What do you think?
Rate this book
Selected Stories
Stories of space, love, loss, hope, and more are all part of this debut collection from multiple award-nominated author Jake Kerr. Featuring the best-selling novelette "The Old Equations," these stories range from contemporary tales of innocence ("Looking For Bad Guys") to the apocalyptic story that launched Kerr's three linked stories in The Apocalypse Triptych ("Biographical Fragments of the Life of Julian Prince." A mixture of breathtaking science fiction and contemporary shorts, Selected Stories highlights Kerr's position a leading practitioner in science fiction's humanist tradition.
186 pages, Paperback
First published March 21, 2015
About the author
Jake Kerr
59 books38 followersAfter fifteen years as a music industry journalist Jake Kerr's first published story, "The Old Equations," was nominated for the Nebula Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America and was shortlisted for the Theodore Sturgeon and StorySouth Million Writers awards. His stories have subsequently been published in magazines across the world, broadcast in multiple podcasts, and been published in multiple anthologies and year's best collections.
A graduate of Kenyon College, Kerr studied fiction under Ursula K. Le Guin and Peruvian playwright Alonso Alegria. He lives in Dallas, Texas, with his family and a menagerie of pets.
A graduate of Kenyon College, Kerr studied fiction under Ursula K. Le Guin and Peruvian playwright Alonso Alegria. He lives in Dallas, Texas, with his family and a menagerie of pets.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 17, 2017
Mixed bag that was often more meh than not. Enjoyed the premises of many, wrinkled my nose at many more, made outright faces at some misogynistic characterization. It was an okay read to pass the time or read myself to sleep, but there was nothing really standout or original. I'm going to be truthful and say I'm growing more and more disillusioned with POVs written by white cismale authors, particularly in SFF, and the feeling of sameness to it definitely meant it wasn't for me. Someone else might like it more.
I will say "Requiem in the Key of Prose" was interesting, and a unique story construct. "Mission. Suit. Self." almost had me, but didn't quite work. The most touching one was "The Sky Smells Blue Above the Clouds," likely relatable to me because the POV character has synesthesia. I found it interesting reading about someone else's synesthesia, although I get the feeling the author has never experienced it themselves as the descriptions didn't quite ring true. But it was the story that stuck out to me for its simple structure and quiet subtleties.
The only story in the collection I would call truly great is "Biographical Fragments of the Life of Julian Prince." It's quite clever in its storytelling structure, and uses the space between the lines to raise interesting questions and deliver fragments of an unfolding new world the same way we might discover some great happening through social media, television, and newspapers. Definitely the most enjoyable of the lot.
I will say "Requiem in the Key of Prose" was interesting, and a unique story construct. "Mission. Suit. Self." almost had me, but didn't quite work. The most touching one was "The Sky Smells Blue Above the Clouds," likely relatable to me because the POV character has synesthesia. I found it interesting reading about someone else's synesthesia, although I get the feeling the author has never experienced it themselves as the descriptions didn't quite ring true. But it was the story that stuck out to me for its simple structure and quiet subtleties.
The only story in the collection I would call truly great is "Biographical Fragments of the Life of Julian Prince." It's quite clever in its storytelling structure, and uses the space between the lines to raise interesting questions and deliver fragments of an unfolding new world the same way we might discover some great happening through social media, television, and newspapers. Definitely the most enjoyable of the lot.
Displaying 1 of 1 review