Requisite Variety: Collected Short Fiction by Lior Samson

The stories, as the author is quick to tell you, were written over a long period and in different styles, so there is indeed quite a variety. There's a definite Asimov feel to most and they are polished and precise. Not memorable - truly great science fiction fires the imagination and lodges in the mind like a burr, refusing to be dismissed - but these were more comfortable, easy to read.There were a few exceptions. There was one - the author himself refers to it as grittier than the others - which I do remember, although I can't remember the title. Didn't like it much, but I do remember it.There's a novella - Death's Children - which does catch fire and is very good. Not so much the story, the evoked background - not unlike Avatar, the same sense of a realistic world which rings true. The setting and back story were very good indeed. I enjoyed the story as far as it went, but the wheels fell off slightly at the end, or it ran out of steam - whatever the cause, the story stopped moving. That published on its own would have got 4 stars, the book as a whole was OK and deserves more than 3 stars, if you are looking for something ideal for travel, commuting, while waiting for someone or to read in bed, this is a 5 star find.

For those who like their science fiction relatively grounded and free of fleets of gleaming starships ferrying troops from one bloodied interplanetary battleground to another, then Lior Samson's  "Requisite Variety" is worth reading.This set of stories largely explore the Earth-based computer and pharmaceutical revolutions and extrapolate their effects on humanity. Make no mistake: The anthology's theme is cautionary futurism. The humans in these stories often populate near or distant future realities that rely heavily upon advanced technology or states of mind. But, their burden of coming to grips with the level of dependence, or frankly addiction, isn't as consistently dreary or overbearing as George Orwell or Aldus Huxley. Samson instead generally employs Arthur C. Clarke's multi-cultural, globe-trotting style and adds a modern levity and sense of humor to many of the plots. This keeps the reader engaged and hopeful of some character transformation or enlightenment, if not always a happily ever after conclusion.The anthology's best stories include the following:Requisite Variety-- A futuristic tale set in Sydney, Australia, underemployed space pilot Barry grudgingly accepts a job as what seems like another cog in the wheel of one of the continent's ultra-mechanized skyscrapers. But Barry and co-worker Anya find their dormant skills and intelligence are useful after all when one day, things begin to go haywire. A nicely done, fairly suspenseful man vs. machine tale.Not My Type-- A near futuristic tale that plays like a cautionary sitcom, with geeky computer programmer Alexi Danichov finally finding the woman of his dreams. Or are they of someone else's dreams? And is Alexi's dream girl  Khaddia Winslow all she seems? A humorous look at the effects of media marketing and the rise of microchips and cybernetic implant technology.Sweet Success-- A postmodern look at the effects of pharmaceutical advancements and drug dependence, this is arguably the best story of the anthology. Independent Investigation Bureau agent Derek Scheinner's boredom is broken by an intriguing field assignment that puts him on the trail of a wildly popular chocolate chip cookie and its creator. The characters are colorful; the settings, richly-detailed; and the story briskly-paced, without compromising its deeper message.  First Business-- A look at the concept of original sin from the view of virtual reality games, this somewhat disturbing story follows the desires of two off-work business executives, Nick and Phil. Are the holographic fantasies of "The Big Apple" all in their mind? Not nearly as many laughs as most of the other stories, but still an excellent job of characterization and imagery throughout that capture the degenerate underbelly of many big cities (made worse by accessiblity to the latest developments in technology and commerce)."Requisite Variety" has many more such hits than it does misses. There are wholly alien and other-worldly tales to be had ("In Chapter Three Remember", "Dellahar's Father") and a few long short stories near the end. But, it is still a portrait of the artist as a young writer. Samson's attempts at espionage ("Digital Mole", "Conspiracy of the Silent") and dream state/stream-of-consciousness fiction ("Circular Logic", "The Occupant of Cell 2f") fall flat. But luckily, they're not the focus of the anthology--merely cerebral breathers perhaps from the greater speculative/sci-fi angle instead.Overall, Lior Samson succeeds at delivering an entertaining and enlightening science and speculative fiction reading experience. While the laser blasts and body counts may be too low for some fans of the genre, there is ample intellectual action and adventure to stimulate the brain cells of discerning readers. Samson more often pits great characters in novel situations that twist and bend their minds to their limits, even breaking some of them into conformity. "Requisite Variety" is an excellent addition to any thinking person's library of science fiction and speculative fiction.