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The Mad Trist: A Romance of Bibliomania [33]

Review by Sally Startup

This novella is a joy to read, from start to finish, and it is my new favourite out of all the stories by Brian that I have read so far. It contains important lessons for all bibliomaniacs.

Auguste Dupin's American friend sets off for England, where he visits a house just a little like "The House of Usher". He carries in his pocket The Mad Trist, a rare book that Mr Poe quoted in that very tale.

There is a delicious "hook" at the end of chapter one. Its implied instruction to myself, as a reader, was almost — but not quite — impossible not to disobey, once the thought had been planted in my mind.

Those of us who enjoy reading imaginative fiction are easily mesmerised by such ideas as a book that brings a curse on its readers, since we are used to setting rationality aside for the sake of a good story. And it is possible to feel completely at the mercy of the story-making part of one's own mind, even at the same time as understanding that an idea need not have any effect outside of the story.

As I continued to read, I did begin to feel genuinely scared at the prospect of reaching the end. Luckily, I survived, largely due to the skill of the author. But I don't want to say any more about what happened, for fear or spoiling the experience for other readers.

The Magic Bullet [8]

• Interzone #29, May/June 1989 (winner of 1989 readers' poll)
• The Year's Best Science Fiction: Seventh Annual Collection ed. Gardner Dozois, St. Martin's, 1990; Robinson, 1990 (as Best New SF 4)
• The 1990 Annual World's Best SF ed. Donald A. Wollheim & Arthur W. Saha, DAW, 1990
• Sexual Chemistry, Simon & Schuster (UK), 1991
• Translated into Danish as: 'Det magiske projektil' in Nye Verdener #13, September 1991
• Translated into Italian by Gabriella Campioni as: 'Il Proiettile Magico' in Destinazione Spazio 2 ed. Donald A. Wollheim & Arthur W. Saha, Mondadori, 1991; reprinted in Stelle di Neutroni ed. Gardner Dozois, Mondadori, 1992
• Translated into French as: 'La balle magique' in Privés de futur, ed. Gilles Dumay & Francis Mizio, éditions "Bifrost/Etoiles Vives"
• Expanded into The Cassandra Complex
• Translated into Czech as: Magická strela

Review by Ian Braidwood

Lisa Freimann is a forensic scientist who is called to the scene of sabotage in a genetic engineering laboratory. However, she is not here to investigate, but as an expert witness, associate and ex-lover of Morgan Miller, whose work has been destroyed.

The Ministry of Defence is on the scene to investigate and it soon becomes clear that Miller has made a discovery of at least national importance. His secret is hidden in a mountain of notes and the man himself has been mortally wounded, so Lisa called to his deathbed in a desperate attempt to recover the secret, before whoever has stolen it can bring it to use.

This is one of Brian's classics, a real corker, which has justly been reprinted and translated. I just feel lucky that as an Interzone reader, I was one of the first to read it.

Malbrough s’en va-t’en guerre [7]

The Mandrake Garden [6]

Review by Ian Braidwood

It's difficult to remember sometimes that myths often have a basis in truth and that there is a real plant called Mandrake; its latin name being Mandragora officinarum. The root of this plant can be forked, giving it a humanoid appearance, especially if you've been taking it, for it has been used as a narcotic, as well as a love potion and a poison.

For this story, Brian has taken myth as fact and blended history so well that I can date the story to the year 363AD by the death of emporer Julian, who tried to restore the old Roman religion after Constantine's adoption of Christianity.

The garden referred to in the title has supplied mandrakes to roman emporers for generations; including the twenty years during which Julian has oppressed the Christians. It's keeper Labros, has been vocal in his opposition to the new religion, so when news of Julian's death reaches the Christians, they go on the rampage and the mandrake garden is an obvious target.

Can the power of the plants protect the garden from the barabrous Christians? You'll have to read this story to find out - you won't regret it.

The Man Who Came Back [2]

Review by Ian Braidwood

William Jason is captured by aliens and returned to Earth so transformed he can't face it.

Don't expect anything more than a sketch.

The Man Who Invented Good Taste [6]

The Man Who Loved the Vampire Lady [8]

Review by Ian Braidwood

This story involves Edmund Cordery, his son Noell and Lady Carmilla, a vampire. All of them are subjects of Richard Coeur de Lion, vampire king of Grand Nomandy.

Edmund has been given plans for an early microscope so that he can have one fabricated and report its capabilities to Lady Carmilla and through her to the king. What is unknown to Richard is that Edmund is an ex-lover of Carmilla's and also a member of a secret society dedicated to ending the rule of vampires...

It is quite a relief, reading this after reading many of Brian's earlier stories. This is not only literate, but literary. It shows the elevation of craft, which makes Brian's later work worthy of appreciation. The best testament to its quality is the number of times it has been reprinted.

A Man with Morals [1]

A Matter of Evidence [4]

Meat on the Bone [11]

Meeting at Eternity [1]

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano [3]

The Milk of Human Kindness [4]

Review by Andrew Breitenbach

In the near future, a married couple take their infant son to the grocery store and engage in an argument that spans the entire story: whether or not to feed their son a new form of rabbit milk that contains hormonal regulators (in addition to the extra amino acids and plantigens that are commonplace in this future).

Taking hormonal regulator enriched milk before the age of one results in adults less vulnerable to anger and aggression, and more in control of their own emotions (in other words, their hypothalamus). The argument revolves around whether this is a good or bad thing.

Personally, I feel that Stableford stacks the deck too high on one side - engaging in intellectual cheating - but this is offset by the wealth of interesting and exciting information imparted; as well as the extraordinarily realistic descriptions of the future grocery shopping experience. You really feel like you're in a grocery store, resulting in perhaps the single greatest example of Grocery Store SF ever written (this reviewer understands that this is an easy assertion to make when the subgenre in question contains only one story - this one - but this reviewer would like to point out that someone had to make the assertion at some point, so it might as well be this reviewer.)

Certainly worth reading, in this reviewer's humble opinion.

Mime for Silent Music [v]

Minimoments [1]

The Miracle Of Zunderburg [5]

Mr Brimstone and Dr Treacle [1]

Molly and the Angel [6]

Molly and the Men in Black [8]

Mortification of the Flesh [4]

Mortimer Gray's History of Death [24]

Review by Ian Braidwood

I can't help but say that to my mind, this is rather brief; but then I have been spoiled by having read The Fountains of Youth first.

If a story is a sequence of events with a logical progression leading to a denoument; then this isn't a story in the traditional sense. Instead, what you get is a fictional memoire and a series of short essays, each of which accompanies the release of one volume of Mortimer Gray's magnum opus: The History of Death.

Over the 500 years it takes for Mortimer to write his memoir, he goes through one or two adventures, including the great Coral Sea disaster; the event which triggers Gray into his epic study. It is these brushes with mortality which help inform his writings, as well as other peoples' reaction to their emortality.

As you can see, this story is well regarded - not least by Gardner Dozois, editor of Asimov's - and I'm happy to add my endorsement; though you would be even better served if you laid out for The Fountains of Youth.

Murphy's Grail [7]

My Evil Twin [1]

Review by Trent Walters

My Evil Twin is a neat idea that doesn't quite develop:

An identical twin wants to ensure a difference between himself and his brother, so he always reacts against his impulses. His impulses were all rather naughty, so his brother must have been evil, indeed.

You can probably guess the rest.

My Mother, The Hag [5]

Review by Ian Braidwood

The second of Brian's Arthurian tales for Mike Ashley and by far the best. It's told from the point of view of the son of an enchantress, who is destined to be slain by Sir Fergus of Galloway.

Although the woman is pretty much reconciled to her fate, the boy is not so sanguine and despite the meagreness of his own powers, plans a devastating revenge...

There is some discussion of chivalry here, but the main thrust - as in The Lost Romance - is about who gets to write the history of events.