The Mutant Files

Except where noted, I think the stories herein are well worth reading.Berliner, Janet: "Interview with a Mutant" begins with the narrator noting a wire story about 'the world's first hand and forearm transplant', saying the patient got such weird vibes afterwards that he petitioned to have the hand amputated. She'd like to refer him to the *real* first, whom the world doesn't know about.Bilgrey, Marc: The narrator's empathy means that Doug often makes "Lucky Guesses" about what people will say through reading their feelings; at least, that's what he called them as a child, when they were erratic. But over the years, his power has steadily increased, with his accuracy - and the difficulty of concealing his ability.Bischoff, David: "Mutant Mother from Hell: A 'Fizz Smith' Story" I dislike this one; the style reminds me of the "Scott Free" dream-sequence (drawn from Kirby's "Fourth World" titles for DC comics) in Gaiman's _Preludes and Nocturnes_; here we don't even have the redeeming feature of being used as the setting of a nightmare within a better story.de Lint, Charles: "Freak", written for this collection, also appears in de Lint's _Tapping the Dream Tree_, but de Lint fans may prefer West's "Truth"; the narrator's learning-disabled, and expresses himself clumsily and crudely.duBois, Brendan: "In the Dark Valley" is told in a braided style, one thread following Claire's desperate attempt to escape by car during a winter storm, the other her arrival with her new husband 9 months before. Having family was wonderful, in this close-knit valley - but her dreams were strange, the town lacks records - even obituaries. Shades of Innsmouth?Foster, Alan Dean: Bull Threerivers can smell electricity, which helped him diagnose electrical problems in cars - until he started milking slot machines. Unfortunately, various Native American casinos' security personnel noticed him. Now several tribes have decreed "The Killing of Bad Bull", seeing in him a threat he doesn't fully appreciate even when running for his life...Haber, Karen: Even "Behind His Gates of Gold", Prosper Mephisto doesn't really abandon his elaborate defenses, retaining his mask even before fellow super-rich members of the Diamond Club - much to the disappointment of Hugh Carter, seeking to reestablish his reporting career. While not drawn as stupid, Hugh doesn't use his brain: even after his fall to obscurity his cover should've been blown...Hoffman, Nina Kiriki: "Sensitives" Art, the narrator, is sensitive to anything with a high enough copper content: once in his mouth, such an object "remembers" where it's been. He covers himself by claiming he picks up pennies for luck; his mother and uncle between them have taught him not to seek "penny visions" when anyone's watching, but nobody's perfect.Huff, Tanya: "Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice", despite the title, is unrelated to Huff's "What Little Girls are Made Of" from _Magic in Ithkar 3_. Danielle, the narrator, is far from sugary-sweet,

For those of you who like the X-Men this book has lots of short stories that will make you think about mankinds direction. With human clones about to be a reality (in the news today);it makes you think about how we treat one another. I especially liked the sci fi themed stories. Without repeating all the other reviewers comments I have to say this one is worth the money

What a great anthology of short stories! Lisanne Norman's "Paint Box" reminds me of early Stephen King, and Tanya Huff's "Sugar and Spice an Everything nice" is truly a gruesome little tale! Fiona Patton, Karen Haber, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, David Bischoff and Kristine Kethryn Rusch are a few of the other notable writers who have exceptional stories here. Good Stuff!

As noted by the editors in their introduction, this book is not a story about the X-Men. Instead this sixteen-story collection contains tales about regular people with uncommon extra abilities usually in normal settings. Poor choice in title aside, each contribution is well written and remain inside the basic theme. Though the story lines are all entertaining, the key to THE MUTANT FILES is its characters, who amazingly seem like real people though the tales are short and the powers are uncommon. Superb anthology worth reading by the X-Men crowd and especially by those science fiction-horror fans who relish well written tales about normal people with an unusual power usually occurring in a common milieu. This is extraordinary entertainment.Harriet Klausner

More than human or less than human? That is the question... This anthology presents a fascinating group of tales which range from mild horror, to fantasy, to true science fiction. Whether it is the individuals ability to know your every thought, influence the outcome of events, or sense things beyond the range of normal human perceptions--it is their differences that make them candidates for "The Mutant Files." Sixteen Stories include: Alan Dean Foster's "The Killing of Bad Bull" about an Indian who can 'smell' electronic devices and procedes to use it for financial gain; Sophie Mason's "The Great Deep" which tells a tale of sealmen that live in the Irish Sea off the coast of Wales; and Karen Haber's "Behind His Gates of Gold" telling of a mutant future in Brazil where anti-mutant legislation has not been passed asit has in most of the rest of the world--and of Prospero Mephisto, and enigmatic estate owner and leading socialite with secrets to hide. There is not a bad tale in the group, and I highly recommend this anthology.