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Impossible Fruit #1
Impossible Fruit: A Collection of Speculative Stories
Impossible Fruit is a collection of speculative stories from Gary J. Mack the internationally published writer. There is something for everyone - horror, sci-fi, and fantasy.Part One consists of three supernatural stories all linked by the witch Isabelle and her love of magpies, but not the magpies you are thinking about.Part Two is a set of stories about robots and the future, in the same vein as Asimov or Arthur C. Clarke.Part Three is set in the author's Skyflier's universe, the three tales in this section (two novelettes and a story) explore the foundation of a magical world.Finally Part Four focuses on two strong women who overcome the odds to be brilliant.Most of stories have twists and turns in the vein of Black Mirror, or Tales of the Unexpected; some have rich worldbuilding you would find in high fantasy, other's are reminiscent of 1950s and 1960s pulp science Fiction. Literally something for everyone. We hope you enjoy this collection.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
223 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 2, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 21, 2022
This is a cracking set of short stories. All of the stories are engaging and thought provoking with plenty of twists and turns. The embroidered handkerchief was a favourite in the collection, with believable characters and a plot line that was quite chilling in the end. The skyfliers section of the book was proper old style fantasy writing, with characters who were from another world, yet were recognisable in their emotions and actions. The story covered not just magic but how it was used in society, class and had a storyline that was fast paced and urged me to read on. By the end of the collection I was eager for more, this comes highly recommended.
March 7, 2022
There are four main parts to the book, containing stories dealing with different themes which the author describes as “something for everyone”. The first part is a series of supernatural horror stories, while the second goes off into the far future to bring us sci-fi featuring robots and aliens. Part three is set in a fantasy-styled world within the author’s Skyfliers universe, and part four is about two women overcoming the odds.
There’s a breadth of imagination in this book that’s great to see. I’m not a horror guy - it’s never really been my thing - and while I did enjoy the first couple of spooky stories, where I think the anthology truly shines is in its sci-fi and fantasy stories. My favourite of the bunch (pun intended) was, in fact, the titular story, Impossible Fruit, which is about two robots and their centuries-and-galaxy-spanning quest to have a child of their own. This story in particular, (and the ones that follow), read like a John Harris fever dream. By which, I mean they have this quality to them that gives me the same feeling I get when I’m looking at a John Harris sci-fi painting. If you’ve seen his work (you have - you’ll be surprised) then you’ll know what I mean. If not, then definitely go Google him. Just like the paintings, the stories are remarkably imaginative and lean heavily into the more speculative side of sci-fi, and into its more esoteric aspects. It was wonderfully refreshing to read.
Further into the book, I enjoyed what Gary did with the Skyfliers stories, which at first seem pure fantasy with sword and sorcery, but quickly get brought back around to science fiction. The last couple of stories of that section in particular were very Whovian. I would love to read more of the Skyfliers. The only issue I found was that where there’s a lot of characters in some of the stories for their length, and it took a while to get my head around who was who. That’s probably something to do with not having a lot of time to sit with them.
The last part contained two stories, one of which was a sci-fi, dealing with the fall of an ancient alien civilisation, and the other was more of a contemporary vignette with a fun twist.
Speaking of which, the twists and turns in all the stories in this book are excellently pulled off, and there’s plenty of Easter eggs to find as you go through as well. I absolutely agree with the author that there’s something here for everyone, and I highly recommend supporting Gary by picking up a copy.
There’s a breadth of imagination in this book that’s great to see. I’m not a horror guy - it’s never really been my thing - and while I did enjoy the first couple of spooky stories, where I think the anthology truly shines is in its sci-fi and fantasy stories. My favourite of the bunch (pun intended) was, in fact, the titular story, Impossible Fruit, which is about two robots and their centuries-and-galaxy-spanning quest to have a child of their own. This story in particular, (and the ones that follow), read like a John Harris fever dream. By which, I mean they have this quality to them that gives me the same feeling I get when I’m looking at a John Harris sci-fi painting. If you’ve seen his work (you have - you’ll be surprised) then you’ll know what I mean. If not, then definitely go Google him. Just like the paintings, the stories are remarkably imaginative and lean heavily into the more speculative side of sci-fi, and into its more esoteric aspects. It was wonderfully refreshing to read.
Further into the book, I enjoyed what Gary did with the Skyfliers stories, which at first seem pure fantasy with sword and sorcery, but quickly get brought back around to science fiction. The last couple of stories of that section in particular were very Whovian. I would love to read more of the Skyfliers. The only issue I found was that where there’s a lot of characters in some of the stories for their length, and it took a while to get my head around who was who. That’s probably something to do with not having a lot of time to sit with them.
The last part contained two stories, one of which was a sci-fi, dealing with the fall of an ancient alien civilisation, and the other was more of a contemporary vignette with a fun twist.
Speaking of which, the twists and turns in all the stories in this book are excellently pulled off, and there’s plenty of Easter eggs to find as you go through as well. I absolutely agree with the author that there’s something here for everyone, and I highly recommend supporting Gary by picking up a copy.
April 18, 2025
Impossible Fruit is a selection of sci-fi and fantasy short stories, which were written by multi-genre author Gary J Mack in 2018-2019. This brings together his earlier writing, prior to the release of his novel-length work. I picked this up to sample his writing and after reading this collection his novels are definitely going to be added to my ‘to be read’ pile.
This collection is difficult to review simply because of the range of the material, although as you progress through the stories you realise Mack has actually created a multiverse setting. For the observant reader there are all manner of pleasing connections and links between the stories and certain characters. Within the pages you’ll find modern-day horror, historical fiction, far-future sci-fi and fantasy/science fantasy. It’s a heady brew, giving you a reading experience full of unpredictable twists and turns.
With such a wide range of stories some tales are going to work better for readers than others, and that was the case with me. Parallelapocalypse is set in 1980s Britain, where a postman learns Margaret Thatcher has been assassinated. Then it gets weirder. This story reminded me strongly of Micheal Moorcock’s writing in the 1960s and 1970s. Immortal was a quintessentially English tale as Princess Elizabeth visits an immortal Viking lord and listens as he shares his strange story. Impossible Fruit, which gives the series its title, was a personal favourite. Two robots crave having a child together in this clever, action-filled tale bursting with ideas that would easily fill a full-length novel, if not a series. I absolutely loved the ending of this one. Another standout was Petal The Assassin – a fun short modern tale with a dual point of view and a great surprise at the end.
Sometimes I struggled a bit with the sheer weight of ideas packed into each story, which I think would have benefited from either being pared back a little or given more room to grow in a longer novella or novel. There were also a few tales where I felt the story ended very abruptly, leaving me wanting more or perhaps simply a more rounded resolution. Overall, once I’d finished the collection I was unable to decide whether this works best as an introduction to Mack’s work or is actually more of a deep dive for those who have already read the novels. Short fiction set in a wider world can sometimes be difficult in this regard.
Either way, the imagination on display here is incredible and I was impressed by the ambition to write work which is distinctive and very much its own thing. I think Mack’s writing would definitely appeal to fans of Michael Moorcock, Philip K Dick, Doctor Who and readers who enjoy supernatural fantasy (it’s difficult for me to come up with obvious comparisons for the latter, because Mack’s work in this area is distinctly science fantasy). This short story collection was tremendous fun from start to finish, and Mack is gifted with a distinctive voice as an author. If you enjoy speculative fiction full of surprises where no two stories are the same then I recommend you give Gary J Mack’s books a try.
This collection is difficult to review simply because of the range of the material, although as you progress through the stories you realise Mack has actually created a multiverse setting. For the observant reader there are all manner of pleasing connections and links between the stories and certain characters. Within the pages you’ll find modern-day horror, historical fiction, far-future sci-fi and fantasy/science fantasy. It’s a heady brew, giving you a reading experience full of unpredictable twists and turns.
With such a wide range of stories some tales are going to work better for readers than others, and that was the case with me. Parallelapocalypse is set in 1980s Britain, where a postman learns Margaret Thatcher has been assassinated. Then it gets weirder. This story reminded me strongly of Micheal Moorcock’s writing in the 1960s and 1970s. Immortal was a quintessentially English tale as Princess Elizabeth visits an immortal Viking lord and listens as he shares his strange story. Impossible Fruit, which gives the series its title, was a personal favourite. Two robots crave having a child together in this clever, action-filled tale bursting with ideas that would easily fill a full-length novel, if not a series. I absolutely loved the ending of this one. Another standout was Petal The Assassin – a fun short modern tale with a dual point of view and a great surprise at the end.
Sometimes I struggled a bit with the sheer weight of ideas packed into each story, which I think would have benefited from either being pared back a little or given more room to grow in a longer novella or novel. There were also a few tales where I felt the story ended very abruptly, leaving me wanting more or perhaps simply a more rounded resolution. Overall, once I’d finished the collection I was unable to decide whether this works best as an introduction to Mack’s work or is actually more of a deep dive for those who have already read the novels. Short fiction set in a wider world can sometimes be difficult in this regard.
