Bears Discover Fire

by Terry Bisson

Bears Discover Fire is the first short story collection by the most acclaimed science fiction author of the decade, author of such brilliant novels as Talking Man and Voyage to the Red Planet. It brings together nineteen of Bisson's finest works for the first time in one volume, among them the darkly comic title story, which garnered the field's highest honors, including the Hugo, Nebula, Theodore Sturgeon, and Locus awards.

Contents:
Bears Discover Fire (1990)
The Two Janets (1990)
They're Made Out of Meat (1991)
Over Flat Mountain (1990)
Press Ann (1991)
The Coon Suit (1991)
George (1993)
Next (1992)
Necronauts (1993)
Are There Any Questions? (1992)
Two Guys from the Future (1992)
The Toxic Donut (1993)
Canción Autentica de Old Earth (1992)
Partial People (1993)
Carl's Lawn & Garden (1992)
The Message (1993)
England Underway (1993)
By Permit Only (1993)
The Shadow Knows (1993)

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

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1990

About the author

Terry Ballantine Bisson was an American science fiction and fantasy author best known for his short stories, including "Bears Discover Fire" (1990), which which won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, as well as They're Made Out of Meat (1991), which has been adapted for video often.

Adapted from Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review (just for the title story) first posted on Fantasy Literature. This short story won the Hugo and Nebula awards in 1990/91, and it's now free online here at Lightspeed:

I was delighted to find that “Bears Discover Fire,” a much-anthologized short story by Terry Bisson, was republished in 2014 by Lightspeed. The narrator, referred to by his nephew Wallace Jr. as “Uncle Bobby,” is a sixty-one year old, down-to-earth man, deliberately removed from the fast pace of modern life. While driving his old ’56 Caddy to visit his aged mother with his brother Wallace and Wallace Jr., they pull into the median to fix a flat tire. In a scene that encapsulates their characters and values, Uncle Bobby teaches Wallace Jr. how to fix a flat while Wallace chides him for not using new puncture-resistant radial tires that can be instantly repaired with a spray of FlatFix. And then the bears show up, holding torches aloft while Bobby finishes fixing the tire as fast as humanly possible. “Looks like bears have discovered fire,” Wallace blandly comments as they drive away.

Bobby is doing his best to help his dying mother, who is ready to be done with life, as well as his nephew, who seems to be short-changed by his busy parents, too preoccupied with selling real estate under the “Revolving Equity Success Plan” to pay much attention to raising their son. The fact that Wallace is a minister who “makes two-thirds of his living in real estate” is one of many ironies in the tale. Another is the gradual loss of honor, values and decency among humans, while the bears are developing a nascent civilization and exhibit decency and sharing, despite their inability to speak. It’s a rather quiet, memorable and moving story told with dry humor that, perhaps unsurprisingly, reveals more about humanity than it does about the bears.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terry Bisson is a terrific short story writer. Initially, I wrote this review for the title story only, but I have since finished the entire book, so this review is now updated and complete.

Bears Discover Fire is a mixture of humor and pathos, that tells us more about the narrowness of people than the progressiveness of bears. The opening scene is a 60-some year old man changing a tire when two bears come out of the woods with torches and light his work area for him. Just the mental image made me laugh. What is serious about this story is buried in its humor. The bears are enlightened, most of the people are not.

Thanks to my friend, Lynn, for the recommendation and my introduction to this writer.

The Two Janets, a humorous tale about a girl who moves to the city from her provincial town to pursue a publishing career, while, ironically, all the famous writers move to her hometown.

Over Flat Mountain - Great sci-fi story about a truck driver who picks up a hitchhiker in a much changed post-Apocalyptic Appalachia.

George - What if your child is different, very different, and will not be like others and you could change that?

Next Appears to be a simple story about two young people who want to marry, but morphs into something far beyond that. The couple are both black and there is a law, African Americans cannot marry one another. Bisson has definitely dealt with bureaucracy somewhere along the line.

"It's because I want to marry Yusef."
"Who just happens to be black? Let's get real, girl. There's nothing subtle about you same-race couples. The way you strut around, as if daring the world to rain on your disgusting little intraracial parade."

Necronauts This is almost a novella and the best story in the bunch. It is about a blind painter who is pulled into an experiment designed to kill a person, bring him back and have him paint what is on the other side. It is eerie, gruesome, and fascinating. I hung on every word. Sci-fi lovers shouldn't miss this one.

Two Guys from the Future - Super cute time warp story. Again, very sci-fi in content and style, but just captivating.

Also included, but not 5-star material, as all the above were (still, not a bad story among them):

They’re Made Out of Meat
Press Ann
The Coon Suit
Are There Any Questions?
The Toxic Donut
Cancion Autentica de Old Earth
Partial People
Carl's Lawn & Garden
The Message
England Underway
By Permit Only
The Shadow Knows

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

You're parked on the verge of a thick copse of trees, a flat tire marooning you on the side of the road. You're just working the nuts off the wheel in preparation for swapping in the spare when you hear a rustle from the bushes and look up. A wild bear is staring at you. A huge, upright, completely normal bear, other than the fact that like some furry Indiana Jones he is holding a burning torch in his right paw.

That's how Terry Bisson's story Bears Discover Fire (and this collection) begins, with the revelation that the bears of North America have discovered fire and ceased hibernating for the winter, instead gathering around campfires for warmth. It's a great introduction to Bisson's imaginative style, where fantastic concepts are spun with compelling writing and a subtle sense of warmth that I really like.

Even the odd story with a less-than-amazing concept underpinning it is mostly carried by Bisson's deft handling of character and pace, and the great majority of the works in this compilation are real winners.

They're Made of Meat is deservedly a classic SF short story, and it’s the story that drew me to Bisson's work. If you haven't read it, Google it now. No really - stop reading this review and find it online. It's only a page or so long, and it's a great, great piece of very short SF.

Necronauts is a real stand out- a fantastically compelling story about a blind artist who is drawn into experiments where people explore the boundaries between life and death, a realm where his sight is restored to him. While the idea is not a new one - the film Flatliners preceded Bisson's story by three years - the direction the story takes is novel, and far more interesting than take that made it to the big screen. It's a real winner.

England Underway is another standout, a story where a single lonely old Englishman's impossible desire to visit his granddaughter in the USA results in the entire nation of England, Scotland and Wales detaching from its moorings and slowly powering away from Europe and across the Atlantic. The way protagonist Mr. Fox deals with this monumental occurrence, and the way British society adjusts to their home suddenly becoming the world's largest boat is both hilarious and plausible.

The final story The Shadow Knows Rounds things off nicely, with a satisfying first contact story led by an aged astronaut called in to speak with an alien entity that will only speak to the elderly.

There are, of course, a few bum notes - no short story collection is perfect. The Coon Suit fails to be either surprising or horrifying (which seems it's intention) and Partial People is a little weak too. By Permit Only is also weak – it just didn't work for me at all, and carried a sour hint of that made it an uncomfortable read, in a bad way.

Other than these few however, Bears Discover Fire And Other Stories is a fantastic short story collection, with a much higher strike rate of good stories than many, many other SF compilations I’ve read. Bisson seems criminally unappreciated to my reader’s eye (I only heard of him recently myself), and he’s really worth your time.

I’m hopeful that more people will read his work - that in time, Readers Discover Terry Bisson.

Four furry stars.

[inciminci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe I had never heard of Terry Bisson before! The author was recommended to me by a friend in the first place and having watched the short film "They're Made Out of Meat" (available on youtube) I just had to have more Bisson and found this audiobook. I have to say I had a wonderful 7+ hours listening to this and often laughed out loud. I love the underlying humor/satire in most his stories and he truly knows how to criticize present circumstances by showing their absurd dimensions and furthering them; such as in "By Permit Only", a discerning story about a dystopia where everything, even crimes such as gross environmental pollution, sexual assaults and battery are regulated and allowed by permit in order to attain a balanced and stable society.
I really enjoyed the rather super-short, interlude kind of stories such as "Partial People" or "Are There Any Questions?" but my absolute favorite is an emotional piece, "George", which is about a baby who is born with wings.
I will definitely try to read more Bisson in the future, really enjoyed the experience! Plus, all three narrators were simply great!

[Lizz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t write reviews.

This collection was interesting, but not the best I’ve seen from Bisson. I’ve enjoyed the novels of his I’ve read thus far, and the best stories in this collection conveyed the kind of feeling of his longer works. Weird, yet recognizable, worlds, with backstories not fully described. Strange people you definitely know, too. Surreal normality.

Also, there were some short punchy stories with little twists and jokes. Those didn’t do it for me, but they weren’t terrible either. (But they’re made of meat!)

My two favourite stories were Necronauts (blind painter brought in to a life after death experiment to paint the world beyond this one) England Underway (old man in Brighton has his world literally and physically turned around as Britain starts moving across the ocean). Both of these, though completely different in tone and imagery, stayed with me. And I think they’ll take up permanent residence in the Bisson neighbourhood in my brain. Welcome!

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 stars. On average, I am going to go 3 stars on this collection but I do think that there are some really good to excellent stories (4 and 5 stars) in here. In the 4 and 5 star range, I would put "They are Made out of Meat," "Press Ann" and "Next" all of which I thought were excellent. While a decent tale, I was not as impressed by the Hugo Award winning title story and am not sure why it is so highly regarded. The rest of the stories are a mixed bag from good to okay with a few I just didn't care for.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This set of short stories makes me wonder if the author was working on a Philip K. Dick homage.

The only thing consistent is some form of weirdness, although almost each one has a distinct vibe. Some are just plain crazy failed experiments, but a few are gems.

⑤ Bears Discover Fire — Although I'm more fond of They’re Made Out of Meat, I can understand why this one won the 1991 Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards for best short story. This is the best story in the collection. It's a gentle tale of how a phlegmatic fellow deals with problems and surprises, while most around him act with an absence of empathy or wisdom.
③ The Two Janets — Er, a very curious wish fulfillment fantasy? Amusing, but not too deep. Or maybe it's just deeper than I can detect.
⑤ They’re Made Out of Meat — As I said, this is my personal favorite. It isn't touching like the titular story, but it is more famous, because it has been filmed and reprinted repeatedly. Check that film out; it's not quite word-for-word from the short story, but it's close enough, and the film is a brilliant little seven-minute jewel that adds to the bizarreness of the story. Hopefully someday someone will find a higher-resolution version than this one. (Here's the IMDB link. Actually, it was filmed several times, but that's the best of them.) Briefly, the story is about aliens investigating these strange creatures that call themselves "human", but they're pretty disgusted by what they discover. It is provocative for reversing our anthropocentrism as well as positing a tragic answer to the Fermi Paradox, and commenting on the Chinese Room philosophical question. It was nominated for a Nebula the year after "Bears" won it; I think it deserved it more.
③ Over Flat Mountain — Strange. Appalachia uplifts beyond Earth's atmosphere. Then what? This is where I started to see the PDK similarity: Bisson occasionally seems to just create a very strange idea, and just play it out to see what happens, hit or miss.
④ Press Ann — Points for being amusing. ATMs getting a little too assertive, even judgmental?
② The Coon Suit — Nope. It starts off a lot like "Bears Discover Fire", then goes… nowhere.
⑤ George — Playful and thoughtful, kind of like "Bears", but more sweet. Wings on babies instead of bears with fire.
④ Next — If that hole in the ozone layer had gotten worse, so that being out in the sun is actively harmful to pale people, how would a racist society deal with the fact that folks with extra melanin had an "unfair" advantage?
② Necronauts — Ick. Innovative and experimental, but not in a way I found at all appealing. But at least the idea was interesting. It was also nominated for a Nebula award.
① Are There Any Questions? — one of the failed experiments: an idea that wasn't worth running with, even that far.
④ Two Guys from the Future — Another clever and sweet one. Not quite as good as the earlier five-star ones. Guys from the future, retrieving art that otherwise would be lost. Good idea, right?
① The Toxic Donut — Nope. The second failed experiment. Just a bit too arbitrary.
② Canción Auténtica de Old Earth — Almost failed; there's a despairing sadness behind this weak story that may have developed into something more powerful, but didn't.
① Partial People — The third failed experiment.
① Volunteer — The fourth failed experiment; almost makes it into the same "despairing sadness" as "Canción", but never get quite as close.
③ The Message — Like "Coon Suit", but funnier, with a satisfying thump at the end. Still, since the whole thing is just a setup, it isn't really satisfying.
④ England Underway — Almost five. Like "Over Flat Mountain" in that it is built around an absurd geological anomaly, but this time it's sweet and thoughtful, like "George". The characters are fleshed out briefly but fully, and the narrative is natural and satisfying. Definitely at the summit of his craft.
③ By Permit Only — Yet another environmental skit. Short and overplayed, like the others, but a little sharper and a little nastier, and just a little more satisfying.
⑤ The Shadow Knows — Wow, that was unexpected. The longest and most complex was saved for last, and it's a serious dive into science fiction. Not perfect — the alien's odd method of communication was pretty silly (and the stoner's explanation worse) and the end was a little anticlimactic, but it was still a very well-made story.

Recommended, if only for the best ones.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find a way to read Bears Discover Fire, Over the Top, and Necronauts. Each one of those stories is nearly perfect. You get an interesting world with the edges blurred just enough that you need to squint and consider for yourself what might be going on underneath the action.
They’re Made out of Meat, Two Janets, Partial People, Press Ann, and The Toxic Donut are all fun in their own right.
The rest of the stories didn’t stick out for me, but weren’t painful to read. They may have felt a touch dated, or may have missed the emotional impact that Bisson tries to set up—The Coon Suit is one example of this.
Great collection overall. Fun to read, interestingly crafted (the title story is better than advertised, and if anyone is interested I’ll dig up some criticism that swayed me), and full of heart.
4 stars

[Miloš Petrik · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there is a major fault with this collection, it is that too many stories read like gags, and much of the humour does not appeal to me. Still, if I were to rate them individually, some of them would easily rate a 5 from me; notably Two Guys From the Future and Necronauts.

[Marius · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection of short stories with some clear standouts.

Bears Discover Fire 3.5*
The Two Janets 2*
They're made Out of Meat 5*
Over Flat Mountain 3.5*
Press Ann 3*
The Coon Suit 2*
George 3*
Next 4*
Necronauts 3*
Are There Any Questions? 2*
Two Guys from the Future 3*
The Toxic Donut 3*
Cancion Autentica de Old Earth 2.5*
Partial People 2*
Volunteers 3.5*
The Message 2*
England Underway 3*
By Permit Only 2.5*
The Shadow Knows 4*

[Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of Terry Bisson that I've read. I was completely unfamiliar with Bisson until recently I came across his name in a foreword by Ursula K Le Guin.

Bears Discover Fire (1990)
In the audio book I heard, this story was read by Stefan Rudnicki. I like Rudnicki's rich, deep, baritone, but it seemed somehow too somber for this tongue in cheek story. Actually, the story itself wasn't that light and in fact had a sad ending, but it involved bears with torches, and bears sitting around a bonfire.

The Two Janets (1990)
Famous authors are moving to a small Kentucky town and are seen by the townspeople at various local spots

They're Made Out of Meat (1991)
A conversation between two extraterrestrials in which one tries to convince the other that they've discovered a planet with sentient beings made of meat, impossible as that may sound.

Over Flat Mountain (1990)
In which a trucker and a hitchhiker cross up and over the eighteen-mile-high flat topped mountain that has uplifted where the Appalachians once were.

Press Ann (1991)
In which a couple trying to withdraw cash for a birthday date encounters an ATM machine with an attitude.

The Coon Suit (1991)
In which a fellow stops in his pickup to watch hunters baiting their dogs with raccoons.

George (1993)
In which a new father is encouraged by a doctor and a minister to have his baby boy's wings surgically removed.

Next (1992)
In which a black couple applies for a marriage license and ultimately is sentenced for conspiracy to break the law prohibiting same-race marriage.

Necronauts (1993)
In which a researcher, accompanied by her blind artist associate, searches for her lost love in the LAD (Life After Death)

Are There Any Questions? (1992)
A sales spiel for real estate made from recycled garbage

Two Guys from the Future (1992)
In which an artist's not-yet-famous famous paintings are rescued from a holocaust by two guys from the future. The most famous of her paintings is a nude of one of the guys from the future.

The Toxic Donut (1993)
A strange TV award presentation

Canción Autentica de Old Earth (1992)
This one I drew a complete blank on.

Partial People (1993)
Instructions on how not to deal with partial people

Carl's Lawn & Garden (1992)
Gaia is a landscape man's assistant.

The Message (1993)
In which dolphins speak to man

England Underway (1993)
In which the British Isle, due to plate tectonics according to King Charles, sails to New York for a brief visit.

By Permit Only (1993)
A woman's boss has a license for sexual assault, her husband has authorization to beat his wife, the KKK has a permit for a lynching, and her story has no plot.

The Shadow Knows (1993)
One of the longest stories in the collection, this first contact science fiction story is about the only one not written tongue in cheek.

These stories by Terry Bisson put me in mind, just a little bit, of Neil Gaiman with a distinct Dickian twist. I'm not at all averse to reading more.

[Anysha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Výborná povídková kniha, jejíž autor je označován za nejvtipnějšího autora science-fiction devadesátých let. Na 100% souhlasím s vtipností a vynalézavostí všech příběhů, z nichž většina plyne naprosto obyčejně, než se objeví nějaký neočekávaný prvek. Právě způsob, jakým se snaží příběhy ozvláštnit je hodně jedinečný, jelikož všechny "divnosti" působí v kontextu děje vlastně úplně samozřejmě. Hodně se mi líbila i celková atmosféra Ameriky 90. let - přestože primárním účelem není vykreslení tehdejšího životního stylu, tak nějak automaticky ho z těch dlouhých dálnic a rasových předsudků vycítíte. Některé příběhy mají nečekaný konec (Mývalí kožíšek), jiné nám nabízejí určitou reflexi a poselství pro lidstvo (Jsou celí z masa, Toxický koblížek), ostatní jsou spíš od toho, abych se do nich ponořili a přesunuli se do světa, v kterém něco známe, ale nad něčím budeme nevěřícně kroutit hlavou (Medvědi objevují oheň, Přes plochou horu). Přemýšleli jste někdy, co by se stalo, kdyby vám bankomat kromě vkladu a výběru nabídl možnost "počasí"?

Nejlepší povídky: Medvědi objevují oheň, Přes plochou horu, Stiskni Ann, Toxický koblížek, George

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the plots and backdrops of his stories range from the fantastic to the straight up bizarre, Bisson has a skill for crafting believable, down to earth characters, avoiding the pitfall many science fiction and fantasy short story writers fall into of making the characters involved almost incidental to the gimmick. With Bisson you get both, complete with a touch of good ol' Southern country love (he does hail from Kentucky, after all.)

Take the story the collection gathers it's name from, "Bears Discover Fire." You could say it is about bears, well... discovering how to use fire. Which would, on a technical level, be true. But you could also say it is about the lead (human) character, his relationships with his brother and their ailing mother, and the insensitivity of the average man in the modern age.

The collection overall has a bit of a hit and miss feel, though most of them hit. Worth checking out if you want a bit more heart in your fantasy and science fiction.

[Martin Malík · Rating 4 out of 5]

To čo boli pre mňa Jeruzalémské sny minulý rok, je táto zbierka poviedok pre tento. Výborne namiešaný kokteil bizarnosti, počas ktorého však stále visí vo vzduchu otázka "Čo keď predsa len...". Niektoré poviedky ma zasiahli menej ako iné, no to je pri poviedkových výberoch pravidlom. Autora som doteraz nepoznal, o to väčšie bolo moje prekvapenie, keď som knihu otvoril. Poviedky sú rôzne. Od enviromentálnych apelov, ktoré sú žiaľ, už pre nás skutočnosťou, cez vidiny sveta, do ktorého sa budú robiť exotické zájazdy z iných planét, až po tie, ktoré upozorňujú na netrpezlivosť človeka, ktorého pamäť je až príliš krátka. Skvelá knihy, skvelý preklad. Najlepšia zbierka sci-fi poviedok ktorú som čítal. Aj keď to sci-fi je až príliš reálne.

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magical realism/sci-fi short stories. Bisson has a lot of interesting ideas but drives me crazy with his anticlimactic writing style. Instead of a big or shocking resolution, many of his stories simply just end. It's like ending a story with a "meh" instead of a bang.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title story is online here: https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fi...
5 stars! Wonderful story. Not to be missed!

"They're Made out of Meat!" Easy 5-star short, Online copy: https://www.mit.edu/people/dpolicar/w...

"Two Guys from the Future" (1992). 5 stars! Here's a facsimile of the original publication, in OMNI:
http://www.williamflew.com/omni167a.html

I should reread the whole collection, which has some of his best work. Is there a ToC at the main page? [looks] Yes. And Buck's detailed 4-star review is the one to read. Awesome stories here. Bumping it up on the TB reread list!

More Bisson freebies online: https://www.freesfonline.net/authors/...
And more cool short-short freebies! https://www.tor.com/2022/09/12/seven-...

[Vanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Povídky jsem začala doceňovat až v poslední době. Autor si v nich může dovolit ledacos, věci, které by mě u románu doháněly k šílenství, mi najednou připadají vyloženě sympatické. V tomto ohledu jsem si Bissonovy texty velice užila, jejich hravost, nevážnost, jistou tendenci prostě jen skončit či vyšumět, brala jsem je jako ochutnávky, jemný závan zvláštní atmosféry bez dalších očekávání. Ehm. Koukám, že ty rozvolněné se mi asi pod kůži zaryly víc než ty chytře vypointované (a že jich je asi většina). Nejvíc se mi líbily povídky "Stín to ví", "Medvědi objevují oheň", "Canción auténtica staré Země " a "George".

[Eran · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING collection of short stories, largely revolving around a dystopian post-eco-collapse future. It's been a long time since I've read short stories, and I had somehow forgotten what a joy it is to read a short, quickly-unfolding, high-density story that explores deeply and almost abruptly a concept, an idea, or a possibility. The titular story is funny, thought provoking, moving, and memorable all at once - as are many of the other stories. This was a total random gem of a find.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series of early 1990's sci-fi short stories is great! Some stories were dark, most were lighthearted. All of them give us something to think about concerning our future, our earth, and what violations of our planet might prompt certain technology out of necessity. The stories also made me realize that 30 years ago we had such high hopes for a cool, modern, tech-driven world in 2020-2030, yet here we are still bickering over fossil fuels and climate change.

[John Devlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

They're Made of Meat is possibly the single, funniest short I've ever read.

[Remo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tras leer They are made out of meat, vi que este otro relato del mismo autor sí tenía el Hugo y el Nebula, y a por él me he venido. Es un relato extraño; no es ciencia ficción tal y como la espero, y al mismo tiempo describe un mundo claramente anómalo, que intenta ser internamente coherente. El estilo de escritura del autor, que habla a través de un granjero del medio oeste americano de 61 años, es absolutamente maravilloso. Me ha encantado la historia a pesar de no saber exactamente a dónde me ha llevado.
Hay un corto basado en el relato que creo que captura perfectamente su espíritu.

[ernest (Ellen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Review just for the title story) Bears with fire represents the return to primitivist living: the simple, communal warmth next to a campfire, bittersweet newberries, silence and staring into the flames. The old and young are the wisest in the story. It’s interesting to note the role reversal where the son is changing tires and the parents are off in camp. Also, the livelihoods of the grandma as a bus driver, narrator as a farmer, while the parents are salesmen who don’t even go visit the grandma - the value of learning and not just depending on others to tend the flame.

It makes sense why the grandma would want to return to bears as the “gate” to leave the world. And the boy was shivering only after the police put out the flame and drove away the bears. Even the narrator had to keep paying for medical bills until the grandma was formally reported missing. It seems like the capitalist loss of timeless moments, like the ones with the bears, where in the beginning we needed nothing more than the warmth to drive away the night. Where have we gone to?

[Shaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only story in this collection I had previously read was They're Made Out of Meat which I've always liked a lot.

Otherwise, this collection contains quite a few other very short stories, many of which didn't do much for me. Out of those, Press Ann was kind of cute.

I liked the novelettes England Underway and The Shadow Knows and the short story Two Guys from the Future.

[RoseB612 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tohle je povídková kniha a jako taková má tedy slabší a silnější místa. Pro mě osobně nejlépe fungují "dialogické" povídky, celé psané v přímé řeči, jako jsou povídky Jsou celí z masa, Stiskni Ann, Další či Vzkaz - tohle jsou pro mě vrcholy knížky. Bissonovy povídky jsou vždy postaveny na nějakém pro nás zatím nepředstavitelném faktu - medvědi umějí používat oheň, Anglie se plaví Antlantikem, dítě se narodí s křídly atd. Ale vždy se autorovi podaří tento nečekaný fakt provázat s realitou a za tím absurdnem najít něco víc. Příběh George, chlapce s křídly, nebo Nekompletních lidí vytahuje téma jinakosti a tlaku na konformitu, povídka Další má až pomalu kafkovskou atmosféru a tak by se dalo pokračovat. Někdy se ale Bissonova nadsázka dnes už příliš blíží realitě (např. povídka Pouze s povolením a její "Jak jistě víte, vypouštět zpolodiny je dnes naprosto legální, pokud si zaplatíte náležité povolení.") a pak nezbývá než doufat, že tak daleko jako zašla autorova fantazie nezajdeme i v reálu.
Vím, že k některým povídkách se určitě vrátím, protože jsou skvělé, jiné mě ale minuly a proto ty celkově pouze čtyři hvězdičky.
Mimochodem tohle je jeden z prvních knižních překladů Viktora Janiše a už tehdy byl skvělý.

Kontext: To tom Tarzanovi jsem si potřebovala spravit chuť a tohle zafungovalo perfektně.

První věta: "Píchli jsme v neděli večer na dálnici I65, severně od Bowling Green." (Medvědi objevují oheň)

Poslední věta: "Což jenom dokazuje, jak kdysi řekl Chuck Berry, že člověk nikdy neví." (Stín to ví III)

[lanius_minor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ze žánru sci-fi toho zatím moc načteno nemám a vědecko-fantastická povídka mě míjela zcela. První povídky sbírky proto byly velkým překvapením, co vše se pod tento pojem vejde a že to zdaleka není jen o robotech a letech do vesmíru. Jenomže kouzlo nového a nadšení z nápaditých námětů po pár kouscích vyprchalo, když se ukázalo, že ty neotřelé motivy nikam nesměřují, že jim chybí gradace a pointa. A pak přišla předposlední povídka Pouze s povolením a ta končí slovy: "A to je konec mého příběhu. Jestli se vám nelíbí, vyserte si voko. Svoje stížnosti si klidně adresujte newyorskému úřadu Svazu spisovatelů, oddělení zápletek, kde je zaregistrováno povolení k obejití pointy č. 5994. Poplatek byl řádně zaplacen." Stěžovat si zjevně nemá smysl. Budu tedy raději chválit. Autora za povídky George (o chlapci s křídly), Další (o potížích monorasového páru s uzavřením sňatku), Dva chlápci z budoucnosti (o romantice napříč časem) a Anglie zvedá kotvy (o plavbě britských ostrovů k americkému pobřeží). A překladatele Viktora Janiše za skvěle odvedenou práci. Na stole mi shodou okolností leží jiná kniha povídek, jiného autora, kterou ale překládal týž překladatel. Už se těším.

[Negativni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kratka priča They're Made Out of Meat mi je bila dovoljno zanimljiva da provjerim što je Terry Bisson još napisao. U njegovoj biografiji piše da je najpoznatiji po već spomenutoj priči i ovoj - Bears Discover Fire. Kod ove je nažalost sve zanimljivo već u samom naslovu.

Dakle, medvjedi prestanu spavati zimski san i umjesto toga počnu paliti vatre i gledati u njih.

Napisana je nezgrapnim rečenicama, punima nepotrebnih detalja i sročenima tako da sam pomislio da Bissonu engleski nije prvi jezik. Ironija je što je ova osvojila mnoge nagrade - čak i Hugo! - koji je 1990. još nešto i značio, a They're Made Out of Meat je zaradila samo nominaciju za Nebulu.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in awe. Imagination and writing chops. And remarkably not all that dated even though the stories are 30 years old.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is perhaps not good, even though the stories are often good, because of how the ordering makes them rather fail to hold together. There are a half-dozen stories that are narrative-forward or plotty, including the two longest and most straightforwardly science-fictive things ('Necronauts', in which a blind artist is repeatedly given lethal injections and revived in order that he paint what he perceives; 'The Shadow Knows', in which a geriatric astronaut comes out of retirement for an alien contact no one will end up understanding) which themselves feel sufficiently different in tone (the former edgelordish, the latter somewhere between elegiac and sentimental) that in the same book at least one feels insincere. Then we have SF high concept, character first, played for laughs ('Two Guys From The Future', which the title gives you some of the idea, but anyway it's a time travel paradox thing); SF high concept, character first, played straight ('Over Flat Mountain', a bit of dirty realism whose narrator happens to be driving over the plateau made by the smoothing out of the Appalachians) and a fairly charming fantastic narrative in which England starts moving west at four knots an hour but whose protagonist still spends most of his time reading Trollope.

Then there are a dozen or more bagatelles and sketches, some of which told in dialogue entirely, or monologue, of which the good ones ('They're Made Out of Meat', 'The Coon Suit') are clustered near the front, meaning that as you get to the end you're getting slightly more annoyed each time you read some of the more labored bits ('By Permit Only'. 'The Message') and wonder if he might have worked them up into a whole story or down into nothing.

On the other hand the title story is suddenly my favourite science fiction story of all time. I'm sort of serious about that; I think it's really interesting to think about what it means to think of that story as science fiction. My partner wasn't as fond: complained there was too much about the narrator and his dying mother and not enough about bears discovering fire, which should have been the focus.

[Radiantflux · Rating 1 out of 5]

3rd book for 2022.

A surprisingly uneven collection of short stories by Terry Bisson. The two standouts are Bears Discover Fire and They’re Made Out of Meat—the rest range from very poor to OK.

A number of the stories reminded me of weak versions of possible JG Ballard stories (I noticed some other reviews mentioned PKD in a similar fashion). However, Ballard was a much better writer, both in use of language and his willingness to dive deeper into ideas.

I don't think this is a collection worth reading.

2-stars.

[Beth Roger aka Katiebella_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing collection of very short stories that truly make you think.

I picked this book up because I read They Are Made Out Of Meat, a collection of five short stories by the author available only on KU. After reading NEXT, I knew I had to own a physical copy of the story, and this was the only anthology that had it.

I'm not normally a short stories reader, at least not as a collection held together in one volume. this isn't my kind of book. and yet......... I found I kept returning to these easy to read yet insightful bite size tales.

highly recommend!!!!!