Virtual Unrealities: The Short Fiction of Alfred Bester
by Alfred Bester

After reading The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester, it was with pleasure that I now dived into some of the short fiction he wrote. Virtual Unrealities gathers together some of his best short fiction, or so it is claimed by the editors of the book.

Overall, the book is definitely a collection of stories that only Bester could have written. While some of the stories have somewhat thin plots and characters, the overall atmosphere of the stories is definitely Bester's: sharp, short emotional sentences that will 'jab' at your emotions.

The stories featured in this collection are:

"Disappearing Act" which reminds me very strongly of Bester's The Stars My Destination. In a future America that is fully militarised to protect "The American Way", a group of war-shocked soldiers began to exhibit strange powers. Unfortunately, the only way to solve the problem is to use the skills of a certain type of person that may be difficult to find.
"Oddy and Id" is a rather strange story about a rather strange person who appears to have all the luck. But is he an angel or a devil? Throughout the story, the narrator says the boy is a devil, but he appears to be an angle to the rest of the world. Which is correct?
"Star Light, Star Bright" is another story about a boy with another difference: he appears to know other kids who are geniuses and may have his own special ability. But this ability is one you wouldn't want to mess with.
"5,271,009" is a story that also reminds me of a Bester book, this time it is The Demolished Man. A man sets out to bring back from madness an artist whom he may have made mad in the first place. The journey through the artist's fantasy and thoughts is a fantastic one.
"Fondly Fahrenheit" is a classic Bester story about a murderous android and its less than balanced owner. They travel from world to world trying to escape the law. The main strength of the story is the 'mixing' of the android's and owner's viewpoints, giving it a surreal atmosphere and making you question who is the murderer and who is the owner.
"Hobson's Choice" is another Bester classic about a future America devastated by nuclear war. In this world, a statistician makes an incredible discovery; despite dropping birth rates and rising death rates, the population was increasing. He goes on a journey to find out the cause.
"Of Time and Third Avenue" tells of a meeting between a couple and a man who appears to know what is going to happen. The meeting is somewhat full of 'you should not know this for your own good' but it is still an interesting story.
"Time is the Traitor" is set in a future where the skills of special breed of people are needed to make the right Decisions. This story is about one such person who has a strange fixation. To help find out why, his company hires a 'friend' who discovers the reason and is determined to help him out despite resistance from the company.
"The Men Who Murdered Mohammed" is another time travel story with a neat twist on the question of why you can't murder your own grandmother and get away with it.
"The Pi Man" tells a story of a man who behaves in a strange manner; hitting strangers, switching languages in mid-talk, etc.. Throughout most of the story, you will be puzzled by why he behaves in a strange way until the ending when the reason is revealed.
"They Don't Make Life Like They Used To" is a somewhat weak story about two survivors of a war(?) that destroys the entire human population on earth. They go about the city, gathering goods (and leaving IOUs) and leaving to live with one another.
"Will You Wait?" is a very humourous story about a man who decides to sell his soul to the Devil. The problem is in this day and age, finding a time slot in a secretary's schedule to meet the Devil may prove to be difficult.
"The Flowered Thundermug" starts off very strangely like a story set in a world where Hollywood has taken over the U.S. By the time you reached the middle of the story, the reason is revealed and has to do with what can survive a nuclear war.
"Adam and No Eve" is a disaster story centered on a man who may have a hand in the Earth's destruction. He struggles against his injuries and terrible weather to make it to the sea, but not knowing why until the end.
"And 3 1/2 To Go" is a fragment of a story, but even the fragment shows flashes of Bester's genius at writing short, sharp sentences.
"Galatea Galante" is one of Bester's more amazing stories in this collection. Set in a world where genetic manipulation is common and can even be used to produce legendary creatures (like centaurs and sirens), a man is given the challenge to produce a 'perfect assistant'. But the assistant proves to be more than he can handle.
"The Devil Without Glasses" was an unpublished story that has sinister overtones about 'forces' controlling mankind. But the story appears to be too 'diffused' although the paranoid atmosphere is kept up well.

On the whole, this is a mixed collection with some wonderful stories and a few so-so ones. Despite this, it is a good showcase of the shorter fiction of an amazing writer.

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Virtual Unrealities: The Short Fiction of Alfred Bester by Alfred Bester

Virtual Unrealities: The Short Fiction of Alfred Bester
by Alfred Bester