3 stories that talk about solitude in a
weird, quirky & unique way. That's what happens when a SciFi author writes about solitude?
Three types of solitude by Brian Aldiss comprises three short stories around the concept of solitude, each different. All the stories have a significant output from solitude. Written by a sci-fi writer, these stories have a touch of science, artificial intelligence, past & future ; which makes this book quite interesting.
About those 3 stories:
Happiness in Reverse is a letter sent by a judge to his wife regarding a case he’s dealing with. It's about a man who has possibly managed to invent a way of asexual reproduction with a wooden dummy, and that's now spreading like a fire. The letter gets as weird as possible but the judge wants to tell his wife something through the letter...
In A Single-Minded Artist, a famous artist wants to run away from fame. No matter where he goes, someone knows him. So, he paves his way to happiness in a small town where nobody knows him, even a girl with whom he marries. The quirky ending of this story is everything.
Brian truly proves his sci-fi skills in the last story. Talking Cubes is about old lovers who meet randomly and find out that they are on opposite sides in a war that's going on. The story involves a holography concept, and my god, that was haunting and unique to especially when we are talking of love & solitude.
I enjoyed the book because I have never read anything like this. The wit & humour is amazing in the stories, and so are the uncanny twists. I agree that it gets weird at some points. I solely bought this based on the title, but I don't regret it at all. Having said all the things, I would also like to mention that this book isn't for everyone. Some may dislike it to the extreme.
So, it's your call. But if you really want to read something different, go for it.