Simon’s Reviews > Settling the World: Selected Stories 1970-2020 > Status Update
Simon
is on page 257 of 271
Clear echoes of "The Course of the Heart" in 2 stories: "The Incalling" about modern day British occultists, which at no point glamorises them nor casts them in any type of pulp fantasy/horror story; as well as "The East" where the protagonist meets an eccentric expatriate from Eastern Europe in the UK just after the Cold War, whose anecdotes do not pattern-match to any real country the narrator is familiar with.
— Feb 01, 2025 06:47AM
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Simon
is on page 173 of 271
Interesting how all of MJH's stories seem to take place in the same universe but he doesn't explain in any more depth how they connect than the main characters of each story knows. For example "The Causeway" is clearly set in the far future of the title short story, with one of the same main locations playing major roles in both and one (non-human) character appears in both, but the protagonists have no idea of this.
— Jan 31, 2025 01:01AM
Simon
is on page 109 of 271
Interesting mix of very darkly surrealistic science-fiction with a clear element of political satire, realistic look into life modern day Britain with lots of mystical overtones and gorgeous descriptions of landscapes + architecture, as well as some stories that don't 100% fit into either category.
— Jan 23, 2025 02:39AM
