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The Book of Brian Aldiss
At his own request Brian Aldiss has gathered together for DAW BOOKS a new selection of his latest science fiction and fantasy novelettes and short stories. Here are great tales in the old style and the new, of the future and of the satirical SF present, guaranteed to be the best reading bargain on the science fiction counters.
Contents:
Comic Inferno (1963)
The Under-Privileged (1963)
Cardiac Arrest (1970)
In the Arena (1963)
All the World's Tears (1957)
Amen and Out (1966)
The Soft Predicament (1969)
As for Our Fatal Continuity .... (1972)
Send Her Victorious (1968)
Contents:
Comic Inferno (1963)
The Under-Privileged (1963)
Cardiac Arrest (1970)
In the Arena (1963)
All the World's Tears (1957)
Amen and Out (1966)
The Soft Predicament (1969)
As for Our Fatal Continuity .... (1972)
Send Her Victorious (1968)
191 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1972
3 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Brian W. Aldiss
837 books678 followersPseudonyms: Jael Cracken, Peter Pica, John Runciman, C.C. Shackleton, Arch Mendicant, & "Doc" Peristyle.
Brian Wilson Aldiss was one of the most important voices in science fiction writing today. He wrote his first novel while working as a bookseller in Oxford. Shortly afterwards he wrote his first work of science fiction and soon gained international recognition. Adored for his innovative literary techniques, evocative plots and irresistible characters, he became a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 1999.
Brian Aldiss died on August 19, 2017, just after celebrating his 92nd birthday with his family and closest friends.
Brian W. Aldiss Group on Good Reads
Brian Wilson Aldiss was one of the most important voices in science fiction writing today. He wrote his first novel while working as a bookseller in Oxford. Shortly afterwards he wrote his first work of science fiction and soon gained international recognition. Adored for his innovative literary techniques, evocative plots and irresistible characters, he became a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 1999.
Brian Aldiss died on August 19, 2017, just after celebrating his 92nd birthday with his family and closest friends.
Brian W. Aldiss Group on Good Reads
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 3, 2020
DAW Collectors #29
Cover Artist: Karel Thole
Name: Aldiss, Brian Wilson (Birthdate: 18 August 1925 - 19 August 2017)
Alternate Names:Jael Cracken, Brajan Oldis, Dr. Peristyle, John Runciman, C. C. Shackleton.
Contents:
vii • Introduction (1972) • essay by Brian W. Aldiss
11 • Comic Inferno • (1963)
49 • The Underprivileged • (1963)
65 • Cardiac Arrest • (1970)
93 • In the Arena • (1963)
103 • All the World's Tears • (1957)
115 • Amen and Out • (1966)
135 • The Soft Predicament • (1969)
159 • As for Our Fatal Continuity ... • (1972)
163 • Send Her Victorious • (1968)
Cover Artist: Karel Thole
Name: Aldiss, Brian Wilson (Birthdate: 18 August 1925 - 19 August 2017)
Alternate Names:Jael Cracken, Brajan Oldis, Dr. Peristyle, John Runciman, C. C. Shackleton.
Contents:
vii • Introduction (1972) • essay by Brian W. Aldiss
11 • Comic Inferno • (1963)
49 • The Underprivileged • (1963)
65 • Cardiac Arrest • (1970)
93 • In the Arena • (1963)
103 • All the World's Tears • (1957)
115 • Amen and Out • (1966)
135 • The Soft Predicament • (1969)
159 • As for Our Fatal Continuity ... • (1972)
163 • Send Her Victorious • (1968)
August 16, 2019
I don't know why this collection doesn't get more love. Sure, it is a bit dark in its humour, but that is what Brits do best, isn't it? It is a fine collection of SF stories, very different in tone and style of writing. Consequently, the book feels quite unbalanced. Maybe that is it? The stories seem to be a bit randomly collected-I think they were selected by the author himself but following what criteria, I cannot tell. Not that I mind that much, honestly. Not all editions of short stories need to be organized by style or set in similar worlds. However, this makes reviewing the book a bit of a challenge. I think the best thing I can do is to write a separate review for every story. There are in total nine stories in this collection: Comic Inferno , The Underprivileged , Cardiac Arrest, In the Arena, All the World's Tears, Amen and Out, Soft Predicament, As for Our Fatal Continuity and Send Her Victorious and they differ both in style and length.
Comic Inferno 4/5- This is the first story in the book. It is set in a robotic future society and it examines the influence technology and the use of AI has on human psychology. A pretty classic and common subject in science fiction writing. Nevertheless, Adliss does a good job with adding a new twist to the classic tale as well as with making the characters come to life. However, I actually struggled with the writing style in this one, especially in the introductory part. I had a weird feeling that I wasn't able to pick up on everything, you know there seemed to be too many details and I couldn't figure everything out. Plus, I was a bit confused about the characters (the dialogues and the scenes moved so quickly) at first. However, once the story neared its ending, it really started to make sense. I would give it a five out of five starts for the ending, but not for the story as a whole. In fact, this happened to be the last story in the book that I read, just because I needed more time to process it.
The Underprivileged 4/5- While the ending to this story was somewhat predictable, especially for a reader of Science Fiction, the story as a whole was quite enjoyable. It deals with two cold blooded semi-humans who were invited to live on a prestigious human planet. They are not the only ones of its kind to live there, but upon arriving to the planet, they grow more afraid and the female of the two is especially troubled (female intuition, perhaps?). It is one of a few stories in this collection that has a solid ending, albeit a predictable one. It could possibly be referenced to British colonization (and exploring a future kind of it). Quite ironic in tone and dark in its humor.
Cardiac Arrest 3/5 Despite the fact that I found stream of consciousness writing technique interesting, the story itself felt hectic. How to describe this one? A mystery set in future? The story deals with an American chemist who has found the virus that can make us live forever. He tries to flee to China where he is promised a sanctuary, but he gets into trouble once he lands into Hong Kong (apparently China- Hong Kong tension is present even in the alternative future). The stream of consciousness technique, albeit not badly done, makes the hectic story a bit hard to follow. Perhaps it would have worked if the story itself was better plotted or organized (even if the rambling parts, written in cursive, were unnecessarily long.
In the Arena 3/5 A good story about a future human gladiator Javlin fighting for his life in an insect Infested Earth. For his next fight, he will be paired with some other human and they will have to fight the insects together. Fighting in a duo is something Javlin hates because it means additional responsibility- that for a life of another. There were some clever details in this one, like the fact that the protagonist has to use some kind of device to communicate with his Insect Trainer (and the other intelligent Insects that have conquered Earth and made slaves of human). If human languages are so complex and different that it takes a long time for us to be able to learn proper pronunciation of them, then obviously communicating with another species would require some kind of aid. However, the story itself was too basic to be deeply fascinating. The human society is not really elaborated on and too much space is the story is used up by the protagonist's sulking over the duo part. The young lady (yes, there is a girl!) doesn't get a chance to really shine and the two lack chemistry together. Moreover, the story ended quite suddenly and predictably.
All the World's Tears 5/5 Another story that deals with the future implications of technology on our human society. It depicts an Earth where population is scarce and people rely heavily on robotic help. Deprived of their humanity, people need the help of specialist to be motivated to do things. A professional is called into a home, where he proceeds to make his client mad, prepping him for a conference call (something to do with the client's work I guess). In this future, people are so devoid of feelings and sense, they need specialists to make them angry, since anger is the only remaining human emotion. That's quite depressing, isn't it? When the daughter of the client (the only thing that he seems to care for and exactly the thing the professional uses to manipulate his feelings into rage) is brought into the story, we get a sad and tragic ending (as the tears in the title would imply). I found the ending quite touching. The story also felt quite original. Well done, Aldiss!
Amen and Out 4/5 A fantastic story set in a future society where men pray to Gods that talk back. Who are these Gods? At first it is a mystery, but everyone seems to have a shrine they pray to regularly, even the junkies (some carry portable ones) but by the end of the story it suddenly all makes sense. This human society where Gods talk back obviously doesn't need a religion, but they have something similar- the immortals. Who are they? A group of people that were made immortal in a project that didn't go all that well. The people of this future society don't wish to became immortals themselves, but they seem open to getting ideas from them. There are quite a few memorable characters in this one and the story is well plotted. Making an LSD addict a hero of the story seemed an unusual choice, but it makes sense in the context of the story. My only complaint is that the story seemed to end too suddenly. I have a feeling that the author hinted on something I didn't quite catch. If only the story were a bit more elaborate!
Soft Predicament 3/5 This future society is segregated to the extreme. The world is separated into a 'developed' and 'undeveloped' part. One part of the world is technology more advanced (but lacks humanity) while the other is human but in a more primitive sense (their world is one big chaos). The protagonist of the story is a man who could be described as racist (he hates the undeveloped part of the population) but while working on a project that feeds dreams into some kind of a machine and works on figuring out the human unconsciousness, he comes to realize that the machine doesn't work because they are feeding it only the data of the 'developed' population. Does this means he has seen the error of his ways? The whole dream and subconscious part of this story was interesting, but it was still a bit painful to read.
As for Our Fatal Continuity 3/5 A very short story, only a few pages long. It is basically an obituary, written for a fictional future artist, the last one of its kind. We don't know who writes the obituary but from 'his' descriptions and musings, we get a fascinating view of a future society. What will be like to be an artist in the future? A bit intellectual in tone but very amusing, this short story was an easy and an interesting read.
Send Her Victorious 3/5 This story is set in a future society where Earth is over populated and the protagonists are a group of individuals trying to prove that human history actually started with queen Victoria. Yes, you read that right. Queen Victoria is controlling everything from some parallel Universe. There are quite a few Freud references in this one and some good points in regards to sociology. The author even managed to write a decent psychological portrait of some of the characters (not the easiest thing to do in a short story). However, the whole story seems too chaotic, there is too much going on and the feeling of isolation seems overwhelming. On overall, it is a terribly depressive and bleak story despite it having an interesting set of characters. I can't say that I enjoyed it too much and the ending pretty much ruined it for me.
P.S. I checked at it seems that The Book of Brian Aldiss is a collection of short stories and novelettes. I did notice that some stories were long enough to pass as novelettes but I wasn't sure were they listed as such until I checked. I guess that now I know. So, in case you're curious : "Comic Inferno", "Cardiac Arrest", "The Soft Predicament" and "Send Her Victorious" are all novelettes, while the other works in the book are short stories.
Comic Inferno 4/5- This is the first story in the book. It is set in a robotic future society and it examines the influence technology and the use of AI has on human psychology. A pretty classic and common subject in science fiction writing. Nevertheless, Adliss does a good job with adding a new twist to the classic tale as well as with making the characters come to life. However, I actually struggled with the writing style in this one, especially in the introductory part. I had a weird feeling that I wasn't able to pick up on everything, you know there seemed to be too many details and I couldn't figure everything out. Plus, I was a bit confused about the characters (the dialogues and the scenes moved so quickly) at first. However, once the story neared its ending, it really started to make sense. I would give it a five out of five starts for the ending, but not for the story as a whole. In fact, this happened to be the last story in the book that I read, just because I needed more time to process it.
The Underprivileged 4/5- While the ending to this story was somewhat predictable, especially for a reader of Science Fiction, the story as a whole was quite enjoyable. It deals with two cold blooded semi-humans who were invited to live on a prestigious human planet. They are not the only ones of its kind to live there, but upon arriving to the planet, they grow more afraid and the female of the two is especially troubled (female intuition, perhaps?). It is one of a few stories in this collection that has a solid ending, albeit a predictable one. It could possibly be referenced to British colonization (and exploring a future kind of it). Quite ironic in tone and dark in its humor.
Cardiac Arrest 3/5 Despite the fact that I found stream of consciousness writing technique interesting, the story itself felt hectic. How to describe this one? A mystery set in future? The story deals with an American chemist who has found the virus that can make us live forever. He tries to flee to China where he is promised a sanctuary, but he gets into trouble once he lands into Hong Kong (apparently China- Hong Kong tension is present even in the alternative future). The stream of consciousness technique, albeit not badly done, makes the hectic story a bit hard to follow. Perhaps it would have worked if the story itself was better plotted or organized (even if the rambling parts, written in cursive, were unnecessarily long.
In the Arena 3/5 A good story about a future human gladiator Javlin fighting for his life in an insect Infested Earth. For his next fight, he will be paired with some other human and they will have to fight the insects together. Fighting in a duo is something Javlin hates because it means additional responsibility- that for a life of another. There were some clever details in this one, like the fact that the protagonist has to use some kind of device to communicate with his Insect Trainer (and the other intelligent Insects that have conquered Earth and made slaves of human). If human languages are so complex and different that it takes a long time for us to be able to learn proper pronunciation of them, then obviously communicating with another species would require some kind of aid. However, the story itself was too basic to be deeply fascinating. The human society is not really elaborated on and too much space is the story is used up by the protagonist's sulking over the duo part. The young lady (yes, there is a girl!) doesn't get a chance to really shine and the two lack chemistry together. Moreover, the story ended quite suddenly and predictably.
All the World's Tears 5/5 Another story that deals with the future implications of technology on our human society. It depicts an Earth where population is scarce and people rely heavily on robotic help. Deprived of their humanity, people need the help of specialist to be motivated to do things. A professional is called into a home, where he proceeds to make his client mad, prepping him for a conference call (something to do with the client's work I guess). In this future, people are so devoid of feelings and sense, they need specialists to make them angry, since anger is the only remaining human emotion. That's quite depressing, isn't it? When the daughter of the client (the only thing that he seems to care for and exactly the thing the professional uses to manipulate his feelings into rage) is brought into the story, we get a sad and tragic ending (as the tears in the title would imply). I found the ending quite touching. The story also felt quite original. Well done, Aldiss!
Amen and Out 4/5 A fantastic story set in a future society where men pray to Gods that talk back. Who are these Gods? At first it is a mystery, but everyone seems to have a shrine they pray to regularly, even the junkies (some carry portable ones) but by the end of the story it suddenly all makes sense. This human society where Gods talk back obviously doesn't need a religion, but they have something similar- the immortals. Who are they? A group of people that were made immortal in a project that didn't go all that well. The people of this future society don't wish to became immortals themselves, but they seem open to getting ideas from them. There are quite a few memorable characters in this one and the story is well plotted. Making an LSD addict a hero of the story seemed an unusual choice, but it makes sense in the context of the story. My only complaint is that the story seemed to end too suddenly. I have a feeling that the author hinted on something I didn't quite catch. If only the story were a bit more elaborate!
Soft Predicament 3/5 This future society is segregated to the extreme. The world is separated into a 'developed' and 'undeveloped' part. One part of the world is technology more advanced (but lacks humanity) while the other is human but in a more primitive sense (their world is one big chaos). The protagonist of the story is a man who could be described as racist (he hates the undeveloped part of the population) but while working on a project that feeds dreams into some kind of a machine and works on figuring out the human unconsciousness, he comes to realize that the machine doesn't work because they are feeding it only the data of the 'developed' population. Does this means he has seen the error of his ways? The whole dream and subconscious part of this story was interesting, but it was still a bit painful to read.
As for Our Fatal Continuity 3/5 A very short story, only a few pages long. It is basically an obituary, written for a fictional future artist, the last one of its kind. We don't know who writes the obituary but from 'his' descriptions and musings, we get a fascinating view of a future society. What will be like to be an artist in the future? A bit intellectual in tone but very amusing, this short story was an easy and an interesting read.
Send Her Victorious 3/5 This story is set in a future society where Earth is over populated and the protagonists are a group of individuals trying to prove that human history actually started with queen Victoria. Yes, you read that right. Queen Victoria is controlling everything from some parallel Universe. There are quite a few Freud references in this one and some good points in regards to sociology. The author even managed to write a decent psychological portrait of some of the characters (not the easiest thing to do in a short story). However, the whole story seems too chaotic, there is too much going on and the feeling of isolation seems overwhelming. On overall, it is a terribly depressive and bleak story despite it having an interesting set of characters. I can't say that I enjoyed it too much and the ending pretty much ruined it for me.
P.S. I checked at it seems that The Book of Brian Aldiss is a collection of short stories and novelettes. I did notice that some stories were long enough to pass as novelettes but I wasn't sure were they listed as such until I checked. I guess that now I know. So, in case you're curious : "Comic Inferno", "Cardiac Arrest", "The Soft Predicament" and "Send Her Victorious" are all novelettes, while the other works in the book are short stories.
December 3, 2024
This was my introduction to the works of Brian Aldiss. A name I have heard a lot in my time looking into the New Wave SF era of the 60s and 70s. This UK author stands out as being older than many of his contemporaries and in doing so has implemented a much more mature, literary style. From this short story collection I definitely agree, as his style offers quite a unique lens compared to much else I’ve read from this time period in Science Fiction. Uniqueness and maturity aside, this short story collection does come up short ultimately.
Composed of nine short stories originally published between 1957 and 1972 this collection offers a great sampling of what Aldiss is capable of. While many stories centralize around an “us vs them” theme, their setting and subject matter have a wide reach. Some stories may take place in the 22nd century, exploring the issues of foreign alien species and some are set in a more contemporary late 20th century with familiar countries as their opposing factions.
This versatility is a great skill of Aldiss. He uses these settings to explore many themes such as AI and robot sentients, viruses, mass migration, and immortality. All great subjects in which Aldiss has put a lot of thought. Where these stories often fall short is how these ideas are conveyed in a Science Fiction narrative. Each of these stories have a wildly fascinating premise but not all of them hit their mark. In fact many don’t.
A big issue with Science Fiction short stories in general for me is how much time is needed to acclimate the world in which the story takes place. The rules, the factions, the technology, the time period, and the humans or creatures involved. Anything is possible and if you want to offer a creative world as well as a creative narrative and thoughtful outlook on the subject you really have to define that from the start. Some of these stories are better than others at this and my favorites were definitely the longer stories, mainly because they had the page count to offer these explanations.
While I found this collection ultimately lacking in terms of great Science Fiction, it did peak my interest in Brian Aldiss. I definitely want to read a full novel from him as his thoughts and writing are above the average writing in the genre for this time period and unique to his other great contemporaries. I really like these DAW author collections and want to find and read more. Philip Jose Farmer and Philip K Dick especially.
Composed of nine short stories originally published between 1957 and 1972 this collection offers a great sampling of what Aldiss is capable of. While many stories centralize around an “us vs them” theme, their setting and subject matter have a wide reach. Some stories may take place in the 22nd century, exploring the issues of foreign alien species and some are set in a more contemporary late 20th century with familiar countries as their opposing factions.
This versatility is a great skill of Aldiss. He uses these settings to explore many themes such as AI and robot sentients, viruses, mass migration, and immortality. All great subjects in which Aldiss has put a lot of thought. Where these stories often fall short is how these ideas are conveyed in a Science Fiction narrative. Each of these stories have a wildly fascinating premise but not all of them hit their mark. In fact many don’t.
A big issue with Science Fiction short stories in general for me is how much time is needed to acclimate the world in which the story takes place. The rules, the factions, the technology, the time period, and the humans or creatures involved. Anything is possible and if you want to offer a creative world as well as a creative narrative and thoughtful outlook on the subject you really have to define that from the start. Some of these stories are better than others at this and my favorites were definitely the longer stories, mainly because they had the page count to offer these explanations.
While I found this collection ultimately lacking in terms of great Science Fiction, it did peak my interest in Brian Aldiss. I definitely want to read a full novel from him as his thoughts and writing are above the average writing in the genre for this time period and unique to his other great contemporaries. I really like these DAW author collections and want to find and read more. Philip Jose Farmer and Philip K Dick especially.
April 27, 2026
Another fun, often bonkers, and somewhat dated collection raised up by the sheer quality of Aldiss's writing.
"Comic Inferno" is a slightly smug but enjoyable tale of humans and robots realising how much they need each other. Young, scared lovers travel to a distant world... and find themselves strangely contented there in "The Under-Privileged". "In the Arena" is an ultimately rather touching story of a human gladiatorial couple falling in love just before a battle to the death with space aliens. In "Amen and Out" everybody has their own personal god helping direct their lives, while strange immortals paddle in a swimming pool... In "The Soft Predicament", life is discovered in the clouds of Jupiter - but what will this mean to the utterly segregated and racist peoples of Earth? "Send Her Victorious" has Queen Victoria battling to wipe out humanity... 'nuff said.
"Comic Inferno" is a slightly smug but enjoyable tale of humans and robots realising how much they need each other. Young, scared lovers travel to a distant world... and find themselves strangely contented there in "The Under-Privileged". "In the Arena" is an ultimately rather touching story of a human gladiatorial couple falling in love just before a battle to the death with space aliens. In "Amen and Out" everybody has their own personal god helping direct their lives, while strange immortals paddle in a swimming pool... In "The Soft Predicament", life is discovered in the clouds of Jupiter - but what will this mean to the utterly segregated and racist peoples of Earth? "Send Her Victorious" has Queen Victoria battling to wipe out humanity... 'nuff said.
July 22, 2021
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3709637.html
Aldiss is one of my favourite writers, but I don’t think this is one of my favourite collections. The best stories here I already knew from other anthologies; the others, including the title story, have mostly not been published elsewhere since they were published here, and generally for good reason. It’s still interesting to appreciate just how much the retreat from Empire affected Britain of Aldiss’s generation, and even the stories that have not stood the test of time have some great turns of phrase in Aldiss’s typically laconic descriptions. So I’m glad I finally got to it, though I suspect I may not pick it up again.
Aldiss is one of my favourite writers, but I don’t think this is one of my favourite collections. The best stories here I already knew from other anthologies; the others, including the title story, have mostly not been published elsewhere since they were published here, and generally for good reason. It’s still interesting to appreciate just how much the retreat from Empire affected Britain of Aldiss’s generation, and even the stories that have not stood the test of time have some great turns of phrase in Aldiss’s typically laconic descriptions. So I’m glad I finally got to it, though I suspect I may not pick it up again.
September 22, 2017
Not his best work but some of the stories were ok.
Like a lot of new wave science fiction, the stories are light on plot and more meandering mood pieces that don't really go anywhere, or at least not anywhere that makes sense. But there were some good ideas and enjoyable bits scattered through the stories. If you're already an Aldiss fan, it's probably worthwhile reading. If you're not, I recommend some of his more conventional science fiction works. I'm a big fan of his Hothouse stories (despite some bad science, they're still a lot of fun).
Like a lot of new wave science fiction, the stories are light on plot and more meandering mood pieces that don't really go anywhere, or at least not anywhere that makes sense. But there were some good ideas and enjoyable bits scattered through the stories. If you're already an Aldiss fan, it's probably worthwhile reading. If you're not, I recommend some of his more conventional science fiction works. I'm a big fan of his Hothouse stories (despite some bad science, they're still a lot of fun).
November 25, 2023
Sehr seltsam. Eine Sammlung von Kurzgeschichten, die wohl ein gemeinsames Thema darstellen sollen. Aber weder sieht man eine echte Verbindung zwischen den Geschichten noch sind die Geschichten in sich schlüssig. Irgendwie haben sie alle kein richtiges Ende und auch keinen echten Anfang. Was das Ganze tatsächlich soll, ist mir nicht ersichtlich.
June 30, 2023
OK, no one is going to be blown away by this prose, but the dark themes and experimental styles here make for a pretty good read. Aldiss shows us that the veils between realities are quite thin indeed.
April 27, 2024
Collection of short stories that I felt like I kept having to force myself to get through. Sometimes interesting concepts were presented only to be overshadowed by some chaotic dialog between characters.
March 29, 2022
Well written stories that were all boring and stupid and sucked. Who was inpressed by this guy?
May 8, 2025
Some great stories and some not so great stories. Overall, fine.
February 10, 2026
Stories von Aldiss. Er ist wie eine Pralinenschachtel...
Vom Abenteuergarn bis zu Stories, die wie der Bewusstseinsstrom eines Psychotikers wirken, ist so manches dabei.
Auch eine meiner All-time-favorite SF-Stories: Die Unterprivilegierten (The Underprivileged / 1963)
Vom Abenteuergarn bis zu Stories, die wie der Bewusstseinsstrom eines Psychotikers wirken, ist so manches dabei.
Auch eine meiner All-time-favorite SF-Stories: Die Unterprivilegierten (The Underprivileged / 1963)
October 14, 2013
The stories in this book are very well written and instantly engaging. However the actual stories are just plain bad. Half simply end, falling away without warning the other half are like bad, pretentious episodes of 'Tales of the unexpected'. This has none of the wonderment of old science fiction and is not cutting edge like modern sci-fi.
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May 20, 2015Science-Fiction
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