Bears Discover Fire

Bisson, Terry. Bears Discover Fire and Other Stories. New York: Tor 1993. Print

First Sentences:

I was driving with my brother, the preacher, and my nephew, the preacher's son, on I-65 just north of Bowling Green when we got a flat.

Description:

Imagine yourself changing a flat car tire on some lonely wooded road on a dark night. Of course, your flashlight is flickering weakly. But then suddenly you are pleased to have an abundance of light. Looking up, you see a bear, quietly holding a fiery torch over your head. All you can think is, "Looks like bears have discovered fire." And there, in the woods, you notice them sitting around a campfire, quiet and calm. What could possibly happen next?

Such is the first story in Terry Bisson's wonderful collection of fantasy and sci-fi tales, Bears Discover Fire and Other Stories. This is the book for the lovers of the unusual, slightly off-kilter world that seems oh so real, or at least kind of close to our real life settings and the people we see every day. Close, yes, and yet odd and off-beat in unexpected ways. 

Among the stories in Bears Discover Fire are:

• "They're Made Out of Meat" - conversation between aliens observing humans;
• "George" - a boy born with tiny wings;
• "Necronauts"- three researchers who can die, resurrect, and tell what they saw;
• "The Message" - humans decode the first words from the dolphins;
• "Two Guys from the Future" - a visit from aliens who collect art;

And those are just a random sample of Bissen's imagination. He drops you into the middle of some far-fetched scenario, such as when the entire island of England slowly breaks away and starts to chug across the ocean, then somehow makes the situation seem entirely plausible without explaining the background leading up to the event and any conclusion (or none) that is reached.

Each story is fun as well as serious, fantastic as well as very human. It was a pleasure for me to read every tale, letting them lull you into a quirky world, then leaving you to think about the implications waiting for each character and even all of humanity when the story concludes.

I loved all of them and highly recommend them to everyone. Enjoy!

Happy reading. 

Fred

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Bradbury, Ray. The Illustrated Man.   

A series of fantasy and sci-fi stories depicted by the tattoos covering a man's body and brought to life as he sleeps, to the wonderment of his traveling companion. Each one a classic.

Chiang, Ted. Exhalation: Stories.   

Excellent, thought-provoking fantasy and sci-fi stories involving time-travel mishaps, a robot nanny, a story narrated by a highly evolved parrot, and many more exciting, fascinating stories. (previously reviewed here).