Of Sand Ships & Silent Silicate Seas — Bruce Taylor

This collection of previously unpublished stories, from the mid-eighties through the nineties and including recent work, presents examples of the thousand-plus stories written during that time. Since Bruce had a job (working as a therapist on an in-patient psychiatric unit which he found fascinating), he was energized after working to write whatever he felt like writing, sometimes for five to six hours straight while not having to worry about paying the electric bill. The result was work that was both similar to Kafka and Bradbury with many a blending of both, leading to a hybrid form akin to a blending of magic realism and science fiction. Here the reader will find stories ranging from the surreal horror of Borealis, to the humor of Oops and the magic realism/science fiction of In Trainment. But in the end, Bruce hopes his work pays sufficient honor and homage to the strange dark inventiveness of Kafka and to the lyrical genius of Bradbury, who, in the end, gave permission to own one's powers of perception and imagination.A very gifted, short fiction writer.—Jeff VanderMeer, author, The Southern Reach TrilogyA writer of imagination and insight.—Terry BrooksThe Transformational figure for science fiction.—Elton Elliott, former editor of Science Fiction ReviewRemarkable clarity and insight.—Brian Herbert, co-author, the Dune series.