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Soft and Others: 16 Stories of Wonder and Dread
Presents a collection of horror short stories, among them Soft, Green Winter, and The Cleaning Machine.
Contents:
The Cleaning Machine
Ratman
Lipidleggin'
To Fill the Sea and Air
Green Winter
Be Fruitful and Multiply
Soft
The Last One Mo' Once Golden Oldies Revival
The Years the Music Died
Dat-Tay-Vao
Doc Johnson
Buckets
Traps
Muscles
Menage a Trois
Cuts
Bonus stories
Performance
Night Dive
Memoirs of the Effster
Rumors
Hunters
Contents:
The Cleaning Machine
Ratman
Lipidleggin'
To Fill the Sea and Air
Green Winter
Be Fruitful and Multiply
Soft
The Last One Mo' Once Golden Oldies Revival
The Years the Music Died
Dat-Tay-Vao
Doc Johnson
Buckets
Traps
Muscles
Menage a Trois
Cuts
Bonus stories
Performance
Night Dive
Memoirs of the Effster
Rumors
Hunters
306 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1989
55 people are currently reading
296 people want to read
About the author
F. Paul Wilson
422 books1,998 followersFrancis Paul Wilson is an author, born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He writes novels and short stories primarily in the science fiction and horror genres. His debut novel was Healer (1976). Wilson is also a part-time practicing family physician. He made his first sales in 1970 to Analog and continued to write science fiction throughout the seventies. In 1981 he ventured into the horror genre with the international bestseller, The Keep, and helped define the field throughout the rest of the decade. In the 1990s he became a true genre hopper, moving from science fiction to horror to medical thrillers and branching into interactive scripting for Disney Interactive and other multimedia companies. He, along with Matthew J. Costello, created and scripted FTL Newsfeed which ran daily on the Sci-Fi Channel from 1992-1996.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/fpaulw...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/fpaulw...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 26, 2011
On the whole, this was a pleasant bag of literary trail mix with enough tasty morsels to make the overall experience a satisfying one.
Being a real fan of a number of F. Paul Wilson's novels, especially the LaNague Federation and Repairman Jack series, I was excited to finally read this collection of his short fiction. I’m glad I did because there are a few “must read” gems lurking within these pages. While the quality of the stories was a tad uneven, I have come to expect this from short story collections and was more than happy to sift through the chaff to locate the wheat.
In my opinion, the quality efforts in this collection definitely make this worth sampling.
That said, the collection starts off tragically with a couple of piss-poor pieces called The Cleaning Machine and Ratman , both of which I thought were several rungs below okay and read very much like rough drafts. After finishing these two, I thought I may have stepped in a pile and was barely containing my disappointment when the third story, Lipidleggin , turned out to be a lot of fun and restored my hopes for the balance of the tales.
In this piece, Wilson coddles his libertarian leanings to very pleasant effect by depicting a future dystopia where all the scrumptious “fatty foods” that make life worth living have been made illegal by a government concerned with the rising health costs resulting from too much obesity. Think it can’t happen? Don't be too sure. Regardless, this one got a solid 3 stars from me as I thought it was a great idea that was competently executed and displayed some warm humor as well.
To Fill the Sea and Air also garnered a 3 star rating. An interesting SF fishing story with a main character that reminded me of Hemingway’s Santiago (the titular “Old Man” from The Old Man and the Sea). The story had some flaws and the point of the story was a little murky, but overall I thought it was a solid tale with an engaging main character.
Up to this point, I still hadn’t come across anything to really geek out about or holler Wow, Wow Wubbzy at the top of my lungs, but that all changed with Green Winter , which was terrific and showed Wilson coming into his own. Set in a post-apocalyptic U.S. and dealing with genetic-engineering, biochemical manipulation and what it means to be human, this story displayed Wilson’s strongest writing so far and brought a real sense of emotion to the narrative for the first time. I don’t want to give away the unfolding of the plot device as it’s part of the stories charm, but this was an easy 4 star read for me.
Another above-average story is Be Fruitful and Multiply which is a wonderful tale taking a darkly humorous look at a Malthusian catastrophe. Both funny and chilling at the same time, the plot deals with the intersection of state-sponsored religious fervor, advanced technology and mass media coming together to screw society into an unstoppable population explosion (pun very intended).
Next up is Soft which is probably my favorite piece in the entire collection. Deftly written and skin-crawlingly horrific, the story centers around an unusual plague that strikes at random and causes all calcium within each victim's bones to turn to dust, killing them slowly as they turn into human jellyfish. Told from the perspective of an afflicted father and daughter, this one packs an emotional wallop including a truly haunting, memorable ending. 5 big stars for this great tale.
The next two stories, The Last “One Mo Once Golden Oldies Revival” and The Years the Music Died are related stories injecting horror and vast global conspiracies into the world of music. Good quality stories that I thought were enjoyable. Both between 3 and 4 stars and both demonstrate Wilson’s story-telling range.
Dat-Tay-Vao is set during the Vietnam War and concerns local folklore of a vast healing power residing within certain special individuals. Wilson presents a nice contrast between the power to heal and the brutal ability to destroy locked within the human animal. 3.5 stars.
Doc Johnson is set within the fictional city of Greystone Bay created by Charles L. Grant. This was my first experience with this setting and so some of the nuance may have been lost on me, but I thought it was a good solid piece about a new doctor coming to the strange town and being taught the ropes as well as “the rules” by old Doc Johnson.
Buckets is another standout horror piece that is also the most controversial tale in the collection. A creepy, gorrific Halloween piece about a doctor visited by some very unusual trick-or-treaters, all carrying unusual metal buckets full of [no spoilers]. A definite shiver-fest. 4.5 to 5.0 stars.
Traps was craps and was probably my least favorite of the collection. I'll toss it 2.0 stars because by this point Wilson had entertained me enough that I was feeling generous.
Muscles was awesome and another big standout for me. An editor for a "national enquirer" type magazine on the hunt for a story comes across Circus freaks, ghost rapes and OMG offspring. It doesn’t get much better than that. A classic horror story with a great ending. 4.5 to 5.0 stars.
The collection ends strong with Cuts , a wonderful writer-revenge-fantasy about an author getting “over the top” payback on the producer who turned his novel into a real dump of a movie. In the intro to this tale, Wilson mentions how furious he was about the movie version of his novel The Keep and that it was certainly the inspiration for this tale of move-maker comeuppance.
Overall, some good, some bad and some truly excellent. In my opinion, the better stories make this collection worth checking out. 3.5 stars. Recommended!!
Being a real fan of a number of F. Paul Wilson's novels, especially the LaNague Federation and Repairman Jack series, I was excited to finally read this collection of his short fiction. I’m glad I did because there are a few “must read” gems lurking within these pages. While the quality of the stories was a tad uneven, I have come to expect this from short story collections and was more than happy to sift through the chaff to locate the wheat.
In my opinion, the quality efforts in this collection definitely make this worth sampling.
That said, the collection starts off tragically with a couple of piss-poor pieces called The Cleaning Machine and Ratman , both of which I thought were several rungs below okay and read very much like rough drafts. After finishing these two, I thought I may have stepped in a pile and was barely containing my disappointment when the third story, Lipidleggin , turned out to be a lot of fun and restored my hopes for the balance of the tales.
In this piece, Wilson coddles his libertarian leanings to very pleasant effect by depicting a future dystopia where all the scrumptious “fatty foods” that make life worth living have been made illegal by a government concerned with the rising health costs resulting from too much obesity. Think it can’t happen? Don't be too sure. Regardless, this one got a solid 3 stars from me as I thought it was a great idea that was competently executed and displayed some warm humor as well.
To Fill the Sea and Air also garnered a 3 star rating. An interesting SF fishing story with a main character that reminded me of Hemingway’s Santiago (the titular “Old Man” from The Old Man and the Sea). The story had some flaws and the point of the story was a little murky, but overall I thought it was a solid tale with an engaging main character.
Up to this point, I still hadn’t come across anything to really geek out about or holler Wow, Wow Wubbzy at the top of my lungs, but that all changed with Green Winter , which was terrific and showed Wilson coming into his own. Set in a post-apocalyptic U.S. and dealing with genetic-engineering, biochemical manipulation and what it means to be human, this story displayed Wilson’s strongest writing so far and brought a real sense of emotion to the narrative for the first time. I don’t want to give away the unfolding of the plot device as it’s part of the stories charm, but this was an easy 4 star read for me.
Another above-average story is Be Fruitful and Multiply which is a wonderful tale taking a darkly humorous look at a Malthusian catastrophe. Both funny and chilling at the same time, the plot deals with the intersection of state-sponsored religious fervor, advanced technology and mass media coming together to screw society into an unstoppable population explosion (pun very intended).
Next up is Soft which is probably my favorite piece in the entire collection. Deftly written and skin-crawlingly horrific, the story centers around an unusual plague that strikes at random and causes all calcium within each victim's bones to turn to dust, killing them slowly as they turn into human jellyfish. Told from the perspective of an afflicted father and daughter, this one packs an emotional wallop including a truly haunting, memorable ending. 5 big stars for this great tale.
The next two stories, The Last “One Mo Once Golden Oldies Revival” and The Years the Music Died are related stories injecting horror and vast global conspiracies into the world of music. Good quality stories that I thought were enjoyable. Both between 3 and 4 stars and both demonstrate Wilson’s story-telling range.
Dat-Tay-Vao is set during the Vietnam War and concerns local folklore of a vast healing power residing within certain special individuals. Wilson presents a nice contrast between the power to heal and the brutal ability to destroy locked within the human animal. 3.5 stars.
Doc Johnson is set within the fictional city of Greystone Bay created by Charles L. Grant. This was my first experience with this setting and so some of the nuance may have been lost on me, but I thought it was a good solid piece about a new doctor coming to the strange town and being taught the ropes as well as “the rules” by old Doc Johnson.
Buckets is another standout horror piece that is also the most controversial tale in the collection. A creepy, gorrific Halloween piece about a doctor visited by some very unusual trick-or-treaters, all carrying unusual metal buckets full of [no spoilers]. A definite shiver-fest. 4.5 to 5.0 stars.
Traps was craps and was probably my least favorite of the collection. I'll toss it 2.0 stars because by this point Wilson had entertained me enough that I was feeling generous.
Muscles was awesome and another big standout for me. An editor for a "national enquirer" type magazine on the hunt for a story comes across Circus freaks, ghost rapes and OMG offspring. It doesn’t get much better than that. A classic horror story with a great ending. 4.5 to 5.0 stars.
The collection ends strong with Cuts , a wonderful writer-revenge-fantasy about an author getting “over the top” payback on the producer who turned his novel into a real dump of a movie. In the intro to this tale, Wilson mentions how furious he was about the movie version of his novel The Keep and that it was certainly the inspiration for this tale of move-maker comeuppance.
Overall, some good, some bad and some truly excellent. In my opinion, the better stories make this collection worth checking out. 3.5 stars. Recommended!!
January 28, 2024
This was an entertaining but uneven collection of short stories.
August 2, 2017
Such an excellent collection of science fiction/horror/twilight stories. Easy to think of Wilson in regards to Repairman Jack or his medical thrillers, but you forget this is also the guy who wrote The Keep, Reborn and Reprisal. Loved the stories in here!
January 25, 2015
Read 5 stories from this as I work my way through the "W" section of my "stories to be read" list. I know Wilson's name from THE KEEP (which I've never read) and his "Repairman Jack" character (ditto). A look at my records tells me that I've not really liked many things by him I've read - not hated anything either, but only 2 stories out of 12 I've read really did anything for me (one, recently in The Ultimate Frankenstein and one a long time ago in Razored Saddles).
Reading these 5 give me the impression that Wilson is a competent, dedicated genre writer, solid in his writing chops (in the sense that he understands concision and focus) but with no distinctive style. At best - reliable, at worst - workmanlike. His stories rarely surprise or impress (in fact, none here came even close) but they're not terrible, just unambitious. As it is with a lot of working genre writers.
