Honest, Dear Reader, this is the title of my latest book. Taken from my not so slowly dwindling supply in my bag -O- books, one that I was not sure about, was not certain that I would even be able to read. I am one of “us” whom, at times, will actually judge a book by its cover, (or its name). I have looked at this book several times, flipped it around in my hand, checking out the back cover and finding myself not believing the raving reviews that I see printer there. I mean, really, would anyone print a bad review on the back of their book?
So after reading several other books from MI, (the bag-O-books previous owner), including the Psychomech series by Brian Lumley, I decided to throw caution to the cover, and read it, after all with a name like Brian, how bad could it be?
This book is a collection of Lumley’s short stories, science fanticy/horror the first one is the reason for the name of the book, it is Fruiting Bodies, but what the *%@$ is a Fruiting Body, well it’s time to learn.
- Fruiting body (bacteria), the aggregation of myxobacterial cells when nutrients are scarce.
There, that pretty much sums it up then.
OR:
- Fruiting body (slime mold), the sorophore and sorus of a slime mould.
‘nuff Said. Lets move on shall we.
I don’t often read short stories, I find that there is not enough time for the writer to build the plot and the characters to a point where the reader can become one with the story. I like to become “invested” in the book. True often times short stories are the beginnings of a larger work, using the short story to “test the field”, to see if the story might gather a following, and then actually be worthy of becoming folded up into a full length novel, most times, I think the short story stays just that, short, and the few pages used to hold such a work of fiction are left to gather dust, left to rot in a corner of the garage, in the damp, and the dark, to mold, thus providing nutrients for bacterium….. until such time as the nutrients become scarce, then other things begin.
I found two stories in this book of fifteen, to my liking.
The first is called “The Man Who Felt Pain” Imagine in the future, being an astronaut, in a deep space training program, youthful and eager to know everything there is to know about the “real” outer space, the outer space beyond our galaxy, sounds pretty cool. Until you begin to feel the pain of others, the actual physical pain from a paper cut, or a broken leg. Imagine walking along the sidewalk, and BAM, you are on the ground writhing in pain, not able to move, you have no physical injury, but you feel the pain of someone else, someone who just broke their leg, they must be close for you to feel the pain.
How would you control this new sensation, these sensations, for the ‘attacks” are growing more frequent, you begin to feel the pain of people further away, headaches, heart attacks, burning lungs from smoke inhalation, somewhere someone is trapped in a burning building, oh my god they are burning, burning, the pain, ooohh, “help me, it is too much, I’m dying, help, help.” But then it is gone, you are exhausted, you rest, then it begins again, someone else, more people, more pain, over and over. Never any mark left from the agony.
How would you deal with something like that, feeling the pain, with no where to run, it builds until you feel the pain of the city, it must have limits, dammit, “I must find somewhere far away, away from people, animals,” yes, even the pain of birds flying into statues, windows, the squirrels, oh my even the ants, “:stop, everyone stop stepping on the ants, ppplease, help me, get me away, far awwaaayyyyyy.”
The answer is there, staring you in the face, if only you survive long enough to get there. Unless of course, that is what caused it in the first place.
The other story is called “The Thin People”.
Human arrogance would let us believe that we are the only creatures with any form of higher intelligence, living on this third planet from the sun, or with an understanding of “being”. However, just look at Harry Potter, an entire race of magical people living amongst us, and we don’t even know, we never see them, or remember seeing them. We do understand that there are other beings in the universe, far, far away from our little rock, but what about right here, in you’re neighborhood.
We have seen these strange creatures, as they show up in the many shows that we watch on television, all the episodes of Star Trek, Star Wars, Alf, Buck Rogers, and we cannot forget Dr. Who, (who?). These shows did not just materialize out of thin air, the creators had direction, oh sure they will tell you that it was all them, but in the end we will see that their creativity was nudged, and massaged, we will understand that we were led into a long and slow acceptance of what we at some point will finally learn, that we are not alone.
Remember men in black (MIB), another preparatory moment for us humans. But back to the “Thin People”, it is not difficult to believe that we are living amongst other sentient beings, it is possible that these “people” are so thin that we might not be able to see them clearly, especially if they are as tall as a lamp post, as wide as a lamp post. If these people only venture out of their homes (thin homes), only at night, and when they come within eye sight of humans, they pretend to be lamp posts or hydro poles, we humans would not see them, after all we are all caught up in own lives, we tend to miss big things, like new paint on a wall, or a different picture on the newly painted wall, we miss noticing that new hair do, “I’m sorry I did not notice you changed your hair, wow, I like the light blue”, sometimes we are so caught up in life we miss dinner. It is reasonable that we would miss seeing the Thin People.
Remember the next time you look out the front window onto the street, check to see if that lamp post is still there, or if it has moved. The thin people are not fond of automobiles, or loud noises, they will actually destroy you’re car if it is loud, so fix that muffler, turn down that radio. If you find yourself in a neighbourhood that is quiet, and automobile free, count the number of lamp poles, then check back again in a few days.
bfn Brian
ps; I'll have the stuffed mushrooms.
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