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UFO #3
Unidentified Funny Objects 3
Excellent Book
Paperback
First published September 19, 2014
23 people are currently reading
519 people want to read
About the author
Alex Shvartsman
158 books143 followersAlex Shvartsman is a writer, editor, and translator from Brooklyn, NY. He's the author of The Middling Affliction (2022) and Eridani's Crown (2019) fantasy novels. Kakistocracy, a sequel to The Middling Affliction, is forthcoming in 2023.
Over 120 of his stories have been published in Analog, Nature, Strange Horizons, and many other venues. He won the 2014 WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction and was a two-time finalist (2015 and 2017) for the Canopus Award for Excellence in Interstellar Fiction.
His collection, Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and Other Stories and his steampunk humor novella H. G. Wells, Secret Agent were published in 2015. His second collection, The Golem of Deneb Seven and Other Stories followed in 2018.
Alex is the editor of over a dozen anthologies, including the Unidentified Funny Objects annual anthology series of humorous SF/F.
Over 120 of his stories have been published in Analog, Nature, Strange Horizons, and many other venues. He won the 2014 WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction and was a two-time finalist (2015 and 2017) for the Canopus Award for Excellence in Interstellar Fiction.
His collection, Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and Other Stories and his steampunk humor novella H. G. Wells, Secret Agent were published in 2015. His second collection, The Golem of Deneb Seven and Other Stories followed in 2018.
Alex is the editor of over a dozen anthologies, including the Unidentified Funny Objects annual anthology series of humorous SF/F.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 2, 2014
3.5 stars
Unidentified Funny Objects 3 is a collection of 23 fun science fiction & fantasy short stories from a whole host of well known authors. I have to admit I wanted to read the anthology for the story by Gini Koch but I thought it would be a great way of trying some new to me authors and I've definitely added some new books to my wish list now.
This really is a diverse collection so I'm sure there will be something for everyone - you'll read about aliens, superheroes, mermaids, zombunnies, robotic travelling salesmen and much, much more. Its the kind of anthology where you never know quite what you'll discover next and I really enjoyed that about it. As this is a short story collection it is a great book to dip in and out of when you don't have much time to read and just want something quick to fill in a ten minute gap but if you're not careful time will run away with you and before you know it you'll have finished half a dozen stories and end up being late for your appointment!
My favourite stories in the anthology were Master of Business Apocalypse by Jakob Druid, Picture Perfect by Matt Mikalatos, Into the Woods, with Zombunny by Camille Griep, Live at the Scene by Gini Koch, Do Not Remove this Tag by Piers Anthony, Super-Baby-Moms Group Saves the Day by Tina Connolly and The Date Worse than Death by Kevin J. Anderson and Guy Anthony De Marco but I don't think there was a single story that didn't at least get a smile from me.
Unidentified Funny Objects 3 is a collection of 23 fun science fiction & fantasy short stories from a whole host of well known authors. I have to admit I wanted to read the anthology for the story by Gini Koch but I thought it would be a great way of trying some new to me authors and I've definitely added some new books to my wish list now.
This really is a diverse collection so I'm sure there will be something for everyone - you'll read about aliens, superheroes, mermaids, zombunnies, robotic travelling salesmen and much, much more. Its the kind of anthology where you never know quite what you'll discover next and I really enjoyed that about it. As this is a short story collection it is a great book to dip in and out of when you don't have much time to read and just want something quick to fill in a ten minute gap but if you're not careful time will run away with you and before you know it you'll have finished half a dozen stories and end up being late for your appointment!
My favourite stories in the anthology were Master of Business Apocalypse by Jakob Druid, Picture Perfect by Matt Mikalatos, Into the Woods, with Zombunny by Camille Griep, Live at the Scene by Gini Koch, Do Not Remove this Tag by Piers Anthony, Super-Baby-Moms Group Saves the Day by Tina Connolly and The Date Worse than Death by Kevin J. Anderson and Guy Anthony De Marco but I don't think there was a single story that didn't at least get a smile from me.
February 9, 2020
A mixed bag! My favorites were by Jim C. Hines and Tina Connolly. Some of the others had very strong male gaze which I’m not into.
