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Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and Other Stories
40 short stories by Alex Shvartsman, winner of the 2014 WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction.
* An elder god trapped in a pocket dimension turns up in the world's oldest magic pawn shop.
* A cybernetically-enhanced assassin who can't feel pain faces a dangerous adversary.
* A computer hacker and a mystic team up to break into the Book of Fate and change their futures.
* Vatican investigators are called to examine a miracle on another planet.
and much, much more!
The e-book includes 23 bonus stories not featured in the printed edition, for a total of 63 stories! Each story includes author notes, written for this collection.
Praise for "Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma":
"Wit, sentiment, imagination--Alex Shvartsman's got them all." -Mike Resnick, Hugo award winner.
"Fantastic variety and scope ... Prepare to be entertained, delighted and amazed." -Esther Friesner, Nebula award winner.
"His stories feature tightly constructed, intricate, puzzle-like plots with clever banter and plenty of fresh, twisted pop culture references." -Ken Liu, Hugo and Nebula award winner
"Full of intriguing ideas and wit." -Jody Lynn Nye, bestselling author
"A wonderful collection of short stories that will make you laugh, think and feel." -Gini Koch, bestselling author
"If you ever need to explain Cthulhu to your Grandma, this is the place to start." -Henry Gee, senior editor at Nature.
* An elder god trapped in a pocket dimension turns up in the world's oldest magic pawn shop.
* A cybernetically-enhanced assassin who can't feel pain faces a dangerous adversary.
* A computer hacker and a mystic team up to break into the Book of Fate and change their futures.
* Vatican investigators are called to examine a miracle on another planet.
and much, much more!
The e-book includes 23 bonus stories not featured in the printed edition, for a total of 63 stories! Each story includes author notes, written for this collection.
Praise for "Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma":
"Wit, sentiment, imagination--Alex Shvartsman's got them all." -Mike Resnick, Hugo award winner.
"Fantastic variety and scope ... Prepare to be entertained, delighted and amazed." -Esther Friesner, Nebula award winner.
"His stories feature tightly constructed, intricate, puzzle-like plots with clever banter and plenty of fresh, twisted pop culture references." -Ken Liu, Hugo and Nebula award winner
"Full of intriguing ideas and wit." -Jody Lynn Nye, bestselling author
"A wonderful collection of short stories that will make you laugh, think and feel." -Gini Koch, bestselling author
"If you ever need to explain Cthulhu to your Grandma, this is the place to start." -Henry Gee, senior editor at Nature.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2015
15 people are currently reading
764 people want to read
About the author
Alex Shvartsman
158 books145 followersAlex Shvartsman is a writer, editor, and translator from Brooklyn, NY. He's the author of The Middling Affliction (2022) and Eridani's Crown (2019) fantasy novels. Kakistocracy, a sequel to The Middling Affliction, is forthcoming in 2023.
Over 120 of his stories have been published in Analog, Nature, Strange Horizons, and many other venues. He won the 2014 WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction and was a two-time finalist (2015 and 2017) for the Canopus Award for Excellence in Interstellar Fiction.
His collection, Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and Other Stories and his steampunk humor novella H. G. Wells, Secret Agent were published in 2015. His second collection, The Golem of Deneb Seven and Other Stories followed in 2018.
Alex is the editor of over a dozen anthologies, including the Unidentified Funny Objects annual anthology series of humorous SF/F.
Over 120 of his stories have been published in Analog, Nature, Strange Horizons, and many other venues. He won the 2014 WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction and was a two-time finalist (2015 and 2017) for the Canopus Award for Excellence in Interstellar Fiction.
His collection, Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and Other Stories and his steampunk humor novella H. G. Wells, Secret Agent were published in 2015. His second collection, The Golem of Deneb Seven and Other Stories followed in 2018.
Alex is the editor of over a dozen anthologies, including the Unidentified Funny Objects annual anthology series of humorous SF/F.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 17, 2015
How can you possibly go wrong with a title like "Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma"? Shvarstman had me at hello. And, even better, his stories totally deliver on the quirky, humorous, imaginative promise of that very high-standard title. There's a great mix here of short and long stories--although all can comfortably be read in a sitting. There's humor, there's even a little pathos and tragedy. There's aliens, there's bionic assassins, there's bigfoot, there's dystopia. You name, it's here. And it's all great. I enjoyed every single story--and that's saying something. Even the bonuses of his early stories were excellent. Totally worth the read!
January 29, 2015
I've been reading a lot of the author's work for quite some time. I was fortunate enough to spend a week with him at the Viable Paradise writer's workshop a few years ago and his talent was evident even in our workshops and exercises.
Since that time Alex has gone on to write some very memorable short stories with a prodigious rate of publication success.
"Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and Other Stories" is a compilation of some of his best work. They range broadly in subject matter - space opera, dark fantasy, urban fantasy and flash fiction formats. But the aspect which almost all of them have in common is a well-developed sense of humor. There is sure to be a set of stories in the collection to appeal to any reader's taste.
Typically I find it necessary to take a break when reading a collection of shorts by a single author, but not in this case. I could not put the book down and powered right through it. Almost as interesting as the works themselves are the post script notes to each story, in which the author shares some of the history and background for each work. Fascinating reading.
Since that time Alex has gone on to write some very memorable short stories with a prodigious rate of publication success.
"Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and Other Stories" is a compilation of some of his best work. They range broadly in subject matter - space opera, dark fantasy, urban fantasy and flash fiction formats. But the aspect which almost all of them have in common is a well-developed sense of humor. There is sure to be a set of stories in the collection to appeal to any reader's taste.
Typically I find it necessary to take a break when reading a collection of shorts by a single author, but not in this case. I could not put the book down and powered right through it. Almost as interesting as the works themselves are the post script notes to each story, in which the author shares some of the history and background for each work. Fascinating reading.
September 2, 2020
The author has a sense of humor that I rather like, but he also has a sense of darkness and bittersweetness that regularly surprised me. I had the ebook edition of this book, so in addition to the 40 stories of the print edition, I also have 23 (or 36, depending on how you count them) bonus stories. The bonus stories basically include his earlier work that he didn't necessarily feel strong enough to include in the original 40, though in my opinion, several were still quite good.
Despite the obvious sense of humor running through many of these stories, not all of them are (one story, "A Thousand Cuts," involves , and surprised the heck out of me).
I think the only "flaw" in a collection like this, especially if you read it in just a couple days like I did, is ... not a sameness, exactly, but a limitation since not a single story in this book was longer than 6,000 words, and most were 4,000 words and under, so by necessity many aren't given room to breathe. Which is fine! A short story isn't a novella isn't a novel, and I shouldn't expect the same style. Shvartsman is quite playful with his themes, and he liked to revisit certain ideas, like several involving memories and Scheherazade.
All that said, my favorite story was "Things We Leave Behind," a semi-autobiographical story involving the narrator's family leaving the Soviet Union, which hit really deeply. I also really enjoyed the two Magic Pawn Shop stories, "Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma" and "High-Tech Faieries and the Pandora Perplexity." I did enjoy the possibilities in the two Conrad Brent stories, "A Shard Glows in Brooklyn" and "Requiem for a Druid," but the latter story had an unfortunate cameo that felt quite dated. "Icarus Falls" was just wonderful, though, and "You Bet" and "Notes on the Game in Progress, Played Almost to a Draw" were just great. The print edition ends with "How Earth Narrowly Escaped an Invasion from Space" and "Fate and Other Variables" and both really seemed capture what Shvartsman can do in the short form--silly, fun, serious, thought-provoking.
Despite the obvious sense of humor running through many of these stories, not all of them are (one story, "A Thousand Cuts," involves , and surprised the heck out of me).
I think the only "flaw" in a collection like this, especially if you read it in just a couple days like I did, is ... not a sameness, exactly, but a limitation since not a single story in this book was longer than 6,000 words, and most were 4,000 words and under, so by necessity many aren't given room to breathe. Which is fine! A short story isn't a novella isn't a novel, and I shouldn't expect the same style. Shvartsman is quite playful with his themes, and he liked to revisit certain ideas, like several involving memories and Scheherazade.
All that said, my favorite story was "Things We Leave Behind," a semi-autobiographical story involving the narrator's family leaving the Soviet Union, which hit really deeply. I also really enjoyed the two Magic Pawn Shop stories, "Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma" and "High-Tech Faieries and the Pandora Perplexity." I did enjoy the possibilities in the two Conrad Brent stories, "A Shard Glows in Brooklyn" and "Requiem for a Druid," but the latter story had an unfortunate cameo that felt quite dated. "Icarus Falls" was just wonderful, though, and "You Bet" and "Notes on the Game in Progress, Played Almost to a Draw" were just great. The print edition ends with "How Earth Narrowly Escaped an Invasion from Space" and "Fate and Other Variables" and both really seemed capture what Shvartsman can do in the short form--silly, fun, serious, thought-provoking.
