Irrational numbers

by George Alec Effinger

The death of a pet fish signals an ominous threat of wordwide tragedy... Delta Company "plays" out a war light years away... A running back for the Cleveland Browns gives his all to relive a night from his past... In IRRATIONAL NUMBERS, as with much of his work, author George Alec Effinger straddles the line between allegorical fantasy and science fiction. It's a vein Effinger mines for a deep, meaningful understanding of human nature. Challenging and disquieting in the way only the best fiction can be, this collection of eight magnificent pieces of fiction will have readers clamoring for more. George Alec Effinger was a true master of satirical Science Fiction. Before his death in 2002, he gained the highest esteem amongst his peers for his pitch-perfect stylistic mimicry and his great insight into the human condition. Despite a life filled with chronic illness, Effinger was a prolific novelist and short story writer, earning multiple Nebula and Hugo Award nominations.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy

174 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irrational Numbers is, in my opinion, the best collection of Effinger's short fiction. The reader may not always know for sure what point he was trying to make, but there was no doubt that he stated his case with absolute conviction and enthusiasm. Among the highlights are the curious At the Bran Factory (why are all of the characters named after Cleveland Indians players? I mean, other than the obvious "Because that's how he wanted it"), his fine football story 25 Crunch Split Right On Two, and my favorite, the terrific extinction novella And Us, Too, I Guess. The book has a nice introduction by Robert Silverberg and a cool cover that reminds me that Peter Max was a thing.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection. Not sure I'd categorize it as satirical science fiction or even science fiction at all, though it's definitely within the realm of speculative fiction. To be honest, while I enjoyed the writing, the stories themselves didn't really grab me all that much, with a notable exception of the second one. That tale of a slow burning apocalypse was absolutely terrific and well worth the price of admission straight down to an utterly emotionally devastating ending. The rest of the stories had a certain conceptual muddleness about them and there was entirely too much football. Entertaining enough, though, and a quick read, but I would only really recommend the second story. Great title too.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't familiar with this speculative fiction writer whose work was classified as sci Fi. The best stories reminded me slightly of Jonathan Lethem but not as refined or as well written. The 3 best stories were "And us, too I guess" about a slow moving disaster. The romantic in me liked "25 crunch split right on two ", a football story that's not about football.
Lastly, "Hard times", an unexpected prison.

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

4.5/5

"George Alec Effinger’s What Entropy Means to Me (1972) exemplifies the elements of the New Wave movement that continue to fascinate me, i.e. a fascination that compels my endless Orbit, Nebula, Universe, etc. anthology purchases! Effinger’s short fiction holds the same allure—he tackles a vast variety of subjects and themes: trauma, [...]"

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Irrational collection

Book is an assembly of at best poorly related stories with no connection or development. Characters come and go so quickly I could not develop any empathy for them. I kept hoping for a common thread, but never found one.

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing that really did much for me. Probably the best story "25 Crunch"--with its weird surreal jumpings from football field to restaurant (though I'm not really too sure about what happened--or the ending); and "Curtains" funny, with an edge (about them staging battles). But the whole fairly much infected with that '70's Goulart wiseguyism stuff. Like MASH.

[Witek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining set of short stories that showcases Effinger's style- his somewhat ironical, somewhat abstract stories set usually in a very sad, tyrannical world. Makes you think. A LOT.

[Cheryl]

For "And Us, Too, I Guess" as rec'd by Ed. Open Library.