Unfortunately this collection of stories lost my interest quick. I made it about 40% through before I realized that I was no longer interested in continuing. I thought the writing of these stories was fantastic and the ideas were also compelling, but something about the execution really left me wanting. I gave every story I read a 2-3 star rating with the exception of “How Do I Do?” which I gave a weak 4 stars. I am not the biggest fan of magical realism which this collection relied heavily on. I wish I got more out of this, but it was a mismatch between reader and work. I’m giving it 3 stars as that was the average from all the stories I read and my projected final rating.

I think this collection will work for a lot of people who are interested in lighthearted, simple short stories that vary in content, particularly for fans of magical realism!

I had understood John Wyndham's reputation as being an early writer of science fiction, and while that may be true, the Stephen King blurb on this book (well, depending on your edition I suppose) is telling: these are definitely horror stories, aside from the tacked on thriller novella <i>The Curse of the Burdens</i>. In fact, Wyndham's influence on Stephen King is really quite clear - these stories feel like nothing so much as Stephen King short fiction, or I suppose it must be the other way around, except decades older and British. Sort of a Ray Bradbury feeling, as well (not surprising, as so many King stories also feel quite indebted to Bradbury). Quite enjoyable! But I do see why they republished this without using the original title of <i>Jizzle</i>, in 2024.

<i>The Curse of the Burdens</i> is quite forgettable, by comparison. I do find its inclusion interesting, as the Wikipedia article for Wyndham claims that it is often attributed to him but that there is no evidence he wrote it. There's no citation for that counterclaim. One wonders if Modern Library has different evidence that he did in fact write it? Surely the executors of Wyndham's literary estate, if such a thing exists, would have a say in the compilation of a new collection, but then again <i>Burdens</i> (from 1927) likely entered public domain in 2023 so perhaps they could just do what they wanted with it. Modern Library! Explain yourself!

Technical Slip by John Wyndham is a clever and imaginative short story that combines science fiction with dark humor. The plot revolves around an accidental body switch between a man and his wife, leading to humorous and thought-provoking reflections on gender roles and identity. Wyndham’s crisp, witty writing makes the story both entertaining and sharp, as he explores the absurdity of the situation with a satirical edge. The story’s brevity does not diminish its impact, offering a concise yet insightful commentary on societal expectations. Technical Slip is a delightful read for fans of classic sci-fi with a comedic twist.

What a fantastic introduction to a new author - I had seen the name before but not understood the range it implies. Supreme atmosphere building, highly recommend to those who like a twinge of horror in their sff!

This one was a mixed bag for me. John Wyndham is one of my favorite sci-fi authors, and while his novels usually hit the mark, his short stories don't always pack the same punch. There are a few standouts like "The Wheel," but others didn’t quite land the same way. There’s even a mystery novella, "The Curse of the Burdens," thrown in that feels oddly out of place among the speculative stories.

Some of the stories are genuinely creepy, and it's fun to see how much has changed (or hasn’t) in sci-fi since the '50s and '60s. If you're curious about Wyndham’s shorter works, it’s worth a read, though not everything will stick.

John Wyndham is a sci-fi legend and I really hope the continue to reprint his fantastic books! Technical Slip is right up there with some of Wyndham's all time classics.

As someone who's typically not very keen on short stories, I didn't find myself disliking a single story told here. I found all of them to be really enjoyable in their own way. Some of them were an interesting retelling, or a delightful way to look at life and death. Some of them felt quite wholesome and warm, while a couple were really more creepy if you thought about it! Absolutely worth the read in my opinion.

Cozy sci-fi horror short stories? Say less. I'm in. Technical Slip really works well as a collection of stories. They stories give off the same energy- slightly eerie and unsettling, with some humor sprinkled in. There is some problematic terminology, but keep in mind that these stories were written nearly a century ago, and the book contains a disclaimer to that point.

So after reading The Day of the Triffids, I wanted to read more of John Wyndham's works, mostly out of curiosity. Since he is a product of his times, his portrayal of women isn't . . . great, but it's not offensive either. Some stories I found not so great, but I did enjoy quite a few of the stories, particularly the flea tamer haha, and I could see how a lot of the themes and tropes he worked on have evolved over the years, which is fun to see! In all, it was interesting to see how SFF has changed and yet not changed much since the 50's and 60's.

Here you will find sixteen of John Wyndham’s short stories, with a novella tacked onto the end. I enjoyed most of the short stories, and they are definitely worth reading…but man, that novella. I was decidedly not a fan. It felt much, much longer than only a novella, and not in a good way. I found myself struggling to get through it and wishing that Wyndham would just get to the point already. I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally finished it.

However, I did enjoy others. Some of my favorites were: “Chinese Puzzle”, “How Do I Do?”, “Una”, “The Wheel” and “More Spinned Against”.

Note: Wyndham’s writing is (obviously) dated. As in, 1940s-50s white male views. It’s especially annoying in the aforementioned novella, “The Curse of the Burdens”, in which the character Rose Ivory is described in a most patronizing manner, over and over again.

Ultimately, I give this collection a 3.5. Do I think Wyndham shows his mastery of the murder mystery genre in his novella showcased here? No, no I do not.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House - Modern Library for an eARC. All opinions are mine alone.

Technical Slip: Collected Stories is by science fiction author John Wyndham best known for The Day of the Triffids. It is a republication of 1954's unfortunately appearing named "Jizzle," (pronounced as Giselle) slightly reordered with an additional novella added ("The Curse of the Burdens.").

All of his four best known works follow a muse through different post apocalyptic scenarios, but his short fiction his much more varied. While mostly falling into fantastical or science fiction based plots, ("Curse of the Burdens" an outlier that is more of a mystery). The stories here are about individuals caught up in there own mindsets and either taught a lesson or left not much changed. Many of the plots play out like a classic episode of the Twilight Zone. Plots include a woman sees her future and questions whether or not to change, a dragon hatches and becomes a focal point in a small town's politics, the dangers of knowledge to the youth or a talented monkey who's gifts include fomenting jealousy.

Highly readable, and despite their age, light on racism or problematic plot structures. They feature both male and female protagonists, the latter more unusual for the time period when these were first published.

Recommended to readers of classic science fiction or those who enjoy short fiction.

Technical Slip contains 14 excellent short stories and one tedious novella by the author of The Midwich Cuckoos, the basis of the Village of the Damned movies.

The stories vary from science fiction to fantasy and even to comedy. All would be excellent choices for Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Indeed, Jizzle, about a monkey a bit too good at drawing was selected to appear on the classic series. Each story has a twist or irony about it keeping the reader reading. The sole exception was the novella, which was overly long and just fizzled out at the end.

As the introduction mentions, there is a bit of casual racism included, mostly archaic, hurtful labels and stereotypes. The sexism is rampant throughout the stories too. Thank goodness we have evolved from those ideas now.

Overall, the short stories within Technical Slip are definitely worth the readers time. Just skip the novella. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Modern Library for providing me with a review copy.

My thanks to Random House, a dead guy and Netgalley.
These aren't bad stories..heck, some "a few" are pretty damned good.
They are dated. I try not to put a "date" on stories. Mostly because I'm also dated. "How rude!"
Still, I. did manage to find a few.goodies here.

When I attended Saturday horror matinees at a local theater as a pre-teen, few movies actually creeped me out. Years later, I learned that two of the scary few, “Day of the Triffids” and “Village of the Damned,” were based on works by the same English author, John Wyndham. Although I enjoyed the movies, I never read the books they were based on. (“Village of the Damned” and its sequel, “Children of the Damned,” were based on Wyndham’s novel, “The Midwich Cuckoos.”) I assumed he was a typical sci-fi/horror writer of the era. However, I recently read “Technical Slip,” a re-issue of some of Wyndham’s short stories. These stories are darkly humorous, often with twist endings worthy of “The Twilight Zone” or “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” As in any collection, some are better than others, but fans of these types of stories will have a lot of fun.

