Rebecca Ore

Strong collection of stories on humans and aliens from a woefully under-appreciated author who has specialized in the topic. These all take place on Earth. There are no secret invasions. The aliens are here, and though they disrupt the lives of those around them, it's not otherwise a big deal. Sometimes the POV is human, sometimes alien. Most of the aliens are from outer space, but in two of the stories the aliens are chimera -- pets+human DNA mixtures created for the rich. An interesting albeit disjointed closing essay makes clear that while Ore takes as given that we tell stories of aliens as a metaphor of human relationships, but she also takes the science part of her fiction seriously.

All the stories are strong. "Alien Bootlegger", the first and longest story, is about a small community where everyone either is a bootlegger or deals with them. A cryptic alien sets up shop and clearly baits the bootlegger in charge. What would be a comic tale in 1950s SF is dead serious here. Of the two chimera stories, the stronger is "The Tyrant that I Serve", told from the POV of a terror chimera, i.e., a pet forced by programming and electronics to repeatedly try and kill its thrill-seeking master. The roller coaster of emotions here and the social background implied make the other chimera story pale in comparison. That story is "Giant Flesh Holograms Keep My Baby's Eyes Warm", told from the POV of a human whose ex-lover makes a miniature chimera copy of him. "Ice-gouged Lakes, Glacier-bound Times", POV human, is the most traditional SF, as a human xenobiologist in a near future ice age, trying to determine if an imported group of aliens who are hunted for their fur are actually intelligent. She spends the winter alone with them. "Farming in Virginia", POV alien, places aliens in the hands of exploitive human bureaucracy, an element common in many of her stories. "Projectile Weapons", POV alien, mixes two tropes -- aliens who have adapted to live only in spaceships, and aliens who learn about Earth from TV shows -- into a strong story about who should be responsible for dealing with a criminal event.

Highly recommended.… (more)