Status Updates From Tomato Cain and Other Stories

Oops. 123.5:33

recount, went wrong at story 11-12. 133.5:33

Billy Halloran. 3.5.Thoughts of a man who suddenly feels big. / Doesn’t Matter Now 4. A touching and less literarily conventional tale of a meeting of two old “adversaries”. 119:32

Charlie Peace & The King. 5. Short and very entertaining. It amused me anyway! I wonder if Ray Bradbury had this in mind when he wrote The Anthem Sprinters. 111.5:30

Nature Study. 4. Mean Spirited teacher (though not unduly so for the time) and excitable wilful children who seek liberation in however small a way. / Tiny Feet. 4.5. Interesting conflation of revenants and poltergeists and wish fulfilment. And a nice bit of pathos to end with. 106.5:29

Mr Bradlaugh. 3.5. Interesting take on religion, rationality, mortality & belief. N’Bambwe 4. Amusing observation on the patronising middle classes, with a punchline in favour of the patronised. Nice characterisations. 98:27

Me Signor? 3.5. A racket goes wrong in post war Italy. Scammer is himself scammed from two sides. / The Pond. 4. Simplistic eye for eye story with some finely observed details. 90.5:25

Stocking. 4. Read this 7 years ago in a Richard Dalby Xmas anthology, and even in the wider context of other Kneale works it still stands out as relentlessly grim and disturbing. 83:23

Bini & Bettine 4. Interesting scenario, decent characters and a judicious touch of pathos 79:22

4. Zachary Crebbin. Touching tale of belief and doubt. Tantalisingly inconclusive. 75:21

Peg. 3.5. Slight tale with plenty of verve and pathos. Familiar theme but the deadness of Peg is the foundation of the story not the guessable punchline it often, disappointingly, is. 71:20

Cat Licences. 4.5. Entertaining story with plenty of local colour, engaging recounted story of a somewhat cowardly and opportunistic tale of vengeance on a local blight. Good characterisation and dialogue. 67.5:19

Mr Evans. 3. Interesting enough. 63:18

Terrible Thing. 3. Not that terrible really. Minor Egyptian Royal Court intrigue. 60:17

Curphey’s Follower. 3. Again some compelling writing but such a cold cruel tale. Fascinating yet unsatisfying. 57:16

Mrs Mancini. 2.5. I enjoyed the parts, building a picture of a bitter and unpleasant woman - but the whole was lacking something. 54:15

Chains. 3. Tale of sly (possibly inadvertent) vengeance by an apt agency 47.5:13 Taroo Ushtey. 4. Wry tale of slyness and deception. Drily humorous. 51.5:14

photograph. 4.5. Heartbreaking story beautifully and economically told. With a hint of internalised nightmare. 44.5:12

Uncle Quaggin. 4.5 wry tale featuring a host of beautifully unlikeable characters. 40:11