Nocturnal Emissions

Vividly mixing SF, horror, and mundane life, Thomas's intense first collection of six published and three new stories should be read with all the lights on. "Godhead Dying Downwards" grabs readers with the tale of a priest who solves the mystery of his own death. "The Hosts" shows parental love even in the face of repulsive infection. "The Pool of Tears" is a poignant series of letters about bedtime stories. In the sad and beautiful "The Night Swimmers," a UFO abduction is both more and less than it appears. In "Demeter," a screenwriter makes a pitch while twisting over his last sale. In "The Possessed," the voyage of three humans to a far-flung planet takes a horrifying turn. "Nocturnal Emissions," which might be a novella or 15 ministories, is—like the collection as a whole—weird, inexplicable, sometimes humorous, sometimes rude and uncomfortable, and always intriguing. (Oct.)