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Voices in the Dark
Collection of short stories by Edmund Cooper
- GenresScience Fiction
157 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
23 people want to read
About the author
Edmund Cooper
100 books45 followersExcerpted from wikipedia:
Edmund Cooper was born in Marple, near Stockport in Cheshire on April 30, 1926. He served in the Merchant Navy towards the end of the Second World War. After World War II, he trained as a teacher and began to publish short stories. His first novel, Deadly Image
(later republished as The Uncertain Midnight) was completed in 1957 and published in 1958. A 1956 short story, Brain Child, was adapted as the movie The Invisible Boy (1957).
In 1969 The Uncertain Midnight was adapted for Swiss television, in French. At the height of his popularity, in the 1970s, he began to review science fiction for the Sunday Times and continued to do so until his death in 1982.
Apart from the website mentioned above there was another Edmund Cooper website full of information about the author and his publications.
Known Pseudonyms:
Richard Avery
George Kinley
Martin Lester
Broderick Quain
Edmund Cooper was born in Marple, near Stockport in Cheshire on April 30, 1926. He served in the Merchant Navy towards the end of the Second World War. After World War II, he trained as a teacher and began to publish short stories. His first novel, Deadly Image
(later republished as The Uncertain Midnight) was completed in 1957 and published in 1958. A 1956 short story, Brain Child, was adapted as the movie The Invisible Boy (1957).In 1969 The Uncertain Midnight was adapted for Swiss television, in French. At the height of his popularity, in the 1970s, he began to review science fiction for the Sunday Times and continued to do so until his death in 1982.
Apart from the website mentioned above there was another Edmund Cooper website full of information about the author and his publications.
Known Pseudonyms:
Richard Avery
George Kinley
Martin Lester
Broderick Quain
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 31, 2025
The cover art is woefully deceptive (albeit rather good!).
This is a collection of short stories, and they're much more about mood than plot. Once I realised what the book was (and stopped waiting for the sci-fi to happen) I enjoyed it. And it's very early for such avant garde stuff.
This is a collection of short stories, and they're much more about mood than plot. Once I realised what the book was (and stopped waiting for the sci-fi to happen) I enjoyed it. And it's very early for such avant garde stuff.
December 15, 2025
Only a couple of science fiction stories but it didn't matter to me - great short stories and he's a great writer. My favorite was "Burnt Umber".
May 29, 2010
While Edmund Cooper is known for his Science-Fiction novels. This shows shows a different side to his abilities. While the book is palmed off as not only a full length novel, but sci-fi, it is in reality a collection of short stories.
It has a wonderful blend of childhood fantasy, comedy and a small mix of sci-fi for good measure. My personal favourites include;
"Six Eggs for Mafeking": A small boy spies an old man stealing eggs from his hatchery. After confronting the old man, he befriends the fellow, and is rewarded for his kindness by being offered a rare war medal.
"Nineteen Ninety Four": A very funny twist on Orwell's seminal 1984, where materialism takes on a whole new meaning.
"I Am A Ghost": Yet another comedy effort about a 15th century ghost who has been forced to haunt his building for the past 500 years.
It has a wonderful blend of childhood fantasy, comedy and a small mix of sci-fi for good measure. My personal favourites include;
"Six Eggs for Mafeking": A small boy spies an old man stealing eggs from his hatchery. After confronting the old man, he befriends the fellow, and is rewarded for his kindness by being offered a rare war medal.
"Nineteen Ninety Four": A very funny twist on Orwell's seminal 1984, where materialism takes on a whole new meaning.
"I Am A Ghost": Yet another comedy effort about a 15th century ghost who has been forced to haunt his building for the past 500 years.
February 21, 2021
An eclectic mixture of stories, but not all science-fiction, as the cover suggests. Instead, there are ghost stories, crime dramas, romantic love stories, and only about three sci-fi tales. The writing is good, though I didn't find the stories that exciting, and a couple were to be honest confusing and nonsensical. Not his best work, and annoyingly, the text is littered with errors, including a whole block of repeated text! It clearly hasn't been proof-read. Disappointing, as I love EC's novels.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews