Invaders: 22 Tales from the Outer Limits of Literature  edited by Jacob Weisman

Tachyon Publications, July 2016

ISBN-13: 978-1616962104

Available for pre-order: Paperback and Kindle edition

The title and cover art of Invaders are deceiving: this is not a collection of stories about alien invasions, although there are a number of stories of first contact. Instead, editor Jacob Weisman has chosen previously published stories by authors typically considered writers of literary fiction that “explore the essence of science fiction”, in an attempt to discover what literary authors do differently from science fiction authors (his answer seems to be that mainstream writers include more about sex and relationships, but I would argue that isn’t necessarily so). Authors represented include horror writer Brian Evenson, W.P. Kinsella, George Saunders, Junot Diaz, and Katherine Dunn.

So what is the essence of science fiction? James Gunn posits that it makes the assumption that the universe is knowable, and that humans, while products of their environment, are still evolving and adapting to change. Mainstream fiction, he says, is more focused on relationships between individuals. If we accept that, the question is whether these stories represent a science fictional point of view. Of the varied stories that appear in this volume, the majority do seem to do that, some with more of a focus on the science fictional world view than others. Some of the stories were truly fantastic, or playing on tropes, while others depended heavily on science fictional world-building. Most followed a traditional narrative structure, but some stories used a disruptive narrative style. A weakness of the anthology is that very few of the stories focus on outward exploration or interest in the natural world, or in conflict or politics. Aliens come to Earth, but humans have little interest in the stars. Instead, the majority of the stories are focused on humans’ exploitation and manipulation of themselves and each other, and the consequences of that behavior, both positive and negative.

Probably the most outstanding and memorable story is Ben Loory’s “The Squid Who Fell In Love With The Sun”, with its extraordinarily optimistic and unselfish main character, who evolves and learns through sheer will. Another favorite of mine was Max Apple’s entertaining story “The Yogurt of Vasirin Kefirovsky”; the main character’s obsession with yogurt and reminisces about an earlier time hit very close to home. “LIMBs”by Julia Elliott is a powerful story that will leave anyone who has ever dealt with dementia with hope: in it, an elderly woman’s memories return when she receives electrical stimulation for a new, artificial limb. “Lambing Season” by Molly Gloss is a gentle tale of first contact set against a shepherd’s long months in the mountains of the Southwest United States that wakes her sense of wonder. “The Region of Unlikeness” is a rambling tale with unsympathetic characters that raises the question of whether we can escape our future by the choices we make in the present. “We Are The Olfanauts” by Deji Bryce Olukotun and “Escape From Spiderhead” by George Saunders address complex characters being forced to make difficult ethical choices in settings that emphasize the banality of horrific behavior in a technological, corporate world. Jonathan Lethem’s “Five Fucks”and Brian Evenson’s “Fugue State” were deliberately disorienting, making unexplained leaps through nonlinear narrative, and using unreliable narrators. These stories, while memorable, weren’t necessarily enjoyable, and they required careful reading (in Evenson’s case an ironclad stomach is also helpful). One story I found frustrating was Junot Diaz’s “Monstro”. Diaz does a great job of developing his protagonist and portrays the Dominican Republic so vividly I could almost see it, but the end is dissatisfying. As a survivor of “the end of the world”, what happened? I felt that the story cut off before it was over.

If you are looking for a straightforward collection of stories about first contact and alien invasions, this anthology will not be your cup of tea. If you are hoping to find science fiction/horror hybrids, you will find a few– “Escape From Spiderhead” and “Fugue State” are both pretty terrifying, and “Monstro” has some frightening moments. The best audience for this collection, though, is the curious reader interested in seeing what “literary” writers produce as science fiction. It might not convince dedicated science fiction readers to join the literary mainstream, but it could be that readers of some of these more mainstream, contemporary authors, might be convinced to stick a toe into the deep waters of science fiction. For that reason, large public libraries will want to consider it, and shelve it in the regular fiction collection. Recommended.

Contains: adult situations, sex, murder, violence, suicide, drug use