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The Best Of Pulphouse
A collection of twenty-five of the best works of short fiction from the pages of an acclaimed magazine brings together such celebrated writers as Edward Bryant, Nancy A. Collins, Greg Egan, Harlan Ellison, and Jane Yolen
328 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1991
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48 people want to read
About the author
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
1,365 books720 followersKristine Kathryn Rusch is an award-winning mystery, romance, science fiction, and fantasy writer. She has written many novels under various names, including Kristine Grayson for romance, and Kris Nelscott for mystery. Her novels have made the bestseller lists –even in London– and have been published in 14 countries and 13 different languages.
Her awards range from the Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award to the John W. Campbell Award. In the past year, she has been nominated for the Hugo, the Shamus, and the Anthony Award. She is the only person in the history of the science fiction field to have won a Hugo award for editing and a Hugo award for fiction.
In addition, she's written a number of nonfiction articles over the years, with her latest being the book "A Freelancer's Survival Guide".
She has also published as:
Sandy Schofield (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kristine Grayson - romances
Kathryn Wesley (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kris Nelscott - mysteries
Kris Rusch - historical fiction
Kris DeLake - romances
Her awards range from the Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award to the John W. Campbell Award. In the past year, she has been nominated for the Hugo, the Shamus, and the Anthony Award. She is the only person in the history of the science fiction field to have won a Hugo award for editing and a Hugo award for fiction.
In addition, she's written a number of nonfiction articles over the years, with her latest being the book "A Freelancer's Survival Guide".
She has also published as:
Sandy Schofield (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kristine Grayson - romances
Kathryn Wesley (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kris Nelscott - mysteries
Kris Rusch - historical fiction
Kris DeLake - romances
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 13, 2017
I am not a big fan of Kristine Kathryn Rusch, who edited The Best of Pulphouse. I tend to stay away from anthologies that start with "The Best of (fill in the blank)" but I am glad I did not let my personal biases keep me from reading this volume. You may not like each story here (I didn't) but they are all strong stories, and that is the real formula for a successful short story collection. Pulphouse itself was a literary experiment that bore some fabulous fruit. The stories here are by such luminaries as Alan Brennert, Edward Bryant, Nancy A Collins, Charles de Lint, George Alec Effinger, Harlan Ellison, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, the overrated Kathe Koja, Thomas Monteleone, Steve Perry, the equally overrated Michael Swanwick, Adam Troy-Castro, Harry Turtledove, Lisa Tuttle, J N Williamson, William F Wu, and Jane Yolen, among others. This book is worth tracking down, Constant Reader.
July 29, 2016
This book is five stars based on three stories: Edward Bryant's "While She Was Out"; Alan Brennert's "The Third Sex"; and Adam-Troy Castro's "Clearance to Land." The rest of the stories didn't have much of an impact on me, but those three have stayed in my memory for nearly 20 years.
March 6, 2024
This collection of short stories is notable for its unusual entries in the "speculative fiction" genre, tales of science fiction, fantasy, horror and others that are a little trickier to pin down. There are some pretty good ones and maybe 3 or 4 that are very good and some others that aren't quite as interesting. So, which ones made the greatest impact on me.
I would have to say the one that affected me the most was "Why Pop-Pop Died" by Francis J. Matozzo, and while that is the case, I am hard-pressed to say that I will recommend it to you. It disturbed me quite a lot. Now while I can say that I wish I never read "The Vanishing" by Jayne Ann Krentz for instance, the reason for that is simply because it was not at all good, and it was a waste of time. But with "Why Pop-Pop Died" I felt after I first read it a few years ago that I hadn't because the story of a home invasion by escaped prisoners on a family having Thanksgiving was shocking cruel and violent. So, it was like trying to erase the image in your head after witnessing an awful fight in the street you saw, or something terrible like someone falling from a building. I found myself thinking, "Gee as well-written as that was, I kind of wish I never experienced it." Time has passed though since I read the whole book again recently to refresh my memory before reviewing it here, and I'm relieved to find that I wasn't retraumatized, perhaps because I was ready for it this time. The author takes a very unique approach to the story, actually writing it from the point of view of the family's little 8-year-old boy. It works so uniquely because the boy narrates some things that happen and although we get the impression he's not fully cognizant of what's happening, we as adults know exactly what horrific violence is being perpetrated. One misstep however, is the writer goes a little over the top with one particular act of animal cruelty--it felt not quite believable, even as depraved as these housebreakers were. It just felt more like the writer was trying another stab at jolting the reader. But I also admired the sad coda the story provides with an insightful observation as to how we deflect our rage and blame sometimes in the face of suffering violence or crime.
