Ian R. MacLeod

I recently finished a wonderful collection of short fiction by the Scottish author Ian R. MacLeod. Journeys, brings together nine of his pieces, all previously published in various ‘zines or anthologies between 2006-2010. As examples, I will mention three of my favorite pieces…

"Taking Good Care of Myself". A man is sent into the future to assist his elder self with his own death.

"The English Mutiny", is an alternate history set in an England that has been conquered by the Raj (with help from Portugal). An old, mutilated soldier tells a story about his war days and his fellow soldier and pal Johnny, who he met as they were on their way to fight Scotland.

In "The Camping Wainwrights" a couple and their two teens set off on their annual holiday in the woods. Soon very weird things begin to happen, and everyone sees/experiences them except Dad who maintains his upbeat and jolly attitude in his ignorance….

McLeod is a favorite author of mine. His work is intelligent, beautifully written, and a joy to read. And no matter what the story is, one imagines the author smiling as sets his sentences down to paper… (more)

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/song-of-time-by-iain-r-macleod/

The only other book I’ve read by this author is his best known work, The Light Ages, which I felt ambivalent about. But I really enjoyed this, and it has incentivised me to look out for his other books. It’s a story in two timelines: the very near future collapse of western civilisation due to plague and unrest, and the slightly further future timeline putting it all back together again. The narrator is a world-famous violinist from Birmingham with Irish and Indian heritage; her marriage to a world-famous conductor reflects the integration and disintegration of their world, as she retells the story years later to a mysterious visitor to her Cornwall cottage. Really good, and you can get it here.… (more)

Once again an Arkham House collection from Jim Turner's tenure (1996 this time) that is just outstanding by an author that I had never heard of before. He seems to be better known in the UK. The stories have a feel of an edgier Ray Bradbury. They run the gamut from straight fiction to science fiction to fantasy. In each case there is just enough genre to drive the author's ideas, meaning there might be a lot of scifi/fantasy, or in some cases, none at all. The theme of loneliness and lack of human connection is used over and over again.

Imagine using the hyper-old, all appliances and prosthesis, to talk about the issues of seniors. There is a story about Northern Ireland and another really disturbing story called Grownups where fat "Uncles" are needed during copulation for procreation (the hermaphroditic Uncles actually carry the baby to Cesarean-section birth).… (more)