Of the stories I read:
"The Last 'One Mo' Once Golden Oldies Revival" - is (as Wilson says in the intro) a "just desserts" story, the kind of horror plot formula that gets sniffed at by the literary horror types nowadays, but when done well can be satisfying (but when done lazily can be a waste of everyone's time). This is just okay, as the death of an aging rock 'n' roll legend, fallen on hard times, causes an opportunistic record industry scumbag (having worked in the field, I can ask "is there any other kind?", or, alternatively, note Homer Simpson's observation "He learned the first lesson of the music industry. Don't trust anyone in the music industry...") to think back on how he screwed-over and exploited the guy over his long career, as just some of the many ways in which the scumbag made millions off the sweat, pain and death of others (cheap concert promoting ends in deadly club fire, planting prostitutes to ruin careers, etc.). But, as in this kind of NIGHT GALLERY/TALES FROM THE CRYPT story, the universe will be working to redress the imbalance - in a fairly typical and unimpressive manner, sadly. But props to Wilson for having a pretty solid handle on the underbelly of the 50's music industry.
On the flip side (see what I did there?), you've got "The Years The Music Died", which lays out a conspiracy (in a manner similar to David J. Schow's "Incident On A Rainy Night In Beverly Hills") for how the burgeoning rock 'n' roll music was perceived as a social/cultural threat and "tamed" by a cabal of wealthy businessmen and politicians through tactical exploitation of artists' character flaws, legal prosecution in payola scandals and, when required, murder (as in an ill-famed airplane crash that killed three birds with one stone). It's okay but doesn't really work as a *story* so much as an idea in search of a story - the frame in which it's told serves merely to set up the punchline which we all (having lived through history) knew was coming anyway. Also, conspiratorial cabals strike me as far more willing to shed blood than this one is. Anyway....
"Muscles" is a bit better - with an interesting setting (sleazy 42cnd street in the early 1960s, before Disney-fication), an interesting main character (editor of a cheap NATIONAL ENQUIRER-type tabloid) and dynamic (said editor becomes intrigued by and attracted to Superwoman, a female weight-lifter at a sleazy peepshow, who claims to have been raped by a monster) but then just plays out with a typical monster story ending. Not bad but wasted potential.
I read "Traps" by accident (I confused it with "Cuts") - as I'd already read it and noted I didn't like it. I enjoyed it a little more this second time around (I probably read it at the heights of my "literary horror" phase and wasn't as forgiving as I've since become) - it's a nicely simple monster story in which a man knows something is living in his attic and keeps setting traps to catch it - with some nicely deployed/incorporated detail that precludes exposition (the bulldozed church) and, by total coincidence, is set in my home town of Toms River, NJ! Nothing to write home about but it could make a nice episode of TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE or something.
Finally, there's "Cuts" (which allows Wilson to grind his axe about the Hollywood experience getting THE KEEP made) - another "just desserts" story - as a scumbag Tinseltown producer finds himself the target of malicious voodoo in retaliation for ruining an author's book. Solid and enjoyably nasty at times.
Reading these 5 give me the impression that Wilson is a competent, dedicated genre writer, solid in his writing chops (in the sense that he understands concision and focus) but with no distinctive style. At best - reliable, at worst - workmanlike. His stories rarely surprise or impress (in fact, none here came even close) but they're not terrible, just unambitious. As it is with a lot of working genre writers.
Of the stories I read:
"The Last 'One Mo' Once Golden Oldies Revival" - is (as Wilson says in the intro) a "just desserts" story, the kind of horror plot formula that gets sniffed at by the literary horror types nowadays, but when done well can be satisfying (but when done lazily can be a waste of everyone's time). This is just okay, as the death of an aging rock 'n' roll legend, fallen on hard times, causes an opportunistic record industry scumbag (having worked in the field, I can ask "is there any other kind?", or, alternatively, note Homer Simpson's observation "He learned the first lesson of the music industry. Don't trust anyone in the music industry...") to think back on how he screwed-over and exploited the guy over his long career, as just some of the many ways in which the scumbag made millions off the sweat, pain and death of others (cheap concert promoting ends in deadly club fire, planting prostitutes to ruin careers, etc.). But, as in this kind of NIGHT GALLERY/TALES FROM THE CRYPT story, the universe will be working to redress the imbalance - in a fairly typical and unimpressive manner, sadly. But props to Wilson for having a pretty solid handle on the underbelly of the 50's music industry.
On the flip side (see what I did there?), you've got "The Years The Music Died", which lays out a conspiracy (in a manner similar to David J. Schow's "Incident On A Rainy Night In Beverly Hills") for how the burgeoning rock 'n' roll music was perceived as a social/cultural threat and "tamed" by a cabal of wealthy businessmen and politicians through tactical exploitation of artists' character flaws, legal prosecution in payola scandals and, when required, murder (as in an ill-famed airplane crash that killed three birds with one stone). It's okay but doesn't really work as a *story* so much as an idea in search of a story - the frame in which it's told serves merely to set up the punchline which we all (having lived through history) knew was coming anyway. Also, conspiratorial cabals strike me as far more willing to shed blood than this one is. Anyway....
"Muscles" is a bit better - with an interesting setting (sleazy 42cnd street in the early 1960s, before Disney-fication), an interesting main character (editor of a cheap NATIONAL ENQUIRER-type tabloid) and dynamic (said editor becomes intrigued by and attracted to Superwoman, a female weight-lifter at a sleazy peepshow, who claims to have been raped by a monster) but then just plays out with a typical monster story ending. Not bad but wasted potential.
I read "Traps" by accident (I confused it with "Cuts") - as I'd already read it and noted I didn't like it. I enjoyed it a little more this second time around (I probably read it at the heights of my "literary horror" phase and wasn't as forgiving as I've since become) - it's a nicely simple monster story in which a man knows something is living in his attic and keeps setting traps to catch it - with some nicely deployed/incorporated detail that precludes exposition (the bulldozed church) and, by total coincidence, is set in my home town of Toms River, NJ! Nothing to write home about but it could make a nice episode of TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE or something.
Finally, there's "Cuts" (which allows Wilson to grind his axe about the Hollywood experience getting THE KEEP made) - another "just desserts" story - as a scumbag Tinseltown producer finds himself the target of malicious voodoo in retaliation for ruining an author's book. Solid and enjoyably nasty at times.
August 3, 2022
More like 3.5 stars, but Goodreads doesn't do halves. There are some fine stories in here, especially the title tale "Soft", the Vietnam-set "Dat-Tay-Vao", the Hemingway-esque "To Fill the Sea and Air", and the closer "Cuts", but there are also a couple of real stinkers that probably stuck the landing just fine when they were first written but don't any longer. "Buckets", especially, hits with all the subtlety of a fight at a hockey game. To his credit, Wilson owns this fully in his introduction to the story, but come on, man: Elizabeth Fancett did this exact same story in 1969, with "When Morning Comes", and it wasn't any better back then.
Maybe not the best place to start with F. Paul Wilson, but if you're only interested in short stories and don't want to commit to his Repairman Jack novels, you could do worse.
Maybe not the best place to start with F. Paul Wilson, but if you're only interested in short stories and don't want to commit to his Repairman Jack novels, you could do worse.
March 4, 2024
A collection of F. Paul Wilson’s earlier short fiction, these stories run the gamut of sci fi, fantasy and horror. Often all three at once, making for some memorable tales.
Having started with Wilson and his Repairman Jack novels years ago, I was happy to dive into his short work in the speculative fiction genre. These stories don’t disappoint and should leave readers satisfied.
The title tale, Soft is medical horror on a global pandemic scale. It takes body horror to new places.
Dat-Tay-Vao was a bloody Vietnam tale about bad luck and some healing power.
Traps has a homeowner fighting giants rats- he thinks…
The belle of the bunch for me was Cuts, a visceral story about a hollywood director getting his final cuts…. This one had me shaking out my hands and feet for bloodflow.
All in all a very satisfying collection. There were no real misses in the book. The tales showed Wilson’s range and his particular strength in the medical field his stories often employ. Certainly worth picking up.
Having started with Wilson and his Repairman Jack novels years ago, I was happy to dive into his short work in the speculative fiction genre. These stories don’t disappoint and should leave readers satisfied.
The title tale, Soft is medical horror on a global pandemic scale. It takes body horror to new places.
Dat-Tay-Vao was a bloody Vietnam tale about bad luck and some healing power.
Traps has a homeowner fighting giants rats- he thinks…
The belle of the bunch for me was Cuts, a visceral story about a hollywood director getting his final cuts…. This one had me shaking out my hands and feet for bloodflow.
All in all a very satisfying collection. There were no real misses in the book. The tales showed Wilson’s range and his particular strength in the medical field his stories often employ. Certainly worth picking up.
