Stories A

Transformation Stories List

List Format

Stories C

Stories: B

Baker, James

"The Jamesburg Incubus" {/11/}

[in Alien Sex; ed. Ellen Datlow; ROC; 1990; 0451451422; $4.99] [BB] [BBT]

• [Cause: NA Result: BM.] A man discovers that he's an incubus, with the ability to change his body as he wills. SF; Rating: 3 Significance: 0 Description: 0 Saturation: +. -11

Baker, Russell

"A Sinister Metamorphosis" {//Ph}

[in Shape Shifters by Yolen]

• Result: PE/MD. Humans try to mentally transform themselves into machines. Funny, but very borderline for a shapeshifting anthology. -Ph

Barker, Clive [Bo] [BL] [BR]

"The Madonna" {/11,Ph/}

[in In the Flesh; Barker, Clive; Pocket; ?; 0671612700; $3.95] [BB] [BBT]

• Rating: 3 Result: BM Significance: 0 Description: + Saturation: 0. Horror; creature changes men. -11

"Twilight at the Towers" {/154,155/} [??]

[in Cabal; ?] 
[in Rawhead Rex (Clive Barker, illus. Les Edwards); Eclipse; 1993; 1-560-60182-5; $?] [BB]

• [Result: LY.] Lycanthropy. -154
• I can't find a book entitled just Cabal. There's a book listed on Amazon.com: Cabal/Lord of the Illusions; Pocket; 1996; 0-671-74288-4; $6.99 [BB]. Does anyone know whether this is the same one? -Ph
• [...]In (I think) the Books Of Blood Six. It is a great werewolf tale around the idea of government agencies suppressing Lycanthropy to be unleashed for their own desires; it is also a short graphic novelette along with Rawhead Rex (also the title) with some good art work. (a couple dodgy pics, though) -155 (98/02/14)

Baxter, Stephen [BL]

"Planck Zero" {/40,11/}

[in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine; ?]

• [Result: BM Saturation: +.] The most recent IASFM has a story 'Planck Zero' involving an extreme amount of bodily remaking/enhancement. It is part of the author's Xeelee series, which I have not seen. -40
• Joe Huber was nice enough to provide the author's name. -Ph

Bayley, Barrington [AL]

"Sporting with the Chid" {Ph//}

[in Changes, by Bishop and Watson]

• Cause: AM/AX Result: BX. Humans contact a little-understood alien race known to be excellent at surgery, trying to get their injured comrade patched up. Unfortunately, the aliens have more radical changes in mind. -Ph

Beagle, Peter S. [Bo] [BL]

"Come, Lady Death" {/3/}

[?]

• (See Spoiler Section for more info)

Bear, Greg; Stirling, S. M. [AL] [BL:Bear] [BR:Bear]

"The Man Who Would Be Kzin" {/Ph/}

[In The Man-Kzin Wars IV; Baen; 1991; 0671720791; $4.95] [BB] [BBT]

• [Result: TD/PE?.] A human uses a sort of telepathic disguise ability to infiltrate the Kzinti, and some interesting further changes result. -Ph

Bishop, Michael [AL] [BL] [BR]

"The Monkey's Bride" {//Ph}

[in Heroic Visions; ed. Salmonson, Jessica Amanda; Ace; 1983; 0441328210; $2.75] [BB] [BBT]

• A woman is forced to marry an ape-man. Semi-incidental transformation near the end. -Ph

"Rogue Tomato" {/Ph/}

[in Changes, by Bishop and Watson]

• [Result: BX/IN/ZC.] A man changes into a planetary-sized tomato. -Ph

Bixby, Jerome

"It's a GOOD Life" {Ph//}

[in Mutants; ed. Silverberg, Robert; Corgi; 1977; 055210387X; 60p(UK)] [BB] [BBT]
[in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame; ed. Silverberg, Robert; Avon; 1971; 380-00115-150; $1.50]

• [Result: BX.] A boy is born who can change everything around him, and his entire town becomes a hostage to him. -Ph

Blackwood, Algernon

"The Valley of the Beasts" {/Ph/}

[in The Phoenix Tree; eds. Boyer, Robert and Zahorski, Kenneth; Avon; 1980; 038076380X; $2.50] [BB] [BBT]

• [Result: BM?/PE?.] Definitely has transformations; make up your own mind as to whether they're mental or physical. -Ph

Blish, James [Bo] [AL] [BR] [DZ]

"Surface Tension" {/11,42,Ph/}

[In Analog 88/01]
[In The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Vol. 1; Avon; 1971; 380-00115-150; $1.50]
[In The Seedling Stars; ?] [BBT]

• SF; Cause: GM; not read. -11
• One of Blish's best works. This story, and several others--all about a future in which Man turns to genetic manipulation to colonize other planets--was collected in The Seedling Stars. -42
• Note that, as I recall, no transformations take place during the story itself; all of it happened some time before the story begins. Still an interesting look at the results, though. -Ph

"Solar Plexus" {104//}

[in Human Machines: An Anthology Of Stories About Cyborgs, ed. Scortia, Thomas N; Vintage Books; 1975; ?] [BBT]

• [Result: IN.] Rating: 2 Cause: AM Type: BX Significance: + Description: + Saturation: 0. A man's brain cybernetically takes over a spaceship. Technically very crude story (only Blish's ninth published story, originally published in 1941) and the style is very pulp-ish, but it contains a number of fascinating details and foreshadows other cybernetic spaceships (such as Anne McCaffrey's The Ship Who Sang series) by decades. SF critic Damon Knight notes the story, like several of Blish's, can be convincingly interpreted as a symbolic description of sexual intercourse. -104

"There Shall Be No Darkness" {Ph//}

[in Werewolf! by Pronzini]

• Result: LY. In his introduction, Pronzini calls this his "personal favorite" werewolf short story; it's probably mine too. An interesting scientific "explanation" for lycanthropy, and an excellent story besides. Filmed as The Beast Must Die. -Ph

"A Work Of Art" {104//}

[in A Work Of Art and Other Stories; Faber & Faber; 1993 (?)] [BBT]

• [Result: PE.] Rating: 5 Cause: AM Significance: + Description: + Saturation: 0. In the 22nd century, a man's mind is sculpted so that he becomes the reincarnation of composer Richard Strass [who composed the Also Sprach Zarathustra--the theme from "2001: A Space Odyssey" and was probably Blish's favorite musician]. One of Blish's masterpieces and one of the definitive explorations into the creative mindset. -104

Bloch, Robert [??]

"The Bogey Man Will Get You" {/154/} [??]

[in Final Reckoning; ? ] [BBT]

• [Result: LY.] Lycanthropy.  -154 (98/02/12)

Boucher, Anthony

"The Ambassadors" {/Ph/}

[in Fifty Short Science Fiction Tales; eds. Asimov, Isaac and Conklin, Groff; Collier; 1963; 0020163908; $2.95] [BB] [BBT]
[in The Shape of Things by Asimov and Conklin]

• [Cause: NA Result: LY.] Mankind makes contact with Martians, who turn out to be sentient wolfmen, thus finally giving our much-suffering werewolves stable employment in the diplomatic sector. -Ph

"The Compleat Werewolf" {Ph/10,11,65,87,154/}

[in The Compleat Werewolf; Boucher, Anthony; Ace; 1969; 441-11622-075; $.75] [BBT]
[in The Compleat Werewolf; Boucher, Anthony; Carroll & Graf; 1990; 0881845574; $4.50] [BB]

• [Result: LY.] [One of] the two classic werewolf-as-hero stories... -10
• Rating: 3 Result: LY Significance: X Description: X Saturation: X. -11
• A very interesting mix of elements (romance, intrigue, magic, the everyday problems of life, etc.), with the lycanthropy element tied in to all of them. Not spectacular, but well worth seeking out. -Ph
• Fun short story, very tongue-in-cheek. -87
• Lycanthropy. -154

Bova, Ben [AL] [BL] [BR]

"Sepulcher" {//79}

[in Asimov's Science Fiction, November 1992]

• [Cause: AM Result: BM.] Ex-mercenary has got cyborg replacements after being wounded. -79

Boyd, John [Bo] [AL] [DZ]

"The Werebear and the Rainbow" {//Ph}

[in Amazing Stories, May 1985]

• [Result: LY.] Takes place at a school of magic. A werebear persuades a friend to make an amulet that will stop him from changing. Unfortunately, the magic of the amulet interacts badly with other spells. The ursanthropy is very secondary to the rest of the magic, but it's a fun read. -Ph

Brennert, Alan

"The Third Sex" {TG/11/}

[in Pulphouse 3; ed. Kristine Kathryn Rusch] [BBT]
[in The Year's Best Science Fiction, Seventh Annual Collection; ed. Gardner Dozois; St. Martin's; 1990; ?] [BBT]

• A person who is neither male nor female searches for their role in society. -11

Briggs, Pamela [??]

"Lunch with Janoscz, the Deconstruction Worker" {165//} [??]

[in The Urbanite #7: Strange Transformations, ed. Mark McLaughlin; Urban Legend Press, Davenport, IA; $5] [BBT]

• Rating: I can't be objective here; however, the story got excellent reviews in Tangent, Deathrealm, and the British Fantasy Society Newsletter.
  A woman begins to hear voices, and attributes this to a side effect of her medication. However, an enigmatic man appears to let her know that because she is unusually sensitive, she is perceiving an activity going on nearby that is meant to be a secret. Since he can't hide it from her, he shows her what's happening so she won't be afraid or make problems. This is a "how the universe really works" story. Cause: DT Result: TT Significance: + Description: 0 Saturation: 0. -165 (98/02/14)

Brown, Fredric [??]

"Abominable" {/141/} [??]

[in The Best Short Stories of Fredric Brown; New English Library; 1982; 0450055019; $?] [BB] [BBT]
[in Nightmares and Geezenstacks, Bantam, 1961; or in Space on my Hands, Bantam, 1953; unsure which]
[in The Best of Fredric Brown;  Del Rey; 1977; 0345257006; $1.95] [BB] [BBT]

• (See Spoiler Section for more information) -141 (98/02/08)

"Bear Possibility" {/141/} [??]

[in The Best Short Stories of Fredric Brown; New English Library; 1982; 0450055019; $?] [BB] [BBT]
[in Nightmares and Geezenstacks, Bantam, 1961; or in Space on my Hands, Bantam, 1953; unsure which]

• (See Spoiler Section for more information) -141 (98/02/08)

"Cartoonist" {/141/} [??]

[in The Best Short Stories of Fredric Brown; New English Library; 1982; 0450055019; $?] [BB] [BBT]
[in Nightmares and Geezenstacks, Bantam, 1961; or in Space on my Hands, Bantam, 1953; unsure which]

• (See Spoiler Section for more information) -141 (98/02/08)

"Fish Story" {/141/} [??]

[in The Best Short Stories of Fredric Brown; New English Library; 1982; 0450055019; $?] [BB] [BBT]
[in Nightmares and Geezenstacks, Bantam, 1961; or in Space on my Hands, Bantam, 1953; unsure which]

• (See Spoiler Section for more information) -141 (98/02/08)

Budrys, Algis [AL]

"Between the Dark and the Daylight" {/Ph/}

[in Changes, by Bishop and Watson]

• [Cause: GM Result: BX/RM.] Humanity adapts itself, over generations, to a new world. We see the parents of the final generation. -Ph

Busby, F. M. [Bo] [AL] [BL] [BR]

"First Person Plural" {/11,TG/}

[in Universe 10; ed. Terry Carr; Doubleday; ?; 1155; $1.00] [BBT]

• For an unexplained reason, a man finds himself in the body of a young woman. After going to sleep that night, he finds himself back in his own body--but reliving the same day from a different perspective. He continues to live each day twice until he (they?) decides to attempt to shift which day he lives first. SF; Rating: 3 Result: TT/MT/GC Significance: 0 Description: 0 Saturation: 0. -11

"Getting Home" {/11,78/}

[in Getting Home; ?] [BBT]

• SF; Rating: 4 Result: MT/GC Significance: 0 Description: - Saturation: +. -11
• A person is leaping between the bodies that he falls asleep near. The method of swapping and who he is are a big spoiler to the story. -78

"Road Map" {/11,78/}

[in Getting Home; ?] [BBT]

• SF; Rating: 3 Result: TT/GC Significance: 0 Description: 0 Saturation: -. -11
• A story about a man who dies and finds himself in the body of his previously dead wife at the time of her birth. -78

Byers, Edward [BR]

"The Disconnect" {11//}

[?]

• A group of people have the ability to be possessed. A youn woman in such a state kills an influential scientist's son, leaving few clues as to the guilty party. SF; Rating: 3 Result: RP/GC Significance: + Description: - Number: -. -11

Byram, George

"The Wonder Horse" {//Ph}

[in Mutants; eds. Asimov, Greenberg, and Waugh; Harper; 1988; 0694056294; $2.95] [BB] [BBT]

• [Cause: EM Result: MX.] A mutation produces a horse capable of running like none before. Borderline for a transformation list, but an interesting story anyway. -Ph

Where to from here?

Stories A

Transformation Stories List

List Format

Stories C

Copyright © 1993-2000 Phaedrus /