Screaming Science Fiction; Horrors from Outer Space

Gleefully mixing SF, fantasy, and horror, Screaming Science Fiction is a full-length collection of nine thrilling, chilling, spine-tingling stories by horror master Brian Lumley (Necroscope), including "No Way Home," "Snarker's Son," "The Strange Years," and a nearly 20,000 word novella ("Feasibility Study") appearing for the first time anywhere.

Those looking for pure pulp fun need look no further than British author Lumley's new collection, whose nine stories gleefully mix SF, fantasy and horror. The opener, "Snarker's Son," a tale of alternate worlds, delivers an unexpected and squishy climax. Anyone who has ever driven through unfamiliar country and gotten lost will identify with the doomed hero of "No Way Home." Another nasty treat is "The Strange Years," in which shape-adaptable insects do away with human technology and apparently with humans themselves. Homo sapiens fares little better in "Feasibility Study," the longest and only story original to the collection, which delivers a resoundingly unhappy ending. Lumley (Necroscope) provides an amusing and informative foreword. (Feb.)
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Besides more than 50 horror and sf titles to his credit, Lumley has a knack for blending the two genres into a distinctive and personal hybrid. In his latest collection, however, science plainly plays second fiddle to horror as nine tales explore creepy encounters with everything from mutant bugs to ravenous aliens. In "Snarker's Son," a small child leads a nonplussed police officer into an alternate London in which the underground tube tracks harbor snakelike entities rather less accommodating than trains. "Deja Viewer" recounts the fate of a young time traveler whose prophetic dreams feature an emaciated creature whose visage bears more than a passing resemblance to his own. Other stories track Earth's plague-ridden future and the gloomy back roads of England's remoter regions. Dedicated sf fans may find the science in these tales a little tame, but Lumley is clearly more interested in terror than technological intrigue. His fans, in particular, should find these macabre misadventures gratifyingly chilling. Carl Hays
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