None So Blind: A Short Story Collection

The title tale in this new collection from Haldeman (Worlds Apart) is a stunner; it won the 1995 Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards for best short story. In it, two misfit geniuses, a neurosurgeon and a blind musician, revolutionize near-future society by discovering how blindness enhances the learning process. Perhaps this is a ""crazy idea,"" as Haldeman labels it in an author's note, but it's inspired as well, as are most of the 15 selections here, all first published between 1986 and 1994. In fact, two other Hugo winners grace the book: ""The Hemingway Hoax"" builds the classic SF concept of multiple universes into a novella rich in characterization and insights into the creative process; ""Graves"" reflects-as does much of his work-Haldeman's Vietnam experience. Some of the pieces here are too short to have much impact, but the four story-poems are very effective, and ""If I Had the Wings of an Angel"" speaks eloquently to the young adult market. The introduction and notes that round out the collection say much about the process of turning ideas into stories-a transformation at which, apparently, Haldeman is still a master. (May)