in true 'greatest hits' fashion (sorry, can't avoid the cynicism), Nowhere kicks off with one of Macleod’s most well-reviewed shorts, “The Chop Girl”. It is, rightfully, also one of his best. “The Chop Girl” captures a narrative voice and doesn’t let go in telling the exact opposite of a rabbit’s foot: a British WWII woman who seems to be the downfall of every pilot and airman she comes in contact with. She meet her match, however, a lucky pilot named Walt Williams (no relation to the poet, seemingly) and the fate of the meta-physical world is tested. From WWII to the vague future, “The Perfect Stranger” is an odd story not easy to get your head precisely around until you realize there are two different timelines overlapping the same location. Part trauma, part tragedy, and a polarized dystopia/utopia, it features the relationship troubles of a man and a woman in a single nutshell of time. The reader's like/dislike of the story will likely hinge on how well they grasp the structure rather than the content, which, is relatably human.
Possessing a swinging verve, “Hector Douglas Makes a Sale” tells of a door to door salesman in 1930s-40s Los Angeles. Looking for the sucker born every minute, he eventually finds one, and she is buying what he is selling. What he is selling, however, is even darker than just cheating a person out of a few dollars. “Isabel of the Fall” is a beautifully bittersweet tale of a woman trapped in an institution unlike the world has ever seen. It tells of the fate of Isabel, the dawn singer, in the mirrored cathedral and the destiny that awaits upon her auspicious meeting of Genya the dancing librarian. Heartbreaking in mood and outcome, this is a story that can be reread and re-read from varying angles—story, technique, substance, etc.
Ensuring content is varied, the collection moves from the mythopoeic to the alternately historical, “Snodgrass” is a what if: what if John Lennon had been kicked out of The Beatles in the 60s? A window into the man's life in the 1980s, Macleod deftly deploys a rippingly jaded authorial voice to capture a curmudgeonly Lennon trying to gain temporary employment in clerical work. While that premise may not seem much, Macleod earns immense points for style in how it captures the spleenishness of a cultural icon. “Nevermore” is a story set in a polluted, post-industrial Paris (of the future). A frustrated, depressed artist attempts to find his muse by convening virtually with his dead wife. He eventually rediscovers his muse in a quasi reality that complements his own blend of real/virtual existence. This setup seemingly pretentious, Macleod (mostly) avoids letting the story become maudlin.
“Tirkiluk”
is one of the most striking stories in the collection (and a story
any publisher would put in Macleod's 'greatest hits'). It tells of a
British meteorologist stationed at a lone Arctic weather station in
the midst of WWII. The man keeping a journal, the reader learns of
his daily life and encounters with local wildlife and Inuit. A story
developing from his cold, bland days, Macleod steers it with
excellent mood toward Eskimo legend. Huge success. From the Arctic
to genre, “The Visitor from Taured” is ultimately a
paean to literature, science fiction included, and the quantum worlds
it opens to us. But the telling is of a near future English Lit major
and the astronomer she falls in love with. The pair's lives falling
in and out of sync over the years, their paths branch as much as
their reading interests. Through the passage of time, Macleod weaves
a mystery, a tiny mystery but a tiny mystery which holds the key to
the story's wonder. I wanted to dislike this story for it's audacity
to bring the creme
de la creme of
world literature into a short story in such overt fashion, but the
manner which this tiny mystery so neatly tied it all up with a bow
had me forgiving Macleod, then appreciating literature.
“Nina-with-Sky-in-Her-Hair” is a classic love story if ever there were. Macleod builds the archetype of a beautiful, free-spirited woman through eyes of an aging rich man, then dashes his hopes in poetic, tragic fashion. The conclusion is a touch trite, but by that time the reader is already neck deep. “Starship Day” is a story of contrasts. A melancholic doctor on Earth has his patient list cut short on the day a generation starship from Earth is due to arrive at its planetary destination. The quotidian meeting the grand, the doctor, unfortunately, isn't up to the task, that is, until one certain event reshapes his whole day. In another classic sf trope, “Recrossing the Styx” looks at what life-extending technology might look like through the eyes of a cruise ship tour guide of the future. He runs into a dashing young lady, but the young lady turns out to be married to a perpetually revivified billionaire—a zombie, in effect. Life, mortality, and a little murder ensue (with a nice twist).
Alternate myth? Alternate legend? Alternate history? Alternate religion? Regardless how one taxonimizes “Second Journey of the Magus”, the story runs with the Three Kings of Orient Are into a scene in which Christians overthrow the Romans before they have a chance to crucify Christ, all to highlight one of the essential challenges of Christianity: why believe? Like Moorcock's “Behold the Man”, this is an excellent, alternate take on religion. “Past Magic” is sad, subtle dystopia about a man who is asked by his ex-wife to visit and meet Steph, their daughter who died many years ago but who was recently cloned. Human hubris treated so readily and naturally, it’s an uncomfortable read.
Switching
from religious commentary to existential horror, “The Crane Method”
is a good old fashioned “ghost story” told in impeccable style.
It relays the tragic tale of a minor research associate and the
mentor who takes credit for his efforts; revenge would be sweet if it
were truly revenge. With a mild nod to Philip K. Dick, “Wisdom of
the Group” tells of a group of super-predictors who pool their
instinct for collectively knowing the future to exploit the stock
market. Trouble is, the human psyche is only partially open and
predictable. Cheesy ending, but the journey pokes, clutches, grabs,
and eventually won't let go.
Again
ensuring the collection possesses variety, “Well-loved”
is a few days and nights in the shoes of a cyberpunk prostitute told
in second-person. After a rough but desired night with a John,
drastic decisions are made. Tugging at the heart strings, Macleod
capitalizes on the 'you' perspective. Closing the collection is “The
Discovered Country”. It uses a familiar sf trope, but, unlike the
majority of sf writers, puts character/humanity in front of the
trope—the horse in front of the cart, as it were. “The Discovered
Country” features an ultra-rich man going to live in a virtual land
of the rich after dying. The man tries to reform a music group he
performed with while alive, virtual identity, however, proves to be a
slippery slope.
In the end, Nowhere is a glut of goodness—one of the true emperors of modern fantastika's short fiction featuring scepter and crown. Being a best-of, it's difficult to call out exceptional stories; all possess the airy breezes and subtle burdens of life in speculative scenarios. In the afterwords to the stories, Macleod perpetually calls back to writers whose voices capture the same bittersweet humanity with the spice of imagination—Keith Roberts, Robert Silverberg, Brian Aldiss. J.G. Ballard, and others. And so while I generally dislike best-of collections, this may the only viable place to get such content given Macleod's back catalog is out of print. If you haven't read Macleod, there is no better place to try.
The following are the eighteen stories collected in Nowhere:
The Chop Girl
The Perfect Stranger
Hector Douglas Makes A Sale
Isabell of the Fall
Snodgrass
Nevermore
Tirkiluk
The Visitor from Taured
Nina-With-The-Sky-In-Her-Hair
Starship Day
Second Journey of the Magus
Re-Crossing the Styx
Of the Sighting of Other Islands
Past Magic
The Crane Method
The Wisdom of the Group
Well-Loved
The Discovered Country
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