One of the first books I ever bought in adulthood (meaning out of college and earning my own way) was a Barnes & Noble bargain hardback called REEL FUTURE. Edited by Forrest J. Ackerman and Jean Stine, it anthologized 16 short stories that became classic science-fiction films. Its first publication was in 1994.
In 1998, Brian M. Thomsen and Martin H. Greenberg assembled a similar anthology, with precious little overlap, making it as much as a must-have. And now, they’ve updated THE REEL STUFF, adding two stories to the previous edition’s 11 tales, making it even more of a must-have.
In his introduction, the late Thomsen confesses two things that immediately put REEL STUFF on my good side:
1. His introduction to fantasy literature was via movie tie-ins.
2. “True, movie-wise I may not be as discriminating as others, sometimes relishing bad movies more than good ones, but in the greater scheme of things that really doesn’t matter … what matters is that they always leave me wanting more, which, once again, usually leads me back to the authors from whence it all originally came.”
A healthy mix of movies good and bad were made from the works here, but the good news for readers is that far more of the stories are worthy than not.
Philip K. Dick appears to be modern Hollywood’s current favorite go-to sci-fi author, and he’s the reigning king here, represented by three stories: “Second Variety,” “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” and “The Minority Report.” These became the films SCREAMERS, TOTAL RECALL and, um, MINORITY REPORT. Oddly, “Second Variety” seems to have the most faithful adaptation, despite a difference of locale (Earth here, another planet for the miserable flick); it concerns the government’s robotic creations that whirl and chop up humans. For me, it’s the most enjoyable of the bunch; I’ve never cared for the other two (sacrilege!)
Donald A. Wollheim’s “Mimic” is short, but definitely sweet, about overgrown insects who can pass as people — at least long enough to fool humans into getting close enough so they can become meals. It became the 1997 Guillermo del Toro film of the same name, but I think its plot manifested itself more in the little-scene DTV sequel MIMIC 2.
“Amanda and the Alien” is a terrific tale from Robert Silverberg, and the basis for a halfway decent made-for-cable movie starring Nicole Eggert that I’ve actually seen. Both concern a California girl who befriends an alien disguised as one of us, but not very well, so she takes it home to help.
Of all the stories here, “Sandkings” was the revelation for me. George R.R. Martin’s speculative tale involves a rich guy who keeps colonies of highly intelligent ants that wage war with one another and evolve. It’s eerie and exciting, so much so that I had to rent the episode of THE OUTER LIMITS it spawned. It disappointed, but Martin’s story continues to haunt me. (Martin’s “Nightflyers,” however, does nothing for me, and the 1987 movie is junk.)
Over the years, I’ve tried several times to get into John Varley’s “Air Raid,” and never been able to, because it loses my interest so early. And its movie version, MILLENNIUM, looks awful. But over the years, I’ve returned to Clive Barker’s “The Forbidden,” because it’s one of my favorites of his work. And its movie version, CANDYMAN, is a brainy horror flick I’ve admired even longer.
I’m also not a fan of the man/alien team-up “Enemy Mine” by Barry Longyear, but if Wolfgang Petersen’s 1985 adaptation is as good as people say, I’m willing to give the source material another shot someday. “Herbert West — Reanimator” is almost nothing like Stuart Gordon’s classic RE-ANIMATOR, but H.P. Lovecraft’s wordy five-parter is a must-read for fans. The elements are there, even if the macabre humor of the movies is not.
Finally, there’s John W. Campbell’s “Who Goes There?” which birthed not one, but two horror classics: THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD and THE THING. Both films, in their own way, are pretty faithful to Campbell’s plot of a shapeshifting alien discovered by an Arctic expedition, but John Carpenter’s 1982 remake is more so. It also one-ups the story with its imaginative, nightmarish visuals. —Rod Lott
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF MARTIN H. GREENBERG:
• A PRISONER OF MEMORY AND 24 OF THE YEAR’S FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg
• THE ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING DETECTIVE AND 19 OF THE YEAR’S FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES edited by by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg
• AMERICAN PULP edited by Ed Gorman, Bill Pronzini and Martin H. Greenberg
• THE BEST HORROR STORIES OF ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE edited by Frank D. McSherry, Martin H. Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh
• NIGHTMARES ON ELM STREET: FREDDY KRUGER’S SEVEN SWEETEST DREAMS edited by Martin H. Greenberg
• THE WIDOW OF SLANE AND SIX MORE OF THE BEST CRIME AND MYSTERY NOVELLAS OF THE YEAR edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg
• WOLF WOMAN BAY AND NINE MORE OF THE FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY NOVELLAS OF THE YEAR edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF BRIAN M. THOMSEN:
• THE AWFUL TRUTHS: FAMOUS MYTHS, HILARIOUSLY DEBUNKED edited by Brian M. Thomsen
• THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF BEOWULF: CHAMPION OF MIDDLE EARTH edited by Brian M. Thomsen
• NOVEL IDEAS: FANTASY edited by Brian M. Thomsen
• NOVEL IDEAS: SCIENCE FICTION edited by Brian M. Thomsen
• OVAL OFFICE OCCULT: TRUE STORIES OF WHITE HOUSE WEIRDNESS edited by Brian M. Thomsen
• PASTA FAZOOL FOR THE WISEGUY’S SOUL by Brian M. Thomsen
• A YULETIDE UNIVERSE: SIXTEEN FANTASTICAL TALES edited by Brian M. Thomsen
Related posts:
- A Prisoner of Memory and 24 of the Year’s Finest Crime and Mystery Stories
- The Further Adventures of Beowulf: Champion of Middle Earth
- Wolf Woman Bay and Nine More of the Finest Crime and Mystery Novellas of the Year
- Sleeping Dogs
- Nightmares on Elm Street: Freddy Krueger’s Seven Sweetest Dreams
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I remember reading Sandkings in Omni Magazine back in the day, loved that story. Amanda and the Alien sounds familiar, it might have been in Omni too.