Portraits of His Children

Short stories deal with time travel, a lonely space station, computer-simulated sporting events, dragons, werewolves, revenge, and characters brought to life

Martin has a loyal following for his ironic voice and his colorful imagination. This new collection, gathering stories from 14 years, puts that inventiveness at the service of a romantic and sentimental vision. In one of the earliest pieces, "With Morning Comes Mistfall," the allure of the mysterious, myth-laden Wraithworld vanishes with scientific scrutiny. The noble "Ice Dragon" gives its life to save the little girl who loves it. In the title story a novelist wallows in self pity for having devoted more time to his fictional creations than to his family. A time travel/revenge-of-the-nerd yarn, "Unsound Variations," somewhat escapes the pattern, but this remains overall a weak collection.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.