First, some explanation about the collection. “Technical Slip” includes 15 short stories and novelettes that were originally published in 1954 under the title “Jizzle” (one story in the collection, as is “Technical Slip”). Wyndham wrote these stories between 1945 and 1954, with many appearing in “Argosy” and other American magazines. During the 1950s, Wyndham also wrote “Triffids,” “Cuckoos,” and the other novels for which he is best remembered today. The publishers of the current volume added Wyndham’s first published work, “The Curse of the Burdens,” written in 1927 (when the author was 24) under the pen name John B. Harris. (Wyndham’s birth name was John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris. The 1954 short story collection titled “Jizzle” is long out of print, as is “Burdens,” originally issued as a pulp paperback (and now in the public domain).

The short stories in the current collection are much better than “Burdens.” Most would be considered fantasy, with heavy doses of the supernatural. The author shows a dark sense of humor in almost all the stories, but, ironically, those that are the most comic are the weakest. My favorite story was “More Spinned Against.” As the title suggests, the story involves spiders or, more precisely, one particular spider. The main character, Lydia Charters, is a middle-aged housewife married to a man whose passion in life is collecting spiders. His latest acquisition is most unusual. As soon as I read about the hubby’s hobby, I knew the story wouldn’t end well, and it didn’t. However, the twist ending completely surprised me.

Another bizarre fantasy is “A Present from Brunswick.” The titular present is a recorder (a flutelike instrument) that a small-town woman receives from her son. When she plays it, the town’s reaction leads everyone to believe the recorder initially came from another small village, Hamelin, hundreds of years earlier. The current collection’s title story, “Technical Slip,” is a high-tech variation on the classic theme of selling one’s soul to the devil. Here, Satan isn’t interested in souls, but, instead, the lion’s share of the money wealthy dying people like Robert Finnerson accumulated over the years. In return, Finnerson goes back to his youth. As anyone who has read this type of story knows, things don’t work out how Finnerson hoped. But they also don’t work out the way the devil intended, since a technical slip occurred in granting Finnerson’s last wish.

Two of the better stories in “Technical Slip” have no fantasy elements in them. “The Wheel” is a cautionary science fiction tale in which a primitive society considers the wheel the world’s most evil object. As readers discover, the reason for that belief is quite logical. “Affair of the Heart” is a highly unusual romance. A man and woman have dined at the same French restaurant on the same date for over thirty years. This year, something shockingly different occurs. I can’t reveal any more details without spoiling the ending, but I could easily visualize this as an episode of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” “Jizzle” was adapted into a Hitchcock episode, although the story changed significantly. The title creature is a monkey who can create detailed artwork from scratch. However, the monkey’s creations prove to be rather embarrassing (or worse) for its models.

“The Curse of the Burdens” is the longest work in the collection, taking up one-third of the book. It’s a traditional mystery involving the suspicious deaths of two members of the Burden family, which owned a sizable country estate. The story jumps between characters a lot and is hard to follow at times. The eventual solution to the mystery isn’t very interesting either. Wyndham never acknowledged “Burdens” as his work during his lifetime, and it’s easy to see why. The book is a work of an author who’s still learning his craft. Wyndham then wrote (but never published) several mysteries after “Burdens” before turning to science fiction in the early 1930s. Based on “Burdens,” he made the right decision.

I liked about three-quarters of the short stories in the collection, with the others being worthy efforts rather than complete failures. “The Curse of the Burdens” is by far the weakest selection in the book and is worthwhile for Wyndham completists only. The other stories provide a wide variety of entertainment, surprises, and a few chuckles. Fans of the 1940s and 50s pulp magazines will enjoy these selections from one of the better authors in the genre.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this arc to review

I don’t want to say too much about this one because I’m just not the right person for it. This just wasn’t for me but that doesn’t necessarily speak to the quality. I enjoyed the themes and the vibes of the stories there was just a disconnect between me and the writing. Others would definitely enjoy this more than I though.

A fun and creepy collection of short stories by a classic science fiction author. As with most story collections, some worked better than others, but overall I enjoyed my time with this book. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the chance to review.

This was a fun read for me, but likely something that won't work in our library community. I'll be looking for more from Wyndham all the same.

This was an interesting collection of short stories! Some stories were better than others, but I would definitely recommend this collection to readers looking for a short foray into the genre. There were some genuinely creepy moments that I appreciated!