Bears Discover Fire by Terry Bisson

Bears Discover Fire Reviews

• 
  Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽

  
  
  Review (just for the title story) first posted on
  Fantasy Literature. This short story won the Hugo and Nebula awards in 1990/91, and it's now free online here at
  Lightspeed:
  
  I was delighted to find that “Bears Discover Fire,” a much-anthologized short story by Terry Bisson, was republished in 2014 by Lightspeed. The narrator, referred to by his nephew Wallace Jr. as “Uncle Bobby,” is a sixty-one year old, down-to-earth man, deliberately removed from the fast pace of modern life. While driving his old ’56 Caddy to visit his aged mother with his brother Wallace and Wallace Jr., they pull into the median to fix a flat tire. In a scene that encapsulates their characters and values, Uncle Bobby teaches Wallace Jr. how to fix a flat while Wallace chides him for not using new puncture-resistant radial tires that can be instantly repaired with a spray of FlatFix. And then the bears show up, holding torches aloft while Bobby finishes fixing the tire as fast as humanly possible. “Looks like bears have discovered fire,” Wallace blandly comments as they drive away.
  
  Bobby is doing his best to help his dying mother, who is ready to be done with life, as well as his nephew, who seems to be short-changed by his busy parents, too preoccupied with selling real estate under the “Revolving Equity Success Plan” to pay much attention to raising their son. The fact that Wallace is a minister who “makes two-thirds of his living in real estate” is one of many ironies in the tale. Another is the gradual loss of honor, values and decency among humans, while the bears are developing a nascent civilization and exhibit decency and sharing, despite their inability to speak. It’s a rather quiet, memorable and moving story told with dry humor that, perhaps unsurprisingly, reveals more about humanity than it does about the bears.
• 
  Sara

  Terry Bisson is a terrific short story writer. Initially, I wrote this review for the title story only, but I have since finished the entire book, so this review is now updated and complete.
  
  Bears Discover Fire is a mixture of humor and pathos, that tells us more about the narrowness of people than the progressiveness of bears. The opening scene is a 60-some year old man changing a tire when two bears come out of the woods with torches and light his work area for him. Just the mental image made me laugh. What is serious about this story is buried in its humor. The bears are enlightened, most of the people are not.
  
  Thanks to my friend, Lynn, for the recommendation and my introduction to this writer.
  
  The Two Janets, a humorous tale about a girl who moves to the city from her provincial town to pursue a publishing career, while, ironically, all the famous writers move to her hometown.
  
  Over Flat Mountain - Great sci-fi story about a truck driver who picks up a hitchhiker in a much changed post-Apocalyptic Appalachia.
  
  George - What if your child is different, very different, and will not be like others and you could change that?
  
  Next Appears to be a simple story about two young people who want to marry, but morphs into something far beyond that. The couple are both black and there is a law, African Americans cannot marry one another. Bisson has definitely dealt with bureaucracy somewhere along the line.
  
  "It's because I want to marry Yusef."
  "Who just happens to be black? Let's get real, girl. There's nothing subtle about you same-race couples. The way you strut around, as if daring the world to rain on your disgusting little intraracial parade."
  
  Necronauts This is almost a novella and the best story in the bunch. It is about a blind painter who is pulled into an experiment designed to kill a person, bring him back and have him paint what is on the other side. It is eerie, gruesome, and fascinating. I hung on every word. Sci-fi lovers shouldn't miss this one.
  
  Two Guys from the Future - Super cute time warp story. Again, very sci-fi in content and style, but just captivating.
  
  Also included, but not 5-star material, as all the above were (still, not a bad story among them):
  
  They’re Made Out of Meat
  Press Ann
  The Coon Suit
  Are There Any Questions?
  The Toxic Donut
  Cancion Autentica de Old Earth
  Partial People
  Carl's Lawn & Garden
  The Message
  England Underway
  By Permit Only
  The Shadow Knows
  
  
  
• 
  Scott

  You're parked on the verge of a thick copse of trees, a flat tire marooning you on the side of the road. You're just working the nuts off the wheel in preparation for swapping in the spare when you hear a rustle from the bushes and look up. A wild bear is staring at you. A huge, upright, completely normal bear, other than the fact that like some furry Indiana Jones he is holding a burning torch in his right paw.
  
