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Bruce Coville's Book Of... #2
Bruce Coville's Book of Aliens: Tales to Warp Your Mind
An alien's revelation that changes a boy's life forever . . . a pay phone that summons slithery green aliens from Canopus . . . aliens that look like bizarre, giant breakfast treats!
Introduction: somewhere, out there / Bruce Coville --
Through the starry door (part 2 of "The monsters of Morley Manor") / Bruce Coville -
The spider beast / Nancy Etchemendy --
George Pinkerton and the space waffles / Lawrence Watt-Evans --
Abduction / Rick Hautala, Jesse Hautala, and Matti Hautala --
Brandon & the aliens / Jane Yolen --
Fine or Superfine / Martha Soukup --
The plant people / Dale Carlson --
Field trip / Vivian Vande Velde --
Hunters / Anne Eliot Crompton --
Behind the curtain / Pat Mauser --
The very long distance wrong number / John C. Bunnell --
Alien promises / Janni Lee Simner
Introduction: somewhere, out there / Bruce Coville --
Through the starry door (part 2 of "The monsters of Morley Manor") / Bruce Coville -
The spider beast / Nancy Etchemendy --
George Pinkerton and the space waffles / Lawrence Watt-Evans --
Abduction / Rick Hautala, Jesse Hautala, and Matti Hautala --
Brandon & the aliens / Jane Yolen --
Fine or Superfine / Martha Soukup --
The plant people / Dale Carlson --
Field trip / Vivian Vande Velde --
Hunters / Anne Eliot Crompton --
Behind the curtain / Pat Mauser --
The very long distance wrong number / John C. Bunnell --
Alien promises / Janni Lee Simner
177 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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120 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 12, 2024
Last year I didn't get around to one of those but I'm making up for it now. It's time for another Bruce Coville's Book of _. Go back to the Book of Spinetinglers and Monsters review for full info. Anyway, this is the 2nd entry so let's see how we evolved.
A * means the story was previously published somewhere else.
I Earthling (Bruce Coville): A boy moves to a new planet. We start on a 27 pager this time and as usual for those, it's good. The humor can be hit or miss and it could have had more bite but it's a solid culture clash story. It has fun with the alien customs and has some commentary in there. (It notes that the air on this planet is way cleaner). The kid is likable and it has some emotion at the end. Even in his short stories, Bruce has these meaningful moments. There's some annoying asides and such, but it's a solid start.
Brian and the Aliens (Will Shetterly): Two aliens land on Earth and declare that they discovered it. Yeah, you can see the commentary here, especially with them planning genocide. It becomes a big farce with how things spira. It's fun with a good escalation which involves body swapping. Of course. It could be snappier and the ending is a bit too corny, but it's decently fun.
Judgment Day (Jack C Haldeman II)*: Aliens pick Earth's finest to decide our fate. This is 4 pages and just a set/punchline. The punchline is amusing but there could have been more to it. And…yeah that's it.
The Buddy System (Nina Kirki Hoffman): Some of you may know her name from doing some Ghosts of Fear Street stuff. She has some in these and this one has a girl and her buddy meeting a creature in a pond. It's good but gets kind of confusing. It's a nice deeper story with some metaphysical stuff. A bit tryhard and one setup isn't paid off but it's at least nice and interesting. Not the best but it still shows her talents further.
To Serve Man (Damon Knight)*: That's right, the story that became a classic Twilight Zone tale. Bruce picked an older one here. I have my thoughts on the episode and the story is about the same. The ep stretches things more but it's the same down to the twist. It's fine. Being shorter helps and it's still a decent twist. But I don't know, it could be hindsight bias but it still feels predictable despite how famous it is. Writing is decent here and it's neat that it's here. It's a setup/punchline that works fine but honestly neither version is too special beyond the twist.
I said it before and I'll say it again: Simpsons did it better.
How I Maybe Helped Save the World Last Tuesday Before Breakfast (Lawrence Wyatt Evans): A boy's sister discovers a cute island. This one is just cute, but cliche. You've seen this a lot and it doesn't do anything too new. It's nice and short, just nothing too substantial. That's about it.
Pirates (Mark A Garland): Some kids play pretend. This is fairly fun and cute. It's kind of confusing as to what is actually going on though. The punchline is good but I don't think i quite get it. I like it but I don't think I fully get it. But hey it's shirt so it works.
The Secret Weapon of Last Resort (Claudia Bishop, penn nane for Mary Stanton). A girl accidently takes part in an odd student exchange. This is a fun oneN with some neat details. It doesn't have anything grand but I like this alien who is a mild snot that is sympathetic due to his bad father. Granted that guy needed a bigger punishment, especially since he was randomly sexist. Could have had more but not much more to say. It's fun.
Just Like You (Bruce Coville): This one is just a poem about an alien saying he's just like us despite being a weird alien. It's cute, that is all.
Zero Hero (Ray Bradbury)*: Yep, Ray got slipped in. His writing tries too hard here and it can be confusing but it gets better as it becomes clear. The concept is fun and leads to a decently chilling alien. A bit mixed but not bad. Also, nazi mention.
Curing the Bozos (Sherwood Smith): A girl's brother claims he's seen signs of alien life. We end on a solid one. It isn't that eventful but there's a really nice and wholesome sibling dynamic. Lisa was adopted by Fred's caretakers who are aunt and uncle that took him I'm after his parents died. Yeah, sad stuff and their bond is nice to see. She even stands up for him against some bullies. The twist is spot on, no notes. It's more of a slice of life than a real story which docks points but the wholesome factor makes it good. So yeah, nice one to end on.
Overall, this was good but not as good as the others I've read. It starts and ends strong but sags a bit in the middle. Most work in general but do start to feel light weight. The others had more that hit harder. This focuses more on fun stories which makes some more cute than anything else. Still not bad but just a bit weaker. Weakest were To Serve Man and the poem while the best were I Earthling, Brian and the Aliens and Curing the Bozos.
So yeah, it's still good and Stronger than most of Tales to Give You Goosebumps in the least. You'll get the end of Camp Haunted Hills this summer at least one more Coville this year, I hope.
Next read should be the Valentine's Day one. See ya then.
A * means the story was previously published somewhere else.
I Earthling (Bruce Coville): A boy moves to a new planet. We start on a 27 pager this time and as usual for those, it's good. The humor can be hit or miss and it could have had more bite but it's a solid culture clash story. It has fun with the alien customs and has some commentary in there. (It notes that the air on this planet is way cleaner). The kid is likable and it has some emotion at the end. Even in his short stories, Bruce has these meaningful moments. There's some annoying asides and such, but it's a solid start.
Brian and the Aliens (Will Shetterly): Two aliens land on Earth and declare that they discovered it. Yeah, you can see the commentary here, especially with them planning genocide. It becomes a big farce with how things spira. It's fun with a good escalation which involves body swapping. Of course. It could be snappier and the ending is a bit too corny, but it's decently fun.
Judgment Day (Jack C Haldeman II)*: Aliens pick Earth's finest to decide our fate. This is 4 pages and just a set/punchline. The punchline is amusing but there could have been more to it. And…yeah that's it.
The Buddy System (Nina Kirki Hoffman): Some of you may know her name from doing some Ghosts of Fear Street stuff. She has some in these and this one has a girl and her buddy meeting a creature in a pond. It's good but gets kind of confusing. It's a nice deeper story with some metaphysical stuff. A bit tryhard and one setup isn't paid off but it's at least nice and interesting. Not the best but it still shows her talents further.
To Serve Man (Damon Knight)*: That's right, the story that became a classic Twilight Zone tale. Bruce picked an older one here. I have my thoughts on the episode and the story is about the same. The ep stretches things more but it's the same down to the twist. It's fine. Being shorter helps and it's still a decent twist. But I don't know, it could be hindsight bias but it still feels predictable despite how famous it is. Writing is decent here and it's neat that it's here. It's a setup/punchline that works fine but honestly neither version is too special beyond the twist.
I said it before and I'll say it again: Simpsons did it better.
How I Maybe Helped Save the World Last Tuesday Before Breakfast (Lawrence Wyatt Evans): A boy's sister discovers a cute island. This one is just cute, but cliche. You've seen this a lot and it doesn't do anything too new. It's nice and short, just nothing too substantial. That's about it.
Pirates (Mark A Garland): Some kids play pretend. This is fairly fun and cute. It's kind of confusing as to what is actually going on though. The punchline is good but I don't think i quite get it. I like it but I don't think I fully get it. But hey it's shirt so it works.
The Secret Weapon of Last Resort (Claudia Bishop, penn nane for Mary Stanton). A girl accidently takes part in an odd student exchange. This is a fun oneN with some neat details. It doesn't have anything grand but I like this alien who is a mild snot that is sympathetic due to his bad father. Granted that guy needed a bigger punishment, especially since he was randomly sexist. Could have had more but not much more to say. It's fun.
Just Like You (Bruce Coville): This one is just a poem about an alien saying he's just like us despite being a weird alien. It's cute, that is all.
Zero Hero (Ray Bradbury)*: Yep, Ray got slipped in. His writing tries too hard here and it can be confusing but it gets better as it becomes clear. The concept is fun and leads to a decently chilling alien. A bit mixed but not bad. Also, nazi mention.
Curing the Bozos (Sherwood Smith): A girl's brother claims he's seen signs of alien life. We end on a solid one. It isn't that eventful but there's a really nice and wholesome sibling dynamic. Lisa was adopted by Fred's caretakers who are aunt and uncle that took him I'm after his parents died. Yeah, sad stuff and their bond is nice to see. She even stands up for him against some bullies. The twist is spot on, no notes. It's more of a slice of life than a real story which docks points but the wholesome factor makes it good. So yeah, nice one to end on.
Overall, this was good but not as good as the others I've read. It starts and ends strong but sags a bit in the middle. Most work in general but do start to feel light weight. The others had more that hit harder. This focuses more on fun stories which makes some more cute than anything else. Still not bad but just a bit weaker. Weakest were To Serve Man and the poem while the best were I Earthling, Brian and the Aliens and Curing the Bozos.
So yeah, it's still good and Stronger than most of Tales to Give You Goosebumps in the least. You'll get the end of Camp Haunted Hills this summer at least one more Coville this year, I hope.
Next read should be the Valentine's Day one. See ya then.
February 10, 2024
I finished this book more than a month ago and had lofty goals at the time of going back and individually reviewing each short story, but I'm gonna accept that that's just not going to happen now.
Overall, I liked this collection a lot more than I was expecting to. This anthology was put together for children (I'm assuming between the ages of 9 - 12ish), and so I was expecting to feel like I was reading something far too young for me. I should've known better than to expect that from Bruce Coville, who wrote the Unicorn Chronicles that I read in my 20s and still absolutely loved.
Bruce Coville's first story in this collection made my eyes well up. Ray Bradbury's story was, as usual, fantastic. There were only one or maybe two stories where I went "I'm too old to really enjoy this" but the rest of them did not condescend at all, IMO. Sci Fi readers of all ages are likely to very much enjoy this short collection of short stories!
Overall, I liked this collection a lot more than I was expecting to. This anthology was put together for children (I'm assuming between the ages of 9 - 12ish), and so I was expecting to feel like I was reading something far too young for me. I should've known better than to expect that from Bruce Coville, who wrote the Unicorn Chronicles that I read in my 20s and still absolutely loved.
Bruce Coville's first story in this collection made my eyes well up. Ray Bradbury's story was, as usual, fantastic. There were only one or maybe two stories where I went "I'm too old to really enjoy this" but the rest of them did not condescend at all, IMO. Sci Fi readers of all ages are likely to very much enjoy this short collection of short stories!
November 7, 2020
Amazing, as always. A childhood favorite, and now an adult favorite, too.
October 21, 2024
I really enjoyed these science fiction short stories. They were a lot of fun!
June 6, 2008
This was an interesting book, it consisted of many alien stories told by many popular authors. It was fun browsing through the table of contents and trying to find the right story to read. There are so many stories to read that I don't even know where to start, but this book includes some of the most popular alien stories. For example, I,Earthling and more! I would recommend this to all sci-fi lovers and alien- fans.
November 25, 2012
This book was not too bad. Some of the stories inside were not my kind of thing and didn't interest me, but others kept me on the edge of my seat. I think the main reason for this is there are many authors who made this book, and all of them were trying to grab the attention of all different kinds of audiences. But I would recommend this book to someone if they just got done reading a large book and wanted to have an easy read.
March 1, 2009
A nice introduction to science fiction short stories for kids. Contains the classic short story "To Serve Man" by Damon Knight that was made into the famous Twilight Zone episode of the same name. (Interesting to see how the story was altered for the television production.) Other good stories by Ray Bradbury and Bruce Coville.
November 6, 2012
Who doesn't LOVE Bruce Coville? If you do...I'm sorry, but clearly there's something wrong with you. I'm a sucker for a good anthology, and while aliens aren't the first thing I reach for, if it's by Coville I give it a chance. Seriously, you can't be disappointed, just good clean fun!
May 15, 2013
More fun stories for reading aloud, especially for kids grades 2 - 5.
July 3, 2015
These were awesome! Especially the first one "I, Alien". It gives a broad range from aliens being good to bad to people who look different.
June 13, 2014
Childhood favorite that i'm tempted to re-read now.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews