Michael Marshall Smith: The Annotated Bibliography by Labie Tidhar
01/11/2004 . Source: Tomas L. Martin 
pub: PS Publishing. 235 page book. Hardback: Price: £25.00 (UK), $40.00 (US). ISBN: 1-904-619-05-3. Paperback: Price: £10.00 (UK), $16.00 (US). ISBN: 1-904-619-04-5. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.pspublishing.co.uk and www.michaelmarshallsmith.com
This book is an interesting insight into Science Fiction and thriller writer Michael Marshall Smith's work to date. It includes detailed information on all his short stories, collections and novels, including the books 'Only Forward', 'Spares', 'One Of Us' and 'The Straw Men', which recently got him into the bestsellers' list as Michael Marshall.
Marshall Smith wrote a large number of horror and Science Fiction short stories before his first novel, 'Only Forward', set in an urban Britain zoned according to interest, including the Silent zone and Cat zone. From there he moved onto the excellent 'Spares', a dystopian story of clones made for replacement organs in a crashed flying mall. 'One Of Us' moved onto more thriller elements in a less futuristic setting, the trend of which was continued in 'The Straw Men', which was repackaged as a thriller and dropped Smith's last name.
The bibliography itself is a well-produced list of publishing dates, edition numbers and cover pictures. It's obvious the author cares about Marshall's writing and takes a great deal of interest in the collection of rare editions and proofs.
By far the most impressive part of the bibliography is the series of short essays by Michael Marshall Smith himself on the writing and publishing of each piece. Each is an intriguing description of the writer's life and work and there's a great deal of wry humour about the writing process (Smith was once a humour writer for the BBC). He illuminates a few interesting facts about each novel, but I was disappointed he didn't stray onto the subject of why his name mysteriously shortened.
The essays are an enjoyable and interesting read, especially for the budding writer. But there's not that much of them, compared to the long lists and this is by no means essential reading for all but the most devoted of fans, although writers may want to browse a copy if they spot it in the library somewhere.
Tomas L. Martin |
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