Chuck Gregory writes about...

Jörn Grote’s Stories

I happened upon “Open Minds” by Jörn Grote. I was making my way through the alphabetic-by-author list, selecting stories more or less at random. I was shocked at the audacity and complexity of the concepts in the story. I was astounded by the attention to detail and the consistency of the ideas. All in all, I was very VERY impressed.

I followed the author bio link when I was done, and from there wandered over to Jörn’s extensive web site. Looking through the stories there, I read a number of good ones, but nothing that struck me quite as much as “Open Minds” until I noticed that the listing for “Open Minds” indicated it was the fourth Gestalt story. I proceeded to read the other three in order, followed by Danielle L. Parker’s excellent critique of “Meme Race Unbound.” That, in turn, led me to write this.

Danielle read “Meme Race Unbound” in one night and was somewhat drained by the process. Imagine how I feel having read all four in one night, with a handful of others thrown in! I will continue my voracious consumption of Jörn’s work until I’ve exhausted all that I can find (not to mention myself). But it’s hard to believe I’ll find anything that exceeds the quality of these four.

Bewildering Stories continues to impress. Thanks for that.

Chuck Gregory
CWG Services
CWG Press

Copyright © 2006 by Chuck Gregory

Thank you very much for the “fan mail,” Chuck. We’re always glad to share with our authors any encomiums we receive, and we’re publishing this one at your request. We’re sure Jörn will be pleased and that newcomers to Bewildering Stories will appreciate the recommendation.

Jörn’s stories have a decidedly philosophical bent. They may take a little getting used to, but the effort is well worth it, especially since some important themes are not always stated explicitly, e.g. aging, death, and the implications of immortality. Call me an old softie, but I’m especially fond of “Home, to the Sea,” back in issue 125.

Reading through the Biographies & Bibliographies at random is not the most efficient way to approach Bewildering Stories. The Biographies index is so large that it has become quite daunting. We recommend starting with the Reviews and Retrospectives, in “Anthologies,” and then reading more widely in authors you find congenial.

Don