  That's how Terry Bisson's story Bears Discover Fire (and this collection) begins, with the revelation that the bears of North America have discovered fire and ceased hibernating for the winter, instead gathering around campfires for warmth. It's a great introduction to Bisson's imaginative style, where fantastic concepts are spun with compelling writing and a subtle sense of warmth that I really like.
  
  Even the odd story with a less-than-amazing concept underpinning it is mostly carried by Bisson's deft handling of character and pace, and the great majority of the works in this compilation are real winners.
  
  They're Made of Meat is deservedly a classic SF short story, and it’s the story that drew me to Bisson's work. If you haven't read it, Google it now. No really - stop reading this review and find it online. It's only a page or so long, and it's a great, great piece of very short SF.
  
  Necronauts is a real stand out- a fantastically compelling story about a blind artist who is drawn into experiments where people explore the boundaries between life and death, a realm where his sight is restored to him. While the idea is not a new one - the film Flatliners preceded Bisson's story by three years - the direction the story takes is novel, and far more interesting than take that made it to the big screen. It's a real winner.
  
  England Underway is another standout, a story where a single lonely old Englishman's impossible desire to visit his granddaughter in the USA results in the entire nation of England, Scotland and Wales detaching from its moorings and slowly powering away from Europe and across the Atlantic. The way protagonist Mr. Fox deals with this monumental occurrence, and the way British society adjusts to their home suddenly becoming the world's largest boat is both hilarious and plausible.
  
  The final story The Shadow Knows Rounds things off nicely, with a satisfying first contact story led by an aged astronaut called in to speak with an alien entity that will only speak to the elderly.
  
  There are, of course, a few bum notes - no short story collection is perfect. The Coon Suit fails to be either surprising or horrifying (which seems it's intention) and Partial People is a little weak too. By Permit Only is also weak – it just didn't work for me at all, and carried a sour hint of that made it an uncomfortable read, in a bad way.
  
  Other than these few however, Bears Discover Fire And Other Stories is a fantastic short story collection, with a much higher strike rate of good stories than many, many other SF compilations I’ve read. Bisson seems criminally unappreciated to my reader’s eye (I only heard of him recently myself), and he’s really worth your time.
  
  I’m hopeful that more people will read his work - that in time, Readers Discover Terry Bisson.
  
  Four furry stars.
• 
  inciminci

  I can't believe I had never heard of Terry Bisson before! The author was recommended to me by a friend in the first place and having watched the short film "They're Made Out of Meat" (available on youtube) I just had to have more Bisson and found this audiobook. I have to say I had a wonderful 7+ hours listening to this and often laughed out loud. I love the underlying humor/satire in most his stories and he truly knows how to criticize present circumstances by showing their absurd dimensions and furthering them; such as in "By Permit Only", a discerning story about a dystopia where everything, even crimes such as gross environmental pollution, sexual assaults and battery are regulated and allowed by permit in order to attain a balanced and stable society.
  I really enjoyed the rather super-short, interlude kind of stories such as "Partial People" or "Are There Any Questions?" but my absolute favorite is an emotional piece, "George", which is about a baby who is born with wings.
  I will definitely try to read more Bisson in the future, really enjoyed the experience! Plus, all three narrators were simply great!
• 
  Lizz

  I don’t write reviews.
  
  This collection was interesting, but not the best I’ve seen from Bisson. I’ve enjoyed the novels of his I’ve read thus far, and the best stories in this collection conveyed the kind of feeling of his longer works. Weird, yet recognizable, worlds, with backstories not fully described. Strange people you definitely know, too. Surreal normality.
  
  Also, there were some short punchy stories with little twists and jokes. Those didn’t do it for me, but they weren’t terrible either. (But they’re made of meat!)
  
  My two favourite stories were Necronauts (blind painter brought in to a life after death experiment to paint the world beyond this one) England Underway (old man in Brighton has his world literally and physically turned around as Britain starts moving across the ocean). Both of these, though completely different in tone and imagery, stayed with me. And I think they’ll take up permanent residence in the Bisson neighbourhood in my brain. Welcome!
• 
  Stephen

  3.0 stars. On average, I am going to go 3 stars on this collection but I do think that there are some really good to excellent stories (4 and 5 stars) in here. In the 4 and 5 star range, I would put "They are Made out of Meat," "Press Ann" and "Next" all of which I thought were excellent. While a decent tale, I was not as impressed by the Hugo Award winning title story and am not sure why it is so highly regarded. The rest of the stories are a mixed bag from good to okay with a few I just didn't care for.
  
  
• 
  Josh

  Find a way to read Bears Discover Fire, Over the Top, and Necronauts. Each one of those stories is nearly perfect. You get an interesting world with the edges blurred just enough that you need to squint and consider for yourself what might be going on underneath the action.
  They’re Made out of Meat, Two Janets, Partial People, Press Ann, and The Toxic Donut are all fun in their own right.
  The rest of the stories didn’t stick out for me, but weren’t painful to read. They may have felt a touch dated, or may have missed the emotional impact that Bisson tries to set up—The Coon Suit is one example of this.
  Great collection overall. Fun to read, interestingly crafted (the title story is better than advertised, and if anyone is interested I’ll dig up some criticism that swayed me), and full of heart.
  4 stars
• 
  Miloš Petrik

  If there is a major fault with this collection, it is that too many stories read like gags, and much of the humour does not appeal to me. Still, if I were to rate them individually, some of them would easily rate a 5 from me; notably
  Two Guys From the Future and
  Necronauts.
• 
  Richard

  This set of short stories makes me wonder if the author was working on a Philip K. Dick homage.
  
  The only thing consistent is some form of weirdness, although almost each one has a distinct vibe. Some are just plain crazy failed experiments, but a few are gems.
  
  ⑤ Bears Discover Fire — Although I'm more fond of They’re Made Out of Meat, I can understand why this one won the 1991 Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards for best short story. This is the best story in the collection. It's a gentle tale of how a phlegmatic fellow deals with problems and surprises, while most around him act with an absence of empathy or wisdom.
  ③ The Two Janets — Er, a very curious wish fulfillment fantasy? Amusing, but not too deep. Or maybe it's just deeper than I can detect.
  ⑤ They’re Made Out of Meat — As I said, this is my personal favorite. It isn't touching like the titular story, but it is more famous, because it has been
  filmed and reprinted repeatedly. Check that film out; it's not quite word-for-word from the short story, but it's close enough, and the film is a brilliant little seven-minute jewel that adds to the bizarreness of the story. Hopefully someday someone will find a higher-resolution version than this one. (Here's the
  IMDB link. Actually, it was filmed
  several times, but that's the best of them.) Briefly, the story is about aliens investigating these strange creatures that call themselves "human", but they're pretty disgusted by what they discover. It is provocative for reversing our anthropocentrism as well as positing a tragic answer to the
  Fermi Paradox, and commenting on the
  Chinese Room philosophical question. It was nominated for a Nebula the year after "Bears" won it; I think it deserved it more.
  ③ Over Flat Mountain — Strange. Appalachia uplifts beyond Earth's atmosphere. Then what? This is where I started to see the PDK similarity: Bisson occasionally seems to just create a very strange idea, and just play it out to see what happens, hit or miss.
  ④ Press Ann — Points for being amusing. ATMs getting a little too assertive, even judgmental?
  ② The Coon Suit — Nope. It starts off a lot like "Bears Discover Fire", then goes… nowhere.
  ⑤ George — Playful and thoughtful, kind of like "Bears", but more sweet. Wings on babies instead of bears with fire.
  ④ Next — If that hole in the ozone layer had gotten worse, so that being out in the sun is actively harmful to pale people, how would a racist society deal with the fact that folks with extra melanin had an "unfair" advantage?
  ② Necronauts — Ick. Innovative and experimental, but not in a way I found at all appealing. But at least the idea was interesting. It was also nominated for a Nebula award.
  ① Are There Any Questions? — one of the failed experiments: an idea that wasn't worth running with, even that far.
  ④ Two Guys from the Future — Another clever and sweet one. Not quite as good as the earlier five-star ones. Guys from the future, retrieving art that otherwise would be lost. Good idea, right?
  ① The Toxic Donut — Nope. The second failed experiment. Just a bit too arbitrary.
  ② Canción Auténtica de Old Earth — Almost failed; there's a despairing sadness behind this weak story that may have developed into something more powerful, but didn't.
  ① Partial People — The third failed experiment.
  ① Volunteer — The fourth failed experiment; almost makes it into the same "despairing sadness" as "Canción", but never get quite as close.
  ③ The Message — Like "Coon Suit", but funnier, with a satisfying thump at the end. Still, since the whole thing is just a setup, it isn't really satisfying.
  ④ England Underway — Almost five. Like "Over Flat Mountain" in that it is built around an absurd geological anomaly, but this time it's sweet and thoughtful, like "George". The characters are fleshed out briefly but fully, and the narrative is natural and satisfying. Definitely at the summit of his craft.
  ③ By Permit Only — Yet another environmental skit. Short and overplayed, like the others, but a little sharper and a little nastier, and just a little more satisfying.
  ⑤ The Shadow Knows — Wow, that was unexpected. The longest and most complex was saved for last, and it's a serious dive into science fiction. Not perfect — the alien's odd method of communication was pretty silly (and the stoner's explanation worse) and the end was a little anticlimactic, but it was still a very well-made story.
  
  Recommended, if only for the best ones.
• 
  Buck

  This is the first of Terry Bisson that I've read. I was completely unfamiliar with Bisson until recently I came across his name in a foreword by Ursula K Le Guin.
  
  Bears Discover Fire (1990)
  In the audio book I heard, this story was read by Stefan Rudnicki. I like Rudnicki's rich, deep, baritone, but it seemed somehow too somber for this tongue in cheek story. Actually, the story itself wasn't that light and in fact had a sad ending, but it involved bears with torches, and bears sitting around a bonfire.
  
  The Two Janets (1990)
  Famous authors are moving to a small Kentucky town and are seen by the townspeople at various local spots
  
  They're Made Out of Meat (1991)
  A conversation between two extraterrestrials in which one tries to convince the other that they've discovered a planet with sentient beings made of meat, impossible as that may sound.
  
  Over Flat Mountain (1990)
  In which a trucker and a hitchhiker cross up and over the eighteen-mile-high flat topped mountain that has uplifted where the Appalachians once were.
  
  Press Ann (1991)
  In which a couple trying to withdraw cash for a birthday date encounters an ATM machine with an attitude.
  
  The Coon Suit (1991)
  In which a fellow stops in his pickup to watch hunters baiting their dogs with raccoons.
  
  George (1993)
  In which a new father is encouraged by a doctor and a minister to have his baby boy's wings surgically removed.
  
  Next (1992)
  In which a black couple applies for a marriage license and ultimately is sentenced for conspiracy to break the law prohibiting same-race marriage.
  
  Necronauts (1993)
  In which a researcher, accompanied by her blind artist associate, searches for her lost love in the LAD (Life After Death)
  
  Are There Any Questions? (1992)
  A sales spiel for real estate made from recycled garbage
  
  Two Guys from the Future (1992)
  In which an artist's not-yet-famous famous paintings are rescued from a holocaust by two guys from the future. The most famous of her paintings is a nude of one of the guys from the future.
  
  The Toxic Donut (1993)
  A strange TV award presentation
  
  Canción Autentica de Old Earth (1992)
  This one I drew a complete blank on.
  
  Partial People (1993)
  Instructions on how not to deal with partial people
  
  Carl's Lawn & Garden (1992)
  Gaia is a landscape man's assistant.
  
  The Message (1993)
  In which dolphins speak to man
  
  England Underway (1993)
  In which the British Isle, due to plate tectonics according to King Charles, sails to New York for a brief visit.
  
  By Permit Only (1993)
  A woman's boss has a license for sexual assault, her husband has authorization to beat his wife, the KKK has a permit for a lynching, and her story has no plot.
  
  The Shadow Knows (1993)
  One of the longest stories in the collection, this first contact science fiction story is about the only one not written tongue in cheek.
  
  These stories by Terry Bisson put me in mind, just a little bit, of Neil Gaiman with a distinct Dickian twist. I'm not at all averse to reading more.
  
• 
  Anysha

  Výborná povídková kniha, jejíž autor je označován za nejvtipnějšího autora science-fiction devadesátých let. Na 100% souhlasím s vtipností a vynalézavostí všech příběhů, z nichž většina plyne naprosto obyčejně, než se objeví nějaký neočekávaný prvek. Právě způsob, jakým se snaží příběhy ozvláštnit je hodně jedinečný, jelikož všechny "divnosti" působí v kontextu děje vlastně úplně samozřejmě. Hodně se mi líbila i celková atmosféra Ameriky 90. let - přestože primárním účelem není vykreslení tehdejšího životního stylu, tak nějak automaticky ho z těch dlouhých dálnic a rasových předsudků vycítíte. Některé příběhy mají nečekaný konec (Mývalí kožíšek), jiné nám nabízejí určitou reflexi a poselství pro lidstvo (Jsou celí z masa, Toxický koblížek), ostatní jsou spíš od toho, abych se do nich ponořili a přesunuli se do světa, v kterém něco známe, ale nad něčím budeme nevěřícně kroutit hlavou (Medvědi objevují oheň, Přes plochou horu). Přemýšleli jste někdy, co by se stalo, kdyby vám bankomat kromě vkladu a výběru nabídl možnost "počasí"?
  
  Nejlepší povídky: Medvědi objevují oheň, Přes plochou horu, Stiskni Ann, Toxický koblížek, George
• 
  Andrew

  Though the plots and backdrops of his stories range from the fantastic to the straight up bizarre, Bisson has a skill for crafting believable, down to earth characters, avoiding the pitfall many science fiction and fantasy short story writers fall into of making the characters involved almost incidental to the gimmick. With Bisson you get both, complete with a touch of good ol' Southern country love (he does hail from Kentucky, after all.)
  
  Take the story the collection gathers it's name from, "Bears Discover Fire." You could say it is about bears, well... discovering how to use fire. Which would, on a technical level, be true. But you could also say it is about the lead (human) character, his relationships with his brother and their ailing mother, and the insensitivity of the average man in the modern age.
  
  The collection overall has a bit of a hit and miss feel, though most of them hit. Worth checking out if you want a bit more heart in your fantasy and science fiction.
• 
  Martin Malík

  To čo boli pre mňa
  Jeruzalémské sny minulý rok, je táto zbierka poviedok pre tento. Výborne namiešaný kokteil bizarnosti, počas ktorého však stále visí vo vzduchu otázka "Čo keď predsa len...". Niektoré poviedky ma zasiahli menej ako iné, no to je pri poviedkových výberoch pravidlom. Autora som doteraz nepoznal, o to väčšie bolo moje prekvapenie, keď som knihu otvoril. Poviedky sú rôzne. Od enviromentálnych apelov, ktoré sú žiaľ, už pre nás skutočnosťou, cez vidiny sveta, do ktorého sa budú robiť exotické zájazdy z iných planét, až po tie, ktoré upozorňujú na netrpezlivosť človeka, ktorého pamäť je až príliš krátka. Skvelá knihy, skvelý preklad. Najlepšia zbierka sci-fi poviedok ktorú som čítal. Aj keď to sci-fi je až príliš reálne.
• 
  Malum

  Magical realism/sci-fi short stories. Bisson has a lot of interesting ideas but drives me crazy with his anticlimactic writing style. Instead of a big or shocking resolution, many of his stories simply just end. It's like ending a story with a "meh" instead of a bang.
• 
  Peter Tillman

  Title story is online here:
  https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fi...
  5 stars! Wonderful story. Not to be missed!
  
  "They're Made out of Meat!" Easy 5-star short, Online copy:
  https://www.mit.edu/people/dpolicar/w...
  
  "Two Guys from the Future" (1992). 5 stars! Here's a facsimile of the original publication, in OMNI:
  
  http://www.williamflew.com/omni167a.html
  
  I should reread the whole collection, which has some of his best work. Is there a ToC at the main page? [looks] Yes. And Buck's detailed 4-star review is the one to read. Awesome stories here. Bumping it up on the TB reread list!
  
  More Bisson freebies online:
  https://www.freesfonline.net/authors/...
  And more cool short-short freebies!
  https://www.tor.com/2022/09/12/seven-...
• 
  Vanda

  Povídky jsem začala doceňovat až v poslední době. Autor si v nich může dovolit ledacos, věci, které by mě u románu doháněly k šílenství, mi najednou připadají vyloženě sympatické. V tomto ohledu jsem si Bissonovy texty velice užila, jejich hravost, nevážnost, jistou tendenci prostě jen skončit či vyšumět, brala jsem je jako ochutnávky, jemný závan zvláštní atmosféry bez dalších očekávání. Ehm. Koukám, že ty rozvolněné se mi asi pod kůži zaryly víc než ty chytře vypointované (a že jich je asi většina). Nejvíc se mi líbily povídky "Stín to ví", "Medvědi objevují oheň", "Canción auténtica staré Země " a "George".
• 
  John Devlin

  They're Made of Meat is possibly the single, funniest short I've ever read.
• 
  Remo

  Tras leer
  They are made out of meat, vi que este otro relato del mismo autor sí tenía el Hugo y el Nebula, y a por él me he venido. Es un relato extraño; no es ciencia ficción tal y como la espero, y al mismo tiempo describe un mundo claramente anómalo, que intenta ser internamente coherente. El estilo de escritura del autor, que habla a través de un granjero del medio oeste americano de 61 años, es absolutamente maravilloso. Me ha encantado la historia a pesar de no saber exactamente a dónde me ha llevado.
  Hay
  un corto basado en el relato que creo que captura perfectamente su espíritu.
• 
  Karen

  This series of early 1990's sci-fi short stories is great! Some stories were dark, most were lighthearted. All of them give us something to think about concerning our future, our earth, and what violations of our planet might prompt certain technology out of necessity. The stories also made me realize that 30 years ago we had such high hopes for a cool, modern, tech-driven world in 2020-2030, yet here we are still bickering over fossil fuels and climate change.
• 
  Roseb612

  Tohle je povídková kniha a jako taková má tedy slabší a silnější místa. Pro mě osobně nejlépe fungují "dialogické" povídky, celé psané v přímé řeči, jako jsou povídky Jsou celí z masa, Stiskni Ann, Další či Vzkaz - tohle jsou pro mě vrcholy knížky. Bissonovy povídky jsou vždy postaveny na nějakém pro nás zatím nepředstavitelném faktu - medvědi umějí používat oheň, Anglie se plaví Antlantikem, dítě se narodí s křídly atd. Ale vždy se autorovi podaří tento nečekaný fakt provázat s realitou a za tím absurdnem najít něco víc. Příběh George, chlapce s křídly, nebo Nekompletních lidí vytahuje téma jinakosti a tlaku na konformitu, povídka Další má až pomalu kafkovskou atmosféru a tak by se dalo pokračovat. Někdy se ale Bissonova nadsázka dnes už příliš blíží realitě (např. povídka Pouze s povolením a její "Jak jistě víte, vypouštět zpolodiny je dnes naprosto legální, pokud si zaplatíte náležité povolení.") a pak nezbývá než doufat, že tak daleko jako zašla autorova fantazie nezajdeme i v reálu.
  Vím, že k některým povídkách se určitě vrátím, protože jsou skvělé, jiné mě ale minuly a proto ty celkově pouze čtyři hvězdičky.
  Mimochodem tohle je jeden z prvních knižních překladů Viktora Janiše a už tehdy byl skvělý.
  
  Kontext: To tom Tarzanovi jsem si potřebovala spravit chuť a tohle zafungovalo perfektně.
  
  První věta: "Píchli jsme v neděli večer na dálnici I65, severně od Bowling Green." (Medvědi objevují oheň)
  
  Poslední věta: "Což jenom dokazuje, jak kdysi řekl Chuck Berry, že člověk nikdy neví." (Stín to ví III)
• 
  lanius_minor

  Ze žánru sci-fi toho zatím moc načteno nemám a vědecko-fantastická povídka mě míjela zcela. První povídky sbírky proto byly velkým překvapením, co vše se pod tento pojem vejde a že to zdaleka není jen o robotech a letech do vesmíru. Jenomže kouzlo nového a nadšení z nápaditých námětů po pár kouscích vyprchalo, když se ukázalo, že ty neotřelé motivy nikam nesměřují, že jim chybí gradace a pointa. A pak přišla předposlední povídka Pouze s povolením a ta končí slovy: "A to je konec mého příběhu. Jestli se vám nelíbí, vyserte si voko. Svoje stížnosti si klidně adresujte newyorskému úřadu Svazu spisovatelů, oddělení zápletek, kde je zaregistrováno povolení k obejití pointy č. 5994. Poplatek byl řádně zaplacen." Stěžovat si zjevně nemá smysl. Budu tedy raději chválit. Autora za povídky George (o chlapci s křídly), Další (o potížích monorasového páru s uzavřením sňatku), Dva chlápci z budoucnosti (o romantice napříč časem) a Anglie zvedá kotvy (o plavbě britských ostrovů k americkému pobřeží). A překladatele Viktora Janiše za skvěle odvedenou práci. Na stole mi shodou okolností leží jiná kniha povídek, jiného autora, kterou ale překládal týž překladatel. Už se těším.
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  Negativni

  Kratka priča
  They're Made Out of Meat mi je bila dovoljno zanimljiva da provjerim što je Terry Bisson još napisao. U njegovoj biografiji piše da je najpoznatiji po već spomenutoj priči i ovoj - Bears Discover Fire. Kod ove je nažalost sve zanimljivo već u samom naslovu.
  
  Dakle, medvjedi prestanu spavati zimski san i umjesto toga počnu paliti vatre i gledati u njih.
  
  Napisana je nezgrapnim rečenicama, punima nepotrebnih detalja i sročenima tako da sam pomislio da Bissonu engleski nije prvi jezik. Ironija je što je ova osvojila mnoge nagrade - čak i Hugo! - koji je 1990. još nešto i značio, a They're Made Out of Meat je zaradila samo nominaciju za Nebulu.
  
  
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  Rachel

  I am in awe. Imagination and writing chops. And remarkably not all that dated even though the stories are 30 years old.
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  Radiantflux

  3rd book for 2022.
  
  A surprisingly uneven collection of short stories by Terry Bisson. The two standouts are Bears Discover Fire and They’re Made Out of Meat—the rest range from very poor to OK.
  
  A number of the stories reminded me of weak versions of possible JG Ballard stories (I noticed some other reviews mentioned PKD in a similar fashion). However, Ballard was a much better writer, both in use of language and his willingness to dive deeper into ideas.
  
  I don't think this is a collection worth reading.
  
  2-stars.
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  Peacegal

  This collection of short stories certainly doesn't skimp on the creativity. As with any collection, there were stories I really enjoyed and those that were just "meh" for me. I especially enjoyed the wicked skewering of pollution credits that envisioned a perhaps not-too-distant future in which people could purchase "offsets" that allow them to do just about anything.
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  Altivo Overo

  Anthologies are always a mixed basket. Some of these stories I liked. Others made me go to ZzZzzz... And that's why it took so long to finish.
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  Timothy

  A great collection of stories so far:
  
  pp. 11-23: title story, a droll, sad masterpiece
  
  pp. 24-33: “The Two Janets,” where America’s great writers move to Owensboro, Indiana, and Thomas Disch moves to Evansville — or at least attends the speedboat races. This story reminded me of the terrific kids’ show from decades ago, “Eerie, Indiana.”
  
  pp. 34-37: “They’re Made of Meat,” a classic short-short (well, it is four pages), a high concept joke, really, about aliens and visitations.
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  Steve

  The sequel to the less well-known Terry Bisson story, "Bears Discover Matches."*
  
  I am going to cheat. This is not a review of this entire book but of the title story alone. (Since I have not actually read most of the book, I will not give a rating.)
  
  "Bears Discover Fire" is one of my favorite short stories of any kind, not just in science fiction or fantasy. It is not principally about bears discovering fire. To me, this is a story about the narrator, Bobby, a sixty-one year old man, unmarried and childless, and members of his family, his brother, his twelve year old nephew, and his mother. They all live in western Kentucky.
  
  I don't think that Bobby is intended to be an unreliable narrator. If I'm right about that, then he is a very nice guy. His mother is in a nursing home and Bobby visits her three times a week. He frequently takes care of his nephew and they seem to be close.
  
  During the course of the story, people find out that bears have indeed discovered fire. Bears also seemed to have mellowed out and are not a threat to people.
  
  Bobby and his family have several encounters with the bears as the story goes on.
  
  This is a very sweet and charming story. It's no wonder that it won every award in sight.
  
  *Joke, in case you couldn't tell. But how do the bears light fires? And how do they carry torches?