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Points of Departure
Winner of the Philip K. Dick Award: Nineteen stories of power and humanity from a science fiction master with otherworldly talent
In a small house in the desert, a chimp named Rachel watches Tarzan on TV. Although her body is an ape’s, her mind is something different—a hybrid between those of a chimpanzee and a young girl. When his wife and child died, the doctor who created Rachel implanted his daughter’s brain into that of the chimp. Rachel remembers the jungle; she remembers high school. And when her father passes away, she will embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
The Nebula Award–winning novella “Rachel in Love” anchors this haunting collection of stories from Pat Murphy, whose electric imagination is a testament to how wonderful science fiction can be. Her characters struggle with alien lovers, vegetative wives, and the burden of seeing into the future. And always, like Rachel, they search for something more: not just what it means to be human, but what it is to be alive.
In a small house in the desert, a chimp named Rachel watches Tarzan on TV. Although her body is an ape’s, her mind is something different—a hybrid between those of a chimpanzee and a young girl. When his wife and child died, the doctor who created Rachel implanted his daughter’s brain into that of the chimp. Rachel remembers the jungle; she remembers high school. And when her father passes away, she will embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
The Nebula Award–winning novella “Rachel in Love” anchors this haunting collection of stories from Pat Murphy, whose electric imagination is a testament to how wonderful science fiction can be. Her characters struggle with alien lovers, vegetative wives, and the burden of seeing into the future. And always, like Rachel, they search for something more: not just what it means to be human, but what it is to be alive.
342 pages, ebook
First published June 1, 1990
46 people are currently reading
415 people want to read
About the author
Pat Murphy
65 books197 followersPat Murphy’s latest short story collection is called "Women Up to No Good," a title that describes Pat’s attitude in general. Pat writes about strong women who are not afraid of making trouble.
Pat's fiction has won multiple awards for her science fiction and fantasy works, including the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Philip K Dick Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Award, and the Christopher Award. Her latest novel, "The Adventures of Mary Darling," is a historic fantasy -- a subversive take on Peter Pan (with a side helping of Sherlock Holmes). It will be out in May 2025 from Tachyon Publications.
Pat's fiction has won multiple awards for her science fiction and fantasy works, including the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Philip K Dick Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Award, and the Christopher Award. Her latest novel, "The Adventures of Mary Darling," is a historic fantasy -- a subversive take on Peter Pan (with a side helping of Sherlock Holmes). It will be out in May 2025 from Tachyon Publications.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 1, 2023
Every story in this collection is already fading from memory.
I look at the contents list and try to remember what any of them were about: 'His Vegetable Wife', was that the story about the passive woman and her abusive husband or was it 'Women in Trees'? I check the pages quickly but actually they were both that story. 'Sweetly the Waves Call to Me' was the same again, except in this one the man is only insensitive not abusive, and the woman escapes to the ocean not the trees.
'Dead Men on TV' was a passive woman and her bad relationship with her father. 'Goodbye, Cynthia' was a passive woman and her bad relationship with her mother. Or was it the one where a lonely woman escapes to the stars? No, that was her sister in this one. 'Recycling Strategies' was the one where the lonely, friendless woman escaped to the stars. Or was that 'On a Hot Summer Night'? No, that was the one where a lonely, friendless woman came from the stars.
There were a few good stories, but were they only good in comparison? 'With Four Lean Hounds' is a nice fantasy quest, although the characters are flat. But did I just feel like it was good because I was so relieved to finally encounter a plot? I might just remember 'Rachel in Love', if only because of the squicky bestiality content. This is the closest the whole collection comes to real science fiction, because it did make me think about consciousness and transhumanism.
The best stories of this collection deserve to be the solid middling stories in another collection, and most of them should go back into the creative writing exercises folder.
I look at the contents list and try to remember what any of them were about: 'His Vegetable Wife', was that the story about the passive woman and her abusive husband or was it 'Women in Trees'? I check the pages quickly but actually they were both that story. 'Sweetly the Waves Call to Me' was the same again, except in this one the man is only insensitive not abusive, and the woman escapes to the ocean not the trees.
'Dead Men on TV' was a passive woman and her bad relationship with her father. 'Goodbye, Cynthia' was a passive woman and her bad relationship with her mother. Or was it the one where a lonely woman escapes to the stars? No, that was her sister in this one. 'Recycling Strategies' was the one where the lonely, friendless woman escaped to the stars. Or was that 'On a Hot Summer Night'? No, that was the one where a lonely, friendless woman came from the stars.
There were a few good stories, but were they only good in comparison? 'With Four Lean Hounds' is a nice fantasy quest, although the characters are flat. But did I just feel like it was good because I was so relieved to finally encounter a plot? I might just remember 'Rachel in Love', if only because of the squicky bestiality content. This is the closest the whole collection comes to real science fiction, because it did make me think about consciousness and transhumanism.
The best stories of this collection deserve to be the solid middling stories in another collection, and most of them should go back into the creative writing exercises folder.
December 1, 2014
I first came across one of Pat Murphy's pieces in an annual best of SF collection, and followed up with this purchase. I’m glad I did, and I was also glad to see that a number of her books were recently brought back into print, because this is a wonderful collection of stories by a writer who deserves to be better known. I found myself wondering why she isn’t, given the accessible, original nature of her work, and the subtle humor that enlivens much of it. Perhaps it is due to her work not fitting easily into an established genre. It could also be because she hasn’t yet written a big, break-out novel, or something that has attracted the attention of Hollywood or a major comic book artist. Maybe that is yet to come.
Many of Murphy’s stories fit into the Twilight Zone-esque, ordinary reality with a twist paradigm. “In the Islands” concerns a group of people who live close to the ocean – so close that they are beginning to develop qualities usually unique to aquatic creatures. Another mysterious story set by the sea, “Sweetly the Waves Call to Me”, was probably my favorite of the bunch, and focuses on a woman, in the middle of a breakup with a boyfriend, who seems to be getting stalked by a silkie, a legendary sea creature – or something like that. Many of her pieces feature an ambiguous, possibly supernatural creature or force of some kind, which could also be interpreted as a product of a character’s emotional life. “A Falling Star is a Rock from Outer Space”, in which a woman has to come to terms with a poltergeist, is another example.
A number of her stories have virtually no supernatural elements, and a number of these are quite enjoyable as well. I got a big kick out of “In the Abode of the Snows”, in which a young man, who is trying to follow in his dead father’s footsteps by venturing alone into the Himalayan wilderness, ends up with an unexpectedly hilarious conclusion. “Rachel in Love”, a Nebula Award winner, seems to take place in the contemporary world, but features a fascinating protagonist, a chimpanzee with the intelligence of a human being. This contains one of the wackiest lovemaking scenes you are likely to read anywhere, as the precocious chimp falls for a drunken night watchman (don’t worry, they don’t end up together).
Other pieces fall into more standard SFF modes, but with a strong connection to the natural world – tales of bear spirits and the like. Those were a little less interesting to me. “Bones” is another good one – it is set in 18th or 19th century Ireland and London seemingly, and tells the story of a young Irish giant who believes his destiny is to lead his people back to the Irish countryside, but instead becomes an exploited curiosity on the streets of the metropolis.
I heartily recommend this one – fans of challenging and entertaining SF writing will not regret giving it a try.
Many of Murphy’s stories fit into the Twilight Zone-esque, ordinary reality with a twist paradigm. “In the Islands” concerns a group of people who live close to the ocean – so close that they are beginning to develop qualities usually unique to aquatic creatures. Another mysterious story set by the sea, “Sweetly the Waves Call to Me”, was probably my favorite of the bunch, and focuses on a woman, in the middle of a breakup with a boyfriend, who seems to be getting stalked by a silkie, a legendary sea creature – or something like that. Many of her pieces feature an ambiguous, possibly supernatural creature or force of some kind, which could also be interpreted as a product of a character’s emotional life. “A Falling Star is a Rock from Outer Space”, in which a woman has to come to terms with a poltergeist, is another example.
A number of her stories have virtually no supernatural elements, and a number of these are quite enjoyable as well. I got a big kick out of “In the Abode of the Snows”, in which a young man, who is trying to follow in his dead father’s footsteps by venturing alone into the Himalayan wilderness, ends up with an unexpectedly hilarious conclusion. “Rachel in Love”, a Nebula Award winner, seems to take place in the contemporary world, but features a fascinating protagonist, a chimpanzee with the intelligence of a human being. This contains one of the wackiest lovemaking scenes you are likely to read anywhere, as the precocious chimp falls for a drunken night watchman (don’t worry, they don’t end up together).
Other pieces fall into more standard SFF modes, but with a strong connection to the natural world – tales of bear spirits and the like. Those were a little less interesting to me. “Bones” is another good one – it is set in 18th or 19th century Ireland and London seemingly, and tells the story of a young Irish giant who believes his destiny is to lead his people back to the Irish countryside, but instead becomes an exploited curiosity on the streets of the metropolis.
I heartily recommend this one – fans of challenging and entertaining SF writing will not regret giving it a try.
December 1, 2014
This is a very uneven collection of short stories. Some are trite and boring. Some are wordy and over-blown. Some are beyond cliché. But some very few (5 out of 19) are absolutely amazing. These 5 deserve 5 stars, but because they are buried in such drecht, I had to subtract 2 stars.
If you decide to read this, my suggestion is to skip all but:
Orange Blossom Time
On a Hot Summer Night in a Place Far Away
His Vegetable Wife
A Falling Star is a Rock from Outer Space
Rachel in Love
Do this and you will love this book. Don't and you won't.
If you decide to read this, my suggestion is to skip all but:
Orange Blossom Time
On a Hot Summer Night in a Place Far Away
His Vegetable Wife
A Falling Star is a Rock from Outer Space
Rachel in Love
Do this and you will love this book. Don't and you won't.
January 7, 2018
Have kept this on my Kindle for those occasions when reading a "real" book isn't practical so finishing it has been a lengthy process, so much so that I don't really recall all of the stories contained herein. I do recall, though, that the range of impact started at "good" and went all the way up to "mind blowing". Not typically science fiction throughout though marketed as such, Pat Murphy puts in mind of John Kessel in her mastery of the short story form rather than being confined to particular genre. Standout stories include "Rachel in Love", "His Vegetable Wife", Sweetly the Waves call to Me", and "In the Abode of the Snows".
July 9, 2018
Collections of short stories tend to be uneven. Some pieces are great, some are not so much.
In this case I was not impressed.
I really loved one of the stories (Rachel in love, awesome in many aspects), liked a few of them... and then all the rest were absolutely dull.
I guess overall the book is ok. Just ok.
In this case I was not impressed.
I really loved one of the stories (Rachel in love, awesome in many aspects), liked a few of them... and then all the rest were absolutely dull.
I guess overall the book is ok. Just ok.
November 26, 2017
B. I don't remember this book.
March 28, 2021
I had this short story collection for nearly 20 years. I had read the first few stories almost as long ago but the stories I read over the last 2 weeks are just as easily forgotten.
January 18, 2025
A collection of 19 short stories. It is a bit of an uneven colelction but there were a couple of standouts for me. Many of them were exploring interesting ideas or had some interesting conceit, but not all of of them were that memorable after reading the story and moving onto the next one. There are a couple of alien stories that skirt around horror but in fact are more interesting than that (as I don't often like horror) and there's a touch more compassion in the storytelling that takes it unusual ways. In particular thinking of "A Falling Star Is A Rock from Outer Space" and "On a Hot Summer Night". "Rachel in Love" was very interesting but I'm not sure I enjoyed it as much. I found "Dead Men on TV" a lot more gripping, or "His Vegetable Wife". We do indeed sometimes just to need to wait and see how things grow... I will pick up more Pat Murphy if I get the chance.
February 20, 2016
Very yes. Definitely very yes.
The stories are a bit uneven and working through a collection of short stories is always an exercise in endurance, but this felt like a box of rich chocolate rather than a really chewy granola bar. I'd read a story or two, and let them sit for a bit before moving on.
This is another one of those books where I deeply appreciate that the women characters were fully realized people.
The stories are a bit uneven and working through a collection of short stories is always an exercise in endurance, but this felt like a box of rich chocolate rather than a really chewy granola bar. I'd read a story or two, and let them sit for a bit before moving on.
This is another one of those books where I deeply appreciate that the women characters were fully realized people.
December 30, 2015
Collection of eclectic short stories by Pat Murphy. A few of them weren't my cuppa tea, but some, like the Selkies and His Vegetable Wife were *fantastic.* Interesting perspectives. I love sci fi short stories to begin with, but these - perhaps because it's a female writer? - I enjoy more than usual.
While her books are listed in sci-fi, there is a fantasy flavor to some of them, as well.
While her books are listed in sci-fi, there is a fantasy flavor to some of them, as well.
June 2, 2016
I'm not a fan of short stories at all, so no surprises this collection hit some false notes with me. BUT there were plenty of stories I really enjoyed, which is rare. Very nicely written and some great stories.
October 16, 2015
Good reminder to read more Pat Murphy - The City Not Long After is probably my favorite book set in San Francisco (and there are a lot to choose from, ha). I felt like the stories in the first half were stronger, but overall some really good ones.
March 25, 2018
A great blend of magical realism, Fantasy and science fiction. These short stories are poignant and dwell on the strange orbits of family relationships and the nature of the outsider in society. A great book
September 7, 2016
A reasonable collection of shorty stories, but nothing that really stood out.
March 31, 2016
Solid, pleasant, not Earth-shaking. I do appreciate the sense of optimism and wonder that pervades the stories.
February 2, 2016
Good mix of varied stories
December 12, 2015
Insanely good. Love Pat Murphy's
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews