World Famous Comics: Bears Discover Fire and Other Stories
Bears Discover Fire and Other Stories
By: Terry Bisson Publisher: Orb Books Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Orb Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 256 Publication Date: November 15, 1994
Bears Discover Fire is the first short story collection by the most acclaimed science fiction author of the decade, author of such brilliant novels as Talking Man and Voyage to the Red Planet. It brings together nineteen of Bisson's finest works for the first time in one volume, among them the darkly comic title story, which garnered the field's highest honors, including the Hugo, Nebula, Theodore Sturgeon, and Locus awards.
dumbing down down down This is the literary equivalent of fast food. Like Saliere the author has the ability to transform profound themes into mediocrity.
These Short Shorts Are All Story The title of this review is Terry's Bisson's own description of his short stories (as found in this collection's Afterword). Many reviews of Bisson's works contend that he has a unique and unconventional outlook. While reviewers are hard-pressed to define such terms, it is certainly true that Bisson's stories are just a little off-kilter and intriguingly semi-surreal. But in the end, his strange settings and plot developments are all in service to solid stories of human relationships and universal struggles. A few of the stories in this collection stick with the unexpected simply for comic relief, most notably "The Coon Suit." But otherwise we get non-linear looks at social problems that Bisson sets up with bizarre near-future dystopias, taking on racism in "Next" and pollution in "By Permit Only" and "The Toxic Donut." In fact, Bisson tackles environmentalism in several tales here, with the most interesting being "Carl's Lawn and Garden" in which people somehow increase pollution, and its human costs, while surreally trying to save the natural world.
Meanwhile, Bisson uses weird sci-fi mishaps to study how very human characters would cope. For instance, in "England Underway" the absurd happenstance of England floating across the sea and crashing into America allows a separated family to reunite; while the spooky "Over Flat Mountain" does nearly the opposite as a severe environmental disaster tears human communities apart. To top off the collection we get the extended sci-fi novellas "Necronauts" and "The Shadow Knows" in which Bisson explores how people would really deal with contacting worlds beyond our own. It's true that Bisson has a unique and unconventional vision, and you can dispense with trying to figure out what exactly that means by experiencing this unique and unconventional collection for yourself. [~doomsdayer520~]
Weird and Wonderful Terry Bisson is a master of the short form, and these are some of his best stories. His sense of place and his gift for dialogue make him one of the most important writers working today. The simple beauty of the title story alone, a multiple award winner, is worth the price of admission. If you have an imagination and an appreciation for the absurd, buy this book.
Some very good stories I'm surprised there are so few reviews here. This book deserves to be wider read.
I first read a Bisson story ten years ago in Omni -- "They're Made of Meat." I loved it. Very short, all dialogue, a great ending line... It's still one of my favorites of all time.
To be honest, all of these stories are not fantastic. Some kind of leave you rubbing your head, like "The Coon Suit." What the heck was that?! But there are about ten very good stories in here that are worth the price of the book. Bisson writes in a way that is easy to read, even if the ideas don't always grab you. His snappier, dialogue-heavy stories are my favorite.
Give this one a try.
Very diverse reading Bears Discover Fire is the classic SF story, using SF/Fantasy themes perfectly to truly explore human emotional struggles. It's my favorite SF story right now, replacing "I have no mouth but I must scream", by Ellison.
Bisson writes with a quirkiness that's quite endearing, and his characters always seem quite real(except on those short short short stories where 2-D characters suffice for getting his 'punchline' across). In short, this is a great book.
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
Megaton Man
Trevor
