The Invisible Country

by Paul J. McAuley, Kim Newman (Introduction)

In these nine extraordinary tales, acclaimed author Paul J. McAuley illuminates the unseen and the unimaginable with brilliant prose and incandescent conceptual daring. These stories explore the wonders and dangers of biotechnology and its and travel from a distant alternate past to a breathtaking far-flung future. in sixteenth century Venice, transformed by a premature Industrial Revolution, a physician mourning his daughter's passing meets a mountebank with the power to raise the dead. In a tomorrow of raw and terrible beauty, revolutionaries struggle to free genetically engineered creatures fated to die in combat games and violent sexual encounters. And ten million years in the future, on an artificial world orbiting an immense black hole, a civilization of awesome strangeness and complexity created -- and abandoned -- by God-like Preservers is about to meet the human ancestors of its makers. Enter "The Invisible Country" -- and prepare to be dazzled.

Introduction • essay by Kim Newman
The Invisible Country • (1991)
Afterword (The Invisible Country) • (1996)
Gene Wars • (1991)
Afterword (Gene Wars) • (1996)
Prison Dreams • (1992)
Afterword (Prison Dreams) • (1996)
Recording Angel • [The Book of Confluence] • (1995)
Afterword (Recording Angel) • (1996)
Dr. Luther's Assistant • (1993)
Afterword (Dr. Luther's Assistant) • (1996)
The Temptation of Dr Stein • (1994)
Afterword (The Temptation of Dr. Stein) • (1996)
Children of the Revolution • (1993)
Afterword (Children of the Revolution) • (1996)
The True History of Dr. Pretorius • (1995)
Afterword (The True History of Dr. Pretorious) • (1996)
Slaves • (1995)
Afterword (Slaves) • (1996)

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1996

About the author

name Paul McAuley previously wrote under

Reviews

[Ivana Books Are Magic · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Invisible Country is a collection of SF stories. You could call them hard SF stories as the science in them is typically described in detail, especially when it comes to biological engineering. It might have something to do with the author and his background in biology. Some of these stories focus on future biological and genetic projects that question and could jeopardize our humanity. I believe this is McAuley's second short story collection but it is the first one I read. I hope it will not be the last. This collection poses interesting moral questions. It often focuses on dilemmas and issues that might appear in the future with the increased overpopulation and development of technology.

The story this collection is named after (The Inivisble Country) presents a world suffering from over-population and environmental problems. This presents the protagonist with a moral dilemma. Recording Angel is another SF story set in a future this time with an angelic visitor but the tone is quite sad. There are quite a few brilliant stories in this collection. On overall, this is one of those collections where I liked some of stories more than others, but they all stuck in my mind. This writer does an amazing job with his world building.

There isn't really a common treat that goes trough this book when it comes to world setting, except for the four fairy stories. All of these stories featuring "fairies", a concept the author later developed into a novel Fairyland were excellent. Some of them were a bit disturbing, but brilliant nevertheless. From the Fairy Stories, my favourite were Prison Dreams and Slaves. Prison Dreams is about Lianna, a young woman who is forced to work with 'dolls', creatures that are being used as slaves of some sorts. They're neither animals or humans but genetically created beings that have no rights and cannot complain or fight for themselves. Lianna used to be addicted to some kind of orgasmic drug and she is forced to work of her sentence this way. She witness terrible things being done to 'dolls' and feels sorry for them. A story that sees the evolution of 'dolls' is another story in which a woman is a protagonist. Slaves features Katz, a young woman who lives with a band of rebels of some kind out in the wilderness. She wants to do good, but things get out of her hand. This is the story that explains the origins of fairies.

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of the stories in this volume were published between 1991 - 1995 and, except for one, are set in a near dystopian future earth plagued by ecological outcomes of industry and technology that have gone amock. Bioengineered devices abound in this future world and are used to modify human behavior as well as evolve animals into disposable subhuman servants reminiscent of The Island of Dr. Moreau.

Short epilogues follow each of McAuley's stories and he acknowledges in one that his intention is to explore the nexus of technology, climate change, and human behavior. The reader can readily identify with the issues that McAuley raises but little hope is provided for humanity to extract itself from its self-created mess. Only the last story, Slaves, seems to extrapolate the possibilities.

McAuley's use of an omniscient narrator combined with the protagonist's dialogue is believable and keeps the story moving. Although the imagery that McAuley creates is dystopic it has an occasional surrealistic flare and he acknowledges some of the artists from that period to provide some context for his vision.

Apparently, the Netherlands had a great influence on McAuley and he uses the locale as the backdrop for a few of his stories. This can make the story more meaningful for the reader who has some familiarity with the area but might leave someone else searching for context.

[Ivana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of sf stories, some of them I liked more, some less yet they all stuck in my mind. There isn't really a common treat that goes trough this book, except that there is more then one story with "fairies", a concept the author later developed into a novel.

[Miodrag Mitic · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must read companion to Fairyland. Most stories in it gave birth to it. Others are entertaining.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good stories, but for whatever reason, McAuley's "Fairyland" sequence doesn't do that much for me. Maybe I've had enough dystopias for a while.