January 21, 2020
Would have been a three-star review if not for Buckets, which sucks so much as a horror story it crosses the line from cheesy, corny writing into slightly offensive and massively stupid. A quick rewrite or a more deserving main character might have saved this, but otherwise, it just feels uncomfortable and cheesy.
The other stories, however, are perfectly good. If you're a fan of Wilson they're worth a try, but just skip Buckets and save yourself 15 minutes or so.
The other stories, however, are perfectly good. If you're a fan of Wilson they're worth a try, but just skip Buckets and save yourself 15 minutes or so.
December 20, 2017
I anticipated something very different when I first started this collection. I thought of outright horror and visceral creatures of horrid creation. Instead, I got some very science-fiction-esque horror stories, some pretty neat tales of fallen musicians, and some medical thriller-chillers. It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty darn good all the same.
October 28, 2019
I'm a super Repairman Jack fan but had never read any other books by F. Paul Wilson. This was a delightful group of stories to start with. Even though these are some of his earliest published stories, I can tell Mr. Wilson is quite a story teller and I look forward to reading more of his books outside of the Secret History of the World series.
July 23, 2022
Every story is good, and they're all different enough that you can go through the lot pretty quick.
This was a reread, but I've taken to calling corporate people "Giraffes" from Lipidleggin' and have been saying it for years
This was a reread, but I've taken to calling corporate people "Giraffes" from Lipidleggin' and have been saying it for years
June 30, 2023
I love F Paul Wilson. I first read The Keep in high school.
My Uncle told me about this so I had to get a hold of it.
Such great creepy stories! A fun mix of suspense, horror and psychological creepiness. True to style!
My Uncle told me about this so I had to get a hold of it.
Such great creepy stories! A fun mix of suspense, horror and psychological creepiness. True to style!
October 18, 2024
Wonderful!
F Paul Wilson can do no wrong! Memorable characters! Ingenious and sometimes devilish plots! Snappy style! Sharp wit! I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of these stories! I really think you will too! Read on!
F Paul Wilson can do no wrong! Memorable characters! Ingenious and sometimes devilish plots! Snappy style! Sharp wit! I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of these stories! I really think you will too! Read on!
April 29, 2022
(I only listened to “Soft”.)
September 29, 2013
A collection of short stories by Wilson - a new author for me. Most of the stories were horror, many with a sci-fi bent.
The book was a quick read, but I didn't like it enough to go out and look for anything else by the author. The writing is competent, in a mainstream-fiction sort of way, and there are a few good ideas, but nothing really out of the ordinary. (And a few things that I disagreed with, philosophically.)
The stories are:
The Cleaning Machine - A schizophrenic woman explains to the police what exactly happened to all of her missing neighbors.
Ratman - An interplanetary exterminator specializes in dealing with pesky "space rats."
Lipidleggin' - In the future, after unhealthy foods are legally banned, bootleggers provide fresh butter and eggs. In the introduction, Wilson goes on about how the concept of a National Health Plan is "fascist" and would bankrupt the country. Odd, and a bit peculiar, until I realized that Wilson is (was?) a medical doctor with a private practice. Yeah, doctors know which side their bread is buttered on. (ha ha) However, the way I see it, it's a nearly criminally selfish attitude.
To Fill the Sea and Air - Set on a far planet, the only habitat of a fish prized for its tasty filets throughout the galaxy. One fisherman seems to always catch the most of the delicacy - and a giant corporation wants to ferret out his secrets.
Green Winter - In the far future, photosynthesizing humans believe themselves far superior to mere animals, who lack the ability to take sustenance from the sun - when tasty game meat isn't available.
Be Fruitful and Multiply - In the future, the government has been taken over by fundies who believe that god will sweep them up into a higher plane of existence as soon as they have increased the population to the limit of what Earth can support (wait, this is supposed to be fiction? tongue.gif ). Clever ending - I laughed.
Soft - In the future, a nasty plague that melts people's bones has nearly wiped out humanity.
The Last "One Mo'Once Golden Oldies Revival" - A ruthless record producer gets what's coming to him.
The Years the Music Died - A conservative conspiracy was behind the downfall of some of rock-n-roll's first stars.
Dat-Tay-Vao - A junior mafioso, drafted into Vietnam, runs across one of those Mystical Ancient Secrets of healing that old Asian sages so often seem to know... not bad, actually.
Doc Johnson - very Lovecraftian (but not as good). A new doctor in town learns that his new town of Greystone Bay has some weird secrets - and that people here take care of things their own way.
Buckets - Had the potential to be an acceptable horror story, but slipped into mere propaganda, when the author started putting the cliched words of every typical right-to-lifer into the mouths of the ghosts of aborted babies. Doesn't engage a debate, just sets up straw men to knock down. Surprised it ever got published.
Traps - There's something horrible in the attic of the nice family who are just planning their happy trip to Disneyland... ho-hum.
Muscles - An ex-stripper reappears in Times Square after being attacked a couple of years ago. Now she's a female bodybuilder. But why does she need all those muscles? I actually liked this one quite a bit - didn't see the end coming quite the way it did.
Menage a Trois - A creepy, deformed old lady invites attractive young folk to work in her house (a spooky gothic mansion, of course). But what is her real motivation?
Cuts - An author does evil voodoo on the movie producer that he feels ruined his novel. Blah. (Of course, Wilson hated the movie that was made from his book, The Keep.)
The book was a quick read, but I didn't like it enough to go out and look for anything else by the author. The writing is competent, in a mainstream-fiction sort of way, and there are a few good ideas, but nothing really out of the ordinary. (And a few things that I disagreed with, philosophically.)
The stories are:
The Cleaning Machine - A schizophrenic woman explains to the police what exactly happened to all of her missing neighbors.
Ratman - An interplanetary exterminator specializes in dealing with pesky "space rats."
Lipidleggin' - In the future, after unhealthy foods are legally banned, bootleggers provide fresh butter and eggs. In the introduction, Wilson goes on about how the concept of a National Health Plan is "fascist" and would bankrupt the country. Odd, and a bit peculiar, until I realized that Wilson is (was?) a medical doctor with a private practice. Yeah, doctors know which side their bread is buttered on. (ha ha) However, the way I see it, it's a nearly criminally selfish attitude.
To Fill the Sea and Air - Set on a far planet, the only habitat of a fish prized for its tasty filets throughout the galaxy. One fisherman seems to always catch the most of the delicacy - and a giant corporation wants to ferret out his secrets.
Green Winter - In the far future, photosynthesizing humans believe themselves far superior to mere animals, who lack the ability to take sustenance from the sun - when tasty game meat isn't available.
Be Fruitful and Multiply - In the future, the government has been taken over by fundies who believe that god will sweep them up into a higher plane of existence as soon as they have increased the population to the limit of what Earth can support (wait, this is supposed to be fiction? tongue.gif ). Clever ending - I laughed.
Soft - In the future, a nasty plague that melts people's bones has nearly wiped out humanity.
The Last "One Mo'Once Golden Oldies Revival" - A ruthless record producer gets what's coming to him.
The Years the Music Died - A conservative conspiracy was behind the downfall of some of rock-n-roll's first stars.
Dat-Tay-Vao - A junior mafioso, drafted into Vietnam, runs across one of those Mystical Ancient Secrets of healing that old Asian sages so often seem to know... not bad, actually.
Doc Johnson - very Lovecraftian (but not as good). A new doctor in town learns that his new town of Greystone Bay has some weird secrets - and that people here take care of things their own way.
Buckets - Had the potential to be an acceptable horror story, but slipped into mere propaganda, when the author started putting the cliched words of every typical right-to-lifer into the mouths of the ghosts of aborted babies. Doesn't engage a debate, just sets up straw men to knock down. Surprised it ever got published.
Traps - There's something horrible in the attic of the nice family who are just planning their happy trip to Disneyland... ho-hum.
Muscles - An ex-stripper reappears in Times Square after being attacked a couple of years ago. Now she's a female bodybuilder. But why does she need all those muscles? I actually liked this one quite a bit - didn't see the end coming quite the way it did.
Menage a Trois - A creepy, deformed old lady invites attractive young folk to work in her house (a spooky gothic mansion, of course). But what is her real motivation?
Cuts - An author does evil voodoo on the movie producer that he feels ruined his novel. Blah. (Of course, Wilson hated the movie that was made from his book, The Keep.)
April 21, 2010
Meh. Not a keeper. Even in his novel-length work I prefer Wilson's science-fiction rather than his horror--even though it's his horror that's much more popular. (I didn't care for The Keep and preferred his much more obscure The LaNague Chronicles. Half of these 16 stories are old-fashioned horror of the supernatural kind. Half are science fiction. (Although quite a few of those have a horror flavor.) Wilson doesn't give Stephen King or Isaac Asimov a run for their money. I can't say I find any of the stories particularly memorable--except "Buckets" which I did remember right from the opening lines from my first read of this years ago--problem is it's the story in the anthology I disliked the most. True, I don't care for the anti-abortion message, but I also thought it eye-rollingly heavy-handed. The same could be said of "Lipidleggin'"even if the 1978 story does seem rather prophetic in its food police and I agree with its libertarian message. And I found other such message stories such as "Be Fruitful and Multiply" even more clunkily trailing anvils--and too far fetched to allow me to suspend my disbelief. My favorite story in the book was the one with no whiff of horror, the most upbeat of the bunch, and I thought the one with the most clever twist--"To Fill the Sea and Air." But I don't like it enough to let this book continue to claim shelf-space.
March 4, 2012
This is a fine collection of short stories from one of the finest genre writers around today. These stories were from earlier in his career, before Repairman Jack, and still at the beginning of the Adversary Cycle. They're all well-written and fun to read, with a few surprises, such as a pro-life Halloween horror story (never thought I'd see that combination, but, IMHO, it works well). If you like dark short fiction with the occassional science fiction tale, then this is for you.
April 18, 2012
This is the book that started it all for me. Random stop at a random used bookstore and it just called out to me. Ever since, I've collected all that FPW has put out there.
As a short story collection, this one just sings. Each story is a different tune, with a strong rhythm. Never misses a beat.
FPW has a natural style that takes no effort to get into and flow along with his stories.
Highly recommended!!!
As a short story collection, this one just sings. Each story is a different tune, with a strong rhythm. Never misses a beat.
FPW has a natural style that takes no effort to get into and flow along with his stories.
Highly recommended!!!
July 7, 2025
(4.5 rounded to 5 stars) This was a great short story collection much better than I was expecting. Some modern audiences might find it offensive, but it was right up my alley. My personal favorites were buckets, Ménage a trois, Doc Johnson, To fill the Sea and Air, Lipidleggin’ and Cuts. I picked this one up on a whim from a used bookstore and I’m very glad I did.
June 17, 2013
A very good collection of horror stories from a master. Traps, cuts, Soft and Dat Vat tao are the strongest of the stories but really they are all very good. I recommend this collection to anyone who likes the horror short story. These are great. A Must read for F. Paul Wilson fans.
August 11, 2013
A mixed bunch of stories tracking Wilson's beginning and growth as a short story writer. It was fascinating to see how he matured over the years and honed his skills. Understandably, the earlier stories are weaker and they keep on getting better. Hard to find collection, but worth tracking it down.
February 10, 2016
one of the most solid short story collections I've ever read. I picked it up by accident, while searching for a different story (also titled Soft), and inadvertently got hooked on Wilson.
August 2, 2008
This is actually my favorite book by Wilson, a collection of his short stories. Potent stuff.
June 28, 2011
Had a few good stories and a few bad ones. "Buckets" made me want to never read an F. Paul Wilson book again, and I love his writing. But Menage a Trois was fun.
September 28, 2012
This collection has one of my all-time favorite shorts by Wilson, Soft has this Twilight Zone creepy feel that shows how good Doc Wilson is.
January 24, 2014
Not a bad choice to take a step away from reading a bunch of "series". Some stories definately show a bit of imagination.
February 20, 2013
Grab this if you can find it. A terrific collection for horror fans. I especially liked "Soft" and "Buckets".
Want to read
January 25, 2016Started to read this collection - around the half way point. I plan to get back to this in a few weeks
May 20, 2016
Great collection of stories..I really liked it...
January 15, 2023
Short story horror collection. One, has person documenting how he is losing skeleton while his body turns to flaccid mush. Other stories flaccid and unmemorable.
July 20, 2021
I got this book when I was around 13. It was the first book I ever chose to read. Though it is just a collection of short stories, in it I discovered the magic of reading fiction.
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