshingly concise tales delightful": LJ 12/16 review of the Subterranean hc.]-Terry Hong, Smithsonian -BookDragon, Washington, DC © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.