December 20, 2014
Foreword - Alex Shvartsman
....
On the Efficacy of Supervillain Battles in Eliciting Therapeutic Breakthroughs - Jim C. Hines
Pretty cool and strange. A short story that worked well on it's own. About a girl standing on her own
The Right Answer - James A. Miller
Yes what is the right answer when an alien shows up? Nice short one.
The Gefilte Fish Girl - Mike Resnick
A man tells his mum about the mermaid he loves. Funny.
Master of Business Apocalypse - Jakob Drud
Magicians prevents the apocalypse, time after time. A bad boss can ruin it all ;)
Carla at the Off-Planet Tax Return Helpline - Caroline M. Yoachim
The title says it all. It was really funny!
Why I Bought Satan Two Cokes on the Day I Graduated High School - Nathaniel Lee
Angels everywhere, poor Satan gets his ass kicked and a kid befriends him. Nice.
Company Store - Robert Silverberg
Not for me.
The Door-to-Door Salesthing from Planet X - Josh Vogt
Poor salesman :/
Picture Perfect - Matt Mikalatos
I honestly can't remember what it was about
The Discounted Seniors - James Beamon
Some are not grateful and this guy finds out.
That Must Be Them Now - Karen Haber
I only remember it was not for me
Notes to My Past And/or Alternate Selves - Sarah Pinsker
You would not think a list would be funny but it was so amusing :)
The Real and the Really Real - Tim Pratt
A human left alone in a world of robots. Ohh I liked the twist in this one.
Into the Woods, with Zombunny - Camille Griep
A fairytale! Ha, I enjoyed this one a lot. I am not gonna say which fairytale.
Live at the Scene - Gini Koch'
Newsteam reporting about aliens. Funny :)
The Newsboy’s Last Stand - Krystal Claxton
I liked this one about a newsboy telling bad news, and then throwing in god ones.
The Full Lazenby - Jeremy Butler
Weird story about ..well just read it ;)
Do Not Remove This Tag - Piers Anthony
A sort of jinnni turns up and wants to live large.
Super-Baby-Moms Group Saves the Day! - Tina Connolly
All in emailform and it worked great. Amusing.
The Choochoomorphosis - Oliver Buckram
Lol. Weird very short story.
The Fate Worse than Death - Kevin J. Anderson and Guy Anthony De Marco
Dracula gets a guest, an annoying one. Nice
Elections at Villa Encantada - Cat Rambo
About something. Did not keep my attention
Infinite Drive - Jody Lynn Nye
Investigators investigate. Eh
Like with all anthologies, some stories were good, some ok, some not to my taste. But almost all were funny (except those that were meh then.) And a nice mix too of sci-fi, fantasy, fairy-tale and all the rest and weird.
The kind of book that you could read before bed, one story a day :)
....
On the Efficacy of Supervillain Battles in Eliciting Therapeutic Breakthroughs - Jim C. Hines
Pretty cool and strange. A short story that worked well on it's own. About a girl standing on her own
The Right Answer - James A. Miller
Yes what is the right answer when an alien shows up? Nice short one.
The Gefilte Fish Girl - Mike Resnick
A man tells his mum about the mermaid he loves. Funny.
Master of Business Apocalypse - Jakob Drud
Magicians prevents the apocalypse, time after time. A bad boss can ruin it all ;)
Carla at the Off-Planet Tax Return Helpline - Caroline M. Yoachim
The title says it all. It was really funny!
Why I Bought Satan Two Cokes on the Day I Graduated High School - Nathaniel Lee
Angels everywhere, poor Satan gets his ass kicked and a kid befriends him. Nice.
Company Store - Robert Silverberg
Not for me.
The Door-to-Door Salesthing from Planet X - Josh Vogt
Poor salesman :/
Picture Perfect - Matt Mikalatos
I honestly can't remember what it was about
The Discounted Seniors - James Beamon
Some are not grateful and this guy finds out.
That Must Be Them Now - Karen Haber
I only remember it was not for me
Notes to My Past And/or Alternate Selves - Sarah Pinsker
You would not think a list would be funny but it was so amusing :)
The Real and the Really Real - Tim Pratt
A human left alone in a world of robots. Ohh I liked the twist in this one.
