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A review by verkisto
The Brains of Rats by Michael Blumlein
2.0
I'll admit that I didn't quite get all of the stories in this collection, but even among those stories that eluded me, there was a sense of strength in them that made me pay attention to them, as if to say, "There's something important here, if only you dig to find it." The stories I did get, though, were powerful, with an imagery that will linger for weeks, if not years.
"Tissue Ablation and Variant Regeneration: A Case Report" is the story most people know (and for good reason), but they shouldn't overlook the title story, "Drown Yourself", "Shed His Grace", "Keeping House", "The Wet Suit", "The Thing Itself", or "Bestseller". They're all powerful in their own ways, moreso because Blumlein has a clinical, straightforward way of telling the stories that makes their emotion that much more effective when they sneak up on you. You feel like you're reading clinical reports, not stories, but then he surprises you.
We lost Blumlein last year. I don't just mean he died; I mean we lost a talent way too soon.
"Tissue Ablation and Variant Regeneration: A Case Report" is the story most people know (and for good reason), but they shouldn't overlook the title story, "Drown Yourself", "Shed His Grace", "Keeping House", "The Wet Suit", "The Thing Itself", or "Bestseller". They're all powerful in their own ways, moreso because Blumlein has a clinical, straightforward way of telling the stories that makes their emotion that much more effective when they sneak up on you. You feel like you're reading clinical reports, not stories, but then he surprises you.
We lost Blumlein last year. I don't just mean he died; I mean we lost a talent way too soon.