Going Native
J. Manfred Weichsel
DimensionBucket Media
Paperback $11.99
ebook $2.99
What happens when you go native? Any number of things, usually not something you would want to happen.
Weichsel has been quietly making a name for himself in the small press, and this is his first collection. It contains six stories of varying length. They range from science fiction to fantasy to odd mixes of both. I’d like to thank the author for providing me with a review copy.
The title story concerns a young man touring the galaxy as the scions of the upper classes are wont to do when he gets involved with a young…female would be the best word. He’s been warned not to form any liaisons with the natives. He ignores such sound advice, as the scions of the upper classes are wont to do, and learns a whole new aspect to the phrase “going native”.
“The Funniest Story Ever Told” puts a fresh spin on the flying saucer story and what happens when aliens bearing gifts are laughed at.
“Complicit in Their Bondage” starts out as a lost world story but quickly morphs into something else. An American soldier who finds himself in a hidden kingdom learns that not all lost worlds are Shangri-Las.
If Clark Ashton Smith and Stephen King were to collaborate, the result might look something a lot like “The Garden of Prince Shi-Wiwi”. A guard escorting a group of dignitaries on a tour of Prince Shi-Wiwi’s garden learns the hard way that not everyone will appreciate his attempts to build bridges rather than walls between people. This was my second favorite story in the book.
“Alter Ego” is the longest story in the book. It concerns a man in a mental hospital who thinks he’s suffering from ghastly hallucinations of kidnapping, murder, and demon possession. I’m not spoiling too much to say he’s not as crazy as he thinks he is. This one has some disturbing imagery and is probably not for the squeamish.
My favorite was the final story, “We Might Not Have Fire, but We Sure as Hell Have Fury”. A special ops soldier is betrayed and seemingly killed but wakes up centuries in the future. Earth has been overrun by aliens who resemble giant snakes, but with legs and arms. He leads a rebellion and wins the princess. My only complaint is that the ending wrapped up a little too neatly. I’m hoping this one will be expanded into a novel.
Weichsel is a writer who is not afraid to push boundaries or take chances. On the whole, he’s successful. There’s a fair bit of sex and violence here, so his work won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But if you want something different than the usual paint by numbers science fiction and fantasy from a writer who will surprise you, give Going Native a try.