Terminal Visions

Rating:
Summary: From Marty Halpern, the Editor of TERMINAL VISIONS
Review: "Listen to My Heartbeat," in the January 1988 issue of "Asimov's," became my first introduction to Richard's writing, and his short fiction in particular. In preparation for working on this collection, I reread that story in the summer of 1999 -- and delighted in the fact that, more than ten years later, the story hadn't aged at all, that it still remains one of the most powerful pieces of short fiction I have ever read. Richard Paul Russo weaves the essence of the human spirit into his writing such that it grabs you by the mind, and the gut, and won't let go until long after you have devoured the final words of the story. "Listen to My Heartbeat" opens this short story collection, but the power and mastery of Richard's writing doesn't stop there -- it will carry you through each of the other thirteen stories, and you will be rewarded all along the way.

For those of you already familiar with Richard's novel-length work, you know that his writing has a hard edge to it, a bite, and this short story collection reflects that style of writing as well -- from the jungles of Viet Nam in "Season of the Rains," to violence on the streets of San Francisco in "Celebrate the Bullet," to the survivors aboard an escape pod lost in the nonuniverse in "The Open Boat."

Richard and I painstakingly edited, line by line, each of the fourteen stories in this collection. Consequently this is some of the best, tightest, short fiction you will read from -- in my opinion -- one of the most underrated, underappreciated authors writing today. But then again, I'm prejudiced, I edited this collection. Upon working out my editorial relationship with Golden Gryphon Press, I informed the publisher that the first book I wanted to work on was a collection from author Richard Paul Russo. Of all the writers out there deserving of a first short story collection, I chose Richard -- and now that the book itself is a reality, I hope that you will share in the experience and partake in a few of Richard Paul Russo's TERMINAL VISIONS.

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended, haunting
Review: Enjoy fourteen fine stories which are set on Earth and which paint very different stories of men who dream of space, other worlds, and salvation. From urban gun scenes to solar contemplation, the backgrounds are different but the visions - ultimately of hope - are similar and moving. Highly recommended, haunting.

Rating:
Summary: The Concise Russo
Review: Russo's novels (at least the ones I've read, Carlucci's Edge and Carlucci's Heart) offer a dark, Blade-Runneresque vision of a near-future San Francisco in which chaos rules the streets and cops keep their heads down.

Terminal Visions is both wider and narrower -- wider in that these short stories are set in a variety of locales with differing casts, different premises, and different tones (although 'noir' seems to be the prevailing one). Narrower in that, like John Varley's short stories, these are miniature universes unto themselves, sketching out in a few hundred words an entire scenario for a possible future. Russo's spare use of language, and haunting ideas, make this one of the best and most thought-provoking collections of shorts I've read since The Barbie Murders.

Wonderful stuff.

Rating:
Summary: Terminal Visons
Review: Russo's stories are grim and gritty, stark and bleak glimpses into the dark dystopia of the near future. His vision is powerful and haunting, darkly perceptive and prophetic in the terminal rites of passage...

Gary S. Potter Author/Poet

Rating:
Summary: Terminal Visons
Review: Russo's stories are grim and gritty, stark and bleak glimpses into the dark dystopia of the near future. His vision is powerful and haunting, darkly perceptive and prophetic in the terminal rites of passage...

Gary S. Potter Author/Poet

Rating:
Summary: Nominated for the Arthur C. Clark Award
Review: Terminal Visions is an outstanding anthology showcasing fourteen short story writings of Richard Russo. The compelling selections include science fiction themes (eleven set on Earth). The themes run from alien encounters to the human condition to triumph over seemingly overwhelming conditions. Terminal Visions very nicely documents why Russo, who has won the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award and been nominated for the Arthur C. Clark Award, is considered on of the best of today's speculative fiction authors.