Into the Woods, with Zombunny - Camille Griep
A fairytale! Ha, I enjoyed this one a lot. I am not gonna say which fairytale.
Live at the Scene - Gini Koch'
Newsteam reporting about aliens. Funny :)
The Newsboy’s Last Stand - Krystal Claxton
I liked this one about a newsboy telling bad news, and then throwing in god ones.
The Full Lazenby - Jeremy Butler
Weird story about ..well just read it ;)
Do Not Remove This Tag - Piers Anthony
A sort of jinnni turns up and wants to live large.
Super-Baby-Moms Group Saves the Day! - Tina Connolly
All in emailform and it worked great. Amusing.
The Choochoomorphosis - Oliver Buckram
Lol. Weird very short story.
The Fate Worse than Death - Kevin J. Anderson and Guy Anthony De Marco
Dracula gets a guest, an annoying one. Nice
Elections at Villa Encantada - Cat Rambo
About something. Did not keep my attention
Infinite Drive - Jody Lynn Nye
Investigators investigate. Eh
Like with all anthologies, some stories were good, some ok, some not to my taste. But almost all were funny (except those that were meh then.) And a nice mix too of sci-fi, fantasy, fairy-tale and all the rest and weird.
The kind of book that you could read before bed, one story a day :)
November 7, 2014
4.0 of 5 stars – Entertaining Shorts Having Some Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fun.
(I'm excited to have won this as a Goodreads First Read – so thanks, Alex!)
I’m a fan of sci-fi and fantasy, but hadn’t read many humorous stories nor anthologies. As it turned out, this was a delight.
The stories were light, clever, imaginative, and yes, funny, sometimes with a grin, others with an auditory chuckle. While none were LOL hilarious, all of them generated at least a smile or a smirk. And they were nice and short (mostly 5-15 pp), so great if you only have time to catch a story or two, but also good if you want to do some “binge” reading. As a bonus adding to the light-heartedness, Tomasz Moronski’s cover was fantastic, and the several illustrations scattered throughout were a nice touch too, thanks to Barry Munden.
As is the benefit of anthologies, I was interested in sampling a range of stories exploring the humorous side of these genres that I like – and this served that purpose well. Indeed, I had not read any of these authors before, so it was a treat to see who I might pursue further. There was fairly good variety in topic, approach and style of humor. Personally I would have liked a bit more diversity in culture, in terms of things like age, race, nationality, even sexual orientation, and more that made you think a bit about some serious stuff, but with satire or a light touch.
I imagine that favorites will vary according to personal taste, experience and fantasies, but there was enough variety that something will tickle your fancy, and all of them were at least enjoyable. I actually prefer novels (I like their depth, development and complexity), so I found the better stories for me were more descriptive, relatable and engaging in terms of characters, plot, and tension. I enjoyed the early and later stories more, with a few in the middle being enjoyable but not as strong. In particular, my favs were: Master of Business Apocalypse (Jacob Drud), Infinite Drive (Jody Lynn Nye), The Gefilte Fish Girl (Mike Resnick), and The Full Lazenby (Jeremy Butler).
Overall, a nice collection of entertaining shorts that have some fun with fantasy and sci-fi.
(I'm excited to have won this as a Goodreads First Read – so thanks, Alex!)
I’m a fan of sci-fi and fantasy, but hadn’t read many humorous stories nor anthologies. As it turned out, this was a delight.
The stories were light, clever, imaginative, and yes, funny, sometimes with a grin, others with an auditory chuckle. While none were LOL hilarious, all of them generated at least a smile or a smirk. And they were nice and short (mostly 5-15 pp), so great if you only have time to catch a story or two, but also good if you want to do some “binge” reading. As a bonus adding to the light-heartedness, Tomasz Moronski’s cover was fantastic, and the several illustrations scattered throughout were a nice touch too, thanks to Barry Munden.