February 13, 2015
Check out the complete review at Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and Other Stories > Review
The book contains 40 different stories of different Genre. Some are sci-fi, some psychological but all have some punch in it. The book is compiled of the works of various authors who can pack a bang in just a few words. The talent is clearly visible throughout all the stories in the book.
The book contains 40 different stories of different Genre. Some are sci-fi, some psychological but all have some punch in it. The book is compiled of the works of various authors who can pack a bang in just a few words. The talent is clearly visible throughout all the stories in the book.
March 20, 2015
I loved this collection. A very broad range of stories. Lots of humour, light stories which suddenly turn dark, horror, psychological, SF, fantasy, urban fantasy, it's all here.
There were even a few stories I really wished the author would expound on and write a full length novel. I know if he ever does, I'll buy it.
There were even a few stories I really wished the author would expound on and write a full length novel. I know if he ever does, I'll buy it.
April 23, 2019
Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and Other Stories is an entertaining mix of forty science fiction and fantasy short stories and flash fiction. For those of you that don’t know the name Alex Shvartsman, he’s an award-winning short fiction writer and editor responsible for the highly successful Unidentified Funny Objects anthology series and the new professional science fiction market Future Science Fiction Digest. He’s written over one hundred short stories in places like Analog, Nature, Strange Horizons, Intergalactic Medicine Show, Galaxy’s Edge, and many other anthologies and magazines. Within the pages of this collection are some of Alex’s finest stories.
I read a hell of a lot of short stories and I like a variety of styles. Unlike many collections I’ve read that are very much a mixed bag of good and so-so stories, I was pleased to find that I liked or loved all the stories in this collection. This is a rarity for me, but I know it has a lot to do with Alex’s range. He’s a master at both short fiction and flash fiction, and he blends powerful emotional tales with historical elements and sprinkles in a good dose of tension and action. His characters are memorable and his prose is smooth and enjoyable to read. Some stories were humorous, some dark, some darkly humorous, some expiramental, some action-packed, and some light. There are Science Fiction and Fantasy stories in the mix and Alex has the talent to pull both genres off effectively without his strengths resting solely in one genre or the other as I’ve seen with other writers before. The stories in these pages are brilliant and many will stick with me for a very long time.
Do yourself a favor and go pick up a copy.
-ESF
I read a hell of a lot of short stories and I like a variety of styles. Unlike many collections I’ve read that are very much a mixed bag of good and so-so stories, I was pleased to find that I liked or loved all the stories in this collection. This is a rarity for me, but I know it has a lot to do with Alex’s range. He’s a master at both short fiction and flash fiction, and he blends powerful emotional tales with historical elements and sprinkles in a good dose of tension and action. His characters are memorable and his prose is smooth and enjoyable to read. Some stories were humorous, some dark, some darkly humorous, some expiramental, some action-packed, and some light. There are Science Fiction and Fantasy stories in the mix and Alex has the talent to pull both genres off effectively without his strengths resting solely in one genre or the other as I’ve seen with other writers before. The stories in these pages are brilliant and many will stick with me for a very long time.
Do yourself a favor and go pick up a copy.
-ESF
December 11, 2019
I have to admit I purchased this on impulse buy simply because of the title. How can I not NOT buy a book called "Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma". I think this might be my best book impulse buy because I have loved this selection of short stories. I personally love the humor in some of these tales but there is also a range of feelings and tone in the stories so it keeps it interesting and different. It's a great collection and highly recommend!
September 8, 2019
Variety is the spice of short stories.
A fun time in a variety of flavors with just enough related items to keep one reading on. Bonus stories are an earlier lot and not as consistently humorous but still worthwhile.
A fun time in a variety of flavors with just enough related items to keep one reading on. Bonus stories are an earlier lot and not as consistently humorous but still worthwhile.
May 15, 2019
Delightfully weird and wondrous. I don't know what else to say.
September 6, 2015
A collection of 40 short stories, many of which are only a few pages long.
Shvartsman writes a wide collection of stories, almost all in the fantasy or SF genre. His writing style if very direct, lean, and effective. His short stories are often poignant or have a nice twist at the end. I really enjoyed the book and the creativity of the author.
The only criticism I would have is that when you read 40 such stories in sequence, you can see a certain sameness in story construction and pace. I would recommend reading only a few stories a week if you can hold out. The stories will be all the more memorable for that.
My favorite stories were two with the same setting and main character. They are about a magical wielding member of The Watch, who police the New York City area allowing the ungifted (you and me) get on with our lives without interference from the magically gifted. They were great fun and seemed to come alive. The author himself writes:
"Conrad Brent is a wise-cracking, irreverent, morally complicated character and I love telling his stories.I have several more short stories planned out, as well as an eventual novel."
I look forward to more of the same.
Shvartsman writes a wide collection of stories, almost all in the fantasy or SF genre. His writing style if very direct, lean, and effective. His short stories are often poignant or have a nice twist at the end. I really enjoyed the book and the creativity of the author.
The only criticism I would have is that when you read 40 such stories in sequence, you can see a certain sameness in story construction and pace. I would recommend reading only a few stories a week if you can hold out. The stories will be all the more memorable for that.
My favorite stories were two with the same setting and main character. They are about a magical wielding member of The Watch, who police the New York City area allowing the ungifted (you and me) get on with our lives without interference from the magically gifted. They were great fun and seemed to come alive. The author himself writes:
"Conrad Brent is a wise-cracking, irreverent, morally complicated character and I love telling his stories.I have several more short stories planned out, as well as an eventual novel."
I look forward to more of the same.
April 2, 2015
Good stuff, very enjoyable.
Hard to believe that Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and Other Stories is the author's first collection containing his 'early stuff'.
Though some stories show that Alex Shvartsman is still trying to find his voice, others read as if they came straight from Robert Sheckley or Fredric Brown, who happen to be among my favourite short story writers.
I bought the book because I had noticed the author's (memorable) name in my regular dose of 'Daily SF' and made a mental note accordingly.
Very much recommended!
Hard to believe that Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and Other Stories is the author's first collection containing his 'early stuff'.
Though some stories show that Alex Shvartsman is still trying to find his voice, others read as if they came straight from Robert Sheckley or Fredric Brown, who happen to be among my favourite short story writers.
I bought the book because I had noticed the author's (memorable) name in my regular dose of 'Daily SF' and made a mental note accordingly.
Very much recommended!
August 1, 2015
Look, I love a bit of fun.
Really. I do.
And that's what I found in 'Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and Other Stories'.
I treasured these short stories like a human in the desert treasures mouthfuls of water, or a drunkard treasures wine: I didn't want to finish.
Some are enjoyably dry and short, like the one listed as co-written (with Alvaro Zinos-Amaro), 'Coffee in the End Times'.
Some (my favourites) are vengeful stories of failed absolution and revenge, such as 'The Hourglass Brigade' and 'A One-sided Arguement'.
I have been encouraged but not required to review the book 'Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and other stories' in compliance with FTC guidelines, as I received (Won!) the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
It's all fun science-fiction here, my friends.
No qualms.
Don't hesitate.
Fun.
Really. I do.
And that's what I found in 'Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and Other Stories'.
I treasured these short stories like a human in the desert treasures mouthfuls of water, or a drunkard treasures wine: I didn't want to finish.
Some are enjoyably dry and short, like the one listed as co-written (with Alvaro Zinos-Amaro), 'Coffee in the End Times'.
Some (my favourites) are vengeful stories of failed absolution and revenge, such as 'The Hourglass Brigade' and 'A One-sided Arguement'.
I have been encouraged but not required to review the book 'Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma and other stories' in compliance with FTC guidelines, as I received (Won!) the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
It's all fun science-fiction here, my friends.
No qualms.
Don't hesitate.
Fun.
June 12, 2015
How could I not purchase a book called " Explaining Cthuhlu to Grandma"? I had the chance to chat with Mr. Shvartsman at BookCon in NYC. I loved the story behind the title, the crochet Chtulu on the table, and the titles of the stories. I enjoyed every story in the book. With a touch of magic, some science fiction, and a few old world gods, this collection has something for everyone.
November 3, 2016
This is a great collection of science fiction and fantasy stories. Some very dark or sad, some uplifting, some adventurous, and some quite humorous. There are stories for every mood here. while some have very complex plots and twists, others are beautiful in their simplicity. If you like diversity and good entertainment, this collection is for you.
February 7, 2016
A small masterpiece collection of short stories that I can read over and over.
Hilarious shorts like "High-tech fairies and the Pandora Perplexity"
Or
The oddly funny short, "Tinker Bell Problem"
Hilarious shorts like "High-tech fairies and the Pandora Perplexity"
Or
The oddly funny short, "Tinker Bell Problem"
March 2, 2015
Loved every one of the stories. Science fiction, fantasy, magic. Each one a small glittering gem.
partly-read
February 8, 2015As tempting as a collection of 63 stories sounds, I don't think I could stand to read 63 stories that seldom make it out of "tell" mode. It's like driving around in first gear.
July 10, 2015
A wonderful group of short stories.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews