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Heat Of Fusion And Other Stories by John M. Ford
01/11/2004 . Source: Paul Hanley 
pub: TOR/Forge. 366 page hardback. Price: $24.95 (US), $34.95 (CAN). ISBN: 0-312-85546-X. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.tor.com
John M. Ford is an American writer who has apparently written some 8 novels and numerous short stories but this is the first time I can recall reading one of his books. 'Heat Of Fusion' is an anthology not only containing stories but, unusually for SF, poetry. Some of the poetry is in classic forms such as sonnets. I quite enjoyed it and the following, titled 'Galactic Empires' gives a flavour:-
One would not think that Empire could survive
As starships Roman cavalry displace;
The politics of Space must needs derive
From Einstein's time, Planck's heat, and Riemann's Space.
Yet history repeats some (heedless) say,
Analogies persist, however crude,
And democratic notions all give way
To fealty and service, fief and feud.
The Empire will not die, as mortals must,
The purple of their robes is colorfast;
Their golden age untouched by moth or rust,
And liberties, it seems, cannot outlast
The paper image of a narrow Rome
Bestrode by cardboard Caesars dressed in crome.
I enjoyed some of this book but not all of it. This, I confess, may be me rather than the author. However, there is a deal of difference between stories not only as to subject and length but also style of writing. To deal just with the prose, there are short stories with a coherent plot and a conclusion such as 'The Prosecutor's Tale' which deals with what is effectively an official administering an appropriate sentence to a wrongdoer. I won't go into details as that would ruin the story ending for someone who subsequently reads it. However, the author creates a believable world with various characters meeting on a journey. It is reminiscent of Chaucer's characters meeting en route to a pilgrimage. The wrongdoer knows someone is after him but which of his fellow passengers is it? How will he react when he finds out? This tale unfolds to a satisfactory ending, with an unexpected element to it.
Similarly, with 'Shelter From The Storm' which starts out as someone trying to stop a planetary invasion against a much stronger enemy whose commander has beaten the narrator in battle before. Although the narrator beats his foe, this story also has a twist in the tale.
I enjoyed both these stories. However, there were others that seemed more disjointed.This is a book perhaps best to dip in to and to borrow from the library rather than to buy.
Paul Hanley
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