Love in Vain

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Short Story Collection Of Shiner's Best Work
Review: It's a pity this slender tome is out of print. It certainly deserves being republished, hopefully by one of the major publishers based in New York City. Shiner's strengths in examining the human condition are abundantly evident here. Although known primarily as a writer of science fiction and fantasy, there are many tales in this collection which don't neatly fit into either category. One of the most notable examples is his homage to rock and roll in "Jeff Beck", one of his finest tales of short fiction. Yet there are memorable tales such as "Mystery Train" in which Elvis Presley sees a glimpse of his future and "Steam Engine Time", with its fascinating mix of 19th Century Western and rock and roll, and "Gold", a memorable fantasy about buried treasure and legendary pirate Jean Lafitte. Here's hoping that this fine short story collection shall be published again soon in a larger printing; it certainly deserves a wide readership.