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Alien Plot
Tor published Piers Anthony's only previous short story collection, Anthonology, in 1986. In the nearly seven years since, he has written dozens of new stories, collected here for the first time. Includes the previously unpublished novella-length title story and the author's notes on the events that prompted him to write each story.
244 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1992
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335 people want to read
About the author
Piers Anthony
438 books4,194 followersThough he spent the first four years of his life in England, Piers never returned to live in his country of birth after moving to Spain and immigrated to America at age six. After graduating with a B.A. from Goddard College, he married one of his fellow students and and spent fifteen years in an assortment of professions before he began writing fiction full-time.
Piers is a self-proclaimed environmentalist and lives on a tree farm in Florida with his wife. They have two grown daughters.
Piers is a self-proclaimed environmentalist and lives on a tree farm in Florida with his wife. They have two grown daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 15, 2021
A Lot Of Gems 💎
Piers Anthony is a new author for me. This collection of short stories are from some of the rejects from editors, that he has received throughout the years.
He writes a nice paragraph about each story that he submits,
give you the history of the story and reveals his opinion on the lack of “brain work” that he feels the editor has.
He even, facetiously, submits a story that has been revised multiple times over the years, to placate the wishes of the editors, in order to get the story published.
The stories in this collection are very good. Most of the stories are wonderful. I am definitely glad that I found this book. Now I will look forward to reading others.
Piers Anthony is a new author for me. This collection of short stories are from some of the rejects from editors, that he has received throughout the years.
He writes a nice paragraph about each story that he submits,
give you the history of the story and reveals his opinion on the lack of “brain work” that he feels the editor has.
He even, facetiously, submits a story that has been revised multiple times over the years, to placate the wishes of the editors, in order to get the story published.
The stories in this collection are very good. Most of the stories are wonderful. I am definitely glad that I found this book. Now I will look forward to reading others.
May 17, 2020
Piers Anthony is an author I've heard good things about since I was young, with a reputation for humour and edgy scifi fantasy writing. Keen for English language books when I was overseas, I saw this in a second hand store and snapped it up. I didn't realize this was a story collection at first, and the rejects at that, but I feel I got a good gist of his style. Old style, short form stories for an age when magazines were a medium people paid money to read and kept authors in business. A mixture of tolkienesque life forms and futuristic technology, but not in the same stories that I can remember. And the reputation I sensed initially for wit seemed to hold.
This is also a book of advice for writers, Anthony's reflections on writing and how to navigate the vagaries of editors and their processes. Some of this done very cleverly, parodying the process itself. Much of the context is irrelevant today, but perhaps the substance is just as poignant, given the challenge for writers getting airtime in a crowded medium and an even harder time getting paid. Visual and audio media may be the way of the future but I think good writing, of our true and fantastical stories, needs to be part of the future too. All up, a pretty good book given it was the stories were the ones the experts didn't want.
This is also a book of advice for writers, Anthony's reflections on writing and how to navigate the vagaries of editors and their processes. Some of this done very cleverly, parodying the process itself. Much of the context is irrelevant today, but perhaps the substance is just as poignant, given the challenge for writers getting airtime in a crowded medium and an even harder time getting paid. Visual and audio media may be the way of the future but I think good writing, of our true and fantastical stories, needs to be part of the future too. All up, a pretty good book given it was the stories were the ones the experts didn't want.
October 27, 2023
I'm going through some of Piers Anthony's old books as I'm in between series. He's one of my favorite writers but frankly these old books are terrible. They're slow and miss the story telling and deep characters of the Piers Anthony books that I liked. Perhaps it's me that's aged. Anyway this is a short story anthology. I couldn't finish the first one Alien Plot because it wandered too much and I didn't like the second one either. This is the end of my Piers Anthony experiment.
March 12, 2025
It's hard to rate short story collections, because naturally the quality of the stories varies. I like the editorial grumblings, but there's no avoiding that this is really a collection of stuff quite off-the-path and hard to publish. Not a particularly appealing authorial introduction. Some amusement at least.
June 20, 2019
An interesting review of the authors writing history but the stories are a mixture of good and not good.
January 10, 2020
An interesting read showing how writers and editors "work" together....or not...
July 5, 2014
This collection reminded me a little of one by Victor Villaseñor in that each story is bracketed by commentary from the author about its history. Piers Anthony is well established in his genre (although this may be the first I've read by him), but these back stories he provides concern the tortuous path each piece followed on the way to eventual publication. That's the common theme, that each encountered more than the usual resistance or bad luck along the way. His message is that even the big names can be mistreated by editors and can have trouble placing their work. In fact, despite being decades old at the time this volume was published, 11 of these pieces are seeing the light of day for the first time here. He says, "For those of you who are hopeful writers (which seems to be half my readers) the moral is plain: Never give up on a piece. Writers have longer lifespans than editors, and sometimes outlast them and get into print despite them."
I think that message would be more inspiring if the stories in question were better. To me, the basic concept of the title piece, "Alien Plot," was interesting, and "Soft Like a Woman" provided a pretty good adventure sequence, and in spoofing the dreadful schlock on television "E van S" made me smile (I haven't watched TV in years). But frankly I've seen better material from unknowns, even in draft form.
Part of the problem, I suppose, is due to the fact that the stories feel a little dated. And part of it is surely my own expectations. Some of these read almost like fables, whereas I prefer a little more depth of character and complexity of plot. He mentions at one point that he views himself as a commercial writer, someone who aims for the masses--not one of those hoity-toity literary types who use big words and foreign phrases and pretentious styles. I don't know. I don't recall ever thinking that such things were necessary, but I'll bet everybody wants living, breathing characters that you care about. And even in fantasy, plausibility is a plus.
I feel a little ambivalent about this writer. Having encountered my share of difficulty in getting work placed, I do agree with his sour attitude toward editors and gatekeepers in general. I can only agree when he says, "The writer who passively accepts the dictates of the experts is unlikely to become an expert himself."
On the other hand, as a reader I've suffered through so much shoddy, unedited writing, rushed out before its time via Kindle, that I'm about ready to give up on indie authors in general (despite being an indie author myself!). Looking over these stories, I actually rather agree with the editors who bounced them. A writer wants (or should want) to be remembered by his best work. Also, if the first examples new readers come across are disappointing for any reason, there's more than an even chance that those readers will lose interest. Which means this book doesn't inspire me to read another by him.
I think that message would be more inspiring if the stories in question were better. To me, the basic concept of the title piece, "Alien Plot," was interesting, and "Soft Like a Woman" provided a pretty good adventure sequence, and in spoofing the dreadful schlock on television "E van S" made me smile (I haven't watched TV in years). But frankly I've seen better material from unknowns, even in draft form.
Part of the problem, I suppose, is due to the fact that the stories feel a little dated. And part of it is surely my own expectations. Some of these read almost like fables, whereas I prefer a little more depth of character and complexity of plot. He mentions at one point that he views himself as a commercial writer, someone who aims for the masses--not one of those hoity-toity literary types who use big words and foreign phrases and pretentious styles. I don't know. I don't recall ever thinking that such things were necessary, but I'll bet everybody wants living, breathing characters that you care about. And even in fantasy, plausibility is a plus.
I feel a little ambivalent about this writer. Having encountered my share of difficulty in getting work placed, I do agree with his sour attitude toward editors and gatekeepers in general. I can only agree when he says, "The writer who passively accepts the dictates of the experts is unlikely to become an expert himself."
On the other hand, as a reader I've suffered through so much shoddy, unedited writing, rushed out before its time via Kindle, that I'm about ready to give up on indie authors in general (despite being an indie author myself!). Looking over these stories, I actually rather agree with the editors who bounced them. A writer wants (or should want) to be remembered by his best work. Also, if the first examples new readers come across are disappointing for any reason, there's more than an even chance that those readers will lose interest. Which means this book doesn't inspire me to read another by him.
July 17, 2015
I don't like short stories as a form. I am also a Science Fiction and Fantasy fan so not liking short stories is a major liability since most of the great ideas in F/SF came from short stories way back. Even so I've had some good luck with anthologies like Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man" and "The Complete Stories of Arthur C. Clarke" and even some with Brian W. Aldiss' Best of collection. These were all good, especially Clarke, so I decided to look into this story collection because I liked Piers Anthony's Xanth Series and the Incarnations of Immortality.
I failed to take two things into account though. First, I read most of what I read by Anthony when I was in my late teens and even my re-readings recently still are tinged by that kid's love of the characters. Secondly, when you read Bradbury and Clarke (or even Aldiss) you are reading some of the Ur-texts of Science Fiction, When you read Anthony you are reading entertainment. He's not trying to be philosophical here, he's trying (again and again and again) to bash on editors and build stories on puns. There is nothing wrong with this of course but I could just as easily have jumped on the next Xanth book and avoided short stories completely.
I say all this because I just closed this book 5 minutes ago and I really don't remember any of the stories in it that well and I don't want people thinking that I'm blaming this on Piers Anthony. It is merely a confluence of circumstances. A. I don't like short stories. B. In an effort to change my opinion I went after some of the giants in the field. C. I read this anthology after those guys based on my own instincts and D. I didn't really engage it because it was merely O.K. That is the reasoning. It also feels dated now, really bad.
So, do I have ANY favorites? Well, I like stuff that comments on itself so Revise and Invent amused me. E van S was a story that, I think, was actually part of a Xanth book somewhere. The big surprise for me was CLoister, I didn't even expect to remember that one by name but I do! Then there's Think of the Reader, which is advice he should take before putting out things like this anthology.
In the end, if you are a fan of short stories and/or Piers Anthony then give this a try and stop when you get bored. If you aren't sure then you should probably steer clear of this one and read some of the ones above, also until you get bored. Keep in mind that there is no "The Veldt" or "The Nine Billion Names of God" in this book... It's just not on that level.. but if you like hot chicks... He's your guy.
I failed to take two things into account though. First, I read most of what I read by Anthony when I was in my late teens and even my re-readings recently still are tinged by that kid's love of the characters. Secondly, when you read Bradbury and Clarke (or even Aldiss) you are reading some of the Ur-texts of Science Fiction, When you read Anthony you are reading entertainment. He's not trying to be philosophical here, he's trying (again and again and again) to bash on editors and build stories on puns. There is nothing wrong with this of course but I could just as easily have jumped on the next Xanth book and avoided short stories completely.
I say all this because I just closed this book 5 minutes ago and I really don't remember any of the stories in it that well and I don't want people thinking that I'm blaming this on Piers Anthony. It is merely a confluence of circumstances. A. I don't like short stories. B. In an effort to change my opinion I went after some of the giants in the field. C. I read this anthology after those guys based on my own instincts and D. I didn't really engage it because it was merely O.K. That is the reasoning. It also feels dated now, really bad.
So, do I have ANY favorites? Well, I like stuff that comments on itself so Revise and Invent amused me. E van S was a story that, I think, was actually part of a Xanth book somewhere. The big surprise for me was CLoister, I didn't even expect to remember that one by name but I do! Then there's Think of the Reader, which is advice he should take before putting out things like this anthology.
In the end, if you are a fan of short stories and/or Piers Anthony then give this a try and stop when you get bored. If you aren't sure then you should probably steer clear of this one and read some of the ones above, also until you get bored. Keep in mind that there is no "The Veldt" or "The Nine Billion Names of God" in this book... It's just not on that level.. but if you like hot chicks... He's your guy.
June 30, 2011
I began reading with a tad bit of hesitation as sometimes Piers Anthony does go a bit overboard with the story lines. The Amber series was quite good read. Now — short stories? And a number of them being proclaimed 'Rejected' by one Editor/Publisher or another and misplaced for 20 years until now.
Well... Overall it's a decent read. Anthony does write some interesting stories. I can also see that a few were not that great as he does get strange and quite sexist (to which he states in some of the stories' introductions) , but, I guess it is that certain creative imagination that make those authors what they are because the tale wasn't bad as you had to read the whole thing to had had totally understood what the whole point of the story was about!
As you noticed, I have not named any Story titles. Be your own judge if you like strange Science Fiction in a short story form. Some of these (not all within this volume) will make for an interesting read. You'll know the bad ones when you read them.
Well... Overall it's a decent read. Anthony does write some interesting stories. I can also see that a few were not that great as he does get strange and quite sexist (to which he states in some of the stories' introductions) , but, I guess it is that certain creative imagination that make those authors what they are because the tale wasn't bad as you had to read the whole thing to had had totally understood what the whole point of the story was about!
As you noticed, I have not named any Story titles. Be your own judge if you like strange Science Fiction in a short story form. Some of these (not all within this volume) will make for an interesting read. You'll know the bad ones when you read them.
March 15, 2012
Not a bad collection of short stories, and the story introductions provide an interesting look into an author's perception of editors and the editorial process. If you are a Piers Anthony fan, you will probably enjoy these. If you want truly novel stories that go in unexpected directions, you will probably want something different.
Faces 2/5
Alien Plot 2/5
Nonent 2/5
20 Years 3/5
December Dates 2/5
Ship of Mustard 2/5
Soft Like a Woman 3/5
Imp to Nymph 3/5
E van S 2/5
Vignettes 3/5
Hearts 4/5
Revise and Invent 3/5
Baby 2/5
Cloister 3/5
Love 40 2/5
Kylo 3/5
Plague of Allos 2/5
Think of the Reader 3/5
Faces 2/5
Alien Plot 2/5
Nonent 2/5
20 Years 3/5
December Dates 2/5
Ship of Mustard 2/5
Soft Like a Woman 3/5
Imp to Nymph 3/5
E van S 2/5
Vignettes 3/5
Hearts 4/5
Revise and Invent 3/5
Baby 2/5
Cloister 3/5
Love 40 2/5
Kylo 3/5
Plague of Allos 2/5
Think of the Reader 3/5
October 23, 2014
I believe this is the first I've read by Piers Anthony. I didn't realize when I picked it up that it was a collection of short stories. More so than the actual short stories themselves I enjoyed his commentary on the story/editors/what it took to get that story into print. I'm not sure that reading these has put me in a mind to read any of his novels but you never know what will strike while at the bookstore. The one story I liked the best was "Soft Like a Woman" Quitie (which is probably spelled wrong, my apologies all I can remember is that it is pronounced Kwee-tee). I'd like to see a novel about her.
June 25, 2008
Goofy little stories for the most part, with a couple mildly memorable ones (memorable only on a Piers Anthony sort of scale). One experimental story that chronicles the development of a short story as it keeps being rejected by publishers, and the author keeps modifying the story to fit the whims of the last publisher it was sent to. I found this one quite amusing. The rest of them were, to my twelve-year old self back when I read this, fun enough to warrant finishing the book, which is more than I did for most of the Piers Anthony books I started.
July 12, 2012
Typical Anthony fare, mostly toward the mediocre end of such things.
Most of the better stories were those that had already been published, with a decent story here and there.
Nothing much here for a reader just looking for a book of short stories, mostly for the die-hard or completist.
However, finishing this book does allow for moving on to the next.
Most of the better stories were those that had already been published, with a decent story here and there.
Nothing much here for a reader just looking for a book of short stories, mostly for the die-hard or completist.
However, finishing this book does allow for moving on to the next.
November 30, 2016
Interesting assortment of stories by an author I've long heard of but have never read. These are of the fantasy, soft-science fiction variety, some with elves and many with intriguing female protagonists (Anthony proclaims himself a feminist, yet some of his female characterizations are a tad patronizing.) Each story has a preface from Anthony detailing why it is included in this collection.
February 4, 2011
I loved the short stories but appreciated the introductions by the author even more.
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August 7, 2014More of Piers Anthony's short stories.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews