The Ultimate Alien

Brainship

by Byron Preiss (Editor), Keith R.A. DeCandido (Editor)

In this strange and exciting collection, some of the best-known authors of the fantastic explore the intricacies and speculations of human encounters with the other...with aliens. From Robert Silverberg's examination of interspecies marriage to Arthur C. Clarke's classic tale of the exploration of Venus, from Mike Resnick and Nicholas A. DiChario's hilarious look at an alien radio broadcast to Nina Kiriki Hoffman's intense study of a woman taken over by a plant-like creature -- here are spectacular stories transcending time and space.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Horror

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

Byron Preiss was the president of Byron Preiss Visual Publications and Ibooks, and was recognized as a pioneer in digital publishing. He was among the first publishers to release CD-ROM's and electronic books.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Preiss graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1972 and earned a master's degree in communications from Stanford University. He produced The Words of Gandhi, an audio book that won a Grammy Award in 1985. He was also the co-author of Dragonworld, a novel he co-wrote with J. Michael Reaves that was published by Bantam Books in 1979.

A proponent of illustrated books, as well as comics and graphic novels, Preiss also published works by celebrity authors including Jane Goodall, Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld, LeAnn Rimes and Jay Leno.

Reviews

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Now I've read all of the "Ultimate" short story collections. I like horror best, but ironically, my favorite books of the series were Dragon and Alien, which are fantasy and science fiction. Maybe I'm just more critical of the horror?

In any case, this is a great collection of stories that range from very dark to quite humorous, and the mixture works well.

I would recommend the "Ultimate" series for short stories from Byron Priess for any one who likes horror, fantasy or sci fi short story collections.

[Simeonberesford · Rating 2 out of 5]

None were particularly outstanding though the story by Liz Holliday in probably stood out the most.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This surprisingly refreshing collection contains a very thoughtful 'Introduction' from Robert Silverberg, followed by fifteen stories ranging from short story to novella length.
My feelings with respect to each of them were~
1. Liz Holliday's "This is the Universe": Aliens as allegory in a poignant tale.
2. Mike Resnick and Nicholas A. DiChario's "Alien Radio": Funny and energetic story.
3. Arthur C. Clarke's "Before Eden": A slow, pedantic story with a deeply sad ending.
4. S.P. Somtow's "The Mallworld Falcon": Absolute Rubbish.
5. Robert Silverberg's "Bride 91": Humorous story that explores our own views regarding ourselves.
6. Mel Gilden's "The Ghost in the Machine": Short, funny story.
7. Anne McCaffrey's "Duty Calls": Drab militaristic piece.
8. Lawrence Watt-Evans's "The Pick-Up": A farce that doesn't take itself too seriously.
9. Ed Gorman's "The Brasher Girl": The darkest and most psychologically chilling tale of this collection.
10. Don D'Ammassa's "The Phantom of the Space Opera": Enjoyable parody of the classic.
11. Peter Crowther's "The Invasion": Poignant and a very different story than the name suggests.
12. Karen Haber and Carol Carr's "First Contact, Sort Of": Hugely enjoyable story full of humour.
13. Lynn D. Crosson's "Empathos": Another deeply touching story.
14. Ron Dee's "Interstellar Love": Short, sharp, cruel and chilling story that eventually tells us more about ourselves than the aliens, again.
15. Nina Kiriki Hoffman's "Fast Seeds": Overwritten melodrama full of mush.
Overlooking a few obvious duds, this is a surprisingly diverse anthology having stories for different readers, based on their choices.
Recommended.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this for the Nina Kiriki Hoffman story, plus, hey! Anne McCaffrey!

I actually liked almost all of the stories... I tend to buy anthologies with specific authors (NKH, CdL, THuff....) and (eventually ^-^ )read all the stories. This one had several cool stories.

[Geoffrey van Dijk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Went from four to five stars because of Fast Seeds, the final short from Nina Kiriki Hoffman. A great collection with many memorable moments - S.P. Somtow's "The Mallworld Falcon" and Ed Gorman's "The Brasher Girl" also stood out, to me.

[Bruna Den Bosch NS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Went from four to five stars because of Fast Seeds, the final short from Nina Kiriki Hoffman. A great collection with many memorable moments - S.P. Somtow's "The Mallworld Falcon" and Ed Gorman's "The Brasher Girl" also stood out to me. ~ Geoffrey

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short stories were pretty good. Lots of my fav authors here too. =)

[Matt Mazenauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wide variety of aliens represented, from hostile to benign to silly. Highlights were Duty Calls by Anne McCaffrey, The Invasion by Peter Crowther and Fast Seeds by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

[Jacquie]

Duty Calls * [The Ship Who . . .] * (1988) * novelette by Anne McCaffrey