The Aliens of Earth

by Nancy Kress, Jane Walker (Illustrator)

For over a decade, Nancy Kress has written a succession of science-fantasy stories in which a depth of imagination is conjoined to an uncommon perception of human nature. Even Kress's most committed partisans, however, were unprepared for the appearance of her two awesomely accomplished nouvelles, "Beggars in Spain, " and "And Wild for to Hold." The former - a Hugo and Nebula recipient - has become an acclaimed novel; the latter - a time-travel adventure involving Anne Boleyn - explores the uneasy interface between technology and humanity as one of the eighteen stories in this outstanding collection: "The Price of Oranges, " "Glass, " "People like Us, " "Cannibals, " "To Scale, " "Touchdown, " "Down behind Cuba Lake, " "In a World like This, " "Philippa's Hands, " "Inertia, " "Phone Repairs, " "The Battle of Long Island, " "Renaissance, " "Spillage, " "The Mountain to Mohammed, " "Craps, " "And Wild for to Hold, " and "In Memoriam."

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories

327 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Nancy Kress is the author of thirty novels, four story collections, three books on writing fiction, and over a hundred short stories. Her work has won six Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. Her most recent novel, Observer, co-written with Dr. Robert Lanza, concerns the nature of consciousness, reality, and love. Forthcoming in 2026 is an historical fantasy, The Queen’s Witch, set in the court of Henry VIII. Nancy’s work has been translated into two dozen languages, none of which she can read. She has taught writing at various venues in the United States and abroad, including Leipzig, Beijing, both Clarions, and the annual SF-writing intensive workshop Taos Toolbox. Nancy lives in Seattle with her husband, writer Jack Skillingstead, and Pippin, the world’s cutest Chihuahua.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kress is one of my favorite authors. And, as always with her, there's a great variety of themes and styles. But any short story collection is going to have pieces that are much better than others.

I loved the kick that's hidden in the title of "People Like Us." And "Cannibals," "Touchdown," "The Mountain to Mohammed," and "Inertia" are also very good. But I could've done without Down Behind Cuba Lake" and "Philippa's Hands." The first was too confusing and didn't seem to have anything to say, and the second was too disturbing.

[Lindig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I see some other reviewer has said this isn't SF at all, more like fantasy, and I can see why he thinks so. However, just because she hasn't written info dumps on the spaceship engine or the latest weapon doesn't mean it isn't SF; it just means that she writes more about the people than the tech. Some of the stories do border on the dark fantasy realm, though.

After I'd read several stories, I began to realize that I didn't like any of the characters at all. So I did what I usually do in that case -- I dip about, read a few paragraphs, and then close the book. Just as in life I don't hang around people I don't like, so it is with fiction.

[Cher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of these stories read like Twilight Zone episodes, but a few of them were so excellent, Inertia for example, it raised the whole thing up.

[Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't do much for me. I'm guessing most of the stories were written during/after a breakup, as all the male characters are either evil, doomed, or both.