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First Person, Peculiar
HOW FIRST CAN A PECULIAR PERSON GET?
Which in itself is a pretty odd question. But it is in fact typical of science fiction, a field of writing which examines the usual the better to extrapolate the unusual, which revels in oddity, in looking at things upside down, or backwards, or even forwards, which delights in the strange juxtaposition, the reversed field, the apparent contradiction--and which is, indeed, the genre where T. L. Sherred is certainly one of the first and most significant of writers (although not necessarily peculiar).
His work is rare and precious and it is therefore all the more pleasurable to be able to present this collection: FIRST PERSON, PECULIAR.
Contents:
E for Effort (1947)
Cure, Guaranteed (1954)
Eye for Iniquity (1953)
Cue for Quiet (1953)
Which in itself is a pretty odd question. But it is in fact typical of science fiction, a field of writing which examines the usual the better to extrapolate the unusual, which revels in oddity, in looking at things upside down, or backwards, or even forwards, which delights in the strange juxtaposition, the reversed field, the apparent contradiction--and which is, indeed, the genre where T. L. Sherred is certainly one of the first and most significant of writers (although not necessarily peculiar).
His work is rare and precious and it is therefore all the more pleasurable to be able to present this collection: FIRST PERSON, PECULIAR.
Contents:
E for Effort (1947)
Cure, Guaranteed (1954)
Eye for Iniquity (1953)
Cue for Quiet (1953)
- GenresScience Fiction
214 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 23, 2025
T.L. Sherred only wrote a handful of stories in his career and the four collected here are the best of his work. E for Effort from the May 1947 issue of Astounding is a real classic and has been anthologized again and again. Also included are Cure, Guaranteed from 1954 in Future SF, Eye for Iniquity from Beyond Fantasy in 1953, and Cue for Quiet which was curiously serialized in the May and July issues of Space SF in 1953. He was a terrific writer who never reached his potential or received adequate appreciation, but who shouldn't be forgotten.
December 11, 2024
Check out my full, spoiler free, video review HERE.
***Note the story ‘Cue for Quiet’ in this collection ‘First Person, Peculiar’ is missing a memo at the end of the story, you can find the story for free online from the original magazine publication that has the memo.
This is a fantastic short story collection from a fairly obscure author. He wrote very little but the stories in this collection are all great.
Stories in the collection:
Cure, Guaranteed (4 Star)
This one was my least favorite but still very good. It’s about a private investigator who is tasked with helping to shut down a clinic that claims they can cure the common cold. When they find out that this procedure may actually work the investigator tries to find a way to make everyone come out with a win. This one has a funny/silly punchline in the end but is still a very entertaining read.
Eye for Iniquity (4 Star+)
A man finds out he has the ability to duplicate things with his mind, starting with $10 bills. He starts doing it more often but has to stop when a notice goes out about $10 bills with the same serial numbers. He starts duplicating other bills and various denominations to avoid being caught, this works, and he provides for his family without working, eventually buying a house. A neighbor tips him off that the IRS might be on to him, and when he gets investigated by the IRS the fun starts. Great ending on this one and has a different, less cynical feel than the two below.
Cue for Quiet (5 Star)
A sarcastic man gets the ability to stop electronics and machinery with his mind. He eventually gets found out and taken in by the authorities, police and then the US military. He is made to demonstrate his abilities over and over as they try to understand how he can do this. He gets upset that they took him from his wife and are treating him as a piece of property, not as a human being. They don’t know what to do with him since he could be used as an end all weapon for or against the US government. This one has a great plot and some great scenes as it works up to the end.
The collection ‘First Person, Peculiar’ is missing a memo at the end, but the original magazine version has a ‘Confidential Memo’ that I think you should read after finishing this story.
E for Effort (5 Star+)
The story is written like a long letter to some unknown recipient. The main character meets a film maker who is showing realistic movies and is blown away by it. The movies are made by a time viewer and it records events that actually happened in the past. They form a partnership and initially blackmail some people to raise some money. They then start making films about the Roman empire and take them to Hollywood for sale. They keep making films and become an international sensation. They work up to their masterpiece and when it’s released it sends the world into chaos, they end up in court due to the film. This one has a fantastic ending, wow.
***Note the story ‘Cue for Quiet’ in this collection ‘First Person, Peculiar’ is missing a memo at the end of the story, you can find the story for free online from the original magazine publication that has the memo.
This is a fantastic short story collection from a fairly obscure author. He wrote very little but the stories in this collection are all great.
Stories in the collection:
Cure, Guaranteed (4 Star)
This one was my least favorite but still very good. It’s about a private investigator who is tasked with helping to shut down a clinic that claims they can cure the common cold. When they find out that this procedure may actually work the investigator tries to find a way to make everyone come out with a win. This one has a funny/silly punchline in the end but is still a very entertaining read.
Eye for Iniquity (4 Star+)
A man finds out he has the ability to duplicate things with his mind, starting with $10 bills. He starts doing it more often but has to stop when a notice goes out about $10 bills with the same serial numbers. He starts duplicating other bills and various denominations to avoid being caught, this works, and he provides for his family without working, eventually buying a house. A neighbor tips him off that the IRS might be on to him, and when he gets investigated by the IRS the fun starts. Great ending on this one and has a different, less cynical feel than the two below.
Cue for Quiet (5 Star)
A sarcastic man gets the ability to stop electronics and machinery with his mind. He eventually gets found out and taken in by the authorities, police and then the US military. He is made to demonstrate his abilities over and over as they try to understand how he can do this. He gets upset that they took him from his wife and are treating him as a piece of property, not as a human being. They don’t know what to do with him since he could be used as an end all weapon for or against the US government. This one has a great plot and some great scenes as it works up to the end.
The collection ‘First Person, Peculiar’ is missing a memo at the end, but the original magazine version has a ‘Confidential Memo’ that I think you should read after finishing this story.
E for Effort (5 Star+)
The story is written like a long letter to some unknown recipient. The main character meets a film maker who is showing realistic movies and is blown away by it. The movies are made by a time viewer and it records events that actually happened in the past. They form a partnership and initially blackmail some people to raise some money. They then start making films about the Roman empire and take them to Hollywood for sale. They keep making films and become an international sensation. They work up to their masterpiece and when it’s released it sends the world into chaos, they end up in court due to the film. This one has a fantastic ending, wow.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews