This anthology from 1998 reprints stories that were turned into movies or TV shows. “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” became the 1990 blockbuster movie, Total Recall, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by Paul Verhoeven. Philip K. Dick shows up again with “Second Variety” that was filmed as Screamers, a 1996 film starring Peter Weller and Jennifer Rubin, directed by Christian Duguay.
Some of these stories were filmed without changing their titles. Johnny Mnemonic, starring Keanu Reeves, followed the story of a cybernetic society fairly closely. The same can be said about Enemy Mine from 1985 starring Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr., and directed by Wolfgang Petersen.
How many of these stories have you read? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
A Reel stuff / Brian Thomsen — 9
Mimic / Donald A. Wollheim — 12
Second variety / Philip K. Dick — 19
Amanda and the alien / Robert Silverberg — 65
Sandkings / George R.R. Martin — 82
We can remember it for you wholesale / Philip K. Dick — 124
Air raid / John Varley — 147
Forbidden / Clive Barker — 162
Johnny Mnemonic / William Gibson — 206
Enemy mine / Barry Longyear — 225
Nightflyers / George R.R. Martin — 288
Herbert West: reanimator / H.P. Lovecraft — 353
Read the stories. saw the movies, bought the t-shirt. Weakest of the stories? “Air Raid” — it just didn’t work for me. Strongest? “Sandkings” hit all my buttons. Cheesiest movie? “Re-animator” Best film? Too many good ones to pick.
Jerry, I totally agree with your assessment of “Air Raid.” John Varley was a terrific SF writer–winning all kinds of awards–and then he went to Hollywood. Maybe he made a lot of money, but his writing suffered after that. He just wasn’t the same writer. Like you, “Sandkings” wiped me out when I first read it. Incredible story!
The endless rewrites of the “Air Raid” story for what eventually was released as MILLENNIUM didn’t help Varley out one bit…he was understandably bitter about the amount of his time and effort was wasted to make a mediocre film. (I’ve never been that fond of that story, for that matter, back when I loved nearly every short fiction he wrote…and found his early novels, including MILLENIUM the novel, not close to his best work).
Todd, John Farley left Hollywood a changed writer. After all his SF success before his journey to La-La Land, his return to Reality was very disappointing.
Also read all the stories and seen all the movies except the Silverberg. Favorite stories-Sandkings, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale and Second Variety. Air Raid is minor Varley. Best movie-Reanimator, which may be cheesey but it’s a lot of fun. Worst movies-Air Raid and Johnny Mnemonic.
Steve, I agree with you and Jerry on AIR RAID. JOHNNY MNEMONIC should have be re-titled JOHNNY MORONIC.
None, I think.
Patti, with the current writer’s strike, I don’t think we’re going to see any new movies for another year. Everything in Hollywood is shut down. Only movies and TV shows already in the pipeline are going to show up this Summer and Fall. I just picked up our movie tickets for INDIANA JONES and BARBIE.
Why in the world would you want to see Barbie?
Steve, Diane wants to see Barbie because she was a Barbie fan growing up–she has about a dozen of the early Barbies (and she kept their boxes!) that are worth Big Bucks. The things I do for Love…
George, I misread that title. I would have loved to see INDIANA JONES AND BARBIE. It would have taken the franchise in a whole new direction.
Jerry, Indy and Barbie would be a Dangerous Duo! My new Indy movie will be up on this blog on Saturday. So far, the reviews have been “mixed.” Diane also loves Harrison Ford…and they share a Birthday: July 13!
Barbie demonstrates that GI Joe wasn’t the only one with Kung Fu Grip…
Steve asks “Why in the world would you want to see Barbie?” This is a reasonable question, but I can explain why I want to, even though normally I would totally avoid it. 1) Margot Robbie. Not that I need to see everything she’s in, but she’s been good in everything I have seen her in. 2) Greta Gerwig. I really enjoyed the first two films she directed, Lady Bird and Little Women. I thought they were excellent pieces of filmmaking.
Jeff, I agree with you on Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig. I’m anticipating a fun movie.
Not sure of all titles, but I’ve read the two Dicks, the Silverberg, the Vwrley, the Lovecraft, and Martin’s “Sandkings” for sure, possibly the other Martin. Not sure about the Barker.
Jeff, the Barker story features his CANDYMAN character.
I never read the Martin until last year. “Sandkings” definitely made the biggest impression.
Jeff, same here. “Sandkings” stayed with me for weeks after I read it. And when I reread it in THE REEL STUFF, the impact was still strong!
I have not read any of these, but I would be interested in all of them. Especially “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale”.
The Dick stories are worth the look. Most of the book’s contents are. And there’s no end to similar anthologies…
Tracy, I read Philip K. Dick in the 1960s and 1970s. He’s a very uneven writer…but frequently brilliant!
I haven’t read the Silverberg, and don’t think I’ve read that Barker. “Mimic” is an excellent vignette which made for a slightly distended film…a good try (Wollheim receiving some recent attention for the transgender documentary CASA SUSANNA that PBS ran as part of the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE series last night.) I didn’t hate the film of JOHNNY MNEMONIC, but didn’t take it at all seriously.
Zero, to my regret!
Of course I’ve read all those stories, most in their original versions when they were published the first time!
Many of them are phantastic, the Dick “We can remember …) of course but my alll time favourite was
Sandkings!!!
I got so angry at George Martin because he switched to writing fantasy which I don’t need, but it was easier to write and – he made more money that way.
Wolf, now fantasy readers are angry with George R. R. Martin because they want him to write faster!