Impossible Fruit by Gary J Mack

Impossible Fruit is a selection of sci-fi and fantasy short stories, which were written by multi-genre author Gary J Mack in 2018-2019. This brings together his earlier writing, prior to the release of his novel-length work. I picked this up to sample his writing and after reading this collection his novels are definitely going to be added to my ‘to be read’ pile.

This collection is difficult to review simply because of the range of the material, although as you progress through the stories you realise Mack has actually created a multiverse setting. For the observant reader there are all manner of pleasing connections and links between the stories and certain characters. Within the pages you’ll find modern-day horror, historical fiction, far-future sci-fi and fantasy/science fantasy. It’s a heady brew, giving you a reading experience full of unpredictable twists and turns.

With such a wide range of stories some tales are going to work better for readers than others, and that was the case with me. Parallelapocalypse is set in 1980s Britain, where a postman learns Margaret Thatcher has been assassinated. Then it gets weirder. This story reminded me strongly of Micheal Moorcock’s writing in the 1960s and 1970s. Immortal was a quintessentially English tale as Princess Elizabeth visits an immortal Viking lord and listens as he shares his strange story. Impossible Fruit, which gives the series its title, was a personal favourite. Two robots crave having a child together in this clever, action-filled tale bursting with ideas that would easily fill a full-length novel, if not a series. I absolutely loved the ending of this one. Another standout was Petal The Assassin – a fun short modern tale with a dual point of view and a great surprise at the end.

Sometimes I struggled a bit with the sheer weight of ideas packed into each story, which I think would have benefited from either being pared back a little or given more room to grow in a longer novella or novel. There were also a few tales where I felt the story ended very abruptly, leaving me wanting more or perhaps simply a more rounded resolution. Overall, once I’d finished the collection I was unable to decide whether this works best as an introduction to Mack’s work or is actually more of a deep dive for those who have already read the novels. Short fiction set in a wider world can sometimes be difficult in this regard.

Either way, the imagination on display here is incredible and I was impressed by the ambition to write work which is distinctive and very much its own thing. I think Mack’s writing would definitely appeal to fans of Michael Moorcock, Philip K Dick, Doctor Who and readers who enjoy supernatural fantasy (it’s difficult for me to come up with obvious comparisons for the latter, because Mack’s work in this area is distinctly science fantasy). This short story collection was tremendous fun from start to finish, and Mack is gifted with a distinctive voice as an author. If you enjoy speculative fiction full of surprises where no two stories are the same then I recommend you give Gary J Mack’s books a try.