Either way, the imagination on display here is incredible and I was impressed by the ambition to write work which is distinctive and very much its own thing. I think Mack’s writing would definitely appeal to fans of Michael Moorcock, Philip K Dick, Doctor Who and readers who enjoy supernatural fantasy (it’s difficult for me to come up with obvious comparisons for the latter, because Mack’s work in this area is distinctly science fantasy). This short story collection was tremendous fun from start to finish, and Mack is gifted with a distinctive voice as an author. If you enjoy speculative fiction full of surprises where no two stories are the same then I recommend you give Gary J Mack’s books a try.
December 3, 2021
A wonderful collection.
I'm a big fan of short stories.
I love this different and challenging way of telling a story and Impossible Fruit follows in this tradition wonderfully.
The author clearly knows his craft and carries the reader along on a glorious ride from story to story. Whilst the focus of each story might vary wildly, they all had a similar feel/vibe which was clearly prevalent throughout. For a series of stories that skip from past to present to future and deal with a variety of Sci-Fi concepts, they hang together incredibly well.
Hats off to the author. A wonderful collection of well-written and engaging stories.
Looking forward to more by this author.
I'm a big fan of short stories.
I love this different and challenging way of telling a story and Impossible Fruit follows in this tradition wonderfully.
The author clearly knows his craft and carries the reader along on a glorious ride from story to story. Whilst the focus of each story might vary wildly, they all had a similar feel/vibe which was clearly prevalent throughout. For a series of stories that skip from past to present to future and deal with a variety of Sci-Fi concepts, they hang together incredibly well.
Hats off to the author. A wonderful collection of well-written and engaging stories.
Looking forward to more by this author.
November 20, 2022
Great stuff!
I enjoyed this short story collection a great deal.
Typically, anthologies tend to stick to one genre or theme, but this did not. I thought this was a bold decision, and one which paid off because Gary explores multiple genres, and it allowed me to experience many of his writing styles, and ideas.
For me, the highlights were As Sidney Slept, Bong, The Magpie's Curse, and The Lure of Magpie Farm. These were all original, and entertaining, and full of wonderful ideas and imagery. I'm excited to read more of these stories, as they each showed such promise and imagination.
I enjoyed this short story collection a great deal.
Typically, anthologies tend to stick to one genre or theme, but this did not. I thought this was a bold decision, and one which paid off because Gary explores multiple genres, and it allowed me to experience many of his writing styles, and ideas.
For me, the highlights were As Sidney Slept, Bong, The Magpie's Curse, and The Lure of Magpie Farm. These were all original, and entertaining, and full of wonderful ideas and imagery. I'm excited to read more of these stories, as they each showed such promise and imagination.
October 8, 2021
This is a great collection of short stories which keep you hooked. The scope and diversity throughout the book are amazing. I was drawn to the Sci-fi stories but I think the Magpie collection will stay with me for longer. Fingers crossed there's a full-length novel coming soon!
June 20, 2024
"Impossible Fruit" will not know what it means to you until you read it. There is no way of accurately preparing you for what you're about to read.
The first section has you bawlking at the author's delightfully macabre sense of humour and dark horror / drama, and cringing away mentally at the visceral and violent nature of the somewhat supernatural goings on.
The second section, the introduction of the author's "Skyfliers" series had me in mind of Iain M. Banks' "culture" novels. There is a fair amount of world-building in this short beginning, but all the threads into the larger universe are all there, waiting for the written word in the future to tease them all out.
The selection of 'speculative' stories reminded me of Outer Limits / Twilight Zone style narratives; short essays on the nature of self, love and existence. Speculative indeed, perhaps even Introspectulative, as we are forced to consider our own mortality.
The title is amazing too.
The first section has you bawlking at the author's delightfully macabre sense of humour and dark horror / drama, and cringing away mentally at the visceral and violent nature of the somewhat supernatural goings on.
The second section, the introduction of the author's "Skyfliers" series had me in mind of Iain M. Banks' "culture" novels. There is a fair amount of world-building in this short beginning, but all the threads into the larger universe are all there, waiting for the written word in the future to tease them all out.
The selection of 'speculative' stories reminded me of Outer Limits / Twilight Zone style narratives; short essays on the nature of self, love and existence. Speculative indeed, perhaps even Introspectulative, as we are forced to consider our own mortality.
The title is amazing too.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews