Cultural Breaks

by Brian W. Aldiss

This special collection of short stories from Grand Master Brian Aldiss is being issued to coincide with his 80th birthday. Set to include such notable works as "Aboard the Beatitude," "A Man with His Mule," and "Head," the anthology will also feature commentaries from a group of his peers sharing their perspectives on this amazingly talented individual. Often compared to J. G. Ballard, Thomas Disch, and Michael Moorcock, Brian Aldiss has been referred to as "[arguably] the most significant English writer of science fiction since H. G. Wells" by the St. James Guide to Science Fiction. A prolific author, he continues to enthrall his vast fan base and attract first-time readers. Known for pushing the envelope and refusing to be confined to a particular style of writing or to specific subjects, his works encompass space exploration, time travel, historical fantasy, and even parodies of Kafka.

Contents
"Tarzan of the Alps."
"Tralee of Man Young."
"The Eye Opener."
"Aboard the Beatitude."
"The Man and a Man with His Mule."
"Dusk Flight."
"Commander Calex Killed, Fire and Fury at Edge of World, Scones Perfect."
"The Hibernators."
"The National Heritage."
"How the Gates Opened and Closed."
"Total Environment."
"A Chinese Perspective."

239 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Pseudonyms: Jael Cracken, Peter Pica, John Runciman, C.C. Shackleton, Arch Mendicant, & "Doc" Peristyle.

Brian Wilson Aldiss was one of the most important voices in science fiction writing today. He wrote his first novel while working as a bookseller in Oxford. Shortly afterwards he wrote his first work of science fiction and soon gained international recognition. Adored for his innovative literary techniques, evocative plots and irresistible characters, he became a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 1999.
Brian Aldiss died on August 19, 2017, just after celebrating his 92nd birthday with his family and closest friends.

Brian W. Aldiss Group on Good Reads

Reviews

[Ben Thurley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent enough collection of short-stories with some striking moments and some strange flatness. Something like an Aldiss B-Sides compilation.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/465167.html[return][return]I gloated a bit when I got hold of one of 52 limited edition copies of this book at Worldcon, autographed by Aldiss himself, Andy Duncan who wrote the foreword, and John Picacio who did the cover illustration. I've always liked Aldiss' work, especially his short stories; we're told that three of these are brand-new, but not which ones, and anyway I don't think I'd read any of them.[return][return]There are a dozen pieces here, seven of them less than ten pages, and if I was to ever to try writing myself, I think I'd want to write short vignettes of life like Aldiss does - not all of them sfnal, some of them just glimpses of other cultures (I still rate his Cities and Stones as one of the best books about Yugoslavia I've read). The book ends with two much longer pieces, "Total Environment" and "A Chinese Perspective" at 50 and 80 pages each. The latter returns to the Zodiacal Planets environment of his collection "Last Orders", and features Anna Kavan as a character, but also features a love story between a woman of Chinese background and a man of European background (shades of Horatio Stubbs, perhaps, as well). But I particularly enjoyed "Total Environment", which features a UN project in which hundreds hundreds of people are sealed into a building for decades as part of an experiment; the central character is charged with investigating the project to provide evidence for it to be shut down, and duly does so, but we readers are left firmly with the impression that it is the wrong decision. I thought the story was a fascinating update of Aldiss' own classic Non-Stop, with a dose of TV's Big Brother and a setting in India which I took to be both literal and allegorical - though I'll have to defer to others on just how realistic that bit is.