The book opens with an entertaining bang of a story, with "While She Was Out" by Edward Bryant. It's another tale of an innocent person facing off against a group of sicko teens, but it plays more like a Dirty Harry action film, more than a truly more terrifying incident as Matozzo depicts.
"Clearance To Land" by Adam-Troy Castro was an interesting reading experience, and I can't tell whether Mr. Castro intended for me to feel as relieved as I did when the real-world type of horror in the story morphed into a supernatural horror genre. It starts with an airplane hijacking and a particularly nasty terrorist basting people's heads off at random as they are all hunched over facing the floor as they have been commanded to do. It's very tense, and then that madman summons our narrator to get up and go with him up to first class. From there the story turns bizarrely grotesque what with the flight crew's intestines hung like garland. And furthermore, the plane literally lands in the most Hell-like location possibly. Characters take on a more existentially horror film-like appearance. But strangely, you might be surprised to find that you actually feel more at ease than you were back when you were in coach and this all felt like it could actually happen.
"The Moral Virologist" by Greg Bear was also worth the read in its oddball and yet frightening concept of a scientist devising a virus that would in essence kill off adulterers the world over. Mr. Bear sure did his research because although it was hard for me to keep up with the scientific explanation of how the virus worked, it sure as heck felt like it had a sound biological logic to it. And there's a twist ending that is simultaneously funny and horrible, a twist that our twisted virologist didn't foresee.
"The Two-Headed Man" by Nancy Collins, is a somewhat humorous but also unexpectedly touching weirdo of a story with a very unflinching erotic look at a threesome. The pun of a title is appreciated also, as we learn the secret of the parties involved in this love story.
Lisa Goldstein's "A Traveler at Passover" was an emotional account about a woman begrudgingly agreeing to visit her parents for parents after becoming estranged from her father, rightfully so we feel. Emily brings her daughter Heather along as the parents eagerly wish to see her. During the seder, Emily comes to a somewhat closer understanding of her father's mean-spiritedness toward her previous family.
A few other stories were mildly enjoyable, and strange like "Willie of the Jungle" by Steve Perry, and "Honeymouth" by Harry Turtledove (although you might predict the answer to the mystery of Coradin's attraction). Joyce Thompson's "Boat People" was very moving and very well-written. I also liked Susan Palwick's "Offerings", Robert Frazier's "Sendings", and I liked Bradley Denton's "The Murderer Chooses Sterility" an unusual story whereby you really root for the "bad guy" although "bad guy" is shown to embody many different possibilities.
"Public Places" by J. N. Williamson, "Chopped Liver" by George Alec Effinger, and "Nobody's Perfect" by Thomas F. Monteleone, also provide some off beat entertainments, and there's also another sentence-titled short by Harlan Ellison called "She's a Young Thig and Cannot Leave Her Mother" that is a sweet story that turns creepy.
There are about 7 other stories, but perhaps my favorite of the entire collection or at least one of them is "The Third Sex" by Alan Brennert. Heavy on the sex, the story is actually quite sentimental and has a lead character we really feel for and hope the best for as he/she makes his/her way through life and the world.
I would have to say the one that affected me the most was "Why Pop-Pop Died" by Francis J. Matozzo, and while that is the case, I am hard-pressed to say that I will recommend it to you. It disturbed me quite a lot. Now while I can say that I wish I never read "The Vanishing" by Jayne Ann Krentz for instance, the reason for that is simply because it was not at all good, and it was a waste of time. But with "Why Pop-Pop Died" I felt after I first read it a few years ago that I hadn't because the story of a home invasion by escaped prisoners on a family having Thanksgiving was shocking cruel and violent. So, it was like trying to erase the image in your head after witnessing an awful fight in the street you saw, or something terrible like someone falling from a building. I found myself thinking, "Gee as well-written as that was, I kind of wish I never experienced it." Time has passed though since I read the whole book again recently to refresh my memory before reviewing it here, and I'm relieved to find that I wasn't retraumatized, perhaps because I was ready for it this time. The author takes a very unique approach to the story, actually writing it from the point of view of the family's little 8-year-old boy. It works so uniquely because the boy narrates some things that happen and although we get the impression he's not fully cognizant of what's happening, we as adults know exactly what horrific violence is being perpetrated. One misstep however, is the writer goes a little over the top with one particular act of animal cruelty--it felt not quite believable, even as depraved as these housebreakers were. It just felt more like the writer was trying another stab at jolting the reader. But I also admired the sad coda the story provides with an insightful observation as to how we deflect our rage and blame sometimes in the face of suffering violence or crime.
The book opens with an entertaining bang of a story, with "While She Was Out" by Edward Bryant. It's another tale of an innocent person facing off against a group of sicko teens, but it plays more like a Dirty Harry action film, more than a truly more terrifying incident as Matozzo depicts.
"Clearance To Land" by Adam-Troy Castro was an interesting reading experience, and I can't tell whether Mr. Castro intended for me to feel as relieved as I did when the real-world type of horror in the story morphed into a supernatural horror genre. It starts with an airplane hijacking and a particularly nasty terrorist basting people's heads off at random as they are all hunched over facing the floor as they have been commanded to do. It's very tense, and then that madman summons our narrator to get up and go with him up to first class. From there the story turns bizarrely grotesque what with the flight crew's intestines hung like garland. And furthermore, the plane literally lands in the most Hell-like location possibly. Characters take on a more existentially horror film-like appearance. But strangely, you might be surprised to find that you actually feel more at ease than you were back when you were in coach and this all felt like it could actually happen.
"The Moral Virologist" by Greg Bear was also worth the read in its oddball and yet frightening concept of a scientist devising a virus that would in essence kill off adulterers the world over. Mr. Bear sure did his research because although it was hard for me to keep up with the scientific explanation of how the virus worked, it sure as heck felt like it had a sound biological logic to it. And there's a twist ending that is simultaneously funny and horrible, a twist that our twisted virologist didn't foresee.
"The Two-Headed Man" by Nancy Collins, is a somewhat humorous but also unexpectedly touching weirdo of a story with a very unflinching erotic look at a threesome. The pun of a title is appreciated also, as we learn the secret of the parties involved in this love story.
Lisa Goldstein's "A Traveler at Passover" was an emotional account about a woman begrudgingly agreeing to visit her parents for parents after becoming estranged from her father, rightfully so we feel. Emily brings her daughter Heather along as the parents eagerly wish to see her. During the seder, Emily comes to a somewhat closer understanding of her father's mean-spiritedness toward her previous family.
A few other stories were mildly enjoyable, and strange like "Willie of the Jungle" by Steve Perry, and "Honeymouth" by Harry Turtledove (although you might predict the answer to the mystery of Coradin's attraction). Joyce Thompson's "Boat People" was very moving and very well-written. I also liked Susan Palwick's "Offerings", Robert Frazier's "Sendings", and I liked Bradley Denton's "The Murderer Chooses Sterility" an unusual story whereby you really root for the "bad guy" although "bad guy" is shown to embody many different possibilities.
"Public Places" by J. N. Williamson, "Chopped Liver" by George Alec Effinger, and "Nobody's Perfect" by Thomas F. Monteleone, also provide some off beat entertainments, and there's also another sentence-titled short by Harlan Ellison called "She's a Young Thig and Cannot Leave Her Mother" that is a sweet story that turns creepy.
There are about 7 other stories, but perhaps my favorite of the entire collection or at least one of them is "The Third Sex" by Alan Brennert. Heavy on the sex, the story is actually quite sentimental and has a lead character we really feel for and hope the best for as he/she makes his/her way through life and the world.
June 13, 2008
This book compiles the best stories from Pulphouse Magazine (which is now defunct, I believe). Most of the stories are horrific, though not all. There are some great writers here, including Lisa Tuttle, Kathe Koja, Charles de Lint, and Michael Swanwick. A good anthology to have.
January 29, 2023
I was never a regular reader of Pulphouse or even read an issue but I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Best of Pulphouse. Kristine Kathryn Rusch skillfully hand picks a wide selection of some of the strangest, hilarious and most disturbing short stories I’ve ever read. As you read through the collection you get a sense of what Rusch wants the reader to feel. She likes to pair stories together that fit similar themes, moods or genres. It almost feels like the stories flow together. I thought it was lovingly and expertly edited. A few choice story standouts would be; Savage Breasts, followed by Willie of the jungle (hilarious gender politics at play.) The two headed man & The third sex back to back; a loving look at some unusual outsiders. Public places and Clearance to Land are up there with some of the most disturbing, unsettling stories I’ve ever read. To top of off Rusch ends the collection with a wonderful, fantastical, bittersweet story by Charles DeLint. I’d recommend, reread and wouldn’t dare skip a story! You never know what you might miss!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews