The Beasts of Love

by Steven Utley

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972054790
• ISBN13: 9780972054799
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Wheatland Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Stories That Made Steven Utley's Reputation

Most of my experience with Utley's fiction prior to this collection had been with the Silurian stories series in SF magazines. This collection, as Lisa Tuttle points out in her introduction, is not what you would expect if you were expecting the collection to be something similar to Utley's "Silurian Tales." Included in this collection are none of "Silurian Tales" (these are collected elsewhere), and there are also very few mentions of dinosaurs. Instead, the collection includes a diverse range of stories in various genres. Science fiction, fantasy, horror, unsettling, and just plain different are all represented. Waldrop says on the back blurb, "[h]ere are the stories that made Utley's reputation, alternately funny, bitter and/or heartbreaking." As I read through this collection, I definitely got immersed in the feel of Utley's stories. I think the best word to describe these stories is, perhaps, "unsettling." Even the humorous stories have a tendency to tug at you and pull you into places you weren't expecting. Overall, I enjoyed the collection and feel like quite a lot (if not most) of these stories will stick with me, which sometimes isn't the case with single author collections. I think people who, like me, are fairly neutral on his "Silurian Tales" might be surprised and much more excited by some of the stories offered in this book (not to say that "Silurian Tales" fans shouldn't check these out). Table of Contents: "The Country Doctor" Doug Riddle returns to the town he always saw as his home, which is being destroyed by the construction of a nearby dam. He has come to visit his family plot in the cemetery, where the remains of his ancestors...and the town doctor...are being dug up to be moved. Only, there is something very different about this doctor and this town. This is a strong story with an emotional punch, a good way to start off the collection. "Mysterious Ways" The last man on earth is a Christian, and he is waiting for his calling from God...but instead, he is dying. This is an excellent story. "Ember-Eyes" Man makes monsters to amuse himself. Man plans on taking off in ships and abandoning monsters. Ember-Eyes, full of hatred, is one of those who are going to be abandoned. I really liked the obsessive fury of the main character in this one, and the story's setting and description really reminded me of some of my favorite classic SF tales. "A Daughter of the Cause" A story about a pivotal day in the life of an ancestor who was a loyal Confederate. Historical fiction stories aren't always my cup of tea, so while the main character was interesting I wasn't too excited about this one. "Tom Sawyer's Sub-Orbital Escapade" - co-written with Lisa Tuttle Mark Twain's famous Tom Sawyer gets it into his mind to build a moonship with Jim and Huck. This was a cute idea. I didn't entirely buy it--it is difficult to pretend to be Samuel Clemens convincingly--but it was still quite a fun read. "Rejection File" A man receives a series of

This is the good stuff! Highly Recommended.

From the acid twist of "The Country Doctor" to the humor of "Little Whalers"--possibly the best mashup ever, of Moby Dick and Little Women--the elegaic beauty of "The Man at the Bottom of the Sea" and the mordant fall of "Once More, With Feeling," the stories in this collection are wide ranging, thoroughly engaging meditations composed of intelligence, grace, and darkness. Beasts of Love, indeed. Grotesqueries drawn fine, pain glimmering like light, depth and intelligence--these stories hit you in your brain, heart, and gut, and then settle into your bones to stay. This is the good stuff, the kind of stories you enjoy, savor, come back to--and feel damned pleased with yourself about it, too. Like potato chips, you can't eat just one, but unlike potato chips, these stories won't clog your arteries, and they're a bitter pleasure that carries no guilt. Highly recommended. Or as Garder Dozois says on the back of the book, "must-have."