Product Description: This first major retrospective collects Kelly's finest short fiction from a 20-year career and includes a dazzling array of work, from hard science fiction and Twilight Zone-inspired fantasies to stark futuristic horror. The grim fable "Pogrom" presents a near-futuristic scenario in which internecine warfare has broken out between the ageing boomer generation and a youthful dispossessed proletariat who must support them. The landmark novella "Mr Boy" is the wildly inventive tale of a genetically stunted 12-year-old who literally lives inside his mother, who has turned herself into a three-quarter-scale model of the Statue of Liberty. "The First Law of Thermodynamics" is a remarkable evocation of the psychedelic sixties -- the time of Vietnam, Kent State, and acid rock -- in which, like that era itself, nothing is what it appears to be. The now-famous title story, "Think Like a Dinosaur", is a tale of a transporter beam maintained by aliens, through which humanity can visit the stars.
Amazon.com Review: This is a handsome, limited edition collection of the best work by one of the finest short fiction writers in science fiction. There are 14 stories in all, ranging from straight SF to tales that stray into the fantasy and horror genres. Of special note is the title story, which earned the 1996 Hugo Award for Best Novelette and a 1996 Nebula Award nomination. But all of the stories are excellent in their own right. An insightful forward by James Patrick Kelly's friend and sometimes collaborator John Kessel (Corrupting Dr. Nice) leads off the collection and explores Kelly's somewhat underrated career.
Not Free SF Reader Lizard people's replication errors multiply.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Not Free SF Reader A definitely good collection of stories. The first, and 'title track' if you like is the clear standout in this book, no question. In fact, it is the last few that I generally didn't like as much as the rest, but on the whole this collection is well above average, and easily above 3.60, let alone 3.50.
Think Like a Dinosaur : Think Like a Dinosaur - James Patrick Kelly Think Like a Dinosaur : Heroics - James Patrick Kelly Think Like a Dinosaur : Pogrom [Home Front] - James Patrick Kelly Think Like a Dinosaur : Faith - James Patrick Kelly Think Like a Dinosaur : Big Guy - James Patrick Kelly Think Like a Dinosaur : Dancing with the Chairs - James Patrick Kelly Think Like a Dinosaur : Rat - James Patrick Kelly Think Like a Dinosaur : The First Law of Thermodynamics - James Patrick Kelly Think Like a Dinosaur : Breakaway Backdown - James Patrick Kelly Think Like a Dinosaur : Standing in Line with Mr. Jimmy - James Patrick Kelly Think Like a Dinosaur : Crow - James Patrick Kelly Think Like a Dinosaur : Monsters - James Patrick Kelly Think Like a Dinosaur : Itsy Bitsy Spider - James Patrick Kelly Think Like a Dinosaur : Mr. Boy - James Patrick Kelly
Lizard people's replication errors multiply.
4.5 out of 5
Not super.
3 out of 5
Selfish elder generation.
4 out of 5
Plant man match.
4 out of 5
Way Out fast heroware operator.
4 out of 5
Drinking desperate.
3 out of 5
Spook tail left with the Dust.
4 out of 5
Many hits, space cowboy.
3 out of 5
Colony life change.
4 out of 5
Spaceman denial.
4 out of 5
Space capsule balloon bash burn.
3.5 out of 5
Mental monster man happy after finding physical monster woman.
3.5 out of 5
Girlbot minder actor's filial substitute.
3.5 out of 5
Not wanting to grow up attitude certainly isn't helped by mum's mechanical approach to parenting.
3.5 out of 5
A brilliant collection. James Patrick Kelly is among the best there is in science fiction. There are some real classics contained in Think Like a Dinosaur and Other Stories, from the now-famous title story, "Think Like a Dinosaur" (which won a well-deserved Hugo Award) to his brilliant, fast-paced novella, "Mr. Boy," which had a tremendous impact on me when I first read it, and still does. There's "Rat," one of my favorite cyberpunk tales, and the psychedelic "The First Law of Thermodynamics." Buy this book, read the stories contained within, and prepare to be duly impressed.
There is, however, no real thread linking these stories together; Kelly is something of a literary chameleon, and as such has created different moods and textures for each individual story. That is one of the true joys of reading his work, the fact that when you first start reading a Kelly story, all previous experiences you've had of his fiction means very little. Kelly has not attained as large a following as I think he deserves, probably due in part to his slow production of novels (he's only written four so far), but in the end recognition isn't the issue. The art is the issue, and Kelly is a true artist.
Masterpiece Golden Gryphon Press has been publishing a long and wide range of single author short-story collections--and I must, obviously, admit that James Patrick Kelly's (author of WILDLIFE and LOOK INTO THE SUN) THINK LIKE A DINOSAUR AND OTHER STORIES has gained a special place in my heart. One of the leading SF stylists, Kelly's stories have a perfect blend of lyricism and sheer storytelling power; recently, he has earned well-deserved attention with his Hugo-winning stories, "Think Like a Dinosaur" and "10^16 to 1," respectively. Pick up this collection at all costs.
Wonderful story collection James Patrick Kelly is a wonderful secret. If you polled a representative sampling of readers who call themselves SF fans, I would bet that not 50% are familiar with James Patrick Kelly. This is a shame because Mr. Kelly's work are of the very highest quality. This collection of short fiction shows off the very best of Kelly's stories and not one of them should be missed.
My favorite story of the collection is 'Mr. Boy', a wonderful novella about a 25-year-old who has re-engineered himself to remain in a 12-year-old body. This is Mr. Boy. Throughout the story Mr. Boy begins to mature, and he's not quite sure how to handle this. This 60+ page novella makes the entire collection worth purchasing, but there's so much more.
The wonderful stories "Rat", "Monsters", "Think Like a Dinosaur", and many more make this one of the most outstanding collections that I've had the good fortune to come across. Like all Golden Gryphon press books, this is an extraordinary collection from a very talented author. The Golden Gryphon imprint on a book is enough to make me open the wallet, even if it's an author that I am totally unfamiliar with. They put out excellent quality books filled with very good fiction. Highly recommended.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
