Evil Water

This fourth collection of stories by a prolific sci-fi author resembles nothing so much as a crazy quilt. The influence of writers as diverse as Hawthorne and Barthelme is obvious; in addition, Watson takes delight in throwing the reader off-balance. Satire is basic to ""The Great Atlantic Swimming Race'' and ``On the Dream Channel Panel.'' ``When the Timegate Failed'' and ``When Idaho Dived'' are straight sci-fi, and ``Evil Water'' is vintage gothic. In the title story, Paul and his pregnant wife Alicia move to a small town that was once devastated by bubonic plague. Paul is sexually frustrated and ultimately seduced by a centuries-old witch who sees him as her meal ticket out of the village. In ``The Wire Around the World,'' a paean to peace, the narrator sacrifices himself to a beast-human who resembles a ``gross fat Buddha'' to prevent world war. The collection is inventive; veteran Watson is clearly in control of his material. (January)