he Perseids and Other Stories contains nine tales by Robert Charles Wilson, three of which are published here for the first time. In addition, Wilson includes an afterword in which he comments on each of the stories. The stories are loosely related.
In "The Fields of Abraham," a teenage Jewish immigrant orphan copes with the strains of caring for his mentally ill older sister, until faced with a troubling employment opportunity for her and the mysterious revelations of Oscar Ziegler, the proprietor of Finders, a strange used bookstore. "The Perseids" tells of a love triangle between a recently divorced astronomy enthusiast, a telescope saleswoman and her former lover, a wealthy heir with a strange theory about humans colonizing a new domain of art, religion and literature he calls the gnososphere. In "The Observer," a Toronto teenager with visions of strange beings watching her is sent to spend a summer with her uncle in California, where she meets Edwin Hubble.
"Protocols of Consumption" deals with the reluctant relationship between a mentally ill divorcee and one of his fellow therapy group patients who believes he communicates with insects. "Ulysses Sees the Moon in the Bedroom Window" postulates the existence of beings so advanced that their most important activities are trivial and unnoticed by humans. In "Plato's Mirror," an admirer gives a writer a mirror like one described in one of his books, leading to a tragic relationship. In "Divided by Infinity," Oscar Ziegler gives a book describing an immortality theory to the suicidal widower of his former employee, and the widower finds himself living a perpetually unlikely existence. The collection closes with "Pearl Baby," in which Deidre Frank, the inheritor of the Finders bookstore, gives birth to a strange creature, and then tries to hide it from the inquisitive teenage girl she is babysitting.
Troubled characters in SF horror
In his afterword, Wilson describes the genesis of these stories, some of which were written for the Canadian horror anthology series Northern Frights, as mounting "a science fiction engine in a horror story chassis." It's an apt description, though the stories often read more like contemporary literary fiction until fantastic and science fictional elements emerge during the climax and resolution. Wilson populates these stories with troubled, complex characters living mostly unhappy lives. And while these stories have a lot of common elements besides Toronto, Finders and the overlapping characters--such as mental illness, love triangles, failing relationships, odd theories about life and nature, alternative religions--they're all distinctive, and none of the characters, despite having similar problems, seems repetitive. Wilson is masterful at integrating the fantastic elements with his characters' life issues. The storylines are subtle enough that the fantastic events at the climax are almost always subject to multiple interpretations. And where Wilson does delve into the speculative philosophies, he develops them coherently and persuasively in a very short space.
All of the stories are very strong, but "The Fields of Abraham" is one of the most poignant. In this story, Wilson brilliantly portrays the horrific choices Jacob bravely faces in dealing with his sister's constantly worsening illness. "The Observer" is another strong story, and perhaps the one that comes closest to being upbeat, as Hubble teaches Sandra a new way to perceive her visions. "Protocols of Consumption" is a vivid and effective portrayal of varying degrees of mental illness. "The Perseids," "The Inner Inner City," and "Plato's Mirror" are outstanding examinations of the fragility of relationships.
The Perseids and Other Stories is a brilliant collection of short stories by a very fine writer. It shouldn't be missed.
