Bug-Eyed Monsters

by Bill Pronzini (Editor, Contributo), Barry N. Malzberg (Editor, Contributo), Poul Anderson (Contributor)

CONTENTS:

Stranger Station / Damon Knight
Talent / Robert Bloch
The Other Kids / R.F. Young
The Miracle of the Lily / C.W. Harris
The Bug-Eyed Musicians / Laurence M. Janifer
Puppet Show / Frederic Brown
Portfolio (cartoons) / Gahan Wilson
Wherever you are / Poul Anderson
Mimic / D.A. Wollheim
The Faceless Thing / Edward D. Hoch
The Rull / A.E. Van Vogt
Friend to Man / C.M. Kornbluth
The Last One Left / Bill Pronzini and Barry N. Malzberg
Hostess / Isaac Asimov

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

273 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1980

About the author

Mystery Writers of America Awards "Grand Master" 2008
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1999) for Boobytrap
Edgar Awards Best Novel nominee (1998) for A Wasteland of Strangers
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) for Sentinels
Shamus Awards "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) 1987
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1982) for Hoodwink

Married to author Marcia Muller.

Pseudonyms:
Robert Hart Davis (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Jack Foxx
William Jeffrey (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Alex Saxon

Reviews

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

During the coronavirus pandemic, I’m reading through books on my shelves. I haven’t always been in the habit of reading through story collections. Bug-Eyed Monsters, as I confess on my blog post about it (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World) was a bargain buy at a forgotten book sale. After reading a collection of Rod Serling stories, I turned to 1950s sci-fi. The stories here are quite varied and diverse. Some have unforgettable images that will likely stay with me. The collection of thirteen stories includes a brief cartoon “photo-essay” of monsters, and tales written by some famous names of the heyday of science fiction.

Even though I began the book just two weeks ago, I have to remind myself what some of the stories were about. Others made immediate impact. “Talent,” by Robert Bloch and Clare Winger Harris’ “The Miracle of the Lily” were noteworthy, to my way of thinking. And some of them are humorous, such as “Puppet Show” by Fredric Brown and “Wherever You Are” by Poul Anderson. Some are scary some are whimsical. The thing about collections is you’re at the mercy and taste of the editors. By the time this book appeared in 1980, there was a wealth of material from which to choose. The editors try to show the range of bug-eyed monsters, which is considerable. As I also mention in my blog post, most of the stories are about tolerance.

There’s fun and not a little profundity here. Not everyone likes the sometimes showy science knowledge of the writers, but the imagination of what others might look like collides with the reality of what we as human beings are. Afraid of our own non-monstrosity, we fight, exploit, and demonize the other. The set of tales even ends with an interplanetary pandemic. It seems a notable coincidence that I re-found this neat little collection just at this time.

[Eric]

Full review: https://supermonsternovels.com/2019/0...

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection, with a number of stories unlikely to be elsewhere (yes, they're old, even so). My favorite was "Puppet Show," by Fredric Brown. YMMV.

[Ralph McEwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars? I enjoyed most of this collection of short stories.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection with a delightful title. My favorites were the van Vogt, Young, and, of course, the wonderful Gahan Wilson cartoons.