Fables from the Fountain

by Ian Whates (Editor), Stephen Baxter, Charles Stross

A volume of all original stories written as homage to Arthur C. Clarkeâ s 'Tales from the White Hart', featuring many of todayâ s top genre writers, including Neil Gaiman, Charles Stross, Stephen Baxter, James Lovegrove, Liz Williams, Adam Roberts, Eric Brown, Ian Watson, Peter Crowther, and David Langford.

The Fountain, a traditional London pub situated in Holborn, just off Chancery Lane, where Michael, the landlord, serves excellent real ales and dodgy ploughmanâ s, ably assisted by barmaids Sally and Bogna.

The Fountain, in whose Paradise bar a group of friends â scientists, writers and genre fans â meet regularly on a Tuesday night to swap anecdotes, reveal wondrous events from their past, tell tall tales, talk of classified invention and, maybe, just maybe, save the worldâ ¦

Genres: Anthologies, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2011

About the author

Ian Whates lives in a comfortable home down a quiet cul-de-sac in an idyllic Cambridgeshire village, which he shares with his partner Helen and their pets – Honey the golden cocker spaniel, Calvin the tailless black cat and Inky the goldfish (sadly, Binky died a few years ago).

Ian’s earliest memories of science fiction are fragmented. He remembers loving Dr Who from an early age and other TV shows such as Lost in Space and Star Trek, but a defining moment came when he heard a radio adaptation of John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids. From that moment on he was hooked and became a frequent haunter of the local library, voraciously devouring the contents of their SF section.

This early love of science fiction manifested most tellingly during his school days, when he produced an SF murder mystery as homework after being set the essay title “The Language of Shakespeare”, much to the bemusement of his English teacher.

Ian’s first published stories appeared in the late 1980s in small press magazines such as Dream and New Moon Quarterly, after which he took a break from writing in order to research his chosen fields of science fiction and fantasy. In other words, he read copious amounts of both. Clearly the research was extensive, because he published nothing further for some seventeen years. In the early 2000s he made the decision to pursue writing seriously, joining the Northampton SF Writers Group in 2004 after being introduced to its chairman, Ian Watson.

In 2006 he started submitting stories again, and has subsequently been surprised at how many otherwise eminently sensible people have chosen to publish him. A couple have even appeared in the science journal Nature, and one, “The Gift of Joy”, even found its way onto the five-strong shortlist for best short story in the British Science Fiction Association Awards. And it didn’t come last! Ironically, the award was actually won by Ken MacLeod’s “Lighting Out”, a piece Ian had commissioned, edited and published in the NewCon Press anthology disLOCATIONS (2007).

In 2006 Ian launched independent publisher NewCon Press, quite by accident (buy him a pint sometime and he’ll tell you about it). Through NewCon he has been privileged to publish original stories from some of the biggest names in genre fiction, as well as provide debuts to some genuinely talented newcomers. The books, their covers and contents have racked up an impressive array of credits – four BSFA Awards, one BSF Award to date, inclusion in ‘Year’s Best’ anthologies and recommendations and honourable mentions from the likes of Gardner Dozios and Locus magazine.

In addition to his publishing and writing, Ian is currently a director of both the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) and the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA), editing Matrix, the online news and media reviews magazine, for the latter.

His first two completed novels are both due to appear in early 2010: City of Dreams and Nightmare via Harper Collins’ imprint Angry Robot, and The Noise Within from Rebellion imprint Solaris, with sequels to follow. When not pinching himself to make sure this is all really happening, Ian is currently beavering away at the sequels… honest!

Reviews

[Frank Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've only read the very last tale of this collection, 'The 9,000,000,001st Name of God' by Adam Roberts, which is a wonderful little continuation of Arthur C. Clarke's similarly named short story.

I was at a loss as to why the particular mythology used to continue the narrative had been chosen, right up until the ending which brought it all together in a humorous fashion. I enjoyed it as a marvellous tribute to Clarke's work.

[Johan Haneveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

7+ For me this is the book equivalent of comfort food. I was smiling almost all the time while reading it, enjoying the easy banter in the tales, just like listening to people one upping each other trying to tell tall stories in a pub. So, in that respect this collection fully fulfills its purpose. Witty and entertaining with a dollop of nostalgia for golden age sci fi - especially of the British kind (which I read a lot as a teenager and am still quite fond of). At the same time it's pretty old fashioned (and not only in the story content: only one female author and the regulars of the Fountain are also almost all of the male persuasion), and ultimately forgettable. More so than the Arthur C. Clarke collection this is a loving homage to - 'Tales from the White Hart'. Well, obviously a homage cannot surpass the original, can it? I really like the idea of pub regulars telling tall tales, that they themselves experienced or heard about, and that may or may not be true. Here the regulars are scientists and science fiction authors (based on the authors of the stories, no less. Great fun spotting who is supposed to be who.) So the stories are science fictional tall tales. There are dinosaur fossils, intelligent colonies of ants, monsters underneath London, ape men in Siberia, transient radio signals, books or stories that work like viruses and an uninventor. The most interesting story in the collection may be the final one by Adam Roberts: 'The 9,000,000,001st name of God' that manages to riff on several Arthur C. Clarke-stories at once. And like several of these stories it ends on a pun ... Stephen Baxter has to include astronomical science and the evolution of stars in 'Transients'. 'Book Wurms' by Andy West was a terrifying tale, well done. Charles Stross does gross out well, and shows it in 'A Bird in Hand'. Neil Gaiman also has a great story here. I like how all the authors use the same collection of regulars in their stories, which creates a sense of continuity and makes The Fountain feel like a real place. All in all, an enjoyable collection for SF-fans that like these kind of tall tales by British authors, having a blast. I found myself enamored by the idea of a collection of 'pub tales' and am already thinking of doing something like that myself with a group of Dutch authors. So, this collection was certainly inspiring to me!

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short, witty tales from the natural inheritors of Arthur C. Clarke.

Well worth a read, some of the stories are metatextual while others are cleverly thought provoking.

[Bill Plott · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is an homage to the great Arthur C. Clarke and his "Tales From the 'White Hart,'" a collection of science fiction stories set in a London pub. More than a dozen notable of British writers contribute to this anthology, but it never quite comes up to speed. Perhaps the problem is too many people trying to re-create the cozy atmosphere. It often comes across as superficial. Also, many of the writers seem to be straining for humor, whether it's extraneous one-liners or whimsical beer brands. There are a couple of very good stories by Neil Gaiman and Tom Hunter but most are just so-so. A big problem for me was the ground rule that tales told in the Fountain should be science-centered. This lead to lengthy passages of dialogue expounding scientific theories that almost obscured the story itself. To me, it got tiresome very quickly. If you really want SF with a "Cheers!" atmosphere, go to Clarke's collection or similar works by Spider Robinson and Fletcher Pratt and L. Sprague de Camp.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of stories to celebrate the Arthur C Clarke collection Tales From The White Hart, the posits a group of scientists and writers who regularly drink at The Fountain pub telling stories of exploits that may or may not be true. Told as stories related by drinkers, these are largely tall stories. Generally mildly amusing, the tone doesn't really change through the collection so it becomes a little tiresome. The standout is the final story in the collection, Adam Roberts The 900,000,000,001 Name of God, does a really nice job of affectionately deconstructing the classic Clarke story while referencing a significant number of his works.
Good fun, but nothing special.

[Stan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining collection of short stories written as a tribute to Arthur C. Clarke's "Tales From the White Hart". This collection centers around a group of regulars swapping stories in a pub. If you're a long time SF reader or have an interest in science - or both! - this could be a book for you.

[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of the sort of rambling shaggy dog story that Arthur C. Clarke told very well in Tales from the White Hart and loved this tribute to that. Ian Whates has assembled quite the collection of authors to contribute to his anthology, all of whom were as fond of those old stories as I am. The stories themselves range from very White Hart-ian shaggy dog stories, complete with puntastic punchlines to more horrific fare to good old fashioned super-science SF. I would have liked to see more women involved, although Liz Williams' story is fun (and gives some back story to barmaid Bogna).

My favourite stories were probably Stephen Baxter's Transients which tells of a stranger brought into the usual group at the Fountain who tells a very particular story, before disappearing again; A Bird in the Hand by Charles Stross, which brings some women to the group and is one of shaggier dog stories in the collection; Book Wurms by Andy West about strange things lurking inside books and the strangers who tend them; and The 9,000,000,001st Name of God by Adam Roberts, riffing off the famous Clarke story.

If you're a fan of the White Hart or Callahan's or any other of those sorts of collections, you'll enjoy this one a lot (and I'd certainly like to stop there for a drink, although perhaps avoid the ploughman's).

[James Everington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting themed anthology, based around a group of people telling stories in the kind of pub I wish was MY local... It is based on Arthur C Clarke's Tales From The White Hart, and indeed the last story by Adam Roberts has some fun with several other Clarke tales.

What's nice about the book is that, despite the many different authors, each story is linked by being set in the same location, and gradually the reader gets a real sense of The Fountain, its staff, and its patrons. The individual stories all share a light-hearted, almost whimsical tone, defiantly old-fashioned - like the pub itself. There's not a bad one among them, but particular favourites of mine were 'Transients' by Stephen Baxter, "And Weep Like Alexander" by Neil Gaiman (on typically fine form), and "Book Wurms" by Andy West.

This is the kind of anthology that as a reader I both love and hate - love because it's introduced me to many new authors; hate because I'll be spending yet more money on buying books by those newly discovered authors.

[Tim Taylor]

Absolutely brilliant. There should be more stories about real ale and science fiction. I didn't rate it because I have a connection with the publisher.

[Ming · Rating 3 out of 5]

A spread of stories for every sort of sci-fi fan, whether you like hard, techy SF or a gentler touch. The authors all have fun with the concept, though some are more entertaining than others.

[chvang · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am simultaneously amused and appalled--mostly at that pun. I'm convinced this is less a science fiction short story and more a shaggy dog joke.