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Michael R. Collings (essay date 1986)

SOURCE: "The Short Fiction," in Brian Aldiss, Starmont House, 1986, pp. 78-82.

[In the following essay, Collings surveys Aldiss's short fiction, discussing the author's approach to and handling of the various settings, themes, and subjects in his works.]

While much of Aldiss' energy has been directed toward novels, he has also published over three-hundred short stories, making him one of the most prolific authors in the field. While many of his short stories are inaccessible to most readers (for example, a number appeared in the British New Worlds SF, which is quite difficult to find), Aldiss published others as parts of collections. Beginning with Space, Time and Nathaniel in 1957, Aldiss has published No Time Like Tomorrow (1959), The Canopy of Time (1959), Galaxies Like Grains of Sand (1960), Equator (1961), The Airs...

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1. Introduction
2. Principal Works
3. Criticism
   1. Brian Aldiss (essay date 1976)
   2. Richard Mathews (essay date 1977)
   3. David Wingrove (essay date 1979)
   4. Thomas M. Disch (review date 1980)
   5. Philip Smith (review date 1982)
   6. Michael R. Collings (essay date 1985)
   7. Michael R. Collings (essay date 1986)
   8. Rosemary Herbert (review date 1986)
   9. Philip E. Smith II (essay date 1986)
   10. Gary K. Wolfe (review date 1993)
4. Further Reading
5. Copyright