The Best of John Collier

by John Collier, Soyka (Illustrator)

With no warning of the tension and shock to come,John Collier quietly introduces you to his unforgettable charactors-from ordinary men and women to discreet fiends and angels,efficient jiins, a haunter haunted, and an all- to - rare orchid...

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

492 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

John Collier was a British-born author and screenplay writer best known for his short stories, many of which appeared in The New Yorker from the 1930s to the 1950s. They were collected in a 1951 volume, Fancies and Goodnights, which is still in print. Individual stories are frequently anthologized in fantasy collections. John Collier's writing has been praised by authors such as Anthony Burgess, Ray Bradbury, Neil Gaiman and Paul Theroux. He was married to early silent film actress Shirley Palmer.

Reviews

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

In spite of the creepy cover, this is a good read if you like short stories that contain fantasy, horror and humor. John was a good writer and has a nice touch. His humor is subtle and sharp when and where it occurs...pay attention or you'll miss bits. It's often sexual innuendo but it's all in fun. (A bit like Thorne Smith, but not so relentless.) The stories have definite darkness to them, but he usually takes a unique run at them and so leads you down paths you hadn't imagined before.

[Rachelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these stories are like very good Twilight Zone episodes, but then some of them are like very bad Twilight Zone episodes.

[Ira (SF Words of Wonder) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out my full, spoiler free, video review HERE.

Collier’s writing is strange, clever, beautiful, comical, grim, satirical, witty, exciting and everything in between. A lot of these stories were very short, but he had an excellent economy of words, so the stories felt alive right from the start. Collier writes about social and societal issues, poking fun at times and pointing out absurdities’ other times. Collier was an influential writer, and I think everyone should give some of these stories a read.

Some of my favorites were: Green Thoughts, Interpretation of a Dream, Bird of Prey, Man Overboard, Evening Primrose, Another American Tragedy, Special Delivery, Rope Enough, Incident on a Lake and Night! Youth! Paris! And the Moon!.

[Debra]

Stephen King recommended author as noted in Chapter 9 of Berkley's 1983 paperback edition of Danse Macabre.