My favorite two stories of Alex Shvartsman are the title story, “Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma,” and “High-Tech Fairies and the Pandora Perplexity.” If you’re in the mood for some clever but silly stories, this book provides plenty of them. The quality is uneven. Some of these stories are funny, others not so much. I have the paperback edition published by UFO Publishing. The ebook version includes several more stories. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1.“Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma”
2.“The Rumination on What Isn’t”
3.“Doubt”
4.“Spidersong”
5.“Things We Leave Behind”
6.“The Epistolary History”
7.“A Shard Glows in Brooklyn”
8.“Requiem for a Druid”
9.“Nuclear Family”
10.“Bedtime Story on Christmas Eve, 1,000,000 AD”
11.“Seven Conversations in Locked Rooms”
12.“High-Tech Fairies and the Pandora Perplexity”
13.“The Keepsake Box”
14.“The Field Trip”
15.“Superior Firepower”
16.“Life at the Lake’s Shore”
17.“The Take”
18.“The Dragon Ships of Tycho”
19.“A Brief Respite from Eternity”
20.“A Thousand Cuts”
21.“Ravages of Time”
22.“Price of Allegiance”
23.“The Tell-Tale Ear”
24.“The Miracle on Tau Prime”
25.“The Tinker Bell Problem”
26.“True Love”
27.“You Bet”
28.“The Far Side of the Wilderness”
29.“Worldbuilding”
30.“In the Wake of the Storm”
31.“Putting It All Together”
32.“Dominoes Falling”
33.“Notes on the Game in Progress, Played Almost to a Draw”
34.“Small Magics (*)”
35.“Icarus Falls”
36.“Coffee in End Times”
37.“The Hourglass Brigade (*)”
38.“A One-Sided Argument”
39.“How Earth Narrowly Escaped an Invasion from Space”
40.“Fate and Other Variables”
The bonus content (in e-book only) also includes the following
41.“The Skeptic”
42.“Good Advice”
43.“In Service of a Greater Cause”
44.“The Sgovari Stratagem”
45.“A Gnomish Gift”
46.“Pel’s Crusade”
47.“A Better Tomorrow”
48.“Hunter”
49.“A Tear in the Web”
50.“The Traveling Fair”
51.“The Last Incantation”
52.“An Indelible Feast”
53.“The Storyteller”
54.“One Thousand and First”
55.“Manna From Heaven”
56.“On the Last Afternoon”
57.“Time Away”
58.“The Getaway”
59.“Those Who Can’t Do”
60.“Number Station”
61.“How to Locate and Capture Time Travelers: A Memo”
62.“Chill”
63.“Tales of the Elopus”
What a great title! I don’t know him but will check it out.
Jeff, I had never heard of Alex Shvartsman or EXPLAING CTHULHU TO GRANDMA before I saw a review on BLACK GATE. I also never heard of UFO Publishing. But, it’s all Good.
So 23 extra stories if you buy the ebook. That’s a trend I don’t like much. If the stories are good enough to be published, they ought to be between the physical covers. I read a review or two of this book, and the impression I came away with is that the title (and that story) is about the best thing about it. Pretty so-so. If I were not swamped with short story collections, I might take a closer look, but probably will not.
Rick, I’m with you on the difference between the print version and the ebook. But music CDs are doing the same thing with “Deluxe” versions containing extra songs.
But with CDs, you are still at least getting the physical disc if you want to buy it in that format, right? Or are you saying the downloadable version has more songs?
Rick, some MP3 albums include bonus songs, too.
If the price was right – it isn’t, at $5.99 – I’d take a chance and buy it. For now I’ll wait.
Jeff, I’ve noticed the prices of ebooks fluctuate. In a month, you might find EXPLAINING CTHULHU TO GRANDMA at $1.99.