As is the benefit of anthologies, I was interested in sampling a range of stories exploring the humorous side of these genres that I like – and this served that purpose well. Indeed, I had not read any of these authors before, so it was a treat to see who I might pursue further. There was fairly good variety in topic, approach and style of humor. Personally I would have liked a bit more diversity in culture, in terms of things like age, race, nationality, even sexual orientation, and more that made you think a bit about some serious stuff, but with satire or a light touch.
I imagine that favorites will vary according to personal taste, experience and fantasies, but there was enough variety that something will tickle your fancy, and all of them were at least enjoyable. I actually prefer novels (I like their depth, development and complexity), so I found the better stories for me were more descriptive, relatable and engaging in terms of characters, plot, and tension. I enjoyed the early and later stories more, with a few in the middle being enjoyable but not as strong. In particular, my favs were: Master of Business Apocalypse (Jacob Drud), Infinite Drive (Jody Lynn Nye), The Gefilte Fish Girl (Mike Resnick), and The Full Lazenby (Jeremy Butler).
Overall, a nice collection of entertaining shorts that have some fun with fantasy and sci-fi.
March 29, 2015
Advertencia: Esta reseña utiliza tópicos.
Es una recopilación de relatos con un nivel irregular. El hilo conductor es el humor, pero como es más difícil hacer reír que llorar muchos de ellos naufragan en el camino. Aunque esto puede ser una opinión subjetiva, ya que sobre gustos no hay nada escrito, y más si hablamos de humor.
En definitiva, que es una idea que resulta mejor como concepto que una vez llevada a la práctica, y que habiendo tan poco tiempo y tantos libros buenos yo leería otros primero.
En cuanto a los relatos en sí, os dejo simplemente una lista con la calificación que les daría individualmente:
On the Efficacy of Supervillain Battles (2/5)
The Right Answer (1/5)
The Gefilte Fish Girl (3/5): El más divertido de la serie, el único que me ha arrancado alguna sonrisa.
Master of Business Apocalypse (2/5)
Carla at the Off-Planet Tax Return Helpline (2/5)
Why I Bought Satan Two Cokes... (3/5) No es divertido, pero me ha gustado la idea.
Company Store (1/5)
The Door-to-Door Salesthing from Planet X (1/5)
Picture Perfect (2/5)
The Discounted Seniors (2/5)
That Must Be Them Now (1/5)
Notes to My Past And/or Alternate Selves (2/5)
The Real and the Really Real (3/5)
Into the Woods, with Zombunny (2/5)
Live at the Scene (3/5)
The Newsboy's Last Stand (3/5): Bastante simpático, de los mejores de la recopilación.
The Full Lazenby (2/5)
Do Not Remove This Tag (1/5)
Super-Baby-Moms Group Saves the Day (1/5)
The Choochoomorphosis (3/5)
The Fate Worse Than Death (1/5)
Elections at Villa Encantada (1/5)
Infinite Drive (1/5)
Es una recopilación de relatos con un nivel irregular. El hilo conductor es el humor, pero como es más difícil hacer reír que llorar muchos de ellos naufragan en el camino. Aunque esto puede ser una opinión subjetiva, ya que sobre gustos no hay nada escrito, y más si hablamos de humor.
En definitiva, que es una idea que resulta mejor como concepto que una vez llevada a la práctica, y que habiendo tan poco tiempo y tantos libros buenos yo leería otros primero.
En cuanto a los relatos en sí, os dejo simplemente una lista con la calificación que les daría individualmente:
On the Efficacy of Supervillain Battles (2/5)
The Right Answer (1/5)
The Gefilte Fish Girl (3/5): El más divertido de la serie, el único que me ha arrancado alguna sonrisa.
Master of Business Apocalypse (2/5)
Carla at the Off-Planet Tax Return Helpline (2/5)
Why I Bought Satan Two Cokes... (3/5) No es divertido, pero me ha gustado la idea.
Company Store (1/5)
The Door-to-Door Salesthing from Planet X (1/5)
Picture Perfect (2/5)
The Discounted Seniors (2/5)
That Must Be Them Now (1/5)
Notes to My Past And/or Alternate Selves (2/5)
The Real and the Really Real (3/5)
Into the Woods, with Zombunny (2/5)
Live at the Scene (3/5)
The Newsboy's Last Stand (3/5): Bastante simpático, de los mejores de la recopilación.
The Full Lazenby (2/5)
Do Not Remove This Tag (1/5)
Super-Baby-Moms Group Saves the Day (1/5)
The Choochoomorphosis (3/5)
The Fate Worse Than Death (1/5)
Elections at Villa Encantada (1/5)
Infinite Drive (1/5)
November 7, 2014
Alex Shvartsman does it again. The third installment of "Unidentified Funny Objects" is an impressive collection of hilarious, laugh-out-loud short stories. Like the prior works in the series, Alex does a great job of collecting humorous fiction from a variety of authors - both well established and up and comers.
The result is a collection of short fiction sure to please anybody who is a fan of speculative fiction. While all the stories were good and most definitely amusing, my personal Top 5 list would be;
- “On the Efficacy of Supervillain Battles in Eliciting Therapeutic Breakthroughs” by Jim C. Hines
- “Company Store ” by Robert Silverberg
- “An Insatiable Craving ” by Camille Griep
- “Do Not Remove this Tag ” by Piers Anthony
- “Infinite Drive” by Jody Lynn Nye
If you're a fan of any kind of speculative fiction (sci-fi / horror / fantasy) you're sure to be entertained by any number of these great stories.
The result is a collection of short fiction sure to please anybody who is a fan of speculative fiction. While all the stories were good and most definitely amusing, my personal Top 5 list would be;
- “On the Efficacy of Supervillain Battles in Eliciting Therapeutic Breakthroughs” by Jim C. Hines
- “Company Store ” by Robert Silverberg
- “An Insatiable Craving ” by Camille Griep
- “Do Not Remove this Tag ” by Piers Anthony
- “Infinite Drive” by Jody Lynn Nye
If you're a fan of any kind of speculative fiction (sci-fi / horror / fantasy) you're sure to be entertained by any number of these great stories.
December 5, 2014
UFO3 was my bedside book for the last week or so - great fun! I picked up the book from Alex Shvartsman (the book's editor) at Capclave this Fall, as I have with the previous editions in years past. 23 fun stories from names familiar to the SciFi/Fantasy reader. My personal favorite among the bunch: Cat Rambo's Election at Villa Encantada. Why? Because I've grown a sore spot for HOAs over the years, and the HOA at a retirement community for deities, et al, proved to have a doozy! Fun, fun, fun! Second runner up: Jeremy Butler's The Full Lazenby. Which famous person do *you* most resemble, eh? I'm already looking forward to UFO4... Recommended!
October 22, 2021
2/5 - On the Efficacy of Supervillain Battles in Eliciting Therapeutic Breakthroughs, by Jim C. Hines
2/5 - The Right Answer, by James A. Miller
2/5 - The Gefilte Fish Girl, by Mike Resnick
3/5 - Master of Business Apocalypse, by Jakob Drud
2/5 - Carla at the Off-Planet Tax Return Helpline, by Caroline M. Yoachim
2/5 - Why I Bought Satan Two Cokes on the Day I Graduated High School, by Nathaniel Lee
3/5 - Company Store, by Robert Silverberg
3/5 - The Door-to-Door Salesthing From Planet X, by Josh Vogt
2/5 - Picture Perfect, by Matt Mikalatos
2/5 - The Discounted Seniors, by James Beamon
3/5 - That Must Be Them Now, by Karen Haber
2/5 - Notes to My Past And/Or Alternate Selves, by Sarah Pinsker
2/5 - The Real and the Really Real, by Tim Pratt
2/5 - Into the Woods, With Zombunny, by Camille Griep
2/5 - Live at the Scene, by Gini Koch
3/5 - The Newsboy's Last Stand, by Krystal Claxton
2/5 - The Full Lazenby, by Jeremy Butler
1/5 - Do Not Remove This Tag, by Piers Anthony
1/5 - Super-Baby-Moms Group Saves the Day!, by Tina Connolly
1/5 - The Choochoomorphosis, by Oliver Buckram
2/5 - The Fate Worse Than Death, by Kevin J. Anderson and Guy Anthony De Marco
2/5 - Elections at Villa Encantada, by Cat Rambo
2/5 - Infinite Drive, by Jody Lynn Nye
2/5 - The Right Answer, by James A. Miller
2/5 - The Gefilte Fish Girl, by Mike Resnick
3/5 - Master of Business Apocalypse, by Jakob Drud
2/5 - Carla at the Off-Planet Tax Return Helpline, by Caroline M. Yoachim
2/5 - Why I Bought Satan Two Cokes on the Day I Graduated High School, by Nathaniel Lee
3/5 - Company Store, by Robert Silverberg
3/5 - The Door-to-Door Salesthing From Planet X, by Josh Vogt
2/5 - Picture Perfect, by Matt Mikalatos
2/5 - The Discounted Seniors, by James Beamon
3/5 - That Must Be Them Now, by Karen Haber
2/5 - Notes to My Past And/Or Alternate Selves, by Sarah Pinsker
2/5 - The Real and the Really Real, by Tim Pratt
2/5 - Into the Woods, With Zombunny, by Camille Griep
2/5 - Live at the Scene, by Gini Koch
3/5 - The Newsboy's Last Stand, by Krystal Claxton
2/5 - The Full Lazenby, by Jeremy Butler
1/5 - Do Not Remove This Tag, by Piers Anthony
1/5 - Super-Baby-Moms Group Saves the Day!, by Tina Connolly
1/5 - The Choochoomorphosis, by Oliver Buckram
2/5 - The Fate Worse Than Death, by Kevin J. Anderson and Guy Anthony De Marco
2/5 - Elections at Villa Encantada, by Cat Rambo
2/5 - Infinite Drive, by Jody Lynn Nye
December 24, 2023
These stories brought joy to my life at a time when I needed it.
Here are my favorite stories:
On the Effectiveness of Supervillan Battlesin Eliciting Threaputic Breakthroughs
Catlla and the Off-Planent Tax Return Help Line
Why I Bought Saten Two Cokes on the Day I Graduated High School
Picture Perfect
Company Store
The Door-to-Door Salesthing from Planet X
Super-Baby-Moms Group Save the Day
The Chochomorphisis Metamorphisis
Infinite Drive
Elections at Villa Encantads
Here are my favorite stories:
On the Effectiveness of Supervillan Battlesin Eliciting Threaputic Breakthroughs
Catlla and the Off-Planent Tax Return Help Line
Why I Bought Saten Two Cokes on the Day I Graduated High School
Picture Perfect
Company Store
The Door-to-Door Salesthing from Planet X
Super-Baby-Moms Group Save the Day
The Chochomorphisis Metamorphisis
Infinite Drive
Elections at Villa Encantads
March 18, 2020
Fun - Round 3
The third annual collection of funny sci-fi stories. A couple "eh", a few groaners, and a couple laugh-out-loud gems to make it worth while. Amusing series.
The third annual collection of funny sci-fi stories. A couple "eh", a few groaners, and a couple laugh-out-loud gems to make it worth while. Amusing series.
April 14, 2021
Generally didn’t find these as funny as the previous instalments but I did love the super mom group story by Tina Connolly and the Robert Silververg story was neat, too.
August 15, 2023
Fun series from #1 on.
July 9, 2025
This was a very enjoyable and funny collection. I loved Notes to My past And/or Alternate Selves by Sarah Pinsker. Absolutely hysterical.
December 5, 2014
As is usual with an anthology, this was a mixed bag, but on the whole one of the stronger collections of themed stories I've read. The stories were, indeed, engaging and funny, light but intriguing in many cases. A few were a little *too* light for me, but then some were rather brilliant. If you like your specfic with a dash of humour, you'll probably enjoy this anthology.
May 10, 2016
A little hit or miss, but certainly something for any sense of humor. It has a wide range of styles and I discovered a new author to start reading from one of the stories, which is always a good thing.
February 10, 2015
Very funny stuff. If you like humorous SF/fantasy, keep an eye on this series.
December 3, 2014
3.5 stars. Some lovely things here, especially by friends Cat Rambo and Camille Griep. I'm not as much of a fan of the puns and occasional cheese, but it was a good time overall.
May 14, 2022
An extra star for the use of “Higgledy-piggledy!”
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews