The Custodians and Other Stories

by Richard Cowper

Science fiction stories deal with a strange room in a monastery, a futuristic television screen, the magical powers of a young man's pipe playing, and a nineteenth-century time traveler

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories, Collections

191 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Pen name for John Middleton Murry Jr.

Reviews

[Zantaeus Glom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect collection of 4 wholly engrossing short stories that I would rate very highly indeed. I enjoyed these richly-detailed works as much as the work of J.G Ballard, Clark Ashton Smith or the terminally underrated Keith Roberts. These are fine stories to be cherished, and I will most certainly be reading them all again at some juncture.

[izawoodsman · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars just for The Custodians and White Bird. Sometimes I wonder what an author would come up with if writing now. This is one of those. How would The Custodians play out now, post Cold War.

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...

"The Custodians and Other Stories contains Richard Cowper’s most famous short SF (both received Nebula nods): “The Custodians” (1975) and “Piper at the Gates of Dawn” (1976), later published side-by-side with his Nebula-nominated novel in the same sequence The Road to Corlay (1978).

My limited exposure to Cowper’s work so far—i.e. the hilarious post-apocalyptical black comedy on the British class system replete with intelligent dolphins and giant [...]"

[Paul Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Victor Gollancz Ltd] (1976). HB/DJ. 1/1. 191 Pages. Purchased from Cold Tonnage Books.

Four short stories. They’re diverse and innovative. The titular piece stands out, resonating - in certain respects - of M.R. James and H.G. Wells.

“The Custodians” [17/20]
“Paradise Beach” [10/20]
“Piper at the Gates of Dawn” [10/20]
“The Hertford Manuscript” [13/20]

[Earl Truss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the short story The Custodians some time ago in another book and liked it. I remember thinking it was a lot like A Canticle for Lebowitz. This collection has that story and three others. I liked the others too .

[Vincent Hernot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm being a bit generous here I think, a lot of this has not aged particularly well. It might be just him, or the fact that some of those ideas and plots are not enormously original. It's also dated socially, which I understand. It's not great sf I don't think.

[Jaq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable if a little dated.

[Terry]

The Custodians: novella about a monastery where a strange "observatory" has been created that allows users to see into the future. This is a tragic tale that seems to play with Cowper's interest in the linkages between past, present, and future and the interplay of predestination with free will. Well written and intriguing.

Piper at the Gates of Dawn: novella that sets up the world Cowper created for his "White Bird of Kinship" trilogy. Already reviewed as part of _The Road to Corlay_.